JP2008278325A - Mobile communication terminal and power control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile communication terminal capable of achieving the reduction of current consumption and high sound quality, and a method for controlling the power of the mobile communication terminal. <P>SOLUTION: The mobile machine 10 can operate in a power saving mode for suppressing power consumption and is provided with a radio LAN communicating part 11 for performing packet communication, a handover detecting part 13 for detecting the occurrence of a handover in communication, and a power saving switching part 17 for switching the setting of the power saving mode to off when the occurrence of the handover is detected. According to this configuration, the high sound quality of communication can be achieved because it is recognized that the mobile machine 10 is currently moved on the basis of the occurrence of the handover to automatically switch to an active mode when communication quality is liable to deteriorate during movement, or the like. In addition, since the power saving mode is maintained when communication quality is satisfactory, power consumption can be reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal operable in a power save mode for suppressing power consumption and a power control method for the mobile communication terminal.

  Currently, wireless LAN (WLAN) terminals are being developed, and the sales of WLAN terminals tend to increase in the future.

Compared with a general mobile terminal that uses a mobile communication network, a WLAN terminal has a higher frequency of communication quality deterioration and sound interruption, especially when the terminal is moving during a call. In order to improve this point, the WLAN terminal sets the power save (switching between the active mode and the power save mode) to the off state, that is, the active mode to improve the communication quality. A mobile communication terminal for turning on / off the setting of power saving is described in Patent Document 1, for example.
JP 2006-287703 A

  However, in the mobile communication terminal according to the above prior art, in the power save-off state (active mode), power consumption becomes high, and battery consumption is accelerated. In addition, the power save-off state is continued even when the radio wave is good, such as when the mobile phone is not in a standby state or during a call via WLAN, and power consumption may be wasted. Furthermore, if the mobile communication terminal is of a type that uses both a mobile communication network and WLAN, the power consumption will be higher.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile communication terminal and a power control method capable of solving the above-described problems and realizing reduction in power consumption and improvement in sound quality.

  In order to solve the above problems, a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention is a mobile communication terminal operable in a power save mode for suppressing power consumption, comprising: communication means for performing packet communication; and the communication means. Handover detecting means for detecting the occurrence of handover during communication; and switching means for switching off the setting of the power save mode when the occurrence of handover is detected by the handover detecting means.

  In order to solve the above problems, a power control method according to the present invention is a power control method for a mobile communication terminal operable in a power save mode for suppressing power consumption, and includes a communication step of performing packet communication. And a detection step for detecting the occurrence of a handover during communication in the communication step, and a switching step for switching off the setting of the power save mode when the occurrence of a handover is detected by the detection step. Yes.

  With these configurations, when the handover occurs, the setting of the power save mode can be switched off, that is, the active mode can be switched. As a result, the mobile communication terminal recognizes that the mobile communication terminal is moving based on the occurrence of the handover, and automatically switches to the active mode at the time of movement in which communication quality is likely to deteriorate, so that it is possible to realize high sound quality of communication. . Further, when the communication quality is good, such as a state where the user is not moving even during communication, the power save mode is maintained, so that power consumption can be reduced.

  The mobile communication terminal of the present invention further includes a radio wave determination unit that determines a radio wave condition, and the switching unit is configured to determine when communication quality deterioration is determined based on the radio wave condition determined by the radio wave determination unit. It is preferable to switch off the setting of the power save mode.

  With this configuration, the power save mode setting can be switched off, that is, switched to the active mode when the communication quality is degraded even when not moving. Thereby, when the deterioration of the communication quality is determined based on the radio wave condition, the mode is automatically switched to the active mode, so that it is possible to realize the high sound quality of the communication. Further, when the communication quality is good even during communication, the power save mode is maintained, so that power consumption can be reduced.

  Similarly, the mobile communication terminal of the present invention further includes battery detection means for detecting the remaining battery level of the mobile communication terminal, and the switching means is configured such that the remaining battery level detected by the battery detection means is equal to or less than a predetermined value. In this case, it is preferable to switch on the setting of the power save mode.

  With this configuration, when the remaining battery level of the mobile communication terminal is low, it is possible to automatically switch from the active mode to the power save mode even when the communication quality is deteriorated such as when moving. Thereby, power consumption can be reduced and a telephone call can be maintained.

  The mobile communication terminal and the power control method of the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention recognize that the mobile communication terminal is moving based on the occurrence of handover, and enter the active mode when communication quality is likely to deteriorate such as when moving. Since the switching is performed automatically, it is possible to realize high sound quality of communication. In addition, when the communication quality is good as in a state where the user is not moving even during communication, the power save mode is maintained, so that power consumption can be reduced.

  The present invention can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings shown for the embodiments. Subsequently, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile device 10 according to the present embodiment. This mobile device (mobile communication terminal) 10 is a WLAN terminal and is configured to be communicable with an access point 20, and can be communicably connected to a wireless LAN via the access point 20.

  The mobile device 10 includes a wireless LAN communication unit (communication unit) 11, a mobile unit state detection unit 12, a handover detection unit (handover detection unit) 13, a radio wave state determination unit (radio wave determination unit) 14, and a battery detection unit (battery detection unit). ) 15, charging detection unit 16, power save switching unit (switching means) 17, alarm notification unit 18, call determination unit 19, mode determination unit 21, and battery 22. Hereinafter, each component will be described.

  The wireless LAN communication unit 11 is a part that enables wireless LAN communication. The wireless LAN communication unit 11 makes and receives calls to the wireless LAN, and performs wireless LAN communication via the access point 20.

  The wireless LAN communication unit 11 is configured to take two types of operation modes during wireless LAN communication. These operation modes are “active mode” in which power is always supplied to a transmission / reception circuit (not shown), and an awake state in which a beacon periodically transmitted from the access point 20 can be received is maintained. This is a “power save mode”, which is a so-called power saving mode, in which the power supply to the transmission / reception circuit is basically stopped and the state is shifted to an awake state with a predetermined interval.

  The beacon transmitted from the access point 20 to the mobile device 10 includes a DTIM (Delivery Traffic Indication Message) for notifying that there is data addressed to the mobile device 10 at a predetermined interval. The period in which DTIM is included is represented by a DTIM interval. For example, if the DTIM interval is 5, DTIM is transmitted at intervals of 5 beacons. In the present embodiment, the wireless LAN communication unit 11 is set to shift to the awake state at a cycle of twice or more the DTIM interval in the power save mode. Note that the power save mode is defined in IEEE 802.11, for example.

  The wireless LAN communication unit 11 is set to the power save on state, that is, the power save mode by default, and the power save mode is set to the on state (power save mode) according to the command transmitted from the power save switching unit 17. Or it switches to an OFF state (active mode) suitably.

  The mobile device state detection unit 12 is based on the detection or determination results by the handover detection unit 13, the radio wave state determination unit 14, the battery detection unit 15, the charge detection unit 16, the call determination unit 19, and the mode determination unit 21. This is a part for determining the state of the mobile station 10.

  The handover detection unit 13 detects whether a handover has occurred during a call using a wireless LAN. The handover detection unit 13 is configured to make a determination based on an SSID (Service Set ID). Here, the SSID is different for each access point. For example, the handover detection unit 13 compares the SSID communicated immediately before with the current SSID, determines that the SSID has been changed when there is a mismatch, and determines that a handover has occurred. When the handover occurs, the handover detection unit 13 determines that the mobile device 10 is moving and notifies the power save switching unit 17 of the determination result.

  The radio wave state determination unit 14 is a part that determines the state of radio waves during a call via a wireless LAN. The radio wave state determination unit 14 measures, for example, radio wave intensity, received power, and an S / N ratio (signal to noise ratio) as an index for determining the radio wave state, and performs communication according to the measured radio wave state. It is configured to judge quality. For example, the radio wave condition determination unit 14 determines that the communication quality has deteriorated when the measured radio wave status (the radio wave intensity, the received power, or the S / N ratio) is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, and power saving is performed. The determination result is notified to the switching unit 17.

  Note that the radio wave status determination unit 14 may notify the mobile device 10 of the status of radio waves (radio wave intensity, received power, or S / N ratio) used for determining communication quality.

  The battery detection unit 15 is a part that detects the remaining battery level of the battery 22 built in the mobile device 10 during a call via the wireless LAN. In the present embodiment, when the call determination unit 19 determines that the call has continued for a predetermined time or longer, the battery detection unit 15 determines the remaining battery level by detecting the voltage of the battery 22, for example. When the remaining battery level is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, the battery detection unit 15 determines that the remaining battery level is low, notifies the power save switching unit 17 of the determination result, and further charges the user. The alarm notification unit 18 is notified so as to display an alarm to be urged.

  The charge detection unit 16 is a part that determines whether or not the battery 22 built in the mobile device 10 is being charged after a predetermined time has elapsed since the warning notification unit 18 has been notified of a warning for charging the user. . For example, the charge detection unit 16 determines whether or not the battery 22 is supplied with power from a charger (not shown). When it is determined by the charge detection unit 16 that charging is in progress, the process of switching the power save setting by the power save switching unit 17 described later is continued. If it is determined that the battery is not charged, the operation mode is fixed to the power save mode so that the power saving setting is not switched and the call is continued for a long time while reducing power consumption.

  Based on information detected by the handover detection unit 13, the radio wave state determination unit 14, and the battery detection unit 15, the power save switching unit 17 sets the power save (Power Save) setting to an on state (power save mode) or an off state. This is the part to switch to (active mode).

  First, when the handover detection unit 13 detects the occurrence of a handover, the power save switching unit 17 notifies the wireless LAN communication unit 11 to switch the power save setting to the off state. As a result, the mobile device 10 recognizes that the mobile device 10 is moving based on the occurrence of the handover, and automatically switches to the active mode at the time of the movement in which the communication quality is likely to be deteriorated. . Further, when communication quality is good even during communication, such as a stationary state, the power save mode is maintained, so that power consumption can be reduced.

  In addition, when the radio wave state determination unit 14 detects deterioration in communication quality, the power save switching unit 17 notifies the wireless LAN communication unit 11 to switch the power save setting to the off state. Thereby, when the deterioration of the communication quality is determined based on the radio wave condition, the mode is automatically switched to the active mode, so that it is possible to realize the high sound quality of the communication. Further, when the communication quality is good even during communication, the power save mode is maintained, so that power consumption can be reduced.

  Further, when the battery detection unit 15 determines that the remaining battery level is low, the power save switching unit 17 determines the operation mode of the wireless LAN communication unit 11 based on the detection result of the handover detection unit 13 or the radio wave state determination unit 14. Even when the mode is switched to the active mode, the wireless LAN communication unit 11 is notified to switch the power save setting to the on state. Thereby, when the battery remaining amount is low, it is possible to reduce the power consumption and extend the call time.

  The alarm notification unit 18 notifies the user of an alarm that prompts charging when the battery detection unit 15 determines that the remaining battery level is low.

  The call determination unit 19 is a part that determines whether or not a call is in progress. For example, the call determination unit 19 determines a call by referring to the operation of the wireless LAN communication unit 11. In this embodiment, whether or not the call is continued after a predetermined time has elapsed since the call was started. Judging.

  The mode determination unit 21 is a part that determines whether the operation mode is the active mode or the power save mode. For example, the mode determination unit 21 refers to the state of the wireless LAN communication unit 11 to determine the current operation mode.

  FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the mobile device 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile device 10 is physically configured by hardware such as a CPU 101, a RAM 102, a ROM 103, an operation unit 104, a wireless communication unit 105, a display 106, and an antenna 107. Each function described in FIG. 1 has an operation unit 104, a wireless communication unit 105, and a display 106 under the control of the CPU 101 by loading predetermined computer software on hardware such as the CPU 101 and the RAM 102 shown in FIG. And the reading and writing of data in the RAM 102.

  Next, the operation of the mobile device 10 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of switching the power save setting of the mobile device 10 during a call.

  The mobile device 10 is set to the power save on state by default (S101).

  When the wireless LAN communication unit 11 starts making or receiving a wireless LAN communication (S102), the handover detecting unit 13 first determines whether or not a handover has occurred (S103). When moving, the voice quality is likely to deteriorate, so it is desirable to turn off power saving to improve the voice quality. Since the probability of handover occurring is high when the mobile device 10 is moving, the handover detection unit 13 detects whether the SSID has been changed and determines whether handover has occurred. If it is determined that a handover has occurred, the power save setting is switched off by the power save switching unit 17 to improve the call sound quality (S104). If it is determined that no handover has occurred, the process proceeds to step S105.

  Next, the radio wave state determination unit 14 determines whether or not the radio wave state is equal to or less than a set threshold value (S105). Since the communication quality may deteriorate even if no handover occurs during a call, the radio wave condition is checked. The radio wave condition determining unit 14 measures, for example, radio wave intensity, received power, and S / N ratio as indices for determining the radio wave condition, and when these values are below a predetermined threshold value, the communication quality deteriorates. Judge that you are doing. When the radio wave condition is less than or equal to the threshold value, the power save setting is switched off by the power save switching unit 17 and the call sound quality is improved (S104). When the radio wave condition is larger than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S106 while maintaining the default state (power save on).

  Next, the call determination unit 19 determines whether or not the call is continuing even after a predetermined time has elapsed (S106). For example, the call determination unit 19 determines a call with reference to the operation of the wireless LAN communication unit 11. If the call has ended, the process proceeds to step S107. If a call is in progress, the process proceeds to step S109.

  If the call has ended in step S106, the mode determination unit 21 determines whether the power save setting is on (S107). In steps S103 to S105, when the power save setting is switched to the off state during the call, the power save setting is switched to the on state, that is, the power save mode in order to reduce power consumption as soon as the call ends. Is desirable. For example, the mode determination unit 21 refers to the operation of the wireless LAN communication unit 11 and determines that the power save setting is on if the operation is intermittent. If the power save setting is on, the process ends. If the power save setting is in the off state, it is switched to the on state (S108), and the process is terminated.

  If the call is still in progress after the predetermined time has elapsed in step S106, the battery detection unit 15 determines whether or not the remaining battery level of the battery 22 of the mobile device 10 is sufficient (S109). The wireless LAN communication can be used for a long time, and the battery is consumed quickly in the power save off state (active mode). Therefore, it is necessary to always check the remaining battery level. For example, the battery detection unit 15 detects the voltage of the battery 22 and obtains the remaining battery level. If the remaining battery level is sufficient, the process proceeds to step S103, and the power save setting switching process is continued. When the battery detection unit 15 determines that the remaining battery level is low, an alarm for causing the user to take measures such as charging is notified to the user by the alarm notification unit 18 (S110), and the power save setting is switched on. In step S111, power consumption is reduced and the call is continued for a long time.

  Next, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the alarm notification unit 18 notified the user of the alarm, the charge detection unit 16 determines whether or not the battery 22 built in the mobile device 10 is being charged. (S112). For example, the charge detection unit 16 determines whether or not the battery 22 is supplied with power from a charger (not shown). When it is determined that the battery is being charged, the process proceeds to step S103, and the power save setting switching process is continued. If it is determined that charging has not been performed, the processing is terminated, and thereafter, the operation mode is fixed to the power save mode so that the power consumption is reduced and the call is continued for as long as possible.

  Then, the effect | action and effect of the moving apparatus 10 of this embodiment are demonstrated. As described above, in the mobile device 10 of the present embodiment, when the handover detection unit 13 detects the occurrence of a handover, the power save switching unit 17 switches the power save setting of the mobile device 10 to an off state (active mode). As a result, the mobile communication terminal recognizes that the mobile communication terminal is moving based on the occurrence of the handover, and automatically switches to the active mode at the time of movement in which communication quality is likely to deteriorate, so that it is possible to realize high sound quality of communication. . Further, when communication quality is good even during communication, such as in a stationary state, the power save mode is maintained, so that power consumption can be reduced.

  Further, in the mobile device 10 of the present embodiment, when the radio wave state determination unit 14 determines that the communication quality is deteriorated based on the radio wave state, the power save switching unit 17 turns off the power save setting of the mobile device 10 (active Mode). As a result, the communication mode is automatically switched to the active mode when it is determined that the communication quality is deteriorated based on the radio wave condition even when not moving, so that it is possible to realize high sound quality of communication. Further, when the communication quality is good even during communication, the power save mode is maintained, so that power consumption can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the mobile device 10 according to the present embodiment, when the battery detection unit 15 determines that the remaining battery level of the mobile device 10 is low, even when the communication quality is deteriorated such as when the mobile device 10 is moving and the active mode is switched to the active mode, The switching unit 17 switches the power save setting of the mobile device 10 to the on state (power save mode). Thereby, power consumption can be reduced and a telephone call can be maintained.

  In the above-described embodiment, the WLAN terminal is exemplified as the mobile device 10, but this is because the present invention produces a particularly remarkable effect in the WLAN terminal, and the present invention corresponds to VoIP (Voice Over IP). Any mobile device is applicable.

It is a functional block diagram of a mobile device. It is a hardware block diagram of a mobile apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement which switches the power save setting of the mobile device at the time of a telephone call.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Mobile device (mobile communication terminal), 11 ... Wireless LAN communication part, 12 ... Mobile device state detection part, 13 ... Handover detection part, 14 ... Radio wave state judgment part, 15 ... Battery detection part, 16 ... Charge detection part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 17 ... Power save switching part, 18 ... Alarm notification part, 19 ... Call judgment part, 20 ... Access point, 21 ... Mode judgment part.

Claims (4)

In mobile communication terminals that can operate in power save mode to reduce power consumption,
A communication means for performing packet communication;
Handover detection means for detecting the occurrence of handover during communication by the communication means;
Switching means for switching off the setting of the power save mode when occurrence of a handover is detected by the handover detection means;
A mobile communication terminal comprising: A radio wave judging means for judging the radio wave status;
The switching means switches off the setting of the power save mode when it is determined that communication quality is deteriorated based on the radio wave status determined by the radio wave determination means;
The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1. Battery detection means for detecting the remaining battery level of the mobile communication terminal;
The switching means switches on the setting of the power save mode when the remaining battery level detected by the battery detection means is a predetermined value or less.
The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1. In a power control method of a mobile communication terminal operable in a power save mode for suppressing power consumption,
A communication step for performing packet communication;
A detection step of detecting the occurrence of a handover during communication in the communication step;
A switching step of switching off the setting of the power save mode when occurrence of a handover is detected by the detection step;
A power control method comprising:

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