JPH07154506A - Communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce power consumption by allowing a personal computer to set the automatic start of a communication application so as to attain automatic reception of a mobile station not in the start state depending on a call from a public line. CONSTITUTION:When a call signal is received by a master set 30 through a public line 60 while a communication channel between a master set and a slave set is established, a control signal is sent via a radio unit 30 based on a protocol. Upon the detection of a call command by a MODEM 401 of a slave set 40, a microcomputer 402 changes over switches 412, 410 to a predetermined state to instruct application of power of a personal computer 10 to a call signal generating section 404. The personal computer 10 transits from the standby mode to the usual operation state in response to a command signal and power is supplied to the entire system. Thus, automatic reception is attained without starting an information processing unit at a mobile station side to reduce the power consumption.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication system suitable for data communication using mobile communication equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an information processing device such as a personal computer is connected to a public line via a data communication modem, so that personal computer communication is performed with a partner (host station, etc.) connected to the public line. It is possible to perform data communication such as.

In this configuration, since the data communication modem is directly connected to the public line, the automatic call originating / receiving function can be executed. In other words, if the power of the data communication modem is turned on, the automatic call reception uses the call signal transmitted via the public line to be electrically transmitted by the NCU (network control unit) built in the data communication modem. This is done by detecting. Further, automatic transmission is performed by controlling the microcomputer in the data communication modem by operating the NCU by turning on the power of the data communication modem and the information processing device and executing the auto dial function of the communication application. It is realized by.

In contrast to the above-mentioned configuration, a configuration is also conceivable in which a personal computer is connected to a mobile station for mobile communication, for example, a handset of a mobile phone or a cordless telephone via a data communication modem to perform data communication. .

Normally, a control signal (local command) between a mobile station and a base station for mobile communication, for example, between a cordless telephone handset and a handset is based on a special protocol defined between the handset and handset. A communication channel is established by transmitting and receiving. Specifically, for example, when making a call from the child device to a party connected to the public line, first, the "outline button" of the child device is pressed. When the "outside line button" is pressed, a call signal is sent from the cordless handset and the call response signal including the call channel designation is sent from the cordless handset in response to this signal, so that the communication channel between the cordless cordless handset is changed. Establish. In addition, the base unit makes a call to the public line and enters a dial tone.

In the automatic transmission, once the communication channel is established by the manual operation as described above, like the above,
This can be realized by executing the auto-dial function of the communication application that operates in the information processing device. That is, since the communication protocol between the parent and child devices of the cordless telephone is designed for the purpose of voice communication, communication is possible in the voice band. Therefore, the public line is a tone line and the output signal of the data communication modem is DT.
If it is an MF (Dual Tone Multi Frequency) signal, D
Since the TMF signal is a voice band signal, the tone line (public line) is directly passed through the communication channel between the parent and child devices.
It is possible to connect to and execute the auto-dial function.

However, since a general cordless telephone has a structure in which a channel is forcibly cut off unless a telephone number is input by pressing a dial button after a communication channel is established. , After all, data communication by automatic transmission cannot be performed.

Further, in the automatic call reception, since the slave unit (mobile station) is not connected to the public line by wire, the NCU built in the data communication modem connected to the slave unit is electrically connected to the public line network. NC is not transmitted (because the control signal is transmitted and received based on the protocol between the parent and child devices), NC
The ringing signal detection function of U does not work.

For this reason, conventionally, for an incoming call, for example, a beep sound generated when the slave unit receives a control signal (pseudo call signal) indicating a call from the master unit is determined, and the data communication modem, and An operation for starting the information processing device is being performed.

[0010]

As described above, in the prior art,
Since the mobile station (slave unit) for mobile communication is not connected to the public line by wire, an electric call signal from the public line is not transmitted to the mobile station. For this reason, the ringing signal detection function by the NCU built in the data communication modem connected to the mobile station does not operate and automatic call reception cannot be performed.

Even if the call signal is transmitted to the child device, the data communication modem and the information processing device must be powered on, so when is the call signal sent? If not specified, it is necessary to keep the power on at all times. That is, unnecessary power consumption is caused and the consumption of the device is accelerated. In particular, a small-sized portable information processing device cannot keep an incoming call for a long time because the battery has a small capacity for weight reduction.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and a communication system capable of automatic reception without keeping an information processing apparatus connected to a mobile station side in an activated state. The purpose is to provide.

[0013]

According to the present invention, there is provided a base station which is connected to a public line and which sends a signal indicating that a calling signal has been received through the public line by wireless communication based on a predetermined protocol. A mobile station that performs wireless communication with the base station based on a predetermined protocol and that is connected to the mobile station that generates and outputs a calling signal in response to a signal transmitted from the base station. A data communication modem means having a function of shifting from a standby state to an operating state in response to a call signal output from the mobile station and generating a signal indicating that the call signal is input; and the data communication modem means. When a signal indicating that the ringing signal generated by is input is input, the operating state in which the power consumption is reduced shifts to the operating state in which the data communication can be performed, and the data communication is performed. Modem means, said mobile station, characterized by comprising an information processing apparatus for performing destination data communication via the base station and the public line.

[0014]

According to such a configuration, the information processing device for performing data communication is in an operating state of reducing power consumption,
When a call signal arrives at a base station (cordless base unit) via a public line while the data communication modem is in a standby state, the base station notifies the mobile station by a control signal based on a predetermined protocol. By further generating a call signal from the base station, the data communication modem first shifts to a normal operating state, and then the information processing device shifts to an operating state. That is, even if the information processing device is not always turned on to be in the normal operating state, the data communication can be performed by the calling signal according to the communication request from the other party in order to perform the data communication. . Therefore, power consumption can be reduced.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are block diagrams showing the configuration of a communication system to which the power supply control method according to this embodiment is applied. In this embodiment, an information processing device is connected to a cordless handset of a cordless telephone, and a call signal received via a public line activates the system so that data communication can be performed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the communication system is composed of a personal computer 10 (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer) and a cordless telephone (cordless base unit 30 and cordless handset 40). The personal computer 10 and the cordless cordless handset 40 are connected by a cable 52. The cordless master device 30 is also connected to the public line 60.

The personal computer 10 is provided with a CPU 100, a power management unit 106, a power supply unit 108, a modular jack 110, and a data communication modem unit 120.

The CPU 100 executes, for example, a communication application according to a program stored in a memory (not shown). The power management unit 106 is a CP
On / off control of the power supply unit 108 is performed under the control of U100. The power supply unit 108 supplies electric power for operating the personal computer 10, and is on / off controlled by the power management unit 106. The modular jack 110 is an interface for connecting the data communication modem unit 120 and the cordless slave unit 40 via a cable 52.

The data communication modem section 120 is used for data communication by the personal computer 10, and includes an MPU (micro proc).
essor unit) 200, memory 202, modem IC 20
6 and an AFE (analog front end) 208 are provided.

The MPU 200 includes a data communication modem unit 1.
The control unit 20 controls the data transmission / reception with the CPU 100, and controls each unit for data communication according to a program stored in the memory 202. The memory 202 is for storing programs and data for controlling the operation of the MPU 200. The modem IC 206 is a circuit for realizing a modem function under the control of the MPU 200.
00 and AFE 208. Modem IC20
6, a modulation / demodulation unit, a DTMF signal generation circuit, etc. are provided. The AFE 208 is connected to the modem IC 206 and the modular jack 110, and is an interface between an analog circuit and a digital circuit. AFE208 has
Functions are provided for performing answer tone detection, RBT (ring back tone) detection, modulation, and the like.

The cordless base unit 30 is a wireless unit 30.
0, speech network 301, parent-child interface modem 3
02, a microcomputer 303 (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer), a dial button 304, a microphone 305, a speaker 306, and an antenna 307.

The wireless unit 300 is a cordless slave unit 4.
Data is transmitted / received to / from the wireless unit 30 provided at 0 according to a predetermined protocol. In this embodiment, it is assumed that communication is performed by the MCA (Multi channel access) method. That is, a communication channel is established by designating a communication channel to be used for communication from a plurality of communication channels according to a call signal sent through the control channel.

The speech network 301 is a public line 6 provided with basic functions for realizing telephone functions.
0, which is a call (data communication) by the cordless cordless handset 40 via the wireless unit 300,
The call is made by the cordless master device 30 using the microphone 305 and the speaker 306. The speech network 301 is controlled by the microcomputer 303 and can send a dial pulse signal or a tone signal to the public line 14 according to a predetermined command.

The master-slave unit modem 302 is for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the cordless slave unit 40, and demodulates the data from the cordless slave unit 40 obtained via the wireless unit 300, and a microcomputer. The data output from 303 to be transmitted to the cordless slave unit 40 is modulated.

The microcomputer 303 is a modem 30 for parent-child communication.
Decoding a control signal (described later) from the cordless cordless handset 40 obtained by demodulation by 2, dial button 304
Detection of the signal generated by pressing the button
Exchange of various information with the speech network 301 (sending of various commands, notification of calling, etc.) is performed.

The control signal is a command transmitted / received between the cordless master device 30 and the cordless slave device 40 for realizing the function provided in the cordless telephone. The dial button 304 is used when dialing from the cordless master device 30, and is a numeric button from 0 to 9,
In addition to the "*" and "#" buttons, various function buttons for dialing an external line (public line 14) or an internal line (cordless cordless handset 40) are included.

The microphone 305 is the speech network 3
It is connected to 01 and inputs the voice to be sent to the other party. The speaker 306 is connected to the speech network 301 and outputs the voice from the other party.

The cordless cordless handset 40 is a radio unit 40.
0, parent-child device modem 401, microcomputer 402, dial button 403, call signal generator 404, microphone 40
6, speaker 407, microphone / earphone jack 40
8, an antenna 409, and switches 410 and 412.

The wireless unit 400 is the cordless base unit 3
Data is transmitted / received to / from the wireless unit 20 provided in 0 according to a predetermined protocol. The master-slave unit modem 401 is for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the cordless master unit 30, and demodulates the signal from the cordless master unit 30 obtained via the wireless unit 400 and outputs from the microcomputer 402. The signal to be transmitted to the cordless master device 30 is modulated.

The microcomputer 402 is a modem 40 for parent-child communication.
The control data from the cordless master device 30 obtained by the demodulation by 1 is decoded, the signal generated by pressing the key of the dial button 403 is detected, and the control for generating the calling signal according to the control signal is performed. .

The dial button 403 is used when dialing from the cordless cordless handset 40. In addition to the numeric keys 0 to 9 and the "*" and "#" keys, an outside line (public line 14) or an extension line ( It includes various function keys such as which one of the cordless cordless handsets 40) to dial.

The calling signal generator 404 is provided in the microcomputer 40.
2, connected to the wireless unit 400 (via the switches 412 and 410) and the microphone / earphone jack 408 (via the switch 412), and under the control of the microcomputer 402, electric power is supplied from a power supply unit (not shown). When supplied and received by the cordless base unit 30 via the public line 60, the same call signal is generated.

The microphone 406 is connected to the radio unit 400, and is for inputting a voice to be transmitted to the other party (via the cordless base unit 30 or the public line 60). The speaker 407 is connected to the wireless unit 400 and outputs a voice from the other party.

The microphone / earphone jack 408 is for connecting a microphone or an earphone jack, and further for connecting the data communication modem 20. The microphone / earphone jack 408 is connected to the wireless unit 400 and the parent-child device modem 401 (via the switch 410).

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
As an initial state, the CPU 100 of the personal computer 10 is in the sleep mode, and the MPU 200 of the data communication modem unit 120
Is standby mode, microcomputer 4 of cordless cordless handset 40
02 is the standby mode (standby state), and the cordless master device 30 is in the power-on state.

The sleep mode of the CPU 100 of the personal computer 10 is based on a signal from the outside (a signal line physically connected to the CPU 100, for example, M of the modem section 120 for data communication).
A change from the signal from the PU 200) indicates a state in which the sleep state can shift to the normal starting state. CPU1
00 has this sleep mode function.

MPU 20 of the data communication modem unit 120
The standby mode of 0 is a state in which a normal operation state can be entered when a signal indicating detection of a calling signal is input from the modem IC 206. Similarly, the modem IC 206 is also in the standby state and shifts to the normal state by the signal from the AFE 208. The AFE 208 is
Since it receives the DC pulse from the modular jack 110, it is just a passive part that does not need to be powered.

The standby mode of the cordless slave unit 40 is a state in which the normal operation state can be entered when the control signal indicating the arrival of the calling signal from the cordless master unit 30 is received by the modem 401 for the parent and slave units.

Here, an operation for starting the power supply unit 108 of the personal computer 10 to make it ready for data communication in response to a calling signal from the public line 60 will be described. In this embodiment, the cordless slave unit 40 instructs the data communication modem section 120 of the personal computer 10 to make a transition to the normal state by a calling signal.

First, when a call signal is input to the cordless base unit 30 via the public line 60, the cordless base unit 30.
Transmits a control signal (call command signal) indicating that a call signal has been input via the wireless unit 300 and the antenna 307 based on a dedicated protocol between the parent and child devices.

The cordless slave unit 40 is the cordless master unit 3
A call command signal from 0 is received via the antenna 409 and the wireless unit 400. The microcomputer 401 detects a call command obtained by demodulating the call command signal by the parent-child device modem 401.

When the calling command is detected, the microcomputer 402 instructs the switch 410 to be turned off (disconnected) and the switch 412 to be turned on (connected). After confirming that the switches 410 and 412 have been switched to a predetermined state, the microcomputer 402 instructs the call signal generation unit 404 to generate a call signal for instructing the power-on of the personal computer 10.

The calling signal generator 404 is a microcomputer 402.
In response to an instruction from, the same calling signal as the calling signal (DC pulse) received by the cordless master device 30 via the public line 60 is generated. The generated call signal is the switch 412, the microphone / earphone jack 408, the cable 5
It transmits to the personal computer 10 via 2.

The personal computer 10 receives the calling signal from the cordless cordless handset 40 through the modular jack 110 by the data communication modem section 120. When detecting the call signal, the AFE 208 of the data communication modem unit 120 sends a call detection signal indicating the detection of the call signal to the modem IC 206. The modem IC 206 converts the call detection signal into a signal that can be processed by the MPU 200, and then the MPU 20
Output to 0.

When the MPU 200 receives the call detection signal, the MPU 200 shifts from the standby mode to the normal state, and in order to instruct the CPU 100 of the personal computer 10 to start,
The signal line connecting between the PU 200 and the CPU 100 is changed.

The CPU 100 is a modem unit 1 for data communication.
In response to the change in the signal line from the MPU 200 of 20, the sleep mode is shifted to the normal state. CPU 100 is
When shifting to the normal state, the power management unit 106 is instructed to supply power to the entire system including the personal computer 10. Power management department 10
In response to an instruction from the CPU 100, the system 6 starts up the system by turning on the power of the power supply unit 108.

In this way, when the personal computer 10 is shifted to the normal state and power is supplied to the entire system, the personal computer 1 is in the state where the communication channel between the parent and child devices is established.
If the communication application is set to automatically start at 0, the communication application can execute data communication with the other party connected to the public line 60.

When the communication application executed on the personal computer 10 gives an instruction to terminate the communication and disconnect the line, the CPU 100 outputs a termination command. The end command is the data communication modem unit 120.
Is notified to the MPU 200. The MPU 200 outputs a signal for instructing the cordless handset 40 to disconnect the line in response to the notification by the end command, and shifts from the normal state to the standby mode. Cordless cordless handset 40
Sends an end signal to the cordless base unit 30.
As a result, the cordless master device 30 disconnects the line.

In this manner, the call signal from the public line 60 can turn on the power of the personal computer 10 in the sleep mode to activate the system, so that an automatic incoming call becomes possible.

Further, since it is not necessary to always turn on the power supply, useless power consumption is prevented and the consumption of the equipment is not accelerated. In particular, a small-sized portable information processing device has a small battery capacity for weight reduction, but since the power is turned on when performing data communication (only when a calling signal is input), it is suitable for data communication. Easy to use.

In the above embodiment, the data communication modem unit 120 is described as being built in the personal computer 10, but the function of the data communication modem unit 120 is changed to the IC card type as shown in FIG. The card-type data communication modem 80 configured may be used.

The card type data communication modem 80 is connected to the circuit by being inserted into a card I / F 704 (IC card slot) provided in the personal computer 10. The card I / F 704 is, for example, JEIDA (Japan Electr
onic Industry Development Association) / PCMC
IA (Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association) is used, and the personal computer interface 816 of the card-type data communication modem 80 is used.
Will be configured to support.

[0053]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically receive information without keeping the information processing device connected to the mobile station side in an activated state.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a partial configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a partial configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a communication system using a card type data communication modem 80 according to the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Personal computer, 30 ... Cordless master unit, 40 ... Cordless slave unit, 52 ... Cable, 60 ... Public line, 80 ... Card type data communication modem unit, 100
... CPU, 106 ... Power management section, 108 ...
Power supply unit, 110 ... Modular jack, 120 ... Data communication modem unit, 200 ... MPU, 202 ... Memory, 2
06 ... Modem IC, 208 ... AFE (analog front en)
d), 300, 400 ... Wireless unit, 301 ... Speech network, 302, 401 ... Parent-child modem,
303 ... Microcomputer, 304,
403 ... Dial buttons, 305, 406 ... Microphone, 3
06, 407 ... speaker, 307, 409 ... antenna,
704 ... Card interface, 816 ... Personal computer interface.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A base station connected to a public line and transmitting a signal indicating that a call signal has arrived via the public line by wireless communication based on a predetermined protocol; and a base station and a predetermined protocol. Wireless communication based on a mobile station that generates and outputs a calling signal according to a signal transmitted from the base station, and a mobile station that is connected to the mobile station and is output from the mobile station. In addition to shifting from the standby state to the operating state in response to the call signal,
Data communication modem means having a function of generating a signal indicating that a call signal has been input, and operation for reducing power consumption when a signal indicating that the call signal generated by the data communication modem means has been input An information processing device that makes a data communication with the other party via the data communication modem means, the mobile station, the base station, and the public line. A communication system characterized by. 2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the data communication modem means is provided in the information processing device. 3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the data communication modem means is configured as an IC card type that can be connected by an IC card slot provided in the information processing device.