Wireless Communication Terminal And Management Device In A Wireless Communication System And Method Thereof

• US 20100248768A1
• Filed: 03/17/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Nakatsugawa, Keiichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,271,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A management device in a wireless communication system including a first communication terminal, a second communication terminal, a base station, includes a storage unit to store information related to an operation state of the second communication terminal associated with the first communication terminal as a communication counterpart, and a control unit that identifies the operation state of the associated second terminal based on the information stored in the storage unit, and changes an intermittent reception period of the first communication terminal to be longer than an existing period, based on the state of the second communication terminal.

Claims

1. A management device in a wireless communication system including a first communication terminal and a second communication terminal associated with the first communication terminal as a communication counterpart, the management device comprising:

a storage unit that stores information regarding an operation state of a communication terminal; and

a control unit that identifies the operation state of the associated second terminal based on the information stored in the storage unit, and changes an intermittent reception period of the first communication terminal into a longer period than an existing period, based on the identified operation state of the second communication terminal.

2. The management device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the intermittent reception period of the first communication terminal to be longer than the existing period when the second communication terminal is in an idle state.

3. The management device according to claim 1, wherein there exists at least two associated second communication terminals, and the control unit determines the intermittent reception period of the first communication terminal based on number of the associated second communication terminals and a predetermined threshold value.

4. The management device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the intermittent reception period of the first communication terminal from the longer period to the existing period, in response to a request from the associated second terminal whose operation state has been identified when the first communication terminal changes the intermittent reception period into the longer period than the existing period in response to the request from the first communication terminal.

5. The management device according to claim 1, further comprising a secondary storage unit to retain information of the associated second communication terminal.

6. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a communication terminal that receives a response that depends on an operation state of an associated communication device associated with the wireless communication device as a communication counterpart, and changes an intermittent reception period into a longer period than an existing period based on the response; and

a management device that identifies the operation state of the associated communication device in response to a request from the wireless communication device and provides the communication terminal with the response, the response being generated based on the identified operation state of the associated communication device.

7. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the request corresponds to a transition request from a first operation to a second operation in the communication terminal.

8. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the management device changes the intermittent reception period of the communication terminal into a longer period than the existing period when the associated communication device is in an idle state.

9. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein there exist at least two associated communication devices and the management device determines the intermittent reception period of the communication terminal, based on number of the associated communication devices and a predetermined threshold value.

10. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the management device changes the intermittent reception period of the communication terminal from the longer period to the existing period, in response to a request from said the associated communication device whose state has been identified when the communication terminal changes the intermittent reception period into the longer period than the existing period in response to the request from the communication terminal.

11. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the management device retains information regarding the associated communication device.

12. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the communication terminal retains information regarding the associated communication device and adds the information regarding the associated communication device to the request.

13. The wireless communication system according to claim 12, wherein there exists at least two of the associated communication devices, and the communication terminal determines whether information regarding the associated communication devices should be added to said request, based on number of the associated communication devices and a predetermined threshold value.

14. A communication method in a wireless communication system including a first communication terminal and a second communication terminal associated with the first communication terminal as a communication counterpart, the communication method comprising:

receiving a transition request from the first communication terminal requesting a transition from a first operation state to a second operation state;

identifying an operation state of the second communication terminal in response to the transition request from the first communication terminal; and

changing an intermittent reception period of the first communication terminal into a longer period than an existing period based on the operation state of the second communication terminal identified at the identifying.

15. The communication method according to claim 14, further comprising changing the intermittent reception period of the first communication terminal into the longer period than the existing period when the operation state of the second communication terminal is in an idle state.

16. The communication method according to claim 14, further comprising determining the intermittent reception period of the first communication terminal based on number of the second communication terminal and a predetermined threshold value.

17. The communication method according to claim 14, further comprising changing the intermittent reception period of the first communication terminal from the longer period into the previous period set prior to the transition request in response to a request from the second communication terminal whose operation state has been identified when the first communication terminal changes the intermittent reception period into the longer period than the existing period after a management device determines the intermittent reception period of the first communication terminal in response to the transition request from the first communication terminal.

18. The communication method according to claim 14, further comprising changing the intermittent reception period of the first communication terminal into the longer period than the existing period based on a response from a management device.

19. A communication terminal, comprising:

a controller configured to control an intermittent receiving period based on a state of a communication device associated with the communication terminal, the intermittent receiving period being set to a first period when the state corresponds to a normal mode and the intermittent receiving period being set to a second period that is longer than the first period when the state corresponds to an idle mode.

20. A radio communication apparatus comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a request for transition from a first operation state to a second operation state;

a receiver configured to receive a response of the request, the response being changed in accordance with a state of an associated terminal;

a controller configured to lengthen an intermittent reception cycle of the radio communication apparatus in accordance with the response.