Communication device, method, and program

Abstract

To improve a method of determining whether a legitimate wireless antenna is connected or not.SOLUTION: A communication apparatus 100 includes at least one detachable external antenna 121, at least one internal antenna 130 that receives radio waves transmitted by the at least one detachable external antenna, and at least one control unit 170. The control unit 170 determines whether the at least one detachable external antenna 121 is a legitimate antenna based on a first reception level of the radio waves received by the at least one internal antenna 130.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present application relates to a communication device, method, and program. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, for communication devices such as wireless routers, manufacturers of the communication devices design dedicated wireless antennas (hereinafter referred to as "official wireless antennas") taking into consideration various radio wave conditions, etc., and sell the communication devices with the antennas attached. However, after purchasing the communication devices, users sometimes replace the official wireless antennas with wireless antennas (hereinafter referred to as "illegal wireless antennas") that have higher output power than the official antennas. When users use communication devices with illegal wireless antennas attached, the radio waves transmitted from the illegal antennas can interfere with the surrounding radio wave environment, causing adverse effects. To address this problem, there is a technology in place that enables communication devices to determine whether an official wireless antenna is connected (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2018-157498 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there is room for improvement in the above-described method of determining whether a regular wireless antenna is connected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In one embodiment, (1) a communication device includes at least one detachable external antenna, at least one internal antenna that receives radio waves transmitted by the at least one detachable external antenna, and at least one control unit, wherein the at least one control unit determines whether the at least one detachable external antenna is a genuine antenna based on a first reception level of the radio waves received by the at least one internal antenna.

[0006] (2) In the communication device of (1) above, the at least one control unit can determine that an external antenna of the at least one detachable external antenna whose first reception level satisfies a first standard is a genuine antenna, and can determine that an external antenna whose first reception level does not satisfy the first standard is not a genuine antenna.

[0007] (3) In the communication device of (2) above, the at least one detachable external antenna includes a first external antenna and a second external antenna, and the at least one control unit can determine whether the first external antenna and the second external antenna are genuine antennas based on a first result indicating whether the first reception level of the radio waves transmitted by the first external antenna satisfies the first criterion, and a second result indicating whether the second reception level of the radio waves received by the second external antenna that received the radio waves from the first external antenna satisfies a second criterion.

[0008] (4) In the communication device of (3), the at least one detachable external antenna includes a first external antenna and a second external antenna, and the at least one control unit is configured to: Based on the first result and the second result, it is possible to respectively determine whether the first external antenna and the second external antenna are genuine antennas, and if the first reception level of the radio waves transmitted by the first external antenna does not satisfy the first criterion, it is possible to determine whether the second external antenna is genuine antenna based on whether the first reception level of the radio waves transmitted by the second external antenna satisfies the first criterion.

[0009] (5) In any of the communication devices (1) to (4) above, when the at least one control unit determines that the at least one external antenna includes an external antenna that is not a regular antenna, the notification unit can transmit to the outside a message that the at least one external antenna is not a regular antenna.

[0010] (6) Any of the communication devices (1) to (6) above further comprises a power supply unit, at least one terminal unit for attaching the at least one detachable external antenna, and a reflection monitor that detects the reflection of power supplied from the power supply to the terminal unit, and the at least one control unit can determine the state of the external antenna attached to the terminal unit based on the detected reflection.

[0011] (7) In the communication device of (6) above, the at least one control unit can determine that the state of the external antenna is at least one of the following states: a state in which the external antenna attached to the terminal portion is broken, a state in which the external antenna is detached from the terminal portion, and a state in which the external antenna is newly attached to the terminal portion.

[0012] (8) The communication device of (7) above is characterized in that, when the at least one control unit determines that an external antenna has been newly attached to the terminal unit, it determines whether the at least one detachable external antenna is a genuine antenna based on the first reception level.

[0013] In one embodiment, (9) the method is characterized in that it includes causing at least one detachable external antenna to transmit radio waves, causing at least one internal antenna to receive the radio waves transmitted by the at least one detachable external antenna, and causing at least one control unit to determine whether the at least one detachable external antenna is a genuine antenna based on a first reception level of the radio waves received by the at least one internal antenna.

[0014] In one embodiment, (10) the program is characterized in that it causes at least one detachable external antenna to transmit radio waves, causes at least one internal antenna to receive the radio waves transmitted by the at least one detachable external antenna, and causes at least one control unit to determine whether the at least one detachable external antenna is a genuine antenna based on a first reception level of the radio waves received by the at least one internal antenna. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the communication device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the communication device according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a table illustrating an example of a determination result of an external antenna according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the communication device according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the communication device according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the communication device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings, in which the same or similar parts are designated by the same or similar reference numerals.

[0017] In one embodiment, a communication device includes at least one detachable external antenna, at least one internal antenna for receiving radio waves transmitted by the at least one detachable external antenna, and at least one controller, wherein the controller determines whether the at least one detachable external antenna is a regular antenna based on a first reception level of the radio waves received by the at least one internal antenna.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment.

[0019] 1, communication device 100 includes terminal unit 110, external antenna 120, internal antenna 130, reflection monitor 140, power supply unit 150, memory unit 160, and control unit 170. In the following description, similar components may be designated by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, duplicated descriptions may be omitted.

[0020] The terminal unit 110 is configured to be able to connect the communication device 100 and the external antenna 120. The terminal unit 110 may be, for example, SMA (Sub Miniature Type A) or SMB (Sub Miniature Type B), but is not limited to these. The terminal unit 110 may be configured to allow the external antenna 120 to be attached or detached. The communication device 100 may be provided with multiple terminal units 110 according to the number of external antennas 120.

[0021] The external antenna 120 is configured to be detachable from the terminal unit 110. Specifically, the first external antenna 121 is connected to the first terminal unit 111, and the second external antenna 122 is connected to the second terminal unit 112. The external antenna 120 is configured to transmit and receive various data via a network such as a public cellular communication network or a local cellular communication network. Any communication protocol may be used as long as mutual communication can be performed. The external antenna 120 can use one or more communication protocols. Note that although the communication device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 has two external antennas (121 and 122), it is sufficient to have at least one external antenna.

[0022] The internal antenna 130 is configured to be non-removably attached inside the communication device 100. The internal antenna 130 is configured to transmit and receive various types of data via a network such as a public cellular communication network or a local cellular communication network. Any communication protocol may be used as long as mutual communication can be performed. The internal antenna 130 can use one or more communication protocols. The internal antenna 130 may also receive radio waves transmitted by the external antenna 120. Although the communication device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 has one internal antenna, the device may also have multiple internal antennas.

[0023] The reflection monitor 140 is an electrochemical sensor. The reflection monitor 140 detects the reflection of power supplied from a power source such as the power supply unit 150 to the terminal unit 110. For example, the reflection monitor 140 may include a directional coupler and use the directional coupler to monitor whether or not the power is reflected at the terminal unit 110.

[0024] The power supply unit 150 supplies power to each component of the communication device 100 to drive the device. The power supply unit 150 may be a battery. Specifically, the battery may be any type of secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion battery.

[0025] The storage unit 160 includes at least one memory that stores programs and data. The storage unit 160 is also used as a work area that temporarily stores processing results of the control unit 170. The storage unit 160 may be configured to include any non-transitory storage medium, such as a semiconductor storage medium or a magnetic storage medium. The storage unit 160 may be configured to include multiple types of storage media. The storage unit 160 may be configured to include a combination of a portable storage medium, such as a memory card, an optical disk, or a magneto-optical disk, and a storage medium reader. The storage unit 160 may be configured to include a storage device used as a temporary storage area, such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0026] The control program 161 provides functions such as measuring the reception level of radio waves received by the external antenna 120 and the internal antenna 130, and detecting whether the external antenna 120 is a legitimate antenna, based on the control of devices constituting the communication device 100, such as the control unit 170.

[0027] The control unit 170 is an arithmetic processing device. Examples of arithmetic processing devices include, but are not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a system-on-chip (SoC), a micro control unit (MCU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and a core processor. The control unit 170 also includes a graphics processing unit (GPU), a video RAM (VRAM), and the like. The control unit 170 may be configured with multiple arithmetic processing devices, and various types of control may be performed by the cooperation of the multiple arithmetic processing devices.

[0028] The control unit 170 executes the control program 161 to realize the functions provided by the control program 161 as processing by the control unit 170.

[0029] The control unit 170 appropriately stores in the memory unit 160 the functions provided by the executed control program 161 and the reception level of the antenna that received the radio waves transmitted from the external antenna 120 when the regular antenna was used.

[0030] The communication device 100 is a device having a wireless communication function. The communication device 100 may be any device that has at least one detachable external antenna, and may be, for example, a wearable device, a smartphone, a tablet device, a laptop computer, or a wireless router.

[0031] First, the configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment will be described. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 2, the communication system according to one embodiment includes a communication device 100 and a server 200.

[0033] The communication device 100 is a wireless router and is communicatively attached to an industrial device.

[0034] The communication device 100 communicates with the server 200 via a wireless network. For example, the communication device 100 may transmit data acquired from an industrial device to which the communication device 100 is attached to the server 200. The communication device 100 may receive control data for the industrial device from the server 200 and transmit the control data to the industrial device to which the communication device 100 is attached. The server 200 is, for example, a server for running a factory management system on the cloud. The factory management system handles factory-related tasks such as production planning, inventory management, or maintenance management of industrial equipment and worker work management. It is a system for managing.

[0035] The communication device 100 determines the state of the external antenna 120 and transmits information indicating the state of the external antenna 120 to the server 200. The server 200 refers to the acquired state of the external antenna 120 and executes the factory management system.

[0036] In one embodiment, the communication device determines whether at least one detachable external antenna is a genuine antenna based on a first reception level of the radio waves received by at least one internal antenna. The communication device may determine that an external antenna whose first reception level satisfies a first criterion is a genuine antenna among the at least one detachable external antenna. The communication device may determine that an external antenna whose first reception level does not satisfy the first criterion is an illegitimate antenna. When the communication device determines that the at least one external antenna includes an illegitimate external antenna, the communication device causes the internal antenna to transmit a signal indicating that the at least one external antenna includes an illegitimate external antenna to other devices.

[0037] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the communication device according to an embodiment.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3, in step S101, the control unit 170 causes the first external antenna 121 to transmit radio waves.

[0039] In step S102, the control unit 170 measures a first reception level of the radio wave received by the internal antenna 130. The reception level may be the intensity of the received radio wave.

[0040] In step S103, the control unit 170 determines whether the first reception level satisfies a first criterion. The first criterion is a range indicating the value of the reception level of the internal antenna 130 when radio waves are received from a legitimate external antenna 120. The first criterion may be determined in advance, for example, through experiments, radio wave simulations, or the like. In step S103, if the first reception level satisfies the first criterion, the control unit 170 determines that the first external antenna 121 is a legitimate antenna and ends the process. On the other hand, if the first reception level does not satisfy the first criterion in step S130, the control unit 170 determines that the first external antenna 121 is not a legitimate antenna and proceeds to step S104.

[0041] In step S103, if the control unit 170 determines that the first reception level does not satisfy the first criterion, it may limit the power supply to the first external antenna 121. In other words, if the control unit 170 determines that the first external antenna 121 is not a legitimate antenna, it may limit the function of its own device so as not to perform communication via the first external antenna 121.

[0042] In step S104, the control unit 170 transmits information indicating that the first external antenna 121 is not a legitimate antenna from the internal antenna 130 to the other device. The other device is, for example, the server 200 in FIG. 2 , but may be any device for monitoring the status of the communication device 100. Here, the information indicating that the first external antenna 121 is not a legitimate antenna may be, for example, a text message stating that "the first external antenna 121 is not a legitimate antenna." The information indicating that the first external antenna 121 is not a legitimate antenna may be, for example, data including an identifier indicating that the first external antenna 121 is not a legitimate antenna.

[0043] In step S104, if the communication device 100 has a notification unit such as a display, a light, or a speaker, the notification unit may present information indicating that the first external antenna 121 is not a regular antenna. The presentation method may vary depending on the type of notification unit. For example, the communication device 100 may present a message indicating that "the first external antenna 121 is not a regular antenna" to the notification unit. For example, the communication device 100 may emit a light in a specific color indicating that "the first external antenna 121 is not a legitimate antenna." For example, the communication device 100 may output a voice or warning sound from a speaker indicating that "the first external antenna 121 is not a legitimate antenna."

[0044] In steps S101 to S104, a method for determining whether the first external antenna 121 is a legitimate antenna has been exemplified, but the control unit 170 can also determine whether the second external antenna 122 is a legitimate antenna in a similar manner for the second external antenna 122.

[0045] As described above, in this embodiment, if the first reception level of the radio waves received by the internal antenna 130 does not satisfy the first standard, the communication device 100 transmits to other devices information that the first external antenna 121 is not a genuine antenna. According to this communication device 100, if the external antenna is not a genuine antenna, other devices can be made to understand that the external antenna 120 of the communication device 100 is not a genuine antenna. For example, the server 200 of the factory management system shown in FIG. 2 can receive information indicating that the external antenna is not a genuine antenna from the communication device 100 and execute processing in accordance with the information. Specifically, the server 200 of the factory management system receives the information indicating that the external antenna is not a genuine antenna. The server 200 can understand that the external antenna 120 of the communication device 100 is not a genuine antenna. The server 200 can transmit a message to a personal computer or tablet terminal owned by the administrator of the communication device 100, requesting the administrator to reconnect the external antenna of the communication device 100.

[0046] In one embodiment, the communication device may include a detachable first external antenna and a detachable second external antenna. The communication device may determine whether the first external antenna and the second external antenna are genuine antennas based on a first result indicating whether a first reception level of radio waves received by at least one internal antenna satisfies a first criterion and a second result indicating whether a second reception level of radio waves received by the second external antenna satisfies a second criterion. If the first reception level of radio waves transmitted by the first external antenna satisfies the first criterion, the communication device may determine whether the first external antenna and the second external antenna are genuine antennas based on the first and second results. If the first reception level of radio waves transmitted by the first external antenna does not satisfy the first criterion, the communication device may determine whether the second external antenna is genuine based on whether the first reception level of radio waves transmitted by the second external antenna satisfies the first criterion.

[0047] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the communication device according to an embodiment.

[0048] In this embodiment, an example in which there is one type of unauthorized antenna will be described.

[0049] In FIG. 4, explanation of steps that overlap with the example of operation in FIG. 3 will be omitted.

[0050] In step S105, the control unit 170 measures a second reception level of the radio wave of the first external antenna 121 received by the second external antenna 122. After that, when steps S102 and S105 are completed, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0051] In step S106, the control unit 170 determines whether the first reception level satisfies the first criterion and whether the second reception level satisfies the second criterion. The control unit 170 determines whether the first reception level satisfies the first criterion. The second criterion is the range of reception levels of the second external antenna 122 when radio waves are received by the regular first external antenna 121. The second criterion may be determined in advance, for example, through experiments, radio wave simulations, etc.

[0052] Here, the result of determining whether the first reception level satisfies the first criterion will be described as a first result, and the result of determining whether the second reception level satisfies the second criterion will be described as a second result.

[0053] In step S107, the control unit 170 determines whether the first external antenna 121 and the second external antenna 122 are regular antennas based on the first and second results. A specific method of determination will be described with reference to FIG.

[0054] FIG. 5 is a table showing an example of the determination result of the external antenna 120 according to an embodiment.

[0055] 5, in step S107, if the first reception level satisfies the first criterion and the second reception level does not satisfy the second criterion, the control unit 170 determines that the first external antenna 121 is a regular antenna and the second external antenna 122 is not a regular antenna. Furthermore, if the first reception level satisfies the first criterion and the second reception level satisfies the second criterion, the control unit 170 determines that the first external antenna 121 and the second external antenna 122 are regular antennas. If the first reception level does not satisfy the first criterion and the second reception level does not satisfy the second criterion, the control unit 170 determines that the first external antenna 121 and the second external antenna 122 are not regular antennas. If the first reception level does not satisfy the first criterion and the second reception level does not satisfy the second criterion, the control unit 170 determines that at least the first antenna is not a regular antenna.

[0056] As described above, in the embodiment, the communication device 100 determines whether the first external antenna 121 and the second external antenna 122 are legitimate antennas based on the first result and the second result. According to such a communication device 100, even when determining whether multiple external antennas are legitimate antennas, it is possible to determine whether each of the multiple external antennas is a legitimate antenna by transmitting radio waves from one of the multiple external antennas.

[0057] Here, if the determination result of step S107 indicates that the external antennas 120 include an unauthorized antenna, the control unit 170 may transmit information indicating the unauthorized antenna among the external antennas 120 from the internal antenna 130 to another device. The information indicating the unauthorized antenna among the external antennas 120 may be, for example, a text message stating that "the second external antenna 122 is an unauthorized antenna." The information indicating the unauthorized antenna among the external antennas 120 may be, for example, data including an identifier indicating that the second external antenna 122 is an unauthorized antenna. Furthermore, if the communication device 100 includes a notification unit such as a display, a light, or a speaker, the information indicating the unauthorized antenna among the external antennas 120 may be presented to the notification unit. For example, the communication device 100 may display a text message stating that "the second external antenna 122 is an unauthorized antenna" on a display. For example, the communication device 100 may illuminate a light in a specific color indicating that "the second external antenna 122 is an unauthorized antenna." For example, the communication device 100 may output from the speaker a voice or a warning sound indicating that "the second external antenna 122 is not a regular antenna."

[0058] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the communication device according to an embodiment.

[0059] 6, explanations of steps that overlap with the example of operation in FIGS. 3 and 4 will be omitted.

[0060] In step S101, the control unit 170 causes the first external antenna 121 to transmit radio waves, executes steps S102 and S105, and then executes step S103. do.

[0061] In step S103, if the first reception level of the radio waves from the first external antenna 121 received by the internal antenna 130 satisfies the first criterion, the control unit 170 determines that the first external antenna 121 is a legitimate antenna, and proceeds to step S108. On the other hand, in step S103, if the first reception level of the radio waves from the first external antenna 121 received by the internal antenna 130 does not satisfy the first criterion, the control unit 170 determines that the first external antenna 121 is not a legitimate antenna, and executes process A. Process A is shown in FIG. 7 and will be described later.

[0062] In step S108, the control unit 170 determines whether the second reception level of the radio waves from the first external antenna 121 received by the second external antenna 122 satisfies a second criterion. If the second reception level satisfies the second criterion, the control unit 170 determines that the second external antenna 122 is a regular antenna and ends the process. On the other hand, if the second reception level does not satisfy the second criterion, the control unit 170 determines that the second external antenna 122 is not a regular antenna and proceeds to step S109.

[0063] In step S109, the control unit 170 transmits information indicating that the second external antenna 122 is not a regular antenna to the other device from the first external antenna 121 or the internal antenna 130, and ends the process.

[0064] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the process A.

[0065] 7, explanations of steps that overlap with the example of operation in FIGS. 3 and 4 will be omitted.

[0066] When control unit 170 starts executing process A, the process proceeds to step S110.

[0067] In step S110, the control unit 170 causes the second external antenna 122 to transmit radio waves, and the process proceeds to step S111.

[0068] In step S111, the control unit 170 measures the first reception level of the radio wave from the second external antenna 122 received by the internal antenna 130, and then the process proceeds to step S112.

[0069] In step S112, the control unit 170 determines whether a first reception level of the radio waves from the second external antenna 122 received by the internal antenna 130 satisfies a first criterion. If the first reception level of the radio waves from the second external antenna 122 satisfies the first criterion, the control unit 170 determines that the second external antenna 122 is a legitimate antenna, and proceeds to step S113. On the other hand, if the first reception level of the radio waves from the second external antenna 122 does not satisfy the first criterion, the control unit 170 determines that the second external antenna 122 is not a legitimate antenna, and proceeds to step S114.

[0070] In step S113, the control unit 170 transmits information indicating that the first external antenna 121 is not a regular antenna from the second external antenna 122 or the internal antenna 130 to the other device.

[0071] In step S114, the control unit 170 transmits, from the internal antenna 130 to the other device, information indicating that the first external antenna 121 and the second external antenna 122 are not regular antennas.

[0072] As described above, in this embodiment, when the first reception level of the radio waves from the first external antenna 121 does not satisfy the first criterion, the communication device 100 determines whether the second external antenna 122 is a legitimate antenna based on whether the first reception level of the radio waves from the second external antenna 122 satisfies the first criterion. According to this communication device 100, it is possible to efficiently and accurately determine whether the first external antenna 121 and the second external antenna 122 are legitimate antennas.

[0073] In one embodiment, the communication device may include a power supply unit, a terminal unit for attaching an external antenna, and a reflection monitor that detects reflection of power supplied from the power supply to the terminal unit. The communication device may determine the state of the external antenna attached to the terminal unit based on the reflection of power detected by the reflection monitor. The communication device may determine, as the state of the external antenna, at least one of a state in which the external antenna attached to the terminal unit is broken, a state in which the external antenna has been removed from the terminal unit, and a state in which the external antenna has been newly attached to the terminal unit. If the communication device determines that the external antenna has been newly attached to the terminal unit, it may determine whether the external antenna is a legitimate antenna based on the first reception level.

[0074] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the communication device according to an embodiment.

[0075] In step S120, the control unit 170 determines the state of the first external antenna 121 attached to the first terminal unit 111 based on the reflection of the power supplied from the power supply unit 150 to the first terminal unit 111 detected by the reflection monitor 140. Specifically, the control unit 170 monitors a value indicating the reflection of the power supplied from the power supply unit 150 to the first terminal unit 111 (hereinafter also referred to as power reflection at the first terminal unit 111) by the reflection monitor 140. Here, if the first external antenna 121 is not attached to the first terminal unit 111 or if the first external antenna 121 is faulty, the power supplied from the power supply unit 150 to the first terminal unit 111 is reflected at the first terminal unit 111, and the reflection monitor 140 detects a large reflected power. In other words, if the value indicating the power reflection is equal to or less than a predetermined value, it can be estimated that the first external antenna 121 is attached to the first terminal unit 111. When the value indicating the power reflection at the first terminal 111 exceeds a predetermined value, it can be assumed that the first external antenna 121 is not attached to the first terminal 111 or that the first external antenna 121 has malfunctioned. The range of this predetermined value may be determined as appropriate, for example, by conducting experiments in advance. When the control unit 170 determines that the value indicating the power reflection at the first terminal 111 has exceeded the predetermined value from a state equal to or less than the predetermined value, it may determine that the first external antenna 121 attached to the first terminal 111 is in a malfunctioning state (hereinafter also referred to as a first state). When the control unit 170 determines that the value indicating the power reflection at the first terminal 111 has exceeded the predetermined value from a state equal to or less than the predetermined value, it may determine that the first external antenna 121 has been detached from the first terminal 111 (hereinafter also referred to as a second state). When the control unit 170 determines that the value indicating the power reflection at the first terminal unit 111 has exceeded a predetermined value from a state where it was equal to or less than the predetermined value, the control unit 170 may determine that the state is either the first state or the second state (hereinafter also referred to as the third state). When the control unit 170 determines that the value indicating the power reflection at the first terminal unit 111 has exceeded the predetermined value from a state where it was equal to or less than the predetermined value and then again becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value, the control unit 170 may determine that the state is one in which the first external antenna 121 has been newly attached to the first terminal unit 111 (hereinafter also referred to as the fourth state).

[0076] If the control unit 170 determines in step S120 that the state of the first external antenna 121 is the first state, the second state, or the third state, the process proceeds to step S121. If the control unit 170 determines in step S120 that the state of the first external antenna 121 is the fourth state, the process proceeds to step S121. If the control unit 170 determines in step S120 that the state of the first external antenna 121 is the fourth state, the process proceeds to step S122. In other words, in step S120, the control unit 170 determines that the first external antenna 121 has been newly attached to the first terminal unit 111. In this case, a process is executed to determine whether the first external antenna 121 is a regular antenna.

[0077] In step S121, the control unit 170 transmits information (for example, a text message or an identifier) ​​indicating that the state of the first external antenna 121 is the first state, the second state, or the third state to the other device, and ends the process. Also, in step S121, if the communication device 100 has a notification unit such as a display, a light, or a speaker, the control unit 170 may present information indicating that the state of the first external antenna 121 is the first state, the second state, or the third state to the notification unit (for example, the state of the first external antenna 121 may be indicated by a display on the display, the state of the first external antenna 121 may be indicated by the illumination of a light, or the state of the first external antenna 121 may be indicated by a voice or warning sound from a speaker, etc.).

[0078] In steps S120 to S121, a method for determining the state of the first external antenna 121 has been exemplified, but the control unit 170 may also determine the state of the second external antenna 122 by performing similar processing for the second external antenna 122.

[0079] As described above, with such communication device 100, the user can easily grasp the state of the external antenna.

[0080] A program may be provided that causes a computer to execute each process performed by communication device 100. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable medium. Using the computer-readable medium, the program can be installed on a computer. Here, the computer-readable medium on which the program is recorded may be a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory recording medium is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM.

[0081] The above describes one embodiment in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to that described above, and various design changes can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 100: Communication equipment 110:Terminal section 111: 1st terminal section 112: 2nd terminal section 120: External antenna 121: First external antenna 122: Second external antenna 130: Internal antenna 140: Reflection monitor 150: Power supply section 160: Storage section 161: Control program 170: Control unit 200: Server

Claims

1. at least one detachable external antenna; at least one internal antenna that receives radio waves transmitted by the at least one detachable external antenna; At least one control unit, The at least one control unit based on a first reception level of the radio wave received by the at least one internal antenna, A communication device that determines whether the at least one detachable external antenna is a regular antenna.

2. The at least one control unit Among the at least one detachable external antenna:

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein an external antenna whose first reception level satisfies a first criterion is determined to be a regular antenna, and an external antenna whose first reception level does not satisfy the first criterion is determined to be an irregular antenna.

3. The at least one control unit 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the at least one external antenna includes an external antenna that is not a regular antenna, the communication device transmits from the internal antenna to another device a message indicating that the external antenna is not a regular antenna.

4. A power supply unit; At least one terminal portion for attaching the at least one detachable external antenna; a reflection monitor that detects reflection of the power supplied from the power supply unit to the terminal unit, The at least one control unit The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein a state of the external antenna attached to the terminal portion is determined based on the detected reflection.

5. The at least one control unit 5. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein the state of the external antenna is determined to be at least one of a state in which the external antenna attached to the terminal portion is broken, a state in which the external antenna is detached from the terminal portion, and a state in which the external antenna is newly attached to the terminal portion.

6. The at least one control unit 6. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein, when it is determined that an external antenna has been newly attached to the terminal portion, it is determined whether the at least one detachable external antenna is a regular antenna based on the first reception level.

7. transmitting radio waves to at least one detachable external antenna; The radio waves transmitted by the at least one detachable external antenna are received by at least one internal antenna; and causing at least one control unit to determine whether the at least one detachable external antenna is a regular antenna based on a first reception level of the radio waves received by the at least one internal antenna. method.

8. transmitting radio waves to at least one detachable external antenna; The radio waves transmitted by the at least one detachable external antenna are received by at least one internal antenna; and causing at least one control unit to determine whether the at least one detachable external antenna is a regular antenna based on a first reception level of the radio waves received by the at least one internal antenna. program.

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