Communication apparatus, communication method and communication system

• US 7,983,651 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2008
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Kensaku, Minematsu, Mika, Murai, Shinya, Goto, Masataka, Nishibayashi, Yasuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Pablo N
• Application Number:
  US12/026,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20080205316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 455/343.2, 455/127.5, 455/574, 455/566, 455/412.2, 455/41.2, 455/343.4, 455/567, 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/343.3
• US Class Current: 455/343.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00347 with another still picture apparatus, e.g. hybrid still picture apparatus circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between image input and image output device H04N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32363 at the transmitter or at the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32368 Functions of a still picture terminal memory associated with transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0013 Arrangements for the control of the connected apparatus by the still picture apparatus arrangements for the control of a still picture apparatus by the connected apparatus H04N2201/0074; control of image communication with the connected apparatus H04N2201/0015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0086 Image transceiver H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0089 Image display device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication apparatus includes an image information acquisition unit configured to acquire new image information to be transmitted to a display terminal through a wireless access point, a storage unit configured to temporarily store the image information, a decision unit configured to decide to change a state of a wireless communication processing unit of the display terminal from a power save state to a normal state when an amount of the image information stored in the storage unit is not less than a predetermined threshold value, a message generation unit configured to generate a change instruction message in response to decision of the decision unit, and a transmission unit configured to transmit the change instruction message to the display terminal through the wireless access point to instruct the display terminal to change the state of the wireless communication processing unit from the power save state to the normal state.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus for communicating with a display terminal including a wireless communication processing unit adopted to receive image information and a display screen to display the image information, the communication apparatus comprising:

an image information acquisition unit configured to acquire new image information to be transmitted to the display terminal through a wireless access point;

a storage unit configured to temporarily store the image information;

a decision unit configured to decide to change a state of the wireless communication processing unit from a power save state to a normal state when an amount of the image information stored in the storage unit is not less than a predetermined threshold value;

a message generation unit configured to generate a change instruction message in response to decision of the decision unit; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit the change instruction message to the display terminal through the wireless access point to instruct the display terminal to change the state of the wireless communication processing unit from the power save state to the normal state.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, which further comprises a compression unit configured to compress the image information, and

in which the transmission unit is configured to transmit the compressed image information to the display terminal.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the transmission unit is configured to transmit the change instruction message to the display terminal before transmission of the compressed image information to the display terminal when the decision unit has made the decision, and

the compression unit is configured to proceed with compression of the image information while the display terminal is shifting to the normal state in accordance with the change instruction message.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image information indicates an updated part of screen contents displayed on the display screen of the display terminal, which is acquired when the screen contents are updated.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a detection unit configured to detect the updated part of the screen contents.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit configured to execute determination related to the state of the wireless communication processing unit of the display terminal.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine that the state of the wireless communication processing unit has completely shifted to the normal state when a predetermined time elapses from transmission of the change instruction message to the display terminal.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine that the state of the wireless communication processing unit has completely shifted to the normal state upon receiving a completion message representing completion of shift to the normal state from the display terminal to which the change instruction message is transmitted.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the determination unit is configured to determine to change the state of the wireless communication processing unit from the normal state to the power save state when a specific condition is satisfied,

the message generation unit is configured to generate another change instruction message to instruct to change the state of the wireless communication processing unit of the display terminal from the normal state to the power save state when the determination unit determines to change the state of the wireless communication processing unit from the normal state to the power save state, and

the transmission unit is configured to transmit the generated another change instruction message to the display terminal.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine to change the state of the wireless communication processing unit from the normal state to the power save state when the amount of the image information stored in the storage unit is not less than the predetermined threshold value and then reaches not more than a value smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the value being indicated by a threshold value different from the predetermined threshold value.

11. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine, on the basis of an elapse of a predetermined time without transmitting the another change instruction message to the display terminal, that the state of the wireless communication processing unit has completely shifted to the power save state when the amount of the image information stored in the storage unit is not less than the predetermined threshold value and then reaches not more than a value smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the value being indicated by a threshold value different from the predetermined threshold value.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a packet loss detection unit configured to detect a packet loss related to the image information transmitted to the display terminal; and

a threshold value updating unit configured to update the predetermined threshold value to a smaller value when the packet loss is detected.

13. A communication method between a communication apparatus and a display terminal, comprising:

temporarily storing, in a storage unit of the communication apparatus, new image information to be transmitted to a display terminal through a wireless access point;

deciding to change a state of a wireless communication processing unit of the display terminal from a power save state to a normal state when an amount of the stored image information of the storage unit is not less than a predetermined threshold value;

generating a change instruction message in response to decision in the deciding; and

transmitting the change instruction message from the communication apparatus to the display terminal through a wireless access point to instruct the display terminal to change the state of the wireless communication processing unit from the power save state to the normal state.

14. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions of a computer program which when executed by a computer results in performance of steps comprising:

temporarily storing, in a storage unit of the communication apparatus, new image information to be transmitted to a display terminal through a wireless access point;

deciding to change a state of a wireless communication processing unit of the display terminal from a power save state to a normal state when an amount of the stored image information of the storage unit is not less than a predetermined threshold value;

generating a change instruction message in response to decision in the deciding; and

transmitting the change instruction message from the communication apparatus to the display terminal through a wireless access point to instruct the display terminal to change the state of the wireless communication processing unit from the power save state to the normal state.

15. A communication system, including one or a plurality of display terminals and a communication apparatus,

the communication apparatus comprising:

an image information acquisition unit configured to acquire new image information to be transmitted to the display terminal through a wireless access point;

a storage unit configured to temporarily store the image information,

the display terminal comprising;

a wireless communication processing unit configured to execute wireless communication with the communication apparatus through the wireless access point;

a screen generation unit configured to execute display on a display screen on the basis of the image information received by the wireless communication processing unit,

the communication apparatus further comprising;

a decision unit configured to decide to change a state of the wireless communication processing unit from a power save state to a normal state when an amount of the image information stored in the storage unit is not less than a predetermined threshold value;

a message generation unit configured to generate a change instruction message in response to decision of the decision unit; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit the change instruction message to the display terminal through the wireless access point to instruct the display terminal to change the state of the wireless communication processing unit from the power save state to the normal state, and

the display terminal further comprising;

a control unit configured to switch the state of the wireless communication processing unit from the power save state to the normal state upon receiving the change instruction message from the communication apparatus.