Wireless communication terminal and wireless communication system

Abstract

To provide a wireless communication terminal and a wireless communication system that, when a plurality of wireless modules become hot, stop wireless communication in a phased manner, and, even if some modules stop communication, allow communication to be continued in other modules.SOLUTION: A wireless communication terminal and a wireless communication system each include a plurality of wireless modules 13, a temperature sensor 11 that measures the temperature inside the terminal, and a control unit 12 in which temperatures at which wireless communication of the plurality of wireless modules is stopped are set in stages and which controls the wireless communication of the plurality of wireless modules to be stopped in stages according to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless communication terminal and a wireless communication system including a plurality of wireless modules, and more particularly to a wireless communication terminal and a wireless communication system capable of continuing a communication state even if the wireless modules become hot. [Background technology]

[0002] [Prior Art] In conventional wireless communication systems, a wireless communication terminal equipped with a wireless module suspends wireless communication in response to an abnormal temperature, and resumes wireless communication when the temperature returns to normal.

[0003] Specifically, the wireless communication terminal is provided with a temperature threshold (alarm monitoring threshold) at which wireless communication is stopped and a threshold (alarm recovery threshold) at which wireless communication is resumed, and detects the temperature of the communication module with a temperature sensor. When the temperature reaches the alarm monitoring threshold, wireless communication is stopped, and when the temperature of the communication module subsequently drops to the alarm recovery threshold, wireless communication is resumed.

[0004] For example, if the alarm monitoring threshold is set at 75°C and the alarm recovery threshold is set at 60°C, the wireless communication terminal measures the temperature of the communication module using a temperature sensor, and when the temperature reaches 75°C or higher, wireless communication is stopped and when the temperature falls below 60°C, wireless communication is resumed.

[0005] [Related Technology] As a related prior art document, there is Japanese Patent No. 6160246 "Wireless communication device for vehicles" (Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes a wireless communication device for vehicles that determines that an abnormality has occurred in a communication module when the temperature of the communication module reaches or exceeds a threshold value, and stops the communication module. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6160246 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in the above wireless communication system, the wireless communication terminal has one alarm monitoring threshold and one alarm recovery threshold, so when a temperature abnormality occurs, the wireless communication is immediately stopped at one threshold, making it impossible to communicate.

[0008] Patent Document 1 does not disclose a configuration for gradually stopping wireless communication of each of a plurality of wireless modules when a temperature abnormality occurs.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned situation, and aims to provide a wireless communication terminal and a wireless communication system that gradually stops wireless communication when multiple wireless modules become too hot, so that even if some modules stop communicating, other modules can continue communicating. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention, which is intended to solve the problems of the above-mentioned conventional examples, is a wireless communication terminal equipped with a plurality of wireless modules, characterized in that it has a temperature sensor that measures the temperature within the wireless communication terminal, and a control unit in which temperatures at which the wireless communication of the plurality of wireless modules is stopped are set in stages and which controls the wireless communication of the plurality of wireless modules to be stopped in stages in accordance with the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

[0011] The present invention is characterized in that in the wireless communication terminal, the control unit selects the wireless modules for which wireless communication is to be stopped in order of the worst communication conditions.

[0012] The present invention is characterized in that in the wireless communication terminal, the control unit selects the wireless modules for which wireless communication is to be stopped in a predetermined order.

[0013] The present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned wireless communication terminal, the control unit sets the temperature at which wireless communication of a stopped wireless module is restored in stages, and controls the wireless communication of the stopped wireless module to be restored in stages in the reverse order to the order in which it was stopped, according to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

[0014] The present invention is a wireless communication system comprising a wireless communication terminal and a management server for managing the wireless communication terminal, wherein the wireless communication terminal has a plurality of wireless modules, a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature within the wireless communication terminal, and a control unit for transmitting temperature information measured by the temperature sensor to the management server and stopping wireless communication of the wireless modules in response to a stop instruction from the management server, and wherein the management server identifies wireless modules for gradually stopping wireless communication in the wireless communication terminal based on the temperature information from the wireless communication terminal, and sends an instruction to stop the wireless module to the wireless communication terminal.

[0015] The present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned wireless communication system, a control unit of a wireless communication terminal restores wireless communication of a wireless module in response to a recovery instruction from a management server, and the management server identifies a wireless module that gradually restores wireless communication in the wireless communication terminal based on temperature information from the wireless communication terminal, and transmits a recovery instruction for the wireless module to the wireless communication terminal. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, a wireless communication terminal equipped with multiple wireless modules is provided, the wireless communication terminal having a temperature sensor that measures the temperature within the wireless communication terminal, and a control unit in which the temperatures at which the wireless communication of the multiple wireless modules is stopped are set in stages and which controls the wireless communication of the multiple wireless modules to be stopped in stages in accordance with the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.Therefore, when the multiple wireless modules become too hot, the wireless communication of the multiple wireless modules can be stopped in stages, rather than stopping all of the wireless modules at once, so that the communication state can be continued.

[0017] According to the present invention, a wireless communication terminal has multiple wireless modules, a temperature sensor that measures the temperature inside the wireless communication terminal, and a control unit that transmits temperature information measured by the temperature sensor to a management server and stops the wireless communication of the wireless modules in response to a stop instruction from the management server, and the management server identifies wireless modules that will gradually stop wireless communication in the wireless communication terminal based on the temperature information from the wireless communication terminal and transmits a stop instruction for the wireless module to the wireless communication terminal, thereby providing a wireless communication system in which, when the multiple wireless modules become too hot, the wireless communication of the multiple wireless modules can be stopped gradually to continue the communication state, rather than stopping all of the wireless modules at once. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the present system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the terminal. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a general process in this terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a process for stopping wireless communication. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a wireless communication recovery process. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a communication stop determination process based on a radio wave input level. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a communication start determination process based on a radio wave input level. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a communication stop determination process based on a communication type. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a communication start determination process based on a communication type. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [Outline of the embodiment] A wireless communication terminal (this terminal) according to an embodiment of the present invention has multiple wireless modules, a temperature sensor that measures the temperature inside the terminal, and a control unit that has temperatures set in stages at which wireless communication of the multiple wireless modules is stopped, and that controls the wireless communication of the multiple wireless modules to be stopped in stages in accordance with the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.When the multiple wireless modules become too hot, the wireless communication of the multiple wireless modules is stopped in stages, rather than stopping all of the wireless modules at once, so that the communication state can be continued.

[0020] A wireless communication system (this system) according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a wireless communication terminal and a management server for managing the wireless communication terminal, wherein the wireless communication terminal has multiple wireless modules, a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature within the wireless communication terminal, and a control unit for transmitting temperature information measured by the temperature sensor to the management server and for stopping the wireless communication of the wireless modules in response to a stop instruction from the management server, and the management server identifies a wireless module for gradually stopping wireless communication in the wireless communication terminal based on the temperature information from the wireless communication terminal and transmits an instruction to stop the wireless module to the wireless communication terminal, thereby enabling the wireless communication of the multiple wireless modules to be gradually stopped and the communication state to be continued.

[0021] [This system: Figure 1] The configuration of this system will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of this system. As shown in FIG. 1, this system includes a management server 1, a wireless communication terminal (this terminal) 10, communication paths 21 to 23, a business application (app) 3, and another business application (app) 4.

[0022] The management server 1 manages the system and is connected to the business application 4 . The terminal 10 is connected to the business application 3 and also to a plurality of communication paths 21-23. The terminal 10 transmits and receives the same data to and from a plurality of communication paths 21-23.

[0023] The multiple communication paths 21 to 23 are different wireless networks, for example, 5G (fifth generation mobile phone), LTE (Long Term Evolution), and Wi-Fi communication networks. Note that multiple 5G of the same type may be used to construct the communication paths.

[0024] The business application 3 transmits and receives data related to the user's business with the business application 4 connected to the terminal 10 via multiple communication paths 21 to 23, and the data handled as part of the user's business includes monitoring data and measurement data from the facility.

[0025] [This device: Figure 2] Next, the configuration of the terminal 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the terminal. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 10 includes a temperature sensor 11, a control unit 12, and a wireless communication module 13.

[0026] The temperature sensor 11 measures the temperature inside the terminal 10 and outputs the measured temperature data to the control unit 12 periodically. The temperature sensor 11 is installed near the wireless communication module 13 and detects a change in the temperature of the wireless communication module 13 .

[0027] The control unit 12 executes a process of gradually stopping wireless communication or gradually recovering (resuming) wireless communication in the wireless communication module 13 based on the temperature data input from the temperature sensor 11. The specific process will be described later.

[0028] The wireless communication module 13 includes a module (1) 13-1, a module (2) 13-2, and a module (3) 13-3 corresponding to a plurality of communication paths 21 to 23, and each module performs conversion (modulation) to a wireless signal or inverse conversion (demodulation) from a wireless signal according to the wireless communication method of each communication path. Furthermore, each module of the wireless communication module 13 stops or starts wireless communication according to an instruction from the control unit 12.

[0029] [Outline of processing on this device: Figure 3] Next, an outline of the processing in this terminal will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flow diagram of the outline of the processing in this terminal. In the terminal 10, the control unit 12 executes a processing program to realize the functions described below. In this terminal 10, the temperature sensor 11 measures the temperature inside the terminal, and the measured temperature data is input to the control unit 12 (S1).

[0030] Next, the control unit 12 determines whether the wireless communication module 13 has stopped wireless communication due to a temperature abnormality (S2), and if the module has stopped wireless communication due to a temperature abnormality (Yes), the control unit 12 proceeds to a wireless communication recovery process (S3). Note that the recovery process is to start wireless communication. Furthermore, if the wireless communication module 13 has not stopped wireless communication due to a temperature abnormality (No), the control unit 12 proceeds to a process of stopping wireless communication (S4).

[0031] [Processing to stop wireless communication: Figure 4] Next, details of the wireless communication stop processing S4 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flow diagram of the wireless communication stop processing. As a premise, three alarm monitoring thresholds for stopping wireless communication are set in the control unit 12, and the relationship is first alarm monitoring threshold<second alarm monitoring threshold<third alarm monitoring threshold.

[0032] The control unit 12 determines whether the input temperature data (current temperature) satisfies the relationship: first alarm monitoring threshold≦current temperature<second alarm monitoring threshold (S11), and if this relationship exists (Yes), the control unit 12 stops communication with one of the modules (S12).

[0033] If the relationship in the judgment process S11 is not met (if No), it is judged whether the relationship is second alarm monitoring threshold≦current temperature<third alarm monitoring threshold (S13), and if that relationship is met (if Yes), the control unit 12 stops communication between two of the modules (S14).

[0034] Then, if the relationship in the judgment process S13 is not met (if No), it is judged whether the relationship is met between the third alarm monitoring threshold and the current temperature (S15), and if this relationship is met (if Yes), the control unit 12 stops communication with the three modules (S16). If there is no relationship in the determination process S15 (No), the control unit 12 ends the stop process. In other words, if the current temperature is lower than the first alarm monitoring threshold, the shutdown process ends without shutting down any of the modules.

[0035] [Wireless communication recovery process: Figure 5] Next, details of the wireless communication recovery process S3 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flow diagram of the wireless communication recovery process. As a premise, three alarm monitoring thresholds for stopping wireless communication are set in the control unit 12, and the relationship is first alarm recovery threshold>second alarm recovery threshold>third alarm recovery threshold.

[0036] The control unit 12 determines whether the input temperature data (current temperature) satisfies the relationship of first alarm recovery threshold≧current temperature>second alarm recovery threshold (S21), and if this relationship exists (Yes), the control unit 12 starts communication with one of the modules (S22).

[0037] If the relationship in the judgment process S21 is not met (if No), it is judged whether the relationship is second alarm recovery threshold≧current temperature>third alarm recovery threshold (S23), and if that relationship is met (if Yes), the control unit 12 starts communication between the two modules (S24).

[0038] Then, if the relationship in the judgment process S23 is not met (if No), it is judged whether the relationship is equal to or greater than the third alarm recovery threshold value (S25), and if that relationship is met (if Yes), the control unit 12 starts communication between the three modules (S26). If there is no relationship in the determination process S25 (No), the control unit 12 ends the recovery process. In other words, if the current temperature is higher than the first restoration threshold, none of the modules resume communication, and the restoration process ends with the modules remaining in the stopped state.

[0039] [Stop / start judgment process: Figures 6-9] Figure 4 provides an overview of the communication stop processing, and Figure 5 provides an overview of the communication recovery processing. Below, we will specifically explain the process of determining which modules will have their communication stopped and which modules will have their communication restored. The judgment process is based on radio wave input level and communication type, and modules are stopped starting from those with the lowest radio wave input level, stopped in the order of specific communication types, and restored in the reverse order of the stopped order. Note that the module to be stopped may be determined based on an index indicating the communication status other than the radio wave input level. For example, the communication status of each module may be determined based on an index such as noise figure, transmission speed, delay time, and loss rate, and modules with poor communication status may be stopped first.

[0040] [Processing for determining whether communication is stopped based on radio wave input level: Figure 6] The communication stop determination process based on the radio wave input level will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flow diagram of the communication stop determination process based on the radio wave input level. Note that Fig. 6 shows a case where there are three modules. In the stop determination process shown in FIG. 6, the order in which modules are stopped is determined in ascending order of radio wave input level, so that modules with a high radio wave input level are left.

[0041] When performing processing to stop wireless communication, the control unit 12 determines the number of modules in communication (S31). If the number of modules in communication is "1", the control unit 12 sets the communicating module as a communication stop module (S32).

[0042] If the number of communicating modules is "2", the radio wave input level of communicating module 1 is compared with the radio wave input level of communicating module 2, and it is determined that the radio wave input level of communicating module 1 is less than the radio wave input level of communicating module 2 (S33). If the above relationship holds in the determination process S33 (Yes), communicating module 1 is made a communication stop module (S34).

[0043] If the above relationship is not satisfied in the determination process S33 (No), the communicating module 2 is made a communication stop module (S35). In addition, when the number of communicating modules is "3", the control unit 11 determines whether the radio wave input level of communicating module 1 is less than the radio wave input level of communicating module 2 and whether the radio wave input level of communicating module 1 is less than the radio wave input level of communicating module 3 (S36).

[0044] If the above relationship exists in the determination process S36 (Yes), the communicating module 1 is made a communication stop module (S37). If the above relationship is not satisfied in the determination process S36 (No), it is determined whether or not the radio wave input level of communicating module 2 is less than the radio wave input level of communicating module 3 (S38).

[0045] If the above relationship exists in the determination process S38 (Yes), the communicating module 2 is made a communication stop module (S39). If the above relationship does not hold in the determination process S38 (No), the communicating module 3 is made a communication stop module (S40), and the process ends. The stop determination process is a process for determining which module is to be stopped in the processes S12, S14, and S16 shown in FIG.

[0046] [Processing for determining whether communication should start based on radio wave input level: Figure 7] The communication start determination process based on the radio wave input level will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flow diagram of the communication start determination process based on the radio wave input level. Note that Fig. 7 also shows a case where there are three modules. In the start determination process of FIG. 7, communication is started in the reverse order to the order in which it was stopped.

[0047] When performing a process to start wireless communication, the control unit 12 determines the number of stopped modules (S41). If the number of stopped modules is "1", the control unit 12 sets the stopped module as the communication start module (S42). If the number of stopped modules is "2", it is determined whether the stopped module 1 is the last module to be stopped (S43).

[0048] If it is determined in the determination process S43 that the stopped module 1 is the module that was stopped last (Yes), the stopped module 1 is set as the communication start module (S44). If it is determined in the determination process S43 that the stopped module 1 is not the last module that was stopped (No), the stopped module 2 is set as the communication start module (S45).

[0049] Furthermore, when the number of stopped modules is "3", the control unit 11 determines whether the stopped module 1 is the module that was stopped last (S46). If it is determined in the determination process S46 that the stopped module 1 is the module that was stopped last (Yes), the stopped module 1 is set as the communication start module (S47). If it is determined in the determination process S46 that the stopped module 1 was not the last module that was stopped (No), it is determined whether or not the stopped module 2 was the last module that was stopped (S48).

[0050] If it is determined in the determination process S48 that the stopped module 2 is the module that was stopped last (Yes), the stopped module 2 is set as the communication start module (S49). If it is determined in the determination process S48 that the stopped module 2 is not the module that was stopped last (No), the stopped module 3 is set as the communication start module (S50), and the process ends. The start determination process is a process for determining which module is to start communication in the processes S22, S24, and S26 shown in FIG.

[0051] [Processing to determine whether communication should be stopped based on communication type: Figure 8] Next, the communication stop determination process based on the communication type will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flow diagram of the communication stop determination process based on the communication type. In the communication stop determination process of FIG. 8, the order of stopping is Wi-Fi, LTE, and 5G, so that only the communication types with the fastest communication speeds and the largest communication volumes are left.

[0052] When performing processing to stop wireless communication, the control unit 11 determines the number of modules in communication (S51). If the number of modules in communication is "1", the control unit 11 sets the communicating module as a communication stop module (S52).

[0053] If the number of communicating modules is "two or more", it is determined whether the communicating modules include a Wi-Fi module (S53). If the communicating module includes a Wi-Fi module (if Yes), the communicating Wi-Fi module is set as a communication stop module (S54).

[0054] If the communicating module does not include a Wi-Fi module in the determination process S53 (No), it is determined whether the communicating module includes an LTE module (S55). If the communicating module includes an LTE module (if Yes), the communicating LTE module is set as a communication stop module (S56).

[0055] If the determining process S55 determines that there is no LTE module among the communicating modules (No), the communicating 5G module is set as a communication stop module (S57), and the process is terminated.

[0056] [Processing for determining whether to start communication based on communication type: Figure 9] Next, the communication start determination process based on the communication type will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flow diagram of the communication start determination process based on the communication type. In the communication start determination process in Figure 9, the start order is reversed from the stop order, and communication is started in the order of 5G, LTE, and Wi-Fi.

[0057] When performing a process to start wireless communication, the control unit 11 determines the number of stopped modules (S61). If the number of stopped modules is "1", the control unit 11 sets the stopped module as the communication start module (S62).

[0058] If the number of stopped modules is "two or more", it is determined whether the stopped modules include a 5G module (S63). If the stopped module has a 5G module (if Yes), the stopped 5G module becomes the communication initiation module (S64).

[0059] If the stopped module does not include a 5G module in the determination process S63 (No), it is determined whether the stopped module includes an LTE module (S65). If the stopped module includes an LTE module (if Yes), the stopped LTE module is made the communication initiation module (S66).

[0060] If it is determined in the determination process S65 that the stopped module does not include an LTE module (No), the stopped Wi-Fi module is made the communication start module (S67), and the process ends.

[0061] [Another embodiment] In this system, the control unit 12 in the terminal 10 determines which wireless modules are stopped or started due to a change in temperature, but the management server 1 may receive temperature data from the terminal 10, perform a process to select the wireless modules to be stopped or started, and send instructions to the terminal 10 to have the terminal 10 execute the process.

[0062] [Effects of the embodiment] This terminal has multiple wireless modules 13, a temperature sensor 11 that measures the temperature inside the terminal, and a control unit 12 that sets the temperature at which the wireless communication of the multiple wireless modules is stopped in stages and controls the wireless communication of the multiple wireless modules to be stopped in stages in accordance with the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.This has the effect that when the multiple wireless modules 13 become too hot, the wireless communication of the multiple wireless modules 13 can be stopped in stages, rather than all of the wireless modules being stopped at once, so that the communication state can be continued. Furthermore, by stopping communication of the wireless module 13 when a temperature abnormality occurs, it is possible to suppress an increase in temperature inside the terminal 10, and to stabilize the communication environment.

[0063] According to this system, the terminal 10 is provided with a plurality of wireless modules 13, a temperature sensor 11 for measuring the temperature inside the terminal 10, and a control unit 12 for transmitting information on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 11 to the management server 1 and for stopping wireless communication of the wireless modules 13 in response to a stop instruction from the management server 1, and the management server 1 identifies a wireless module 13 for gradually stopping wireless communication in the terminal 10 based on the temperature information from the terminal 10 and transmits an instruction to stop the wireless module 13 to the terminal 10, thereby achieving the effect of gradually stopping wireless communication of the plurality of wireless modules 13 and allowing communication to continue. [Industrial Applicability]

[0064] The present invention is suitable for a wireless communication terminal and a wireless communication system in which, when multiple wireless modules become too hot, wireless communication is stopped in stages, so that even if some modules stop communicating, other modules can continue communicating. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1... Management server, 3... Business application (app) terminal, 10... Wireless communication terminal (main terminal), 11... Temperature sensor, 12... Control unit, 13... Wireless communication module, 21 to 23... Communication path

Claims

1. A wireless communication terminal including a plurality of wireless modules, a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature inside the wireless communication terminal; A wireless communication terminal characterized in that the temperatures at which the wireless communication of the multiple wireless modules is stopped are set in stages, and a control unit is provided which controls the wireless communication of the multiple wireless modules to be stopped in stages in accordance with the temperatures measured by the temperature sensor.

2. 2. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control unit selects the wireless modules for which wireless communication is to be stopped in order of the worst communication conditions.

3. 2. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control unit selects the wireless modules for which wireless communication is to be stopped in a predetermined order.

4. The wireless communication terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the control unit is configured to set a temperature at which wireless communication of a stopped wireless module is restored in stages, and performs control to restore the wireless communication of the stopped wireless module in stages in the reverse order to the order in which the wireless communication of the stopped wireless module was stopped, according to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

5. A wireless communication system including a wireless communication terminal and a management server that manages the wireless communication terminal, the wireless communication terminal includes a plurality of wireless modules, a temperature sensor that measures a temperature inside the wireless communication terminal, and a control unit that transmits information about the temperature measured by the temperature sensor to the management server and stops wireless communication of the wireless modules in response to a stop instruction from the management server; A wireless communication system characterized in that the management server identifies a wireless module that will gradually stop wireless communication in the wireless communication terminal based on temperature information from the wireless communication terminal, and sends an instruction to stop the wireless module to the wireless communication terminal.

6. a control unit of the wireless communication terminal that restores wireless communication of the wireless module in response to a restoration instruction from the management server; The wireless communication system according to claim 5, characterized in that the management server identifies a wireless module that will gradually restore wireless communication in the wireless communication terminal based on temperature information from the wireless communication terminal, and sends a restoration instruction for the wireless module to the wireless communication terminal.

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