JP2014165518A - Radio communication device and radio communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the number of times of communication required for connection, an activated period, and power consumption in a radio communication unit of a radio communication terminal.SOLUTION: A determination unit 1031 receives application data and transmission request information from an application unit 101. The determination unit 1031 receives radio communication unit startup information from a startup control unit 1033. The determination unit 1031 reserves transmission of the application data, when difference between timing shown by the transmission request information and timing shown by the radio communication unit startup information is within reservable time. When the determination unit 1031 determines reservation of the transmission of the application data, a radio communication unit 104 starts up at startup timing shown by the radio communication unit startup information, and performs transmission required by a radio communication system before transmitting the application data.

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication apparatus and a wireless communication method, and more particularly to a wireless communication apparatus and a wireless communication method for controlling activation of a wireless communication unit.

  In 3G / LTE (3rd Generation / Long Term Evolution), at the time of standby, a wireless communication system of a wireless communication device (hereinafter, referred to as “terminal” as appropriate) requests activation of a wireless communication unit at a predetermined timing. The timing at which the wireless communication system requests activation of the wireless communication unit is, for example, at the time of location registration, cell movement, Paging reception, or reception level measurement. At the time of location registration, when the terminal moves from the location registration area, the wireless communication unit is activated to make a call for re-registering the location of the terminal. When the cell moves, the wireless communication unit is activated to receive broadcast information when the terminal moves from cell to cell. At the time of Paging reception, the wireless communication unit is activated to receive a Paging message at a predetermined timing for confirming notification of incoming calls and system information changes, or confirming reception of ETWS (Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System) . At the time of reception level measurement, a wireless communication unit is activated to measure a reception level for determining whether to switch a cell that is in service (the terminal is in the service area). That is, the terminal executes predetermined communication at a predetermined timing regardless of the operation of the application in the terminal according to the communication standard (hereinafter, such communication is also referred to as “communication requested by the wireless communication system”). Call).

  In addition, unlike the activation of the wireless communication unit required by the wireless communication system, various applications included in the terminal may individually request activation of the wireless communication unit. Examples of the application requesting activation of the wireless communication unit include Mail and SNS (Social Networking Service). These applications request activation of the wireless communication unit in order to synchronize with the cloud (server). The synchronization with the cloud may be performed irregularly by a user operation or may be performed at regular intervals. In addition, these applications may synchronize with the cloud in the background.

International Publication No. 2011/030636

  In a conventional wireless communication apparatus, activation of a wireless communication unit necessary for the wireless communication system as described above and activation of a wireless communication unit for communication by an application are performed asynchronously. For this reason, the number of communications required for RRC connection (Radio Resource Control connection) also increases. In addition, for each activation, a time from when the activation is started until communication is possible (for example, a time required for waiting for stability of communication) is required, and the time during which the wireless communication unit is activated is long. As a result, power consumption increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and reduces the number of times of communication required for RRC Connection connection and the time from the start to the start of communication, and the wireless communication unit is started. It is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless communication apparatus and a wireless communication method that can reduce time and power consumption.

  The wireless communication device of the present invention is to be executed regardless of the operation of the application according to the first activation timing, which is a timing at which data communication by the application is scheduled, and the communication standard used for the data communication. A determination unit that determines whether the timing for performing the data communication can be changed to the second activation timing based on a second activation timing at which the predetermined communication is performed; and the communication of the data An activation control unit that instructs to perform communication requested by the wireless communication system and communication of the data at the second activation timing when it is determined that the timing to perform can be changed to the second activation timing Take.

  The wireless communication method of the present invention is based on a first activation timing, which is a timing at which application data communication is scheduled, and a second activation timing for communication required by the wireless communication system following the first activation timing. Determining whether the timing for performing the data communication can be changed to the second activation timing, and determining that the timing for performing the data communication can be changed to the second activation timing. And instructing to perform communication required by the wireless communication system and communication of the data at the second activation timing.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of times of communication required for RRC Connection connection by matching the timing of communication of application data with the communication required by the wireless communication system. The time from the start of communication until communication becomes possible can be reduced. Thereby, the time and power consumption during which the wireless communication unit is activated can be reduced.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The flowchart which shows the transmission process of the radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the relationship between the process of the wireless communication apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention, starting timing, and power consumption. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing transmission processing of the wireless communication apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Block diagram showing the configuration of a wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing transmission processing of the wireless communication apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the relationship between the process of wireless communication apparatus in Embodiment 3 of this invention, starting timing, and power consumption. Block diagram showing the configuration of a wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a transmission process of the wireless communication apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

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

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. A wireless communication apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 mainly includes an application unit 101, a transmission request information generation unit 102, a wireless communication control unit 103, and a wireless communication unit 104.

  The application unit 101 generates data regularly or irregularly (for example, at a timing when the user operates the application in the terminal), and outputs the data to the transmission request information generation unit 102 as application data. Note that when the application unit 101 periodically generates application data, for example, the application unit 101 measures a transmission cycle by an internal counter (not shown). That is, application data is generated at the timing when the counter expires, and the counter is reset.

  Upon receiving application data from the application unit 101, the transmission request information generation unit 102 generates transmission request information indicating a request for transmission of application data. The transmission request information generation unit 102 outputs the generated transmission request information to the wireless communication control unit 103 together with application data.

  The wireless communication control unit 103 mainly controls activation of the wireless communication unit 104 and transmission / reception performed by the terminal. Specifically, the wireless communication control unit 103 receives application data and transmission request information from the transmission request information generation unit 102. In addition, the wireless communication control unit 103 generates wireless communication unit activation information indicating the timing at which the wireless communication unit 104 is activated for transmission requested by the wireless communication system. Based on the transmission request information and the wireless communication unit activation information, the wireless communication control unit 103 controls the timing for starting the wireless communication unit 104 and the transmission / reception method of the wireless communication unit 104 after the activation.

  The wireless communication unit 104 is in a sleep state (that is, a state in which power consumption is suppressed) when transmission of the wireless communication system is not requested or when transmission of application data is not requested. The wireless communication unit 104 is activated based on the control of the wireless communication control unit 103 and can transmit. The wireless communication unit 104 performs transmission and reception under the control of the wireless communication control unit 103 during activation. In particular, when the wireless communication control unit 103 determines that application data transmission is suspended, the wireless communication control unit 103 activates the wireless communication unit 104 at the wireless communication unit activation timing and performs transmission requested by the wireless communication system. After that, send application data. When the wireless communication control unit 103 determines that the application transmission is not suspended, the wireless communication control unit 103 activates the wireless communication unit 104 according to the transmission request information and only transmits application data.

  Next, the internal configuration of the wireless communication control unit 103 will be described. The wireless communication control unit 103 mainly includes a determination unit 1031, a storage unit 1032, and an activation control unit 1033. In this embodiment, a holdable time that is the maximum time during which application data can be held is defined. As the holdable time, for example, the wireless communication control unit 103 sets a predetermined holdable time based on information such as priority included in the transmission request information. Alternatively, the manufacturer of the application may designate the application, and the wireless communication control unit 103 may read and set the holdable time from the application.

  The determination unit 1031 receives application data and transmission request information from the transmission request information generation unit 102. In addition, the determination unit 1031 receives wireless communication unit activation information from the activation control unit 1033. The determination unit 1031 determines whether or not to defer transmission of application data based on the application data transmission request information, the wireless communication unit activation information, and the holdable time. Specifically, the determination unit 1031 suspends the transmission of application data if the difference between the timing at which the transmission request information is received and the timing indicated by the wireless communication unit activation information is within the suspendable time. Hereinafter, this determination result is referred to as “hold determination”. On the other hand, if the difference between the timing indicated by the transmission request information and the timing indicated by the wireless communication unit activation information is greater than the holdable time, the determination unit 1031 transmits the application data immediately without holding it. Alternatively, if the wireless communication unit has already been activated at the timing when the transmission request information is received, it is transmitted immediately. Hereinafter, this determination result is referred to as “transmission determination”.

  When the determination unit 1031 performs the hold determination, the determination unit 1031 outputs the application data to the storage unit 1032. The determination unit 1031 receives the pending application data from the storage unit 1032 and outputs it to the activation control unit 1033 when the timing indicated by the wireless communication unit activation information is reached while the transmission of application data is suspended.

  On the other hand, when the determination unit 1031 performs transmission determination, the determination unit 1031 outputs application data to the activation control unit 1033 together with transmission request information.

  Storage unit 1032 temporarily stores application data output from determination unit 1031. The storage unit 1032 outputs the suspended data to the determination unit 1031 at the timing when the suspended application data is transmitted.

  The activation control unit 1033 generates wireless communication unit activation information indicating the timing at which the wireless communication unit 104 is activated for transmission processing requested by the wireless communication system. In addition, the activation control unit 1033 performs control to activate the wireless communication unit 104 based on the determination result of the determination unit 1031 and transmission / reception control after activation. Specifically, the activation control unit 1033 activates the wireless communication unit 104 at the timing indicated by the wireless communication unit activation information in the case of hold determination. After the wireless communication unit 104 is activated, transmission processing requested by the wireless communication system is performed, and then the wireless communication unit 104 is controlled to transmit the application data received from the determination unit 1031. The activation control unit 1033 controls the wireless communication unit 104 to transmit the application data received from the determination unit 1031 in the case of transmission determination.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a transmission process of the wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the transmission processing of the wireless communication apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step (hereinafter abbreviated as “ST”) 201, the transmission request information generation unit 102 outputs application data and transmission request information to the determination unit 1031 when receiving application data from the application unit 101.

  In ST202, determination section 1031 determines whether or not activation of wireless communication section 104 for transmission processing requested by the wireless communication system is scheduled within the holdable time. When the determination result is YES (that is, when the determination result of determination unit 1031 is “hold determination”), the flow moves to ST203. If the determination result is NO (that is, the determination result of determination section 1031 is “transmission determination”), the flow moves to ST205.

  In ST203, determination section 1031 outputs application data to storage section 1032 in order to suspend transmission of application data.

  In ST204, activation control section 1033 determines whether radio communication section 104 has been activated for transmission processing requested by the radio communication system. When the wireless communication unit 104 is activated (ST204: YES), the flow proceeds to ST206 in order to perform transmission processing. On the other hand, if wireless communication section 104 is not activated (ST204: NO), the flow moves to ST203 in order to continue the suspension of transmission of application data.

  In ST205, determination section 1031 outputs application data to activation control section 1033 together with transmission request information. The activation control unit 1033 activates the wireless communication unit 104 in order to transmit application data.

  In ST206, wireless communication section 104 performs transmission processing requested by the wireless communication system, and then transmits application data. Alternatively, the wireless communication unit 104 only transmits application data.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a relationship among processing, activation timing, and power consumption of the wireless communication apparatus in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a case where the terminal receives Paging and performs location registration as communication requested by the wireless communication system, and there is a transmission request from the application before the processing.

  FIG. 3A shows a case where the difference between the timing indicated by the transmission request information and the timing indicated by the wireless communication unit activation information is greater than the holdable time. In this case, the determination result of the determination unit 1031 is “transmission determination”, and the wireless communication unit 104 is activated at the timing indicated by the transmission request information, transmits the application data after performing stabilization waiting processing, wireless line connection, and the like. To do. When the transmission of the application data is completed, the wireless communication unit 104 returns to the sleep state, starts again at the timing indicated by the next wireless communication unit activation information, and performs communication processing requested by the wireless communication system (location registration in the case of FIG. 3). Process).

  FIG. 3B shows a case where the difference between the timing indicated by the transmission request information and the timing indicated by the wireless communication unit activation information is smaller than the holdable time. In this case, the determination result of the determination unit 1031 is “hold determination”, and the wireless communication unit 104 does not start at the timing indicated by the transmission request information, but starts at the timing indicated by the wireless communication unit activation information. The activated wireless communication unit 104 performs stability waiting processing, wireless line connection, and the like, performs communication processing requested by the wireless communication system (location registration processing in the case of FIG. 3), and then transmits application data. Do.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the number of times communication is required for RRC Connection connection by temporarily holding application data transmission and transmitting application data simultaneously with the transmission requested by the wireless communication system. In addition, since it is possible to reduce the time from the start of activation until communication is possible, the time during which the wireless communication unit is activated and the power consumption can be reduced. That is, the time when the wireless communication unit is activated and the power consumption can be reduced by matching the originally scheduled transmission of the application data with the transmission timing requested by the wireless communication system.

  Note that the transmission timing required by the wireless communication system is defined by the communication standard used. Therefore, when the application data is generated, the wireless communication apparatus can determine whether or not transmission requested by the wireless communication system occurs within the hold time of the application data. Therefore, the determination as to whether or not to defer transmission of application data can be made when application data is generated. In addition, when the transmission timing of the application data and the transmission timing requested by the wireless communication system are matched, the transmission requested by the wireless communication system is performed first. This is because, as described above, the transmission requested by the wireless communication system is not allowed to shift the timing because the timing is prescribed by the standard or the like. However, if the transmission timing required by the wireless communication system is not strict, the application data may be transmitted first.

  In the present embodiment, a case has been described in which transmission of application data is suspended when the transmission timing requested by the wireless communication system and the transmission timing of application data are within the holdable time. The invention is not limited to this. A process in which the wireless communication system requests not only data transmission but also activation of the wireless communication unit (for example, Paging reception, reception level measurement, etc., hereinafter referred to as “radio communication system activation request process”), and an application unit performs data The wireless communication unit controls not only transmission of data but also processing that requests activation of the wireless communication unit (for example, reception processing for the application to synchronize with the cloud; hereinafter referred to as “application activation request processing”). There is also a case. In this case, in the present invention, when the interval between the start request processing for the wireless communication system and the start request processing for the application is within the holdable time, the start request processing for the application is suspended and the start for the wireless communication system is started. The wireless communication unit is activated at the timing of the request processing, and the wireless communication unit performs a wireless communication system activation request process and an application activation request process.

  That is, when the wireless communication system needs to activate the wireless communication unit due to circumstances different from the transmission from the wireless communication device, such as a process of receiving some signal, the timing between the timing and the application data transmission timing Is determined to be within the hold time. In general, the wireless communication unit is configured by an integrated circuit or the like that can perform both transmission and reception. Therefore, when processing such as reception is performed, there is a high possibility that at least a part of the transmission circuit is activated. If the procedure for receiving a signal and the procedure for transmitting application data overlap in processing such as establishing a connection, the connection established for reception or the like is transmitted. Can be used for Therefore, if the timing between the start request processing for the wireless communication system or the start request processing for the application and the transmission timing of the application data is short, holding the transmission of the application data suppresses the number of start of the wireless communication unit, As in the present embodiment, power consumption is reduced.

  In the present embodiment, a case has been described in which transmission of application data is suspended when the transmission timing requested by the wireless communication system and the transmission timing of application data are within the holdable time. The invention is not limited to this. In some cases, the application data has an urgency level indicating whether or not transmission is to be performed immediately. In this case, the determination unit determines that the application data is to be transmitted immediately regardless of the transmission timing requested by the wireless communication system when the application data is urgent, and the wireless communication is performed when the application data is not urgent. Whether to hold application data is determined based on the transmission timing requested by the system.

  In the present embodiment, the application data transmission is suspended based on the difference between the transmission timing requested by the wireless communication system and the application data transmission timing. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When the application data transmission timing is not specified, that is, when the application data transmission is scheduled at any time, the comparison of each timing is omitted and the transmission timing requested by the wireless communication system is set. In addition, application data may be transmitted.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, the application unit requests transmission of application data, and the wireless communication control unit holds application data based on the wireless communication unit activation information. That is, in the first embodiment, the transmission timing of application data is delayed from the originally scheduled timing according to the transmission timing requested by the wireless communication system. However, the urgency of transmission / reception or the amount of data to be transmitted varies depending on the application. In particular, when the transmission timing of application data is anytime, there is no problem even if transmission is performed at a timing earlier than the originally scheduled timing. In that case, the application unit can further reduce the number of activations of the wireless communication unit by matching the transmission of application data with the activation of the wireless communication unit. In the second embodiment, in addition to the first embodiment, a case will be described in which the wireless communication control unit prompts the application unit to transmit the next application data in accordance with the activation of the wireless communication unit.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In FIG. 4, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. The wireless communication device 400 illustrated in FIG. 4 has functions of the determination unit 4031, the transmission request information generation unit 402, and the application unit 401, which are the same as the determination unit 1031, the transmission request information generation unit 102, and the application unit 101 illustrated in FIG. Each is different.

  The application unit 401 has the following functions in addition to the functions of the application unit 101 of the first embodiment. The application unit 401 receives, from the transmission request information generation unit 402, wireless communication unit activation information indicating that the wireless communication unit 104 is activated or transmission suspension information indicating that application data is pending. When receiving the transmission hold information, the application unit 401 recognizes that the application data is held. When the application unit 401 receives the wireless communication unit activation information, the application unit 401 generates data that is scheduled to be transmitted after a certain period of time, and outputs the data as the next application data. If the data scheduled to be transmitted after a certain time is data that is periodically transmitted, an internal counter that measures the transmission cycle is reset.

  The transmission request information generation unit 402 has the following functions in addition to the functions of the transmission request information generation unit 102 of the first embodiment. The transmission request information generation unit 402 receives wireless communication unit activation information or transmission hold information from the determination unit 4031. When the transmission request information generation unit 402 receives the transmission suspension information, the transmission request information generation unit 402 recognizes that the application data is suspended and outputs it to the application unit 401. When receiving the wireless communication unit activation information, the transmission request information generation unit 402 recognizes that the wireless communication unit 104 is activated and prompts the application unit 401 to transmit the next application data. Output startup information.

  The determination unit 4031 has the following function in addition to the function of the determination unit 1031 of the first embodiment. The determination unit 4031 makes a hold determination or transmission determination, and then prompts the application unit 401 to transmit the next application data based on the determination result. Specifically, the determination unit 4031 outputs transmission suspension information to the transmission request information generation unit 402 when the application data is on hold, and requests transmission of wireless communication unit activation information when the wireless communication unit 104 is activated. The information is output to the information generation unit 402.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a transmission process of the wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment. 5, the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Hereinafter, the transmission processing of the wireless communication apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the flow shown in FIG. 5, with respect to FIG. 2, ST501 is inserted between ST202 and ST203, and ST502 is inserted after ST206.

  In ST501, determination section 4031 generates transmission suspension information indicating that transmission of application data is suspended, and outputs the transmission suspension information to transmission request information generation section 402. When the transmission request information is received, the transmission request information generation unit 402 recognizes that the application data is not transmitted immediately at the present time, but is transmitted at a timing at which the application data indicated by the transmission request information is to be transmitted. Output to the unit 401.

  In ST502, determination section 4031 outputs wireless communication section activation information indicating that wireless communication section 104 is activated to transmission request information generation section 402. When receiving the wireless communication unit activation information, the transmission request information generation unit 402 recognizes that the wireless communication unit 104 is activated and outputs the wireless communication unit activation information to the application unit 401. The application unit 401 generates the application data that is scheduled to be transmitted from now on, and outputs the next application data to the transmission request information generation unit 402. At this time, the application unit 401 resets an internal counter that measures the cycle when the data generated by the advance is data to be transmitted periodically. Since the transmission request information generation unit 402 recognizes that the wireless communication unit 104 is being activated, when the next application data is received, the transmission request information generation unit 402 generates transmission request information for immediate transmission, along with the application data. The data is output to the determination unit 4031.

  With this configuration, when the application unit 401 outputs the application data earlier than the original transmission timing, it can be transmitted when the wireless communication unit 104 is activated. Further, when the wireless communication unit 104 is activated, application data can be continuously transmitted. Thereby, the number of activations of the wireless communication unit 104 can be further suppressed as compared with the first embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, in addition to the first embodiment, the determination unit 4031 outputs wireless communication unit activation information indicating that the wireless communication unit 104 is activated to the application unit 401, so that the application unit 401 However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present embodiment, the determination unit 4031 may output the wireless communication unit activation information to the application unit 401 without performing the hold determination or transmission determination, and the application unit 401 may carry out transmission of application data. it can. In this case, the application unit 401 does not output the application data until the transmission suspension information or the wireless communication unit activation information is received. When the application unit 401 receives the wireless communication unit activation information, the application unit 401 outputs the application data immediately.

  In the present embodiment, the wireless communication apparatus has a function of moving forward generation and transmission of application data in addition to the functions of the first embodiment, but is not limited thereto. The wireless device may not have the function of the first embodiment, but may have only the function to advance the generation and transmission of application data. In this case, for example, only the processes of ST204, ST206, and ST502 in the flow shown in FIG. 5 are executed.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless communication apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. In the third embodiment, a plurality of application data requests transmission at different timings. A wireless communication apparatus 600 illustrated in FIG. 6 mainly includes an application unit 101, a transmission request information generation unit 602, a wireless communication control unit 603, and a wireless communication unit 604. Unlike the first embodiment in which the wireless communication control unit 603 controls communication processing required by the wireless communication system and transmission of application data, in the third embodiment, the transmission request information generation unit 602 transmits a plurality of application data. Control timing.

  When receiving the application data from the application unit 101, the transmission request information generation unit 602 holds the application data until receiving another application data or for a certain period of time. Then, after another application data is received or after a certain time has elapsed, transmission request information indicating the timing for requesting transmission of application data is generated. The transmission request information generation unit 602 outputs the generated transmission request information to the wireless communication control unit 603 along with application data.

  The wireless communication control unit 603 mainly controls activation of the wireless communication unit 604 and transmission / reception performed by the terminal. Specifically, the wireless communication control unit 603 receives application data and transmission request information from the transmission request information generation unit 602. The wireless communication control unit 603 activates the wireless communication unit 604 at the timing indicated by the received transmission request information, and controls the transmission / reception method of the wireless communication unit 604 after the activation.

  The wireless communication unit 604 is in a sleep state (that is, a state in which power consumption is minimized) when transmission of application data is not requested. The wireless communication unit 604 is activated based on the control of the wireless communication control unit 603 and can communicate. The wireless communication unit 604 performs transmission and reception under the control of the wireless communication control unit 603 while activated.

  Next, the internal configuration of the transmission request information generation unit 602 will be described. The transmission request information generation unit 602 mainly includes a determination unit 6021, a storage unit 6022, and a communication control unit 6023. In this embodiment, a holdable time that is the maximum time during which application data can be held is defined.

  The determination unit 6021 receives application data from the application unit 101. When receiving the application data, the determination unit 6021 outputs the received application data to the storage unit 6022 in order to temporarily hold the application data. Hereinafter, the application data stored in the storage unit 6022 is referred to as “pending application data”.

  The determination unit 6021 measures the elapsed time from the reception timing of the pending application data, and based on the input of the elapsed time, the holdable time, and the next application data (hereinafter referred to as “new application data”), the application data Determine how to send. Specifically, the determination unit 6021 reads the pending application data stored in the storage unit 6022 when the pending application time is received and new application data is not received during that time. Only read pending application data is sent. Hereinafter, this determination result is referred to as “asynchronous determination”. On the other hand, when the new application data is received from the timing at which the pending application data is received until the time corresponding to the holdable time elapses, the determination unit 6021 reads the data stored in the storage unit 6022 and reads the pending Application data and new application data are transmitted at the same start timing. Hereinafter, this determination result is referred to as “synchronization determination”.

  When the determination unit 6021 performs asynchronous determination, the determination unit 6021 outputs the determination result and the read pending application data to the communication control unit 6023.

  On the other hand, when the determination unit 6021 performs synchronization determination, the determination unit 6021 outputs the determination result and the read pending application data and new application data to the communication control unit 6023.

  Storage unit 6022 temporarily stores application data output from determination unit 6021 as pending application data.

  The communication control unit 6023 controls the application data transmission method based on the determination result of the determination unit 6021. Specifically, in the case of asynchronous determination, the communication control unit 6023 generates transmission request information for transmitting only the pending application data received from the determining unit 6021 and outputs the transmission request information to the wireless communication control unit 6023 together with the pending application data. In the case of synchronization determination, the communication control unit 6023 generates transmission request information for transmitting the pending application data and the new application data received from the determination unit 6021 with one activation of the wireless communication unit. Moreover, the communication control part 6023 outputs pending application data and new application data to the wireless communication control part 603 in the case of synchronization determination.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a transmission process of the wireless communication apparatus according to the present embodiment. Below, the transmission processing of the radio | wireless communication apparatus concerning Embodiment 3 is demonstrated according to FIG.

  In step (hereinafter abbreviated as “ST”) 701, the application unit 101 outputs application data to the determination unit 6021 in order to transmit application data.

  In ST702, determination section 6021 temporarily stores data received from application section 101 as storage application data in storage section 6022.

  In ST703, determination section 6021 measures the elapsed time from the timing of receiving the pending application data, and determines the application data transmission method based on the elapsed time, the holdable time, and the input of new application data. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time exceeds the holdable time, or whether or not new application data is received during the holdable time. When the elapsed time exceeds the holdable time (that is, the asynchronous determination is performed) or new application data is received during the holdable time (that is, the synchronization determination is performed) (ST703: YES), the flow is as follows. Move on to ST704. Otherwise (ST703: NO), the flow proceeds to ST702 in order to continue holding the hold application data.

  In ST704, communication control section 6023 controls the transmission method of application data based on the determination result of determination section 6021. Specifically, in the case of asynchronous determination, the communication control unit 6023 generates transmission request information for transmitting only the pending application data received from the determining unit 6021 and outputs the transmission request information to the wireless communication control unit 603 together with the pending application data. In the case of synchronization determination, the communication control unit 6023 outputs the pending application data and new application data received from the determination unit 6021 to the wireless communication control unit 603.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the relationship among processing, activation timing, and power consumption of the wireless communication apparatus according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 8, transmission of two application data is requested at different timings.

  FIG. 8A shows a case where the next application data is not received even if the holdable time has elapsed since the determination unit received the first application data. In this case, since the next application data is not received within the holdable time from the timing when the determination unit receives the first application data, only the first application data is transmitted (in the case of FIG. 8A, “application 1 By communication "). When the next application data is received, transmission is suspended until the holdable time elapses again or until the next application data is received.

  FIG. 8B illustrates a case where the next application data is received within the holdable time from the timing when the determination unit receives the first application data. In this case, the wireless communication unit is activated at the timing indicated by the transmission request information, and the wireless communication unit is on hold application data (in the case of FIG. 8B, “communication by application 1”) and new application data (FIG. 8B). In this case, “communication by application 2”) is transmitted with one activation.

  In the present embodiment, since both new application data and pending application data are generated in response to an instruction from the user or the like, it cannot be predicted whether or not new application data will be generated within the holdable time of the pending application data. Therefore, in the present embodiment, once application data is generated, transmission is temporarily suspended, and when new application data is generated within the holdable time, the wireless communication unit is activated to transmit both application data. I do. In this case, the wireless communication apparatus transmits the pending application data first and transmits new application data later. This is because the remaining time of the holdable time for the pending application data is reduced when the new application data is generated, while the holdable time for the new application data remains sufficiently. However, it is desirable to transmit the new application data first when the hold time of the new application data is shorter than the remaining time of the hold time of the hold application data.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the application data received first is suspended until the next application data is received, and a plurality of application data received at different timings are transmitted at the same time. Since the number of communications required for connection and the time from the start of activation until communication is possible can be reduced, the time during which the wireless communication unit is activated and the power consumption can be reduced. .

  In the present embodiment, the case where application data is held as held application data has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In some cases, the application data has an urgency level indicating whether or not transmission is to be performed immediately. In this case, the determination unit determines that the application data having the urgent level is to be transmitted immediately without suspending the application data, and holds the application data when there is no urgency level of the application data.

(Embodiment 4)
In the third embodiment, the application unit requests transmission of application data, and the transmission of application data is suspended until the application unit requests transmission of the next application data or until the holdable time has elapsed. That is, in the third embodiment, the transmission timing of application data is delayed from the originally scheduled timing in accordance with the transmission timing of the next application data. However, the urgency of transmission / reception or the amount of data to be transmitted varies depending on the application. In particular, when the transmission timing of application data is anytime, there is no problem even if transmission is performed at a timing earlier than the originally scheduled timing. In that case, the application unit generates the application data at a timing earlier than the originally scheduled timing, and matches the activation for transmission of other application data to further increase the number of activations of the wireless communication unit. Can be reduced. In the fourth embodiment, a case will be described in which transmission of application data is performed together with activation of a wireless communication unit.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless communication apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, the same components as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. The wireless communication apparatus 900 illustrated in FIG. 9 is different from the application unit 101 and the determination unit 6021 in FIG. 6 in the functions of the application unit 901 and the determination unit 9021.

  The application unit 901 has the following functions in addition to the functions of the application unit 101 of the third embodiment. When the application unit 901 receives the transmission hold information indicating that the application data is on hold, the application unit 901 recognizes that the application data is held, and generates the next application data scheduled after a predetermined time. , And output to the determination unit 9021 as new application data. Here, the fact that the application data is pending means that the application data is transmitted after a certain fixed time. That is, it means that the wireless communication unit is activated to transmit application data.

  The determination unit 9021 prompts the application unit 901 to transmit the next application data. Specifically, the determination unit 9021 outputs transmission suspension information to the application unit 901. When the determination unit 9021 receives new application data from the application unit 901, the determination unit 9021 outputs pending application data and new application data to the communication control unit 6023.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a transmission process of the wireless communication apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. In FIG. 10, the same components as those in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. Hereinafter, the transmission processing of the wireless communication apparatus according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the flow shown in FIG. 10, with respect to FIG. 7, ST1001 is inserted between ST701 and ST702.

  In ST1001, determination section 9021 outputs transmission hold information indicating that application data is on hold to application section 901. Upon receiving the transmission suspension information, the application unit 901 recognizes that the application data is suspended, generates new application data scheduled after a certain time, and outputs the new application data to the determination unit 9021. When receiving the new application data, the determination unit 9021 outputs the pending application data and the new application data to the communication control unit 6023.

  In the present embodiment, application data transmission is suspended in the storage unit 6022, and transmission suspension information is output to the application unit 901 to promote synchronization between applications. The present invention is not limited to this. The storage unit 6022 may not hold application data, and the determination unit 9021 may prompt the application unit 901 to transmit application data.

  In the present embodiment, when it is recognized that application data is on hold, new application data is generated and transmitted earlier than originally scheduled, but this is not limitative. It is not a thing. The same idea can also be applied when the wireless communication apparatus does not have a function for holding application data, or when there is only application data that cannot be held. In particular, when certain application data is periodically transmitted, the timing at which the wireless communication unit is activated for the transmission can be specified from the transmission period. Therefore, if the generation of new application data is advanced in accordance with the cycle and transmitted together with other application data, the number of activations of the wireless communication unit can be suppressed. In addition, it takes some time until the wireless communication unit is actually activated after the wireless communication unit device recognizes that certain application data should be transmitted. Therefore, even if there is no application data that is periodically transmitted, if the application data has a size that can be generated in this time, the generation timing can be advanced and transmitted.

  With this configuration, the application unit 901 can generate the application data by being prompted by the determination unit 9021, and can transmit the generated application data in accordance with the transmission of the pending application data. Thereby, the frequency | count of starting of a wireless communication part can be suppressed further from Embodiment 3. FIG.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above.

  In each of the above embodiments, one application unit has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The wireless communication apparatus may have a plurality of application units, and the transmission request information generation unit may control application data received from the plurality of application units.

  In each of the above embodiments, the description has been made focusing on the case where a wireless system or application basically performs transmission, but the present invention is not limited to this. The same control as in each embodiment can also be applied to other factors that do not involve transmission, for example, when the wireless communication unit is activated for the purpose of receiving each signal. That is, it is necessary to activate the wireless communication unit, and any communication (that is, reception and / or transmission) executed at a certain scheduled timing (including the case of “anytime”) is used. It can be applied even if it exists.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the synchronization with the server has been described as an example in the case where communication by the application occurs, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, data may be transmitted to a network including a server due to other factors such as transmission of mail. In addition, as an application that performs reception on a network, for example, an application that periodically measures and displays surrounding radio wave environment can be considered.

  Further, although cases have been described with the above embodiment as examples where the present invention is configured by hardware, the present invention can also be realized by software.

  Further, the method of circuit integration is not limited to LSI's, and implementation using dedicated circuitry or general purpose processors is also possible. An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) that can be programmed after manufacturing the LSI or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connection and setting of circuit cells inside the LSI may be used.

  Furthermore, if integrated circuit technology comes out to replace LSI's as a result of the advancement of semiconductor technology or a derivative other technology, it is naturally also possible to carry out function block integration using this technology. Biotechnology can be applied.

  The present invention can be applied to a wireless communication device or the like.

100, 400, 600, 900 Wireless communication device 101, 401, 901 Application unit 102, 402, 602, 902 Transmission request information generation unit 103, 403, 603 Wireless communication control unit 104, 604 Wireless communication unit 1031, 4031, 6021 9021 Judgment unit 1032, 6022 Storage unit 1033 Activation control unit 6023 Communication control unit

Claims (8)

A first start timing, which is a timing at which data communication by an application is scheduled, and communication that is determined to be executed regardless of the operation of the application are performed according to the communication standard used for the data communication. A determination unit that determines whether the timing for performing the data communication can be changed to the second activation timing based on the second activation timing;
An activation control unit for instructing to perform communication requested by the wireless communication system and the data communication at the second activation timing when it is determined that the timing for performing the data communication can be changed to the second activation timing; ,
A wireless communication apparatus comprising: If the difference between the first activation timing and the second activation timing is within a predetermined threshold, the determination unit determines that the data communication timing can be changed to the second activation timing.
The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1. The data defines whether or not there is an urgency,
The determination unit determines that the timing for performing communication of the data can be changed to the second activation timing when there is no urgency level.
The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. Based on a first activation timing that is a timing at which communication of first data by the first application is scheduled and a second activation timing that is at a timing when communication of second data by the second application is scheduled, the first A determination unit that determines whether or not the timing of performing communication of one data can be changed to the second activation timing;
Communication control for instructing communication of the first data and the second data at the second activation timing when it is determined that the timing of performing communication of the first application data can be changed to the second activation timing And
A wireless communication apparatus comprising: The determination unit determines to perform communication of the first data at a timing when the predetermined time elapses when there is no second activation timing before the predetermined time elapses from the first activation timing;
The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 4. The first data defines the presence or absence of urgency,
The determination unit determines to perform communication of the first data at the first activation timing when the urgency is present;
The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 4 or 5. The data communication is performed based on a first activation timing that is a timing at which application data communication is scheduled and a second activation timing for communication requested by the wireless communication system subsequent to the first activation timing. Determining whether the timing can be changed to the second activation timing;
Instructing to perform the communication requested by the wireless communication system and the data communication at the second activation timing when it is determined that the timing for performing the data communication can be changed to the second activation timing; ,
A wireless communication method comprising: Based on a first activation timing that is a timing at which communication of first data by the first application is scheduled and a second activation timing that is at a timing when communication of second data by the second application is scheduled, Determining whether the timing of performing communication of the first data can be changed to the second activation timing;
Instructing the first data and the second data to be communicated at the second activation timing when it is determined that the timing for performing the communication of the first data can be changed to the second activation timing;
A wireless communication method comprising:

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