DATA COMMUNICATION DEVICE, DATA COMMUNICATION METHOD AND PROGRAM THEREOF

• US 20080084823A1
• Filed: 09/20/2007
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: AKASAKA, Koichi, Katsuki, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 8,270,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link

Abstract

A communication device includes a communication unit having plural function operation units performing communication with an external device at plural prescribed communication speeds, and a control unit allowing the communication unit to receive a given kind of content data from the external device, estimating an optimum prescribed communication speed in which the power consumption amount becomes smallest from the plural prescribed communication speeds based on a bit rate of the content data, selecting a given function operation unit from the plural function operation units based on the estimated optimum communication speed, allowing the selected function operation unit to receive the given kind of content data at the estimated prescribed communication speed and controlling power consumption to the function operation units other than the function operation unit selected from the plural function operation units to be less than a fixed value.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

a communication unit including plural function operation units performing communication with an external device at plural prescribed communication speeds; and

a control unit allowing the communication unit to receive a given kind of content data from the external device, estimating an optimum prescribed communication speed in which the power consumption amount becomes smallest from the plural prescribed communication speeds based on a bit rate of the content data, selecting a given function operation unit from the plural function operation units based on the estimated optimum communication speed, allowing the selected function operation unit to receive the given kind of content data at the estimated prescribed communication speed and controlling power consumption to the function operation units other than the function operation unit selected from the plural function operation units to be less than a fixed value.

2. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit allows the function operation unit to transmit an affirmative response indicating a normal reception of the content data to the external device at the optimum prescribed communication speed.

3. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit allows the selected function operation unit to transmit an affirmative response indicating a normal reception of content data to the external device when the selected function operation unit receives the content data from the external device at the optimum prescribed communication speed.

4. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit detects occurrence of collisions in communication by the communication unit, and when it is determined that the occurrence frequency of collisions increased, allows the communication unit to receive content data at prescribed communication speed higher than the estimated optimum prescribed communication speed.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a battery; and

wherein the control unit supplies electric power from the battery to function operation units in the communication unit.

6. The communication unit according to claim 1,

wherein the communication unit is a wireless communication unit.

9. The communication method according to claim 1,

wherein the step of transmitting the affirmative response allows the selected function operation unit to transmit the affirmative response indicating a normal reception of content data to the external device when the selected function operation unit receives the content data from the external device at the optimum prescribed communication speed.

7. A communication method, comprising the steps of:

allowing a communication unit having plural function operation units performing communication at plural prescribed communication speeds to receive a given kind of content data from an external device;

estimating an optimum prescribed communication speed in which the power consumption amount becomes smallest from the plural prescribed communication speeds based on a bit rate of the content data;

selecting a given function operation unit in the plural function operation units based on the estimated optimum prescribed communication speed;

allowing the selected function operation unit to receive the given kind of content data at the estimated prescribed communication speed, and

controlling power consumption to the function operation units other than the selected function operation unit from the plural function operation units to be less than a fixed value.

8. The communication method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

allowing the function operation unit to transmit an affirmative response indicating a normal reception of the content data to the external device at the optimum prescribed communication speed.

10. The communication method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

detecting occurrence of collisions in communication by the communication unit; and

allowing the communication unit to receive content data at prescribed communication speed which is higher than the estimated optimum prescribed communication speed when it is determined that the occurrence frequency of collisions increased.

11. The communication method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

supplying electric power from a battery to the function operation units in the communication unit.

12. The communication method according to claim 7,

wherein the communication unit is a wireless communication unit.

13. A recording medium which can be read by a computer storing a program to allowing the computer to execute the steps of:

allowing a communication unit having plural function operation units performing communication at plural prescribed communication speeds to receive a given kind of content data from an external device;

estimating an optimum prescribed communication speed in which the power consumption amount becomes smallest from the plural prescribed communication speeds based on a bit rate of the content data;

selecting a given function operation unit from the plural function operation units based on the estimated optimum prescribed communication speed;

allowing the selected function operation unit to receive the given kind of content data at the estimated prescribed communication speed, and

controlling power consumption to the function operation units other than the selected function operation unit from the plural function operation units to be less than a fixed value.

14. The recording medium according to claim 13,

wherein the program further comprising the step of:

allowing the function operation unit to transmit an affirmative response indicating a normal reception of the content data to the external device at the optimum prescribed communication speed.

15. The recording medium according to claim 13,

wherein the step of transmitting the affirmative response allows the selected function operation unit to transmit the affirmative response indicating a normal reception of content data to the external device when the selected function operation unit receives the content data from the external device at the optimum prescribed communication speed.

16. The recording medium according to claim 13,

wherein the program further comprising the step of:

detecting occurrence of collisions in communication by the communication unit; and

allowing the communication unit to receive content data at prescribed communication speed which is higher than the estimated optimum prescribed communication speed when it is determined that the occurrence frequency of collisions increased.

17. The recording medium according to claim 13,

wherein the program further comprising the step of:

supplying electric power from a battery to the function operation units in the communication unit.

18. The recording medium according to claim 13,

wherein the communication unit is a wireless communication unit.