JP2015061152A - Communication device, communication system, control method for communication device, and control program for communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for controlling power supplied from an interface for relaying data transmission/reception between an electronic apparatus which performs data communication with a network and a communication device connected to the electronic apparatus to the communication device depending on a state of the network and controlling consumption power of the communication device, and the communication device thereof.SOLUTION: The communication device includes: an interface for relaying connection with an electronic apparatus; transmission/reception means for performing communication between the electronic apparatus and a network; communication state detection means for detecting a state of the network; and interface control means for controlling transfer speed of the interface on the basis of at least one of a state of the electronic apparatus and a state of the network.

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device, a communication system, a communication device control method, and a communication device control program, and in particular, a communication device connected to an electronic device to perform wireless communication, a communication system, and power consumption of the communication device during wireless communication The present invention relates to a control method and a communication apparatus control program.

  Personal communication devices such as mobile phones and mobile communication terminals have become widespread, and communication data is transmitted and received by individuals on a daily basis. In addition, personal computers (PCs) are widely used in general households.

  PCs at home are generally used for communication purposes, and information collection is widely performed by browsing web pages using a browser as well as sending and receiving e-mails.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in a home, a PC as an electronic device is generally connected to an external network such as the Internet through a constant connection via a route different from a telephone line. For this reason, an operating PC in a home is almost always connected to the Internet. Also, due to the diversification of digital contents and the like, the PC receives a large amount of data via a network.

  Therefore, the power consumed at the time of PC communication is increasing. Currently, many people from children to the elderly use the Internet using PCs, and the influence on the environment due to the operation of network devices cannot be ignored.

  Furthermore, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) that connects a PC to an external network by wireless communication does not require a communication line to be connected to the PC, and is particularly used in the home of notebook PCs that are widely used at home. Eliminate location constraints. For this reason, network utilization via a wireless LAN is widely performed.

  In recent years, due to increasing environmental problems and soaring electricity charges due to various reasons, power saving for the purpose of power saving, especially reduction of power consumption in the home has become a major issue. If the peak value of power consumption during the daytime in the summer is suppressed, the addition of power generation facilities can be avoided, the cost for the facilities can be reduced, and the natural environment can be maintained.

  While the PC is in a standby state, power saving is performed as a PC system operation, such as the PC operation shifting to a sleep state. However, the power saving in the operation related to the PC communication further increases the power consumption. Power saving is possible.

  In particular, the reduction in power consumption of the operation of a communication device connected to a network wirelessly has a great effect on power saving as described above.

  A wireless LAN client is generally connected to a PC via an interface such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus). USB is one of the serial bus standards for connecting peripheral devices to information devices such as PCs. The USB interface supplies power to a connected peripheral device, and the peripheral device is always powered on when connected.

  For this reason, depending on the operating state of the network device as a peripheral device, there is a problem that power supplied to the network device is wasted. That is, the power consumption when the network device operates corresponding to a large communication speed is larger than the power consumption when the network device operates corresponding to a small communication speed. For this reason, when the communication speed between the PC and the network is low, if power that operates at a high communication speed is supplied to the network device, a part of the supplied power is wasted.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a communication apparatus that controls the communication speed with a device as a peripheral device and suppresses power consumption.

  In the communication apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, information on transfer speed is read from an external memory card controller provided in an external device, and the USB transfer method is switched based on the transfer speed information.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a network device to which a USB device is connected and a network device that reduces the power consumption of the USB device according to the communication status.

  The network device disclosed in Patent Document 2 analyzes a communication packet received by the network device and detects an access state of the USB device. When access to the USB device is started, power supply to the USB interface is started, and when the end of access is detected, power supply to the USB interface is stopped.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a device controller, a device apparatus, and a power control method that perform power control based on the amount of data stored in a buffer.

  The device controller disclosed in Patent Literature 3 accumulates data output from the host device and data output to the host device in the device device connected to the host device, and transfers the data to the subsequent data storage unit. . When the data transfer rate from the host device to the device device is different from the buffer to the succeeding circuit, the vacancy in the buffer is reduced and the slower data transfer is suppressed. Electricity is wasted. The device controller disclosed in Patent Document 3 shifts the operation of the data communication unit from the normal power mode to the power saving mode when the amount of data stored in the input buffer exceeds a predetermined value. This reduces waste of power consumption due to differences in transfer rates.

JP 2012-63817 A JP 2012-38156 A JP2013-20284A

  In the communication apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a transfer method according to the communication state of the network is not selected. For this reason, when the transfer rate with the network is low, the network device may be operated corresponding to the high transfer rate. In such a state, part of the power supplied to the network device is wasted.

  The network device disclosed in Patent Document 2 analyzes the received packet to detect the presence or absence of communication, and based on the detected result, only starts or stops power supply to the USB interface, The USB device connected to the USB interface is not controlled.

  For this reason, since the network device disclosed in Patent Document 2 does not detect the communication state of the network, the USB device may not support the communication state of the network. Therefore, power supplied to the USB device may be wasted.

  In the device controller disclosed in Patent Document 3, the operation of the data communication unit is controlled with reference to the empty state of the buffer of the device controller. That is, the data communication speed cannot be set so that the speed is optimized and the power consumption is not wasted according to the communication speed between the communication device and the network.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a method for controlling power consumption of a communication device connected to an electronic device that performs data communication with a network, a control program for the communication device, the communication device, and a communication system. The purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a communication apparatus according to the present invention includes an interface that mediates connection with an electronic device, a transmission / reception unit that performs communication between the electronic device and a network, and a communication state detection unit that detects a network state. And interface control means for controlling the transfer rate of the interface based on at least one of the state of the electronic device and the state of the network.

  The communication system of the present invention is a communication system including an access point connected to a network, an electronic device, and a communication device, the communication device including an interface that mediates connection with the electronic device, an electronic device, Transmission / reception means for communicating with the access point, communication state detection means for detecting the network state, and interface control for controlling the interface transfer rate based on at least one of the electronic device state and the network state And communication control means for selecting a communication method with the access point of the transmission / reception means based on the state of the network.

  The communication device control method of the present invention is a communication device control method for communicating between an electronic device and a network that is connected to the electronic device via an interface, and that detects a network state. And an interface control step of controlling the transfer rate of the interface based on at least one of a network state and an electronic device state.

  The communication device control program of the present invention is a communication device control program that is connected to an electronic device via an interface and performs communication between the electronic device and a network, and detects a network state. It is characterized by causing a computer to perform processing and interface control processing for controlling an interface transfer rate based on at least one of a network state and an electronic device state.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the communication device according to the state of the network and to save the power of the communication system.

1 shows an exemplary configuration of a communication apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process in the control method of the communication apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. An example of the structure of the communication system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is shown. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the communication apparatus and electronic device which concern on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process in the control method of the communication apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. An example of the correspondence table of the power consumption referred in the control method of the communication apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is shown. An example of the correspondence table of the communication speed and the number of streams referred in the control method of the communication apparatus concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is shown. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process in the control method of the communication apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the communication system which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process in the control method of the communication system which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process in the control method of the communication system which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the wireless LAN control part in the communication apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the access point in the communication system which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

The best mode for carrying out the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a communication apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The communication apparatus 1003 according to the present embodiment includes an interface 1031, a transmission / reception unit 1037, a communication state detection unit 1033, and an interface control unit 1032. The interface 1031 mediates connection with the electronic device 1002. The transmission / reception means 1037 performs communication between the electronic device 1002 and the network 1004. The communication state detection unit 1033 detects the state of the network 1004. The interface control unit 1032 controls the transfer rate of the interface 1002 based on at least one of the state of the electronic device 1002 and the state of the network 1004.

  An example of the process of the communication apparatus control method according to the present embodiment is shown in FIG.

  The control method for a communication apparatus according to the present embodiment is a control method for a communication apparatus that is connected to an electronic device via an interface and performs communication between the electronic device and a network. The communication apparatus control method according to the present embodiment includes a communication state detection step (step S2001 in FIG. 2) for detecting a network state, and an interface control step (step S2002) for controlling the transfer rate of the interface. The interface control step controls the transfer rate of the interface based on at least one of the network state and the electronic device state.

In the communication apparatus 1003 according to the present embodiment, the power consumption of the communication apparatus can be reduced according to the state of the network, and the power consumption of the communication system can be reduced.
[Second Embodiment]
[Constitution]
A configuration of a communication apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of a communication system including the communication apparatus according to the present embodiment. A PC 2 that is an electronic device is connected to an Internet 4 that is an external WAN (Wide Area Network) via a wireless LAN router 1 that is an access point. In general, the wireless LAN router 1 is often employed as an access point used at home. The wireless LAN router 1 has a WAN port. The wireless LAN router 1 may include a wired LAN port.

  In this embodiment, the access point is assumed to be a wireless LAN router 1 assuming use in a general home.

  A PC 2 is wirelessly connected to the wireless LAN router 1 via a wireless LAN client 3. The PC 2 and the wireless LAN client 3 are connected to the Internet 4 via the wireless LAN router 1.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the PC 2 and the wireless LAN client 3. The PC 2 includes a CPU 21, an MCH (Memory Controller Hub) 22, an ICH (IO Controller Hub) 23, and a USB host control unit 24. In the present embodiment, a USB hardware configuration will be particularly described. For simplicity, configurations relating to input / output such as a DDR (Double-Data-Rate) memory and an IO interface are omitted, but the hardware configuration of the PC 2 is assumed to be equivalent to a general PC.

  The wireless LAN client 3 includes a USB interface 31, a wireless LAN control unit 34, a USB interface control unit 32, an antenna control unit 36, analog wireless circuits 37a and 37b, antennas 38a and 38b, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 35, and a communication state detection. Part 33. The wireless LAN control unit 34 and the USB interface control unit 32 are main parts of the wireless LAN client connected to the PC 2 via the USB interface 31. Each of the analog radio circuits 37a and 37b includes a FIL (FILter), a PA (Power Amplifier), and an LNA (Low Noise Amplifier), and transmits and receives radio signals.

In this embodiment, the number of wireless LAN data transmission / reception paths (number of streams) is two. That is, the wireless LAN client 3 according to the present embodiment includes analog wireless circuits (FIL, PA, LNA) 37a and 37b that transmit and receive wireless signals, and antennas 38a and 38b. Note that the number of analog radio circuits and antennas (number of streams) is not limited to two, and may be one or more.
[Operation]
Next, processing of the power control method for the communication apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 4, the RAM 35 holds setting information of the wireless LAN client 3. That is, the setting information of each user who uses the wireless LAN client 3 is held in the RAM 35.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining processing from when the connection request to the wireless LAN router 1 is generated until the wireless LAN client 3 connects to the wireless LAN router 1 in the power control method of the present embodiment.

  Note that the power saving process in the present embodiment is not limited to the transition operation to the standby state in the PC 2 or the like. That is, the power saving process according to the present embodiment optimizes the USB interface, the wireless mode, the wireless communication speed (link rate), the number of wireless streams, and the like according to the usage state of the user, thereby maintaining the wireless communication performance. In addition, a process for reducing power consumption is included.

  When a connection request to the wireless LAN router 1 is generated (FIG. 5, step S101), setting of the power saving mode is started (step S102), and it is determined whether or not the power saving mode is set for the wireless LAN client 3. (Step S103).

  Information about the setting of the power saving mode is stored in the RAM 35 of the wireless LAN client 3. At the start of the connection process of the wireless LAN client 3, the setting information held in the RAM 35 is referred to determine the connection in the power saving mode or the connection in the normal mode, and the connection mode is set.

  The data held in the RAM 35 may be changeable by the user via an application and driver in the PC 2.

  If the power saving mode is set (YES in step S103), the communication speed on the WAN side is detected (step S105). In the present embodiment, the communication speed is determined with 100 Mbps as a threshold. Note that the threshold is not limited to 100 Mbps, and may be larger. The threshold value may be smaller than this.

  If the connection is not in the power saving mode (NO in step S103), setting of the power saving mode is not necessary (step S104), and the setting of the power saving mode ends.

  It is determined whether or not the communication speed of the WAN side line is 100 Mbps or less (step S105), and the communication speed between the wireless LAN router 1 and the wireless LAN client 3 is set in response to the determination result.

  As for the determination method in step S105, for example, a command relating to setting of the communication speed is prepared in advance between the wireless LAN router 1 side system and the wireless LAN client 3. This command notifies the value of the communication speed of the WAN side line from the wireless LAN router 1 side to the wireless LAN client 3 side.

  Alternatively, the wireless LAN client 3 may set the communication speed of the WAN interface in the user's system by the user's own operation.

  The setting value of the wireless LAN router 1 does not need to be changed frequently as long as the WAN environment is stable. For this reason, the frequency of setting the communication speed may be low.

  When the communication speed on the WAN side is 100 Mbps or less (step S105 YES), the communication speed is set to a value of 100 Mbps or less (step S107).

  If the WAN communication speed exceeds 100 Mbps (step S105 NO), the communication speed is set to 1 Gbps (step S106). The communication speed is not limited to 1 Gbps, and may be higher or lower.

  By determining the communication speed on the WAN side (step S105), for example, it is possible to know the communication speed in data transmission / reception between an electronic device in an individual house and the Internet line. Based on this communication speed, the operation speed of the communication device can be set to an optimum value.

  For example, even if the wireless communication speed between the wireless LAN router 1 and the wireless LAN client exceeds 1 Gbps in a private house, the communication speed between the wireless LAN router 1 and the Internet 4 is 100 Mbps or less. There is. Under such conditions, even if the wireless LAN communication speed in the private house is high, the communication speed with the Internet is low, so that the performance of the communication device operating in the private house is not fully exhibited.

  In this state, if the wireless LAN communication speed in a private house is set to 100 Mbps, the WAN communication speed and the wireless LAN communication speed are substantially the same, and data transmission / reception between the electronic device such as the PC 2 and the Internet is performed. The communication line speed can be regarded as uniform.

  For example, assume that the Internet communication speed is 100 Mbps and the wireless LAN communication speed between the wireless LAN router 1 and the wireless LAN client 3 is 450 Mbps. In such a state, the wireless LAN communication speed is high, but the Internet communication speed is low. Therefore, in the data communication between the PC 2 and the Internet, the communication performance is exhibited only up to the Internet communication speed. That is, the wireless LAN communication apparatus has a longer period of waiting for data transmission / reception with the Internet.

  In the present embodiment, by optimizing the wireless LAN communication speed based on the WAN communication speed, generation of useless waiting time in the wireless LAN communication apparatus is suppressed, and power consumption is reduced.

  If the WAN communication speed is 100 Mbps or less (YES in step S105), the communication speed is set to a value of 100 Mbps or less (step S107).

  Next, the PC 2 and the wireless LAN client 3 are connected using a USB 2.0 interface (step S108).

  As a standard, USB 2.0 has a maximum data transfer rate of 480 Mbps. If the Internet communication speed is 100 Mbps, the USB 2.0 transfer rate of 480 Mbps is sufficient for communication processing. Note that even if the reduction in the net data transmitted and received due to the overhead in data communication is taken into consideration, a speed of 200 to 250 Mbps is secured as the effective throughput.

  Under such conditions, when USB 3.0 is used for connection between the PC 2 and the wireless LAN client 3, the maximum data transfer speed of USB 3.0 is 5 Gbps, but the Internet communication speed is smaller. Communication performance is determined. For this reason, the communication performance is the same as when USB 2.0 is used. USB 3.0 has a power supply capability of 900 mA, which is much larger than the power supply capability of USB 2.0 of 500 mA. For this reason, the power consumption is larger than that in the case of USB 2.0, and the state is far from the optimum setting, and excessive power is wasted.

  In the PC 2, when the wireless LAN client 3 is recognized as a device on an operating system (OS) such as Windows (registered trademark), the PC 2 and the wireless LAN client 3 can communicate via the USB interface. become.

  Next, the connection between the wireless LAN router 1 and the wireless LAN client 3 is started, and data communication is performed (step S109).

  After the data communication is started, the wireless LAN communication speed and the number of streams are set (step S110), and the setting of the wireless LAN communication is completed (step S112).

  If the WAN communication speed is over 100 Mbps (NO in step S105), the communication speed is set to a value of 1 Gbps or higher (step S106).

  Next, the PC 2 and the wireless LAN client 3 are connected using the USB 3.0 in which the maximum data transfer rate is defined as 5 Gbps (step S111).

  Although depending on the specifications of the driver operating on the PC 2, when the interface is USB 2.0 by default, the USB 2.0 is switched to USB 3.0 in step S 111. If the initial setting is USB 3.0, the mode is switched to USB 2.0 in step S108 described above.

  When the Internet communication speed is 1 Gbps, the interface 2.0 has a lower interface transfer speed with USB 2.0, which has a maximum data transfer speed of 480 Mbps, which determines the communication performance for data transmission between the PC 2 and the Internet. Is done. Under such conditions, when USB 2.0 is used as an interface, the Internet communication speed cannot be fully utilized. On the other hand, if USB 3.0 is used for the interface, a sufficiently high communication speed can be secured.

  Next, when the PC 2 recognizes the wireless LAN client 3 as a device on the OS and communication between the PC 2 and the wireless LAN client 3 becomes possible, the connection between the wireless LAN router 1 and the wireless LAN client 3 starts, and data Communication is performed (step S112).

  Furthermore, the frequency of the carrier wave in wireless communication is set. That is, it is determined whether to connect with a radio frequency of 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz (step S113).

  When connecting with a radio frequency of 5 GHz (step S113 YES), the radio frequency is set to 5 GHz (step S114). Next, it is determined whether to connect in the IEEE802.11ac (hereinafter, 11ac) mode or in IEEE802.11n (hereinafter, 11n) mode (step S115). In the 11n mode, the frequency band is 2.5 GHz or 5 GHz, and the number of spatial streams can be up to four. The communication speed is theoretically 600 Mbps at the maximum, but the effective speed is about 150 Mbps. In the 11ac mode, the frequency band is 5 GHz, and the number of spatial streams can be up to 8. The maximum communication speed is 6.9 Gbps.

  The configuration in which the connection is performed in the 11ac mode or the configuration in which the number of streams is connected in the 11n mode (YES in step S115) corresponds to a maximum communication speed of 6.9 Gbps (11ac) or 600 Mbps (11n, 4 streams). For this reason, connection with USB 3.0 is performed (step S116).

  Further, in the 11n mode, when the number of streams is 3 or less (NO in step S115), the communication speed is 450 Mbps at the maximum and USB 2.0 (maximum data transfer speed is 480 Mbps) can be supported. For this reason, it connects by USB2.0 (step S117) and suppresses power consumption.

  When connecting with a radio frequency of 2.4 GHz (step S113 NO), the radio frequency is set to 2.4 GHz (step S118). When the radio frequency is 2.4 GHz, the connection is in 11n mode. If the number of streams is 3 or less (YES in step S119), the communication speed is 450 Mbps at the maximum value, so the connection is made with USB 2.0 (step S120). When the number of streams is 4 (NO in step S119), the USB 2.0 data rate (480 Mbps) cannot sufficiently cope with the communication speed of 600 Mbps, so the connection is made with USB 3.0 (step S121).

  Next, the procedure for setting the wireless LAN communication speed and the number of wireless LAN streams in step S110 in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the wireless LAN control unit 34 in the wireless LAN client 3 according to the present embodiment.

  The wireless LAN control unit 34 includes a communication speed calculation unit 34 a that calculates a communication speed based on at least one of the network state detected by the communication state detection unit 33 and the state of the wireless LAN client 3. Based on the communication speed obtained by the communication speed calculation unit 34a, the communication method extraction unit 34b refers to the correspondence table held in the correspondence data holding unit 34c and extracts communication method candidates. Further, the communication method selection unit 34d selects a communication method from communication method candidates.

  FIG. 7 is a table showing an example of correspondence between the wireless mode (communication method) and the communication speed. FIG. 7 refers to the number of streams and the communication speed in each wireless mode.

  FIG. 6 is a table showing an example of correspondence between the wireless mode and power consumption. FIG. 6 shows the correspondence between the wireless mode, the number of streams, the communication speed, and the power consumption. The USB interface is specified to operate at 5 V and 500 mA for USB 2.0, and to operate at 5 V and 900 mA for USB 3.0. FIG. 6 refers to the number of streams, communication speed, and power consumption in each wireless mode.

  6 and 7, 1SS and 2SS indicate the number of streams. In FIG. 4, the number of streams can be changed by controlling the power supply from the antenna control unit 36 to the analog radio circuits 37a and 37b. Power consumption can be suppressed by reducing the number of streams.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for optimizing the communication speed and the number of streams.

  First, the communication speed calculation unit 34a calculates an optimal wireless LAN communication speed based on the wireless environment including the WAN communication speed detected in step S105 of FIG. 5 (step S201).

  Next, it is determined whether the PC 2 and the wireless LAN client 3 are connected via USB 2.0 (step S202).

  In FIG. 5, the interface is connected by USB 2.0 or USB 3.0, but in step S202, it is determined by which standard USB the connection is made with reference to the connection state of the interface.

  If the interface is connected by USB 2.0 (step S202 YES), it is determined whether or not the optimum communication speed is 480 Mbps or higher (step S203). 480 Mbps is the maximum data transfer rate of USB 2.0.

  When the optimum communication speed is less than 480 Mbps (NO in step S203), the communication method extraction unit 34b refers to the correspondence table between the wireless mode and the communication speed in FIG. Mode candidates are extracted (step S207). The correspondence data holding unit 34c holds data of a correspondence table between the wireless mode and the communication speed shown in FIG.

  If the optimum communication speed is 480 Mbps or higher (YES in step S203), the communication method extraction unit 34b refers to the wireless mode and communication speed correspondence table in FIG. Are extracted (step S204). Specifically, a wireless mode corresponding to a communication speed that falls within a range of (480-20) Mbps to (480 + 20) Mbps, for example, is extracted with a wide communication speed. The width of the communication speed is arbitrary, and the width value may be changed.

  In selecting the wireless mode corresponding to the optimum communication speed, it is better to set the width of the communication speed small in order to increase the accuracy. On the other hand, in order to achieve greater power savings, set a wide range of communication speeds, extract many wireless mode candidates, and select from these candidates those that achieve greater power savings. That's fine.

  When the interface is connected with USB 3.0 (NO in step S202), the wireless mode candidates are determined by referring to the correspondence table between the wireless mode and the communication speed in FIG. 7 based on the optimum communication speed calculated in step S201. Extract (step S206).

  Next, the communication method selection unit 34d compares the extracted wireless mode candidates in the correspondence table between the wireless mode and the power consumption in FIG. Among these candidates, a wireless mode with low power consumption is selected (step S205). The correspondence data holding unit 34c holds data of a correspondence table between the wireless mode and the power consumption shown in FIG.

  In each of steps S204, S206, and S207, since the wireless mode having the optimum communication speed is selected, the deterioration of the communication performance due to the difference between the wireless LAN communication speed and the WAN communication speed is suppressed, and the power consumption is reduced. Can be reduced.

  In step S207 and step S206 as well, similarly to step S204, even when a wireless mode candidate that matches the optimum communication speed is extracted with reference to FIG. 7, the optimum communication speed may be widened. . This width can be arbitrarily changed.

  With the above procedure, the setting of the communication speed and the number of streams of the wireless LAN communication is completed, and optimum values are given to each. Thereby, power saving in wireless LAN communication is realized.

  The communication apparatus according to the present embodiment is a network device that can be connected to an external network by wireless communication, and includes a USB interface switching unit. Currently, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 are commonly used USB standards, but USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 have different transfer speed and power consumption values. In other words, power consumption is reduced by switching to USB 2.0, which consumes less power. According to the USB standard, the power supply capability of USB 2.0 is 500 mA at maximum with respect to 5 V, and the power supply capability of USB 3.0 is 900 mA. In general, a high-speed interface consumes more power than a low-speed interface.

  The communication apparatus according to the present embodiment realizes power saving by controlling to switch to USB 2.0 in the case of low-speed communication.

  Also, for a communication environment where the communication speed can be increased, the communication apparatus is controlled so that the communication performance of the communication apparatus can be maximized by switching to USB 3.0.

  In the communication method according to the present embodiment, the communication speed at the rate-determining stage is detected, the interface standard is switched to maximize the communication performance, and control is performed so that the power supply power supplied from the interface does not become excessive. To do. That is, if there is a portion with a low communication speed other than the interface in the communication path from the electronic device to the external network, the interface communication speed is set to be low. Further, if there is no part with a low communication speed other than the interface, the interface communication speed is set to be high. Thereby, wasteful consumption of electric power can be suppressed while ensuring an optimum communication speed.

  Further, the communication apparatus according to the present embodiment includes means for detecting a communication speed on the external network (WAN) side such as the Internet, sets an optimum wireless environment based on the communication speed, and Power saving can be achieved.

  Information about correspondence between the communication speed of the wireless communication between the wireless LAN router and the wireless LAN client, the wireless communication method (wireless mode), and the power consumption is prepared in advance. With reference to this information, an optimal wireless mode that minimizes power consumption is selected based on the detected communication speed on the WAN side. That is, it is possible to set an optimal wireless communication method that suppresses power consumption while maximizing wireless performance with respect to the communication speed on the WAN side.

  The communication device according to the present embodiment has a function of selecting either USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 as an interface of a wireless LAN client connected to the PC based on the detected communication speed on the WAN side. It is characterized by providing. It is determined whether the communication speed of the wired LAN on the WAN side is 100 Mbps or 1 Gbps, and it is determined which of USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 is used for connection.

  According to the USB standard, the maximum data transfer rate of USB 2.0 is 480 Mbps, and the maximum data transfer rate of USB 3.0 is 5 Gbps. When the communication speed on the WAN side to which the wireless LAN client is connected is 100 Mbps, there is no higher speed, so the communication section of the wireless LAN can be sufficiently covered with the USB 2.0 communication speed (480 Mbps). In the wireless LAN communication section, even if the connection is made with USB 3.0, which consumes a large amount of power, the WAN line speed is 100 Mbps, so excessive power is wasted.

  In addition, the communication apparatus according to the present embodiment includes information on communication speed and power consumption for each wireless LAN communication method (wireless mode), and sets a wireless environment based on the information.

  As a standard of the wireless mode, there are modes such as IEEE 11ac, 11n, and 11bga. The communication speed and power consumption differ for each mode. In particular, power consumption is large when signals are transmitted in wireless communication. For this reason, if a correspondence table between the power consumption at the time of transmission and each wireless mode is prepared in advance and the mode is set before transmission, the wireless communication process can be started in the optimum wireless mode.

  The communication apparatus according to the present embodiment includes information on power consumption, communication speed, and the number of streams in order to realize an optimal wireless environment, and sets the wireless environment based on the information.

  In addition to the correspondence table between the communication speed and the power consumption described above, the number of streams can be optimized by considering the number of streams. That is, when the communication speed is increased, the number of streams may be increased to activate the antenna circuit on the board. In order to reduce the communication speed, the power supply of some antenna circuits on the substrate may be turned off. This reduces power consumption. Specifically, power supply to the analog circuit including the power amplifier around the antenna is stopped.

  Further, the power control method for the communication device according to the present embodiment determines an optimum communication speed based on the wireless communication environment, extracts a wireless mode that realizes this communication speed, and consumes the extracted wireless mode. Select the one with the lowest power.

  Usually, the communication speed in wireless communication varies greatly depending on the wireless communication environment. The wireless modes extracted based on the optimum communication speed are compared, and the optimum mode for power saving is selected.

  Moreover, the power control method of the communication apparatus according to the present embodiment may give a range to the value of the communication speed when extracting the wireless mode selection candidate. The threshold value defining the width may be arbitrarily changed. A wireless mode is extracted such that the communication speed is within the range defined by the threshold. By changing the threshold value, the scale of the wireless mode extracted as the selection candidate can be adjusted.

  In this embodiment, the interface standard is USB 2.0 or USB 3.0. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other interface standards may be included.

In this embodiment, the wireless mode standard is IEEE11ac, 11n, 11bga, but is not limited to this, and other wireless mode standards may be included.
[Third Embodiment]
Next, the configuration of a communication apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The hardware configuration of the PC 2 according to the present embodiment is the same as that shown in the block diagram of FIG.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of the configuration of the hardware and software system of the PC 2 according to this embodiment. The hardware layer in the system configuration of the PC 2 includes a USB wireless LAN client 28a, a keyboard / mouse 28b, and a power control IC (Integrated Circuit) 28c. The driver layer includes a wireless LAN driver 27a, a keyboard / mouse driver 27b, and a power control driver 27c. The PC 2 further includes an operating system (OS) 26 such as Windows or Linux (registered trademark), and the application layer includes a wireless LAN control application 25a.

  The PC 2 is driven by power supplied from an external power source such as a power line (AC power source) or power supplied from an internal power source such as a battery (battery) built in the PC 2.

  In FIG. 9, the power control IC 28c determines whether the PC 2 is driven by an AC power source or a battery, and sends information about the power source to the USB wireless LAN client 28a via the OS 26. Notice. The USB wireless LAN client 28a that has received the notification changes the power saving mode depending on whether the PC 2 is driven by an AC power source or a battery. That is, when the PC 2 is driven by a battery, the life of the battery can be maintained longer by suppressing power consumption related to the operation of wireless LAN communication.

  When the USB wireless LAN client 28a receives notification that the PC 2 is driven by a battery, the USB wireless LAN client 28a automatically changes the power saving mode.

  In FIG. 9, the power control IC 28c determines whether, for example, the notebook PC 2 is driven by an AC power supply or a battery, and the determined result is the power in the driver layer, which is the upper layer. Notify the control driver 27c.

  The power control driver 27c notifies the wireless LAN control application 25a via the OS 26.

  The wireless LAN control application 25a refers to the user setting information and executes necessary processing for the USB wireless LAN client 28a. Specifically, a control instruction is transmitted to the wireless LAN driver 27a via the OS 26. Upon receiving the instruction, the wireless LAN driver 27a controls the USB wireless LAN client 28a in the hardware layer.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for switching processing of the power saving mode of the communication apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  When a connection request from the wireless LAN client 3 to the wireless LAN router 1 is generated (step S301), it is determined whether or not switching of the power saving mode of the wireless LAN client 3 is automatically executed (step S302).

  Regarding the setting of the power saving mode, it is assumed that the user has set the USB wireless LAN client 3 in advance, and the set information is held in a memory or the like. The determination of the power saving mode setting in step S302 is performed, for example, by referring to the setting information held in the memory.

  The USB wireless LAN client 28a may include a hardware input unit, and the power saving mode may be changed by a user operation. In addition, it may be switched whether the power saving mode is automatically changed or whether the user manually performs the changing operation. Furthermore, a setting that fixes the power saving mode without automatically switching may be made possible.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that three modes that can be set by the user are prepared. The first mode is a mode for automatically switching the power saving mode. When the PC 2 is driven by an AC power supply, it operates in the normal mode without shifting to the power saving mode. When the notification that the PC 2 is driven by the battery is received, the mode automatically shifts to the power saving mode. The second mode is a mode that forcibly shifts to the power saving mode by a user operation or the like. Even if the power supplied to the PC 2 is from an AC power supply, the PC 2 operates in the power saving mode. The third mode is a mode fixed to the normal mode without shifting to the power saving mode. The third mode is a mode that operates in the normal mode regardless of whether the power supply is an AC power supply or a battery.

  When the setting of the power saving mode is automatically switched (step S302 YES), it is determined whether the PC 2 is operated by being driven by a battery (step S303). When it is determined that the PC 2 is not driven by the battery (NO in step S303), the PC 2 is driven by the AC power source and is connected to the wireless LAN router 1 in the normal mode (step S306). When it is determined that the PC 2 is driven by the battery (YES in step S303), the setting of the power saving mode is started (step S304).

  Note that the setting of the power saving mode is as described in the second embodiment of the present invention, and thus the details are omitted.

  If the setting of the power saving mode is not a mode that automatically switches (NO in step S302), it is determined whether or not the setting of the power saving mode is fixed (step S305). When the setting of the power saving mode is fixed (YES in step S305), the setting of the power saving mode is started (step S304). When the setting is not fixed in the power saving mode (NO in step S305), the connection in the normal mode is started (step S306).

  The communication apparatus according to the present embodiment determines whether the PC to which the wireless LAN client is connected is driven by electric power from the power line (AC) or battery. That is, when it is determined that the PC is driven by the battery, the PC is operated in the power saving mode.

  That is, the IC that controls the power supply on the PC manages the AC drive state and the battery drive state, and transmits these pieces of information to the wireless LAN client. The wireless LAN client receives this information and automatically saves power. In the PC, power management software is usually activated. The power management software has a function of monitoring and displaying the state of the battery being charged, and the operation of this software determines whether the PC is AC driven or battery driven. The wireless LAN control application obtains this information regarding the driving of the PC and switches the mode.

The communication apparatus according to the present embodiment has a configuration that automatically changes the power saving mode. As a result, the operation of switching the power supply to the PC 2 between the AC power source and the battery and the change of the power saving mode can be linked, and the user does not need to be aware of the change of the power saving mode and is efficient. PC can be used.
[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, the operation of the communication apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 11 and FIG.

  In the present embodiment, a power saving setting process in the wireless LAN router 1 will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the wireless LAN router 1 according to this embodiment. The wireless LAN router 1 includes a router transmission / reception unit 12 that performs wireless LAN communication with the wireless LAN client 3, a WAN port 11 connected to an external network such as the Internet, and a LAN communication that controls the WAN port 11 and the router transmission / reception unit 12. A speed control unit 14 is included. The wireless LAN router 1 may have a wired LAN port 13.

  In the second embodiment, the power saving processing of the wireless LAN client 3 is set with reference to the WAN communication speed detected from the wireless LAN router 1. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the communication speed on the WAN side in the wireless LAN router 1 is controlled with reference to the communication speed with the wireless LAN client 3, thereby saving power.

  For example, the communication speed of the port 11 on the WAN side of the wireless LAN router 1 is changed from 1 Gbps to 100 Mbps. Thereby, the power consumption related to the operation of the port is changed, and power saving is performed.

  The power saving process according to the present embodiment is not limited to a change in power consumption on the WAN side. If the wireless LAN router 1 has a wired LAN port 13, the same power saving process can be performed for communication with a PC connected by wire in the LAN port 13.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a power saving mode switching process of the wireless LAN router 1 according to the present embodiment.

  In general, a plurality of communication devices are activated in a home or the like, and each communicates with a WAN such as the Internet. A plurality of wireless LAN clients are connected to the home wireless LAN router in accordance with the number of communication devices used in the home. The communication system in the present embodiment has a configuration in which a plurality of wireless LAN clients are connected to one wireless LAN router.

  When a connection request with the wireless LAN client 3 is generated (step S401), it is determined whether or not the wireless LAN router 1 is operating in the power saving mode (step S402).

  The setting of the power saving mode is the same as the setting of the power saving mode of the wireless LAN client in the second embodiment. That is, the user sets the wireless LAN router and stores the setting information in a memory or the like included in the wireless LAN router.

  When the wireless LAN router 1 is not operating in the power saving mode but operating in the normal mode (NO in step S402), the power saving mode setting process is terminated (step S404), and the wireless LAN router 1 is connected to the WAN side line in the normal mode. The client 3 performs connection at an optimum communication speed.

  When the wireless LAN router 1 is operating in the power saving mode (YES in step S402), the number of wireless communication devices transmitting / receiving data to / from the wireless LAN router 1 is detected (step S403).

  Next, the communication speed is detected, and it is determined whether or not the communication speed is 100 Mbps or less (step S405). In the present embodiment, the communication speed at which the wireless LAN router 1 communicates with the wireless LAN client side is the sum of the communication speeds of wireless LAN clients that are connected to the wireless LAN router and are transmitting and receiving data.

  For example, when two wireless LAN clients communicating at a communication speed of 54 Mbps are connected to perform data communication, the communication speed of the wireless LAN router is 108 Mbps, which is twice that of 54 Mbps.

  When the total communication speed is 100 Mbps or less (step S405 YES), the LAN communication speed control unit 14 sets the communication speed of the WAN side line to 100 Mbps. Thereby, the power consumption related to the operation of the WAN side port is suppressed, and power saving is performed.

  Further, when there is a PC connected to the wired LAN port 13 of the wireless LAN router 1, it is possible to control the communication speed of this port and suppress power consumption related to the operation of the port.

  If the total communication speed is over 100 Mbps (NO in step S405), the LAN communication speed control unit 14 uses a WAN side line of 1 Gbps in order to make use of a communication speed (communication performance) that is large enough for data communication. Set the baud rate to connect.

  The communication device according to the present embodiment controls power consumption in the wireless LAN router 1 by controlling the communication speed to the WAN when the difference in communication speed between the wireless LAN router 1 and the wireless LAN client 3 is not large. The excessive amount of power is suppressed and power saving is performed.

  The communication apparatus according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention relates to a network device that is connected to an external network wirelessly, and reduces power consumption related to wireless communication processing and realizes power saving while maintaining optimum communication performance. Then, it has the characteristics.

  The control method of the communication device according to the above embodiment has a remarkable effect on power saving with respect to a device such as a wireless LAN client connected to an electronic device such as a PC via an interface having a standard such as USB. Have. That is, a wireless LAN client connected to a PC is generally used connected to a USB. In general, PCs used at home are more notebooks than desktops. Power is supplied to a network device connected to the notebook PC via a USB interface included in the PC. The supplied power conforms to the USB standard.

  In general, in a PC to which a wireless LAN client is connected, the PC itself shifts to a sleep state during standby when there is no user operation for a certain period of time, so that the communication system including the PC and the wireless LAN client is saved. Electricity has been used. On the other hand, no power saving has been performed to reduce power consumption while maintaining optimum wireless performance while using a wireless LAN client.

  In the communication apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the power supplied to the wireless LAN client via the USB interface is controlled by controlling the wireless communication speed and the number of wireless LAN streams in the USB interface of the wireless LAN client. The Thereby, power saving is realized. In the communication apparatus according to the present embodiment, the excess of the power consumption in the wireless communication operation is suppressed while optimizing the performance of the communication system.

  A program for executing the above-described processing operations is stored and distributed in a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only Memory), and an MO (Magneto-Optical disk). A device that executes the above-described processing operation may be configured by installing the program in a computer.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be suitably applied to a power control method that realizes power saving by reducing power consumption related to communication processing of a network device connected wirelessly or by wire. is there.

1 Wireless LAN router 2 PC
3 Wireless LAN Client 4 Internet 11 WAN Port 12 Router Transmission / Reception Unit 13 LAN Port 14 LAN Communication Speed Control Unit 21 CPU
22 MCH
23 ICH
24 USB host control unit 25a Wireless LAN control application 26 OS
27a Wireless LAN driver 27b Keyboard / mouse driver 27c Power control driver 28a USB wireless LAN client 28b Keyboard / mouse 28c Power control IC
31 USB interface 32 USB interface control unit 33 communication state detection unit 34 wireless LAN control unit 34a communication speed calculation unit 34b communication method extraction unit 34c corresponding data holding unit 34d communication method selection unit 35 RAM
36 Antenna control unit 37a, 37b Analog radio circuit 38a, 38b Antenna 1002 Electronic device 1003 Communication device 1004 Network 1031 Interface 1032 Interface control means 1033 Communication state detection means 1037 Transmission / reception means

Claims (10)

An interface that mediates connection with electronic devices;
Transmitting / receiving means for performing communication between the electronic device and a network;
Communication state detecting means for detecting the state of the network;
An interface control means for controlling a transfer rate of the interface based on at least one of the state of the electronic device and the state of the network. The transmission / reception means communicates with an access point connected to the network,
The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a communication control unit that selects a communication method of the transmission / reception unit with the access point based on a state of the network. The transmission / reception means includes a plurality of communication circuits,
The communication method includes at least one of a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication standard, a number of communication circuits used among the plurality of communication circuits, and a frequency of a carrier wave of the wireless LAN. Item 3. The communication device according to Item 2. The communication control means includes
A communication speed calculating means for obtaining an optimum communication speed based on at least one of the network state, the communication device state, and the access point state;
A communication method extraction means for extracting communication method candidates from the communication method based on the optimum communication speed;
4. The communication according to claim 2, further comprising: a communication method selection unit that determines a communication method to be used for communication of the transmission / reception unit based on the power consumption of the extracted communication method candidate. 5. apparatus. A communication device according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The access point;
A communication system comprising the electronic device.   6. The access point according to claim 5, further comprising: a transfer rate control unit that controls a transfer rate with the network based on at least one of a state of the network and a state of the communication device. Communication system. A control method of a communication device connected to an electronic device via an interface and performing communication between the electronic device and a network,
A communication state detecting step for detecting the state of the network;
An interface control step of controlling a transfer rate of the interface based on at least one of the state of the network and the state of the electronic device.   8. The communication device according to claim 7, further comprising a communication method control step of selecting a communication method between an access point connected to the network and the communication device based on the state of the network. Control method. The communication method includes at least one of a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication standard, the number of communication circuits (streams) used for communication in a transmission / reception unit of the communication device, and a frequency of a carrier wave of the wireless LAN,
Obtaining an optimum communication speed based on at least one of the state of the network, the state of the communication device, and the state of the access point;
Extracting communication method candidates from the communication method based on the optimum communication speed;
The communication apparatus control method according to claim 8, further comprising: determining a communication system to be used for communication of the communication apparatus based on the power consumption of the extracted communication system candidates. . A control program for a communication device connected to an electronic device through an interface and performing communication between the electronic device and a network,
A communication state detection process for detecting the state of the network;
A control program for a communication apparatus, characterized by causing a computer to perform an interface control process for controlling a transfer rate of the interface based on at least one of the state of the network and the state of the electronic device.

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