Wireless communication device

Abstract

To provide a wireless communication device that performs data communication while taking into account the amount of data transmitted. [Solution] The wireless communication device 100 includes a wireless communication unit 20 having a plurality of communication modules 21, 22 corresponding to a plurality of communication lines TC1, TC2, and a communication control unit 10 that, in accordance with the determination of the remaining usable capacity of at least one of the plurality of communication lines TC1, TC2, selects the communication line to be used to transmit the planned transmission data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless communication device having a plurality of communication modules.

Background Art

[0002] A data collection device (communication device) having a plurality of data communication units is known (Patent Document 1). The data communication unit transmits data to the outside via a communication line. In the device of Patent Document 1, the communication line to be used is selected from a plurality of communication lines based on communication reliability or communication fees.

[0003] In the device of Patent Document 1, since data communication control considering communication volume is not performed, even if there are a plurality of communication lines, it is insufficient to maximize the contracted communication volume.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object thereof is to provide a wireless communication device that performs data communication considering communication volume.

[0006] To achieve the above object, a wireless communication device according to the present invention includes a wireless communication unit having a plurality of communication modules corresponding to a plurality of communication lines, and a communication control unit that selects a communication line to be used for transmitting transmission data scheduled at the time of determination according to a determination of the remaining available amount of at least one of the plurality of communication lines.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram for explaining a wireless communication device. [Figure 2]This is a functional block diagram illustrating a communication system including wireless communication equipment. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart explaining the operation of a wireless communication device. [Figure 4] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the use of a communication system, including wireless communication equipment. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram illustrating a wireless communication device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating a communication system including the wireless communication device shown. [Figure 7] Figure 5 illustrates the data determination database for the storage device shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] [First Embodiment] Hereinafter, a wireless communication device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the wireless communication device 100. Figure 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating the communication system 200 including the wireless communication device 100. The wireless communication device 100 shown in Figures 1 and 2 acts as a router facilitating communication between the source terminal 50 and the management device 60 shown in Figure 2. The wireless communication device 100 outputs a data transmission instruction to the source terminal 50 and communicates data between the source terminal 50 and the management device 60. The management device 60 is installed, for example, in a control center 70 or management center located at a distance from the wireless communication device 100. The management device 60 is, for example, a server or a computer. Multiple management devices 60 can be connected to the wireless communication device 100, such as management devices 61, 62, and 63. Note that one management device 60 may be installed in the control center 70, etc., or multiple management devices 60 may be installed. Also, multiple management devices 60 may be installed in different locations. The source terminal 50 is, for example, a signal controller, sensor, camera, personal computer, etc. Multiple source terminals 50 can be connected to the wireless communication device 100, such as terminals 51, 52, and 53. Alternatively, there may be only one source terminal 50. The wireless communication device 100 is connected to the source terminals 50 via wired or wireless communication. Furthermore, the wireless communication device 100 is connected to the management device 60 via a network 600. The network 600 includes, for example, a cellular network or the Internet.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication device 100 includes an input / output device 110, a memory device 120, an arithmetic unit 130, a first communication device 140, and a second communication device 150.

[0011] The input / output device 110 receives information for the arithmetic unit 130 to perform processing, and outputs the results of the processing performed by the arithmetic unit 130. The input / output device 110 may include various input and output devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, display, speaker, touch panel, etc. The input / output device 110 may be detachably connected or may be omitted.

[0012] The storage device 120 stores information necessary for the operation of the wireless communication device 100 (such as the communication control program 30 that executes the operation of the wireless communication device 100). The storage device 120 also stores information such as the contract details of communication lines TC1 and TC2, the amount of communication data used, and the priority of transmitted data. The storage device 120 is used as a non-transitory tangible storage medium for storing the communication control program 30, etc. The communication control program 30 may be provided as a computer program product recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. Alternatively, the communication control program 30 may be provided as a computer program product that can be downloaded from the management device 60, etc. Information regarding the contract details of communication lines TC1 and TC2 and the priority of transmitted data may be obtained from the management device 60, etc., or directly input by the input / output device 110.

[0013] The arithmetic unit 130 comprehensively controls the components of the wireless communication device 100. The arithmetic unit 130 reads and executes the communication control program 30 from the storage device 120 and performs various data processing to control communication between the source terminal 50 and the management device 60. The arithmetic unit 130 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit) that has various functions such as data storage, input / output, and calculation. The arithmetic unit 130 includes a communication control unit 10. As will be described in detail later, as shown in Figure 2, the communication control unit 10 includes a communication volume management unit 11, a line determination unit 12, a transmission instruction unit 13, and a data determination unit 14. By reading and executing the communication control program 30, the arithmetic unit 130 works in cooperation with the storage device 120 shown in Figure 1 to realize the communication volume management unit 11, line determination unit 12, transmission instruction unit 13, and data determination unit 14 shown in Figure 2.

[0014] The first communication device 140 communicates with the source terminal 50. The first communication device 140 transfers the data to be transmitted from the source terminal 50 to the arithmetic unit 130. The first communication device 140 also transfers signals or transmission instructions (including transmission instructions from the management device 60) generated by the arithmetic unit 130 to the source terminal 50. The first communication device 140 may include, for example, transceivers used in short-range wireless communication such as wireless LAN (Local Area Network), and various interfaces such as NIC (Network Interface Card) and USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminals.

[0015] The second communication device 150 communicates with the management device 60. The second communication device 150 forwards transmission data or transmission instructions from the management device 60 to the arithmetic unit 130. The second communication device 150 also forwards transmission data from the source terminal 50 and signals generated by the arithmetic unit 130 to the management device 60. The second communication device 150 is the wireless communication unit 20. The second communication device 150 includes transceivers used for long-distance wireless communication, such as in a cellular network.

[0016] The wireless communication unit 20 has multiple communication modules 21 and 22 corresponding to multiple communication lines TC1 and TC2. Specifically, the wireless communication unit 20 has a first communication module 21 corresponding to a first communication line TC1 and a second communication module 22 corresponding to a second communication line TC2. The communication lines TC1 and TC2 of the wireless communication unit 20 are wireless communication lines, specifically mobile communication lines such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) lines, 4G lines, and 5G lines.

[0017] Multiple communication lines TC1 and TC2 are composed of a main line MC and a secondary line SC. The settings of the main line MC and secondary line SC can be changed as appropriate. In this embodiment, the main line MC can be set to either the first communication line TC1, the second communication line TC2, or unconfigured.

[0018] In the illustrated example, the second communication device 150 or the wireless communication unit 20 is equipped with two communication modules 21 and 22, and the wireless communication device 100 enables the use of either of the two communication lines TC1 and TC2 at all times. During normal operation, the wireless communication device 100 communicates using, for example, one of the first communication lines TC1 as the main line MC and keeps the other second communication line TC2 on standby as the sub-line SC.

[0019] Also, during communication between the wireless communication device 100 and the management device 60, the wireless communication unit 20 acquires the used communication volume of each communication line TC1 and TC2 via an interface (not shown) and stores it in the storage device 120.

[0020] The wireless communication device 100 controls the communication volume of data in cooperation with the contract details of the communication lines TC1 and TC2 that can be used by the wireless communication device 100. The wireless communication device 100 switches the communication lines TC1 and TC2 and selects the transmission data according to the remaining available volume (free capacity), which is the remaining volume of the communication volume of each communication line TC1 and TC2. Specifically, the wireless communication device 100 increases the amount of data to be transmitted when the available remaining volume or free capacity is large based on the priority of the transmission data with respect to the contract communication volume of the communication lines TC1 and TC2, and suppresses the amount of data to be transmitted when the available remaining volume or free capacity is small. The wireless communication device 100 of the present embodiment can be applied to a communication system 200 in which a failure occurs if communication with the management device 60 or the transmission source terminal 50 is interrupted.

[0021] The priority of transmission data is an index indicating the order of data to be preferentially transmitted with respect to the transmission data sent from the source terminal 50 or data such as an abnormal log sent from the wireless communication device 100. This priority is determined by the data size, the management device 60 which is the destination, the source terminal 50 which is the source, the importance of the data, and the like. Examples of transmission data, in order of decreasing priority, include (1) the operating status of sensors, devices, etc., (2) abnormal information such as device failures, (3) the operation log of the source terminal 50, (4) the communication status such as connection and disconnection of each communication line TC1, TC2, (5) the operation log of the wireless communication device 100, and the like. The priority of transmission data is preset and stored in the storage device 120. Note that the priority of transmission data may be appropriately changed during the process of data communication.

[0022] Hereinafter, while referring to FIG. 2, the details of the communication control unit 10 of the arithmetic unit 130 will be described with respect to the wireless communication device 100.

[0023] The communication control unit 10 selects a communication line to be used for transmitting the transmission data planned at the time of determination in accordance with the determination of the remaining available amount of at least one of the plurality of communication lines TC1, TC2. Note that the transmission data includes, in addition to the data sent from the source terminal 50 to the management device 60 via the wireless communication device 100, the data sent from the wireless communication device 100 to the management device 60 and the data sent from the management device 60 to the source terminal 50. The upper limit of the remaining available amount in the wireless communication device 100 depends on the contracted communication volume.

[0024] The communication volume management unit 11 of the communication control unit 10 manages the remaining available data for multiple communication lines TC1 and TC2. The communication volume management unit 11 calculates the remaining available data from the used data volume and contracted data volume of multiple communication lines TC1 and TC2. This allows the system to understand the available data volume for each communication line TC1 and TC2. The used data volume is, for example, the data volume used from the first day of the contract period (e.g., one month) to the day or time on which the remaining available data volume is calculated. For example, each time data communication is performed, the communication volume management unit 11 adds the most recent used data volume obtained from the wireless communication unit 20 to the past used data volume stored in the storage device 120 to accumulate the used data volume for the contract period. The used data volume is reset when the contract period is renewed, which is the starting date for counting used data volume.

[0025] The communication volume management unit 11 acquires the surplus communication volume available in a day based, for example, on the communication volume of the highest priority data for a predetermined time (also called the communication volume of the highest priority data), the communication volume of the data transmitted from the management device 60 for a predetermined time (also called the communication volume of the data transmitted from the management device 60), the used communication volume of multiple communication lines TC1 and TC2, the contracted communication volume, the number of contracted days, and the current date. Based on the surplus communication volume, the communication volume management unit 11 determines the priority of transmission permission for the transmitted data. This allows the amount of data to be transmitted to be increased if there is available communication volume relative to the number of contracted days. Furthermore, by determining the priority of the transmitted data, the consumption of surplus communication volume in a short period of time can be suppressed. The highest priority data is the data with the highest priority among the transmitted data transmitted from the source terminal 50. An example of the highest priority data is data that is constantly transmitted from the source terminal 50 to the management device 60. The communication volume of the highest priority data and the communication volume of the data transmitted from the management device 60 are acquired by the interface (not shown) of the second communication device 150 (wireless communication unit 20) of the wireless communication device 100. Furthermore, the amount of data transmitted for the highest priority data and the amount of data transmitted from the management device 60 may be set in advance and stored in the storage device 120.

[0026] The line determination unit 12 determines the communication line to be used based on the remaining available data. The transmission instruction unit 13, described later, sends instructions regarding data transmission to the source terminal 50. The combination of the line determination unit 12 and the transmission instruction unit 13 allows the contract details of communication lines TC1 and TC2 to be linked with the application of the wireless communication device 100.

[0027] The line determination unit 12 prioritizes communication via the main line MC while switching between the main line MC and the secondary line SC depending on the remaining available capacity. This allows switching to a communication line with available capacity.

[0028] The line determination unit 12 selects the main line MC if the main line MC has available capacity equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and selects the secondary line SC if the main line MC does not have available capacity equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. Here, the predetermined amount is set in advance and is assumed to be, for example, equal to or greater than the amount of communication for a virtual highest priority data.

[0029] If the main line MC is not set, the line determination unit 12 selects the communication line with the largest remaining available capacity among the multiple communication lines TC1 and TC2. This allows for communication volume control even if the main line MC is not set to the first communication line TC1 or the second communication line TC2.

[0030] When the transmission instruction unit 13 receives a transmission instruction from the management device 60 for data to be sent to the source terminal 50, it forwards the transmission instruction to the transmission instruction unit 13. At this time, considering the priority of the data to be transmitted, if the line determination unit 12 determines that there is an available communication line, that is, if a communication line is selected for use, the transmission instruction unit 13 outputs a transmission instruction to the source terminal 50. When the source terminal 50 receives a transmission instruction from the transmission instruction unit 13, it transmits the corresponding data to the wireless communication device 100. The wireless communication device 100 uses the communication line selected by the line determination unit 12 of the wireless communication unit 20 to transmit the received data to the management device 60.

[0031] The transmission instruction unit 13 instructs the source terminal 50 on the priority of the data to be transmitted. Furthermore, if, after selecting the communication line to be used, the transmission instruction unit 13 does not set a predetermined amount of communication for the highest priority data, it instructs the source terminal 50 to transmit only the highest priority data. At this time, the communication volume management unit 11 obtains the predetermined amount of communication for the highest priority data from the second communication device 150 (wireless communication unit 20). This allows the predetermined amount of communication for the highest priority data to be reflected in the utilization of the remaining available data.

[0032] The data determination unit 14 determines the priority or importance based on the data type of the transmitted data sent from the source terminal 50. In this embodiment, data type information is attached to the transmitted data from the source terminal 50.

[0033] Furthermore, the data determination unit 14 determines whether the data transmitted by the source terminal 50 corresponds to the transmission instruction from the wireless communication device 100. If the data is the same as the transmission instruction, the data determination unit 14 transfers the data to the management device 60. If the data is not the same as the transmission instruction, the data determination unit 14 does not transfer the data to the management device 60 and notifies the source terminal 50 that the data is not the same as the transmission instruction.

[0034] As described above, the wireless communication device 100 determines the communication line to be used in order to control the amount of data transmitted. The wireless communication device 100 remains connected to both the first communication line TC1 and the second communication line TC2 in a communication-enabled state, and the communication line actually used for data transmission is selected based on the remaining available capacity of each communication line TC1 and TC2. That is, the wireless communication device 100 obtains the used communication amount of each communication line TC1 and TC2 using the communication volume management unit 11, and calculates the remaining available capacity (free capacity) of each communication line TC1 and TC2 from the contracted communication volume. Subsequently, the wireless communication device 100 determines the communication line to be used using the line determination unit 12, based on the remaining available capacity and the setting of the main line MC, from the following four options. (i) Option 1: If the main line MC is set to either the first communication line TC1 or the second communication line TC2, and the main line MC has a predetermined remaining capacity, select the main line MC as the communication line to use. (ii) Option 2: If the main line MC is set to either the first communication line TC1 or the second communication line TC2, and there is no remaining capacity on the main line MC, select the secondary line SC as the communication line to use. (iii) Option 3: If the main line MC is not set and the remaining capacity of the first communication line TC1 is greater than or equal to the remaining capacity of the second communication line TC2, the first communication line TC1 will be selected as the communication line to use. (iV) Option 4: If the main line MC is not set and the remaining capacity of the first communication line TC1 is less than the remaining capacity of the second communication line TC2, the second communication line TC2 will be selected as the communication line to use.

[0035] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the data communication volume control method in the wireless communication device 100. When the wireless communication device 100 is started, the arithmetic unit 130 reads and executes a communication control program 30 that operates the wireless communication device 100 from the storage device 120. Once the communication control program 30 is executed, the arithmetic unit 130 repeats the process shown in Figure 3. The wireless communication device 100 determines which communication line to use according to the remaining capacity of each communication line TC1 and TC2, and then controls the data communication volume according to the determined communication line. The wireless communication device 100 is pre-configured with the main line MC, the priority of transmitted data, the contracted communication volume for each communication line TC1 and TC2, the contracted number of days for each communication line TC1 and TC2, etc. The main line MC can be selected from the first communication line TC1, the second communication line TC2, or unconfigured.

[0036] First, in the wireless communication device 100, the communication volume management unit 11 acquires the used communication volume for each communication line TC1, TC2 (step S11). Specifically, the communication volume management unit 11 reads the used communication volume from the storage device 120.

[0037] The communication volume management unit 11 obtains the remaining available data for each communication line TC1 and TC2 (step S12). Specifically, the communication volume management unit 11 calculates the remaining available data from the difference between the contracted data volume and the used data volume obtained in step S11.

[0038] The line determination unit 12 checks whether the main line MC is configured (step S13).

[0039] If a main line MC is configured (Y in step S13), the line determination unit 12 checks whether there is a predetermined amount of remaining data capacity for the main line MC (step S14). If there is a predetermined amount of remaining data capacity for the main line MC (Y in step S14), the line determination unit 12 selects the main line MC as the communication line to be used (step S15). If there is no predetermined amount of remaining data capacity for the main line MC (N in step S14), the line determination unit 12 selects the secondary line SC as the communication line to be used (step S16). The predetermined remaining amount (corresponding to free capacity) in step S14 is set in advance and is assumed to be an amount greater than or equal to the amount of data transmitted over a predetermined period of time for virtual highest priority data.

[0040] If there is no setting for the main line MC (N in step S13), the line determination unit 12 checks whether the remaining capacity of the first communication line TC1 is greater than or equal to the remaining capacity of the second communication line TC2 (step S17). If the remaining capacity of the first communication line TC1 is greater than or equal to the remaining capacity of the second communication line TC2 (Y in step S17), the line determination unit 12 selects the first communication line TC1 as the communication line to be used (step S18). If the remaining capacity of the first communication line TC1 is less than the remaining capacity of the second communication line TC2 (N in step S17), the line determination unit 12 selects the second communication line TC2 as the communication line to be used (step S19).

[0041] After selecting the communication line to be used in one of steps S15, S16, S18, or S19, the communication volume management unit 11 checks whether a communication volume for a predetermined time for the highest priority data has been set (step S21). If no communication volume for the highest priority data has been set (N in step S21), the process proceeds to step S22. If a communication volume for the highest priority data has been set (Y in step S21), the process proceeds to step S25.

[0042] If no communication volume is set for the highest priority data (N in step S21), the transmission instruction unit 13 instructs the source terminal 50 to transmit only the highest priority data (step S22). As a result, the source terminal 50, having received the transmission instruction from the wireless communication device 100, transmits the transmission data instructed by the wireless communication device 100. The transmission data from the source terminal 50 is determined by the data determination unit 14, and only the highest priority data is transferred to the management device 60. If the transmission data is not the highest priority data, the source terminal 50 is notified accordingly.

[0043] After a predetermined time has elapsed since the transmission of the highest priority data (Y in step S23), the communication volume management unit 11 acquires the communication volume of the highest priority data (step S24). After step S24, the process returns to step S11.

[0044] If there is a setting for the communication volume of the highest priority data (Y in step S21), the communication volume management unit 11 obtains the current daily surplus communication volume (step S25). Specifically, the communication volume management unit 11 obtains the surplus communication volume that can be used each day based on the communication volume of the highest priority data for a predetermined time, the communication volume of the data transmitted from the management device 60 for a predetermined time, the used communication volume of each communication line TC1, TC2, the contracted communication volume, the number of contracted days, and the current date.

[0045] After step S25, if the surplus communication volume is greater than or equal to the set amount (Y in step S26), the communication volume management unit 11 determines the priority for permission to transmit (step S27). The set amount in step S26 (corresponding to a certain capacity) is predetermined.

[0046] After step S27, the transmission instruction unit 13 instructs the source terminal 50 on the priority of the data to be transmitted (step S28). Based on the surplus communication volume acquired in step S25, the transmission instruction unit 13 instructs the source terminal 50 to transmit data with a lower priority than the highest priority data. In this case, the source terminal 50 can transmit data with the permitted priority in addition to the highest priority data. As a result, the wireless communication device 100 can increase the amount of communication volume by the amount of surplus communication volume when transmitting data. The permitted priority is determined by setting the transmission priority in advance based on the size of the surplus communication volume. This makes it possible to suppress the consumption of surplus communication volume in a short period of time.

[0047] Upon receiving a transmission instruction from the wireless communication device 100, the transmitting terminal 50 transmits the transmission data instructed by the wireless communication device 100. The transmission data from the transmitting terminal 50 is evaluated by the data determination unit 14, and data with the permitted priority is transferred to the management device 60. If the transmission data is not data with the permitted priority, the transmitting terminal 50 is notified accordingly.

[0048] If the surplus communication volume is less than the set amount (N in step S26), the transmission instruction unit 13 instructs the source terminal 50 to transmit only the highest priority data (step S22). The case where the surplus communication volume is less than the set amount includes the case where there is no surplus communication volume. Upon receiving the transmission instruction from the wireless communication device 100, the source terminal 50 transmits the transmission data instructed by the wireless communication device 100. The transmission data from the source terminal 50 is determined by the data determination unit 14, and only the highest priority data is transferred to the management device 60. If the transmission data is not the highest priority data, the source terminal 50 is notified of this. After step S22, steps S23 and S24 are performed.

[0049] By periodically performing the processes from step S11 to step S28 described above, it is possible to control the increase or decrease in the amount of data being communicated.

[0050] If the highest priority data does not change, steps S23 and S24 may be omitted from the flow from N in step S26 to step S24.

[0051] Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the use of a communication system 200 including a wireless communication device 100. In the example in Figure 4, the wireless communication device 100 is mounted on the support pole 301 of a traffic signal 300.

[0052] As shown in Figure 4, the wireless communication device 100 constitutes a communication system 200 by combining a source terminal 50 and a management device 60. In Figure 4, the source terminal 50 is a signal controller 302. The signal controller 302 controls the signal displays of traffic lights 303 and pedestrian traffic lights 304.

[0053] The wireless communication device 100 and the source terminal 50 communicate, for example, via an Ethernet line 700. The wireless communication device 100 and the management device 60 communicate, for example, via an LTE line 601.

[0054] As described above, the wireless communication device 100 can maximize the use of the communication capacity of the contracted communication lines TC1 and TC2 by selecting the communication line to use according to the determination of the remaining available capacity of the communication lines TC1 and TC2.

[0055] Conventional technology had two main drawbacks: (i) it did not control data communication based on data volume, and (ii) even with multiple communication lines, it continued to use only the selected line unless the line was disconnected, thus failing to maximize the use of the contracted data allowance.

[0056] [Second Embodiment] The following describes an example of a wireless communication device according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, matters similar to those in the first embodiment will not be explained.

[0057] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating the wireless communication device 100 of the second embodiment. Figure 6 is a functional block diagram illustrating the communication system 200 including the wireless communication device 100. Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data determination database 40.

[0058] As shown in Figure 5, in the wireless communication device 100, the storage device 120 includes a data determination database 40. The data determination database 40 may be pre-configured according to the use of the source terminal 50, etc., or it may be updated as appropriate.

[0059] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, in the wireless communication device 100 of this embodiment, port number 41 is individually assigned to the transmission data 90 transmitted from the source terminal 50. Port number 41 is the data determination port number PN used between the wireless communication device 100 and the source terminal 50. Therefore, when the transmission data 90 is transferred from the wireless communication device 100 to the management device 60, port number 41 of the transmission data 90 is changed to port number 141, which is used between the wireless communication device 100 and the source terminal 50.

[0060] As shown in Figure 7, the data determination database 40 stores data type 42 and priority 43 associated with port number 41. In the example in Figure 7, the data assigned port number 41a corresponding to priority 43a is set as the highest priority data 45.

[0061] The data determination unit 14 shown in Figure 6 refers to the data determination database 40 shown in Figures 5 and 7 to determine the data type 42 and priority 43 based on the port number 41 (data determination port number PN). In this way, since the data type 42 and priority 43 corresponding to port number 41 are set in the data determination database 40, the data determination unit 14 can ultimately determine the data type 42 and priority 43 of the transmitted data 90.

[0062] The data determination unit 14 may also determine the priority of the transmitted data 90 from the data type 42, in which case the priority 43 of the data determination database 40 may be omitted.

[0063] 〔others〕 This invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from its spirit.

[0064] The wireless communication device 100 is not limited to the signal controller 302 shown in Figure 4, but may be used in other devices that utilize wireless communication. The wireless communication device 100 may be installed, for example, in roadside equipment.

[0065] The number of communication modules or communication lines is not limited to two; it may be three or more.

[0066] The transmitting terminal 50 may determine whether or not to transmit data based on the remaining available capacity predicted by the wireless communication device 100. Specifically, the wireless communication device 100, in its communication volume management unit 11, predicts the remaining available capacity (free capacity) of each communication line TC1, TC2 at regular intervals based on the amount of communication used, and notifies the transmitting terminal 50 of the priority of the data to be transmitted based on the predicted remaining available capacity. When the transmitting terminal 50 receives a data transmission instruction from the management device 60 via the wireless communication device 100, the transmitting terminal 50 compares the predicted remaining available capacity with the size of the data to be transmitted to determine whether or not to transmit the data.

[0067] The wireless communication device 100 may change the priority setting of the transmitted data in accordance with instructions from the management device 60, which is a higher-level device.

[0068] Regardless of the control of communication volume, the wireless communication device 100 may use the secondary line SC as a communication line if the main line MC is disconnected due to radio interference or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 10...Communication control unit, 11...Communication volume management unit, 12...Line determination unit, 13...Transmission instruction unit, 14...Data determination unit, 20...Wireless communication unit, 21,22...Communication module, 30...Communication control program, 40...Data determination database, 41,41a,141...Port number, 42...Data type, 43,43a...Priority, 45...Highest priority data, 50...Source terminal, 51,52,53...Terminals, 60,61,62,63...Management device, 70...Control center, 90...Transmitted data, 100...Wireless communication device, 110...Input / output device, 120...Storage device, 130...Calculation unit, 140...First communication device, 150...Second communication device, 200...Communication system, 300...Signal light, 302...Signal controller, 600...Network, MC...Main line, PN...Data determination port number, SC...Second line, TC1,TC2...Communication lines

Claims

1. A wireless communication unit having multiple communication modules that support multiple communication lines, A communication control unit, in response to a determination of the remaining available capacity of at least one of the aforementioned plurality of communication lines, selects the communication line to be used to transmit the planned transmission data at the time of determination. Equipped with, Wireless communication device.

2. The communication control unit includes a communication volume management unit that manages the remaining available capacity of the plurality of communication lines, a line determination unit that determines the communication line to be used based on the remaining available capacity, and a transmission instruction unit that transmits instructions regarding data transmission to the source terminal. The wireless communication device according to claim 1.

3. The communication volume management unit calculates the remaining available communication volume from the communication volume used and the contracted communication volume of the multiple communication lines. The wireless communication device according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned plurality of communication lines include a main line and a sub-line, The line determination unit prioritizes communication via the main line and switches between the main line and the secondary line according to the remaining available capacity. The wireless communication device according to claim 2.

5. The line determination unit selects the main line if the main line has a usable remaining capacity equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and selects the secondary line if the main line does not have a usable remaining capacity equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. The wireless communication device according to claim 4.

6. If no main line is set, the line determination unit selects the communication line with the largest remaining available capacity among the multiple communication lines. The wireless communication device according to claim 2.

7. After selecting the communication line to be used, if the amount of communication for the highest priority data for a predetermined time has not been set, the transmission instruction unit instructs the sending terminal to transmit only the highest priority data. The communication volume management unit acquires the communication volume of the highest priority data for the predetermined time. The wireless communication device according to claim 2.

8. The communication volume management unit obtains the surplus communication volume available in a day based on the communication volume of the highest priority data for the predetermined time, the communication volume used by the multiple communication lines, the contracted communication volume, the number of contracted days, and the current date, and determines the priority of transmission permission for the transmitted data based on the surplus communication volume. The transmission instruction unit instructs the sending terminal on the priority of the data to be transmitted. The wireless communication device according to claim 7.

9. The wireless communication unit includes a first communication module corresponding to a first communication line and a second communication module corresponding to a second communication line. The wireless communication device according to claim 1.

Images