Handoff between access points for a mobile electronic device based on mobility state

• US 9,510,153 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2015
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Morita, Hideki, Masuike, Isao, Tanabe, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): Braswell, Donald HB
• Application Number:
  US14/923,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20160050539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile phone (mobile electronic device) includes an acceleration sensor that detects an acceleration, a communication module that performs communication, and a controller. When the number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has reached a first step count during an ON-state of the communication function of the communication module, the mobile phone shifts from a stop state to a walking state. The controller maintains the ON-state of the communication function of the communication module when the mobile phone shifts from the stop state to the walking state. The controller turns OFF the communication function of the communication module when the number of steps based on the acceleration has reached a second step count larger than the first step count.

Claims

1. A mobile electronic device, comprising:

an acceleration sensor configured to detect an acceleration;

a communication module configured to perform communication; and

a controller

configured to maintain an ON-state of a communication function of the communication module when a number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has reached a first step count to cause the mobile electronic device to shift from a stop state to a walking state during the ON-state of the communication function of the communication module, and

configured to turn OFF the communication function of the communication module when the number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has reached a second step count larger than the first step count during the ON-state of the communication function of the communication module,

wherein

the communication module includes an access point communication module configured to perform communication via an access point,

the mobile electronic device further comprises a base station communication module configured to perform communication via a base station, and

when the communication function of the access point communication module is turned OFF, the controller switches from communication using the access point communication module to communication using the base station communication module.

2. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the communication module includes a narrow-range wireless communication module configured to perform communication,

the mobile electronic device further comprises a wide-range wireless communication module configured to perform communication,

a range over which the narrow-range communication module can transmit/receive radio waves is narrower than a range over which the wide-range communication module can transmit/receive radio waves, and

when the communication function of the narrow-range communication module is turned OFF, the controller switches from communication using the narrow-range communication module to communication using the wide-range communication module.

3. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a storage configured to store a total number of steps, wherein

when the number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has reached the first step count to cause the mobile electronic device to shift from the stop state to the walking state, the controller adds the number of steps to the total number of steps, and

when the number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has not reached the first step count, the controller does not add the number of steps to the total number of steps.

4. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising an altitude sensor configured to detect an altitude, wherein

in a case where an altitude value detected by the altitude sensor has changed by a predetermined value or more, when the number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has reached a third step count smaller than the second step count, the controller turns OFF the communication function of the communication module.

6. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the communication module includes one or more antennas.

7. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the controller includes one or more processors.

8. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

not detect shifting from the stop state to the walking state during an OFF-state of the communication function of the communication module, and

stop the detection of shifting from the stop state to the walking state, after the communication function of the communication module turns OFF by reaching the number of steps of the second step count.

9. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage configured to store the first step count and the second step count, wherein

an initial value of the first step count is 10 steps and an initial value of the second step count is 50 steps, and

the controller is configured to change the initial values of one or more of the first step count or the second step count based on a user input.

10. The mobile electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the storage is configured to be detached from the mobile electronic device.

11. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine to shift from the stop state to the walking state based on a comparison of the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor and a walk determination pattern.

12. The mobile electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to determine a user of the mobile electronic device continuously walks based on a determined error between a pattern of the detected acceleration and the walk determination pattern when the determined error is within a predetermined range and the determined error is detected within a predetermined period of time after a first step of the user.

13. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the mobile electronic device is in the stop state based on an absence of a next step of a user within a predetermined period of time after the mobile electronic device is in the walking state.

14. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display module configured to display a total number of steps.

5. A mobile electronic device, comprising:

an acceleration sensor configured to detect an acceleration;

a direction sensor configured to detect a direction;

a communication module configured to perform communication; and

a controller configured to associate a number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor with the direction detected by the direction sensor for each direction,

wherein

when the number of steps associated with a given direction among the number of steps associated with each direction has reached a predetermined number of steps during an ON-state of a communication function of the communication module, the controller turns OFF the communication function of the communication module,

the communication module includes an access point communication module configured to perform communication via an access point,

the mobile electronic device further comprises a base station communication module configured to perform communication via a base station, and

when the communication function of the access point communication module is turned OFF, the controller switches from communication using the access point communication module to communication using the base station communication module.

15. A mobile electronic device, comprising:

an acceleration sensor configured to detect an acceleration;

a communication module configured to perform communication;

an altitude sensor configured to detect an altitude; and

a controller

configured to maintain an ON-state of a communication function of the communication module when a number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has reached a first step count to cause the mobile electronic device to shift from a stop state to a walking state during the ON-state of the communication function of the communication module,

configured to turn OFF the communication function of the communication module when the number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has reached a second step count larger than the first step count during the ON-state of the communication function of the communication module, and

configured to turn OFF the communication function of the communication module when the number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has reached a third step count smaller than the second step count and an altitude value detected by the altitude sensor has changed by a predetermined value or more.