WIRELESS RELAY DEVICE AND WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20100172285A1
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, NTT Broadform Platform Incorporated
• Inventors: Hojo, Hiroshi, Nagata, Kengo, Kobayashi, Tadao, Manabe, Toshihiro, Tokuyasu, Tomohiro, Umeuchi, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 8,284,746 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A wireless relay device connecting a wireless terminal to one of a plurality of access networks with different wireless interfaces and performing relay processing between the wireless terminal and one of the plurality of access networks being connected, the wireless relay device including a wireless interface on local side to be connected to the wireless terminal, a plurality of wireless interfaces on network side to be connected to the plurality of respective access networks, and a connection control section which boots the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side when the wireless interface on local side receives a signal from the wireless terminal, connects a wireless interface on network side establishing a fastest connection and the wireless interface on local side, and connects the wireless terminal to an access network corresponding to the wireless interface on network side establishing the fastest connection.

Claims

1. A wireless relay device connecting a wireless terminal to one of a plurality of access networks with different wireless interfaces and performing relay processing between the wireless terminal and one of the plurality of access networks being connected, the wireless relay device, comprising:

a wireless interface on local side which has a wireless interface to be connected to the wireless terminal;

a plurality of wireless interfaces on network side which have wireless interfaces to be connected to the plurality of respective access networks; and

a connection control section which boots the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side when the wireless interface on local side receives a signal from the wireless terminal, connects a wireless interface on network side establishing a fastest connection and the wireless interface on local side, and connects the wireless terminal to an access network corresponding to the wireless interface on network side establishing the fastest connection.

2. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side monitor signal levels between the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side and the respective access networks being connected, and notify results to the connection control section; and

the connection control section compares the signal levels between the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side and the access networks notified from the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side and, when there is one or more wireless interfaces on network side having a better signal level than a signal level of the wireless interface on network side establishing the fastest connection, switches to a wireless interface on network side having a best signal level among the one or more wireless interfaces on network side.

3. The wireless relay device according to claim 2, wherein

the wireless interfaces on network side monitor at least one of a received signal strength indication, a throughput, a delay and an interference level as the signal levels.

4. The wireless relay device according to claim 2, wherein

the connection control section includes information on priority levels and service fees of the plurality of access networks, and compares and determines parameters of the priority levels and service fees in addition to the signal levels, selects one wireless interface on network side and connects one wireless interface on network side being selected to the wireless interface on local side.

5. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, wherein:

one of the plurality of access networks and one of the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side support a wireless LAN, and the wireless interface on local side and the wireless terminal support another wireless LAN;

the wireless relay device further comprises a channel control section which controls so as to, when one of the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side and the wireless interface on local side supporting the wireless LAN are relayed via the connection control section, acquire a wireless LAN channel number on network side used by one of the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side, and when the wireless LAN channel number on network side and a wireless LAN channel number on local side used by the wireless interface on local side are detected as being same or near each other, change the wireless LAN channel number on local side to another channel number which is not same as and near the wireless LAN channel number on network side; and

the wireless interface on local side has a function to, when a channel number is instructed from the channel control section, switch a wireless channel between the wireless terminal and the wireless interface on local side to the channel number being instructed.

6. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, wherein:

one of the plurality of access networks and one of the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side support a wireless LAN, and the wireless interface on local side and the wireless terminal support another wireless LAN;

the wireless relay device further comprises a channel control section which controls so as to, when one of the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side and the wireless interface on local side supporting the wireless LAN are relayed via the connection control section, acquire a wireless LAN channel number on network side used by one of the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side, and when the wireless LAN channel number on network side and a wireless LAN channel number on local side used by the wireless interface on local side are detected as channel numbers having mutual interference, change the wireless LAN channel number on local side to another channel number with lower quality degradation due to an interference with the wireless LAN channel number on network side; and

the wireless interface on local side has a function to, when a channel number is instructed from the channel control section, switch a wireless channel between the wireless terminal and the wireless interface on local side to the channel number being instructed.

7. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, wherein:

one of the plurality of access networks and one of the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side support a wireless LAN, and the wireless interface on local side and the wireless terminal support another wireless LAN;

the wireless relay device further comprises a channel control section which controls so as to, when one of the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side not supporting the wireless LAN and the wireless interface on local side supporting the wireless LAN are relayed via the connection control section, acquire a channel number used by a neighboring wireless LAN from one of the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side supporting the wireless LAN, and when the channel number used by the neighboring wireless LAN and a wireless LAN channel number on local side used by the wireless interface on local side are detected as being same or near each other, change the wireless LAN channel number on local side to another channel number which is not near the channel number used by the neighboring wireless LAN; and

the wireless interface on local side has a function to, when a channel number is instructed from the channel control section, switch a wireless channel between the wireless terminal and the wireless interface on local side to the channel number being instructed.

8. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, wherein:

one of the plurality of access networks and one of the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side support a wireless LAN, and the wireless interface on local side and the wireless terminal support another wireless LAN;

the wireless relay device further comprises a channel control section which controls so as to, when one of the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side not supporting the wireless LAN and the wireless interface on local side supporting the wireless LAN are relayed via the connection control section, acquire a channel number used by a neighboring wireless LAN from one of the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side supporting the wireless LAN, and when the channel number used by the neighboring wireless LAN and a wireless LAN channel number on local side used by the wireless interface on local side are detected as channel numbers with mutual interference, change the wireless LAN channel number on local side to another channel number with low quality degradation due to an interference with the wireless channel used by the neighboring wireless LAN; and

the wireless interface on local side has a function to, when a channel number is instructed from the channel control section, switch a wireless channel between the wireless terminal and the wireless interface on local side to the channel number being instructed.

9. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, wherein:

one of the plurality of access networks and one of the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side support WiMAX and the wireless interface on local side and the wireless terminal support a wireless LAN;

the wireless relay device further comprises a channel control section which controls so as to, when the wireless interface on network side supporting the WiMAX and the wireless interface on local side supporting the wireless LAN are relayed via the connection control section and when a channel number used by the WiMAX and a wireless LAN channel number on local side used by the wireless interface on local side are detected as channel numbers with mutual interference, change the wireless LAN channel number on local side to another channel number with low quality degradation due to an interference with the wireless channel used by the WiMAX; and

the wireless interface on local side has a function to, when a channel number is instructed from the channel control section, switch a wireless channel between the wireless terminal and the wireless interface on local side to the channel number being instructed.

10. The wireless relay device according to claim 6, wherein

the channel control section gives priority levels to channel numbers in ascending order of the quality degradation due to the interference, and the wireless LAN channel number on local side is selected in accordance with priority levels from channel numbers excluding channel numbers with low priority levels.

13. The wireless relay device according to claim 8, wherein

the channel control section gives priority levels to channel numbers in ascending order of the quality degradation due to the interference, and the wireless LAN channel number on local side is selected in accordance with priority levels from channel numbers excluding channel numbers with low priority levels.

14. The wireless relay device according to claim 9, wherein

the channel control section gives priority levels to channel numbers in ascending order of the quality degradation due to the interference, and the wireless LAN channel number on local side is selected in accordance with priority levels from channel numbers excluding channel numbers with low priority levels.

11. A wireless communication system, comprising a wireless relay device connecting a wireless terminal to one of a plurality of access networks with different wireless interfaces and performing relay processing between the wireless terminal and one of the plurality of access networks being connected, wherein

the wireless relay device comprises:

a wireless interface on local side which has a wireless interface to be connected to the wireless terminal;

a plurality of wireless interfaces on network side which have wireless interfaces to be connected to the plurality of respective access networks; and

a connection control section which boots the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side when the wireless interface on local side receives a signal from the wireless terminal, connects a wireless interface on network side establishing a fastest connection and the wireless interface on local side, and connects the wireless terminal to an access network corresponding to the wireless interface on network side establishing the fastest connection.

12. The wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein:

the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side monitor signal levels between the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side and the respective access networks, and notify results to the connection control section; and

the connection control section compares the signal levels between the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side and the access networks notified from the plurality of wireless interfaces on network side and, when there is one or more wireless interfaces on network side having a better signal level than a signal level of the wireless interface on network side establishing the fastest connection, switches to a wireless interface on network side having a best signal level among the one or more wireless interfaces on network side.