JP2004048434A - Radio communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that an operation to specify desired radio communication equipment becomes complicated when a plurality of pieces of radio communication equipment are discovered in a wide range, and that the control of the discovery processing becomes complicated in a mobile environment where radio communication is the most required since it is necessary for a user to control transmission outputs by himself or herself each time the radio communication equipment moves across areas although it is possible to reduce the discovery processing by controlling the transmission outputs. <P>SOLUTION: The adjustment of radio transmission outputs is executed on the basis of area information to which radio communication equipment is belonging so that the discovery range of any radio communication equipment which is present in the periphery of its own radio communication equipment can be limited. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for finding a communication device to be communicated in a wireless communication device that performs wireless data communication after finding a communication device to be communicated.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, mobile terminals represented by mobile phones have been rapidly spreading. On the other hand, the development of short-range wireless technology is rapidly progressing. As a result, it has become possible to form a short-range wireless network between mobile terminals and between mobile terminals and peripheral devices. An example of such a short-range wireless technology is Bluetooth. With Bluetooth, it is possible to form a PAN (Personal Area Network) that is a short-range wireless network. By using the PAN, the mobile terminal user forms a small-scale ad hoc network centered on the user, and can exchange information with other devices. Therefore, a service using a PAN is being studied. For example, it is possible to wirelessly retrieve data from a server or print data with a printer at a destination office.
[0003]
One of the problems in communication in a mobile environment using a portable terminal is a problem of power consumption. Since mobile terminals are battery-powered, reducing power consumption is an essential solution. Therefore, a technique for adjusting the transmission output during communication is generally applied for the purpose of reducing power consumption.
[0004]
Further, for the same purpose, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-156704, a technique for limiting a communication partner is disclosed.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Generally, in order to perform ad hoc wireless communication, a process of discovering peripheral devices is indispensable. In the above publication, transmission output is suppressed in order not to find peripheral devices that do not require communication. As a result, reduction of the user's input operation leads to reduction of power.
[0006]
However, the above publication does not specifically specify a control method of the reception electric field strength or the transmission output, and does not disclose a configuration for controlling the transmission output in a specific area. Therefore, a configuration for separately controlling the transmission output every time the region is moved is required, and in a mobile environment where the region movement always occurs, a new problem occurs in that the transmission output control becomes cumbersome.
[0007]
The above problem will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.
[0008]
FIG. 1 shows an appearance of a mobile phone 101 which is an example of a wireless communication device according to the present invention. It is assumed that the mobile phone 101 has built-in short-range wireless communication means (not shown). The short-range wireless communication unit in the present embodiment uses Bluetooth, but it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this. The mobile phone 101 further receives an antenna 102 for transmitting and receiving radio communication radio waves, a display unit 103 for displaying peripheral devices to be communicated in the radio communication, and for displaying contents of various services, and accepts a user's instruction. A button 104 is provided.
[0009]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the mobile phone 101 and another communication device. In general, in order for the mobile phone 101 to perform communication with a peripheral device to be communicated using the short-range wireless communication, it is necessary to perform a so-called “discovery” to search for the peripheral device prior to actual data communication.
[0010]
Here, when the mobile phone 101 communicates with the peripheral device 201, the range to be discovered may be the range 206. However, when the mobile phone 101 communicates with the peripheral device 202, it is necessary to extend the range of discovery to the range 207. Further, when the mobile phone 101 communicates with the peripheral device 203, it is necessary to expand the range of discovery to the range 207 or more.
[0011]
Generally, when it is desired to widen the discovery range, it is necessary to increase the radio transmission output. However, the higher the radio transmission output, the higher the power consumption. In the fixed environment, the positional relationship with the peripheral device to be communicated hardly changes, but in the mobile environment, the positional relationship with the peripheral device to be communicated frequently changes. Therefore, it is necessary to change the discovery range.
[0012]
For example, if the user moves to an environment in which wireless communication with peripheral devices is performed over a wide range while the discovery range is narrowed, the user cannot find necessary peripheral devices. Conversely, if the user moves to an environment in which wireless communication with peripheral devices is performed in a narrow range while the discovery range is widened, unnecessary peripheral devices will be discovered, so that a peripheral device to be communicated with is selected. Not only is the annoyance increased, but also the power consumption is wasted.
[0013]
Therefore, in order to reduce the peripheral device selection processing and the power consumption, it is necessary to set the wireless transmission output according to the area to which the mobile phone 101 belongs and to optimally set the range in which the peripheral device to be communicated is found. is necessary.
[0014]
The present invention has been proposed based on the above-described conventional circumstances, and a process of setting a discovery range by a user by optimally controlling a transmission output of a wireless communication device in accordance with an area where a wireless communication device exists. And contribute to power reduction.
[0015]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention employs the following means to achieve the above object.
[0016]
That is, the present invention presupposes a wireless communication device that performs wireless data communication with a wireless communication target device after discovering a wireless communication target device present in a specific area, and the wireless communication target device belongs to the wireless communication device. Area sensing means for generating area information for specifying an area in which the wireless communication is to be performed, and a wireless transmission output for determining a wireless transmission output value required to find a wireless communication target device belonging to the area range based on the determined area information Determining means, wireless transmission output adjusting means for adjusting the wireless transmission output according to the determined wireless transmission output value, finding means for finding a wireless communication target device belonging to the area range, and a found wireless communication target device. Display means for displaying.
[0017]
As a result, it is not necessary for the user to set an area for finding the target device for wireless communication every time the user moves from place to place.
[0018]
Further, there is a configuration in which the area sensing unit further includes a PHS (Personal Handyphone System) module. In this case, the area sensing unit generates the area information with reference to the call mode output from the PHS module. As a result, the user can determine the area setting for finding the wireless communication target device depending on the PHS communication mode.
[0019]
Further, there is a configuration in which the area sensing means further includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) module. In this case, the area sensing means generates the area information with reference to the reception sensitivity of the GPS satellite radio wave received by the GPS module. As a result, the user can determine the area setting for finding the wireless communication target device depending on the receiving sensitivity of the GPS satellite radio waves.
[0020]
Still further, the area sensing means generates area information with reference to the position information of the wireless communication device acquired from the GPS module. As a result, the user can determine the area setting for finding the wireless communication target device depending on the position measurement result by the GPS.
[0021]
The wireless communication apparatus may further include a user setting unit for the user to arbitrarily set a wireless transmission output value for the transmission output adjustment unit. As a result, the user can flexibly change the area setting even when the area setting for finding the wireless communication target device is automatically set.
[0022]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to provide an understanding of the present invention. The following embodiments are examples embodying the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.
[0023]
(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, an example of the setting of the affiliation area using a PHS (Personal Handyphone System) and a discovery result according to the affiliation area will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6.
[0024]
The PHS can be registered as a specific parent device and used as a child device in addition to ordinary public use. The first embodiment of the present invention uses this registration information as a belonging area.
[0025]
FIG. 3 shows the internal configuration of the mobile phone 101, and includes a PHS module 300, an area sensing unit 301, a wireless transmission output determination unit 302, a wireless transmission output adjustment unit 303, a discovery unit 304, and a display unit 305. The PHS module 300 outputs a PHS mode ID (501 in FIG. 5) indicating the current communication mode in the PHS. The area sensing means 301 includes a PHS mode-affiliation area definition table 500, and outputs affiliation area information according to the PHS mode ID output by the PHS module 300.
[0026]
Here, the relationship between the PHS call mode and the belonging area information will be described using the PHS mode-affiliated area definition table 500. The PHS mode ID 501 is a unique identification number corresponding to the PHS call mode. This value corresponds to the value output by the PHS module 300. The PHS call mode name 502 is text describing the PHS call mode. The belonging area name 503 is a name arbitrarily assigned to the PHS call mode. The belonging area ID 504 is a unique identification number indicating the size of the belonging area. The relationship between the belonging region ID 504 and the belonging region is associated in a belonging region definition table 400 described later. Here, the PHS mode ID 501 and the PHS call mode name 502 are set in advance, and it is assumed that the belonging area name 503 and the belonging area ID 504 can be arbitrarily changed by the user.
[0027]
Hereinafter, a setting example of the PHS mode-affiliation area definition table 500 will be described with reference to FIG. In the first row 510 of the table 500, the PHS mode ID is 1. To this, “home station mode 1” and “parent home (return home)” are assigned, and “2” is associated as the belonging area ID. In other words, when the call mode of the PHS is the home station 1, it indicates that the user is at home (homecoming home). It is assumed that the belonging area ID at that time is 2.
[0028]
Similarly, in the third row 512 of the table 500, the PHS mode ID is 3, which is "office station mode 1", "office (normal)" is assigned, and the belonging area ID is associated with 4. ing. That is, when the call mode of the PHS is the office station 1, it indicates that the user is in the office where he or she normally uses. The assigned area ID at that time is 4.
[0029]
Further, since a plurality of home station modes and office station modes can be set in the PHS call mode, it is possible to set the second row 511 and the fourth row 513 of the table 500, respectively. Further, it is possible to set a public communication state as shown by a fifth line 514.
[0030]
By referring to the PHS mode-affiliation area definition table 500 described above, the PHS mode sensing means 301 outputs the assigned area ID value 2 when the PHS is used in the home station 1, for example (FIG. 5). : 510). Similarly, for example, when the PHS is used in the home station 2, it outputs the value 1 of the belonging area ID (511 in FIG. 5). For example, when the PHS is used in the office station 1, a value 4 of the belonging area ID is output (FIG. 5: 512). For example, when the PHS is used in the office station 2, the value 3 of the belonging area ID is output (513 in FIG. 5). For example, when the PHS is used by the public, the value 6 of the belonging area ID is output (511 in FIG. 5).
[0031]
As described above, the area sensing unit 301 outputs the belonging area ID corresponding to the call mode of the PHS, and the wireless transmission output determining means 302 receives the belonging area ID, and refers to the belonging area definition table 400 to determine the location. Output the transmission output value for
[0032]
Here, the relationship between the belonging area ID and the transmission output control parameter will be described using the belonging area definition table 400. The belonging area ID 401 is an identification number corresponding to the belonging area ID 504 in FIG. The belonging area radius 402 represents the area size by a radius. The unit of the numerical value is meter. The transmission output value 403 indicates a wireless transmission output value required for Bluetooth when the area indicated by the belonging area radius 402 is set as the discovery range. The unit of the numerical value is mW.
[0033]
Hereinafter, a setting example of the belonging area definition table 400 will be described with reference to FIG. This table shows an example of the setting in Bluetooth, and it is naturally possible that the value is different in another wireless communication system. Also, in Bluetooth, since an error occurs in a communication situation, the value is not an exact value, and this setting example is only a guide. The first row 410 of the table 400 indicates that the assigned area ID is 1, the assigned area radius is 10 m, and the wireless transmission output value 403 is 1 mW. In other cases, the relationship is the same, and the description is omitted here.
[0034]
As described above, the conversion from the PHS call mode to the wireless transmission output value can be performed by the area sensing unit 301 and the wireless transmission output determining unit 302. As a result, when the belonging area ID is 1, for example, the transmission output is set to 1 mW, and the peripheral device is discovered by the discovery unit 304 based on the transmission output. As a result, the peripheral communication devices found are displayed by the display means.
[0035]
The following is an example of the display. Reference numerals 601, 602, and 603 in FIG. 6 show examples of display by the display unit 305 of the mobile phone 101 for each belonging area. In the description, unnecessary display portions are omitted. For example, when the mobile phone 101 is used at home, the call mode of the PHS is the home station 2 (FIG. 5: 511), so the belonging area ID is 1 and the belonging area radius is 10 m (FIG. 4: 410). It becomes. As a result, the transmission output is set to 1 mW, and only peripheral devices within a radius of 10 m can be found. The display means 305 indicates that the found peripheral devices are “printer”, “digital camera (digital camera)”, and “mobile phone” (601 in FIG. 6). The user arbitrarily selects these peripheral devices, and selects “digital camera” here. The selection state is illustrated by a thick frame line. At home, there may be other peripheral devices around the home, but when a user communicates at home, in many cases, the user wants to communicate with peripheral devices existing inside the home, If the user finds a peripheral device out of the box, many unnecessary peripheral devices are displayed on the display unit 305, and the selection is troublesome. It also leads to unnecessary power consumption.
[0036]
Next, consider a case where the user goes out of the house. In this case, the PHS call mode is switched to the public (FIG. 5: 514). Therefore, the belonging region ID is 6, and the belonging region radius is expanded to 100 m (417 in FIG. 4). As a result, the transmission output is reset to 20 mW, and peripheral devices within a radius of 100 m are found. The discovered peripheral device is displayed by the display unit 305 as shown by 602 in FIG. In a place where the user is going out, the location where the peripheral device is located is farther than the indoor location. Therefore, in order to find the necessary peripheral device, it is necessary to increase the discovery range, that is, increase the transmission output.
[0037]
Next, consider the case where the user has moved to the office from a destination. In this case, the call mode of the PHS is switched to office (normal) (FIG. 5: 512). Therefore, the belonging area ID becomes 4, and the belonging area radius is reduced to 50 m (413 in FIG. 4). As a result, the transmission output is reset to 10 mW, and only peripheral devices within a radius of 50 m are found. The discovered peripheral device is displayed by the display unit 305 as shown by 603 in FIG. On the go, the location of the peripheral device is relatively far away, so it was necessary to increase the range of discovery to increase the transmission power to find the necessary peripheral device. If the user moves to the above, unnecessary peripheral devices will be found as it is, which not only makes it difficult for the user to select devices, but also leads to unnecessary power consumption.
[0038]
(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, the PHS module 300 is used as a means for detecting the affiliation area. In the second embodiment, however, there is also a configuration in which a GPS (Global Psioning System) module is used. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, an example of the setting of the belonging area using the GPS and the discovery result according to the belonging area will be described.
[0039]
FIG. 7 shows the internal configuration of the mobile phone 101, and includes a GPS module 700, an area sensing unit 301, a wireless transmission output determination unit 302, a wireless transmission output adjustment unit 303, a discovery unit 304, and a display unit 305. Except for the GPS module 700, the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore the differences will be described below.
[0040]
The GPS module 700 outputs information indicating the current position of the mobile phone 101. The area sensing means 301 includes a GPS position-area management table 800 and outputs belonging area information according to the position information output by the GPS module. Here, the relationship between the position of the mobile phone 101 and the affiliation area information will be described with reference to the GPS position-area management table 800. The position 801 is information on the latitude and longitude indicating the belonging area defined in this table. The belonging area name 802 is a text describing the belonging area. The belonging area ID 803 is a unique identification number corresponding to the area size. The relationship between the affiliation area ID 803 and the affiliation area is associated in the affiliation area definition table 400. Here, the position 801, the belonging area name 802, and the belonging area ID 803 can be arbitrarily changed by the user.
[0041]
Hereinafter, a setting example of the GPS position-area management table 800 will be described with reference to FIG. In the second row 811 of the table 800, the position is {(139.4650, 35.4605), (139.4670, 35.4625)}. The position is represented in the order of {(longitude 1, latitude 1), (longitude 2, latitude 2)}, and a rectangle surrounding the point represented by longitude 1 and latitude 1 and the point represented by longitude 2 and latitude 2 The area is shown. That is, the mobile phone 101 is located in a rectangular area surrounded by (139 degrees 46 minutes 50 seconds east longitude, 35 degrees 46 minutes 50 seconds north latitude, and 139 degrees 46 minutes 70 seconds east longitude, 35 degrees 46 minutes 25 seconds north latitude). If so, the area is Tokyo Station, and the area ID is 7.
[0042]
As described above, in the table 800, the region to which the mobile phone 101 belongs and the region ID to which the cell phone 101 belongs are defined by the latitude and longitude.
[0043]
The table 800 uses the following special position 801 information. First, as indicated by 810, the values of {(longitude 1, latitude 1), (longitude 2, latitude 2)} are all -1. Such a typical example corresponds to a situation where the mobile phone 101 is used indoors and the GPS module 700 cannot receive GPS satellite radio waves. In this case, the belonging area name 802 is defined as “indoor”, and the belonging area ID is defined as 2. Second, as indicated by 813, the case where the values of {(longitude 1, latitude 1), (longitude 2, latitude 2)} are all 0. This case corresponds to a case where the position information output by the GPS module 700 is not registered in the position 801 of the table 800. In this case, the affiliation area name 802 is set to other, the affiliation area ID is set to 3, and this is set as a default affiliation area.
[0044]
For example, when the mobile phone 101 is used indoors, the area sensing unit 301 outputs the assigned area ID value 2 by referring to the above-described GPS position-area management table 800 (810 in FIG. 8). ). In addition, a rectangular area where the mobile phone 101 is surrounded by (139 degrees 46 minutes 50 seconds east longitude, 35 degrees 46 minutes 50 seconds north latitude, and 139 degrees 46 minutes 70 seconds east longitude, 35 degrees 46 minutes 25 seconds north latitude) If it is used at Tokyo Station, it outputs the value 7 of the belonging area ID (FIG. 8: 811). If the mobile phone 101 is used in a place that is not registered in the table 800, a value 3 of the belonging area ID is output (FIG. 8: 813).
[0045]
Hereinafter, the processes of the wireless transmission output determination unit 302, the wireless transmission output adjustment unit 303, the discovery unit 304, and the display unit 305 that have received the belonging area ID are the same as those in the first embodiment.
[0046]
(Embodiment 3)
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the assigned area of the wireless transmission output is set in advance by the PHS mode-assigned area definition table 500, the GPS position-area management table 800, and the assigned area definition table.
[0047]
However, it is also possible for the user to arbitrarily set the radio transmission output instead of the preset radio transmission output. In that case, as shown in FIG. 9, there is a configuration further provided with a wireless transmission output adjustment unit 901. In this case, the means for detecting the belonging area is the GPS module 700 in FIG. 9, but may be the PHS module 300.
[0048]
Hereinafter, an example in which the user arbitrarily sets the wireless transmission output will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 7, and 8. When the position information output from the GPS module 700 is not registered in the GPS position-area management table 800 (FIG. 8: 813), the belonging area name 802 is “Other” and the belonging area ID (FIG. 8: 813) is 3 It becomes. As a result, the discovery range is 30 m and the wireless transmission output is 5 mW from the affiliation area definition table 400, but the user may want to set a wider range or a narrower range as the discovery range. In that case, the discovery range can be arbitrarily changed using the wireless transmission output adjustment unit 901. By newly registering the position 801, the affiliation area name, and the affiliation area ID 803 indicating the corresponding discovery area in the GPS position-area management table 800 based on the discovery area thus changed, the next time the user is in the same area , You can use this setting.
[0049]
In the example of FIG. 8, {(139.4622, 35.3311), (139.4654, 35.3241)} as the position 801, “Haneda Airport” as the belonging area name 802, and 4 as the belonging area ID are newly added. The example of adding is shown. As a result, when the user moves to Haneda Airport from the next time, it is possible to automatically set the discovery range to 50 m.
[0050]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, first, a wireless communication device owned by a user sets a range in which a wireless communication target device to be a communication target is discovered according to an area to which the user belongs. This eliminates the need for the user to set an area in which to detect the wireless communication target device every time the user moves from place to place. As a result, even when the position of the wireless communication device changes in a mobile environment, it is possible to set a discovery range without any excess or shortage each time, thereby not only reducing the complexity of the operation of selecting the device to be wirelessly communicated by the user but also reducing the power consumption. The effect of (1) can be achieved.
[0051]
Second, the area to which the wireless communication device belongs can be determined with reference to the PHS call mode.
[0052]
Third, the area to which the wireless communication device belongs can be determined with reference to the reception sensitivity of GPS satellite radio waves received by the GPS module. In this case, it is possible to simply determine whether or not GPS satellite radio waves can be received and change the range of detection indoors and outdoors as well as a specific area.
[0053]
Fourth, since the wireless communication device can further arbitrarily adjust the transmission output by the user, the factor for changing the discovery range depends not only on the region to which the wireless communication device belongs but also on the current situation. To change the discovery range. Further, it is possible to add a new area in which a discovery range is defined.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a mobile phone as an example of a wireless communication device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a wireless communication device and a discovery range. FIG. 3 is an example of a configuration of a wireless communication device including a PHS module. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a setting example of an affiliation area definition table. FIG. 5 is a view showing a setting example of a PHS mode-affiliation area definition table. FIG. 6 is a mobile phone which is an example of a wireless communication apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 7 shows an example of displaying a wireless communication device found in FIG. 7 FIG. 7 shows an example of the configuration of a wireless communication device having a GPS module FIG. 8 shows an example of setting of a GPS position-area management table FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a wireless communication device including a wireless transmission output adjusting unit.
101 mobile phone 102 antenna 300 PHS module 301 area sensing means 302 wireless transmission output determination means 303 wireless transmission output adjustment means 304 discovery means 305 display means

Claims (5)

After discovering a wireless communication target device present in a specific area, in a wireless communication device that performs wireless data communication with the wireless communication target device,
Area sensing means for generating area information for specifying an area range to which the wireless communication target device belongs,
Based on the determined area information, wireless transmission output determining means for determining a wireless transmission output value required to discover the wireless communication target device belonging to the area range,
Wireless transmission output adjustment means for adjusting the wireless transmission output according to the wireless transmission output value,
Discovery means for discovering the wireless communication target device belonging to the area range;
Display means for displaying the discovered wireless communication target device,
When the wireless communication device discovers the wireless communication target device, the wireless communication device adjusts a wireless transmission output depending on the region information to limit an area range in which the wireless communication target device is found. Wireless communication device. The area sensing means,
A PHS (Personal Handyphone System) module is provided.
The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the area sensing unit generates the area information with reference to a PHS call mode output from the PHS module. The area sensing means,
It has a GPS (Global Positioning System) module,
2. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the area information is generated with reference to reception sensitivity of a GPS satellite radio wave received by the GPS module. 4. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the area sensing unit generates the area information by referring to position information of the wireless communication apparatus acquired from the GPS module. The wireless communication apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a user setting unit that allows a user to arbitrarily set a wireless transmission output value for the wireless transmission output adjustment unit.

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