Radio communication information collection system, radio communication information collection method, radio communication device and computer program

Abstract

To provide a radio communication information collection system capable of collecting and storing a communication packet of a radio communication device without separately providing a measurement device and without delay in the case of occurrence of a communication failure, a radio communication information collection method, a radio communication device and a computer program.SOLUTION: A radio communication information collection system consists of a radio communication device capable of communicating with an external computer by radio and a terminal device which is connected so as to communicate data with the radio communication device. The radio communication device comprises: a communication module which communicates with the external computer by radio; a monitor module which collects information relating to a status of the radio communication with the external computer; and an information storage section. The monitor module collects information relating to a status of a radio communication regarding the same communication channel as a communication channel on which the communication module performs the radio communication, and the collected information relating to the status of the radio communication regarding the communication channel is stored in the information storage section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless communication information collecting system, a wireless communication information collecting method, a wireless communication device, and a computer program capable of reliably collecting information on the state of a wireless communication device even when a communication failure occurs. [Background technology]

[0002] Industrial wireless communication installed in factories and the like must be used under strict conditions where delays of only a few msec are permitted. Furthermore, under these conditions, wireless communication may be performed using a wireless band that is used relatively infrequently (e.g., the 5 GHz band) to avoid wireless interference, etc. However, some of these 5 GHz bands must be equipped with a DFS function that stops transmission when a weather radar wave is detected, and the process of checking whether or not the DFS pattern matches is the highest priority process. Therefore, there is a potential risk of delays, packet loss, etc. occurring in wireless communication. In order to avoid such risks, it is common to install multiple wireless modules in a wireless communication device and separate the communication function from the DFS monitoring function.

[0003] In addition, when communication failure occurs, such as when communication packets do not arrive or when communication packets are frequently resent, communication packets are acquired to investigate the cause. A dedicated packet capture is used to acquire communication packets, and wireless packets are collected near the installation position of the wireless communication device.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a measuring device that receives transmitted and received communication frames in order to evaluate the communication quality of a wireless LAN. In Patent Document 1, the measuring device is separate from the communicating terminal device, and collects all communication packets wirelessly communicated via a specific AP (access point), which makes it easy to perform various statistical processing and makes it easy to identify the cause when a communication failure occurs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-207813 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the measurement device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a separate device that is used only to collect communication packets, separate from the AP. Therefore, when communication devices such as APs are installed in high places that do not interfere with work, such as in factories, or in places that are difficult to access, there is no space to install a separate measurement device in the first place, and measurements are inevitably taken at places far from the AP, resulting in a lack of accuracy. In addition, even if the measurement device is brought with the AP to collect communication packets, the inconvenient accessibility is an obstacle, making it difficult to collect communication packets at an early stage.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a wireless communication information collection system, a wireless communication information collection method, a wireless communication device, and a computer program that are capable of collecting and storing communication packets of a wireless communication device without delay when a communication failure occurs, without the need for a separate measuring device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the wireless communication information collection system of the present invention is a wireless communication information collection system consisting of a wireless communication device capable of wireless communication with an external computer, and a terminal device connected to be able to communicate data with the wireless communication device, wherein the wireless communication device comprises a communication module which wirelessly communicates with the external computer, a monitoring module which collects information regarding the status of wireless communication with the external computer, and an information storage unit, and the monitoring module comprises an information collection means which collects information regarding the status of wireless communication for the same communication channel as the communication channel through which the communication module communicates wirelessly, and stores information regarding the status of wireless communication for the communication channel collected by the information collection means in the information storage unit.

[0009] In addition, it is preferable that the wireless communication information collection system of the present invention is provided with an instruction receiving means for receiving instructions from the terminal device regarding collection conditions for information regarding the status of wireless communication, and the information collection means collects information regarding the status of wireless communication based on the collection conditions as instructed.

[0010] In the wireless communication information collecting system according to the present invention, it is preferable that the collecting conditions include at least one of a collection start time, a collection end time, and a collection time interval of information relating to the state of wireless communication.

[0011] In addition, it is preferable that the wireless communication information collection system of the present invention further comprises a communication failure detection means for detecting that the wireless communication state in the communication channel is poor, and a notification means for starting collection of information regarding the wireless communication state when the communication failure detection means detects that the wireless communication state is poor and notifying the terminal device that the wireless communication state is poor.

[0012] In addition, in the wireless communication information collecting system according to the present invention, it is preferable that the communication failure detection means detects that the wireless communication state is poor when at least one of the following conditions is met: (1) the communication unreachability rate within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (2) the average communication reachability time within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (3) the ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (4) the value stored in the RTS / CTS packet within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (5) the number of RTS / CTS packets within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, and (6) the fluctuation range of the received radio wave intensity value in the communication channel exceeds a predetermined threshold within the certain period of time.

[0013] In addition, it is preferable that the wireless communication information collection system of the present invention includes a collection server connected to enable data communication with the wireless communication device and the terminal device, and the monitoring module includes a transfer means for transferring information regarding the wireless communication status for the communication channel that has been collected to the collection server.

[0014] Next, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the wireless communication information collection method of the present invention is a wireless communication information collection method that can be executed in a wireless communication information collection system consisting of a wireless communication device capable of wireless communication with an external computer and a terminal device connected to be able to communicate data with the wireless communication device, wherein the wireless communication device is provided with a communication module that wirelessly communicates with an external computer, a monitoring module that collects information regarding the status of wireless communication with the external computer, and an information storage unit, and includes a step of collecting information regarding the status of wireless communication for the same communication channel through which the communication module is wirelessly communicating by the monitoring module, and storing information regarding the status of wireless communication for the communication channel collected by the information collection means in the information storage unit.

[0015] In addition, it is preferable that the wireless communication information collection method of the present invention includes a step of receiving instructions from the terminal device by the monitoring module regarding collection conditions for information regarding the status of wireless communication, and collects information regarding the status of wireless communication based on the collection conditions for which instructions have been received.

[0016] In the wireless communication information collecting method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the collection condition includes at least one of a collection start time, a collection end time, and a collection time interval of information relating to a state of wireless communication.

[0017] In addition, it is preferable that the wireless communication information collection method of the present invention includes a step of detecting by the monitoring module that the wireless communication state in the communication channel is poor, and when the wireless communication state is detected to be poor, starting to collect information regarding the wireless communication state and notifying the terminal device that the wireless communication state is poor.

[0018] Moreover, the wireless communication information collecting method according to the present invention preferably includes a step of detecting, by the monitoring module, that the state of wireless communication is poor when at least one of the following conditions is met: (1) the communication unreachable rate within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (2) the average communication reachable time within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (3) the ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (4) the value stored in the RTS / CTS packet within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (5) the number of RTS / CTS packets within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, and (6) the fluctuation range of the received radio wave intensity value in the communication channel exceeds a predetermined threshold within the certain period of time.

[0019] In addition, it is preferable that the wireless communication information collection method of the present invention includes a collection server connected to the wireless communication device and the terminal device so as to be able to communicate data with them, and includes a step of transferring information regarding the wireless communication status for the communication channel collected by the monitoring module to the collection server.

[0020] Next, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the wireless communication device of the present invention is a wireless communication device connected to an external computer so as to be able to wirelessly communicate with the terminal device and to be able to communicate data with the terminal device, and is equipped with a communication module that wirelessly communicates with the external computer, a monitoring module that collects information regarding the status of wireless communication with the external computer, and an information storage unit, wherein the monitoring module is equipped with an information collection means that collects information regarding the status of wireless communication for the same communication channel as the communication channel through which the communication module communicates wirelessly, and the information regarding the status of wireless communication for the communication channel collected by the information collection means is stored in the information storage unit.

[0021] In addition, it is preferable that the wireless communication device of the present invention has an information collection means that includes an instruction receiving means that receives instructions from the terminal device regarding collection conditions for information regarding the state of wireless communication, and the information collection means collects information regarding the state of wireless communication based on the collection conditions for which instructions are received.

[0022] In the wireless communication device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the collection condition includes at least one of a collection start time, a collection end time, and a collection time interval of information relating to the state of wireless communication.

[0023] In addition, it is preferable that the wireless communication device of the present invention further comprises: a communication failure detection means for detecting that the wireless communication state in the communication channel is poor; and a notification means for, when the communication failure detection means detects that the wireless communication state is poor, starting to collect information regarding the wireless communication state and notifying the terminal device that the wireless communication state is poor.

[0024] In addition, in the wireless communication device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the communication failure detection means detects that the wireless communication state is poor when at least one of the following conditions is met: (1) the communication unreachability rate within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (2) the average communication arrival time within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (3) the ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (4) the value stored in the RTS / CTS packet within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (5) the number of RTS / CTS packets within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, and (6) the fluctuation range of the received radio wave intensity value in the communication channel exceeds a predetermined threshold within the certain period of time.

[0025] In addition, it is preferable that the wireless communication device of the present invention further comprises a transfer means for transferring information regarding the wireless communication status for the communication channel collected by the monitoring module to a collection server connected so as to be capable of data communication.

[0026] Next, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the computer program of the present invention is a computer program that can be executed on a wireless communication device that is connected to an external computer and is capable of wireless communication with the terminal device, and that is capable of data communication with the terminal device, wherein the wireless communication device comprises a communication module that wirelessly communicates with the external computer, a monitoring module that collects information regarding the status of wireless communication with the external computer, and an information storage unit, and is characterized in that the monitoring module functions as an information collection means that collects information regarding the status of wireless communication for the same communication channel through which the communication module communicates wirelessly, and the wireless communication device functions as a means for storing information regarding the status of wireless communication for the communication channel collected by the information collection means in the information storage unit.

[0027] In addition, it is preferable that the computer program of the present invention causes the information collection means to function as an instruction receiving means for receiving instructions from the terminal device regarding collection conditions for information regarding the state of wireless communication, and causes the information collection means to function as a means for collecting information regarding the state of wireless communication based on the collection conditions as instructions received by the instruction receiving means.

[0028] In the computer program according to the present invention, it is preferable that the collection condition includes at least one of a collection start time, a collection end time, and a collection time interval of information relating to a state of wireless communication.

[0029] In addition, it is preferable that the computer program of the present invention has the information collection means function as a communication failure detection means for detecting that the state of wireless communication in the communication channel is poor, and a notification means for, when the communication failure detection means detects that the state of wireless communication is poor, starting to collect information regarding the state of wireless communication and notifying the terminal device that the state of wireless communication is poor.

[0030] Moreover, the computer program according to the present invention preferably causes the communication failure detection means to function as a means for detecting that the state of wireless communication is poor when at least one of the following conditions is met: (1) the communication unreachability rate within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (2) the average communication reachability time within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (3) the ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (4) the value stored in the RTS / CTS packet within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, (5) the number of RTS / CTS packets within the certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, and (6) the fluctuation range of the received radio wave intensity value in the communication channel exceeds a predetermined threshold within the certain period of time.

[0031] In addition, it is preferable that the computer program of the present invention causes the monitoring module to function as a transfer means for transferring information regarding the collected wireless communication status for the communication channel to a collection server connected so as to be capable of data communication. Effect of the Invention

[0032] According to the present invention, a wireless communication device is provided with a communication module and a monitoring module separately, and the monitoring module can easily collect information on the state of wireless communication including communication packets of the same communication channel as the communication channel of the communication module provided in the same wireless communication device, so that when a communication failure occurs in the communication module, communication packets necessary for analyzing the cause of the failure can be reliably collected without missing any. In addition, since the information can be collected within the same wireless communication device, there is no need to prepare a separate packet capture device, and the information can be reliably collected even if the installation location is difficult to access, making it possible to quickly resolve the communication failure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0033] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wireless communication information collecting system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a monitoring module mounted on a wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 2 is a functional block diagram of a monitoring module according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a processor of the monitoring module according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a monitoring module according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7]10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a processor of a monitoring module according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a processor of a monitoring module according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] Hereinafter, a wireless communication information collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention described in the claims, and it goes without saying that not all combinations of characteristic features described in the embodiments are essential features of the solution.

[0035] In addition, the present invention can be embodied in many different forms, and should not be construed as being limited to the description of the embodiments. The same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the embodiments.

[0036] In the following embodiment, a device in which a computer program is introduced into a computer system will be described, but as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the present invention can be embodied as a computer program that can be executed by a computer. Therefore, the present invention can be embodied as a hardware embodiment, a software embodiment, or an embodiment of a combination of software and hardware, that is, a wireless communication information collection system that can collect and store communication packets of a wireless communication device without delay when a communication failure occurs without a separate measurement device. The computer program can be recorded on any computer-readable recording medium, such as a hard disk, a DVD, a CD, an optical storage device, or a magnetic storage medium such as an SD card.

[0037] According to this embodiment, the wireless communication device is provided with a communication module and a monitoring module separately, and the monitoring module can easily collect information on the state of wireless communication including communication packets of the same communication channel as the communication channel of the communication module provided in the same wireless communication device, so that when a communication failure occurs in the communication module, communication packets necessary for analyzing the cause of the failure can be collected without missing any. Also, since the information can be collected within the same wireless communication device, there is no need to prepare a separate packet capture, and the information can be collected reliably even if the installation location is difficult to access, making it possible to quickly resolve the communication failure.

[0038] Hereinafter, a wireless communication information collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, throughout the drawings, elements having the same or similar configurations or functions are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0039] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wireless communication information collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, in the wireless communication information collection system 10 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of terminal devices 5 are arranged at regular intervals so that wireless communication can be performed stably, for example, in a factory. A wireless communication device 1 wirelessly connected to the plurality of terminal devices 5, an operation terminal 3, and a collection server 4 are connected to be able to communicate data via a network 2 such as the Internet. Note that FIG. 1 shows the wireless communication information collection system 1 consisting of the wireless communication device 1 and two terminal devices 5 connected to the wireless communication device 1 so as to be able to communicate data, but the wireless communication information collection system 10 may include a plurality of wireless communication devices 1, and the number of terminal devices 5 connected to one wireless communication device 1 is not particularly limited.

[0040] The connection form between the operation terminal 3 and the collection server 4 and the wireless communication device 1 may be wired or wireless. This is because it is sufficient if the operation terminal 3 can operate the wireless communication device 1 and if information regarding the state of wireless communication including the collected communication packet data can be transmitted to the collection server 4.

[0041] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wireless communication device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 2, the wireless communication device 1 according to the present embodiment has a communication module 30 and a monitoring module 40 separately mounted on a CPU board 20 to which a control unit 11 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, a memory 12, a storage device 13, a communication interface 14 and the like are connected via a high-speed internal bus 15.

[0042] The CPU board 20 has a control function for transmitting and receiving data wirelessly by the communication module 30, a DFS function for stopping radio waves when weather radar waves are detected, etc. The communication module 30 functions as a communication module dedicated to wireless communication, and stops wireless communication when it or the monitoring module 40 detects weather radar waves. The monitoring module 40 may have the DFS function.

[0043] The storage device 13 functions as an information storage unit, and stores information collected via the communication module 30 about the state of wireless communication in a specific communication channel where wireless communication is being performed. Specifically, the information stored includes communication packet data, the communication channel operating at the time of acquisition, the start and end times of communication packet acquisition, the communication unreachability rate within a certain period of time, the average number of retransmissions within a certain period of time, the number of RTS / CTS within a certain period of time, the occupancy rate of the communication channel, and the like. Since the amount of data of such information increases with the passage of monitoring time, it is desirable to store the information in the storage device 13 provided in the wireless communication device 1 body. However, if the storage device 43 provided in the monitoring module 40 has a sufficient storage capacity, the information may be stored in the storage device 43.

[0044] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a monitoring module 40 mounted on a wireless communication device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 3, the monitoring module 40 according to this embodiment is composed of a processor 41 including at least a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, a memory 42, a storage device 43, an input / output interface 44, a communication interface 45, and an internal bus 46 connecting the above-mentioned hardware.

[0045] The processor 41 is connected to each of the hardware components of the monitoring module 40 as described above via an internal bus 46, and controls the operation of each of the hardware components as described above, and executes various software functions in accordance with computer programs stored in a storage device 43. The memory 42 is composed of a volatile memory such as an SRAM or SDRAM, into which a load module is expanded when a computer program is executed, and which stores temporary data and the like generated when the computer program is executed.

[0046] The storage device 43 is composed of a built-in fixed storage device (hard disk, flash memory, SSD, etc.), ROM, etc. The computer program may be pre-stored in the storage device 43 of the embodiment of the present invention, or may be downloaded from a portable recording medium such as a flash memory or SD card that records information such as programs and data, by a portable disk drive, and stored in the storage device 43. When executed, the computer program is deployed from the storage device 43 to the memory 42 and executed. The computer program may, of course, be a computer program downloaded from an external computer via the input / output interface 44 or the communication interface 45.

[0047] The input / output interface 44 is connected to the internal bus 15, and acquires information from an external computer via the CPU board 20. Of course, in order to complete communication within the monitoring module 40 alone, the monitoring module 40 may be provided with a communication interface 45 capable of wired or wireless data communication with an external computer.

[0048] For example, the communication interface 45 is connected to the internal bus 46, and is connected to an external network 2 such as the Internet, a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, or a WAN via the communication interface 14 of the CPU board 20, thereby enabling data transmission and reception with one or more terminal devices 5, the operation terminal 3, the collection server 4, etc. This allows the operation terminal 3 to set parameters for the wireless communication device 1, update computer programs, etc.

[0049] The hardware configuration of the communication module 30 is basically the same as that of the monitoring module, so a detailed description will be omitted.

[0050] (Embodiment 1) The wireless communication information collecting system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that a user starts / ends collection of information on the state of wireless communication at any timing from the operation terminal 3. Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram of a monitoring module 40 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 4, the monitoring module 40 includes an information collecting unit 401 and an information storage unit 402.

[0051] The information collection unit 401 includes an instruction receiving unit 403 and a collection start / end unit 404. Using the operation terminal 3, the user specifies the wireless communication device 1 from which information on the wireless communication state is desired to be acquired, and transmits a collection start instruction. The instruction receiving unit 403 receives the collection start instruction from the operation terminal 3. Specifically, it receives the instruction to start collection of information on the wireless communication state in a communication channel used by one or more terminal devices 5 to which the wireless communication device 1 to be collected is connected.

[0052] When receiving an instruction to start collecting information about the state of wireless communication, the collection start / end unit 404 of the information collection unit 401 collects information about the state of wireless communication for the same communication channel as the communication channel through which the communication module 30 is wirelessly communicating. The information storage unit 402 stores the collected information about the state of wireless communication for that communication channel in the storage device 13 via the input / output interface 44 and the internal bus 15.

[0053] The information regarding the wireless communication status includes, for example, communication packet data, the communication channel that was operating at the time of acquisition, the start and end times of communication packet acquisition, the rate of communication failure within a certain period of time, the ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within a certain period of time, the number of RTS / CTS within a certain period of time, the occupancy rate of the communication channel, etc.

[0054] Furthermore, in the case where the wireless communication device 1 is provided with a collection server 4 connected so as to be able to perform data communication with the wireless communication device 1, a transfer unit 405 may be provided which transfers information about the state of wireless communication for the communication channel, which is stored in the storage device 13, to the collection server 4. This eliminates the need for the wireless communication device 1 itself to analyze the information about the state of wireless communication for the communication channel, which is collected by the wireless communication device 1, and allows the operation terminal 3 to obtain the information from the collection server 4 and analyze it when analysis becomes necessary.

[0055] The user uses the operation terminal 3 to specify the wireless communication device 1 from which information on the wireless communication state has been acquired, and transmits a collection end instruction. The instruction receiving unit 403 receives the collection end instruction from the operation terminal 3. Specifically, the instruction receiving unit 403 receives the collection end instruction for information on the wireless communication state in a communication channel used by one or more terminal devices 5 to which the wireless communication device 1 to be collected is connected.

[0056] When the collection start / end unit 404 of the information collection unit 401 receives an instruction to end collection of information on the state of wireless communication, it ends collection of information on the state of wireless communication for the communication channel.

[0057] The instruction receiving unit 403 receives an instruction regarding the collection conditions of information on the state of wireless communication from the operation terminal 3. For example, only a start instruction including the collection conditions may be received, and then the information collecting unit 401 may receive an instruction to collect information on the state of wireless communication for a certain period of time. The information storage unit 402 stores the information on the state of wireless communication collected for the certain period of time in the storage device 13.

[0058] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the processor 41 of the monitoring module 40 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 5, the processor 41 of the monitoring module 40 judges whether or not a collection start instruction has been received from the operation terminal 3 (step S501). Specifically, it judges whether or not an instruction to start / end collection of information on the state of wireless communication in a communication channel in use has been accepted.

[0059] When the processor 41 determines that it has not received an instruction to start collecting information on the state of wireless communication (step S501: NO), the processor 41 waits for the instruction to start collecting. When the processor 41 determines that it has received an instruction to start collecting information on the state of wireless communication (step S501: YES), the processor 41 starts collecting information on the state of wireless communication for the same communication channel as the communication channel through which the communication module 30 is wirelessly communicating (step S502).

[0060] The processor 41 stores the collected information on the state of wireless communication for the communication channel in the storage device 13 (step S503). The processor 41 determines whether or not a collection end instruction has been received from the operation terminal 3 (step S504).

[0061] If the processor 41 determines that it has not received an instruction to end collection of information on the state of wireless communication (step S504: NO), the processor 41 enters a state of waiting for reception of an instruction to end collection and continues to collect information on the state of wireless communication for the communication channel.If the processor 41 determines that it has received an instruction to end collection of information on the state of wireless communication (step S504: YES), the processor 41 ends collection of information on the state of wireless communication (step S505).

[0062] As described above, in the first embodiment, the wireless communication device 1 is provided with the communication module 30 and the monitoring module 40 separately, and the monitoring module 40 can easily collect information on the state of wireless communication including communication packets and the like of the same communication channel as the communication channel of the communication module 30 provided in the same wireless communication device 1, so that when a communication failure occurs in the communication module 30, it is possible to reliably collect all communication packets and the like necessary for analyzing the cause of the failure. In addition, since the information can be collected within the same wireless communication device 1, there is no need to prepare a separate packet capture device, and the information can be reliably collected even if the installation location is difficult to access, making it possible to quickly resolve the communication failure.

[0063] (Embodiment 2) The wireless communication information collecting system 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that the user does not start / stop collecting information on the state of wireless communication at any timing from the operation terminal 3, but the wireless communication device 1 starts / stops collecting information on the state of wireless communication at the point in time when it detects a sign or phenomenon of some kind of failure in advance. Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram of a monitoring module 40 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] 6, the monitoring module 40 includes an information collection unit 401 and an information storage unit 402. The information collection unit 401 includes a communication failure detection unit 406, a collection start / end unit 404, and a notification unit 407.

[0065] The communication failure detection unit 406 detects that the state of wireless communication in the communication channel being used for wireless communication is poor. There are various possible conditions for the state of wireless communication being poor. In the second embodiment, if any one of the following conditions is satisfied, it is determined that the state of wireless communication is poor. Of course, it may be determined that the state of wireless communication is poor only if several of these conditions are satisfied in combination, or it may be determined that the state of wireless communication is poor if other conditions not exemplified are satisfied. In other words, if some criterion for determining that the state of wireless communication is poor is satisfied, the wireless communication device 1 can grasp by itself that some kind of failure has occurred in wireless communication in the communication channel being used for wireless communication.

[0066] (Condition 1) If the communication failure rate within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, the wireless communication state is determined to be poor. The predetermined threshold may be, for example, 40% or more of the total communication. Of course, the threshold is not limited to 40%.

[0067] (Condition 2) If the average communication arrival time within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, the wireless communication state is determined to be poor. For example, the predetermined threshold may be set to 10 msec, in which case the wireless communication state is determined to be poor. Of course, the threshold is not limited to 10 msec.

[0068] (Condition 3) If the ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, the state of wireless communication is determined to be poor. The predetermined threshold may be, for example, a ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within a certain period of time greater than 40%. Of course, the threshold is not limited to 40%.

[0069] (Condition 4) If the value stored in the RTS / CTS packet within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, the wireless communication state is determined to be poor. The predetermined threshold may be, for example, a value of Duration, which indicates the time from the start to the end of communication and is stored in the RTS / CTS packet, greater than 1 msec to determine that the state is poor. Of course, the threshold is not limited to 1 msec.

[0070] (Condition 5) If the number of RTS / CTS packets within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold, the wireless communication state is determined to be poor. The predetermined threshold may be, for example, if the number of RTS / CTS packets within a certain period of time is greater than 40% of the total number of communications within the certain period of time, the wireless communication state is determined to be poor. Of course, the threshold is not limited to 40%.

[0071] (Condition 6) If the fluctuation range of the received radio wave intensity value in the communication channel exceeds a predetermined threshold within a certain period of time, the state of wireless communication is determined to be poor. For example, the predetermined threshold may be determined to be poor if the fluctuation range of the RSSI value (received radio wave intensity value) is greater than 5 dBm. Of course, the threshold is not limited to 5 dBm.

[0072] When the communication failure detection unit 406 detects that the wireless communication state is poor based on the above-mentioned conditions, the notification unit 407 starts collecting information about the wireless communication state, and notifies the operation terminal 3 that the wireless communication state is poor. This makes it possible to reliably collect information such as communication packets before the wireless communication state becomes completely poor, and to quickly resolve the occurrence of a failure. In addition, it becomes unnecessary to collect information unnecessarily, and it becomes possible to effectively use resources such as the storage device 13.

[0073] The information storage unit 402 stores the collected information on the state of wireless communication for the communication channel in the storage device 13. Note that, as in the first embodiment, the information on the state of wireless communication includes, for example, communication packet data, the communication channel operating at the time of acquisition, the start and end times of communication packet acquisition, the communication undelivered rate within a certain period of time, the ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within a certain period of time, the number of RTS / CTS within a certain period of time, the occupancy rate of the communication channel, etc.

[0074] Furthermore, in the case where the wireless communication device 1 is provided with a collection server 4 connected so as to be able to perform data communication with the wireless communication device 1, a transfer unit 405 may be provided which transfers information about the wireless communication state for the communication channel stored in the storage device 13 to the collection server 4. This eliminates the need to analyze information about the wireless communication state for the communication channel collected by the wireless communication device 1, and allows the operation terminal 3 to obtain the information from the collection server 4 and analyze it when analysis becomes necessary.

[0075] 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing the processing procedure of the processor 41 of the monitoring module 40 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 7, the processor 41 of the monitoring module 40 judges whether the communication unreachable rate within a certain period of time is greater than a predetermined threshold value (step S701).

[0076] When the processor 41 determines that the communication unreachable rate within the fixed time is greater than the predetermined threshold (step S701: YES), the processor 41 proceeds to step S707. When the processor 41 determines that the communication unreachable rate within the fixed time is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (step S701: NO), the processor 41 determines whether the average communication reachable time within the fixed time is greater than the predetermined threshold (step S702).

[0077] If the processor 41 determines that the average communication arrival time within the fixed time is greater than the predetermined threshold (step S702: YES), the processor 41 proceeds to step S707. If the processor 41 determines that the average communication arrival time within the fixed time is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (step S702: NO), the processor 41 determines whether the ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within the fixed time is greater than a predetermined threshold (step S703).

[0078] If the processor 41 determines that the ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within the fixed time is greater than the predetermined threshold (step S703: YES), the processor 41 proceeds to step S707. If the processor 41 determines that the ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within the fixed time is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (step S703: NO), the processor 41 determines whether the value stored in the RTS / CTS packet within the fixed time is greater than the predetermined threshold (step S704).

[0079] If the processor 41 determines that the value stored in the RTS / CTS packets within the fixed time is greater than the predetermined threshold (step S704: YES), the processor 41 proceeds to step S707. If the processor 41 determines that the value stored in the RTS / CTS packets within the fixed time is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (step S704: NO), the processor 41 determines whether the number of RTS / CTS packets within the fixed time is greater than the predetermined threshold (step S705).

[0080] If the processor 41 determines that the number of RTS / CTS packets within the fixed time is greater than the predetermined threshold (step S705: YES), the processor 41 proceeds to step S707. If the processor 41 determines that the number of RTS / CTS packets within the fixed time is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (step S705: NO), the processor 41 determines whether the fluctuation range of the received radio wave intensity value in the communication channel is greater than the predetermined threshold within the fixed time (step S706).

[0081] When the processor 41 determines that the fluctuation range of the received radio wave intensity value in the communication channel is equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold value within the fixed time (step S706: NO), the processor 41 returns the process to step S701 and repeats the same process. When the processor 41 determines that the fluctuation range of the received radio wave intensity value in the communication channel is greater than the predetermined threshold value within the fixed time (step S706: YES), the processor 41 starts collecting information on the wireless communication state of the communication channel (step S707). After that, the processor 41 transmits a notification that a failure has occurred in the communication channel to the operation terminal 3 (step S708), and stores the collected information on the wireless communication state in the storage device 13 (step S709).

[0082] As described above, in the second embodiment, the wireless communication device 1 is provided with the communication module 30 and the monitoring module 40 separately, and the monitoring module 40 can easily collect information on the state of wireless communication including communication packets of the same communication channel as the communication channel of the communication module 30 provided in the same wireless communication device 1, so that when a communication failure occurs between the communication module 30 of the wireless communication device 1 and the terminal device 5, communication packets and the like necessary for analyzing the cause of the failure can be collected without missing any. In addition, since the information can be collected within the same wireless communication device 1, there is no need to prepare a separate packet capture device, and the information can be collected reliably even if the installation location is difficult to access, making it possible to quickly resolve the communication failure.

[0083] Furthermore, it is possible to reliably collect information such as communication packets before the wireless communication state becomes completely bad, which makes it possible to quickly resolve the occurrence of a failure. In addition, it becomes unnecessary to collect unnecessary information, and it is possible to effectively utilize resources such as the storage device 13.

[0084] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, the conditions for determining whether the wireless communication state is poor in the second embodiment are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1. Wireless communication devices 2 Network 3 Operation terminal 4 Collection Server 13 Storage device (information storage unit) 30 Communication Module 40 Monitoring Module 41 Processors 42 Memory 43 Storage device 44 Input / Output Interface 45 Communication Interface 46 Internal Bus

Claims

1. A wireless communication information collection system including a wireless communication device capable of wireless communication with an external computer, and a terminal device connected to the wireless communication device so as to be able to perform data communication therewith, The wireless communication device includes a communication module for wirelessly communicating with an external computer, a monitoring module for collecting information on a state of wireless communication with the external computer, and an information storage unit; The monitoring module includes: an information collecting means for collecting information on a state of wireless communication for the same communication channel as the communication channel through which the communication module is wirelessly communicating; A wireless communication information collecting system, characterized in that information relating to the state of wireless communication for said communication channel collected by said information collecting means is stored in said information storage section.

2. The wireless communication information collection system according to claim 1, characterized in that the information collection means includes an instruction receiving means for receiving instructions from the terminal device regarding collection conditions for information regarding the status of wireless communication, and the information collection means collects information regarding the status of wireless communication based on the collection conditions as instructed.

3. 3. The wireless communication information collecting system according to claim 2, wherein the collection conditions include at least one of a collection start time, a collection end time, and a collection time interval of information on the state of wireless communication.

4. The information collecting means includes: a communication failure detection means for detecting a poor state of wireless communication in the communication channel; a notification means for starting collection of information on the state of wireless communication when the communication failure detection means detects that the state of wireless communication is poor, and notifying the terminal device that the state of wireless communication is poor; 2. The wireless communication information collecting system according to claim 1, further comprising:

5. 5. The wireless communication information collecting system according to claim 4, wherein said communication failure detection means detects that the wireless communication state is poor when at least one of the following conditions is met: (1) The rate of unreachable communications within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (2) The average communication arrival time within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (3) The ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (4) The value stored in an RTS / CTS packet within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (5) The number of RTS / CTS packets within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (6) The fluctuation range of the received radio wave strength value in the communication channel exceeds a predetermined threshold within a certain period of time.

6. a collection server connected to the wireless communication device and the terminal device so as to be able to perform data communication with the wireless communication device, 6. The wireless communication information collecting system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring module includes a transfer means for transferring collected information on the state of wireless communication for the communication channel to the collecting server.

7. A wireless communication information collection method that can be executed in a wireless communication information collection system that includes a wireless communication device capable of wireless communication with an external computer and a terminal device that is connected to the wireless communication device so as to be able to perform data communication therewith, The wireless communication device includes a communication module for wirelessly communicating with an external computer, a monitoring module for collecting information on a state of wireless communication with the external computer, and an information storage unit; The monitoring module: collecting information on a state of wireless communication for the same communication channel through which the communication module is wirelessly communicating; A wireless communication information gathering method, comprising storing information about a wireless communication state for the communication channel gathered by the information gathering means in the information storage section.

8. The wireless communication information collection method described in claim 7, characterized in that it includes a step of receiving instructions from the terminal device by the monitoring module regarding collection conditions for information regarding the wireless communication status, and collects information regarding the wireless communication status based on the collection conditions received as instructions.

9. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the collection condition includes at least one of a collection start time, a collection end time, and a collection time interval of information on the state of wireless communication.

10. The monitoring module: detecting poor wireless communication conditions on the communication channel; when detecting that the state of wireless communication is poor, starting to collect information on the state of wireless communication and notifying the terminal device that the state of wireless communication is poor; 8. The method for collecting wireless communication information according to claim 7, further comprising:

11. 11. The method for collecting wireless communication information according to claim 10, further comprising a step of detecting by said monitoring module that the wireless communication state is poor when at least one of the following conditions is met: (1) The rate of unreachable communications within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (2) The average communication arrival time within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (3) The ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (4) The value stored in an RTS / CTS packet within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (5) The number of RTS / CTS packets within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (6) The fluctuation range of the received radio wave strength value in the communication channel exceeds a predetermined threshold within a certain period of time.

12. a collection server connected to the wireless communication device and the terminal device so as to be able to perform data communication with the wireless communication device, 12. The method for collecting wireless communication information according to claim 7, further comprising a step of transferring information on the state of wireless communication for the communication channel collected by the monitoring module to the collection server.

13. A wireless communication device that is connected to an external computer so as to be capable of wireless communication with the terminal device and data communication with the terminal device, The present invention includes a communication module for wirelessly communicating with an external computer, a monitoring module for collecting information on the state of the wireless communication with the external computer, and an information storage unit, The monitoring module includes: an information collecting means for collecting information on a state of wireless communication for the same communication channel as the communication channel through which the communication module is wirelessly communicating; a communication channel information storage section storing information on a wireless communication state for the communication channel collected by the information collection section;

14. The wireless communication device described in claim 13, characterized in that the information collection means includes an instruction receiving means for receiving instructions from the terminal device regarding collection conditions for information regarding the wireless communication state, and the information collection means collects information regarding the wireless communication state based on the collection conditions as instructed.

15. 15. The wireless communication device according to claim 14, wherein the collection conditions include at least one of a collection start time, a collection end time, and a collection time interval for information on the state of wireless communication.

16. The information collecting means includes: a communication failure detection means for detecting a poor state of wireless communication in the communication channel; a notification means for starting collection of information on the state of wireless communication when the communication failure detection means detects that the state of wireless communication is poor, and notifying the terminal device that the state of wireless communication is poor; 14. The wireless communication device according to claim 13, comprising:

17. 17. The wireless communication device according to claim 16, wherein the communication failure detection means detects that the wireless communication state is poor when at least one of the following conditions is met: (1) The rate of unreachable communications within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (2) The average communication arrival time within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (3) The ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (4) The value stored in an RTS / CTS packet within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (5) The number of RTS / CTS packets within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (6) The fluctuation range of the received radio wave strength value in the communication channel exceeds a predetermined threshold within a certain period of time.

18. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that the monitoring module is provided with a transfer means for transferring collected information regarding the wireless communication status for the communication channel to a collection server connected to enable data communication.

19. A computer program capable of wirelessly communicating with an external computer and capable of data communication with the terminal device, the computer program being executable by a wireless communication device connected to the terminal device, the computer program comprising: The wireless communication device includes a communication module for wirelessly communicating with an external computer, a monitoring module for collecting information on a state of wireless communication with the external computer, and an information storage unit; The monitoring module, functioning as an information collecting means for collecting information on a state of wireless communication for the same communication channel as the communication channel through which the communication module is wirelessly communicating; A computer program that causes the wireless communication device to function as a means for storing, in the information storage unit, information regarding a wireless communication state for the communication channel collected by the information collection means.

20. causing the information collecting means to function as an instruction receiving means for receiving an instruction regarding a collection condition of information on a state of wireless communication from the terminal device; 20. The computer program according to claim 19, characterized in that the information collecting means functions as a means for collecting information on a state of wireless communication based on the collection condition as an instruction received by the instruction receiving means.

21. 21. The computer program product according to claim 20, wherein the collection conditions include at least one of a collection start time, a collection end time, and a collection time interval for information on the state of wireless communication.

22. The information collecting means, a communication failure detection means for detecting a poor state of wireless communication in the communication channel; and a notification means for starting collection of information on the state of wireless communication when the communication failure detection means detects that the state of wireless communication is poor, and notifying the terminal device that the state of wireless communication is poor.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

23. 23. The computer program according to claim 22, wherein the communication failure detection means functions as a means for detecting that a wireless communication state is poor when at least one of the following conditions is met: (1) The rate of unreachable communications within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (2) The average communication arrival time within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (3) The ratio of the number of retransmissions to the total number of communications within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (4) The value stored in an RTS / CTS packet within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (5) The number of RTS / CTS packets within a certain period of time exceeds a predetermined threshold. (6) The fluctuation range of the received radio wave strength value in the communication channel exceeds a predetermined threshold within a certain period of time.

24. The computer program according to any one of claims 19 to 23, characterized in that the monitoring module functions as a transfer means for transferring collected information regarding the state of wireless communication for the communication channel to a collection server connected to enable data communication.

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