Method and communication system for constructing a cluster network - Patents.com

Abstract

To provide a method and a communication system that can easily, quickly, and automatically construct a desired cluster network by setting one of a plurality of communication devices as a master unit based on a predetermined master / slave determination condition.SOLUTION: A method S100 for constructing a cluster network by using a plurality of communication devices 10 includes: step S140 of transmitting signals including state information 161 on its own state between a plurality of communication devices 10; and steps S160 and S170 of constructing the cluster network by setting one of the communication devices 10 as a master unit 10A according to a predetermined master / slave determination condition 163 based on the state information 161 of each of the communication devices 10 included in the signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a method and a communication system for constructing a cluster network, and more specifically, to a method and a communication system for constructing a cluster network in which one of a plurality of communication devices is set as a parent device in accordance with a predetermined parent-child determination condition. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, a field called IoT (Internet of Things) has been attracting attention. As the name suggests, IoT means that all devices around us are connected to communication networks such as the Internet and LAN (Local Area Network). By utilizing IoT, it is possible to obtain various information and operate devices at a lower cost than before.

[0003] The IoT field is attracting attention due to the miniaturization and low power consumption of devices capable of wireless communication, as well as advances in wireless communication technology. In particular, in the field of wireless communication technology, a wireless communication standard with extremely low power consumption called BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) is known and is widely used in the IoT field. Wireless communication according to the BLE standard has a short communication distance and a low communication speed, but it consumes very little power and, depending on the frequency of communication, can communicate wirelessly for more than a year with a single coin battery (button battery). Therefore, wireless communication according to the BLE standard is widely used in the IoT field, which requires communication with a huge number of devices.

[0004] One-to-many (1:n) communication between a master unit and multiple slave units according to the BLE standard is performed by executing pairing connection between the master unit and each of the multiple slave units, constructing a cluster network, and then sequentially transmitting commands to each of the slave units that are in a state where they can receive commands from the master unit (scan state) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Among cluster networks, a type in which all of the multiple slave units are connected to one master unit, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, is called a star network. With such a star network, multiple slave units can be controlled by operating one master unit. Also, by reflecting an operation on one of the multiple slave units to the other slave units via the master unit, the other slave units can be controlled by operating one of the multiple slave units. In this way, the fact that multiple slave units can be controlled by operating the master unit and the fact that an operation on one slave unit can be reflected on the other slave units are very useful in the IoT field in which a huge number of devices are connected to be able to communicate with each other.

[0005] In addition to the star network described above, examples of cluster networks include a multi-hierarchical cluster network in which a plurality of submaster units are connected to one master unit, and each of the submaster units is further connected to a plurality of submaster units or submaster units. A multi-hierarchical cluster network is typically used to configure a large-scale network in which connecting all submaster units to one master unit at the same time is inefficient or unrealistic in terms of the processing power or data communication speed of the master unit, or a network in which devices participating in the network are distributed over a wide area and it is impossible to connect all submaster units to one master unit at the same time due to the limited communication range of the master unit.

[0006] In order to build such a cluster network, a user of a communication device or a network administrator must pair and connect each of a plurality of communication devices one by one to build a desired cluster network. Therefore, when there are a large number of communication devices to be used as forward masters or slaves, the task of building a cluster network is a cumbersome task that requires a lot of time and effort.

[0007] In addition, the pairing connection based on the BLE standard is disconnected when at least one of the two communication devices connected to each other is turned off. Therefore, in an application in which the power of the communication device is turned on only when processing by the communication device is required, the work of constructing the cluster network as described above needs to be performed every time processing by the communication device is required. Therefore, there is a need to easily and quickly construct a desired cluster network using multiple communication devices.

[0008] Furthermore, in a cluster network, a parent device communicates with each of a plurality of forward parent devices and child devices, and therefore the frequency of communication performed by the parent device is higher than the frequency of communication performed by each of the plurality of forward parent devices and child devices. Therefore, in a cluster network, the processing load and communication load of the parent device are large. Therefore, when constructing a cluster network, it is preferable to use a high-performance communication device (e.g., a communication device with a processor having high arithmetic processing power, a communication device with the latest version, etc.) as the parent device. If the communication device with the highest performance among the multiple communication devices that construct the cluster network can be used as the parent device, the processing efficiency of the entire cluster network can be improved.

[0009] Furthermore, as described above, in a cluster network, the communication frequency of the parent device is higher than the communication frequency of each of the multiple forward parent devices and child devices, so the battery of the parent device is consumed quickly. If the battery of the parent device runs out in a cluster network and the parent device is turned off, the cluster network will shut down. In order to reduce the risk of such an unintended shutdown of the cluster network, it is preferable to set the communication device with the most remaining battery power as the parent device when constructing the cluster network.

[0010] However, the conventional method for constructing a cluster network is premised on the premise that a user of a communication device or an administrator of a network has set one of a plurality of communication devices as a parent device in advance, and it is not possible to automatically construct a cluster network by setting the most preferable one of the plurality of communication devices as a parent device and setting the other communication devices as sequential parent devices or child devices. In addition, when constructing a cluster network, it is a cumbersome task requiring a lot of time and effort for a user of a communication device or an administrator of a network to manually check the performance and battery level of each of a plurality of communication devices and determine which communication device should be set as a parent device. In addition, when the number of devices to construct a cluster network is large, such a task is practically impossible to carry out. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-5977 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional technology, and its object is to provide a method and communication system that can easily, quickly, and automatically construct a desired cluster network with one of multiple communication devices as the parent device based on predetermined parent-child determination conditions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] Such objectives are as follows: 7 This is achieved by the present invention. (1) A method for constructing a cluster network using a plurality of communication devices, comprising: transmitting signals between the plurality of communication devices, the signals including status information relating to their status; and constructing the cluster network by designating one of the plurality of communication devices as a parent device in accordance with a predetermined parent-child determination condition based on the state information of each of the plurality of communication devices included in the signal; The step of constructing the cluster network includes a step of performing authentication processing among the plurality of communication devices using a predetermined authentication condition, and identifying a plurality of communication devices to be used for constructing the cluster network; constructing the cluster network using only the plurality of communication devices determined to be used for constructing the cluster network; 20. The method of claim 19, wherein each of said plurality of communication devices is in communication range with every other communication device of said plurality of communication devices.

[0014] (2) each of the plurality of communication devices is driven by power supplied from a battery included in each of the plurality of communication devices; the status information for each of the plurality of communication devices includes a remaining charge of the battery for each of the plurality of communication devices; The method according to (1) above, wherein the parent-child determination condition is a condition for the battery of each of the plurality of communication devices.

[0015] (3) The method according to (2) above, wherein the step of constructing the cluster network includes a step of constructing the cluster network by selecting one of the plurality of communication devices having the highest remaining battery power as the parent device.

[0016] (4) the state information of each of the plurality of communication devices includes a computing power of a processor of each of the plurality of communication devices; The method according to (1) above, wherein the parent-child determination condition is a condition for the processor of each of the plurality of communication devices.

[0017] (5) The method according to (4) above, wherein the step of constructing the cluster network includes a step of constructing the cluster network by selecting one of the plurality of communication devices whose processor has the highest computing power as the parent device.

[0021] ( 6 ) the predetermined authentication condition is whether or not a predetermined function can be provided, The method according to (1) above, wherein the cluster network is constructed only with a plurality of communication devices capable of providing the specified function.

[0027] ( 7 ) A communication system including a plurality of communication devices, Each of the plurality of communication devices comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor; The memory of each of the plurality of communication devices comprises: a transmission module for transmitting signals including status information relating to the status of the communication devices between the communication devices; a parent-child determination module for determining whether the communication device itself should be a parent device or a child device in accordance with a predetermined parent-child determination condition based on the state information of each of the plurality of communication devices included in the signal, A cluster network is constructed with one of the plurality of communication devices as a parent device according to the determination by the parent-child determination module; When the cluster network is constructed, a process of authenticating the plurality of communication devices with each other is performed using a predetermined authentication condition, and a plurality of communication devices used to construct the cluster network are identified; The cluster network is constructed using only the plurality of communication devices that are determined to be used for constructing the cluster network; A communications system, wherein each of the plurality of communications devices is within communication range of every other of the plurality of communications devices. Effect of the Invention

[0028] According to the method and communication system of the present invention, a desired cluster network can be easily, quickly, and automatically constructed by selecting one of multiple communication devices as the parent device based on a predetermined parent-child determination condition. Therefore, by selecting a communication device with high performance as the parent device, the processing efficiency of the entire cluster network can be improved, and by selecting a communication device with the highest remaining battery power as the parent device, the risk of an unintended shutdown of the cluster network due to the parent device running out of battery can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a schematic concept of a method according to a first embodiment of the invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram of a communication device used in a method and communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 3 is a diagram showing an example of state information stored in a memory of the communication device shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5]FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a method concept according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a communication device for use in a method and communication system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 8 is a flowchart for explaining a network construction process executed in the method shown in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a method concept according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a method concept according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 10 is a flow chart illustrating a method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Hereinafter, a method and a communication system according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The method and the communication system according to each embodiment of the present invention are used to automatically construct a desired cluster network using multiple communication devices. In this specification, the term "cluster network" includes a star network in which multiple slave units are all connected to one master unit, and a multi-layered cluster network in which multiple submaster units are connected to one master unit, and each of the multiple submaster units is further connected to multiple submaster units or slave units.

[0031] First Embodiment <<Communication System 1>> First, a communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. Fig. 1 is a diagram that shows a schematic concept of a method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a communication device used in the method and communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a diagram that shows an example of state information stored in a memory of the communication device shown in Fig. 2.

[0032] Fig. 1 shows a schematic concept of a method according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1(a) shows a communication system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention before a star network is constructed by the method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1(b) shows a communication system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention after a star network is constructed by the method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the method and communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention are used to automatically construct a star network using a plurality of communication devices.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 1(a), a communication system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of communication devices 10. In the state shown in Fig. 1(a), the plurality of communication devices 10 are not wirelessly connected to each other. Moreover, a user of the communication device 10 or an administrator of the communication system 1 does not set in advance which of the plurality of communication devices 10 will be a parent device.

[0034] According to the method according to the first embodiment of the present invention described below in detail, as shown in FIG. 1(b), one of the multiple communication devices 10 is set as a master unit 10A and the other communication devices 10 are set as slave units 10B according to a predetermined parent-child discrimination condition, and a star network is constructed for one-to-many (1:n) communication between the master unit 10A and the multiple slave units 10B. The "star network" here refers to a network topology in which the multiple slave units 10B are connected to one or more master units 10A, respectively, and the multiple slave units 10B are not directly connected to each other, as shown in FIG. 1(b). In the communication system 1 in the state shown in FIG. 1(b), the master unit 10A and each of the multiple slave units 10B are connected by pairing connection according to the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) standard.

[0035] The parent device 10A transmits commands to the multiple child devices 10B individually. The command transmitted from the parent device 10A to each of the multiple child devices 10B includes an instruction regarding a function (service) to be provided by each of the multiple child devices 10B, and each of the multiple child devices 10B that receives the command provides a predetermined function (service) by executing a process according to the command. Therefore, the parent device 10A can centrally control the multiple child devices 10B.

[0036] As described in the section on the related art, in the related art, in order to construct a star network as shown in Fig. 1(b), a user of the communication device 10 or an administrator of the communication system 1, etc., pre-sets one of the multiple communication devices 10 as a master unit 10A, and then performs pairing connections between the master unit 10A and each of the multiple slave units 10B one by one. According to the method according to the first embodiment of this embodiment, it is possible to easily, quickly, and automatically construct a star network as shown in Fig. 1(b).

[0037] As described later in detail, according to the method of the present embodiment, a star network can be easily, quickly, and automatically constructed by selecting the most suitable one of the multiple communication devices 10 as the master 10A and selecting the other communication devices 10 as slaves 10B based on predetermined conditions including conditions related to the performance of the communication devices 10 and conditions related to the remaining battery power of the communication devices 10. Therefore, by selecting the communication device 10 with the highest performance as the master 10A, the processing efficiency of the entire star network can be improved, and by selecting the communication device 10 with the highest remaining battery power as the master 10A, the risk of an unintended shutdown of the star network due to the master 10A running out of battery can be reduced. The method of the present embodiment and the communication device 10 used in the communication system 1 will be described in detail below.

[0038] <<Communication device 10>> 2 functions as either a master unit 10A (also referred to as a central unit) or a slave unit 10B (also referred to as a peripheral unit) in a star network. When the communication device 10 functions as the master unit 10A, the master unit 10A can centrally control the multiple slave units 10B by transmitting commands to each of the multiple communication devices 10 functioning as the slave units 10B.

[0039] The communication device 10 may be a computing device such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a workstation, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PDA, a wearable terminal, or the like, or may be a device for providing a predetermined function such as a sensor, a light, a camera, a speaker, a switch, a traffic light, or the like.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2, the communication device 10 includes one or more processors 11 for controlling the communication device 10, an I / O (input / output) interface 12 for performing input to and output from the communication device 10, a battery 13 for providing power to drive the communication device 10, a BLE communication unit 14 for performing wireless communication according to the BLE standard, one or more memories 15 storing data 16 and modules 17 used to perform processing of the communication device 10, and an application unit 18 for providing specified functions (services).

[0041] The one or more processors 11 are computing units that perform computations, such as signal manipulation, based on computer-readable instructions, such as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), central processing units (CPUs), memory control units (MCUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), state machines, logic circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or combinations thereof. In particular, the processor 11 is configured to fetch computer-readable instructions (e.g., data, programs, modules, etc.) stored in the memory 15 and perform computations, signal manipulations, and control.

[0042] The I / O interface 12 includes various software interfaces and hardware interfaces, such as a web interface and a graphical user interface (GUI). For example, the I / O interface 12 is an interface for peripheral devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel display, an external memory, a printer, and a display. The I / O interface 12 enables input to the communication device 10 using an input device, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel display, and output from the communication device 10 to a display, a printer, and an external memory. The I / O interface 12 may also enable the communication device 10 to communicate with any external device, such as an external web server or data server, via a network, such as the Internet.

[0043] The battery 13 is a power source provided inside the communication device 10, such as a button battery, a dry cell, a lithium ion battery, etc. The components of the communication device 10 are driven by the power supplied from the battery 13.

[0044] The BLE communication unit 14 is a unit used to execute wireless communication according to the BLE standard. The BLE communication unit 14 includes components necessary for executing wireless communication according to the BLE standard, such as an antenna, a transmission / reception circuit, and a modulation / demodulation circuit, and executes wireless communication according to the BLE standard between multiple communication devices 10 in response to a command input from the processor 11. The communication device 10 can transmit an advertisement signal to other communication devices 10 by using the BLE communication unit 14. The advertisement signal can include commands, arbitrary data, and information. Therefore, the communication device 10 can execute required communication between multiple communication devices 10 by exchanging advertisement signals without using unique signals by appropriately changing commands, data, information, and the like included in the advertisement signal.

[0045] The memory 15 is a computer-readable medium including a volatile storage medium (e.g., RAM, SRAM, DRAM), a non-volatile storage medium (e.g., ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, hard disk, optical disk, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray disk, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk), or a combination thereof.

[0046] The memory 15 is communicatively connected to the processor 11, and stores data 16 necessary for the communication device 10 to execute processing, and a plurality of modules 17 executable by the processor 11. The memory 15 also has a function of temporarily storing data received, processed, or generated by one or more of the plurality of modules 17, as well as data necessary for the plurality of modules 17 to execute processing.

[0047] The application unit 18 is a unit for executing processing according to a command transmitted from the parent device 10A and providing a predetermined function (service) when the communication device 10 functions as the child device 10B. For example, when the communication device 10 is a sensor, the application unit 18 is a sensor unit, and when the communication device 10 is a light, the application unit 18 is a light unit. By using the application unit 18, the communication device 10 can provide a predetermined function (service) according to a command transmitted from the parent device 10A.

[0048] The data 16 stored in the memory 15 includes status information 161 regarding the status of the communication device 10, authentication conditions 162 for performing authentication processing between multiple communication devices 10, parent-child determination conditions 163 for determining whether the communication device 10 will become a parent device 10A or a child device 10B, and any number of other data 164 required to perform processing of the communication device 10.

[0049] The state information 161 is information about the state of the communication device 10. The state information 161 is used in an authentication process for identifying a communication device 10 used to construct a star network from among the multiple communication devices 10, and in a parent-child determination process for determining which of the communication devices 10 identified as being used to construct a star network should be set as the parent device 10A.

[0050] FIG. 3 shows an example of the state information 161. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the state information 161 includes device information 1611 indicating details of the communication device 10, and battery information 1612 regarding the battery 13. The device information 1611 includes attributes indicating functions that the communication device 10 can provide using the application unit 18 (e.g., calculation, lighting, sensing, photographing, voice transmission, switch switching, traffic signal switching, etc.), the version of the communication device 10, the firmware version of the communication device 10, the calculation processing capacity of the processor 11 of the communication device 10, the operation date of the communication device 10, and the serial number of the communication device 10. Note that the state information 161 may include additional information other than the information shown in FIG. 3. The device information 1611 is written into the memory 15 at the time of manufacture or on the operation date of the communication device 10.

[0051] The battery information 1612 is information indicating details and a state of the battery 13. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the battery information 1612 includes the type of the battery 13, the nominal capacity of the battery 13 (the capacity of the battery 13 when not in use), and the remaining amount of the battery 13. Note that the battery information 1612 may include additional information other than the information shown in Fig. 3. The remaining amount of the battery 13 is checked by the processor 11 when the communications device 10 is activated or at all times, and the remaining amount of the battery 13 in the battery information 1612 is updated as needed based on the remaining amount of the battery 13 acquired by the processor 11.

[0052] 2, the authentication condition 162 is used to identify a communication device 10 to be used to construct a star network from among a plurality of communication devices 10. For example, the authentication condition 162 may include (a) a location condition of the communication device 10, (b) a condition on a function provided by the communication device 10, (c) a condition on the performance of the communication device 10, (d) a condition on the battery 13, and / or a combination of these conditions (a) to (d).

[0053] Regarding the above condition (a), the authentication condition 162 may be whether or not the multiple communication devices 10 are located within a predetermined distance from each other. For example, the authentication condition 162 may be set so that the authentication process executed between the two communication devices 10 succeeds when the distance between the two communication devices 10 executing the authentication process with each other is equal to or less than the predetermined distance. In this case, a star network is constructed only with the communication devices 10 that are close to each other and within the predetermined distance.

[0054] Since each of the multiple communication devices 10 performs wireless communication according to the BLE standard, the strength of the advertising signal emitted from each of the multiple communication devices 10 is specified by the BLE standard. On the other hand, the strength of the advertising signal emitted from one of the two communication devices 10 that perform authentication processing with each other and received by the other is inversely proportional to the distance between the two communication devices 10. Therefore, the communication device 10 that receives the advertising signal can calculate the distance between the communication device 10 that transmitted the advertising signal and the communication device 10 that received the advertising signal by referring to the received signal strength (RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indication). For example, the authentication condition 162 may be set so that the authentication processing between the two communication devices 10 is successful only when the received signal strength (RSSI) of the advertising signal exchanged between the two communication devices 10 that perform authentication processing with each other is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (for example, -60 dB). In this case, a star network is constructed only by a plurality of communication devices 10 that are separated from each other within a predetermined separation distance determined by a predetermined threshold of received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

[0055] Furthermore, the authentication condition 162 may be whether or not the communication device 162 is located within a predetermined distance from any one of the multiple communication devices 10. The any one of the multiple communication devices 10 may be a communication device 10 on which an operation for constructing a star network has been executed, or may be a communication device 10 that has been set in advance by a user of the communication device 10 or an administrator of the communication system 1. In this case, the star network is constructed only by the multiple communication devices 10 that are located within a predetermined range centered on any one of the multiple communication devices 10.

[0056] Regarding the above condition (b), the authentication condition 162 may be related to the attributes of the communication device 10. For example, the authentication condition 162 may be set to refer to the attributes of the state information 161 of the communication device 10 and to allow the authentication process to succeed if the communication device 10 can provide a predetermined function (service). In this case, a star network is constructed only by communication devices 10 that provide a predetermined function (e.g., calculation, sensing, lighting, etc.). This allows the star network to be constructed only by a plurality of communication devices 10 that can provide the same function (service).

[0057] Regarding the above condition (c), the authentication condition 162 may be related to the performance of the communication device 10. For example, the authentication condition 162 may be a condition regarding the performance of the processor 11 of the communication device 10 to be authenticated. More specifically, the authentication condition 162 may be set to allow the authentication process to succeed if the computing power of the processor 11 of the communication device 10 to be authenticated is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (e.g., 1.00 GHz). Alternatively, the authentication condition 162 may be set to allow the authentication process to succeed if the device version or firmware version of the communication device 10 is newer than a predetermined version. In this case, a star network is formed only with the communication devices 10 that satisfy the predetermined performance requirements defined by the computing power and version information of the processor 11. This makes it possible to prevent a communication device 10 that does not satisfy the predetermined performance requirements from being incorporated into the star network, thereby preventing a decrease in the processing performance of the entire star network.

[0058] Regarding the above condition (d), the authentication condition 162 may be related to the battery 13 of the communication device 10. The authentication condition 162 may be set so that the authentication process is successful if the type of the battery 13 of the communication device 10 to be authenticated is a predetermined type, or if the nominal capacity of the battery 13 of the communication device 10 to be authenticated is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, or if the remaining charge of the battery 13 of the communication device 10 to be authenticated is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. In this case, a star network is formed only with the communication devices 10 that satisfy the requirements (type, nominal capacity, remaining charge) for the predetermined battery 13. This makes it possible to equalize the performance and remaining charge of the batteries 13 of the multiple communication devices 10 that form the star network.

[0059] Moreover, the authentication condition 162 may be a combination of the above-mentioned conditions (a) to (d). By using the authentication condition 162 that is an appropriate combination of the above-mentioned conditions (a) to (d), a star network can be constructed using only the communication devices 10 having predetermined characteristics. That is, by appropriately setting the authentication condition 162, it is possible to narrow down the multiple communication devices 10 used to construct a star network. In the IoT field, many different types of communication devices 10 are installed in various places as needed, so the states and performance of the communication devices 10 that can be used to construct a star network do not necessarily match. Therefore, if a star network is constructed using all of the communication devices 10 that are simply present within a communicable range, undesirable situations may occur, such as the size of the star network becoming larger than necessary, communication devices 10 that provide unnecessary functions being incorporated into the star network, or communication devices 10 that are likely to run out of battery quickly being incorporated into the star network. On the other hand, in this embodiment, by appropriately setting the authentication condition 162, it is possible to construct a star network using only the communication devices 10 that have desired characteristics (performance, battery characteristics, etc.). This makes it possible to improve the convenience and reliability of the star network.

[0060] Note that the above-mentioned authentication condition 162 is merely an example, and any condition that can be derived from the communication conditions of the multiple communication devices 10 or the state information 161 transmitted between the multiple communication devices 10 may be used as the authentication condition 162. Such authentication condition 162 can be arbitrarily set by the user of the communication device 10 or the administrator of the communication system 1, etc., when the communication device 10 is manufactured or operated, or at any timing.

[0061] The parent-child determination condition 163 is used in a parent-child determination process for determining whether a plurality of communication devices 10 determined to be used for constructing a star network in the authentication process using the above-mentioned authentication condition 162 should become a parent device 10A or a child device 10B. The parent-child determination condition 163 is not particularly limited, but may include, for example, a condition related to the performance of the communication device 10, a condition related to the battery 13 of the communication device 10, or a combination thereof.

[0062] Regarding the condition related to the performance of the communication device 10, the parent-child determination condition 163 may be set so that, among the multiple communication devices 10 determined to be used to construct a star network in the authentication process using the above-mentioned authentication condition 162, one having the processor 11 with the highest computational processing capacity is set as the parent device 10A. In this case, among the multiple communication devices 10 determined to be used to construct a star network, the communication device 10 having the processor 11 with the highest computational processing capacity is set as the parent device 10A, and the other communication devices 10 are set as the child devices 10B, and the star network is constructed. As a result, the communication device 10 having the processor 11 with the highest computational processing capacity becomes the parent device 10A with the highest processing load, so that the processing efficiency of the entire star network can be improved. Alternatively, the parent-child determination condition 163 may be set so that, among the multiple communication devices 10 determined to be used to construct a star network, one having the latest device version and / or firmware version is set as the parent device 10A. Since the newer the device version and / or firmware version is, the higher the computing power of the communication device 10 is in many cases, even in this case, the processing efficiency of the entire star network can be improved.

[0063] Regarding the condition related to the battery 13 of the communication device 10, the parent-child determination condition 163 may be set so that, among the multiple communication devices 10 determined to be used to construct a star network in the authentication process using the above-mentioned authentication condition 162, the one with the largest remaining battery 13 is set as the parent device 10A. In this case, among the multiple communication devices 10 determined to be used to construct a star network, the communication device 10 with the largest remaining battery 13 is set as the parent device 10A, and the other communication devices 10 are set as the child devices 10B, thereby constructing a star network. As described in the section on the prior art, in a star network, the communication frequency of the parent device 10A is higher than the communication frequency of each of the multiple child devices 10B, so that the battery 13 of the parent device 10A is consumed quickly, and there is a high risk that the star network will be shut down unintentionally due to the battery running out of the parent device 10A. By constructing a star network with the communication device 10 having the greatest remaining battery power as the master unit 10A, it is possible to reduce the risk of the star network being shut down unintentionally due to the master unit 10A running out of battery power.

[0064] The parent-child determination condition 163 may be a combination of a condition related to the performance of the communication device 10 and a condition related to the battery 13 of the communication device 10. By using the parent-child determination condition 163 that appropriately combines the condition related to the performance of the communication device 10 and the condition related to the battery 13 of the communication device 10, a star-shaped network can be constructed in which a communication device 10 having a predetermined characteristic is a master unit 10A. Note that the above-mentioned parent-child determination condition 163 is merely an example, and any condition that can be derived from the communication conditions of a plurality of communication devices 10 or the state information 161 transmitted between a plurality of communication devices 10 may be used as the parent-child determination condition 163. Such a parent-child determination condition 163 can be arbitrarily set by a user of the communication device 10 or an administrator of the communication system 1 at the time of manufacturing or operation of the communication device 10, or at any timing.

[0065] The modules 17 stored in memory 15 are computer-readable instructions executable by the processor 11, such as routines, applications, programs, algorithms, libraries, objects, components, data structures, or combinations thereof.

[0066] The module 17 includes an information transmission module 171 for transmitting advertising signals including the communication devices 10's own status information 161 to each other, an authentication module 172 for performing an authentication process to identify the communication device 10 to be used to construct a star network from among the communication devices 10, a parent-child determination module 173 for determining whether the communication device 17 should become a parent device 10A or a child device 10B, a network construction module 174 for performing a pairing connection to construct the star network, and any number of other modules 175 to supplement the functions provided by the communication device 10.

[0067] The information transmission module 171 is used to transmit advertising signals including state information 161 stored in the memory 15 between the multiple communication devices 10. When a predetermined operation for constructing a star network is executed for any one of the multiple communication devices 10 in the communication system 1 in the state shown in FIG. 1(a), the information transmission module 171 generates an advertising signal including the state information 161 stored in the memory 15, and transmits the advertising signal including the state information 161 between the multiple communication devices 10.

[0068] 2, when the authentication module 172 receives state information 161 from another communication device 10, the authentication module 172 is used to execute authentication processing for identifying a communication device 10 to be used to construct a star network from among the multiple communication devices 10, using authentication conditions 162 stored in the memory 15. When the authentication module 172 receives state information 161 from another communication device 10, the authentication module 172 executes authentication processing for the other communication device 10, using authentication conditions 162 stored in the memory 15.

[0069] The result of the authentication process performed by the other communication devices 10 on the communication device 10 is temporarily stored in the memory 15. In the method of the present embodiment, only the communication device 10 that has been successfully authenticated by all of the other communication devices 10 may be determined to be used to construct a star network, or only the communication device 10 that has been successfully authenticated by at least one of the other communication devices 10 may be determined to be used to construct a star network. Whether only the communication device 10 that has been successfully authenticated by all of the other communication devices 10 is used to construct a star network or only the communication device 10 that has been successfully authenticated by at least one of the other communication devices 10 is used to construct a star network can be arbitrarily set by the user of the communication device 10 or the administrator of the communication system 1, etc.

[0070] Parent-child determination module 173 is used to execute a parent-child determination process for determining whether it should become parent device 10A or child device 10B in accordance with parent-child determination conditions 163 stored in memory 15. Parent-child determination module 173 executes a parent-child determination process for determining whether it should become parent device 10A or child device 10B in accordance with parent-child determination conditions 163 stored in memory 15, based on state information 161 transmitted from each of a plurality of communication devices 10 determined to be used to construct a star network as a result of the authentication process by authentication module 172. The result of the parent-child determination process by parent-child determination module 173 is temporarily stored in memory 15.

[0071] As a result of the parent-child determination process by the parent-child determination module 173 of each of the plurality of communication devices 10 determined to be used to construct a star network, one of the plurality of communication devices 10 determined to be used to construct a star network is determined to be the parent device 10A, and the other communication devices 10 are determined to be the child devices 10B. Note that as a result of the parent-child determination process by the parent-child determination module 173, there are cases in which it is determined that two or more communication devices 10 can be the parent device 10A. Such a case may occur, for example, when the parent-child determination condition 163 is set so that one of the plurality of communication devices 10 with the largest remaining battery 13 is determined to be the parent device 10A, and the remaining battery 13 of the plurality of communication devices 10 is 100%. In such a case, any additional condition may be used, such as the communication device 10 with the smaller serial number in the status information 161 being the parent device 10A.

[0072] The network construction module 174 is used to execute pairing connections between the communication device 10 determined as the master device 10A by the master / slave determination module 173 and each of the multiple communication devices 10 determined as the slave device 10B by the master / slave determination module 173. The network construction module 174 of the communication device 10 determined as the master device 10A exchanges advertising signals (advertising packets) with each of the multiple communication devices 10 determined as the slave device 10B, establishes pairing connections with each of the multiple communication devices 10 determined as the slave device 10B, and constructs a star network. The method of this embodiment is executed in the communication system 1 including the multiple communication devices 10 described above. Hereinafter, the method of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

[0073] <<Method S100>> Fig. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The method S100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 4 is executed in the communication system 1 according to the first embodiment including the above-mentioned plurality of communication devices 10.

[0074] 1(a) in which the communication system 1 is in a state where the plurality of communication devices 10 are not paired with each other and no star network is established. First, in step S110, a predetermined operation for establishing a star network is executed on any one of the plurality of communication devices 10 (communication device a), and communication device a is activated.

[0075] In step S120, the communication device a wirelessly transmits an advertising signal for wake-up to each of the other communication devices 10 (communication devices b to z) using the BLE communication unit 14. Note that, although FIG. 4 shows the transmission of the advertising signal for wake-up to each of the other communication devices 10 (communication devices b to z) being performed simultaneously, the transmission of the advertising signal for wake-up to each of the other communication devices 10 (communication devices b to z) may be performed sequentially. The advertising signal for wake-up transmitted from the communication device a to the other communication devices 10 (communication devices b to z) in step S120 includes commands, data, information, etc. required to activate the other communication devices 10 (communication devices b to z).

[0076] In step S130, each of the multiple communication devices 10 that have received the advertising signal for wake-up from the communication device a is activated. Thereafter, in step S140, each of the activated multiple communication devices 10 (communication devices a to z) uses the information transmission module 171 to generate an advertising signal including the state information 161 stored in its own memory 15, and transmits the signal to each other. In step S150, the communication device 10 that has received the signal including the state information 161 of the other communication device 10 uses the authentication module 172 to perform authentication processing on the other communication device 10 that has transmitted the advertising signal including the state information 161, based on the authentication conditions 162 stored in its own memory 15. The result of the authentication processing performed by the other communication device 10 on the communication device 10 is temporarily stored in the memory 15 of the communication device 10.

[0077] In step S150, only the communication device 10 that has been successfully authenticated by all of the other communication devices 10, or only the communication device 10 that has been successfully authenticated by at least one of the other communication devices 10, is determined to be used to construct the star network. Note that whether only the communication device 10 that has been successfully authenticated by all of the other communication devices 10 is used to construct the star network, or only the communication device 10 that has been successfully authenticated by at least one of the other communication devices 10 is used to construct the star network can be arbitrarily set by the user of the communication device 10 or the administrator of the communication system 1. In this way, in step S150, the authentication process is performed between the multiple communication devices 10 according to the authentication condition 162, and the communication device 10 to be used to construct the star network is determined.

[0078] In step S160, each of the multiple communication devices 10 determined in step S150 to be used to construct the star network executes a parent-child determination process using a parent-child determination module 173 to determine whether it should become a parent device 10A or a child device 10B of the star network in accordance with a parent-child determination condition 163 stored in memory 15. When it is determined in step S160 that one communication device 10 should become a parent device 10A, the method S100 proceeds to step S170.

[0079] In step S170, the communication device 10 determined in step S160 to be the parent device 10A exchanges advertising signals with each of the multiple communication devices 10 determined in step S160 to be the child devices 10B, using the network construction module 174, and establishes pairing connections with each of the multiple communication devices 10 determined to be the child devices 10B, thereby constructing a star network. In step S170, when the star network is constructed by the parent device 10A and the multiple child devices 10B and the communication system 1 transitions to the state shown in FIG. 1(b), the method S100 ends.

[0080] In this manner, in the method S100 and communication system 1 of this embodiment, the multiple communication devices 10 use the authentication conditions 162 stored in the memory 15 of each of the multiple communication devices 10 to perform authentication processing among each other, thereby making it possible to quickly, easily, and automatically construct a star network using only communication devices 10 that have predetermined characteristics.

[0081] Furthermore, in the method S100 and communication system 1 of this embodiment, a star network can be constructed in which a communication device 10 having a predetermined characteristic is the master unit 10A by executing a master-child determination process using the master-child determination condition 163 stored in the memory 15 of each of the multiple communication devices 10. Therefore, according to the method S100 and communication system 1 of this embodiment, by making a high-performance communication device 10 the master unit 10A, it is possible to improve the processing efficiency of the entire star network, and by making a communication device 10 with the greatest remaining battery power the master unit 10A, it is possible to reduce the risk of an unintended shutdown of the star network due to the master unit 10A running out of battery.

[0082] <Second embodiment> Next, a method and a communication system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. First, the communication system according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 5 to 6. Fig. 5 is a diagram that illustrates a concept of the method according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a block diagram of a communication device used in the method and the communication system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] Hereinafter, the method and communication system of the second embodiment will be described with a focus on the differences from the method and communication system of the first embodiment, and the description of the similarities will be omitted. The method and communication system of the second embodiment are used to automatically construct a multi-hierarchical cluster network using multiple communication devices.

[0084] As in the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5(a), the communication system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of communication devices 10. In the state shown in Fig. 5(a), the plurality of communication devices 10 are not wirelessly connected to each other. In addition, the user of the communication device 10 or the administrator of the communication system 1 does not set in advance which of the plurality of communication devices 10 will be the master unit 10A.

[0085] According to a method according to a second embodiment of the present invention described below, one of the communication devices 10 is set as a master 10A according to a predetermined master / child discrimination condition, as shown in FIG. 5(b), and a multi-hierarchical cluster network is constructed. The "multi-hierarchical cluster network" here refers to a network topology in which a plurality of forward master units 10C are connected to one master unit 10A, and further, a plurality of forward master units 10C or a plurality of child units 10B are connected to each of the plurality of forward master units 10C, as shown in FIG. 5(b). Furthermore, in the multi-hierarchical cluster network, the plurality of forward master units 10C and the plurality of child units 10B belonging to the same hierarchical level are not directly connected to each other. In the communication system 1 in the state shown in FIG. 5(b), the master unit 10A and each of the plurality of forward master units 10C are connected to each other by pairing connection according to the BLE standard. Similarly, each of the multiple forward master devices 10C is connected to each of the multiple child devices 10B, or each of the multiple forward master devices 10C at the next lower hierarchical level, by a pairing connection according to the BLE standard.

[0086] In the multi-hierarchical cluster network as shown in FIG. 5(b), the parent device 10A forms a first hierarchy, a plurality of forward parent devices 10C connected to the parent device 10A by pairing form a second hierarchy, and the forward parent device 10C or the child device 10B connected to the forward parent device 10C in the second hierarchy by pairing form a third hierarchy. In this way, in the multi-hierarchical cluster network, the parent device 10A is set as the first hierarchy, and the hierarchy to which the forward parent device 10C or the child device 10B belongs is determined according to the number of relays (forward parent devices 10C) until the parent device 10A is reached. The forward parent device 10C or the child device 10B belonging to each hierarchy of such a multi-hierarchical cluster network transmits and receives data from the parent device 10A via one or more pairing connections.

[0087] The parent unit 10A transmits commands to the multiple forward parent units 10C and the multiple child units 10B individually. The commands transmitted from the parent unit 10A to each of the multiple forward parent units 10C and the multiple child units 10B include instructions on the functions (services) that each of the multiple forward parent units 10C and the multiple child units 10B should provide, and each of the multiple forward parent units 10C and the multiple child units 10B that receive the command provides a predetermined function (service) by executing a process according to the command. Therefore, the parent unit 10A can centrally control the multiple forward parent units 10C and the multiple child units 10B.

[0088] <<Communication device 10>> 6 functions as any one of a master unit 10A, a forward master unit 10C (also called a submaster unit), and a slave unit 10B in a multi-hierarchical cluster network. When the communication device 10 functions as a master unit 10A, the master unit 10A can centrally control the multiple forward master units 10C and slave units 10B by transmitting commands to each of the multiple communication devices 10 functioning as the forward master unit 10C or the slave unit 10B via one or more pairing connections.

[0089] When the communication device 10 functions as the forward master device 10C, if the forward master device 10C receives a command from the master device 10A that is intended for itself, the forward master device 10C executes processing according to the command to provide a predetermined function (service). On the other hand, if the forward master device 10C receives a command from the master device 10A that is intended for the forward master device 10C or the slave device 10B that belongs to a lower hierarchical level than itself, the forward master device 10C functions as a relay that relays the command from the master device 10A to the appropriate forward master device 10C or slave device 10B. When the communication device 10 functions as the slave device 10B, the slave device 10B receives a command intended for itself from the master device 10A via one pairing connection, and executes processing according to the command to provide a predetermined function (service).

[0090] 6 is similar to the communication device 10 of the first embodiment, except that a maximum connection number 165 and a preferred connection condition 166 are further stored in the memory 15, and the number of other communication devices 10 that are simultaneously paired and connected to the communication device 10 does not exceed a predetermined maximum connection number. Descriptions of elements similar to those of the communication device 10 of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0091] The maximum connection number 165 stored in the memory 15 is an arbitrary integer parameter of 2 or more corresponding to the number of other communication devices 10 that can be simultaneously paired and connected to the communication device 10. That is, in this embodiment, the communication device 10 is configured so that the number of other communication devices 10 that are simultaneously paired and connected to the communication device 10 does not exceed its own maximum connection number 165. The maximum connection number 165 may be written in the memory 15 in a non-rewritable manner when the communication device 10 is manufactured or shipped, or may be rewritable in response to a signal input to the communication device 10 via the I / O interface 12.

[0092] The priority connection condition 166 stored in the memory 15 is used to assign a priority to each of the other communication devices 10 for pairing connection with the communication device 10 when there are multiple other communication devices 10 that can establish a pairing connection with the communication device 10. As described above, in this embodiment, the upper limit of the number of other communication devices 10 that can be paired with the communication device 10 at the same time is the maximum connection number 165. Therefore, when the number of other communication devices 10 that can be paired with the communication device 10 exceeds the maximum connection number 165 of the communication device 10, the communication device 10 must determine which of the multiple other communication devices 10 to establish a pairing connection with. Therefore, the communication device 10 assigns a priority to each of the other communication devices 10 that can be paired with the communication device 10 using the priority connection condition 166, and establishes a pairing connection with the other communication devices 10 according to the assigned priority.

[0093] The preferred connection condition 166 is not particularly limited as long as it can determine the priority of each of the other communication devices 10 that can be paired with the communication device 10, but may include (a) location conditions of the other communication devices 10, (b) conditions regarding the functions provided by the other communication devices 10, (c) conditions regarding the performance of the other communication devices 10, (d) conditions regarding the battery 13 of the other communication devices 10, and / or a combination of these conditions (a) to (d).

[0094] For example, when (a) the positional condition of the other communication devices 10 is set as the preferential connection condition 166, a priority is assigned to each of the multiple other communication devices 10 based on the received signal strength (RSSI) of the advertising signal received from the other communication devices 10. In this case, a priority is assigned to each of the multiple other communication devices 10 in descending order of the received signal strength of the advertising signal, that is, in descending order of the distance from the communication device 10. Therefore, a pairing connection is established between the communication device 10 and the other communication devices 10 in ascending order of the distance from the communication device 10.

[0095] Furthermore, when (b) a condition regarding a function provided by the other communication device 10 is set as the preferential connection condition 166, a priority is assigned to each of the multiple other communication devices 10 based on the function provided by the other communication devices 10. For example, a high priority is assigned to the other communication device 10 that can provide a specific function, and a low priority is assigned to the other communication device 10 that cannot provide the specific function. In this case, the other communication device 10 that can provide the specific function is preferentially paired with the communication device 10.

[0096] Furthermore, when a condition (c) regarding the performance of the other communication device 10 is set as the preferential connection condition 166, a priority is given to each of the multiple other communication devices 10 based on the performance of the other communication device 10 (for example, the computing power, device version, or firmware version of the processor 11) derived from the state information 161 included in the advertising signal received from the other communication device 10. For example, when the computing power of the processor 11 is set as the preferential connection condition 166, a priority is given to each of the multiple other communication devices 10 in descending order of the computing power of the processor 11. Therefore, a pairing connection between the communication device 10 and the other communication devices 10 is established in descending order of the computing power of the processor 11. Furthermore, when the device version or firmware version is set as the preferential connection condition 166, a priority is given to each of the multiple other communication devices 10 in descending order of the device version or firmware version. Therefore, a pairing connection between the communication device 10 and the other communication devices 10 is established in descending order of the device version or firmware version.

[0097] Furthermore, when (d) a condition regarding the battery 13 of the other communication device 10 is set as the priority connection condition 166, a priority is assigned to each of the multiple other communication devices 10 based on the remaining amount of the battery 13 of the other communication device 10 derived from the state information 161 included in the advertising signal received from the other communication device 10. In this case, a priority is assigned to each of the multiple other communication devices 10 in descending order of the remaining amount of the battery 13. Therefore, a pairing connection is established between the communication device 10 and the other communication device 10 in descending order of the remaining amount of the battery 13.

[0098] Furthermore, the priority connection condition 166 may be a combination of the above-mentioned conditions (a) to (d). In this case, a predetermined formula is used to calculate a priority score based on the above-mentioned conditions (a) to (d), and priorities are assigned to each of the multiple other communications devices 10 in descending order of the calculated priority score. The priority connection condition 166 may be written in the memory 15 in an unrewritable manner when the communications device 10 is manufactured or shipped, or may be rewritable in response to a signal input to the communications device 10 via the I / O interface 12.

[0099] As described above, in this embodiment, the communication device 10 assigns a priority to each of the multiple other communication devices 10 that can be paired with the communication device 10 based on its own preferential connection condition 166, and establishes a pairing connection with the other communication devices 10 in the order of the assigned priority. Therefore, even if the number of other communication devices 10 that can be paired with the communication device 10 exceeds the maximum connection number 165 of the communication device 10, the communication device 10 can determine with which of the multiple other communication devices 10 a pairing connection is to be established. The method of this embodiment is executed in the communication system 1 including the multiple communication devices 10 described above. Hereinafter, the method of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 7 to 8.

[0100] <<Method S200>> Fig. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a method according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a network construction process executed in the method shown in Fig. 7. The method S200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 7 is executed in a communication system 1 according to the second embodiment, which includes a plurality of communication devices 10 described above.

[0101] 5(a) in that the communication system 1 is not paired with the multiple communication devices 10 and no multi-hierarchical cluster network is established. First, in step S210, a predetermined operation for establishing a multi-hierarchical cluster network is executed for any one of the multiple communication devices 10 (communication device a), and communication device a is activated.

[0102] In step S220, the communication device a wirelessly transmits an advertising signal for wake-up to each of the other communication devices 10 (communication devices b to z) using the BLE communication unit 14. Note that, although FIG. 7 shows the transmission of the advertising signal for wake-up to each of the other communication devices 10 (communication devices b to z) being performed simultaneously, the transmission of the advertising signal for wake-up to each of the other communication devices 10 (communication devices b to z) may be performed sequentially. The advertising signal for wake-up transmitted from the communication device a to the other communication devices 10 (communication devices b to z) in step S220 includes commands, data, information, etc. required to activate the other communication devices 10 (communication devices b to z).

[0103] In step S230, each of the multiple communication devices 10 that have received the advertising signal for wake-up from the communication device a is activated. Thereafter, in step S240, each of the activated multiple communication devices 10 (communication devices a to z) uses the information transmission module 171 to generate an advertising signal including the state information 161 stored in its own memory 15, and transmits the signal to each other. In step S250, the communication device 10 that has received the signal including the state information 161 of the other communication device 10 uses the authentication module 172 to perform authentication processing on the other communication device 10 that has transmitted the advertising signal including the state information 161, based on the authentication conditions 162 stored in its own memory 15. The result of the authentication processing performed by the other communication device 10 on itself is temporarily stored in the memory 15 of the communication device 10.

[0104] In step S250, only the communication device 10 that has been successfully authenticated by all the other communication devices 10, or only the communication device 10 that has been successfully authenticated by at least one of the other communication devices 10, is determined to be used to construct a multi-hierarchical cluster network. Note that whether only the communication device 10 that has been successfully authenticated by all the other communication devices 10 is used to construct a multi-hierarchical cluster network, or only the communication device 10 that has been successfully authenticated by at least one of the other communication devices 10 is used to construct a multi-hierarchical cluster network, can be arbitrarily set by the user of the communication device 10 or the administrator of the communication system 1. In this way, in step S250, the authentication process is performed between the multiple communication devices 10 according to the authentication condition 162, and the communication device 10 to be used to construct the multi-hierarchical cluster network is determined.

[0105] In step S260, each of the multiple communication devices 10 determined in step S250 to be used to construct the multi-hierarchical cluster network uses a parent-child determination module 173 to execute a parent-child determination process to determine whether it should become a parent device 10A or a child device 10B of the multi-hierarchical cluster network in accordance with a parent-child determination condition 163 stored in memory 15. When it is determined in step S260 that one communication device 10 should become a parent device 10A, the process proceeds to step S270.

[0106] In step S270, the communications device 10 determined to be the master unit 10A (hereinafter referred to as the master unit 10A) executes a network construction process S300 shown in Fig. 8. The network construction process S300 will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 8.

[0107] In step S310, the communication device 10 executing the network construction process S300 (hereinafter, in the description of the network construction process S300, the communication device 10 executing the network construction process S300 will be simply referred to as the "communication device 10") discovers other communication devices 10 that are not connected to the multi-hierarchical cluster network by scanning using the network construction module 174. After that, the communication device 10 uses the information transmission module 171 to exchange advertisement signals including its own status information 161 with the multiple unconnected communication devices 10 discovered by scanning.

[0108] In step S320, the communication device 10 performs authentication processing on the multiple unconnected communication devices 10 with which the advertising signal was exchanged in step S310, based on the authentication conditions 162 stored in its own memory 15. In step S320, only the unconnected communication devices 10 for which the authentication processing by the communication device 10 has been successful are determined to be used to build a multi-hierarchical cluster network. Thereafter, in step S330, the communication device 10 calculates the priority of each of the multiple unconnected communication devices 10 from the state information 161 included in the advertising signal of the multiple unconnected communication devices 10 determined to be used to build a multi-hierarchical cluster network in step S320, based on the preferential connection conditions 166 stored in its own memory 15. Thereafter, the communication device 10 assigns the calculated priority to each of the multiple unconnected communication devices 10.

[0109] In step S340, the communication device 10 uses the network construction module 174 to establish pairing connections with unconnected communication devices 10 in the order of the priority assigned in step S330. The other communication devices 10 with which the pairing connections with the communication device 10 have been established belong to a hierarchy one level lower than the communication device 10. The construction of pairing connections with unconnected communication devices 10 in step S340 ends when the number of other communication devices 10 that are simultaneously paired with the communication device 10 reaches the maximum number of connections 165 stored in the memory 15 of the communication device 10, or when pairing connections with all of the other communication devices 10 that were assigned priorities in step S330 have been established. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S350.

[0110] In step S350, the communication device 10 determines whether the number of other communication devices 10 that are simultaneously paired and connected to the communication device 10 has reached its own maximum connection number 165 stored in the memory 15. If the number of other communication devices 10 that are simultaneously paired and connected to the communication device 10 has not reached the maximum connection number 165 of the communication device 10, the process proceeds to step S360. In step S360, the communication device 10 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the network construction process S300 was started. If the predetermined time has not elapsed since the network construction process S300 was started, the process returns to step S310, and steps S310 to S350 are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, in step S360, if the predetermined time has elapsed since the network construction process S300 was started, the network construction process S300 ends. The predetermined time used in the determination in step S360 can be arbitrarily set by the user of the communication device 10 or the administrator of the communication system 1, etc.

[0111] In step S350, if the number of other communication devices 10 simultaneously paired and connected to the communication device 10 reaches the maximum number of connections of the communication device 10, 165, the process proceeds to step S370. In step S370, the communication device 10 instructs each of the other communication devices 10 simultaneously paired and belonging to the next lower hierarchical level to become the forward master 10C of the next lower hierarchical level. In step S370, when each of the other communication devices 10 simultaneously paired and connected to the communication device 10 in the next lower hierarchical level becomes the forward master 10C of the next lower hierarchical level, the process of step S370 ends, and the network construction process S300 ends.

[0112] Returning to Fig. 7, in step S270, the master unit 10A executes the network construction process S300 described in detail with reference to Fig. 8. When the master unit 10A executes the network construction process S300, the communication system 1 takes one of two states: a state in which the master unit 10A is connected to the forward master units 10C in a number equal to the maximum connection number 165 of the master unit 10A through pairing, or a state in which the master unit 10A is connected to the other communication devices 10 in a number less than the maximum connection number 165 of the master unit 10A (in this case, the other communication devices 10 paired with the master unit 10A are the slave units 10B).

[0113] When the communication system 1 is in a state in which the number of forward master units 10C equal to the maximum number of connections 165 of the master unit 10A are paired with the master unit 10A, in step S280, each of the multiple forward master units 10C paired with the master unit 10A executes the network construction process S300 described in detail with reference to Fig. 8. Note that when the communication system 1 is in a state in which the number of slave units 10B fewer than the maximum number of connections 165 of the master unit 10A are paired with the master unit 10A, that is, when the master unit 10A executes the network construction process S300 in step S270, step S370 is not executed, and none of the slave units 10B paired with the master unit 10A is instructed to become the forward master unit 10C in the next lower hierarchical level, there is no forward master unit 10C in the communication system 1, so step S280 is not executed. In this case, communication system 1 is made up of master device 10A and a plurality of slave devices 10B that are directly paired with master device 10A, and is therefore essentially equivalent to a star network.

[0114] In step S280, each of the multiple forward master devices 10C that are paired and connected to the master device 10A executes the network construction process S300. Furthermore, when step S370 of the network construction process S300 is executed by each of the multiple forward master devices 10C in step S280, multiple forward master devices 10C that belong to a lower level are paired and connected to the forward master device 10C that executed step S370 of the network construction process S300. Similarly, each of the multiple forward master devices 10C that belong to a lower level and that are paired and connected to the forward master device 10C to hang down also executes the network construction process S300 in step S280. Therefore, each time multiple new forward master devices 10C that belong to a lower level are paired and connected to the forward master device 10C that executed the network construction process S300 to hang down, the network construction process S300 is executed by each of the multiple newly paired forward master devices 10C.

[0115] Therefore, the execution of the network construction process S300 by the forward master device 10C in step S280 is executed by each of the multiple forward master devices 10C until all the forward master devices 10C have executed the network construction process S300 and no new multiple forward master devices 10C are paired. In other words, the network construction process S300 is executed by each of the multiple forward master devices 10C until all of the communication devices 10 determined to be used to construct a multi-hierarchical cluster network based on the authentication condition 162 are paired with either the master device 10A or the multiple forward master devices 10C.

[0116] As a result, the number of hierarchical layers of the multi-hierarchical cluster network is automatically increased according to the number of communication devices 10 determined to be used to construct the multi-hierarchical cluster network. Therefore, the number of hierarchical layers of the multi-hierarchical cluster network constructed by the method S200 of the present embodiment changes dynamically according to the number of communication devices 10 determined to be used to construct the multi-hierarchical cluster network. The number of communication devices 10 determined to be used to construct the multi-hierarchical cluster network changes according to the setting method of the authentication condition 162. Therefore, the user of the communication system 1 and method S200 of the present invention does not need to specify the number of hierarchical layers of the multi-hierarchical cluster network in consideration of the number of communication devices 10 used to construct the multi-hierarchical cluster network. In this way, according to the communication system 1 and method S200 of the present invention, a multi-hierarchical cluster network with an appropriate number of hierarchical layers according to the setting method of the authentication condition 162 of each communication device 10 can be automatically constructed without specifying the number of hierarchical layers of the multi-hierarchical cluster network in consideration of the number of communication devices 10 used to construct the multi-hierarchical cluster network.

[0117] When the number of other communication devices 10 paired with each of the multiple forward master units 10C becomes smaller than the maximum number of connections 165 for each of the multiple forward master units 10C and the number of hierarchies in the multi-hierarchical cluster network stops increasing, the construction of the multi-hierarchical cluster network in step S280 is completed and method S200 ends.

[0118] In this manner, in the method S200 and the communication system 1 of this embodiment, a multi-hierarchical cluster network can be constructed in which a communication device 10 having a predetermined characteristic is the master unit 10A by executing a master-child determination process using the master-child determination condition 163 stored in the memory 15 of each of the multiple communication devices 10. Therefore, according to the method S200 and the communication system 1 of this embodiment, by making a communication device 10 with high performance the master unit 10A, it is possible to improve the processing efficiency of the entire multi-hierarchical cluster network, and by making a communication device 10 with the greatest remaining battery power the master unit 10A, it is possible to reduce the risk of an unintended shutdown of the multi-hierarchical cluster network due to a dead battery in the master unit 10A.

[0119] <Third embodiment> Next, a method and a communication system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 is a diagram that illustrates a concept of the method according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 is a flowchart that illustrates the method according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0120] The method and communication system of the third embodiment will be described below with a focus on the differences from the method and communication system of the second embodiment, and the description of the similarities will be omitted. The method and communication system of the third embodiment are used to reconstruct a multi-hierarchical cluster network when a communication failure occurs in the multi-hierarchical cluster network due to reasons such as the parent device 10A being powered down due to the battery 13 running out of capacity.

[0121] 9(a), a communication system 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of communication devices 10 that are paired and connected to form a multi-hierarchical cluster network. Each of the plurality of communication devices 10 included in the communication system 1 of this embodiment has the same configuration as the communication device 10 of the second embodiment described above.

[0122] 9(a), it is assumed that a communication failure occurs in the multi-hierarchical cluster network because the master unit 10A of the multi-hierarchical cluster network is unable to communicate due to a power-down caused by a dead battery 13, etc. In this situation, the method according to the third embodiment of the present invention is used to reconstruct the multi-hierarchical cluster network, excluding the master unit 10A that caused the communication failure.

[0123] When a communication failure occurs in the multi-hierarchical cluster network due to reasons such as the parent device 10A of the multi-hierarchical cluster network being powered down due to the battery 13 running out of capacity, the method S400 of this embodiment is started. Hereinafter, the method S400 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0124] 10 shows a flowchart of the method S400. When the method S400 is started, in step S410, the pairing connection between all communication devices 10 that constructed the multi-hierarchical cluster network in which the communication failure occurred is first released. After that, the multiple forward masters 10C that belonged to the hierarchy (i.e., the second hierarchy) immediately below the master 10A in the multi-hierarchical cluster network in which the communication failure occurred use the information transmission module 171 to generate advertising signals including the status information 161 stored in their own memory 15 and transmit them to each other.

[0125] In step S420, each of the multiple forward master devices 10C that transmitted advertising signals to each other in step S410 executes a master device determination process using the master device determination module 173 to determine whether it should become a new master device 10A or a slave device 10B of the multi-hierarchical cluster network in accordance with the master device determination condition 163 stored in the memory 15. Thereafter, the communication device 10 (hereinafter referred to as the master device 10A) that is determined in step S420 to become a new master device 10A executes the network construction process S300 described in detail with reference to Fig. 8. The network construction process S300 has been described in detail in the description of the method S200 of the second embodiment, and therefore will not be described here. Thereafter, in a manner similar to step S280 of the method S200 of the second embodiment, in step S440, each of the multiple communication devices 10 instructed to become the forward master device 10C in step S370 of the network construction process S300 executed in step S430 executes the network construction process S300. By using such a method S400, it is possible to construct a new multi-hierarchical cluster network excluding the old master device 10A that caused the communication failure, as shown in Fig. 9(b).

[0126] In the method S400 of this embodiment, candidates for the new master unit 10A are limited to multiple forward master units 10C that belonged to the layer one layer below the master unit 10A (i.e., the second layer) in the multi-layer cluster network where the communication failure occurred, so that it is possible to reduce the amount of data traffic and the amount of data processing in data communication executed to quickly determine the communication device 10 (forward master unit 10C) that should become the new master unit 10A. This makes it possible to quickly reconstruct the multi-layer cluster network.

[0127] <Fourth embodiment> Next, a method and a communication system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figures 11 and 12. Figure 11 is a diagram that shows a schematic concept of the method according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the method according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0128] The method and communication system of the fourth embodiment will be described below with a focus on the differences from the method and communication system of the second embodiment, and a description of similar points will be omitted. The method and communication system of the fourth embodiment are used to reconstruct a multi-hierarchical cluster network when a communication failure occurs in the multi-hierarchical cluster network due to a forward master device 10C belonging to any hierarchical layer being powered down due to a dead battery 13, or for other reasons.

[0129] 11(a), a communication system 1 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of communication devices 10 that are paired and connected to form a multi-hierarchical cluster network. Each of the plurality of communication devices 10 included in the communication system 1 of this embodiment has the same configuration as the communication device 10 of the second embodiment described above.

[0130] As shown in Fig. 11(a), assume a situation in which a forward master device 10C belonging to any tier of the multi-hierarchical cluster network becomes unable to communicate due to reasons such as power down due to exhaustion of the battery 13, causing a communication failure in the multi-hierarchical cluster network. The multi-hierarchical cluster network shown in Fig. 11(a) is hereinafter referred to as the "multi-hierarchical cluster network in an initial state." In this situation, a new multi-hierarchical cluster network is reconstructed by the method according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, excluding the forward master device 10C that caused the communication failure.

[0131] When a communication failure occurs in the multi-hierarchical cluster network because a forward master device 10C belonging to any hierarchical layer of the multi-hierarchical cluster network is powered down due to a dead battery 13, or for other reasons, the method S500 of this embodiment is started. Hereinafter, the method S500 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0132] FIG. 12 shows a flowchart of the method S500. When the method S500 is started, in step S510, first, in the multi-hierarchical cluster network in which a communication failure has occurred, the connections between all the forward master units 10C and the slave units 10B that were paired to hang from the forward master unit 10C that has become unable to communicate are released. Meanwhile, in the multi-hierarchical cluster network in the initial state, the connections between the master unit 10A, the multiple forward master units 10C, and the multiple slave units 10B that are not paired to hang from the forward master unit 10C that has become unable to communicate are maintained. As a result, first, the forward master unit 10C that has become unable to communicate, and all the forward master units 10C and the slave units 10B that were paired to hang from the forward master unit 10C are excluded from the multi-hierarchical cluster network in the initial state, and a first multi-hierarchical cluster network is obtained. Thereafter, all of the forward parent devices 10C and child devices 10B that were paired and connected to the forward parent device 10C that has become unable to communicate, except for the forward parent device 10C that has become unable to communicate, generate advertising signals including status information 161 stored in their own memories 15 and transmit them to each other.

[0133] In step S520, each of the multiple forward master devices 10C and slave devices 10B that transmitted advertising signals to each other in step S510 executes a master device determination process to determine whether the device should become a master device 10A or a slave device 10B of a new multi-hierarchical cluster network (referred to as a "second multi-hierarchical cluster network") using a master device determination module 173 in accordance with the master device determination condition 163 stored in the memory 15. Thereafter, in step S530, the communication device 10 that is determined to become a master device 10A of the second multi-hierarchical cluster network executes the network construction process S300 described in detail with reference to FIG. 8. The network construction process S300 has been described in detail in the description of the method S200 of the second embodiment, and therefore will not be described here. Then, in step S540, similar to step S280 of the method S200 of the second embodiment, each of the multiple communication devices 10 that was instructed to become the forward master device 10C in step S370 of the network construction process S300 executed in step S530 executes the network construction process S300.

[0134] As a result, in the multi-hierarchical cluster network in which the communication failure has occurred, a second multi-hierarchical cluster network is constructed by the multiple forward master units 10C and slave units 10B that were paired and connected to the forward master unit 10C that has become unable to communicate. In this state, the communication system 1 includes a first multi-hierarchical cluster network (i.e., a multi-hierarchical cluster network in which the forward master unit 10C that has become unable to communicate and the multiple forward master units 10C and slave units 10B that were paired and connected to the forward master unit 10C that has become unable to communicate are removed from the multi-hierarchical cluster network in the initial state) and a second multi-hierarchical cluster network (i.e., a multi-hierarchical cluster network constructed by the multiple forward master units 10C and slave units 10B that were paired and connected to the forward master unit 10C that has become unable to communicate).

[0135] Next, in step S550, the parent device 10A of the second multi-hierarchical cluster network is connected to the parent device 10A of the first multi-hierarchical cluster network as a forward parent device 10C. As a result, the first multi-hierarchical cluster network and the second multi-hierarchical cluster network are integrated with the second multi-hierarchical cluster network hanging below the parent device 10A of the first multi-hierarchical cluster network, and a new multi-hierarchical cluster network is obtained. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11(b), it is possible to reconstruct a new multi-hierarchical cluster network excluding the old forward parent device 10C that caused the communication failure.

[0136] According to the method S500 of the present embodiment, the second multi-hierarchical cluster network is constructed only by the multiple forward master units 10C and the slave units 10B that were paired to hang from the forward master unit 10C that has become unable to communicate, while the pairing connection between the communication devices 10 that construct the first multi-hierarchical cluster network is maintained. Therefore, the amount of data traffic and the amount of data processing for data communication for reconstructing a new multi-hierarchical cluster network can be reduced. Furthermore, the first multi-hierarchical cluster network and the second multi-hierarchical cluster network can be integrated simply by connecting the master unit 10A of the second multi-hierarchical cluster network to the master unit 10A of the first multi-hierarchical cluster network as the forward master unit 10C, so that a new multi-hierarchical cluster network excluding the forward master unit 10C that has become unable to communicate can be quickly reconstructed.

[0137] In this way, according to the method and communication system of the present invention, a desired cluster network can be easily, quickly, and automatically constructed by using one of the communication devices having a predetermined characteristic as a parent device based on the parent-child determination conditions stored in the memory of each of the communication devices. Therefore, the method and communication system of the present invention can be effectively used in, for example, an electronic shelf label wireless network system for comprehensively controlling a large number of electronic shelf labels attached to product shelves in a retail store such as a supermarket, each of which has a display means such as electronic paper or a liquid crystal display that displays the price of each product, a bed sensor monitoring system in the medical field consisting of a plurality of sensors attached to a bed and a management device, a sensor system such as a factory process monitoring system consisting of a plurality of sensors and a management device for monitoring each process in a factory, an LED lighting system for comprehensively controlling a plurality of LED lights, a game machine or a toy that requires comprehensive control of various devices, a wireless switch system for comprehensively turning on / off a plurality of devices, a wearable device system for comprehensively controlling a plurality of wearable devices and biosensors attached to the body, etc.

[0138] Although the method and communication system of the present invention have been described based on the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. The configuration of each component of the present invention can be replaced with any other component capable of performing the same function, or any other component can be added to the configuration of the present invention.

[0139] Those skilled in the art in the field and technology to which the present invention pertains will be able to modify the configurations of the described method and communication system of the present invention without significantly departing from the principles, concepts, and scope of the present invention, and methods and communication systems having modified configurations are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0140] For example, the numbers and types of components of the communication systems shown in Figures 1 to 3, 5 to 6, 9, and 11 are merely examples for explanation, and the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. Within the scope of the principles and intent of the present invention, embodiments in which any component is added or combined, or any component is deleted, are also within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, each component of the communication system may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of these.

[0141] In addition, the numbers and types of steps in the methods shown in Figures 4, 7 to 8, 10, and 12 are merely examples for the purpose of explanation, and the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. Within the scope of the present invention, any step may be added or combined for any purpose, or any step may be deleted.

[0142] In the above description, the communication device designated as the master, the multiple communication devices designated as the secondary masters (only in the multi-hierarchical cluster network), and each of the multiple communication devices designated as the secondary masters are connected by a pairing connection based on the BLE standard, but the present invention is not limited to this. A mode in which the communication device designated as the master, the multiple communication devices designated as the secondary masters (only in the multi-hierarchical cluster network), and each of the multiple communication devices designated as the secondary masters are connected by a connection similar to the pairing connection based on the BLE standard is also within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 1...Communication system 10...Communication device 10A...Parent unit 10B...Slave unit 10C...Forward parent unit 11...Processor 12...I / O interface 13...Battery 14...BLE communication unit 15...Memory 16...Data 161...Status information 1611...Device information 1612...Battery information 162...Authentication conditions 163...Parent-child determination conditions 164...Other data 165...Maximum number of connections 166...Priority connection conditions 17...Module 171...Information transmission module 172...Authentication module 173...Parent-child determination module 174...Network construction module 175...Other modules 18...Application unit S100...Method S110, S120, S130, S140, S150, S160, S170...Process S200...Method S210, S220, S230, S240, S250, S260, S270, S280...processes S300...network construction processing S310, S320, S330, S340, S350, S360, S370...processes S400...method S410, S420, S430, S440...processes S500...method S510, S520, S530, S540, S550...processes

Claims

1. A method for establishing a cluster network using a plurality of communication devices, comprising: transmitting signals between the plurality of communication devices, the signals including status information relating to their status; and constructing the cluster network by designating one of the plurality of communication devices as a parent device in accordance with a predetermined parent-child determination condition based on the state information of each of the plurality of communication devices included in the signal, The step of constructing the cluster network includes a step of performing authentication processing among the plurality of communication devices using a predetermined authentication condition, and identifying a plurality of communication devices to be used for constructing the cluster network; constructing the cluster network using only the plurality of communication devices determined to be used for constructing the cluster network; 20. The method of claim 19, wherein each of said plurality of communication devices is in communication range with every other communication device of said plurality of communication devices.

2. each of the plurality of communication devices is driven by power supplied from a battery included in each of the plurality of communication devices; the status information for each of the plurality of communication devices includes a remaining charge of the battery for each of the plurality of communication devices; The method of claim 1 , wherein the parent-child determination condition is a condition for the battery of each of the plurality of communication devices.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the step of establishing the cluster network includes a step of establishing the cluster network by using one of the plurality of communication devices having the greatest remaining battery power as the master device.

4. the state information for each of the plurality of communication devices includes a computing power of a processor of each of the plurality of communication devices; The method of claim 1 , wherein the parentage condition is a condition for the processor of each of the plurality of communication devices.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the step of constructing the cluster type network includes a step of constructing the cluster type network by using one of the plurality of communication devices, the processor of which has the highest computing power, as the parent device.

6. the predetermined authentication condition is whether or not a predetermined function can be provided, The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cluster network is constructed only with a plurality of communication devices capable of providing the predetermined function.

7. A communication system including a plurality of communication devices, Each of the plurality of communication devices comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor; The memory of each of the plurality of communication devices comprises: a transmission module for transmitting signals including status information relating to the status of the communication devices between the communication devices; a parent-child determination module for determining whether the communication device itself should be a parent device or a child device in accordance with a predetermined parent-child determination condition based on the state information of each of the plurality of communication devices included in the signal, a cluster network is constructed with one of the plurality of communication devices as a parent device according to the determination by the parent-child determination module; When the cluster network is constructed, a process of authenticating the plurality of communication devices with each other is performed using a predetermined authentication condition, and a plurality of communication devices used to construct the cluster network are identified; The cluster network is constructed using only the plurality of communication devices that are determined to be used for constructing the cluster network; A communications system, wherein each of the plurality of communications devices is within communication range of every other of the plurality of communications devices.

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