WO2005026929A1 - Dispositif de traitement de donnees, module radio, dispositif de commande electronique, dispositif de commande, dispositif de communication, appareil de communication, dispositif electronique, procede de commande de puissance, programme de commande de puissance, et support d'enregistrement - Google Patents

Dispositif de traitement de donnees, module radio, dispositif de commande electronique, dispositif de commande, dispositif de communication, appareil de communication, dispositif electronique, procede de commande de puissance, programme de commande de puissance, et support d'enregistrement Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2005026929A1
WO2005026929A1 PCT/JP2004/012751 JP2004012751W WO2005026929A1 WO 2005026929 A1 WO2005026929 A1 WO 2005026929A1 JP 2004012751 W JP2004012751 W JP 2004012751W WO 2005026929 A1 WO2005026929 A1 WO 2005026929A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
control
unit
information
communication device
reception
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/JP2004/012751
Other languages
English (en)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
Masahiro Yamauchi
Tetsuo Ueno
Shigetaka Noguchi
Tsuguhiro Aoki
Original Assignee
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US10/918,423 external-priority patent/US20050048960A1/en
Priority claimed from JP2004251091A external-priority patent/JP2006050510A/ja
Application filed by Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha filed Critical Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
Publication of WO2005026929A1 publication Critical patent/WO2005026929A1/fr

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W52/00—Power management, e.g. TPC [Transmission Power Control], power saving or power classes
    • H04W52/02—Power saving arrangements
    • H04W52/0209—Power saving arrangements in terminal devices
    • H04W52/0251—Power saving arrangements in terminal devices using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W52/00—Power management, e.g. TPC [Transmission Power Control], power saving or power classes
    • H04W52/02—Power saving arrangements
    • H04W52/0209—Power saving arrangements in terminal devices
    • H04W52/0261—Power saving arrangements in terminal devices managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02D—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE
    • Y02D30/00—Reducing energy consumption in communication networks
    • Y02D30/70—Reducing energy consumption in communication networks in wireless communication networks

Definitions

  • Information processing device electronic control device, control device, communication device, communication device, electronic device, power control method, power control program, and recording medium
  • the present invention relates to a control technique for a communication device and an electronic device associated therewith, and in particular,
  • the present invention also relates to a control system for a device equipped with a communication device.
  • mopile terminals such as portable personal computers (hereinafter, referred to as "mopile PCs"), PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), and mobile phones
  • mopile PCs portable personal computers
  • PDAs Personal Digital Assistants
  • mobile phones have been actively used and developed.
  • wireless communication functions are becoming essential for these mobile terminals.
  • Mopile PCs and PDAs other mobile phones that have a call function have appeared in addition to models with high-speed communication functions such as wireless LAN functions.
  • wireless communication consumes a large amount of power, and the problem of power consumption occupies a large weight in battery-powered mopile devices.
  • low power consumption is one of the most important issues in communication devices, especially mobile terminals such as mobile phones that are often used as mobile communication terminals.
  • FIG. 27 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a general mobile phone, in which dotted arrows indicate a flow of voice or data, and solid arrows indicate a flow of control signals.
  • data generated by the application 740 in the mobile phone 700 is converted to a radio signal in the Tx2 section 712 and the Txl section 713 of the RF section 710 via the MAC section 730 and the BB section 720, and is transmitted to the antenna. Sent from 714.
  • the received radio signal is demodulated into reception data via the Rxl unit 711 of the RF unit 710 and the BB unit 720, and is input from the MAC unit 730 to the application 740 as reception data.
  • the power supply control unit 770 reduces the transmission power by, for example, the RF unit.
  • Tx2 section 712 is controlled to turn off the power.
  • the operation control section 731 in the MAC section 730 controls the operation of the communication circuit so as to lengthen the standby interval for intermittent reception. The above two controls reduce the power consumption related to mobile phone communication, and consequently extend battery life.
  • a communication device is not used alone, but is used by being connected to an electronic device such as a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a "PC" or a PC) or a PDA. There is a device.
  • PC personal computer
  • PDA personal digital assistant
  • a communication device since only a portion that performs wireless communication is provided independently, it is difficult to control such that the power consumption is reduced in conjunction with the entire device like a mobile phone.
  • FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a wireless LAN device connected to an information device such as a personal computer.
  • the dotted arrows in the diagram indicate the flow of data to be communicated, and the solid arrows indicate the flows.
  • the wireless LAN device 500 performs only control for performing wireless communication, and control for reducing power consumption is performed by the device control unit 620 provided in the information device 600. This is performed by controlling the operation control unit 531 provided in the unit 530 (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-15783 (publication date: January 17, 2003)). .
  • the radio unit is positioned as a part of the device main body and the use of the device main body is restricted. It is necessary to design the circuit configuration and control sequence in consideration of the functions and characteristics.
  • a device such as a wireless LAN device that only functions as a wireless LAN and exists independently, and is mainly used in any information device according to the usage pattern of the user, the versatility is high. Therefore, it is not possible to create a unique circuit configuration that enables detailed control and power saving like a mobile phone, and it will not be a communication device composed only of the minimum required mechanism Not get.
  • a device connected by using the above technique does not always operate even if it is operating, but when it is divided into smaller time periods, there are many times when it is not operating. Therefore, in order to reduce power consumption, it is conceivable to perform detailed power control between the notebook PC and the connected device.However, as with the wireless LAN device described above, a special circuit design is required. The device must have a dedicated circuit.
  • General-purpose devices such as wireless LAN devices are designed to have a highly versatile circuit configuration and control sequence so that they can be used by connecting to any electronic device. However, it is difficult to reduce power consumption effectively. For example, when a wireless network is set up at home, information devices such as PCs and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), AV devices such as TVs, videos, and audio devices, and communication devices such as cordless phones are considered. Are connected by the same communication protocol.
  • information devices such as PCs and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants)
  • AV devices such as TVs, videos, and audio devices
  • communication devices such as cordless phones are considered. Are connected by the same communication protocol.
  • IP Internet Protocol
  • These devices are wired or wirelessly connected.
  • IP Internet Protocol
  • PDA, cordless telephone, and TV have different communication control for wireless LAN due to differences in applications handled.
  • communication should be performed only when necessary.However, with cordless phones, continuous intermittent reception is necessary to ensure that calls are not missed. Since it is important that it arrives and is not interrupted, bandwidth guarantee is required.
  • Televisions handle not only audio but also video, so it is necessary to guarantee a large data bandwidth, so the time required for communication is longer and the power consumption is greater than with cordless telephones
  • each electronic device a plurality of applications are usually used, and these applications may be activated simultaneously.
  • FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram showing a situation where the device user 1001 uses the device 1003.
  • various applications can operate.
  • application software having four different characteristics of maine software 1005, web browsing software 1007, VoIP (Voice over IP) software 1011, and streaming viewing software 1015 can be started.
  • the mail software 1005 starts the mail software 1005 periodically, for example, at one-minute intervals, and uses the wireless transmission circuit 1017 in order to confirm the presence or absence of the received mail. If there is a received mail, the wireless transmission circuit 1017 is continuously used until the mail data transmission / reception is completed.
  • Web browsing software 1007 uses a wireless transmission circuit to continuously transmit and receive web browsing data based on a user's browsing operation.
  • the streaming viewing software 1015 continuously receives streaming data at regular intervals based on a user's viewing operation, and uses a wireless transmission circuit.
  • the VoIP software 1011 requires transmission and reception at relatively short intervals, for example, about once every 20 ms.
  • the use time of the wireless transmission circuit for one transmission / reception is very short as compared with the time required for data transmission / reception of the other software.
  • Such a problem particularly involves a problem of how to perform power saving processing when a plurality of these applications are activated (in the case of multitask processing). In addition, even when only one application is running, a problem specific to the application may occur.
  • the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a highly versatile communication device while realizing an effective low power consumption operation. Further, the present invention smoothly performs power saving processing in a communication device without causing problems inherent to application software such as lack of mail, slow response time, deterioration of stream quality, and delay time. Is to provide technology for
  • an information processing apparatus includes a wireless communication device, an electronic device that executes an application for transmitting and receiving data using the wireless communication device, and a wireless communication device.
  • An information processing device comprising: a control device that controls power consumption in the information processing device;
  • the control device acquires the use state of the application and power control information predetermined for each application from the electronic device, and based on the acquired use state and power control information, Low power consumption setting means for determining the low power consumption setting in
  • the wireless communication device includes a low power consumption execution unit that performs low power consumption control according to the low power consumption setting determined by the low power consumption setting unit.
  • the power control information is, for example, a control mode indicating a transmission / reception operation in the wireless communication device, a transmission cycle, a reception cycle, a transmission rate, and a reception rate.
  • a control device that controls the communication device is provided separately from the communication device and the electronic device. Therefore, the application does not need to specially have a program for controlling the power of the communication device.
  • the low power consumption setting means determines the low power consumption setting based on the use state and the power control information acquired from the electronic device. And implement low power consumption of the wireless communication device.
  • the means performs low power consumption control according to the low power consumption setting. Therefore, the wireless communication device can perform low power consumption control suitable for the application in operation. As a result, maximum power saving can be achieved as long as the operation of the application is not hindered.
  • the information processing device includes both a portable information processing device (portable terminal) that is frequently moved and a fixed information processing device whose installation location is usually fixed.
  • portable devices are more likely to be equipped with a battery, and thus need to save power. Therefore, the present invention is more useful for a portable information processing device.
  • the number of applications executed by the electronic device is not particularly limited. One or more. However, since the low-power-consumption setting means determines the low-power-consumption setting based on the usage state of the application, even if there are a plurality of applications, the low-power-consumption setting means can set the low-power-consumption setting according to only the active application. Can be determined
  • an information processing apparatus of the present invention includes a wireless communication device, an electronic device that executes an application for transmitting and receiving data using the wireless communication device, and An information processing device comprising: a control device that controls power consumption in the communication device;
  • the control device stores (a) identification information of an application included in transmission / reception data transmitted and received by the electronic device using the wireless communication device in association with power control information predetermined for the application.
  • An identification information storage unit (b) power control information reading means for reading from the identification information storage unit power control information corresponding to the identification information of transmission / reception data transmitted and received by the wireless communication device, and (c) the power control Low power consumption setting means for determining a low power consumption setting in the wireless communication device based on the power control information read by the information reading means,
  • the wireless communication device includes a low power consumption execution unit that performs low power consumption control according to the low power consumption setting determined by the low power consumption setting unit.
  • a control device that controls the communication device is provided separately from the communication device and the electronic device. Therefore, the application needs to control the power of the communication device. It is not necessary to prepare a special program for security.
  • the power control information reading means reads, from the identification information storage unit, power control information corresponding to identification information of transmission / reception data transmitted / received by the wireless communication device. Therefore, the power control information reading means reads out the power control information corresponding to the running application performing data transmission / reception. Then, the low power consumption setting means determines the low power consumption setting based on the power control information read by the power control information reading means, and the low power consumption execution means of the wireless communication device performs the low power consumption according to the low power consumption setting. Perform control. Therefore, the wireless communication device can perform low power consumption control suitable for the application in operation. Thus, maximum power saving can be achieved within a range that does not hinder the operation of the application.
  • the information processing apparatus of the present invention includes a wireless communication device, an electronic device that executes an application for transmitting and receiving data using the wireless communication device, and An information processing device comprising: a control device that controls power consumption in the communication device;
  • the electronic device includes a user input unit that obtains an instruction from a user, the wireless communication device includes a transmission unit that performs data transmission, and a reception unit that receives data.
  • the control device obtains (a) a use state of the application and power control information to which a priority is predetermined for each application and to which a priority is added from the electronic device, and that the use state is in use. And control mode determining means for selecting power control information corresponding to the highest priority application; and (b) transmitting and receiving operations in the wireless communication device based on the power control information selected by the control mode determining means.
  • Transmission / reception operation parameter determination means for determining transmission / reception operation parameters for control; (c) usage environment information relating to the usage environment of the wireless communication device, instructions acquired by the user input means, and transmission / reception operation parameter determination means At least one of the transmitting unit and the receiving unit based on at least one of the transmission / reception operation parameters determined by To and a power control parameter determining means for determining a power control parameter for controlling the power supply amount against.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit determines transmission / reception operation parameters for controlling the transmission / reception operation in the wireless communication device based on the power control information selected by the control mode determination unit. Therefore, it is possible to determine transmission / reception operation parameters according to an application that is operating and has a high priority.
  • the power control parameter determining means determines the power control parameter based on at least one of the usage environment information, the instruction from the user, and the transmission / reception operation parameter. Therefore, it is possible to determine the power control parameter according to any of the usage environment information, the instruction, and the transmission / reception operation parameter.
  • an information processing apparatus of the present invention includes a wireless communication device, an electronic device that executes an application for transmitting and receiving data using the wireless communication device, and the wireless communication device.
  • An information processing device comprising: a control device that controls power consumption in the communication device;
  • the electronic device includes a user input unit that obtains an instruction from a user, the wireless communication device includes a transmission unit that performs data transmission, and a reception unit that receives data.
  • the control device acquires (a) the use state of the application and power control information predetermined for each application from the electronic device, and the power control acquired from the application in which the use state is in use.
  • Control mode determining means for selecting one piece of power control information to be prioritized based on a combination of information; and (b) transmitting and receiving in the wireless communication apparatus based on the power control information selected by the control mode determining means.
  • a transmission / reception operation parameter determining means for determining a transmission / reception operation parameter for controlling operation, (c) usage environment information on a usage environment of the wireless communication device, an instruction obtained by the user input means, and the transmission / reception operation parameter Based on at least one of the transmission / reception operation parameters determined by the determination unit, a small number of the transmission unit and the reception unit Power control parameter determining means for determining a power control parameter for controlling a power supply amount for at least one of the power control parameters.
  • the electronic device it is not necessary for the electronic device to add a priority to the power control information, and the transmission / reception operation parameter according to the application that is operating and should be prioritized.
  • the meter can be determined.
  • the information processing apparatus of the present invention includes a wireless communication device, an electronic device that executes an application for transmitting and receiving data using the wireless communication device, and the wireless communication device.
  • An information processing device comprising: a control device that controls power consumption in the communication device;
  • the electronic device includes a user input unit that obtains an instruction from a user
  • the wireless communication device includes a transmission unit that performs data transmission, and a reception unit that receives data.
  • the control device includes: An identification information storage unit that stores identification information of an application included in transmission / reception data transmitted / received by the electronic device using the wireless communication device, in association with power control information and priority determined in advance for the application.
  • control information reading means for reading power control information and priority corresponding to the identification information of transmission / reception data transmitted and received by the wireless communication device; and (c) power read by the power control information reading means.
  • Control mode determining means for selecting one piece of power control information to be prioritized based on a combination of control information; ( d ) transmitting and receiving operations in the wireless communication apparatus based on the power control information selected by the control mode determining means (E) usage environment information relating to the usage environment of the wireless communication apparatus, instruction information acquired by the user input means, and transmission / reception determined by the transmission / reception operation parameter determination means. At least one of the transmitting unit and the receiving unit based on at least one of the operation parameters. And a power control parameter determining means for determining a power control parameter for controlling the power supply.
  • the power control information reading means reads from the identification information storage unit the power control information and the priority corresponding to the identification information of the transmission / reception data transmitted / received by the wireless communication device. Therefore, the power control information reading means reads out the power control information corresponding to the active application which is performing data transmission and reception.
  • the control mode determining means selects the power control information to be prioritized, and the transmission / reception operation parameter determining means determines the wireless communication based on the power control information selected by the control mode determining means.
  • Transmission / reception operation parameters for controlling the transmission / reception operation in the communication device are determined. Therefore, it is possible to determine transmission / reception operation parameters according to the application that is operating and should be prioritized. As a result, maximum power saving can be achieved as long as the operation of the application is not hindered.
  • the power control parameter determining means determines the power control parameter based on at least one of the usage environment information, the instruction from the user, and the transmission / reception operation parameter. Therefore, it is possible to determine the power control parameter according to any of the usage environment information, the instruction, and the transmission / reception operation parameter.
  • the information processing apparatus of the present invention provides a wireless communication device and an electronic device that executes an IP telephone application for transmitting and receiving voice data via the wireless communication device.
  • An information processing device comprising: a control device for controlling power consumption in the wireless communication device.
  • the control device presets a data transmission / reception period for transmitting / receiving voice data when the IP phone application is being executed,
  • the wireless communication device reduces the amount of power supplied to a transmission unit that performs data transmission and a reception unit that performs data reception during a period excluding a data transmission and reception period set by the control device.
  • an information processing apparatus includes a wireless communication device that performs communication using a wireless LAN, and an electronic device that receives an e-mail via the wireless communication device.
  • An information processing device comprising: an electronic device that executes a mail application; and a control device that controls power consumption in the wireless communication device,
  • the control device sets a period for checking for the presence or absence of an email when the email application is running
  • the wireless communication device checks the presence or absence of an e-mail for itself during the period set by the control device. If there is no e-mail, the wireless communication device reduces the power supply to the receiving unit that receives the e-mail, and the e-mail is received. In this case, after receiving the e-mail, Reduce the amount of power supplied.
  • power consumption can be reduced during periods other than when confirming presence / absence of an e-mail and when an e-mail is received, and further power saving can be achieved.
  • the information processing apparatus of the present invention provides a wireless communication apparatus that performs communication using a wireless LAN, and a Web page that browses a web page via the wireless communication apparatus.
  • An information processing apparatus comprising: an electronic device that executes a browsing application; and a control device that controls power consumption in the wireless communication device.
  • the control device reduces the power supply to the wireless communication device when the Web browsing application is running and the wireless communication device transmits and receives data.
  • the wireless module of the present invention is mounted on an electronic device that executes an application for transmitting and receiving data using a wireless communication device, and the wireless communication device is connected to the electronic device.
  • a wireless module comprising a control device for controlling power consumption in the wireless communication device,
  • the control device includes a low-power-consumption setting unit that determines a low-power-consumption setting according to an application in operation based on a use state of the application and power control information determined for each application.
  • the wireless communication device includes a low power consumption execution unit that performs low power consumption control according to the low power consumption setting determined by the low power consumption setting unit.
  • the wireless module of the present invention is mounted on an electronic device that executes an application for transmitting and receiving data by using a wireless communication device. And a control device for controlling power consumption in the wireless communication device,
  • the control device stores (a) identification information of an application included in transmission / reception data transmitted and received by the electronic device using the wireless communication device in association with power control information predetermined for the application. (B) the wireless communication Power control information reading means for reading power control information corresponding to the identification information of transmission / reception data transmitted / received by the device from an identification information storage unit; and (c) power control information read by the power control information reading means. And a low power consumption setting means for determining a low power consumption setting in the wireless communication device,
  • the wireless communication device includes a low power consumption execution unit that performs low power consumption control according to the low power consumption setting determined by the low power consumption setting unit.
  • the electronic control device of the present invention has an electronic device that is detachable with a wireless communication device and executes an application for transmitting and receiving data using the wireless communication device.
  • a control device for controlling power consumption in the wireless communication device an electronic control device comprising:
  • the control device includes a low-power-consumption setting unit that determines a low-power-consumption setting according to an application in operation based on a use state of the application and power control information determined for each application.
  • the wireless communication device includes a low power consumption execution unit that performs low power consumption control according to the low power consumption setting determined by the low power consumption setting unit.
  • the electronic control device of the present invention has an electronic device in which a wireless communication device is detachable and executes an application for transmitting and receiving data using the wireless communication device.
  • a control device for controlling power consumption in the wireless communication device an electronic control device comprising:
  • the control device stores (a) identification information of an application included in transmission / reception data transmitted and received by the electronic device using the wireless communication device in association with power control information predetermined for the application.
  • An identification information storage unit (b) power control information reading means for reading from the identification information storage unit power control information corresponding to the identification information of transmission / reception data transmitted and received by the wireless communication device, and (c) the power control Low-power-consumption setting means for determining low-power-consumption setting in the wireless communication device based on the power control information read by the information reading means;
  • Low power consumption execution means for performing low power consumption control in accordance with the low power consumption setting determined by the low power consumption setting means.
  • the power control method of the present invention provides a wireless communication
  • a power control method for an information processing device comprising: an electronic device that executes an application that transmits and receives data using the wireless communication device; and a control device that controls power consumption in the wireless communication device.
  • An acquisition step in which the control device acquires from the electronic device the use state of the application and power control information determined in advance for each of the applications, and a use state and the power control information acquired by the control device in the acquisition step. Based on the above, there is a determining step of determining a low power consumption setting in the wireless communication device, and a control step of performing low power consumption control in accordance with the low power consumption setting determined in the determining step.
  • the power control method of the present invention provides a wireless communication device, an electronic device for executing an application for transmitting and receiving data using the wireless communication device, and the wireless communication device.
  • a power control method for an information processing device comprising: a control device for controlling power consumption in the communication device;
  • the control device includes an identification information storage unit that stores identification information of an application included in transmission / reception data transmitted / received by the electronic device using the wireless communication device and power control information predetermined for the application in association with each other. Prepare,
  • a reading step in which the control device reads power control information corresponding to the identification information of transmission / reception data transmitted and received by the wireless communication device from an identification information storage unit, and a power control information read by the control device in the reading step. Determining a low power consumption setting in the wireless communication device,
  • a power control program for an information processing device of the present invention causes a computer to execute the above power control method.
  • the power control program is stored in a computer-readable manner.
  • control device of the present invention is a control device that controls a communication device and an electronic device that performs communication using the communication device. Acquiring first information and second information from the communication device, and controlling the communication device based on at least one of the first information and the second information;
  • a control device for controlling the communication device is provided separately from the communication device and the electronic device. Therefore, the electronic device does not need to have a special means for controlling the power of the communication device, and the circuit configuration can be relatively simplified. Further, the communication device is controlled by the control device based on at least one of the first information from the electronic device and the second information from the communication device while maintaining high versatility so as to be able to cope with different electronic devices. And controlled. As a result, even for general-purpose communication devices that are expected to reduce costs due to mass production effects, optimal low-power operation can be achieved according to the first information from the electronic device or the second information from the communication device. can do.
  • a control device of the present invention is a control device for controlling a communication device and an electronic device performing communication using the communication device, wherein the electronic device And at least one of the electronic device and the communication device from among a plurality of control profiles for controlling the electronic device and the communication device based on an operation state of the communication device and information including a request to the control device. And a profile selection unit for selecting a control profile that defines an operation for substantially minimizing the power consumption of the device.
  • the power consumption of the electronic device or the communication device can be reduced.
  • the electronic device of the present invention is connected to the control device and controlled by the control device.
  • the communication device of the present invention is connected to the control device and controlled by the control device.
  • the communication device of the present invention includes the above control device, A communication device.
  • the communication device since the communication device includes the control device and the communication device, power saving of the communication device can be achieved only by connecting the communication device to the electronic device.
  • the communication device since the communication device is controlled by a control device that is not directly controlled by the electronic device, it can have high versatility.
  • the information processing device of the present invention provides the control device, information for the profile selection to the control device, and the information based on the control profile.
  • the communication device is a general-purpose communication device expected to reduce costs due to mass production effects, it is possible to optimize the first information from the electronic device or the second information from the communication device. A low power consumption operation can be realized.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a profile controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of an operation between a profile controller according to an embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device, and a communication device.
  • FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of an operation of the profile controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an electronic device equipped with a profile controller according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a control profile table provided in a profile selection unit.
  • FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the control profile table.
  • FIG. 7 (a) Example of instruction by control profile selected from control profile table It is.
  • FIG. 7 (b) is a diagram showing contents of an instruction to a communication circuit.
  • FIG. 7 (c) is a view schematically showing a communication operation of a communication circuit controlled by a profile controller.
  • FIG. 8 (a) is an example of an instruction based on a control profile selected from a control profile table.
  • FIG. 8 (b) is a diagram showing contents of an instruction to a communication circuit.
  • FIG. 8 (c) is a view schematically showing a communication operation of a communication circuit controlled by a profile controller.
  • FIG. 9 is a diagram referred to when a control profile table is selected, and is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between a priority (weighting coefficient) of an application and a remaining battery capacity.
  • FIG. 10 (A) is an image diagram showing versatility of a conventional communication device.
  • FIG. 10 (B) is an image diagram showing the versatility of the communication device of the present invention.
  • FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an outline of a power saving process in a wireless transmission circuit (communication device) according to another embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a device configuration example of a device control system according to another embodiment (Embodiment 2) of the present invention.
  • FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a wireless transmission circuit according to a second embodiment.
  • FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a result of a list of items such as a mode and an operation, a power saving effect, an influence on an application, and the like.
  • FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an operation example in a first step of the power control decision circuit.
  • FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an operation example in a second step of the power control determination circuit.
  • FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an outline of processing of a wireless transmission circuit.
  • FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a power saving operation of the wireless transmission circuit (beacon interval constant operation).
  • FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a power saving operation of the wireless transmission circuit (beacon interval variable operation).
  • FIG. 20A is a diagram showing an example of a power saving operation (reserved reception operation) of the wireless transmission circuit.
  • FIG. 20B is a diagram showing a reservation reception setting sequence.
  • FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a power saving operation (off control operation) of the wireless transmission circuit.
  • FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a relationship between an operation of an application and power control according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, control by a command is also shown.
  • FIG. 23 is a diagram showing details of the operation in period A in FIG. 22.
  • FIG. 24 is a diagram showing details of the operation in period B in FIG. 22.
  • FIG. 25 is a diagram showing details of the operation in period C in FIG. 22.
  • FIG. 26 is a diagram showing details of the operation in period D in FIG. 22.
  • FIG. 27 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a general mobile phone.
  • FIG. 28 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a general wireless LAN device.
  • FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram showing a situation when a user uses a device capable of operating a plurality of applications.
  • FIG. 30 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a system unit provided in the electronic device.
  • FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a power control decision circuit in Embodiment 2.
  • FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating a storage example of a parameter table storage unit included in the power control determination circuit according to the second embodiment.
  • FIG. 33 is a diagram illustrating an example of storage of a level control table storage unit included in the power control determination circuit according to the second embodiment.
  • FIG. 34 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a power control decision circuit in Embodiment 3.
  • FIG. 35 is a diagram illustrating a storage example of a parameter table storage unit included in the power control determination circuit according to the third embodiment.
  • FIG. 36 is a diagram showing a storage example of a power control table storage unit provided in the power control determination circuit of the third embodiment.
  • FIG. 37 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a device (information processing device) according to a fourth embodiment.
  • FIG. 38 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a power control determination circuit in Embodiment 4.
  • FIG. 39 is a diagram illustrating a storage example of an application parameter storage unit included in the power control determination circuit according to the fourth embodiment.
  • FIG. 40 is a diagram showing a data format of transmission / reception data in Embodiment 4.
  • FIG. 41 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an application determining unit included in a power control determination circuit according to Embodiment 4.
  • FIG. 42 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for starting parameter output in an application determining unit.
  • FIG. 43 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for stopping the output of parameters in the application determining unit.
  • FIG. 44 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless LAN terminal (wireless communication device) in a fifth embodiment.
  • FIG. 45 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the wireless LAN terminal.
  • FIG. 46 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a signal detection unit provided in the wireless LAN terminal.
  • FIG. 47 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless module according to a seventh embodiment.
  • FIG. 48 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic control device according to an eighth embodiment.
  • FIG. 49 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless LAN terminal (wireless communication device) in a sixth embodiment.
  • FIG. 50 is a diagram showing a storage example of an execution control mode determination table storage unit included in the power control determination circuit according to the third embodiment.
  • the term “application” refers to software that has an interface with a user, such as a mailer that sends and receives e-mails and a web browser that browses homepages, and is mounted on an electronic device and operates.
  • An “electronic device” is a device that operates based on the above-mentioned application, and generally includes, for example, a notebook PC, a PDA, and a home electric appliance with a built-in microcomputer.
  • a “communication device” is a device having a communication function such as data communication, and is a device capable of providing a communication function to an electronic device in cooperation with the electronic device.
  • Control profile refers to the control state related to communication under certain conditions
  • control profile table refers to the communication device directly or indirectly. Refers to a table used to select the optimal control profile based on various information obtained from the connected hardware and software.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a profile controller (control device) according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • a profile controller 100 according to the present embodiment includes a communication circuit power control section 120, a communication circuit operation control section 130, and a communication path information IZF section 140 centered on a profile selection section 110.
  • An application request IZF section 150, an action command section 160, and a device information IZF section 170 are associated with the profile selection section 110.
  • the profile controller 100 has three input units and three output units.
  • Output signals from the communication path information I / F section 140, the application request I / F section 150, and the device information I / F section 170 are input to the profile selection section 110 and output from the profile selection section 110.
  • the signal is input to the communication circuit power control unit 120, the communication circuit operation control unit 130, and the action command unit 160. This is shown in Figure 2.
  • the electronic device (information processing device) 180 includes a profile controller 100, a communication device 200, and an electronic device 300.
  • the connection lines 121, 131, 141, 151, 161, and 171 are the same as the connection springs shown in FIG.
  • the three inputs to the profile controller 100 are “request” for the application 310, “device information report” indicating the device information 320 in the electronic device 300, and “communication” indicating the channel information 220 in the communication device 200.
  • the three outputs are “application control” for the application 310 and “power control” and “operation control” for the communication circuit 210.
  • the device information report includes device type information indicating the device type of the electronic device 300.
  • the six connection lines 121, 131, 141, 151, 161, and 171f for transmitting three input signals and three output signals are shown in the figure:
  • the six interfaces 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170
  • the profile selection unit 110 is a core part of the profile controller 100.
  • the profile selection unit 110 includes three input signals “request”, “device information report”, and “channel information” input through the application request IZF unit 150, the device information I / F unit 170, and the communication channel information I / F unit 140. Reported value The right control profile.
  • the profile selection unit 110 outputs an instruction stored in association with the selected control profile through the communication circuit power control unit 120, the communication circuit operation control unit 130, and the action command unit 160 to three outputs. Output as signals “power control”, “operation control”, and “application control”. With these three output signals, the next power control state of the communication circuit 210, the operation state, and the next state of the application 310 are clarified, and the communication circuit 210 and the application 310 immediately send the above instruction. The state is changed according to.
  • the control profile table prepared in the profile selection unit 110 which is also the core of the profile controller 100, stores a combination of various conceivable states such as device characteristics, "application status," device status, and communication channel status.
  • Power state of the communication circuit 210 required to operate the communication device 200 to minimize power consumption at that time. It is a tape drive that can find out (read out) a combination of control signals that indicate the state of the application.
  • control profile can be uniquely determined if the three items of the request from the application, the communication path information, and the device information are aligned.
  • the control profiles also have different forces. It is good even if different control profiles are not prepared for all the electronic devices 300.
  • the control profile table stores a control profile in association with the device type of the electronic device 300 so that the profile selection unit 110 can select a control profile corresponding to a different electronic device 300.
  • FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation flow of the profile controller 100.
  • the device information I / F section 170 checks the presence or absence of device information with respect to the device information section 320, and if there is device information, in step S12, transmits the device information in the form of a ⁇ device information report ''. get. At this time, the device type information added to the device information is also acquired.
  • the channel information I / F unit 140 checks whether or not there is channel information, and if there is channel information, proceeds to step S14. Retrieve channel information in the form of "channel information report".
  • step S15 if there is no function request from the application to the application request I / F unit 150 (NO in S15), the process returns to step SI1 and monitors the device information in order.
  • step S16 the profile selection unit 110 receives the application request I / F unit 150, the communication path information IZF unit 140, and the device information I / F unit 170. From the signal, refer to the control profile table to select the control profile.
  • the profile selection unit 110 sequentially executes instructions stored in association with the selected control profile.
  • step S17 it is confirmed whether or not the communication circuit operation control is instructed by the selected control profile. If the communication circuit control is instructed, the operation control unit 130 outputs an “operation control” signal to the communication circuit 210 in step S18.
  • step S19 it is checked whether or not the communication circuit power control is instructed by the selected control profile. If the communication circuit power control has been instructed, a “power control” signal is output from the communication circuit power control unit 120 to the communication circuit 210 in step S20. Further, in step S21, it is confirmed whether or not control for the application is instructed by the selected control profile.
  • step S22 If the control of the application has been instructed, the action command unit 160 outputs an “application control” signal to the application 310 in step S22.
  • step S23 if the control force for terminating the operation of the profile controller 100 is given by an instruction of the control system of the electronic device 300 or a reset signal, the profile controller 100 ends. However, if the operation end control is not performed, the process returns to step S11, and the process is executed again in order from the acquisition of the device information.
  • FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of a connection structure of devices centering on profile controller 100 according to the present embodiment.
  • Six blocks provided in the profile controller 100 shown in FIG. 4 correspond to the same-numbered interfaces shown in FIG.
  • the dotted arrows in FIG. 4 indicate the flow of communication data
  • the solid arrows indicate the flow of control data.
  • the electronic device 300 through the user IZF unit 330 provided therein.
  • a wireless communication device (communication device) 400 shown in FIG. 4 includes a profile controller 100, an RF device, a BB device 420, and a MAC B430.
  • the RF unit 410, the BB # 420, and the MAC unit 430 constitute a wireless communication circuit, and correspond to the communication device 200 shown in FIG. That is, the wireless communication device 400 is a device including the profile controller 100 and the communication device 200.
  • the MAC unit 430 constituting a communication circuit in the wireless communication device (communication device) 400
  • information related to the communication channel such as the received signal quality and the electric field strength is collected by the communication channel information unit 432, and " A "channel information" signal is sent to the channel information I / F section 140 in the profile controller 100.
  • Applications installed on the electronic device 300 for example, application # 1, application # 2, application #N) 311—313 output
  • the profile controller 100 outputs signals from three outputs based on the selected control profile.
  • the action command section 160 sends the application (app # 1, app # 2, app #N) 311—313 It outputs an “app control” signal to the relevant application.
  • the application that has received the “application control” signal changes the operation state of the application based on the signal.
  • the communication circuit operation control unit 130 outputs an “operation control” signal to the operation control unit 431 in the MAC unit 430.
  • the operation control unit 431 performs a predetermined operation control on the communication circuit, creates a basic operation state such as a transmission operation, a reception operation, and a reception standby, and changes a transition pattern of the basic operation state for a certain period of time.
  • the control to repeat is performed.
  • the BB section 420 performs a modulation / demodulation operation
  • the RF section 410 performs a wireless transmission / reception operation.
  • RF section 410 and BB section 42 that configure a wireless communication circuit based on the output signal.
  • the circuit blocks (Rxl, Rx2, Txl, ⁇ 2) 411—414 in the RF section 410 and the circuit blocks (Rxl, Rx2, Tx) 421—423 in the ⁇ section 420 are individually controlled, and each circuit is turned ON / OFF. By appropriately selecting this circuit block, unnecessary power consumption can be reduced and power saving can be achieved.
  • profile controller 100 is provided in wireless communication device 400.
  • power consumption can be reduced when the wireless communication device 400 is used regardless of the type of the electronic device 300.
  • various configurations other than the configuration example shown in FIG. 4 can be adopted.
  • the profile controller 100 can be configured only with software, or can be configured with both hardware and software. When configured only with software, the profile controller 100 can be provided in the electronic device 300 instead of in the wireless communication device 400. In the case where the profile controller 100 configured by software is provided in the electronic device 300, the element of the “device type”, which is a control profile item, is limited to the electronic device 300 in which the profile controller 100 is provided. It is possible to save a memory capacity such as a ROM for storing the control profile.
  • the profile controller extends over both the wireless communication device 400 and the electronic device 300 instead of only one of the wireless communication device 400 and the electronic device 300.
  • a function sharing format in which the hardware portion of the profile controller 100 is provided in the wireless communication device 400 and the software portion of the profile controller 100 is provided in the electronic device 300 may be used.
  • the wireless communication device 400 and the electronic device 300 are configured to function integrally without being aware of each other as separate devices, thereby enabling effective low power consumption operation. Is preferred.
  • FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the control profile table according to the present embodiment.
  • the control profile table according to the present embodiment includes a device type (device type information) 111 as an item indicating information on whether the electronic device 300 is a device of this type,
  • the configuration includes four items of a request 112 as three inputs to the profile controller 100, device information 113, and communication path information 114.
  • two types of elements, a notebook PC and a PDA are described as a device type 111, and download by a browser and reception of an IP phone are described as an application request 112.
  • the communication path information 114 indicates that the remaining battery level is low and the battery level is high, and that the battery level is high and the battery level is full (full charge).
  • the communication path information 114 describes the case where the electric field strength is high and the case where the electric field strength is low. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the total number of combinations is 16, and a profile number 115 is assigned to each combination. As shown in Fig. 5, for each combination of items (elements), not all forces that uniquely determine a control profile have different control profiles. It can be seen that only 10 control profiles are prepared for the options. Note that the device information (remaining battery capacity) and the communication path information (electric field strength or error rate) may be represented by two values based on a certain threshold as shown in FIG. Finer control is possible.
  • the elements of the items prepared in the actual control profile table are not limited to those shown in FIG.
  • an electronic device 300 related to a communication function such as a TV cordless phone or a mobile phone is described.
  • a data transmission or data reception processing request such as a browser, mail, IP phone, or streaming is described.
  • the device information 113 describes whether or not the battery is driven (AC drive), the remaining battery level, whether or not the power saving function is being operated by a user's instruction, and the like.
  • the communication path information 114 describes, for example, communication data quality, delay dispersion, and the like in addition to the presence / absence of a carrier and the electric field strength. Most of the parameters to be considered when performing low power consumption operation correspond to any of these items, so the more these items are enriched, the more effective power consumption can be reduced.
  • FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the control profile table.
  • the model type 111 is a cordless telephone
  • the application request 112 describes four types of items, e-mail (sending and receiving) and IP telephone (sending and receiving).
  • the device information 113 the battery Two types of items are listed, a small amount and a fully charged battery.
  • the communication channel information 114 two types of error rates, large and small, are described.
  • control profile table is a table that associates real-time information about the electronic device 300 with real-time information about the communication device 200. Interaction with the 200 can be controlled to reduce power consumption.
  • FIGS. 7 (a) and 8 (a) show examples of instructions based on control profile 1 and control profile 7, respectively, and FIGS. 7 (b) and 8 (b) show the respective instructions above.
  • FIG. 7C is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of controlling a communication circuit in a control profile
  • FIGS. 7C and 8C are diagrams schematically illustrating intervals of intermittent reception performed during power saving (PS). . Note that the communication circuits shown in FIGS. 7 (b) and 8 (b) are given the same numbers as the communication circuits shown in FIG.
  • Fig. 7 (a) shows that the device type 111 in Fig. 5 is a notebook PC, the application request 112 is a browser download, the device information 113 is a low battery level, and the communication path information 114 is a power line. 9 shows a control profile when the field strength is large. The control profile obtained from the combination of FIG. 5 is profile # 1. FIG. 7 (a) also shows the three outputs in profile # 1. According to FIG.
  • FIG. 7 (b) shows how the communication circuit is controlled.
  • Communication power supply control 117 (Fig. 7 (a)) shows "BB-R x2 off ”, a control signal is issued so that Rx2 ⁇ B423 in BB ⁇ 420 shown in FIG. 4 is turned off, and the Rx2 unit 423 enters the power-off state.
  • RF-Rxl offj a control signal is output so that the Rxl unit 411 in the RF unit 410 is also turned off, and the Rxl unit 411 is turned off.
  • the received signal demodulated via the Rxl section 411 and Rx2 section 412 in the RF section 410, the Rxl section 421 and the Rx2 section 423 in the BB section 420 passes through the Rxl section 411 in the RF section 410.
  • the signal is demodulated without passing through the Rx2 unit 423 in the BB unit 420. This lowers the reception characteristics, but since the reception quality required for demodulation has been obtained, data can be received. Since two of the circuit blocks have transitioned to the power-off state, it is possible to save power compared to normal operation.
  • the communication operation control 118 is "PS period X"
  • PSM power save mode
  • the operation control unit 431 sets the operation after the current communication to the power save mode (PSM), and starts the time counter to restart the communication X seconds later. This is shown in Fig. 7 (c).
  • the communication state is at the time described as Awake, and the time during the PS period is a time during which neither transmission nor reception is performed.
  • the PSM is an operation mode provided as an option in IEEE802.11 which is a wireless LAN standard.
  • the PSM receives a packet called a beacon at regular intervals, and if there is data destined for itself, performs communication. It starts, but if there is no data addressed to itself, it repeats the operation of not communicating again and waiting for the next reception timing.
  • the period during which there is no reception operation can be set arbitrarily, and is shown as the PS period in FIG.
  • Fig. 8 shows a case where the device type 111 in Fig. 5 is a PDA, the application request 112 is a browser download mode, the device information 113 is a low battery level, and the communication path information 114 is a high electric field strength. It is a figure showing the example of. The main difference from the example of FIG. 7 is only the device type 111, and the other three items (112 to 114) are the same.
  • the control profile obtained from the combination in FIG. 5 is profile # 7.
  • the three outputs in the case of profile # 7 are that the action command 116 is “no instruction”, the communication power control 117 is “BB—Rx2 off”, and the communication The operation control 118 is “PS period Y”.
  • the PS period set in the communication operation control is such that the AP is not lost, that is, set to Y seconds, which is shorter than X seconds.
  • the profiles are different due to the different device types 111. If the control profile is different, the communication circuit receives different control.
  • FIG. 8 (b) is a diagram showing how the communication circuit is controlled by the three outputs shown in FIG. 8 (a). Since the communication power control 117 is “BB-Rx2 off”, a control signal is output to the Rx2 unit 423 in the BB unit 420 so as to be turned off, and the state of the Rx2 unit 423 becomes the power stop state. Further, since the communication operation control 118 is “PS period Y”, the operation control unit 431 in the MAC unit 430 is instructed to perform the PS operation and set the reception interval at that time to Y seconds. In response to this instruction, the operation control unit 431 controls the RF unit 410 and the BB unit 420, and performs an operation of repeating the reception operation at intervals of Y seconds as shown in FIG. 8 (c).
  • the profile selection unit 110 sets the control profile of the profile # 5 to select.
  • the communication power control 117 can issue a command to turn off Rx and Tx of BB and Rx and ⁇ of RF.
  • the communication power supply is all on during the PS period ⁇ ( ⁇ ⁇ ⁇ , because one data transmission / reception time is shorter than the browser download time).
  • the communication device 200 needs to increase the transmission power to a level that can be received by the communication partner. As a result, the power consumption is necessarily high.
  • the profile controller 100 gives the application an action command to "stop the application of the IP telephone after a certain period of time". As a result, the application of the IP phone stops after a certain period of time, and the power consumption of electronic device 300 is reduced.
  • the same communication device 200 is connected to a different electronic device 300, the same communication device 200 is connected to the electronic device 300 via the Thus, optimal control is performed. Therefore, by providing the profile controller 100, an extremely versatile and highly versatile communication device 200 capable of operating with low power consumption within an appropriate operation range is provided.
  • FIG. 9 is a diagram exemplifying the relationship between the type of application and the remaining battery level with respect to the priority (weighting factor) referred to when selecting a control profile.
  • a weighting coefficient is determined for each element such as a model type, an application request, device information, and communication path information shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the weighting coefficient is changed according to a change in the combination of the elements. It is also possible to perform more fine-grained control by changing.
  • FIGS. 10A and 10B show that high versatility can be obtained by using a communication device equipped with profile controller 100 according to the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 10A shows a general communication device
  • FIG. 10B shows a communication device equipped with the profile controller 100 according to the present embodiment.
  • the communication device 811 optimally designed for the mobile phone 810 is used.
  • the PDA820 required a communication device 821 optimally designed for the PDA820
  • the television 830 required a communication device 831 optimally designed for the television 830.
  • the communication device 840 equipped with the profile controller 100 uses the profile controller 100 for any of the mobile phone 810, the PDA 820, and the television 830.
  • control that achieves optimal low power consumption operation is possible.
  • Such high versatility means that communication equipment can be produced without depending on the number of electronic devices to be connected. That is, a communication device equipped with the profile controller 100 can be reduced in cost by mass production effect.
  • the profile controller 100 is mounted on the communication device.
  • the profile controller 100 may be mounted on each electronic device. Even in this case, the cost of the communication device can be expected to be reduced by mass production. It is.
  • the profile controller 100 has at least the three inputs and three outputs shown in FIG. is necessary. However, in order for the user to intentionally limit the operation, it is okay to add a request from the user to the input. This request is positioned as a part of the device information in the specific example of FIG. When a request from the user is added to the profile controller, it is necessary to add a new “request from the user” item to the control profile table referred to by the profile selection unit. It is clear that nothing has changed.
  • the profile controller 100 may acquire, from the communication device 200, operation state information indicating an operation state of the communication device 200.
  • the operation state information indicating the operation state in the communication device 200 is, for example, information indicating the power supplied to the communication device 200.
  • an item “operation state in communication device 200” is newly added to the control profile table, and profile selection section 110 selects a control profile based on the acquired operation state information.
  • the profile controller 100 can perform control according to the operation state of the communication device 200.
  • the control device (profile controller) of the present invention uses three inputs (a request from an application, device information, and communication channel information (eg, BER, PER, etc.)) at that point in time.
  • three outputs application control, communication circuit power control, and communication circuit operation control
  • the communication device and the And / or low power consumption operation of the entire device on which the communication device is mounted can be realized.
  • a profile controller having at least three inputs (requests from applications, device information, and communication path information) and three outputs (application control, communication circuit power control, and communication circuit operation control) is connected to a communication device and its communication device.
  • the usage characteristics of an application refer to the usage required for a wireless transmission circuit when the application uses a wireless transmission circuit (communication device) from the viewpoint of power saving processing. Characteristics (time, data amount, etc.). The effect on the application means the effect on the processing result expected by each application.
  • FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an outline of the power saving process in the wireless transmission circuit (wireless communication device) 5 of the present invention.
  • the equipment (information processing device) Z of the equipment control system includes a power control decision circuit (control device) 3, a wireless transmission circuit 5, and three applications (applications D, E, and F). And an electronic device 2 for execution.
  • the device Z is, for example, a mobile phone or a personal computer. It may be a portable device that moves frequently or a fixed device where the installation location is usually fixed. However, since the present invention aims to save power, it is particularly effective for portable devices that usually have a battery.
  • the power control determination circuit 3 includes the use state of each application, for example, the application D, the application E, the application F,...
  • the environment where the equipment is placed such as the size of the area in which the equipment is located, the radio wave condition, and the remaining battery level, as well as the power control information and priority, are input.
  • the power control information may be preset for each application or may be input by the user. The same applies to the priority.
  • the power control information includes a control mode indicating a transmission / reception operation in the wireless transmission circuit 5, a transmission cycle, a reception cycle, a transmission rate, and a reception rate.
  • the power control determination circuit 3 determines an optimum control method based on the input use state of the application, the use environment of the device, the control mode and the priority, and responds to the determined control method.
  • the control signal to be transmitted is output to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 operates in the optimal control mode determined by the power control determination circuit 3.
  • the optimal control method determines the control mode that is advantageous for missing, response, delay, and quality. Controls the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • Feedback information (remaining battery level, radio wave condition, etc.) from the wireless transmission circuit 5 is fed back to the power control decision circuit 3 as usage environment information. Thereby, the optimal control method is updated, and more appropriate control can be performed.
  • FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a device configuration example of the device (information processing device) Z of the device control system according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • the device Z of the device control system exchanges information with, for example, an application execution unit 2a that executes a plurality of applications D, E, and F, and a user.
  • An electronic device 2 including a system unit 2b, a power control determination circuit 3, a wireless transmission circuit 5, an application interface 1 connecting the application execution unit 2a and the power control determination circuit 3, A system interface 6 for connecting to the control decision circuit 3.
  • the device Z includes a battery 11 for supplying power to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the electronic device 2 includes an application execution unit 2a and a system unit 2b.
  • the application execution unit 2a includes an application D execution unit 2a-1 for executing the application D, an application E execution unit 2a_2 for executing the application E, and an application F execution unit for executing the application F. 2a-3.
  • the applications D, E, and F use the wireless transmission circuit 5 to transmit and receive data. Therefore, the application execution unit 2 outputs the transmission data to be transmitted to the wireless transmission circuit 5 via the application interface 1 and receives the reception data received by the wireless transmission circuit 5. Further, each of the application execution units 2 a-1, 2 a-2, and 2 a-3 outputs an application parameter and an application use state to the power control determination circuit 3 via the application interface 1.
  • the application parameters include a priority of each application, a command indicating an instruction from a user, a control mode as power control information for controlling power in the wireless transmission circuit 5, a transmission cycle, a reception cycle, a transmission rate, and a reception rate.
  • FIG. 30 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system unit 2b.
  • the system unit 2b has a function of exchanging information with a user.
  • the system unit 2b includes a user input unit (user) for acquiring instruction information from the user.
  • Input means) 2b-l for acquiring instruction information from the user.
  • remaining battery information display section 2b-3 for displaying remaining battery information L2 from battery 11, and radio wave status information indicating the strength of radio waves received from wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • a radio wave condition information display section 2b-4 for displaying L-1.
  • the user input unit 2b-1 shows, as information from the user, a request for area information (for example, the size of a room) on the area where the device Z is used, and a request for the power control decision circuit 3 Command L-4 is input.
  • the user input unit 2b-1 outputs the area information L_3 and the command L_4 input from the user to the power control determination circuit 3 via the system interface 6.
  • the battery remaining amount information display section 2b_3 receives the battery remaining amount information L-2 indicating the battery remaining amount from the battery 11, and displays the battery remaining amount information L-2. Thereby, the user can check the remaining amount of the battery 11. Note that the battery remaining amount information display unit 2b_3 may notify the user of the battery remaining amount information L-2 by voice.
  • the radio wave condition information display section 2b-4 receives the radio wave condition information L-1 from the wireless transmission circuit 5, and displays the radio wave condition information L-1. As a result, the user can check the radio wave condition.
  • the radio wave condition information display section 2b-4 may notify the user of the radio wave condition information L1 by voice.
  • the application interface 1 has, for example, an interface 1-1 of the application D, an interface 1-2 of the application E, and an interface 1-3 of the application F. ing.
  • Each of the interfaces 1-1 to 1-3 transmits a priority, a control mode, a use state, a command, a transmission cycle, a reception cycle, a transmission rate, and a reception rate, which will be described later, from the application execution unit 2a.
  • the application interface 1 exchanges transmission / reception data to be transmitted / received with the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the system interface 6 outputs battery remaining amount information L_2, radio wave condition information (communication channel information) L-11, area information L-13, and command L-4 to the power control decision circuit 3.
  • the power control decision circuit 3 receives these input signals, creates a detailed parameter decision signal 33, and outputs it to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the detailed parameter determination signal 33 includes detailed parameters for controlling the power of the wireless transmission circuit 5, and details thereof will be described later.
  • the battery 11 supplies power to the wireless transmission circuit 5 and transmits the remaining battery information L-2 to the system unit 2 b and the power control determination circuit 3 via the system interface 6. Output.
  • the priority, use status, command, and power control information are transmitted from the application interface 1 to the power control decision circuit 3.
  • the area information L_3, the remaining battery level L-12, which is feedback information, the radio wave condition information L-11, and the command L-14, are input to the power control determination circuit 3.
  • the input signals related to the application include the priority, the control mode, the transmission cycle, the reception cycle, the transmission rate, the reception rate, the use state, and the command.
  • the priority indicates which application is to be given priority for power saving processing among a plurality of applications.
  • the priority is a positive integer and the priority is different as the number is smaller. Ensure that applications do not have the same priority.
  • the priority may be appropriately changed from a force default value set by the user, or the default value may be updated according to a past use state.
  • the control mode indicates a control method of power control regarding an application, and is set, for example, by selection by a user. Alternatively, the default value is determined for each application.
  • each application execution unit 2a-1, 2a-2, 2a-3 and the system unit 2b are interrupted.
  • the user can input this command into the user input section 2b_l.
  • the user input unit 2b_l outputs the input command L-14.
  • Examples of the command include a power control command, a transmission output level control command, and a reception sensitivity level control command.
  • the command output from the application interface 1 has the same priority and usage status as the power control method determination process described later. Is determined based on On the other hand, the command L-4 output from the system interface 6 has priority over the command related to the application interface 1 and is input to the wireless transmission circuit 5 via the power control determination circuit 3.
  • the transmission cycle is a cycle when data is transmitted, and the reception cycle is a cycle when data is received. For example, if the transmission cycle is 10 ms, data will be transmitted every 10 ms.
  • the transmission rate indicates a rate (speed) at which data is transmitted, and the reception rate indicates a rate at which data is received.
  • the rate is 64kbps.
  • the use state indicates whether or not the application is being executed.
  • the usage status indicates “in use” when the application is running, and “not in use” when it is not running.
  • FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the power control decision circuit 3 shown in FIG.
  • the power control determination circuit 3 of the present embodiment includes a control mode determination unit (control mode determination unit) 3a and a transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit (low power consumption setting unit, transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit) 3b, a parameter table storage unit 3c, a power control parameter determination unit (power supply amount determination unit) 3d, a power control table storage unit 3e, and a command processing unit 3f.
  • the power control determination circuit 3 determines detailed parameters for controlling the wireless transmission circuit 5, and sends a signal (the detailed parameter determination signal 33) including the determined detailed parameters to the wireless transmission circuit 5. Output.
  • the control mode determining unit 3a includes the control mode, the priority, the use state, the transmission cycle, the reception cycle, the transmission rate, the reception rate, and the control mode input from the execution units 2a_1, 2a_2, and 2a-3 of each application. Based on the command, control mode to be executed (execution control mode), transmission cycle and / or reception cycle to be executed (execution transmission cycle and / or execution reception cycle), transmission rate to be executed and Z or reception rate (Execution transmission rate and / or execution reception rate) and a command to be executed (execution command).
  • the control mode determination unit 3a sends the determined execution control mode, execution transmission cycle and / or execution reception cycle, and execution transmission rate and / or execution reception rate to the transmission / reception operation control parameter determination unit 3b. And outputs the determined execution command to the command processing unit 3f.
  • the execution mode determination unit 3a includes an execution control mode determination unit 3a-1 that determines an execution control mode, an execution cycle determination unit 3a-2 that determines an execution transmission cycle and / or an execution reception cycle, and an execution transmission rate and / or Alternatively, it includes an execution rate determination unit 3a-3 for determining an execution reception rate and an execution command determination unit 3a-4 for determining an execution command.
  • the execution control mode determination unit 3a-1 checks the usage state of each application, and checks the priority input from the execution units 2a_1, 2a-2, and 2a-3 of the application being used. Then, the execution control mode determination unit 3a-1 determines the control mode input from the execution unit of the application with the highest priority as the execution control mode. The execution control mode determining unit 3a-1 outputs the determined execution control mode to the transmission / reception operation parameter determining unit 3b.
  • the execution cycle determination unit 3a-2 determines the execution transmission cycle and / or the reception cycle of the application. And / or determine the execution reception cycle. On the other hand, if there are multiple execution units of the application that output the transmission cycle (or reception cycle), the execution cycle determination unit 3a-2 calculates the least common divisor of the input multiple transmission cycles (or reception cycles). Determined as the execution transmission cycle (or execution reception cycle). For example, when a transmission cycle of 20 ms and 50 ms is input, the execution cycle determination unit 3a-2 determines 10 ms as the execution transmission cycle. Then, the execution cycle determination unit 3a-2 outputs the determined execution transmission cycle and / or execution reception cycle to the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b.
  • the execution rate determination unit 3a-3 determines the transmission rate and the Z or the reception rate of the application as the execution transmission rate and the Z. Alternatively, it is determined as the effective reception rate.
  • the execution rate determination unit 3a-3 determines the rate obtained by summing the plurality of input transmission rates (or reception rates). Determine the effective transmission rate (or the effective reception rate). For example, when receiving the transmission rates of 64 kbps and 1 Mbps, the execution rate determination unit 3a-3 determines the total 1.064 Mbps as the execution transmission rate. Then, the execution cycle determination unit 3a-2 determines the determined execution transmission rate and Alternatively, it outputs the effective reception rate to the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b.
  • the execution command determination unit 3a-4 determines, as the execution control mode determination unit 3a_l, a command input from the execution unit of the application with the highest priority among the applications in use as the execution command.
  • the execution command determining unit 3a-1 outputs the determined execution command to the command processing unit 3f.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b receives the execution control mode, the execution transmission cycle and / or the execution reception cycle, and the execution transmission rate and / or the execution reception rate from the control mode determination unit 3a.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a for controlling the transmission / reception operation in the wireless transmission circuit 5 is determined based on the remaining battery information L1 and L2. Then, the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b outputs the generated transmission / reception operation parameter 33a to the wireless transmission circuit 5. Note that the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a is included in the detailed parameter determination signal 33 described above.
  • the parameter table storage unit 3c stores a table in which the execution control mode is associated with the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a.
  • FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating a storage example of the parameter table storage unit 3c.
  • the nomometer table storage unit 3c stores the transmission / reception operation mode “variable beacon interval”, the transmission / reception operation mode “variable beacon interval”, and the beacon interval “large: 5 minutes, small:
  • the calculation unit stores “3 minutes” and the monitoring period.
  • the parameter table storage unit 3c stores the transmission / reception operation mode “power off” and the monitoring period “3 minutes” as the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a in association with the execution control mode “power off”.
  • the parameter table storage unit 3c associates the transmission control mode “reservation reception” with the transmission / reception operation mode “reservation reception”, the beacon interval “100 ms”, and the reservation cycle “calculation unit” as the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a. , The reserved size "calculated by the calculation unit", and the monitoring period "3 minutes”.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b includes a reading unit 3b-1 and a calculation unit 3b-2.
  • the reading unit 3b_1 refers to the parameter table storage unit 3c to read the transmission / reception operation parameters 33a corresponding to the execution control mode received from the control mode determination unit 3a-1. Then, the reading unit 3b-1 converts the read transmission / reception operation parameters 33a into detailed parameters. It is output to the wireless transmission circuit 5 as the decision signal 33. However, the read unit 3b-l determines that the execution control mode from the control mode determination unit 3a-1 is other than "power off" when the remaining amount information L1-2 indicates "small”. Even so, the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a corresponding to the execution control mode "power off” is read from the parameter table storage unit 3c.
  • the reading unit 3b_1 sends a calculation instruction to calculate the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a to the calculation unit 3b_2.
  • the calculation unit 3b-2 When receiving the calculation instruction from the readout unit 3b_l, the calculation unit 3b-2 receives the beacon interval from the execution transmission period and the execution reception period, the reservation period from the execution reception period, and the execution reception period and the execution reception rate. Calculate the reserved size. Then, the calculation unit 3b-2 outputs the calculated beacon interval, reservation cycle, and reservation size to the wireless transmission circuit 5 as transmission / reception operation parameters 33a.
  • the calculation unit 3b-2 that has received the instruction to calculate the transmission / reception operation parameter "beacon interval" sets a smaller value of the execution transmission cycle and the execution reception cycle as the beacon interval. For example, when the execution transmission cycle is 20 ms and the execution reception cycle is 60 ms, the calculation unit 3b-2 sets the beacon interval to 20 ms.
  • the calculation unit 3b-2 sets the received execution reception cycle value to the reservation cycle. For example, when the execution transmission cycle is 20 ms and the execution reception cycle is 20 ms, the calculation unit 3b-2 sets the reservation cycle to 20 ms.
  • the calculation unit 3b-2 sets the value of (execution reception rate X execution reception cycle / effective rate) as the reservation size.
  • the effective rate is a value measured based on the physical rate set in each communication standard. For example, in the case of IEEE802.11b, the effective rate is 4 Mbps (physical rate: 11 Mbps),
  • the effective rate is 20 Mbps (physical rate: 24 bps).
  • the calculation unit 3b-2 sets the reservation size to 320 is,
  • the calculation unit 3b_2 sets the reserved size to 64 ⁇ s.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b outputs the transmission / reception operation parameters 33a (operation mode, beacon interval, monitoring period, reservation cycle, reservation size) as the detailed parameter determination signal 33.
  • the power control parameter determining unit 3d controls a parameter (power) for controlling the amount of power supply to the configuration for transmitting and receiving data in the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the control parameter 33b) is determined, and the determined power control parameter 33b is output as the detailed parameter determination signal 33.
  • the power control parameter 33b includes a signal for controlling the level of the transmission output in the wireless transmission circuit 5 (transmission output level control signal) and a signal for controlling the level of the reception sensitivity (reception sensitivity level). Control signal) and a signal (power control signal) for determining the amount of power supply to the transmission circuit and the reception circuit.
  • the power control parameter 33b is included in the detailed parameter determination signal 33.
  • the level control table storage unit 3e stores the area information L3 and the radio wave condition information L1 in association with the transmission output level control signal and the reception sensitivity level control signal.
  • FIG. 33 shows an example of a table stored in the level control table storage unit 3e. As shown in FIG. 33, the level control table storage unit 3e stores, for example, an input signal of the area information “small” and the radio wave condition information “strong”, a transmission output level control signal “small”, and a reception sensitivity level control signal. "Small" is stored in association with it.
  • the power control parameter determination unit 3d includes a level control determination unit 3d-1 that determines a transmission output level control signal and a reception sensitivity level control signal.
  • the level control determination unit 3d_l receives a transmission output level control signal and a reception sensitivity level control corresponding to the area information L-13 and the radio wave condition information L-11 received from the system interface 6 from the level control table storage unit 3e. Read out the signal and read out the transmission output The level control signal and the reception sensitivity level control signal are output as the power control parameter 33b.
  • the command processing unit 3f transmits the transmission output level control signal, the reception sensitivity level control signal, and the power supply control signal according to the command L-14 from the execution command determination unit 3a_4 or the system interface 6 to the wireless transmission circuit 5. Output to When the command processing unit 3f receives commands simultaneously from the execution command determination unit 3a-4 and the system interface 6, the command processing unit 3f gives priority to the command L-4 from the system interface 6.
  • FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of the wireless transmission circuit 5 shown in FIG.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 is, for example, a wireless LAN device that performs communication using a wireless LAN.
  • the radio transmission circuit 5 includes an antenna 15, a T / R (transmission Z reception switching switch) 17, a power amplifier PA (transmission unit, transmission signal amplification means) 18, A transmission circuit (transmission unit) 21, a low-noise amplifier LNA (reception unit, reception signal amplification unit) 23, a reception circuit (reception unit) 25, a power control switch (low power consumption execution unit) 27-30, And a detailed parameter execution unit (low power consumption execution means) 26.
  • the detailed parameter execution unit 26 controls each unit in the wireless transmission circuit 5 according to the detailed parameter determination signal 33 (the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a and the power control parameter 33b) which is an output signal from the power control determination circuit 3. Is what you do.
  • the detailed parameter determination signal 33 includes an operation mode, a monitoring time, a beacon interval, a reservation cycle, a reservation size, a power supply control, a transmission output level control, and a detailed parameter. The value for the reception sensitivity level control is determined individually.
  • the detailed parameter execution unit 26 controls the power supply of the power amplifier PA 18 with the power supply control switch 28 in accordance with the transmission output level control signal, thereby suppressing the transmission output and performing power saving control. Further, the detailed parameter execution unit 26 controls the power supply of the low noise amplifier LNA 23 by the power supply control switch 29 in accordance with the reception sensitivity level control signal, thereby suppressing the reception sensitivity level and performing power saving control. Further, the detailed parameter execution unit 26 controls the power supply of the transmitting circuit 21 and the receiving circuit 25 by the power control switch 27 and the power control switch 30 in accordance with the power control signal, thereby performing power saving control.
  • Power amplifier PA18 amplifies the transmission data signal transmitted from transmission circuit 21 and This is output to T / R17 of the stage. For example, when the master unit and the slave unit are close to each other, there is no need to increase the transmission output, and thus the power supply control switch 28 stops the power supply to the power amplifier PA18. Thereby, power saving can be achieved. On the other hand, when the master unit and the slave unit are far from each other, the power control switch 28 supplies power to the power amplifier PA18 to transmit and output the amplified signal.
  • the low noise amplifier LNA23 amplifies the received data signal received by the antenna 15. For example, when the master unit and the slave unit are close to each other, it is not necessary to amplify the received signal whose received signal level is originally high, so the power supply control switch 29 stops the power supply to the low-noise amplifier LNA23. Thereby, power saving can be achieved. On the other hand, when the master unit and the slave unit are far from each other, power supply control switch 29 supplies power to low noise amplifier LNA23 to amplify the received data signal.
  • the transmission circuit 21 includes, for example, an interface circuit for receiving transmission data from the application execution unit 2a, and a baseband for performing signal processing required for transmission data input via the interface circuit. It has a signal processing circuit, a modulation circuit and a mixer circuit for spreading transmission data signal-processed by the baseband signal processing circuit into a spread spectrum signal.
  • the receiving circuit 25 includes a mixer circuit and a demodulating circuit for demodulating a received signal into a baseband signal, a baseband signal processing circuit, and an interface circuit for transmitting received data to the application execution unit 2a.
  • Such a circuit configuration is described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-028696.
  • the operation mode indicates a power control method described later, and the monitoring period, beacon reception interval, reservation cycle, and reservation size are used in each operation mode.
  • Transmission data 31 input to the transmission circuit 21 is data from applications D, E, and F.
  • the reception data 32 output from the reception circuit 25 is data output to the applications D, E, and F.
  • the radio wave condition information L-1 indicates the radio wave condition of the wireless transmission circuit 5 calculated based on the information of the reception circuit 25.
  • the transmission data 31 of each application is output to the wireless network as wireless data using the transmission circuit 21, the power amplifier PA18, the transmission / reception switch 17, and the antenna 15. It is.
  • the reception data 32 of each application is extracted from the wireless network via the antenna 15, the transmission / reception switching switch 17, the low noise amplifier LNA23, and the reception circuit 30.
  • the present embodiment is an example of wireless data transmission in which transmission / reception is alternately switched and processed.
  • FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the results of a list of items such as the operation mode of power saving control of the wireless transmission circuit 5, the power saving effect, and the effect on the application.
  • the operation mode has five operation modes: normal operation, constant beacon interval operation, variable beacon interval operation, reservation reception operation, and power-off operation. Each operation mode differs in the operation to the wireless transmission circuit 5, the power saving effect, and the influence on the application.
  • the normal operation is an operation in which power saving control is not performed, and has no power saving effect.
  • the effect on the application is that there is almost no loss of mail and the response speed is high. Quality (throughput) is good.
  • the constant beacon interval operation is an operation in which a beacon signal BS is received at a fixed time interval, and when there is no data transmission, a power saving state is set. In this case, the power saving effect is greater than in normal operation. Data loss, response, and quality are all standard.
  • the beacon interval variable operation is an operation of extending the interval of receiving the beacon signal BS if there is no data transmission / reception for a predetermined time.
  • the interval of receiving the beacon signal BS returns to the original interval by transmitting and receiving data and receiving commands.
  • the power saving effect is larger and the data loss and quality are standard compared to the case of the operation with the constant beacon interval, but the response speed is slightly slower because it takes time to recover.
  • the radio transmission circuit 5 increases the power supply to the reception circuit 25 and the low-noise amplifier LNA23 when a beacon signal is received, and returns to a normal state. At times, the amount of power supplied to the receiving circuit 25 and the low-noise amplifier LNA23 is controlled to lower the received signal level to the minimum level and to suspend the receiving function. However, if the received beacon signal includes a signal indicating that there is data addressed to the wireless transmission circuit 5, the wireless transmission circuit 5 supplies power to the reception circuit 25 and the low-noise amplifier LNA23 until the next beacon signal is received. Keep the volume raised. [0184]
  • the reservation reception operation is an operation in which the timing for receiving data is set in advance.
  • the power saving state is maintained until the timing of reception.
  • the radio transmission circuit 5 increases the power supply to the receiving circuit 25 and the low-noise amplifier LNA 23 during the reservation period for reception to make the radio transmission circuit 5 a normal state.
  • the power supply to the LNA 23 is reduced, the reception signal level is set to the minimum, and the reception function is set to the sleep state.
  • the effect on the application is the same as in the case of operation with constant beacon interval.
  • the power-off operation is an operation for setting a power saving state when no data is transmitted or received for a predetermined time, and returns to a normal state by data transmission and Z or a power control command.
  • the power saving effect is very large because of the power saving state.
  • data may be lost, and the response speed is also slow. Quality is common.
  • each operation mode has both advantages and disadvantages.
  • FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for determining an intermediate processing signal as preliminary intermediate processing information for determining the detailed parameter determination signal 33 of the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the usage state of the application is determined based on the timing signal, and when the timing signal is detected, the application is in use. When the timing signal is not detected, the application is not used.
  • the application may output a signal indicating the timing indicating that the device is in use, or the timing signal may be extracted from information managed by the device.
  • the execution control mode, the execution transmission cycle and / or the execution reception cycle, the execution transmission rate and / or the execution reception rate, which are intermediate processing signals, are determined from the transmission cycle, the transmission rate, and the reception rate.
  • Fig. 16 determines the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a and the power control parameter 33b, which are the detailed parameter determination signal 33 input to the wireless transmission circuit 5, from the intermediate processing signal determined in Fig. 15 and the system interface 6. It is a figure explaining a procedure.
  • the system interface 6 outputs area information L_3, radio wave condition L_l, remaining battery level L_2, etc.
  • the area information L-13 relates to the size of the radio wave environment in which the corresponding device is used. For example, it is small for use in a room as small as 10 m square, and large for use in a room larger than this.
  • the remaining battery level L-1 2 indicates the remaining battery capacity of the battery 11, and includes, for example, an AC drive state, a large remaining battery state, a remaining battery state, and a small remaining battery state.
  • the radio wave condition information L-1 indicates information on the communication path.
  • the radio wave condition information L-11 indicates, for example, the radio wave intensity in the environment, and is assumed to be strong / weak.
  • the first step is a step of determining an execution control mode (ie, the above-described intermediate processing signal) for each time from the application interface 1.
  • the second step is a detailed parameter determination for controlling the wireless transmission circuit 5 based on the execution control mode determined in the first step and feedback information from the system interface 6 and the like.
  • the signal 33 transmission / reception operation parameter 33a and power control parameter 33b is determined.
  • the control mode determination unit 3a executes an execution transmission cycle and / or execution reception cycle, an execution transmission rate and Z or an execution reception rate, and an execution command.
  • the illustration is omitted in FIGS. 15 and 16.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b, the power control parameter determination unit 3d, and the command processing unit 3f perform the above operation mode, transmission output level control, The monitoring period, the reservation cycle, the reservation size, and the power control are determined in addition to the reception sensitivity level control, but are not shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.
  • the execution control mode determining unit 3a-1 of the power control determining circuit 3 sets the horizontal axis to time, and sets the execution control mode (intermediate processing) for each time according to the usage state of the applications D to F. Control signal). As shown in FIG. 15, the execution control mode determining unit 3a-1 receives the priority "1" and the control mode "power off” from the application interface 1-1 set by the application D, and the application E Application interface 1 to 2 receives priority “2” and control mode “reservation reception” from application 2. Application F1 to application interface 1-3 sets priority 3 and control mode “beacon interval”. Receive "variable”.
  • the power-off control mode which is the control mode of the application D (priority “1”)
  • the priority is determined to be high during that period (priority “2”)
  • the reservation mode which is the control mode of application E
  • the beacon interval which is the control mode of the application F operating during that period, is determined to be variable.
  • the execution control mode determination unit 3a-1 of the power control determination circuit 3 changes the control mode that is being used and set to the application with the highest priority to the execution control during that period. Determine the mode. Then, this execution control mode is used as an intermediate processing signal in the next second step.
  • the force execution cycle determination unit 3a-2 which is not shown in Figs. 15 and 16, determines the execution transmission cycle and / or the execution reception cycle, and the execution rate determination unit 3a-3 executes the execution transmission rate.
  • the execution command deciding unit 3a-4 decides the execution command.
  • the power control determination circuit 3 sets the horizontal axis to time, and performs wireless transmission according to the intermediate processing signal obtained from the usage state of the applications D to F and the feedback information from the system interface 6. Determine the detailed parameter determination signal 33 input to the circuit 5.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b determines the operation mode (transmission / reception operation parameter 33a) based on the execution control mode and the remaining battery information L2.
  • the level control decision section 3d-1 refers to the level control table storage section 3e based on the feedback information from the system interface 6 and refers to the transmission output level control signal and the reception sensitivity level control signal (power control parameter). 33b) is determined.
  • the area information L-3 and the radio wave condition information L ⁇ is derived from 1, the remaining battery level L-2, and the command L-4.
  • the detailed parameter determination signal 33 is input to the radio transmission circuit 5, and the detailed parameter execution unit 26 of the radio transmission circuit 5 operates the operation mode, power supply control, transmission output level control, Control according to the reception sensitivity level control is performed.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter determination of the power control determination circuit 3 is performed based on the intermediate processing signal that is the execution control mode for each time obtained in the first step, the feedback information from the system interface 6, and the like.
  • the unit 3b refers to the parameter table storage unit 3c to determine the detailed parameter determination signal 33 for each operation time to be input to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the detailed parameter determination operation mode is set to the same mode as the intermediate processing signal, which is a control mode for each time. However, when the battery is driven, the reading unit 3b-l determines that the execution control mode from the control mode determination unit 3a-1 is other than “power off” when the battery remaining amount information L2 indicates “small”.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a corresponding to the execution control mode “power off” is read from the parameter table storage unit 3c.
  • the operation mode of the detailed parameter determination signal 33 is forcibly shifted to “power off”.
  • the forcible transition of the operation mode is effective because the remaining battery level is the most important.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b outputs the beacon interval, the reservation cycle, the reservation size, and the monitoring period, in addition to the operation mode.
  • the beacon interval, the reservation cycle, and the reservation size are the same as those stored in the parameter table storage unit 3c and the calculation unit 3b_ 2 may be calculated.
  • the power control parameter determination unit 3d of the power control determination circuit 3 refers to the level control table storage unit 3e and refers to the transmission output level control signal and the reception sensitivity corresponding to the area information L3 and the radio wave condition information L1. Determine the level control signal. That is, the power control determination circuit 3 determines the transmission output level control according to the area information L13 in the system interface 6. The power control parameter determining unit 3d determines the reception sensitivity level control in the system interface 6 according to the radio wave condition information L-1.
  • the command processing unit 3f outputs a transmission output level control signal, a reception sensitivity level control signal, and a power control signal according to a command from the execution command determination unit 3a_4 or the system interface 6.
  • the area information L_3 and the command L-4 in the system interface 6 may be automatically set or may be manually input by a user.
  • FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of the power saving operation in the constant beacon interval operation among the power saving operations of the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 receives the beacon interval (T1) from the power control determination circuit 3.
  • the reception data RT is sent between time tl3 and tl5, it is received by the wireless transmission circuit 5 with a certain delay time between time tl4 and tl6. After that, the power saving state is maintained until the next beacon signal BS is received.
  • the beacon signal BS transmitted from the master unit AP at a constant interval (T1) is received, and the beacon signal BS receives the next beacon signal BS. Can determine whether or not there is received data RT stored in the master unit AP.
  • FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of the power saving operation in the beacon interval variable operation in the power saving operation of the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 receives a large beacon interval ( ⁇ 3 ′), a small beacon interval ( ⁇ 3), and a monitoring period from the power control decision circuit 3.
  • the detailed parameter execution unit 26 determines the beacon reception interval of the wireless transmission circuit 5 from the power control determination circuit 3. Power saving operation is performed by controlling to widen the beacon interval ( ⁇ 3 ') that is input. However, when data transmission / reception is performed after the beacon reception interval is extended, the detailed parameter execution unit 26 performs control to reduce the beacon reception interval to a small beacon interval (# 3) input from the power control determination circuit 3. As shown in FIG. 19, first, when no data is transmitted or received during the beacon interval T3 from the time t20 to the monitoring period, the detailed parameter execution unit 26 performs a setting to change the beacon reception interval. . If transmission data is received during this time, control is performed to return the next beacon reception interval to the original interval T3. At this time, control may be performed to increase or decrease the beacon reception interval for the beacon reception interval T3. In addition to the change, the original state may be restored.
  • FIG. 20A is a diagram showing a power saving operation of the wireless transmission circuit 5 in the reservation receiving operation.
  • Figure 20B shows the schedule reception operation. It is a figure showing a setting sequence.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 receives the beacon interval ( ⁇ 3 ′), the reservation cycle, and the reservation size from the power control determination circuit 3.
  • detailed parameter execution section 26 reserves a reception period to be received in advance in the parent machine, performs a reception operation only during that period, and performs power saving control.
  • the reception period is set by exchanging signals between the parent device and the child device STA.
  • the slave unit STA corresponds to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • a reservation reception setting request C1 is made to the slave unit STA master unit STA.
  • the slave unit STA wireless transmission circuit 5 sets the reservation cycle (for example, 20 ms) and the reservation size (for example, 5 ms) received from the power control determination circuit 3 as parameters of the reservation reception setting request C1.
  • the master unit AP that has received the parameters from the slave unit STA performs reservation reception setting processing.
  • a reservation reception setting response C2 is sent from the parent device AP to the child device STA, the reservation reception setting of the parent device AP is completed, and the device waits for a reservation reception start request C3 from the child device STA.
  • a reservation reception start request C3 is sent to the master unit AP, and the reservation reception start is started from the master unit AP to the slave unit STA.
  • Response C4 is returned.
  • the master unit AP performs a reservation reception process.
  • the slave unit STA sends a reservation reception end request C5 to the master unit AP, and the master unit AP receives the reservation reception toward the slave unit STA.
  • An end response C6 is sent, and the series of operations ends.
  • the master AP counts the time 5ms every 20ms based on the beacon period of 100ms, and reserves the time 5ms as the data processing time of the slave STA.
  • Handset STA receives beacon signal BS at time t30, as shown in FIG. 20A.
  • the slave unit STA uses an internal timer to count the data reception timing based on a beacon period of 100 ms, and sets a time of 5 ms as a reception period every 20 ms.
  • the power supply of the wireless transmission circuit 5 is set to the power saving state.
  • Booked timing t31 As a result, reception is possible, and reception data is received between t32 and 133.
  • the period from t30 to t31 is the power saving state. After that, it enters the power saving state until reception or the next reserved timing.
  • FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a power saving operation in a power-off operation of the power saving operation of the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 has received the monitoring period (Tl 1) from the power control determination circuit 3.
  • the detailed parameter execution unit 26 turns off the power of the wireless transmission circuit 5 if there is no data transmission / reception during the monitoring period T11 (until t40 43) received from the power control determination circuit 3. Is a control method. Thereafter, for example, if any one of the transmission data, the signal for turning on the power, and the signal for turning on the power control of the detailed parameter is received at t44, the power-on state is restored at t44. Good.
  • application D is for receiving e-mail
  • application E is for browsing the home page
  • application F is for VoIP (IP telephone).
  • processing related to mail reception is processing to check at regular intervals (for example, one minute) whether or not there is mail in the mail server, and to receive mail if there is mail.
  • the application D executing unit 2a-1 outputs, for example, the priority “3”, the control mode “variable beacon interval”, the transmission cycle “100ms”, and the reception cycle “100ms”.
  • the parameter table storage unit 3c includes an execution control mode “variable beacon interval”, an operation mode “variable beacon interval” as a transmission / reception operation parameter 33a, and a beacon interval “large: 5 minutes, small: calculation unit”. And the monitoring period “3 minutes” are stored in association with each other.
  • the process relating to browsing the home page is a process in which the user browses the home page using a browser.
  • the application E execution unit 2a-2 for example, Outputs “2”, control mode “power off”, transmission cycle “100 ms” and reception cycle “100 ms”.
  • the meter table storage unit 3c stores the execution control mode “power off”, the operation mode “power off” as the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a, and the monitoring period “3 minutes” in association with each other.
  • the process related to VoIP is a process of digitally processing an audio signal and transmitting and receiving digital audio data at fixed intervals (for example, 20 ms).
  • the application F execution unit 2a-3 performs, for example, the priority "1", the control mode "reserved reception", the transmission cycle "20ms", the reception cycle “20ms”, the transmission rate "64kbps", and the reception rate "64kbps”.
  • the parameter table storage unit 3c stores the execution control mode "reservation reception", the operation mode "reservation reception” as the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a, the beacon interval "100ms", the reservation cycle "calculation by the calculation unit”, and the reservation size. It is assumed that “calculated by the calculation unit” is stored in association with the “calculation unit”.
  • the usage environment is to use the AC adapter Z battery drive system.
  • the AC adapter When the AC adapter is removed, such as when carrying out of the office, the battery is automatically switched to the battery drive.
  • This device (slave unit STA) and the main device AP of this device are located close to each other (refer to “Wireless LAN environment, general use to connect to the Internet using a wireless LAN access point”). Form is assumed).
  • the application interface 1 outputs the use state of the application to the power control decision circuit 3 by using the management system (OS, etc.) of this device or the method that carries the timing signal output indicating the start and end during the application.
  • OS management system
  • FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a relationship between the operation of the application and the power control, and is a diagram showing an input signal and an output signal of the power control decision circuit 3. As shown in FIG.
  • the horizontal axis is time
  • the vertical axis is the input signal to the power control decision circuit 3 from the application interface 1 and the system interface 6, and the output signal from the power control decision circuit 3 (that is, the power
  • the detailed parameter decision signal 33 determined by the control decision circuit 3 is the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a and the power control parameter 33b).
  • VoIP is in use until t50 power until t52 (period A). At t51 (a) during this time It is assumed that homepage browsing starts and continues until t54 .
  • period B The period from t52 to t54 is referred to as period B. It is assumed that mail reception starts at t53 (b) during that time and continues until t57.
  • control mode determining unit 3a uses the intermediate processing signal based on the control mode of the VoIP application interface 1-3. "Reservation reception" is determined as the execution control mode.
  • the application in use is VoIP and homepage browsing
  • the priority (1) of the VoIP application interface 1-3 is the priority of the homepage browsing application interface 1_2. Since the priority is given to (2), the control mode determination unit 3a determines “reservation reception” as the execution control mode that is the intermediate processing signal based on the control mode of the VoIP application interface 1_3.
  • the execution cycle determination unit 3a-2 is configured to transmit the transmission cycle "20ms” received from the VoIP application F execution unit 2a-3 and the transmission cycle "100ms" received from the homepage browsing application E execution unit 2a-2.
  • the greatest common divisor “20 ms” of the above is set as the execution transmission cycle.
  • the execution cycle determining unit 3a-2 sets “20 ms” as the execution reception cycle.
  • the execution rate determination unit 3a_3 receives the transmission rate "64kbps" and the reception rate "64kbps" from only the VoIP application F execution unit 2a_3. Determine the effective reception rate.
  • the control mode determination unit 3a determines “power off” as the execution control mode, which is an intermediate processing signal, from the control mode of the application interface 1_2 for browsing the home page.
  • the control mode determination unit 3a sets the execution control mode as an intermediate processing signal to “power off” from the control mode of the application interface 1_2 for homepage browsing. Is determined.
  • control mode determination unit 3a starts the execution of the intermediate processing signal from the control mode of the application interface 1-1 for the mail reception. "Beacon interval variable" is determined as the control mode.
  • execution cycle determination unit 3a-2 receives only the transmission period "100ms" and the reception period "100ms" of the mail reception application D execution unit 2a-1 only, these are executed and transmitted as they are. The period and the execution reception period are determined.
  • the control mode determination unit 3a starts executing the intermediate processing signal from the control mode of the application interface 1-1 for the mail reception. "Beacon interval variable" is determined as the control mode.
  • the radio wave condition information L-1 changes as appropriate. For example, before t51, the radio wave condition information L-1 is "weak”, after that t55, the radio wave condition information L-1 "strong", and thereafter, the radio wave condition information L One shall be “weak”. Note that the radio wave condition information L-1 is counted and output by the receiving circuit 25 of the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the battery remaining amount information L-12 of the system interface 6 will be described with reference to FIG. Before the time t56, the battery remaining amount information L- 1 is “medium”, and after that, the battery remaining amount information L_2 is “small”. The battery remaining amount information L-12 is counted and output based on the charging current of the battery 11.
  • the power control determination circuit 3 Based on the above-described intermediate processing signal, the area information L-3, the radio wave condition information L-1, and the remaining battery level information L-2 obtained from the system interface 6, the power control determination circuit 3 The transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b, the power control parameter determination unit 3d, and the command processing unit 3f output the detailed parameter determination signal 33 (the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a and the power control parameter). Next, the procedure for determining the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a and the power control parameter will be described with reference to FIG.
  • the meter table storage unit 3c stores transmission / reception operation parameters 33a as shown in FIG. It is also assumed that the level control table storage unit 3e stores a table as shown in FIG.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b sends the execution control mode “reserved reception”, the execution transmission cycle “20ms”, the execution reception cycle “20ms”, the execution transmission rate, Receives the effective reception rate "64kbps".
  • the reading unit 3b_l refers to the parameter table storage unit 3c and sets the transmission / reception operation parameters 33a corresponding to the execution control mode "reserved reception” as the operation mode "reserved reception”, the beacon interval "100ms”, Read “calculated by calculation unit” and reserved size “calculated by calculation unit”. Then, the reading unit 3b_l performs the operation mode “reservation reception” and the beacon interval. “100 ms” is output to the wireless transmission circuit 5, and a calculation instruction for the reservation cycle and the reservation size is output to the calculation unit 3b-2.
  • calculation unit 3b-2 sets the execution reception cycle "20ms" as the reservation cycle according to the above-described calculation method. Further, according to the above-described calculation method, when the effective rate is 4 Mbps (physical rate 11 Mbps), calculation section 3b-2 determines “320 ⁇ s” as the reserved size. Then, the calculation unit 3b-2 outputs the calculated reservation cycle “20 ms” and the reserved size “320 zs”.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b outputs the operation mode "reservation reception", the beacon interval "100ms", the reservation cycle "20ms", and the reservation size "320 ts" in the period A. .
  • the power control parameter determination unit 3d receives the area information L_3 "large” and the radio wave condition information L-11 "weak” in the period from t50 to t51.
  • the level control determining unit 3d-1 refers to the level control table storage unit 3e and outputs the transmission output level control “large” and the reception sensitivity level control “large” to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the power control parameter determination unit 3d receives the area information L-3 "large” and the radio wave condition information L1-1 "strong” in the period from t51 to t52.
  • the level control decision unit 3d-1 refers to the level control table storage unit 3e and outputs the transmission output level control “large” and the reception sensitivity level control “small” to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the homepage browsing application sends a transmission output level control command (command 1) to reduce the transmission output level, and then sets a transmission output level control (to increase the transmission output level).
  • command T sets a transmission output level control (to increase the transmission output level).
  • the execution command determination unit 3a-4 sets the command Is not determined as the execution command. Therefore, there is no change in the transmission output level control of the detailed parameter determination signal 33, and the transmission output level control “large” determined based on the area information L13 is output.
  • the reading unit 3b-l refers to the parameter table storage unit 3c and sets the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a corresponding to the execution control mode "power off” as the operation mode “power off” and the monitoring period “3 minutes”. Read out. Then, the reading unit 3b_1 outputs the read operation mode “power off” and the monitoring period “3 minutes” to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the power control parameter determining unit 3d receives the area information L_3 "large” and the radio wave condition information L-11 "strong” in the period from t52 to t53.
  • the level control decision unit 3d-1 refers to the level control table storage unit 3e and outputs the transmission output level control “large” and the reception sensitivity level control “small” to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the application for browsing the homepage increases the transmission output level after the transmission output level control command (command 2) to reduce the transmission output level.
  • a transmission output level control command (command 2 ′) is set, and the command is input to the power control determination circuit 3.
  • the execution command determination unit 3a-4 determines the command as an execution command since the application for browsing the homepage has the highest priority in this period, and outputs the determined execution command to the command processing unit 3f. Then, based on this command pair, the command processing unit 3f changes the transmission output level control of the detailed parameter determination signal 33 from large to small during the period of the command pair.
  • the output of the command processing unit 3f has priority over the output of the level control determination unit 3d-1.
  • the power control decision circuit 3 changes the transmission output level control to "dog”, "small”, and “large” in the period from t52 to t53.
  • the power control parameter determination unit 3d receives the area information L-13 "small” and the radio wave condition information L-11 "strong” in the period from t53 to t54.
  • the level control determination unit 3d-1 refers to the level control table storage unit 3e and outputs the transmission output level control “small” and the reception sensitivity level control “small” to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b receives the execution control mode “variable beacon interval”, the execution transmission cycle “100ms”, and the execution reception cycle “100ms” from the control mode determination unit 3a. .
  • the read unit 3b_l refers to the parameter table storage unit 3c and sets the operation mode "variable beacon interval” and the beacon interval "large: 5" as the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a corresponding to the execution control mode "variable beacon interval”. Min, Small: Calculated by calculation unit ”and monitoring period“ 3 minutes ”. Then, the reading unit 3b_l outputs the operation mode “variable beacon interval”, the beacon interval “large: 5 minutes” and the monitoring period “3 minutes” to the wireless transmission circuit 5, and outputs a calculation instruction for the small beacon interval. 3b—Output to 2.
  • calculation unit 3b-2 sets the minimum value "100ms" of the execution reception cycle and the execution transmission cycle to the beacon interval small according to the above-described calculation method. Then, the calculation units 3 b and 12 output the calculated beacon interval “small: 100 ms” to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b sets the operation mode “variable beacon interval”, the beacon interval “large: 5 minutes, small: 100 ms” and the monitoring period “3 minutes” in the period C. Output.
  • the power control parameter determining unit 3d receives the area information L_3 “small” and the radio wave condition information L-11 “strong” during the period from t54 to t55.
  • the level control determination unit 3d-1 refers to the level control table storage unit 3e and outputs the transmission output level control “small” and the reception sensitivity level control “small” to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the power control parameter determination unit 3d receives the area information L_3 "small” and the radio wave condition information L-11 "weak” in the period from t55 to t56.
  • the level control determining unit 3d-1 refers to the level control table storage unit 3e and outputs the transmission output level control “small” and the reception sensitivity level control “large” to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b receives the execution control mode “variable beacon interval”, the execution transmission cycle “100ms” and the execution reception cycle “100ms” from the control mode determination unit 3a, and Receives battery remaining information L-1 2 "small” from interface 6.
  • the reading unit 3b_l When the remaining battery level information L_2 is "small", the reading unit 3b_l forcibly transmits and receives the transmission / reception operation parameters corresponding to the execution control mode "power off” even if the execution control mode is other than "power off”. 33a is read from the parameter table storage unit 3c. Then, the reading unit 3b_l outputs the operation mode “power off” and the monitoring period “3 minutes” to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the power control parameter determination unit 3d receives the area information L_3 “small” and the radio wave condition information L-11 “weak” in the period from t55 to t56.
  • the level control determining unit 3d-1 refers to the level control table storage unit 3e and outputs the transmission output level control “small” and the reception sensitivity level control “large” to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 receives the operation mode “reservation reception”, the reservation cycle “201 1”, the reservation size “320/13”, and the beacon interval “1001113”. Based on this, the detailed parameter execution unit 26 registers the timing of data transmission / reception as a reservation reception operation in the parent device AP.
  • the data transmission period to the master device A is set to a period of 20 ms and a period of 320 ⁇ s.
  • a data transmission period from the device Z to the master device AP is also reserved for a period of 20 ms and a period of 320 ⁇ s.
  • the timing 23 shows the timing of data transmission from the master unit ⁇ to the device ⁇ . Although the timing of data transmission from the device ⁇ to the master device ⁇ ⁇ ⁇ is not shown, the timing is shifted by a predetermined time from the timing of data transmission from the master device ⁇ to the device ⁇ .
  • the above-described beacon signal BS is transmitted from the parent device at a constant interval of 100ms.
  • the transmission / reception data of the parent device AP and the transmission / reception data of the device Z (child device STA) are transmitted and received alternately.
  • beacon signals with an interval of 100 ms are transmitted and received.
  • the power control state of the wireless transmission circuit 5 is a power supply state when transmitting and receiving data and a beacon signal BS, and a power saving state otherwise. Therefore, even during a VoIP call, no power is supplied to the transmission circuit 21 and the reception circuit 25 during periods other than the reservation period, and further power saving can be achieved.
  • the application for browsing the homepage starts, and at this time, two applications, VoIP and browsing the homepage, operate. At this time, the power saving state is canceled and the power supply state is set.
  • the power supply state and the power saving state in the reservation receiving operation may be repeated again.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a of the detailed parameter determination signal 33 input to the wireless transmission circuit 5 is a monitoring period “3 minutes” and an operation mode “power off”.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 controls the switches 27 and 30 of the transmission circuit 21 and the reception circuit 25, and turns off the power.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 controls the switches 27 and 30 of the transmission circuit 21 and the reception circuit 25, and Set the transmission circuit 5 to the power supply state.
  • the power is off after the monitoring period of 3 minutes because there is no other application started during the monitoring period of 3 minutes.
  • the mail reception operation starts, and from this time point, mail reception starts, and the power supply state is established.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameters 33a of the detailed parameter determination signal 33 input to the wireless transmission circuit 5 include a monitoring period of "3 minutes", a beacon interval of "large: 5 minutes, small: 100 ms", and an operation mode of "beacon interval variable". is there.
  • the e-mail address of the received mail and data for authentication are sent from the master AP to the slave STA.For example, an authentication password is sent to the slave STA. Reply.
  • the received data of the mail is sent from the master unit AP to the slave unit ST A. During this period, the power is supplied.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 determines that there is no data transmission or reception during the monitoring period “3 minutes” of the detailed parameter determination signal 33, and widens the beacon reception interval to 5 minutes for the beacon reception interval of the detailed parameter determination signal 33. As described above, by increasing or decreasing the beacon reception interval based on the presence or absence of transmission / reception data, more detailed power control can be performed as compared with the case where the beacon interval is fixed.
  • FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating details of the operation in the period D.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a of the detailed parameter determination signal 33 input to the wireless transmission circuit 5 is the monitoring period “ 3 minutes” and the operation mode “power off”.
  • the remaining battery information display section 2b-3 of the electronic device 2 in which the received mail application is running displays a message indicating that the remaining battery power is low, and notifies the user. .
  • the user has an opportunity to make a choice between charging the device or safely stopping the device after performing processing such as saving data of the device.
  • the detailed parameter execution unit 26 of the wireless transmission circuit 5 confirms that there is no data transmission / reception during the monitoring period “3 minutes”, and then makes the driving time as long as possible. Power off control.
  • the power control determination circuit 3 can determine an operation mode, a transmission output level, and a reception sensitivity level suitable for power saving based on 3 or the command. Thereby, the power consumption of the device Z can be reduced.
  • the information processing apparatus of the present embodiment includes a wireless transmission circuit 5 that performs wireless communication as a communication apparatus.
  • the communication device may be a communication device that performs wired communication.
  • the power control determination circuit 3 determines a detailed parameter determination signal according to at least one of information on a wired communication path (communication path information) and remaining battery information.
  • the use state of the application indicates whether or not the application has been activated.
  • the usage state of the application may be an indicator indicating whether a specific process is running in the application. For example, when the application is web browsing software, “downloading” is “in use” when the data of the home page is being downloaded, and “not in use” when the user is browsing the downloaded home page.
  • the power control determination circuit 3 can output a detailed parameter determination signal according to the processing content currently performed by the application.
  • an information processing system including a plurality of the devices Z may be constructed.
  • the devices Z When the devices Z are in a state where they can communicate with each other wirelessly, Z, or by wire, the detailed parameters determined by the power control determination circuit 3 to control the wireless transmission circuit 5 included in one device Z are included.
  • the included reservation period and reservation size may be set as the reservation period and reservation size of the other device Z.
  • both devices Z have the same reservation cycle and reservation size.
  • power control parameter determination section 3d may determine other parameters of the transmission output level control and the reception sensitivity level control.
  • the number of operation clocks in the wireless transmission circuit 5 may be used.
  • the level control parameter storage unit 3e stores the number of operation clocks corresponding to the radio wave condition information and the area information. This allows the wireless transmission circuit to save power by changing the number of operation clocks.
  • the execution control mode determining unit 3a-1 is configured to determine the execution control mode based on the priority received from the application interface 1.
  • the control mode determination unit 3a includes a priority table storage unit that stores a priority table in which the control mode is associated with a priority set in advance for the control mode. Then, the execution control mode determining unit 3a-1 refers to the priority table, reads out the priority corresponding to the control mode received from the application interface 1, and executes the control mode corresponding to the highest priority. The control mode may be determined. In this case, the application interface 1 does not need to output the priority.
  • the level control determination unit 3b-1 refers to the level control table storage unit 3e based on the radio wave condition information L-11 and refers to the transmission output level and the reception level in the wireless transmission circuit 5. The sensitivity level is determined. However, the level control determination unit 3b-1 may determine the power supply amount to the wireless transmission circuit 5 based on the radio wave condition information L-1 indicating the radio wave intensity. For example, the level control determination unit 3b-1 acquires the radio wave condition information L-1 indicating the value of the radio wave intensity from the radio transmission circuit 5.
  • the power control determination circuit 3 can control the power supply amount of the wireless transmission circuit 5 according to the radio wave condition of the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the reading unit 3b-1 when the battery remaining amount information L1-2 indicates "small", the reading unit 3b-1 outputs the operation mode "power off” and executes the detailed parameters of the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the unit 26 is configured to turn off the power of the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the reading unit 3b-l is not limited to this, and when the battery remaining amount information L-2 indicates “medium”, the readout unit 3b-l may reduce the power supply amount of the wireless transmission circuit 5, or Lowers the transmission output level of the transmission circuit 5 Outputs a control signal to the wireless transmission circuit 5 and outputs a control signal to turn off the power of the wireless transmission circuit 5 when the remaining battery level information L-1 2 indicates "small". May be.
  • the reading unit 2b_l obtains the value of the remaining battery level from the battery 11 and, if the obtained value is smaller than the predetermined threshold A, reduces the power supply amount of the wireless transmission circuit 5, or A control signal for lowering the transmission output level of the transmission circuit 5 is output to the radio transmission circuit 5, and if the obtained value is smaller than a predetermined threshold B (threshold B is smaller than threshold A), the radio transmission circuit 5 May be output as a control signal for turning off the power supply.
  • the power control decision circuit 3 can control the power consumption of the wireless transmission circuit 5 in a plurality of stages according to the remaining battery power, and can further reduce power consumption.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 changes the beacon interval depending on the presence or absence of data transmission or reception during the monitoring period, or turns off the power.
  • the present embodiment has a configuration in which the power control determination circuit 3 determines whether data transmission / reception is performed during a monitoring period. This simplifies the control in the wireless transmission circuit 5, and eliminates the need to transfer information such as a monitoring period from the power control decision circuit to the wireless transmission circuit. Therefore, the wireless transmission circuit can be configured with a general-purpose circuit.
  • FIG. 34 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the power control decision circuit (control device) 103 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 34, the power control decision circuit 103 is different from the power control decision circuit 3 of the second embodiment in that a control mode decision section (control mode decision means) 103a is used instead of the control mode decision section 3a.
  • a control mode decision section control mode decision means
  • Transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit instead of transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 3b (low power consumption setting means, transmission / reception operation parameter determination means) 1 03b, a parameter table storage unit 103c in place of the parameter table storage unit 3c, a power control parameter determination unit (power supply amount determination unit) 103d in place of the power control parameter determination unit 3d, and a power control table
  • a storage unit 3h, a power control output unit 3g, and an execution control mode determination table storage unit 3s are provided.
  • the control mode determining unit 103a includes an execution control mode determining unit 103a, the transmission / reception operation parameter determining unit 103b includes a reading unit 103b_1, and the power control parameter determining unit 103d includes a power control determining unit 3d-2.
  • the execution control mode determination table storage unit 3s stores a combination of a control mode input to the execution control mode determination unit 103a-1 described later and an execution control mode that is a control mode to be prioritized in association with each other. Things.
  • FIG. 50 shows an example of storage of the execution control mode determination table storage section 3s. As shown in FIG. 50, the execution control mode determination table storage unit 3s stores, for example, normally “none”, reservation reception “none”, variable beacon interval “present”, constant beacon interval “present or not”, and power supply. The input signal that is off (with or without) and the execution control mode “beacon interval variable” are stored in association with each other.
  • control mode determining unit 103a of the present embodiment transmits power control information (control mode, transmission cycle, reception cycle, transmission rate, reception rate), command from the application interface 1. And get usage status.
  • control mode determining unit 103a does not obtain the priority from the application interface 1.
  • the control mode determination unit 103a includes an execution control mode determination unit 103a-1, an execution cycle determination unit 3a-2, an execution rate determination unit 3a-3, and an execution command determination unit 3a-4.
  • the execution cycle determination unit 3a_2, the execution rate determination unit 3a-3, and the execution command determination unit 3a-4 have been described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.
  • the execution control mode determining unit (control mode determining means) 103a-1 refers to the execution control mode determining table storage unit 3s and determines the priority based on the combination of the control modes received from the application interface 1. One execution control mode to be determined is determined.
  • the execution control mode determination table storage unit 3s stores a table as shown in FIG. A description will be given of a case in which a “change” and a “power-off” are received.
  • the execution control mode determining unit 103a-l determines that the signal relating to the control mode from the application interface 1 is normally “none”, reservation reception “none”, variable beacon interval “yes”, constant beacon interval “none” and It is determined that the power is off, and the execution control mode “beacon interval variable” corresponding to this combination is read from the execution control mode determination table storage unit 3s. Then, the execution control mode determination unit 103a-1 outputs the read execution control mode to the transmission / reception operation parameter determination unit 103b at the subsequent stage.
  • the parameter table storage unit 103c stores the execution control mode and the presence / absence of data transmission / reception in association with the transmission / reception operation parameter and the power control parameter.
  • FIG. 35 is a diagram illustrating a storage example of the parameter table storage unit 103c.
  • the parameter table storage unit 103c stores the operation mode as the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a in association with, for example, the execution control mode “variable beacon interval” and the transmission / reception data “monitoring period 3 minutes, data present”. “Power save” and beacon interval “calculated by calculation unit” are stored.
  • the parameter table storage unit 103c stores, for example, the operation mode “normal” as the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a and the power control “power off” as the power control parameter 33b in association with the execution control mode “power off”. Te, ru.
  • the operation modes included in the transmission / reception operation parameters 33a are three types of “normal”, “power save”, and “reservation reception”. "Normal” and “reservation reception” are the same as in the above embodiment.
  • “Power save” means that the wireless transmission circuit 5 increases the power supply to the receiving circuit 25 and the low-noise amplifier LNA23 when the beacon signal is received, and returns to the normal state. Reduce the power supply to the noise amplifier LNA23, minimize the received signal level, and suspend the receiving function. However, if the received beacon signal includes a signal indicating that there is data addressed to the wireless transmission circuit 5, the wireless transmission circuit 5 supplies power to the receiving circuit 25 and the low-noise amplifier LNA23 until the next beacon signal is received. Is kept up. The wireless transmission circuit 5 is the same as the “constant beacon interval” in the above embodiment.
  • the reading unit 103b-1 receives the execution control mode and execution transmission cycle from the control mode determination unit 103a. And / or an execution reception cycle, an execution transmission rate and / or an execution reception rate.
  • the reading unit 103b-l monitors the presence or absence of transmission data from the application interface 1 and reception data from the wireless transmission circuit 5. That is, the reading unit 103b_1 relays transmission / reception data between the application interface 1 and the wireless transmission circuit 5, and detects the presence or absence of the transmission / reception data. Further, the reading unit 103b_1 includes a timer (not shown) and measures a period during which there is no transmission / reception data.
  • the reading unit 103b-1 reads, from the parameter table storage unit 103c, detailed parameters corresponding to the execution control mode and the presence or absence of transmission / reception data.
  • the read unit 103b_1 outputs the read transmission / reception operation parameter 33a to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the reading unit 103b_1 outputs the power control, which is the read power control parameter 33b, to the power control output unit 3g.
  • the reading unit 103b-l calculates a calculation instruction for calculating the transmission / reception operation parameters 33a. Send to Part 3b-2.
  • the power control table storage unit 3h stores and stores a table in which the battery remaining amount information L-2 is associated with the power control.
  • FIG. 36 is a diagram illustrating a storage example of the power control table storage unit 3h. As shown in FIG. 36, the power control table storage unit 3h stores and controls the power control “power off” in association with, for example, the battery remaining amount information L2 “small”.
  • the power control determining unit 3d-2 refers to the power control table storage unit 3h, reads the power control corresponding to the remaining battery amount information L2, and outputs the read power control to the power control output unit 3g. .
  • the power control output unit 3g outputs power control “power off” when power control indicating “power off” is received from at least one of the power control determination unit 3d_2 and the read unit 103b_1.
  • the control mode determining unit 103a outputs the execution control mode "variable beacon interval" in a certain period, and there is no transmission / reception data during the three-minute monitoring period.
  • the reading unit 103b-1 detects that there is no transmission / reception data during a monitoring period of 3 minutes for transmission / reception data. Then, the reading unit 103b-1 reads, from the parameter table storage unit 103c, detailed parameters corresponding to the detection result “monitoring period 3 minutes, no data” and the execution control mode “beacon interval variable”. Assuming that the parameter table storage unit 103c stores a table as shown in FIG. 35, the reading unit 103b_l outputs the operation mode “power save” and the beacon interval “1000 ms” as the transmission / reception operation parameters 33a.
  • the detailed parameter execution unit 26 of the wireless transmission circuit 5 shifts to an operation mode in which the beacon interval is set to a relatively large value of 1000 ms.
  • the power control determination circuit 3 since the power control determination circuit 3 detects the presence / absence of transmission / reception data during the monitoring period, the wireless transmission circuit 5 does not need to monitor the presence / absence of transmission / reception data. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the configuration of the wireless transmission circuit 5 can be simplified. Further, the power control determination circuit 3 does not need to output the parameter “monitoring period” to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • control mode determination unit 103a outputs the execution control mode "power off" in a certain period, and there is no transmission / reception data during the three-minute monitoring period.
  • the reading unit 103b-1 detects that there is no transmission / reception data in the monitoring period of 3 minutes for transmission / reception data. Then, the reading unit 103b-1 reads, from the meter table storage unit 103c, detailed parameters corresponding to the detection result and the execution control mode “power off”. Assuming that the parameter table storage unit 103c stores a table as shown in FIG. 35, the reading unit 103b-l outputs the operation mode “normal” to the wireless transmission circuit 5 as the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a, and The control “power off” is output to the power control output unit 3g.
  • power control output unit 3g outputs power control "power off” to wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the detailed parameter execution unit 26 of the wireless transmission circuit 5 turns off the power to the transmission circuit 21 and the reception circuit 25.
  • control mode determining unit 103a sets the execution control mode to And the system interface 6 outputs the remaining battery level information L1 2 indicating “small”.
  • the read unit 103b-1 reads the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a (operation mode "normal") corresponding to the execution control mode "normal" from the parameter table storage unit 103c, and Output the read parameters.
  • the power control determining unit 3d-2 which has received the remaining battery level information L-12, refers to the power control table storage unit 3h as shown in FIG. Control output section
  • power control output section 3g outputs power control "power off” to wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the detailed parameter execution unit 26 of the wireless transmission circuit 5 turns off the power to the transmission circuit 21 and the reception circuit 25 even when the operation mode is "normal". As a result, the wireless transmission circuit 5 can further reduce power consumption.
  • the power control determination unit 3d-2 is configured to output the power control "power off” to the power control output unit 3g when the battery remaining amount information L-12 indicates “small”. did.
  • the power control determining unit 3d-2 is not limited to this, and when the remaining battery level information L-12 indicates "medium", the power supply determining unit 3d-2 reduces the power supply amount of the wireless transmission circuit 5, or A control signal for lowering the transmission output level of the wireless transmission circuit 5 is output to the wireless transmission circuit 5, and a control signal for turning off the power of the wireless transmission circuit 5 when the remaining battery level information L-12 indicates "small". You can output it.
  • the power control determination unit 3d-2 obtains the value of the remaining battery level from the battery 11, and if the obtained value is smaller than the predetermined threshold A, reduces the power supply amount of the wireless transmission circuit 5. Or a control signal for lowering the transmission output level of the wireless transmission circuit 5 is output to the wireless transmission circuit 5, and if the obtained value is smaller than a predetermined threshold B (threshold B ⁇ threshold A), A control signal for turning off the power of the wireless transmission circuit 5 may be output. Thereby, the power control determination circuit 3 can control the power consumption of the wireless transmission circuit 5 stepwise according to the magnitude relationship between the remaining battery level and the thresholds A and B.
  • the power control decision circuit 103 can perform detailed power control on the radio transmission circuit 5 based on the presence or absence of transmission / reception data.
  • An example will be described below. ⁇ Example 2 (E-mail reception)>
  • the application executed by the application D execution unit 2a-1 is an e-mail receiving software, and the application D execution unit 2a-1 executes the control mode "variable beacon interval", the use state "in use”, and the transmission cycle " 100 ms ”and a reception cycle of“ 100 ms ”. Further, it is assumed that the parameter table storage unit 103c stores a table as shown in FIG. 35, and the execution control mode determination table storage unit 3s stores a table as shown in FIG.
  • the execution control mode determining unit 103a-1 sets the beacon interval variable to "Yes” and the other "None” because the control mode input from the application interface 1 is only “Variable beacon interval”.
  • the corresponding execution control mode “variable beacon interval” is read from the execution control mode determination table storage unit 3s.
  • the execution control mode determining unit 103a-1 outputs the read execution control mode “variable beacon interval”.
  • the execution cycle determination unit 3a-2 outputs the execution transmission cycle “100ms” and the execution reception cycle “100ms”.
  • the reading unit 103b-1 confirms whether there is data received from the wireless transmission circuit 5 or data transmitted from the application interface 1 during the monitoring period of 3 minutes. If there is no transmission / reception data, the read unit 103b-l refers to the parameter table stored in the parameter table storage unit 103c and reads the operation mode “power save” and the beacon interval “1000ms” that are the transmission / reception operation parameters 33a. The transmission / reception operation parameter 33a thus read is output to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the detailed parameter execution unit 26 of the wireless transmission circuit 5 receiving the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a receives a beacon signal every 1000 ms, and when no beacon signal is received, lowers the reception sensitivity level to the minimum. Reduce power consumption. Thereby, the wireless transmission circuit 5 can achieve further power saving.
  • the reading unit 103b-l refers to the parameter table stored in the parameter table storage unit 103c and sets the transmission / reception operation parameters 33a as the operation mode "power save” and the beacon interval "calculation”. Section reads “Calculation”. Then, the reading unit 103b_1 outputs the operation mode “power save” to the wireless transmission circuit 5 and outputs a beacon interval calculation instruction to the calculation unit 3b-2.
  • the calculating unit 3b-2 calculates the beacon interval “100ms” according to the above-described calculating method, and outputs the calculated beacon interval to the radio transmission circuit 5.
  • the detailed parameter execution unit 26 of the wireless transmission circuit 5 that has received the transmission / reception operation parameter 33a receives a beacon signal every 100 ms, and when no beacon signal is received, lowers the reception sensitivity level to the minimum, and Inactivate the function. Thereby, the wireless transmission circuit 5 can achieve further power saving.
  • the application executed by the application D execution unit 2a_l is Web browsing software, and the application D execution unit 2a-1 outputs the control mode “power off” and the use state “in use”. Further, it is assumed that the parameter table storage unit 103c stores a table as shown in FIG. 35, and the execution control mode determination table storage unit 3s stores a table as shown in FIG.
  • the execution control mode determining unit 103a-l determines that the control mode input from the application interface 1 is "power off” only.
  • the control mode “power off” is read from the execution control mode determination table storage unit 3s.
  • the execution control mode determining unit 103a-1 outputs the read execution control mode “power off”.
  • the reading unit 103b-1 checks whether there is data received from the wireless transmission circuit 5 or data transmitted from the application interface 1 during the monitoring period of 3 minutes.
  • the reading unit 103b-l refers to the parameter table stored in the parameter table storage unit 103c and reads the power control “power off” that is the power control parameter 33b, and reads the read power control parameter 33b. Is output to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the detailed parameter execution unit 26 of the wireless transmission circuit 5 that has received the power control parameter 33b does not supply power to the transmission circuit 21 and the reception circuit 25.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 can achieve power saving.
  • the application executed by the application D execution unit 2a_l is a VoIP (IP phone), and the application D execution unit 2a-1 outputs the control mode “variable beacon interval” and the use state “in use”.
  • the parameter table storage unit 103c stores the operation mode “power save” and the beacon interval “20 ms” corresponding to the execution control mode “variable beacon interval” and the transmission / reception data “transmission data available”. Assume that the operation mode “power save” and the beacon interval “1000 ms” are stored in correspondence with the row control mode “variable beacon interval” and the transmission / reception data “no transmission data”. It is also assumed that the execution control mode determination table storage unit 3s stores a table as shown in FIG.
  • the execution control mode determining unit 103a-1 determines that the control mode input from the application interface 1 is "variable beacon interval" only, so that the The corresponding execution control mode “variable beacon interval” is read from the execution control mode determination table storage unit 3s. Then, the execution control mode determining unit 103a-1 outputs the read execution control mode “variable beacon interval”.
  • the read unit 103a that has received the execution control mode "variable beacon interval" from the control mode determination unit 103a determines whether there is data transmitted from the application execution unit 2a-1.
  • the case where there is transmission data from the application execution unit 2a-1 refers to a state in which VoIP is in progress and voice data is transmitted from the application execution unit 2a-1 to the wireless transmission circuit 5 as transmission data. Show. On the other hand, a case where the transmission data from the application execution unit 2a-1 is strong indicates that the VoIP is in a call waiting state.
  • the reading unit 103a refers to the parameter table storage unit 103c to determine the operation mode "power save” and the beacon interval "1000ms”. Output to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 Upon receiving the operation mode "power save” and the beacon interval "1000ms", the wireless transmission circuit 5 requests the master unit AP to change the beacon interval to 1000ms. Then, when it is time to receive the beacon signal, the detailed parameter execution unit 26 turns on the power to the low noise amplifier LNA 27 and the receiving circuit 25, and turns on the power to the low noise amplifier LNA 27 and the receiving circuit 25 except when receiving the beacon signal. Turn off. [0341] In this way, in the incoming call waiting state, the wireless transmission circuit 5 only needs to turn on the power to the low-noise amplifier LNA 27 and the receiving circuit 25 every 1000ms, so that power can be saved.
  • the read unit 103a refers to the parameter table storage unit 103c and refers to the operation mode "power save” and the beacon interval "20ms”. Is output to the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 requests the master unit AP to change the beacon interval to 20ms. Then, when it is time to receive the beacon signal, the detailed parameter execution unit 26 turns on the power to the low noise amplifier LNA 27 and the receiving circuit 25, and turns off the power to the low noise amplifier LNA 27 and the receiving circuit 25 except when receiving the beacon signal. Is turned off.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 can save power by turning on the power to the low-noise amplifier LNA 27 and the receiving circuit 25 every 20 ms.
  • the beacon interval may be any value as long as the delay does not affect the communication.
  • the voice data is transmitted as a signal for data communication following the beacon signal.
  • the presence or absence of audio data to be transmitted from the wireless transmission circuit 5 to the base station can be notified by the beacon signal.
  • the power supply of the receiving circuit 25 is turned on to receive a beacon signal from the base station.
  • the operation of turning off the power of the circuit 25 is repeated.
  • the power of the receiving circuit 25 is turned off to receive the beacon signal from the base station and the audio data, and then the power of the receiving circuit 25 is turned on.
  • the operation of turning off is repeated.
  • the wireless transmission circuit 5 turns off the power supply of the reception circuit 25 until it is time to receive the next beacon signal. That is, the radio transmission circuit 5 turns off the power of the reception circuit 25 when no signal is received. This enables power saving even during a call.
  • control mode determining unit 103a sets the application interface The configuration is such that priority is not obtained from resource 1. This eliminates the need for the application interface 1 to output the priority.
  • control mode determining unit 103a of the third embodiment may be configured by the control mode determining unit 3a. In this case, the power control decision circuit 3 acquires the priority from the application interface 1.
  • the execution control mode determination unit 103a-1 of the present embodiment may be configured to acquire the priority from the application interface 1. At this time, when the obtained priorities are all different, the execution control mode determining unit 103a-1 determines the execution control mode based on the priorities in the same manner as in the second embodiment, and determines the execution priority among the obtained priorities. When there are a plurality of high-priority control units, the execution control modes corresponding to these control modes may be read from the execution control mode determination table storage unit 3s.
  • FIG. 37 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the device (information processing device) Z2 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 37, the device Z2 differs from the device Z of the second embodiment in that a power control decision circuit (control device) 203 is provided instead of the power control decision circuit 3. . Although the illustration of the electronic device 2 is omitted in FIG. 37, the device Z2 includes the electronic device 2 including the application execution unit 2a and the system unit 2b as in the above embodiment.
  • the power control decision circuit 203 receives transmission data from the application interface 1 and reception data from the wireless transmission circuit 5, as in the case of the power control decision circuit 103. However, the power control determination circuit 203 receives only transmission data from the application interface 1 and does not receive a control mode or the like.
  • FIG. 40 is a diagram showing formats of transmission data and reception data.
  • the transmitted data and the received data consist of an application ID field, data It includes four fields: data length field, data field, and CRC (cyclic redundancy check) field.
  • the application ID field is an area including an application ID (identification information) for identifying an application using data to be transmitted or received. For example, in the case of “application web browsing software”, “01” is set as the application ID, and if the application is “VoIP”, “02” is set as the application ID.
  • the data field contains a data block to be transmitted or received.
  • the data length field includes the length of the data field.
  • the CRC field includes an error detection code for detecting an error in a data block included in the data field.
  • FIG. 38 is a block diagram showing a configuration of power control determining circuit 203.
  • the power control determination circuit 203 includes an application determination unit ⁇ and an application parameter storage unit (identification information storage unit) 3k, as compared with the power control determination circuit 103 of the above embodiment. Re, they differ.
  • the application parameter storage unit 3k stores the application ID and application parameters related to the application corresponding to the application ID in association with each other.
  • the application parameters include a power control mode in the wireless transmission circuit 5, a transmission cycle, a reception cycle, a transmission rate, and a reception rate.
  • Fig. 39 shows an example of storage in the application parameter storage unit 3k.
  • the application parameter storage unit 3k stores the control mode “power off” in association with, for example, the application ID “01”.
  • the application parameter storage unit 3k stores, for example, the control mode “variable beacon interval”, the reception cycle “100 ms”, and the reception rate “384 kbps” in association with the application ID “03”. .
  • FIG. 41 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the application determining unit.
  • the application determining unit 3 ⁇ 4 includes an application parameter output unit (power control information reading unit) 3p, timers 3m-1, 3m-2,..., And output state holding units 3n-1, 3, 3n. -2, ... [0360]
  • the application parameter output unit 3p reads the application parameter corresponding to the application ID included in the transmission / reception data from the application parameter storage unit 3k, and sends the read application parameter to the control data determination unit 103a.
  • the application parameter output unit 3p outputs the application parameter based on the transmission / reception data. Therefore, in order to output only the application parameter corresponding to the application in use, the application parameter output unit 3p adds the use state “in use” to the application parameter and outputs it.
  • Timers 3m_l, 3m_2, ... measure the output time of application parameters. Timer 3m_l, timer 3m_2, ... start and reset the measurement according to the instruction from the application parameter output unit 3p. When the predetermined time has elapsed, the timers 3m-1, 3m-2, ... send a timer expiration signal indicating that to the application parameter output unit 3p.
  • the timers 3m_l, 3m-2, ... correspond to the application IDs "01", "02", ..., respectively.
  • the output state holding units 3n-1, 3n-2, ... have flags (start flags) indicating whether or not the application parameters are output.
  • the start flag includes “1” indicating that the output is being performed, and “0” indicating that the output is not being performed.
  • the output state holding units 3n-l, 3n-2,... Correspond to the application IDs "01", "02",.
  • the control mode determining unit 103a performs the execution control mode, the execution transmission cycle and / or the execution reception cycle, and the execution mode based on the use state and the execution control mode determination table storage unit 3s, as in the third embodiment. Determine the transmission rate and / or the effective reception rate. Note that the control mode determination unit 103a according to the present embodiment receives only “in use” as the use state from the application determination unit.
  • FIG. 42 is a flowchart showing a procedure in which the application determining unit starts outputting the application parameter.
  • the application parameter output unit 3p determines whether or not transmission data has been received from the application interface 1 and whether or not reception data has been received from the wireless transmission circuit 5. It is determined whether or not it is (S21).
  • the application parameter output unit 3p extracts an application ID from the received transmission data or reception data (S22). At this time, when receiving a plurality of transmission data and reception data, the application parameter output unit 3p extracts the application ID from each transmission / reception data.
  • the application parameter output unit 3p determines whether or not the extracted application ID is "01" (S23).
  • the application parameter output unit 3p outputs the start flag of the output state holding unit 3n-1 corresponding to the application ID "01" to " It is determined whether the value is “0” indicating “re, nare,” (S24).
  • the application parameter output unit 3p sends the application parameter (control mode, transmission cycle, Read the reception cycle, transmission rate, and reception rate). Then, the application parameter output unit 3p starts outputting the read application parameter and a use state indicating that the application corresponding to the application parameter is being used to the control mode determination unit 103a.
  • the application parameter output unit 3p starts measuring the timer 3m-1 corresponding to the application ID "01” and sets the start flag of the output state holding unit 3n-1 corresponding to the application ID "01". It is set to "1" indicating "outputting” (S25).
  • the processing in S30 is the processing when the application ID is "02".
  • S23 power is the same as the processing of S26. Thereafter, the application discriminating unit 3 ⁇ 4 continues the processing when the application ID is “03”,..., And ends the processing.
  • the timer 3m-1 determines whether or not the measurement time has expired a predetermined time (
  • timer 3m-1 when the timer has expired (Yes in S31), timer 3m-1 outputs a timer expiration signal to application parameter output unit 3p.
  • the application parameter output unit 3p that has received the timer expiration signal from the timer 3m-1 stops outputting the application parameter corresponding to the timer 3m-1 (that is, the application parameter corresponding to the application ID "01"). .
  • the application parameter output unit 3p sets the start flag of the output state holding unit 3n-1 corresponding to the application ID “01” to “0” (S32). In this way, the application determination unit stops outputting the application parameters.
  • the application parameter output unit 3p performs the same processing when it receives a timer one expiration signal from the other timers 3m-2, ....
  • the device Z2 of the present embodiment includes the power control determination circuit 203 including the application determination unit 3 and the application parameter storage unit 3k.
  • the power control determination circuit 203 performs power control suitable for the active application performing data transmission / reception without receiving power control information such as a control mode from the electronic device 2 to the wireless transmission circuit 5. be able to. That is, the electronic device 2 can reduce the circuit configuration of the application execution unit that does not need to output the power control information.
  • the application discriminating unit detects transmission / reception data and outputs an application parameter
  • the application corresponding to the application parameter transmits and receives data, and thus is in use. Therefore, it was decided to output a usage state indicating "in use”.
  • control mode determining unit 103a determines an execution control mode or the like based on the usage state. However, in the present embodiment, the control mode determining unit 103a receives only the use state indicating “in use”. Therefore, when receiving the application parameter, the control mode determining unit 103a of the present embodiment may determine that the application corresponding to the application parameter is being used. In this case, there is no need for the application determination unit ⁇ to output the use state.
  • the device (information processing device) has a configuration including a wireless LAN device 75 instead of the wireless transmission circuit 5 as compared with the above embodiment.
  • the wireless LAN device 75 performs communication using a wireless LAN, and has a configuration for further saving power when the operation mode is “constant beacon interval” or “power save”.
  • FIG. 44 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a wireless transmission circuit (wireless LAN terminal) 75 of the present embodiment.
  • the receiving section 751 of the wireless LAN terminal 75 includes a radio frequency signal processing section 752, a signal detecting section 754, an intermediate frequency signal processing section 753, a digital demodulating section.
  • This is a double heterodyne configuration including a 755 (demodulation unit), a gain control unit 756, and an operation state control unit (low power consumption execution means) 757.
  • an analog section 751a is composed of a radio frequency signal processing section 752, an intermediate frequency signal processing section 753, and a part of the signal detection section 754 (RSSI circuit 7541).
  • ADC7542 ′ reception start determination unit 7543), digital demodulation unit 755, gain control unit 756, and operation state control unit 757 constitute a digital unit 751b.
  • the radio frequency signal processing unit 752 includes an antenna 7521, a low noise amplifier (LNA) 7522, a radio frequency oscillator (RF ⁇ SC) 7523, a radio frequency mixer (RF mixer) 7524, and a band noise (BPF) 7525.
  • the antenna 7521 receives a radio frequency signal from a LAN (local area network) connected to a wireless LAN terminal 75 (wireless).
  • Low noise amplifier 7522 amplifies wireless signal received by antenna 7521 with low noise To do.
  • the radio frequency oscillator 7523 oscillates a signal for down-converting the radio frequency signal to a lower frequency signal (intermediate frequency signal).
  • the radio frequency mixer 7524 mixes the radio frequency signal output from the oral noise amplifier 7522 and the oscillation signal from the radio frequency oscillator 7523, and outputs an intermediate frequency signal having a lower frequency than the radio frequency signal.
  • the band-pass filter 7525 removes an unnecessary signal from the intermediate frequency signal output from the radio frequency mixer 7524 and extracts a target frequency signal.
  • the intermediate frequency signal processing unit 753 includes an intermediate frequency oscillator (IFOSC) 7531 (oscillator), an AGC circuit (auto gain control circuit) 7532 (gain adjustment circuit), and two intermediate frequency mixer circuits.
  • IIF mixer circuit 7533a ⁇ 7533b (mixer), two low-pass filter circuits (LPF circuits) 7535a '7535b, and two wide-width circuits (AMP circuits) 7536a' 7536b.
  • the intermediate frequency oscillator 7531 oscillates a signal for down-converting the intermediate frequency signal to a lower frequency signal (baseband signal).
  • the intermediate frequency mixer circuit 7533a mixes the intermediate frequency signal output from the AGC circuit 7532 with the oscillation signal of the intermediate frequency oscillator 7531, and outputs a baseband signal (in-phase component).
  • the intermediate frequency mixer circuit 7 533b mixes the intermediate frequency signal output from the AGC circuit 7532 with the signal obtained by shifting the oscillation signal of the intermediate frequency oscillator 753 1 by ⁇ / 2 to generate a baseband signal (quadrature component). Is output.
  • the low-pass filter circuit 7535a removes an unnecessary signal from the baseband signal (in-phase component) output from the intermediate frequency mixer circuit 7533a, and extracts a target frequency signal.
  • the low-pass filter circuit 7535b removes an unnecessary signal from the baseband signal (orthogonal component) output from the intermediate frequency mixer circuit 7533b.
  • the amplification circuit 7536a amplifies the baseband signal (in-phase component) output from the low-pass filter circuit 7535a and from which unnecessary signals have been removed.
  • the amplifier circuit 7536b amplifies the baseband signal (quadrature component) output from the low-pass filter circuit 7535b and from which unnecessary signals have been removed.
  • the signal detection unit 754 includes an RSSI circuit (received signal strength indicator circuit) 7541 (reception strength detection unit) belonging to the analog unit 751a, and an A / D converter (ADC) 7542 and a reception unit belonging to the digital unit 751b.
  • a start determination unit 7543 The RSSI circuit 7541 calculates the intermediate frequency signal power RSSI signal output from the band-pass filter 7525 and outputs it to the A / D converter 7542.
  • the A / D converter 7542 digitally converts the RSSI signal detected by the RSSI circuit 7541 And outputs it to reception start determination section 7543.
  • FIG. 46 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the reception start determination unit 7543.
  • the reception start determination unit 7543 includes a delay circuit 81, a subtraction circuit 82, and a comparison circuit 83.
  • the delay circuit 81 delays a sample value of a temporally preceding RSSI signal among the digitized RSSI signals, and uses the delay value as a reference value for calculating an increase amount of the RSSI value. I do.
  • the subtraction circuit 82 subtracts the above-mentioned reference value of the delay circuit 81 from the sample value of the subsequently input RSSI signal to obtain the increase amount of the RSSI value (detection result of the reception intensity detection unit).
  • the comparison circuit 83 compares the RSSI value increase amount with the set increase amount threshold value, and determines that a signal has been detected when the RSSI value increase amount exceeds the increase amount threshold value (predetermined condition). Then, a reception start signal is transmitted to the operation state control unit 757. Further, reception start determination section 7543 outputs the RSSI value at this time to AGC control circuit 7561 of gain control section 756 as a reception level.
  • the signal to be received can be overlooked even when the signal to be received and the interference signal are mixed and received. And the start of reception can be determined accurately. As a result, the power saving effect of the wireless LAN terminal 75 can be further enhanced.
  • the circuit for creating the reference value is not limited to the delay circuit 81, but may be a sample-hold circuit that holds the sample value of the RSSI signal at a certain timing.
  • the reception start determination unit 7543 determines whether the reception level output from the A / D converter 7542 is equal to or higher than a threshold (predetermined level). If the reception level is equal to or higher than the threshold, the reception start determination unit 7543 activates the reception start signal.
  • a threshold predetermined level
  • the digital demodulation unit 755 includes two A / D converters (ADCs) 7551a '7551b and a baseband demodulation circuit (BB demodulation circuit) 7552.
  • the AZD converter 7551a performs AD conversion on the baseband signal from the amplifier circuit 7536a.
  • the A / D converter 755 lb AD converts the baseband signal from the amplifier circuit 7536b.
  • the baseband demodulation circuit 7552 demodulates original data (transmission information) from the digital signals output from the AZD converters 7551a and 7551b, and outputs the demodulated data to an upper layer. Also, When the demodulation of the signal (packet data) is completed, the circuit 7552 transmits a packet end signal to the operation state control unit 757.
  • the gain control unit 756 includes an AGC control circuit 7561 and a D / A converter (DAC) 7562.
  • AGC control circuit 7561 controls AGC circuit 7532 based on the reception level output from reception start determination section 7543.
  • the AGC control circuit 7561 is
  • an AGC control completion signal is transmitted to the operation state control unit 757.
  • the operation state control unit 757 receives an instruction from the detailed parameter execution unit 26 to execute the operation modes "constant beacon interval”, “variable beacon interval”, and "power save”.
  • the operation state control unit 757 includes an operation clock control circuit 7571 (digital operation control unit) and a conduction control circuit 7572 (conduction control unit).
  • the operation clock control circuit 7571 receives the reception start signal from the reception start determination unit 7543, supplies an operation clock to the digital demodulation unit 755 and the gain control unit 756, and operates these units.
  • the energization control circuit 7572 receives the reception start signal of the reception start determination section 7543, and receives the signals of the intermediate frequency signal processing section 753 (AGC circuit 7532, IF mixer circuit 7533a * 7533b, LPF circuit 7535a * 7535b, and amplification circuit). 7536a '7536b) is energized to activate these circuits.
  • the energization control circuit 7572 is provided in an upper layer (a layer higher than the physical layer) and monitors the OSC from the reception status monitoring unit that monitors the data reception state (reception interval) of the radio frequency signal processing unit 752. Controls the energization (operation start and stop) of the intermediate frequency oscillator (IFOSC) 7531 according to the control signal.
  • IOSC intermediate frequency oscillator
  • the operation state control unit 757 receives the AGC control completion signal from the AGC control circuit 7561, and controls the operation of the signal detection unit 754 (RSSI circuit 7541, ADC7542, and reception start determination unit 7543). That is, the power supply control circuit 7572 receives the AGC control completion signal, stops the power supply of the RSSI circuit 7541, and stops its operation. Further, the operation clock control circuit 7571 receives the AGC control completion signal, stops supplying the operation clock to the ADC7542 and the reception start determination unit 7543, and stops the operations of these units.
  • operating state control section 757 receives each circuit of intermediate frequency signal processing section 753, signal detection section 754, and digital demodulation section. Controls the operation of the adjustment unit 755 and the gain control unit 756. That is, the operation clock control circuit 7571 receives the packet end signal, stops supplying the operation clock to the digital demodulation unit 755 and the gain control unit 756, stops the operation of these units, and starts the ADC7542 and reception start. The supply of the operation clock of the determination unit 7543 is started, and these operations are started.
  • the energization control circuit 7572 receives the packet end signal, and receives the respective circuits of the intermediate frequency signal processing unit 753 (AGC circuit 7532, IF mixer circuit 7533a * 7533b, LPF circuit 75 35a.7535b, and amplifier circuit 7536a '7536b).
  • the power supply to the RSSI circuit 7541 is stopped, and the power supply to the RSSI circuit 7541 is started and activated.
  • the radio frequency signal processing unit 752, the signal detection unit 754, and the operation state control unit (low power consumption execution means) 757 only operate, and the intermediate frequency signal processing section 753 of the analog section 751a, and the gain control section 756 and the digital demodulation section 755 of the digital section 751b are not operating.
  • the intermediate frequency oscillator 7531 of the analog section 75 la depends on the selected mode.
  • the energization control circuit 7572 sends the signals to the respective circuits of the intermediate frequency signal processing unit 753 (AGC circuit 7532, IF mixer circuits 7533a * 7533b, LPF circuits 7535a * 7535b, and amplifier circuits 7536a '7536b).
  • the energization is stopped, and the operation clock control circuit 7571 stops supplying the operation clock to the digital demodulation unit 755 and the gain control unit 756.
  • power can be saved by stopping power supply to each circuit of the intermediate frequency signal processing unit 753 during reception standby.
  • wireless LAN terminals have a long reception standby state, so this power saving effect is significant.
  • the wireless LAN terminal 75 Since the radio frequency signal processing unit 752 and the signal detection unit 754 are operating even during reception standby, the wireless LAN terminal 75 is in a state where it can always recognize transmission data (packets) to its own device. .
  • the IFOSC (intermediate frequency oscillator) power saving mode can be selected during this reception standby (see S1).
  • This IFOSC power saving mode is This is a mode in which the intermediate frequency oscillator 7531 (in the wave signal processing unit 753) is not operated.
  • the power supply control circuit 7572 stops the power supply to the intermediate frequency oscillator 7531 based on the OSC control signal from the reception status monitoring unit 66 (upper layer), and stops the operation of the intermediate frequency oscillator 7531. Let me.
  • the entire intermediate frequency signal processing unit 753 including the intermediate frequency oscillator 7531, the digital demodulation unit 755, and the gain control unit 756 are turned off (not operating). State, and only the radio frequency signal processing unit 752 and the signal detection unit 754 are turned on (see S2). In this way, by stopping the power supply to the IFOSC (intermediate frequency oscillator) 7531, which consumes a large amount of power, in the reception standby state, power consumption can be further reduced.
  • each circuit of the intermediate frequency signal processing unit 753 other than the intermediate frequency oscillator 7531 (the AGC circuit 7532, IF Mixer circuit 7533a * 7533b, LPF circuit 7535a * 7535b, amplifier circuit 7536a'7536b), digital demodulation unit 755 and gain control unit 756 are turned off (non-operating), and the intermediate frequency oscillator 7531 and radio frequency signal processing unit 752 And the signal detection unit 754 is turned on (operated) (see S4).
  • the signal (radio frequency signal) received by antenna 7521 is amplified by low noise amplifier 7522.
  • the signal output from the low noise amplifier (LNA) 7522 is mixed with an oscillation signal from a radio frequency oscillator (RFOSC) 7523 in a radio frequency mixer (RF mixer) 7524.
  • ROSC radio frequency oscillator
  • RF mixer radio frequency mixer
  • the signal output from the radio frequency mixer 7524 is input to the band pass finolator 7525.
  • the bandpass filter 7525 removes an unnecessary signal included in the signal from the radio frequency mixer 7524.
  • the signal output from the band-pass filter 7525 is a reception intensity detection unit (RSSI circuit) 754 Entered into 1.
  • the RSSI circuit 7541 detects the RSSI value (reception level) of the input signal.
  • the A / D converter 7542 digitizes the RSSI value detected by the RSSI circuit 7541 and outputs it to the reception start determining unit 7543.
  • the reception start determination unit 7543 determines that a signal has been detected, (YES in S5), and outputs the reception start signal. Output to the operating state control unit 757. This starts reception (S6).
  • the energization control circuit 7572 of the operation state control unit 757 starts energization to each circuit of the intermediate frequency signal processing unit 753, and the operation clock control circuit 7571 Start supplying the operation clock to the demodulation unit 755 and the gain control unit 756.
  • AGC circuit 7532, IF mixer circuit 7533a * 7533b, LPF circuit 7535a * 7535b, amplifier circuit 7536a'7536b), digital demodulation section 755 and gain control section 756 are turned on (operation) (see S7). Note that the radio frequency signal processing unit 752, the intermediate frequency oscillator 7531, and the signal detection unit 754, which have been in the ON (operating) state, remain in the ON (operating) state (see S7).
  • the reception start determination unit 7543 outputs the reception level (input from the ADC 7542) to the AGC control circuit 7561.
  • the AGC control circuit 7561 controls the AGC circuit 7532 via the DAC 60 based on the reception level.
  • the AGC control circuit 7561 transmits an AGC control completion signal to the operation state control unit 757.
  • the mode shifts to the reception power saving mode (S9). That is, upon receiving the AGC control completion signal, the operation clock control circuit 7571 stops supplying the operation clock of the ADC7542 and the reception start determination unit 7543. In addition, the power supply control circuit 7572 stops the power supply of the RSSI circuit 7541. Accordingly, the operation of the signal detection unit 754 stops, and the radio frequency signal processing unit 752, the intermediate frequency signal processing unit 753, the digital demodulation unit 755, and the gain control unit 756 continue to operate. As described above, the operation of the signal detection unit 754 should be stopped during the signal reception (from the start of reception to the end of reception) (in particular, the power supply to the RSSI circuit 7541 should be stopped). Thus, further power saving can be achieved.
  • the power saving mode at the time of reception be the default, but it is also possible not to select the mode (S9).
  • the signal detection unit 754, the radio frequency signal processing unit 752, the intermediate frequency signal processing unit 753, the digital demodulation unit 755, and the gain control unit 756 all enter the ⁇ N state, and continue the same operation state as S7 ( Sl l).
  • the layer at S10 is the layer at S11, and the packet data is demodulated (S12).
  • the signal processing procedure in S12 will be described below.
  • One signal output from AGC circuit 7532 is mixed with an oscillation signal from intermediate frequency oscillator 7531 in intermediate frequency mixer circuit 7533a.
  • the intermediate frequency mixer circuit 7533a outputs the baseband signal (in-phase component) power to the SLPF circuit 7535a. Unnecessary signals are removed in the LPF circuit 7535a.
  • the signal from the LPF circuit 7535a is input to the amplification circuit 7536a and amplified.
  • the signal from the amplifier circuit 7536a is input to the ADC7551a of the digital demodulation unit 755.
  • the other signal output from AGC circuit 7532 is mixed with a signal obtained by shifting the oscillation signal from intermediate frequency oscillator 7531 by ⁇ / 2 in intermediate frequency mixer circuit 7533b.
  • the baseband signal (quadrature component) from the intermediate frequency mixer circuit 7533b is output to the SLPF circuit 7535b. Unnecessary signals are removed by the LPF circuit 7535b.
  • the signal from the LPF circuit 7535b is input to the amplifier circuit 7536b and amplified.
  • Amplification circuit 7 536b Power signal f is input to ADC7551b of B755.
  • the baseband demodulation circuit (BB demodulation circuit) 7552 of the digital demodulation unit 755 uses the signal (packet) transmitted to the wireless LAN terminal 75 based on the signals from the AZD converter 7551a and the A / D converter 7551b. Data) is demodulated. This demodulated data (demodulated data) is transmitted to the upper layer.
  • the baseband demodulation circuit 7552 transmits a packet demodulation end signal to the operation state control unit 757. This allows wireless The LAN terminal 75 shifts to the reception standby state again (S14).
  • the energization control circuit 7572 of the operation state control unit 757 sends each circuit of the intermediate frequency signal processing unit 753 (the AGC circuit 7532, the IF mixer circuit 7533a * 7533b, LPF circuit 7535a * 7535b, and amplifier circuit 7536a '7536b) are stopped, and the power supply to the RSSI circuit 7541 of the signal detection unit 754 is started.
  • the operation clock control circuit 7571 stops supplying the operation clock to the digital demodulation unit 755 and the gain control unit 756, and starts energizing the ADC7542 of the signal detection unit 754 and the reception start determination unit 7543.
  • the wireless LAN device 90 of the present embodiment performs communication using a wireless LAN similarly to the above embodiment, and further saves power when the operation mode is “constant beacon interval” or “power save”. It has a configuration to perform.
  • receiving section 910 of wireless LAN terminal 90 includes radio frequency signal processing section 911 (first signal processing section), signal detecting section 913, and gain detecting section.
  • This is a direct conversion configuration including an adjustment section 912 (second signal processing section), a digital demodulation section 914 (demodulation section), a gain control section 915, and an operation state control section 916 (low power consumption execution means).
  • the radio frequency signal processing unit 911, the gain adjustment unit 912, and a part of the signal detection unit 913 constitute an analog unit 910a, and a part of the signal detection unit 913.
  • AD C9132 ′ reception start determination unit 9133, digital demodulation unit 914, gain control unit 915, and operating state control unit 916 constitute digital unit 910 b.
  • the radio frequency signal processing unit 911 includes an antenna 9111, a low noise amplifier (LNA) 9112, a radio frequency oscillator (RF ⁇ SC) 9113, and two radio frequency mixers (RF mixers) 91 Ma-Sl 14b and two Rhono II. Sufi Noreta (LPF) 9115a-9115b.
  • the antenna 9111 receives a radio frequency signal (RF signal) from a LAN (local area network) to which the wireless LAN terminal 90 is connected (wirelessly).
  • the low-noise amplifier 9112 amplifies the radio signal received by the antenna 9111 with low noise, and separates and outputs the signal to a radio frequency mixer (RF mixer) 9114a'9114b.
  • the radio frequency oscillator 9113 processes radio frequency signals.
  • Radio frequency mixer 9114a mixes one signal output from low-noise amplifier 9112 with an oscillation signal from radio frequency oscillator 9113, and outputs a baseband signal (in-phase component).
  • the radio frequency mixer 9114b mixes the other signal output from the low noise amplifier 9112 with the signal obtained by shifting the oscillation signal of the radio frequency oscillator 9113 by ⁇ ⁇ 2, and outputs a baseband signal (orthogonal component). I do.
  • the low-pass filter 9115a removes an unnecessary signal from the baseband signal (in-phase component) output from the radio frequency mixer 9114a, and extracts a target frequency signal.
  • the low-pass filter 9115b removes an unnecessary signal from the baseband signal (quadrature component) output from the radio frequency mixer 9114b, and extracts a target frequency signal.
  • the gain adjustment unit 912 includes an AGC circuit (auto gain control circuit) 9122 (gain adjustment circuit) and two wide-width circuits (AMP circuits) 9126a '9126b.
  • the width circuit 9126a amplifies the baseband signal (in-phase component) output from the low-pass filter circuit 9115a and from which unnecessary signals have been removed.
  • the amplifier circuit 9126b amplifies the baseband signal (quadrature component) output from the low-pass filter circuit 9115b and from which unnecessary signals have been removed.
  • the signal detection unit 913 includes an RSSI circuit 9131 (received signal strength indicator circuit, reception strength detection unit) belonging to the analog unit 910a, and an A / D converter (ADC) 9132 and a reception unit belonging to the digital unit 910b.
  • a start determination unit 9133 The 11 ⁇ 231 circuit 9131 calculates the intermediate frequency signal RSSI signal output from the band-pass filter 9115 and outputs the signal to the A / D converter 9132.
  • the A / D converter 9132 digitizes the RSSI signal detected by the RSSI circuit 9131 and outputs it to the reception start determining unit 9133.
  • the configuration of the reception start determination unit 9133 and the determination of the suitability of the reception start are the same as in the fifth embodiment (see FIG. 46).
  • reception start determination section 9133 outputs the RSSI value at this time to gain control section 915 as a reception level.
  • the circuit for creating the reference value is not limited to the delay circuit, but may be a sample-hold circuit that holds the sample value of the RSSI signal at a certain timing.
  • the reception start determination unit 9133 determines whether the reception level output from the A / D converter 9132 is equal to or higher than a threshold (predetermined level), and activates the reception start signal if the reception level is equal to or higher than the threshold.
  • a threshold predetermined level
  • a simple configuration such as outputting to the state control unit 916 may be used.
  • Digital demodulation section 914 includes two A / D converters (ADCs) 9141a '9141b and a baseband demodulation circuit (BB demodulation circuit) 9142.
  • the AZD converter 9141a performs AD conversion on the baseband signal from the amplifier circuit 9126a.
  • the A / D converter 9141b performs AD conversion on the baseband signal from the amplifier circuit 9126b.
  • Baseband demodulation circuit 9142 demodulates original data (transmission information) from the digital signals output from AZD converters 9141a and 9141b, and outputs the demodulated data to an upper layer. When demodulation of the signal (packet data) is completed, baseband demodulation circuit 9142 transmits a packet end signal to operating state control section 916.
  • Gain control section 915 includes an AGC control circuit 9151 and a D / A converter (DAC) 9152.
  • AGC control circuit 9151 controls AGC circuit 9122 based on the reception level output from reception start determination section 9133. When the control of the AGC circuit 9122 is completed, the AGC control circuit 9151 transmits an AGC control completion signal to the operation state control unit 916.
  • the operation state control unit 916 receives an instruction from the detailed parameter execution unit 26 to execute the operation modes “constant beacon interval”, “variable beacon interval”, and “power save”.
  • the operation state control unit 916 includes an operation clock control circuit 9161 (digital operation control unit) and a conduction control circuit 9162 (conduction control unit).
  • the operation clock control circuit 9161 receives the reception start signal from the reception start determination unit 9133, supplies an operation clock to the digital demodulation unit 914 and the gain control unit 915, and operates these units.
  • the energization control circuit 9162 receives the reception start signal of the reception start determination unit 9133, energizes the gain adjustment unit 912, and activates it.
  • the operation state control unit 916 upon receiving the AGC control completion signal from the AGC control circuit 9151, the operation state control unit 916 receives a signal detection unit 913 (the RSSI circuit 9131, the ADC 9132, and the reception start determination unit 913). Control the operation of 3). That is, the power supply control circuit 9162 receives the AGC control completion signal, stops the power supply of the RSSI circuit 9131, and stops its operation. In addition, the operation clock control circuit 9161 receives the AGC control completion signal, stops supplying the operation clock to the ADC 9132 and the reception start determination unit 9133, and stops the operation thereof.
  • the power supply control circuit 9162 receives the AGC control completion signal, stops the power supply of the RSSI circuit 9131, and stops its operation.
  • the operation clock control circuit 9161 receives the AGC control completion signal, stops supplying the operation clock to the ADC 9132 and the reception start determination unit 9133, and stops the operation thereof.
  • operation state control section 916 receives the packet end signal from baseband demodulation circuit 9142, and controls the operations of gain adjustment section 912, signal detection section 913, digital demodulation section 914, and gain control section 915.
  • the operation clock control circuit 9161 receives the packet end signal, stops supplying the operation clock to the digital demodulation unit 914 and the gain control unit 915, stops the operations of these units, and starts the ADC 9132 and the reception start.
  • the supply of the operation clock of the judgment unit 9133 is started, and these operations are started.
  • the power supply control circuit 9162 receives the packet end signal, stops supplying power to the gain adjustment unit 912, stops its operation, starts supplying power to the RSSI circuit 9131, and activates it.
  • the device (information processing device) is configured to include all of the electronic device, the power control determination circuit, and the wireless transmission circuit.
  • the present invention is not limited to this configuration.
  • FIG. 47 illustrates the electronic device 2, the power control determination circuit 103, and the wireless transmission circuit of the present embodiment.
  • the electronic device 2 including the application execution unit 2a, the system unit 2b, and the battery 11, and the wireless module 8 including the power control determination circuit 103 and the wireless transmission circuit 5 are configured to be detachable.
  • the electronic device 2 and the wireless module 8 include module interfaces 21 and 81 for connecting to each other. By connecting these module interfaces 21 and 81, the electronic device 2 and the wireless module 8 can transmit and receive data, area information, and remaining battery information via the inter-module interface signal. it can.
  • the battery remaining amount information L2 may be input from the battery 11 to the power control determination circuit 103 without passing through the system interface 6, as in the present embodiment.
  • the radio wave condition information L1 may be input from the radio transmission circuit 5 to the power control decision circuit 103 without passing through the system interface 6, as in the present embodiment. In this case, the system unit 2b does not display the remaining battery level or the radio wave condition.
  • the wireless module 8 of the present embodiment may be configured to include the power control determination circuit 3 or 203 instead of the power control determination circuit 103. Also, a wireless LAN terminal 75 or a wireless LAN terminal 90 may be provided instead of the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • This embodiment has another combination configuration of the electronic device 2, the power control determination circuit 103, and the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • FIG. 48 illustrates the electronic device 2, the power control determination circuit 103, and the wireless transmission circuit of the present embodiment.
  • an electronic control device 9 including the electronic device 2, the battery 11, and the power control determination circuit 103, and a wireless module 8 ′ including the wireless transmission circuit 5 are configured to be detachable. That is, the electronic control unit 9 and the wireless module 8 'have module interfaces 9I and 81 for connecting to each other. By connecting these module interfaces 91 and 81, the electronic control unit 9 and the wireless module 8 'can exchange transmission / reception data, radio wave status information, and power via the inter-module interface signal.
  • the electronic control device 9 of the present embodiment may be configured to include the power control determination circuit 3 or 203 instead of the power control determination circuit 103.
  • the wireless module 8 ′ may include a wireless LAN terminal 75 or a wireless LAN terminal 90 instead of the wireless transmission circuit 5.
  • an information processing apparatus includes a wireless communication apparatus and an electronic apparatus that executes an application for transmitting and receiving data using the wireless communication apparatus.
  • An information processing device comprising: a control device that controls power consumption in the wireless communication device.
  • the control device is configured to control the usage state of the application and the key from the electronic device.
  • Low power consumption setting means for acquiring predetermined power control information for each case, and determining a low power consumption setting in the wireless communication device based on the acquired use state and power control information,
  • the wireless communication device includes a low power consumption execution unit that performs low power consumption control according to the low power consumption setting determined by the low power consumption setting unit.
  • the power control information is, for example, a control mode indicating a transmission / reception operation in the wireless communication device, a transmission cycle, a reception cycle, a transmission rate, and a reception rate.
  • a control device for controlling the communication device is provided separately from the communication device and the electronic device. Therefore, the application does not need to specially have a program for controlling the power of the communication device.
  • the low power consumption setting means determines the low power consumption setting based on the use state and the power control information acquired from the electronic device. Then, the low power consumption execution means of the wireless communication device performs low power consumption control according to the low power consumption setting. Therefore, the wireless communication device can perform low power consumption control suitable for the application in operation. As a result, maximum power saving can be achieved as long as the operation of the application is not hindered.
  • the information processing device includes both a portable information processing device (portable terminal) that is frequently moved and a fixed information processing device whose installation location is usually fixed.
  • portable devices are more likely to be equipped with a battery, and thus need to save power. Therefore, the present invention is more useful for a portable information processing device.
  • the number of applications executed by the electronic device is not particularly limited. One or more. However, since the low-power-consumption setting means determines the low-power-consumption setting based on the usage state of the application, even if there are a plurality of applications, the low-power-consumption setting means can set the low-power-consumption setting according to only the active application. Can be determined
  • the information processing apparatus of the present invention controls a wireless communication apparatus, an electronic apparatus that executes an application for transmitting and receiving data using the wireless communication apparatus, and controls power consumption in the wireless communication apparatus.
  • An information processing apparatus comprising: The control device stores (a) identification information of an application included in transmission / reception data transmitted and received by the electronic device using the wireless communication device in association with power control information predetermined for the application.
  • An identification information storage unit (b) power control information reading means for reading from the identification information storage unit power control information corresponding to the identification information of transmission / reception data transmitted and received by the wireless communication device, and (c) the power control Low power consumption setting means for determining a low power consumption setting in the wireless communication device based on the power control information read by the information reading means,
  • the wireless communication device includes a low power consumption execution unit that performs low power consumption control according to the low power consumption setting determined by the low power consumption setting unit.
  • a control device for controlling the communication device is provided separately from the communication device and the electronic device. Therefore, the application does not need to specially have a program for controlling the power of the communication device.
  • the power control information reading means reads, from the identification information storage unit, power control information corresponding to the identification information of transmission / reception data transmitted / received by the wireless communication device. Therefore, the power control information reading means reads out the power control information corresponding to the running application performing data transmission / reception. Then, the low power consumption setting means determines the low power consumption setting based on the power control information read by the power control information reading means, and the low power consumption execution means of the wireless communication device performs the low power consumption according to the low power consumption setting. Perform control. Therefore, the wireless communication device can perform low power consumption control suitable for the application in operation. Thus, maximum power saving can be achieved within a range that does not hinder the operation of the application.
  • the information processing device includes both a portable information processing device (portable terminal) that is frequently moved and a fixed information processing device whose installation location is usually fixed.
  • portable devices are more likely to be equipped with a battery, and thus need to save power. Therefore, the present invention is more useful for a portable information processing device.
  • the number of applications executed by the electronic device is not particularly limited. One or more.
  • the low-power-consumption setting instruction means determines the low-power-consumption setting based on the use state of the application. Of these, the low power consumption setting can be determined according to only the running application.
  • the low-power-consumption setting determined by the low-power-consumption setting means is used for controlling a data transmission / reception operation in the wireless communication apparatus. It is preferable to include transmission / reception operation parameters.
  • the wireless communication device performs a data transmission / reception operation according to the transmission / reception operation parameter.
  • the data transmission / reception operation is, for example, an operation of receiving a beacon signal at a predetermined cycle or an operation of setting a data reception period in advance.
  • the wireless communication device can further reduce power consumption only by performing a transmission / reception operation at least necessary for the running application.
  • the transmission / reception operation parameter may include at least one of a transmission / reception operation mode, a beacon reception interval, and a data transmission / reception period in the wireless communication device. It is preferred to include.
  • the transmission / reception operation mode is, for example, a mode in which data transmission / reception is performed for a predetermined period, and is an operation mode related to data transmission / reception.
  • the data transmission / reception period is a period during which data is transmitted / received. For example, when data transmission / reception is performed for a predetermined period in a certain period, the data transmission / reception period is set by a reservation period and a reservation size.
  • the wireless communication device performs data transmission and reception in accordance with the transmission / reception operation mode, the beacon reception interval, and the data transmission / reception period, which are suitable for the application in operation and have low power consumption. .
  • power saving can be achieved without affecting the operation of the application.
  • the information processing apparatus of the present invention wherein the wireless communication device includes a transmitting unit that performs data transmission, and a receiving unit that performs data reception, and the control device includes Power supply determining means for determining a power supply amount to at least one of the transmitting unit and the receiving unit based on usage environment information on a usage environment of the line communication device, wherein the low power consumption execution unit includes: The power supply to at least one of the transmitting unit and the receiving unit is controlled according to the set power supply determined by the supply determining unit. It is preferable to control.
  • the usage environment of the wireless communication device is, for example, the condition of the radio wave received by the wireless communication device divided by the amount of power supplied to the wireless communication device.
  • the power supply amount determination unit can set the power supply amount to at least one of the transmitting unit and the receiving unit according to the usage environment of the wireless communication device. This allows the wireless communication device to save power according to its own use environment.
  • the information processing device of the present invention wherein the wireless communication device includes a transmitting unit for performing data transmission and a receiving unit for receiving data, and includes a low power consumption setting unit. Determines the amount of power supply to at least one of the transmission unit and the reception unit, and the low power consumption execution unit determines the power supply amount according to the set power supply amount determined by the low power consumption setting unit. It is preferable to control the power supply to at least one of the two.
  • the low power consumption setting unit can set the power supply amount to at least one of the transmitting unit and the receiving unit according to the application in operation.
  • the wireless communication device can save power for the running application.
  • the transmission unit includes transmission signal amplifying means for amplifying a signal of transmission data, and the set power supply amount is The power supply amount is preferably set to the transmission signal amplification means.
  • the receiving unit includes a reception signal amplifying unit that amplifies a signal of reception data, and the set power supply amount is It is preferable that the power supply amount is set to the reception signal amplifying means.
  • the transmission unit includes a transmission circuit that outputs transmission data via an antenna
  • the reception unit includes: It is preferable that the receiving circuit includes a receiving circuit for receiving the received data, and the set power supply amount is a power supply amount set for the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit.
  • the control device acquires radio wave condition information indicating a radio wave condition of the wireless communication device, and the obtained radio wave condition information is determined in advance. If it is higher than the calculated value, it is preferable to reduce the amount of power supplied to the wireless communication device.
  • the power supply amount of the wireless communication circuit can be reduced according to the radio wave condition of the wireless communication device, and further power saving can be achieved.
  • the control device acquires battery remaining amount information indicating a battery remaining amount for the wireless communication device, and acquires the acquired battery remaining amount information. Is smaller than a predetermined threshold A, it is preferable to reduce the power supply amount to the wireless communication device or reduce the transmission output level of the wireless communication device.
  • the power supply amount of the wireless communication circuit can be reduced or the transmission output level of the wireless communication device can be reduced according to the remaining battery level of the wireless communication device. Power saving can be achieved.
  • control device may be configured such that, when the battery remaining amount information is smaller than a threshold B set to be smaller than the threshold A, the wireless communication device Is preferably turned off.
  • the information processing apparatus of the present invention includes a plurality of the applications, and a priority of each application is added to the power control information.
  • the low power consumption setting means determines the low power consumption setting based on the power control information selected by the control mode determining means.
  • the low power consumption setting means can determine a high priority and a low power consumption setting according to the application among a plurality of applications. This can save power without affecting the operation of high-priority applications.
  • the wireless communication device further comprises: a first signal processing unit that converts the received radio frequency signal into a lower frequency signal; A reception strength detection unit for detecting the signal strength of the signal, a second signal processing unit for performing a process for increasing the demodulation accuracy on the signal from the first signal processing unit, and a signal for demodulating the signal from the second signal processing unit
  • a demodulation unit is provided, and the low-power-consumption execution unit controls energization of each circuit of the second signal processing unit based on a detection result of the reception intensity detection unit.
  • the radio frequency signal received by the first signal processing unit is converted to a lower frequency signal (for example, a baseband signal) by the first signal processing unit.
  • the reception strength detector detects the signal strength of the received radio frequency signal.
  • the signal output from the first signal processing unit is subjected to processing (for example, AGC control or amplification) that improves demodulation accuracy in the second signal processing unit. Then, the signal output from the second signal processing unit is demodulated into information transmitted by the demodulation unit.
  • processing for example, AGC control or amplification
  • the low-power-consumption execution unit controls energization of each circuit of the second signal processing unit based on the detection result of the reception intensity detection unit. For example, power supply to the second signal processing unit is stopped until the detection result of the reception intensity detection unit satisfies a predetermined condition. As a result, power is wasted in the second signal processing unit until a signal to be received (that can be demodulated) arrives (during reception standby). Can be greatly reduced. Thus, power saving of the wireless communication device can be realized.
  • the second signal processing unit may include a gain adjustment circuit that performs gain adjustment on a signal from the first signal processing unit, and the gain adjustment circuit. And an amplifier circuit for amplifying the signal from the amplifier.
  • the low-power-consumption execution means stops supplying power to the gain adjustment circuit and the amplifier circuit in a state where the detection result does not satisfy a predetermined condition. It is preferable that the power supply to the gain adjustment circuit and the amplification circuit be started when the predetermined condition is satisfied.
  • the signal from the first signal processing unit is subjected to gain adjustment processing (for example, auto gain control) and amplification processing by the gain adjustment circuit and amplification circuit of the second signal processing unit.
  • the low-power-consumption execution means controls the energization of the gain adjustment circuit and the amplification circuit based on the detection result of the reception intensity detection section. That is, the power supply to the gain adjustment circuit and the amplification circuit is stopped until the detection result of the reception intensity detection unit satisfies a predetermined condition. As a result, it is possible to eliminate power waste in the gain adjustment circuit and the amplifier circuit until a signal to be received (which can be demodulated) comes (during reception standby).
  • the wireless communication apparatus further includes a radio frequency signal processing unit that converts a received radio frequency signal into a lower frequency signal; A reception intensity detection unit for detecting the signal intensity of the frequency signal; an intermediate frequency signal processing unit for converting the signal from the radio frequency signal processing unit to a lower frequency signal; and a signal from the intermediate frequency signal processing unit.
  • a demodulation unit for demodulation is provided, and the low-power-consumption execution unit controls energization of each circuit of the intermediate-frequency signal processing unit based on a detection result of the reception intensity detection unit.
  • the radio frequency signal received by the radio frequency signal processing unit is converted to a lower frequency signal (for example, an intermediate frequency signal) by the radio frequency signal processing unit. Further, the signal from the radio frequency signal processing unit is converted to a lower frequency signal (for example, a baseband signal) in the intermediate frequency signal processing unit.
  • the reception strength detector detects the signal strength of the received radio frequency signal.
  • the signal output from the intermediate frequency signal processing unit is input to the demodulation unit and is demodulated into transmitted information.
  • the low power consumption executing means controls the energization of each circuit of the intermediate frequency signal processing unit based on the detection result of the reception intensity detection unit.
  • power supply to the intermediate frequency signal processing unit is stopped until the detection result of the reception intensity detection unit satisfies a predetermined condition.
  • power consumption in the intermediate frequency signal processing unit until a signal to be received (that can be demodulated) comes (waiting for reception) can be significantly reduced.
  • power saving of the wireless communication device can be realized.
  • the intermediate frequency signal processing unit may further include an oscillator, a mixer that mixes a signal from the oscillator and a signal from the radio frequency signal processing unit.
  • a low-power-consumption executing means wherein the power to the mixer circuit is stopped when the detection result does not satisfy a predetermined condition, and when the detection result satisfies a predetermined condition, the low-power-consumption execution means switches to the mixer circuit. Is preferably started.
  • the signal from the radio frequency signal processing unit is mixed with the signal from the oscillator in the mixer circuit of the intermediate frequency signal processing unit, and a lower frequency signal (for example, a baseband signal) Is converted to
  • the low-power-consumption execution unit controls energization of the mixer circuit based on the detection result of the reception intensity detection unit. That is, the power supply to the mixer circuit is stopped until the detection result of the reception intensity detection unit satisfies a predetermined condition. As a result, it is possible to eliminate power wasted in the mixer circuit until a signal to be received (which can be demodulated) arrives (during reception standby).
  • the application may include at least a mail receiving application that receives an e-mail, an IP telephone application that makes a call using an Internet protocol, and a web browsing application. Preferably, one is included.
  • the wireless communication device performs communication using a wireless LAN.
  • control device can perform power control suitable for wireless LAN.
  • the control device of the present invention is a control device that controls a communication device and an electronic device that performs communication using the communication device.
  • the control device includes: first information from the electronic device; And controlling the communication device based on at least one of the first information and the second information.
  • a control device that controls the communication device is provided separately from the communication device and the electronic device. Therefore, the electronic device does not need to have a special means for controlling the power of the communication device, and the circuit configuration can be relatively simplified. Further, the communication device is controlled by the control device based on at least one of the first information from the electronic device or the second information of the communication device power while maintaining high versatility so as to be able to cope with different electronic devices. And controlled. As a result, even with general-purpose communication devices that are expected to reduce costs due to mass production effects, optimal low-power operation can be achieved according to the first information from the electronic device or the second information from the communication device. can do.
  • At least one of the first information and the second information is real-time information that is updated as needed.
  • control device can perform optimal control on the communication device according to the current situation.
  • the first information includes a request from an application that operates the electronic device.
  • the control device can control the communication device for optimal low power consumption according to the execution request of various processes in the application.
  • the first information includes device information indicating a current operation state of the electronic device.
  • the control device can control the communication device for optimal low power consumption according to the device information (for example, the charge amount of the battery in the electronic device).
  • the second information includes information indicating a current operation state of the communication device.
  • the control device responds to information indicating the current operation state of the communication device (for example, the amount of power supplied to the communication device).
  • control for optimally reducing power consumption can be performed on the communication device.
  • the second information includes communication path information indicating a current communication path state.
  • the control device can control the communication device for optimal low power consumption according to the communication channel information.
  • control device of the present invention may further include at least one of the electronic device and the communication device based on at least one of the first information and the second information. Is controlled in such a way as to minimize the power consumption of the device. Thereby, the power consumption of the electronic device or the communication device can be reduced.
  • control device of the present invention may be configured to satisfy at least one of the first information and the second information on the assumption that an application for operating the electronic device is satisfied. Based on the above, control is performed in a direction to minimize the power consumption of at least one of the electronic device and the communication device. As a result, the power consumption of the electronic device or the communication device can be reduced while satisfying the requirements of the application.
  • the control device of the present invention is a control device that controls a communication device and an electronic device that performs communication using the communication device, and includes an operation state of the electronic device and the communication device. Based on information including a request to the control device, power consumption of at least one of the electronic device and the communication device is substantially reduced from among a plurality of control profiles for controlling the electronic device and the communication device.
  • a profile selection unit is provided for selecting a control profile that defines an operation to be minimized. Thereby, the power consumption of the electronic device or the communication device can be reduced.
  • control device of the present invention further comprises an application request interface unit for transmitting request information indicating a request from an application for operating the electronic device to the profile selection unit,
  • An electronic device information interface unit for transmitting device type information indicating a type of an electronic device or device information indicating an operation state of the electronic device to the profile selection unit, and operation state information indicating an operation state of the communication device and a communication path.
  • a communication channel information interface for transmitting communication channel information to the profile selection unit, wherein the profile selection unit includes the application The control profile is selected based on information transmitted from the communication request information interface unit, the electronic device information interface unit, and the communication path information interface unit.
  • the control device acquires request information, device type information, device information, operation state information, and communication path information, and selects a control profile based on these information. Therefore, the control device can select an optimal control profile for low power consumption according to the request of the application, the type and operation state of the electronic device, the operation state of the communication device, and the state of the communication path.
  • control device of the present invention transmits control information on power control of the communication device to the communication device based on the control profile selected by the profile selection unit.
  • a communication device power operation control unit a communication device circuit operation control unit that transmits control information relating to control of a circuit operation of the communication device to the communication device based on the control profile selected by the profile selection unit;
  • An action command unit for transmitting control information for the ablation of the electronic device based on the control profile selected by the profile selection unit.
  • the control device can perform power control and circuit operation control of the communication device, and control for the application.
  • control profile may include a control port file set in advance based on a combination of information that can be transmitted to the control device. Are uniquely selected by the profile selection unit from the control profile table corresponding to the information, based on information actually transmitted to the control device.
  • control device refers to the control profile table and selects a control port file. Therefore, the control profile can be determined immediately.
  • control profile tape information may include a first information group including at least device type information, request information and device information, and a second information group including communication channel information. It is set as a combination of elements selected from the information group.
  • the control device includes the device type information, the request information, and the device information. Only by obtaining the first information group and the second information group including the communication path information, it is possible to immediately select the optimal control profile by referring to the control profile table.
  • the communication path information includes information on delay dispersion of the communication path.
  • a circuit for maintaining communication characteristics when a multipath occurs is usually provided in the BB unit.
  • the operation of the circuit is controlled in accordance with delay dispersion. Therefore, an appropriate control profile can be selected.
  • a weighting factor is assigned to each of the elements, and the profile selection unit refers to the weighting factor to convert the control profile. select.
  • the control device gives priority to an element having a larger weighting coefficient as compared to an element having a smaller weighting coefficient. Then, the control device can select a control profile corresponding to a change in an element having a large coefficient.
  • the weighting coefficient assigned to each element changes according to a combination pattern of the elements.
  • the weighting coefficient also changes according to the change in the combination of elements, so that it is possible to perform finer control according to the change in each element.
  • the weighting coefficient varies depending on an application and a remaining capacity of a battery provided in the electronic device.
  • control device can prioritize a change between the application and the remaining capacity of the battery, and select a control profile corresponding to the change.
  • the communication device is a wireless communication device.
  • the electronic device of the present invention is connected to the control device and controlled by the control device. Further, the communication device of the present invention is connected to the control device and controlled by the control device. [0520] The communication device of the present invention includes the control device and the communication device. According to the above configuration, since the communication device includes the control device and the communication device, power saving of the communication device can be achieved only by connecting the communication device to the electronic device. At this time, since the communication device is controlled by a control device that is not directly controlled by the electronic device, it can have high versatility.
  • the information processing apparatus of the present invention provides the control apparatus and information for selecting the profile to the control apparatus, and controls an application controlled based on the control profile.
  • An electronic device that operates according to a method, and a communication device that provides information for selecting the profile to the control device and is controlled based on the control profile.
  • the communication device is a general-purpose communication device that is expected to reduce costs due to mass production effects, it is possible to optimize the communication device based on the first information from the electronic device or the second information from the communication device. A low power consumption operation can be realized.
  • the communication device is a wireless communication device.
  • Wireless communication devices have relatively high power consumption. Therefore, the power saving effect of the control device is increased.
  • the radio transmission circuit, one or more applications, and the radio transmission circuit according to information obtained from the usage environment of the radio transmission circuit.
  • An information processing device comprising: a power control determination circuit that determines a control signal to be input to the circuit.
  • the wireless communication circuit at least one of the applications, and at least one of information obtained from a use mode of the application or a control mode related to power control determined for each application, the wireless communication circuit,
  • An information processing device comprising: a power control determination circuit that determines a control signal to be input to a transmission circuit. This allows for power control adjustments even when there are multiple factors that define the usage environment. The control is preferably performed in a manner that saves power and does not cause problems that are particularly important for the application.
  • each application is provided with each piece of priority information related to power control. This enables power saving control even in an environment where multiple applications operate.
  • the power supply information includes the remaining battery power when the battery is driven, and when the remaining battery power becomes smaller than a predetermined remaining battery power, the control signal input to the wireless transmission circuit is the power signal.
  • the supply information is determined with the highest priority.
  • a power amplifier disposed inside the wireless transmission circuit is controlled by a signal generated from the transmission output level control of the detailed parameter. Further, a low-noise amplifier disposed inside the wireless transmission circuit is controlled by a signal generated from the reception sensitivity level control of the detailed parameter. A transmission power amplifier or low-noise amplifier can respond to changes in the transmission output level or reception sensitivity level.
  • the application has a command for interruptingly determining a timing of power control execution, in addition to information such as a use state of the application and a control mode related to power control determined for each application. .
  • the command is at least one of a command related to switching of power supply to a transmission circuit and / or a reception circuit related to the wireless transmission circuit, and a command related to switching of a transmission output level and / or a reception sensitivity level. It is characterized by having.
  • a power control including a wireless transmission circuit, a plurality of applications, and a plurality of application interfaces and a system interface as input interfaces to the wireless transmission circuit.
  • An information processing apparatus including a determination circuit, wherein the power control determination circuit determines a control mode for each time of the wireless transmission circuit based on an input from the application interface, and determines the control mode and a system interface.
  • An information processing apparatus for determining a detailed parameter determination signal of the wireless transmission circuit based on an input from the wireless communication circuit.
  • the control mode is selected according to the characteristics related to the power consumption required by the application for communication.Therefore, depending on the relationship between the application and communication, power saving and particularly important issues for the application, such as e-mail Control can be performed so as not to cause loss or the like.
  • the information processing device includes a communication device, an electronic device that executes one or more applications, and the communication device in accordance with first information from the electronic device.
  • a control device for determining a control signal to be input to the device.
  • a control device for controlling the communication device is provided separately from the communication device and the electronic device. Therefore, the application does not need to specially have a program for controlling the power of the communication device. Further, the communication device is controlled by the control device in accordance with the first information from the electronic device (for example, information indicating whether or not an application is running), so that the communication device can support different electronic devices. High versatility can be maintained. As a result, even a general-purpose communication device that is expected to reduce costs due to mass production effects, it is possible to realize optimal low-power-consumption operation according to the usage environment.
  • control device further determines a control signal to be input to the communication device in accordance with second information from the communication device. Set.
  • control device can perform optimal control on the communication device according to the second information (for example, information indicating the state of the communication path) from the communication device.
  • the second information for example, information indicating the state of the communication path
  • the information processing apparatus of the present invention is a communication apparatus, an electronic apparatus that executes one or more applications, and a control that inputs to the communication apparatus according to second information from the communication apparatus.
  • a control device for determining a signal is a control device for determining a signal.
  • a control device that controls the communication device is provided separately from the communication device and the electronic device. Therefore, the application does not need to specially have a program for controlling the power of the communication device.
  • the communication device transmits the second information (for example, For example, it is controlled by the control device according to information indicating the state of the communication path.
  • control device further determines a control signal to be input to the communication device in accordance with first information from the electronic device. Set.
  • the control device performs optimal control in accordance with the first information from the electronic device (for example, information indicating whether or not the application is activated or not) by the communication device. Can be done for
  • the first information is obtained from at least one of a use state of an application or a control mode related to power control determined for each application.
  • the use state of the application indicates, for example, whether or not the application has been activated, or whether or not a specific process has been activated in the application.
  • the “use state” indicates whether the specific process is activated in the application.
  • you are browsing the downloaded homepage it is "Not in use.”
  • the control mode indicates a control operation related to power control. For example, a reservation reception control mode for setting a timing for receiving advance data and maintaining a power saving state until the timing, a predetermined time When there is no data transmission / reception, there is a power-off mode that shifts to a power saving state, and when there is no data transmission / reception for a predetermined time, a beacon interval variable mode that extends the interval of receiving beacon signals is used.
  • the communication device can be controlled according to the use state or the control mode of the application.
  • the second information includes information that can obtain the use environment power of the communication device.
  • the information obtained from the usage environment of the communication device includes, for example, information indicating the state of the communication path and , Information indicating the amount of power supply in the communication device.
  • the communication device can be controlled according to the information obtained from the usage environment of the communication device.
  • the information obtained from the usage environment of the communication device includes power supply information indicating power to be supplied to the communication device, a current communication path. This is information selected from at least one of the communication path information indicating the status.
  • the communication device is a wireless communication device.
  • Wireless communication devices have relatively high power consumption. Therefore, the power saving effect of the control device is increased.
  • the information obtained from the usage environment of the communication apparatus includes power supply information indicating power to be supplied to the communication apparatus, a current communication path.
  • This is information selected from at least one of communication path information indicating a state and area information indicating a radio wave environment in the communication device.
  • the communication device can be controlled according to the power supply information, the communication path information, or the area information.
  • the communication path information is, for example, radio wave condition information indicating a radio wave condition because the communication device is a wireless communication device.
  • the information processing apparatus of the present invention may include a plurality of the applications, and in a period in which the plurality of the applications operate, the control device may control the priority regarding the power control from each of the applications. Information is obtained, and a control signal for the communication device is determined based on the obtained priority information.
  • power saving control can be performed even in an environment where a plurality of applications operate.
  • the control device in addition to the above-described configuration, information obtained from an environment in which the communication device is used is fed back to the control device along with the change, and the control device Updates the control signal for the communication device based on the feedback information.
  • information obtained from the usage environment of the communication device is fed back to the control device according to the change. Therefore, the control device can perform power saving control according to the latest use environment of the communication device.
  • the power supply information includes a battery remaining amount at the time of battery driving, and the remaining amount is smaller than a predetermined battery remaining amount.
  • the control signal to be input to the communication device is determined with the power supply information given the highest priority.
  • control mode is selected according to information on power control required by the application for the communication apparatus.
  • control signal input to the communication device may include at least transmission output level control, reception sensitivity level control, And a signal for determining detailed parameters including power control.
  • control device can perform transmission output level control, reception sensitivity level control, and power supply control in the communication device.
  • the information processing apparatus of the present invention may further include a transmission circuit and / or a reception circuit disposed inside the communication device by a signal generated by a power control force of the detailed parameter. At least one of the power supplies is controlled.
  • the information processing apparatus of the present invention controls a power amplifier disposed inside the communication apparatus by a signal generated from the transmission output level control of the detailed parameter. .
  • the information processing device of the present invention controls a low-noise amplifier disposed inside the communication device by a signal generated from the reception sensitivity level control of the detailed parameter. It is characterized by doing.
  • the application may include an interrupt type, in addition to information such as a use state of the application and a control mode related to power control determined for each application. A command for determining the timing of power control execution, and the control device determines the detailed parameters based on the command.
  • the command includes a command related to turning on / off a power supply of the communication apparatus and switching of a transmission output level and / or a reception sensitivity level. And / or at least one of the following commands.
  • the information processing device of the present invention includes a communication device, an electronic device that executes one or more applications that perform communication using the communication device, and a control device that controls the communication device.
  • An information processing apparatus further comprising: an application interface for inputting at least one of a use state of the application or information obtained from a control mode relating to power control determined for each application to the control apparatus. And a system interface for inputting information obtained from the usage environment of the communication device to the control device, wherein the control device is configured to control the communication device based on an input from the application interface.
  • An intermediate processing signal indicating a control method for each time is determined, and the intermediate processing signal and the system interface are determined. And based on the input from the chair, to determine the detailed parameters for controlling the communication device.
  • a power control method of the present invention is a power control method in an information processing device having a communication device and an electronic device executing one or more applications that perform communication using the communication device.
  • a control device for controlling the communication device is provided separately from the communication device and the electronic device. Therefore, the application does not need to have a special program for controlling the power of the communication device.
  • the communication device is controlled by the control device according to the usage environment of the communication device, the usage state of the application, or the control mode. As a result, even a general-purpose communication device that is expected to reduce costs due to mass production effects, it is possible to realize optimal low-power consumption operation according to the usage environment.
  • the power control method of the present invention is a power control method in an information processing device that is equipped with a communication device and is capable of executing one or more applications.
  • a control device for controlling the communication device is provided separately from the communication device and the electronic device. Therefore, the application does not need to specially have a program for controlling the power of the communication device.
  • the operation mode, the transmission output level, and the reception sensitivity level are determined based on the priority set in the application in operation and the communication channel state.
  • the information processing system of the present invention includes a plurality of the information processing devices, and controls the communication device included in the first information processing device when the information processing devices are in a state where they can communicate with each other.
  • the reservation period and the reservation size included in the detailed parameters determined by the control device determine the reservation period and the reservation size of the second information processing device different from the first.
  • the control device performs a reservation cycle and a reservation size between the first information processing device and the second information processing device. To determine. Therefore, the first information processing apparatus and the second information processing apparatus have the same reservation cycle and reservation size. For example, it is assumed that the first information processing device is a child device and the second information processing device is its parent device. In this case, the child device can set the same reservation cycle and reservation size for the parent device and itself.
  • Each of the above steps can be executed on a computer by a power control program. Further, by storing the power control program on a computer-readable recording medium, the power control program can be executed on any computer.
  • each processing step of the profile controller 100 or the power control decision circuit 3 103 203 in the above-described embodiment is performed by an arithmetic means such as a CPU storing the data in a storage means such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM. It can be realized by executing the programmed program and controlling input means such as a keyboard, output means such as a display, or communication means such as an interface circuit. Therefore, the computer having these means simply reads the recording medium on which the above-mentioned program is recorded and executes the program to execute various functions and various processes of the profile controller 100 or the power control determination circuit 3 of the present embodiment. Can be realized. In addition, by recording the program on a removable recording medium, the various functions and various processes described above can be realized on an arbitrary computer.
  • the recording medium may be a program medium such as a memory (not shown), such as a ROM, for performing processing by a microcomputer, or a program as an external storage device (not shown). It may be a program medium provided with a reading device and readable by inserting a recording medium therein.
  • the stored program is preferably configured to be accessed and executed by the microprocessor. Further, it is preferable that the program is read, and the read program is downloaded to a program storage area of a microcomputer and the program is executed. Note that this download professional The gram is stored in the main device in advance.
  • the program medium is a recording medium configured to be separable from the main body, such as a tape system such as a magnetic tape or a cassette tape, a magnetic disk such as a flexible disk or a hard disk, or a CD / MOZMD / DVD.
  • a disc system such as a disc, a card system such as an IC card (including a memory card), or a semiconductor memory such as a mask ROM, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and a flash ROM.
  • a recording medium or the like that fixedly carries a program including the program.
  • the system configuration can connect to a communication network including the Internet, it is preferable that the recording medium be a recording medium that carries a program in a fluid manner so as to download the program from the communication network.
  • the download program may be stored in the main device in advance or installed from another recording medium. preferable.
  • the present invention is applicable to any information processing apparatus related to communication.
  • the communication method may be wireless or wired, and the communication method may be any.
  • the present invention is suitable for efficient power control in at least one device having a wireless communication function including a wireless LAN.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)
  • Telephone Function (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention se rapporte à un dispositif de traitement de données, qui comprend : un circuit de transmission radio ; un dispositif électronique permettant d'exécuter une application effectuant une émission/réception de données à l'aide du circuit de transmission radio ; et un circuit de détermination de commande de puissance, qui régule la consommation d'énergie du circuit de transmission radio. Le circuit de détermination de commande de puissance possède une unité de détermination de paramètres de fonctionnement d'émission/réception, qui acquiert des données de commande de puissance prédéterminées pour chacun des états d'utilisation des applications et chacune des applications, et qui fixe une faible consommation d'énergie dans le dispositif de communication radio conformément à l'état d'utilisation acquis et aux données de commande de puissance. Ainsi, il est possible de réduire avec souplesse la consommation d'énergie dans le dispositif de communication sans provoquer de problème inhérent au logiciel d'application.
PCT/JP2004/012751 2003-09-03 2004-09-02 Dispositif de traitement de donnees, module radio, dispositif de commande electronique, dispositif de commande, dispositif de communication, appareil de communication, dispositif electronique, procede de commande de puissance, programme de commande de puissance, et support d'enregistrement WO2005026929A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (12)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2003-310872 2003-09-03
JP2003310872 2003-09-03
JP2004-054226 2004-02-27
JP2004054226 2004-02-27
JP2004-197369 2004-07-02
JP2004197369 2004-07-02
US58754504P 2004-07-14 2004-07-14
US60/587,545 2004-07-14
US10/918,423 US20050048960A1 (en) 2003-09-03 2004-08-16 Information processing device, control device, communication device, communication equipment, electronic device, information processing system, power management method, power management program, and recording medium
US10/918,423 2004-08-16
JP2004-251091 2004-08-30
JP2004251091A JP2006050510A (ja) 2003-09-03 2004-08-30 情報処理装置、無線モジュール、電子制御装置、電力制御方法、電力制御プログラムおよび記録媒体

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Publication Number Publication Date
WO2005026929A1 true WO2005026929A1 (fr) 2005-03-24

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JP2003134225A (ja) * 2001-10-19 2003-05-09 Hitachi Ltd 携帯端末装置
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AU2002317524B2 (en) * 2001-12-10 2009-05-21 Ntt Docomo, Inc. Mobile Communication System, Mobile Communication Method, Mobile Terminal and Base Station
JP2007096986A (ja) * 2005-09-29 2007-04-12 Kyocera Corp 無線通信端末およびその制御方法
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CN115022124B (zh) * 2021-03-04 2024-04-02 丰田自动车株式会社 信息处理装置、信息处理方法以及存储介质

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