Communication system

Abstract

To provide a communication system capable of securing excellent service quality for a user by securing inter-service communication while suppressing a load on a processing unit of a radio device.SOLUTION: A communication system comprises a server 1 having a data storage service 15 for storing data and a radio gateway service 16 for controlling communication between the data storage service 15 and a radio device 3. The radio gateway service 16 stores connection information on a communication system and a communication mode in the radio device in a connection information table. When receiving a notification of parameter setting update or data transmission for the radio device 3 from the data storage service 15, the radio gateway service performs parameter setting update processing or transmission processing of transmission data on the basis of the communication system and the communication mode stored in the connection information table in association with the radio device 3. Therefore, periodic update confirmation and transmission data confirmation from the radio device 3 to the server 1 are made to be unnecessary.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system, and more particularly to a communication system that can ensure the quality of communication services even under the constraints of the processing performance of wireless devices and the wide-area network environment.

Background Art

[0002] [Conventional Technology] Conventionally, there is a communication system in which a plurality of wireless devices and a server are connected by a network, and the server controls and monitors the wireless devices. The wireless device performs wireless communication with a plurality of mobile stations and performs wired communication with the server via a wide-area communication network. The server communicates with a plurality of wireless devices and performs overall system control and monitoring. The control and monitoring include, for example, monitoring of wireless devices, control, and data transmission to wireless devices.

[0003] [Configuration of Wireless Device: FIG. 10] The configuration of the wireless device will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the wireless device. In FIG. 10, solid arrows indicate the flow of wireless communication data, and broken arrows indicate the flow of monitoring and control information.

[0004] As shown in FIG. 10, the wireless device 30 includes a general-purpose computing module 31, a wireless signal processing unit 32, and a high-frequency unit 33. The general-purpose computing module 31 is an arithmetic processing unit including a control unit and a storage unit, and includes a wireless access control service 311. The wireless access control service 311 is a processing means realized by starting a program stored in the storage unit by the control unit.​​​​​The wireless signal processing unit 32 performs encoding for error correction, modulates the signal, and transmits it to the high-frequency unit 33. The high-frequency unit 33 converts the carrier signal received from the wireless signal processing unit 32 into a high frequency, amplifies it to a predetermined power, and transmits it.

[0006] When the high-frequency unit 33 receives a radio signal from the mobile station, it converts it into a carrier signal and outputs it to the radio signal processing unit 32. The wireless signal processing unit 32 demodulates the signal, performs synchronization code determination and correction code decoding, and then transmits the received data to the wireless access service 311.

[0007] Furthermore, the wireless device 30 reports its operational status to the server 10 and operates according to control information from the server 10.

[0008] [Service configuration in conventional communication systems: Figure 11] Next, the service configuration in a conventional communication system will be explained using Figure 11. Figure 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the service configuration in a conventional communication system. In this specification, "service" refers to various processing means implemented by a program activated by the control unit. As shown in Figure 11, in a conventional communication system, a server 10 and multiple wireless devices 30 are connected via a network. In addition, another system 4 that performs a different service is connected to the server 10.

[0009] Server 10 is equipped with a WEB UX (User Experience) service 111, a user data processing service 112, an inter-system connection service 113, a data communication control service 114, and a data storage service 115.

[0010] The WEB UX service 111 handles processing related to web communication with the user. The user data processing service 112 performs data transformation processing according to the user's specifications. The inter-system connection service 113 connects to and communicates with other systems 4. The data communication control service 114 controls data communication with the wireless device 30. The data storage service 115 stores data that is communicated with the wireless device 30.

[0011] Furthermore, as described above, the wireless device 30 is equipped with a wireless access control service 311. These services are connected via an interface called REST (Representational State Transfer).

[0012] When communication occurs between the server 10 and the wireless device 30, the server 10's data storage service 15 and the wireless device 30's wireless access control service are used. 311 An exchange takes place between them.

[0013] [Traditional monitoring flow: Figure 12] Next, we will explain the processing flow when a user monitors each wireless device 30 in a conventional communication system using Figure 12. Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the monitoring flow in a conventional communication system. In conventional communication systems, the wireless access control service 311 transmits status information of its own device and information acquired from the mobile station to each service of the server 10 using POST commands.

[0014] As shown in Figure 12, in a conventional communication system, the wireless access control service 311 of the wireless device 30 periodically notifies the server 10 of the wireless status of its device (S71, S76), and the data storage service 115 of the server 10 stores the received wireless device (radio) status data for each wireless device 30.

[0015] Then, when the user outputs a command to monitor the radio equipment to the WEB UX service 111 (S72), the WEB UX service 111 outputs a request to the data storage service 115 to acquire the radio equipment status (S73).

[0016] The data storage service 115 responds to the web UX service 111 with the stored radio status data as a radio status acquisition response (S74), and the web UX service 111 outputs the radio monitoring result to the user (S75). In this manner, the wireless device 30 in the conventional communication system was monitored. In this specification, "wireless device" is used to refer to "wireless equipment."

[0017] [Conventional control flow: Figure 13] Next, we will explain the processing flow when a user controls each wireless device 30 in a conventional communication system using Figure 13. Figure 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the control flow in a conventional communication system. As shown in Figure 13, in a conventional communication system, the wireless access control service 311 of the wireless device 30 periodically checks with the data storage service 115 of the server 10 to see if the wireless device settings have been updated (wireless device setting check, S80). The data storage service 115 of server 10 checks whether there are any updates to the radio settings, and if there are no updates, it notifies the wireless access control service 311 that there are no updates to the radio settings.

[0018] When a user controls a wireless device, the user outputs a wireless device control instruction containing the updated configuration information to the WEB UX service 111 of the server 10 (S82), and the WEB UX service 111 outputs a wireless device configuration instruction to the data storage service (S83). The data storage service stores the updated configuration information and outputs a radio configuration response to the WEB UX service 111 (S84).

[0019] When there is a next radio setting confirmation from the radio access control service 311 of the radio device 30 (S85), the data storage service 115 notifies the radio access control service 311 that there is a radio setting update, and the radio access control service 311 acquires the updated radio settings from the data storage service 115 (S86).

[0020] The radio access control service 311 updates the settings with the acquired information and outputs a radio setting update notification to the data storage service 115 (S87). The data storage service 115 outputs a radio setting update notification to the WEB UX service 111 (S88), and the WEB UX service 111 notifies the user of the radio control result (S89). In this way, the monitoring in the conventional communication system was performed.

[0021] [Flow of conventional data transmission: Figure 14] Next, the process flow when the user transmits data to the mobile station that wirelessly connects to each radio device 30 in the conventional communication system will be described using FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of data transmission in the conventional communication system. As shown in FIG. 14, the radio access control service 311 of the radio device 30 periodically checks with the data storage service 115 of the server 10 whether there is transmission data addressed to its own device (S90). When there is no transmission data, the data storage service 115 responds with no transmission data (S91). When there is no transmission data, processes S90 and S91 are repeated.

[0022] When a data transmission request is sent from the user or the other system connection service 113 to the user data processing service 112 (S92), the user data processing service 112 instructs the data storage service 115 to store the data (S93). Also, the user data processing service 112 notifies the source user or the other system connection service 113 that the data transmission request is completed and waiting for transmission (S94).

[0023] When the data storage service 115 outputs to the data communication control service 114 that it has stored the data (data storage notification, S95), the data communication control service 114 converts it into data for transmission (S96), and when completed, notifies the data storage service 115 of the transmission data settings (S97).

[0024] Then, when the data storage service 115 receives confirmation of transmission data from the wireless access control service 311 (S98), it outputs an instruction to acquire transmission data, and the wireless access control service 311 acquires the transmission data (S99). Then, the wireless access control service 311 wirelessly transmits to the mobile station (S100) and outputs a transmission status notification to the data storage service 115 (S101).

[0025] When the wireless access control service 311 has completed transmitting all data, it notifies the mobile station of the completion of wireless transmission (S102) and sends a transmission completion notification to the data storage service 115 (S103).

[0026] The data storage service 115 sends a data transmission completion status notification to the user data processing service 112 (S104), and the user data processing service 112 notifies the originating user or the other system connection service 113 that data transmission is complete (S105). This is how data transmission was carried out in conventional communication systems.

[0027] In other words, in conventional communication systems, the wireless access control service 311 of the wireless device 30 acts as a client, sending requests to acquire information from the data communication control service 114 of the server 10 at regular intervals using GET commands, and receiving responses. Therefore, the wireless access control service 311 has to frequently query the data storage service 115, which increases traffic.

[0028] [Restrictions on wireless devices] The general-purpose computing module 31 that performs calculations in the wireless device 30 is finding it difficult to secure computing power and memory capacity equivalent to that of a computer due to the miniaturization and power saving of the wireless device 30. This results in limitations in communication and processing performance. Furthermore, when using a wide-area network, restrictions are often placed on the available communication bandwidth. These constraints make it difficult to ensure the quality of service provided to users.

[0029] [Related technologies] Furthermore, a related prior art is Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-111396, "Wireless Communication Device" (Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes how to achieve single-frequency FM synchronous broadcasting by calculating the difference between the transmission delay time and the reference delay time as the timing adjustment time, taking the transmission delay time into consideration. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0030] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-111396 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0031] As mentioned above, conventional communication systems have problems in that it is difficult to ensure the quality of service to users due to limitations in the performance of wireless devices and communication bandwidth.

[0032] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 does not describe a configuration in which a gateway means is provided on the server side to control communication between the data storage service and the wireless device, thereby reducing the processing load on the wireless device.

[0033] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a communication system that can ensure good service quality for users by ensuring inter-service communication while suppressing the load on the processing unit of the wireless device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0034] The present invention, which solves the problems of the above-mentioned conventional example, is a communication system comprising a plurality of wireless devices that transmit and receive data with a plurality of mobile stations wirelessly, and a communication server connected to the plurality of wireless devices by a wide area network, wherein the communication server comprises data storage means for holding data and wireless gateway means for controlling communication between the data storage means and the wireless devices, and the wireless gateway means is in the wireless devices It is either an "update notification" or a "data conversion". The connection information table stores connection information of the communication mode and communication method. When connection information is received from a wireless device, the connection information table is updated. When a parameter setting request notification for setting parameters of the wireless device, a status acquisition request notification for acquiring the status of the wireless device, or a notification of completion of setting transmission data to the wireless device is received from the data storage means, the system performs parameter setting or status acquisition update processing for the wireless device, or transmission data transmission processing, based on the communication mode and communication method stored in the connection information table corresponding to the wireless device. When the data storage means receives a parameter setting request notification or a status acquisition request notification for the wireless device, if the communication mode held in the connection information table is "update notification", the update process involves sending a parameter setting update notification or a status acquisition update notification to the wireless device based on the communication method held in the connection information table, causing the wireless device to acquire the updated parameters from the data storage means, or causing the wireless device to acquire the device status and respond. It is characterized by the following.

[0036] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned communication system, when the wireless gateway means receives a parameter setting request notification or a status acquisition request notification from the data storage means, if the communication mode held in the connection information table is "data conversion", it performs an update process which involves converting the parameter setting request notification or status acquisition request notification using the data conversion method specified by the communication mode, and then transmitting the parameter setting request notification or status acquisition request notification converted based on the communication method held in the connection information table to the wireless device.

[0037] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned communication system, A communication system comprising multiple wireless devices that transmit and receive data with multiple mobile stations wirelessly, and a communication server connected to the multiple wireless devices via a wide-area network, wherein the communication server comprises data storage means for holding data and wireless gateway means for controlling communication between the data storage means and the wireless devices, and the wireless gateway means maintains connection information of the communication mode, which is either "update notification" or "data conversion" for the wireless devices, and a connection information table for the wireless devices, and when it receives connection information from the wireless devices, it updates the connection information table, and when it receives a parameter setting request notification for setting parameters of the wireless devices, a status acquisition request notification for acquiring the status of the wireless devices, or a notification that the setting of data to be transmitted to the wireless devices has been completed from the data storage means, it performs an update process for setting parameters or acquiring the status of the wireless devices, or a transmission process for transmitting data, based on the communication mode and communication method held in the connection information table corresponding to the wireless devices,When the data storage means receives notification that the settings for the data to be transmitted to the wireless device have been completed, if the communication mode held in the connection information table is "update notification", the system sends a data transmission update notification to the wireless device based on the communication method held in the connection information table, and performs a data transmission process that causes the wireless device to obtain the data to be transmitted from the data storage means.

[0038] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned communication system, when the wireless gateway means receives notification from the data storage means that the setting of transmission data to the wireless device is complete, if the communication mode held in the connection information table is "data conversion", it obtains the transmission data to be sent from the data storage means to the wireless device, converts the transmission data using the data conversion method specified by the communication mode, and transmits the converted transmission data to the wireless device based on the communication method held in the connection information table. [Effects of the Invention]

[0039] According to the present invention, a communication system comprising a plurality of wireless devices that transmit and receive data with a plurality of mobile stations wirelessly, and a communication server connected to the plurality of wireless devices by a wide area network, wherein the communication server comprises data storage means for holding data and wireless gateway means for controlling communication between the data storage means and the wireless devices, and the wireless gateway means is in the wireless devices It is either an "update notification" or a "data conversion". The connection information table stores connection information of the communication mode and communication method. When connection information is received from a wireless device, the connection information table is updated. When a parameter setting request notification for setting parameters of the wireless device, a status acquisition request notification for acquiring the status of the wireless device, or a notification of completion of setting transmission data to the wireless device is received from the data storage means, the system performs parameter setting or status acquisition update processing for the wireless device, or transmission data transmission processing, based on the communication mode and communication method stored in the connection information table corresponding to the wireless device. When the data storage means receives a parameter setting request notification or a status acquisition request notification for the wireless device, if the communication mode held in the connection information table is "update notification", the update process involves sending a parameter setting update notification or a status acquisition update notification to the wireless device based on the communication method held in the connection information table, and then performing a process to have the wireless device acquire the updated parameters from the data storage means, or a process to have the wireless device acquire the device status and respond.Because it is a communication system, it eliminates the need for periodic configuration updates, status acquisition requests, and confirmation of transmission data from wireless devices to the communication server, thereby reducing the load on wireless devices. At the same time, it enables smooth configuration updates, monitoring, and data transmission from users. Even with limitations in wireless device performance or communication bandwidth due to the use of a wide-area network, it ensures inter-service communication and guarantees good service quality for users. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0040] [Figure 1] This is an explanatory diagram showing the general configuration of this communication system. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram showing the service configuration of this communication system. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram showing the connection information format for wireless access control services. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a connection information table for a wireless gateway service 16. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing the control flow (update notification only) in this communication system. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an update notification for the wireless gateway service 16. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram showing the control flow (including data conversion) in this communication system. [Figure 8] This is an explanatory diagram showing the data transmission flow (update notification only) in this communication system. [Figure 9] This is an explanatory diagram showing the data transmission flow (including data conversion) in this communication system. [Figure 10] This is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a wireless device. [Figure 11] This is an explanatory diagram showing the service configuration in a conventional communication system. [Figure 12] This is an explanatory diagram showing the monitoring flow in conventional communication systems. [Figure 13] This is an explanatory diagram showing the control flow in a conventional communication system. [Figure 14] This is an explanatory diagram showing the data transmission flow in conventional communication systems. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0041] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [Summary of the Embodiment] The communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention (this system) is a communication system having a plurality of wireless devices that communicate wirelessly with a mobile station, and a server connected to the plurality of wireless devices by a wide area network. The server includes a data storage service that holds data and a wireless gateway service that controls communication between the data storage service and the wireless devices. The wireless gateway service stores connection information of the communication mode and communication method of the wireless devices in a connection information table. When it receives a notification from the data storage service for parameter setting updates, status acquisition requests, or data transmission to a wireless device, it performs update processing or data transmission processing based on the communication mode and communication method stored in the connection information table corresponding to the wireless device. This eliminates the need for the wireless devices to periodically check with the server for updates such as parameter settings and status acquisition requests, and for the presence of data to be transmitted, thereby reducing the load on the wireless devices. It also enables smooth setting updates and data transmission from users, and ensures good service quality for users even if there are performance limitations or communication bandwidth limitations on the wireless devices.

[0042] [Configuration of this communication system: Figure 1] The configuration of this communication system will be explained using Figure 1. Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of this communication system. As shown in Figure 1, this communication system comprises a server (communication server) 1, multiple routers 2, and multiple wireless devices 3 (wireless devices 3-11, 3-12, ... 3-nn). Server 1 and wireless devices 3 are connected via a WAN (Wide Area Network) through the routers 2. In addition to Server 1, another system (other system) 4 is also connected to this communication system, and the wireless device 3 communicates with the other system 4 as well.

[0043] Server 1, as before, communicates with multiple wireless devices 3 to monitor the wireless devices 3, control their settings, and transmit data to mobile stations via the wireless devices 3, thereby controlling and managing the entire system. However, as will be described later, the service configuration of server 1 of this communication system differs in some respects from that of the conventional server 10.

[0044] Multiple wireless devices 3 are installed at each location, and each of them communicates wirelessly with multiple mobile stations (not shown) and also communicates via a wide-area communication network with server 1. The configuration of the wireless device 3 is almost the same as that of the conventional wireless device 30 shown in Figure 10, but the processing of the wireless access control service differs in some respects from the conventional wireless access control service 311, which will be described later.

[0045] [Service configuration of this communication system: Figure 2] Next, the service configuration of this communication system will be explained using Figure 2. Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the service configuration of this communication system. The service configuration of this communication system is as follows: Server 1 is equipped with a WEB UX service 111, a user data processing service 112, an inter-system connection service 113, a data communication control service 114, a data storage service 15, and a wireless gateway service 16. Furthermore, the wireless device 3 of this communication system is equipped with a wireless access control service 312.

[0046] As described above, these services are processing means implemented by a control unit operated by a program. Of these services, the WEB UX service 111, user data processing service 112, other system connection service 113, and data communication control service 114 are the same as before, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0047] The data storage service 15 stores data in the same way as before, but its operation differs in some ways from before, as will be described later. The wireless gateway service 16 is a key feature of this communication system and controls communication between the data storage service 15 and the wireless access control service 312 of the wireless device 3. In particular, by providing the wireless gateway service 16, the processing load of the wireless access control service 312 can be reduced compared to conventional methods.

[0048] A key feature of this communication system is that the wireless gateway service 16 communicates with the wireless device 3 based on connection information notified by the wireless access control service 312 of the wireless device 3. Furthermore, the wireless access control service 312 of this communication system notifies the wireless gateway service 16 of server 1 of the connection information, thereby reducing processing load as it does not have to manually check whether there are any setting updates or data transmissions from users or other systems, as will be described later.

[0049] [Wireless access control service connection information format: Figure 3] Next, the connection information format for the wireless access control service 312 of the wireless device 3 will be explained using Figure 3. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the connection information format for the wireless access control service. The connection information is information held by the wireless access control service 312, and as shown in Figure 3, it stores the following information corresponding to items 1 to 6: wireless device name, IP address, mode, communication method, notification destination port number, and endpoint settings.

[0050] In the example in Figure 3, the name of the radio is stored as the radio name in item 1, for example, "Radio Device #1-1" is stored. The mode in item 3 is determined by the communication mode of the wireless device, and in this communication system, either the "update notification only" or "data conversion included" communication mode is set. In the "update notification only" communication mode, information is accessed using the REST method. The "Include data conversion" communication mode is selected when REST communication is difficult to implement and an alternative communication method is used. Furthermore, "update notification only" corresponds to the communication mode of "update notification" as described in the claim, and "including data conversion" corresponds to the communication mode of "data conversion" as described in the claim.

[0051] The specific communication method will be described later, but in the case of "update notification only," the wireless access control service 312 receives the update notification from the wireless gateway service 16 and obtains the information. Furthermore, in the case of "data conversion included," the wireless gateway service 16 performs data conversion based on the communication method and outputs the converted data to the wireless access control service 312. As will be explained later using Figure 4, the data conversion method is also associated with and stored in the communication mode for "data conversion included."

[0052] The communication method in item 4 is information indicating the communication method that can be connected to by the wireless access control service, and may include, for example, TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), UDP (User Datagram Protocol), COBRA:API (Application Programming Interface), CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol), or gRPC (g Remote Procedure Call).

[0053] In this communication system, the wireless access control service 312 of the wireless device 3 notifies the wireless gateway service 16 of the server 1 of its connection information when it starts up or connects to the server 1, so that the wireless gateway service 16 stores the communication mode and communication method of each wireless device 3 as a connection information table.

[0054] Furthermore, when a setting update or data transmission occurs for the wireless device 3, the wireless gateway service 16 can communicate according to the connection information table, even without a request from the wireless access control service 312, thereby enabling updates and data transmission while suppressing redundant processing and traffic increases.

[0055] [Example of a connection information table for a wireless gateway service: Figure 4] Next, the connection information table stored in the wireless gateway service 16 will be explained using Figure 4. Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the connection information table of the wireless gateway service 16. As described above, the wireless gateway service 16 obtains connection information when the wireless access control service 312 is started or connected, and updates the connection information table.

[0056] As shown in Figure 4, the connection information table stored in the wireless gateway service 16 stores the connection information received from each wireless access control service 312, and for each item number, the following information is associated and stored: wireless access control service name (labeled as the relevant wireless access service in the figure), IP address, mode (communication mode), communication method, and notification destination port number.

[0057] In the example in Figure 4, corresponding to item 1, the following information is stored: Wireless access control service for wireless device #1-1, IP address "192.168.0.1", mode "Update notification only", communication method "CoAP", and notification destination port number "5583". Furthermore, item number N stores the following information: wireless access control service for wireless device #N-1, IP address "192.168.0.239", mode "Data Conversion 1", communication method "UDP", and notification port number "8832".

[0058] In the example in Figure 4, when using the "CoAP" communication method, REST communication is possible, so the mode is set to "Update Notification Only." However, for other communication methods, "Data Conversion 1" or "Data Conversion 2" is set. Note that both Data Conversion 1 and Data Conversion 2 are types of communication modes that "include data conversion," but they use different conversion methods. The wireless gateway service 16 performs conversion using the conversion method associated with Data Conversion 1 and 2, respectively. Examples of conversion methods include TLV (type-length-value) format and bus format. Data conversion makes it possible to perform transmission data conversion suitable for resource-constrained wireless devices.

[0059] [Control flow in this communication system (update notification only): Figure 5] Next, Figure 5 will be used to explain the process for controlling the updating of the parameter settings of the wireless device in this communication system. Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the control flow (update notification only) in this communication system. The process in Figure 5 is performed when "update notification only" is set as the communication mode in the connection information table of the wireless gateway service 16. Furthermore, the same process is performed when a user notifies a wireless device of a status acquisition request to have the device status acquired and reported for monitoring purposes, but Figure 5 shows the update of parameter settings. The parameter settings here refer to information indicating the performance of the radio equipment, such as frequency, modulation scheme, and transmission power, while status acquisition refers to the acquisition of information such as whether there is a malfunction or abnormality in the equipment, as well as received field strength and transmission power monitor.

[0060] As shown in Figure 5, first, the wireless access control service 312 of the wireless device 3 notifies the wireless gateway service 16 of the server 1 of the connection information stored in its own device (S11). When the wireless gateway service 16 receives connection information, it updates and stores the connection information table with the received information.

[0061] Then, when the user inputs instructions for parameter setting (or instructions for status acquisition) (S12), the WEB UX service 111 sends instructions for wireless device settings to the data storage service 15 (S13). Instructions for parameter setting and / or status acquisition may be sent individually or both together. The data storage service 15 outputs a wireless device configuration (or status acquisition) request notification to the wireless gateway service 16 (S14) and responds to the WEB UX service 111 with a wireless device configuration (or status acquisition) (S15). The wireless device configuration request notification corresponds to the parameter setting request notification described in the claim.

[0062] When the wireless gateway service 16 receives a wireless device configuration request notification (or status acquisition request notification) from the data storage service 15, it refers to the connection information table and obtains the communication mode and communication method of the wireless access control service 312 to be updated. If the communication mode is set to "update notification only," the following process is performed. Specifically, the wireless gateway service 16 sends a wireless device setting update notification (or status acquisition update notification) to the wireless access control service 312 (S16). At that time, the wireless gateway service 16 sends the notification according to the communication method stored in the connection information table. The wireless device setting update notification corresponds to the parameter setting update notification described in the claim.

[0063] As a result, the wireless access control service 312 does not need to check with server 1 for updates until it receives an update notification from the wireless gateway service 16, thereby reducing processing load and traffic.

[0064] Then, when the wireless access control service 312 receives a wireless device configuration update notification from the wireless gateway service 16, it checks the wireless device configuration with the data storage service 15 of the server 1, as in the conventional procedure (S17). When it receives a notification from the data storage service 15 that there is a wireless device configuration update, it obtains the configuration information (S18), updates the configuration of the wireless device 3, and sends a wireless device configuration update result notification to the data storage service 15 (S19). Furthermore, when the wireless access control service 312 receives a status acquisition update notification from the wireless gateway service 16, it acquires the device status and sends a status acquisition update result notification to the data storage service 15, including information indicating the acquired device status (S19).

[0065] The data storage service 15 sends a notification of the wireless device setting update result (or status acquisition result) to the WEB UX service 111 (S20), and the WEB UX service 111 notifies the user of the wireless device control result (S27). In this way, control is performed solely through update notifications within this communication system.

[0066] [Example of a wireless gateway service update notification: Figure 6] Next, the format of the update notification sent from the wireless gateway service 16 to the wireless access control service 312 will be explained using Figure 6. Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an update notification from the wireless gateway service 16. Figure 6(1) shows an example of a parameter setting update notification, where update information is stored corresponding to the item number. In the example in Figure 6(1), the frequency, modulation scheme, transmit power, ... and other parameters unique to radio unit #1-1 are set for each item number.

[0067] The information items and format for control update notifications are pre-registered for each communication method and are also pre-stored on the wireless device 3 that communicates using that communication method. The update notification is then sent from the wireless gateway service 16 to the wireless access control service 312 as a list containing the information to be updated in that format.

[0068] Furthermore, Figure 6(2) shows an example of a data update notification, where item 1 is set to transmitted data (IP packet) and item 2 is set to transmitted data (telegram). The data update notification corresponds to the transmitted data update notification described later. The format for data update notifications is also pre-stored in each wireless device 3.

[0069] [Control flow in this communication system (including data conversion): Figure 7] Next, we will explain the control flow when "Data conversion included" is set as the communication mode in the connection information table, using Figure 7. Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the control flow (including data conversion) in this communication system. Note that Figure 7 shows the case when a parameter setting request notification is received, but the same applies to the case of a status acquisition request notification. As shown in Figure 7, when data conversion is included, processes S11 to S15 are the same as in the case of only update notifications shown in Figure 5, and therefore the explanation is omitted.

[0070] Then, when the wireless gateway service 16 receives a request notification for setting radio parameters (or a request notification for acquiring status) from the data storage service 15 in processing S14, it obtains the data for setting radio parameters (or acquiring status) from the data storage service 15, converts the data of the radio setting request notification (or status acquisition request notification) using a conversion method (data conversion 1 or data conversion 2) corresponding to the communication mode specified in the connection information table (S22), and transmits the converted radio setting data (parameters) or status acquisition request notification to the wireless access control service 312 (S23).

[0071] In other words, when "including data conversion" is set as the communication mode, the wireless gateway service 16, acting as a proxy for the wireless access control service 312, acquires the wireless device configuration data, converts it based on the specified communication method, and transmits it to the wireless access control service 312.

[0072] The wireless access control service 312 then updates the radio settings and outputs a radio setting update result notification (radio parameter setting update result notification) to the wireless gateway service 16 (S24). Also, if a status acquisition request notification is received, the wireless access control service 312 acquires the device status and sends a status acquisition update result notification containing the device status information to the wireless gateway service 16 (S24). The wireless gateway service 16 outputs a wireless device setting update result notification (or status acquisition update result notification) to the data storage service 15 (S25), the data storage service 15 notifies the wireless device parameter setting result notification (or status acquisition update result notification) to the WEB UX service 111 (S26), and the WEB UX service 111 notifies the user of the wireless device control result (S27). In this way, control is performed when "Include data conversion" is set as the communication mode.

[0073] [Data transmission flow in this communication system (update notification only): Figure 8] Next, we will explain the data transmission flow when "Update notification only" is set as the communication mode in the connection information table, using Figure 8. Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the data transmission flow (update notification only) in this communication system. Although not shown in Figure 8, connection information has already been notified from the wireless access control service 312 to the wireless gateway service 16, and the wireless gateway service 16 has updated its connection information table.

[0074] As shown in Figure 8, when a data transmission request is sent from a user or other system connection service 113 to server 1 (S31), the user data processing service 112 receives it, instructs the data storage service 15 to store the data (S32), and notifies the user or other system connection service 113 that the data transmission request is complete and is awaiting transmission (S33).

[0075] In process S32, the data storage service 15 stores the data and sends a data storage notification to the data communication control service 114 (S34). The data communication control service 114 converts the data into data for transmission (S35) and notifies the data storage service 15 of the transmission data settings (S36). Processes S31 to S36 are the same as in the previous version.

[0076] Then, the data storage service 15 outputs a notification to the wireless gateway service 16 indicating that the data transmission settings are complete (S37). The wireless gateway service 16, upon referring to the connection information table and recognizing that the communication mode is "update notification only," outputs a data transmission update notification to the wireless access control service 312 according to the communication method set in the connection information table (S38). The data transmission update notification is equivalent to the data transmission update notification shown in Figure 6.

[0077] When the wireless access control service 312 receives a transmission data update notification, it checks the transmission data with the data storage service 15 (S39), retrieves the transmission data (S40), wirelessly transmits the data to the mobile station (S41), and notifies the data storage service 15 of the transmission status (S92).

[0078] Then, once the wireless access control service 312 has completed transmitting all data, it notifies the mobile station of the completion of wireless transmission (S43) and sends a transmission completion notification to the data storage service 15 (S44). The data storage service 15 outputs a data transmission completion status notification to the user data processing service 112 (S45), and the user data processing service 112 notifies the sending user or the other system connection service 113 that data transmission is complete (S46). In this manner, data transmission (update notifications only) is performed within this communication system.

[0079] In other words, in this communication system, if there is data to transmit, a data update notification is sent from the wireless gateway service 16 of server 1. Therefore, the wireless access control service 312 of wireless device 3 does not need to frequently check with server 1 to see if there is data to transmit, thus reducing the processing and traffic of wireless device 3.

[0080] [Data transmission flow in this communication system (including data conversion): Figure 9] Next, we will explain the data transmission flow when "Includes data conversion" is set as the communication mode in the connection information table, using Figure 9. Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the data transmission flow (including data conversion) in this communication system. As shown in Figure 9, when data conversion is included, processes S31 to S36 are the same as in the case of only update notifications shown in Figure 8, and therefore the explanation is omitted.

[0081] When the data storage service 15 receives a notification of transmission data settings from the data communication control service 114 in processing S36, it outputs a transmission data setting completion notification to the wireless gateway service 16 (S47). The wireless gateway service 16 then reads the communication mode and communication method by referring to the connection information table.

[0082] If the communication mode is, for example, "Data Conversion 1", the wireless gateway service 16 outputs a notification to the data storage service 15 that it has acquired the data to be transmitted (S48) and acquires the data to be transmitted (S49). Note that the communication mode "Data Conversion 1" is a type of communication mode "Including Data Conversion", and "Data Conversion 1" is associated with it as the data conversion method. In other words, in the "data conversion included" communication mode, the wireless gateway service 16 acquires the transmitted data from the data storage service 15 instead of the wireless access control service 312.

[0083] The wireless gateway service 16 then converts the acquired transmission data using a conversion method based on the communication mode (in this case, the conversion method of data conversion 1), and transfers the converted transmission data to the wireless access control service 312 (S50). This reduces the amount of data transmitted from server 1 to wireless device 3, and also reduces the processing load on wireless device 3.

[0084] Then, the wireless access control service 312 of the wireless device 3 transmits the transmission data to the mobile station wirelessly, as in the conventional manner (S51), and sends a transmission status notification to the data storage service 15 (S52). The following processes S53 to S56 are the same as processes S43 to S46 shown in Figure 8, so their explanation will be omitted. In this manner, data transmission (including data conversion) is performed within this communication system.

[0085] [Effects of the embodiment] This communication system comprises multiple wireless devices and a communication server connected to the multiple wireless devices via a wide-area network. Server 1 includes a data storage service 15 that holds data and a wireless gateway service 16 that controls communication between the data storage service 15 and the wireless devices 3. The wireless gateway service 16 stores connection information of the communication mode and communication method of the wireless devices in a connection information table. When it receives notification from the data storage service 15 for setting updates, status acquisition, or data transmission to the wireless devices 3, it performs parameter setting update processing, status acquisition update processing, or transmission data transmission processing based on the communication mode and communication method stored in the connection information table corresponding to the wireless devices 3. This eliminates the need for the wireless devices 3 to periodically check with Server 1 for setting or status acquisition updates and the presence of transmission data, thereby reducing the load on the wireless devices. At the same time, it enables smooth parameter setting updates, monitoring, and data transmission from users. Even with performance limitations or communication bandwidth limitations of the wireless devices 3, it ensures inter-service communication and provides good service quality to users. [Industrial applicability]

[0086] This invention is suitable for communication systems that can ensure the quality of communication services even when limited by the processing performance of wireless devices or the wide-area network environment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 1,10…Server, 2…Router, 3,30…Wireless device, 4…Other systems, 15,115…Data storage service, 16…Wireless gateway service, 31…General-purpose computing module, 32…Wireless signal processing unit, 33…High-frequency unit, 111…WEB UX service, 112…User data processing service, 113…Other system connection service, 114…Data communication control service

Claims

1. A communication system comprising multiple wireless devices that transmit and receive data with multiple mobile stations wirelessly, and a communication server connected to the multiple wireless devices via a wide-area network, The aforementioned communication server includes a data storage means for holding data, The system includes a wireless gateway means for controlling communication between the data storage means and the wireless device, The wireless gateway means maintains connection information of the communication mode and communication method, which is either "update notification" or "data conversion" in the wireless device, in a connection information table, and when it receives connection information from the wireless device, it updates the connection information table. When the data storage means receives a parameter setting request notification to set the parameters of the wireless device, a status acquisition request notification to acquire the status of the wireless device, or a notification that the setting of transmission data to the wireless device is complete, the data storage means performs a parameter setting or status acquisition update process for the wireless device, or a transmission data transmission process, based on the communication mode and communication method held in the connection information table corresponding to the wireless device. A communication system characterized in that, upon receiving a parameter setting request notification or a status acquisition request notification for the wireless device from the data storage means, if the communication mode held in the connection information table is "update notification", the update process includes sending a parameter setting update notification or a status acquisition update notification for the wireless device to the wireless device based on the communication method held in the connection information table, causing the wireless device to acquire the updated parameters from the data storage means, or causing the wireless device to acquire the device status and respond.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that when the wireless gateway means receives a parameter setting request notification or a status acquisition request notification for the wireless device from the data storage means, if the communication mode held in the connection information table is "data conversion", the update process converts the parameter setting request notification or the status acquisition request notification using a data conversion method specified by the communication mode, and transmits the converted parameter setting request notification or the status acquisition request notification to the wireless device based on the communication method held in the connection information table.

3. A communication system comprising a plurality of wireless devices that transmit and receive data with a plurality of mobile stations wirelessly, and a communication server connected to the plurality of wireless devices by a wide area network, The aforementioned communication server includes a data storage means for holding data, The system includes a wireless gateway means for controlling communication between the data storage means and the wireless device, The wireless gateway means maintains connection information of the communication mode and communication method, which is either "update notification" or "data conversion" in the wireless device, in a connection information table, and when it receives connection information from the wireless device, it updates the connection information table. When the data storage means receives a parameter setting request notification to set the parameters of the wireless device, a status acquisition request notification to acquire the status of the wireless device, or a notification that the setting of transmission data to the wireless device is complete, the data storage means performs a parameter setting or status acquisition update process for the wireless device, or a transmission data transmission process, based on the communication mode and communication method held in the connection information table corresponding to the wireless device. A communication system characterized in that, upon receiving notification from the data storage means that the setting of transmission data to the wireless device is complete, if the communication mode held in the connection information table is "update notification", the system sends a notification to the wireless device that updates the transmission data based on the communication method held in the connection information table, and performs the transmission processing of the transmission data to cause the wireless device to acquire the transmission data from the data storage means.

4. The communication system according to claim 3, characterized in that when the wireless gateway means receives notification from the data storage means that the setting of transmission data to the wireless device is complete, if the communication mode held in the connection information table is "data conversion", it obtains the transmission data to the wireless device from the data storage means, converts the transmission data using a data conversion method specified by the communication mode, and transmits the converted transmission data to the wireless device based on the communication method held in the connection information table.

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