Gateway device

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention relates to a gateway device that communicates with a plurality of terminal electronic devices connected to a LAN (local area network) and an external network, respectively, and relays the communication.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

Due to the rapid spread and technological innovation of Internet technology in recent years, it is being actively considered to add an interface to the Internet for home appliances in the home. In particular, when IP (Internet Protocol) addresses with a larger number of digits than before are used due to the adoption of a technology called IPv6, each home appliance has a unique IP address in terms of network address resources. It also becomes possible. Therefore, it is expected that home networks of various home appliances will be promoted.

【0003】

A home network can be thought of as a type of LAN in which the communicable area is limited to the home. In this type of home network, it is assumed that various communication media such as a lamp line, a wired line, a radio wave, and an infrared ray are used as a physical communication line. If the communication medium to be used changes, there is a high possibility that it will be necessary to change the communication protocol or the like. Therefore, in this kind of home network, it is necessary to convert the protocol when relaying the communication, which makes the network system relatively complicated.

【0004】

It is also desirable to make the home network connectable to an external network such as the Internet. However, access to home appliances connected to the home network from the Internet must be sufficiently secure.

【0005】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

By the way, since general home appliances do not have an input device such as a keyboard of a personal computer or a general-purpose display device capable of displaying various information, it is difficult to input complicated information from general home appliances. is there.

【0006】

However, when connecting home appliances to a home network, you must enter network information or security information for each home appliance. In addition, even if a keyboard or a general-purpose display device is connected to a home electric appliance, specialized knowledge is required to input network-related information and security-related information, so for general users. Very complicated and troublesome work is required.

【0007】

An object of the present invention is to facilitate an operator's operation regarding securing of a communication line and security in a gateway device used in a LAN system such as a home network.

【0008】

[Means for solving problems]

The gateway device according to claim 1 has a function of communicating with a plurality of terminal electronic devices connected to a predetermined local area network and an external network, respectively, and when communication data is received, it is included in the communication data. A gateway device that relays the communication data or transmits new data to the corresponding terminal electronic device or an external network based on the destination address, and for each of the plurality of terminal electronic devices. A portable data carrier that stores at least address information assigned in advance as communication control information, and a data reading means that reads the information stored in the portable data carrier when the portable data carrier is present at a readable position. When the data reading means detects that the data can be read from the portable data carrier, the communication control information is read from the portable data carrier, and the address information included in the communication control information is used. It is characterized by providing a communication control means for transmitting a request signal for establishing a communication line between the own station and each terminal electronic device to each terminal electronic device together with the address information of the own station.

【0009】

In claim 1, a portable data carrier (for example, an IC card) that can be carried independently of the gateway device is used as a storage device for communication control information. In this portable data carrier, address information and the like assigned in advance to each terminal electronic device are stored as communication control information.

【0010】

The data reading means provided in the gateway device reads communication control information from the portable data carrier when the portable data carrier is arranged at a readable position. Then, the communication control means uses the address information included in the read communication control information to send a request signal for establishing a communication line between the own station (gateway device) and each terminal electronic device to the address of the own station. It is sent to each terminal electronic device together with the information.

【0011】

That is, the request signal sent by the gateway device to each terminal electronic device includes address information representing the destination terminal electronic device and address information representing the gateway device. For example, assuming a home network, a telephone, a personal computer, a fax, a television, a radio, an air conditioner, a microwave oven cooker, a bath, an electric rice cooker, etc. can be connected to the local area network as terminal electronic devices. Some address information is assigned to each terminal electronic device in advance.

【0012】

Since the gateway device acquires the address information pre-assigned to each terminal electronic device from the portable data carrier, it is possible to automatically send a request signal to each terminal electronic device. Each terminal electronic device can secure a communication line between the terminal electronic device and the gateway device in a predetermined state by using the communication control information included in the request signal input from the gateway device. it can. That is, the state of the communication line is determined in advance by the contents stored in the portable data carrier.

【0013】

For example, the address information of the terminal electronic device used for the subsequent communication, the modulation method, the coding method, the communication speed, etc. used for the communication can be automatically changed according to the contents stored in the portable data carrier.

【0014】

Further, since the request signal sent by the gateway device includes the address information of the gateway device, the terminal electronic device that receives the request signal acquires the address information of the gateway device and sends it to the destination indicated by the address information. Information can be sent. That is, a bidirectional communication line can be established between the gateway device and the terminal electronic device.

【0015】

If the address information of the destination terminal electronic device cannot be obtained in advance, a request signal is transmitted from the gateway device to an unspecified number of terminal electronic devices in order to obtain a response from the target terminal electronic device. There must be. In that case, in order to avoid collision of signals output from a large number of terminal electronic devices, a special protocol for collision prevention must be executed, and it is inevitable that the communication control algorithm becomes complicated.

【0016】

However, in claim 1, by storing the communication control information necessary for establishing the communication line in the portable data carrier in advance, the input operation of the operator can be omitted and a complicated communication protocol is executed. There is no need. A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the gateway device of the first aspect, the portable data carrier is configured as a chip module on which an integrated circuit including a non-volatile memory is mounted.

【0017】

A magnetic medium, barcode, magneto-optical memory, magneto-optical memory, or the like can be used as the portable data carrier, but it is desirable to configure it as a chip module on which an integrated circuit including a non-volatile memory is mounted. That is, the configuration of the interface for electrical control can be simplified and the operability is good. Such a chip module may be mounted in a card shape such as an IC card defined in so-called "ISO / IEC 7816", or may be an IC module in which an IC chip is sealed and mounted in plastic or the like.

【0018】

The third aspect is the first address held by the terminal electronic device in advance when establishing a communication line between the own station and each terminal electronic device in the gateway device of the first aspect, or after that. Assigned a different second address to the terminal electronic device, and after assigning the second address, provided an address changing means using the second address when communicating with the terminal electronic device. It is a feature.

【0019】

In claim 3, a new address (second address) can be assigned to the terminal electronic device by controlling the address changing means of the gateway device. For example, if an IP address that is valid on a wide area network such as the Internet is fixedly assigned to each terminal electronic device in advance and sold, anyone who can know the IP address can use the home network from the Internet. You can access other people's terminal electronic devices connected to the Internet and obtain information.

【0020】

For example, if the IP address assigned to the terminal electronic device is leaked for some reason via the customer management information of the manufacturer of the terminal electronic device, the terminal electronic device is illegally accessed from the outside by a malicious person. There is a risk that the privacy of the owner of the terminal electronic device will be compromised. In claim 3, when the owner of the terminal electronic device actually uses the system, the second address can be assigned as a valid IP address on the wide area network, so that the manufacturer can fix it to the terminal electronic device. The assigned address (first address) can be a valid address only on the local area network. Therefore, the possibility that a valid IP address on a wide area network is leaked to a malicious person is reduced, and a privacy problem can be avoided.

【0021】

A fourth aspect of the present invention is the gateway device of the third aspect, wherein the information stored in advance in the portable data carrier is assigned to the terminal electronic device as the second address. In claim 4, since the second address is stored in the portable data carrier in advance, the operator does not need to perform a special input operation when assigning a new address to the terminal electronic device, and the address is remembered. There is no need to keep it, so the operation is easy.

【0022】

A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the gateway device of the third or fourth aspect, an internet protocol address that can be used on a wide area network is used as the second address. In claim 5, by assigning the second address to the terminal electronic device under the control of the gateway device, the terminal electronic device can be accessed from outside the local area network via the Internet or the like.

【0023】

A sixth aspect of the present invention is that the gateway device of the first aspect uses a plurality of physical lines of different types as the local area network, and the portable data carrier includes the plurality of terminal electronic devices for each of the plurality of terminal electronic devices. It is characterized by holding information representing at least one of a modulation method, a coding speed, and a communication speed related to a physical line to be used.

【0024】

At home, not only general terminal devices such as telephones, personal computers, and fax machines, but also various home appliances such as TVs, radios, air conditioners, microwave ovens, baths, and electric rice cookers can be connected via a network. There is sex. Further, when connecting various home appliances, a lamp line, a radio wave, a dedicated line, an infrared ray, or the like may be used as a signal transmission medium.

【0025】

In claim 6, it is assumed that a plurality of types of physical lines are used. In addition, since information such as modulation method, coding speed, and communication speed related to the physical line used for each terminal electronic device to be used is stored in the portable data carrier, the communication line can be set for each physical line under desirable communication conditions. Can be established. A seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the gateway device of the first aspect, the data reading means is provided with a slot-shaped support mechanism that detachably supports the portable data carrier.

【0026】

The data reading means needs to communicate with the portable data carrier and read the information held in the portable data carrier. For example, when communicating using infrared rays or radio waves, information can be read from a portable data carrier without contact. However, when the non-contact communication means is used, the data reading means may start reading the information even if the portable data carrier is brought close to the gateway device regardless of the intention of the operator. ..

【0027】

In claim 7, the data reading means starts reading information from the portable data carrier by mounting the portable data carrier on the slot-shaped support mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the gateway device from operating regardless of the operator's will, and it becomes easy to manage the portable data carrier. According to claim 8, when the data reading means detects the detachment of the portable data carrier after establishing a communication line between the own station and each terminal electronic device in the gateway device of claim 1, the own station It is characterized by providing a line disconnecting means for invalidating the communication line established between the terminal and each terminal electronic device.

【0028】

In claim 8, when the operator moves the portable data carrier to a position where the data reading means cannot be read, a procedure such as disconnection is performed under the control of the line disconnecting means, and the communication line is invalidated. Therefore, when it is not necessary to use the network, simply removing the portable data carrier from the gateway device, for example, prohibits access to each terminal electronic device from an external network, or accesses each terminal electronic device to an external network. Can be banned.

【0029】

When disabling the communication line, it is desirable to automatically erase the communication control information read from the portable data carrier from the memory of the gateway device. A ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the gateway device of the first aspect is provided with an access right control means for controlling whether or not communication is possible for access to a terminal electronic device connected to the local area network from an external network. To do.

【0030】

It is desirable that terminal electronic devices connected to the local area network can always access the external network. However, whether or not access to the terminal electronic device from the external network is desirable depends on the situation at that time. By accessing the terminal electronic device from an external network, it is possible to monitor the living conditions of the elderly and persons requiring long-term care from a remote location and use them for long-term care. However, in situations unrelated to long-term care, there is a concern that privacy will be invaded by monitoring the living conditions by a third party.

【0031】

In claim 9, since the access right control means controls whether or not communication is possible, access to the terminal electronic device from the external network can be permitted or prohibited depending on the situation. A tenth aspect of the present invention is the gateway device of the ninth aspect, wherein the access right control means refers to the information held in the portable data carrier for determining the access right.

【0032】

In claim 10, by storing the permission / prohibition information regarding the access right in the portable data carrier, a predetermined access right can be given to the gateway device simply by attaching the portable data carrier to the gateway device. Since it can be assigned, the input procedure for determining the access right is simplified.

【0033】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the gateway device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. This form corresponds to all claims.

【0034】

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a gateway device of this form. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the gateway device of this form. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a home network. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the gateway device of this form. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the terminal electronic device of this form. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a signal frame used for communication.

【0035】

In this form, the plurality of terminal electronic devices according to claim 1 correspond to a telephone with a fax machine 41, a TV controller 42, a bath water heater controller 43, and a personal computer 44. Further, the portable data carrier, the data reading means, and the communication control means according to claim 1 are embodied as an IC module 20, an IC module interface 12, and a communication control unit 11, respectively.

【0036】

Further, the address changing means of claim 3 corresponds to steps S17 and S21. The slot-shaped support mechanism of claim 7 corresponds to slot 51. The line disconnecting means of claim 8 corresponds to steps S23 and S24. The access right control means of claim 9 corresponds to steps S16 and S19. In this form, a gateway device that can be used to control a home network as shown in Fig. 3 is assumed.

【0037】

In the example of FIG. 3, a telephone 41 with a fax machine, a TV controller 42, a bath water heater controller 43, and a personal computer 44 are provided as terminal electronic devices connected to a local area network (home network) in the home. Of course, terminal electronic devices such as air conditioners, microwave oven cookers, and electric rice cookers can be further connected.

【0038】

The fax telephone 41 can communicate with the gateway device 10 via a communication line using radio waves as a communication medium. The television controller 42 can communicate with the gateway device 10 via a communication line using infrared rays as a communication medium.

【0039】

Further, the bath water heater controller 43 can communicate with the gateway device 10 via a communication line using a lamp line (electrical wiring of a commercial power source) as a communication medium. The personal computer 44 can communicate with the gateway device 10 via a communication line using a dedicated line as a communication medium. Further, the gateway device 10 is connected to the Internet 32 via the ISDN line 31. In this example, only the ISDN line 31 is connected to the gateway device 10 as an external network, but a general telephone line, a mobile phone line, a cable line, or the like may be connected to the gateway device 10.

【0040】

The gateway device 10 secures a communication line with each terminal electronic device connected to the local area network, manages access rights for communication with the Internet 32 for each terminal electronic device, and has a plurality of terminals. Performs relay operations related to communication between electronic devices and between terminals on the Internet 32 and each terminal electronic device.

【0041】

As shown in FIG. 1, inside the gateway device 10, communication control unit 11, IC module interface 12, communication interface 13, terminal adapter 14, operation board 15, wireless communication interface 16, infrared communication interface 17, power line communication interface It is equipped with 18 and a dedicated line communication interface 19.

【0042】

The communication control unit 11 is a computer for control, and includes a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, an input / output circuit, and the like. The IC module interface 12, the communication interface 13, the operation board 15, the wireless communication interface 16, the infrared communication interface 17, the power line communication interface 18, and the dedicated line communication interface 19 are connected to the communication control unit 11.

【0043】

The IC module interface 12 is an interface circuit for reading and writing data to and from the IC module 20 when the IC module 20 prepared in advance is installed in the slot 51 shown in FIG. The IC module 20 is configured by mounting a single-chip integrated circuit on a small plastic module. As shown in FIG. 2, this IC module 20 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is slightly thicker than a general IC card, so that the user can carry it around like an IC card.

【0044】

Non-volatile memory, CPU, ROM, RAM, input / output circuits, etc. are mounted on the chips of the integrated circuits that make up the IC module 20. The IC module 20 is a contact type, and an electric contact for connecting to an external circuit is provided on the side surface of the IC module 20. Various information is held in the non-volatile memory built in the IC module 20. Specifically, for each terminal electronic device, the types of transmission lines that can be used, pre-assigned local addresses, pre-assigned global addresses, modulation methods, transmission speeds, types of coding, and between external networks. Communication availability (access right), device name, device manufacturing date, device serial number, device service contact information, information on processing when disposing of the device, etc. are stored in the IC module 20.

【0045】

The types of transmission lines that can be used indicate, for example, which of the radio waves, infrared rays, lamp lines, and leased lines shown in FIG. 3 can be used for communication. A local address is address information that is valid only within the home network. For the local address, for example, a device manufacturer may assign a different value for each type of device. The global address corresponds to an IP address that is valid on a wide area network such as the Internet. When the terminal electronic device communicates using the local address, the range of communication is limited to the home, but when the terminal electronic device communicates using the global address, it is between the terminal electronic device in the home and the terminal on the Internet. It is also possible to communicate directly with.

【0046】

In the example of FIG. 2, the gateway device 10 is provided with eight slots 51. The IC module 20 can be inserted and fixed in any of the slots 51. On the side surface of each slot 51, the electrical contacts of the IC module interface 12 are provided at positions facing the electrical contacts of the IC module 20. Therefore, when the IC module 20 is inserted into any of the slots 51, the IC module 20 is connected to the IC module interface 12, so that the IC module interface 12 can read and write data to and from the IC module 20.

【0047】

The IC module 20 mounted on the gateway device 10 can be pulled out from the slot 51 by a mechanical button operation. When the IC module 20 is pulled out from the slot 51, the IC module 20 is separated from the IC module interface 12, so that the IC module interface 12 cannot read or write data to the IC module 20.

【0048】

The operation board 15 is provided with an indicator 52, a switch 53, a power switch 54, and a liquid crystal display 55 shown in FIG. Each indicator 52 is used to display the status of each slot 51. Switch 53 is used for various input operations. Information such as a character string can be displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 55. The IC module 20 is used to initialize the operating state of the gateway device 10 for each terminal electrical device to a predetermined state. That is, the gateway device 10 initializes the operation for each terminal electrical device based on the information read from the IC module 20 mounted in the slot 51.

【0049】

The communication control unit 11 executes the process shown in FIG. 4 in order to control the operation of the gateway device 10. Further, each terminal electronic device executes the process shown in FIG. 5 according to the instruction from the gateway device 10. The operation of each step will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. In step S10 of FIG. 4, the state of the IC module interface 12 is examined to identify whether or not the IC module 20 is installed in any of the slots 51. When it is detected that the IC module 20 is attached, the process proceeds to step S11.

【0050】

In step S11, the information required for communication control is read from the IC module 20 mounted in the slot 51. Information required for communication control includes available transmission line types, local addresses, global addresses, modulation methods, transmission speeds, coding types, and access rights. In the next step S12, a communication request command is transmitted to the terminal electronic device previously associated with the IC module 20 mounted in the slot 51. This communication request instruction is transmitted using, for example, the signal frame FR1 shown in FIG.

【0051】

The transmission line used for transmission of the signal frame FR1 is specified by the contents of the types of available transmission lines read from the IC module 20 in step S11. The signal frame FR1 has a destination address as shown in FIG. Includes D11, gateway address D12, instruction code type D13 and error detection code D14.

【0052】

The local address of the terminal electronic device read from the IC module 20 in step S11 is assigned to the destination address D11 of the signal frame FR1 transmitted in step S12. The gateway address D12 is unique address information assigned to the gateway device 10 in advance. A code representing a communication request instruction is assigned to the instruction code type D13. The error detection code D14 is information for detecting a bit error in the signal frame FR1.

【0053】

When the terminal electronic device that is the destination of the communication request command sent by the gateway device 10 in step S12 receives the communication request command, the process proceeds from steps S31 to S32 in FIG. 5 to transmit a response (1) to the gateway device 10. .. Response (1) is transmitted using, for example, the signal frame FR2 shown in FIG. This signal frame FR2 includes a gateway address D21, a source address D22, an instruction code type D23, a status information D24, and an error detection code D25.

【0054】

The gateway address D21 indicating the destination of the signal in the signal frame FR2 is the same as the gateway address D12 of the signal frame FR1 transmitted by the gateway device 10 in step S12. The source address D22 in the signal frame FR2 is the address information assigned to the terminal electronic device, and the local address valid only on the home network is the source address D22 in the initial state immediately after the power is turned on. This local address is the same as the destination address D11 of the signal frame FR1 transmitted by the gateway device 10 in step S12.

【0055】

The instruction code type D23 in the signal frame FR2 is information meaning that it is a response to the signal frame FR1k communication request instruction. Further, the status information D24 is information indicating whether or not the terminal electronic device that has received the communication request command is in a communicable state. The error detection code D25 is information for detecting a bit error in the signal frame FR2.

【0056】

When the terminal electronic device transmits information indicating that communication is possible in the signal frame FR2 of response (1) to the gateway device 10 as status information D24, the gateway device 10 considers that a normal response has been detected. Steps S12 to S14. In this case, the gateway device 10 displays a predetermined message on the liquid crystal display unit 55 in order to notify the user that communication with a specific terminal electronic device is possible.

【0057】

If the gateway device 10 does not detect a normal response from the terminal electronic device, it retries as necessary. If a normal response from the terminal electronic device cannot be detected even though the retries have been performed a predetermined number of times, the process ends abnormally through steps S12 to S13.

【0058】

In step S14, the gateway device 10 transmits the signal frame FR3 including the communication control information to the terminal electronic device. As shown in FIG. 6, the signal frame FR3 includes a destination address D31, a gateway address D32, an instruction code type D33, a communication control information D34, and an error detection code D35. The destination address D31 and the gateway address D32 of the signal frame FR3 are the same as the destination address D11 and the gateway address D12 of the signal frame FR1. The instruction code type D33 is information meaning the setting of communication conditions.

【0059】

The communication control information D34 includes protocol information consisting of the modulation method, transmission speed, and coding type read from the IC module 20 in step S11, and information on available transmission line types (communication paths). ing. When the terminal electronic device receives the signal frame FR3 from the gateway device 10 including the communication control information D34, the terminal electronic device proceeds to the processes of steps S33 to S34 in FIG. In step S34, the communication conditions are confirmed for the communication control information D34 of the signal frame FR3. That is, it is confirmed whether or not the protocol actually used by the terminal electronic device and the type of available transmission line match the contents of the communication control information D34. The result of this confirmation is transmitted to the gateway device 10 as a response (2).

【0060】

Response (2) is transmitted by signal frame FR4 in FIG. The signal frame FR4 includes a gateway address D41, a source address D42, status information D43, and an error detection code D44. The result of checking the communication conditions is reflected in the contents of status information D43. The gateway device 10 identifies whether or not communication is possible from the contents of the status information D43 of the response (2) received from the terminal electronic device in step S14, and if communication is possible, it is considered that a normal response has been detected and the step is taken. Proceed to S16.

【0061】

If the gateway device 10 does not detect a normal response from the terminal electronic device, it retries as necessary. If a normal response from the terminal electronic device cannot be detected even though the retries have been performed a predetermined number of times, the process ends abnormally through steps S14 to S15. In step S16 of FIG. 4, the communication control unit 11 of the gateway device 10 refers to the access right information read from the IC module 20 in step S11, and whether or not external access to the terminal electronic device of the communication partner is permitted. To identify. If external access is allowed, the process proceeds from steps S16 to S17.

【0062】

In step S17, the gateway device 10 transmits the signal frame FR5 as an address change command to the terminal electronic device. This signal frame FR5 includes a destination address D51, a gateway address D52, an instruction code type D53, a device address information D54, and an error detection code D55. The destination address D51 and gateway address D52 of the signal frame FR5 are the same as the destination address D11 and the gateway address D12 of the signal frame FR1.

【0063】

The instruction code type D53 means that a new address is assigned to the terminal electronic device. The device address information D54 is the content of a new address assigned to the terminal electronic device. In step S17, the global address read from the IC module 20 in step S11 is transmitted as the device address information D54.

【0064】

When the terminal electronic device receives the address change command from the gateway device 10, the terminal electronic device proceeds to the processes of steps S35 to S36 in FIG. In step S36, the terminal electronic device changes its own station address. That is, the received device address information D54 is retained as its own station address and used in subsequent communications. In addition, the terminal electronic device sends a response (3) to the gateway device 10 after changing its own station address. Response (3) can be transmitted using signal frame FR4. However, when the terminal electronic device changes its own station address, the changed address (global address) is assigned to the contents of the source address D42.

【0065】

The gateway device 10 waits for a response (3) from the terminal electronic device after transmitting the address change command in step S17. If the source address D42 of the response (3) matches the new address assigned by the gateway device 10, it is considered that a normal response has been detected, and the process proceeds to step S19. In this case, the gateway device 10 displays a predetermined message on the liquid crystal display unit 55 in order to notify the user that the communication channel with the external network has been established.

【0066】

If the gateway device 10 does not detect a normal response from the terminal electronic device, it retries as necessary. If a normal response from the terminal electronic device cannot be detected even though the retries have been performed a predetermined number of times, the process ends abnormally through steps S17 to S18. The access right of each terminal electronic device connected to the gateway device 10 can be changed by operating the switch 53 in this example. That is, communication between the terminal electronic device and the external network (Internet) can be permitted or the permission can be revoked.

【0067】

In step S19, it is identified whether or not the access right change instruction is input by operating the switch 53. If an instruction to change the access right is input, the process proceeds to step S20. In step S20, the changed access right information is stored in the non-volatile memory of the IC module 20. In step S21, as in step S17, the address change command is transmitted to the terminal electronic device, and when a normal response is received from the terminal electronic device, the process proceeds to step S23.

【0068】

If you want to prohibit access to the external network, change the device address information D54 to the local address or send the command code to return to the local address in the initial state in the address change command sent in step S21. Just do it. In step S23, the connection status of the IC module 20 is monitored via the IC module interface 12 to identify whether or not the IC module 20 has left the slot 51. When the detachment of the IC module 20 is detected, the process proceeds from step S23 to S24.

【0069】

In step S24, the gateway device 10 transmits a communication termination command to the terminal electronic device. When the terminal electronic device receives the communication termination command from the gateway device 10, it recognizes that the communication with the gateway device 10 has ended, and transmits a response (4) to the gateway device 10.

【0070】

When the gateway device 10 detects a normal response (4) from the terminal electronic device after transmitting the communication end command in step S24, the gateway device 10 proceeds to step S26 to disconnect the communication line with the terminal electronic device. Therefore, when the user removes the IC module 20 from the slot 51, the communication line established between the gateway device 10 and the terminal electronic device is invalidated.

【0071】

When the user takes out the IC module 20 from the slot 51, it is desirable to erase or invalidate the information read from the IC module 20 from the gateway device 10. In addition to the processing shown in FIG. 4, the gateway device 10 relays communication between a plurality of terminal electronic devices in the home connected to the gateway device 10 and is connected to each terminal electronic device in the home and the Internet 32. Relays communication with the terminal.

【0072】

When relaying, if there is a difference between the communication line to which the source terminal is connected and the communication line to which the destination terminal is connected, if necessary, a modulation / demodulation method, coding method, etc. Perform the conversion. Of course, for terminal electronic devices for which external access is not permitted, communication with terminals connected to the Internet 32 is not possible. Actually, since the global address is assigned as the address to the terminal electronic device to which the external access is permitted, it is possible to communicate with the terminal on the Internet 32. However, since the local address is assigned as the address for the terminal electronic device for which external access is not permitted, it is not possible to communicate with the terminal on the Internet 32.

【0073】

In this example, the communication line established between the gateway device 10 and each terminal electronic device is continuously valid while the IC module 20 is inserted in the slot 51, so there is no waste of communication. It is useful. Moreover, the possibility of losing the IC module 20 is reduced and management becomes easier. In this example, a single ISDN line 31 is used to connect the gateway device 10 to an external network, but a general telephone line, mobile phone line, PHS telephone line, cable line, etc. are used. Alternatively, if a plurality of types of lines are connected to the gateway device 10, the user can select the physical line to be used as needed.

【0074】

In the example of FIG. 4, when the IC module 20 is inserted into the slot 51, the communication line is automatically established, but the process is performed so as to ask the user for confirmation before establishing the communication line. You may change it. Note that TCP / IP may be used as the protocol for communication between the gateway device 10 and each terminal electronic device in the home and between the external network. However, for communication between the gateway device 10 and each terminal electronic device in the home, it is better to prepare a simple dedicated protocol so that mistakes are less likely to occur and the configuration of the communication control unit 11 can be simplified.

【0075】

The IC module 20 may be written with the number of the slot 51 in which the IC module 20 is to be installed or the number of the slot 51 in which the IC module 20 is actually installed. In this example, it is assumed that the input operation to the gateway device 10 is performed by the switch 53, but if a control device such as a personal computer is connected to the gateway device 10, the personal computer gives an instruction to the gateway device 10. Can be done.

【0076】

In this example, various information used for communication control is held in the non-volatile memory on the IC module 20, but information that may change such as access rights is non-volatile on the gateway device 10. Information may be stored in the sex memory. In this example, simply inserting the IC module 20 that holds the information of each terminal electronic device into slot 51 establishes a communication line between the gateway device 10 and the terminal electronic device, and communicates on the local area network and externally. Communication with the network can be enabled. Therefore, the work of connecting the terminal electronic device to the network becomes extremely easy.

【0077】

Further, since the address information of each terminal electronic device can be obtained directly from the IC module 20, the gateway device 10 needs to make an inquiry to an unspecified number of terminal electronic devices in order to specify the address of the terminal electronic device. There is no. When the protocol of the terminal electronic device is standardized in advance, it is not always necessary to hold the protocol information in the IC module 20. However, if the protocol information is stored in the IC module 20, it is possible to check whether or not there is an error when establishing a communication line, and if there are multiple protocols, the optimum protocol can be selected. In addition, since it is possible to support future version upgrades and select optional conditions, the flexibility of the operation form is improved.

【0078】

When the same local address is assigned to a plurality of terminal electronic devices connected to the gateway device 10, it is possible to avoid a collision of communication lines by assigning a new local address. Since the global address is a value uniquely determined in the global network, the problem of collision does not occur when the global address is assigned to the terminal electronic device.

【0079】

It is desirable that the gateway device 10 has a mode for simply connecting lines in the local area. Such a mode is useful when, for example, making a telephone connection or transmitting analog data such as image communication in a stream. For example, when using a wireless home telephone, by installing the IC module 20 that holds the address information in the slot 51 of the gateway device 10, the wireless home telephone is registered in the gateway device 10 like a slave unit, and the wireless home telephone is registered. It is possible to connect from a telephone to a telephone line or the like via the gateway device 10.

【0080】

[Effect of the invention]

According to the present invention, by using a portable data carrier, various terminal electronic devices that can be connected to a home network or the like can be connected to a communication line with an extremely simple operation. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the operation when connecting various digital home appliances, wireless telephones, personal computers, etc. to an external network such as the Internet in the home. In addition, access rights can be managed by the gateway device for external access to various terminal electronic devices.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the gateway device of embodiment.

[Figure 2]

It is a perspective view which shows the appearance of the gateway device of embodiment.

[Fig. 3]

It is a block diagram which shows the configuration example of a home network.

[Fig. 4]

It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the gateway device of embodiment.

[Figure5]

It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the terminal electronic device of embodiment.

[Fig. 6]

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the signal frame used for communication.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Gateway device 11 Communication control unit 12 IC module interface 13 Communication interface 14 Terminal adapter 15 Operation board 16 Wireless communication interface 17 Infrared communication interface 18 Power line communication interface 19 Leased line communication interface 20 IC module 31 ISDN line 32 internet 41 Telephone with fax 42 TV controller 43 Bath water heater controller 44 personal computer 51 slots 52 indicator 53 switch 54 Power switch 55 Liquid crystal display FR1, FR2, FR3, FR4 signal frame