JP2007266963A - Mobile communication terminal, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile communication terminal capable of confirming arrival of a call addressed to the terminal itself in real time as much as possible, while saving consumption of a battery in the terminal. <P>SOLUTION: A charger connection detecting element 107b monitors connection/nonconnection with a charger 300 (step S104), when the mobile communication terminal is in a waiting state or outside a communicable area. When it is not connected with the charger 300 (step S104:NO), it is kept as it is, but when it is connected with the charger 300 (step S104:YES), a transmission/reception section activation section 107a performs control so as to activate a transmission/reception section 102 by a period of 200 ms stored in a memory 103 (step S105). Thereby, the mobile communication terminal 100 receives a beacon signal by the period of 200 ms and performs waiting action, when it is in a waiting state, and searches for an access point by the period of 200 ms, when it is outside the communicable area. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal that performs communication by relaying an access point in a mobile communication system, and a program for causing the mobile communication terminal to execute a communication control process.

Conventionally, there are mobile communication systems such as a wireless local area network (LAN) and a mobile phone communication network (see Non-Patent Document 1).
In a mobile communication system, each mobile communication terminal relays an access point that controls the system, and communicates with other terminals in the system or communicates with terminals in other systems. Yes.

In addition, each mobile communication terminal enters a standby state when it does not communicate with another terminal for a certain period of time.
In the standby state, the reception circuit is activated every predetermined time (for example, 1000 ms), and an incoming call standby operation is performed by intermittently receiving a beacon signal transmitted from the access point.

The access point periodically transmits a beacon signal for notifying whether there is an incoming call to each terminal in the system (for example, 100 ms).
As a result, the mobile communication terminal can check whether there is an incoming call addressed to itself at a predetermined time interval while saving battery power.
Each mobile communication terminal shifts to an “out-of-service state” when a state in which a beacon signal cannot be received from an access point for a certain period of time continues, for example, by moving out of the system when in the standby state.

In the out-of-service state, the reception circuit is activated at a longer time interval (for example, 30 s) than in the standby state, and an access point that can receive a beacon signal is searched, or the transmission circuit is activated spontaneously, and the access probe signal To search for access points.
Through the control as described above, the mobile communication terminal can check the presence / absence of an incoming call addressed to the own terminal at predetermined time intervals while saving the battery in the own terminal.
International Standard ISO / IEC 8802-11: 1999 (E) ANSI / IEEE Std 802.11, 1999 Edition, Part 11: WirelessLAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specification

  However, in the standby state described above, the mobile communication terminal intermittently receives the beacon signal at a cycle (1000 ms) longer than the cycle (100 ms) at which the access point transmits the beacon signal. There may be a case where it takes time until the terminal confirms that the incoming call has occurred and the access point has started to notify that fact by a beacon signal.

Further, in the out-of-service state, the mobile communication terminal receives a beacon signal or transmits an access probe signal at a longer period (30 s), so that the mobile communication terminal can return to the standby state from the out-of-service state for 30 seconds. Even if an incoming call addressed to the terminal itself occurs, it may take time to confirm the incoming call.
On the other hand, if the receiving circuit is always activated in the standby state or out-of-service state, a huge amount of power is consumed, and the battery in the terminal cannot be saved.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile communication terminal that can confirm an incoming call addressed to the terminal in real time as much as possible while saving the battery in the terminal.

  In order to solve the above problems, a mobile communication terminal of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal that performs communication via an access point, and includes at least a first predetermined period and a second shorter than the first predetermined period. Whether or not the communication means for performing communication for confirming whether there is an incoming call to the terminal at any one of the predetermined periods and an external charging device for charging the battery in the terminal. A connection detecting means for detecting the communication, and when the connection detecting means detects a connection with the charging device, the communication means is controlled so as to perform communication for confirming the presence / absence of the incoming call at the second predetermined period. And a control means.

With the above configuration, the control means starts up the communication means with a relatively long cycle (first predetermined cycle) when the mobile communication terminal is not connected to the charging device and the battery in the terminal has no allowance. Check if there is an incoming call, and if the battery in the terminal is connected to the charging device and there is room, the communication means can be activated in a shorter cycle (second predetermined cycle) to check if there is an incoming call. .
At this time, the control means only needs to control ON / OFF switching of the power supply to the communication means, so that when not connected to the charging device, the battery can be saved as much as possible, and connected to the charging device. When there is a battery, the battery consumption is relatively high, but the presence or absence of an incoming call can be confirmed earlier.

For example, it is possible to check whether there is an incoming call at a cycle of 1000 ms when not connected to the charging device, and to check whether there is an incoming call at a cycle of 200 ms when connected to the charging device.
Note that communication for confirming whether there is an incoming call includes reception of a beacon signal transmitted from the access point and transmission of an access probe signal to the access point.

Thus, priority can be given to either battery saving or quick response to incoming calls, depending on whether or not the battery in the terminal is consumed.
In the mobile communication terminal, the communication for confirming whether or not there is an incoming call is reception of a beacon signal transmitted from the access point, and the communication means receives an incoming call addressed to the terminal from the access point. Receiving means for receiving a beacon signal including information indicating the presence or absence of the battery, and the control means outputs the beacon signal at the first predetermined period when the connection detecting means detects non-connection with the charging device. The receiving means is controlled to receive.

  With this configuration, when the mobile communication terminal is not connected to the charging device and there is no room for the battery in its own terminal, the battery can be saved as much as possible by receiving a beacon signal with a relatively long period, If the battery in the terminal is connected to the charging device and there is room, the battery consumption is relatively high by receiving the beacon signal in a shorter cycle, but the presence or absence of an incoming call can be confirmed earlier.

  In the mobile communication terminal, the communication for confirming whether or not there is an incoming call is reception of a beacon signal transmitted from the access point, and the communication means receives an incoming call addressed to the terminal from the access point. Receiving means for receiving a beacon signal including information indicating the presence or absence of a beacon, wherein the control means receives a beacon signal at the second predetermined period when the connection detecting means detects a connection with the charging device. And when the connection detecting means detects the non-connection after detecting the connection with the charging device, the beacon signal is received at a third predetermined period shorter than the first predetermined period for a predetermined time, After the elapse of time, the receiving means is controlled to receive a beacon signal at the first predetermined period.

  With this configuration, once the mobile communication terminal and the charger are connected and performing a standby operation, if the mobile communication terminal is removed from the charging device, it is interpreted as an intention to make a call and Wait for a third predetermined period shorter than the normal first predetermined period. Thus, for example, if the third predetermined cycle is set to the shortest cycle, the user can immediately shift to a state in which a call is started simply by removing the mobile communication terminal from the desktop charging device in order to make a call. it can.

  In the mobile communication terminal, the communication for confirming whether or not there is an incoming call is transmission of an access probe signal to the access point, and the communication means sends an incoming call addressed to the terminal to the access point. Transmitting means for transmitting an access probe signal for inquiring about presence / absence, wherein the control means transmits the access probe signal at the first predetermined period when the connection detecting means detects disconnection from the charging device. The transmission unit is controlled to transmit an access probe signal at the second predetermined period when the connection with the charging device is detected.

  With this configuration, when the mobile communication terminal is not connected to the charging device and there is no room in the battery in its own terminal when the mobile communication terminal is in an out-of-service state, the battery can be used as much as possible by transmitting an access probe signal with a relatively long cycle. In addition to saving battery power, if the battery in the terminal is connected to a charging device and there is room, the battery consumption is relatively high by sending an access probe signal at a shorter period. It can be confirmed sooner.

  In order to solve the above problem, the program of the present invention is a program for causing a mobile communication terminal that performs communication via an access point to execute a communication control process, and the communication control process includes: A communication step for performing communication for confirming whether or not there is an incoming call to the terminal in at least one of the first predetermined period and a second predetermined period shorter than the first predetermined period; A connection detecting step for detecting whether or not an external charging device for charging a battery is connected; and when the connection detecting step detects the connection with the charging device, the second predetermined cycle And a control step for controlling to perform communication for confirming whether or not there is an incoming call.

  By executing this program, when the mobile communication terminal is not connected to the charging device and the battery in the terminal has no margin, the mobile communication terminal has a relatively long cycle (first predetermined cycle). The communication control process can be executed to check whether there is an incoming call and to check whether there is an incoming call in a shorter cycle (second predetermined cycle) when the battery in the terminal is connected to the charging device and there is room in the battery. .

  Thereby, depending on whether or not the battery of the terminal itself is consumed, the mobile communication terminal can prioritize either battery saving or quick response to incoming calls.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<Overview>
First, a mobile communication system to which a mobile communication terminal according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The first embodiment is a mobile communication system compliant with the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802.11 standard, which is a wireless LAN standard.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile communication system according to the first embodiment includes a mobile communication terminal 100 and an access point 200 that is a wireless LAN base station.
The mobile communication terminal 100 is connected to another mobile communication terminal (not shown) in the system or a mobile communication terminal in another system via the access point 200 in the infrastructure mode according to the IEEE 802.11 standard. It communicates.

The access point 200 transfers a frame transmitted from the mobile communication terminal 100 to another mobile communication terminal or transmits a frame transmitted from another mobile communication terminal in the infrastructure mode in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard. A relay process such as transfer to the mobile communication terminal 100 is performed.
The access point 200 has a function of transmitting beacon signals to mobile communication terminals in the system at predetermined time intervals. The beacon signal includes information indicating whether or not there is an incoming call addressed to each mobile communication terminal, and each mobile communication terminal confirms the presence or absence of an incoming call by receiving the beacon signal.
<Configuration of mobile communication terminal 100>
The configuration of the mobile communication terminal 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, mobile communication terminal 100 includes antenna 101, transmission / reception unit 102, storage unit 103, operation unit 104, charger connection unit 105, and control unit 106.
The antenna 101 is an antenna for signal transmission / reception.
The transmission / reception unit 102 takes out a frame obtained by modulating a signal obtained via the antenna 101 at the time of reception in accordance with a protocol stipulated by the IEEE 802.11 standard, and sends the frame to the control unit 106. At the time of transmission, the transmission / reception unit 102 transmits a frame to be transmitted. It has a function of sending a signal generated by modulation to the antenna 101.

For example, in a standby state, a beacon frame obtained by receiving and demodulating a beacon signal transmitted from the access point 200 is transmitted to the control unit 101.
For example, when searching for a connectable access point in the out-of-service state, the access probe frame is modulated to generate an access probe signal.
The storage unit 103 is a memory that stores various information necessary for wireless LAN communication. In particular, the storage unit 103 activates the transmission / reception unit 102 to receive a beacon signal from the access point 200 when in a standby state, A predetermined period for starting up the transmitting / receiving unit 102 to transmit an access probe signal when in an out-of-service state is stored.

The operation unit 104 is an operation unit capable of key input by the user.
The charger connection unit 105 is an interface for connecting an external charger 300.
The charger 300 has a function of supplying power from a household outlet and charging a battery (not shown) of the mobile communication terminal 100. Since the configuration of the charging circuit is known, it will not be described in detail here.

The time measuring unit 106 has a function of measuring time according to an instruction from the control unit 107, and in particular, measures a predetermined cycle stored in the storage unit 103 according to an instruction from the control unit 107.
The control unit 107 is a central processing unit that controls the components 101 to 106 of the mobile communication terminal 100.
The control unit 107 includes, in particular, a transmission / reception unit activation unit 107a, a charger connection detection unit 107b, and an out-of-service state determination unit 107c.

The transmission / reception unit activation unit 107 a has a function of transmitting a signal for activating the transmission / reception unit 102 at a predetermined cycle stored in the storage unit 103. Specifically, for example, ON / OFF switching of power supply from the battery of the terminal to the transmission / reception unit 102 may be controlled.
The charger connection detection unit 107b has a function of monitoring whether or not the voltage of the terminal of the charger connection unit 105 is monitored and detecting whether or not the charger connection unit 105 is connected.

The out-of-service state determination unit 107c has a function of determining that its own terminal is in an out-of-service state if it cannot receive a beacon signal a predetermined number of times even when the transmission / reception unit 102 is activated in the standby state.
<Standby operation>
Next, the timing of receiving a beacon signal transmitted from the access point 200 when the mobile communication terminal 100 is in a standby state will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the access point 200 transmits a beacon signal about every 100 ms (millisecond).
On the other hand, when the mobile communication terminal 100 is in a standby state and not connected to the charger 300, the control unit 107 activates the transmission / reception unit 102 every 1000 ms as shown in FIG. When the mobile communication terminal 100 is in a standby state and connected to the charger 300, as shown in FIG. 3 (c), the control unit 107 transmits and receives the beacon signal. Is activated every 200 ms to control reception of a beacon signal.
<Operation>
Next, the operation of the mobile communication terminal 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 5, first, the transmission / reception unit activation unit 107a of the control unit 107 controls to activate the transmission / reception unit 102 at a cycle of 1000 ms stored as an initial setting value in the storage unit 103 (step S100). .
Thereby, the transmission / reception part 102 starts reception of the beacon signal transmitted from the access point 200 with a period of 1000 ms. This state of periodically receiving beacon signals is a standby state.

During the standby state, the out-of-service state determination unit 107c of the control unit 107 counts the number of times that the transmission / reception unit 102 cannot receive a beacon signal, and determines whether or not the out-of-service state has occurred (step S101).
If the beacon signal can be received, it is determined that it is not in the out-of-service state (step S102: NO), and the transmission / reception unit activation unit 107a continues the standby state for receiving the beacon signal at a cycle of 1000 ms (step S103).

On the other hand, if a situation in which the beacon signal cannot be received more than a predetermined number of times continues, it is determined that the beacon signal has fallen out of service (step S102: YES), and the transmission / reception unit 102 is activated at the cycle 30s (second) stored in the storage unit 103. Control (step S103). In the out-of-service state, the transmission / reception unit 102 is activated every 30 s and searches for access points that can receive beacons.
When in the standby state or out-of-service state, the charger connection detection unit 107b monitors connection / disconnection with the charger 300 (step S104).

When the connection with the charger 300 is not made (step S104: NO), it remains as it is, but when the connection with the charger 300 is made (step S104: YES), the transmission / reception unit activation unit 107a is stored in the storage unit. Control is performed so that the transmission / reception unit 102 is activated at a period of 200 ms stored in 103 (step S105).
Thereby, the mobile large number new terminal 100 receives a beacon signal in a 200 ms cycle when in a standby state and performs a standby operation, and searches for an access point in a 200 ms cycle in an out-of-service state.

Thereafter, unless charger 300 is removed (step S106: NO), transmission / reception unit 102 is activated at a cycle of 200 ms.
On the other hand, when charger 300 is removed (step S106: YES), transmission / reception unit activation unit 107a finishes the standby state, and controls to activate transmission / reception unit 102 at all times (in other words, in a cycle of 0s) (step S107).

When connected to the charger 300 again (step S109: YES), it returns to the standby state, and the transmission / reception unit activation unit 107a controls to activate the transmission / reception unit 102 at a cycle of 200 ms (step S109).
On the other hand, if it remains disconnected from the charger 300, the transmission / reception unit activation unit 107a always activates the transmission / reception unit 102 for a predetermined time (step S110), and after the predetermined time elapses, returns to step S100 and returns to the 1000 ms cycle. The transmitter / receiver 102 is activated.

  By operating as described above, when the mobile communication terminal 100 is in a standby state, a beacon signal is transmitted at a relatively long period of 1000 ms when the mobile communication terminal 100 is not connected to the charger 300 and is driven by the battery in its own terminal. By receiving the battery as much as possible, if it is connected to the charger 300 and abundant power is supplied from the outside, the beacon signal is received with a shorter 200 ms period to keep the incoming as much as possible. The presence or absence can be confirmed.

Similarly, when the mobile communication terminal 100 is in an out-of-service state, if it is driven by the battery in its own terminal without being connected to the charger 300, it tries to receive a beacon signal in a relatively long 30s cycle as much as possible. When battery power is reduced and a large amount of power is supplied from the outside connected to the charger 300, it will try to receive a beacon signal in a shorter 200ms cycle to ensure the presence of incoming calls as much as possible. It can be carried out.
<Modification>
In the embodiment, an example in which an access point is searched for by receiving a beacon signal from the access point 200 when the mobile communication terminal 100 is in the out-of-service state has been described. A signal called an access probe for searching for the point 200 may be transmitted.

In this case, in step S103 of FIG. 4, the transmission / reception unit activation unit 107a of the control unit 107 activates the transmission / reception unit 102 at a cycle of 30 ms and transmits an access probe signal for searching for connectable access points.
In step S101, when the access probe signal is received by the access point 200 and the mobile communication terminal 100 receives a response signal from the access point 200, the out-of-service state determination unit 107c determines that it is not in the out-of-service state.
<Supplement>
The mobile communication terminal 100 has been described above based on the embodiment, but various modifications can be made to the configuration of this embodiment.
(1) In the embodiment, the mobile communication terminal 100 has been described with reference to an example based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, but the present invention is not limited to this.

That is, in a system configured to communicate with other terminals via an access point, and to check whether there is an incoming call by receiving a beacon signal transmitted from the access point or transmitting an access probe signal to the access point Any mobile communication terminal may be used, for example, a mobile phone conforming to a mobile phone standard such as CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) 2000 standard.
(2) In the embodiment, the first predetermined cycle is 1000 ms, the second predetermined cycle is 30 s, and the third predetermined cycle is 0 s (always). However, these values are merely examples, and the mobile communication system or An arbitrary value can be taken depending on operational settings of the mobile communication terminal 100.
(3) In the embodiment, the processes (steps S100 to S110) shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 to 5 may be described in a computer program and stored in the storage unit 103 so that the control unit 107 can execute them.

  In addition, a recording medium from which the mobile communication terminal 100 can read the computer program, for example, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), an MO (Magneto Optical disk), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, BD (Blu-ray Disk), semiconductor memory, etc. may be recorded and provided.

  Furthermore, the computer program may be transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 100 via an electric communication line, a wireless or wired communication line, a network represented by the Internet, or the like.

  The mobile communication terminal according to the present invention is widely applicable to mobile communication terminals that perform communication by relaying an access point in a mobile communication system, and in real time as much as possible while saving the battery in the terminal. This technique is useful in that it can confirm incoming calls addressed to its own terminal.

It is the schematic which shows the mobile communication system to which the mobile communication terminal 100 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention belongs. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile communication terminal 100. FIG. It is the schematic which shows the period in which the mobile communication terminal 100 receives a beacon signal. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the mobile communication terminal 100. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the mobile communication terminal 100.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Mobile communication terminal 101 Antenna 102 Transmission / reception part 103 Storage part 104 Operation part 105 Charger connection part 106 Timing part 107 Control part 107a Transmission / reception part starting part 107b Charger connection detection part 108c Out-of-service state determination part 200 Access point 300 Charger

Claims (5)

A mobile communication terminal that communicates via an access point,
A communication means for performing communication for confirming whether or not there is an incoming call to the terminal in at least one of a first predetermined period and a second predetermined period shorter than the first predetermined period;
A connection detecting means for detecting whether or not it is connected to an external charging device for charging the battery in its own terminal;
Control means for controlling the communication means to perform communication for confirming the presence / absence of the incoming call at the second predetermined period when the connection detection means detects the connection with the charging device. A characteristic mobile communication terminal. The communication for confirming whether or not there is an incoming call is reception of a beacon signal transmitted from the access point,
The communication means includes receiving means for receiving a beacon signal including information indicating whether there is an incoming call addressed to the terminal from the access point,
The control means controls the receiving means so as to receive a beacon signal at the first predetermined period when the connection detecting means detects a non-connection with the charging device. The mobile communication terminal described. The communication for confirming whether or not there is an incoming call is reception of a beacon signal transmitted from the access point,
The communication means includes receiving means for receiving a beacon signal including information indicating whether there is an incoming call addressed to the terminal from the access point,
The control means receives a beacon signal at the second predetermined period when the connection detection means detects the connection with the charging device, and the connection detection means detects non-connection after detecting the connection with the charging device. When a connection is detected, a beacon signal is received at a third predetermined cycle shorter than the first predetermined cycle for a predetermined time, and the beacon signal is received at the first predetermined cycle after the predetermined time has elapsed. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the receiving means is controlled. The communication for confirming whether or not there is an incoming call is transmission of an access probe signal to the access point,
The communication means includes a transmission means for transmitting an access probe signal that inquires of the access point whether there is an incoming call addressed to its own terminal,
The control means transmits an access probe signal at the first predetermined period when the connection detection means detects a disconnection with the charging apparatus, and detects a connection with the charging apparatus. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit is controlled to transmit an access probe signal at the second predetermined period. A program for causing a mobile communication terminal that communicates via an access point to execute a communication control process, the communication control process,
A communication step of performing communication for confirming whether or not there is an incoming call to the terminal in at least one of the first predetermined period and a second predetermined period shorter than the first predetermined period;
A connection detection step for detecting whether or not the battery is connected to an external charging device for charging the battery in the terminal;
A control step for controlling to perform communication for confirming the presence / absence of the incoming call at the second predetermined period when the connection detection step detects the connection with the charging device. .

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