Wireless communication device and monitoring system

Abstract

A wireless communication device (110) is provided with a first wireless communication subsystem (111) having a first wireless communication circuit, a second wireless communication subsystem (112) having a second wireless communication circuit, and a control system (113) for controlling the first wireless communication subsystem (111) and the second wireless communication subsystem (112). The first wireless communication subsystem (111), the second wireless communication subsystem (112), and the control system (113) are configured from a single semiconductor device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to wireless communication devices and surveillance systems. Background Technology

[0002] In the past, various countermeasures against external attack risks have been studied for wireless communication devices or systems. For example, as a countermeasure against external attack risks, public-key encryption such as AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) has been studied. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an access point equipped with a wireless communication unit using encryption methods such as AES.

[0003] Existing technical documents Patent documents Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-023151 Summary of the Invention

[0004] The problem that the invention aims to solve However, in wireless communication devices, it is desirable to improve communication quality.

[0005] Therefore, this disclosure provides a wireless communication device and a monitoring system that can improve communication quality.

[0006] Methods for solving problems One aspect of the present invention provides a wireless communication device comprising: a first wireless communication subsystem having a first wireless communication circuit; a second wireless communication subsystem having a second wireless communication circuit; and a control system for controlling the first wireless communication subsystem and the second wireless communication subsystem, wherein the first wireless communication subsystem, the second wireless communication subsystem, and the control system are constituted by a semiconductor device.

[0007] One aspect of the monitoring system disclosed herein includes: a monitoring circuit, a monitored object; and the aforementioned wireless communication device for wirelessly communicating data acquired by the monitoring circuit.

[0008] Invention Effects The wireless communication device, etc., according to one aspect of this disclosure, can improve communication quality. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle equipped with the monitoring system of Embodiment 1.

[0010] Figure 2 This is an exterior view of an example of the monitoring system of Implementation 1.

[0011] Figure 3AThis is a diagram showing the schematic structure of the monitoring circuit in Embodiment 1.

[0012] Figure 3B This is a diagram showing the detailed structure of the monitoring circuit in Embodiment 1.

[0013] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the structure of the first wireless communication circuit in Embodiment 1.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the structure of the security module in Implementation Method 1.

[0015] Figure 6A This is a diagram showing the schematic structure of the management circuit in Implementation Method 1.

[0016] Figure 6B This is a diagram showing the detailed structure of the management circuit in Implementation Method 1.

[0017] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating communication in the monitoring system of Embodiment 1.

[0018] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the first wireless communication circuit in a variation of Embodiment 1.

[0019] Figure 9 This is a diagram showing another example of the structure of the first wireless communication circuit of a variation of embodiment 1.

[0020] Figure 10A This is a diagram showing the detailed structure of the monitoring circuit in a variation of Embodiment 1, Example 2.

[0021] Figure 10B This is a diagram showing the detailed structure of the management circuit of a variation 2 of implementation method 1.

[0022] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating the frequency band of wireless communication in Embodiment 2.

[0023] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating the rules for selecting the frequency of wireless communication in Implementation Method 2.

[0024] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating the transmission process in the monitoring system of Implementation Method 3.

[0025] Figure 14A This is a diagram showing the packet structure of the packet sent to the ECC unit in Embodiment 3.

[0026] Figure 14B This is a diagram illustrating an example of the packet structure during transmission in Implementation Method 3.

[0027] Figure 14C This is a diagram illustrating another example of the packet structure during transmission in Implementation 3.

[0028] Figure 14D This is a diagram illustrating an example of the package structure during processing in Implementation Method 3.

[0029] Figure 15A This is a diagram illustrating an example of the package structure in Implementation 3, when applied to a BLE package.

[0030] Figure 15B This is a diagram illustrating an example of the payload structure in the package of Implementation 3, when applied to a BLE package.

[0031] Figure 16A This is a diagram illustrating an example of the packet structure in Implementation 3, when using packets applied to IEEE 802.15.4.

[0032] Figure 16B This is a diagram illustrating an example of the packet structure during processing in Implementation 3, when applying packets to IEEE 802.15.4.

[0033] Figure 17 This is a flowchart illustrating the receiving operation in the monitoring system of Embodiment 3.

[0034] Figure 18 This is a diagram illustrating communication in a monitoring system of a modified embodiment 3.

[0035] Figure 19 The first diagram illustrates an application example of a monitoring system.

[0036] Figure 20 The second figure shows an application example of a monitoring system.

[0037] Figure 21 The third figure shows an application example of a monitoring system. Detailed Implementation

[0038] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Furthermore, the embodiments described below are general or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, constituent elements, arrangement positions of constituent elements, connection methods, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are examples and are not intended to limit this disclosure. In addition, constituent elements in the following embodiments that are not described in the independent claims are described as arbitrary constituent elements.

[0040] Furthermore, the figures are schematic diagrams and may not be strictly representational. Therefore, for example, the scales may not be consistent across different figures. Also, substantially identical structures are labeled with the same reference numerals across different figures, and repetitive descriptions are omitted or simplified. Additionally, for convenience, English descriptions are provided in some of the figures for reference. These English descriptions may sometimes differ from the Japanese descriptions in the instruction manual.

[0041] Furthermore, in this specification, terms indicating the relationship between elements, as well as numerical values ​​and ranges, do not merely represent a strict meaning, but rather imply substantially equivalent ranges, such as including differences of a few percent (or about 10%).

[0042] Furthermore, the term "on 〇〇 (e.g., on the battery module)" applies not only to the case where two components are arranged apart from each other and there are other components between the two components, but also to the case where two components are arranged in a state of being connected to each other.

[0043] In addition, unless otherwise specified, in this specification, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" do not refer to the quantity or order of the constituent elements, but are used for the purpose of differentiation to avoid confusion of the same constituent elements.

[0044] (Implementation Method 1) In wireless communication systems (e.g., low-speed wireless communication systems such as BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), malicious attacks, such as hacking, are possible, thus secure wireless communication is desirable. To achieve secure wireless communication, the authenticity of the data in wireless communication is crucial. For example, addressing network security (e.g., verifying the correctness of the communicating party) is important in wireless communication. In the automotive industry, ISO / SAE 21434, an international standard specifying network security countermeasures, is in effect, and addressing network security is particularly important in the automotive industry. Furthermore, authenticity means that the transmitted and received data is genuine data.

[0045] Therefore, while secure wireless communication for purposes such as network security is considered, it may introduce communication delays that would otherwise result in the transmission of data. For example, secure wireless communication systems, as countermeasures against external attacks, require public-key encryption such as AES. However, in low-speed wireless communication systems like BLE, where security and low latency are required, communication delays caused by key exchange can become a problem.

[0046] Therefore, it has been difficult to improve communication quality while suppressing communication latency in the past. Thus, this embodiment describes a wireless communication device that can improve communication quality while suppressing communication latency, such as a wireless communication device that can balance communication latency suppression and secure wireless communication. Specifically, a wireless communication device capable of data communication via two wireless communication circuits will be described. For example, a wireless communication device that can improve security functions while suppressing communication latency by using one wireless communication circuit for data communication and another wireless communication circuit for key communication will be described.

[0047] This allows for the suppression or delay of data communications that should be transmitted, and enhances security by regularly updating / exchanging keys to address network security risks. Secure wireless communication is crucial, for example, for ensuring reliable wireless communication quality.

[0048] [1-1. Composition of a Surveillance System] The following is for reference Figures 1-7 The monitoring system of this embodiment will be described. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle 1 equipped with the monitoring system 5 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the monitoring system 5 is described as an example of a battery management system (hereinafter also referred to as BMS). However, the monitoring system 5 is not limited to a BMS.

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, the monitoring system 5 is positioned below the seat 2 of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the monitoring system 5 is positioned in the space (enclosed space) between the seat 2 and the chassis 3. This space is a confined space. That is, the monitoring system 5 is configured for use within a confined space.

[0050] Within this confined space are arranged a battery pack containing multiple battery cells 11a, a management circuit 200 for managing the battery pack, and multiple monitoring circuits 100 for monitoring the battery pack. The management circuit 200 and the multiple monitoring circuits 100 communicate wirelessly, forming a transmission path L within the confined space. Furthermore, the management circuit 200 is connected to the battery pack via a connection box 4, also referred to as a control box.

[0051] Furthermore, vehicle 1 is, for example, an electric vehicle. Vehicle 1 is, for example, an electric vehicle (EV), but is not limited to this; it could also be an electric train, etc.

[0052] Figure 2 This is an external view showing an example of the monitoring system 5 of this embodiment.

[0053] The monitoring system 5 is a system for managing the battery pack. For example, the monitoring system 5 manages the battery pack's SOC (State of Charge), SOH (State of Health), and SOP (State of Power). Additionally, the monitoring system 5 monitors for abnormalities in the battery pack. The monitoring system 5 includes a management circuit 200 for managing the battery pack and multiple monitoring circuits 100 for monitoring the battery pack. Furthermore, the monitoring system 5 may also include a battery pack. For example, a battery pack is constructed by connecting multiple battery modules 11 in series or parallel. A battery module 11, also called a battery pack, is constructed by housing one or more battery cells 11a within a battery casing. When a battery module 11 is composed of multiple battery cells 11a, the multiple battery cells 11a are connected in series. Furthermore, a battery cell 11a is also called a battery. For example, lithium-ion batteries are examples of battery cells 11a, but the system is not limited to these. Additionally, for example, monitoring circuits 100 are disposed on each of the multiple battery modules 11.

[0054] The monitoring circuit 100 is a unit that monitors the battery cells 11a of the battery module 11, and includes a wireless communication device 110, a first antenna 120, a second antenna 130, a battery monitoring IC (Integrated Circuit) 140, and a switch 150. A specific example of the monitoring circuit 100 is, for example, a CMU (Cell Management Unit). The battery cell 11a (or battery pack) is an example of the object monitored by the monitoring circuit 100.

[0055] The wireless communication device 110 is used for wireless communication between the monitoring circuit 100 and the management circuit 200. For example, the wireless communication device 110 transmits data acquired by the monitoring circuit 100 to the management circuit 200 wirelessly. This will be discussed later. Figure 3A and Figure 3B Describe the structure of the wireless communication device 110.

[0056] The first antenna 120 and the second antenna 130 are antennas for wireless communication. At least one of the first antenna 120 and the second antenna 130 can be an antenna for short-range wireless communication. In this embodiment, the first antenna 120 and the second antenna 130 are antennas for short-range wireless communication.

[0057] As a wireless communication protocol for short-range wireless communication, it includes at least one of the Bluetooth protocol and the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol, but is not limited to these. For example, it may also include Wi-Fi (registered trademark, hereinafter the same), ZigBee (registered trademark), etc. In addition, Bluetooth can be BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).

[0058] Battery monitoring IC 140 is an IC that measures the voltage of battery cell 11a. For example, battery monitoring IC 140 can measure the voltage of one or more battery cells 11a within battery module 11.

[0059] Switch 150 is a switch that can be used in the wireless communication device 110. Switch 150 is an operation button that instructs the monitoring circuit 100 to pair with the management circuit 200. For example, when the user operates switch 150, switch 150 outputs a pairing start signal to the monitoring circuit 100. Thus, the monitoring circuit 100 establishes a pairing with the management circuit 200 based on the pairing start signal.

[0060] In addition, Figure 2 The illustration shows an example where the monitoring circuit 100 is positioned above the battery module 11, but the location of the monitoring circuit 100 is not limited to this, as long as it can communicate with the management circuit 200. For example, the monitoring circuit 100 can be positioned inside the battery module 11 or on the side of the battery module 11.

[0061] Furthermore, the monitoring circuit 100 does not have a switch for switching the antenna used for communication from one of the first antenna 120 and the second antenna 130 to the other.

[0062] The management circuit 200 and the monitoring circuit 100 together form a BMS. The management circuit 200 obtains data such as the voltage value of each cell 11a from each monitoring circuit 100 via the wireless communication device 210.

[0063] In addition, Figure 2 The illustration shows an example where the management circuit 200 is positioned above the connection box 4, but the location of the management circuit 200 is not limited to this, as long as it can communicate with the monitoring circuit 100. The management circuit 200 may be positioned, for example, inside the connection box 4 or on the side of the connection box 4.

[0064] Figure 3A This is a diagram showing a schematic structure of the monitoring circuit 100 in this embodiment. Furthermore, in Figure 3A as well as Figure 3B The diagram also shows cell 11a.

[0065] like Figure 3A As shown, the wireless communication device 110 includes a first wireless communication subsystem 111, a second wireless communication subsystem 112, and a control system 113.

[0066] The first wireless communication subsystem 111 and the second wireless communication subsystem 112 are subsystems that perform wireless communication and are respectively connected to the control system 113.

[0067] The control system 113 is connected to the first wireless communication subsystem 111, the second wireless communication subsystem 112, and the battery monitoring IC 140 respectively, and controls them.

[0068] The first antenna 120 is connected to the first wireless communication subsystem 111, radiates radio waves corresponding to signals from the first wireless communication subsystem 111, and receives radio waves from other devices (e.g., management circuit 200) and outputs them to the first wireless communication subsystem 111.

[0069] The second antenna 130 is connected to the second wireless communication subsystem 112, radiates radio waves corresponding to signals from the second wireless communication subsystem 112, and receives radio waves from other devices (e.g., management circuit 200) and outputs them to the second wireless communication subsystem 112.

[0070] like Figure 3A as well as Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the first wireless communication subsystem 111, the second wireless communication subsystem 112, and the control system 113 are constituted by a single-chip semiconductor device. The first wireless communication subsystem 111, the second wireless communication subsystem 112, and the control system 113 constitute a transceiver LSI (Large Scale Integration). "Single-chip" means that the circuits constituting the first wireless communication subsystem 111, the second wireless communication subsystem 112, and the control system 113 are constituted by a single semiconductor device, for example, meaning they are disposed on the same semiconductor device (e.g., on a single IC chip, or on a device comprising two or more IC chips in a single package). That is, a semiconductor device can be configured to contain only one IC chip within the package, or it can be configured to contain multiple IC chips within the package.

[0071] Figure 3B This is a diagram showing the detailed structure of the monitoring circuit 100 in this embodiment. Furthermore, the first wireless communication subsystem 111 and the second wireless communication subsystem 112 have the same structure; the following mainly describes the structure of the first wireless communication subsystem 111, omitting the description of the structure of the second wireless communication subsystem 112.

[0072] like Figure 3B As shown, the first wireless communication subsystem 111 includes a first wireless communication circuit 111a and a first host circuit 111b.

[0073] The first wireless communication circuit 111a includes a first PHY (Physical Layer) section 1110, a first MAC (Medium Access Control) section 1120, and a first ECC (Error Correction Circuit) section 1130.

[0074] The first PHY unit 1110 functions as the physical layer of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) reference model. The first PHY unit 1110 includes analog circuitry for converting between a baseband signal and a modulated signal. Taking transmission as an example, the baseband signal, for instance, is a signal from the first MAC unit 1120. In this embodiment, it is a rectangular wave signal output from the first MAC unit 1120 to the first PHY unit 1110 via the first ECC unit 1130.

[0075] Furthermore, the second PHY unit 1210 has the same structure and function as the first PHY unit 1110.

[0076] The first MAC unit 1120 has the function of the media link layer of the OSI reference model and has digital circuitry for packet generation and reading. The first MAC unit 1120 is connected to the first PHY unit 1110 and is connected to the control system 113 via the first bus 1190.

[0077] Furthermore, the second MAC unit 1220 is connected to the second PHY unit 1210 and is connected to the control system 113 via the second bus 1290, having the same structure and function as the first MAC unit 1120.

[0078] The first ECC unit 1130 performs error correction related processing for transmitted and received packets. The first ECC unit 1130 assigns error correction data (e.g., check bits) to transmitted packets and corrects errors in received packets using the error correction data assigned to that packet. The error correction data enables error detection and correction; for example, it can be a so-called error-correcting code.

[0079] The first ECC unit 1130 is connected to both the first PHY unit 1110 and the first MAC unit 1120, and performs error correction-related processing on the transmitted signals. In this embodiment, the first ECC unit 1130 is connected between the first PHY unit 1110 and the first MAC unit 1120 (for example, see the description below). Figure 4 ).

[0080] In addition, the second ECC section 1230 is connected to the second PHY section 1210 and the second MAC section 1220 respectively, and has the same structure and function as the first ECC section 1130.

[0081] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first PHY unit 1110 and the first MAC unit 1120 are connected in a communicative manner. That is, the first PHY unit 1110 and the first MAC unit 1120 can transmit and receive data without going through the first ECC unit 1130, forming a bypass path that directly connects the first PHY unit 1110 and the first MAC unit 1120. For example, packets that do not require error correction can be directly transmitted and received between the first PHY unit 1110 and the first MAC unit 1120. Alternatively, the first PHY unit 1110 and the first MAC unit 1120 may not be connected in a directly communicative manner. For example, a bypass path that directly connects the first PHY unit 1110 and the first MAC unit 1120 may not be formed.

[0082] Furthermore, while the example described above illustrates a wireless communication device 110 comprising a first ECC unit 1130 and a second ECC unit 1230, in this embodiment, the first ECC unit 1130 and the second ECC unit 1230 may not be included. For example, the first wireless communication subsystem 111 may be configured to include only the first PHY unit 1110, the first MAC unit 1120, and the first ECC unit 1130, specifically the first PHY unit 1110 and the first MAC unit 1120.

[0083] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates the structure of the first wireless communication circuit 111a in this embodiment. Furthermore, the structure of the second wireless communication circuit 112a is the same as that of the first wireless communication circuit 111a, and therefore its description is omitted. Additionally, in Figure 4 The diagram omits the communication path that directly connects the first PHY unit 1110 and the first MAC unit 1120.

[0084] like Figure 4 As shown, the first PHY section 1110 of the first wireless communication circuit 111a includes a modulation circuit 1111, an oscillator 1112, a power amplifier 1113a, a linear amplifier 1113b, filters 1114a and 1114b, a switch 1115, a mixer 1116, an IF (Intermediate Frequency) filter 1117, and a demodulation circuit 1118.

[0085] The modulation circuit 1111 receives the transmit packet from the first ECC section 1130 and converts the data string into a modulation signal. The modulation signal is then input to the oscillator 1112.

[0086] Oscillator 1112 is a local oscillator that oscillates at the frequency of an RF signal.

[0087] Power amplifier 1113a is an amplifier that amplifies the power of the RF signal from oscillator 1112.

[0088] Filter 1114a is a filter that removes unwanted frequency components from the signal from power amplifier 1113a. Filter 1114a is, for example, a bandpass filter, but is not limited thereto.

[0089] Switch 1115 is the switch for switching between transmitting and receiving. Figure 4 In the example, the connection of switch 1115 during transmission is shown, connecting the first antenna 120 to filter 1114a.

[0090] Filter 1114b is a filter that removes unwanted frequency components from the received signal received via the first antenna 120. Filter 1114b is, for example, a bandpass filter, but is not limited thereto.

[0091] The linear amplifier 1113b is an amplifier that amplifies the power of the received signal.

[0092] Mixer 1116 mixes the received signal from linear amplifier 1113b with the signal from oscillator 1112 to extract the desired frequency. For the received signal as an RF signal, mixer 1116 converts it into an IF signal with a lower frequency than the received signal by mixing it with the signal from oscillator 1112.

[0093] The IF filter 1117 removes unnecessary components from the mixed IF signal.

[0094] The demodulation circuit 1118 demodulates the IF signal (modulated signal) from the IF filter 1117. That is, the demodulation circuit 1118 has the function of recovering the modulated signal into a data string (baseband data).

[0095] The first MAC unit 1120 includes a communication circuit 1121, an output circuit 1122, and a memory 1123.

[0096] The communication circuit 1121 is a circuit that performs communication processing between the first host circuit 111b and the output circuit 1122.

[0097] The output circuit 1122 is a circuit that outputs the transmission data obtained from the first host circuit 111b as a packet (first transmission packet).

[0098] The memory 1123 is a storage device for holding information related to communication and control. The memory 1123 is implemented, for example, by a semiconductor memory, but is not limited thereto.

[0099] The first ECC unit 1130 includes a packet encoding circuit 1131, a packet length encoding circuit 1132, a packet generation circuit 1133, a packet length correction circuit 1134, and a packet correction circuit 1135.

[0100] Packet encoding circuit 1131 is a circuit that applies ECC to the entire first transmitted packet and generates packet check bits. For example, packet encoding circuit 1131 performs error correction encoding on the first transmitted packet to generate packet check bits. Packet check bits include check bits that enable error detection and correction of the packet when it is received, such as check bits that can correct errors in the header and payload information contained in the first transmitted packet. Packet check bits can also be described as error codes that can correct errors in the header and payload contained in physical layer packets. Packet encoding circuit 1131 is an example of a packet encoding unit.

[0101] The packet length encoding circuit 1132 is a circuit that generates a packet length and a packet length check bit based on a first transmitted packet. For example, the packet length encoding circuit 1132 generates the packet length of the first transmitted packet based on the first transmitted packet, performs error correction encoding on the generated packet length, and generates a packet length check bit. The packet length check bit includes check bits that enable the detection and correction of errors in the packet length (a bit sequence representing the packet length of data) contained in the packet when the transmitted packet is received. For example, it includes check bits that can correct errors in the data of the payload information contained in the first transmitted packet. The packet length check bit can also be described as an error code that can correct errors in the packet length of the payload data contained in the physical layer packet. The packet length encoding circuit 1132 is an example of a packet length encoding unit.

[0102] The packet generation circuit 1133 generates a packet (second transmission packet) by inserting the packet length, packet length check bit, and packet check bit into the packet payload. The packet generation circuit 1133 generates a second transmission packet that includes the first transmission packet, packet length, packet check bit, and packet length check bit, and is suitable for any communication standard. The packet generation circuit 1133 is an example of a packet generation unit.

[0103] The packet length correction circuit 1134 is a circuit that detects and corrects errors in the packet length contained in the baseband data (baseband signal) from the demodulation circuit 1118. It generates (extracts) packet length and packet length check bits from the baseband data from the demodulation circuit 1118, and performs error detection and correction on the packet length. For example, the packet length correction circuit 1134 performs error correction processing using the packet length check bits for the packet length of a first received packet, which includes packet length check bits obtained by error correction coding of the packet length and packet check bits obtained by error correction coding of the packet, to generate an error-corrected packet length. The packet length correction circuit 1134 is an example of a packet length correction unit.

[0104] Packet correction circuit 1135 is a circuit that detects and corrects errors in packets contained in the baseband data from demodulation circuit 1118. Packet correction circuit 1135 generates (extracts) packet check bits from baseband data containing the correct packet length, and performs packet error detection and correction. For example, using the error-corrected packet length and packet check bits, packet correction circuit 1135 performs packet error correction processing on a first received packet, generating an error-corrected second received packet (the corrected received packet). Packet correction circuit 1135 is an example of a packet correction unit.

[0105] The power management unit 111c manages the power consumed in the first wireless communication circuit 111a, etc.

[0106] Furthermore, if the first wireless communication subsystem 111 does not have the first ECC unit 1130, the output circuit 1122 is connected to the modulation circuit 1111 and the demodulation circuit 1118.

[0107] Refer again Figure 3B The first host circuit 111b is a circuit that functions as a host for controlling communication in the first wireless communication subsystem 111. It includes an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) core 1140, a memory 1150, a security module 1160, an FH (Frequency Hopping) control unit 1170, a peripheral circuit group 1180, and a first bus 1190.

[0108] The MCU core 1140 is a microcontroller that performs processing related to wireless communication.

[0109] Memory 1150 is a storage device for holding communication data and control programs. Additionally, memory 1150 may also hold information used by security module 1160 to generate keys. Memory 1150 may be implemented, for example, using semiconductor memory, but is not limited to this.

[0110] Security module 1160 performs processes to enhance the security of communications using the first wireless communication circuit 111a. Security module 1160 may include, for example, circuitry (a group of circuits) for generating and encrypting keys for communication.

[0111] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the structure of the security module 1160 in this embodiment.

[0112] like Figure 5 As shown, the security module 1160 includes a first encryption circuit 1161, a second encryption circuit 1162, a third encryption circuit 1163, a calculation circuit 1164, a random number generator 1165, a control unit 1166, and an interface unit 1167.

[0113] The first encryption circuit 1161 to the third encryption circuit 1163 encrypt the data using different encryption methods.

[0114] The first encryption circuit 1161 performs encryption, for example, using AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption, which uses a key with a specified number of bits. In this embodiment, AES-128 with a key length of 128 bits is used, but the key length is not limited to this; it can also be 192 bits, 256 bits, etc.

[0115] The second encryption circuit 1162 uses, for example, elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) for encryption. In this embodiment, ECC-256 with a key length of 256 bits is used, but the key length is not limited to this and can be any length other than 256 bits.

[0116] The third encryption circuit 1163 uses public-key encryption, for example. The third encryption circuit 1163 uses RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) encryption, for example. In this embodiment, the third encryption circuit 1163 uses RSA-3072 with a key length of 3072 bits, but the key length is not limited to this; it can also be 2048 bits, 4096 bits, etc.

[0117] The calculation circuit 1164 calculates a hash value based on the input data (the transmitted data) for verification against data tampering in the receiving device. The calculation circuit 1164 can, for example, calculate a fixed-length hash value based on data of arbitrary length. In this embodiment, the calculation circuit 1164 uses, for example, a hash function (SHA-512 (Secure Hash Algorithm 512-bit)) that calculates a 512-bit hash value based on data of arbitrary length to calculate the hash value.

[0118] Random number generator 1165 generates random numbers for encrypting input data. For example, random numbers and logical operations can be used to pseudo-encrypt the input data. Random number generator 1165 is, for example, a hardware random number generator that generates random numbers using random physical phenomena, but it can also be a structure that generates random numbers (e.g., pseudo-random numbers) through a random number generation algorithm (software).

[0119] The control unit 1166 is a control device that controls each process of the security module 1160. For example, the control unit 1166 can cause any one of the first encryption circuits 1161 to the third encryption circuit 1163 to perform encryption of transmitted data and decryption of received data. Furthermore, if the encryption circuit used for encryption is changed, the control unit 1166 can also send the public key corresponding to the private key of the changed encryption circuit to the management circuit 200 via the first wireless communication circuit 111a.

[0120] Interface 1167 is a communication interface for communicating with external circuits, etc.

[0121] Furthermore, the number of encryption circuits in the security module 1160 is not limited to three; one or more are sufficient. Additionally, encryption methods other than the three mentioned above can be used. Furthermore, the security module 1160 can also generate new keys for communication (e.g., a set of private and public keys).

[0122] In addition, security module 1260 has the same structure and function as security module 1160.

[0123] Refer again Figure 3B The FH control unit 1170 is a processing unit that performs processing related to the frequency used for communication. In this embodiment, the FH control unit 1170 controls the first wireless communication circuit 111a to communicate using the frequency determined by the FH control unit 1340, but it is not limited to this. For example, the FH control unit 1170 may also be able to perform at least a portion of the processing performed by the FH control unit 1340. For example, the FH control unit 1170 may also perform processing for selecting the frequency used for communication. Furthermore, the FH control unit 1170 may also maintain information for frequency selection (e.g., mapping, etc.).

[0124] In addition, the FH control unit 1270 has the same structure and function as the FH control unit 1170.

[0125] Peripheral circuit group 1180 is a peripheral circuit group for a microcomputer. Peripheral circuit group 1180 includes peripheral circuits required for the operation of the microcomputer. Peripheral circuit group 1180 includes, for example, a power supply circuit for power supply and an oscillation circuit for clock supply, but is not limited to these.

[0126] In addition, the peripheral circuit group 1280 has the same structure and function as the peripheral circuit group 1180.

[0127] The first bus 1190 connects to each component of the first host circuit 111b (MCU core 1140 to peripheral circuit group 1180). In addition, the first bus 1190 connects the first host circuit 111b to the first MAC unit 1120 and the control system 113 respectively.

[0128] The second host circuit 112b is a circuit that functions as a host for controlling communication in the second wireless communication subsystem 112, and includes an MCU core 1240, a memory 1250, a security module 1260, an FH control unit 1270, and a peripheral circuit group 1280.

[0129] The MCU cores 1140 and 1240 have the same structure, the memory 1150 and 1250 have the same structure, and the security modules 1160 and 1260 have the same structure. Furthermore, the FH control units 1170 and 1270 have the same structure, and the peripheral circuit groups 1180 and 1280 have the same structure.

[0130] Thus, the monitoring circuit 100 includes a group of a first wireless communication subsystem 111 and a first antenna 120, a group of a second wireless communication subsystem 112 and a second antenna 130, and a control system 113. Therefore, it is not necessary to switch the antenna used for communication via a switch or the like, and thus it is possible to simultaneously receive and transmit signals from the first antenna 120 and the second antenna 130. Furthermore, the switch can be omitted.

[0131] The control system 113 includes an MCU core 1310, a memory 1320, a security module 1330, an FH control unit 1340, a first peripheral circuit group 1350, a second peripheral circuit group 1360, a communication circuit 1370, and a third bus 1380.

[0132] The MCU core 1310 is a microcontroller used to perform all processing related to wireless communication and all processing from peripheral circuits.

[0133] The memory 1320 is a storage device for holding communication data and control programs. The memory 1320 may also store information related to the communication settings of the first wireless communication subsystem 111 and the second wireless communication subsystem 112. That is, the memory 1320 may also have a storage area for storing this information. The memory 1320 is implemented, for example, by a semiconductor memory, but is not limited thereto.

[0134] Security module 1330 performs processing to enhance the security of communications conducted by wireless communication device 110. Security module 1330 may be, for example, a circuit (circuit group) that generates and encrypts keys for communication. The structure of security module 1330 can be the same as that of security module 1160, i.e. Figure 5 The structure shown.

[0135] The FH control unit 1340 is a processing unit that performs processing related to the frequency used for communication. In this embodiment, the FH control unit 1340 determines the frequency used for communication and outputs the determined frequency to the FH control units 1170 and 1270. The FH control unit 1340 may also maintain information for frequency selection (e.g., mapping). Alternatively, the FH control unit 1340 may maintain a preset frequency and control the FH control units 1170 and 1270 to communicate at that frequency.

[0136] The first peripheral circuit group 1350 is a peripheral circuit group for a microcomputer, containing peripheral circuits (e.g., mainly digital circuits) required for the operation of the microcomputer.

[0137] The second peripheral circuit group 1360 is a peripheral circuit group for a microcomputer, containing peripheral circuits (e.g., mainly analog circuits) required for the operation of the microcomputer.

[0138] The communication circuit 1370 is the communication interface used by the control system 113 to communicate with external devices such as the battery monitoring IC 140.

[0139] The third bus 1380 is connected to each component of the control system 113 (MCU core 1310 to communication circuit 1370). In addition, the third bus 1380 is connected to the first bus 1190 and the second bus 1290.

[0140] Next, refer to Figure 6A and Figure 6B The structure of the management circuit 200 is described. Figure 6A This is a diagram showing the schematic structure of the management circuit 200 in this embodiment.

[0141] like Figure 6A As shown, the management circuit 200 includes a wireless communication device 210, a first antenna 220, a second antenna 230, and an MCU 240.

[0142] The wireless communication device 210 is a communication device used for wireless communication between the management circuit 200 and the monitoring circuit 100. The wireless communication device 210 includes a first wireless communication subsystem 211, a second wireless communication subsystem 212, and a control system 213.

[0143] The first wireless communication subsystem 211 and the second wireless communication subsystem 212 are subsystems that perform wireless communication and are respectively connected to the control system 213.

[0144] The control system 213 controls the first wireless communication subsystem 211 and the second wireless communication subsystem 212 and communicates with the MCU 240.

[0145] The first antenna 220 is connected to the first wireless communication subsystem 211, radiates radio waves corresponding to signals from the first wireless communication subsystem 211, and receives radio waves from other devices (e.g., monitoring circuit 100) and outputs them to the first wireless communication subsystem 211.

[0146] The second antenna 230 is connected to the second wireless communication subsystem 212, radiates radio waves corresponding to signals from the second wireless communication subsystem 212, and receives radio waves from other devices (e.g., monitoring circuit 100) and outputs them to the second wireless communication subsystem 212.

[0147] MCU 240 is a processing device used to manage battery cell 11a. For example, MCU 240 manages data sent from monitoring circuit 100. MCU 240 manages, for example, the voltage value of each battery cell 11a. Furthermore, MCU 240 performs judgments on battery cell 11a. For example, MCU 240 determines whether battery cell 11a is functioning correctly based on its voltage value.

[0148] Furthermore, the management circuit 200 does not have a switch for switching the antenna used for communication from one of the first antenna 220 and the second antenna 230 to the other.

[0149] like Figure 6A as well as Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the first wireless communication subsystem 211, the second wireless communication subsystem 212, and the control system 213 are all composed of a single semiconductor device. The transceiver LSI is configured to include the first wireless communication subsystem 211, the second wireless communication subsystem 212, and the control system 213.

[0150] Figure 6B This diagram shows the detailed structure of the management circuit 200 in this embodiment. Furthermore, the first wireless communication subsystem 211 and the second wireless communication subsystem 212 have the same structure; the following mainly describes the structure of the first wireless communication subsystem 211, omitting the description of the structure of the second wireless communication subsystem 212. Alternatively, the structure of the first wireless communication subsystem 211 may be the same as that of the first wireless communication subsystem 111; the following mainly describes the correspondence with the first wireless communication subsystem 111 and the differences.

[0151] like Figure 6B As shown, the first wireless communication subsystem 211 includes a first wireless communication circuit 211a and a first host circuit 211b.

[0152] The first wireless communication circuit 211a includes a first PHY unit 2110, a first MAC unit 2120, and a first ECC unit 2130. The second wireless communication circuit 212a includes a second PHY unit 2210, a second MAC unit 2220, and a second ECC unit 2230. The structures of the first PHY unit 2110 and the second PHY unit 2210 are the same as those of the first PHY unit 1110, the structures of the first MAC unit 2120 and the second MAC unit 2220 are the same as those of the first MAC unit 1120, and the structures of the first ECC unit 2130 and the second ECC unit 2230 are the same as those of the first ECC unit 1130.

[0153] The first host circuit 211b is a circuit that functions as a host for controlling communication in the first wireless communication subsystem 211, and includes an MCU core 2140, a memory 2150, a security module 2160, an FH control unit 2170, and a peripheral circuit group 2180. The second host circuit 212b is a circuit that functions as a host for controlling communication in the second wireless communication subsystem 212, and includes an MCU core 2240, a memory 2250, a security module 2260, an FH control unit 2270, and a peripheral circuit group 2280.

[0154] The structures of MCU cores 2140 and 2240 are the same as those of MCU core 1140, the structures of memories 2150 and 2250 are the same as those of memory 1150, and the structures of security modules 2160 and 2260 are the same as those of security module 1160. Security module 2160 performs processing to improve the security of communication using the first wireless communication circuit 211a, and security module 2260 performs processing to improve the security of communication using the second wireless communication circuit 212a. Furthermore, the structures of FH control units 2170 and 2270 are the same as those of FH control unit 1170, and the structures of peripheral circuit groups 2180 and 2280 are the same as those of peripheral circuit group 1180. In this embodiment, FH control unit 2170 controls the first wireless communication circuit 211a to communicate using the frequency determined by FH control unit 2340, and FH control unit 2270 controls the second wireless communication circuit 212a to communicate using the frequency determined by FH control unit 2340, but is not limited to this.

[0155] Thus, the management circuit 200 includes a group of a first wireless communication subsystem 211 and a first antenna 220, a group of a second wireless communication subsystem 212 and a second antenna 230, and a control system 213. Therefore, it is not necessary to switch the antenna used for communication via a switch or the like, and thus it is possible to simultaneously receive and transmit signals from the first antenna 220 and the second antenna 230. Furthermore, the switch can be omitted.

[0156] The control system 213 includes an MCU core 2310, a memory 2320, a security module 2330, an FH control unit 2340, a first peripheral circuit group 2350, a second peripheral circuit group 2360, a communication circuit 2370, and a third bus 2380.

[0157] The structure of MCU core 2310 is the same as that of MCU core 1310, the structure of memory 2320 is the same as that of memory 1320, and the structure of security module 2330 is the same as that of security module 1330. Memory 2320 can also store information related to the communication settings of the first wireless communication subsystem 211 and the second wireless communication subsystem 212. That is, memory 2320 can also have a storage area for storing this information.

[0158] Security module 2330 performs processing to enhance the security of communications conducted by wireless communication device 210. Security module 2330 may be, for example, a circuit (circuit group) that generates and encrypts keys for communication. The structure of security module 2330 can also be the same as that of security module 1160, i.e. Figure 5 The structure is shown. Furthermore, the structure of the FH control unit 2340 is the same as that of the FH control unit 1340, the structure of the first peripheral circuit group 2350 is the same as that of the first peripheral circuit group 1350, the structure of the second peripheral circuit group 2360 is the same as that of the second peripheral circuit group 1360, and the structure of the communication circuit 2370 is the same as that of the communication circuit 1370. The communication circuit 2370 is the communication interface used by the control system 213 to communicate with external devices such as the MCU 240.

[0159] The third bus 2380 is connected to each component of the control system 213 (MCU core 2310 to communication circuit 2370). In addition, the third bus 2380 is connected to the first bus 2190 and the second bus 2290.

[0160] Furthermore, while the example described above illustrates a wireless communication device 210 comprising a first ECC unit 2130 and a second ECC unit 2230, in this embodiment, the first ECC unit 2130 and the second ECC unit 2230 may not be included. For example, the first wireless communication subsystem 211 may be configured to include only the first PHY unit 2110, the first MAC unit 2120, and the first ECC unit 2130.

[0161] [1-2. Information communicated in the monitoring system] Next, refer to Figure 7 This section provides an overview of the communications conducted in the monitoring system 5, which is configured as described above. Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating the communication in the monitoring system 5 of this embodiment. Figure 7The term "Slave" refers to the device (CMU) on the cell 11a (battery) side of the monitoring system 5, such as the monitoring circuit 100, while "Master" refers to the upper-level device (BMU: Battery Management Unit) in the monitoring system 5, such as the management circuit 200. Additionally, in Figure 7 The diagram shows four monitoring circuits 100, but the number of monitoring circuits 100 is not limited to this.

[0162] like Figure 7 As shown, the management circuit 200 communicates with the first antenna 120 of each monitoring circuit 100 via the first antenna 220 at the frequency of channel A, and communicates with the second antenna 130 of each monitoring circuit 100 via the second antenna 230 at the frequency of channel B. Channel A and channel B are different frequencies, but they can also be common frequencies. Furthermore, channels A1 to A4 can be different frequencies contained within channel A, or they can be common frequencies. Similarly, channels B1 to B4 can be different frequencies contained within channel B, or they can be common frequencies.

[0163] For example, imagine exchanging public keys or other keys via communication in a secure wireless communication context. In low-speed wireless communication systems like BLE, exchanging keys to improve security could lead to communication delays.

[0164] According to the wireless communication devices 110 and 210 of this embodiment, the first antennas 120 and 220 (i.e., the first wireless communication subsystems 111 and 211) are capable of first communication, and the second antennas 130 and 230 (i.e., the second wireless communication subsystems 112 and 212) are capable of second communication. Therefore, data (e.g., measurement data) obtained by the monitoring circuit 100 can be transmitted and received through one communication, and keys for communication can be transmitted and received through the other communication. For example, during the communication of one party, the communication of the other party can be carried out (i.e., the two communications overlap at least partially in time).

[0165] The measured data is an example of the first data, and in this embodiment, it includes data related to the monitoring state of the battery. Data related to the monitoring state of the battery may include, for example, sensing data obtained by sensing the battery. The first data may also be data that requires real-time processing compared to the second data described later.

[0166] A key is an example of second data of a different kind from the first data, such as data used to verify the authenticity of the first data. The data used to verify authenticity may include, for example, security-related data. Furthermore, security-related data may include at least one of the following: a key used in the communication of the measurement data, a digital certificate, authentication data, a password hash obtained by hashing the cipher used in the communication, the inherent ID of the wireless communication circuit, mutual monitoring log data, and mutual monitoring alarm data. The mutual monitoring log data may include log data of the transmission and reception of the measurement data. The mutual monitoring alarm data may include data related to alarms detected during the transmission and reception of the measurement data.

[0167] Alternatively, the second data may replace the data used to verify the authenticity of the first data and include, or together with, information relating to at least one of the battery malfunction and malfunctions within the wireless communication system containing the wireless communication device 110 or 210.

[0168] Furthermore, the second wireless communication subsystems 112 and 212 can communicate security-related data during the communication of the first data in the first wireless communication subsystems 111 and 211.

[0169] Furthermore, the above description illustrates an example of the first wireless communication subsystems 111 and 211 and the second wireless communication subsystems 112 and 212 communicating with different data, but they can also communicate with the same data. For example, the first wireless communication subsystems 111 and 211 and the second wireless communication subsystems 112 and 212 can also transmit the same data at different timings or different frequencies. The same data can be, for example, data of the same type (e.g., battery voltage values ​​obtained at different times) or completely identical data (e.g., battery voltage values ​​obtained at the same time).

[0170] As described above, the wireless communication devices 110 and 210 of this embodiment each include a first wireless communication subsystem having a first wireless communication circuit, a second wireless communication subsystem having a second wireless communication circuit, and a control system for controlling the first and second wireless communication subsystems. Furthermore, the first wireless communication subsystem, the second wireless communication subsystem, and the control system are all composed of a single semiconductor device.

[0171] Therefore, since wireless communication devices 110 and 210 each possess two wireless communication circuits—a first wireless communication circuit and a second wireless communication circuit—compared to the case with only one wireless communication circuit, they can suppress communication delays and perform secure wireless communication. For example, by using one wireless communication circuit for data communication and the other for secure wireless communication, secure wireless communication can be achieved using a wireless communication device that implements the first wireless communication subsystem, the second wireless communication subsystem, and the control system using a single semiconductor device, while suppressing communication delays. Furthermore, for example, by using two wireless communication circuits to communicate common data separately, the number of retransmissions after a transmission error can be reduced, thus suppressing communication delays caused by retransmissions.

[0172] Furthermore, security features can be improved, for example, by regularly updating / exchanging keys to address network security risks. Secure wireless communication is crucial for ensuring reliable wireless communication quality. Therefore, wireless communication devices 110 and 210 can respectively improve communication quality in order to ensure communication quality.

[0173] (Variations on Implementation Method 1) The following is for reference Figures 8-10B Various variations of Embodiment 1 will be described below. Furthermore, the following description will focus on the differences from Embodiment 1; for content that is the same as or similar to Embodiment 1, the description will be omitted or simplified.

[0174] (Modification 1 of Implementation Method 1) The following is for reference Figure 8 and Figure 9 The monitoring system 5 of this modified example will be described. Figure 8 and Figure 9 These are figures illustrating various examples of the structure of the first wireless communication circuit in this variation.

[0175] like Figure 8 As shown, the first wireless communication subsystem 111A may also have a first PHY unit 1110a instead of the first PHY unit 1110 of the first wireless communication subsystem 111 in Embodiment 1.

[0176] In addition to the first PHY unit 1110, the first PHY unit 1110a also includes a mixer 1119, and the oscillator 1112 is configured to output a signal (e.g., a carrier wave) to the mixer 1119.

[0177] Mixer 1119 is connected between modulation circuit 1111 and power amplifier 1113a. It mixes the signal from modulation circuit 1111 with the carrier wave from oscillator 1112 and outputs the mixed signal to power amplifier 1113a.

[0178] like Figure 9 As shown, the first PHY unit 1110b of the first wireless communication subsystem 111B can also be replaced Figure 8 The first wireless communication subsystem 111A shown has a mixer 1116 and a mixer 1116b.

[0179] Mixer 1116b is configured to output both the I-phase and Q-phase baseband signals to IF filter 1117 for the input signal. Mixer 1116b can be a so-called I / Q mixer. The I-phase baseband signal is generated (extracted) by mixing the input signal with a signal (local oscillation signal) output from oscillator 1112. The Q-phase baseband signal is generated (extracted) by mixing the input signal with a signal (local oscillation signal) output from oscillator 1112 with a 90° phase shift.

[0180] (Modification 2 of Implementation Method 1) The following is for reference Figure 10A as well as Figure 10B The monitoring system 5 of this modified example will be described. Figure 10A This is a diagram showing the detailed structure of the monitoring circuit 100A in this modified example. Figure 10B This is a diagram showing the detailed structure of the management circuit 200A in this modified example.

[0181] like Figure 10A As shown, the monitoring circuit 100 A has a control system 113a instead of the control system 113 of the monitoring circuit 100 in Embodiment 1. In addition to the control system 113, the control system 113a also has a clock control circuit 1390.

[0182] The clock control circuit 1390 is a circuit that controls the clock signal used in the monitoring circuit 100A. The clock control circuit 1390 achieves synchronization of signal transmission and reception among the first wireless communication subsystem 111, the second wireless communication subsystem 112, and the control system 113a by supplying a common clock signal to the first wireless communication subsystem 111, the second wireless communication subsystem 112, and the control system 113a.

[0183] like Figure 10B As shown, the management circuit 200A has a control system 213a instead of the control system 213 of the management circuit 200 in Embodiment 1. In addition to the control system 213, the control system 213a also has a clock control circuit 2390.

[0184] The clock control circuit 2390 is a circuit that controls the clock signal used in the management circuit 200A. The clock control circuit 2390 achieves synchronization of signal transmission and reception among the first wireless communication subsystem 211, the second wireless communication subsystem 212, and the control system 213a by supplying a common clock signal to the first wireless communication subsystem 211, the second wireless communication subsystem 212, and the control system 213a.

[0185] (Implementation Method 2) For example, in environments prone to multipath fading, communication quality may be degraded due to extreme attenuation of radio waves at specific frequencies. Furthermore, communication quality may also be degraded in environments with interfering waves. Wireless communication devices are desired to reduce the impact of such SINR (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio) reduction and ensure communication quality. Ensuring communication quality is, for example, fundamental and crucial in secure wireless communication.

[0186] Therefore, in this embodiment, a wireless communication device is described that has two wireless communication circuits, reduces the effects of multipath fading, etc., by using different frequencies for data communication, and can improve communication quality. For example, according to such a wireless communication device, by reducing the impact of SINR reduction, the probability of communication errors due to radio wave attenuation can be reduced, and the retransmission of data can be suppressed. In addition, by using two frequencies, resistance to interference waves, etc., can be improved.

[0187] The following mainly describes a wireless communication device that uses two different channels within the available frequency band (40 channels) to communicate data, while using the Bluetooth standard.

[0188] Reference Figure 11 and Figure 12 The monitoring system of this embodiment will be described. Furthermore, the following description focuses on the differences from Embodiment 1; content that is the same as or similar to Embodiment 1 will be omitted or simplified. The structure of the monitoring system of this embodiment may be the same as that of the monitoring system 5 in Embodiment 1, and therefore will be omitted from the description. In this embodiment, the reference numerals for the monitoring system 5 of Embodiment 1 will be used for explanation.

[0189] Furthermore, in the monitoring system 5 of this embodiment, the first wireless communication subsystem, the second wireless communication subsystem, and the control system may or may not be composed of single-chip semiconductor devices. For example, at least one of the first wireless communication subsystem 111, the second wireless communication subsystem 112, and the control system 113, as well as the first wireless communication subsystem 211, the second wireless communication subsystem 212, and the control system 213, may not be composed of single-chip semiconductor devices.

[0190] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating the frequency band of the wireless communication in this embodiment. Figure 11 This represents a mapping of BLE channels. Specifically, Figure 11 This graph represents the 40 frequency bands used in BLE, with the vertical axis representing signal strength and the horizontal axis representing frequency. Figure 11 The mapping diagram shown is an example of a mapping diagram maintained by the FH control units 1340 and 2340, and is an example of information representing multiple frequencies that can be used for wireless communication.

[0191] The FH control units 1340 and 2340 in this embodiment are processing units that perform frequency-related processing for communication, and maintain the selection of the communication frequency and the information used for frequency selection (e.g., mapping, etc.). For example, the FH control units 1340 and 2340 can maintain... Figure 11 The diagram shows the mapping of the BLE channel. Furthermore, the following explanation uses the case of monitoring circuit 100 as an example.

[0192] Figure 11 Ch.A indicates the frequency band used by the radio waves transmitted and received by the first antenna 120, and Ch.B indicates the frequency band used by the radio waves transmitted and received by the second antenna 130. In other words, the first wireless communication subsystem 111 communicates using the frequency band shown in Ch.A (an example of the first frequency), and the second wireless communication subsystem 112 communicates using the frequency band shown in Ch.B (an example of the second frequency).

[0193] FH Control Unit 1340 based on Figure 11 The mapping diagram shown is used to control the first frequency and the second frequency. The FH control unit 1340 can, for example, control the first frequency and the second frequency to be different from each other (e.g., different frequency bands). The FH control unit 1340 can also, for example, control the first frequency and the second frequency to be different from each other in the advertising channels (37, 38, 39ch) and the communication channels (0~36ch). For example, as... Figure 11 As shown, the FH control unit 1340 can also control the first frequency to 37ch and the second frequency to 38ch in the advertising channel. For example, as Figure 11As shown, the FH control unit 1340 can also control the first frequency to 1ch and the second frequency to 18ch in the communication channel.

[0194] In this way, by using different frequencies in the first and second frequencies, data retransmission can be suppressed, thus improving communication quality. Furthermore, for example, in advertising channels, by using different frequencies in the first and second frequencies, interference with radio waves from other communication standards (e.g., Wi-Fi) can be further suppressed, thus improving noise immunity in communication. In other words, communication quality is further improved.

[0195] Furthermore, the FH control unit 1340 is based on Figure 11 The BLE channel mapping shown controls the frequencies of the first wireless communication subsystem 111 and the second wireless communication subsystem 112, but is not limited to this.

[0196] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating the rules for selecting the frequency of wireless communication in this embodiment. Figure 12 The “Frequency of LO” shown is the frequency of the RF signal oscillating by oscillator 1112. Since the frequency of the RF signal is preset, control system 113 is able to obtain the frequency of the RF signal. Figure 12 The vertical axis represents signal strength, and the horizontal axis represents frequency.

[0197] like Figure 11 When using two different frequencies as shown, it is predicted that signals of two frequencies will be input to the mixer (e.g., mixer 1116). In this case, if the frequency of the RF signal oscillating by oscillator 1112 matches the difference between the two frequencies, i.e., the IF frequency is the same, the communication quality may be degraded. Therefore, the FH control unit 1340 uses... Figure 12 The rules described herein control the first and second frequencies. Additionally, the frequencies of the RF signals will be referred to as the local frequencies below.

[0198] like Figure 12 As shown, the control system 113 can further control the first frequency and the second frequency so that the differences between the local frequency generated by the first wireless communication circuit 111a and the second wireless communication circuit 112a and the first frequency and the second frequency are different values. For example, if the first frequency is set to Ch.A1, and the frequency indicated by "×" is set to the second frequency, then the differences between the local frequency and the first frequency and the second frequency are the same. Therefore, the control system 113 sets the frequency other than the frequency indicated by "×" (the frequency indicated by Ch.B1) to the second frequency. For example, the control system 113 can... Figure 12The frequency band indicated by the dashed line is set as the second frequency.

[0199] Furthermore, the FH control unit 1340 is not limited to being based on Figure 11 The mapping diagram shown can be used to control the first frequency and the second frequency, but it is also possible to control the first frequency and the second frequency without using the mapping diagram. For example, the FH control unit 1340 can also control the first frequency and the second frequency based on a preset table representing the frequencies used for communication, or it can control the first frequency and the second frequency through other methods.

[0200] As described above, the wireless communication devices 110 and 210 of this embodiment each include a first wireless communication subsystem having a first wireless communication circuit, a second wireless communication subsystem having a second wireless communication circuit, and a control system for controlling the first and second wireless communication subsystems. The first wireless communication subsystem communicates using a first frequency, and the second wireless communication subsystem communicates using a second frequency. Furthermore, the control system controls the first and second frequencies.

[0201] Therefore, by using two wireless communication circuits for data communication, for example, by appropriately setting the first and second frequencies to each other, the impact of SINR reduction caused by multipath fading or interference waves can be reduced. Thus, wireless communication devices 110 and 210 can improve communication quality, respectively, ensuring communication quality.

[0202] (Implementation Method 3) If an error occurs in existing BLE standard communication, it is detected and a retransmission request is made. However, excessive retransmissions can cause communication delays. Furthermore, retransmissions sometimes occur even when only the payload portion is corrected. On the other hand, in wireless communication, it is desirable to eliminate communication delays. Eliminating communication delays is important, for example, in secure wireless communication. Moreover, methods for eliminating communication delays are important, for example, in ensuring reliable wireless communication quality.

[0203] Therefore, this embodiment describes a wireless communication device that performs error correction not only on the payload portion of the standard BLE standard, thereby suppressing retransmissions and improving communication quality. For example, by performing error correction on the entire packet, the number of retransmissions can be reduced under the existing BLE standard.

[0204] The following is for reference Figures 13-17The monitoring system of this embodiment will be described. Furthermore, the following description focuses on the differences from Embodiment 1; content that is the same as or similar to Embodiment 1 will be omitted or simplified. The structure of the monitoring system of this embodiment may also be the same as the monitoring system 5 of Embodiment 1, and descriptions will be omitted thereafter. In this embodiment, the reference numerals for the monitoring system 5 of Embodiment 1 will be used for explanation.

[0205] Furthermore, in the monitoring system 5 of this embodiment, the first wireless communication subsystem, the second wireless communication subsystem, and the control system may or may not be composed of single-chip semiconductor devices. For example, at least one of the first wireless communication subsystem 111, the second wireless communication subsystem 112, and the control system 113, as well as the first wireless communication subsystem 211, the second wireless communication subsystem 212, and the control system 213, may not be composed of single-chip semiconductor devices. Additionally, the frequencies used in the first wireless communication subsystem and the second wireless communication subsystem may be the same or different from each other.

[0206] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating the transmission operations (wireless communication method, monitoring method) in the monitoring system 5 of this embodiment. Figure 13 In this paper, the case in which the first wireless communication circuit 111a sends data to the management circuit 200 (the first wireless communication circuit 211a) is described. However, the same applies to the case in which the first wireless communication circuit 211a sends data to the first wireless communication circuit 111a, and to the case in which one of the second wireless communication circuits 112a and 212a sends data to the other.

[0207] like Figure 13 As shown, the first host circuit 111b sends transmission data to the first MAC unit 1120 (S10). The output circuit 1122 of the first MAC unit 1120 obtains the transmission data via the communication circuit 1121 and generates a packet based on the obtained transmission data.

[0208] Next, the first MAC unit 1120 sends the generated packet to the packet encoding circuit 1131 and the packet length encoding circuit 1132 (S20). The output circuit 1122 sends the generated packet to the packet encoding circuit 1131 and the packet length encoding circuit 1132. The packets sent to the packet encoding circuit 1131 and the packet length encoding circuit 1132 are the same packets.

[0209] Figure 14A This is a diagram showing the packet structure of the packets sent to the ECC unit (here, the first ECC unit 1130) in this embodiment. Figure 14A This indicates a summary of the package structure.

[0210] The preamble stores a specific, unchanging sequence of bits as defined by communication standards and other specifications.

[0211] The PHY header stores information used to control the data's destination, transmission path, and other parameters.

[0212] The PHY payload is the data body contained within the packet.

[0213] The MAC header stores information such as the MAC address of the destination and the sending source.

[0214] The MAC payload is a payload section defined by the protocol. The MAC payload is data extracted from the PHY payload after removing headers and other additional information. In this embodiment, the MAC payload stores, for example, data obtained by sensing the battery cell 11a.

[0215] CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) stores CRC values ​​used to detect communication errors.

[0216] Refer again Figure 13 Next, the packet length encoding circuit 1132 encodes the packet length, converting the packet length (described later) into its encoded length. Figure 14B The data length (shown) and the packet length checksum (described later) Figure 14B The "data length ECC check bit" shown is sent to the transmit packet generation circuit 1133 (S30). The packet length is, for example, the packet length including the MAC payload (specifically, the transmit data). The transmit data may include, for example, data obtained by sensing the cell 11a.

[0217] In addition, the packet encoding circuit 1131 encodes the packet, including the packet and its check bit (described later). Figure 14B The "ECC check bit" shown is sent to the packet generation circuit 1133 (S40). The packet check bit is, for example, a check bit that includes the entire packet, including the PHY header and the PHY payload. Alternatively, the packet check bit may also include a check bit that includes a preamble.

[0218] Thus, since the first ECC unit 1130 is connected between the first PHY unit 1110 and the first MAC unit 1120, a check bit capable of correcting errors in the entire packet can be generated.

[0219] Furthermore, there is no particular restriction on the processing order of steps S30 and S40; they can be executed in parallel or step S30 can be executed after step S40.

[0220] Next, the packet generation circuit 1133 will transmit the data payload of the packet (in...) Figure 14AIn the case of the MAC payload, a packet containing the packet length, the packet length check bit, and the packet check bit is inserted as a transmission packet (second transmission packet) and sent to the first PHY unit 1110 (S50).

[0221] Figure 14B This is a diagram illustrating an example of the packet structure during transmission in this embodiment. Figure 14B This indicates the packet structure of the transmitted packet generated by the transmitted packet generation circuit 1133.

[0222] like Figure 14B As shown, the packet generation circuit 1133 inserts the packet length (data length), the packet length check bit (data length ECC check bit) for the packet length, and the packet check bit (ECC check bit) for the packet. Figure 14A The MAC payload in the packet shown is used to generate the send packet.

[0223] In addition, Figure 14B In the BLE communication standard, due to limitations, the packet length check bit and packet check bit are inserted into the MAC payload, but they can be inserted into other positions if there are no limitations.

[0224] In addition, the packet generation circuit 1133 is not limited to inserting both the packet length check bit and the packet check bit into the MAC payload of the packet, but may also insert at least one of the packet length check bit and the packet check bit into the MAC payload of the packet. Figure 14C This is a diagram illustrating another example of the packet structure during transmission in this embodiment.

[0225] like Figure 14C As shown, the packet generation circuit 1133 can also insert only the packet length check bit and the packet check bit from the packet check bits into the MAC payload of the packet. For example, it can also generate a packet without correcting the data length. Figure 14C The packet shown is the second packet. Additionally, the data length here refers to the bit sequence indicating the length of the data contained in the packet, meaning... Figure 14B The "data length" is shown below. The same applies below.

[0226] Refer again Figure 13 Next, the first PHY unit 1110 modulates the packet sent from the packet generation circuit 1133 and transmits it through the first antenna 120 (S60). This allows for the detection of errors in both the packet and its length, and enables the transmission of correctable packets to the management circuit 200.

[0227] Figure 14D This is a diagram illustrating an example of the package structure during processing in this embodiment. Figure 14DThe packet structure indicates the situation where the device receiving the transmitted packet (here, management circuit 200) performs processing for the transmitted packet.

[0228] like Figure 14D As shown, in the management circuit 200, when making Figure 14C The packet checksum in the sent packet is moved to the end of the sent packet before processing is performed.

[0229] Furthermore, the processing of steps S10 to S60 can be performed in parallel with, for example, the processing for transmitting a key in the second wireless communication circuit 112a, or at different times.

[0230] Here, refer to Figures 15A to 16B A specific example of the package structure is explained.

[0231] Figure 15A and Figure 15B This indicates a packet frame when packet length and parity bits are applied (inserted into) a BLE packet. For example, Figure 15A This diagram illustrates an example of the packet structure in this embodiment when applied to a BLE packet. Figure 15B This diagram illustrates an example of the payload structure in the packet of this embodiment when applied to a BLE packet. Figure 15B Will Figure 15A The data payload shown is amplified to schematically illustrate the correction process.

[0232] like Figure 15A and Figure 15B As shown, the packet generation circuit 1133 can generate a BLE transmission packet by inserting the packet length (data length), packet length check bit (length BCH), and packet check bit (BCH) into the data payload. The packet length is the length of the data in the data payload, and the packet check bit is the check bit of the entire PDU (Protocol Data Unit).

[0233] like Figure 15B As shown, by using packet length check bits to correct data length errors, the position of the packet check bits within the packet can be determined more accurately. Therefore, using packet check bits allows for more accurate error correction of the entire packet containing the transmitted data. Using packet length check bits to correct data length errors means using the packet length check bits to... Figure 15B The bit columns saved in the "Data Length" field shown have been corrected to the correct bit columns. The same applies below.

[0234] in addition, Figure 15AThe values ​​shown (number of bits or bytes) are one example. Additionally, the packet length check bit may be smaller than the data size, but this is not a limitation.

[0235] As an example other than BLE Figure 16A and Figure 16B This indicates a packet frame where packet length check bits and packet check bits have been applied (inserted) to IEEE 802.15.4 packets. For example, Figure 16A This is a diagram illustrating an example of the packet structure during communication in this embodiment when using packets applied to IEEE 802.15.4. Figure 16B This diagram illustrates an example of the packet structure during processing in this embodiment when dealing with packets applied to IEEE 802.15.4.

[0236] like Figure 16A As shown, the packet generation circuit 1133 can generate a transmission packet (second transmission packet) for IEEE 802.15.4 by inserting the packet length, ECC check bits for packet length, and ECC check bits into the frame payload.

[0237] like Figure 16B As shown, upon receiving Figure 16A In the packet management circuit 200 shown, processing is performed after the packet check bit in the packet is moved to the end of the packet.

[0238] also, Figure 16A and Figure 16B The value (number of bytes) shown is an example. Additionally, the packet length checksum may be smaller than the data size, but this is not a limitation.

[0239] Next, refer to Figure 17 For received Figure 14B The processing of the device for sending packets shown will be explained. Figure 17 This is a flowchart illustrating the receiving actions (wireless communication method, monitoring method) in the monitoring system 5 of this embodiment. Figure 17 In this paper, the case where the first wireless communication circuit 211a of the management circuit 200 receives a transmission packet from the monitoring circuit 100 (e.g., the first wireless communication circuit 111a) is described, but the same applies to the case where the first wireless communication circuit 111a receives data from the first wireless communication circuit 211a, and the case where one of the second wireless communication circuits 112a and 212a receives data from the other.

[0240] like Figure 17As shown, the first PHY unit 2110 of the first wireless communication circuit 211a demodulates the signal received from the first antenna 220 and sends the baseband data (baseband signal) to the packet length correction circuit and packet correction circuit of the first ECC unit 2130 (S110).

[0241] Next, the packet length correction circuit reads the packet length and packet length check bit in the payload from the baseband data, performs an error check on the packet length using the packet length check bit (S120), and determines whether there is an error in the packet length of the transmitted packet (S130).

[0242] If the packet length correction circuit determines that there is an error in the packet length (S130: Yes), it corrects the packet length using the packet length check bit and sends the corrected packet length to the packet correction circuit (S140). Conversely, if the packet length correction circuit determines that there is no error in the packet length (S130: No), it sends the packet length contained in the packet to the packet correction circuit (S150). In step S150, error correction of the packet length using the packet length check bit is not performed.

[0243] Next, the packet correction circuit uses the packet length from the packet length correction circuit to determine the position of the packet check bit within the data payload based on the baseband data. Using the determined check bit, it performs an error check on the received packet (S160) to determine whether there is an error in the packet (S170).

[0244] If the packet correction circuit determines that an error exists in the packet (S170: Yes), it corrects the packet using the packet checksum and sends the corrected packet to the first MAC unit 2120 (S180). The method for correcting the packet using the packet checksum is not particularly limited, and any known method can be used. Furthermore, if the packet correction circuit determines that no error exists in the packet (S170: No), it sends the packet to the first MAC unit 2120 (S190). In step S190, packet correction using the packet checksum is not performed.

[0245] Next, the first MAC unit 2120 processes the payload header and sends the data to the first host circuit 211b (S200).

[0246] Next, the first host circuit 211b performs processing based on the received data (S210).

[0247] Furthermore, the processing of steps S110 to S210 can be performed in parallel with, for example, the processing of receiving a key via the second wireless communication circuit 212a (e.g., the processing of steps S110 to S210 corresponding to the receiving of the key), or at different times.

[0248] Thus, in the first ECC section 2130, after correcting the data length using the packet length check bit, the packet check bit is used to detect and correct errors in the entire packet.

[0249] For example, while packet check bits can be used to detect and correct errors in the entire packet (header + payload), sometimes packet check bits cannot be used to correct errors in the data length. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first ECC unit 2130 performs overall packet correction after ensuring the data length for communication is correct.

[0250] As described above, the wireless communication devices 110 and 210 of this embodiment each have a MAC unit that functions as a media link layer, a PHY unit that functions as a physical layer, and an ECC unit that performs error correction-related processing on the transmitted signals. The ECC unit is connected between the MAC unit and the PHY unit.

[0251] Therefore, by configuring an ECC section between the PHY and MAC sections, error correction can be performed on the entire packet, thus suppressing packet retransmissions compared to the case where no ECC section is configured between the PHY and MAC sections. Consequently, communication quality is improved by eliminating communication delays caused by retransmissions.

[0252] (A variation of implementation method 3) The following is for reference Figure 18 A variation of Embodiment 3 will be described. Furthermore, the following description will focus on the differences from Embodiment 3; details that are the same as or similar to Embodiment 3 will be omitted or simplified. Figure 18 This is a diagram illustrating the communication in the monitoring system 3005 of this variant example.

[0253] like Figure 18 As shown, the monitoring system 3005 includes a communication unit 3110, an antenna 3120, and a sensing unit 3140 constituting a monitoring circuit, and a communication unit 3210, an antenna 3220, and a processing unit 3240 constituting a management circuit.

[0254] In this variation, the monitoring circuit and the management circuit each include a pair of wireless communication subsystems and an antenna. Specifically, the wireless communication device of the monitoring circuit, for example, has... Figure 3A The structure does not include a second wireless communication subsystem 112. The wireless communication device of this variant, for example, includes a first wireless communication subsystem 111 and a control system 113.

[0255] The sensing unit 3140 includes a device for sensing objects, such as the battery monitoring IC 140 corresponding to Embodiment 1.

[0256] Wireless communication devices that manage circuitry, for example, have in Figure 6A The structure does not include a second wireless communication subsystem 212. The wireless communication device of this variant, for example, includes a first wireless communication subsystem 211 and a control system 213.

[0257] The processing unit 3240 processes data from the monitoring circuit. The processing unit 3240 is, for example, equivalent to the MCU 240 in Embodiment 1.

[0258] In this way, even if the wireless communication device has only one wireless communication subsystem, it can increase the probability of error correction in the event of an error in the packet by including the packet length and packet length check bit in the transmitted and received packets. Therefore, similar to implementation method 3, it can suppress communication delay caused by packet retransmission.

[0259] (Example of a surveillance system application) Next, refer to Figures 19-21 An application example of monitoring system 5 will be explained. Figures 19-21 These are figures illustrating application examples of the monitoring system 5 or 3005 (monitoring system 5, etc.) of this disclosure. Figures 19-21 The communication unit shown corresponds to the wireless communication device (e.g., wireless communication device 110 or 210) in embodiments 1 to 3 and various modifications of embodiments 1 and 3. Furthermore, for convenience, only one antenna is shown for each communication unit in each figure, but a communication unit may also have two antennas.

[0260] like Figure 19 As shown, the electric vehicle 1a of this disclosure includes multiple communication units 110a, a first antenna 120a, and a processing unit 140a. Each communication unit 110a of the electric vehicle 1a may also include a second antenna (not shown).

[0261] The communication unit 110a performs wireless communication between the processing unit 140a and other processing units (such as processing units provided by external devices of the electric vehicle 1a) or the host unit (host circuit). The communication unit 110a has, for example, the same structure as the wireless communication device 110 or 210.

[0262] The processing unit 140a processes data acquired from the sensor or the communication unit 110a. Furthermore, the processing unit 140a communicates data via the communication unit 110a. The processing unit 140a is, for example, equivalent to the battery monitoring IC 140 described above.

[0263] In this case, regarding the communication unit 110a, for example, the transmission packet used to transmit data generated by the processing unit 140a may include a packet length check bit and a packet check bit, and if two antennas are provided, the two antennas may be used to communicate at different frequencies.

[0264] Monitoring system 5, etc., can also be configured to include Figure 19 The communication unit 110a is shown. For example, the monitoring system 5 and the like can also be implemented as a sensing system that performs sensing related to the electric vehicle 1a. For example, the processing unit 140a is a monitoring circuit that monitors the tire pressure of the electric vehicle 1a, and the monitoring system 5 and the like can also be implemented as a tire pressure monitoring system for monitoring tire pressure. Tires are an example of objects monitored by the processing unit 140a. Furthermore, it is not limited to the electric vehicle 1a, and the monitoring system 5 and the like can also be applied to gasoline vehicles, etc.

[0265] like Figure 20 As shown, the electric vehicle 1b disclosed herein includes a communication unit 110b, a first antenna 120b, a BMS 140b, and a secondary battery 11b.

[0266] The communication unit 110b performs wireless communication between the BMS 140b and other processing units (e.g., cloud server 510). The communication unit 110b has, for example, the same structure as the wireless communication device 110 or 210.

[0267] The BMS140b manages the battery based on its voltage, current, and other parameters. The BMS140b can be configured to include a battery management unit (BMU). For example, the BMS140b is equivalent to the battery monitoring IC 140 described above.

[0268] Secondary battery 11b is the drive battery (cell) for electric vehicle 1b.

[0269] In this case, regarding the communication unit 110b, for example, the transmission packet used to send the data generated by the BMS 140b to the cloud server 510 may include a packet length check bit and a packet check bit. Alternatively, if two antennas are provided, they may be used to communicate at different frequencies. Furthermore, in this case, the control system of the communication unit 110b may also be connected to a battery monitoring IC or battery management unit (BMU) connected to the battery, and the battery monitoring status may be transmitted wirelessly using at least one of the first and second wireless communication circuits.

[0270] In addition, the cloud server 510 may, for example, have a wireless communication device 110 or 210 as a wireless communication device.

[0271] Monitoring system 5, etc., can also be configured to include Figure 20 The communication unit 110b is shown. For example, the monitoring system 5 can also be implemented as a sensing system that transmits monitoring-related information about the secondary battery 11b of the electric vehicle 1b.

[0272] Alternatively, a cloud network system 500, including a cloud server 510, can constitute a distributed ledger system for managing distributed ledgers such as blockchain.

[0273] like Figure 21 As shown, the electric vehicle 1a of this disclosure, as another processing unit, performs wireless communication with a relay device that relays communication between the electric vehicle 1a and the cloud server 510.

[0274] The relay device includes a communication unit 610, an antenna 620, and a processing unit 640.

[0275] The structure of the communication unit 610 can be the same as that of the wireless communication device 110 or 210.

[0276] The processing unit 640 communicates with the communication unit 110a via the antenna 620 and the communication unit 610.

[0277] Monitoring system 5, etc., can be configured to include Figure 21 At least one of the communication units 110a and 610 shown.

[0278] (Other implementation methods) The monitoring system of one or more embodiments has been described above based on embodiments 1 to 3, various modifications of embodiment 1, and modifications of embodiment 3 (the embodiments, etc.), but this disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. As long as it does not depart from the spirit of this disclosure, various modifications that can be conceived by those skilled in the art to this embodiment, and ways of constructing by combining the constituent elements of different embodiments, may also be included in this disclosure.

[0279] For example, in the above embodiments 1 to 3 and various modifications of embodiment 1, an example was described in which the wireless communication device has a group of two wireless communication subsystems and antennas, but it may also have a group of three or more wireless communication subsystems and antennas.

[0280] Furthermore, for example, in the wireless communication device of Embodiment 2 described above, the first wireless communication subsystem, the second wireless communication subsystem, and the control system are not composed of a single chip, and are capable of transmitting data for verifying authenticity. Such a wireless communication device could, for example, include a first wireless communication subsystem having a first wireless communication circuit, a second wireless communication subsystem having a second wireless communication circuit, and a control system for controlling the first and second wireless communication subsystems. The data used for communication between one of the wireless communication subsystems includes data for verifying the authenticity of the data used for communication between the other of the two wireless communication subsystems.

[0281] Alternatively, for example, it could be the embodiment 2 described above. Figure 11 and Figure 12 Information from at least one of the parties is stored in the memory of the control system (e.g., control systems 113 and 213 respectively) as information related to communication settings.

[0282] Furthermore, the monitoring system or wireless communication device described in the above embodiments can also be used in any device that performs wireless communication. For example, the monitoring system or wireless communication device can also be used in flying bodies (an example of a mobile body) such as drones, home appliances, etc.

[0283] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, each component can be constructed using dedicated hardware, or it can be implemented by executing software programs suitable for each component. Each component can also be implemented by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing software programs recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0284] Furthermore, the execution order of the steps in the flowchart is illustrative for the purpose of specifically illustrating this disclosure, and may be in a different order than described above. Additionally, some of the steps described above may be executed simultaneously (in parallel) with other steps, or some of the steps described above may not be executed.

[0285] Furthermore, the segmentation of functional blocks in the block diagram is one example. Multiple functional blocks can also be implemented as a single functional block, or a single functional block can be divided into multiple functional blocks, or some functionality can be transferred to other functional blocks. Additionally, the functionality of multiple functional blocks with similar functions can be processed in parallel or time-sharing by a single piece of hardware or software.

[0286] Furthermore, the monitoring circuit and management circuit of the above-described embodiments can each be implemented as a single device or by multiple devices. When at least one of the monitoring circuit and management circuit is implemented by multiple devices, the constituent elements of the at least one circuit can be arbitrarily distributed among the multiple devices. When the at least one circuit is implemented by multiple devices, the communication method between the multiple devices is not particularly limited; it can be wireless communication or wired communication. Furthermore, wireless communication and wired communication can also be combined between the devices.

[0287] Furthermore, the constituent elements described in the above embodiments can be implemented as software, typically as integrated circuits, i.e., LSIs. They can be implemented on a single chip individually, or as a combination of some or all of them. Here, it is referred to as an LSI, but depending on the level of integration, it is sometimes also called an IC, system LSI, very large-scale LSI, or ultra-large-scale LSI. In addition, the method of integrated circuit implementation is not limited to LSIs; it can also be implemented using dedicated circuits (general-purpose circuits that execute dedicated programs) or general-purpose processors. FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) that can be programmed after LSI manufacturing, or reconfigurable processors that can reconfigure the connections or settings of the circuit units inside the LSI, can also be used. Furthermore, if an integrated circuit implementation technology that replaces LSIs emerges due to advancements in semiconductor technology or other derived technologies, this technology can of course be used for the integration of constituent elements.

[0288] A system LSI is a multifunctional LSI that integrates multiple processing units onto a single chip. Specifically, it is a computer system comprising a microprocessor, ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The computer program is stored in the ROM. The microprocessor executes the computer program, thus enabling the system LSI to perform its functions.

[0289] In addition, one method of this disclosure can also be to have a computer execute... Figure 13 or Figure 17 The computer program describes the characteristic steps included in the wireless communication method shown.

[0290] Alternatively, for example, the program can also be a program for causing a computer to execute. Another aspect of this disclosure can be a computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded. For example, such a program can be recorded on a recording medium for distribution or circulation. For example, by installing the distributed program on another device having a processor and causing the processor to execute the program, the device can perform the aforementioned processes.

[0291] (Postscript) The following technology has been disclosed through the above description of the embodiments, etc.

[0292] (Technology 1) A wireless communication device comprising: a first wireless communication subsystem having a first wireless communication circuit; a second wireless communication subsystem having a second wireless communication circuit; and a control system for controlling the first wireless communication subsystem and the second wireless communication subsystem, wherein the first wireless communication subsystem, the second wireless communication subsystem, and the control system are constituted by a semiconductor device.

[0293] Therefore, a semiconductor device has two wireless communication circuits, enabling one wireless communication circuit to be used for data communication and the other for other data communication. Other data can be transmitted without interrupting the communication of data transmitted through one wireless communication circuit. That is, other data can be transmitted without causing delays in the communication of data through one wireless communication circuit. Therefore, according to the wireless communication device of this disclosure, communication delays are suppressed, thereby improving communication quality.

[0294] (Technology 2) In the wireless communication device according to Technology 1, the data used for communication between the first wireless communication subsystem and the wireless communication subsystem of one of the second wireless communication subsystems includes data for verifying the authenticity of the data used for communication between the first wireless communication subsystem and the wireless communication subsystem of the other of the second wireless communication subsystems.

[0295] This allows for the transmission of data to verify its authenticity while suppressing communication delays. Furthermore, the use of this data can enhance cybersecurity measures.

[0296] (Technology 3) In the wireless communication device according to Technology 1 or 2, the first wireless communication subsystem and the second wireless communication subsystem communicate on different data.

[0297] Therefore, when using two wireless communication circuits to communicate different data, it is possible to suppress communication delays.

[0298] (Technology 4) According to the wireless communication device of Technology 3, the first wireless communication subsystem performs communication of first data related to the monitoring status of the battery, and the second wireless communication subsystem performs communication of second data of a different type than the first data.

[0299] Therefore, when communicating data related to the battery's monitoring status and data of a different type, communication delays can be suppressed.

[0300] (Technology 5) According to the wireless communication device of Technology 4, the second data includes data for verifying the authenticity of the first data.

[0301] Therefore, it is possible to send data to verify the authenticity of the data while suppressing communication delays.

[0302] (Technology 6) According to the wireless communication device of Technology 5, the data used to confirm the authenticity includes data related to security.

[0303] This will strengthen cybersecurity measures.

[0304] (Technology 7) According to the wireless communication device of Technology 6, the security-related data includes at least one of the key used in the communication of the first data, the digital certificate, and the mutual monitoring log.

[0305] Therefore, it is possible to send at least one piece of data, including keys, digital certificates, and mutual monitoring logs, while suppressing communication delays.

[0306] (Technology 8) The wireless communication device according to any one of Technologies 4 to 7, wherein the second data includes information relating to at least one of an anomaly of the battery and an anomaly within the wireless communication system including the wireless communication device.

[0307] Therefore, it is possible to send information related to at least one of the battery malfunction and the malfunction within the wireless communication system while suppressing the occurrence of communication delays.

[0308] (Technology 9) In the wireless communication device according to Technology 6 or 7, the first wireless communication subsystem performs communication of first data related to the monitoring status of the battery, and the second wireless communication subsystem performs communication of data related to the security while the first wireless communication subsystem is performing the communication of the first data.

[0309] Therefore, it is possible to communicate the first data and the second data simultaneously, thus suppressing communication delays compared to communicating separately.

[0310] (Technology 10) The wireless communication device according to any one of Technologies 3 to 9, wherein the different data includes first data for communication by the first wireless communication subsystem and second data for communication by the second wireless communication subsystem, the second data including at least one of the key, digital certificate and mutual monitoring log used in the communication of the first data, or information related to at least one of the battery anomaly and anomaly within the wireless communication system containing the wireless communication device.

[0311] Therefore, it is possible to send information related to at least one of the following while suppressing communication delays: key, digital certificate, mutual monitoring log, battery anomaly, and anomaly within the wireless communication system.

[0312] (Technology 11) The wireless communication device according to any one of Technologies 1 to 10, wherein the first wireless communication subsystem and the second wireless communication subsystem communicate the same data.

[0313] Therefore, since the same data is communicated in both wireless communication circuits, even if an error occurs in the communication of one circuit, error-free communication can still occur in the communication of the other circuit. Thus, the reliability of the receiving device in receiving error-free data is improved.

[0314] (Technology 12) The wireless communication device according to any one of Technologies 1 to 11, wherein the first wireless communication subsystem communicates using a first frequency, the second wireless communication subsystem communicates using a second frequency, and the control system controls the first frequency and the second frequency.

[0315] Therefore, the control system can control the first frequency and the second frequency in a unified manner, and thus can set the other frequency to an appropriate frequency corresponding to one of the first and second frequencies. Therefore, by appropriately setting the first and second frequencies, communication quality can be improved.

[0316] (Technology 13) According to the wireless communication device of Technology 12, the control system controls the first frequency and the second frequency based on information representing a plurality of frequencies that can be used for wireless communication.

[0317] Therefore, the first and second frequencies can be controlled from multiple frequencies, and by selecting an appropriate frequency, the communication quality can be improved.

[0318] (Technology 14) In the wireless communication device according to Technology 12 or 13, the first frequency and the second frequency are different from each other.

[0319] Therefore, by using different frequencies, data communication can be carried out more reliably even in spaces prone to multipath fading, for example.

[0320] (Technology 15) According to the wireless communication device of Technology 14, the control system controls the first frequency and the second frequency such that the local frequency generated by the first wireless communication circuit and the second wireless communication circuit is different from the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency.

[0321] Therefore, it is possible to suppress the situation where the IF frequencies corresponding to the two frequencies used in the wireless communication device are the same.

[0322] (Technology 16) The wireless communication device according to any one of Technologies 1 to 15, wherein the control system is connected to a battery monitoring IC or a battery management unit connected to the battery, and transmits the monitoring status of the battery via wireless communication using at least one of the first wireless communication circuit and the second wireless communication circuit.

[0323] This improves the communication quality in battery management.

[0324] (Technology 17) The wireless communication device according to any one of Technologies 1 to 16, wherein the first wireless communication subsystem comprises: a first PHY (Physical Layer) unit having the function of a physical layer; a first MAC (Medium Access Control) unit connected to the first PHY unit having the function of a media link layer and connected to the control system via a first bus; and a first ECC (Error Correction Circuit) unit connected to the first PHY unit and the first MAC unit respectively, performing error correction-related processing on the transmitted signals; and the second wireless communication subsystem comprises: a second PHY unit having the function of a physical layer; a second MAC unit connected to the second PHY unit having the function of a media link layer and connected to the control system via a second bus; and a second ECC unit connected to the second PHY unit and the second MAC unit respectively, performing error correction-related processing on the transmitted signals.

[0325] Therefore, by configuring an ECC section between the PHY and MAC sections, error correction can be performed on the entire packet, thus improving communication quality compared to the case where no ECC section is configured between the PHY and MAC sections.

[0326] (Technology 18) According to the wireless communication device of Technology 17, the control system has a third bus that is connected to the first bus and the second bus respectively.

[0327] Thus, the control system can control the communication of the first wireless communication subsystem and the second wireless communication subsystem via the third bus.

[0328] (Technology 19) A monitoring system comprising: a monitoring circuit, a monitored object; and the wireless communication device described in any one of Technologies 1 to 18, for wirelessly communicating data acquired by the monitoring circuit.

[0329] Therefore, it achieves the same effect as the aforementioned wireless communication device.

[0330] (Technology 20) According to the monitoring system of Technology 19, the object includes a battery pack consisting of one or more cells mounted on a vehicle, and the monitoring circuit monitors the one or more cells.

[0331] This improves the communication quality in battery management.

[0332] Industrial applicability This disclosure is useful for monitoring systems such as battery management systems installed in vehicles.

[0333] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures 1 vehicle Electric vehicles 1a and 1b 2 seats 3 chassis 4-connection box 5. 3005 Monitoring System 11 battery modules 11a battery cell 11b secondary battery 100A monitoring circuit 110, 210 wireless communication devices 110a, 110b, 610, 3110, 3210 Communications Department 111, 111A, 111B, 211 First Wireless Communication Subsystem 111a, 211a First Wireless Communication Circuit 111b, 211b First Main Circuit 111c Power Management Unit 112, 212 Second Wireless Communication Subsystem 112a, 212a Second Wireless Communication Circuit 112b, 212b Second Main Unit Circuit 113, 113a, 213, 213a control systems 120, 120a, 120b, 220 First Antenna 130, 230, Day 2 140 Battery Monitoring IC 140a, 640, 3240 processing units 140b BMS 150, 1115 switches 200A and 200A management circuits 240 MCU 500 Cloud Network System 510 Cloud Server 620, 3120, 3220 antennas 1110, 1110a, 1110b, 2110 First PHY Section 1111 modulation circuit 1112 Oscillator 1113a power amplifier 1113b Linear Amplifier 1114a and 1114b filters 1116, 1116b, 1119 mixers 1117 IF Filter 1118 Demodulation Circuit 1120, 2120 First MAC Section 1121, 1370, 2370 communication circuits 1122 output circuit 1123, 1150, 1250, 1320, 2150, 2250, 2320 memory 1130, 2130 First ECC Department 1131 packet encoding circuit 1132 packet length encoding circuit 1133 Packet Generation Circuit 1134 Packet Length Correction Circuit 1135 package calibration circuit 1140, 1240, 1310, 2140, 2240, 2310 MCU cores Security modules 1160, 1260, 1330, 2160, 2260, and 2330 1161 First Encryption Circuit 1162 Second Encryption Circuit 1163 Third Encryption Circuit 1164 Calculation Circuit 1165 Random Number Generator 1166 Control Department 1167 Interface Section 1170, 1270, 1340, 2170, 2270, 2340 FH Control Unit 1180, 1280, 2180, 2280 peripheral circuit groups 1190, 2190 first bus 1210, 2210 Second PHY Section 1220, 2220 Second MAC Section 1230, 2230 Second ECC Section 1290, 2290 second bus 1350, 2350 First Peripheral Circuit Group 1360, 2360 Second Peripheral Circuit Group 1380, 2380 third bus 1390 and 2390 clock control circuits 3140 sensor unit L Transmission Path

Claims

1. A wireless communication device, characterized in that, have: A first wireless communication subsystem, comprising a first wireless communication circuit; A second wireless communication subsystem, comprising a second wireless communication circuit; and The control system controls the first wireless communication subsystem and the second wireless communication subsystem. The first wireless communication subsystem, the second wireless communication subsystem, and the control system are all composed of a semiconductor device.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The data used for communication between the first wireless communication subsystem and the wireless communication subsystem of the second wireless communication subsystem includes data used to verify the authenticity of the data used for communication between the first wireless communication subsystem and the other wireless communication subsystem of the second wireless communication subsystem.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first wireless communication subsystem and the second wireless communication subsystem communicate on different data.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first wireless communication subsystem communicates first data related to the battery's monitoring status. The second wireless communication subsystem communicates with second data of a different type than the first data.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second data includes data used to verify the authenticity of the first data.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The data used to verify the authenticity includes security-related data.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The security-related data includes at least one of the keys, digital certificates, and mutual monitoring logs used in the communication of the first data.

8. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that, The second data contains information relating to at least one of the abnormalities of the battery and the abnormalities within the wireless communication system containing the wireless communication device.

9. The wireless communication device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The first wireless communication subsystem communicates first data related to the battery's monitoring status. The second wireless communication subsystem communicates data related to security during the communication of the first data by the first wireless communication subsystem.

10. The wireless communication device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The different data includes first data used by the first wireless communication subsystem for communication and second data used by the second wireless communication subsystem for communication. The second data includes at least one of the keys, digital certificates, and mutual monitoring logs used in the communication of the first data, or information related to at least one of the battery anomalies and anomalies within the wireless communication system containing the wireless communication device.

11. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first wireless communication subsystem and the second wireless communication subsystem communicate on the same data.

12. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The first wireless communication subsystem uses a first frequency for communication. The second wireless communication subsystem uses a second frequency for communication. The control system controls the first frequency and the second frequency.

13. The wireless communication device according to claim 12, characterized in that, The control system controls the first frequency and the second frequency based on information representing multiple frequencies that can be used for wireless communication.

14. The wireless communication device according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The first frequency and the second frequency are different from each other.

15. The wireless communication device according to claim 14, characterized in that, The control system controls the first frequency and the second frequency so that the local frequency generated by the first wireless communication circuit and the second wireless communication circuit is different from the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency.

16. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that, The control system is connected to a battery monitoring IC or battery management unit connected to the battery, and uses at least one of the first wireless communication circuit and the second wireless communication circuit to transmit the monitoring status of the battery via wireless communication.

17. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that, The first wireless communication subsystem has: The first PHY section, also known as the first physical layer section, has the functions of the physical layer; The first MAC unit, namely the first media access control unit, is connected to the first PHY unit and has the function of a media link layer. It is connected to the control system via the first bus. as well as The first ECC section, or first error correction circuit section, is connected to both the first PHY section and the first MAC section, and performs error correction-related processing on the passing signals. The second wireless communication subsystem has: The second PHY section has the functions of the physical layer; The second MAC section, connected to the second PHY section, has the function of a media link layer and is connected to the control system via the second bus; as well as The second ECC section is connected to the second PHY section and the second MAC section respectively, and performs error correction-related processing on the passed signals.

18. The wireless communication device according to claim 17, characterized in that, The control system has a third bus that is connected to both the first bus and the second bus.

19. A monitoring system, characterized in that, have: Monitoring circuits, monitored objects; and The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 18 performs wireless communication on data acquired by the monitoring circuit.

20. The monitoring system according to claim 19, characterized in that, The object refers to a battery pack consisting of one or more cells mounted on a vehicle. The monitoring circuit monitors one or more battery cells.

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