WIRELESS COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS

• US 20110044293A1
• Filed: 04/24/2009
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Morita, Kugo, Nagasawa, Chizuko
• Granted Patent: US 8,614,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/332
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0019 adapted for mobile IP [MIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/02 Buffering or recovering information during reselection ; Modification of the traffic flow during hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

There is a problem that, if a silent period is generated to a real-time application such as VoIP due to handover using BBM method, a user has a sense of anxiety and misunderstands that communication is completely disconnected. If the silent period is generated to the real-time application such as VoIP due to packet loss at handover, a terminal activates handover alarm (beep sound, for example), indicating that handover is in progress, during the silent period. Thereby, it notifies the user that the silent period is caused by handover and prevents user'"'"'s misunderstanding that communication is completely disconnected.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a wireless communication unit for performing wireless communication by connecting to a first wireless communication network and a second wireless communication network different from the first wireless communication network;

an execution unit for executing an application for real-time communication via the wireless communication unit;

a communication quality obtaining unit for obtaining communication quality of a wireless link of the first wireless communication network during execution of the application by connecting to the first wireless communication network;

a determination unit for determining whether to start preparing handover from the first wireless communication network to the second wireless communication network based on the communication quality obtained by the communication quality obtaining unit;

an estimation unit, when the determination unit determines to start preparing handover during execution of the application, for estimating a handover start time based on the communication quality obtained by the communication quality obtaining unit; and

a control unit for controlling so as to notify that the handover is in progress, during processing of the handover.

2. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the execution unit to slow down a reproduction speed of the application from a predetermined time before the handover start time estimated by the estimation unit.

3. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit for determining whether a user is a speaker or a hearer in the application, wherein:

the control unit controls a time to notify that the handover is in progress, based on a result of determination by the determination unit.

4. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit, based on the result of determination by the determination unit:

notifies that the handover is in progress immediately after start of handover if the user is a speaker, and

notifies that the handover is in progress when there is no reproduction data of the application after start of handover if the user is a hearer.

5. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the estimation unit estimates a handover completion time, and the control unit controls a notification interval to notify that the handover is in progress, based on the handover completion time estimated by the estimation unit.

6. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control unit controls the notification interval to notify that the handover is in progress so as to become shorter as it is closer to the handover completion time.

11. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a determination unit for determining whether a user is a speaker or a hearer in the application, wherein:

the control unit controls a time to notify that the handover is in progress, based on a result of determination by the determination unit.

12. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the control unit, based on the result of determination by the determination unit:

notifies that the handover is in progress immediately after start of handover if the user is a speaker, and

notifies that the handover is in progress when there is no reproduction data of the application after start of handover if the user is a hearer.

13. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the estimation unit estimates a handover completion time, and

the control unit controls a notification interval to notify that the handover is in progress, based on the handover completion time estimated by the estimation unit.

14. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the control unit controls the notification interval to notify that the handover is in progress so as to become shorter as it is closer to the handover completion time.

15. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the estimation unit estimates a handover completion time, and

the control unit controls a notification interval to notify that the handover is in progress, based on the handover completion time estimated by the estimation unit.

16. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control unit controls the notification interval to notify that the handover is in progress so as to become shorter as it is closer to the handover completion time.

17. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the estimation unit estimates a handover completion time, and

the control unit controls a notification interval to notify that the handover is in progress, based on the handover completion time estimated by the estimation unit.

18. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the control unit controls the notification interval to notify that the handover is in progress so as to become shorter as it is closer to the handover completion time.

7. A communication apparatus comprising:

a communication unit for executing communication by connecting to a communication network;

an execution unit for executing an application for real-time communication via the communication unit; and

a control unit for controlling so as to receive handover information, from a wireless communication apparatus, that the wireless communication apparatus, which is a communication counterpart of the application, performs handover from a first wireless communication network being communicated to a second wireless communication network different from the first wireless communication network and to notify that the handover is in progress during processing of the handover.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control unit, based on the handover information, controls the execution unit to slow down a reproduction speed of the application from a predetermined time before a time when packets from the first wireless communication network cannot be received.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising a determination unit for determining whether a user is a speaker or a hearer in the application, wherein:

the control unit controls a time to notify that the handover is in progress, based on a result of determination by the determination unit.

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the control unit, based on the result of determination by the determination unit:

notifies that the handover is in progress when packets cannot be transmitted via the first wireless communication network, if the user is a speaker, and

notifies that the handover is in progress when there is no reproduction data of the application after reception of the handover information, if the user is a hearer.

19. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a determination unit for determining whether a user is a speaker or a hearer in the application, wherein:

the control unit controls a time to notify that the handover is in progress, based on a result of determination by the determination unit.

20. The communication apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the control unit, based on the result of determination by the determination unit:

notifies that the handover is in progress when packets cannot be transmitted via the first wireless communication network, if the user is a speaker, and

notifies that the handover is in progress when there is no reproduction data of the application after reception of the handover information, if the user is a hearer.