WO2005078961A1

WO2005078961A1 - Multimode communication apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2005078961A1
Application number: PCT/JP2005/000924
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hiroyuki Motozuka; Ryutaro Yamanaka
Original assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2004-01-27
Filing date: 2005-01-25
Publication date: 2005-08-25
Also published as: JP2005217515A

Abstract

In a determination part (161), information indicative of best fits between data to be transmitted and communication systems is set in advance. If there exists any currently available communication system the best fit for which is greater than a predetermined value in terms of relationships between the currently available communication systems and the best fits, then it is used to transmit the data. Otherwise, the data is held in a storage part (140) until there appears an available communication system the best fit for which is greater than the predetermined value, and then transmitted. In this way, there can be realized a multimode communication apparatus wherein effective transmissions of e-mails including various information can be automatically performed without causing users to become conscious of particular communication systems.

Description

Specification

Multi-mode communication device

Technical field

The present invention particularly relates to a multi-mode communication device capable of communicating in a plurality of communication systems (multi-mode).

Background art

[0002] At present, various communication systems exist as wireless communication services represented by mobile phones. For example, PDC (Personal Digital Cellular) and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) called second-generation wireless communication systems, W-CDMA and CDMA2000 called third-generation wireless communication systems, homes and station premises There are wireless LANs (IEEE802.1 lb) provided only in specific areas.

[0003] A terminal capable of coping with such a plurality of communication systems by one unit is a multi-mode wireless communication terminal.

(Or simply multi-mode terminals). A multi-mode terminal performs communication using one communication method according to a user's instruction from among a plurality of communication methods, or when the control unit of the terminal automatically selects one communication method.

[0004] By the way, one of the typical services used in the portable wireless terminal is an electronic mail. In mobile wireless terminals, e-mail was initially provided as a service that only sent text messages.Now it is possible to send various types of information, such as images, PIM (Personal Information Manager) information, and moving images. Has become.

[0005] The reason why various kinds of information can be transmitted in this way is that a new communication method for realizing high-speed communication has been developed. However, the new communication method has the disadvantage that the generally available area (hereinafter referred to as service area) is narrow.

[0006] Therefore, in order for a user to efficiently use various functions in a multi-mode terminal, it is necessary to select an appropriate communication method according to information to be transmitted and a situation. Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for determining a communication scheme used in a multi-mode terminal. This technology is effective when using voice calls and web access in the sense that the most suitable communication method is selected from currently available communication methods. It is believed that there is.

Patent Document 1: JP 2002-199451 A

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] While trying to transmit large-volume information in a situation where a high-speed communication method cannot be used, for example, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is optimal among the available communication methods. However, the transmission is performed by a communication method that is not suitable for transmitting a large amount of information. At this time, the communication line may be occupied by a large amount of information. In addition, the user cannot operate the terminal for a long time, and in some cases, a high communication fee is required.

[0008] In order to avoid such a problem, it is necessary for the user to determine whether or not to use the communication method, and as a result, the convenience of the multi-mode terminal is greatly impaired.

An object of the present invention is to provide a multi-mode communication device and a method capable of automatically transmitting an e-mail containing various information efficiently without requiring the user to be aware of individual communication methods. To provide.

Means for solving the problem

[0010] One aspect of the multi-mode communication device of the present invention for solving such a problem is a multi-mode communication device configured to perform communication by appropriately selecting a communication method among a plurality of communication methods. Multi-mode signal processing means for converting transmission data into a signal of each communication method, monitoring means for monitoring a communication method currently available among a plurality of communication methods, storage means for holding transmission data, and transmission data It is suitable for transmitting the transmission data held in the storage means among the communication methods considered to be currently usable by the monitoring means based on the information in which the capacity or type of the communication method and the degree of conformity with each communication method are associated. Determining means for determining whether or not there is a communication method that has been used, and a multi-mode signal when the determining means determines that there is a currently available communication method suitable for transmitting the transmission data. A transmission control means for transmitting the transmission data held in the storage means by using the communication method determined to be suitable by controlling the signal processing means. [0011] According to this configuration, the judging means is a communication system that has a degree of conformity with the transmission data equal to or greater than a predetermined value among the currently available communication systems (ie, a communication system suitable for transmitting the transmission data). Only when it is determined that a transmission method exists, transmission is performed using that communication method. Therefore, transmission of the transmission data can be waited until an available communication method suitable for transmission data appears. . As a result, transmission data can be automatically transmitted using a more appropriate communication method as compared with a case where a communication method most suitable for transmission data is simply selected from currently available communication methods. In addition, users will be able to create information to be transmitted as necessary, taking into account which communication method is being used in their current location.

[0012] In one aspect of the multi-mode communication device according to the present invention, the suitability is set based on a relationship between a capacity of the transmission data and a communication fee of each communication method or a line load of each communication method. Take a configuration.

[0013] According to this configuration, it is possible to avoid transmitting a large amount of transmission data using a communication method with a high communication charge or transmitting with a communication method with a low communication capacity. It becomes possible to prevent the line from being occupied.

[0014] One aspect of the multi-mode communication device of the present invention employs a configuration in which the degree of conformity can be changed by a user's instruction.

[0015] According to this configuration, it is possible to change the criterion of the communication method determined to be suitable by the determining means according to the user's preference and circumstances.

[0016] One embodiment of the multi-mode communication device of the present invention further includes a time measuring unit that measures the time during which the transmission data is held in the storage unit, and the determination unit uses the time measurement unit to transmit the transmission data. When a measurement result indicating that is held for a predetermined time or more is obtained, a configuration is adopted in which the criterion for judging the suitability is relaxed.

According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent untransmitted data from being transmitted for a long time.

[0018] One aspect of the multimode communication device of the present invention employs a configuration in which the determination unit executes the determination each time a currently available communication method is newly detected by the monitoring unit. According to this configuration, it is possible to quickly find a communication method suitable for transmitting the transmission data, so that the time during which the transmission data is held in an untransmitted state can be reduced. become.

In one aspect of the multi-mode communication method of the present invention, when a communication method is appropriately selected from a plurality of communication methods and communication is performed, information indicating a degree of conformity between transmission data and each communication method is set. According to the relationship between the currently available communication method and the above-mentioned degree of conformity, if there is a currently available communication method whose degree of conformity is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, transmission is performed using that communication method, while the degree of conformity is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. If there is no currently available communication method, the data is transmitted after waiting for the transmission of an available communication method with a conformity of a predetermined value or more.

[0021] According to this method, compared to a case where an optimum communication scheme for transmission data is simply selected from currently available communication schemes, a communication scheme that is less suitable for transmission of the transmission data is used. By avoiding transmission, transmission data can be automatically transmitted using a more appropriate communication method.

The invention's effect

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a multi-mode communication device capable of automatically and efficiently transmitting an e-mail including various information without requiring the user to be aware of individual communication methods.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a multi-mode communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a tape gap showing the fitness between each communication method and data capacity used for determining the communication method.

FIG. 3 is a state transition diagram of the multimode communication device according to the embodiment.

[Figure 4] Flow chart showing the processing procedure when creating an email

[FIG. 5] A flowchart showing a processing procedure when an available communication method is added.

[FIG. 6] —A flowchart showing a processing procedure when a fixed time has elapsed.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a moving state of a user

[Figure 8] Diagram showing an example of e-mail contents FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a moving state of a user

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a multimode communication device having a software defined radio section according to another embodiment.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0024] The gist of the present invention is that it is possible to perform communication using a plurality of communication schemes such as the GSM scheme and the UMTS scheme, the W-CDMA scheme and the PDC scheme, and the PDC scheme and the PHS scheme. The mode communication device does not simply select the most suitable communication method from the currently available communication methods and transmits the transmission data. Instead, it sets the transmission data and information indicating the degree of conformity with each communication method. However, if there is a currently available communication method with a conformance level equal to or higher than a predetermined value from the relationship between the currently available communication method and the above-mentioned conformance level, transmission is performed using that communication mode, while the current conformance level is higher than a predetermined value. If there is no available communication method, the transmission is to be performed after waiting for the transmission of the data until an available communication method with a conformance of not less than a predetermined value appears.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the multimode communication device according to the embodiment. The multi-mode communication device 100 is provided in a wireless portable device such as a mobile phone. The multimode communication device 100 according to the present embodiment is capable of performing communication using either the GSM system or the UMTS system. The multimode communication device 100 roughly includes antennas ANI and AN2, a transmission processing unit 110, an application processing unit 120, and an external input / output unit 130.

[0027] The transmission system processing unit 110 is a part that converts a wireless signal of each communication method into reception data, and conversely, converts transmission data into a wireless signal of each communication method. The configuration of the transmission processing unit 110 will be described later in detail.

[0028] The application processing unit 120 has a GUKGraphical User Interface) function, an image processing function, a mail function, a voice processing function, and an OS (operating system) that controls them. The application processing unit 120 is connected to the external input / output unit 130. The external input / output unit 130 includes a display unit, input keys, a speaker, a microphone, a vibration device, and a camera. As a result, the received image data and received audio data processed by the application processing unit 120 are output. The data is displayed on the display unit of the external input / output unit 130 or output from a speaker. Also, for example, transmission image data captured by the camera of the external input / output unit 130 and transmission text data input by the character keys are transmitted to the e-mail data by the mail function of the application processing unit 120 in response to the operation of the input keys. Converted to format.

In addition to the above-described configuration, the multi-mode communication device 100 has a storage unit 140, and stores transmission data such as electronic mail in the storage unit 140. Further, the multi-mode communication device 100 has a time measuring unit 150. The time measurement unit 150 measures the time during which the transmission data is held in the storage unit 140, and when the retention time of a certain transmission data exceeds a predetermined time, it is determined that the retention time of the transmission data has exceeded the predetermined time. The elapsed signal D1 is output.

Next, a detailed configuration of the transmission processing unit 110 will be described. The transmission processing unit 110 inputs the signals received by the antennas AN1 and AN2 to the control unit 160 via the radio units 111-1 and 111-12 and the measurement units 112-1 and 112-2, respectively. Also, the signals received by antennas AN1 and AN2 are input to multi-mode baseband processing section 114 via radio sections 111-11 and 111-2 and switch 113, respectively.

[0031] Radio section 111-1 corresponds to a GSM signal, and upon reception, a signal input from antenna AN1 performs a down-conversion process, an analog digital conversion process, or the like corresponding to the GSM method. The wireless reception processing is performed, and the processed signal is transmitted to the measurement unit 112-1 and the switch 113. Also, when transmitting, the radio section 111-1 receives a GSM baseband signal via the switch 113 from the multi-mode baseband processing section 114 during transmission, and converts the signal into a digital-to-analog conversion process compatible with the GMS scheme. And performs radio transmission processing such as up-conversion and sends the processed signal to antenna AN1.

[0032] Radio section 111-2 corresponds to a signal of the UMTS system, and upon reception, a signal input from antenna AN2 performs a down-conversion process corresponding to the UMTS system, and a radio conversion process such as analog digital conversion. It performs reception processing and sends out the processed signal to the measurement unit 112-2 and the switch 113. When transmitting a UMTS baseband signal from multi-mode baseband processing section 114 via switch 113 at the time of transmission, radio section 111_2 converts the signal into a digital-to-analog conversion processing key compatible with the UMTS scheme. Performs radio transmission processing such as up-conversion and sends the processed signal to antenna AN2

The multi-mode baseband processing unit 114 has a baseband processing function (for example, a digital modulation processing function or a digital demodulation processing) corresponding to each of the GSM system and the UMTS system, and the transmission control unit 162 of the control unit 160. The baseband processing corresponding to one of the communication methods is performed according to the control signal D4 from. Here, the control section 160 mainly performs control related to transmission, and the control section 160 also performs switching control of the communication method at the time of reception.

[0034] Each measurement section 112-1, 112-2 measures the line quality of each communication scheme based on the signal input from the corresponding radio section 111-1, 111-2. For example, SIR (Signal to

Interference Ratio) is measured. The line quality information D5_1 and D5-2 of each communication system obtained by each of the measuring units 112-1 and 112-2 are sent to the determining unit 161 of the control unit 160.

The control section 160 controls the multi-mode baseband processing section 114 and the switch 113 to set the processing mode of the multi-mode baseband processing section 114 to either the GSM scheme or the UMTS scheme, and The connection between the units 111-11, 111-2 and the multi-mode baseband processing unit 114 is switched so as to correspond to the set system. Further, the control unit 160 transfers a baseband signal to be transmitted and received between the multi-mode baseband processing unit 114 and the application processing unit 120.

[0036] In practice, control section 160 has determination section 161 and transmission control section 162. The determination unit 161 includes the line quality information D5-l and D5_2 of each communication method from the measurement units 112-1 and 112-2, the elapsed signal Dl from the time measurement unit 150, and the e-mail stored in the storage unit 140. Capacity information D2 and user instruction information D3 input by the input keys of the external input / output unit 130 are input. The determination unit 161 determines a communication method and a transmission timing for transmitting the electronic data stored in the storage unit 140 based on the information, and sends a determination result D6 to the transmission control unit 162.

Here, the determination unit 161 has a table in which the capacity of the e-mail and the degree of conformity with each communication method are associated. In the case of this embodiment, the determination unit 161 has a table as shown in FIG. In Fig. 2, 〇 indicates that the communication system is suitable (high conformity). Show. In other words, Figure 2 shows that an e-mail less than 50kB (kilobytes) is suitable for both the UMTS method and the GSM method. △ indicates that it is possible to transmit using that communication method, but it is desirable (medium relevance).

[0038] That is, this example indicates that an e-mail of 50kB or more should be transmitted by UMTS, and can be transmitted by GSM, but is undesirable. The numbers in Fig. 2 indicate the priority order. That is, this example shows that UMTS should be selected from GSM in both cases of less than 50 kB and more than 50 kB.

The degree of conformity of each communication method to the transmission data may be set in advance based on the general performance of each communication method, or the external input / output unit 130 may be set according to the user's preference. May be set by the user according to the user instruction information D3 via the Internet. This makes it possible to change the criterion of the communication method determined to be suitable by the determination unit 161 according to the user's preference and circumstances.

[0040] Here, the conformity of the transmission data and each communication method is set based on the capacity of the transmission data. However, the conformity is not limited to being set according to the capacity. The type of transmission data and the degree of conformity of each communication method may be set such as whether the data is data, character data, or image data. Further, the conformity of each communication method may be set based on the importance of transmission data. For example, the higher the degree of importance and the transmission data, the higher the degree of reliability and the communication system, the higher the adaptability may be set. Further, a combination of the capacity, type, and importance of transmission data and the degree of conformity of each communication method may be used as the degree of conformity.

The determination unit 161 determines that among the communication methods considered to be currently available based on the channel quality information D5-l and D5_2, the degree of conformity to the transmission data held in the storage unit 140 is equal to or more than a predetermined value. It is determined whether or not there is a communication method. If it is determined that the degree of conformity is equal to or more than the predetermined value, a determination result D6 indicating that fact is output.

[0042] The transmission control unit 162 acquires the e-mail data held in the storage unit 140 via the application processing unit 120 at the timing indicated by the determination result D6, and sends it to the multi-mode baseband processing unit 114. Send out. The transmission control unit 162 also controls the multi-mode baseband processing unit so that the electronic mail is transmitted in the communication method indicated by the determination result D6. The control signal D4 is transmitted to the switch 114 and the switch 113.

The transmission control unit 162 determines, by the determination unit 161, among the currently available communication systems, the communication system whose compatibility with the transmission data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (that is, suitable for transmitting the transmission data). Only when it is determined that a communication mode exists, the transmission data is read from the storage unit 140 and the transmission data is transferred to the multimode baseband processing unit 114, and the degree of conformity of the mode of the multimode baseband processing unit 114 is determined. Switch to a communication method that is greater than or equal to the value.

As described above, the multimode communication apparatus 100 waits for transmission of transmission data until an available communication scheme suitable for transmission data actually appears, and detects an available communication scheme suitable for transmission data. For the first time, the transmission data is transmitted using an appropriate communication method. This makes it possible to automatically transmit transmission data using a more appropriate communication method than simply selecting the most appropriate communication method for transmission data from currently available communication methods.

For example, if the compatibility of transmission data and each communication method is set based on the relationship between the transmission data capacity and the communication fee of each communication method or the line load of each communication method, a large amount of transmission data can be obtained. It is possible to avoid transmission of a communication method using a communication method having a high communication charge or a communication method having a low communication capacity, so that the communication charge can be reduced and the occupation of the communication line can be prevented.

Next, the mail transmission operation of multimode communication device 100 will be described. First, the overall state transition of the multi-mode communication device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. When the power is turned on in the state SO, the multi-mode communication device 100 determines whether or not there is an unsent mail in the storage unit 140.If there is no unsent mail, the multi-mode communication device 100 shifts to the state S1. Move to state S2. In the state S1, the creation of a new e-mail is monitored, and when the e-mail is created, the process proceeds to the state S3, and the mail creation process shown in FIG.

[0047] If the created e-mail is transmitted or the transmission of the e-mail is stopped in state S3, multi-mode communication apparatus 100 returns to state S1, because there is no unsent mail. . On the other hand, if the created e-mail is stored in the storage unit 140 in the state S3, there is an unsent e-mail, so the state shifts to the state S2. [0048] In the state S2, the multi-mode communication device 100 monitors whether or not one of the communication methods is newly available and, after the e-mail is created (ie, the e-mail is stored in the storage unit 140). Monitor whether a certain amount of time has elapsed. Then, when one of the communication systems is newly available, the process proceeds to the state S4, and the process for adding an available communication system shown in FIG. 5 is performed. On the other hand, if a certain period of time has elapsed since the creation of the e-mail, the process proceeds to the state S5, and the process for the certain period of time shown in FIG. 6 is performed.

[0049] The multi-mode communication device 100 proceeds to the state S1 when there is no unsent mail as a result of performing the available communication method addition process in the state S4, and shifts to the state S2 when there is an unsent mail. Move on. Also, as a result of performing the process after a certain period of time in state S5, if there is no unsent mail, the process proceeds to state S1, and if there is unsent mail, the process proceeds to state S2.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the case where the user moves from point P1 to points P2 and P3 in sequence with holding multimode communication device 100 is shown as an example of multimode communication device 100. The following describes the dynamic operation.

First, it is assumed that the user has created four e-mails shown in FIG. 8 at the point P1.

Here, since point P1 is outside the service area for both the GSM and UMTS systems, no e-mail can be sent immediately.

At this time, in this example, as shown in FIG. 8, since the automatic transmission of the e-mail B and the e-mail C is permitted by the user, these e-mails are not transmitted to the storage unit 140. It is saved as mail and becomes a candidate for automatic transmission. On the other hand, e-mail A and e-mail D for which automatic transmission is not permitted are discarded or saved as a draft by the user.

Subsequently, it is assumed that the user holding the multimode communication device 100 has moved to the point P2.

At this time, determination section 161 recognizes that the GSM scheme is available based on channel quality information D5-1 obtained by measurement section 112-1. At this time, the determination unit 161 determines that the GSM method is suitable for transmission of the electronic mail B because the electronic mail B stored in the storage unit 140 is less than 50 kB. This is notified to the transmission control unit 162 by the determination result D6, and the electronic mail B is automatically transmitted by the GSM method. On the other hand, the determination unit 161 determines that the currently available GSM method is not suitable for transmission because the e-mail C is 50 kB or more. Therefore, e-mail C is not sent automatically. This process is performed automatically without any user operation. However, for convenience, the user may be notified of the completion of the transmission using the display unit or the vibration device of the external input / output unit 130.

Subsequently, it is assumed that the user holding the multimode communication device 100 has moved to the point P3.

At this time, the determination unit 161 recognizes that both the GSM system and the UMTS system are available based on the channel quality information D5_1 and D5-2. Also, at this time, the determination unit 161 determines that the UMTS method is suitable for transmitting an e-mail C having a capacity of 50 kB or more among the currently available GSM method and UMTS method. Then, this is notified to the transmission control unit 162 based on the determination result D6, and the electronic mail C is automatically transmitted by the UMTS method. This process is also performed automatically without any user operation.

Next, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 show details of the mail creation processing in state S3, the available communication method addition processing in state S4, and the processing after a certain period of time in state S5. It will be explained using.

FIG. 4 shows a mail creation process sequence performed in state S3. When the user creates the four e-mails in FIG. 8 at the point P1 in FIG. 7, the multi-mode communication device 100 performs the mail creation process according to the following sequence. This sequence is activated for each created e-mail.

(0058) (Electronic Menole A)

When the user composes the e-mail A, the sequence ST0 in FIG. 4 is started. Since the electronic mail A is less than 50 kB, the judgment unit 161 lists the UMTS method and the GSM method in step ST1. In the following step ST2, the measuring units 112-1 and 112-2 measure the line status of both the UMTS system and the GSM system. In the following step ST3, since all of the methods are outside the service area, the determining unit 161 determines that there is no usable method, and proceeds to step ST6.

[0059] In step ST6, automatic transmission of the e-mail A is permitted, so a negative result is obtained, and the process proceeds to step ST7. In step ST7, the communication method corresponding to the If present, the line status is measured, but no processing is performed because it does not exist in this example.

. Accordingly, it is also determined in step ST8 that there is no usable method, and transmission stop processing is performed in step ST9. In step ST11, the mail creation processing sequence for e-mail A ends.

[0060] (Email

Next, when the user composes the e-mail B, the sequence ST0 in FIG. 4 is activated again. Since e-mail B is less than 50kB, steps STO-ST1-ST2-ST3-ST6 are executed in the same way as e-mail A. Since automatic transmission of the e-mail B is permitted, the process proceeds to step ST6, where the e-mail B is stored in the storage unit 140 as an unsent e-mail, and the e-mail B is created in the subsequent step ST11. The time processing sequence ends.

[0061] (Email C)

Next, when the user composes the e-mail C, the sequence of FIG. 4 is started again. Since e-mail C is 50 kB or more, in step ST1, determination section 161 lists only the UMTS method, and in step ST2, measures the line status of the UMTS method only. In the following step ST3, since it is out of the service area of the UMTS method, the determining unit 161 determines that there is no usable method, and proceeds to step ST6. Since automatic transmission of the e-mail C is permitted, the process proceeds from step ST6 to step ST10, where the e-mail C is stored in the storage unit 140 as an unsent e-mail. To end.

[0062] (Email D)

Next, when the user composes the e-mail D, the sequence of FIG. 4 is started again. Since the email D is 50 kB or more, the determination unit 161 lists only the UMTS method in step ST1, and measures the line state only in the UMTS method in the following step ST2. In the following step ST3, since it is out of the service area of the UMTS method, the determining unit 161 determines that there is no usable method, and proceeds to step ST6. In step ST6, a negative result is obtained because the automatic transmission of the e-mail D is not permitted, and the process proceeds to step ST7. In step ST7, the remaining applicable communication methods are more suitable than the UMTS method. Measure the line quality of the GMS system, which is low in degree but can send e-mail D (see Fig. 2). Since the GSM method is also out of the service area as a result of the measurement, the determination unit 161 determines that the GMS method is not currently available in step ST8, proceeds to step ST9, performs a transmission stop process, and proceeds to step ST11. Ends the mail creation sequence for email D.

As a result, e-mail B and e-mail C are stored in storage section 140.

FIG. 5 shows a control sequence performed when a certain communication system becomes available (ie, state S4 in FIG. 3). Here, as shown in Fig. 7, the user power of the multi-mode communication device 100 that created the e-mail at the point P1 moved from the point P1 to the points P2 and P3 with the multi-mode communication device 100 The case will be described as an example.

[0065] At point P2 and point P3 in Fig. 7, the processing sequence for adding an available communication method in Fig. 5 is activated once each as follows.

[0066] (Point P2)

At the point P2, the determination unit 161 of the control unit 160 recognizes that the GSM method is available, and starts the sequence ST20 in FIG. In step ST21, it is determined whether or not there is an unprocessed untransmitted mail. In this embodiment, e-mail B and e-mail C have not been sent. In step ST22, one unsent mail is selected. In this case, it is assumed that e-mail B is selected. In step ST23, the determination unit 160 determines whether or not the communication method is a communication method suitable for the e-mail selected in step ST22.

In this example, it can be seen from FIG. 2 that the newly available GSM scheme is suitable for sending e-mail B. Therefore, it proceeds to step ST24. In step ST24, the e-mail B is input to the transmission queue, and thereafter, the process returns to step ST21.

Since the e-mail C has not been processed yet, the process proceeds to step ST22. Force of selecting unprocessed e-mail C in step ST22 Since the GSM method is not suitable for transmitting e-mail C, e-mail C is not input to the transmission queue and the process returns to step ST21.

At this point, all unsent mails have been processed, and there are no unprocessed unsent mails. Therefore, the process moves from step ST21 to step ST25. In step ST25, the e-mail is It is determined whether there is a gap. In this example, since only e-mail B has been input to the transmission queue, the process proceeds to step ST26. In step ST26, the transmission control section 162 sets the multi-mode baseband processing section 114 to a GSM scheme suitable for transmission of the electronic mail B, and executes transmission of the electronic mail B in the following step ST27. Then, if a negative result is obtained in step ST25, or after step ST27 is completed, the processing sequence at the time of adding an available communication method is ended in step ST28.

[0070] Briefly, in steps ST21 to ST24, all e-mails suitable for transmission using the GSM method are put in a transmission queue, and transmitted in steps ST25 and ST27.

[0071] (Point P3)

When moving to the point P3, the determination unit 161 of the control unit 160 recognizes that the UMTS method is available, and starts the sequence ST20 in FIG. In step ST21, since the e-mail C has not been transmitted, the process proceeds to step ST22, where the e-mail C is selected. In step ST23, it is determined whether or not the newly usable UMTS method is a communication method suitable for e-mail C.

In this example, it can be seen from FIG. 2 that the newly available UMTS method is suitable for sending the e-mail C. Therefore, it proceeds to step ST24. In step ST24, the e-mail C is input to the transmission queue. Next, the process moves to step ST26 through steps ST21 and ST25. In step ST26, the transmission control section 162 sets the multi-mode baseband processing section to UMTS suitable for transmission of the electronic mail C, and executes transmission of the electronic mail C in the following step ST27.

As described above, in the multi-mode communication device 100, each time a currently available communication method is newly detected, the determination unit 161 determines whether there is a communication method suitable for transmitting an e-mail held by the determination unit 161. By judging the negativity, it becomes possible to quickly find a communication method suitable for transmitting the transmission data. As a result, it is possible to reduce the time during which the transmission data is held in a non-transmission state.

FIG. 6 shows a processing sequence when a certain period of time has elapsed in state S5. Here, a case where the user composes the e-mail shown in FIG. 8 at the point P4 in FIG. 9 will be described as an example. In FIG. 6, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 5 are given the same reference numerals. Sequence of Figure 6 and Sequence of Figure 5 6 in that the sequence in FIG. 6 includes a step ST31 for relaxing the application condition, and that the judgment is performed using the application condition relaxed in step ST32 for determining whether or not the communication method is appropriate.

As described above, the multi-mode communication device 100 relaxes the application condition of the communication method when the unsent mail is held for a certain period of time, that is, the degree of conformity is low until a certain period of time elapses. After a certain period of time, even if the communication method was not permitted, the degree of conformity was low to some extent, and even the communication method was compromised to allow transmission using this communication method. Thus, it is possible to prevent the unsent mail from being transmitted for a long time.

A specific description will be given. Assume that the user has created the e-mail shown in Fig. 8 at point P4. Each time an e-mail is created, the above-described sequence of FIG. 4 is started. E-mail A and E-mail B are sent on the spot (Step ST1-ST2-ST3-ST4-ST5 in Fig. 4) _{0 For} E-mail D, the UMTS method is out of service area. Since it is not permitted, transmission is performed using the GSM method (steps ST1-ST2-ST3-ST6-ST7-ST8-ST4-ST5 in Fig. 4).

As a result, e-mail C is stored in storage unit 140 as an unsent e-mail.

Next, it is assumed that the user has moved in the direction of the arrow. Here, when a certain period of time has elapsed since the creation of the e-mail at the point P5, the elapsed time signal D1 indicating this is output from the time measuring unit 150. Then, the multi-mode communication device 100 activates the sequence in FIG. 6, and relaxes the determination condition of the determination unit 160 in step ST31. Then, a positive result is more likely to be obtained in step ST32, and the application of the GSM method, which was previously not permitted due to the low conformity to the e-mail C, is permitted. Will be sent.

According to the present embodiment, when performing communication by appropriately selecting a communication method from among a plurality of communication methods, information indicating the degree of conformity between transmission data and each communication method is set. From the relationship between the currently available communication method and the above-mentioned degree of conformity, if there is a currently available communication method whose degree of conformity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, transmission is performed using that communication method, When there is no currently available communication method with a value equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the transmission waits for transmission of the data until an available communication method with a matching degree equal to or greater than the predetermined value appears, and then the user is transmitted. The multi-mode communication device 100 can automatically realize efficient transmission of e-mail including various information without being aware of the individual communication method.

In the above-described embodiment, a case is described in which a table as shown in FIG. 2 is used as information in which the capacity or type of transmission data is associated with the degree of conformity with each communication method. The table to represent is not limited to the one shown in FIG. For example, the table shown in Fig. 2 does not use information indicating the type of transmission data, but as shown in Fig. 8, the type of transmission data (e-mail) ("content" in the figure) is associated with the relevance. You may.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, multi-mode communication apparatus 100 capable of selecting either the GSM system or the UMTS system as the communication system has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the W-CDMA system and the PDC system The present invention can be similarly applied to a device that can select any of these communication methods, a device that can select the PDC method and the PHS method, or a device that can select any of these communication methods including the wireless LAN. That is, the present invention is not limited to the type and number of communication systems, and can be widely applied to a multi-mode communication apparatus configured to perform communication by appropriately selecting a communication system among a plurality of communication systems.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the capacity or type of transmission data is used as an index of the degree of conformity between transmission data and each communication method. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and transmission data It is also effective to set the conformity of each communication method based on the relationship between the transmission data capacity and the communication fee of each communication method or the line load of each communication method. By doing so, it is possible to avoid transmitting large amounts of transmission data using a communication method with a high communication charge or transmitting with a communication method with a high line load, thereby reducing communication charges. Thus, it is possible to prevent line congestion.

In the above-described embodiment, measuring units 112-1 and 112-2 are provided as monitoring means for monitoring currently available communication systems among a plurality of communication systems, and measuring units 112-1 and 112- The case where the currently available communication method is detected based on the SIR of each communication method measured in 2 has been described, but the monitoring means is not limited to this. For example, if the radio base station The information indicating the currently available communication method is included in the signal addressed to the multi-mode communication device (communication terminal), and the multi-mode communication device monitors this information to detect the currently available communication method. Anyway ,.

[0084] In the above-described embodiment, a case has been mainly described where an e-mail is transmitted as transmission data, but the transmission data is not limited to an e-mail.

[0085] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described where the present invention is applied to the multi-mode communication device 100 in which the transmission processing unit 110 is mainly configured by hardware. Furthermore, the present invention can be similarly applied to the multi-mode communication device 200 in which the transmission processing unit 210 is mainly configured by software.

In FIG. 10, in which parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals, multi-mode communication apparatus 200 has a wireless communication function using a shared antenna, analog front end 211, and digital signal processing unit 212. The analog front end 211 includes an amplifier, a wideband analog-to-digital converter, and a wideband digital-to-analog converter, and performs conversion between a radio frequency band signal and a digital signal. The digital signal processing unit 212 is configured by a DSP or reconfigurable logic, and implements wireless communication processing including quality measurement processing, modulation / demodulation, and error correction processing for each communication method.

The analog front end 211 and the digital signal processing unit 212 are controlled by the control unit 160 via a control line (not shown). The control unit 160 detects the currently available communication method based on the measured value, and transmits the communication data whose conformity with the transmission data held in the storage unit 140 is equal to or more than a predetermined value, similarly to the control unit 160 of FIG. Judgment is made as to whether or not there is a system, and only when there is a currently available communication system with a degree of conformity equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the transmission data stored using that communication system is automatically transmitted.

[0088] If the multi-mode communication device 200 is used, a large number of communication systems can be realized by one digital signal processing unit 212. Therefore, compared with the multi-mode communication device 100, the number of selectable communication systems can be increased. become able to. As a result, it is possible to select a communication method suitable for each transmission data from among a large number of communication methods, thereby further improving the frequency utilization efficiency and reducing the standby time at a lower communication fee. Will be able to do things. [0089] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications.

[0090] The present Itoda book is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-18562 filed on January 27, 2004. All the contents are included here.

Industrial applicability

[0091] The present invention is directed to a mobile phone capable of performing communication using a plurality of communication systems such as the GSM system and the UMTS system, the W-CDMA system and the PDC system, and the PDC system and the PHS system. And portable information devices.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A multi-mode communication device configured to perform communication by appropriately selecting a communication method from a plurality of communication methods,

Multi-mode signal processing means for converting transmission data into a signal of each communication method; monitoring means for monitoring a currently available communication method among the plurality of communication methods; storage means for holding the transmission data;

Based on information in which the capacity or type of transmission data is associated with the degree of conformity with each communication method, the transmission data held in the storage means is included in the communication methods considered to be currently available by the monitoring means. Determination means for determining whether there is a communication method suitable for transmitting

When the determining means determines that there is a currently available communication method suitable for transmitting the transmission data, by controlling the multi-mode signal processing means, Transmission control means for transmitting transmission data by using the communication method determined to be suitable;

A multi-mode communication device comprising:

2. The multi-mode communication device according to claim 1, wherein the suitability is set based on a relationship between a capacity of the transmission data and a communication fee of each communication method or a line load of each communication method. .

3. The multi-mode communication device according to claim 1, wherein the degree of conformity can be changed by a user's instruction.

[4] Further, a time measuring means for measuring a time when the transmission data is held in the storage means is provided,

2. The criterion according to claim 1, wherein when the time measurement unit obtains a measurement result indicating that the transmission data is held for a predetermined time or more, the determination unit relaxes a criterion for determining that the transmission data is appropriate. Multi-mode communication device.

5. The multi-mode communication device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit performs the determination each time a currently available communication method is newly detected by the monitoring unit.

[6] When performing communication by appropriately selecting a communication method from a plurality of communication methods, If information indicating the degree of conformity between the transmission data and each communication method is set, and there is a currently available communication method with a degree of conformity equal to or greater than a predetermined value based on the relationship between the currently available communication method and the degree of conformity described above. In this case, if there is no currently available communication system with a conformance of a certain value or more, the transmission of that data is waited until an available communication system with a conformity of a certain value or more appears. Send after

Multi-mode communication method.

The adaptability is determined based on a relationship between the capacity of the transmission data and a communication fee of each communication method or a line load of each communication method.

The multi-mode communication method according to claim 6.