JP4559455B2 - COMMUNICATION CONNECTION SWITCHING PROGRAM, COMMUNICATION DEVICE, AND COMMUNICATION CONNECTION SWITCHING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication connection technique for connecting to a network based on profile information in a network connection service such as a public wireless LAN service.

A technology for setting a network using a predetermined communication profile from a plurality of connection information (communication profiles) describing setting information necessary for communication, and selecting another communication profile when the communication profile cannot connect to the network. Is known (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-94736 A

  However, once the connection to the network is successful and the connection is established, the connection is not attempted using another setting information unless the network is disconnected. Therefore, connection switching is not performed even when a communication profile change or a network connection environment change occurs and a more appropriate network environment can be used. When switching the connection to a more appropriate network environment, the user himself / herself must detect a change in the state of the network environment, determine whether or not connection switching is necessary, and then reconnect to the network.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to detect a change in setting information and a network connection environment, and to switch the connection to a more optimal network.

The communication connection switching program according to the first aspect of the present invention reads out a profile from a storage means that stores in advance a plurality of profiles describing connection information for connection to a network, selects one optimum connection information, and selects the connection information. The process of connecting to the network using, the process of detecting the change of the profile stored in the storage means, and when the change of the profile is detected, the change of the profile is the deletion of the connection information used for the current connection If there is a change, or if it is a change in the specification of the network interface of the profile, it is determined that reconnection will be attempted, and the profile change is for connection information with a lower priority than the connection information used for the current connection determine the processing for determining to continue the current connection, the attempt to reconnect in the process of determining When, disconnect from the network in connection, characterized in that to execute a process of trying to connect by selecting the order of priority of the connection information described in the profile, to the computer.

  In the present invention, a profile change is detected by detecting a change in the profile stored in the storage means and determining whether or not connection to the network is possible using connection information having a higher priority than the current connection information. Since the connection is reconnected to the network using the optimum connection information, the connection is switched at an appropriate timing. The profile describes a plurality of pieces of connection information indicating setting information necessary for communication connection to the network.

  In the present invention, a change in the network environment is detected, and it is determined whether or not it is possible to connect to the network by using connection information having a higher priority than the current connection information. Since the connection information is reconnected to the network using the optimum connection information, the connection can be switched at an appropriate timing.

A communication device according to a second aspect of the present invention is a storage unit that stores in advance a profile that describes a plurality of connection information for connecting to a network, and reads out the profile from the storage unit to select one optimal connection information, A connection unit that connects to the network using the connection information, a change detection unit that detects a change in the profile stored in the storage unit, and when the change detection unit detects a change in the profile, the change in the profile is If the connection information used for the connection is deleted or if the network interface specification of the profile is changed, it is determined that reconnection will be attempted, and the profile change has priority over the connection information used for the current connection. If is for low connection information of the determination means for determining to continue the current connection, the decision means When it is determined that the attempts to connect, disconnect from the network in connection, characterized in that it has a re-connection means attempts to connect by selecting the order of priority of the connection information described in the profile, the .

In the communication connection switching method according to the third aspect of the present invention, the connection means reads out a profile from a storage means in which a plurality of profiles describing connection information for connecting to a network are stored in advance, and selects one optimum connection information. The step of connecting to the network using the connection information, the step of detecting the change of the profile stored in the storage means by the change detection means, and the change of the profile by the determination means when the change of the profile is detected . If the change is the deletion of the connection information used for the current connection, or if the network interface specification of the profile is changed, it is determined that reconnection will be attempted, and the connection used for the current connection is changed by the profile. when the case is for low connection information priority than information continues the current connection A step of disconnection, when the determining means determines that tries to reconnect, by the re-connection means, disconnected from the network during connection, from the highest priority of the connection information described in the profile by choosing connection And a step of trying.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to detect a change in the setting information and the network connection environment and switch the connection to a more optimal network.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a network communication system including a communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. The network communication system shown in the figure includes a communication terminal 100, access points 210a and 210b, an authentication server 220, and a connection server 250, and connects the communication terminal 100 to a service network 300 via an access network 200. The access network 200 includes a public wireless LAN service provided by a communication carrier and a wireless LAN network installed at home. The service network 300 includes a network attached to the public wireless LAN service and the Internet.

  The communication terminal 100 sequentially selects a plurality of connection methods described in the profile, connects to the access points 210a and 210b using the available connection methods, and communicates with the service network 300 via the connection server 250. . The profile held by the communication terminal 100 is issued by the profile creation device 400 managed by the administrator of the access network 200. In the profile, a plurality of connection methods for connecting to the access network 200 and communicating with the service network 300 are described. In addition, the user can edit a profile such as adding a connection method related to a home wireless LAN network and changing the selection order of a plurality of connection methods using the communication terminal 100. The connection method includes an extended service set identifier (ESSID), a WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) key, an authentication method, and the like, which are parameters of a wireless LAN for connecting to the access points 210a and 210b.

  The access points 210 a and 210 b are transfer devices that accommodate the communication terminal 100 via a wireless LAN and connect to the access network 200. Wireless LAN parameters such as ESSID are set in the access points 210a and 210b.

  The authentication server 220 performs authentication when the communication terminal 100 is connected to the service network 300. At the time of authentication, the access points 210a and 210b communicate with the authentication server 220, transfer the MAC address or digital certificate information of the communication terminal 100, and perform authentication based on the permission list held by the authentication server 220. Done.

  The connection server 250 connects the communication terminal 100 to the service network 300 for communication. The communication terminal 100 authenticated by the authentication server 220 can communicate with the service network 300 via the access points 210a and 210b and the connection server 250. Hereinafter, the communication terminal 100 will be described in detail.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the communication terminal according to the first embodiment. The communication terminal 100 shown in the figure includes a profile storage unit 110, a connection control unit 120, a communication interface unit 130, a switching determination unit 140, and a change management unit 150. The communication terminal 100 can be configured by a computer including an arithmetic processing device, a storage device, a memory, and the like, and processing of each unit is executed by a program. This program is stored in a storage device, and can be recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, or provided through a network. Details of each part will be described below.

  The profile storage unit 110 stores a profile describing a plurality of connection methods in advance. The stored profile can be changed by a user using a GUI (Graphical User Interface) or the like. It is also possible to download and update the profile from the network, or input and update from a recording medium such as a magnetic disk. Details of the profile will be described later.

  The connection control unit 120 reads the profile from the profile storage unit 110, selects a connection method described in the profile, and controls the communication interface unit 130. Priorities are assigned to the respective connection methods, and the connection control unit 120 attempts to connect by selecting in order from the highest priority.

  The communication interface unit 130 executes communication connection processing according to the connection method selected by the connection control unit 120. In addition, the radio wave intensity of the access points 210a and 210b is detected.

  The switching determination unit 140 receives profile change information from the change management unit 150 to be described later, and determines whether to reconnect using a connection method different from the currently used connection method. When it is determined that connection is possible using a connection method having a higher priority than the currently used connection method, it is determined that reconnection is performed. When reconnecting, the connection methods described in the profile are selected in descending order of priority, and connection is attempted.

  The change management unit 150 monitors the profile stored in the profile storage unit 110, and notifies the switching determination unit 140 of the change when the profile is changed.

  Next, the profile describing the connection method will be described. FIG. 3 shows an example of a profile stored in the profile storage unit 110. In the profile, a plurality of setting information for connecting to the access point for communication is described as a connection method. The connection method includes management parameters (profile ID, priority order, connection form) and connection parameters (ESSID, authentication mode, WEP key, WEP key setting method). Also, one NIC (Network Interface Card) used in the profile is designated for the entire connection method described in the profile as a designated NIC. The NIC may be designated for each designation method.

  The profile shown in FIG. 3 describes two connection methods: a connection method represented by a profile ID “1” and a connection method represented by a profile ID “2”. The “priority” indicates the order of trials using the connection methods described in the profile, and in this embodiment, the connection methods are assigned from the connection methods assigned with a lower priority. The user can change the priority order. The “connection form” describes an authentication method at the time of connection.

  “ESSID” represents an identifier set for an access point connected by the connection method. The other “authentication mode”, “WEP key”, and “WEP key setting method” are items used for connection and authentication.

  Next, the operation of the communication terminal in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the switching determination unit 140 of the communication terminal in the present embodiment. When the user changes the profile stored in the profile storage unit 110, the change management unit 150 reads the profile after the change from the profile storage unit 110 and reads the profile before the change from the storage device provided in the change management unit 150. Compare the two. As a result of the comparison, if a change in profile is detected, the switching determination unit 140 is notified. The change management unit 150 stores the changed profile in a storage device provided in the change management unit 150.

  The switching determination unit 140 determines whether or not the network is currently connected (step S41). If it is not connected or not connected such as during connection processing, disconnection / reconnection processing is performed (step S44). When performing the reconnection process, the profile after the change is read from the profile storage unit 110 and the connection is tried in order from the connection method with the highest priority, so that the connection is made to the network using the profile after the change.

  If it is connected to the network, it is determined whether any of the items of the connection method used for the current connection has been changed or whether the connection method has been deleted (step S42). If the connection method used for the current connection is not changed or deleted, the connection is continued as it is (step S43). If the connection method used for the current connection is changed or deleted, the disconnection / reconnection process is performed. (Step S44).

  As described above, when the connection method used in the current connection among the connection methods described in the profile stored in the profile storage unit 110 is updated, the connection process is performed again to use the updated information and the network. Can be connected to.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another operation of switching determination section 140 of the communication terminal according to the present embodiment. The operation shown in the figure is different from that shown in FIG. 4 in that it is determined whether or not there is a change in the priority order or NIC designation in the profile.

  When the change management unit 150 detects a profile change, the switching determination unit 140 starts the process shown in FIG.

  The switching determination unit 140 determines whether or not the network is currently connected (step S51). If it is not connected or not connected such as during connection processing, disconnection / reconnection processing is performed (step S55).

  If connected to the network, it is determined whether any of the items of the connection method used for the current connection has been changed or whether the connection method has been deleted (step S52). When the connection method used for the current connection is changed or deleted, disconnection / reconnection processing is performed (step S55).

  If the connection method used for the current connection has not been changed or deleted, it is determined whether the priority of each connection method in the profile has been changed or whether the NIC designation has been changed (step S53). If none of them are changed, the connection is continued as it is (step S54).

  When the priority order or NIC designation in the updated profile is changed, disconnection / reconnection processing is performed (step S55). Even if the priority of the connection method used for the current connection is not changed, the reconnection process is performed when the priority of the other connection method is changed.

  In this way, even if the connection method used for the current connection has not been changed, it is possible to increase the priority by performing reconnection processing when a change in the priority order of each connection method described in the profile is detected. It can be connected to the network with a high connection method. Further, when the NIC designation is changed, the connection using the desired NIC is possible by performing the reconnection process.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing still another operation of the switching determination unit 140 of the communication terminal according to the present embodiment, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing the detailed operation of the processing in FIG. The operation shown in FIG. 6 is for inspecting profile change items more finely than those shown in FIGS.

  When the change management unit 150 detects a profile change, the switching determination unit 140 starts the process shown in FIG.

  The switching determination unit 140 determines whether or not the network is currently connected (step S61). If it is not connected or not connected such as during connection processing, disconnection / reconnection processing is performed (step S66).

  If it is connected to the network, it is determined whether the NIC designation has been changed (step S62). If the NIC designation has been changed, disconnection / reconnection processing is performed (step S66).

  If the NIC designation has not been changed, it is determined whether or not the connection method used for the current connection and the higher-order connection method with higher priority have been edited (step S63). When the upper connection method is edited, disconnection / reconnection processing is performed (step S66). As described above, when the higher-level connection method is edited, connection may be possible using the connection method, and reconnection processing is performed. Details of this processing will be described later.

  If the upper connection method has not been edited, it is determined whether or not the connection method used for the current connection and the priority of the higher connection method having a higher priority have been changed (step S64). When a connection method having a higher priority than the connection method used for the current connection is newly added, disconnection / reconnection processing is performed (step S66). Thereby, it becomes possible to connect using the optimal network connection system. Details of this processing will be described later.

  If the priority of the connection method used for the current connection is not lower than before the change, the connection is continued as it is (step S65).

  As described above, when the upper connection method having a higher priority than the connection method used for the current connection is edited, the reconnection process is performed, so that a connection with a higher priority can be established. On the other hand, since the connection is continued when the connection method with a lower priority is changed, unnecessary disconnection / reconnection processing can be suppressed.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation for determining whether or not a connection method with a high priority is edited, and shows details of the processing in step S63 in FIG.

  First, the switching determination unit 140 reads the profile after the change, and acquires the connection method with the highest priority (step S71).

  A connection method having the same profile ID as the acquired connection method is searched from the profile before change, and the values set in the respective items are compared (step S72). If the values are different as a result of the comparison, it is determined that editing has been performed (step S74). Items to be compared in the process of detecting the presence / absence of editing in step S72 are items closely related to the connection, such as connection form, ESSID, authentication mode, WEP key, and WEP key setting method.

  If the acquired connection method has not been edited, it is determined whether or not the connection method is the connection method used for the current connection (step S73). If the acquired connection method is the one used for the current connection, it is determined that there is no editing (step S75). If the acquired connection method is not the one used for the current connection, the process returns to step S71, and the connection method with the next highest priority is acquired. In this way, it is determined whether or not a connection method having a higher priority than the connection method used for the current connection has been edited.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation for determining whether or not the priority order has been changed, and shows the details of the processing in step S64 in FIG.

  First, the switching determination unit 140 reads the profile after the change and acquires the connection method with the highest priority (step S81).

  A connection method having the same profile ID as the acquired connection method is searched from the profile before the change, and the priority order before the change is acquired. Further, the priority of the connection method used for the current connection is acquired from the profile before the change. Then, the priorities are compared (step S82). Since the priority order to be compared here is described in the profile before the change, if the priority order of the connection method used for the current connection is high, it is determined that the priority order has been changed (step S84). . Accordingly, it can be determined that a new connection method has been added to a connection method having a higher priority than the connection method used for the current connection.

  On the other hand, as a result of comparing the two, if the priority order of the acquired connection method is high, it is determined whether or not the connection method is the connection method used for the current connection (step S83). If the acquired connection method is the one used for the current connection, it is determined that there is no change (step S85). If the acquired connection method is not the one used for the current connection, the process returns to step S81 to acquire the next highest priority connection method. In this way, it is possible to determine whether or not a connection method having a higher priority than the connection method used for the current connection has been added.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when the change management unit 150 detects a change in the profile stored in the profile storage unit 110, the switching determination unit 140 has a higher priority than the connection method used for the current connection. By determining whether or not the connection method can be used, even when connected to the network, it is possible to reconnect to the network using an optimal connection method in accordance with the profile change. At this time, the user does not need to be aware of reconnection to the network, and convenience is improved.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication terminal according to the second embodiment. The communication terminal 100 shown in the figure is different from that shown in FIG. 2 in that the change management unit 150 is deleted and a state change detection unit 160 is added. The communication terminal 100 can be configured by a computer including an arithmetic processing device, a storage device, a memory, and the like, and processing of each unit is executed by a program. This program is stored in a storage device, and can be recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, or provided through a network.

  Since the profile storage unit 110, the connection control unit 120, and the communication interface unit 130 are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted here.

  The state change detection unit 160 detects a change in the network environment such as a change in the radio wave intensity of the access points 210a and 210b and an available NIC, and if a change is detected, notifies the switch determination unit 140 of the change. . The state change detection unit 160 holds information regarding the detected network environment as network environment information in a storage device. The network environment information held by the state change detection unit 160 will be described later.

  The switching determination unit 140 receives a notification regarding a change in the network environment from the state change detection unit 160 and determines whether to reconnect using a connection method different from the currently used connection method. If it is determined that connection is possible with a connection method having a higher priority than the currently used connection method, it is determined that reconnection is attempted.

  Next, network environment information held by the state change detection unit 160 will be described. FIG. 10 shows an example of network environment information. The network environment information is configured with reference to the profile stored in the profile storage unit 110 based on the information acquired from the communication interface unit 130, and is stored in the storage device provided in the state change detection unit 160.

  The values of the items of the network environment information ESSID, radio wave intensity, and presence / absence of encryption shown in FIG. The connection state indicates whether or not the access point having the ESSID is connected. The item of presence / absence of profile registration indicates whether or not the ESSID detected by the communication interface unit 130 is registered in the profile stored in the profile storage unit 110. When the connection method having the ESSID is described in the profile, the priority order and profile ID of the connection method are acquired and added to the network environment information. Note that the network environment information is updated periodically.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 10, two pieces of information are described: information having an ESSID of COMPANY-A and information having an ESSID of COMPANY-C. The ESSID COMPANY-A is registered in the profile, whereas the ESSID COMPANY-C is not registered in the profile.

  Next, the operation of the communication terminal in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the switching determination unit 140 of the communication terminal in the present embodiment. When the network environment changes such as enabling the NIC or entering the area of a new access point, the state change detection unit 160 notifies the switching determination unit 140.

  The switching determination unit 140 determines whether or not the network is currently connected (step S91). If it is not connected or not connected such as during connection processing, disconnection / reconnection processing is performed (step S94).

  If it is connected to the network, it is determined whether or not connection is possible with a connection method having a higher priority than the connection method used for the current connection (step S92). Whether or not connection is possible can be determined based on the radio field intensity of the network environment information. Further, it is possible to determine whether or not the priority is higher than the connected connection method by referring to the connection state and the priority of the network environment information.

  If the connection method with higher priority than the connection method used for the current connection is not connectable, the connection is continued as it is (step S93), and if the connection is possible, the disconnection / reconnection process is performed (step S94). .

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when the state change detection unit 160 detects a change in the network environment, the switching determination unit 140 determines whether or not a connection method with a higher priority can be used. Even when connected to a network, it is possible to reconnect to the network using a connection method with higher priority according to changes in the network environment.

  Communication terminal 100 may include both change management unit 150 and state change detection unit 160.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an entire network communication system according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the communication terminal in 1st Embodiment. It is a table | surface which shows the profile which the said communication terminal hold | maintains. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the reconnection judgment process of the said communication terminal. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of another reconnection judgment process of the said communication terminal. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of another reconnection determination process of the said communication terminal. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for determining whether or not a connection method having a higher priority order has been edited in the processing shown in FIG. 6. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which judges whether the high-order priority among the processes shown in FIG. 6 was changed. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the communication terminal in 2nd Embodiment. It is a table | surface which shows the network environment information which the said communication terminal hold | maintains. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the reconnection judgment process of the said communication terminal.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Communication terminal 110 ... Profile memory | storage part 120 ... Connection control part 130 ... Communication interface part 140 ... Switching judgment part 150 ... Change management part 160 ... State change detection part 200 ... Access network 210a, 210b ... Access point 220 ... Authentication server 250 ... Connection server 300 ... Service network 400 ... Profile creation device

Claims (3)

A process of reading out the profile from storage means preliminarily storing a plurality of profiles describing connection information for connecting to the network, selecting one of the optimum connection information, and connecting to the network using the connection information;
A process for detecting a change in the profile stored in the storage means;
When the change of the profile is detected, if the change of the profile is the deletion of the connection information used for the current connection, or if the specification of the network interface of the profile is changed, reconnection is attempted. And determining that the current connection is to be continued if the profile change is for connection information having a lower priority than the connection information used for the current connection ;
When it is determined that reconnection is attempted in the determination process, disconnection from the connected network, and processing for selecting and connecting in order from the highest priority of the connection information described in the profile ; and
A communication connection switching program for causing a computer to execute. Storage means for storing in advance a profile describing a plurality of connection information for connecting to a network;
Connection means for reading out the profile from the storage means, selecting one of the optimum connection information, and connecting to the network using the connection information;
Change detection means for detecting a change in the profile stored in the storage means;
When the change detection unit detects a change in the profile, the change in the profile is a deletion of the connection information used for the current connection, or a change in the designation of the network interface of the profile Determining means to attempt reconnection, and determining means to continue the current connection if the profile change is for connection information having a lower priority than the connection information used for the current connection ;
When the determination means determines to attempt reconnection, the reconnection means disconnects from the connected network and attempts to connect by selecting the connection information described in the profile in descending order of priority .
A communication apparatus comprising: The connection means reads out the profile from the storage means storing in advance a plurality of profiles describing connection information for connecting to the network, selects one of the optimum connection information, and connects to the network using the connection information. Steps,
Detecting a change of the profile stored in the storage means by a change detection means;
When the change of the profile is detected by the determining means when the change of the profile is the deletion of the connection information used for the current connection or when the network interface of the profile is changed Determining to attempt reconnection and determining to continue the current connection if the profile change is for connection information having a lower priority than the connection information used for the current connection ;
When the determination means determines that reconnection is to be attempted , the reconnection means disconnects from the connected network, and attempts to connect by selecting the connection information described in the profile in descending order of priority. Steps,
A communication connection switching method characterized by comprising:

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