Communication control device, communication control method, and information processing device with mode switching control

• US 10,321,407 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2014
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sato, Masanori, Itoh, Katsutoshi, Suzuki, Hideyuki, Takae, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Castaneyra, Ricardo H
• Application Number:
  US15/027,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20160255589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0241 where no transmission is received, e.g. out of range of the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/20 using error rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/265 taking into account the quality of service QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

There is provided a communication control device including an acquisition unit configured to acquire a result of determination of whether a predetermined condition for connection of a wireless communication terminal to a wireless communication network that is different from a mobile communication network is satisfied, and a control unit configured to control a mobile communication terminal that communicates via the mobile communication network to switch an operation mode from a first mode to a second mode when the predetermined condition is satisfied. The operation mode is an operation mode for communication performed in a first wireless communication scheme that the wireless communication terminal and the mobile communication terminal support. The first mode is a mode in which power consumption is smaller than in the second mode. The second mode is a mode in which the mobile communication terminal is capable of transmitting or receiving data in the first wireless communication scheme.

Claims

1. A communication control device comprising:

circuitry configured to;

determine whether a predetermined condition for a connection of a wireless communication terminal to a wireless communication network is satisfied;

control a mobile communication terminal via a mode switch message sent to the mobile communication terminal via a mobile communication network to switch an operation mode of the mobile communication terminal from a first mode to a second mode when the predetermined condition is satisfied, the wireless communication network being different from the mobile communication network,

control the wireless communication terminal via a communication switch message sent via the wireless communication network to inform the wireless communication terminal to stop communicating on the wireless communication network and start communicating on the mobile communication network by using the mobile communication terminal as a relay, wherein

the first mode is a mode in which power consumption of the mobile communication terminal is smaller than when the mobile communication terminal is in the second mode,

the second mode is a different mode in which the mobile communication terminal is capable of transmitting or receiving data using a first wireless communication scheme with the wireless communication terminal and the wireless communication terminal relaying the data via the mobile communication network, and

the predetermined condition being determined based on whether the mobile communication terminal has changed a movement state from not moving to moving as an indication that the connection of the wireless communication terminal with the wireless communication network will become disconnected and so communication of additional data is to be relayed via the mobile communication terminal over the mobile communication network.

2. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the control of the mobile communication terminal is triggering transmission of the mode switch message requesting switch of the operation mode from the first mode to the second mode to the mobile communication terminal.

3. The communication control device according to claim 2, wherein the mode switch message is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal via the mobile communication network.

4. The communication control device according to claim 2,

wherein the mobile communication terminal and the wireless communication terminal also support a second wireless communication scheme that is different from the first wireless communication scheme, and

wherein the mode switch message is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal from the wireless communication terminal in the second wireless communication scheme.

5. The communication control device according to claim 4, wherein the second wireless communication scheme is a communication scheme of short-range wireless communication.

6. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein, when the predetermined condition is satisfied, the circuitry further controls the wireless communication terminal to switch communication from first communication performed via the wireless communication network to second communication performed via the mobile communication terminal and the mobile communication network.

7. The communication control device according to claim 6, wherein the control of the wireless communication terminal is triggering transmission of the communication switch message requesting switch of communication from the first communication to the second communication to the wireless communication terminal.

8. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the communication control device is a device that constitutes a communication node of the mobile communication network.

9. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the communication control device is a device that constitutes a communication node of the wireless communication network.

10. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the communication control device is the wireless communication terminal.

11. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the communication control device is the mobile communication terminal.

12. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a condition determined based on a state of connection of the wireless communication terminal to the wireless communication network.

13. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a condition determined based on communication quality of communication of the wireless communication terminal on the wireless communication network.

14. The communication control device according to claim 13, wherein the communication quality includes at least one of reception intensity of a signal transmitted or received by the wireless communication terminal on the wireless communication network, an error rate of communication of the wireless communication terminal on the wireless communication network, and a number of re-transmissions of the wireless communication terminal in communication on the wireless communication network.

15. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication network is a wireless local area network (WLAN).

16. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the first wireless communication scheme is a wireless communication scheme for a wireless local area network (WLAN).

19. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein whether or not the mobile communication terminal is moving is determined based on position information of Global Positioning System (GPS) of the mobile communication terminal.

20. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein whether or not the mobile communication terminal is moving is determined based on reception intensity of a transmission signal from the mobile communication terminal at a plurality of base stations, a timing advance (TA) value, or a measured value of angle of arrival (AoA).

17. A communication control method comprising:

determining whether a predetermined condition for a connection of a wireless communication terminal to a wireless communication network is satisfied;

controlling, using circuitry, a mobile communication terminal via a mode switch message sent to the mobile communication terminal via a mobile communication network to switch an operation mode of the mobile communication terminal from a first mode to a second mode when the predetermined condition is satisfied, the wireless communication network being different from the mobile communication network,

controlling, using the circuitry, the wireless communication terminal via a communication switch message sent via the wireless communication network to inform the wireless communication terminal to stop communicating on the wireless communication network and start communicating on the mobile communication network by using the mobile communication terminal as a relay, wherein

the first mode is a mode in which power consumption of the mobile communication terminal is smaller than when the mobile communication terminal is in the second mode,

the second mode is a different mode in which the mobile communication terminal is capable of transmitting or receiving data using a first wireless communication scheme with the wireless communication terminal and the wireless communication terminal relaying the data via the mobile communication network, and

the predetermined condition being determined based on whether the mobile communication terminal has changed a movement state from not moving to moving as an indication that the connection of the wireless communication terminal with the wireless communication network will become disconnected and so communication of additional data is to be relayed via the mobile communication terminal over the mobile communication network.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium including executable instructions, which when executed by a computer cause the computer to:

determine whether a predetermined condition for a connection of a wireless communication terminal to a wireless communication network is satisfied;

control a mobile communication terminal via a mode switch message sent to the mobile communication terminal via a mobile communication network to switch an operation mode of the mobile communication terminal from a first mode to a second mode when the predetermined condition is satisfied, the wireless communication network being different from the mobile communication network,

control the wireless communication terminal via a communication switch message sent via the wireless communication network to inform the wireless communication terminal to stop communicating on the wireless communication network and start communicating on the mobile communication network by using the mobile communication terminal as a relay, wherein

the first mode is a mode in which power consumption of the mobile communication terminal is smaller than when the mobile communication terminal is in the second mode,

the second mode is a different mode in which the mobile communication terminal is capable of transmitting or receiving data using a first wireless communication scheme with the wireless communication terminal and the wireless communication terminal relaying the data via the mobile communication network, and

the predetermined condition being determined based on whether the mobile communication terminal has chanced a movement state from not moving to moving as an indication that the connection of the wireless communication terminal with the wireless communication network will become disconnected and so communication of additional data is to be relayed via the mobile communication terminal over the mobile communication network.