Wireless communication device and wireless communication system

Abstract

To suppress an increase in traffic when communication data is transmitted and received by overhearing of a wireless communication device in an ad hoc network.SOLUTION: A wireless communication device capable of configuring an ad hoc network includes: a reception notification generation unit that generates reception notification of overheard communication data when overhearing communication data whose destination wireless communication device is its own wireless communication device in the case where the wireless communication device can directly communicate with any one of wireless communication devices forming a fixed route and is not a wireless communication device forming part of the fixed route; and a wireless transmission unit that transmits the reception notification to a wireless communication device to which a wireless communication device that has transmitted overheard communication data has directly transmitted the communication data and which forms part of the fixed route.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless communication device and a wireless communication system. [Background technology]

[0002] It has been known that many networks, such as wireless LANs and cellular networks, perform communication in infrastructure mode by connecting to a specific base station. The base stations form a so-called infrastructure network that can perform stable communication. Terminals perform communication by connecting to the infrastructure network.

[0003] For example, in Non-Patent Document 1, even if a communication partner exists within the same network accommodated by one base station, a transmitting terminal transmits communication data to a destination terminal via the base station. Also, when the destination terminal of the communication exists in an area configured by another base station, the communication data is transferred between the base stations, and the communication data is transmitted to the destination terminal from the base station configuring the area to which the destination terminal belongs. In reality, there are multiple base stations, so networks can be formed in various forms. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Yamamoto et al., "Study on LTE base station load balancing method in various traffic environments," RCS Study Group, vol. 112, no. 351, pp. 41-46, December 2012. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the above-mentioned ad-hoc network, when communication is performed, it may be possible to execute wireless communication by shortening the wireless communication path due to overhear, etc. However, if a terminal in which wireless communication is omitted due to overhear, etc. does not transmit a reception notification, the terminal on the next fixed route in the routing order that should have originally transmitted the notification may start wireless communication even though the communication has ended, which may result in an increase in traffic.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems assumed in the related art of the above-mentioned prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication system etc. capable of suppressing unnecessary traffic by appropriately transmitting a reception notification to an appropriate terminal on a communication path to recognize that wireless communication has ended, even when a communication path is omitted due to overhear. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to an aspect of the present invention, a wireless communication device capable of forming an ad hoc network, wherein the wireless communication device is capable of directly communicating with any one of the wireless communication devices that form a fixed route and, in the case where the wireless communication device is not a wireless communication device that forms the fixed route, preferably includes: a reception notification generation unit that generates a reception notification of the overheard communication data when the wireless communication device overhears communication data for which the destination wireless communication device is the wireless communication device; and a wireless transmission unit that transmits the reception notification to a wireless communication device that forms the fixed route and is the party to which the wireless communication device that transmitted the overheard communication data directly transmitted the communication data. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, even if a communication path is omitted due to overhear, by appropriately transmitting a reception notification, it is possible to provide a wireless communication system etc. capable of suppressing unnecessary traffic by making an appropriate terminal on the communication path recognize that wireless communication has ended. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a wireless communication system constituting a network according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a communication path through which communication data is transferred in the wireless communication system of FIG. 1 according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which a wireless communication device that has overheard communication data transmits a reception notification to other appropriate wireless communication devices in the wireless communication system of FIG. 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing an example of connection information stored in a wireless communication device according to the present embodiment; FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing an example of connection information stored in a wireless communication device according to the present embodiment; FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram showing an example of connection information stored in a wireless communication device according to the present embodiment; and FIG. 1D is a schematic diagram showing an example of connection information stored in a wireless communication device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a condition when a state of the wireless communication device according to the embodiment changes. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a transmission operation when the wireless communication device according to the embodiment transmits communication data. [Figure 8] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a relay / receive operation when the wireless communication device according to the present embodiment relays or receives communication data. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration of a communication network according to a first comparative example. [Figure 10] 10 is a schematic diagram showing transmission and reception operations of terminals in a communication network according to a comparative example of FIG. 9; [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication network according to Comparative Example 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] (Overview of wireless communication system configuration) The wireless communication device of the wireless communication system of the present embodiment has a configuration capable of reducing the number of hops by overhear. However, in the conventional technology, when overhear occurs, a terminal in which wireless communication on a communication path is omitted does not receive a reception notification, and there is a possibility that the terminal performs unnecessary wireless communication, which increases traffic.

[0011] Therefore, the wireless communication system of the present embodiment has a configuration in which, when the destination wireless communication device recognizes that it has received communication data through overhear, it transmits a reception notification to an appropriate terminal, thereby suppressing an increase in traffic.

[0012] (Example of wireless communication system configuration) As an example, an outline of the operation in the topology of an ad-hoc network formed by the wireless communication device of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. In this specification, the wireless communication device may be referred to as a terminal.

[0013] In Figure 1, the wireless communication system selects in advance terminals that are frequently used for relay communication, connects the selected terminals with high communication success rates in a ring shape, and performs wireless communication using the communication path connected in a ring shape as a fixed route.

[0014] In FIG. 1, terminals 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f, 100g, and 100h are connected in a ring shape to form a fixed route.

[0015] A terminal other than the terminal located on the fixed route performs wireless communication with any of the terminals forming the fixed route, but does not perform wireless communication with other terminals. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the terminal 100a1 directly communicates with the terminal 100a, but does not directly communicate with other terminals. Similarly, the terminal 100a2 directly communicates with the terminal 100a, but does not directly communicate with other terminals. Similarly, the terminal 100b1 directly communicates with the terminal 100b, but does not directly communicate with other terminals. Similarly, the terminal 100c1 directly communicates with the terminal 100c, but does not directly communicate with other terminals. Similarly, the terminal 100d1 directly communicates with the terminal 100d, but does not directly communicate with other terminals. Similarly, the terminal 100d2 directly communicates with the terminal 100d, but does not directly communicate with other terminals. Similarly, the terminal 100e1 directly communicates with the terminal 100e, but does not directly communicate with other terminals. Similarly, the terminal 100f1 directly communicates with the terminal 100f, but does not directly communicate with other terminals. Similarly, the terminal 100f2 communicates directly with the terminal 100f, but does not communicate directly with other terminals. Similarly, the terminal 100g1 communicates directly with the terminal 100g, but does not communicate directly with other terminals. Similarly, the terminal 100g2 communicates directly with the terminal 100g, but does not communicate directly with other terminals. Similarly, the terminal 100h1 communicates directly with the terminal 100h, but does not communicate directly with other terminals. Similarly, the terminal 100h2 communicates directly with the terminal 100h, but does not communicate directly with other terminals. Also, in this specification, the terminals 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f, 100g, 100h, 100a1, 100a2, 100b1, 100c1, 100d1, and 100d2 may be collectively referred to as the wireless communication device 100. Furthermore, 100e1, 100f1, 100f2, 100g1, 100g2, 100h1, and 100h2 may be collectively referred to as wireless communication device 100. A terminal that forms a fixed route directly communicates only with the next terminal that forms the fixed route and with terminals outside the fixed route that can directly communicate. Each terminal stores in advance information about terminals to be connected.

[0016] (Example of operation of wireless communication system) Further, an example of the wireless communication operation of the wireless communication system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2, Fig. 3, and Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a communication flow of the wireless communication system according to the present embodiment. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of reception notification of the wireless communication system according to the present embodiment. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing terminal information stored in each of the wireless communication devices 100 according to the present embodiment. The details of the terminal information will be described later.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, a case will be described where a transmission request for communication data addressed to a terminal 100d1 as a destination terminal occurs in the terminal 100a2.

[0018] Since the terminal 100a2 is not a terminal that forms a fixed route, it performs wireless transmission of communication data to the terminal 100a that forms a fixed route according to the terminal information of the terminal 100a2 (see FIG. 4(a)). If the destination terminal, terminal 100d1, can overhear this wireless transmission, the wireless transmission ends. However, in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the terminal 100d1 cannot overhear the wireless transmission from the terminal 100a2.

[0019] The terminal 100a that receives communication data from the terminal 100a2 compares the destination terminal information of the communication data with the terminal information stored in the terminal 100a, and determines that the terminal that does not form a fixed route within the communication area of ​​the terminal 100a is not the destination terminal. Therefore, the terminal 100a wirelessly transmits the communication data to the terminal 100b that forms the fixed route to the next wireless destination according to the terminal information. If the destination terminal, terminal 100d1, can overhear this wireless transmission, the wireless transmission ends. However, in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the terminal 100d1 cannot overhear the wireless transmission from the terminal 100a.

[0020] Terminal 100b, which has received communication data from terminal 100a, compares the destination terminal information of the communication data with the terminal information stored in terminal 100b, and determines that a terminal that does not form a fixed route within the communication area of ​​terminal 100b is not a destination terminal. Therefore, terminal 100b wirelessly transmits communication data to terminal 100c, which forms a fixed route to the next wireless destination, according to the terminal information. This wireless transmission is received by terminal 100c, but terminal 100d1, which is the destination terminal, can also overhear the wireless transmission. Therefore, terminal 100d1, which is the destination terminal, transmits a reception notification of the communication data.

[0021] 3, the destination terminal 100d1 determines from the terminal information stored in the terminal 100d1 that the previous terminal is different from the terminal 100b that transmitted the communication data. Then, the terminal 100d1 recognizes from the terminal information of the destination of the communication data that it overheard that the next wireless destination terminal of the terminal 100b is the terminal 100c. Therefore, the terminal 100d1 transmits a reception notification of the communication data to the terminal 100c.

[0022] FIG. 3 shows how the destination terminal 100d1, which has overheard communication data from the terminal 100b to the terminal 100c, determines that it has overheard the communication data from the terminal information and the next destination information of the communication data, and transmits a reception notification to the terminal 100c.

[0023] If there was no overhear, the above communication data would be transferred in the order of terminal 100a2 → terminal 100a → terminal 100b → terminal 100c → terminal 100d → terminal 100d1. However, because terminal 100d1 overhears the communication data from terminal 100b, unnecessary wireless communication from terminal 100c → terminal 100d → terminal 100d1 occurs. In other words, wireless communication from terminal 100a2 → terminal 100a → terminal 100b → terminal 100d1 and terminal 100c → (terminal 100d1) → terminal 100b is actually performed, so that it is possible to suppress traffic.

[0024] In the example of FIG. 11, a wireless communication device 100 that constitutes an infrastructure network in a vehicle 10 is shown. The wireless communication devices 100 that constitute the infrastructure network can be set in advance based on the installation positions of the wireless communication devices 100 and a combination that can constitute a communication path that is less affected by obstacles such as passengers between the wireless communication devices 100. For example, in FIG. 11, terminals 100i, 100j, and 100k arranged along the body of the vehicle operate as fixed route terminals and constitute an infrastructure network. Terminals 100i1, 100j2, 100j3, and 100k1 can communicate with one of terminals 100e, 100f, and 100g that constitute the infrastructure network. In addition, the vehicle 10 is equipped with a front right tire T1, a front left tire T2, a rear left tire T3, and a rear right tire T4, as an example.

[0025] (Example of the configuration of a wireless communication device) FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the wireless communication device 100. As shown in FIG. 5, the wireless communication device 100 includes a transmitting / receiving unit 110, a wireless receiving unit 120, a received data determining unit 130, a reception notification generating unit 140, a transmission destination determining unit 150, a transmission data generating unit 160, an external I / F unit 170, a storage unit 180, and a wireless transmitting unit 190. Note that the antenna unit ANT is an option that may or may not be included in the wireless communication device 100. The wireless communication device 100 may be a general computer including the above blocks. The general computer executes a control program to realize the functions shown in FIG. 5. Only the parts related to the features of this embodiment will be described below. Therefore, it goes without saying that the wireless communication device 100 includes other functional blocks that are not directly related to the features of this embodiment.

[0026] The storage unit 180 may be a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 180 may also store various data such as input data, output data, and intermediate data for the wireless communication device 100 to execute processing. Some functions of the wireless communication device 100 may be executed by a central processing unit (CPU).

[0027] The transceiver unit 110 has a function of connecting the wireless transmission unit 190 and the antenna unit ANT when the wireless communication device 100 is in a transmission mode, and a function of connecting the wireless reception unit 120 and the antenna unit ANT when the wireless communication device 100 is in a reception mode. In addition, when the antenna unit ANT has directionality, the transceiver unit 110 also has a function of controlling the directivity of the antenna unit ANT.

[0028] The wireless receiving unit 120 can amplify and demodulate communication data received via the antenna unit ANT. Any method can be adopted for demodulation in the wireless communication system 1000. It is also possible to use MCS (Modulation Coding Scheme) defined in IEEE802.11. An example of radio waves received from the antenna unit ANT is radio waves in the millimeter wave band, but the radio waves are not limited to the millimeter wave band, and radio waves in any frequency band can be used. The communication data received via the antenna unit ANT may include a reception notification generated by another terminal.

[0029] The received data determination unit 130 has a function of determining whether or not the destination terminal of the received data that has been subjected to processing such as demodulation by the wireless receiving unit 120 is the own terminal. Information about the destination terminal may exist in the header part of the received data, but is not limited to this, and information about the destination terminal may also be written in an area other than the header part of the received data.

[0030] The reception notification generating unit 140 has a function of generating a reception notification when the destination terminal of the received data is the own terminal. The reception notification is not limited to an ACK, and the wireless communication system 1000 can set any form as the reception notification.

[0031] The transmission destination determination unit 150 has a function of determining a terminal to which transmission data or a reception notification is to be transmitted, or a terminal to which reception data is to be transferred. The transmission destination determination unit 150 regards the destination terminal of the transmission data as the destination terminal related to the transmission request information, and transmits the transmission data to the next destination terminal by referring to the connection information storage unit 182 described later. That is, when the terminal itself is a terminal outside the fixed route, the communication data is transferred to a terminal in the fixed route to which the terminal itself belongs. Also, when the terminal itself is a terminal in the fixed route, if the destination terminal is a terminal in the area to which the terminal itself belongs, the communication data is transmitted to the terminal in the area. Also, when the terminal itself is a terminal in the fixed route and the destination terminal is a terminal outside the area to which the terminal itself belongs, the communication data is transferred to the terminal in the next fixed route.

[0032] Furthermore, when the destination terminal of the received communication data is the own terminal, the destination determination unit 150 returns a reception notification to the transmitting terminal that transmitted the communication data.

[0033] Furthermore, when the destination terminal of the communication data overheard by the own terminal is not the own terminal, the transmission destination determination unit 150 discards the communication data. Furthermore, when the destination terminal of the communication data overheard by the own terminal is the own terminal, the transmission destination determination unit 150 executes the following process. The transmission destination determination unit 150 refers to the connection information storage unit 182 and acquires information on the terminal to which the transmission terminal of the overheard communication data should have next transmitted the communication data. The transmission destination determination unit 150 transmits a reception notification to the terminal to which the transmission terminal of the overheard communication data should have next transmitted the communication data, and prevents the terminal from transmitting the communication data. In other words, when a terminal receives a reception notification related to the communication data after receiving the communication data, the terminal determines that the communication data has been received by the destination terminal by overhearing, and operates to discard the communication data.

[0034] The transmission data generating unit 160 has a function of generating transmission data as the communication data to be transmitted when a transmission request, which is information indicating that communication data to be transmitted has been generated, is received from the external I / F unit 170.

[0035] The external I / F unit 170 is an input / output interface for communication data to be transmitted and received, and may be an interface with a device such as a sensor connected to the wireless communication device 100, or with an electronic device. An ECU (Electronic Control Unit) may be configured by the device or electronic device connected to the external I / F unit 170. The electronic device may include electronic devices such as a vehicle control device, a vehicle sensing device, a vehicle surrounding information acquisition device, and an entertainment device as an in-vehicle device. The vehicle control device may include a navigation device or an automatic driving control device.

[0036] The storage unit 180 includes a communication data buffer unit 181 and a connection information storage unit 182 .

[0037] The communication data buffer unit 181 has the function of temporarily storing communication data when a transmission request occurs in the own terminal, communication data when relaying and transmitting, and transmission data such as the reception notification generated in the reception notification generation unit 140.

[0038] The connection information storage unit 182 has a function of storing information on a terminal to which the terminal should next transmit information received by the terminal itself, and in some cases, information on a terminal to which the terminal should transmit information to be received by the terminal itself. When there is no fixed route end and the terminal itself is a terminal that forms a fixed route, the connection information storage unit 182 stores information on a terminal to which the terminal should next transmit information received by the terminal itself, and information on a terminal to which the terminal should next transmit information received by the terminal itself.

[0039] The type of terminal information stored in the connection information storage unit 182 differs depending on whether the terminal itself is a terminal that forms a fixed route or a terminal that does not form a fixed route. That is, in the case of a terminal that does not form a fixed route, the terminal to which the terminal itself should transmit information to be received and the terminal to which the terminal itself should next transmit the information it has received are only terminals that form a fixed route. However, the connection information storage unit 182 of a terminal that forms a fixed route stores information on a terminal on a fixed route that the terminal itself should transmit information to be received and a terminal to which the terminal itself should next transmit the information it has received, as well as information on a terminal that does not form a fixed route with the terminal itself and has good communication quality. For example, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the terminal 100b on a fixed route stores information on a terminal on a fixed route that the terminal itself should transmit information to be received by, that is, the information on the terminal 100a, and stores information on a terminal on a fixed route that the terminal itself should transmit information to be received by, that is, the information on the terminal 100c. Furthermore, terminal 100b on the fixed route stores information about terminal 100b1, which does not form a fixed route with good communication quality with its own terminal, as information about a terminal outside the fixed route to which the terminal should transmit information that the terminal should receive, and information about a terminal outside the fixed route to which the terminal received the information should next transmit.

[0040] Similarly, as shown in Fig. 4(b), the terminal 100a on the fixed route stores information on the terminal on the fixed route to which the terminal should receive information, that is, terminal 100h, and stores information on the terminal on the fixed route to which the terminal should next transmit information received by the terminal, that is, terminal 100b. Furthermore, the connection information storage unit 182 of the terminal 100a on the fixed route stores information on the terminal itself and terminals outside the fixed route that have good communication quality. As shown in Fig. 4(b), terminals 100a1 and 100a2 are stored as information on the terminal outside the fixed route to which the terminal should receive information, that is, the terminal outside the fixed route to which the terminal should next transmit information received by the terminal itself.

[0041] The identification information of the terminal stored in the connection information storage unit 182 may be information that is predetermined in the wireless communication system 1000. However, when the communication environment changes dynamically, the terminals may exchange communication qualities with each other at predetermined time intervals, before transmitting information, or the like, and the identification information of the terminal whose communication quality exceeds a predetermined value may be updated in the connection information storage unit 182. The predetermined value regarding the communication quality may be predetermined in the wireless communication system 1000. In addition, the information of the terminal that should transmit information that the terminal itself should receive, and the information of the terminal that should next transmit the information that the terminal itself has received, which are stored in the connection information storage unit 182, are each the identification information of one terminal. There is no limit to the type of communication quality, and the identification information of the terminal having the best type of communication quality may be stored in the connection information storage unit 182. In addition, the shape of the fixed route may be determined in advance or dynamically in the wireless communication system 1000.

[0042] When the connection information storage unit 182 is included in a terminal that does not form a fixed route, the information of the terminal to which the terminal itself should next transmit the information received and the information of the terminal to which the terminal itself should transmit the information to be received are the identification information of the same terminal that forms a fixed route. For example, the connection information storage unit 182 of the terminal 100a2 that does not form a fixed route shown in FIG. 4(a) stores the identification information of the terminal 100a that forms a fixed route as the information of the terminal to which the terminal itself should next transmit the information received and the information of the terminal to which the terminal itself should transmit the information to be received. Similarly, the connection information storage unit 182 of the terminal 100d1 that does not form a fixed route shown in FIG. 4(d) stores the identification information of the terminal 100d that forms a fixed route as the information of the terminal to which the terminal itself should next transmit the information received and the information of the terminal to which the terminal itself should transmit the information to be received. Moreover, the connection information storage unit 182 of the terminal that does not form a fixed route does not store the information of other terminals that do not form a fixed route.

[0043] The wireless transmission unit 190 can amplify, modulate, and perform other processes on the communication data transmitted via the antenna unit ANT. Any modulation method can be adopted in the wireless communication system 1000. It is also possible to use MCS (Modulation Coding Scheme) defined in IEEE802.11. Note that, although an example of radio waves transmitted from the antenna unit ANT is radio waves in the millimeter wave band, the radio waves are not limited to the millimeter wave band, and radio waves in any frequency band can be used. The communication data transmitted via the antenna unit ANT may also include a reception notification.

[0044] The wireless communication system 1000 according to the present embodiment described above can be mounted on a moving object such as a vehicle. When the wireless communication system 1000 is constructed in an automobile, the terminals constituting the fixed route are installed in positions that provide a good view of the entire interior of the vehicle. As an example, the terminals constituting the fixed route can be installed in positions that provide a good view of the entire interior of the vehicle, such as on the ceiling, the rear-view mirror, or the floor.

[0045] According to the above configuration, even if a communication path is omitted due to overhear, by appropriately sending a reception notification, it is possible to provide a wireless communication system etc. that can suppress unnecessary traffic by making an appropriate terminal on the communication path recognize that wireless communication has ended.

[0046] (Example of state transition operation of wireless communication device 100) An example of state transition operation when the wireless communication device 100 according to this embodiment is in operation will be described with reference to FIG.

[0047] In step S601, the wireless communication device 100 determines whether or not there is a request to transmit communication data from the external I / F unit 170. If there is a request to transmit communication data (step S601: YES), the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S602. If there is no request to transmit communication data (step S601: NO), the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S604.

[0048] In step S602, the wireless communication device 100 transmits and receives terminal information to and from other wireless communication devices 100, and updates the terminal information to the latest information. This terminal information update process allows the terminal status to be constantly monitored, enabling stable communication. Next, the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S603.

[0049] That is, in step S602, the wireless communication device 100 checks the connection status with the other wireless communication devices 100. The connection status may include information such as received signal strength indicator (RSSI) such as radio wave strength indicating communication quality information with the wireless communication device 100. Based on these connection statuses, the wireless communication device 100 updates the terminal information to the latest information. That is, the wireless communication device 100 updates the stored contents of the connection information storage unit 182. The updated contents of the connection information storage unit 182 are shared by all the wireless communication devices 100 in the wireless communication system.

[0050] In step S603, the wireless communication device 100 transitions to a mode for executing a transmitting terminal process for wireless communication with a wireless communication device of a communication partner indicated in the transmission request information related to the transmission request (see FIG. 7). Then, the wireless communication device 100 transitions to an idle state or S601.

[0051] In step S604, the received data determination unit 130 of the wireless communication device 100 determines whether or not communication data has been received. If communication data has been received (step S604: YES), the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S605. If communication data has not been received (step S604: NO), the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S606.

[0052] In step S605, the wireless communication device 100 determines whether the received communication data is addressed to the wireless communication device itself as a destination terminal, and transitions to a relay / receiving terminal process for executing various processes based on the determination result (see FIG. 8).Then, the wireless communication device 100 transitions to an idle state or S601.

[0053] In step S606, the wireless communication device 100 transmits and receives terminal information to and from the other wireless communication device 100, and updates the terminal information to the latest information. This terminal information update process enables stable communication by constantly monitoring the state of the terminal. The terminal information update process can be executed at time intervals predetermined by the wireless communication system 1000. The terminal information update process may be executed every time a predetermined event occurs in the wireless communication system 1000. The predetermined event may be a case where the communication quality of the link state between the wireless communication devices 100 falls below a predetermined value or exceeds a predetermined value. The wireless communication system 1000 can set any value to the predetermined value of the communication quality. The wireless communication system 1000 can set any value to the predetermined value of the communication quality for any parameter such as reception power, reception radio wave intensity, PER, BER, SNR, delay time, and number of hops. Then, the wireless communication device 100 transitions to an idle state or S601.

[0054] (Operation Example When Wireless Communication Device 100 Operates as a Transmitting Terminal) An operation example in which the wireless communication device 100 according to this embodiment operates as a transmitting terminal will be described with reference to FIG.

[0055] In step S701, it is determined whether the wireless communication device 100 from which the transmission request has occurred is one of the terminals forming a fixed route. If the wireless communication device 100 from which the transmission request has occurred is one of the terminals forming a fixed route (step S701: YES), the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S702. If the wireless communication device 100 from which the transmission request has occurred is not one of the terminals forming a fixed route (step S701: NO), the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S705.

[0056] In step S702, the own terminal forming the fixed route determines whether or not a communication link has been established with the destination terminal of the communication data related to the transmission request. If the own terminal forming the fixed route has established a communication link with the destination terminal of the communication data related to the transmission request (step S702: YES), the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S703. If the own terminal forming the fixed route has not established a communication link with the destination terminal of the communication data related to the transmission request (step S702: NO), the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S704.

[0057] In step S703, since the terminal forming the fixed route has established a communication link with the destination terminal of the communication data related to the transmission request, the wireless communication device 100 transmits the communication data to the destination terminal. The wireless communication device 100 ends the transmission process and starts the operation of the flowchart showing the state transitions in FIG.

[0058] In step S704, since the terminal forming the fixed route has not established a communication link with the destination terminal of the communication data related to the transmission request, the communication data is transferred to another terminal forming the fixed route to which the communication data should be transferred next, according to the terminal information. The wireless communication device 100 ends the transmission process and proceeds to step S601 in FIG. 6.

[0059] In step S705, since the wireless communication device 100 from which the transmission request has occurred is not one of the terminals forming the fixed route, the wireless communication device 100 from which the transmission request has occurred transfers the communication data to one of the terminals forming the fixed route with which a communication link has been established. The wireless communication device 100 ends the transmission process and proceeds to step S601 in FIG. 6.

[0060] (Example of operation when wireless communication device 100 operates as a relay / receiving terminal) An operation example in which the wireless communication device 100 according to this embodiment operates as a relay / receiving terminal will be described with reference to FIG.

[0061] In step S801, the wireless communication device 100 determines whether the destination terminal of the received communication data is the wireless communication device 100 itself. If the destination terminal of the received communication data is the wireless communication device 100 itself (step S801: YES), the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S802. If the destination terminal of the received communication data is not the wireless communication device 100 itself (step S801: NO), the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S806.

[0062] In step S802, since the destination terminal of the received communication data is the wireless communication device 100, the wireless communication device 100 executes a reception process for the received communication data. The reception-processed communication data may be output to an external electronic device via the external I / F unit 170. Next, the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S803.

[0063] In step S803, the wireless communication device 100 determines the source terminal of the received communication data from the communication data. Also, the wireless communication device 100 that has received the communication data refers to the terminal information and determines whether the previous terminal information matches the source terminal of the received communication data. If the previous terminal information matches the source terminal of the received communication data (step S803: YES), the wireless communication device 100 ends the process and starts the operation of the flowchart showing the state transition in FIG. 6. That is, the wireless communication device 100 does not receive the communication data by overhearing, but receives it by an expected regular communication path. If the previous terminal information does not match the source terminal of the received communication data (step S803: NO), the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S804. In this case, the wireless communication device 100 receives the communication data by overhearing.

[0064] In step S804, the reception notification generating unit 140 of the wireless communication device 100 generates a reception notification indicating that the communication data has been normally received by overhearing. Next, the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S805.

[0065] In step S805, the wireless communication device 100 transmits the reception notification generated by the reception notification generating unit 140 to the other wireless communication device 100 that transmitted the communication data received by overhear. Since the terminal information is shared by all the wireless communication devices 100 in the wireless communication system 1000, the wireless communication device 100 that overheard can determine the wireless communication device 100 that is the destination of the overheard communication data. Next, the wireless communication device 100 ends the process and starts the operation of the flowchart showing the state transitions in FIG. 6.

[0066] In step S806, the wireless communication device 100 determines whether the destination terminal of the received communication data is another terminal with which a communication link with the own terminal is established. If the destination terminal of the received communication data is another terminal with which a communication link with the own terminal is established (step S806: YES), the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S807. If the destination terminal of the received communication data is another terminal with which a communication link with the own terminal is not established (step S806: NO), the wireless communication device 100 proceeds to step S808.

[0067] In step S807, the wireless communication device 100 transfers the received data to another wireless communication device 100 with which a communication link has been established. Next, the wireless communication device 100 ends the processing and starts the operation of the flowchart showing state transitions in FIG.

[0068] In step S808, the wireless communication device 100 transfers the received data to the next wireless communication device 100 that forms the next fixed route for the own terminal, in accordance with the terminal information of the own terminal. Next, the wireless communication device 100 ends the process and starts the operation of the flowchart showing the state transitions in FIG.

[0069] (Variation 1) In the above embodiment, a network constructed by the wireless communication system 1000 installed in an automobile is described as an example. However, the embodiment is not limited to the inside of an automobile, and can be applied to mesh networks in general constructed inside moving bodies such as trains, airplanes, ships, etc., and inside structures such as houses and factories.

[0070] (Variation 2) In addition, the network topology between the base stations is not limited to the topology shown in Fig. 1, and the network topology between the base stations can be configured in any topology. For example, the network topology between the base stations can be configured as a ring network, a bus network, or a P2P network.

[0071] (Variation 3) In the above embodiment, the wireless communication device 100 that forms the fixed route may be installed in the vehicle's interior, such as in the vehicle body, but the installation location of the wireless communication device 100 that forms the fixed route is not limited to these locations. For example, the fixed route may be formed by the wireless communication device 100 installed under the floor, ceiling, or the like of the vehicle that has a radio wave environment that is less susceptible to the influence of the vehicle's occupants. The under the floor and the ceiling may be the interior of the vehicle, which are components that form the body.

[0072] (Variation 4) In the above description of the embodiment, the wireless communication device 100 forming the fixed route is mainly determined in advance in the wireless communication system 1000. However, when the wireless communication system 1000 is started, all the wireless communication devices 100 included in the network may transmit and receive packets for measuring communication quality to each other, and the wireless communication device 100 having good communication quality may be determined as the fixed route. Good communication quality may also refer to a case where the communication quality information is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. The predetermined value is a value that the wireless communication system 1000 may set to any value. The communication quality information may also include information such as RSSI such as radio wave strength, BER (bit error rate), and PER (Packet Error Rate). The communication quality information may also include information such as SNR (Signal to Noise Ration), RCPI (Received Channel Power Indicator), information such as success rate, communication delay time, number of hops, and the like. The communication quality may also be measured when the wireless communication system 1000 is started, at a time interval predetermined by the wireless communication system 1000, when communication data is transmitted, or at a predetermined event. Furthermore, the fixed route may be updated at the measurement timing by the wireless communication device 100 having a communication quality equal to or higher than a predetermined value. As outlined in the embodiment, the predetermined event may be set to be a case where the communication quality between any of the terminals falls below a predetermined value. Furthermore, the fixed route may be set by communication quality information with a high priority set by the wireless communication system 1000.

[0073] (Variation 5) In the above description of the embodiment, no specific data is described as the communication data, but the application is not limited thereto. For example, the communication data may be information of a sensor that detects the state of a moving object, information for controlling the moving object, information of electronic devices mounted on the moving object, and the like. Examples of the sensor include various sensors such as a door opening / closing detection sensor, a seat belt sensor, an engine rotation sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, and a brake or accelerator sensor. Examples of the electronic device include a navigation device, and entertainment devices such as a radio or a television.

[0074] (Variation 6) The forwarding direction of the ring-shaped fixed route in Fig. 1 can be set to either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction by the wireless communication system 1000. The arrangement of the wireless communication devices 100 of the wireless communication system 1000 is not limited to the above embodiment, and the wireless communication devices 100 can be arranged at any positions within a predetermined space. However, it is preferable that the wireless communication devices 100 have wireless quality equal to or higher than a predetermined value with at least one other wireless communication device 100.

[0075] (Comparative Example) A comparative example will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0076] 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation of a communication system when a transmitting terminal A, a relay terminal B, a relay terminal C, and a receiving terminal D are present, and a request to transmit communication data is made from transmitting terminal A to receiving terminal D.

[0077] Transmitting terminal A directly communicates communication data to receiving terminal D. When receiving terminal D transmits an ACK to transmitting terminal A, transmitting terminal A determines that direct communication to receiving terminal D has been successful, discards the communication data, and ends the transmission operation. If transmitting terminal A does not receive an ACK from receiving terminal D, relay terminal B, which has been overhearing the direct communication, transmits the communication data transmitted from transmitting terminal A to receiving terminal D as a proxy. The proxy communication from relay terminal B to receiving terminal D is called proxy communication D1. In this case, transmitting terminal A inputs the communication data to a transmission buffer to execute a retransmission process because direct communication to receiving terminal D has not been successful. Therefore, transmitting terminal A enters a state of waiting for retransmission or waiting for a notification of completion of proxy communication. Since relay terminal C has not overheard the direct communication, it does not start processing related to the communication data.

[0078] In the proxy communication D1, if the relay terminal B receives an ACK from the receiving terminal D, the relay terminal B determines that the proxy communication D1 has been successful, discards the communication data, and transmits a proxy communication completion notification to the transmitting terminal A. If the relay terminal B does not receive an ACK from the receiving terminal D, the relay terminal C, which has been overhearing the proxy communication D1, transmits the communication data transmitted from the relay terminal B to the receiving terminal D by proxy. The proxy communication from the relay terminal C to the receiving terminal D is called a proxy communication D2. In this case, since the proxy communication D1 to the receiving terminal D has not been successful, the relay terminal B inputs the communication data to the transmission buffer to execute a retransmission process. Therefore, the relay terminal B enters a state of waiting for retransmission or waiting for relaying another wireless communication. After the retransmission, the relay terminal B discards the communication data regardless of whether or not it has received an ACK from the receiving terminal D.

[0079] In the proxy communication D2, if the relay terminal C does not receive an ACK from the receiving terminal D, the relay terminal C determines that the proxy communication D2 has failed, and inputs the communication data to a transmission buffer to execute a retransmission process. Therefore, the relay terminal C enters a state of waiting for retransmission, or waiting for relaying another wireless communication. After retransmission, the relay terminal C discards the communication data regardless of whether or not it has received an ACK from the receiving terminal D. In the proxy communication D2, if the relay terminal C receives an ACK from the receiving terminal D, the relay terminal C determines that the proxy communication D2 has been successful, discards the communication data, and transmits a proxy communication completion notification to the transmitting terminal A. The proxy communication completion notification in this case may be referred to as a proxy communication completion notification DS1.

[0080] When relay terminal C receives an ACK from transmitting terminal A in the proxy communication completion notification DS1, relay terminal C determines that the wireless communication of the proxy communication completion notification DS1 was successful and discards the proxy communication completion notification DS1. Having received the proxy communication completion notification DS1 from relay terminal C, transmitting terminal A stops retransmission and discards the communication data. Relay terminal B can determine by overhear that the proxy communication data waiting to be retransmitted was successfully transmitted and received by another terminal, so discards the proxy communication data waiting to be retransmitted.

[0081] In the case where relay terminal C does not receive ACK from transmitting terminal A in the proxy communication completion notification DS1, relay terminal B, which has overheard the proxy communication completion notification DS1, executes the following operation. That is, relay terminal B transmits proxy communication completion notification DS2 to transmitting terminal A instead of proxy communication completion notification DS1 transmitted from relay terminal C to transmitting terminal A. Since relay terminal B can determine by overhearing that the proxy communication data waiting to be retransmitted has been successfully transmitted and received by another terminal, it discards the proxy communication data waiting to be retransmitted. In this case, relay terminal C inputs the proxy communication completion notification DS1 to the transmission buffer to execute the retransmission process because the proxy communication completion notification DS1 to transmitting terminal A has not been successful. Therefore, relay terminal C enters a state of waiting for retransmission or waiting to relay another wireless communication. After retransmission, relay terminal C discards the proxy communication completion notification DS1 regardless of whether it has received ACK from transmitting terminal A or not.

[0082] In the case where relay terminal B receives an ACK in the proxy communication completion notification DS2 from transmitting terminal A, relay terminal B determines that the wireless communication of the proxy communication completion notification DS2 has been successful, and discards the proxy communication completion notification DS2. Since transmitting terminal A has received the proxy communication completion notification DS2 from relay terminal B, it stops retransmission and discards the communication data. In the case where relay terminal B does not receive an ACK in the proxy communication completion notification DS2 from transmitting terminal A, relay terminal B determines that the communication of the proxy communication completion notification DS2 has failed, and inputs the proxy communication completion notification DS2 into the transmission buffer for retransmission. Therefore, relay terminal B enters a state of waiting for retransmission or waiting for relaying another wireless communication. After retransmission, relay terminal B discards the proxy communication completion notification DS2, regardless of whether it has received an ACK from transmitting terminal A or not.

[0083] If transmitting terminal A does not receive a proxy communication completion notification from any of the terminals, transmitting terminal A executes retransmission of the communication data. When retransmission is executed, the communication system repeats the above operations.

[0084] However, although this technology enables communication to be carried out reliably in a short time by using the overhear and having other terminals proxy the communication, it is not possible to suppress communication between terminals that cannot recognize each other's overhear, so there is a high possibility that traffic will increase.

[0085] However, according to the present disclosure, even if a communication path is omitted due to overhear, by appropriately sending a reception notification, it is possible to provide a wireless communication system etc. that can suppress unnecessary traffic by making an appropriate terminal on the communication path recognize that wireless communication has ended.

[0086] The features of the wireless communication device 100 and the wireless communication system 1000 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0087] In the case where the wireless communication device 100 capable of configuring an ad-hoc network according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is capable of directly communicating with any one of the wireless communication devices forming a fixed route and is not a wireless communication device forming a fixed route, it is preferable that the wireless communication device 100 includes the following configuration. When the wireless communication device 100 overhears communication data whose destination wireless communication device is the wireless communication device itself, it is preferable that the wireless communication device 100 includes a reception notification generating unit 140 that generates a reception notification of the overheard communication data. Furthermore, it is preferable that the wireless communication device 100 includes a wireless transmission unit 190 that transmits a reception notification to a wireless communication device forming a fixed route that is a party to which the wireless communication device that transmitted the overheard communication data directly transmitted the communication data.

[0088] According to the above configuration, even if a communication path is omitted due to overhear, by appropriately sending a reception notification, it is possible to provide a wireless communication system etc. that can suppress unnecessary traffic by making an appropriate terminal on the communication path recognize that wireless communication has ended.

[0089] It is preferable that the wireless communication device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure does not perform direct communication with other wireless communication devices with which it does not form a fixed route.

[0090] According to the above configuration, by using a fixed route with good communication quality as a communication path, it may be possible to suppress the occurrence of retransmission processing and route search processing due to deterioration of the communication environment due to the movement of radio wave obstructions such as passengers, etc. Therefore, it may be possible to suppress deterioration of the communication speed and power consumption of the wireless communication system, and it may be possible to improve the communication performance of the wireless communication system.

[0091] When a transmission request occurs in the wireless communication device 100 according to the third aspect of the present disclosure, the wireless transmission unit 190 preferably executes the following process. That is, the wireless transmission unit 190 preferably transmits communication data related to the transmission request to a destination wireless communication device, which is one of the wireless communication devices that form a fixed route with which direct communication is possible.

[0092] According to the above configuration, when a transmission request occurs in a wireless communication device outside a fixed route, a fixed route with good communication quality is used, so that it is possible to improve the communication speed and communication reliability of the wireless communication system. Also, since a wireless communication device outside a fixed route can dynamically belong to a communication area of ​​a wireless communication device within any of the fixed routes, it may be possible to improve the communication performance of the wireless communication system.

[0093] According to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the wireless communication device 100 capable of configuring an ad-hoc network is capable of directly communicating with one or more wireless communication devices forming a fixed route, and if it is any of the wireless communication devices forming the fixed route, it preferably includes the following configuration. The wireless communication device 100 preferably includes a reception notification generating unit 140 that generates a reception notification of the overheard communication data when the wireless communication device itself overhears communication data whose destination wireless communication device is the wireless communication device. Furthermore, the wireless communication device 100 preferably includes a wireless transmission unit 190 that transmits a reception notification to a wireless communication device forming a fixed route that is a party to which the wireless communication device that transmitted the overheard communication data directly transmitted the communication data.

[0094] According to the above configuration, even if a communication path is omitted due to overhear, by appropriately sending a reception notification, it is possible to provide a wireless communication system etc. that can suppress unnecessary traffic by making an appropriate terminal on the communication path recognize that wireless communication has ended.

[0095] When the wireless communication device 100 capable of configuring an ad-hoc network according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure is any one of the wireless communication devices forming a fixed route, it preferably includes the following configuration. When the wireless communication device 100 receives communication data for which the wireless communication device itself is not the destination wireless communication device, it preferably includes a wireless receiving unit 120 that receives a reception notification of the communication data from the wireless communication device that is the destination wireless communication device. Furthermore, it is preferable that the wireless communication device 100 includes a wireless transmitting unit 190 that, when the wireless receiving unit receives the reception notification, discards the received communication data without forwarding it.

[0096] According to the above configuration, even if the communication path is omitted due to overhear, the terminal whose communication should be omitted can receive the reception notification. As a result, the terminal whose communication should be omitted can recognize that the wireless communication has ended, so that it is possible to suppress unnecessary traffic without transmitting unnecessary communication data.

[0097] When the wireless receiving unit 120 of the wireless communication device 100 that does not form a fixed route according to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure receives communication data from another wireless communication device, it is preferable to execute the following process. That is, when the destination wireless communication device of the received communication data is a wireless communication device that can directly communicate with the wireless communication device, it is preferable that the wireless transmitting unit 190 of the wireless communication device 100 transmits the communication data to the wireless communication device that does not form a fixed route.

[0098] According to the above configuration, it is possible to quickly transmit communication data, the destination of which is a wireless communication device in an area where direct communication with the wireless communication device is possible, to a wireless communication device in an area with high communication reliability. Therefore, the wireless communication device having the above configuration makes it possible to improve the communication speed and communication reliability of the wireless communication system.

[0099] When the wireless receiving unit 120 of the wireless communication device 100 according to the seventh aspect of the present disclosure receives communication data from another wireless communication device, it is preferable to execute processing by distinguishing between cases as follows. That is, when the destination wireless communication device of the received communication data is not a wireless communication device that does not form a fixed route that allows direct communication with the wireless communication device itself, it is preferable that the wireless transmitting unit 190 executes the following processing. That is, it is preferable that the wireless transmitting unit 190 transfers the communication data to a wireless communication device that forms a fixed route adjacent to the wireless communication device itself.

[0100] According to the above configuration, it is possible to quickly transfer communication data, the destination of which is not a wireless communication device in an area where the wireless communication device can directly communicate with the wireless communication device, via a fixed route with high communication reliability. Therefore, the wireless communication device having the above configuration can improve the communication speed and communication reliability of the wireless communication system.

[0101] According to the eighth aspect of the present disclosure, it is preferable that the communication quality between adjacent wireless communication devices that perform direct communication to form a fixed route exceeds a predetermined value. It is also preferable that the communication quality between a wireless communication device that does not form a fixed route and performs direct communication with a wireless communication device that forms a fixed route and the wireless communication device that forms the fixed route also exceeds a predetermined value.

[0102] According to the above configuration, the communication quality of a wireless communication device that forms a fixed route and a wireless communication device that does not form a fixed route can be maintained at an appropriate value, thereby improving the reliability of communication in the wireless communication system.

[0103] A wireless communication system 1000 according to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure preferably includes a wireless communication device 100 according to any one of the first to third aspects that does not form a fixed route, and a wireless communication device 100 according to any one of the fourth to seventh aspects that forms a fixed route. The wireless communication device 100 that does not form a fixed route preferably performs one-to-one direct communication with the wireless communication device 100 that forms a fixed route.

[0104] According to the above configuration, even if a communication path is omitted due to overhear, by appropriately sending a reception notification, it is possible to provide a wireless communication system etc. that can suppress unnecessary traffic by making an appropriate terminal on the communication path recognize that wireless communication has ended.

[0105] In the wireless communication system 1000 according to the tenth aspect of the present disclosure, it is preferable that the wireless communication device 100 forming the fixed route and the wireless communication device 100 not forming the fixed route that executes one-to-one direct communication with the wireless communication device forming the fixed route are updated. For example, it is preferable that the configuration of the wireless communication system is updated at least one of the following timings: when the wireless communication device is started, when a transmission request for electronic data is generated, at a predetermined time interval, or when the communication quality between the wireless communication devices falls below a predetermined value.

[0106] According to the above configuration, wireless communication devices that form fixed routes and wireless communication devices that do not form fixed routes are updated at appropriate times, thereby making it possible to improve the reliability of communication in the wireless communication system.

[0107] The block diagram of FIG. 5 used in the description of the above-mentioned embodiment shows functional blocks. These functional blocks are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. The method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. For example, each functional block may be realized by using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized by using two or more devices that are physically or logically separated and directly or indirectly connected to each other. The functional blocks may be realized by combining one device or multiple devices with software.

[0108] When the wireless communication device 100 is configured with multiple hardware elements, each functional block is realized by any one of the hardware elements or a combination of the hardware elements, such as a processor, a memory, a storage, a communication device, an input device, an output device, a bus, etc.

[0109] In this case, each function of the wireless communication device 100 is realized by loading a specific software or program onto hardware such as a processor, memory, etc. Specifically, each function is realized by loading specific software onto the hardware, causing the processor to perform calculations and control the reading and writing of data in the memory and storage.

[0110] Although the embodiments have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the contents described in the above embodiments. Furthermore, the components described above include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described above can be appropriately combined. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configurations can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 100 Wireless communication device 110 Transmitter / receiver 120 Radio receiver 130 Received data judgment unit 140 Reception notification generation unit 150 Destination Determination Unit 160 Transmission data generation unit 170 External I / F section 180 Storage section 181 Communication data buffer section 182 Connection information storage unit 190 Radio transmitter 1000 Wireless Communication System ANT Antenna section

Claims

1. A wireless communication device capable of configuring an ad-hoc network, If the wireless communication device can directly communicate with any one of the wireless communication devices forming a fixed route, and is not a wireless communication device forming the fixed route, a reception notification generating unit that generates a reception notification of the overheard communication data when the wireless communication device overhears the communication data whose destination wireless communication device is the wireless communication device itself; a wireless communication device including: a wireless transmission unit that transmits the reception notification to a wireless communication device that forms the fixed route and is a party to which the wireless communication device that transmitted the overheard communication data directly transmitted the communication data.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication device does not perform direct communication with another wireless communication device that does not form the fixed route.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when a transmission request occurs to the wireless communication device, the wireless transmission unit transmits communication data related to the transmission request to a destination wireless communication device, which is one of the wireless communication devices that form a fixed route that allows direct communication.

4. A wireless communication device capable of configuring an ad-hoc network, When the wireless communication device is capable of directly communicating with one or more wireless communication devices forming a fixed route, and is one of the wireless communication devices forming the fixed route, a reception notification generating unit that generates a reception notification of the overheard communication data when the wireless communication device overhears the communication data whose destination wireless communication device is the wireless communication device itself; a wireless communication device including: a wireless transmission unit that transmits the reception notification to a wireless communication device that forms the fixed route and is a party to which the wireless communication device that transmitted the overheard communication data directly transmitted the communication data.

5. A wireless communication device capable of configuring an ad-hoc network, When the wireless communication device is one of the wireless communication devices forming a fixed route, a wireless receiving unit that, when receiving communication data for which the wireless communication device is not a destination wireless communication device, receives a reception notification of the communication data from a wireless communication device that is a destination wireless communication device; a wireless transmission unit that, when the wireless reception unit receives the reception notification, discards the received communication data without forwarding the communication data.

6. When the wireless receiving unit receives communication data from another wireless communication device, if the destination wireless communication device of the communication data is a wireless communication device that does not form a fixed route capable of direct communication with the wireless communication device, The wireless communication device according to claim 5 , wherein the wireless transmission unit transmits the communication data to the wireless communication device that does not form a fixed route.

7. When the wireless receiving unit receives communication data from another wireless communication device, if the destination wireless communication device of the communication data is not a wireless communication device that does not form a fixed route capable of direct communication with the wireless communication device itself, The wireless communication device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the wireless transmission unit transfers the communication data to the wireless communication device that forms a fixed route adjacent to the wireless communication device itself.

8. a communication quality between the wireless communication device forming the fixed route and another adjacent wireless communication device forming the fixed route, which directly communicates with the wireless communication device forming the fixed route, exceeds a predetermined value; A wireless communication device as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the communication quality between a wireless communication device that does not form the fixed route and a wireless communication device that forms the fixed route, which directly communicates with the wireless communication device that forms the fixed route, also exceeds a predetermined value.

9. The wireless communication device according to claim 1 , which does not form a fixed route; A wireless communication system comprising: a wireless communication device according to any one of claims 4 to 7 that forms the fixed route; and a wireless communication device that does not form the fixed route that performs one-to-one direct communication with the wireless communication device that forms the fixed route.

10. The wireless communication system described in claim 9, wherein a wireless communication device that forms the fixed route and a wireless communication device that does not form the fixed route and performs one-to-one direct communication with a wireless communication device that forms the fixed route are updated at least one of the following times: when the wireless communication device is started, when a request to transmit electronic data is generated, at a predetermined time interval, or when the communication quality between the wireless communication devices falls below a predetermined value.

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