Wireless relay system, wireless relay method, and software radio device

Abstract

A radio relay system (1) includes: a first software radio device (10) that performs radio communication with a first radio device; and a second software radio device (20) that performs radio communication with a second radio device. The first software radio device (10) captures a radio signal received from the first radio device as iq data and transfers the captured iq data to the second software radio device (20) in real time. Also, the first software radio device (10) converts the iq data transferred from the second software radio device (20) into a radio signal and transmits the radio signal to the first radio device. The second software radio device (20) captures a radio signal received from the second radio device as iq data and transfers the captured iq data to the first software radio device (10) in real-time. Also, the second software radio device (20) converts the iq data transferred from the first software radio device (10) into a radio signal and transmits the radio signal to the second radio device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless relay system, a wireless relay method, and a software radio device that utilize software radio technology.

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, a method has been proposed in which a relay device that connects wireless terminals subordinates only has an antenna and a transceiver function in the relay device, and signal processing is performed by an upper server.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technology of Patent Document 1, every time the type of wireless terminal connected to the relay device changes, it is necessary to newly prepare a transceiver unit corresponding to the frequency and wireless standard, and it is difficult to make a flexible response.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. An object of the present invention is to realize relay between various wireless devices.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A wireless relay system according to an aspect of the present invention is a wireless relay system that relays wireless communication between a first wireless device and a second wireless device. This wireless relay system includes a first software radio function unit that performs wireless communication with the first wireless device, and a second software radio function unit that performs wireless communication with the second wireless device. The first software radio function unit captures a wireless signal received from the first wireless device as IQ data, transfers the captured IQ data to the second software radio function unit in real time, and converts the IQ data transferred from the second software radio function unit into a wireless signal and transmits it to the first wireless device. The second software radio function unit captures a wireless signal received from the second wireless device as IQ data, transfers the captured IQ data to the first software radio function unit in real time, and converts the IQ data transferred from the first software radio function unit into a wireless signal and transmits it to the second wireless device.

[0007] A wireless relay method according to an aspect of the present invention includes a receiving step of receiving a wireless signal from a wireless device, a transferring step of capturing the wireless signal received in the receiving step as IQ data and transferring the captured IQ data to the outside in real time, and a transmitting step of converting the IQ data transferred from the outside into a wireless signal and transmitting it to the wireless device.

[0008] The software radio device according to one aspect of the present invention is a software radio device that relays wireless communication between a first radio device and a second radio device. This software radio device includes a first software radio function unit that performs wireless communication with the first radio device, and a second software radio function unit that performs wireless communication with the second radio device. The first software radio function unit captures a wireless signal received from the first radio device as IQ data, transfers the captured IQ data to the second software radio function unit in real time, and converts the IQ data transferred from the second software radio function unit into a wireless signal and transmits it to the first radio device. The second software radio function unit captures a wireless signal received from the second radio device as IQ data, transfers the captured IQ data to the first software radio function unit in real time, and converts the IQ data transferred from the first software radio function unit into a wireless signal and transmits it to the second radio device.

[0009] The software radio device according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized by including a transceiver that performs wireless communication with a radio device, and a control unit that captures a wireless signal received by the transceiver as IQ data, transfers the captured IQ data to the outside in real time, and converts the IQ data transferred from the outside into a wireless signal and transmits it to the radio device through the transceiver.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize relaying between various types of wireless devices.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present disclosure, redundant descriptions will be appropriately simplified or omitted as appropriate. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. The present invention may include various modifications and combinations of the configurations disclosed by the following embodiments without departing from the spirit thereof.

[0013] Embodiment 1. FIGS. 1 and 2 are diagrams schematically showing the configuration and operation of a wireless relay system 1 according to Embodiment 1. The wireless relay system 1 is a system that relays wireless communication between a first wireless device and a second wireless device. The first wireless device is, for example, an upper wireless control device 2. The second wireless device is, for example, a lower wireless terminal 3 under the control of this wireless control device 2. The wireless relay system 1 can be utilized in various wireless communications in the mobile communication field or the IoT field, etc. The wireless relay system 1 can also be utilized, for example, in a local area network or the like in a large-scale commercial facility or the like.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, there may be a plurality of wireless control devices 2. Similarly, there may be a plurality of lower wireless terminals 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, each of the plurality of lower wireless terminals 3 may belong to a different frequency band.

[0015] The wireless relay system 1 according to this embodiment is composed of a first software radio device 10 and a second software radio device 20. Note that the wireless relay system 1 according to this embodiment only needs to include at least two software radio devices. The wireless relay system 1 may include three or more software radio devices. The number of software radio devices constituting the wireless relay system 1 can be appropriately set according to the frequency band of the wireless communication to be relayed, the required transfer speed, and the like. Each software radio device is connected by a line capable of high-speed data communication. Each software radio device is connected, for example, by a UTP cable or an optical cable. Alternatively, each software radio device may be connected by a coaxial cable or the like.

[0016] The first software radio device 10 corresponds to the first software radio function unit according to the present disclosure. The second software radio device 20 corresponds to the second software radio function unit according to the present disclosure. The first software radio function unit and the second software radio function unit may be configured as one software radio device having the same housing. That is, the first software radio device 10 and the second software radio device 20 in this embodiment may be configured as one software radio device having the same housing. In this case, it is only necessary that the same housing is provided with two input ports and two output ports each.

[0017] The first software radio device 10 performs wireless communication with a wireless control device 2 which is an example of a first wireless device. The second software radio device 20 performs wireless communication with a lower wireless terminal 3 which is an example of a second wireless device.

[0018] The first software radio device 10 captures the wireless signal received from the wireless control device 2 as iq data. The first software radio device 10 transfers the captured iq data to the second software radio device 20 in real time via a high-speed line.

[0019] On the one hand, the second software radio device 20 captures the radio signal received from the lower radio terminal 3 as IQ data. The second software radio device 20 transfers the captured IQ data to the first software radio device 10 in real time via a high-speed line.

[0020] The first software radio device 10 converts the IQ data transferred from the second software radio device 20 into a radio signal and transmits it as a radio wave to the radio control device 2. The second software radio device 20 converts the IQ data transferred from the first software radio device 10 into a radio signal and transmits it as a radio wave to the lower radio terminal 3.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the software radio device according to Embodiment 1. As an example, the first software radio device 10 includes a transceiver unit 11 that performs wireless communication with a radio device, and a control unit 12 that realizes various functions of the first software radio device 10. The transceiver unit 11 is composed of a receiving unit 11a that receives a signal from a radio device and a transmitting unit 11b that transmits a signal to a radio device. The control unit 12 has a monitor unit 13 that realizes a monitor function of a radio signal. The monitor unit 13 is composed of, for example, a synchronization word identification unit 14 that identifies a synchronization word, a frequency measurement unit 15 that measures a frequency, a storage area 16, and the like. Further, the control unit 12 has a capture unit 17 that realizes a capture function of a radio signal. The capture unit 17 captures the radio signal received by the transceiver unit 11 as IQ data, and transfers the captured IQ data to the outside in real time. The capture unit 17 transfers the IQ data to the second software radio device 20 via, for example, a communication unit 18.

[0022] Similar to the first software radio device 10, the second software radio device 20 includes a transceiver unit 21 that performs wireless communication with a wireless device, and a control unit 22 that realizes various functions of the second software radio device 20. The transceiver unit 21 is composed of a receiver unit 21a that receives a signal from a wireless device and a transmitter unit 21b that transmits a signal to a wireless device. The control unit 22 has a monitor unit 23 that realizes a wireless signal monitoring function. The monitor unit 23 is composed of, for example, a synchronization word identification unit 24 that identifies a synchronization word, a frequency measurement unit 25 that measures a frequency, a storage area 26, and the like. Further, the control unit 22 has a capture unit 27 that realizes a wireless signal capture function. The capture unit 27 captures the wireless signal received by the transceiver unit 21 as iq data, and transfers the captured iq data to the outside in real time. The capture unit 27 transfers the iq data to the first software radio device 10 via, for example, a communication unit 28.

[0023] The wireless relay system 1 receives a wireless signal within a specified frequency band and performs capture. In this embodiment, by taking advantage of the characteristics of software radio, real-time capture and flexible change of the frequency band of the capture target can be realized.

[0024] The software radio device constituting the wireless relay system 1 can identify the synchronization word in the frame constituting the wireless signal transmitted from wireless devices such as the wireless control device 2 and the lower wireless terminal 3. The frame includes a preamble, a synchronization word, a PHY header, a physical layer data payload, and an FCS. By identifying this synchronization word, the software radio device can efficiently perform capture by narrowing down to the frequency band used by the wireless device to be relayed.

[0025] According to the wireless relay system 1 configured as described above and the software wireless device that constitutes the wireless relay system 1, by capturing and transferring a wireless signal, it is possible to realize relay between various wireless devices. According to this embodiment, the types of relay-capable wireless devices are no longer limited by frequency, wireless standards, and installation locations. Further, according to this embodiment, for example, it is also possible to accommodate the lower wireless terminal 3 in a remote location in the wireless control device 2. Note that each function of the wireless relay system 1 and the software wireless device that constitutes the wireless relay system 1 can also be realized as a wireless relay method.

Industrial Applicability

[0026] The wireless relay system, wireless relay method, and software wireless device according to the present invention can be used for various wireless communications.

Explanation of Signs

[0027] 1 Wireless relay system 2 Wireless control device 3 Lower wireless terminal 10 Software wireless device 11 Transceiver unit 11a Receiver unit 11b Transmitter unit 12 Control unit 13 Monitor unit 14 Synchronization word identification unit 15 Frequency measurement unit 16 Memory area 17 Capture unit 18 Communication unit 20 Software wireless device 21 Transceiver unit 21a Receiver unit 21b Transmitter unit 22 Control unit 23 Monitor unit 24 Synchronization word identification unit 25 Frequency measurement unit 26 Memory area 27 Capture unit 28 Communication unit

Claims

1. A wireless relay system that relays wireless communication between a first wireless device and a second wireless device, a first software radio function unit that performs wireless communication with the first wireless device, a second software radio function unit that performs wireless communication with the second wireless device, comprising: the first software radio function unit captures the wireless signal received from the first wireless device as iq data, transfers the captured iq data to the second software radio function unit in real time, and converts the iq data transferred from the second software radio function unit into a wireless signal and transmits it to the first wireless device, the second software radio function unit captures the wireless signal received from the second wireless device as iq data, transfers the captured iq data to the first software radio function unit in real time, and converts the iq data transferred from the first software radio function unit into a wireless signal and transmits it to the second wireless device, characterized by a wireless relay system.

2. The first software radio function unit has a synchronization word identification unit that identifies a synchronization word in a frame constituting the wireless signal received from the first wireless device, the second software radio function unit has a synchronization word identification unit that identifies a synchronization word in a frame constituting the wireless signal received from the second wireless device, The wireless relay system according to Claim 1.

3. A software radio device that relays wireless communication between a first wireless device and a second wireless device, a first software radio function unit that performs wireless communication with the first wireless device, a second software radio function unit that performs wireless communication with the second wireless device, comprising: the first software radio function unit captures the wireless signal received from the first wireless device as iq data, transfers the captured iq data to the second software radio function unit in real time, and converts the iq data transferred from the second software radio function unit into a wireless signal and transmits it to the first wireless device, The second software radio function unit captures a radio signal received from the second radio device as IQ data, transfers the captured IQ data to the first software radio function unit in real time, and converts the IQ data transferred from the first software radio function unit into a radio signal and transmits it to the second radio device. A software radio device characterized by the above.

4. The first software radio function unit has a synchronization word identification unit that identifies a synchronization word in a frame constituting a radio signal received from the first radio device. The second software radio function unit has a synchronization word identification unit that identifies a synchronization word in a frame constituting a radio signal received from the second radio device. The software radio device according to claim 3.

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