Information communication apparatus and wireless communication terminal

• US 20030050104A1
• Filed: 08/28/2002
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toahiba
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumura, Masafumi, Ushimaru, Chikara
• Application Number:
  US10/229,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20030050104A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication control unit determines a wireless communication stop period upon executing intermittent wireless communication, on the basis of the remaining amount detected by a battery remaining amount detection unit, and executes intermittent wireless communication with another apparatus in accordance with the determined wireless communication stop period.

Claims

1. An information communication apparatus, comprising:

a battery;

a battery remaining amount detection unit configured to detect a battery remaining amount of the battery;

a stop period determination unit configured to determine a wireless communication stop period on the basis of the battery remaining amount detected by the battery remaining amount detection unit; and

a wireless communication unit configured to execute intermittent wireless communication in accordance with the wireless communication stop period determined by the stop period determination unit.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stop period determination unit determines the wireless communication stop period on the basis of the battery remaining amount when the battery remaining amount detected by the battery remaining amount detection unit becomes not more than a predetermined value.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stop period determination unit determines a consumed power amount determined according to the battery remaining amount when the battery remaining amount detected by the battery remaining amount detection unit becomes not more than a predetermined value, and determines the wireless communication stop period on the basis of the consumed power amount.

4. An information communication apparatus, comprising:

a stop period determination unit configured to determine a wireless communication stop period the basis of a size of data to be transmitted/received by the wireless communication; and

a wireless communication unit configured to execute intermittent wireless communication in accordance with the wireless communication stop period determined by the stop period determination unit.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the stop period determination unit determines the wireless communication stop period on the basis of a given time period when it is detected that no data has been transmitted/received during the given time period by the wireless communication.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the stop period determination unit determines the wireless communication stop period on the basis of a data size when the size of data to be transmitted/received by the wireless communication becomes not more than a predetermined value.

7. A wireless communication terminal which is mounted on an information terminal, and makes wireless communication with another apparatus, comprising:

a stop period determination unit configured to determine a wireless communication stop period upon executing intermittent wireless communication on the basis of a size of information associated with electric power, which is acquired from the information terminal;

a wireless communication unit configured to execute intermittent wireless communication with the other apparatus in accordance with the wireless communication stop period determined by the stop period determination unit; and

a control unit configured to stop operation of the intermittent wireless communication executed by the wireless communication unit during the wireless communication stop period.

8. A terminal according to claim 7, wherein the stop period determination unit acquires electric power remaining amount information indicating a battery remaining amount from the information terminal, and determines the wireless communication stop period on the basis of the battery remaining amount when the battery remaining amount indicated by the electric power remaining amount information becomes not more than a predetermined value.

9. A terminal according to claim 7, wherein the stop period determination unit acquires consumed power information determined in accordance with a battery remaining amount from the information terminal, and determines the wireless communication stop period on the basis of the consumed power information.

10. A wireless communication terminal which is mounted on an information terminal, and makes wireless communication with another apparatus, comprising:

a stop period determination unit configured to determine a wireless communication stop period upon executing intermittent wireless communication on the basis of a size of data to be transmitted/received by the wireless communication;

a wireless communication unit configured to execute intermittent wireless communication with the other apparatus in accordance with the wireless communication stop period determined by the stop period determination unit; and

a control unit configured to stop an operation of the intermittent wireless communication executed by the wireless communication unit during the wireless communication stop period.

11. A terminal according to claim 10, wherein the stop period determination unit determines the wireless communication stop period on the basis of a given time period when it is detected that no data has been transmitted/received during the given time period by the wireless communication.

12. A terminal according to claim 10, wherein the stop period determination unit determines the wireless communication stop period on the basis of a data size when the size of data to be transmitted/received by the wireless communication becomes not more than a predetermined value.

13. An information communication apparatus for transmitting data to another apparatus via wireless communication, comprising:

a transmission data size setting unit configured to set a transmission data size on the basis of environmental information; and

an encoding unit configured to encode data to be transmitted so as to be encoded data size corresponding to the transmission data size set by the transmission data size setting unit.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the transmission data size setting unit sets the transmission data size in accordance with environmental information detected by a sensor, and transmits a transmission data size change request indicating the set transmission data size to the other apparatus.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the transmission data size setting unit receives a transmission data size change request, which indicates a transmission data size set based on environmental information detected by the other apparatus, and changes the transmission data size in accordance with the received transmission data size change request.

16. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a stop period determination unit configured to determine a wireless communication stop period upon executing intermittent wireless communication on the basis of the environmental information; and

a wireless communication unit configured to execute intermittent wireless communication with the other apparatus in accordance with the wireless communication stop period determined by the stop period determination unit, and stopping operation during the wireless communication stop period.

17. An information communication apparatus for transmitting data to another apparatus via wireless communication, comprising:

a battery;

a battery remaining amount detection unit configured to detect a battery remaining amount of the battery;

a transmission data size setting unit configured to set a transmission data size on the basis of the battery remaining amount detected by the battery remaining amount detection unit; and

an encoding unit configured to encode data to be transmitted so as to be encoded data size corresponding to the transmission data size set by the transmission data size setting unit.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

a stop period determination unit configured to determine a wireless communication stop period upon executing intermittent wireless communication on the basis of the battery remaining amount detected by the battery remaining amount detection unit; and

a wireless communication unit configured to execute intermittent wireless communication with the other apparatus in accordance with the wireless communication stop period determined by the stop period determination unit, and stopping operation during the wireless communication stop period.