JP2012160835A - Communication apparatus, receiving method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enjoy an advantage of Long Term Evolution (LTE), while further lengthening a standby time.SOLUTION: A main body operation part 300 comprises various kinds of input devices, such as a key, a switch, or a touch panel, and supplies a signal according to an operation of a user to a control part 200. A determination part 221 determines whether or not a start of data communication is requested by the user by a signal from the main body operation part 300. An LTE cell search start control part 222 makes a radio part 100 start an LTE cell search when the start of data communication is requested by the user, and controls the start of the LTE cell search so as to suppress the start of the LTE cell search by the radio part 100 when the start of data communication is not requested by the user. The present invention is applicable to a communication apparatus.

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device, a receiving method, and a program.

  Long Term Evolution (LTE, Long Term Evolution) is a new mobile phone communication standard whose specifications have been formulated by the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project), a standardization organization. Communication based on LTE has already started commercial services in some regions, and commercial services are expected to start in Japan from the end of 2010.

  Performing data communication in an LTE system that realizes improvement in communication speed, frequency utilization efficiency, and reduction in data transmission delay time has great advantages for both users and carriers.

  The LTE standard is described in Non-Patent Document 1 and the like.

  Conventionally, when the timing of receiving an EV-DO paging signal or when a predetermined period arrives, the receiving unit measures the received power level of the signal received from the base station EV-DO BS (serving cell), and this level is a threshold value. In some cases, the terminal control unit activates the LTE reception signal processing unit, searches for the base station LTE BS, and waits for an incoming call using the LTE scheme (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

JP 2010-87869 A

3GPPTS25.304

  However, the LTE system just introduced has a narrower coverage than the existing W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) system, and the LTE cell is specified by the LTE neighboring cell information included in the broadcast information of the W-CDMA cell. Even if this is the case, the LTE cell cannot be detected, and current may be consumed by unnecessary search. Even if the LTE cell can be detected, if the reception level is not strong enough to move to the LTE cell, it is necessary to continuously measure the reception level of the LTE cell while staying in the W-CDMA system, and the standby time is It was a factor of shortening.

  That is, the following two points are problems.

  First, in the current 3GPP specifications defined in Chapters 5.2.1 and 5.5.2 of Non-Patent Document 1, LTE neighboring cell information included in broadcast information of W-CDMA cells while in the W-CDMA area When an LTE cell is specified in (1), it is necessary to perform an LTE cell search regardless of the presence of the target LTE cell. Since the current consumed to perform the search is larger than the current consumed in the normal standby state, the standby time is shortened by performing the LTE cell search, and it is an issue to reduce useless searches. Yes.

  Second, data communication in the LTE system has the advantages of improved communication speed and frequency utilization efficiency and reduced data transmission delay time compared to data communication in the W-CDMA system. While in CDMA, the mobile phone cannot move to an LTE cell unless the conditions specified in Chapter 5.2.6.1.4 of Non-Patent Document 1 are satisfied, and even when a user requests to start data communication, Since data communication is performed, the problem is that users cannot enjoy the benefits of LTE.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problem, that is, to provide a communication device, a reception method, and a program that can enjoy the advantages of LTE while increasing the standby time.

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the communication device of the present invention is LTE (Long Term
A communication device that receives data by communication conforming to (Evolution), a determination unit that determines whether or not a user has requested start of data communication, and an LTE cell when the user has requested start of data communication Control means is provided for controlling the start of the LTE cell search so as to suppress the start of the LTE cell search when the search is started and the start of data communication is not requested by the user.

In addition to the above-described configuration, one aspect of the communication device of the present invention is a W-CDMA (Wideband Code).
Division Multiple Access), and the control means is limited to the LTE cell frequency indicated in the LTE neighboring cell information included in the broadcast information of the W-CDMA cell, and starts the LTE cell search. ing.

  Furthermore, one aspect of the communication device of the present invention further includes storage means for storing EARFCN information indicating the frequency of the detected LTE cell and the LTE cell that has failed to move in addition to the above-described configuration, and the control means includes: With reference to the EARFCN information, the LTE cell search is started only for the detected LTE cell or the frequency of the LTE cell that has not failed to move.

  In addition to the above-described configuration, one aspect of the communication device according to the present invention stores data so as to delete the EARFCN information stored in the storage means when the W-CDMA cell located in the area is moved. It further has storage control means for controlling.

  Furthermore, one aspect of the communication apparatus according to the present invention deletes the EARFCN information stored in the storage means by referring to the variation in the reception level of the W-CDMA cell located in addition to the above-described configuration. As described above, the storage control means for controlling the storage is further included.

  Further, one aspect of the reception method of the present invention is a reception method of a communication device that receives data by communication conforming to LTE, and a determination step of determining whether or not a user is requested to start data communication; Controls the start of LTE cell search so that LTE cell search is started when the user requests start of data communication, and when start of data communication is not requested by the user. Control steps to be included.

  Further, according to one aspect of the program of the present invention, a determination step for determining whether or not a user of the communication device that receives data by LTE-compliant communication is requested to start data communication, and data communication from the user are performed. A control step for controlling the start of the LTE cell search so as to suppress the start of the LTE cell search when starting the LTE cell search when the start of the data communication is requested and when the user is not requested to start the data communication; It is supposed to perform processing including.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a communication device, a reception method, and a program that can enjoy the advantages of LTE while further increasing the standby time.

It is a figure explaining operation | movement of a communication apparatus. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a communication device 10. FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the process of communication. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the hardware of a computer.

  Hereinafter, a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the communication apparatus.

  Each communication device 10 is carried by a user and communicates according to the W-CDMA standard, and also communicates according to the LTE standard.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1A, when the communication apparatus 10 is located in a W-CDMA cell and an LTE cell, the user can start data communication by operating a key, a panel, or the like. When requested, when an LTE cell exists in the LTE neighboring cell information, an LTE cell search is started. When the communication device 10-1 succeeds in detecting and moving the LTE cell, the communication device 10-1 performs data communication based on the LTE standard.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, when the communication apparatus 10 is located in a W-CDMA cell and an LTE cell, even if the LTE cell exists in the LTE neighboring cell information, the communication device 10 does not have LTE. Does not start cell search.

  For example, as illustrated in C of FIG. 1, when the communication device 10 is requested to start data communication by operating a key, a panel, or the like, there is no LTE cell in the LTE neighboring cell information. Does not start LTE cell search, and performs data communication based on the W-CDMA standard. That is, when the communication apparatus 10 is located in the W-CDMA cell and not in the LTE cell, when the user requests the start of data communication, the communication apparatus 10 does not start the LTE cell search and does not start the W-CDMA. Data communication conforms to the standard.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the communication device 10. The communication device 10 is configured to include a wireless unit 100, a control unit 200, a main body operation unit 300, and a main body storage unit 400. The radio unit 100 communicates with a base station (not shown) based on the W-CDMA standard and based on the LTE standard under the control of the control unit 200. The control unit 200 controls the radio unit 100 in accordance with a signal from the main body operation unit 300 or various information stored in the main body storage unit 400.

  The main body operation unit 300 includes various input devices such as keys, switches, and touch panels, and supplies signals to the control unit 200 in accordance with user operations. The main body storage unit 400 includes a volatile or nonvolatile memory, and stores various types of information and supplies the stored information to the control unit 200 in accordance with the control of the control unit 200.

  Control unit 200 includes a determination unit 221, an LTE cell search start control unit 222, and an EARFCN information storage control unit 223. The determination unit 221 performs various determinations such as whether or not the user has requested the start of data communication. When the start of data communication is requested by the user, the LTE cell search start control unit 222 causes the radio unit 100 to start LTE cell search, and when the user is not requested to start data communication, the LTE cell search start control unit 222 The start of the LTE cell search is controlled so as to suppress the start of the cell search. The EARFCN information storage control unit 223 includes EARFCN information 421 indicating the frequency of the detected LTE cell and the LTE cell that has failed to move (hereinafter referred to as EARFCN (described in 3GPP TS36.101 Chapter 5.7.3)). The storage of the EARFCN information 421 in the main body storage unit 400 is controlled such as storing in the storage unit 400 and deleting (deleting) the EARFCN information 421 from the main body storage unit 400.

  Next, a flowchart of FIG. 3 shows communication processing when the communication apparatus 10 shifts from the state where the communication apparatus 10 is located in the W-CDMA cell to the state where the communication apparatus 10 is located in the W-CDMA cell and the LTE cell. Will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step S11, while communication apparatus 10 is in W-CDMA, control unit 200 does not perform a search even if an LTE cell is specified by LTE neighboring cell information included in the broadcast information of the received W-CDMA cell. The EARFCN information storage control unit 223 causes the storage unit 400 to store the frequency of the LTE cell included in the LTE neighboring cell information as the EARFCN information 421. The EARFCN information storage control unit 223 deletes the LTE neighboring cell information (including the EARFCN of the LTE cell) (including the EARFCN information 421) stored in the storage unit 400 every time the W-CDMA cell in the area changes, and creates a new one. Update to LTE neighboring cell information (EARFCN of LTE cell) (including EARFCN information 421) included in the broadcast information received on the W-CDMA cell.

  In step S <b> 12, the control unit 200 receives a signal according to a user operation transmitted from the main body operation unit 300, and the determination unit 221 determines whether or not the user has requested start of data communication based on the received signal. Determine whether. If it is determined in step S12 that the user has requested start of data communication, the procedure proceeds to step S13, and the control unit 200 stores the LTE neighboring cell information (including the EARFCN information 421) in the storage unit 400. Determine whether or not. If it is determined in step S13 that the LTE neighboring cell information is stored in the storage unit 400, the procedure proceeds to step S14, and the determining unit 221 of the control unit 200 determines the LTE cell included in the LTE neighboring cell information. The EARFCN is compared with the Forbidden List in the storage unit 400 to determine whether the EARFCN of the LTE cell that is not included in the Forbidden List in the storage unit 400 exists in the LTE neighboring cell information.

  If it is determined in step S14 that the EARFCN of the LTE cell not included in the Forbidden List exists in the LTE neighboring cell information, the procedure proceeds to step S15, and the LTE cell search start control unit 222 transmits the LTE to the radio unit 100. Start cell search. At that time, the cell search is limited to the EARFCN of the LTE cell not included in the Forbidden List of the storage unit 400.

  In step S <b> 16, the determination unit 221 determines whether an LTE cell has been detected from the signal received by the radio unit 100. If it is determined in step S16 that an LTE cell has been detected, the procedure proceeds to step S17, and the control unit 200 starts moving to the detected LTE cell.

  In step S18, the determination unit 221 determines whether or not the mobile station has moved to the LTE cell. If it is determined in step S18 that the mobile station can move to the LTE cell, the procedure proceeds to step S19, the control unit 200 causes the radio unit 100 to start data communication on the LTE cell, and the process ends.

  In step S18, for example, in the following case, it is considered that the movement to the LTE cell has failed. First, as specified in 3GPP TS36.304 section 5.2.3.2, if the LTE cell's Srxlev value is less than or equal to 0, it is considered that the movement to the LTE cell has failed. Second, as specified in 3GPP TS36.304 section 5.3.1, if the LTE cell is a Barred Cell, it is considered that the movement to the LTE cell has failed.

  In step S18, when the movement to the detected LTE cell fails, the procedure proceeds to step S20, and the EARFCN information storage control unit 223 stores the ERFCN of the LTE cell that failed to move in the Forbidden List. Forbidden List information is stored in the storage unit 400. In step S21, the control unit 200 stays in W-CDMA, causes the wireless unit 100 to start data communication on the W-CDMA serving cell, and the process ends.

  If it is determined in step S16 that the LTE cell cannot be detected, the procedure proceeds to step S20, and the EARFCN information storage control unit 223 stores the ERFCN of the LTE cell that failed to be detected in the Forbidden List. Forbidden List information is stored in the storage unit 400. In step S21, the control unit 200 stays in W-CDMA, causes the wireless unit 100 to start data communication on the W-CDMA serving cell, and the process ends.

  When it is determined in step S14 that the EARFCN of the LTE cell not included in the Forbidden List does not exist in the LTE neighboring cell information, that is, all the EARFCNs of the LTE cells included in the LTE neighboring cell information of the storage unit 400 are stored. If it is included in the Forbidden List of unit 400, the procedure proceeds to step S21, and control unit 200 stays in W-CDMA and causes radio unit 100 to start data communication on the W-CDMA serving cell, and the process ends. To do.

  If it is determined in step S13 that the LTE neighboring cell information is not stored in the storage unit 400, the procedure proceeds to step S21, and the control unit 200 stays in W-CDMA and performs wireless communication on the W-CDMA serving cell. 100 starts data communication, and the process ends.

  If it is determined in step S12 that the user has not requested to start data communication, the process ends.

  In addition, when moving the W-CDMA cell in which it is located, the EARFCN information storage control unit 223 of the control unit 200 deletes the Forbidden List information in the storage unit 400.

  Moreover, although the procedure in the cellular phone system of LTE and W-CDMA has been described, it is not particularly limited to LTE or W-CDMA.

In step S18, as specified in Chapter 3.3.2 of 3GPP TS36.304, when the Srxlev value of the LTE cell is 0 or less, or 3GPP
As described in TS36.304 chapter 5.3.1, when LTE cell is a Barred Cell, it was explained that moving to LTE cell failed, but it is necessary to limit the number of occurrences to one time. No, it may be regarded as a movement failure when it occurs multiple times (for example, three times in succession), and the EARFCN of the LTE cell may be stored in the Forbidden List

  Furthermore, the LTE cell search may not be performed depending on the service used by the user. For example, when communicating small data such as e-mail transmission, there are few merits of high-speed communication in LTE, and conversely, the user is made to wait in LTE cell search, so LTE cell search is not performed and the W-CDMA system You may make it perform data communication in. On the other hand, when data communication is performed from a Web browser or a PC connected to a terminal, an LTE cell search may be performed.

  The conditions for deleting the Forbidden List may be as follows. For example, if the reception level (RSCP (specified in 3GPP TS36.214 Chapter 5.1.4)) of the W-CDMA cell in the area changes more than a certain value (for example, 5 dB), it is determined that the location has moved. The Forbidden List may be deleted.

  Further, for example, when the movement to the LTE cell fails in the procedure of step S18, the timer starts counting, and when a certain time or more has elapsed, it is determined that the location may have moved, and the Forbidden List is deleted. It may be.

  Furthermore, in the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3, it is assumed that the current voice communication is performed in the W-CDMA system, and the LTE cell search is performed only at the time of data communication transmission, so that the voice communication can be performed in the future LTE system. In such a case, LTE cell search may be performed using voice transmission as a trigger.

  Thus, for example, as shown in FIG. 1A, in a mobile phone system equipped with a plurality of wireless communication technologies such as 3.9G (Long Term Evolution) and 3G (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), LTE cell search is started with the data communication start request as a trigger, and when an LTE cell is detected, data communication is performed on the detected LTE cell. At that time, as shown in FIG. 1C, LTE neighboring cell information (System Information Block type 19 defined in 3GPP TS25.331 10.2.48.8.22) included in the broadcast information of the W-CDMA cell Used to reduce unnecessary LTE cell search. In addition, useless searches are reduced based on information that the detection of the LTE cell has failed or the movement to the LTE cell has failed.

  That is, while the W-CDMA is in the service area, the LTE cell search is not performed even if the LTE cell is specified by the LTE neighboring cell information included in the broadcast information of the W-CDMA cell. When a user starts a data communication start request, a search for an LTE cell is started. When an LTE cell is detected, the mobile terminal moves to the detected LTE cell and performs data communication in the LTE system.

  In order to reduce useless searches for LTE cells, LTE cell searches are performed only when LTE peripheral cell information includes LTE cells. The search target LTE cell EARFCN is limited to the LTE cell EARFCN included in the LTE neighboring cell information included in the broadcast information of the W-CDMA cell. Also, when LTE cell detection or movement failed last time (as specified in 3GPP TS36.304 chapter 5.2.3.2, if LTE cell Srxlev value is 0 or less, or 3GPP TS36.304 chapter 5.3.1 If the LTE cell is a Barred Cell as defined in), the EARFCN of the LTE cell is held inside the terminal as a Forbidden List and included in the LTE neighboring cell information included in the broadcast information of the W-CDMA cell If all of the EARFCNs of LTE cells to be included are included in the Forbidden List, the LTE cell search is not performed.

  In this way, even if the LTE cell is specified in the neighboring cell information while in the W-CDMA area, the LTE search is not performed, the LTE cell search is triggered by the data communication start request from the user, and the LTE cell If detected, the mobile terminal moves to the LTE cell and realizes data communication in the LTE system. Use unnecessary cell information to reduce unnecessary LTE cell search.

  As described above, since the LTE cell search is performed only when there is a data communication start request from the user, when the LTE cell is specified by the conventional condition (LTE neighboring cell information included in the broadcast information of the W-CDMA cell) Compared to the case where LTE search is performed regardless of the presence of the target LTE cell), unnecessary search can be reduced, and as a result, current consumption can be reduced.

  Also, in the LTE cell search when there is a data communication start request from the user, the search is performed only when the LTE cell is included in the LTE neighboring cell information included in the broadcast information of the W-CDMA cell. Compared to the method of unconditionally searching with a data communication start request as a trigger, unnecessary searches can be reduced, and as a result, current consumption can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the LTE cell search when there is a data communication start request from the user, only the EARFCN included in the LTE neighboring cell information included in the broadcast information of the W-CDMA cell (the LTE cell may be detected) Since the search is limited to, search for unnecessary frequencies can be reduced, and as a result, current consumption can be reduced.

  Furthermore, when the LTE cell detection or movement fails, the cell information is held in the communication device 10 as a Forbidden List, and the EARFCN of the LTE cell included in the Forbidden List is excluded from the search target at the next LTE cell search. Therefore, unnecessary searches can be reduced, and as a result, current consumption can be reduced.

  In addition, in the method of always searching for an LTE cell at the start of data communication (regardless of the presence / absence of the LTE cell in the LTE neighboring cell information included in the broadcast information of the W-CDMA cell), every time the user requests data communication start, This makes the user wait for the time of cell search. In the communication apparatus 10, useless LTE cell search can be reduced for the reasons described so far, so that the user does not have to wait unnecessarily.

  As described above, it is possible to enjoy the advantages of LTE while increasing the standby time.

  The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or can be executed by software. When a series of processing is executed by software, a program constituting the software executes various functions by installing a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware or various programs. For example, it is installed from a program recording medium in a general-purpose personal computer or the like.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer that executes the above-described series of processes using a program.

  In a computer, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 501, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 502, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 503 are connected to each other by a bus 504.

  An input / output interface 505 is further connected to the bus 504. The input / output interface 505 includes an input unit 506 made up of a keyboard, mouse, microphone, etc., an output unit 507 made up of a display, a speaker, etc., a storage unit 508 made up of a hard disk or nonvolatile memory, and a communication unit 509 made up of a network interface. A drive 510 for driving a removable medium 511 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory is connected.

  In the computer configured as described above, the CPU 501 loads the program stored in the storage unit 508 to the RAM 503 via the input / output interface 505 and the bus 504 and executes the program, for example. Is performed.

  The program executed by the computer (CPU 501) is, for example, a magnetic disk (including a flexible disk), an optical disk (CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), etc.), a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor. The program is recorded on a removable medium 511 that is a package medium including a memory or the like, or provided via a wired or wireless transmission medium such as a local area network, the Internet, or digital satellite broadcasting.

  The program can be installed in the computer by storing the removable medium 511 in the drive 510 and storing it in the storage unit 508 via the input / output interface 505. Further, the program can be installed in a computer by being received by the communication unit 509 via a wired or wireless transmission medium and stored in the storage unit 508. In addition, the program can be installed in the computer in advance by storing the program in the ROM 502 or the storage unit 508 in advance.

  The program executed by the computer may be a program that is processed in time series in the order described in this specification, or in parallel or at a necessary timing such as when a call is made. It may be a program for processing.

  The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Communication apparatus, 100 ... Radio | wireless part, 200 ... Control part, 300 ... Main body operation part, 400 ... Main body memory | storage part, 221 ... Determination part, 222 ... LTE cell search start control part, 223 ... EARFCN information storage control part, 421 ... EARFCN information, 501 ... CPU, 502 ... ROM, 503 ... RAM, 508 ... storage unit, 509 ... communication unit, 511 ... removable media

Claims (7)

In a communication device that receives data by communication conforming to LTE (Long Term Evolution),
Determining means for determining whether or not the user has requested to start data communication;
Controls the start of LTE cell search so that LTE cell search is started when the user requests start of data communication, and when start of data communication is not requested by the user. And a control means. The communication device according to claim 1,
Communicate according to W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access),
The communication means starts the LTE cell search limited to the frequency of the LTE cell indicated in the LTE neighboring cell information included in the broadcast information of the W-CDMA cell. The communication device according to claim 2,
Storage means for storing EARFCN information indicating the frequency of the detected LTE cells and LTE cells that have failed to move;
The communication unit refers to the EARFCN information, and starts LTE cell search limited to the frequency of the detected LTE cell or LTE cell that has not failed to move. The communication device according to claim 3.
The communication apparatus further comprising storage control means for controlling storage so that the EARFCN information stored in the storage means is deleted when a W-CDMA cell located in the area is moved. The communication device according to claim 3.
It further comprises storage control means for controlling storage so as to delete the EARFCN information stored in the storage means with reference to fluctuations in the reception level of the W-CDMA cell that is in the area. Communication device. In a receiving method of a communication device that receives data by LTE-compliant communication,
A determination step of determining whether or not the user has requested start of data communication; and
Controls the start of LTE cell search so that LTE cell search is started when the user requests start of data communication, and when start of data communication is not requested by the user. A receiving method, comprising: a control step. To the computer of the communication device that receives data by communication based on LTE,
A determination step of determining whether or not the user has requested start of data communication; and
Controls the start of LTE cell search so that LTE cell search is started when the user requests start of data communication, and when start of data communication is not requested by the user. A program that performs processing including a control step.

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