Wireless communication system and wireless communication method therefor

Abstract

To provide a wireless communication system that allows a relay device side to select data and upload the selected data to the cloud when there are multiple relay devices that receive data without pairing, and a wireless communication method in the wireless communication system.SOLUTION: A wireless communication system 10 includes a wireless device (tray 11 and microwave oven 12), a relay device (gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23), and a data collection device (cloud 31). The wireless device broadcasts data. The relay device receives data from the wireless device, and transmits the data to the data collection device when a flag corresponding to the wireless device is a priority flag. The data collection device sets a priority flag or a non-priority flag for each relay device, reports the set flag to the relay device, and receives data from the relay device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an article tray stored in a refrigerator. The article tray described in Patent Document 1 includes an article holder for holding articles, an article sensor for detecting article information indicating the state of the articles held in the article holder, and a communication unit for transmitting the article information based on the opening and closing of the refrigerator door. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2020-180739 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] IoT (Internet of Things) peripheral devices such as the article tray shown in Patent Document 1 may communicate without pairing with a communication partner (such as a relay device described later). A relay device that receives data without pairing uploads the received data to a server on the cloud.

[0005] However, if there are multiple relay devices around an IoT peripheral device that receive data without pairing, and each relay device uploads the received data to a cloud server without processing it, the network traffic load will increase and the amount of superimposed data on the cloud server will also increase.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication system and a wireless communication method in a wireless communication system in which, when there are multiple relay devices that receive data without pairing, the relay device can select and upload the data to a server on the cloud. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a wireless communication system including one or more wireless devices, two or more relay devices, and one or more data collection devices. The wireless devices broadcast data. The relay devices receive data from the wireless devices and, if a flag corresponding to the wireless device is a priority flag, transmit the data to the data collection devices. The data collection device sets a priority flag or a non-priority flag for each relay device as the flag corresponding to the wireless device, notifies each relay device of the flag corresponding to the set wireless device, and receives data from the relay devices.

[0008] The present invention provides a wireless communication method in a wireless communication system including one or more wireless devices, two or more relay devices, and one or more data collection devices. In the wireless communication method in the wireless communication system, the wireless devices broadcast data. The relay devices receive the data from the wireless devices and, if a flag corresponding to the wireless device is a priority flag, transmit the data to the data collection device. The data collection device sets a priority flag or a non-priority flag for each relay device as the flag corresponding to the wireless device, notifies each relay device of the flag corresponding to the set wireless device, and receives data from the relay devices. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] As described above, according to the present invention, the relay device selectively uploads data to the cloud server, which prevents the superimposed data from being uploaded to the cloud server, thereby reducing network traffic and the amount of data on the cloud server. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process for uploading predetermined data from a wireless device to a server on a cloud via a relay device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a wireless communication system 10 according to the embodiments. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the wireless communication system 10 according to the embodiments.

[0012] 1 and 2, the wireless communication system 10 includes one or more wireless devices, two or more relay devices, and one or more data collection devices. More specifically, the wireless communication system 10 includes a tray 11 and a microwave oven 12, which are examples of wireless devices, a gateway 21, a refrigerator 22, and an air conditioner 23, which are examples of relay devices, and a cloud 31 (server 32), which is an example of a data collection device.

[0013] The tray 11 and microwave oven 12 are communicably connected to the gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23, for example, by BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) ("Bluetooth" is a registered trademark. The registered trademark will not be mentioned below.) Communication between the tray 11 and microwave oven 12 and the gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23 is unidirectional, from the tray 11 and microwave oven 12 to the gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23.

[0014] The gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23 are communicably connected to the server 32 on the cloud 31 via an access point 30, for example, via a wireless local area network (LAN). Communication between the gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23 and the server 32 on the cloud 31 is bidirectional between the gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23 and the server 32 on the cloud 31.

[0015] The tray 11 and the microwave oven 12 are IoT devices capable of broadcasting data using a method such as a Bluetooth BLE beacon.

[0016] The tray 11 is a tray for holding items such as milk cartons 90. The tray 11 is placed inside the refrigerator 22. The tray 11 includes a holder 13, a tray control unit 14A, a tray memory unit 15A, a Bluetooth communication unit 16A, an item sensor 17, a power supply unit 18, etc.

[0017] A milk carton 90 or the like is placed on the holder 13. The holder 13 is, for example, rectangular with ribs around the periphery to hold the milk carton 90.

[0018] The tray control unit 14A is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-processing Unit), or the like, and executes various information processes on the tray 11 according to programs stored in the tray storage unit 15A.

[0019] The tray storage unit 15A is a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like, and stores programs executed by the tray control unit 14A, data generated by the execution of the programs by the tray control unit 14A, and the like.

[0020] The Bluetooth communication unit 16A is an interface or the like, and is a BLE radio that uses Bluetooth to communicate with the gateway 21, the air conditioner 23, and the refrigerator 22. The Bluetooth communication unit 16A has a function of communicating, for example, by broadcasting. The Bluetooth communication unit 16A emits a beacon signal. The Bluetooth communication unit 16A may be built into the holder 13 of the tray 11, or may be provided in a communication adapter externally attached to the holder 13 of the tray 11. The Bluetooth communication unit 16A is configured to be able to transmit predetermined information to the gateway 21, the air conditioner 23, and the refrigerator 22, and transmits the information intermittently.

[0021] The article sensor 17 detects whether or not a milk carton 90 is held in the holder 13. Examples of the article sensor 17 include a weight sensor and a distance sensor.

[0022] The power supply unit 18 supplies power to each part of the tray 11. Examples of the power supply unit 18 include a battery and a storage battery.

[0023] Microwave oven 12 includes a main body control unit 14B, a main body storage unit 15B, and a Bluetooth communication unit 16B.

[0024] Main body control unit 14B is a CPU, an MPU, or the like, and executes various information processes in microwave oven 12 according to programs stored in main body storage unit 15B.

[0025] The main body storage unit 15B is a flash memory, a RAM, or the like, and stores programs executed by the main body control unit 14B, data generated by the execution of the programs by the main body control unit 14B, and the like.

[0026] The Bluetooth communication unit 16B is an interface or the like, and is a BLE radio that uses Bluetooth to communicate with the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22, and the air conditioner 23. The Bluetooth communication unit 16B has a function of communicating, for example, by broadcasting. The Bluetooth communication unit 16B emits a beacon signal. The Bluetooth communication unit 16B may be built into the main body of the microwave oven 12, or may be provided in a communication adapter externally attached to the main body of the microwave oven 12. The Bluetooth communication unit 16B is configured to be able to transmit predetermined information to the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22, and the air conditioner 23, and transmits the information intermittently.

[0027] Gateway 21 converts the communication method (protocol) between the communication method supported by access point 30 and the communication method supported by tray 11 and microwave oven 12. Gateway 21 receives data from tray 11 and microwave oven 12, and if the flag corresponding to tray 11 or microwave oven 12 is a priority flag, transmits the data to server 32 on cloud 31. Since gateway 21 transmits data to server 32 on cloud 31 depending on the presence or absence of a priority flag, superimposed data is not uploaded to server 32 on cloud 31.

[0028] Like the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22 and the air conditioner 23 are home appliances that have the function of converting the communication method between the communication method supported by the access point 30 and the communication method supported by the tray 11 and the microwave oven 12.

[0029] Refrigerator 22 includes a main body control unit 24A, a main body storage unit 25A, and a wireless communication unit 26A.

[0030] The main body control unit 24A is a CPU, an MPU, or the like, and executes various information processes in the refrigerator 22 according to the programs stored in the main body storage unit 25A.

[0031] The main body storage unit 25A is a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like, and stores programs executed by the main body control unit 24A, data generated by the execution of the programs by the main body control unit 24A, and the like.

[0032] The wireless communication unit 26A is an interface or the like, and is a gateway device that receives data from the Bluetooth communication unit 16A of the tray 11 and the Bluetooth communication unit 16B of the microwave oven 12, and transmits the data to the cloud 31 if the flag corresponding to the tray 11 or the microwave oven 12 is a priority flag. The wireless communication unit 26A transmits data to the server 32 on the cloud 31 depending on the presence or absence of the priority flag, so that the superimposed data is not uploaded to the server 32 on the cloud 31. The wireless communication unit 26A converts the communication method between the communication method supported by the access point 30 and the communication method supported by the Bluetooth communication unit 16A of the tray 11 and the microwave oven 12. The wireless communication unit 26A communicates with the access point 30 using a wireless LAN. The wireless communication unit 26A communicates with the Bluetooth communication unit 16A of the tray 11 and the microwave oven 12 using Bluetooth. The wireless communication unit 26A may be built into the main body of the refrigerator 22, or may be provided in a communication adapter externally attached to the main body of the refrigerator 22.

[0033] Air conditioner 23 includes main body control unit 24B, main body storage unit 25B, and wireless communication unit 26B. The main configurations of main body control unit 24B, main body storage unit 25B, and wireless communication unit 26B are similar to those of main body control unit 24A, main body storage unit 25A, and wireless communication unit 26A of refrigerator 22, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0034] The server 32 on the cloud 31 sets a priority flag or a non-priority flag for each of the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22, and the air conditioner 23 as a flag corresponding to the tray 11 or the microwave oven 12. Specifically, the server 32 sets the priority flag or the non-priority flag based on the radio wave strength of the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22, and the air conditioner 23 when receiving data from the tray 11 and the microwave oven 12, or on past communication history, etc. More specifically, the server 32 sets a priority flag to the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22, and the air conditioner 23 that has the strongest radio wave strength when receiving data from the tray 11 (for example, the refrigerator 22), and sets a non-priority flag to the others (for example, the gateway 21 and the air conditioner 23). Similarly, the server 32 sets a priority flag to the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22, and the air conditioner 23 that has the strongest radio wave strength when receiving data from the microwave oven 12 (for example, the gateway 21), and sets a non-priority flag to the others (for example, the refrigerator 22 and the air conditioner 23). The server 32 does not set a flag for items from which it does not receive data from the tray 11 and microwave oven 12 (for example, an air conditioner 23 that is not used for the season and is unplugged).

[0035] Server 32 sets priority flags or non-priority flags in one-to-one correspondence between tray 11 or microwave oven 12 and gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23. Specifically, when server 32 sets a priority flag corresponding to tray 11 for refrigerator 22, it sets a non-priority flag corresponding to tray 11 for gateway 21 and air conditioner 23. Server 32 also erases the priority flag and non-priority flag settings at a predetermined time (for example, once a week, once a month, etc.). This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which data cannot be uploaded for a long time due to the location or power supply status of tray 11 and microwave oven 12 (wireless devices), or gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23 (relay devices).

[0036] Server 32 notifies gateway 21 and wireless communication units 26 of refrigerator 22 and air conditioner 23 of the flag (priority flag or non-priority flag) corresponding to tray 11 or microwave oven 12 that has been set, and receives data from gateway 21 and wireless communication units 26 of refrigerator 22 and air conditioner 23 for which the priority flag has been set. In this way, server 32 sets flags in gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23, and then receives data from gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23 for which the priority flag has been set, so that superimposed data is not uploaded to server 32. This makes it possible to reduce network traffic and the amount of data on server 32.

[0037] When the server 32 receives data for the tray 11 or the microwave oven 12 from the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22, or the air conditioner 23 for which the priority flag has been set, the server 32 notifies all of the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22, and the air conditioner 23 that the data has been received. Specifically, when the server 32 receives data for the tray 11 from the refrigerator 22 for which the priority flag has been set, the server 32 notifies the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22, and the air conditioner 23 that the data has been received. By notifying the server 32 of the completion of reception in this way, the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22, and the air conditioner 23 can recognize that the data for the tray 11 or the microwave oven 12 has been received reliably by the server 32. If the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22, and the air conditioner 23 receive data for the tray 11 or the microwave oven 12 but do not receive a reception completion notification from the server 32, the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22, and the air conditioner 23 can transmit the data even if the non-priority flag has been set, thereby preventing the server 32 from missing data reception.

[0038] Next, an example of a method for uploading predetermined data from tray 11 and microwave oven 12 to server 32 on cloud 31 via gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23 will be described. In the following description, tray 11 and microwave oven 12 will be referred to as wireless devices, and gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23 will be referred to as relay devices. Figure 3 is a flowchart for uploading predetermined data from a wireless device to server 32 on cloud 31 via the relay device.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 3, when predetermined data is transmitted from a wireless device (e.g., tray 11) (S1), all relay devices (gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23) receive the predetermined data transmitted from the wireless device (S2). When the relay device receives the data (S2), it is determined whether a flag (priority flag, non-priority flag) corresponding to the wireless device is set in the relay device (S3). If it is determined that a flag corresponding to the wireless device is set in the relay device (S3-Yes), the relay device (e.g., air conditioner 23) whose flag is set as the priority flag transmits the data to server 32 on cloud 31. Server 32 on cloud 31 receives the data from the relay device (e.g., air conditioner 23) that has set the priority flag (S4). When server 32 receives the data from the wireless device from the relay device that has set the priority flag, it notifies all relay devices that the data has been received (S5).

[0040] A relay device (e.g., gateway 21, refrigerator 22) for which a non-priority flag has been set determines whether it has received a notification of completion of data reception from server 32 within a certain period of time from the time it received data from the wireless device (S6). That is, a relay device for which a non-priority flag has been set does not know whether data has been uploaded to server 32 from a relay device for which a priority flag has been set. Therefore, the relay device for which a non-priority flag has been set can appropriately check whether data has been uploaded to server 32 by determining whether data has been uploaded to server 32 based on the notification of completion of data reception from server 32. If the relay device for which a non-priority flag has been set determines that it has received a notification of completion of data reception from server 32 (S6-Yes), the upload of data from the wireless device to server 32 ends.

[0041] On the other hand, if the relay device for which the non-priority flag is set determines that it has not received a notification of completion of data reception from server 32 (S6-No), it determines that the relay device for which the priority flag is set is not operating (S7). For example, this may occur if air conditioner 23 for which the priority flag is set is not in use due to the season and is unplugged and not operating. If the relay device for which the non-priority flag is set determines that the relay device for which the priority flag is set is not operating (S7), it erases the non-priority flag that was set (S8).

[0042] When the relay device clears the non-priority flag that has been set (S8), it transmits only specific low-volume data from the data received from the wireless device to the server 32 on the cloud 31 (S9). Here, the specific low-volume data refers to serial data that identifies the wireless device, data reception sensitivity from the wireless device at the relay device, data type, date and time, etc.

[0043] When a relay device transmits specific low-volume data (S9), server 32 receives the low-volume data (S10). Based on the received low-volume data, server 32 selects a relay device (e.g., refrigerator 22) to which the data received from the wireless device can be uploaded (S11). For example, server 32 selects the relay device with the highest data reception sensitivity from the wireless device. Server 32 transmits a permission signal to the selected relay device to permit data uploading, and transmits a denial signal to the other relay devices (e.g., gateway 21) to prohibit data uploading (S12).

[0044] When the relay device receives an upload permission signal from the server 32 (S13-Yes), it sets a priority flag and uploads the data received from the wireless device to the server 32 (S14). On the other hand, when the relay device receives an upload non-permission signal from the server 32 (S13-No), it sets a non-priority flag and discards the data received from the wireless device (S15).

[0045] When the data is uploaded to the server 32 (S14), the server 32 notifies the relay devices for which the priority flag is set and the relay devices for which the non-priority flag is set that the data has been received (S16).

[0046] When each relay device (gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23) receives predetermined data transmitted from a wireless device (S2), if the flag corresponding to the wireless device (priority flag and non-priority flag) is not set (S3-No), each relay device transmits only specific low-volume data based on the data received from the wireless device to server 32 on cloud 31 (S9). In this case, the number of data items uploaded from the relay device to server 32 is not reduced, but the total amount of data uploaded is reduced, thereby suppressing the traffic load on the network.

[0047] In this way, when the cloud 31 receives multiple specific low-volume data from the same wireless device, it designates relay devices (gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23) to which the data is to be uploaded. Then, data is uploaded only from the designated relay device (e.g., refrigerator 22), and data is not uploaded from other undesignated relay devices (gateway 21 and air conditioner 23). Furthermore, if a priority flag has been set based on the radio wave strength when data is received from a wireless device or on past communication history, data from a specific wireless device (e.g., tray 11) is uploaded only from a specific relay device (e.g., refrigerator 22) from the next upload onwards. With this mechanism, when data is broadcast from a wireless device, data is uploaded only from a specific relay device (e.g., refrigerator 22) and not from other relay devices (gateway 21 and air conditioner 23), thereby reducing network traffic and the data capacity of server 32 on the cloud 31.

[0048] Furthermore, whether the relay device that preferentially uploads data is optimal or not is determined by erasing the priority flag and non-priority flag periodically or irregularly, and the optimal reception is re-determined and registered.

[0049] If the relay device for which the non-priority flag is set determines that it has not received a notification of completion of data reception from the server 32 (S6-No), it may determine that the relay device for which the priority flag is set is not operating (S7), and upload the data to the server 32 instead of the relay device for which the priority flag is set. This makes it possible to prevent the server 32 from missing data reception.

[0050] As described above, according to the embodiment, when there are multiple relay devices that receive data without pairing, the relay devices (gateway 21, refrigerator 22, and air conditioner 23) select and upload the data to server 32 on cloud 31, thereby preventing the superimposed data from being uploaded to server 32 on cloud 31. This reduces network traffic and the amount of data on server 32 on cloud 31.

[0051] In the embodiment, the wireless devices are the tray 11 and the microwave oven 12 in the refrigerator 22, but the wireless devices are not limited to these and may be home appliances such as washing machines and air conditioners as long as they have a BLE wireless device. Also, a BLE wireless device alone may be used. Furthermore, the communication method of the wireless devices is not limited to Bluetooth methods such as BLE, and any communication method that can broadcast data without pairing may be used.

[0052] In addition, in the embodiment, the relay devices are the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22, and the air conditioner 23, but this is not limited to this, and any home appliances such as a washing machine and a microwave oven may be used as long as they have a gateway device.

[0053] In addition, in the embodiment, the server 32 on the cloud 31 sets a priority flag or a non-priority flag as a flag corresponding to the tray 11 or the microwave oven 12 for each of the gateway 21, the refrigerator 22, and the air conditioner 23, but this is not limited to this, and the user of the refrigerator 22, etc. may set the priority flag and the non-priority flag using a communication terminal, etc. not shown.

[0054] The embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The drawings mainly show each component in a schematic manner for ease of understanding, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual components due to the convenience of creating the drawings. Furthermore, the materials, shapes, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above-described embodiments are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and various modifications are possible within a scope that does not substantially deviate from the configuration of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0055] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce network traffic and the amount of data on cloud servers, and therefore the present invention has great industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 10. Wireless communication systems 11 Tray (wireless equipment) 12 Microwave oven (wireless device) 21 Gateway (relay device) 22 Refrigerator (relay device) 23 Air conditioner (relay device) 31 Cloud (data collection device)

Claims

1. one or more wireless devices; two or more relay devices; one or more data collection devices; Equipped with The wireless device broadcasts data; The relay device receiving the data from the wireless device; transmitting the data to the data collection device if the flag corresponding to the wireless device is a priority flag; The data collection device is setting a priority flag or a non-priority flag for each of the relay devices as a flag corresponding to the wireless device; notifying each of the relay devices of the flags corresponding to the set wireless devices, and receiving the data from the relay devices; 1. A wireless communication system, comprising: When the data collection device receives the data of the wireless device from the relay device for which the priority flag is set, the data collection device notifies all the relay devices of completion of reception of the data. Wireless communication system.

2. If the relay device does not receive a notification of completion of reception of the data from the data collection device within a certain period of time from the time the relay device receives the data from the wireless device, and if the flag corresponding to the wireless device is a non-priority flag, the relay device transmits the data received from the wireless device to the data collection device.

10. The wireless communication system of claim 1.

3. If the relay device does not receive a notification of completion of reception of the data from the data collection device within a certain period of time from the time when the relay device receives the data from the wireless device, the relay device resets a flag corresponding to the wireless device.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A wireless communication method in a wireless communication system including one or more wireless devices, two or more relay devices, and one or more data collection devices, comprising: the wireless device broadcasts data; The relay device receiving the data from the wireless device; transmitting the data to the data collection device if the flag corresponding to the wireless device is a priority flag; The data collection device setting a priority flag or a non-priority flag for each of the relay devices as a flag corresponding to the wireless device; notifying each of the relay devices of the flags corresponding to the set wireless devices, and receiving the data from the relay devices; When the wireless device receives data from the relay device for which the priority flag is set, the wireless device notifies all the relay devices that reception of the data has been completed. A wireless communication method in a wireless communication system.

Images