Wireless communication device, wireless communication method, and program

Abstract

To suppress deterioration in performance of communication while considering a request from a remote device.SOLUTION: A wireless communication device includes: a communication circuit for performing communication with a plurality of remote devices in a mode of central or peripheral; and a processor. When the number of the remote devices connected to the communication circuit by communication of the same standard is less than L+1 (L is an integer of 1 or greater), the processor accepts an acquisition request for the central from the remote devices and sets a role of the communication circuit with respect to the remote devices to the peripheral. When the number of the remote devices connected to the communication circuit by communication of the same standard is L+1 or more, the processor rejects the acquisition request for the central from the remote devices and sets the role of the communication circuit with respect to the remote devices to the central.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication device, a wireless communication method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless communication system including a communication unit capable of communicating with a communication terminal using multiple profiles including a first profile related to hands-free calling and a second profile related to audio. The wireless communication system also includes a control unit that prohibits the role of the communication unit from being switched from master to slave when packet information transmitted from a communication terminal communicating with the communication unit to the communication unit does not include an extended synchronization packet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5976259 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, communication devices are considered to be connected to a plurality of remote devices, and there are many cases where each device wants to be the central device for communication. The wireless communication device is, for example, an in-vehicle device. The remote device is, for example, a smartphone. Note that the wireless communication device and the remote device are not limited to the above examples.

[0005] In Patent Document 1, a communication device performs a role switch to switch the role from central to peripheral or from peripheral to central depending on whether a communicating remote device supports extended synchronization packets.

[0006] However, in recent years, many remote devices support extended synchronization packets, which means that a communication device becomes a peripheral to multiple remote devices, which can cause performance degradation such as a decrease in communication speed, an increase in communication delay, or a decrease in connection stability.

[0007] The present disclosure has been devised in view of the above-described conventional situation, and aims to suppress degradation of communication performance while taking into account requests from remote devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present disclosure provides a wireless communication device comprising: a communication circuit that communicates with a plurality of remote devices in a central or peripheral mode; and a processor that, when the number of remote devices connected to the communication circuit using communication of the same standard is less than L (L: an integer greater than or equal to 1)+1, accepts a request to acquire the central from the remote device and sets the role of the communication circuit to the peripheral for the remote device, and, when the number of remote devices connected to the communication circuit using communication of the same standard is L+1 or more, rejects the request to acquire the central from the remote device and sets the role of the communication circuit to the central for the remote device.

[0009] The present disclosure also provides a wireless communication method which communicates with a plurality of remote devices in central or peripheral mode, and when the number of remote devices connected to a communication circuit using the same standard is less than L (L: an integer greater than or equal to 1)+1, accepts a request from the remote device to acquire the central and sets the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to peripheral, and when the number of remote devices connected to the communication circuit using the same standard is L+1 or more, rejects the request from the remote device to acquire the central and sets the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to central.

[0010] The present disclosure also provides a program that causes a computer to execute the following processes: a process of communicating with a plurality of remote devices in central or peripheral mode; a process of accepting a request to acquire the central from a remote device and setting the role of the communication circuit to the peripheral for the remote device when the number of remote devices connected to the communication circuit using the same standard is less than L (L: an integer greater than or equal to 1)+1; and a process of rejecting a request to acquire the central from the remote device and setting the role of the communication circuit to the central for the remote device when the number of remote devices connected to the communication circuit using the same standard is L+1 or more. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the performance of the own device while taking into consideration the remote device side to a certain extent. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a wireless communication system according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a wireless communication device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hierarchical structure of a software program of a wireless communication device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] Flowchart showing the role switch control process when there are no Classic connected devices [Diagram 5] Flowchart showing the role switch control process when one Classic device is connected [Figure 6] A flowchart showing the process when a Classic self-connection or Classic connected device occurs and there is a Classic connected device other than the device to which the Classic self-connection or Classic connected device occurred. [Figure 7]A flowchart showing a process when a Classic connection is disconnected when multiple remote devices are Classic-connected to a wireless communication device. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a hierarchical structure of a software program of a wireless communication device 100A according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] Flowchart showing the process when the number of Classic connections is 0 and the number of BLE peripheral connections is less than N [Figure 10] Flowchart showing the process when the number of Classic connections is 0 and the number of BLE peripheral connections is N or more [Figure 11] Flowchart showing the process when the number of Classic connected devices is one or more and the number of BLE peripheral connected devices is arbitrary [Figure 12] Flowchart of the first process when a Classic disconnection occurs when there is a Classic-connected remote device [Figure 13] Flowchart of the second process when a Classic disconnection occurs when there is a Classic-connected remote device DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings as appropriate, a detailed description will be given of an embodiment specifically disclosing a wireless communication device, a control method for a wireless communication device, and a program according to the present disclosure. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed description of already well-known matters and duplicated description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the following description becoming unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Note that the attached drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0014] Bluetooth (registered trademark) is a short-range wireless communication standard, and consists of Bluetooth Classic (Basic Rate / Enhanced Data Rate: BR / EDR) and Bluetooth Low Energy. Hereafter, Bluetooth will be referred to as "BT", Bluetooth Classic as "Classic", and Bluetooth Low Energy as "BLE".

[0015] In Classic, communication is carried out in units called piconet, with each device taking on the role of either central or peripheral. The central is the device that takes the lead in communication, and the maximum number of peripherals that can be connected to a central at the same time is seven. In addition, a device operating as a central is also allowed to operate as a peripheral of another piconet at the same time, and this topology is called a "scatternet."

[0016] Similarly, in BLE there are two roles: central and peripheral. As in Classic, in BLE the central takes the lead in communication. Also, one peripheral can establish connections with multiple centrals at the same time.

[0017] When connecting to multiple BT devices simultaneously, if your device becomes a peripheral to multiple remote devices, you need to be able to identify the different Bluetooth clocks for the multiple devices and maintain and manage those clocks as independent clocks. Therefore, although it depends on the performance and implementation of the BT controller, it is known that performance degradation such as slower communication speed, increased communication delay, and reduced connection stability occurs. Performance degradation can lead to link loss between your device and the remote device.

[0018] Classic also allows a device to request a role switch from central to peripheral or from peripheral to central to other connected devices. This role switch is called a role switch. The device that is requested to switch roles can allow or deny this request.

[0019] Conventionally, there exists a wireless communication device capable of communicating with a communication terminal in Classic using multiple profiles including a first profile related to hands-free calling and a second profile related to audio. A wireless communication device is known that prohibits switching the role of a communication unit from central to peripheral when an extended synchronization packet is not included in packet information transmitted from a communicating remote device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Note that up to Bluetooth CORE SPECIFICATION Version 5.2, the roles on the Classic side were called the central as the master and the peripheral as the slave. In Bluetooth CORE SPECIFICATION Version 5.3 and later, the roles on the Classic side are also unified into central and peripheral in accordance with BLE. In this document, central and peripheral are used as the roles on the Classic side.

[0020] In recent years, both wireless communication devices and remote devices are considering connection with multiple devices, and there are many cases where each wants to be the central of communication. For example, an in-vehicle device, which is an example of a wireless communication device, may be connected simultaneously with a total of four remote devices, including one main device supporting the Hands Free Profile (hereinafter referred to as "HFP"), one sub-device, one device supporting the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (hereinafter referred to as "A2DP") / A / V Remote Control Profile (hereinafter referred to as "AVRCP"), and one device supporting the Serial Port Profile (hereinafter referred to as "SPP"). On the other hand, a smartphone, which is an example of a remote device, may be connected simultaneously with a wearable device such as a smart watch, an accessory device such as an earphone, or an in-vehicle device. When a smartphone wants to be the central, it requests a role switch to the in-vehicle device and requests that the request for the role switch be accepted. In the following, the in-vehicle device may be used as an example of a wireless communication device, and the smartphone may be used as an example of a remote device.

[0021] On the other hand, in-vehicle devices have been mainly implemented to reject role switches unlimitedly up until now. If both the in-vehicle device and the smartphone try to take the central role, role switch requests will be repeated, which may result in communication failure.

[0022] There are also cases where the onboard unit connects to a remote device and cases where the onboard unit accepts a connection from the remote device. A connection from the onboard unit to a remote device is called a self-connection. A connection from the onboard unit to a remote device is called a connected unit. Usually, the side that requests a connection is the central, so in the connected case, the onboard unit is usually the peripheral.

[0023] Although Classic and BLE are not compatible for communication, they use the same 2.4 GHz band, and dual mode use in which Classic and BLE operate simultaneously is becoming more common. For example, there are cases where an in-vehicle unit operates in dual mode, connecting and communicating with multiple remote devices in Classic while also connecting and communicating with multiple remote devices as a BLE peripheral. When an in-vehicle unit communicates in dual mode like this, the performance of Classic communication may decrease in order to maintain and manage BLE communication. In particular, since BLE does not have the concept of a role switch, once an in-vehicle unit connects as a BLE peripheral, it will continue to maintain the peripheral status.

[0024] The conventional wireless communication device described in Patent Document 1 has a feature that, when there are two remote devices, and when the first device is connected to the HFP and the second device is connected to the Personal Area Networking Profile, role switching with the second device is permitted or prohibited depending on whether the first device supports extended synchronization packet (eSCO). The wireless communication device permits role switching if the remote device supports extended synchronization packet (eSCO), and prohibits role switching if the remote device does not support extended synchronization packet (eSCO). Recently, almost all smartphones support extended synchronization packet (eSCO). Therefore, in the wireless communication device, if the first smartphone supports extended synchronization packet (eSCO), role switching is permitted regardless of how many smartphones there are after the second device, and the above-mentioned impact on performance is unavoidable.

[0025] The present disclosure has been made to solve such conventional problems, and can avoid a situation in which role switch requests to acquire a central are repeated from both the wireless communication device and the remote device in response to each of the cases of self-connection and connected. In addition, the present disclosure aims to provide a wireless communication device that suppresses a decrease in communication performance while considering requests from the remote device even in the case of communication using only Classic and in the case of dual mode communication in which Classic and BLE operate simultaneously.

[0026] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, a wireless communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0027] In FIG. 1, a wireless communication system 1 includes a wireless communication apparatus 100, a remote device 101, and a remote device .

[0028] The wireless communication device 100 is, for example, an on-board device mounted in a vehicle, etc. The wireless communication device 100 performs wireless communication with a remote device 101 and a remote device 102 based on Classic.

[0029] The remote device 101 and the remote device 102 are terminal devices such as smartphones carried by users. The user is, for example, a driver of a car or a passenger in the car. The remote device 101 and the remote device 102 are brought into or near a car in which the wireless communication device 100 is mounted. The remote device 101 and the remote device 102 are not limited to smartphones, and may be tablet terminals, mobile phones, audio players, and the like. The remote device 101 and the remote device 102 are not limited to two devices, and may be one or more devices.

[0030] Next, a hardware configuration of the wireless communication device 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the wireless communication device 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0031] The wireless communication device 100 includes a processor 201 , a communication circuit 202 , a display 203 , an input device 204 , and a memory 205 .

[0032] The processor 201 controls the operation of the entire wireless communication device 100. The processor 201 is, for example, a central processing unit, a micro processing unit, a digital signal processor, a graphical processing unit, or a field programmable gate array. The processor 201 executes a program stored in a read only memory (hereinafter, referred to as "ROM"), whereby each functional block cooperates with each other to realize the processing according to this embodiment. The processor 201 uses a RAM as a working area while executing a program. The ROM or RAM may be provided outside the processor 201. The outside of the processor 201 is, for example, a memory 205. The processor 201 may be configured with an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) or the like in addition to or instead of the processor 201.

[0033] The communication circuit 202 is composed of, for example, a radio frequency (RF) circuit, a baseband (BB) circuit, a link layer (LL) circuit, a memory circuit, an antenna, and the like. The communication circuit 202 demodulates and combines wireless signals received via an antenna and sends them to the processor 201. The communication circuit 202 also encodes and modulates signals sent from the processor 201 and transmits them wirelessly via the antenna. In this embodiment, the communication circuit 202 is realized by a controller that transmits and receives wireless signals based on BT. The controller that transmits and receives wireless signals based on BT is, for example, a combo module that integrates BT / WiFi or a BT module that only supports BT.

[0034] The display 203 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic electro-luminescent display, and includes a circuit for drawing, etc. The display 203 displays, for example, information related to various applications and information received from the remote device 101 and the remote device 102.

[0035] The input device 204 is for inputting instructions from a user, such as connection and disconnection to the remote device 101 and the remote device 102. The input device 204 is, for example, configured with a predetermined number of press-type switches arranged, a touch panel type, or the like. The input device 204 outputs an electric signal corresponding to the input operation to the processor 201. For example, the input device 204 may be provided with a touch sensor superimposed on the display panel of the display 203, forming a touch panel together with the display panel. In this case, the touch sensor, which is the input device 204, detects the contact position and contact state related to the user's contact operation on the touch sensor, and sends a signal corresponding to the detected contact position and contact state to the processor 201.

[0036] Memory 205 is configured, for example, using RAM and ROM, and temporarily stores the control program for wireless communication device 100 to perform the control related to this embodiment, initial setting data, various variable data while the control program is being executed, and data generated during operation.

[0037] Although the hardware configuration of the remote device 101 and the remote device 102 is omitted, they at least include a communication circuit, a processor, a display, and an input device similar to those of the wireless communication device 100.

[0038] Next, the software configuration of the wireless communication device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a hierarchical structure of the software program of the wireless communication device 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0039] In FIG. 3, the wireless communication device 100 is configured with software including various applications such as a hands-free application, an audio application, a phonebook transfer application, a messaging application, and a serial communication application, communication middleware, a Bluetooth protocol stack, and a Host Controller Interface (hereinafter referred to as "HCI").

[0040] The hands-free application is an application that uses the HFP to perform a hands-free call between the wireless communication device 100 and the remote device 101 and / or the remote device 102. By using the hands-free application, the wireless communication device 100 can, for example, simultaneously establish a hands-free connection with the remote device 101 and the remote device 102 and receive incoming calls from the remote device 101 and the remote device 102.

[0041] The audio application is an application that uses A2DP / AVRCP and performs remote control such as playing and playing / stopping audio sent from the remote device 101 and / or the remote device 102.

[0042] The phone book transfer application is an application that transfers a phone book and outgoing and incoming call history between the remote device 101 and / or the remote device 102 using the Phone Book Access Profile (hereinafter, referred to as “PBAP”).

[0043] The messaging app is an application that uses a Message Access Profile (hereinafter referred to as “MAP”) to receive and send messages such as SMS and e-mail between the remote device 101 and / or the remote device 102.

[0044] The serial communication application is an application that uses SPP to perform serial communication in cooperation with the wireless communication device 100 and the remote device 101 and / or the remote device 102. The number of serial communication applications is not limited to one, and multiple applications may be provided for different purposes.

[0045] The Link Layer / Physical Layer is hardware, and is a BT controller equivalent to the communication circuit 202 .

[0046] The HCI provides a command / event interface for accessing the controller from the host stack, and controls BT communication using HCI commands, HCI events, and their configuration parameters. Role switching control is also performed by the processor 201 controlling the BT controller via the HCI.

[0047] The Bluetooth protocol stack is a protocol stack including Logical Link Control and Adaptation Protocol (hereinafter referred to as "L2CAP"), RFCOMM, and Object Exchange (hereinafter referred to as "OBEX"). L2CAP provides functions such as the division and reconstruction of communication packets of higher layer protocols. RFCOMM is used to set up serial cables and emulate RS-232C serial ports. OBEX is mainly used by PBAP and MAP, and is defined to allow the exchange of a variety of data and commands, including phone books.

[0048] The communication middleware is software that relays between the Bluetooth protocol stack and various applications. Here, the "Device Manager" belongs to the communication middleware and is a software block that performs role switching control according to the first embodiment.

[0049] The processing performed by the Device Manager is performed in the communication layer below the communication middleware, and the processing is hidden when viewed from the upper side. In other words, various applications in the upper layer are configured to be able to communicate without being aware of the role of the wireless communication device 100, the roles of the remote device 101 and the remote device 102, or role switch control.

[0050] The following describes the processing operations of the wireless communication device 100 configured as above. First, the processing operations for performing role switch control of the wireless communication device 100 will be described with reference to Figs.

[0051] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the process of role switch control when the number of Classic connected devices is 0. Each process in the flowchart shown in Fig. 4 is performed by the Device Manager operating on the processor 201. For convenience of explanation, the process is described as being performed by the processor 201 in Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 6, Fig. 7, Fig. 9, Fig. 10, Fig. 11, Fig. 12, and Fig. 13.

[0052] First, the processor 201 determines whether the number of remote devices to which the wireless communication device 100 is connected in Classic is 0 (S40). The remote device is, for example, the remote device 101 or the remote device 102. Hereinafter, a BT connection between the wireless communication device 100 and a remote device in Classic is referred to as a Classic connection. Also, the number of remote devices connected in Classic is referred to as the Classic connection count.

[0053] When the processor 201 determines that the number of Classic connected devices is not 0 (S40, NO), the processor 201 transitions to the process shown in FIG.

[0054] Next, when the processor 201 determines that the number of Classic connections is 0 (S40, YES), the processor 201 establishes a Classic connection between the wireless communication device 100 and the remote device (S41).

[0055] During the process of step S41, the processor 201 determines whether or not a Classic connection has been established from the wireless communication device 100 to the remote device (S42).

[0056] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100 is not Classic-connected to the remote device, that is, that the remote device is Classic-connected to the wireless communication device 100 (S42, NO), the processor 201 requests the remote device to perform a role switch to change the role of the communication circuit 202 of the wireless communication device 100 from peripheral to central (S45). Note that the number of times to request a role switch from the remote device may be set to a predetermined number (e.g., two or three times) by the designer of the wireless communication system 1, etc. Note that the predetermined number is preferably one or less.

[0057] The processor 201 determines whether the role switch request has been accepted by the remote device (S46).

[0058] When the processor 201 determines that the remote device has accepted the role switch request (S46, YES), it sets the role of the communication circuit 202 of the wireless communication device 100 with respect to the remote device from peripheral to central (S47). Hereinafter, the operation of the communication circuit 202 of the wireless communication device 100 as a central with respect to the remote device is referred to as a central operation. After the process of step S47, the processor 201 executes the process of step S43.

[0059] When the processor 201 determines that the remote device has not accepted the role switch request (S46, NO), the processor 201 keeps the role of the communication circuit 202 of the wireless communication device 100 with respect to the remote device as peripheral (S48). Hereinafter, the operation of the communication circuit 202 of the wireless communication device 100 as a peripheral with respect to the remote device is referred to as peripheral operation. After the process of step S48, the processor 201 ends the process.

[0060] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100 has been Classic-connected to the remote device (S42, YES), the processor 201 determines whether or not a role switch request has occurred from the remote device with the remote device as the central (S43). The processor 201 determines whether or not a role switch request has occurred based on whether or not a role switch request signal (LMP_switch_req) with the remote device as the central has been received from the remote device.

[0061] When the processor 201 determines that a role switch request has not occurred (S43, NO), the wireless communication device 100 remains as a central with respect to the remote device. After the process of step S43, NO, the processor 201 performs the process of step S43 again. For example, the processor 201 may perform the process of step S43 again after a predetermined time has elapsed after the process of step S43, NO. Even if the role of the communication circuit 202 with respect to the remote device is set to central, if there is a role switch request from the remote device while the wireless communication device 100 and the remote device maintain a one-to-one connection, the processor 201 returns the process to before step S43 in order to accept the request. On the other hand, when the wireless communication device 100 is one-to-one connected to the remote device, the wireless communication device 100 remains as a central unless it receives a role switch request from the remote device.

[0062] When the processor 201 determines that a role switch request has occurred (S43, YES), it permits the role switch, sets the communication circuit 202 of the wireless communication device 100 to a peripheral with respect to the remote device, and operates as a peripheral (S44). After the wireless communication device 100 transitions to a peripheral with respect to the remote device, if there is no change in the number of remote devices connected, the wireless communication device 100 does not issue a role switch request with the wireless communication device 100 as a central to the remote device. In other words, after accepting a role switch request from the remote device, the processor 201 controls the communication circuit 202 so that the communication circuit 202 does not output a central acquisition request to the remote device.

[0063] As a result, when the wireless communication device 100 according to the first embodiment is connected one-to-one with a remote device and is connected via Classic, it can permit a role switch in response to a role switch request from the remote device and set the role of the communication circuit 202 to Peripheral. In other words, when the number of connected remote devices is as small as one and the possibility of communication performance degradation is low, the wireless communication device 100 can accept the role switch request from the remote device. As a result, the wireless communication device 100 can improve the convenience of the user who owns the remote device. In addition, as a result, it is possible to suppress performance degradation on the remote device side.

[0064] Furthermore, when the wireless communication device 100 is Classic connected, it can request the remote device to perform a role switch from peripheral to central a predetermined number of times. This allows the wireless communication device 100 to set the role of the communication circuit 202 to central when the remote device accepts the role switch, thereby improving the stability of communication performance. At the same time, the wireless communication device 100 can prevent a decrease in communication performance caused by repeatedly requesting a role switch to the remote device by setting the number of times to request a role switch to a predetermined number, such as once.

[0065] Next, the process of the role switch control when the number of Classic connected devices is one will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing the process of the role switch control when the number of Classic connected devices is one. Note that in Fig. 5, the same processes as those shown in Fig. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in Fig. 4, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0066] The processor 201 determines whether the number of Classic connected devices is one or more (S50).

[0067] When the processor 201 determines that the number of Classic connected devices is not one or more (S50, NO), the processor 201 ends the process.

[0068] When the processor 201 determines that the number of Classic connections is one or more (S50, YES), the processor 201 establishes a Classic connection between the wireless communication device 100 and the remote device (S51).

[0069] During the process of step S51, the processor 201 determines whether or not a Classic connection has been established from the wireless communication device 100 to the remote device (S52).

[0070] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100 is not Classic-connected to the remote device, that is, that the remote device is Classic-connected to the wireless communication device 100 (S52, NO), the processor 201 executes the process of step S45. The processes of steps S45, S46, S47, and S48 are the same as those of the flowchart of Fig. 4. Note that even if the wireless communication device 100 becomes the central in the process of step S47, if the processor 201 receives a role switch request from the remote device while the wireless communication device 100 and the remote device maintain a one-to-two or more connection, the processor 201 executes the process of step S53 to reject the role switch request.

[0071] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100 has been connected to the remote device via Classic (S52, YES), the processor 201 determines whether or not a role switch request has been issued from the remote device with the remote device as the central (S53).

[0072] When the processor 201 determines that a role switch request has not occurred (S53, NO), the wireless communication device 100 remains as a central with respect to the remote device, and performs the process of step S53 again. For example, the processor 201 may perform the process of step S53 again after a predetermined time has elapsed after the process of step S53, NO.

[0073] When the processor 201 determines that a role switch request has occurred (S53, YES), it rejects the role switch request from the remote device and performs central operation without performing role switching of the wireless communication device 100 (S54).

[0074] As a result, when the wireless communication device 100 is connected to two or more remote devices one-to-one and has a Classic self-connection, even if a role switch request is made from the remote device, the request can be rejected and central can be maintained. In other words, the wireless communication device 100 can prevent a decrease in communication performance by becoming a peripheral for each of multiple remote devices.

[0075] Next, a process will be described with reference to Fig. 6 when a Classic-connected device other than the device where Classic connection or Classic connection has occurred between the wireless communication device 100 and a remote device is present. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a process when a Classic-connected device other than the device where Classic connection or Classic connection has occurred is present when Classic connection or Classic connection has occurred. Each process in the flowchart of Fig. 6 is executed by the processor 201.

[0076] When a connection occurs between the wireless communication device 100 and a remote device, the processor 201 determines whether or not there is another connected remote device (S61). The connection between the wireless communication device 100 and the remote device is a Classic self-connection or a Classic connected connection.

[0077] When the processor 201 determines that there is no other connected remote device when a connection occurs between the wireless communication device 100 and the remote device (S61, NO), the processor 201 ends the process.

[0078] When the processor 201 determines that there are other connected remote devices when the wireless communication device 100 and the remote device are connected (S61, YES), it executes a process of determining whether each of the connected remote devices is to operate as a central or peripheral device (S62). The process from step S62 to step S69 is repeated the number of times corresponding to the number of connected remote devices.

[0079] The processor 201 determines whether the wireless communication device 100 is a peripheral (S63).

[0080] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100 is not a peripheral (S63, NO), the wireless communication device 100 remains as a central and transitions to processing of the next connected remote device.

[0081] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100 is a peripheral (S63, YES), it determines whether or not a BT hands-free call is in progress or whether or not music is being played over BT (S64). A BT hands-free call in progress indicates, for example, a state in which an HFP eSCO link is established and voice packets are being exchanged between the wireless communication device 100 and a remote device. Also, playing music over BT indicates, for example, playing A2DP Streaming.

[0082] When the processor 201 determines that a BT hands-free call is in progress or music is being played over BT (S64, YES), the wireless communication device 100 does not perform role switching and operates as a peripheral (S68). After the process of step S68, the processor 201 transitions to processing of the next connected remote device.

[0083] When the processor 201 determines that the BT hands-free call is not in progress and that music is not being played back via BT (S64: NO), the processor 201 requests the remote device to perform a role switch (S65).

[0084] The processor 201 determines whether or not the remote device has accepted the role switch (S66).

[0085] If the processor 201 determines that the remote device has not accepted the role switch (S66, NO), the role switch is not performed, the processor operates as a peripheral (S68), and the processor transitions to processing of the next connected remote device.

[0086] If the processor 201 determines that the remote device has accepted the role switch (S66, YES), it sets the role of the communication circuit 202 of the wireless communication device 100 with respect to the remote device to central, enters central operation (S67), and transitions to processing of the next connected remote device.

[0087] When the processor 201 has completed the processes from step S63 to step S69 for all connected remote devices, the processor 201 ends the process.

[0088] The processor 201 executes the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, for example, when the wireless communication device 100 is connected to a new remote device.

[0089] As a result, when the wireless communication device 100 is Classically connected or Classically connected to a remote device, if there is another connected remote device, the wireless communication device 100 can perform a role switch according to the connection conditions of each connected remote device. If the connected remote device is not in a BT hands-free call or is not playing music over BT, the wireless communication device 100 can request a role switch from the connected remote device. As a result, the wireless communication device 100 can become a central device when the remote device accepts the role switch, thereby stabilizing communication performance. In addition, if the connected remote device is in a BT hands-free call or playing music over BT, the wireless communication device 100 performs a peripheral operation without requesting a role switch from the connected remote device. As a result, the wireless communication device 100 can prevent a decrease in performance, such as a drop in the sound of a call or music from the remote device, and improve user convenience.

[0090] Next, a process when a disconnection of the Classic connection occurs when a plurality of remote devices are Classic-connected to the wireless communication device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a process when a disconnection of the Classic connection occurs when a plurality of remote devices are Classic-connected to the wireless communication device 100.

[0091] The processor 201 determines whether or not the Classic connection between the wireless communication device 100 and the remote device has been disconnected (S71).

[0092] When the processor 201 determines that the Classic connection has not been disconnected (S71, NO), the processor 201 executes the process of step S71 again. In this manner, the processor 201 monitors whether or not the Classic connection has been disconnected during the Classic connection.

[0093] When the processor 201 determines that the Classic connection has been disconnected (S71, YES), the processor 201 determines whether the number of Classic connections is less than two (S72).

[0094] When the processor 201 determines that the number of Classic connected devices is not less than two (S72, NO), the processor 201 executes the process of step S71 again.

[0095] When the processor 201 determines that the number of connected Classic devices is less than two (S72, YES), the processor 201 determines whether the number of connected Classic devices is one (S73).

[0096] If the number of Classic connections is not 1, that is, if the number of Classic connections is 0 and all Classic connections are disconnected (S73, NO), the processor 201 ends the process.

[0097] When the processor 201 determines that the number of Classic connections is one (S73, YES), the processor 201 determines whether the wireless communication device 100 is a central with respect to the remote devices (S74).

[0098] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100 is not a central with respect to the remote device (S74, NO), the processor 201 does not perform a role switch and operates as a peripheral (S77), and ends the process.

[0099] If the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100 is a central with respect to the remote device (S74, YES), it determines whether a role switch request has occurred from the remote device, i.e., whether a role switch request has been received from the remote device (S75).

[0100] When the processor 201 determines that a role switch request has not been issued from the remote device (S75, NO), it executes the process of step S75 again and monitors for a role switch request from the remote device.

[0101] If the processor 201 determines that a role switch request has occurred from the remote device (S75, YES), it permits the role switch request and sets the role of the communication circuit 202 of the wireless communication device 100 for the remote device to peripheral, causing the device to operate as a peripheral (S76).

[0102] As described above, when the number of remote devices connected using the same standard is less than L (L: an integer equal to or greater than 1)+1, the wireless communication device 100 of the first embodiment permits a request to acquire a central from the remote device and becomes a peripheral with respect to the remote devices. When the number of remote devices connected using the same standard is L+1 or more, the wireless communication device 100 rejects a request to acquire a central from the remote device and becomes a central with respect to the remote devices. Here, a connection using the same standard refers to a Classic connection. Also, in the first embodiment, L=1.

[0103] As a result, when the number of connected remote devices increases, a disconnection occurs, the number of connected devices decreases, and finally the connection becomes one-to-one, the wireless communication device 100 can allow the operation as a peripheral. As a result, the wireless communication device 100 can accept the remote device as a central, improving the convenience of the user who has the remote device. Also, as a result, the performance degradation on the remote device side can be suppressed.

[0104] As a result, the wireless communication device 100 of the first embodiment can handle both the case of Classic self-connection and the case of Classic connected. In addition, the wireless communication device 100 can avoid a situation in which role switch requests for acquiring a central are repeated from both the wireless communication device 100 and the remote device. In addition, the wireless communication device 100 allows peripheral operation when connected one-to-one with a remote device through Classic connection, and therefore allows central operation on the remote device side in a situation where performance degradation is not a concern, while suppressing performance degradation of the device itself during Classic connection with multiple devices. The above is an example of a representative embodiment of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited to the scope of the embodiments shown in the specification and drawings, and can be modified and implemented within a range that does not change the gist of the disclosure. For example, it is also possible to arbitrarily select whether to execute or not execute the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6. The wireless communication device 100 may be set so that it is possible to select whether to execute or not execute each process when the wireless communication device 100 is started.

[0105] (Embodiment 2) Next, a wireless communication system 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The configuration example of the wireless communication system 1 is the same as that of FIG. 1 described in the first embodiment, and the description will be omitted. The hardware configuration of the wireless communication device 100A according to the second embodiment (see FIG. 8) is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the internal configuration of the communication circuit 202 is different.

[0106] The communication circuit 202 according to the second embodiment is realized by a controller (a Classic / BLE integrated combo module or a Classic / BLE / Wi-Fi (registered trademark) integrated combo module) that transmits and receives wireless signals based on Classic and BLE. The communication circuit 202 also supports a dual mode in which one controller operates both Classic and BLE simultaneously.

[0107] Next, the software configuration of the wireless communication device 100A will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a hierarchical structure of a software program of the wireless communication device 100A according to the second embodiment.

[0108] The wireless communication device 100A is configured with software including various applications (hands-free application, audio application, phonebook transfer application, messaging application, serial communication application, BLE communication application, etc.), communication middleware, Bluetooth protocol stack, and HCI.

[0109] Since the configuration in FIG. 8 other than the BLE application is the same as that in FIG. 3 of the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted.

[0110] The BLE app is any application that uses BLE to perform Generic Attribute Profile communication between the wireless communication device 100A and a remote device. The remote device is, for example, a smartphone or a remote control. The wireless communication device 100A is assumed to be connected as a peripheral and the remote device as a central, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, the BLE app is configured to be capable of simultaneously connecting to multiple remote devices with one app. Note that the existence of multiple BLE apps allows for a configuration that allows simultaneous connection to multiple remote devices.

[0111] The processing operation of the wireless communication device 100A configured as above will be described below. First, the processing operation for performing role switch control of the wireless communication device 100A will be described with reference to Figs.

[0112] A process when the number of Classic connected devices is 0 and the number of BLE peripheral connected devices is less than N will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a process when the number of Classic connected devices is 0 and the number of BLE peripheral connected devices is less than N.

[0113] The processor 201 determines whether the number of Classic connections is 0 and the number of BLE peripheral connections is less than N (S100). The BLE peripheral connection indicates a state in which the wireless communication device 100 is connected as a peripheral and a remote device is connected as a central in BLE. The number of BLE peripheral connections indicates the number of remote devices to which the wireless communication device 100 is connected in BLE. Here, N is an integer of 1 or more, for example, 3. Note that the number N changes depending on the performance of the communication circuit 202 and is not limited to 3.

[0114] When the processor 201 determines that the number of connected Classic devices is 0 and the number of connected BLE peripherals is not less than N (S100, NO), the processor 201 transitions to the processing of the flowchart in FIG.

[0115] When the processor 201 determines that the number of Classic connections is 0 and the number of BLE peripheral connections is less than N (S100, YES), the processor 201 establishes a Classic connection between the wireless communication device 100A and the remote device (S101).

[0116] During the process of step S101, the processor 201 determines whether or not a Classic connection has been established from the wireless communication device 100A to the remote device (S102).

[0117] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100A has been Classic-connected to the remote device (S102, YES), the processor 201 determines whether or not a central role switch request has been issued from the remote device (S103). The processor 201 determines whether or not a central role switch request has been issued from the remote device by determining whether or not a signal (LMP_switch_req) indicating a role switch request has been received from the remote device.

[0118] When the processor 201 determines that a role switch request to the central has not been issued from the remote device (S103, NO), it executes the process of step S103 again.

[0119] When the processor 201 determines that a central role switch request has been generated from the remote device (S103, YES), it permits the role switch request, sets the role of the communication circuit 202 of the wireless communication device 100A to peripheral, and operates as a peripheral (S104). After the wireless communication device 100A transitions to peripheral once with respect to the remote device, if there is no change in the number of connections between the wireless communication device 100A and the remote device, the wireless communication device 100A does not issue a role switch request with the wireless communication device 100A as central. In other words, after accepting the role switch request from the remote device, the processor 201 controls the communication circuit 202 so that the communication circuit 202 does not output a central acquisition request to the remote device.

[0120] When the wireless communication device 100A is not Classic-connected to the remote device, that is, when the remote device is Classic-connected to the wireless communication device 100A (S102, NO), the processor 201 requests the remote device to perform a role switch in which the wireless communication device 100A becomes the central (S105). Note that the number of times that the wireless communication device 100A requests the remote device to perform a role switch is not limited to once, and may be set by the designer of the wireless communication system 1 or the like to a predetermined number (for example, two or three times). Note that the predetermined number is preferably once or less.

[0121] The processor 201 determines whether or not the remote device has accepted the role switch (S106). Note that the processor 201 determines whether or not the remote device has accepted the role switch based on whether or not a signal (LMP_accepted) indicating that the role switch has been accepted is received from the remote device.

[0122] When the processor 201 determines that the remote device has accepted the role switch (S106, YES), it sets the role of the communication circuit 202 of the wireless communication device 100A with respect to the remote device to central and operates as central (S107). Even when the wireless communication device 100A becomes central, if the wireless communication device 100A and the remote device maintain a one-to-one Classic connection and the number of connected BLE peripherals remains less than N, the wireless communication device 100A accepts a role switch request from the remote device to take the central role. Therefore, the processor 201 executes the process of step S103 after the process of step S107.

[0123] When the processor 201 determines that the remote device has not accepted the role switch (S106, NO), the role of the communication circuit 202 of the wireless communication device 100 with respect to the remote device remains as peripheral and the device operates as peripheral (S108).

[0124] As a result, when the wireless communication device 100A according to the second embodiment is connected to a predetermined number of remote devices or less by BLE, when the wireless communication device 100A self-connects by Classic, the wireless communication device 100A can perform peripheral operation in response to a role switch request from the remote device. As a result, when the number of remote devices connected by BLE is small and there is no impact on communication performance, the wireless communication device 100A can operate the remote device self-connected by Classic as a central. This can improve user convenience. Also, this can suppress performance degradation on the side of the remote device self-connected by Classic.

[0125] Next, referring to Fig. 10, a process when the number of Classic connections is 0 and the number of BLE peripheral connections is N or more will be described. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing a process when the number of Classic connections is 0 and the number of BLE peripheral connections is N or more. Note that in Fig. 10, the same processes as those shown in Fig. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in Fig. 9, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0126] The processor 201 determines whether or not the number of connected Classic devices is 0 and the number of connected BLE peripherals is N or more (S110).

[0127] When the processor 201 determines that the number of connected Classic devices is 0 and the number of connected BLE peripherals is not N or more (S110, NO), the processor 201 transitions to the processing of the flowchart in FIG.

[0128] When the processor 201 determines that the number of Classic connections is 0 and the number of BLE peripheral connections is N or more (S110, YES), the processor 201 establishes a Classic connection between the wireless communication device 100A and the remote device (S111).

[0129] During the process of step S111, the processor 201 determines whether or not a Classic connection has been established from the wireless communication device 100A to the remote device (S112).

[0130] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100A is not connected to the remote device via Classic (S112, NO), it executes the processes from step S105 onward. The processes of steps S105, S106, S107, and S108 are the same as those in the flowchart of FIG.

[0131] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100A has been Classic-connected to the remote device (S112, YES), the processor 201 determines whether or not a role switch request has been generated from the remote device (S113). Note that the processor 201 determines whether or not a role switch request has been generated based on whether or not a role switch request signal (LMP_switch_req) has been received from the remote device.

[0132] When the processor 201 determines that a role switch request has not been issued from the remote device (S113, NO), it executes the process of S113 again.

[0133] When the processor 201 determines that a role switch request has been issued from a remote device (S113, YES), the processor 201 rejects the role switch and performs central operation (S114).

[0134] As a result, the wireless communication device 100A according to the second embodiment can reject a role switch request from a remote device that has newly established a Classic connection when there are a predetermined number or more remote devices that have established a BLE peripheral connection, even if there are no Classic connections. As a result, when there are many remote devices that have established a BLE peripheral connection, the wireless communication device 100A becomes a central for the remote devices that have established a Classic connection. Therefore, the wireless communication device 100A can prevent a decrease in communication performance.

[0135] Next, referring to Fig. 11, a process when the number of Classic connections is one or more and the number of BLE peripheral connections is any number will be described. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a process when the number of Classic connections is one or more and the number of BLE peripheral connections is any number. Note that the same processes as those in the flowchart of Fig. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described.

[0136] The processor 201 determines whether the number of Classic connections is one or more (S120).

[0137] When the processor 201 determines that the number of Classic connected devices is not one or more (S120, NO), the processor 201 ends the process.

[0138] When the processor 201 determines that the number of Classic connections is one or more (S120, YES), the processor 201 establishes a Classic connection between the wireless communication device 100A and the remote device (S121).

[0139] During the process of step S121, the processor 201 determines whether or not a Classic connection has been established from the wireless communication device 100A to the remote device (S122).

[0140] When the wireless communication device 100A is not Classic-connected to the remote device, that is, when the remote device is Classic-connected to the wireless communication device 100A (S122, NO), the processor 201 executes the process of step S105. The processes of steps S105, S106, S107, and S108 are the same as those in the flowchart of FIG.

[0141] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100A has been connected to the remote device via Classic (S122, YES), the processor 201 determines whether or not a role switch request has been issued from the remote device (S123).

[0142] When the processor 201 determines that a role switch request has not been issued from the remote device (S123, NO), it executes the process of step S123 again.

[0143] When the processor 201 determines that a role switch request has been issued from a remote device (S123, YES), it rejects the role switch and becomes a central operation (S124).

[0144] Note that the operation when a Classic self-connection or Classic connected-received event occurs and there is a Classic-connected device other than the device to which the Classic self-connection or Classic connected-received event has occurred is the same as that shown in FIG. 6, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0145] In addition, a case will be described below in which the number of Classic connections remains at 1, and after the number of BLE peripheral connections changes, the wireless communication device 100A receives a role switch request from a remote device (not shown). In the following, it is assumed that the number of Classic connections is 1, and the role of the communication circuit 202 of the wireless communication device 100A with respect to the remote device is central.

[0146] When the processor 201 receives a role switch request from a remote device after the number of connected BLE peripherals has changed, the processor 201 determines whether the number of connected BLE peripherals is less than N.

[0147] When the processor 201 determines that the number of connected BLE peripherals is less than N, it permits a role switch request from the remote device and sets the role of the communication circuit 202 of the wireless communication device 100A with respect to the remote device to peripheral. In other words, the communication circuit 202 operates as a peripheral.

[0148] When the processor 201 determines that the number of connected BLE peripherals is not less than N, that is, that the number of connected BLE peripherals is N or more, the processor 201 rejects the role switch request from the remote device and keeps the role of the communication circuit 202 of the wireless communication device 100A with respect to the remote device as central. In other words, the communication circuit 202 performs central operation.

[0149] The number of Classic connections is not limited to one, and may be a number set by the user according to the performance of the communication circuit 202 (for example, two or less).

[0150] As described above, the processor 201 can permit or deny a role switch request from a remote device according to the number of connected BLE peripherals when the number of connected Classic devices remains unchanged from a predetermined number and the number of connected BLE peripherals increases or decreases. As a result, when the number of connected BLE peripherals increases to or exceeds a threshold value and there is a risk of communication performance deteriorating, the processor 201 becomes a central for the remote devices, thereby stabilizing communication performance. Furthermore, when the number of connected BLE peripherals is less than the threshold value, the processor 201 permits the remote device to become a central, thereby improving the convenience of a user who uses the remote device. Furthermore, as a result, performance degradation on the remote device side can be suppressed.

[0151] Next, a first process when a Classic disconnection occurs in a case where a Classic-connected remote device exists will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a flowchart of the first process when a Classic disconnection occurs in a case where a Classic-connected remote device exists.

[0152] The processor 201 determines whether or not the Classic connection between the wireless communication device 100A and a remote device to which the wireless communication device 100A has established a Classic connection has been disconnected (S131).

[0153] When the processor 201 determines that the Classic connection with the remote device connected via the Classic connection has not been disconnected (S131, NO), the processor 201 executes the process of S131 again and continues to monitor whether or not a Classic disconnection has occurred.

[0154] When the processor 201 determines that the Classic connection with the remote device connected via Classic has been disconnected (S131, YES), the processor 201 determines whether the number of Classic connections is less than two and the number of BLE peripheral connections is less than N (S132).

[0155] When the processor 201 determines that the number of connected Classic devices is less than two and the number of connected BLE peripherals is not less than N (S132, NO), the processor 201 transitions to the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0156] When the processor 201 determines that the number of connected Classic devices is less than two and the number of connected BLE peripherals is less than N (S132, YES), the processor 201 determines whether the number of connected Classic devices is one (S133).

[0157] If the number of Classic connections is not one, that is, if it is determined that all Classic connections have been disconnected (S133, NO), the processor 201 ends the process.

[0158] When the processor 201 determines that the number of Classic connections is one (S133, YES), the processor 201 determines whether the wireless communication device 100A is a central with respect to the remote devices (S134).

[0159] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100A is not a central with respect to the remote device (S134, NO), the processor 201 does not perform role switching and operates as a peripheral (S137), and ends the process.

[0160] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100A is a central with respect to the remote device (S134, YES), the processor 201 determines whether or not a role switch request has occurred from the remote device (S135). The processor 201 determines whether or not a role switch request has occurred based on whether or not a signal (LMP_switch_req) requesting a role switch has been received from the remote device.

[0161] When the processor 201 determines that a role switch request has not been issued from a remote device (S135, NO), the processor 201 executes the process of step S135 again and monitors the role switch request from the remote device. The processor 201 continues monitoring while there is no change in the number of connections with the remote device.

[0162] When the processor 201 determines that a role switch request has been issued from the remote device (S135, YES), it permits the role switch, sets the role of the communication circuit 202 for the remote device to peripheral, and operates as a peripheral (S136).

[0163] As a result, after the number of Classic connections of the wireless communication device 100A increases, a disconnection occurs and the number of Classic connections decreases, and when a one-to-one connection is established, if the number of BLE peripheral connections is less than N, the wireless communication device 100A can be allowed to operate as a peripheral.

[0164] Next, the second process when a Classic disconnection occurs in the case where a Classic-connected remote device exists will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a flowchart of the second process when a Classic disconnection occurs in the case where a Classic-connected remote device exists.

[0165] The processor 201 determines whether or not the number of connected Classic devices is less than two and the number of connected BLE peripheral devices is N or more (S141).

[0166] If the processor 201 determines that the number of Classic connections is less than two and the number of BLE peripheral connections is not N or more, that is, the number of Classic connections is two or more (S141, NO), it again executes the processing of the flowchart in Figure 12 and continues monitoring whether a Classic disconnection has occurred.

[0167] When the processor 201 determines that the number of connected Classic devices is less than two and the number of connected BLE peripherals is N or more (S141, YES), the processor 201 determines whether the number of connected Classic devices is one (S142).

[0168] When the processor 201 determines that the number of Classic connections is not one (S142, NO), it concludes that all Classic connections have been disconnected and ends the process.

[0169] When the processor 201 determines that the number of Classic connections is one (S142, YES), it determines whether the wireless communication device 100A is a central with respect to the remote device to which the wireless communication device 100A is Classic-connected (S143).

[0170] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100A is not a central (S143, NO), the processor 201 does not perform a role switch and becomes a peripheral (S146), and ends the process.

[0171] When the processor 201 determines that the wireless communication device 100A is the central (S143, YES), the processor 201 determines whether or not a role switch request has occurred from a remote device (S144). The processor 201 determines whether or not a role switch request has occurred based on whether or not a signal (LMP_switch_req) requesting a role switch has been received from the remote device.

[0172] If the processor 201 determines that no role switch request has been made from the remote device (S144, NO), it executes the processing of step S144 again and continues to monitor whether or not a role switch request has been made from the remote device while there is no change in the number of connections to the remote device.

[0173] When the processor 201 determines that a role switch request has been issued from a remote device (S144, YES), the processor 201 rejects the role switch and performs central operation.

[0174] If the wireless communication device 100A is the central with respect to the remote device (S143: Yes), the processor 201 proceeds to step S144. In step S144, the processor 201 determines whether there is a role switch request from the remote device side with the remote device side as the central.

[0175] If there is no role switch request (S144, No), the processor 201 returns to the process before S144 and monitors whether or not there is a role switch request from the remote device side. The processor 201 continues monitoring while there is no change in the number of connected devices.

[0176] If there is a role switch request from the remote device side (S144, Yes), the processor 201 rejects the request, and the wireless communication device 100A operates as a central device (S145).

[0177] As described above, the wireless communication device 100A in the second embodiment can prevent a decrease in communication performance by determining a role for a remote device according to the number of Classic connections and the number of BLE peripheral connections in each of the cases of Classic self-connection and Classic connected. Also, the wireless communication device 100A can avoid repeating a request for a central role switch with a remote device. Also, even in the case of a dual mode in which Classic connection and BLE peripheral connection operate simultaneously, the wireless communication device 100A allows peripheral operation of the own device in the case of one-to-one connection in Classic connection and the number of BLE peripheral connections is less than N. As a result, the wireless communication device 100A can suppress a decrease in performance of the own device and stabilize communication with the remote device.

[0178] Furthermore, when the number of remote devices connected using the same standard is less than L (L: an integer equal to or greater than 1)+1, the wireless communication device 100A in the second embodiment permits a request to acquire a central from the remote device and becomes a peripheral with respect to the remote devices. When the number of remote devices connected using the same standard is L+1 or more, the wireless communication device 100 rejects a request to acquire a central from the remote device and becomes a central with respect to the remote devices. Here, a connection using the same standard refers to a BLE peripheral connection. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, N corresponds to L+1.

[0179] The above is one example of a typical embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the scope of the embodiment shown in the specification and drawings, and can be modified and implemented within the scope that does not change the gist of the present invention.

[0180] In addition, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, a vehicle-mounted device has been described as an example of a wireless communication device, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to various devices such as in-flight entertainment system equipment, televisions, Blu-ray / DVD recorders, refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, lighting fixtures, air conditioners, air purifiers, cameras, printers, projectors, scanners, fitness equipment, vending machines, and game equipment.

[0181] The present disclosure has been described as having a program for realizing the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments 1 and 2 provided within an in-vehicle device, but the program can also be supplied to the device via an external network, OTA (Over The Air), or a storage medium, and the processor in the computer of the device can read and execute the program.

[0182] (Summary of this embodiment) The above description of the present embodiment discloses the following techniques.

[0183] <Technology 1> A wireless communication device according to this embodiment includes a communication circuit that communicates with a plurality of remote devices in a central or peripheral mode, and a processor that, when the number of remote devices connected to the communication circuit using the same communication standard is less than L (L: an integer greater than or equal to 1)+1, accepts a request to acquire a central role from the remote device and sets the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to peripheral, and, when the number of remote devices connected to the communication circuit using the same communication standard is L+1 or more, rejects the request to acquire a central role from the remote device and sets the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to central.

[0184] As a result, the wireless communication device according to the present embodiment can determine whether to accept or reject a request to acquire a central from a remote device, depending on the number of remote devices connected by communication of the same standard. When the number of connected remote devices is small and it is considered that communication performance will not be degraded, the wireless communication device can become a peripheral with respect to the remote devices. As a result, the wireless communication device can permit a request to acquire a central from a remote device within a range where the communication performance of the wireless communication device is not degraded, thereby improving user convenience. Furthermore, when the number of connected remote devices is large and there is a concern of a degradation in communication performance, the wireless communication device can become a central with respect to the remote devices. As described above, the wireless communication device can stabilize communication with the remote devices and prevent a degradation in communication performance.

[0185] <Technology 2> In the wireless communication device described in Technology 1, the processor connects the communication circuit to a remote device from a state in which the communication circuit is not connected to any remote device, accepts a central acquisition request from the remote device, and then controls the communication circuit so that the communication circuit does not output a central acquisition request to the remote device.

[0186] As a result, the wireless communication device according to the present embodiment can prevent a central acquisition request from being repeated between the wireless communication device and the remote device. The wireless communication device can prevent music being played by the remote device through BT communication or a hands-free call through BT communication from being interrupted due to the repeated central acquisition request. As a result, the wireless communication device can support the user in comfortably using the remote device connected to the wireless communication device.

[0187] <Technology 3> In the wireless communication device described in Technology 1 or Technology 2, after the processor is connected to a remote device from a state in which it is not connected to any remote device, the processor outputs a central acquisition request to the remote device a predetermined number of times, and if the remote device accepts the acquisition request, sets the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to central, and if the remote device does not accept the acquisition request, sets the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to peripheral.

[0188] As a result, even if the wireless communication device according to the present embodiment is connected to a remote device, if the remote device accepts the central acquisition request output to the remote device, the wireless communication device can become the central according to the usage status of the remote device while maintaining the stability of communication with the remote device.

[0189] <Technology 4> In a wireless communication device described in any one of Technology 1 to Technology 3, when a processor receives a central acquisition request from a remote device after the remote device accepts the central acquisition request and sets the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to central, the processor accepts the central acquisition request from the remote device.

[0190] As a result, even if the wireless communication device according to the present embodiment is connected to a remote device and becomes a central once, it can become a peripheral in response to a request from the remote device to acquire the central role. As a result, the wireless communication device can allow the remote device to become a central role according to the usage status of the remote device, thereby helping the user to use the remote device comfortably.

[0191] <Technology 5> In a wireless communication device described in any one of Techniques 1 to 4, when a communication circuit is already connected to one or more remote devices, the processor connects a communication circuit to a new remote device and then rejects a request to acquire a central from the new remote device.

[0192] As a result, when the wireless communication device according to the present embodiment is connected to two or more remote devices, it can reject the remote device's request to acquire a central position and avoid becoming a peripheral to the remote devices. As a result, when there are many remote devices connected, the wireless communication device can prevent a decrease in communication performance caused by becoming a central for the remote devices.

[0193] <Technology 6> In a wireless communication device described in any one of Technology 1 to Technology 5, when a communication circuit is already connected to one or more remote devices, the processor outputs a central acquisition request to the other remote device a predetermined number of times after a communication circuit is newly connected from another remote device, and if the other remote device accepts the central acquisition request, sets the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to central, and if the other remote device does not accept the central acquisition request, sets the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to peripheral.

[0194] As a result, even when the wireless communication device according to the present embodiment is connected to one or more remote devices, if the wireless communication device is connected from the remote device, the wireless communication device can become a peripheral to the remote device. Also, the wireless communication device can output a central acquisition request to the connected remote device. As a result, the wireless communication device can stabilize communication with the remote device while controlling the role with respect to the remote device so that communication performance does not decrease.

[0195] <Technology 7> In a wireless communication device described in any one of Techniques 1 to 6, when a processor receives a central acquisition request from another remote device after the other remote device has accepted the central acquisition request and set the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to central, the processor rejects the central acquisition request from the other remote device.

[0196] As a result, when the number of connected remote devices is large, the wireless communication device according to the present embodiment can avoid becoming a peripheral to a remote device once it has become a central, even if the remote device is connected to the wireless communication device, thereby preventing a decrease in communication performance.

[0197] <Technology 8> In the wireless communication device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the communication circuit performs communication in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

[0198] As a result, the wireless communication device according to this embodiment can prevent a decrease in communication performance when communicating with a remote device according to the Bluetooth standard.

[0199] <Technology 9> In the wireless communication device according to any one of the first to eighth techniques, the communication circuit performs communication with a plurality of remote devices in a central or peripheral mode in compliance with a first standard and a second standard.

[0200] As a result, the wireless communication device according to the present embodiment can control switching between central and peripheral so that communication performance does not decrease even in dual mode communication.

[0201] <Technology 10> In the wireless communication device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects of the present invention, when the processor connects one remote device to the communication circuit through communication conforming to a first standard, and when the processor connects less than L+1 remote devices to the communication circuit through communication conforming to a second standard and sets a role of the communication circuit to peripheral, the processor accepts a request to acquire a central from the remote device connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, sets the role of the communication circuit to peripheral for the remote device, and connects the one remote device to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard; And when L+1 or more remote devices are connected to the communication circuit using communication conforming to the second standard and the role of the communication circuit is set to peripheral, a request to acquire a central from a remote device connected to the communication circuit using communication conforming to the first standard is rejected, and the role of the communication circuit for the remote device is set to central; and when two or more remote devices are connected using communication conforming to the first standard, a request to acquire a central from a remote device connected using communication conforming to the first standard is rejected, and the role of the communication circuit for the remote device is set to central.

[0202] As a result, when the wireless communication device according to the present embodiment is connected to one remote device through communication conforming to the first standard and further connects to a remote device through communication conforming to the first standard, it can become a central for the remote device regardless of the number of remote devices connected through communication conforming to the second standard. In other words, when communicating with a remote device in dual mode, if the number of remote devices connected through communication conforming to the first standard is large, the wireless communication device can prevent a decrease in communication performance by becoming a central for further connected remote devices.

[0203] <Technology 11> In the wireless communication device according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, when no remote device is connected to the communication circuit in communication conforming to a first standard, and less than L+1 remote devices are connected to the communication circuit in communication conforming to a second standard with a role of the communication circuit set to peripheral, the processor connects the communication circuit to the remote device in communication conforming to the first standard, and then controls the communication circuit not to output the central acquisition request to the remote device connected to the communication circuit in communication conforming to the first standard; when no remote device is connected to the communication circuit in communication conforming to the first standard, and less than L+1 remote devices are connected to the communication circuit in communication conforming to the second standard with a role of the communication circuit set to peripheral, the processor connects the communication circuit to the remote device in communication conforming to the first standard, and then controls the communication circuit not to output the central acquisition request to the remote device connected to the communication circuit in communication conforming to the first standard; a central acquisition request is output a predetermined number of times to a remote device connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, and if the remote device connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard accepts the central acquisition request, the role of the communication circuit for the remote device is set to central, and after setting the role of the communication circuit to central, a central acquisition request is accepted from the remote device connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, and if no remote device is connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard and less than L+1 remote devices are connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the second standard with the role of the communication circuit set to peripheral, after the remote device is connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, a central acquisition request is output a predetermined number of times to the remote device connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, and if the remote device connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard does not accept the central acquisition request, the role of the communication circuit for the remote device is set to peripheral.

[0204] As a result, when there is no remote device connected through communication conforming to the first standard and the number of remote devices connected through communication conforming to the second standard is less than L+1, the wireless communication device according to this embodiment can become a peripheral in response to a central acquisition request from the remote device when newly connecting to a remote device through communication conforming to the first standard. Also, when connected to by a remote device, the wireless communication device can make a central acquisition request only a predetermined number of times. As described above, the wireless communication device can stabilize communication with the remote device and further prevent a decrease in communication performance of both the wireless communication device and the remote device due to repeated central acquisition requests between the remote devices.

[0205] <Technology 12> In the wireless communication device according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, when the processor connects one remote device to the communication circuit through communication conforming to a first standard, and when the communication circuit is connected to less than L+1 remote devices through communication conforming to a second standard and the role of the communication circuit is set to peripheral, the processor connects the communication circuit to another remote device through communication conforming to the first standard, and then rejects a central acquisition request from the remote device; when the processor connects one remote device to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, and when the communication circuit is connected to less than L+1 remote devices through communication conforming to the second standard and the role of the communication circuit is set to peripheral, then a new connection is made from another remote device through communication conforming to the first standard, and then outputs a central acquisition request to the other remote device a predetermined number of times. If another remote device accepts the central acquisition request, set the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to central, and if a central acquisition request is received from the other remote device after setting the role of the communication circuit to central, reject the central acquisition request from the remote device, and if the communication circuit is connected to one remote device via communication conforming to a first standard, and less than L+1 remote devices are connected to the communication circuit via communication conforming to a second standard with the role of the communication circuit set to peripheral, after a new connection is made from another remote device to the communication circuit via communication conforming to the first standard, output a central acquisition request to the other remote device a predetermined number of times, and if the other remote device does not accept the central acquisition request, set the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to peripheral.

[0206] As a result, when there is already one remote device connected through communication conforming to the first standard, the wireless communication device according to this embodiment can avoid becoming a peripheral once it has become a central with respect to a newly connected remote device, even if the number of remote devices connected through communication conforming to the second standard is less than L+1. As a result, the wireless communication device can prevent a decrease in communication performance in dual mode communication.

[0207] <Technology 13> In a wireless communication device described in any one of Techniques 1 to 12, a first standard is the Bluetooth Classic standard, and a second standard is the Bluetooth Low Energy standard, and the first standard and the second standard operate simultaneously as a dual mode in the same device.

[0208] As a result, the wireless communication device according to the present embodiment can control switching between central and peripheral with a remote device in dual-mode communication of communication conforming to the Bluetooth Classic standard and communication conforming to the Bluetooth Low Energy standard. As a result, the wireless communication device can prevent a decrease in communication performance in dual-mode communication conforming to the above-mentioned two standards, and can also stabilize communication with a remote device to the extent that the communication performance of the wireless communication device itself does not decrease.

[0209] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications, corrections, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the components in the above-mentioned embodiments may be arbitrarily combined within the scope of the invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0210] The wireless communication devices disclosed herein are useful as in-vehicle devices, in-aircraft entertainment system equipment, televisions, Blu-ray / DVD recorders, refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, lighting fixtures, air conditioners, air purifiers, cameras, printers, projectors, scanners, fitness equipment, vending machines, and game devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0211] 1. Wireless communication systems 100,100A Wireless communication device 101,102 Remote Device 201 Processor 202 Communication Circuit 203 Display 204 Input Device 205 Memory

Claims

1. a communications circuit for communicating with a plurality of remote devices in a central or peripheral mode; a processor for accepting a request to acquire the central from a remote device and setting a role of the communication circuit to the peripheral for the remote device when the number of remote devices connected to the communication circuit using the same communication standard is less than L (L: an integer equal to or greater than 1)+1, and rejecting a request to acquire the central from the remote device and setting a role of the communication circuit to the central for the remote device when the number of remote devices connected to the communication circuit using the same communication standard is L+1 or more. Wireless communication device.

2. The processor, a state in which the communication circuit is not connected to any of the remote devices, and then the communication circuit is connected to the remote devices, and an acquisition request for the central from the remote devices is accepted, and then the communication circuit is controlled so that the communication circuit does not output an acquisition request for the central to the remote devices; The wireless communication device of claim 1 .

3. The processor, outputting a request to acquire the central to the remote device a predetermined number of times after the remote device is connected to the central server from a state in which the central server is not connected to any of the remote devices; If the remote device accepts the acquisition request, setting the role of the communication circuit to the central for the remote device; if the remote device does not accept the acquisition request, setting the role of the communication circuit to the peripheral for the remote device; The wireless communication device of claim 1 .

4. the processor accepts the acquisition request for the central from the remote device when the processor receives the acquisition request for the central from the remote device after the remote device accepts the acquisition request for the central and sets the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to the central; The wireless communication device according to claim 3 .

5. the processor, when one or more of the remote devices and the communication circuit are already connected, newly connects the communication circuit to another remote device, and then rejects a request from the other remote device to acquire the central; The wireless communication device of claim 1 .

6. The processor, a communication circuit is newly connected to one or more remote devices from which the communication circuit is already connected, and then a request to acquire the central is output to the other remote device a predetermined number of times; If the other remote device accepts the acquisition request of the central, set the role of the communication circuit to the central for the other remote device; if the other remote device does not accept the acquisition request of the central, set the role of the communication circuit to the peripheral for the other remote device; The wireless communication device of claim 1 .

7. When the processor receives a request to acquire the central from the other remote device after the other remote device has accepted the request to acquire the central and set the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to the central, the processor rejects the request to acquire the central from the other remote device.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 6.

8. The communication circuit performs the communication in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. the communication circuit performs communication with the plurality of remote devices in the central or peripheral mode in compliance with a first standard and a second standard; The wireless communication device of claim 1 .

10. The processor, when one of the remote devices is connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, and less than L+1 remote devices are connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the second standard and the role of the communication circuit is set to the peripheral, accepting a request to acquire the central from the remote device connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, and setting the role of the communication circuit to the peripheral for the remote device; when one of the remote devices is connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, and L+1 or more of the remote devices are connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the second standard with the role of the communication circuit set to the peripheral, rejecting a request to acquire the central from the remote device connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, and setting the role of the communication circuit to the central for the remote device; When two or more of the remote devices are connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, a request to acquire the central from the remote device connected through communication conforming to the first standard is rejected, and a role of the communication circuit is set to the central for the remote device.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 9.

11. The processor, when none of the remote devices are connected to the communication circuit in communication conforming to the first standard, and less than L+1 remote devices are connected to the communication circuit in communication conforming to the second standard with the role of the communication circuit set to the peripheral, after connecting the communication circuit to the remote device in communication conforming to the first standard, accept an acquisition request for the central from the remote device connected to the communication circuit in communication conforming to the first standard, and then control the communication circuit so that the communication circuit does not output an acquisition request for the central to the remote device connected to the communication circuit in communication conforming to the first standard; when none of the remote devices are connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, and less than L+1 remote devices are connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the second standard with the role of the communication circuit set to peripheral, after the remote device is connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, a request to acquire the central is output a predetermined number of times to the remote device connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, and when the remote device connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard accepts the request to acquire the central, set the role of the communication circuit to central for the remote device, and after setting the role of the communication circuit to central, accept the request to acquire the central from the remote device connected through communication conforming to the first standard; when the communication circuit is not connected to any of the remote devices in communication conforming to the first standard, and less than L+1 remote devices are connected to the communication circuit in communication conforming to the second standard with the role of the communication circuit set to the peripheral, after the remote device is connected to the communication circuit in communication conforming to the first standard, a request to acquire the central is output a predetermined number of times to the remote device connected to the communication circuit in communication conforming to the first standard, and when the remote device connected to the communication circuit in communication conforming to the first standard does not accept the request to acquire the central, the role of the communication circuit is set to the peripheral for the remote device.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 9.

12. The processor, when the communication circuit is connected to one of the remote devices through communication conforming to the first standard, and when less than L+1 remote devices are connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the second standard and the role of the communication circuit is set to the peripheral, newly connecting another remote device to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, and then rejecting a request from the remote device to acquire the central; when the communication circuit is connected to one of the remote devices through communication conforming to the first standard, and when less than L+1 remote devices are connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the second standard with the communication circuit's role as the peripheral, after another remote device newly connects to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, output a request to acquire the central to the other remote device a predetermined number of times, and if the other remote device accepts the request to acquire the central, set the role of the communication circuit to the central for the remote device, and when a request to acquire the central is received from the other remote device after setting the role of the communication circuit to the central, reject the request to acquire the central from the remote device; when the communication circuit is connected to one of the remote devices through communication conforming to the first standard, and less than (L+1) remote devices are connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the second standard with the role of the communication circuit set to the peripheral, after another remote device is newly connected to the communication circuit through communication conforming to the first standard, output a request to acquire the central to the other remote device a predetermined number of times, and when the other remote device does not accept the request to acquire the central, set the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to the peripheral; The wireless communication device of claim 10.

13. the first standard is the Bluetooth Classic standard, the second standard is the Bluetooth Low Energy standard; The first standard and the second standard operate simultaneously as a dual mode in the same device. A wireless communication device according to any one of claims 9 to 12.

14. Communicate with multiple remote devices in central or peripheral mode If the number of remote devices connected to the communication circuit using the same standard is less than L (L: an integer equal to or greater than 1)+1, accept the acquisition request for the central from the remote device and set the role of the communication circuit to peripheral for the remote device; If the number of remote devices connected to the communication circuit using the same standard is equal to or greater than L+1, reject a request from the remote device to acquire the central, and set the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to the central. A wireless communication method.

15. communicating with multiple remote devices in central or peripheral mode; When the number of remote devices connected to the communication circuit using the same standard is less than L (L: an integer equal to or greater than 1)+1, accepting a request to acquire the central from the remote device and setting the role of the communication circuit to the peripheral for the remote device; and when the number of remote devices connected to the communication circuit using the same standard is equal to or greater than L+1, rejecting a request from the remote device to acquire the central, and setting the role of the communication circuit for the remote device to the central. program.

Images