JP2009246419A - Mobile radio terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile radio terminal device capable of stable relay communication. <P>SOLUTION: When a base station communication part 11 being out of coverage makes a call request, a control part 17 connects to other terminal by a short-range communication part 15 and performs relay communication of connecting to a public network through the terminal. The control part 17 retrieves other terminal as a relay station by the short-range communication part 15 when starting the relay communication, and when a relay station candidate is retrieved, acquires power state information on the power state of a relay station candidate by the short-range communication part 15, and selects whether or not to perform the relay communication corresponding to the power state information. The control part 17 monitors the power state, and connects the other terminal connected by the short-range communication part 15 to the public network by relay using the base station communication part 11. When a relay communication request is received from the other terminal by the short-range communication part 15, the control part 17 transmits the information on the monitored power state to the terminal to be connected by the short-range communication part 15 as the power state information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable wireless terminal device capable of communicating with a base station while relaying other terminals using a short-range wireless communication network when making an emergency call from a place where radio waves do not reach, for example. is there.

Since mobile phones as mobile wireless terminal devices are basically accompanied by movement, they always communicate with the base station to notify their location information, and register in which location they are located in the location registration storage device. ing. When a mobile phone moves and receives radio waves at another base station, new location information is registered in a memory so that it can be connected to an exchange in that area.
Since mobile phones communicate using the above-described mechanism, if the functions of the base station that covers the area where the mobile phone is located go down, the mobile phones located in that area will not be able to make calls. .

By the way, it is known to use a short-range wireless communication function built in a mobile phone in order to communicate with a base station from a place where radio waves do not reach in an emergency.
In this case, the mobile phone that performs communication performs a relay service in the area where the mobile phone is located by using short-range radio such as built-in Bluetooth (Bluetooth (registered trademark)) or wireless LAN (Local Area Network). Connect to a mobile phone.

If the mobile phone providing the relay service can communicate with the base station, it communicates with the base station. If the mobile phone cannot communicate with the base station, it can be transferred to another mobile phone that provides the relay service in the area where the mobile phone is located. Connecting.
By using the above mechanism, a mobile phone in a place where radio waves do not reach can communicate with a base station using a short-range wireless network with a mobile phone that provides a relay service by short-range wireless communication. It is possible.

For example, a communication device having a long-distance communication means and a short-distance communication means, and even if the long-distance communication means cannot be used, the short-distance communication means is used to relay other terminals to the long-distance communication network. Relay communication (ad hoc communication) in a communication environment in which access points such as wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark) are installed only at a limited density, such as a communication assist system to be connected (for example, see Patent Document 1) A wireless access system (see, for example, Patent Document 2) or the like that can perform the above is known.
JP 2003-47064 A JP 2004-356950 A

  According to the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, even if long-distance wireless communication is impossible, a desired communication destination can be communicated with through a communication device for short-range wireless communication without complicated operations. Communication can be ensured.

  However, when the relay station described above is not a fixed terminal but a wireless communication terminal device using a battery as a driving source, unexpected relay communication consumes the battery of the relay station itself. For this reason, when the battery level of the relay station is extremely reduced, there is a possibility that the relay communication that has been started is disconnected.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a portable wireless terminal device that enables stable relay communication.

  A portable wireless terminal device according to a first aspect of the present invention is provided between a first communication unit connectable to another terminal via a base station and a public network, and the other terminal without going through the base station. When the second communication unit capable of direct communication and the first communication unit request transmission in the out-of-service state, the second communication unit connects to the other terminal, and the terminal serves as a relay station. A control unit that performs relay communication connected to the public network, and the control unit searches for another terminal that can be a relay station by the second communication unit when starting the relay communication. When the relay station candidate is searched, the second communication unit acquires power state information, which is information related to the power state of the relay station candidate, and determines whether or not to perform relay communication according to the acquired power state information Choose.

  In the portable wireless terminal device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the power state information may include information indicating a remaining battery level.

  In the portable wireless terminal device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the power state information may include information indicating whether or not a charger is being connected.

  Further, in the portable wireless terminal device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the control unit displays the power state information when the information indicating the remaining battery level included in the power state information is a predetermined amount or less. The transmitted terminal may be excluded from relay station candidates.

  Further, in the portable wireless terminal device according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the control unit determines, based on the power supply state information, that the terminal that has transmitted the power supply state information is in a charger connection state, Relay communication may be performed using the terminal as a relay station.

  The portable wireless terminal device according to the first aspect of the present invention may further include an operation unit and a display unit, and the control unit may be another terminal that can serve as a relay station by the second communication unit. When a plurality of relay station candidates are searched, power state information for each relay station candidate is acquired, and each power state information is displayed on the display unit for each relay station candidate. When one of the relay station candidates is selected by the unit, relay communication may be performed using the selected relay station candidate as the relay station.

  Further, in the portable wireless terminal device according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the control unit searches for another terminal that can be a relay station by the second communication unit, a plurality of relay station candidates are searched. Then, the power supply state information may be acquired for each relay station candidate, and relay communication may be performed using the relay station candidate with the largest remaining battery level as the relay station.

  In the portable wireless terminal device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the control unit relays a plurality of terminals when searching for another terminal that can be a relay station by the second communication unit. When the multistage relay connected to the public network is possible, the power status information of each relay candidate required for the multistage relay may be acquired by the second communication unit.

  In the portable wireless terminal device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the control unit relays a plurality of terminals when searching for another terminal that can be a relay station by the second communication unit. When a multi-stage relay connected to the public network is possible, the second communication unit obtains power state information of each relay candidate required for the multi-stage relay, and relay station candidates related to the multi-stage relay All the power status information may be displayed on the display unit.

  A portable wireless terminal apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is provided between a first communication unit that can be connected to another terminal via a base station and a public network, and the other terminal without going through the base station. A second communication unit capable of direct communication and a relay for monitoring the power supply state and connecting another terminal connected by the second communication unit to the public network using the first communication unit A control unit that performs communication, and when the relay communication request is received from another terminal by the second communication unit, the control unit uses the information on the power state to be monitored as power state information. The second communication unit transmits the connection request to the other terminal.

  Further, in the portable wireless terminal device according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the relay communication request is received by the second communication unit, the control unit transmits the request to the public network by the first communication unit. It is determined whether or not connection is possible. If connection is not possible, a relay station candidate capable of further relay communication is searched, and information on the searched relay station candidate is obtained by the second communication unit. You may transmit to the terminal of a connection request other party.

  According to the present invention, stable relay communication can be enabled.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a communication image of a wireless network system to which a portable wireless terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected. Here, a mobile phone 10 is illustrated as a portable wireless terminal device.

As shown in FIG. 1, in order to contact a caller B who has a mobile phone 10 outside the service area, for example, in the event of an unforeseen event such as a building collapse, A short-distance wireless communication is made via the relay station C, and the network side connection person E or F in the area is a further relay person, and is connected to the base station 20 through the public line network.
In FIG. 1, hatched arrows are used for short-range wireless communication such as wireless LAN, and solid lines are used for normal mobile phone communication.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an external structure of the portable wireless terminal device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Here, a foldable mobile phone 10 is assumed as the mobile wireless terminal device.
As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile phone 10 includes an upper housing 101, a lower housing 102, and a hinge portion 103.

  FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a state in which the mobile phone 10 is opened (open state), and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a state in which the mobile phone 10 is folded (closed state). .

As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the display unit 14 is arranged on the upper casing 101 so as not to be exposed to the outside in the closed state of the mobile phone 10 shown in FIG. 2 (b).
In addition, as shown in FIG. 2A, the lower casing 102 is provided with an operation unit 12 on one surface that is not exposed to the outside when the cellular phone 10 shown in FIG. 2B is closed.

The hinge unit 103 opens and closes the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102, and allows the transition between the open state of the mobile phone 10 shown in FIG. 2 (a) and the closed state shown in FIG. 2 (b). It is a hinge mechanism which has. Note that the open / closed state of the mobile phone 10 is monitored by a control unit described later, and the control unit (not shown) can detect the closed state of the mobile phone 10.
Specifically, the closed state is detected by the control unit monitoring whether or not a detection switch (not shown) of the lower casing 102 is pressed by a projection (not shown) disposed on the upper casing 101, for example. That is, if the detection switch is pressed, it is determined to be in a closed state, otherwise it is determined to be in an open state. The open / close detection is not limited to the switch, and may be various sensors.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the electrical system of the wireless terminal device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Here, a mobile phone 10 is illustrated as a mobile terminal device.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile phone 10 is wirelessly connected to a base station (not shown) (20 in FIG. 1), and can capture a plurality of communication systems possessed by each base station. Communication is performed according to a predetermined protocol in the communication system captured between the two.
Therefore, the mobile phone 10 includes a base station communication unit 11 (first communication unit) that communicates with a base station via a public network, an operation unit 12, a voice input / output unit 13, a display unit 14, A short-range communication unit 15 (second communication unit) that performs short-range wireless communication with other terminals using a short-range wireless communication device such as a wireless LAN or Bluetooth, a storage unit 16, a control unit 17, and a battery 18 And composed of
The above-mentioned base station communication unit 11, operation unit 12, voice input / output unit 13, display unit 14, near field communication unit 15, storage unit 16, and control unit 17 are composed of a plurality of lines for data and control. Are commonly connected via a system bus 19.

The base station communication unit 11 captures a plurality of communication systems, and is connected to a public communication network (not shown) according to a communication protocol such as CDMA2000 1x (hereinafter simply referred to as 1x) or EVDO (Evolution-Data Optimized / only). Wireless communication is performed with the base station.
EVDO communication is faster than 1x communication, and 1x communication is different from EVDO communication in that it supports voice communication in addition to data communication.

  The operation unit 12 includes keys to which various functions are assigned, such as a power key, a call key, a numeric key, a character key, a direction key, a determination key, and a call key. These keys are operated by the user. If so, a signal corresponding to the operation content is generated and input to the control unit 17 as a user instruction.

The audio input / output unit 13 processes an audio signal output from a speaker or an audio signal input from a microphone.
That is, the voice input / output unit 13 amplifies the voice input from the microphone, performs analog-digital conversion, further performs signal processing such as encoding, converts it into digital voice data, and outputs the digital voice data to the control unit 17. .
The audio input / output unit 13 performs signal processing such as decoding, digital-analog conversion, and amplification on the audio data supplied from the control unit 17, converts the audio data into an analog audio signal, and outputs the analog audio signal to the speaker.

The display unit 14 is configured using a display device such as a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) panel, for example, and displays an image corresponding to a video signal supplied from the control unit 17.
The display unit 14 is, for example, a telephone number of a callee at the time of outgoing call, a telephone number of an incoming callee at the time of incoming call, contents of received mail or outgoing mail, date, time, remaining battery level, success / failure of outgoing call, standby screen, etc. Display information and images.
Here, the display unit 14 further displays power supply state information transmitted from another terminal to prompt selection input via the operation unit 12. Details will be described later.

  The short-range communication unit 15 includes a short-range wireless communication device such as a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark), and performs direct communication with other terminals without using the base station 20. It is a communication interface compliant with the Institute of Electronics Engineering Standards Association.

  The storage unit 16 stores various data used for processing in the control unit 17. For example, a program provided in the control unit 17, an address book for managing personal information such as a telephone number and an email address of a communication partner, an audio file for playing a ring tone or an alarm sound, an image file for a standby screen, Holds setting data and temporary data used in the program processing.

  The above-described storage unit 16 is configured by, for example, a nonvolatile storage device (nonvolatile semiconductor memory, hard disk device, optical disk device, etc.), a randomly accessible storage device (eg, SRAM, DRAM), or the like.

The control unit 17 comprehensively controls the overall operation of the mobile phone.
That is, the control unit 17 controls the operation of each block described above so that various processes of the mobile phone are executed in an appropriate procedure according to the operation of the operation unit 12. The various processes include, for example, a voice call performed through a circuit switching network, creation and transmission / reception of an electronic mail, browsing of a Web (World Wide Web) site on the Internet, and the like. The operation of each block is, for example, transmission / reception of signals in the base station communication unit 11, input / output of audio in the audio input / output unit 13, display of images on the display unit 14, transmission / reception of signals in the short-range communication unit 15 and the like. It is.
The control unit 17 includes a computer (microprocessor) that executes processing based on a program (operating system, application program, etc.) stored in the storage unit 16, and performs the above-described processing according to a procedure instructed in this program. Execute. That is, instruction codes are sequentially read from programs such as an operating system and application programs stored in the storage unit 16 to execute processing.

In addition, when the base station communication unit 11 requests outgoing call when the base station communication unit 11 is out of range, the control unit 17 connects to another terminal by the short-range communication unit 15 and performs relay communication to connect the terminal to the public network as a relay station. It has a function.
Specifically, when starting the relay communication, the control unit 17 searches for another terminal that can be a relay station by the short-range communication unit 15, and when the relay station candidate is searched, The short-range communication unit 15 acquires power state information that is information regarding the state, and selects whether to perform relay communication according to the acquired power state information.

The control unit 17 also has a function of monitoring the power supply state and performing connection relay communication with other terminals connected by the short-range communication unit 15 to the public network using the base station communication unit 11.
Specifically, when the relay communication request is received from the other terminal by the short-range communication unit 15, the control unit 17 sets the information on the monitored power state as the power state information, and the short-range communication unit 15 requests the connection. Send to the other device.

  For this reason, the control unit 17 includes a main control unit 170, a power supply state monitoring unit 171, a relay communication processing unit 172, and a power supply state notification / acquisition unit 173 so that the internal configuration of FIG. And composed of

  The power supply state monitoring unit 171 monitors the power supply state such as the remaining capacity of the battery 18 and the connection state of the charger, and delivers it to the main control unit 170 and the power supply state notification / acquisition unit 173.

When the relay communication processing unit 172 starts relay communication, the short-range communication unit 15 searches for another terminal that can be a relay station. When the relay station candidate is searched, the short-range communication unit 15 acquires power state information that is information related to the power state of the relay station candidate, and whether or not to perform relay communication according to the acquired power state information. Select.
At this time, when the information indicating the remaining battery level included in the power state information is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the relay communication processing unit 172 excludes the terminal that transmitted the power state information from the relay station candidates. In addition, based on the power supply state information, the relay communication processing unit 172 performs relay communication using the terminal as a relay station when it is determined that the terminal that transmitted the power supply state information is in the charger connection state.

Further, when the relay communication processing unit 172 searches for another terminal that can be a relay station by the short-range communication unit 15, if a plurality of relay station candidates are searched, the relay communication processing unit 172 displays power state information for each relay station candidate. get. Then, each power status information is displayed on the display unit 14 for each relay station candidate, and when any one of the relay station candidates is selected by the operation unit 12, relay communication is performed using the selected relay station candidate as the relay station. Do.
In addition, when a plurality of relay station candidates are searched when the short-range communication unit 15 searches for other terminals that can become relay stations, the relay communication processing unit 172 acquires power state information for each relay station candidate. Thus, relay communication is performed using the relay station candidate with the largest remaining battery capacity as the relay station.
In addition, when the short-range communication unit 15 searches for another terminal that can be a relay station, the relay communication processing unit 172 determines whether or not multi-stage relay that relays a plurality of terminals and connects to the public network is possible. To do. Then, if possible, the short-range communication unit 15 acquires the power status information of each relay candidate required for the multistage relay.

  In addition, when the multi-stage relay is possible, the relay communication processing unit 172 acquires power state information of each relay candidate required for the multi-stage relay by the short-range communication unit 15 and relates to the multi-stage relay. The power status information of all relay station candidates is displayed on the display unit 14.

When the short-range communication unit 15 receives a relay communication request from another terminal, the relay communication processing unit 172 uses the power state information detected by the power state monitoring unit 171 as power state information, and the short-range communication unit 15 Is transmitted to the terminal of the connection request partner.
At this time, when the relay communication request is received by the short-range communication unit 15, the relay communication processing unit 172 determines whether or not the connection to the public network is possible by the base station communication unit 11. Then, if the connection is not possible, a candidate for a relay station capable of further relay communication is searched. Then, the short-range communication unit 15 transmits the information related to the searched relay station candidate to the connection request destination terminal.

The power state notification / acquisition unit 173 delivers the power state information of the battery 18 output from the power state monitoring unit 171 to the relay communication processing unit 172 under the control of the main control unit 170.
The main control unit 170 controls the interface with the peripheral control blocks such as the communication unit 11, the operation unit 12, the voice input / output unit 13, the display unit 14, the short-range communication unit 15, the storage unit 16, and the like described above. When starting relay communication, the short-range communication unit 15 searches for another terminal that can be a relay station.
When the relay station candidate is searched, the main control unit 170 acquires power state information, which is information related to the power state of the relay station candidate, by the short-range communication unit 15, and performs relay communication according to the acquired power state information. Select whether to do it.
Alternatively, when the relay communication request is received from another terminal by the short-range communication unit 15, the main control unit 170 uses the information on the monitored power state as power state information, and the power state monitoring unit 171 described above, Sequence control relating to data transfer between the relay communication processing unit 172 and the power supply state notification / acquisition unit 173 is performed. That is, the short range communication unit 15 operates as a control center of the control unit 17 that transmits to the connection request destination terminal.

  5 and 6 are flowcharts showing the operation of the mobile radio terminal apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. When operating as a relay terminal (FIG. 5), operating as a caller terminal (FIG. 6). Each of these is shown.

  First, an operation when the portable wireless terminal device according to the embodiment of the present invention functions as a relay terminal will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  It is assumed that the mobile phone 10 is in a communication standby state (S501). Here, when there is a relay service request from the caller (S502 “Yes”), the control unit 17 (main control unit 170) determines the type of notification indicating whether the relay service is route search or relay transmission ( S503).

Here, when the main control unit 170 determines that the type of notification is route search (S503 “route search”), the relay communication processing unit 172 determines whether communication with the base station 20 is possible by the relay service. Determination is made (S504).
Here, when it is determined that communication is possible within the range (S504 “communication possible”), it is possible to relay to the mobile phone 10 of the caller terminal that requested the relay service via the base station communication unit 11. It is notified (S505).
Subsequently, the relay communication processing unit 172 determines the power state of the terminal itself via the power state notification / acquisition unit 173 (S506), and when not charging (S506 “not charging”), the power state monitoring unit The remaining battery level monitored in 171 is notified (S507). On the other hand, if charging is in progress (S506 “charging”), the mobile phone 10 that has made the relay service request is notified that charging is in progress. Then, the process returns to step S501.

  The above-described notification of the presence / absence of charging is notified to the mobile phone 10 that requested the relay service by the base station communication unit 11 at the same time as the communication availability information notified in S505.

On the other hand, in the determination process of the base station communication in S504, when it is determined that the base station communication is out of service and impossible (S504 “communication impossible”), the relay communication processing unit 172 Then, it is searched whether there is a mobile phone 10 that can be wirelessly connected other than the transmission destination, that is, a terminal that can be a relay station (S509). Then, a route search is requested to the mobile phone 10 obtained by the search, and the route search is executed (S510).
As a result of the above route search, when it is determined that there is no candidate for a relay route (S511 “route does not exist”), the relay communication processing unit 172 does not relay to the mobile phone 10 that has made the relay service request. It is notified that it is possible (S512), and returns to the standby state of S501.

If it is determined that a relay route exists (S511 “relay route exists”), the relay communication processing unit 172 notifies the mobile phone 10 that has made the relay service request that relaying is possible (S513). .
Subsequently, the relay communication processing unit 172 refers to the power state information of the mobile phone 10 that operates as a relay station that is transmitted simultaneously with the route search result (S514). When charging is in progress (S514 “charging”), the route is selected and notified to the mobile phone 10 that has made the relay service request (S515).
Then, the presence / absence of charge is determined based on the power status information (S516). When the battery is not being charged (S516 “not being charged”), the remaining battery level is notified to the mobile phone 10 that requested the relay service (S517), and when charging (S516 “charging”), the battery is charged. It notifies that it is in, and returns to the process of step S501.

On the other hand, when it is determined that charging is not being performed in the determination processing of the power state of the route search result in S514 (S514 “not charging”), the relay communication processing unit 172 selects a route with a large remaining battery level. Then, the route is notified to the mobile phone 10 that requested the relay service (S519).
Subsequently, the relay communication processing unit 172 determines the presence / absence of charging and the presence / absence of connection of the charger from the power supply state information of the mobile phone 10 (S520). Here, when charging or when the charger is connected (S520 “charging”), the remaining battery level of the mobile phone 10 operating as a relay station is notified to the mobile phone 10 that requested the relay service (S521), The process returns to the standby state in S501.
When charging is not being performed (S520 “not charging”), the relay communication processing unit 172 compares the remaining battery levels of the mobile phone 10 that is not being charged and the mobile phone 10 that has been searched for as a relay station. (S522). Then, the mobile phone 10 having a large remaining amount is selected as a relay station, and the remaining battery level is notified to the mobile phone 10 that has requested the relay service (S523, S524).

  Also, in the notification type determination process in S503, if the main control unit 170 determines that the notification type is relay transmission (S503 "relay transmission"), the relay communication processing unit 172 uses the notified communication path. Emergency communication is performed (S525). Then, the caller is notified of the success or failure of the emergency call, and the process returns to S501 (S526).

  Next, an operation when the portable wireless terminal device according to the embodiment of the present invention functions as a caller terminal will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In FIG. 6, in the caller's mobile phone 10 (control unit 17), first, the relay communication processing unit 172 searches for the presence of the mobile phone 10 that can be wirelessly connected (S601).
Then, a route search is instructed to the mobile phone 10 as a relay station obtained as a result of the search, and the route search is executed (S602). If there is no relay route (S602 “No”), the relay communication processing unit 172 returns to the search process in step S601.

On the other hand, when a relay route exists (S603 “Yes”), the relay communication processing unit 172 displays that fact on the display unit 14 and prompts the user to select a route (S604).
At this time, the power status information (remaining battery capacity and presence / absence of charging) of the mobile phone 10 serving as a relay station on the route is also displayed. As a result, the user can select the optimum communication path by operating the operation unit 12 while referring to the power state information displayed on the display unit 14.

  Subsequently, a transmission operation is performed by the user (S605). At this time, information on the communication path is also displayed on the display unit. Then, the presence / absence of successful transmission through the mobile phone 10 serving as a relay station is determined (S506). If successful (S606 “Yes”), the process ends. If unsuccessful (S606 “No”), the process returns to the search process of S601.

FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the mobile radio terminal apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention in time series.
Hereinafter, the operation of the portable wireless terminal device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the sequence diagram shown in FIG.

When a wireless communication request is issued from the unillustrated caller's mobile phone 10, the repeater's mobile phone 10a in the standby state for communication detects (S701). Then, as described above, the repeater's mobile phone 10a determines whether or not the connection to the base station 20 is possible (in-range, out-of-range) (S702). If the connection is possible (S702 “Yes”), the mobile phone 10 of the requester is notified of the route and the power state of the mobile phone on the route (whether the battery is being charged and the remaining battery level) to enter the standby state. A transition is made (S703).
On the other hand, if wireless connection to the base station 20 is not possible (S702 “No”), a route search is requested to the mobile phone 10b of the relayer that can be connected by short-range communication. Then, the mobile phone 10b that has detected this request (S704) determines whether or not it can be connected to the base station 20 (within or outside the service area), similarly to the mobile phone 10a (S705). If the connection is possible (S705 “Yes”), the mobile phone 10a of the relay is notified of the route and the power state of the mobile phone on the route (presence / absence of charge and remaining battery level), and transitions to the standby state ( S706).

If the mobile phone 10b cannot be connected to the base station 20 (S705 “No”), the mobile phone 10c of the repeater that can be connected by short-range wireless communication is requested to search for a route, and this request is detected. The mobile phone 10c thus performed (S707) performs the same operation as the mobile phone 10b (S708, S709). Thereafter, the mobile phone 10 that can be a relay candidate within a range in which near field communication is possible is searched, and the same operation as described above is repeated until a mobile phone 10 capable of base station communication is searched.
Note that any of the mobile phones 10a, 10b, and 10c can select a route based on the route and power state information notified from the adjacent relay stations (S710 to S712).

As described above, according to the mobile radio terminal apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the caller can make a short-distance wireless communication to the mobile phone 10 that provides a relay service in the area where the mobile phone 10 is located. Connect to find a route.
The relayer who is requested to search for a route connected by the caller or the relayer determines the middle route according to the following rules.
That is, when the mobile phone 10 serving as a relay person can connect to the base station 20, the power source state information such as the fact that the mobile phone 10 can be connected and the remaining battery level (also when charging) is transmitted to the caller's mobile phone. Return to phone 10.
On the other hand, when connection to the base station 20 is impossible, the relay operator who is requested to search for the route of the mobile phone 10 connected by the caller or the relay operator searches for another mobile phone 10 that can be a relayer. As a result of the search, the mobile phone 10 that is being charged is preferentially selected as the relay route. In addition, the cellular phone 10 having the largest remaining battery capacity is selected as a route with priority.
When the connectable mobile phone 10 is selected, the connection is notified and the remaining battery level is notified. When the connection is impossible, the connection is notified.

The plurality of results that the caller has connected to and searched for each mobile phone 10 that provides the relay service are presented to the caller's mobile phone 10 together with the remaining battery level, and the caller selects the optimum relay route. The
By determining the relay route as described above, and finally connecting to the mobile phone 10 capable of wireless communication with the base station 20, the relay route is a route with a large remaining battery level (short-range communication possible) Therefore, stable relay communication can be performed without interrupting the relay communication that has been started.
The wireless terminal device according to the embodiment of the present invention is particularly effective when used for emergency communication, and improves the reliability of emergency communication services by avoiding disconnection due to battery exhaustion.

In addition, although the mobile phone 10 was illustrated as a portable radio | wireless terminal apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, it is applicable not only to the mobile phone 10, but PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a game machine, etc. similarly. .
In addition, the functions of the constituent blocks included in the portable wireless terminal device according to the embodiment of the present invention may be realized entirely by software, or at least a part thereof may be realized by hardware. For example, data processing in the main control unit 170, the power supply state monitoring unit 171, the relay communication processing unit 172, and the power supply state notification / acquisition unit 173 constituting the control unit 17 is realized on a computer by one or more programs. In addition, at least a part thereof may be realized by hardware.

It is the figure shown in order to demonstrate the communication image of the wireless network system to which the portable wireless terminal device which concerns on embodiment of this invention is connected. It is a figure which shows an example of the external appearance structure of the portable radio | wireless terminal apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the electric system of the radio | wireless terminal apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which expanded the function and showed the internal structure of the control part which the radio | wireless terminal apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention has. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement in case the portable radio | wireless terminal apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention functions as a repeater terminal. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement in case the portable radio | wireless terminal apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention functions as a sender | caller terminal. It is the sequence diagram which showed the operation | movement of the portable radio | wireless terminal apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention in time series.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Mobile phone, 11 ... Base station communication part, 12 ... Operation part, 13 ... Voice input / output part, 14 ... Display part, 15 ... Short-range communication part, 16 ... Memory | storage part, 17 ... Control part, 18 ... Battery, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 19 ... System bus, 20 ... Base station, 170 ... Main control part, 171 ... Power supply state monitoring part, 172 ... Relay communication processing part, 173 ... Power supply state alerting / acquisition part.

Claims (11)

A first communication unit connectable to another terminal via a base station and a public network;
A second communication unit capable of directly communicating with other terminals without going through a base station;
When the first communication unit requests transmission in a state of being out of service area, the control unit performs relay communication in which the second communication unit is connected to the other terminal and the terminal is connected to the public network as a relay station. And having
The controller is
When starting the relay communication, the second communication unit searches for another terminal that can be a relay station, and when a relay station candidate is searched, a power state that is information on the power state of the relay station candidate Information is acquired by the second communication unit, and whether to perform relay communication according to the acquired power state information is selected. The portable wireless terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the power state information includes information indicating a remaining battery level. The portable wireless terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the power state information includes information indicating whether or not a charger is connected. The controller is
3. The mobile phone according to claim 2, wherein when the information indicating the remaining battery level included in the power status information is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the terminal that transmitted the power status information is excluded from relay station candidates. Wireless terminal device. The controller is
4. The mobile phone according to claim 3, wherein, based on the power state information, when it is determined that the terminal that has transmitted the power state information is in a charger connection state, relay communication is performed using the terminal as a relay station. 5. Wireless terminal device. An operation unit;
A display unit;
The controller is
When searching for another terminal that can be a relay station by the second communication unit, if a plurality of relay station candidates are searched, power state information for each relay station candidate is acquired, and each power state information Is displayed on the display unit for each relay station candidate, and when any one of the relay station candidates is selected by the operation unit, relay communication is performed using the selected relay station candidate as a relay station. The portable wireless terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The controller is
When a plurality of relay station candidates are searched when searching for another terminal that can be a relay station by the second communication unit, the power status information is acquired for each relay station candidate, and the remaining battery level is the highest. The mobile radio terminal apparatus according to claim 4, wherein relay communication is performed using a large number of relay station candidates as relay stations. The controller is
When searching for another terminal that can be a relay station by the second communication unit, if a multi-stage relay that relays a plurality of terminals and connects to the public network is possible, the multi-stage relay is required. The mobile radio terminal apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein power status information of each relay candidate is acquired by the second communication unit. The controller is
When searching for another terminal that can be a relay station by the second communication unit, if a multi-stage relay that relays a plurality of terminals and connects to the public network is possible, the multi-stage relay is required. The power status information of each relay candidate is acquired by the second communication unit, and the power status information of all relay station candidates related to the multistage relay is displayed on the display unit. Portable wireless terminal device. A first communication unit connectable to another terminal via a base station and a public network;
A second communication unit capable of directly communicating with other terminals without going through a base station;
A control unit that monitors a power supply state and performs relay communication for connecting another terminal connected by the second communication unit to the public network using the first communication unit;
The controller is
When a relay communication request is received from another terminal by the second communication unit, the information on the monitored power state is set as power state information, and is transmitted to the connection request destination terminal by the second communication unit. A portable wireless terminal device. The controller is
When the relay communication request is received by the second communication unit, the first communication unit determines whether or not the connection to the public network is possible. 11. The portable radio terminal according to claim 10, wherein a relay station candidate capable of relay communication is searched, and information on the searched relay station candidate is transmitted to a connection request destination terminal by the second communication unit. apparatus.

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