Method of communication and base station

• US 7,873,380 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2004
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Miyazaki, Masayuki, Yano, Kazuo, Oogushi, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Safaipour; Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US10/929,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20060019695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,331 Days
• Field of Search: 455/562.1, 455/522, 455/69, 455/561, 455/127.5, 455/574, 370/328, 370/382, 370/392
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/287 when the channel is in stand-by
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

There are provided a method of communication which can reliably transmit information from a base station to a wireless terminal in a system which can reduce power consumption by intermittent operation in which the wireless terminal repeats operating state and suspended state by power on and off and the base station used for the method. The method includes the steps of storing base station information such as a command or data supplied to the wireless terminal in the base station, transferring the wireless terminal from the suspended state to the operating state to transmit information from the sensor to the base station, coupling the base station information stored in the base station to a response signal to transmit it to the wireless terminal in the operating state for transmitting the sensor information, and returning the wireless terminal to the suspended state after completing the transmission of the base station information and sensor information.

Claims

1. A method of communication which is performed between a wireless terminal and a base station, the wireless terminal comprising a power source unit, a wireless apparatus, a sensor, an operation unit, and a successive operating unit connected to the power source unit, comprising the steps of:

storing a command at the base station for controlling the wireless terminal;

operating the successive operating unit by supplying power to the successive operating unit constantly from the power source unit;

starting power supply to the wireless apparatus, the sensor, and the operation unit from the power source unit according to repeatedly occurring events by the successive operating unit;

measuring data with the sensor, processing the measured data with the operation unit, and transmitting the processed data to the base station with the wireless apparatus;

receiving the transmitted data with the base station;

transmitting with the base station a first signal indicating that the measured data is received;

transmitting with the base station a second signal indicating the command stored at the base station upon transmitting the first signal; and

shutting off with the successive operating unit the power supply from the power source unit to all units except for the successive operating unit upon the wireless terminal receiving the first signal and the second signal and executing the command for controlling the wireless terminal.

2. The method of communication according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting the received data to a server with the base station; and

receiving the command for controlling the wireless terminal from the server with the base station, wherein the base station is connected to the server via a network.

3. The method of communication according to claim 1, wherein the sensor measures a plurality of pieces of data, the operation unit processes the plurality of pieces of measured data, and the wireless terminal collects the plurality of pieces of the processed data and transmits the collected data after performing the measurement with the sensor and the processing with the operation unit.

4. The method of communication according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

estimating a result of the measurement with the sensor,

wherein the wireless terminal does not transmit the measured data when the result of the measurement with the sensor is matched with the estimated result.

7. The method of communication according to claim 1, wherein the successive operating unit starts the power supply at a predetermined time.

8. The method of communication according to claim 1, wherein the successive operating unit starts the power supply based on a value or an amount of change in a physical quantity measured with the wireless terminal.

9. The method of communication according to claim 1, wherein the wireless terminal performs the transmission and the reception from the start of the power supply to the shutoff of the power supply, and does not perform the transmission and the reception from the shutoff of the power supply to the start of the power supply.

10. The method of communication according to claim 1, wherein the sensor measures a plurality of pieces of data, the operation unit processes the plurality of pieces of measured data without power supply to the wireless apparatus, and then the wireless terminal starts the power supply to the wireless apparatus and collects the plurality of pieces of processed data and transmits the plurality of pieces of the collected data.

5. A base station which communicates with a wireless terminal comprising a power source unit, a sensor, an operation unit processing data measured with the sensor, a first wireless apparatus transmitting the processed data to the base station, and a successive operating unit connected to the power source unit, the base station comprising:

a second wireless apparatus;

a memory storing a command for controlling the wireless terminal; and

a controller controlling the second wireless apparatus so as to transmit a first signal indicating that the measured data is received and a second signal indicating the command stored in the memory when the second wireless apparatus receives the measured data from the wireless terminal,

wherein the successive operating unit starts power supply to the first wireless apparatus, the sensor, and the operating unit from the power source unit accordingly to repeatedly occurring events,

the successive operating unit is operated by constantly supplying power from the power source unit to the successive operating unit, and

the successive operating unit shuts off the power supply from the power source unit to all units except for the successive operating unit upon the wireless terminal receiving the first signal and the second signal and executing the command for controlling the wireless terminal.

6. The base station according to claim 5, wherein the sensor measures a plurality of pieces of data, the operation unit processes the plurality of pieces of measured data, and the wireless terminal collects the plurality of pieces of processed data, and wherein the second wireless apparatus receives the collected data transmitted with the wireless terminal after the wireless terminal performs the measurement with the sensor and the processing with the operation unit.

11. A wireless terminal which communicates with a base station, comprising:

a power source unit;

a wireless apparatus which performs wireless communication with the base station;

a sensor;

an operation unit which processes data measured with the sensor; and

a successive operating unit which controls power supply to the wireless apparatus, the sensor, and the operation unit from the power source unit,

wherein the base station stores a command for controlling the wireless terminal,

the successive operating unit starts the power supply to the wireless apparatus, the sensor, and the operation unit from the power source unit according to repeatedly occurring events,

the sensor measures data, the operation unit processes the measured data, and the wireless apparatus transmits the processed data to the base station,

the successive operating unit is operated by constantly supplying power from the power source unit to the successive operating unit, and

the successive operating unit shuts off the power supply to all units except for the successive operating unit upon the wireless apparatus receiving a first signal from the base station indicating that the measured data is received and a second signal indicating the command stored at the base station and transmitted upon the base station transmitting the first signal with the base station which receives the data transmitted from the wireless apparatus and the wireless terminal executing the command for controlling the wireless terminal.

12. The wireless terminal according to claim 11, wherein the base station is connected via a network to a server, the measured data is transmitted to the server via the base station, and the command for controlling the wireless terminal is transmitted with the server to the base station.

13. The wireless terminal according to claim 11, wherein the sensor measures a plurality of pieces of data, the operation unit processes the plurality of pieces of measured data, and the wireless terminal collects the plurality of the processed data and transmits the collected data after performing the measurement with the sensor and the processing with the operation unit.

14. The wireless terminal according to claim 11, wherein the wireless terminal estimates a result of the measurement with the sensor and does not transmit the measured data when the result of the measurement with the sensor is matched with the estimated result.

15. The wireless terminal according to claim 11, wherein the successive operating unit starts the power supply at a predetermined time.

16. The wireless terminal according to claim 11, wherein the successive operating unit starts the power supply based on a value or an amount of change in a physical quantity measured with the wireless terminal.

17. The wireless terminal according to claim 11, wherein the wireless terminal performs the transmission and the reception from the start of the power supply to the shutoff of the power supply, and does not perform the transmission and the reception from the shutoff of the power supply to the start of the power supply.

18. The wireless terminal according to claim 11, wherein the sensor measures a plurality of pieces of data, the operation unit processes the plurality of pieces of measured data without the power supply to the wireless apparatus, and then the wireless terminal starts the power supply to the wireless apparatus, collects the plurality of pieces of processed data and transmits the plurality of pieces of collected data.

19. A network system comprising:

a wireless terminal which includes

a power source unit,

a first wireless apparatus,

a sensor,

an operation unit which processes data measured with the sensor, and

a successive operating unit which controls power supply to the first wireless apparatus, the sensor, and the operation unit from the power source unit; and

a base station which includes a memory, a second wireless apparatus which performs wireless communication with the wireless terminal and a controller which controls the second wireless apparatus,

wherein the first wireless apparatus performs wireless communication with the base station, the successive operating unit starts power supply to the first wireless apparatus, the sensor, and the operation unit from the power source unit according to repeatedly occurring events,

the sensor measures the data, the operation unit processes the measured data, and the first wireless apparatus transmits the processed data,

the memory stores a command for controlling the wireless terminal,

the second wireless apparatus receives the transmitted data with the first wireless apparatus,

the controller controls the second wireless apparatus to transmit a first signal indicating that the measured data is received and a second signal indicating the command stored in the memory upon the second wireless apparatus transmitting the first signal,

the successive operating unit is operated by constantly supplying power from the power source unit to the successive operating unit, and

the successive operating unit shuts off the power supply to all units except for the successive operating unit from the power source unit upon the first wireless apparatus receiving the first signal and the second signal and the wireless terminal executing the command for controlling the wireless terminal.

20. The network system according to claim 19, further comprising a server connected to the base station, wherein the second wireless apparatus transmits the received data to the server and receives the command for controlling the wireless terminal from the server.

21. The network system according to claim 19, wherein the sensor measures a plurality of pieces of data, the operation unit processes the plurality of pieces of measured data, and the wireless terminal collects the plurality of pieces of processed data and transmits collected data after performing the measurement with the sensor and the processing with the operation unit.

22. The network system according to claim 19, wherein the wireless terminal or the base station estimates a result of the measurement with the sensor, and the wireless terminal does not transmit the measured data when the result of the measurement with the sensor is matched with the estimated result.

23. The network system according to claim 19, wherein the successive operating unit starts the power supply at a predetermined time.

24. The network system according to claim 19, wherein the successive operating unit starts the power supply based on a value or an amount of change in a physical quantity measured with the wireless terminal.

25. The network system according to claim 19, wherein the wireless terminal performs the transmission and the reception from the start of the power supply to the shutoff of the power supply, and does not perform the transmission and the reception from the shutoff of the power supply to the start of the power supply.

26. The network system according to claim 19, wherein the sensor measures a plurality of pieces of data, the operation unit processes the plurality of pieces of measured data without the power supply to the first wireless apparatus, and then the wireless terminal starts the power supply to the wireless apparatus and collects the plurality of pieces of processed data and then transmits the plurality of pieces of collected data.