Wireless relay device, control device, wireless communication system, and joining method

• US 10,264,617 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2016
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Naoyuki, Yamaji, Masato, Takeda, Kenichi, Yamada, Haruka
• Primary Examiner(s): Oh, Andrew C
• Application Number:
  US15/246,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31093 Communication between sensors, actuators and gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15507 Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 Management of setup rejection or failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

A wireless relay device that performs relay of data over a wireless network includes: a manager that manages a second wireless network different from a first wireless network that the own device joins; and a transfer controller that transfers data transmitted to the own device over the second wireless network, to a preset transfer destination over the first wireless network.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system capable of wireless communication over a wireless network, the wireless communication system comprising:

a wireless relay device that performs relay of data over the wireless network, the wireless relay device comprising;

a manager that manages a second wireless network different from a first wireless network that the wireless relay device joins;

a transfer controller that transfers data transmitted to the wireless relay device over the second wireless network, to a preset transfer destination over the first wireless network; and

a storage that stores setting information that is set in a wireless device to be joined in the second wireless network;

a management device that manages the first wireless network and performs a joining process of causing a wireless device, which has transmitted a request for joining the first wireless network, to join the first wireless network;

and a control device that controls a device joining the wireless network, wherein setting information set in a wireless device joining the second wireless network is provided to the wireless relay device,

the manager determines whether or not the setting information of the wireless device, which has manager performs a joining process of causing the wireless device, which has transmitted the request for joining the second wireless network, to join the second wireless network using the setting information stored in the storage in a case in which the manager determines that the control device at an upper level to transmit the setting information of the wireless device, which has transmitted the request for joining the second wireless network, stores the setting information received from the control device into the storage, and performs the airline process of causing the wireless device to join the second wireless network using the setting information stored in the storage in a case in which the manager determines that the setting information of the wireless device is not stored in the storage,

the control device comprises a storage device storing a management table including information in which identification information of the wireless device, the setting information of which is provided to the wireless relay device, is associated with identification information of the wireless relay device, and in a case in which the management table includes first information in which identification information of a first wireless device, the setting information of which is provided to a first wireless relay device, is associated with identification information of the first wireless relay device and the control device receives a request for transmitting the setting information of the first wireless device from a second wireless relay device, the control device transmits the setting information of the first wireless device to the second wireless relay device, deletes the first information from the management table, and adds second information in which the identification information of the first wireless device is associated with the identification information of the second wireless relay device.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein in a case in which the manager fails in authentication of the wireless device transmitting the joining request, the manager requests the control device at an upper level to transmit new setting information.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the manager deletes the setting information of the wireless device in which no data is obtained in a predefined period, from the storage.

4. The wireless communication system according to claim 3, wherein the manager deletes the setting information of the wireless device from the storage in a case in which a first period defined so as to determine disconnection of wireless communication elapses and a second period defined in consideration of re-joining the second wireless network elapses after no data from the wireless device is obtained.

5. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the manager performs deletion of the setting information stored in the storage on the basis of a deletion request for the setting information received from the control device at an upper level.

6. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the transfer controller performs data transmission and reception setting for the wireless device that joins the second wireless network on the basis of the setting information stored in the storage.

7. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the data transmitted to the wireless relay device over the second wireless network is encrypted, and the wireless relay device further comprises an encryption processor that performs decryption of the data which is transmitted to the wireless relay device and performs encryption of the data to be transferred to the transfer destination.

8. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the control device provides setting information set in a wireless device joining the second wireless network to the wireless relay device.

9. The wireless communication system according to claim 8, wherein the control device performs a deletion request for the setting information is to the wireless relay device.

10. The wireless communication system according to claim 8, wherein in a case in which neighbor information indicating the wireless relay device located near the wireless device is included in data transferred from the wireless relay device, the control device provides the setting information of the wireless device transmitting the neighbor information to the wireless relay device indicated by the neighbor information.

11. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the management device and the control device are configured as one device.

12. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a gateway set as a data transfer destination of the wireless relay device.

13. The wireless communication system according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the management device and the control device, and the gateway are configured as one device.