Program, wireless communication system, and pairing method

Abstract

To provide a program, a wireless communication system, and a pairing method that can more easily and automatically establish a wireless communication connection between a first communication device that is pre-installed in a vehicle and a second communication device that is installed later.SOLUTION: A program causes a computer to execute a pairing process for establishing a wireless communication connection between a first communication device 1 that is pre-installed in a vehicle 4 and a second communication device 2 that is later installed in the vehicle 4, using a communication signal consisting of multiple channels including an advertising channel in which a dedicated character string is registered. The pairing process includes a receiving step of receiving address information from the second communication device 2, a reading step of reading the registered character string, a determining step of determining whether a unique dedicated character string included in the address information matches the registered character string, and a transmitting step of transmitting a connection request to the second communication device 2 when it is determined that the dedicated character string matches the registered character string.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, a wireless communication system, and a pairing method.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the use of short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) of the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard for communication between communication devices in a vehicle has been increasing. In short-range wireless communication such as BLE, one-to-one data communication is performed between communication devices after a pairing process for establishing a wireless communication connection between the communication devices.

[0003] By the way, in recent years, in order to add new functions after selling a vehicle, there are an increasing number of vehicles that can upgrade the software of already installed devices or add new communication devices. When a new communication device (hereinafter referred to as a peripheral communication device) is retrofitted to a vehicle, a wireless communication-enabled state is achieved by performing a pairing process with an already installed communication device (hereinafter referred to as a central communication device). Here, after installing the peripheral device, if, as a result of a scan for a pairing process by the central communication device, there are other communication devices corresponding to BLE inside or around the vehicle, in addition to the target communication device, other communication devices will also be displayed on the scan screen as candidates. In this case, it is necessary to search for the target communication device from among the candidates, which may complicate the operation or cause an accidental pairing with another communication device.

[0004] In this regard, Patent Document 1 describes a technique in which, without performing a pairing operation by a user or the like, after permitting and connecting to all connection requests from communication devices, wireless communication is permitted between the connected communication devices only when authentication is obtained.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, although the establishment of a wireless communication connection between communication devices can be automatically performed, since processing needs to be performed via an authentication server in addition to the communication devices that are the targets of connection establishment, the system has become complex.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a program, a wireless communication system, and a pairing method that can more easily and automatically establish a wireless communication connection between a first communication device pre-mounted on a vehicle and a second communication device mounted retrofitted to the vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] (1) The program causes a computer to perform a pairing process for establishing a wireless communication connection using a predetermined communication signal between a first communication device pre-mounted on a vehicle and a second communication device mounted retrofitted to the vehicle and capable of transmitting a predetermined communication signal. The predetermined communication signal is composed of a plurality of channels including an advertising channel in which a dedicated string unique to a predetermined character string is registered. The pairing process includes a receiving step of receiving the predetermined character string transmitted from the second communication device using the advertising channel, a reading step of reading a registered character string registered in advance, a determining step of determining whether or not a dedicated string unique to the predetermined character string received in the receiving step matches the registered character string read in the reading step, and a transmitting step of transmitting a connection request to the second communication device when it is determined in the determining step that the dedicated string unique to the predetermined character string matches the registered character string.

[0009] (2) In the program according to (1), there are a plurality of the advertising channels, the registered character strings read by the reading step are different for each of the advertising channels, in the determination step, it is determined whether a unique dedicated character string included in the predetermined character string received in the receiving step matches the registered character string read by the reading step for each of the advertising channels, and in the transmission step, when it is determined by the determination step that the unique dedicated character string included in all the predetermined character strings received in the receiving step matches the registered character string read by the reading step for each of the advertising channels, a connection request is transmitted to the second communication device.

[0010] (3) In the program according to (1) or (2), at least one sub-advertising channel which is a data channel configured to function as an advertising channel is included in the advertising channel in which a unique dedicated character string is registered in the predetermined character string, in the reading step, registered character strings registered in advance for each of the plurality of advertising channels are read, the receiving step includes a first receiving step of receiving the predetermined character string transmitted using an advertising channel other than the sub-advertising channel from the second communication device and a second receiving step of receiving the predetermined character string transmitted using the sub-advertising channel from the second communication device, the determination step includes a first determination step of determining whether a unique dedicated character string included in the predetermined character string received in the first receiving step matches the registered character string read by the reading step for each of the advertising channels, and after the first determination step, a second determination step of determining whether a unique dedicated character string included in the predetermined character string received in the second receiving step matches the registered character string read by the reading step for the sub-advertising channel, and in the transmission step, when it is determined by the first determination step that the unique dedicated character string matches the registered character string and it is determined by the second determination step that the unique dedicated character string matches the registered character string, a connection request is transmitted to the second communication device.

[0011] (4) In the program according to any one of (1) to (3), information indicating the pair of the first communication device and the second communication device for which the connection has been established is notified to the host device of the vehicle.

[0012] (5) A wireless communication system includes a first communication device pre-mounted on a vehicle, and a second communication device mounted on the vehicle later and capable of transmitting a predetermined communication signal. The second communication device has an advertisement processing unit that transmits a predetermined communication signal composed of a plurality of channels including an advertisement channel in which a unique dedicated character string is registered in a predetermined character string. The first communication device has an acquisition unit that acquires the predetermined character string transmitted from the second communication device using the advertisement channel, a reading unit that reads out a registered character string registered in advance, a determination unit that determines whether or not a unique dedicated character string included in the predetermined character string acquired by the acquisition unit matches the registered character string read out by the reading unit, and a connection processing unit that transmits a connection request to the second communication device when the determination unit determines that the unique dedicated character string matches the registered character string.

[0013] (6) The pairing method is a pairing method for causing a computer to execute a pairing process for establishing a wireless communication connection between a first communication device previously installed in a vehicle and a second communication device that is retrofitted and installed in the vehicle and can transmit a predetermined communication signal, using the predetermined communication signal. The predetermined communication signal is composed of a plurality of channels including an advertising channel in which a dedicated string unique to the predetermined string is registered. The pairing process includes a receiving step of receiving the predetermined string transmitted from the second communication device using the advertising channel, a reading step of reading a registered string registered in advance, a determining step of determining whether or not a dedicated string unique to the predetermined string received in the receiving step matches the registered string read in the reading step, and a transmitting step of transmitting a connection request to the second communication device when it is determined by the determining step that the dedicated string and the registered string match.

Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to more easily and automatically establish a wireless communication connection between a first communication device previously installed in a vehicle and a second communication device retrofitted and installed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, a wireless communication system S according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the present invention is not limited by the following embodiments. Also, each figure referred to in the following description only schematically shows the shape, size, and positional relationship to the extent that the content of the present disclosure can be understood. That is, the present invention is not limited only to the shape, size, and positional relationship illustrated in each figure.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system S mainly includes a plurality of wireless communication devices 5 mounted on the vehicle 4 and a host device 3, and is a system for performing wireless communication between the plurality of wireless communication devices 5 within the vehicle 4. The plurality of wireless communication devices 5 mainly include a first communication device 1 pre-mounted on the vehicle 4, a second communication device 2 mounted on the vehicle 4 as an aftermarket accessory, and the like. In this embodiment, the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2 mounted on the vehicle 4 perform wireless communication based on the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standard.

[0018] The host device 3 is a host device such as an ECU that controls the vehicle 4. The host device 3, for example, controls the operation of the entire vehicle 4 and also executes a process of displaying various information acquired from various wireless communication devices 5 within the vehicle 4 via a display or the like mounted on the vehicle 4.

[0019] The first communication device 1 operates as a central in the BLE standard. The first communication device 1 is not particularly limited and may be, for example, an ECU of a vehicle 4 meter or an ECU of an engine. The first communication device 1 is a wireless communication device 5 pre-mounted on the vehicle 4 at the time of shipment.

[0020] The second communication device 2 operates as a peripheral in the BLE standard. After establishing a wireless communication connection with the first communication device 1, the second communication device 2 performs GATT (Generic Attribute Profile) communication, which is one-to-one data communication, with the connected first communication device 1.

[0021] The first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2 can transmit and receive a predetermined communication signal, and perform pairing processing and GATT communication for establishing a wireless communication connection using the predetermined communication signal. The predetermined communication signal is composed of a plurality of channels obtained by dividing a predetermined frequency band with a predetermined bandwidth.

[0022] FIG. 2 is an example showing the configuration of a predetermined communication signal used in the wireless communication system S. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the predetermined communication signal is defined by the BLE standard and is composed of 40 channels obtained by dividing the frequency band of 2.4 GHz into 2-MHz-wide bands. The 40 channels include advertising channels such as 37ch, 38ch, and 39ch.

[0023] Note that, in addition to the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2, there are also wireless communication devices 5 that are pre-mounted and operate as peripherals in the BLE standard in the wireless communication system S.

[0024] Here, when the second communication device 2 having a new function is retrofitted to the vehicle 4, a pairing process is performed with the already-mounted first communication device 1 to establish a wireless communication connection, thereby enabling a wireless communication state. For example, the pairing process is performed by a user, a vehicle 4 dealer, or the like while viewing a confirmation screen for the pairing operation. However, since a plurality of wireless communication devices 5 that support BLE and are present inside or around the vehicle 4 are displayed on the confirmation screen by scanning the central first communication device 1, the operation for the pairing process is troublesome, and it may be difficult to establish a connection. In addition, in many cases, in-vehicle devices are not equipped with monitors or input devices, and there may be cases where the pairing operation itself while viewing a confirmation screen or the like cannot be performed. On the other hand, although there is also a technology that automatically performs pairing when the central or peripheral device is activated, there is also a risk of being connected to an unintended wireless communication device 5. In contrast, according to the pairing process of the present embodiment, appropriate wireless communication devices 5 can be automatically paired with each other.

[0025] Next, the hardware configuration of the devices included in the wireless communication system S will be described. First, an example of the hardware configuration of the first communication device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the first communication device 1.

[0026] The first communication device 1 includes a computer 15, a storage unit 11, a wireless communication unit 12, a power supply unit 13, and a communication I / F unit 14. And a bus 154 or the like connects these respective units.

[0027] The computer 15 includes a processor 151, a ROM (read-only memory) 152 and a RAM (random-access memory) 153 as a main storage device. The processor 151 is a CPU (central processing unit), MPU (micro processing unit), SoC (system on a chip), DSP (digital signal processor), GPU (graphics processing unit), ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), PLD (programmable logic device), or FPGA (field-programmable gate array), etc. Alternatively, the processor 151 is a combination of a plurality of these. Also, the processor 151 may be a combination of these with a hardware accelerator or the like. The processor 151 controls each unit in order to realize various functions of the first communication device 1 based on programs such as firmware, system software, and application software stored in the ROM 152, RAM 153, or an auxiliary storage device which is a part of the storage unit 11. Note that a part or all of the program may be incorporated in the circuit of the processor.

[0028] The storage unit 11 is a storage area for various programs and various data for causing the hardware group to function as the first communication device 1, and can be configured by a ROM, RAM, flash memory, semiconductor drive (SSD), or hard disk drive (HDD), etc. Specifically, the storage unit 11 stores a program for causing the computer 15 to execute each function of the present embodiment, and address information and the like of the first communication device 1 itself determined for each advertisement channel, which will be described later.

[0029] The wireless communication unit 12 executes processes for the first communication device 1 to perform wireless communication with other wireless communication devices 5 and the host device 3.

[0030] The power supply unit 13 is the power supply of the first communication device 1 to which the electric power flowing through the vehicle 4 is supplied when the vehicle 4 is started. The power supply unit 13 is configured using a battery, a booster circuit, and the like. For example, when the engine of the vehicle 4 is started and electric power is supplied to the vehicle 4, the power supply unit 13 acquires the electric power, and the scan process described later is automatically started.

[0031] The communication I / F unit 14 is a wired communication interface for the first communication device 1 to communicate with the host device 3. The first communication device 1 uses the communication I / F unit 14 to display various types of information acquired from the wireless communication device 5 on the host device 3 via CAN (Controller Area Network) communication, LIN (Local Interconnect Network) communication, or the like.

[0032] An example of the hardware configuration of the second communication device 2 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the second communication device 2.

[0033] The second communication device 2 includes a computer 25, a storage unit 21, a wireless communication unit 22, a power supply unit 23, and an input unit 24. And a bus 254 or the like connects these units.

[0034] The computer 25 includes a processor 251, a ROM (read-only memory) 252 and a RAM (random-access memory) 253 as the main memory device. The processor 261 is a CPU (central processing unit), MPU (micro processing unit), SoC (system on a chip), DSP (digital signal processor), GPU (graphics processing unit), ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), PLD (programmable logic device) or FPGA (field-programmable gate array), etc. Alternatively, the processor 251 is a combination of a plurality of these. Further, the processor 251 may be a combination of these with a hardware accelerator or the like. The processor 251 controls each part to realize various functions of the second communication device 2 based on programs such as firmware, system software and application software stored in the ROM 252, RAM 253 or an auxiliary storage device which is a part of the storage unit 21. Note that part or all of the program may be incorporated in the circuit of the processor.

[0035] The storage unit 21 is a storage area for various programs and various data for causing the hardware group to function as the second communication device 2, and can be configured by a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, a semiconductor drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD), etc. Specifically, the storage unit 21 stores a program for causing the computer 25 to execute each function of the present embodiment, and address information and the like of the second communication device 2 itself which will be described later.

[0036] The wireless communication unit 22 executes processing for the second communication device 2 to perform wireless communication with another wireless communication device 5.

[0037] The power supply unit 23 is the power supply for the second communication device 2 to which the power flowing through the vehicle 4 is supplied when the vehicle 4 is started. The power supply unit 23 is configured using a battery, a boost circuit, etc. For example, when the engine of the vehicle 100 is started and power is supplied to the vehicle 4, the power supply unit 23 acquires the power, and the advertisement process described later is automatically started.

[0038] An example of the hardware configuration of the host device 3 will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the host device 3.

[0039] The host device 3 includes a computer 35, a storage unit 31, a wireless communication unit 32, a power supply unit 33, and an input unit 34. And a bus 354 etc. connect these respective parts.

[0040] The computer 35 includes a processor 351, a ROM (read-only memory) 352 and a RAM (random-access memory) 353 as main storage devices. The processor 351 is a CPU (central processing unit), MPU (micro processing unit), SoC (system on a chip), DSP (digital signal processor), GPU (graphics processing unit), ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), PLD (programmable logic device) or FPGA (field-programmable gate array), etc. Alternatively, the processor 351 is a combination of a plurality of these. Also, the processor 351 may be a combination of these with a hardware accelerator or the like. The processor 351 controls each part to realize various functions of the host device 3 based on programs such as firmware, system software, and application software stored in the ROM 352, RAM 353, or an auxiliary storage device which is a part of the storage unit 31. Note that part or all of the program may be incorporated in the circuit of the processor.

[0041] The storage unit 31 is a storage area for various programs and various data for causing the hardware group to function as the host device 3, and can be configured by a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, a semiconductor drive (SSD), or a hard disk drive (HDD). Specifically, the storage unit 31 stores a program for causing the computer 35 to execute each function of the present embodiment, a plurality of address information, and the like.

[0042] The wireless communication unit 32 executes processing for the host device 3 to perform wireless communication with other devices in the vehicle 4 including the wireless communication device 5.

[0043] The power supply unit 33 is the power supply of the host device 3 to which the power flowing through the vehicle 4 is supplied when the vehicle 4 is started. The power supply unit 33 is configured using a battery, a boost circuit, and the like.

[0044] Next, the functional configuration of the second communication device 2 for performing the pairing process by the second communication device 2 of the wireless communication system S will be described. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing a part of the functional configuration of the second communication device 2.

[0045] The second communication device 2 is mainly composed of a processor 251 and includes a processing unit 20 that executes a pairing process. As shown in FIG. 6, the processing unit 20 includes an advertising processing unit 201 and a connection processing unit 202.

[0046] The advertising processing unit 201 broadcasts an advertising signal using an advertising channel in which the address information of the second communication device 2 itself is registered in order to notify the surroundings of the presence of the second communication device 2 itself. The address information of the second communication device 2 consists of a predetermined character string. That is, the advertising processing unit 201 broadcasts an advertising signal including a predetermined character string. The advertising processing unit 201 broadcasts an advertising signal at a predetermined time interval (hereinafter referred to as an advertising transmission interval). The advertising transmission interval may be a time interval defined by the BLE standard or an arbitrary time interval. In the present embodiment, the advertising processing unit 201 starts advertising processing when the vehicle 4 is started and the power flowing through the vehicle 4 is supplied to the power supply unit 23.

[0047] There are a plurality of advertising channels used for advertising processing. In the present embodiment, the advertising processing unit 201 uses, as the advertising channel, three primary advertising channels of 37ch, 38ch, and 39ch in the 2.4 GHz frequency band defined by the BLE standard. The advertising processing unit 201 broadcasts an advertising signal at the advertising transmission interval using each advertising channel in the order of, for example, 37ch, 38ch, and 39ch. In the following description, the advertising signal transmitted using 37ch is referred to as a 37ch advertising signal, the advertising signal transmitted using 38ch is referred to as a 38ch advertising signal, and the advertising signal transmitted using 39ch is referred to as a 39ch advertising signal.

[0048] An example of an advertising packet in the advertising signal transmitted by the second communication device 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an advertising packet. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the address information of the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 7, the advertising packet is configured in a format defined by the BLE standard and has a plurality of units called AD Structures. The AD Structure is composed of three parts: Length indicating the length, AD Type composed of 1 byte indicating the data type, and AD Data which is the data body. The AD Data is composed of 1 byte, and the address information of the second communication device 2 itself is added. That is, an 8-digit character string can be set as the address information of the second communication device 2 itself in the AD Data. Specifically, the address information is set as a character string as shown in FIG. 8 in the Local Name of the AD Data.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 8, the address information of the second communication device 2 is set differently for each advertising channel used for transmitting the advertising signal and has a unique dedicated character string. That is, the advertising processing unit 201 transmits an advertising signal including different address information for each advertising channel. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the address information in the 37ch advertising signal is "1XXX1aaa" and the unique dedicated character string is "1XXX", the address information in the 38ch advertising signal is "2YYY2bbb" and the unique dedicated character string is "2YYY", and the address information in the 39ch advertising signal is "3ZZZ3ccc" and the unique dedicated character string is "3ZZZ". The first communication device 1 can grasp the presence of the second communication device 2 by acquiring this address information.

[0051] When the connection processing unit 202 receives a connection request from the first communication device 1, it executes a process of controlling the wireless communication unit 22 to transmit a connection response to the first communication device 1. When the first communication device 1 receives the connection response transmitted from the second communication device 2, the wireless communication connection between the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2 is established.

[0052] Next, the functional configuration of the first communication device 1 for performing the pairing process by the wireless communication system S will be described. FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram showing a part of the functional configuration of the first communication device 1.

[0053] The first communication device 1 is mainly constituted by a processor 151 and includes a processing unit 10 that executes pairing processing. As shown in FIG. 9, the processing unit 10 includes a signal acquisition unit 101, a reading unit 105, a determination unit 102, a connection processing unit 103, and a connection information transmission unit 104.

[0054] The signal acquisition unit 101 executes a process (reception step) of receiving an advertisement signal transmitted from the second communication device 2 by scanning. That is, the signal acquisition unit 101 acquires the address information of the second communication device 2. In the present embodiment, when the vehicle 4 is started and the power flowing through the vehicle 4 is supplied to the power supply unit 13, the signal acquisition unit 101 starts scanning for the advertisement signal.

[0055] The reading unit 105 executes a process of reading the address information of the first communication device 1 registered in advance in the storage unit 11 (reading step).

[0056] Here, the address information of the first communication device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 shows the address information of the first communication device 1 and the address information of the second communication device 2 stored in the storage unit 11.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 8, the address information of the first communication device 1 stored in the storage unit 11 is determined for each of a plurality of advertisement channels used for transmitting the advertisement signal from the second communication device 2. Each address information of the first communication device 1 includes a registered character string (the bold part shown in FIG. 8) corresponding to the advertisement channel.

[0058] The registered string consists of a string of two or more digits and is a string that serves as a criterion for determining whether the first communication device 1 establishes a wireless communication connection with the second communication device 2. The first communication device 1 establishes a connection with the second communication device 2 when the registered string stored in the storage unit 11 matches the dedicated string that is the string included in the address information of the second communication device 2. The number of digits of the registered string is not particularly limited as long as it is two or more. From the perspective of preventing pairing with unintended devices, it is preferable that the number of digits of the registered string is larger. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the registered string consists of a 4-digit string out of an 8-digit string of AD Data.

[0059] The registered string included in the address information of the first communication device 1 is determined for each advertising channel. The registered string may be different from the registered strings corresponding to other advertising channels for at least one of the plurality of advertising channels, may be different for each of the plurality of advertising channels, or may be the same for all advertising channels.

[0060] For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the registered string is "1XXX" for 37ch, "2YYY" for 38ch, and "3ZZZ" for 39ch. In the present embodiment, the registered string included in the address information of the first communication device 1 is a different string for each of the plurality of advertising channels.

[0061] The reading unit 105 reads out the address information corresponding to the advertising channel of the advertising signal received by the signal acquisition unit 101. That is, the reading unit 105 reads out the address information including the registered string corresponding to the advertising channel used for transmission from the second communication device 2 of the address information received by the signal acquisition unit 101.

[0062] The determination unit 102 executes a process of determining whether or not a unique dedicated character string included in the address information of the second communication device 2 in the advertisement signal acquired by the signal acquisition unit 101 matches the registered character string included in its own address information read from the storage unit 11 by the reading unit 105 (determination step). In the present embodiment, the determination unit 102 determines, for each advertisement channel, whether or not the unique dedicated character string included in the address information of the second communication device 2 in the advertisement signal matches the registered character string corresponding to the advertisement channel used for transmitting the advertisement signal.

[0063] The connection processing unit 103 executes a process of transmitting a connection request to the second communication device 2 and a process of receiving a connection response from the second communication device 2. Specifically, when the determination unit 102 determines that the unique dedicated character string included in the address information of the second communication device 2 matches the registered character string read by the reading unit 105, the connection processing unit 103 transmits a connection request to the second communication device 2 which is the transmission source of the advertisement signal. Then, when the connection processing unit 103 receives a connection response from the second communication device 2 to which the connection request has been transmitted, the connection processing unit 103 establishes a wireless communication connection with the second communication device 2.

[0064] In the present embodiment, when the determination unit 102 determines that the unique dedicated character string included in all the address information received by the signal acquisition unit 101 matches the registered character string read by the reading unit 105 for each advertisement channel, the connection processing unit 103 transmits a connection request to the second communication device 2.

[0065] For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the address information of the second communication device 2 in the 37ch advertisement signal is "0X081XXX1aaa", and it includes the registration string (hereinafter referred to as the 37ch registration string) "1XXX" of the first communication device 1 corresponding to 37ch. Also, the address information of the second communication device 2 in the 38ch advertisement signal is "0X082YYY2bbb", and it includes the registration string (hereinafter referred to as the 38ch registration string) "2YYY" included in the address information of the first communication device 1 corresponding to 38ch. Furthermore, the address information of the second communication device 2 in the 39ch advertisement signal is "0X083ZZZ3ccc", and it includes the registration string (hereinafter referred to as the 39ch registration string) "3ZZZ" included in the address information of the first communication device 1 corresponding to 39ch. The connection processing unit 103, in all advertisement channels, when the dedicated string included in the address information transmitted using the advertisement channel matches the registration string corresponding to the advertisement channel used for the transmission of the address information, establishes a wireless communication connection between the first communication device 1 having that registration string and the second communication device 2 which is the transmission source of the advertisement signal.

[0066] The connection information transmission unit 104 executes a process of transmitting information indicating that the first communication device 1 itself and the second communication device 2 have established a connection to the upper device 3. Specifically, the connection information transmission unit 104 transmits information indicating the pair of the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2 for which the connection has been established to the upper device 3. Thereby, the vehicle seller or user of the vehicle 4 can grasp the wireless communication connection relationship of the wireless communication device 5 in the vehicle 4.

[0067] Next, an example of the flow of the pairing process in the wireless communication system S will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12.

[0068] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow from the shipment of the vehicle 4 to the pairing process of the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2 among the first communication device 1, the second communication device 2, the upper device 3, and the user.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 10, in step S1, for example, a user who is a seller of vehicle 4 registers the address information of the wireless communication device 5 mounted on vehicle 4 at the time of shipment of vehicle 4. Among the wireless communication devices 5 mounted on vehicle 4 at the time of shipment of vehicle 4, the central device becomes the first communication device 1. The seller registers address information including a predetermined registration string as the address information of at least the first communication device 1. The address information corresponds to the advertising channel used by the wireless communication device 5 as a peripheral in the advertising process.

[0070] In step S2, when the wireless communication device 5 is retrofitted to replace parts of vehicle 4 or add functions to vehicle 4, the manufacturer of the second communication device 2, which is the retrofitted wireless communication device 5, registers the address information of the second communication device 2. At this time, the manufacturer of the second communication device 2 registers, as the address information of the second communication device 2, address information including a dedicated string that matches the registration string existing in the address information of the first communication device 1 that performs GATT communication with the second communication device 2. The address information of the second communication device 2 is registered for each advertising channel used by the second communication device 2 to transmit an advertising signal.

[0071] In step S3, when the user starts vehicle 4, power is supplied to the first communication device 1, the second communication device 2, and the host device 3, and the respective power supplies are turned on.

[0072] In step S4, when power is supplied to the power supply unit 23 of the second communication device 2, the second communication device 2 starts transmitting an advertising signal including its own address information via the advertising channel.

[0073] In step S5, when power is supplied to the power supply unit 13 of the first communication device 1, the first communication device 1 starts scanning to receive the advertising signal transmitted from the second communication device 2 (reception process).

[0074] In step S6, the first communication device 1 determines whether the registered character string included in its own address information matches the character string included in the address information in the advertisement signal received from the second communication device 2 (determination step). Then, when the character string included in the address information received from the second communication device 2 matches the registered character string, the first communication device 1 transmits a connection request to the second communication device 2 (transmission step). The second communication device 2 that has received the connection request transmits a connection response to the first communication device 1. Then, in step S7, a wireless communication connection between the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2 is established. After that, the first communication device 1 transmits information indicating that it has established a connection with the second communication device 2 to the upper device 3.

[0075] Next, an example of the pairing process executed by the processing unit 20 of the second communication device 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the pairing process executed by the second communication device 2.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 11, in step S11, when the vehicle 4 starts and power is supplied to the power supply unit 23, the advertisement processing unit 201 of the processing unit 20 broadcasts a 37ch advertisement signal via 37ch.

[0077] In step S12, the advertisement processing unit 201 broadcasts a 38ch advertisement signal via 38ch after a predetermined time has elapsed since step S11.

[0078] In step S13, the advertisement processing unit 201 broadcasts a 39ch advertisement signal via 39ch after a predetermined time has elapsed since step S12.

[0079] In step S14, the connection processing unit 202 determines whether it has received a connection request from the first communication device 1. If the connection processing unit 202 determines that it has not received a connection request (NO in step S14), the process returns to step S11. On the other hand, if the connection processing unit 202 determines that it has received a connection request (YES in step S14), the process proceeds to step S15.

[0080] In step S15, the connection processing unit 202 sends a connection response to the first communication device 1. The processing unit 20 then ends the pairing process.

[0081] Next, an example of the pairing process executed by the processing unit 10 of the first communication device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the pairing process executed by the first communication device 1.

[0082] In step S21, the signal acquisition unit 101 of the processing unit 10 performs a scan and executes a process of receiving a 37ch advertisement signal, a 38ch advertisement signal, and a 39ch advertisement signal broadcast by the second communication device 2 (reception step).

[0083] In step S22, the reading unit 105 reads out its own address information including the 37ch registered character string stored in the storage unit 11 (reading step).

[0084] In step S23, the determination unit 102 determines whether the character string included in the address information of the 37ch advertisement signal transmitted from the second communication device 2 in step S11 matches the 37ch registered character string read out in step S22 (determination step). If the determination unit 102 determines that the character string included in the 37ch advertisement signal matches the 37ch registered character string (YES in step S23), the process proceeds to step S24. If it determines that they do not match (NO in step S23), the pairing process ends.

[0085] In step S24, the reading unit 105 reads its own address information including the 38ch registered character string stored in the storage unit 11 (reading step).

[0086] In step S25, the determination unit 102 determines whether the character string included in the address information of the 38ch advertisement signal transmitted from the second communication device 2 in step S12 matches the 38ch registered character string read in step S25 (determination step). When the determination unit 102 determines that the character string included in the 38ch advertisement signal matches the 38ch registered character string (YES in step S25), the process proceeds to step S26. When it determines that they do not match (NO in step S25), the pairing process ends.

[0087] In step S26, the reading unit 105 reads its own address information including the 39ch registered character string stored in the storage unit 11 (reading step).

[0088] In step S27, the determination unit 102 determines whether the character string included in the address information of the 39ch advertisement signal transmitted from the second communication device 2 in step S12 matches the 39ch registered character string read in step S26 (determination step). When the determination unit 102 determines that the character string included in the 39ch advertisement signal matches the 39ch registered character string (YES in step S27), the process proceeds to step S28. When it determines that they do not match (NO in step S27), the pairing process ends.

[0089] In step S28, the connection processing unit 103 transmits a connection request to the second communication device 2 based on the address information received in step S21 (transmission step).

[0090] In step S29, the connection processing unit 103 receives the connection response transmitted from the second communication device 2 in step S15 and establishes a wireless communication connection with the second communication device 2.

[0091] In step S30, the connection information transmission unit 104 transmits information indicating that it has established a wireless communication connection with the second communication device 2, which is the source of the connection response received in step S15, to the host device 3. Thereafter, the processing unit 10 ends the pairing process.

[0092] According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.

[0093] The program according to the present embodiment is a program that causes a computer to execute a pairing process for establishing a wireless communication connection using a predetermined communication signal between a first communication device 1 mounted in a vehicle 4 in advance and a second communication device 2 mounted in the vehicle 4 as an aftermarket device and capable of transmitting a predetermined communication signal. The predetermined communication signal is composed of a plurality of channels including an advertising channel in which a unique dedicated string is registered in the address information. The pairing process includes a receiving step of receiving address information transmitted using the advertising channel from the second communication device 2, a reading step of reading a registered string registered in advance, and a determination step of determining whether or not a unique dedicated string included in the address information received in the receiving step matches the registered string read in the reading step. When it is determined in the determination step that the unique dedicated string and the registered string match, the pairing process includes a transmitting step of transmitting a connection request to the second communication device 2.

[0094] Accordingly, connection establishment is performed with the second communication device 2, which is the source of the advertising signal, according to whether or not the address information in the advertising signal matches the registered string included in the address information of the first communication device 1. Thus, it is possible to automatically establish a wireless communication connection while avoiding an incorrect connection of wireless communication with an unintended communication device. In addition, pairing of the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2 can be performed without using a system such as an authentication server of a third party organization. Therefore, it is possible to more easily and automatically establish a wireless communication connection between the first communication device 1 mounted in the vehicle in advance and the second communication device 2 mounted as an aftermarket device.

[0095] In the program according to this embodiment, there are a plurality of advertising channels, and the registered character strings read out in the reading step are different for each advertising channel. In the determination step, it is determined whether the unique dedicated character string included in the address information received in the reception step matches the registered character string read out in the reading step for each advertising channel. In the transmission step, when it is determined in the determination step that the unique dedicated character string included in all the address information received in the reception step matches the registered character string read out in the reading step for each advertising channel, a connection request is transmitted to the second communication device 2.

[0096] As a result, connection establishment is performed when the dedicated character string of the second communication device 2 matches the registered character string of the first communication device 1 in all advertising channels, so that a more secure connection becomes possible.

[0097] In addition, the program according to this embodiment notifies the host device 3 of the vehicle 4 of information indicating the pair of the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2 for which the connection has been established.

[0098] As a result, the seller or user of the vehicle 4 can easily grasp the connection relationship of the wireless communication of the wireless communication device 5 by extracting information from the host device 3 mounted in the vehicle 4.

[0099] The wireless communication system S according to this embodiment further includes a first communication device 1 mounted in advance on the vehicle 4 and a second communication device 2 mounted on the vehicle 4 as an aftermarket device and capable of transmitting a predetermined communication signal. The second communication device 2 has an advertisement processing unit 201 that transmits a predetermined communication signal composed of a plurality of channels including an advertisement channel in which a unique dedicated character string is registered in the address information. The first communication device 1 includes a signal acquisition unit 101 that acquires a predetermined character string transmitted from the second communication device 2 using the advertisement channel, a reading unit 105 that reads out a registered character string registered in advance, a determination unit 102 that determines whether or not the unique dedicated character string included in the address information acquired by the signal acquisition unit 101 matches the registered character string read out by the reading unit 105, and a connection processing unit 103 that transmits a connection request to the second communication device 2 when the determination unit 102 determines that the unique dedicated character string and the registered character string match.

[0100] The pairing method according to this embodiment is a pairing method for causing a computer to execute a pairing process for establishing a wireless communication connection using a predetermined communication signal between a first communication device 1 mounted in advance on a vehicle 4 and a second communication device 2 mounted on the vehicle 4 as an aftermarket device and capable of transmitting a predetermined communication signal. The predetermined communication signal is composed of a plurality of channels including an advertisement channel in which a unique dedicated character string is registered in the address information. The pairing process includes a receiving step of receiving the address information transmitted from the second communication device 2 using the advertisement channel, a reading step of reading out a registered character string registered in advance, a determining step of determining whether or not the unique dedicated character string included in the address information received in the receiving step matches the registered character string read out in the reading step, and a transmitting step of transmitting a connection request to the second communication device when the determining step determines that the unique dedicated character string and the registered character string match.

[0101] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be appropriately modified.

[0102] In the above embodiment, in the advertising process, the advertising processing unit 201 used only the primary advertising channel as the advertising channel. However, at least one secondary advertising channel (sub-advertising channel), which is a data channel selected from among the channels of 0ch to 36ch and configured to function as an advertising channel, may be included. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, since the bandwidth between 38ch and 39ch of the primary advertising channel is large, the advertising processing unit 201 may be configured such that 24ch or the like between 38ch and 39ch functions as an advertising channel.

[0103] Specifically, in the pairing process, the reading unit 105 reads out the registered character strings registered in advance for each of the plurality of advertising channels. The signal acquisition unit 101 includes a first signal acquisition unit that receives the address information of the second communication device 2 transmitted using an advertising channel other than the secondary advertising channel from the second communication device 2, and a second signal acquisition unit that receives the address information of the second communication device 2 transmitted using the secondary advertising channel from the second communication device 2. The determination unit 102 performs a first determination step of determining whether or not the unique dedicated character string included in the address information received by the first signal acquisition unit matches the registered character string read by the reading unit 105 for each advertising channel. After the first determination step, a second determination step of determining whether or not the unique dedicated character string included in the address information received by the second signal acquisition unit matches the registered character string read in the reading step for the secondary advertising channel is performed. The connection processing unit 103 may be configured to transmit a connection request to the second communication device when it is determined in the first determination step that the unique dedicated character string and the registered character string match, and it is determined in the second determination step that the unique dedicated character string and the registered character string match.

[0104] Accordingly, it is determined whether to establish a connection by two-factor authentication using a primary advertising channel and a secondary advertising channel, so that it is possible to more reliably avoid establishing a connection with an unintended communication device.

[0105] In the above embodiment, the first communication device has the determination unit 102 and the connection processing unit 103. However, the host device 3 has the determination unit 102 and the connection processing unit 103, and based on the registered character string included in the address information of the first communication device 1 defined for each advertising channel and the dedicated character string included in the address information in the advertising signal received from the second communication device 2, it may be determined whether to establish a connection between the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2.

[0106] In the above embodiment, the advertising processing unit 201 transmits advertising signals in the order of 37ch, 38ch, and 39ch, and the determination unit 102 performs a match of the dedicated character string included in those advertising signals and the registered character string read out (hereinafter simply referred to as character string match determination). However, the pairing process may be performed as follows in (a) and (b). (a) At the first connection between the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2, the advertising processing unit 201 transmits advertising signals in the order of 37ch, 38ch, and 39ch, and the determination unit 102 performs character string match determination in the order of the transmitted advertising signals. (b) At the reconnection between the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2 or when a connection error occurs for the first time, the transmission order of the advertising signals by the advertising processing unit 201 is changed to, for example, 38ch, 37ch, 39ch, etc., and the determination unit 102 may perform character string match determination in the order of the transmitted advertising signals. Thereby, the reliability of the connection between the first communication device 1 and the second communication device 2 can be enhanced.

Explanation of Signs

[0107] 1 First communication device 2 Second communication device 4 Vehicle 5 Wireless communication device (first communication device, second communication device) 11 Memory unit 101 Signal acquisition unit 102 Determination unit 103 Connection processing unit 105 Reading unit 201 Advertising processing unit S Wireless communication system

Claims

1. A program for causing a computer to execute pairing processing for establishing a wireless communication connection using a predetermined communication signal between a first communication device previously mounted on a vehicle and a second communication device that is mounted on the vehicle as an after - attachment and can transmit the predetermined communication signal, wherein the predetermined communication signal is composed of a plurality of channels including an advertising channel in which a dedicated string unique to a predetermined character string is registered, and the pairing processing includes: a receiving step of receiving the predetermined character string transmitted from the second communication device using the advertising channel; a reading step of reading a registered character string registered in advance; a determining step of determining whether or not a dedicated string unique to the predetermined character string received in the receiving step matches the registered character string read in the reading step; and a transmitting step of transmitting a connection request to the second communication device when it is determined in the determining step that the dedicated string unique to the predetermined character string and the registered character string match.

2. There are a plurality of the advertising channels, the registered character strings read in the reading step are different for each of the advertising channels, in the determining step, it is determined whether or not the dedicated string unique to the predetermined character string received in the receiving step matches the registered character string read in the reading step for each of the advertising channels, and in the transmitting step, when it is determined in the determining step that the dedicated string unique to all the predetermined character strings received in the receiving step matches the registered character string read in the reading step for each of the advertising channels, a connection request is transmitted to the second communication device. The program according to Claim 1.

3. The advertising channel in which the dedicated string unique to the predetermined character string is registered includes at least one sub - advertising channel that is a data channel configured to function as an advertising channel, in the reading step, registered character strings registered in advance are read for each of the plurality of advertising channels, and the receiving step includes: a first receiving step of receiving the predetermined character string transmitted from the second communication device using the advertising channels other than the sub - advertising channel; a second receiving step of receiving the predetermined string transmitted from the second communication device using the sub - advertisement channel; the determination step includes: a first determination step of determining whether a unique dedicated string included in the predetermined string received in the first receiving step matches a registered string read by the reading step for each advertisement channel; after the first determination step, a second determination step of determining whether a unique dedicated string included in the predetermined string received in the second receiving step matches a registered string read by the reading step for the sub - advertisement channel; The program according to claim 1, wherein in the transmission step, when it is determined by the first determination step that the unique dedicated string and the registered string match, and it is determined by the second determination step that the unique dedicated string and the registered string match, a connection request is transmitted to the second communication device.

4. The program according to claim 1, further comprising a step of notifying information indicating a pair of the first communication device and the second communication device for which the connection has been established to a host device of the vehicle.

5. A wireless communication system including a first communication device pre - installed in a vehicle and a second communication device installed in the vehicle as an after - attachment and capable of transmitting a predetermined communication signal, wherein the second communication device has an advertisement processing unit that transmits a predetermined communication signal composed of a plurality of channels including an advertisement channel in which a unique dedicated string is registered in a predetermined string, the first communication device includes: an acquisition unit that acquires the predetermined string transmitted from the second communication device using the advertisement channel; a reading unit that reads a pre - registered registered string; a determination unit that determines whether a unique dedicated string included in the predetermined string acquired by the acquisition unit matches the registered string read by the reading unit; a connection processing unit that transmits a connection request to the second communication device when it is determined by the determination unit that the unique dedicated string and the registered string match.

6. A pairing method for causing a computer to perform pairing processing for establishing a wireless communication connection using a predetermined communication signal between a first communication device previously mounted on a vehicle and a second communication device mounted on the vehicle as an aftermarket and capable of transmitting the predetermined communication signal, wherein the predetermined communication signal is composed of a plurality of channels including an advertising channel in which a dedicated string unique to the predetermined string is registered, the pairing processing includes: a receiving step of receiving the predetermined string transmitted from the second communication device using the advertising channel; a reading step of reading a registered string registered in advance; a determination step of determining whether or not a dedicated string unique to the predetermined string received in the receiving step matches the registered string read in the reading step; and a transmission step of transmitting a connection request to the second communication device when it is determined in the determination step that the dedicated string matches the registered string.

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