This application claims the benefit of Taiwan Patent Application No. 100137868, filed on Oct. 18, 2011, in the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of China, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile hotspot device, in particular to a combinatorial mobile hotspot device, a network service provision method, a network access device and a wireless service power supply device.
2. Description of the Related Art
As network technology advances, users generally use networks to obtain information or execute personal deeds or work. Since the present mobile network environment and technology tend to be mature, users can use various portable communication devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA) or tablet PCs for mobile networking and master required information anytime. Besides the portable wireless communication devices, various communication equipments for connecting to Internet become increasingly popular as the increase of use of networks. For example, a wireless access point for bridging the Internet and the portable communication device is primarily used as a router to plan the method and direction for transmitting data packets transmitted from various portable communication devices and transmitting the data packets through various network nodes to the destination, and such process is called routing. The aforementioned router is disposed at an intersection of two or more networks for transmitting the data packets between different ends according to a routing table. To achieve routing each data packet, routers communicate with each other through a routing protocol, and each router maintains its own routing table, such that data packets can be transmitted to the destination according to the protocol.
At present, a mobile hotspot device is available for providing an electronic device such as a computer or a mobile device to browse the Internet and establish a local area network data sharing. In general, the mobile hotspot is a router with a wireless wide area network (WWAN) such as 3G, LTE and Wimax and the local area network sharing function of wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) protocol to allow electronic devices including smart phones, notebook computers and tablet PCs to access to the wireless wide area network simultaneously.
However, present existing mobile hotspot devices place WWAN components, Wi-Fi components and battery components in the same device. To fulfill user requirements for carrying conveniently, the mobile hotspot device generally comes with a compact design. Thus, the battery capacity of a power unit installed in the mobile hotspot device will be limited, so that the mobile hotspot device cannot be operated for a long time. When both WWAN components and Wi-Fi components are placed in the mobile hotspot device at the same time, the issue of electromagnetic interference arises. In addition, the design of placing all components into a device incurs a higher manufacturing cost and a poor heat radiation performance.
In view of the aforementioned problems of the prior art, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a combinatorial mobile hotspot device and a network service provision method thereof, a network access device and a wireless service power supply device to overcome the shortcomings including the low battery capacity, high electromagnetic interference, poor heat radiation and high manufacturing cost of the conventional mobile hotspot device.
To achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention provides a combinatorial mobile hotspot device, comprising a wireless service power supply device and a network access device. The wireless service power supply device comprises a battery unit and a wireless local area network transceiver. The battery unit supplies operating power and stores external charging power. The wireless local area network transceiver has a wireless local area network (LAN) access ability. The network access device is selectively and electrically coupled to an external host machine or the wireless service power supply device. The network access device has a mobile Internet access ability for connecting to a wide area network. The network access device has a wireless access point service for operating and controlling the wireless local area network transceiver. Wherein, if the network access device and the external host machine are electrically coupled to each other, the external host machine is connected to the wide area network through the network access device. Wherein, if the network access device and the wireless service power supply device are electrically coupled to each other, the network access device receives the operating power supplied by the battery unit and enables the wireless access point service to operate and control the local area network transceiver to establish a mobile hotspot network, and the mobile hotspot network provides a plurality of electronic devices to exchange data and access to wide area network data.
Preferably, the network access device includes a wireless wide area network transceiver for connecting to a wide area network.
Preferably, the wireless access point service is a software control program. When the network access device is electrically coupled to the wireless service power supply device, the network access device is provided for coupling with and controlling the wireless local area network transceiver to establish a mobile hotspot network.
Preferably, the network access device includes a power management unit for receiving the power supplied by an external host machine or a wireless service power supply device.
Preferably, the wireless service power supply device includes a power recharging unit coupled to the battery unit for receiving the electric power supplied by a power supply device, and then storing the electric power into the battery unit.
Preferably, the network access device further includes a connection interface unit and a central processing unit, wherein the network access device is electrically coupled to an external host machine or a wireless service power supply device through the connection interface unit, and the central processing unit is provided for determining the connection interface unit to be operated in a host mode or a device mode of a dual working mode. Wherein, when the network access device is electrically coupled to the external host machine, the network access device is operated in the device mode. When the network access device is electrically coupled to the wireless service power supply device, the network access device is operated in the host mode.
Preferably, the connection interface unit includes a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital input/output (SDIO) interface or a high speed inter-chip (HSIC) interface.
Preferably, the wireless local area network transceiver includes a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) protocol.
To achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention further provides a network service provision method of a mobile hotspot device, applied in a network access device and a wireless service power supply device. The network access device has a mobile Internet access ability for connecting to a wide area network. The wireless service power supply device has a wireless local area network access ability. The method comprises steps of: selectively and electrically coupling with the network access device to the wireless service power supply device or an external host machine; operating the network access device in a host mode of a dual working mode when the network access device is electrically coupled to the wireless service power supply device; supplying power to the network access device by the wireless service power supply device; and enabling a wireless access point service by a central processing unit of the network access device, for coupling with and operating a wireless local area network transceiver of the wireless service power supply device by the wireless access point service to establish a mobile hotspot network, and providing a plurality of electronic devices to exchange data and access to wide area network data by the mobile hotspot network.
Wherein, the network service provision method of the mobile hotspot device of the present invention further comprises following steps: operating the network access device in a device mode of the dual working mode when the network access device is electrically coupled to the external host machine; supplying the power to the network access device by the external host machine; and connecting the external host machine to a wide area network through the network access device.
To achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention further provides a network access device comprising a connection interface unit, a central processing unit, a wireless wide area network transceiver and a wireless access point service. The connection interface unit is provided for electrically coupling to an external device. The central processing unit is provided for operating and controlling the network access device, and determining the connection interface unit to be operated in a host mode or a device mode of a dual working mode. The wireless wide area network transceiver has a mobile Internet access ability for connecting to a wide area network. The wireless access point service is a software control program operated together with a wireless service power supply device to selectively enable a software control function. Wherein, if the external device is the wireless service power supply device, the connection interface unit is operated in the host mode, and the wireless access point service is enabled to operate with the wireless service power supply device to establish a mobile hotspot network, and the mobile hotspot network provides a plurality of electronic devices to exchange data and connect to a wide area network. Wherein, if the connection interface unit is operated in the device mode, the external device may connect to a wide area network through the wireless wide area network transceiver.
To achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention further provides a wireless service power supply device comprising a battery unit and a wireless local area network transceiver. The battery unit is provided for supplying power to an external device, or storing the power supplied by the external power supply. The wireless local area network transceiver has a wireless local area network access ability to provide a wireless local area network connection service to the external device, such that the external device has a wireless local area network access ability. Wherein, if the external device has a mobile Internet access ability and provides a wireless access point service, the wireless service power supply device and the external device are coupled to establish a mobile hotspot network, and the mobile hotspot network provides a plurality of electronic devices to exchange data and connect to a wide area network.
In summation of the description above, the combinatorial mobile hotspot device and the network service provision method thereof, the network access device and the wireless service power supply device of the present invention have one or more of the following advantages:
(1) The combinatorial mobile hotspot device primarily includes a wireless wide area network access function designed in the network access device, and includes a wireless local area network service function and power storage/supply function designed in the wireless service power supply device. Thus, the network access device can not only operate individually as a tool for users to connect an electronic device to the wide area network, but also operate with both of the network access device and the wireless service power supply device, if needed, making the combined device into a mobile hotspot device. The hotspot device provides a way of connecting a plurality of electronic devices in a local area network to the wide area network, such that the operation of the device of the present invention becomes more flexible and practical.
(2) Since the combinatorial mobile hotspot device disposes the wireless wide area network access components in the network access device, and local area network access components and power storage/supply components in the wireless service power supply device separately, so that the distance of an antenna connected to each component increases, electromagnetic interference can be improved effectively, and the communication performance of the combinatorial mobile hotspot can be enhanced. The separated design of each device provides a larger heat radiation area, so that the thermal issue can be improved effectively. The size of the wireless service power supply device can be increased to expand the battery capacity, so that the operating time may be increased when the wireless service power supply device and the network access device are used in combination. Moreover, the capacity of the mobile hotspot network service of the present invention can be expanded through the wireless local area network transceiver, so that the expanding flexibility wireless network service capacity can be increased. In addition, the network access device and the wireless service power supply device come with independent designs, so that the production process and manufacturing procedure can be processed in parallel and independently, and the manufacturing cost can be lowered.
The technical characteristics of the present invention will become apparent with the detailed description of the preferred embodiments accompanied with the illustration of related drawings as follows. It is noteworthy to point out that the drawings are provided for the purpose of illustrating the present invention, but they are not necessarily drawn according to the actual scale, or are intended for limiting the scope of the invention.
With reference to
As mentioned above, if the external device electrically coupled to the connection interface unit 14 of the network access device 1 is an external host machine such as a notebook computer, the central processing unit 13 determines that the connection interface unit 14 is operated in a device mode. In addition, the wireless wide area network transceiver 12 of the network access device 1 provides the external device with connecting a wide area network to access data on the wide area network.
With reference to
As mentioned above, if the external device electrically coupled to the wireless service power supply device 2 is a notebook computer or a personal computer, the battery unit 21 of the wireless service power supply device 2 can receive and store the power supplied by the external device through the connection interface unit 24. For example, the external device inputs the electric power to the power recharging unit 22 through a direct current (DC) bus of the connection interface unit 24 and then stores the electric power into the battery unit 21. Now, the wireless local area network transceiver 23 of the wireless service power supply device 2 is also provided for connecting the external device to the local area network. However, the wireless service power supply device 2 can supply the power to the external device in a reverse order through the connection interface unit 24 and acts as a power supply device for supplying power.
As mentioned above, if the external device electrically coupled to the connection interface unit 14 of the network access device 1 as shown in
With reference to
The wireless service power supply device 200 has a power storage function and a power supply function, and is disposed with a device for providing the Wi-Fi communication ability, so that the wireless service power supply device 200 has the wireless local area network access ability. The wireless service power supply device 200 is operated in a device mode of the dual working mode. If an external device 400 is connected, the external device 400 will supply the power to the wireless service power supply device 200. The wireless service power supply device 200 is also provided for connecting the external device 400 to a wireless local area network to access data in the wireless local area network. Wherein, the wireless service power supply device 200 can be electrically coupled to the external device 400 by using a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital input/output (SDIO) interface or a high speed inter-chip (HSIC) interface, but the invention is not limited to such arrangement only.
With reference to
With reference to
S51: Selectively and electrically coupling to a network access device to a wireless service power supply device or an external host machine. Wherein, the network access device is connected to the wireless service power supply device or the external host machine by an interface such as USB, SDIO, HSIC etc.
S52: If the network access device is electrically coupled to the wireless service power supply device, the wireless service power supply device will supply power to the network access device to turn on the network access device.
S53: The network access device determines its connection interface to be operated in a host mode of a dual working mode, and then enables a built-in wireless access point service.
S54: Using the wireless access point service to operate and control a wireless local area network device of the wireless service power supply device to establish a wireless local area network.
S55: Using the wireless access point service to bridge a wide area network connected through the network access device and establish a complete mobile hotspot network, so that a plurality of electronic devices connected to the wireless local area network can be connected to a wide area network indirectly.
S56: If the network access device is electrically coupled to the external host machine, the network access device will be supplied with the power by the external host machine.
S57: The network access device is operated in a device mode, and the external host machine operates and controls the connection to a wide area network.
In summation of the description above, the combinatorial mobile hotspot device of the present invention builds the network communication technology such as 2G, 3G or WIMAX in the network access device of the present invention, and the power supply and the Wi-Fi device in the wireless service power supply device of the present invention. In this way, the network access device and the wireless service power supply device can be operated independently, and the network access device can serve as a device for connecting the wide area network. The wireless service power supply device can serve as a power supply device to supply power and provide the service of connection to the local area network through Wi-Fi. If the network access device and the wireless service power supply device are combined to become a mobile hotspot device, they may serve as a wireless local area network router for providing connection of a plurality of electronic devices of the local area network to a wide area network. The method of installing the WWAN, Wi-Fi and power supply in different devices not only provides a more flexible application, but also expands the power storage capacity of the power supply module of the wireless service power supply device. Therefore, the assembled mobile hotspot device can achieve the effects of providing a longer using time, reducing the electromagnetic interference effectively, improving the poor heat radiation problem, and lowering the manufacturing cost.
While the invention has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.
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