JP2003319462A - Radio communication device and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically select and change over an economical and a fast connection means out of available connection means in a mobile terminal providing two different Internet connection means of a direct connection means to the Internet by mobile radio and a connection means to the Internet via a server which is connectable by short distance radio. <P>SOLUTION: Whether the mobile terminal 10 is connected to the Internet using a modem for mobile telephone 13, or it is connected to the Internet using the short distance radio and the LAN interface 23, is controlled based on the Internet connection charge inputted from the mobile terminal 10, the Internet connection speed, Internet connection charge using the LAN interface 23, and the communication speed by the short distance radio. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wireless communication device, and more particularly to a wireless communication device and method for controlling a connection method for wirelessly connecting to the Internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Mobile phones or PDAs (Personal Dig
As a method of connecting to the Internet from a mobile terminal such as ital Assistants), for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-2513
As disclosed in No. 80, in addition to using the mobile telephone network, there is a method of connecting to the Internet via a gateway server by short-distance wireless communication such as Bluetooth or IEE802.11b.

Generally, it is cheaper and faster to connect to the Internet via a server by short-distance wireless communication such as Bluetooth or IEE802.11b, rather than using a communication network of a mobile telephone company.

However, short-distance wireless communication has a small connection area and cannot always be used. Even when short-distance wireless communication is available, it may be cheaper and faster to connect to the Internet using the communication network of the mobile telephone company.

Therefore, it is desirable that the Internet connection using the communication line network of the mobile telephone company and the Internet connection using the short-distance wireless communication are appropriately used instead of prioritizing them in advance.

[0006] Which connection method is more advantageous (cheaper / faster / cheaper and faster) depends on the Internet connection environment (communication charge, communication speed) using the communication network of the mobile telephone company, It depends on three things: the communication state of short-distance wireless communication and the Internet connection environment (connection fee, communication speed, presence or absence of cache) of the gateway server that connects by short-distance wireless communication. Furthermore, the gateway server to be connected by short-distance wireless differs depending on the location where the mobile terminal is used, and the communication state of the short-distance wireless changes from time to time.

[0007] Therefore, it is difficult and troublesome for the user to determine a more advantageous (cheaper / faster / cheaper and faster) connection method.

[0008]

As described above, the conventional wireless connection device is more advantageous (cheaper / faster /
There is a problem in that it is difficult and troublesome for the user to determine an appropriate connection method that is cheaper and faster.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention aims to automatically switch to a more advantageous (cheap / faster / cheaper and faster) Internet connection method.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a first communication means connected to the Internet and communicating with a server in the Internet, and the first communication means. Different from the first communication means for wirelessly communicating with the wireless terminal, the first internet connection fee and the first internet connection fee when the wireless terminal connects to the internet using the wireless communication network of the mobile telephone company. Internet communication speed, the second Internet connection charge when the first communication means connects to the Internet, the second internet communication speed, and the communication speed by the second communication means,
Control means for controlling whether the wireless terminal connects to the Internet using the wireless communication network of the mobile telephone company or whether the wireless terminal connects to the Internet using the wireless communication and the second communication means. There is provided a wireless communication device comprising:

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the present invention, a first communication means is connected to the Internet to communicate with a server in the Internet, which is different from the first communication means. The second communication means wirelessly communicates with the wireless terminal, and the control means
A first internet connection charge and a first internet communication speed when the wireless terminal connects to the internet using a wireless communication network of a mobile telephone company; and a first internet connection rate when the first communication means connects to the internet. Whether the wireless terminal connects to the Internet using the wireless communication network of the mobile telephone company, based on the second Internet connection charge, the second Internet communication speed, and the communication speed by the second communication means; Alternatively, there is provided a wireless communication method characterized in that the wireless terminal controls whether to connect to the Internet using the wireless communication and the second communication means.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A radio communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the wireless communication device of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 10 is a CPU
11, a PDA and a mobile phone including a Bluetooth controller 12 and a mobile phone modem 13. Each control of the mobile terminal 10 is performed by the CPU 11 executing a program written in a ROM (not shown).

The mobile terminal 10 can be connected to the Internet via the mobile phone modem 13. The server 20 has a CPU 21 and a Bluetooth controller 2
2, a LAN interface 23, a HDD controller 24, a HDD 25, and a PC or server. Each control of the server 20 is controlled by the CPU 20 (not shown).
The control is performed by executing the program written in the OM or the HDD 25. The reception means 26 is an input means such as a keyboard, a switch, and a button,
This is an input means for the user to preset which of the communication charge and the communication speed is prioritized. The setting using the keyboard or the like is not always necessary, and may be fixed, for example, by prioritizing communication charges.

The server 20 has a LAN interface 2
It is possible to connect to the Internet via When the server 20 accesses a Web content on the Internet, the server 20 caches the accessed Web content in the HDD 25.

The mobile terminal 10 and the server 20 are blue.
It is possible to perform short-range wireless communication with each other via the tooth controllers 12 and 22. Therefore, by causing the server 20 to function as a gateway server of the mobile terminal 10, the mobile terminal 10 can connect to the Internet via the server 20.

As described above, the mobile terminal 10 has two different internet connection means. A method of automatically switching between the two methods of connecting from the mobile terminal 10 to the Internet will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A is a flowchart explaining the operation of the mobile terminal 10.
(B) is a flowchart explaining the operation of the server 20.

First, the portable terminal 10 issues a connection request to the server 20 (step M01). When the server 20 is near, when the server 20 receives the connection request from the mobile terminal 10, the server 20 issues a connection permission to the mobile terminal 10 (step S0).
1). The mobile terminal 10 determines whether or not connection permission has been received from the server 20 (step M02). Mobile terminal 10
When the mobile terminal 10 and the server 20 are connected to each other after receiving the connection permission from the server 20, the communication speed and the communication charge when the mobile terminal 10 directly connects to the Internet using the communication line network of the mobile telephone company. The information is transmitted to the server 20 (step M03). As the information such as the communication speed and the communication charge, the mobile terminal 10 uses, for example, 64 k [bps],
10 [yen / s] is transmitted to the server 20.

When the mobile terminal 10 cannot receive the connection permission from the server 20, it judges that the server 20 cannot receive the connection permission from the mobile terminal 10 because the server 20 is not nearby. Connect directly to the Internet using the company's communication network (step M04),
Receive the target Web content. Even if the mobile telephone company's communication network is used to directly connect to the Internet in step M04,
Since it may be caused by the movement of the server or the like, step M01 is periodically repeated to make a connection request to the server 20. However, the connection request is stopped when the target Web contents are received.

The server 20 receives the information such as the communication speed and the communication charge transmitted from the mobile terminal 10 (step S).
02). In step S02, the preparation for automatic connection switching between the mobile terminal 10 and the server 20 is completed.

After the preparation for automatic connection switching is completed, the mobile terminal 10 issues a Web connection request to the server 20 when connecting to the Internet (Web) (step M05).

When the server 20 receives the Web connection request from the portable terminal 10 in step M05, the server 20 confirms whether the requested Web content is cached in the HDD 25 or a memory (not shown) (step S0).
3).

The server 20 grasps the communication state including the communication speed of the short-distance wireless communication with the portable terminal 10 (step S04). This communication speed is, for example, 5 M [bp
s], other data communication is not performed, and all the bands can be allocated to the Internet connection via the server 20.

The server 20 estimates the communication speed and communication charge of the Internet line that can be assigned to the mobile terminal 10 (step S05). This estimate is, for example, an internet line (LAN) that can be assigned to the mobile terminal 10.
The communication speed and communication charge between the interface and the Internet) are 16 k [bps] and 1 [yen / s].

The server 20 performs steps S03 to S05.
The mobile terminal 10 uses the information obtained by
From the charge per unit data when connecting to the Internet via the mobile terminal, the communication speed and the communication charge obtained from the mobile terminal 10 in step S02, and the communication speed by the short-distance wireless communication between the server 20 and the mobile terminal 10, the mobile terminal 10 compares the charge per unit data (or the amount of data per unit time) in the case where 10 is directly connected to the Internet using the communication network of the mobile telephone company, and the mobile terminal 10 is directly connected to the Internet. It is determined which is more advantageous because it is connected to the Internet via the server 20 (step S06).

The above-mentioned advantage is determined by the intention of the user, and there are cases where the communication charge is emphasized and cases where the communication speed is emphasized. The user decides which is to be prioritized and sets it in the acceptance means 26 in advance, so that it is stored in a memory or the like not shown. Further, only one of the communication charge and the communication speed may be prioritized, and it may be determined using an evaluation function using two parameters of the communication charge and the communication speed.

First, the operation for determining which connection method is advantageous in the case where the user has set in advance to decide the connection method by prioritizing the communication charge will be described. (When not restricted by short-range wireless communication) For example, the charge per unit data when the mobile terminal 10 connects to the Internet via the server 20 is 16 as described above.
k [bps] (Short-range wireless communication is 5M [bp as described above.
s] band, so there is no restriction by short-range wireless at this time) 1 [yen / s], so 1 / 16k [yen / bi
t] (4 / 64k [yen / bit]). Further, when the mobile terminal 10 directly connects to the Internet using the communication line network of the mobile telephone company, the charge per unit data is 64 k [bps], 10 [yen / s] as described above, and is 10 / 64k. [Yen / bit].

As a result, when the portable terminal 10 is connected to the Internet via the server 20, the charge per unit data is cheaper (the amount of data per unit time is larger).
Therefore, it is judged that connecting to the Internet via the server 20 is advantageous in terms of communication charges.

(When restricted by short-distance wireless communication) Further, the short-distance wireless communication band is low, for example, 4 k [bp
s], the bandwidth is limited by the short-range wireless communication, and the following is obtained. For example, the charge per unit data when the mobile terminal 10 connects to the Internet via the server 20 is 16 k [bps], 1 [yen /
s], but the band is limited to 4 k [bps] by the short-range wireless communication. Therefore, in total, 4k [bp
s], 1 [yen / s], 1 / 4k [yen / bit]
(16 / 64k [yen / bit]). Further, when the mobile terminal 10 directly connects to the Internet using the communication line network of the mobile telephone company, the charge per unit data is 64 k [bps], 10 [yen / s] as described above, and is 10 / 64k. [Yen / bit].

As a result, since the charge per unit data is cheaper (the amount of data per unit time is larger) when directly connected to the Internet using the communication line network of the direct mobile telephone company, the server 20 causes the server 20 to execute step S06. Then, it is judged that it is advantageous in terms of communication charges that the mobile terminal 10 is directly connected to the Internet using the communication line network of the mobile telephone company.

Here, the determination by the server 20 in step S06 will be described in detail. Next, the operation of determining which connection method is advantageous when the user has set in advance to decide the connection method by prioritizing the communication speed without worrying about the charge will be described.

(When not restricted by near field radio)
For example, the communication speed when the mobile terminal 10 connects to the Internet via the server 20 is 16 as described above.
k [bps] (Short-range wireless communication is 5M [bp as described above.
[s] band, so there is no restriction by short-range wireless at this time). The communication speed when the mobile terminal 10 is directly connected to the Internet using the communication line network of the mobile telephone company is 64 k [bps] as described above.

As a result, since the communication speed is faster when the Internet is directly connected using the communication network of the mobile telephone company, the server 20 causes the mobile terminal 10 to connect the mobile terminal 10 to the communication network of the mobile telephone company in step S06. It is judged that it is advantageous to directly connect to the Internet by using in terms of communication speed.

(When restricted by short-distance wireless communication) Also, the short-distance wireless communication band is narrow, for example, 4 k [bp
s], the bandwidth is limited by the short-range wireless communication, and the following is obtained. For example, when the mobile terminal 10 connects to the Internet via the server 20, the communication speed between the LAN interface and the Internet is 16 k [bps] as described above, but it is 4 k [bps] by short-range wireless communication. Bandwidth is limited to. Therefore, the total is 4 k [bps]. The communication speed when the mobile terminal 10 is directly connected to the Internet using the communication line network of the mobile telephone company is 64 k [bps] as described above.

As a result, since the communication speed is faster when the Internet is directly connected using the communication network of the mobile telephone company, the server 20 determines in step S06 that the portable terminal 10 is the communication network of the mobile telephone company. It is judged that it is advantageous to directly connect to the Internet by using in terms of communication speed.

When it is determined in step S06 that it is advantageous for the mobile terminal 10 to directly connect to the Internet using the communication network of the mobile telephone company, the server 20 rejects the web connection request of the mobile terminal 10 (step S06). S0
7). On the contrary, when the server 20 can determine that it is advantageous to connect to the Internet via the server 20 in step S06, the server 20 permits the web connection request of the mobile terminal 10 (step S08).

The server 20 is the HDD 25 in the server 20.
It is determined whether or not the Web content requested by the mobile terminal 10 is cached in the memory or the memory (step S0
9). If there is Web content in the cache in step S09, the server 20 stores the W in the cache.
The content of eb is transmitted to the mobile terminal 10 (step S11). If there is no Web content in the cache in step S09, the server 20 sends the We requested from the Internet via the LAN interface 23.
The content of b is received (step S10), and the received web content is transmitted to the mobile terminal 10 in step S11.

The mobile terminal 10 sends We in step M05.
b After issuing the connection request, it is determined whether or not a response for permitting or rejecting the Web connection request is received from the server 20 (step M06). The mobile terminal 10 performs step M06.
When the response of permission or rejection of the Web connection request is received from the server 20, it is determined whether the response is permission or rejection of the Web connection request (step M07). When the mobile terminal 10 does not receive the response of the permission or rejection of the Web connection request from the server 20 in step M06 (that is, when the connection between the mobile terminal 10 and the server 20 is disconnected), the process proceeds to step M04. Then, it directly connects to the Internet and receives the target Web content.

The mobile terminal 10 sends We in step M07.
If the b connection request is permitted, the Web content transmitted from the server 20 is received (step M0).
8). On the contrary, the mobile terminal 10 sends We in step M07.
b If the connection request is rejected, connect directly to the Internet using the communication network of the mobile telephone company
The content of eb is received (step M08).

The mobile terminal 10 determines whether or not all the desired Web contents have been received (step M11). If the mobile terminal 10 has not received all the target Web contents, the mobile terminal 10 proceeds to step M5.
When the process of returning to the content is continued and the reception of all contents is completed and the automatic connection switching is ended, the mobile terminal 10 notifies the server 20 of the end of the connection (step M10).

When the server 20 is notified of the connection end by the mobile terminal 10, the server 20 ends the automatic connection switching (step S12). Since the start and end of the automatic connection switching are automatically performed without the user being aware, this is notified to the user by a display or an alarm. In order to show the effect of the automatic connection switching to the user in an easy-to-understand manner, whether to connect directly to the Internet or receive from the server 20,
Guidance (presentation) is made by an indicator (presentation means) such as an LED or LCD (not shown). For example, the color of the lamp that blinks at the time of reception may be changed, or guidance may be provided using images or icons. In addition, a speaker may be provided and voice guidance may be provided using this speaker. This allows the user to know which route is currently connected to the Internet.

To summarize FIG. 2 again briefly, when the mobile terminal 10 and the server 20 cannot communicate with each other, the mobile terminal 10 loops steps M01-M02-M04 to directly connect to the Internet. When communication between the mobile terminal 10 and the server 20 becomes possible due to movement of the mobile terminal 10 or the like, automatic connection switching is started via steps M01-M02-M03-M05.

When the automatic connection switching is started, the mobile terminal 10 executes steps M05-M06-M07-.
(M08 or M09) -loop M11 to connect to the Internet. When communication between the mobile terminal 10 and the server 20 becomes impossible due to movement of the mobile terminal 10 or the like on the way, automatic connection switching is completed via steps M05-M06-M04, and the mobile terminal 10 directly connects to the Internet.

Since the start and end of automatic connection switching are automatically performed without the user being aware, this is notified to the user by a display or an alarm. In the above description, the server 20 receives the information from the mobile terminal 10 and selects the communication path that is more advantageous. However, instead of this, the server 20 receives the information from the server 20 and the mobile terminal 10 selects the more advantageous communication path. A communication path may be selected. In this case, whether the server 20 is cached in the HDD 25 or the memory in the server 20 is determined by the server 20.
The communication band of the Internet communication allocated to 0 is transmitted from the server 20 to the portable terminal 10 by short-distance wireless communication. Then, the mobile terminal 10 selects the more advantageous communication path and connects to the Internet.

By the above method, the portable terminal 10 can automatically switch to a cheaper and faster internet connection. Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Further, in FIG. 1, the mobile phone modem 13 is built in the mobile terminal 10, but in FIG. 3, the mobile phone modem is not built in the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal is a mobile telephone and the server 2
0 and short-range wireless (for example, Bluetooth) connection,
You may make it connect to the internet via either one.

In FIG. 3, the mobile terminal 10 has a CPU 1
1. PDA consisting of Bluetooth controller 12
Is. Each control of the mobile terminal 10 is performed by the CPU 11 executing a program written in a ROM (not shown).

The server 20 has the same structure as in FIG.
It is possible to connect to the Internet via the AN interface 23. When the server 20 accesses a Web content on the Internet, the server 20 caches the accessed Web content in the HDD 25.

The mobile telephone 30 includes a CPU 31 and Bluetooth.
The mobile phone comprises a controller 32 and a mobile phone modem 13. Each control of the mobile telephone 30 is performed by the CPU 3
The control is performed by executing a program 1 written in a ROM (not shown).

Mobile terminal 10 and server 20 / mobile phone 30
Are capable of short-range wireless communication with each other via the Bluetooth controllers 12, 22, 32. Therefore, the server 20 / mobile phone 30 is connected to the gate of the mobile terminal 10
By functioning as a way server, the mobile terminal 10 can connect to the Internet via the server 20 / mobile phone 30.

As described above, the mobile terminal 10 has two different internet connection means. In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 10 does not include a mobile phone modem, and the mobile phone 30 and the server 20 are connected to a short-range wireless communication (for example, Bluetooth).
connected by h).

When the mobile terminal 10 can communicate with both the mobile telephone 30 and the server 20, the mobile terminal 10 automatically switches to the Internet connection method of the more advantageous (less expensive / faster / less expensive and faster) method. Connect to the Internet. When it is possible to communicate with either one of the mobile telephone 30 and the server 20, the communication path for communication is used to connect to the Internet. Specifically, as described at the end of the above-described embodiment, it can be realized by the method of selecting the communication path on the mobile terminal 10.

By the above method, the portable terminal 10 can automatically switch to a cheaper and faster internet connection.

[0052]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the communication path is controlled in consideration of the communication speed when connected by short-range wireless, it is possible to connect the Internet with a more advantageous (cheaper / faster / cheaper and faster) connection. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of a wireless communication device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the wireless communication device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of a wireless communication device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Mobile terminals 11, 21, 31 ... CPU, 12, 2
2, 32 ... Bluetooth controller, 13, 33 ... Mobile phone modem, 23 ... LAN interface, 24 ...
HDD controller, 25 ... HDD, 26 ... Setting means,
30 ... Mobile phone.

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Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A first communication unit connected to the Internet and communicating with a server in the Internet; and a second communication unit different from the first communication unit and communicating wirelessly with a wireless terminal. A first internet connection charge and a first internet communication speed when the wireless terminal connects to the internet using a wireless communication network of a mobile telephone company, and when the first communication means connects to the internet Whether the wireless terminal connects to the Internet by using the wireless communication network of the mobile telephone company, based on the second Internet connection charge, the second Internet communication speed, and the communication speed by the second communication means. Alternatively, it controls whether the wireless terminal connects to the Internet using the wireless communication and the second communication means. Radio communication apparatus characterized by comprising a control means. 2. A first communication unit connected to the Internet and communicating with a server in the Internet; and a second communication unit different from the first communication unit and communicating wirelessly with a wireless terminal. A priority information input terminal through which a user inputs priority information indicating charge priority or speed priority, and a first Internet when the wireless terminal connects to the Internet using a wireless communication network of a mobile telephone company. Connection fee and first internet communication speed, second internet connection fee and second internet communication speed when the first communication means connects to the internet, communication speed by the second communication means,
Based on the priority information input from the priority information input terminal, the wireless terminal connects to the Internet using the wireless communication network of the mobile telephone company, or the wireless terminal connects the wireless and the second terminal. And a control unit for controlling whether to connect to the Internet using the communication unit. 3. A first communication unit that is connected to the Internet and communicates with a server in the Internet; and a second communication unit that communicates wirelessly with a wireless terminal, unlike the first communication unit. From the first Internet connection charge and the first Internet communication speed when the wireless terminal connects to the Internet using the wireless communication line network of the mobile telephone company, the first charge per unit data (or the first charge) Data amount per unit charge), a second internet connection charge and a second internet communication speed when the first communication means connects to the internet, and the second internet connection rate. Second calculating means for calculating a charge per second unit data (or a data amount per second unit charge) from the communication speed of the communication means Comparing means for comparing the first charge per unit data (or the data amount per first unit charge) and the second charge per unit data (or the data amount per second unit charge) The wireless terminal connects to the Internet using the wireless communication network of the mobile telephone company, or the wireless terminal uses the wireless communication and the second communication means based on the comparison result by the comparison means. And a control means for controlling whether to connect to the Internet. 4. A cache unit for caching Internet content received from a server on the Internet in a recording medium by using the second communication unit, and the Internet content requested to be connected by the wireless terminal for recording the Internet content. Cache determining means for determining whether or not the medium is cached, and based on the determination result of the cache determining means, when the Internet content for which the connection request is made is cached in the recording medium, the cache content is cached in the recording medium. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stored Internet content is wirelessly transmitted to the wireless terminal. 5. A state in which the wireless communication between the wireless terminal and the wireless communication device has changed from a state in which the wireless communication is impossible to a state in which the wireless communication is possible or a state in which the wireless communication is not possible 4. The detecting means for detecting, and the control starting means for newly performing the control by the control means when the change is detected by the detecting means are provided. The wireless communication device according to the item. 6. The wireless terminal is connected to the Internet using a wireless communication network of the mobile telephone company, or is connected to the Internet using the first communication means and the second communication means. 4. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a guide unit that guides a user whether or not the connection is established. 7. The second communication means receives the first internet connection charge and the first internet communication speed from the wireless terminal, according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The wireless communication device according to. 8. The receiving means for receiving the first internet connection fee and the first internet communication speed inputted by a user is provided, as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3. Wireless communication device. 9. A first communication means connects to the Internet, communicates with a server in the Internet, and a second communication means different from the first communication means,
A first internet connection charge and a first internet communication speed when the wireless terminal communicates with the wireless terminal by wireless and the wireless terminal connects to the Internet using a wireless communication network of a mobile telephone company by the control means. A second internet connection charge and a second internet communication speed when the first communication means connects to the internet;
The wireless terminal connects to the Internet using the wireless communication network of the mobile telephone company, or the wireless terminal uses the wireless communication and the second communication means based on the communication speed of the communication means of A wireless communication method characterized by controlling whether to connect to the Internet.