JP5549492B2 - Mobile communication device - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a mobile communication device.

  There is known a mobile communication device that includes a wireless communication unit that performs voice communication and a wireless communication unit that performs data communication, and operates these wireless communication units simultaneously to perform both wireless communication simultaneously. Wireless data communication includes communication via a mobile communication network, communication via a wireless LAN, and the like. CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) 2000, which is communication via a mobile communication network, includes a 1X system for voice communication and a 1xEV-DO (Evolution-Data Only) system for high-speed data communication. It is conceivable to perform communication by

  The 1X system and the 1xEV-DO system are independent systems, and their radio frequencies and protocols are different. In addition, there is a base station having both types of base stations only for the 1X system. The base station sends out independent control signals for the 1X system and the 1xEV-DO system, both of which are asynchronous.

JP 2008-263364 A (second page, FIG. 5)

  When the device does not communicate in the voice communication method and / or the data communication method, when the device is within the service area of the method, the intermittent reception operation of the communication of the method If it is outside the service area, a cell search for that type of communication is required. Here, the cell search is to detect a base station of the system and select it as a standby base station. Based on the selection of the standby base station, the mobile communication device is determined to be within the service area.

  These processes have a problem that leads to an increase in the amount of power consumed by the apparatus. In particular, the cell search consumes a larger amount of power than the intermittent reception, and a reduction is strongly demanded.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile communication apparatus that performs communication of a plurality of methods and that consumes less power.

  In order to achieve the above object, a mobile communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first type wireless communication via a first type base station and a second type wireless via a second type base station. A mobile communication device that performs one or both of communication, comprising: a main processing unit including a control unit and a main communication unit; and a sub processing unit including a sub communication unit, wherein the control unit includes the first processing unit. If the main communication means is out of the service area of the first type of wireless communication, the main communication means performs a cell search for the first type of wireless communication, and if the apparatus is in the service area of the first type of wireless communication, the main communication means When the first type of wireless communication is intermittently received and the apparatus is outside the service area of the second type of wireless communication, the operation of the slave processing unit is stopped and the main communication unit is caused to stop the second type of wireless communication. The cell search of communication is performed, and the device performs the second type wireless communication service. The slave processing means is operated to cause the slave communication means to intermittently receive the second type of wireless communication, and the control means is configured so that the device is within the service area of the second type of wireless communication. Yes, when an incoming signal of the second type of wireless communication is received by the slave communication means, and when a predetermined input is received from the input means, the slave communication means performs the second type of wireless communication. It is characterized by that.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile communication device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the main process part which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the sub processing part which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart of the communication control operation | movement of the main-control part which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention (the 1 and the case where both systems do not communicate). The flowchart of the communication control operation | movement of the main-control part which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention (the case where the communication of the 2nd one system is performed). The flowchart of the communication control operation | movement of the main-control part which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention (the case 3 and the communication of both systems are performed). The flowchart of the communication control operation | movement of the main control part which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention (the 4th, when the communication taking over to a different process part is performed). The flowchart of the communication control operation | movement of the main control part which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention (the 1 and the case where both systems do not communicate). The flowchart of the communication control operation | movement of the main-control part which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention (the case where the communication of the 2nd one method is performed). The flowchart of the communication control operation | movement of the main-control part which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention (the case 3 and the communication of both systems are performed).

  Embodiments of a mobile communication device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile communication apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This mobile communication apparatus includes a main processing unit 10 including a main connection unit 10-1 and a sub processing unit 30 including a sub connection unit 30-1. And the main connection part 10-1 and the subordinate connection part 30-1 are connected. This connection is based on, for example, transmission / reception of data by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) method or a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) method, and notification of information by a GPIO (General Purpose Input / Output) method, for example. The main processing unit 10 is a main processing unit (master) and controls the sub processing unit 30. The sub processor 30 is a sub processor (slave) and operates based on the control of the main processor 10.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the main processing unit 10. The main processing unit 10 controls the main connecting unit 10-1 connected to the sub connecting unit 30-1 and the main processing unit 10 as a whole, and controls the sub processing unit 30 via the main connecting unit 10-1. A main control unit 11, a communication unit 12, an antenna 12 a that transmits and receives radio waves between a 1X system base station (not shown) and a 1xEV-DO system base station (not shown), and a transmission / reception unit 13 , A call unit 14, a speaker 14a for generating received voice, a microphone 14b for transmitting voice, a display unit 15, an input unit 16, an intermittent reception unit 17, a cell search unit 18, and an application unit 21. And, for example, a personal computer connection unit 22 that transmits and receives data to and from a personal computer by the USB method.

  The main processing unit 10 further includes a main CPU 10-2 and a storage unit 10-3 including a RAM and a ROM. The main control unit 11, the intermittent reception unit 17, the cell search unit 18, and the application unit 21 are stored in the storage unit 10-3 and configured by a program that uses the main CPU 10-2. The apparatus includes a rechargeable battery (not shown), and the battery is controlled by the main control unit 11 to supply power to each unit of the apparatus and be charged according to the control.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the sub processor 30. The slave processing unit 30 controls the slave processing unit 30 as a whole and is controlled by the master processing unit 10 via the slave connection unit 30-1 connected to the main connection unit 10-1 and the slave connection unit 30-1. The slave control unit 31 that controls the entire slave processing unit 30, the communication unit 32, the antenna 32a that transmits and receives radio waves between the 1X system base station and the 1xEV-DO system base station, and the transmission and reception unit 33 And an intermittent receiving unit 34 and a cell search unit 35.

  Further, the slave processing unit 30 includes a slave CPU 30-2 and a storage unit 30-3 including a RAM and a ROM. The slave control unit 31, the intermittent reception unit 34, and the cell search unit 35 include a storage unit. 30-3, and is configured by a program that uses the slave CPU 30-2.

  With this configuration, the mobile communication device can perform 1X communication and 1xEV-DO communication, and can perform both communication simultaneously. In addition, by increasing the independence of these communication control processes, it is possible to suppress the complexity of the control processes, for example, an increase in the amount of programs. However, this device has one SIM for both communications and shares one telephone number. Having one telephone number is common to a mobile communication device that includes, for example, one communication unit, one antenna, and one transmission / reception unit, and performs either one of the two communications at one time. The device does not require any special processing from the communication partner device.

  The operation of each part of the mobile communication device configured as described above according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The communication unit 12 outputs the high-frequency signal received by the antenna 12a to the transmission / reception unit 13, and transmits the high-frequency signal output from the transmission / reception unit 13 from the antenna 12a. Here, the high-frequency signal is a 1X system signal and a 1xEV-DO system signal.

  The transmission / reception unit 13 transmits / receives a 1X system signal and a 1xEV-DO system signal. That is, first, the 1X high frequency signal from the communication unit 12 is amplified, frequency converted and demodulated, and the digital call voice signal obtained thereby is transmitted to the communication unit 14 and the 1X control signal is transmitted to the main control unit 11. Send to. Further, the transmission / reception unit 13 modulates, frequency converts and amplifies the digital call voice signal output from the call unit 14 and the 1X control signal output from the main control unit 11 to obtain a high-frequency signal, Is sent to the communication unit 12 for transmission.

  Second, the transmission / reception unit 13 amplifies, frequency-converts, and demodulates the 1xEV-DO high-frequency signal from the communication unit 12, and the obtained digital data signal is sent to the application unit 21 to control the 1xEV-DO method. A signal is sent to the main control unit 11. Further, the transmission / reception unit 13 modulates, frequency-converts and amplifies the digital data signal output from the application unit 21 and the 1xEV-DO control signal output from the main control unit 11 to obtain a high-frequency signal, It is sent to the communication unit 12 for transmission.

  Here, the transmission / reception unit 13 transmits / receives a digital call audio signal related to the call unit 14 to / from the 1X system base station, and transmits a digital data signal related to the application unit 21 to / from the 1xEV-DO system base station. One of transmission and reception is performed. Both of these transmissions and receptions cannot be performed simultaneously.

  The call unit 14 converts the digital audio signal output from the transmission / reception unit 13 or output from the transmission / reception unit 33 via the main connection unit 10-1 into an analog audio signal according to the control of the main control unit 11. Is sent to the speaker 14a. Further, the analog audio signal output from the microphone 14b is amplified, converted into a digital audio signal, and transmitted to the transmission / reception unit 13 or the transmission / reception unit 33 via the main connection unit 10-1 according to the control of the main control unit 11. Send to.

  The display unit 15 is an organic EL display (Organic Electro-Luminescence Display) or a backlit LCD that is used to prompt the user to operate, display the contents operated by the user, display the operation state of the apparatus, or the like. (Liquid Crystal Display), which is controlled by the main control unit 11 and each unit of the apparatus to display image data including characters, numerals, and icons.

  The input unit 16 includes a key including a numeric key for designating a telephone number of a communication partner and a plurality of function keys. When the key of the input unit 16 is operated, the identifier of the key is notified to the main control unit 11 and displayed as a character on the display unit 15 by the main control unit 11, or further on the main processing unit 10. The slave processing unit 30 is controlled via the main connection unit 10-1.

  In addition to the input unit 16, the apparatus may include a touch pad, and may perform an input operation by touching a finger or a touch pad of a stylus pen in addition to an operation of a key of the input unit 16. Further, the touch pad may be installed so as to cover substantially the entire display screen of the display unit 15 to constitute a touch panel. In this case, the input unit 16 may be provided with a small number of keys such as keys for instructing power on / off.

  When the intermittent receiving unit 17 is activated by the main control unit 11, the intermittent receiving unit 17 is intermittently woken up at predetermined intermittent reception intervals, is a 1X system and / or a 1xEV-DO system, and is designated by the main control unit 11. The intermittent reception operation of the method in the service area is started. The intermittent receiving unit 17 controls the transmitting / receiving unit 13 to receive the radio wave transmitted from the base station. When the control signal including the incoming signal is included, the intermittent control unit 17 controls that the signal is received. The unit 11 is notified.

  In addition, the intermittent receiving unit 17 performs cell reselection. That is, when intermittent reception, comparing the quality of the radio wave transmitted from the standby base station with the quality of the radio wave transmitted from the base station installed adjacent to the base station, if the latter exceeds the former, The base station that transmitted the highest quality radio wave is selected as the standby base station. Furthermore, when the quality of the radio wave transmitted from any base station falls below a predetermined quality threshold value, the intermittent receiving unit 17 determines that the device is out of service area and notifies the main control unit 11 of the determination. As described above, the intermittent reception unit 17 performs an intermittent reception operation on a method in the service range regardless of whether communication is performed in the method.

  When activated by the main control unit 11, the cell search unit 18 wakes up every predetermined cell search interval longer than a predetermined intermittent reception interval, and is a 1X system and a 1xEV-DO system. The base station of the method specified by is detected and selected as a standby base station. Here, it is assumed that the apparatus is located outside the service area of the designated method. When a base station that transmits radio waves exceeding a predetermined quality threshold is detected, in other words, when it is determined that the device is in the range, the base station is selected as a standby base station, and the device is in the range. This is notified to the main control unit 11 and the operation is terminated. If a base station that transmits radio waves exceeding a predetermined quality threshold value is not detected despite operating for a predetermined time, the main control unit 11 is notified of this and the intermittent operation is terminated.

  The application unit 21 includes various applications that accompany data communication by the 1xEV-DO method. For example, an e-mail transmission / reception unit (not shown) accompanied by transmission / reception of e-mail data, a browser unit (not shown) accompanying access to web content, download of content such as still images, moving images, music data, etc. A content reproduction unit (not shown), a file transfer unit (not shown) for transferring files, and the like.

  The application unit 21 includes a personal computer data transfer unit (not shown) that transmits and receives data to and from a personal computer (not shown) via the personal computer connection unit 22. Each unit of the application unit 21 transmits information stored in the storage unit 10-3 via the transmission / reception unit 13, and stores information received via the transmission / reception unit 13 in the storage unit 10-3. . Alternatively, information is transmitted / received via the transmission / reception unit 33 instead of the transmission / reception unit 13. Further, the personal computer data transfer unit may operate as if the personal computer is performing data communication by the 1xEV-DO method by operating simultaneously with an application involving data communication by the 1xEV-DO method.

  The sub control unit 31 is controlled by the main control unit 11 through the main connection unit 10-1 and the sub connection unit 30-1, and controls the entire sub processing unit 30 based on the received control. In addition, communication is performed between each unit of the main processing unit 10 and each unit of the sub-processing unit 30. As a result, the sub control unit 31 intervenes between the control by the main control unit 11 and the operation of each unit of the sub processing unit 30 based on the control. Therefore, hereinafter, for the sake of simplicity, the intervention of the sub control unit 31 is omitted, and the main control unit 11 controls each unit of the sub processing unit 30 as well as each unit of the main processing unit 10, and further performs main control. The unit 11 will be described so as to directly communicate with each unit of the main processing unit 10 and each unit of the sub-processing unit 30. However, the sub control unit 31 does not exclude the control of the sub processing unit 30 without depending on the main control unit 11.

  The communication unit 32 is different from the communication unit 12 in that signals are transmitted and received between the antenna 32 a and the transmission / reception unit 33, but the operation is the same as the operation of the communication unit 12. The transmission / reception unit 33 is different from the transmission / reception unit 13 in that signals are transmitted and received between the communication unit 32 and the slave control unit 31, but the operation is the same as the operation of the transmission / reception unit 13. The intermittent receiving unit 34 performs the same operation as the intermittent receiving unit 17. The cell search unit 35 performs the same operation as the cell search unit 18.

  Hereinafter, processing for reducing the amount of power consumed when the mobile communication apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is not communicating will be described. Thereafter, it does not matter whether or not the control signal is communicated. One of the 1X method and the 1xEV-DO method is referred to as a first method, and the other is referred to as a second method.

  First, the states of two types of communication that the mobile communication apparatus can take are listed. Each type of communication is (1) out of service area, (2) in service area and not in communication (hereinafter referred to as in service area but not in communication), (3) It is in one of the three states of being in communication. Therefore, the mobile communication device is in any of a total of nine states by multiplying the three methods of the first method and the three methods of the second method.

  The mobile communication device according to the first embodiment is characterized in that the slave processing unit 30 is only in the case where communication is being performed by the first method and communication is being performed by the second method. To operate one of the systems. As a result, the time during which the slave processing unit 30 does not operate is long, and a large power consumption reduction effect is obtained.

  With reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, the control operation related to communication when the main control unit 11 according to the first embodiment is not communicating in the first method and is not communicating in the second method. explain. The main control unit 11 starts a control operation related to communication in this case by turning on the power of the device (step S101), and the device is within the communication range of the first method without supplying power to the slave processing unit 30. The cell search unit 18 is inspected to determine whether the mobile phone is out of service area or out of service area and whether it is in service area or out of service area of the first scheme (step S102).

  The main control unit 11 branches the operation according to the result of whether the device is within or out of the communication range of the two methods (step S103). If the cell search unit 18 is operating, the operation is stopped (step S104). When the communication is within the communication range of one method and out of the communication range of the other method, the intermittent reception unit 17 causes the intermittent reception of the communication within the range and the cell search unit 18 is out of the communication range. The cell search for communication is performed (step S105). If it is out of the range of communication of both systems, the cell search unit 18 performs cell search of communication of these two systems, and if the intermittent reception unit 17 is operating, the operation is stopped (step S106). The main control unit 11 does not supply power to the slave processing unit 30 in any operation of step S104 to step S106.

  Here, the intermittent reception interval, which is the interval at which the intermittent receiving unit 17 intermittently wakes up, is constant for each communication method. Further, the wake-up timing is not variable depending on the determination of the intermittent receiving unit 17 because it follows the designation of the standby base station of each communication method. However, the timing at which the cell search unit 18 wakes up intermittently is variable depending on the judgment of the cell search unit 18. Therefore, when the cell search unit 18 detects the base stations for both types of communication, they can be detected simultaneously or successively.

  By setting the timing to wake up in this way and not performing the operations of not only the cell search unit 18 but also the communication unit 12 and the transmission / reception unit 13 for each base station detection of the two types of communication, Reduction is possible. This is because the number of operations for making the operations of each unit necessary before detection (including execution of a program by the main CPU 10-2) steady and operations for stopping the operations of each unit necessary after detection are reduced. It is to do.

  Not only when the cell search unit 18 detects a base station for both types of communication, the intermittent reception unit 17 performs intermittent reception of one type of communication, and the cell search unit 18 performs cell search of the other type of communication. In the case where the cell search unit 18 is operated, the cell search unit 18 can reduce the amount of power consumed in the same manner by operating simultaneously or continuously with the operation of the intermittent reception unit 17. These reductions in power consumption can be obtained by performing intermittent reception and cell search by the main processing unit 10 without operating the sub-processing unit 30.

  After step S104 to step S106, the main control unit 11 determines whether or not notifications regarding the in-range and out-of-range have been received from the intermittent reception unit 17 and the cell search unit 18 (step S107). Here, the notification related to the inside and outside the service area is the notification that the device has been moved from the outside service area to the outside of the service area transmitted from the intermittent reception unit 17 and the device that is transmitted from the cell search unit 18 from the outside service area to the inside of the service area. It is a notification that it has moved. When it is determined that this notification is not received, the main control unit 11 repeats the determination operation of this step. If it is determined that it has been received, the process proceeds to an operation of branching the operation according to the result of whether the apparatus in step S103 is within or out of the communication range of the two systems. Note that the main control unit 11 does not depend on whether or not communication is being performed in the first method and whether or not communication is being performed in the second method until the power of the apparatus is turned off. This control operation is continued.

  Note that the time when the communication of the first method and the second method is not performed occupies a lot of time during which the apparatus is powered on. Therefore, the ratio of the time during which power is not supplied to the slave processing unit 30 is large under the control of the main control unit 11 described above, and a large reduction in power consumption is performed. In addition, the area of the 1xEV-DO service area does not necessarily reach the area of the 1X service area. Therefore, there is a possibility that communication of one method is out of service area, and even in that case, power is not supplied to each unit of the slave processing unit 30, so that a large reduction in power consumption is performed.

  Next, processing for reducing the amount of power consumed when the mobile communication apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention performs communication will be described. First, the start of communication is started by a call calling operation of the input unit 16 or by a data calling process of the application unit 21, and when the input unit 16 receives a call incoming signal transmitted from the base station. This includes both cases based on the incoming call operation or when the application unit 21 starts the data incoming call processing for the reception of the data incoming signal. Similarly, the end of communication includes two cases: a case caused by the operation of the apparatus and a case caused by a signal transmitted from the base station. Furthermore, it includes that the device moves out of range.

  For the start of communication, (1) only the communication of either the 1X method or the 1xEV-DO method (hereinafter, described as the first method) is within range, and communication of that method is started. (2) Communication of both methods is within range, communication of one method (hereinafter described as the first method) is started, (3) Communication of both methods is within range, and The communication of one method (hereinafter described as the first method) is performed, and the communication of the other method (hereinafter described as the second method) is started. is there. The control of the main control unit 11 at each time will be described.

  First, referring to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, when only communication of the first method is within range, communication of both methods is within range, and communication of the first method is started. A control operation related to communication by the main control unit 11 according to the first embodiment will be described. The main control unit 11 starts communication of the first method (step S201). At the time of this start, if only the communication of the first method is within range, step S105 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 is being operated, and the state of returning to the end of the control operation related to communication in this case is set to step S105. Is stored in the main control unit 11. Alternatively, if both types of communication are within range, the main control unit indicates that the operation in step S104 in the flowchart is in progress and the state to be returned upon completion of the control operation related to communication in this case is the operation in step S104. 11 to store.

  The main control unit 11 causes the main processing unit 10 to perform communication of the first method without continuously supplying power to the sub-processing unit 30. In addition to this communication, when only the communication of the first method is within the range, the intermittent reception related to the communication of the first method by the intermittent reception unit 17 and the cell search related to the communication of the second method by the cell search unit 18 And do. Further, when both types of communication are within the service area, the intermittent reception unit 17 performs intermittent reception related to the first type communication and intermittent reception related to the second type communication (step S202), and both generated. The event related to the communication of the method is determined (step S203).

  If the determined event is a change that the apparatus is within range of communication of the second method, the main control unit 11 stops the operation of the cell search unit 18 and causes the intermittent reception unit 17 to In addition to the intermittent reception related to the communication of the second mode, the second mode of communication is intermittently received (step S204), and the state of returning to the end of the control operation related to the communication in this case is the operation of step S104. It memorize | stores in the control part 11 (step S205), and returns to the operation | movement which judges the event of step S203.

  If it is determined in step S203 that an event has occurred in which the device is out of service area of the second system communication, the intermittent reception unit 17 stops the intermittent reception of the second system communication, and the cell The search unit 18 is caused to perform a cell search for communication of the second system (step S206), the return state is stored as the operation of step S105 (step S207), and the process returns to the operation of determining the event of step S203.

  When the event determined in step S203 is a change that the device is out of service area of the first method, the main control unit 11 changes the state to return when the control operation related to communication in this case ends. The operation of step S106 (when the device is outside the communication area of the second method) or step S105 (when the device is within the communication area of the second method) is stored in the main control unit 11. (Step S208), the communication is terminated (Step S209), and the control operation related to the communication in this case is terminated (Step S210). Then, the process returns to the return state stored in the main control unit 11. After returning to the stored state (step S106 or step S105 as described above), the intermittent receiving unit 17 and the cell search unit 18 may be operated or stopped according to the operation of the step. .

  When the event determined in step S203 ends the communication normally, that is, when the communication ends based on the control signal indicating the operation of the input unit 16 or the disconnection of the call transmitted from the base station, the main control unit 11 The operation proceeds to the operation after the end of the communication in step S209.

  Next, referring to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, when both types of communication are within range, communication of the first method is performed, and communication of the second method is started, A control operation related to communication by the main control unit 11 according to the first embodiment will be described. The main control unit 11 operates when both types of communication are within range and communication of the first method is performed by the main processing unit 10 (in this case, an operation of determining an event in step S203 in FIG. 5) When the second method communication is started (step S301), power is supplied to the slave processing unit 30 to cause the slave processing unit 30 to perform the second method communication (step S302). ), An event related to the communication of both methods that has occurred is determined (step S303).

  If the determined event is a change in the device to the fact that the communication of the first method is out of range, the main control unit 11 ends the processing related to the communication of the first method in the main processing unit 10 (Step S304), the cell search unit 18 is operated to perform a cell search for communication of the first scheme (Step S305), and the process returns to the operation of determining an event in Step S303.

  When the event determined in step S303 is the normal end of communication of the first method by the main processing unit 10, the main control unit 11 ends the processing related to the communication in the main processing unit 10 (step S306). The operation in this step is the same as the operation in step S304 described above.) The operation returns to the operation for determining the event in step S303.

  When the event determined in step S303 is a change to the fact that the apparatus is within communication range of the first method (this is an event that occurs after the first method communication by the main processing unit 10 is completed) The main control unit 11 causes the intermittent receiving unit 17 to intermittently receive the first type of communication in addition to the intermittent reception of the second type of communication, and stops the operation of the cell search unit 18. (Step S307), the process returns to the operation of determining the event in Step S303.

  When the event determined in step S303 is the start of communication of the first method, the main control unit 11 causes the main processing unit 10 to perform the communication (step S308) and determines the event in step S303. Return to. This communication start event naturally occurs when the apparatus is within the communication range of the first method and is not in communication of the method.

  When the event determined in step S303 is the end of communication of the second method by the slave processing unit 30, and when the apparatus is a change to the fact that communication of the second method is out of service, the main control The unit 11 cuts off the power supply to the slave processing unit 30 (step S309), and ends the control operation in this case (step S310). By this termination, the main control unit 11 returns to the operation of step S203 shown in FIG. 5, and an event that has occurred during the operation described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, that is, communication of the first method is performed. Whether or not the communication is within the communication range of both sides and whether or not the communication range is determined, the determination operation in step S203 is performed, and a different operation step may be performed.

  The detailed procedure for causing the slave processing unit 30 to perform the communication of the second method in step S302 includes the following processing, which may be any. Different processing may be used for a case of an outgoing call and a case of an incoming call. First, when the operation of the input unit 16 is determined to be a call operation and when it is determined that an incoming signal has been received, the main control unit 11 performs subsequent processing on the sub-processing unit 30. Make it. At this time, information necessary for easy takeover of communication is transmitted to the slave processing unit 30. That is, the operation content from the input unit 16 or all information for appropriately communicating with the base station that transmitted the incoming signal, for example, information for identifying the base station, information for identifying the control channel being used The communication status with the base station including the appropriate transmission power is transmitted to the slave processing unit 30.

  Second, the main control unit 11 transmits a call signal based on the operation of the input unit 16 to the base station, or transmits an incoming call signal to the base station in response to the received incoming signal, and subsequent processing To the slave processing unit 30. At this time, transmitting information necessary for easy takeover of communication to the slave processing unit 30 is the same as the first process described above.

(First modification of the first embodiment)
In the above description, the main processing unit 10 performs communication of the first method, the slave processing unit 30 performs communication of the second method, and the communication of the first method performed by the main processing unit 10 is performed. When the processing is completed, the main control unit 11 causes the slave processing unit 30 to continue the communication of the second method. The intermittent reception unit 17 performs intermittent reception related to communication of the first scheme or the cell search unit 18 performs cell search related to communication of the scheme. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead of the intermittent receiving unit 17, the intermittent receiving unit 34 may be used, and instead of the cell search unit 18, the cell searching unit 35 may be used. Further, the communication of the second method may be taken over by the main processing unit 10 and the power supply to the sub processing unit 30 may be cut off. According to this handover process, the effect of reducing the amount of power consumed can be obtained. Details of the handover process will be described later.

(Second modification of the first embodiment)
In the above description, it is assumed that the main processing unit 10 and the sub processing unit 30 can perform 1X communication, and can perform 1xEV-DO communication. Each processing unit is suitable for both types of communication, more suitable for either type of communication, and slightly different for the other type of communication. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one processing unit may be more suitable for one communication, and one processing unit may perform only one communication.

  That is, when one processing unit is more suitable for one communication, when the communication of the first method is started in step S201 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, the communication of that method is suitable for the main processing unit 10. If it is communication, the operation is as described above. If the communication of the method is a communication suitable for the slave processing unit 30, the main control unit 11 causes the main processing unit 10 to perform the communication once in order to shorten the time required for the start of the communication, Thereafter, the slave processing unit 30 takes over. Further, when the apparatus is out of the communication range of the method different from the communication, the main control unit 11 does not allow the two methods of communication to be performed at the same time. Thereafter, when the apparatus moves to the communication area of the different method, the slave processing unit 30 can take over.

  In addition, after taking over, the intermittent reception unit 17 performs intermittent reception of a communication of a method different from the communication, but if it is out of the communication range of the different method, the cell search unit 18 is caused to perform a cell search. Corresponds to that described in the operations of step S305 and step S307 in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the main processing unit 10 is suitable for 1X communication and the slave processing unit 30 is suitable for 1xEV-DO communication, referring to the flowchart shown in FIG. The takeover control operation by the main control unit 11 will be described by taking as an example the case where the 1xEV-DO communication is started and the apparatus then moves into the 1X communication range.

  The reason why the main processing unit 10 is suitable for 1X communication and the sub-processing unit 30 is suitable for 1xEV-DO communication is that all processing of signals related to voice is performed in the main processing unit 10, and the sub-processing unit 30. This is because it is possible to obtain an effect that does not need to have a function related to voice. Conversely, even if the main processing unit 10 is suitable for 1xEV-DO communication and the sub-processing unit 30 is suitable for 1X communication, the same takeover control operation is possible. The reason why the main processing unit 10 is suitable for 1xEV-DO communication and the sub-processing unit 30 is suitable for 1X communication is that the transmission of audio signals is slower than the transmission of data signals communicated by the 1xEV-DO method. This is because there is an effect that it is not necessary to increase the data transmission speed between the main connection unit 10-1 and the sub connection unit 30-1.

  When the device is out of the 1X communication range and is in the 1xEV-DO communication range, the main control unit 11 does not supply power to the slave processing unit 30, and the cell search unit 18 is connected to the 1X communication mode. Cell search is performed, and the intermittent reception unit 17 performs intermittent reception of 1xEV-DO communication (corresponding to the operation of step S401 and step S105 shown in FIG. 4). Here, when there is a request for data communication from the application unit 21 or due to reception of a data incoming signal (step S402), the main control unit 11 connects the 1xEV-DO communication to the transmission / reception unit 13; The protocol is established (step S403), and communication related to the request is performed (step S404, corresponding to the operation of step S202 in FIG. 5).

  Then, it is determined whether or not the communication is in the dormant state (step S405). If the communication is not in the dormant state, the main control unit 11 continues the communication in step S404. On the other hand, in the dormant state, the slave processing unit 30 is handed over the 1xEV-DO communication (step S406). All the above operations are performed by the main processing unit 10, and no power is supplied to the sub-processing unit 30. Here, the dormant state is a state that occurs mainly during data communication, and is a state in which a communication session continues but no packet is transmitted. At the time of this takeover, the communication session is once disconnected and the session is established again, but this causes no problem. The user of the device does not feel any discomfort.

  Regardless of the above handover, in the main processing unit 10, the cell search unit 18 continues the cell search for the 1X communication, or the intermittent reception unit 17 performs the intermittent reception of the communication of the method (step S407, FIG. 6). This corresponds to the operation of step S305 or step S307 shown).

  In response to the takeover, power is supplied to the slave processing unit 30 (step S411), and when the communication shifts from the dormant state to the communication state, the main control unit 11 connects the transmission / reception unit 33 to the 1xEV-DO communication. Then, the protocol is established (step S412), and the communication related to the request is performed (step S413).

  In addition, when one processing unit performs only one communication, for example, as described above, the main processing unit 10 performs 1X communication, and the slave processing unit 30 performs 1xEV-DO communication. The operation of the main control unit 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When there is a request for data communication in step S402, the main control unit 11 immediately moves to the operation of performing cell search or intermittent reception in step S407 without performing the communication in the main processing unit 10, and the sub processing unit 30. The operation after supplying the power in step S411 is performed.

(Other modifications of the first embodiment)
As is apparent from the above description, intermittent reception and cell search are performed by the main processing unit 10 and are not performed by the sub-processing unit 30. Therefore, the apparatus may be configured not to include the intermittent reception unit 34 and the cell search unit 35. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when communication is performed by the slave processing unit 30, intermittent reception related to the communication may be performed by the intermittent reception unit 34. According to this, the control of the communication based on the control signal obtained at the time of intermittent reception is performed in the slave processing unit 30, and a reduction in the amount of communication between the main processing unit 10 and the slave processing unit 30 is obtained. It is done.

  In the above description, the main control unit 11 supplies power to the sub-processing unit 30 and stops supplying the power, but the present invention is not limited to this. This is because when the power supply is completely stopped, the time from the start of the power supply to the operation of the sub processor 30 may be long. Therefore, instead of stopping the power supply, the clock (not shown) for operating the slave CPU 30-2 is delayed, the slave control unit 31 is placed in a request waiting pause state, or the like. Also good.

(Second Embodiment)
The configuration of the mobile communication device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as the configuration of the mobile communication device according to the embodiment. The difference is in the process of reducing the amount of power consumed for communication of the main control unit 11. That is, the main control unit 11 according to the second embodiment does not cause the intermittent reception unit 17 to simultaneously perform intermittent reception of 1X communication and intermittent reception of 1xEV-DO communication.

  In other words, when both systems are in communication range, the main control unit 11 according to the second embodiment operates the intermittent reception unit 17 and the intermittent reception unit 34, and each of the communication of one method is performed. Cause intermittent reception. Being in the vicinity means that communication may be started. According to the control operation of the main control unit 11, an effect of shortening the time required from the start request to the start of communication is obtained. It is done. Therefore, hereinafter, the differences will be described, and the same operation steps will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

  Referring to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, the control operation related to communication when the main control unit 11 according to the second embodiment is not communicating in the first method and is not communicating in the second method. explain. This operation includes the same operation steps as the control operation by the main control unit 11 according to the first embodiment in the same case shown in FIG. 4, and the same operation steps are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  This control operation is performed by operating the intermittent receiving unit 17 instead of the operation of the intermittent receiving unit 17 in step S104 by the main control unit 11 according to the first embodiment to perform intermittent reception of two types of communication. Then, the intermittent reception of the first system communication is performed and the intermittent reception unit 34 is operated to perform the intermittent reception of the second system communication (step S501). As the intermittent receiving unit 34 is operated, power is supplied to the slave processing unit 30.

  The intermittent receiving unit 34 receives radio waves from the standby base station detected by the cell search unit 18. Therefore, the main control unit 11 notifies the intermittent reception unit 34 of information for appropriately communicating with the standby base station detected by the cell search unit 18. That is, information is sent from the main processing unit 10 to the sub-processing unit 30 at a high speed for this notification.

  Therefore, in order to reduce the information for this notification, after the cell search unit 18 detects the standby base station, the cell search unit 35 performs the cell search, and the information on the detected standby base station is displayed as the sub-processing unit 30. It may be handled inside the. Here, information related to the standby base station detected by the cell search unit 18 is notified to the cell search unit 35, and the cell search unit 35 easily detects the standby base station detected by the cell search unit 18 based on the information. Also good.

  The cell search unit 35 operates independently of the cell search unit 18, and the standby base station detected by the cell search unit 18 and the standby base station detected by the cell search unit 35 do not have to be the same. good. This process can be applied to all cases where the intermittent receiving unit 34 described below receives radio waves from the standby base station detected by the cell search unit 18.

  According to the operation in step S501, the intermittent receiving unit 17 may perform intermittent reception of 1X communication or intermittent reception of 1xEV-DO communication. The same applies to the intermittent receiving unit 34. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one processing unit is more suitable for one communication. Furthermore, when one processing unit performs only one communication, the processing unit is also connected to any processing unit. It is appropriate to allow intermittent reception of communications performed by the. Therefore, when transitioning from the state of step S105 to the state of step S501, the main control unit 11 allows the intermittent reception of a certain type of communication to be taken over from the intermittent reception unit 17 to the intermittent reception unit 34. Therefore, the main control unit 11 causes the intermittent reception unit 17 to notify the intermittent reception unit 34 of information for appropriately communicating with the standby base station.

  Next, a process for reducing the amount of power consumed when the mobile communication apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention performs communication will be described. First, referring to the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, only when the communication of the first method is within the range, or the communication of both methods is within the range and the communication of the first method is started. A control operation related to communication by the main control unit 11 according to the first embodiment will be described. This operation includes the same operation steps as the control operation by the main control unit 11 according to the first embodiment in the same case shown in FIG. 5, and the same operation steps are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The main control unit 11 starts communication of the first method (step S511). At the time of this start, if only the communication of the first method is within the range, step S105 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 8 is in operation, and the state that returns to the end of the control operation related to communication in this case is set to step S105. Is stored in the main control unit 11. Alternatively, if both types of communication are within range, the main control unit determines that the operation in step S501 in the above flowchart is in progress and returns to the state at the end of the control operation related to communication in this case is the operation in step S501. 11 to store.

  The main control unit 11 causes the main processing unit 10 to perform communication of the first method. In addition to this communication, when only the communication of the first method is in the range, the intermittent reception related to the communication of the first method by the intermittent reception unit 17 without continuing the power supply to the slave processing unit 30, and the cell search The cell search related to the second type communication by the unit 18 is performed. Further, when both types of communication are within a range, the intermittent reception unit 17 performs intermittent reception related to the first type communication, and the intermittent reception unit 34 performs intermittent reception related to the second type communication (step S512), the process proceeds to an operation for determining an event relating to the communication of both methods generated in step S203.

  If the determined event is a change to that the device is within communication range of the second method, the main control unit 11 stops the operation of the cell search unit 18 and causes the intermittent reception unit 34 to In this case, the communication is intermittently received (step S513), and the state returned to the end of the control operation related to communication in this case is stored in the main control unit 11 as the operation of step S501 (step S514). The process returns to the operation of determining the event in step S203.

  If it is determined in step S203 that an event has occurred in which the device is out of service range of the second method, the power supply to the slave processing unit 30 is stopped and the second of the intermittent receiving unit 34 is stopped. The intermittent reception of the communication of the method is stopped, the cell search unit 18 is caused to perform the cell search of the communication of the second method (step S515), and the operation returns to the operation of storing the return state of step S207 as the operation of step S105. .

  In addition, after ending the control operation related to communication in this case and moving to the return state stored in the main control unit 11, the main control unit 11 follows the event that occurred during this control operation, and the intermittent reception unit 17 In addition, not only the cell search unit 18 but also the intermittent reception unit 34 may be operated or stopped.

  Next, referring to the flowchart shown in FIG. 10, when both types of communication are within range, communication of the first method is performed, and communication of the second method is started, A control operation related to communication by the main control unit 11 according to the second embodiment will be described. This operation includes the same operation steps as the control operation by the main control unit 11 according to the first embodiment in the same case shown in FIG. 6, and the same operation steps are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The main control unit 11 operates when both types of communication are within range and communication of the first method is performed by the main processing unit 10 (in this case, an operation for determining an event in step S203 in FIG. 9). When the second method communication is started (step S521), the slave processing unit 30 is caused to perform the second method communication (step S522). At this time, since the communication is within the range of both systems, power supply to the slave processing unit 30 has already been performed in accordance with the operation of the intermittent receiving unit 34. Next, the process proceeds to an operation of determining an event relating to the communication of both methods in step S303.

  If the device determined in step S303 is a change to the fact that the communication of the first scheme is out of service, the main control unit 11 ends the processing related to the communication in step S304, and then moves the cell search unit 18 The cell search for the first system communication is performed to stop the operation of the intermittent receiving unit 17 (step S523), and the process returns to the operation of determining the event in step S303.

  When the event determined in step S303 is a change that the apparatus is within the communication range of the first method, the main control unit 11 stops the operation of the cell search unit 18 and also the intermittent reception unit 17. Is operated to intermittently receive the first type of communication (step S524), and the process returns to the operation of determining the event in step S303.

  According to the control operation of the main control unit 11 according to the second embodiment described above, the cell search unit 18 performs consumption by performing cell search for 1X communication and cell search for 1xEV-DO communication. The amount of power used can be reduced. Here, the cell search cycle may be longer than the intermittent reception cycle, and the cell search timing is left to the cell search unit 18. Furthermore, when a standby base station is detected by cell search, intermittent reception is started. The time from this detection to the start of intermittent reception is, for example, that an incoming call signal is transmitted after an incoming signal is received. Compared to the time until, a long time is sufficient. As described above, the cell search unit 18 performing the cell search for the two types of communication does not necessarily require the main processing unit 10 to operate at a high speed. Therefore, the second embodiment can be easily implemented. Is possible.

(Modification of the second embodiment)
As is clear from the above description, the cell search is performed by the main processing unit 10 and is not performed by the sub-processing unit 30. Therefore, the device may be configured not to include the cell search unit 35.

(Other embodiments)
In the second embodiment, intermittent reception of the first method communication is performed by the intermittent reception unit 17, and intermittent reception of the second method communication is performed by the intermittent reception unit 34. However, the present invention is not limited to this. . When the main processing unit 10 is performing communication of the first method, the intermittent reception unit 34 may perform intermittent reception of communication of the second method. In this case, the intermittent reception of the communication of the second method is taken over between the intermittent reception unit 17 and the intermittent reception unit 34 at the start and end of the communication of the first method. In this takeover, all information held for intermittent reception, for example, information identifying the standby base station, information identifying the control channel being used, and communication status with the base station including appropriate transmission power To reduce the processing of the processing unit that takes over intermittent reception.

  In the second embodiment, the cell search is performed by the cell search unit 18 of the main processing unit 10, whether it is a cell search for the first type communication or a cell search for the second type communication. This is not a limitation. For example, when the main processing unit 10 is performing communication of the first method, the cell search unit 35 of the slave processing unit 30 may be operated for communication of the second method. In addition, the cell search unit 18 of the main processing unit 10 may perform cell search for communication of any one method, and the cell search unit 35 may perform cell search for communication of the other method.

  According to this, when the cell search unit 35 detects a standby base station, it is possible to reduce the time required until the intermittent reception unit 34 starts intermittent reception. This is because, as a result of the control of the sub control unit 31, the control of the main control unit 11 is easy, and communication between the main processing unit 10 and the sub processing unit 30 is reduced. Furthermore, by reducing the dependency between the main processing unit 10 and the sub-processing unit 30, the apparatus can be configured more simply, for example, the amount of programs can be reduced.

  In the above description, the slave processing unit 30 is not provided with a call unit, a display unit, an input unit, and an application unit, but is not limited thereto. Some or all of these may be provided. Further, it may be shared with the main processing unit 10. Further, for example, when the main processing unit 10 is suitable for 1X communication and the sub processing unit 30 is suitable for 1xEV-DO communication, the sub processing unit 30 does not include a call unit, and instead of the main processing unit 10. An application unit may be provided.

  The embodiments and modifications described above can be combined as appropriate. In this combination, the amount of power stored in a battery that supplies power to the apparatus may be referred to. In other words, the power consumption may be reduced as the power consumption is reduced. Furthermore, when the amount of power is less than a predetermined threshold, both communication may not be performed simultaneously. In this case, based on the first embodiment that consumes less power, the power supply to the slave processing unit 30 can always be stopped.

  The above description has been made by taking as an example a device including two wireless communication processing units, the main processing unit 10 and the sub-processing unit 30, but the present invention is applied to a device including three or more wireless communication processing units. Of course it is possible to do. The present invention is not limited to the above configuration, and various modifications are possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Main processing part 10-1 Main connection part 11 Main control part 12, 32 Communication part 13, 33 Transmission / reception part 14 Calling part 15 Display part 16 Input part 17, 34 Intermittent reception part 18, 35 Cell search part 21 Application part 30 Processing unit 30-1 Sub-connection unit 31 Sub-control unit

Claims (6)

A mobile communication device that performs one or both of a first type wireless communication via a first type base station and a second type wireless communication via a second type base station,
Main processing means including control means and main communication means;
Slave processing means including slave communication means,
The control unit causes the main communication unit to perform a cell search for the first type of wireless communication when the device is outside the service area of the first type of wireless communication, and the device performs a service for the first type of wireless communication. If it is within the vicinity, the main communication means causes the first type of wireless communication to be intermittently received, and if the apparatus is out of the service area of the second type of wireless communication, the operation of the sub processing means is stopped to When the main communication means performs a cell search for the second type of wireless communication and the apparatus is within the service area of the second type of wireless communication, the slave processing means is operated to cause the slave communication means to operate the second type of wireless communication. Of the wireless communication of the
The control means is configured such that when the apparatus is in a service area of the second type of wireless communication and an incoming signal of the second type of wireless communication is received by the slave communication means, and a predetermined input is received from the input means. If so, the mobile communication device causes the slave communication means to perform the second type of wireless communication. A mobile communication device that performs one or both of a first type wireless communication via a first type base station and a second type wireless communication via a second type base station,
Main processing means including control means and main communication means;
Slave processing means including slave communication means,
The control means stops the operation of the slave processing means and causes the main communication means to perform intermittent reception of the first type of wireless communication and intermittent reception of the second type of wireless communication,
The control means operates the slave processing means when an incoming signal of the second type of wireless communication is received by the main communication means during intermittent reception and when a predetermined input is received from the input means. A mobile communication device that causes the slave communication means to perform the second type of wireless communication. A mobile communication device that performs one or both of a first type wireless communication via a first type base station and a second type wireless communication via a second type base station,
Main processing means including control means and main communication means;
Slave processing means including slave communication means,
The control means stops the operation of the slave processing means and causes the main communication means to perform cell search or intermittent reception for each of the first type wireless communication and the second type wireless communication,
The control means is configured such that when the apparatus is within the service area of the second type of wireless communication and an incoming signal of the second type of wireless communication is received by the main communication means, and a predetermined input is received from the input means. If so, the slave communication means is operated to cause the slave communication means to perform the second type of wireless communication. A mobile communication device that performs one or both of a first type wireless communication via a first type base station and a second type wireless communication via a second type base station,
Main processing means including control means and main communication means;
Slave processing means including slave communication means,
When the device is out of the service area of the first type of wireless communication and within the service area of the second type of wireless communication, the control means stops the operation of the slave processing means and causes the main communication means to Cell search for one type of wireless communication and intermittent reception of the second type of wireless communication,
When the main communication means receives an incoming signal of the second type of wireless communication, and when a predetermined input is received from the input means, the control means sends the second type of wireless communication to the main communication means. When communication is started and the apparatus is changed to be within the service area of the first type wireless communication after the communication is started, the slave processing means is operated to change the slave communication means to the slave communication means. A mobile communication device that takes over the second type of wireless communication and causes the main communication means to intermittently receive the first type of wireless communication. The first type of wireless communication is voice communication,
The mobile communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second type of wireless communication is data communication. The first type of wireless communication is data communication,
The mobile communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second type of wireless communication is voice communication.

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