JP3433082B2 - Modem communication speed control device and information terminal device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a modem communication speed control device capable of changing and controlling the speed of data communication by designating a communication system of a modem according to communication contents, and a television to which the modem communication speed control device is connected. The present invention relates to information terminal devices such as sets and computers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the widespread use of personal computers, data communication using a modem has become commonplace, and television sets which can be connected to the Internet via the modem are also on the market.

By the way, a general modem at present is configured to automatically select a communication system having a data communication speed as high as possible according to the capability of the communication partner modem and the condition of the communication line between them. ing. However, a method of performing data communication at a higher speed tends to require negotiation (pre-procedure for connection) for a longer time. Therefore, in a communication method in which a small amount of data is transmitted at a relatively high data communication speed, the time required for negotiation is relatively longer than the time required for the transmission of the data that should be originally transmitted. There is a contradiction that it takes a longer time to transmit the data that should be originally transmitted, as compared with the case where the data is transmitted by the communication system having a different data communication speed.

On the other hand, bidirectional television broadcasting has also been put into practical use, for example, displaying images by television broadcasting and communicating with each other via a modem.
In this case, it is generally considered desirable to use a communication system having a data communication speed as high as possible. However, for example, when a quiz is presented on a television program, a viewer selects a relatively simple answer by, for example, a number (1, 2, 3, etc., or A, B, etc.) and transmits it by communication via a modem. In this case, if the modem selects the V34bis method, which is a high-speed communication method with a data communication speed of 33.6 kbps, which requires a relatively long time for negotiation,
It takes a long time for the answer to reach the other party, and there is a possibility that it will be too late for the time limit. In such a case, even if the data communication speed is low, negotiation can be completed in a relatively short time. For example, if communication is performed by the V22bis method, which is a low-speed communication method of 2.4 kbps, the result will be It takes less time for the answer to reach the other party.

[0005]

As described above, when the conventional modem is used, the modem automatically selects a communication method capable of performing data communication as fast as possible according to the capability of the communication partner and the condition of the communication line. Selection, the communication method with the fastest available data communication speed is selected regardless of the type of information to be communicated, the amount of data, etc. Therefore, there has been no guarantee that the total communication time including the time required for negotiation is necessarily the shortest. Therefore, even when transmitting an extremely small amount of data, there is a problem that a relatively long time is required for negotiation, and as a result, it takes a relatively long time to complete the transmission.

On the side of the broadcasting station, it is necessary to take measures such as presetting a long answer time for the quiz.
In that case, the broadcast will be delayed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when communication using a modem is performed corresponding to the contents of the television broadcast, the data communication may be performed depending on the contents of the television broadcast. Provided are a modem communication speed control device and an information terminal device connected to the modem communication speed control device, which solves the above problems by performing communication by a method in which the time required for negotiation is relatively short even if the speed is low. With the goal.

[0008]

A modem communication speed control apparatus according to the present invention includes a first communication method for performing data communication after performing a pre-procedure for connecting with a communication partner, and a first communication method.
A modem communication speed control device for designating a communication method of a modem capable of communicating with a second communication method in which the pre-procedure requires a shorter time than the other communication method and the data communication speed is low. , The amount of data to be transmitted is less than a predetermined amount
It a determining means whether or not the state has been found previously, that the amount of data to be transmitted is equal to or less than a predetermined amount
And a communication system designating unit that designates the communication in the second communication system to the modem when the determining unit determines that the state is already known .

[0009] In modem communication speed control apparatus of the present invention may be the amount of data to be transmitted is equal to or less than a predetermined amount
In a state that is known in advance, that is determined by the determination means, and the communication in the second communication method is designated for the modem, so that the communication is completed more quickly than in the case of the first communication method. .

Further, the information terminal device according to the present invention has a first communication method for performing data communication after performing a pre-procedure for connecting with a communication partner, and a pre-procedure as compared with the first communication method. A modem capable of communicating with the second communication method, which requires a short time for data communication and has a low data communication speed, is connected, and the information terminal device for displaying the image information supplied from the outside is supplied from the outside. Determining means for determining the type of image information to be provided, and specifying the communication by the second communication method to the modem when the determining means determines that the image information provided from the outside is the image information of a predetermined type. And a communication system designating means for performing the communication.

In such an information terminal device of the present invention, the type of image information provided from the outside is determined by the determination means, and when it is determined that the image information is a predetermined type of image information, the information is sent to the modem. Since the communication by the second communication method is designated, when the data amount to be transmitted corresponding to the predetermined type of image information is less than or equal to the predetermined amount, the communication is performed faster than in the case of the first communication method. Is completed.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings showing the embodiments thereof.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a modem communication speed control device and an information terminal device connected to the modem communication speed control device according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, an example applied to a television set is shown. Has been done. The information terminal device of the present invention can be applied not only to a television set but also to a configuration in which a television tuner is incorporated in a personal computer to which a modem is connected, for example.

The CPU 1 controls the entire information terminal device of the present invention. The CPU 1, the tuner 2, the audio circuit 3, the image circuit 4, the operation unit 5 and the like are connected to the CPU 1 as well as a normal television set, and the modem 6 and the NCU (network control circuit) 7 are also connected to the CPU 1. . A speaker 30 is connected to the audio circuit 3 and a display 40 is connected to the image circuit 4.

The NCU 7 is controlled by the CPU 1 so that the PS
Controls the connection between the TN (Public Switched Telephone Network) 9 and the modem 6. The modem 6 is a modulator / demodulator that modulates a digital signal into an audio signal that can be communicated via the PSTN 9, and conversely demodulates an audio signal received from the PSTN 9 into a digital signal. The first communication method that the speed itself is relatively high but the negotiation time is relatively long (for example, the V34bis method that enables high-speed communication at 33.6 kbps)
, And at least two types of communication methods, such as a second communication method (for example, V22bis method capable of high-speed communication at 2.4 kbps) in which the data communication speed itself is relatively low but the time required for negotiation is relatively short It is possible.

The operation unit 5 is used by the user for various operations on the information terminal device of the present invention, for example, operations similar to a normal television set such as switching of television channels and volume adjustment, and bidirectional operation described later. It is also possible to input and transmit information to be transmitted to the broadcasting station side during television broadcasting.

The CPU 1 has the functions of a mode determination unit 11 and a communication system designation unit 12. However, these functions are not built in the CPU 1 as hardware, but RA
This is a function realized by the CPU 1 executing software stored in advance in the memory 8 composed of M and ROM.

The mode determination unit 11 determines the mode signal included in the television signal of the channel selected by the tuner 2, and gives the result to the communication system designation unit 12. The communication system designation unit 12 designates the communication system of the modem 6, in other words, the speed of data communication, according to the result of the mode determination given from the mode determination unit 11. As a result, the communication method specified by the communication method specifying unit 12 is forcibly set in the modem 6. The designation of the communication system from the communication system designating unit 12 to the modem 6 is performed by the AT command which is the de facto standard control command for the modem 6.

The operation of the information terminal device of the present invention having such a configuration will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2 and the schematic diagram showing the display state on the display 40 of FIG.

In the interactive television broadcasting, for example, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the user (viewer) is given a two-choice quiz while receiving the television broadcasting. As shown in Fig. 3 (b), two answers A and B are displayed. While such a screen is displayed, the viewer answers either A or B via PSTN9. It is possible to send to a broadcasting station.

The mode determination unit 11 detects the normal mode (step S11), and when the normal television broadcast is received, the mode determination unit 11 detects the normal mode (step S11). "NO" in S12). In this case, the communication system designation unit 12 does not designate the communication system for the modem 6 (step S13). Therefore, when it is necessary to communicate in such a state,
The modem 6 automatically selects the communication method having the highest data communication speed according to the capability of the communication partner and the situation of the communication line (PSTN 9) at that time to perform communication.

However, as described above, the quiz is given,
Further, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), when the screen for selecting either A or B as the answer is displayed on the display 40, the mode determination unit 11 detects that the linked service mode is set. Then, the communication system designation unit 12 is notified of the detection result ("YES" in step S12).

When the communication system designating unit 12 is notified by the mode determining unit 11 that the service mode is the interlocking service mode as described above, the data communication speed can be selected from among the several communication systems available to the modem 6. This is a communication method in which the time required for negotiation is relatively short even at a relatively low speed, that is, the data communication speed is 2.4 kbps in the present embodiment.
The V22bis method, which is a communication method that is slow but has a relatively simple negotiation and a relatively short time required, is instructed to the modem 6 by an AT command (step S1.
4).

Then, when the user operates the operation unit 5 and gives an instruction for inputting and transmitting an answer (in step S15, "
YES "), the NCU 7 connects to the PSTN 9 (step S16), makes a call to a preset telephone number of the broadcasting station, and the information previously input by the user operating the operation unit 5 (this In that case, the answer A or B) of the two-choice quiz is
The data is transmitted by the communication method specified by the communication method specifying unit 12 in step S14 (step S17).

As described above, in the information terminal device of the present invention, 2
When it is necessary to quickly send a small amount of information that answers the choice quiz, the communication method that the data communication speed itself is relatively low but the negotiation time is relatively short is automatically selected. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time until the completion of the transmission so that the time required for the answer expected by the broadcasting station side can be sufficiently met.

[0026]

As described above in detail, according to the modem communication speed control device of the present invention, it is determined that the amount of data to be transmitted is less than a predetermined amount in advance. It is determined by the means that the communication method is specified such that the speed of data communication is low with respect to the modem, but the time required for the pre-procedure is short, so it is clear that a very small amount of data will be transmitted in advance. In such a state, the communication is completed promptly by designating such a communication method.

Further, according to the information terminal device of the present invention, the type of the image information given from the outside is determined by the determining means, and when it is determined that the image information is a predetermined type of image information, the modem is connected to the modem. On the other hand, the data communication speed is low, but communication in a communication method in which the time required for the pre-procedure is short is specified, so the amount of data to be transmitted corresponding to the predetermined type of image information is the predetermined amount. In the state where the predetermined type of image information which is known to be the following is displayed, the communication is completed more quickly than in the case of the communication method.

Also, on the side of transmitting the image information,
It becomes easy to set the waiting time for reception.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a modem communication speed control device of the present invention and an information terminal device connected thereto.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the modem communication speed control device of the present invention and the information terminal device to which the modem communication speed control device is connected.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an image display example of the information terminal device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 CPU 6 modem 11 Mode determination unit 12 Communication method designation section 40 display

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Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A first communication method in which data communication is performed after performing a pre-procedure for connection with a communication partner, and a time required for the pre-procedure is shorter than that of the first communication method. In a modem communication speed control device that specifies a communication method of a modem that can communicate with a second communication method that has a low data communication speed, it has been found in advance that the amount of data to be transmitted is less than or equal to a predetermined amount.
It is determined in advance that the amount of data to be transmitted is less than or equal to a predetermined amount
When to the determination means that the state has is determined,
A modem communication speed control device comprising: a communication system designating means for designating communication in the second communication system to the modem. 2. A first communication method for performing data communication after performing a pre-procedure for connection with a communication partner, and a time required for the pre-procedure is shorter than that of the first communication method. In an information terminal device that is connected to a modem that can communicate with the second communication method in which the data communication speed is low and that displays image information given from the outside, the type of the image information given from the outside is determined. Judgment means, and communication method specification means for specifying communication by the second communication method to the modem when the judgment means judges that the image information given from the outside is image information of a predetermined type. An information terminal device comprising: