Radio access point, radio terminal, mesh network system, communication path setting method, and program

Abstract

To contribute to provision of an optimum communication environment according to a utilization environment in a mesh network.SOLUTION: A radio access point in a mesh network including the radio access point and a mesh agent comprises: a position estimation unit for estimating a current position that is the current position of the radio access point or a radio terminal connected to the mesh agent; a communication traffic measurement unit that, when the estimated current position is included in a high frequency use area in which a use frequency of the radio terminal is high, actually measures communication traffic of the radio terminal for each communication path enabled in the mesh network and identifies a best communication path having a best communication traffic; and a path change unit that, when the communication path set in the radio terminal is different from the best communication path, changes the set communication path to the best communication path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless access point, a wireless terminal, a mesh network system, a communication path setting method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, mesh networks have been proposed as one type of communication network. For example, the Wi-Fi Easy Mesh (registered trademark) standard established by the Wi-Fi Alliance is one example of a mesh network. Such a mesh network is composed of, for example, a wireless repeater called a wireless access point with a controller function, and multiple wireless repeaters called mesh agents that compensate for the radio wave strength of the wireless access point.

[0003] In a mesh network, a wireless terminal (sub-device), which is a wireless LAN client, is generally connected to the wireless repeater with the strongest radio wave intensity, for example, the nearest wireless repeater, and communicates with the outside of the mesh network via a wireless access point. In a mesh network, mesh agents are arranged, for example, in a mesh pattern, so there may be multiple communication paths between the wireless access point and the wireless repeater to which the wireless terminal is connected.

[0004] There is a technique for calculating an optimal route between nodes (wireless repeaters) in a wireless communication network (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 calculates the optimal route between nodes by using a route metric. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2006-526937 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The following analysis has been carried out by the inventors of the present invention.

[0007] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the route metric is calculated as a scalar number based on many factors, such as the number of hops, data rate, link quality, and device type. However, these are theoretical values and do not necessarily correspond to actual communication speeds. In addition, in mesh networks, the positional relationship between the wireless terminals used and each wireless repeater is also an important factor that determines communication quality, but this is not taken into consideration at all.

[0008] Therefore, the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not necessarily provide a communication path that provides the optimum communication speed depending on the usage environment in a mesh network, and therefore does not necessarily provide the optimum communication environment for wireless terminal users.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to contribute to providing an optimal communication environment in a mesh network according to the usage environment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless access point in a mesh network including the wireless access point and a mesh agent, a location estimation unit that estimates a current location of a wireless terminal connected to the wireless access point or the mesh agent; a communication traffic measurement unit that, when the estimated current location is included in a high frequency use area, measures communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication path within the mesh network, and identifies a best communication path that is the communication path through which the communication traffic is optimal; and a route change unit that, when the communication route set in the wireless terminal is different from the best communication route, changes the set communication route to the best communication route.

[0011] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, A wireless terminal that connects to a wireless access point or mesh agent in a mesh network, a position estimation unit that estimates a current position of the device itself; a communication traffic measurement unit that, when the estimated current location is included in a high frequency use area, measures communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication path within the mesh network, and identifies a best communication path that is the communication path through which the communication traffic is optimal; There is provided a wireless terminal including a communication path change unit that, when the communication path set in the wireless terminal itself is different from the best communication path, changes the set communication path to the best communication path.

[0012] According to a third aspect of the present invention, A mesh network system including a wireless access point and a mesh agent, The wireless access point: a location estimation unit that estimates a current location of a wireless terminal connected to the wireless access point or the mesh agent; a communication traffic measurement unit that, when the estimated current location is included in a high frequency use area, measures communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication path within the mesh network, and identifies a best communication path that is the communication path through which the communication traffic is optimal; A mesh network system is provided that includes a route change unit that, if the communication route set in the wireless terminal is different from the best communication route, changes the set communication route to the best communication route.

[0013] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, In a mesh network system including a wireless access point and a mesh agent, the wireless access point Estimating a current location, which is a current location of a wireless terminal connected to the wireless access point or the mesh agent; If the estimated current location is included in a high-frequency use area, which is an area where the wireless terminal is frequently used, the method measures communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication path within the mesh network, and identifies a best communication path that is the communication path with the best traffic; There is provided a communication path setting method, which, if the communication path set in the wireless terminal is different from the best communication path, changes the set communication path to the best communication path.

[0014] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, On the computer, a step of estimating a current location of a wireless terminal connected to a wireless access point or mesh agent in the mesh network; If the estimated current location is included in a high-frequency use area, which is an area where the wireless terminal is frequently used, a procedure of actually measuring communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication route within the mesh network and identifying a best communication route which is the communication route with the best communication traffic; If the communication route set in the wireless terminal is different from the best communication route, the set communication route is changed to the best communication route.

[0015] These programs can be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can be a non-transitory medium such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. The present invention can also be embodied as a computer program product. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The present invention can contribute to providing an optimal communication environment in a mesh network according to the usage environment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1A is an overall configuration diagram of an example of a mesh network according to the present disclosure, and FIG. 1B is a functional block diagram of an example of a wireless access point according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a communication path setting process according to the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a mesh network according to the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are functional block diagrams of an example wireless access point and mesh agent, respectively, according to the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 6(a) to 6(c) are explanatory diagrams illustrating changes in communication speed in a mesh network according to the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a location identification method according to the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a frequently used area identification method according to the present disclosure, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a frequently used area table according to the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of a communication path of a mesh network according to the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a communication path setting process according to the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a frequently used area registration process according to the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 1A and 1B are an overall configuration diagram of an example of a mesh network according to the present disclosure and a functional block diagram of an example of a wireless terminal according to the present disclosure, respectively. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a communication path setting process according to the present disclosure. [Figure 13] 10A is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence table according to a modification of the present disclosure, and FIG. 10B is a flowchart illustrating a portion of an example of a communication path setting process according to a modification of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a wireless access point and a mesh agent according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] An outline of one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment) will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that reference numerals in the drawings are assigned to each element for convenience as an example to facilitate understanding, and are not intended to limit the present invention to the illustrated form. Furthermore, connection lines between blocks in the drawings and the like referred to in the following description include both bidirectional and unidirectional lines. Unidirectional arrows are used to schematically indicate the flow of the main signal (data) and do not exclude bidirectionality.

[0019] In addition, although there are ports and interfaces at the connection points of input and output of each block in the figure, they are not shown. In the following explanation, "A and / or B" means either A or B, or A and B.

[0020] <<First Embodiment>> An overview of this embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, the following description will be given taking as an example a case where each of the constituent devices is a device that supports a communication method that complies with the Wi-Fi EasyMesh standard, which allows a multi-access point network. However, this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the constituent devices may use other communication methods that enable wireless communication in a multi-access point network.

[0021] In this embodiment, in a mesh network 100a configured in a home or the like as shown in Fig. 1(a), when a wireless access point 210a is located in a location where a wireless terminal 310a is frequently used (a frequently used area), the wireless access point 210a identifies the best communication path by actual measurement, and then changes the communication path set as a default for the wireless terminal 310a to the identified best communication path.

[0022] A configuration for realizing this will be described below. Figure 1(a) is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a mesh network 100a according to this embodiment.

[0023] As shown in the figure, the mesh network 100a of this embodiment includes a wireless access point 210a and mesh agents 220a (221a, 222a).

[0024] The wireless access point 210a is a wireless relay device and also a device that controls the entire mesh network 100a. For this reason, the wireless access point 210a is also called a mesh controller. The wireless access point 210a of this embodiment is connected to a broadband line 101 via an ONU (Optical Network Unit) 102, and connects the mesh network 100a to the broadband line 101.

[0025] The mesh agent 220a is a wireless repeater that supplements the radio wave strength of the wireless access point 210a. That is, it receives radio waves from the wireless access point 210a and then outputs the radio waves again to expand the mesh network area. In this embodiment, multiple mesh agents 220 are arranged in the mesh network 100a, for example, in a mesh pattern.

[0026] A wireless terminal 310a, which is a wireless LAN client, is connected to the wireless access point 210a or the mesh agent 220a. The wireless terminal 310a is connected to the broadband line 101 via these wireless repeaters. The wireless terminal 310a is an information terminal with a wireless communication function. For example, the wireless terminal 310a is a smartphone, a notebook personal computer, a tablet computer, or the like.

[0027] Although the example shown here uses two mesh agents 220a (221a, 222a), the number of mesh agents 220a is not limited to this. The number of mesh agents 220a can be increased to any number depending on the size of the location where the wireless terminal 310a is used. Furthermore, when there is no need to distinguish between the wireless access point 210a and the mesh agent 220a, they are represented by a wireless repeater.

[0028] In addition, within the mesh network 100a, the route connecting the mesh agents 220a from the wireless access point 210a to the wireless terminal 310a (or vice versa) is called a communication path.

[0029] 1(a), data transmitted from the broadband line 101 to the wireless terminal 310a may travel along a communication path from the wireless access point 210a to the mesh agent 221a, then to the mesh agent 222a, and then to the wireless terminal 310a, a communication path from the wireless access point 210a to the mesh agent 222a, and then to the wireless terminal 310a, or a communication path from the wireless access point 210a directly to the wireless terminal 310a, etc. Note that data transmitted from the wireless terminal 310a to the broadband line 101 travels along each communication path in reverse order.

[0030] When the wireless terminal 310a connects to any wireless repeater in the mesh network 100a, the wireless access point 210a sets a communication path from among these configurable communication paths in accordance with a predetermined rule.

[0031] The wireless access point 210a and the mesh agent 220a communicate with each other through a communication channel called a backhaul 103. The channel through which each wireless terminal 310a connects to the wireless access point 210a or the mesh agent 220a is called a fronthaul 104.

[0032] FIG. 1B is a functional block diagram of the wireless access point 210a of this embodiment, showing functions related to this embodiment.

[0033] As shown in the figure, the wireless access point 210a of this embodiment includes a location estimation unit 211a, a communication traffic measurement unit 212a, and a route change unit 213a. It also includes a frequently used area storage unit 214a that stores information for identifying frequently used areas, which will be described later.

[0034] The location estimation unit 211a estimates the current location of the wireless terminal 310a connected to the wireless access point 210a or the mesh agent 220a.

[0035] If the estimated current location is included in a frequently used area where the wireless terminal 310a is frequently used, the communication traffic measurement unit 212a measures the communication traffic of the wireless terminal 310a for each communication path that can be set within the mesh network 100a and identifies the best communication path that has the best communication traffic. The communication traffic is measured, for example, by transmitting packets for each communication path that can be set.

[0036] The frequently used area is measured in advance and stored in the frequently used area storage unit 214a. The communication traffic measurement unit 212a uses the information on the frequently used area stored in the frequently used area storage unit 214a to determine whether the wireless terminal 310a is in the frequently used area.

[0037] If the communication path set for the wireless terminal 310a is different from the best communication path, the path change unit 213a changes the set communication path to the best communication path.

[0038] [Communication path setting process] The communication path setting process of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 2 shows the processing flow of the communication path setting process of this embodiment. This process is started when the wireless terminal 310a connects to any wireless repeater within the mesh network 100a.

[0039] When the wireless terminal 310a connects to any wireless repeater, the wireless access point 210a sets the default communication path as the set communication path according to a predetermined rule. The wireless access point 210a is assumed to know the connection configuration of each wireless repeater in the mesh network 100a and to know all the settable communication paths.

[0040] The position estimation unit 211a estimates the current position of the wireless terminal 310a (step S1101).

[0041] The communication traffic measurement unit 212a determines whether the estimated current location is included in the frequently used area of the wireless terminal 310a (step S1102). If the estimated current location is outside the frequently used area, the process returns to step S1101 and repeats. In this embodiment, the location estimation unit 211a estimates the current location of the wireless terminal 310a at a predetermined time interval.

[0042] If the communication route is included in the frequently used area, the communication traffic measurement unit 212a measures the communication traffic to the wireless terminal 310a for all configurable communication routes (step S1103), and then identifies the best communication route based on the measured communication traffic (step S1104).

[0043] The route change unit 213a determines whether the set communication route is the best communication route identified by the communication traffic measurement unit 212a (step S1105). If the two are different, the set communication route is changed to the best communication route (step S1106) and the process ends. If the two are the same, the process ends as is.

[0044] Thereafter, the wireless terminal 310a communicates within the mesh network 100a via the best communication path.

[0045] As described above, in this embodiment, a frequently used area is identified in advance for each wireless terminal 310a. Then, when the wireless terminal 310a is used within the frequently used area, the best communication path is identified by actual measurement. Then, the communication path set as a default for the wireless terminal 310a is changed to the identified best communication path.

[0046] As a result, according to this embodiment, in the connection environment of the mesh network 100a, the wireless terminal 310a, which is a wireless LAN client, can communicate via the best communication path. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, such a communication path is automatically selected, so there is no need for user intervention.

[0047] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the wireless terminal 310a is located in a high-frequency use area, the best communication route is determined based on the actually measured communication traffic. For example, when the best route is calculated using a route metric or the like, the calculated communication speed for each communication route does not necessarily match the actual communication speed because it is merely a parameter value. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the judgment is made using the actually measured value, so it is possible to make a judgment that is in line with reality.

[0048] Furthermore, within the wireless mesh network 100a, the positional relationship (distance) between the wireless terminal 310a used and each wireless repeater is also an important factor that determines communication traffic. In this embodiment, actual measurements are taken of the actual communication path, so the best communication path that takes these factors into consideration can be obtained. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the optimal communication path can be provided in the actual usage environment, so the user of the wireless terminal 310a can communicate in the optimal communication environment.

[0049] That is, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an optimum communication environment in accordance with the usage environment in the mesh network.

[0050] <<Second embodiment>> Next, a second embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described. This embodiment is an embodiment in which the first embodiment is embodied in more detail. In this embodiment, components with the same names as those in the first embodiment basically have the same functions as those in the first embodiment. Below, this embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0051] The mesh network 100 of this embodiment basically has the same configuration as the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1(a). That is, as shown in Fig. 3, it includes a wireless access point 210 and mesh agents 220 (221, 222) as wireless repeaters. A wireless terminal 310 connects to one of the wireless repeaters and is connected to the broadband line 101 via the repeaters. As in the first embodiment, each wireless repeater is connected via a backhaul.

[0052] Fig. 4(a) is a functional block diagram of the wireless access point 210 of this embodiment, and Fig. 4(b) is a functional block diagram of the mesh agent 220 of this embodiment. Here, both diagrams show only the functions related to this embodiment.

[0053] As shown in the figure, wireless access point 210 includes communication unit 215, location estimation unit 211, communication traffic measurement unit 212, route change unit 213, and radio wave intensity acquisition unit 218. It also includes high frequency use area storage unit 214 that stores information specifying high frequency use areas, which will be described later.

[0054] As shown in the figure, the mesh agent 220 also includes a communication unit 225 and a radio wave intensity acquisition unit 228.

[0055] The communication unit 215 is responsible for communication with other wireless repeaters (mesh agents 220), the wireless terminal 310, and the ONU 102. The communication unit 225 is responsible for communication with other wireless repeaters. In this embodiment, the communication unit 225 includes 2.4G wireless communication units 216 and 226 and 5G wireless communication units 217 and 227.

[0056] The 2.4G wireless communication units 216 and 226 perform wireless communication in the 2.4 GHz band. The 5G wireless communication units 217 and 227 perform wireless communication in the 5 GHz band. Note that the communication units 215 and 225 may further include a communication unit or a wired communication unit that performs wireless communication in other frequency bands, such as the 6 GHz band.

[0057] Each wireless repeater (wireless access point 210 and mesh agent 220) of this embodiment forms a Wi-Fi network using Wi-Fi (wireless LAN) compatible with high-speed Wi-Fi standards such as IEEE 802.11ac. Wi-Fi radio waves are available in two frequency bands, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, and the wireless repeater of this embodiment supports both frequency bands. To accommodate this, as described above, communication units 215 and 225 include 2.4G wireless communication units 216 and 226 and 5G wireless communication units 217 and 227.

[0058] The 2.4GHz band is resistant to obstacles such as walls and floors, allowing signals to reach neighboring rooms and rooms upstairs. However, because it is also a frequency band used by other devices such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and home appliances, it is prone to radio interference and is likely to weaken Wi-Fi (wireless LAN) signals. On the other hand, the 5GHz band is basically a radio wave exclusively for Wi-Fi, so indoors it does not interfere with the radio waves emitted by other home appliances and allows for stable communication. However, it is prone to weakening when there are obstacles such as walls.

[0059] In this embodiment, too, a Wi-Fi network is configured between wireless repeaters through a backhaul connection that forms a communication channel called a backhaul 103 for communication.

[0060] The location estimation unit 211 of this embodiment estimates the current location of a wireless terminal 310 connected to a wireless repeater, similar to the configuration of the same name in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the estimated current location is also used to identify a frequently used area, which is an area that is used frequently, for each wireless terminal 310. The identified frequently used area is registered in the frequently used area storage unit 214 in association with information that identifies the wireless terminal 310.

[0061] Generally, when a wireless terminal 310 is wirelessly connected to a wireless repeater such as a wireless access point 210 or a mesh agent 220, the wireless repeater can monitor radio wave strength, such as a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value or a value expressed in dBm units. These are numerical values that indicate the strength of a received signal. When the radio wave strength is strong, wireless communication is stable and high-speed communication is possible. On the other hand, when the radio wave strength is weak, communication speed decreases and stable communication is not possible.

[0062] The radio wave intensity acquisition units 218 and 228 acquire the radio wave intensity of the wireless terminal 310. The radio wave intensity acquired by the radio wave intensity acquisition unit 228 of the mesh agent 220 is transmitted to the wireless access point 210 via the communication unit 225.

[0063] In this embodiment, when the wireless terminal 310 connects to any wireless repeater within the mesh network 100, the location estimation unit 211 causes the radio wave intensity acquisition units 218 and 228 to acquire and collect the radio wave intensity of the wireless terminal 310, and estimates the set of radio wave intensities of each wireless repeater as the current location. The estimated current location is notified to the communication traffic measurement unit 212.

[0064] In this embodiment, the location estimation unit 211 identifies a frequently used area as described above. For example, the location estimation unit 211 causes the radio wave intensity acquisition units 218 and 228 of each wireless repeater to measure the radio wave intensity of the wireless terminal 310 a predetermined number of times at predetermined time intervals and accumulates the measured values. The location estimation unit 211 then identifies a frequently used area from the accumulated results. Note that communication traffic may also be taken into consideration when identifying a frequently used area.

[0065] The communication traffic measurement unit 212 of this embodiment, like the configuration of the same name in the first embodiment, determines whether the estimated current location is included in the frequently used area of the wireless terminal 310. If it is included in the frequently used area, the communication traffic measurement unit 212 measures the communication traffic of the wireless terminal 310a for each communication route that can be set in the mesh network 100 while the wireless terminal 310 is in an unconnected state, and identifies the best communication route that is the communication route with the best communication traffic. The identified best communication route is notified to the route change unit 213.

[0066] As in the first embodiment, when the communication route set in the wireless terminal 310 is different from the best communication route, the route change unit 213 changes the set communication route to the best communication route.

[0067] In this embodiment, the route change unit 213 first checks the connection status of the wireless terminal 310. Specifically, it determines whether the wireless terminal 310 is in a non-communicating state. For example, it may determine whether the wireless terminal 310 is disconnected from the communication line. Alternatively, a time threshold may be set for the non-communicating state. In other words, it may determine whether the wireless terminal 310 has been in a non-communicating state for a predetermined period of time or longer. Whether the wireless terminal 310 is in a non-communicating state (or disconnected state) is determined using existing functions provided in the wireless access point 210 and the mesh agent 220. For example, it is determined by referring to a list of connected terminals in the driver of the wireless chip used by these devices.

[0068] Then, when in a non-communication state, the route change unit 213 changes the communication route, and after the wireless terminal 310 resumes communication, the wireless terminal 310 can communicate via the best communication route.

[0069] [Changes in communication speed] Here, we will explain changes in communication speed in the mesh network 100. As mentioned above, each wireless repeater is connected to another wireless repeater via a backhaul. The backhaul 103 is generally connected using a wired LAN or a dedicated channel. However, inexpensive wireless repeaters for home use often do not have a dedicated channel for the backhaul 103. In this case, the channel used by the wireless terminal 310 is also used.

[0070] Furthermore, in order to use a wired LAN for the backhaul 103, it is necessary to connect each device via its Ethernet port, and such a connection may be difficult depending on the installation environment. In the following, in this embodiment, an example of a wireless backhaul connection will be described.

[0071] Each wireless repeater uses either a 2.4G wireless communication unit 216, 226 or a 5G wireless communication unit 217, 227 to connect to the backhaul 103. Generally, 5GHz wireless has a wide range of available channel frequency bands and the channels are not congested, so it is often used for the backhaul 103.

[0072] When the 5 GHz wireless communication units 217, 227 are used in the backhaul 103, the mesh agent 220 communicates with the wireless access point 210 and the wireless terminal 310 in a time-division manner. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 5(a), the communication speed (communication volume per unit time) of the fronthaul 104 communication with the wireless terminal 310 connected to this mesh agent 220 is approximately half of the communication speed (initial communication speed) when the wireless access point 210 and the wireless terminal 310 communicate directly.

[0073] Furthermore, in a connection configuration that uses (or passes through) multiple mesh agents 220, the communication speed may be further reduced depending on the communication path from the wireless access point 210 to the wireless terminal 310.

[0074] For example, as shown in Fig. 5(b), a case where two mesh agents 220 (mesh agent 221, mesh agent 222) are used will be described. The percentages shown in this figure are values relative to the initial communication speed.

[0075] The first mesh agent 221 is connected to the wireless access point 210 via the backhaul 103 by 5 GHz radio, and is connected to the second mesh agent 222 by 5 GHz radio.

[0076] Generally, the wireless terminal 310 is connected to a wireless repeater with stronger radio wave intensity. In other words, it is connected to the nearest wireless repeater. For example, if the mesh agent 222 is the nearest wireless repeater for the wireless terminal 310, it is connected to the mesh agent 222. However, as mentioned above, the mesh agent 221 and the mesh agent 222 communicate with each other in a time-sharing manner. Therefore, in wireless communication from the wireless access point 210 via the mesh agent 221 and the mesh agent 222 on the communication path (path 1), the communication speed of the wireless terminal 310 drops to about 25% of the initial communication speed.

[0077] On the other hand, as shown in the figure, in wireless communication from the wireless access point 210 via a communication path (path 2) that only passes through the mesh agent 221, the communication speed of the wireless terminal 310 is reduced by about 50% of the initial communication speed. Therefore, for example, if the radio wave strength of the mesh agent 221 is not so low for the wireless terminal 310, the communication speed may be reduced less over path 2. However, the communication speed is significantly affected by the usage environment, such as the presence or absence of obstacles and the distance between the mesh agent 221 and the wireless terminal 310.

[0078] 5(c) shows an example of a connection (communication path) using 2.4 GHz wireless for the backhaul connection between the mesh agent 221 and the mesh agent 222. For example, if the 2.4 GHz wireless is not congested in the radio wave conditions in which the device is used, a communication path using a 2.4 GHz wireless channel for the backhaul 103 may improve communication speed.

[0079] In this way, communication speed is greatly affected by the distance between devices depending on the installation location of the mesh agents 220 and / or the frequency band selected for the backhaul 103 depending on the surrounding radio wave conditions where the devices are used. In other words, if the communication path is not selected appropriately within the mesh network 100, the communication speed of the backhaul 103 cannot be ensured sufficiently, and the communication speed of the wireless terminal 310 will decrease.

[0080] [High frequency use area] In this embodiment, as described above, an area where wireless terminal 310 is frequently used is identified in advance as a frequently used area. If wireless terminal 310 is located in the frequently used area, the best communication route (optimal communication route) is actually measured. If the communication route set as a default differs from the best communication route, the default communication route is changed to the best communication route.

[0081] Here, we will explain a method for identifying a frequently used area by the location estimation unit 211 and the radio wave intensity acquisition units 218 and 228. In this embodiment, the location where the wireless terminal 310 is used is identified by the radio wave intensity measured by each wireless repeater.

[0082] Specifically, for example, it is assumed that the wireless access point 210, mesh agent 221, and mesh agent 222 are arranged as shown in FIG. 6, and the wireless terminal 310 is used at the location shown in this figure.

[0083] The location estimation unit 211 causes the radio wave intensity acquisition units 218, 228 of each wireless repeater, including the wireless access point 210 that includes the location estimation unit 211, to acquire (monitor) the radio wave intensity of the wireless terminal 310 at predetermined time intervals and collects the data. For example, assume that at a certain timing, the radio wave intensity acquired by the mesh agent 222 is −40 dBm, the radio wave intensity acquired by the mesh agent 221 is −60 dBm, and the radio wave intensity acquired by the wireless access point 210 is −80 dBm.

[0084] The location estimation unit 211 stores these numerical values (data) in association with, for example, the timing of acquisition. This process is repeated until a predetermined number of data or more are accumulated, at which point the accumulated data is analyzed and a frequently used area is identified.

[0085] For example, as shown in Figure 7(a), the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis represent the radio wave strength acquired by each wireless repeater, and data at each acquisition timing is plotted. Then, using various data analysis methods, data such as radio wave strength (RSSI value) is clustered (grouped), and each cluster is designated as a frequently used area. In the example of Figure 7(a), for example, cluster 601, cluster 602, and cluster 603 surrounded by dashed lines are frequently used areas.

[0086] As described above, data on communication traffic (or communication volume) actually measured by communication traffic measurement unit 212 may also be taken into account. That is, data on radio wave strength and communication traffic is clustered to identify a high-frequency use area. For example, if wireless terminal 310 is a smartphone, taking the smartphone to a bedroom or the like and leaving it there without using it (such as while sleeping) does not necessarily constitute high-frequency use. By taking communication traffic into account, such situations can be eliminated, and a high-frequency use area can be identified that is more in line with reality than a determination based solely on radio wave strength (location information).

[0087] The communication traffic may be treated as new dimension information, or, for example, a threshold may be set and only the radio wave intensity of the wireless terminal 310 showing communication traffic above the threshold may be clustered.

[0088] The location estimation unit 211 associates the data of the identified frequently used area with information for identifying the wireless terminal 310 and registers it in the frequently used area storage unit 214. An example of a frequently used area table 690 stored in the frequently used area storage unit 214 is shown in FIG. 7(b).

[0089] As shown in the figure, the frequently used area table 690 registers identified frequently used areas 692 in association with a wireless terminal ID 691, such as information for identifying the wireless terminal 310, for example, a Media Access Control (MAC) address. As described above, each frequently used area is identified by the value of radio wave intensity measured by each wireless repeater. For example, if there are k wireless repeaters, the frequently used area is identified as an area in a k-dimensional space. Furthermore, the number of frequently used areas identified for each wireless terminal 310 is arbitrary.

[0090] As described above, the wireless access point 210 is a device that controls the entire mesh network 100, and is aware of the connection configuration of each mesh agent 220. Therefore, it is aware of possible combinations of communication paths in advance.

[0091] [Communication traffic measurement] Next, a description will be given of communication traffic measurement by the communication traffic measurement unit 212. First, a description will be given of communication routes that can be set.

[0092] For example, assume that the mesh network 100 is configured with a wireless access point 210 and two mesh agents 220 (221, 222) as shown in Figure 8(a). Each wireless repeater has a 5 GHz communication unit and a 2.4 GHz communication unit, and is capable of communication in either frequency band.

[0093] In this case, as shown in Fig. 8(b), five communication routes can be set for the wireless terminal 310. Note that even if the routes are physically the same, routes that use different frequency bands for the backhaul 103 are considered to be different routes.

[0094] The path 1 is a communication path that connects the wireless access point (AP210) to the wireless terminal 310 via the mesh agent (MA221) and the mesh agent (MA222). All backhauls 103 are connected in the 5 GHz frequency band.

[0095] Similarly, path 2 is a communication path that connects to the wireless terminal 310 via AP 210, MA 221, and MA 222. However, the backhaul 103 between AP 210 and MA 221 connects in the 5 GHz frequency band, and the backhaul 103 between MA 221 and MA 222 connects in the 2.4 GHz frequency band.

[0096] Similarly, the path 3 is a communication path that connects to the wireless terminal 310 via the AP 210, the MA 221, and the MA 222. However, all the backhauls 103 are connected in the 2.4 GHz frequency band.

[0097] The path 4 is a communication path that connects the AP 210 to the wireless terminal 310 via the MA 221. The backhaul 103 between the AP 210 and the MA 221 is connected in the 5 GHz frequency band.

[0098] Like the path 4, the path 5 is a communication path that connects the AP 210 to the wireless terminal 310 via the MA 221. The backhaul 103 between the AP 210 and the MA 221 is connected in the 2.4 GHz frequency band.

[0099] The communication traffic measurement unit 212 measures the communication traffic of each route when the current location of the wireless terminal 310 connected to one of the wireless repeaters is included in one of the frequently used areas and when the wireless terminal 310 is not in communication.

[0100] In this embodiment, the communication traffic measurement unit 212, for example, transmits a Ping command (packet) addressed to the wireless terminal 310, and calculates the communication traffic from the response time. For example, the communication traffic CT (Mbps) can be calculated from the transmitted packet size Psize (bytes) and the response time RT (Mbytes / s) using the following formula (1): CT = Psize × 2 ÷ RT (1)

[0101] For example, assume that the response time RT is 3 ms when data with a packet size (Psize) of 60,000 bytes is transmitted from the wireless access point 210 to the wireless terminal 310 using a Ping command. In this case, the communication traffic CT is calculated to be 40 Mbps.

[0102] In this embodiment, the communication traffic measurement unit 212 calculates the communication traffic CT for each settable communication route in each frequently used area, and determines the communication route with the largest value of the communication traffic CT as the best communication route.The determined best communication route is notified to the route change unit 213.

[0103] [Communication path setting process] The communication path setting process of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 9 shows the processing flow of the communication path setting process of this embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the process is started when the wireless terminal 310 connects to any wireless repeater within the mesh network 100.

[0104] Similarly to the first embodiment, when the wireless terminal 310 connects to any of the wireless repeaters, the wireless access point 210 sets the default communication path as the set communication path according to a predetermined rule. The wireless access point 210 is also assumed to know the connection configuration of each wireless repeater in the mesh network 100 and to know all the settable communication paths.

[0105] The communication path setting process of this embodiment will be described below, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0106] In this embodiment, first, the position estimation unit 211 identifies the wireless terminal 310 (step S2101). Here, the wireless terminal 310 is identified by reading, for example, the wireless terminal ID 691 of the wireless terminal 310.

[0107] Then, the position estimation unit 211 determines whether the frequently used area 692 is registered in the frequently used area table 690 in association with the wireless terminal ID 691 (step S2102).

[0108] If it is registered, the process proceeds to step S2104. On the other hand, if it is not registered, the position estimation unit 211 executes a frequently used area registration process (step S2103), and then proceeds to step S2104. The flow of the frequently used area registration process will be described later.

[0109] In step S2104, as in the first embodiment, the location estimation unit 211 estimates the current location of the wireless terminal 310. That is, using the above method, the radio wave intensity acquisition units 218 and 228 acquire radio wave intensities, and the set of radio wave intensities from the wireless repeaters is used as the current location. Then, the estimated current location is notified to the communication traffic measurement unit 212.

[0110] The communication traffic measurement unit 212 determines whether the estimated current location is included in the frequently used area of the wireless terminal 310 and whether the wireless terminal 310 is in a non-communication state (step S2105). If the estimated current location is outside the frequently used area or if the wireless terminal 310 is not in a non-communication state, the process returns to step S2104 and repeats. Note that in this embodiment as well, the location estimation unit 211 estimates the current location of the wireless terminal 310 at predetermined time intervals.

[0111] If the wireless terminal 310 is included in the frequently used area and is in a non-communicating state, the communication traffic measurement unit 212 measures the communication traffic to the wireless terminal 310 for all configurable communication paths (step S2106). Here, as described above, the measurement is performed by transmitting packets to the wireless terminal 310 using the Ping command.

[0112] Then, the best communication route is identified based on the actually measured communication traffic (step S2107).

[0113] The route change unit 213 determines whether the set communication route is the best communication route identified by the communication traffic measurement unit 212 (step S2108). If the two are the same, the process ends.

[0114] On the other hand, if the two are different, the route change unit 213 first determines whether the wireless terminal 310 is in a non-communication state (step S2109). If it is in a non-communication state, the set communication route is changed to the best communication route (step S2110) and the process ends. On the other hand, if it is not in a non-communication state, the process returns to step S2104 and repeats the process.

[0115] Once the best communication path has been selected, the wireless terminal 310 will then communicate within the mesh network 100 via the best communication path.

[0116] [Highly used area setting process] Next, the frequently used area registration process of step S2103 will be described. Fig. 10 shows a processing flow of the frequently used area setting process by the position estimation unit 211 of this embodiment. Here, for example, the radio wave intensity is measured N times (N is an integer equal to or greater than 1) to identify the frequently used area.

[0117] First, the position estimation unit 211 initializes a counter n (step S2301).

[0118] Then, the location estimation unit 211 causes the radio wave intensity acquisition units 218, 228 of each wireless repeater to measure and collect the radio wave intensity of the wireless terminal 310 (step S2302). The collected measurement results are stored in association with information identifying the wireless repeater that performed the measurement (such as a wireless repeater ID) (step S2303).

[0119] The position estimation unit 211 repeats the processes of steps S2302 and S2303 N times (steps S2304 and S2305).

[0120] Thereafter, the location estimation unit 211 clusters the stored signal strengths (step S2306) and identifies each cluster as a frequently used area. The identified frequently used areas are registered in the frequently used area table 690 (step S2307), and the process ends. If communication traffic is also taken into consideration, the communication traffic is also measured in step S2302 and stored together with the measured signal strength in step S2303. When clustering in step S2306, the stored data based on signal strength and communication traffic is clustered.

[0121] As described above, this embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment, and therefore has the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0122] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the communication path is changed when the wireless terminal 310 is not connected to a wireless repeater or is not in communication, which minimizes the impact of communication interruptions caused by the change in communication path.

[0123] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the high-frequency use area is identified using location information based on the actually measured radio wave strength. Therefore, the actual high-frequency use area can be identified with high accuracy. When communication traffic is also taken into account, the area can be identified with even higher accuracy.

[0124] According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an optimum communication environment in accordance with the usage environment in a mesh network.

[0125] <<Third Embodiment>> A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the best communication path is selected on the wireless terminal 310b side. The following description of this embodiment will focus on the differences from the second embodiment.

[0126] In this embodiment, the wireless terminal 310b has the same function as the wireless access point 210 in the second embodiment. This function is, for example, prepared in advance as a dedicated program (hereinafter referred to as a route selection application), and is realized by installing the route selection application.

[0127] 11(a) is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the mesh network 100 used by the wireless terminal 310b of this embodiment. As shown in this figure, the mesh network 100 of this embodiment is basically the same as the mesh network 100 of the second embodiment, and includes a wireless access point 210, which is a wireless repeater, and a mesh agent 220.

[0128] 11(b) shows a block diagram of the functions implemented by the route selection application of the wireless terminal 310b of this embodiment. The wireless terminal 310b of this embodiment includes a location estimation unit 311, a communication traffic measurement unit 312, a route change unit 313, and a communication unit 315.

[0129] The communication unit 315 transmits and receives data to and from the wireless repeaters in the mesh network 100 .

[0130] The position estimation unit 311 estimates the current position of the wireless terminal 310. In this embodiment, the estimation is performed using a sensor or the like provided in the wireless terminal 310. Specifically, the position of the wireless terminal 310 is estimated using a positioning satellite signal receiving device such as a GPS receiver. For example, when the position of the wireless terminal 310 is estimated using a GPS receiver or the like, the current position is specified by values such as latitude and longitude.

[0131] Alternatively, the current location information may be determined by the signal strength of each wireless repeater, as in the second embodiment. In this case, the wireless access point 210 and each mesh agent 220 measure the signal strength of the wireless terminal 310, and the location estimation unit 311 receives the results.

[0132] The communication traffic measurement unit 312 measures the communication traffic for each selectable communication path within the mesh network 100 and identifies the best communication path at the current location. The identified best communication path is stored in the best communication path storage unit 314 in association with the current location.

[0133] For this reason, the communication traffic measurement unit 312 communicates with the wireless access point 210 or the mesh agent 220 via the communication unit 315 to grasp the current connection configuration. It also communicates with the wireless access point 210 to acquire selectable communication paths within the mesh network 100.

[0134] The communication traffic is measured, for example, by connecting to a dedicated test site 111 prepared in advance. The dedicated site 111 may be established on a network such as the Internet via a broadband line 101 (see FIG. 11(a)).

[0135] Similar to the configuration of the same name in the second embodiment, the route change unit 313 changes the communication route set in the device itself to the best communication route if the set communication route differs from the best communication route. In this embodiment, immediately after startup, the current location is acquired from the location estimation unit 311. If the current location is registered in the best communication route storage unit 314, the best communication route registered in association with the current location is acquired. The best communication route is then compared with the set communication route, and if it differs, the route change unit 313 communicates with the wireless access point 210 via the communication unit 315, for example, to request that the communication route be changed to the best communication route.

[0136] After identifying the best communication path, the communication traffic measurement unit 312 may be configured to transmit the best communication path to the wireless access point 210 via the communication unit 315. The wireless access point 210 controls the communication path so that communication with the source wireless terminal 310 is performed via the transmitted best communication path. In this case, the path change unit 313 may not be provided.

[0137] [Communication path setting process] Next, the flow of the communication path setting process of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 12 shows the processing flow of the communication path setting process of this embodiment. This process is started when the wireless terminal 310 connects to any wireless repeater of the mesh network 100. Note that this process may also be started when a route selection application is launched.

[0138] First, the position estimation unit 311 estimates the current position (step S3101).

[0139] The communication traffic measurement unit 312 determines whether a best communication path is registered in the best communication path storage unit 314 in association with the current location (step S3102). If registered, the process proceeds to step S3106, which will be described later.

[0140] If not registered, the communication traffic measurement unit 312 acquires all communication paths selectable within the mesh network 100 and measures the communication traffic of each path using the above method (step S3103). Then, the best communication path is identified (step S3104), and the best communication path is registered in the best communication path storage unit 314 in association with the current location (step S3105).

[0141] The route change unit 313 determines whether the set communication route is the best communication route (step S3106). Here, the route change unit 313 accesses the best communication route storage unit 314 and acquires the best communication route registered in association with the current location estimated in step S1101.

[0142] If they are different, the communication route is changed to the best communication route using the above method (step S1107).On the other hand, if the set communication route is the best communication route, the process ends as is.

[0143] According to this embodiment, similar to the first and second embodiments, the best communication path is automatically selected within the mesh network 100, and the wireless terminal 310 can communicate via that communication path.

[0144] Furthermore, by using the route selection application, users of wireless terminal 310 can enjoy stable communication with the best communication quality in frequently used locations or locations where they want to improve communication speed. In addition, in this embodiment, a specially created website for measuring speed is used, so accurate communication speed can be measured.

[0145] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, by analyzing the measurement results on a speed measurement website using an application, it is possible to suggest to the user that changes be made to the placement of the mesh agents 220. For example, if the radio wave strength or communication speed of the backhaul communication between the mesh agents 221 and 222 is insufficient, it is possible to suggest that these devices be moved closer together.

[0146] The criteria for determining whether the communication speed is sufficient are determined in advance, taking into account the basic performance of the device. In addition, the communication speed and radio wave strength (RSSI value) of the target device are measured in advance under various conditions to understand the correspondence between the two. Then, during actual use, the RSSI value is measured and the communication speed is estimated from the results of the previous measurement.

[0147] <Variation 1> In the third embodiment, the frequently used area may be measured in advance, as in the second embodiment.

[0148] The location estimation unit 311 estimates the current location of the device (wireless terminal 310) a predetermined number of times at predetermined time intervals, and identifies a frequently used area. The identified frequently used area is stored in, for example, a storage device of the device.

[0149] The method for identifying the frequently used area is, for example, the same method as in the second embodiment. For example, when the position of the device is estimated using a GPS receiver or the like, the frequently used area is identified by values such as latitude and longitude.

[0150] In this embodiment, the frequently used area may be registered by a method such as the user directly inputting the frequently used location, rather than by analyzing the accumulated current location. Also, in the first and second embodiments, the frequently used area may be set by the user.

[0151] In this modification, the communication traffic measurement unit 312 may be configured to measure communication traffic only when the estimated current location is within a frequently used area, as in the second embodiment.

[0152] <Variation 2> Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, when the current location is within a frequently used area, communication traffic is measured for all settable communication routes every time, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0153] For example, after identifying the frequently used areas, communication traffic is measured while wireless terminal 310 is present in each frequently used area, and the best communication path is identified. Then, the best communication path identified in association with each frequently used area may be registered in correspondence table 680.

[0154] 13(a) shows an example of the correspondence table 680. As shown in this figure, in the correspondence table 680, a frequently used area 692 is registered for each wireless terminal ID 691, and a specified best communication path 693 is registered for each frequently used area 692.

[0155] The flow of the communication path setting process in this modification will be described using FIG. 13(b), focusing only on the differences from the second embodiment.

[0156] When the location estimation unit 211 estimates the current location of the wireless terminal 310 (step S2104), the communication traffic measurement unit 212 determines whether the estimated current location is included in a frequently used area of the wireless terminal 310 and whether the wireless terminal 310 is in a non-communication state (step S2105).

[0157] If the current location is included in the frequently used area and is in a non-communication state, the communication traffic measurement unit 212 first identifies the frequently used area that includes the current location. Then, the communication traffic measurement unit 212 refers to the correspondence table 680 and determines whether a best communication path 693 is registered in association with the frequently used area 692 (step S4101). If a best communication path 693 is registered, the communication traffic measurement unit 212 extracts the best communication path 693 (step S4102), and proceeds to step S2108 of the second embodiment.

[0158] On the other hand, if it is not registered, the communication traffic is measured (step S2106), the best communication route is identified (step S2107), and the process proceeds to step S2108, as in the second embodiment.

[0159] For example, when the placement of wireless repeaters in the mesh network 100 is fixed (no change), there is no need to measure communication traffic every time, thereby reducing the processing load.

[0160] <Variation 3> In the above embodiment, the registration process of the frequently used area is executed when the wireless terminal 310 is connected to a wireless repeater in the mesh network 100. However, this is not limiting. For example, the registration process of the frequently used area may be executed in response to an instruction from the user.

[0161] Similarly, communication traffic measurement may also be performed in response to an instruction from the user.

[0162] <Variation 4> In addition, in the above-described embodiments and modifications, the communication route with the best actual measurement result of communication traffic is selected from among the configurable communication routes, but this is not limiting. For example, a threshold may be set in advance, and the communication route to be used may be selected from those with actual measurement results of communication traffic that are equal to or greater than the threshold.

[0163] <Variation 5> The method for identifying the high-frequency use area is not limited to the above method. For example, various known techniques may be used. For example, a method for preparing a dedicated active tag and detecting its location using a wireless LAN access point, or a method for identifying the exact location of the wireless terminal 310 using trilateration, etc.

[0164] [Hardware configuration] The wireless access points 210a, 210 and mesh agents 220a, 220 are configured, for example, with a dedicated SoC (System on Chip), a dedicated wireless chip, and an L2 switch. The SoC may include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a network processor. These components enable the SoC to perform packet routing processing.

[0165] Each of the above devices may be realized by, for example, a general-purpose information processing device, which includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 191, a main storage device (memory) 192, an auxiliary storage device 193, a communication I / F 194, and an expansion I / F 195, which are interconnected by an internal bus, as shown in FIG.

[0166] The CPU 191 realizes the above functions and controls the entire device by, for example, loading a program stored in the auxiliary storage device 193 into the main storage device 192 and executing it. Note that the CPU 191 may be replaced by one or more processors such as an MPU (Micro Processing Unit).

[0167] The main storage device 192 is a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The main storage device 192 is a work area when the CPU 191 processes programs and the like executed by the device.

[0168] The auxiliary storage device 193 is, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. The auxiliary storage device 193 stores various programs executed by the device. The auxiliary storage device 193 may include a storage medium such as a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a DVD, etc.

[0169] The programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 193 can be provided as program products recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium. The auxiliary storage device 193 can be used to store various programs recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for the medium to long term.

[0170] The communication I / F 194 is an interface for inputting and outputting signals and data via wired or wireless communication, and functions as the communication units 215 and 225 in the second embodiment, for example.

[0171] The expansion I / F 195 is an interface for connecting a display device, an input device, etc. The display device is, for example, an LCD monitor, etc. The input device is, for example, a device that accepts user operations such as a keyboard or a mouse, etc. It is used, for example, when setting up a connection.

[0172] The above-mentioned functions of each device are realized by the CPU 191 loading a program stored in the auxiliary storage device 193 into the main storage device 192 and executing it.

[0173] The frequently used area storage units 214a and 214 are constructed in, for example, the auxiliary storage device 193. The auxiliary storage device 193 also stores various types of information required for processing.

[0174] The hardware configuration of each device is not limited to this. Each function (server) of each device may be implemented using, for example, an integrated circuit (IC) dedicated to each process, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on a chip (SOC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like.

[0175] Similarly, the wireless terminal 310 also includes a CPU, a main memory device, an auxiliary memory device, a communication I / F, an expansion I / F, etc. The route selection application is acquired, for example, via the communication I / F and stored in the auxiliary memory device. The CPU loads the route selection application stored in the auxiliary memory device into the main memory device and executes it, thereby realizing each of the above functions. For example, the best communication route storage unit 314 is built in the auxiliary memory device.

[0176] In addition, a program for realizing each of the above functions of each device can be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can be a non-transitory medium such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. The present invention can also be embodied as a computer program product.

[0177] In the process flow used in the above explanation, multiple steps (processes) are described in order, but the order in which each step is performed is not limited to the order described. For example, the order of the steps shown in the figure can be changed to the extent that the content is not affected, such as performing each process in parallel.

[0178] Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways that would be understandable to those skilled in the art. Each embodiment and modification can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate. Furthermore, for example, the network configurations and element configurations shown in the drawings are examples intended to aid in understanding the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations shown in these drawings.

[0179] Finally, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be summarized below. Some or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes. (Appendix 1) A wireless access point in a mesh network including a wireless access point and a mesh agent, a location estimation unit that estimates a current location of a wireless terminal connected to the wireless access point or the mesh agent; a communication traffic measurement unit that, when the estimated current location is included in a high frequency use area, measures communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication path within the mesh network, and identifies a best communication path that is the communication path through which the communication traffic is optimal; and a route change unit that changes the set communication route to the best communication route when the set communication route in the wireless terminal is different from the best communication route. (Appendix 2) 2. The wireless access point of claim 1, It is desirable that the location estimation unit estimates the location based on radio wave intensity of the wireless terminal measured by the wireless access point and the mesh agent within the mesh network. (Appendix 3) 3. The wireless access point according to claim 1, It is desirable that, prior to estimating the current location, the location estimation unit estimates the location of the wireless terminal a predetermined number of times at a predetermined time interval, and calculates the frequently used area using the estimation results. (Appendix 4) 14. The wireless access point according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3 and 13, It is desirable that the communication traffic measurement unit sends packets addressed to the wireless terminal by a Ping command while the wireless terminal is not in communication, and measures the communication traffic. (Appendix 5) 14. The wireless access point according to claim 1, wherein It is desirable that the route change unit changes the communication route when the wireless terminal is not in communication. (Appendix 6) 14. The wireless access point according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5 and 13, It is desirable that the communication traffic measurement unit generates a correspondence table in which the identified best communication route is associated with each of the frequently used areas of the wireless terminal. (Appendix 7) A wireless terminal that connects to a wireless access point or mesh agent in a mesh network a position estimation unit that estimates a current position of the device itself; a communication traffic measurement unit that, when the estimated current location is included in a high frequency use area, measures communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication path within the mesh network and identifies a best communication path that is the communication path with the best traffic; and a communication path change unit that changes the set communication path to the best communication path when the set communication path in the device itself is different from the best communication path. (Appendix 8) A mesh network system including a wireless access point and a mesh agent includes: The wireless access point: a location estimation unit that estimates a current location of a wireless terminal connected to the wireless access point or the mesh agent; a communication traffic measurement unit that, when the estimated current location is included in a high frequency use area, measures communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication path within the mesh network and identifies a best communication path that is the communication path with the best traffic; and a route change unit that changes the set communication route to the best communication route when the set communication route in the wireless terminal is different from the best communication route. (Appendix 9) The communication path setting method is a method for setting a communication path in a mesh network system including a wireless access point and a mesh agent, wherein the wireless access point: Estimating a current location, which is a current location of a wireless terminal connected to the wireless access point or the mesh agent; If the estimated current location is included in a high-frequency use area, which is an area where the wireless terminal is frequently used, the method measures communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication path within the mesh network, and identifies a best communication path that is the communication path with the best traffic; If the communication route set in the wireless terminal is different from the best communication route, the set communication route is changed to the best communication route. (Appendix 10) The program is a step of estimating a current location of a wireless terminal connected to a wireless access point or mesh agent in the mesh network; If the estimated current location is included in a high-frequency use area, which is an area where the wireless terminal is frequently used, a procedure of actually measuring communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication route within the mesh network and identifying a best communication route which is the communication route with the best communication traffic; If the communication route set in the wireless terminal is different from the best communication route, the wireless terminal executes a procedure for changing the set communication route to the best communication route. (Appendix 11) 9. The mesh network system according to claim 8, the wireless access point further includes a first radio wave intensity acquisition unit; The mesh agent includes a second radio wave intensity acquisition unit, It is desirable that the position estimation unit estimates the position based on the radio wave intensities of the wireless terminal acquired by the first radio wave intensity acquisition unit and the second radio wave intensity acquisition unit, respectively. (Appendix 12) The program is a step of estimating a current location of a wireless terminal connected to a wireless access point or mesh agent in the mesh network; a step of actually measuring communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication path within the mesh network at the estimated current location, and identifying a best communication path that is the best communication path for the communication traffic; If the communication route set in the wireless terminal is different from the best communication route, the wireless terminal executes a procedure for changing the set communication route to the best communication route. (Appendix 13) 4. The wireless access point according to claim 3, It is desirable that the location estimation unit uses the communication traffic of the wireless terminal in addition to the location of the wireless terminal when calculating the frequently used area. In addition, the forms of Supplementary Notes 7-10 can be expanded into the forms of Supplementary Notes 2-6 and 13, just like Supplementary Note 1.

[0180] The disclosures of the above-mentioned patent documents, etc. are incorporated herein by reference. Modifications and adjustments of the embodiments and variations are possible within the scope of the entire disclosure of the present invention (including the scope of the claims), and further based on the basic technical concept thereof. Furthermore, various combinations and selections of the various disclosed elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each embodiment or variation, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible within the scope of the disclosure of the present invention. In other words, the present invention naturally includes various modifications and alterations that would be possible by a person skilled in the art in accordance with the entire disclosure and technical concept, including the scope of the claims. In particular, with regard to the numerical ranges set forth herein, any numerical value or subrange included within the range should be construed as being specifically set forth, even if not otherwise specified. [Explanation of symbols]

[0181] 100: Mesh network, 100a: Mesh network, 101: Broadband line, 102: ONU, 103: Backhaul, 104: Fronthaul, 111: Dedicated site, 191: CPU, 192: Main memory device, 193: Auxiliary memory device, 194: Communication I / F, 195: Expansion I / F, 210: wireless access point, 210a: wireless access point, 211: position estimation unit, 211a: position estimation unit, 212: communication traffic measurement unit, 212a: communication traffic measurement unit, 213: route change unit, 213a: route change unit, 214: frequently used area storage unit, 214a: frequently used area storage unit, 215: communication unit, 216: 2.4G wireless communication unit, 217: 5G wireless communication unit, 218: radio wave strength acquisition unit, 220: mesh agent, 220a: mesh agent, 221: mesh agent, 221a: mesh agent, 222: mesh agent, 222a: mesh agent, 225: communication unit, 226: 2.4G wireless communication unit, 227: 5G wireless communication unit, 228: radio wave strength acquisition unit, 310: wireless terminal, 310a: wireless terminal, 310b: wireless terminal, 311: position estimation unit, 312: communication traffic measurement unit, 313: route change unit, 314: best communication route storage unit, 315: communication unit, 601: Cluster, 602: Cluster, 603: Cluster, 680: Correspondence table, 690: Highly used area table, 691: Wireless terminal ID, 692: Highly used area, 693: Best communication route, CT: communication traffic, Psize: packet size, RT: response time

Claims

1. a wireless access point in a mesh network including the wireless access point and a mesh agent, a location estimation unit that estimates a current location of a wireless terminal connected to the wireless access point or the mesh agent; a communication traffic measurement unit that, when the estimated current location is included in a high frequency use area, measures communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication path within the mesh network, and identifies a best communication path that is the communication path through which the communication traffic is optimal; a route change unit that, when the communication route set in the wireless terminal is different from the best communication route, changes the set communication route to the best communication route.

2. 10. The wireless access point of claim 1, The position estimation unit estimates the position based on radio wave intensity of the wireless terminal measured by the wireless access point and the mesh agent within the mesh network.

3. 10. The wireless access point of claim 1, A wireless access point, wherein the location estimation unit estimates the location of the wireless terminal a predetermined number of times at a predetermined time interval prior to estimating the current location, and calculates the frequently used area using the estimation results.

4. 10. The wireless access point of claim 1, The wireless access point, wherein the communication traffic measurement unit sends packets addressed to the wireless terminal using a Ping command when the wireless terminal is not communicating, and measures the communication traffic.

5. 10. The wireless access point of claim 1, The route change unit changes the communication route when the wireless terminal is not in communication.

6. 10. The wireless access point of claim 1, The communication traffic measurement unit generates a correspondence table in which the identified best communication path is associated with each of the high-frequency use areas of the wireless terminal.

7. A wireless terminal that connects to a wireless access point or mesh agent in a mesh network, a position estimation unit that estimates a current position of the device itself; a communication traffic measurement unit that, when the estimated current location is included in a high frequency use area, measures communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication path within the mesh network, and identifies a best communication path that is the communication path through which the communication traffic is optimal; a communication path change unit that changes the set communication path to the best communication path when the set communication path in the wireless terminal is different from the best communication path.

8. A mesh network system including a wireless access point and a mesh agent, The wireless access point: a location estimation unit that estimates a current location of a wireless terminal connected to the wireless access point or the mesh agent; a communication traffic measurement unit that, when the estimated current location is included in a high frequency use area, measures communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication path within the mesh network, and identifies a best communication path that is the communication path through which the communication traffic is optimal; A mesh network system comprising: a route change unit that changes the set communication route to the best communication route when the set communication route in the wireless terminal is different from the best communication route.

9. In a mesh network system including a wireless access point and a mesh agent, the wireless access point Estimating a current location, which is a current location of a wireless terminal connected to the wireless access point or the mesh agent; If the estimated current location is included in a high-frequency use area, which is an area where the wireless terminal is frequently used, the method measures communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication path within the mesh network, and identifies a best communication path that is the communication path with the best traffic; A communication path setting method, wherein, if the communication path set in the wireless terminal is different from the best communication path, the set communication path is changed to the best communication path.

10. On the computer, a step of estimating a current location of a wireless terminal connected to a wireless access point or mesh agent in the mesh network; If the estimated current location is included in a high-frequency use area, which is an area where the wireless terminal is frequently used, a procedure of actually measuring communication traffic of the wireless terminal for each possible communication route within the mesh network and identifying a best communication route which is the communication route with the best communication traffic; and a program for executing a procedure for changing the set communication route to the best communication route when the set communication route in the wireless terminal is different from the best communication route.

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