Communication device, communication device control method, and communication device control program

Abstract

To suppress power consumption in an IoT / M2M device.SOLUTION: A communication device 100A that performs wireless communication with a base station 20 in a communication system 600 comprises a communication unit 120 and a change unit 112. The communication unit listens for an incoming call from the base station 20 at prescribed intervals. The change unit changes the prescribed intervals of listening for an incoming call from the base station 20 from a first interval to a second internal longer than the first interval in response to a change of power supply to the device from power supply by an external power supply to power supply by a built-in battery.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, a control method for a communication device, and a control program for a communication device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been remote data collection systems that collect and relay data such as meter readings that indicate the amounts of electricity, water, gas, etc. used in each household using a wireless network, and transmit the data to a remote data collection center such as a meter reading center (for example, Patent Document 1). These so-called smart meters, which are meters equipped with communication functions, have become increasingly popular along with the spread of IoT (Internet of Things) / M2M (Machine to Machine) technology in recent years.

[0003] Regarding IoT / M2M communication, 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) (registered trademark), which is formulating standard specifications for mobile communication systems such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), is studying the use of existing wireless networks for mobile communication (mobile networks / cellular networks) for IoT / M2M communication, and is standardizing MTC (Machine Type Communication), which includes IoT / M2M communication. 3GPP has published technical specifications (Releases) for IoT / M2M communication, for example, in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-218080 [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] 3GPP TS24.301 V13.6.1, 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Core Network and Terminals; Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) protocol for Evolved Packet System (EPS); Stage 3 (Release 13) [Non-patent document 2] 3GPP TS23.682 V13.5.0, 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Architecture enhancements to facilitate communications with packet data networks and applications (Release 13) Summary of the Invention

[0006] IoT / M2M devices are often battery-powered without external power supply, so reducing power consumption is required from the perspective of battery life. The above-mentioned Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose eDRX (extended Discontinuous Reception) technology as a technology for reducing power consumption in IoT / M2M devices. eDRX is a technology in which IoT / M2M devices receive downlink signals intermittently and suspend wireless communication functions during periods when signals are not being received.

[0007] Some IoT / M2M devices used as communication devices in smart meters are powered by an external power source. When powered by an external power source, the communication device can prioritize responding to downlink data over power consumption. However, situations can occur where the power supply from the meter is cut off, such as a power outage or a malfunction in the external power source or the meter. Therefore, the communication device must have an internal battery to continue operating. Thus, there has been a need for a mechanism to reduce the power consumption of the device itself by flexibly utilizing low-power technologies such as the eDRX technology described above when the external power supply to the device is cut off and the device is powered by an internal battery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a communication device that performs wireless communication with a base station includes a communication unit that waits for an incoming call from the base station at a predetermined interval, a switching unit that switches the power supply source for the device between an external power source and an internal battery, and a change unit that changes the predetermined interval for waiting for an incoming call from the base station from a first interval to a second interval that is longer than the first interval in response to the switching unit switching the power supply source for the device from the external power source to the internal battery.

[0009] In a communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the change unit may change the predetermined interval from the second interval to the first interval in response to the power supply source to the device being switched from an internal battery to an external power source.

[0010] In a communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the switching unit may switch the power supply source for the device from an external power source to an internal battery in response to the power supply from the external power source being cut off for a predetermined period of time or longer.

[0011] In a communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the switching unit may switch the power supply source for the device from an external power source to an internal battery when the rate of decrease per unit time of the voltage applied to the device reaches or exceeds a predetermined value.

[0012] A communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention is connected to a measuring device and transmits measurement values ​​from the measuring device to an information processing device via a base station, and the switching unit may switch the power supply source for the device from the external power source to an internal battery in response to a specified command being notified by the measuring device, which operates by receiving power from an external power source, in response to the power supply from the external power source being cut off.

[0013] In a communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the communication unit may wait for an incoming call from a base station at a first interval based on DRX (Discontinuous Reception), and may wait for an incoming call from the base station at a second interval based on eDRX (extended Discontinuous Reception).

[0014] The communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a timer that measures the accumulated time spent waiting at the second interval.

[0015] A control method for a communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention causes a communication device that performs wireless communication with a base station to execute the steps of waiting for an incoming call from the base station at a predetermined interval, switching the power supply source for the device between an external power source and an internal battery, and, in the switching step, changing the predetermined interval for waiting for an incoming call from the base station from a first interval to a second interval that is longer than the first interval in response to the power supply source for the device being switched from the external power source to the internal battery.

[0016] A control program for a communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention enables a computer to implement the following functions as a communication device that performs wireless communication with a base station: waiting for an incoming call from the base station at a predetermined interval; switching the power supply source for the device between an external power source and an internal battery; and changing the predetermined interval for waiting for an incoming call from the base station from a first interval to a second interval that is longer than the first interval in response to the power supply source for the device being switched from the external power source to the internal battery. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a communication system and a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an example of a control flow of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an overview of eDRX. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence between a communication device, a base station, and a core network according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an example of a control flow of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to those shown in the drawings. For example, the illustrated communication devices (IoT devices), servers (information processing devices), the number of base stations, functional block diagrams, sequence diagrams, etc. are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these.

[0019] <System configuration> 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The communication system 600 may be a system that realizes the exchange of various data between communication devices 100 (100A, 100B, 100C) that are IoT devices and a server (information processing device) 200.

[0020] The communication system 600 may include a server 200, communication devices (UE: User Equipment) 100 (100A, 100B, 100C), and a network 400. The network 400 may include a radio access network (E-UTRAN (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Network)) through which a base station (eNB: eNodeB) 20 and the communication devices 100 exchange data, and a core network (EPC: Evolved Packet Core) 10. In FIG. 1 , each of the components constituting the communication device 100, the base station 20, the core network 10, and the server 200 may be a computer device that operates when a processor executes a program stored in a memory.

[0021] The communication device 100 may be any of various IoT devices connected to a base station 20 and existing (located) within the cell of the base station 20. In one embodiment of the present invention, the communication device 100 may be an IoT device connected to a meter (measuring device) (not shown) for gas (city gas, LP gas), water, electricity, or the like, and transmitting meter reading data, etc.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, the meter may be powered by an external power source and may also supply power to the communication device 100 connected to the meter. However, the meter or the communication device 100 may have an internal battery and be powered by the internal battery when the power supply from the external power source is stopped. Note that the "external power source" here may refer to a power source that supplies power from an external power transmission system to a battery provided inside the meter or the communication device 100.

[0023] The server 200 may function as an IoT-PF (platform) that processes the meter readings and the like of each meter transmitted from each communication device 100 and delivers the necessary data to the meter administrator. The server 200 may remotely control the communication devices 100 via the network 400, and may be connected to a centralized monitoring center (not shown) where an administrator is on standby.

[0024] The number of communication devices 100, base stations 20, and servers 200 is not limited to those shown in the figure, and there may be more. Furthermore, the communication system 600 may further include a database server (not shown), and the database server may store various data necessary to realize the functions of the communication system 600 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] The server 200 and the communication device 100 may transmit and receive data in accordance with a predetermined protocol. The predetermined protocol may be, for example, protocols such as Lightweight M2M (LwM2M), Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT), and Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP), which are protocols established by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA).

[0026] The components of the communication system 600 may communicate using NB-IoT (Narrow Band IoT), Category M, Category M1, or the like, which are wireless communication standards for IoT / M2M devices in LTE. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and the communication system 600 may use, for example, a fifth generation (5G) communication standard or a sixth generation (6G) or later communication standard.

[0027] The base station 20 establishes a radio session (RRC connection) with the communication device 100 to communicate directly and transfers packets between the core network 10 and the communication device 100. The base station 20 accepts calls (notification of uplink data) from the communication device 100, and, for example, when there is downlink data sent from the server 200 for the communication device 100, transmits paging to call the communication device 100.

[0028] The core network 10 may include a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network gateway (P-GW), and the like (not shown). The MME has functions such as location management and authentication management of the communication device 100, and session management between each node (i.e., management of communication bearers). The MME also has a function of sending paging to the base station 20 when calling the communication device 100. The S-GW functions as a gateway that routes and forwards user packets between the base station 20 and the core network 10. The P-GW functions as a gateway that assigns an Internet Protocol (IP) address to the communication device 100 that can be used in IP communication networks subsequent to the core network 10, and enables communication between the communication device 100 and networks external to the network 400 using the IP address.

[0029] <Communication Device> The communication device 100 may include a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, an input / output interface (I / F) 130, various sensors 140, an internal battery 150, and a storage unit 170. Each component of the communication device 100 may be software or a module that performs processing when a processor executes a program stored in a memory. Alternatively, each component of the communication device 100 may be hardware such as a circuit or a chip.

[0030] The communication unit 120 may be implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, communication software, or a combination thereof. The communication unit 120 may perform wireless communication with the base station 20 using a predetermined communication method, and may transmit and receive various data to and from the server 200 via the network 400. Note that the communication unit 120 may be capable of communication compatible with DRX (Discontinuous Reception), eDRX, and PSM (Power Saving Mode), which are LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) standards for reducing power consumption in IoT devices. That is, the communication unit 120 may wait for an incoming call from the base station 20 at a predetermined interval (the predetermined interval will be described later).

[0031] The input / output I / F 130 may be a connection interface with a meter (not shown). The communication device 100 may be connected to the outside of the meter as a communication device separate from the meter via the input / output I / F 130, or may be incorporated into the meter as, for example, a communication board. The input / output I / F 130 may be an interface that supplies power from the meter to the communication device 100.

[0032] The sensor 140 may be, for example, a current sensor or a voltage sensor that can detect voltage or current within the communication device 100 .

[0033] The internal battery 150 is a power supply source that drives the communication device 100 when the power supply from the meter is stopped, and may be a lithium battery, a lithium ion battery, or the like.

[0034] The storage unit 170 may store (contain) various programs and various data required for the operation of the communication device 100. The storage unit 170 may include, for example, a semiconductor memory (magnetic memory, flash memory, etc.). The storage unit 170 may also include memory (RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc.) that provides a working area for the control unit 110. In one embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit 170 may also store various parameters for executing operations corresponding to DRA and eDRX, various network parameters (e.g., IP address, etc.) for connecting to the network 400, and identification information unique to the communication device 100 (e.g., device ID, etc.).

[0035] The control unit 110 is typically a processor, and may be configured with, for example, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and may perform the functions and methods described in each embodiment by executing a program stored in the storage unit 170. In one embodiment, the control unit 110 may include a switching unit 111, a changing unit 112, an acquiring unit 113, and a timing unit 114.

[0036] Details will be described later, but the processing of each functional unit will be briefly described. The switching unit 111 may switch the power supply source for the device itself between an external power supply and an internal battery. The changing unit 112 may change the predetermined interval at which the communication unit 120 waits for an incoming call from the base station 20 from a first interval to a second interval longer than the first interval in response to the switching of the power supply source for the device itself from the external power supply to the internal battery. The acquiring unit 113 has a function of acquiring various information from a meter, and may acquire, for example, from a meter that operates by receiving power from an external power supply, a predetermined command in response to the interruption of the power supply from the external power supply. The timing unit 114 may measure the accumulated time that the device itself has waited at the second interval.

[0037] Note that the control unit 110 may cause the communication device 100 to execute the processes according to the above-described DRX and eDRX. Further, the control unit 110 may execute a restart of its own device, various processes for connecting to the network 400, or disconnecting from the network 400.

[0038] <Regarding eDRX operation> Here, the waiting operation at a predetermined interval by the communication unit 120 will be described using FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the timing at which the communication device 100 waits for an incoming call from the base station 20. FIG. 2(a) illustrates the on / off state of the radio function of the communication device 100 with respect to time on the horizontal axis and during DRX operation, and FIG. 2(b) illustrates the on / off state of the radio function of the communication device 100 with respect to time on the horizontal axis and during eDRX operation.

[0039] In LTE, the communication device 100 transitions between two states: a connected state (RRC_CONNECTED) with a radio session with the base station 20 and an idle state (RRC_IDLE) (waiting state) without a radio session with the base station 20. The idle state may be a state in which the functions of the communication device 100 are more restricted than in the connected state. For example, the communication device 100 may be able to transmit and receive data to and from the base station 20 in the connected state, but may only be able to receive data in the idle state. Specifically, for example, the communication device 100 may only be able to receive paging and broadcast information from the base station 20 in the idle state. When the communication device 100 in the idle state receives paging, it may release the idle state and establish a radio session with the base station 20.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2(a), in the idle state during DRX operation, the communication device 100 attempts to receive paging once per DRX cycle, and turns off its wireless functions during periods when it is not attempting to receive paging. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 2(b), in the idle state during eDRX operation, the communication device 100 attempts to receive paging less frequently than during DRX operation, and attempts to receive paging according to the DRX cycle only within a PTW (Paging Time Window), and turns off its wireless functions outside the PTW. Note that the eDRX cycle in FIG. 2(b) is the PTW cycle and represents the period from the start of a PTW to the start of the next PTW. In this way, the communication device 100 can control the amount of power consumed by the communication device 100 in the idle state by setting the length of the PTW and the cycle until the next PTW (eDRX cycle). The lengths of the DRX and eDRX cycles are specified by 3GPP, with the DRX cycle being set to a maximum of 2.56 seconds for Category M1 and a maximum of 10.28 seconds for NB-IoT, and the eDRX cycle being set to a maximum of 43.96 minutes for Category M1 and a maximum of 175 minutes for NB-IoT.

[0041] The communication device 100, the base station 20, and the MME may each share information regarding the eDRX cycle set for each communication device 100. That is, the communication device 100, the base station 20, and the MME may each calculate the timing at which the communication device 100 will reach its PTW. The communication device 100, the base station 20, and the MME may then synchronize based on the PTW information of the communication device 100, and the base station 20 may send a paging message to the communication device 100 at a timing when the communication device 100 can receive the paging. Note that transmission of uplink data from the communication device 100 to the network 400 (transmission by the communication device 100) can be performed at any timing, regardless of the eDRX cycle.

[0042] <Control flow of communication device> Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 6, along with the processing of each functional unit of the communication device 100. Figure 3 is an example of a flowchart showing processing by the communication device 100 according to an embodiment. Note that, hereinafter, the state in which the communication device 100 is driven by receiving power supply from the meter may be referred to as an "external power supply state," and the state in which the communication device 100 is driven by an internal battery may be referred to as an "internal power supply state."

[0043] First, in an idle state in an externally powered state, the communication unit 120 may wait for an incoming call at a first interval, which is a predetermined interval (step S11). Note that the communication device 100 in an externally powered state can prioritize immediate response to an incoming call over power consumption, and therefore may wait for an incoming call from the base station 20 in DRX operation. Therefore, in step S11, the communication device 100 is operating in DRX, and the "first interval" may be the above-mentioned DRX cycle.

[0044] Thereafter, for example, the power supply from the external power source to the meter is cut off due to a power outage or a malfunction of the meter, and the switching unit 111 may determine whether the power supply from the external power source has stopped (step S12). Note that the determination method will be described later. If it is determined that the power supply from the external power source has stopped (YES in step S12), the switching unit 111 may switch the power supply source to the device itself from the external power source of the meter to the built-in battery 150 (step S13). Note that if the power supply from the external power source has not stopped (NO in step S12), the communication unit 120 may continue to wait for an incoming call at the first interval.

[0045] In response to the switching of the power supply source to the device itself from the external power supply to the internal battery 150, the change unit 112 may change the predetermined interval at which the communication unit 120 waits for an incoming call from the base station 20 from a first interval to a second interval that is longer than the first interval (step S14). Here, in the internal power feeding state, power consumption of the internal battery may be prioritized over incoming calls, and the control unit 110 may operate the device itself using eDRX. Therefore, the "second interval" may be the eDRX cycle described above. Note that the DRX cycle and the length of the eDRX cycle may be set according to the administrator of the meter.

[0046] The change unit 112 may register the change of the predetermined interval during standby, that is, the change of the standby operation from DRX to eDRX, in the network 400 (core network 10, MME) (step S15). The registration process will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 may be a sequence diagram between the communication device 100, the base station 20, and the core network (EPC) 10 (MME) in the registration process.

[0047] The control unit 110 may restart the communication device 100 in conjunction with switching the standby operation (step T10). After the restart, the communication device 100 executes a wireless session establishment procedure (RRC Connection Procedure) with the base station 20, thereby establishing a wireless session between the communication device 100 and the base station 20 (step T11). When the wireless session is established, the communication device 100 may transmit an attach request to the network 400 via the base station 20 (step T12). The attach request may include a value of the eDRX cycle to be set in the communication device 100. The MME may set the value of the eDRX cycle to be used in the communication device 100 and transmit the value as an attach accept to the communication device 100 (step T13). When setting (updating) the eDRX cycle is complete, the wireless session between the communication device 100 and the base station 20 may be released (step T14). Note that the communication device 100 may include the value of the eDRX cycle to be set in a Tracking Area Update (TAU) request and transmit it instead of the attach request. In this case, the MME may include the eDRX cycle to be used for the communication device 100 in a TAU accept and transmit it to the communication device 100. Note that restarting the communication device 100 may not be required.

[0048] Returning to FIG. 3, when the process of registering the eDRX cycle with the network 400 is completed, the communication device 100 may wait for an incoming call at the second interval (step S16).

[0049] As described above, according to one embodiment of the present invention, in a communication device that is powered by a meter, when the power supply source for the device switches from an external power source to an internal battery, the interval at which the device waits for incoming calls may be changed to a longer interval than before the switch. This allows for reduced power consumption by the internal battery even when the external power supply is cut off due to a power outage or meter failure, causing the device to switch to being powered by the internal battery.

[0050] When the power supply from the external power source is restored, it is preferable to stop the power supply from the built-in battery and switch to the power supply from the external power source, and to increase the number of standby times, from the viewpoint of power consumption. Fig. 5 shows an example of a flowchart illustrating the processing by the communication device 100 according to an embodiment when the power supply source is changed.

[0051] Since the communication device 100 is in an internal power supply state, it is assumed that the communication device 100 waits for an incoming call at the second interval (step S21). After that, the device is restored from a power outage, a malfunction, or the like, and the switching unit 111 may determine whether or not power supply from an external power source has become possible (step S22). If it is determined that power supply from the external power source has started (YES in step S22), the switching unit 111 may switch the power supply source to the device itself from the built-in battery 150 to the external power source of the meter (step S23). Note that if power supply from the external power source has not started (NO in step S22), the communication unit 120 may continue to wait for an incoming call at the second interval.

[0052] In response to the switching of the power supply source to the device itself from the built-in battery 150 to the external power supply, the change unit 112 may change the predetermined interval at which the communication unit 120 waits for an incoming call from the base station 20 from the second interval to the first interval (step S24). After that, through a registration process (step S25), the communication device 100 may wait for an incoming call at the first interval. Note that the registration process in step S25 is similar to step S15, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0053] As described above, according to one embodiment of the present invention, power can be supplied from an external power source, and the power supply source is switched from the internal battery to the external power source, so that the interval for waiting for an incoming call can be shortened compared to when the device is powered by the internal battery. This allows for a quick response to downlink data from server 200.

[0054] In one embodiment, the switching unit 111 may switch the power supply source for the device from the external power source to the internal battery 150 in response to the fact that the power supply from the external power source to the device has been cut off for a predetermined period of time or longer. Here, the cutoff of the power supply may be detected by the sensor 140. The predetermined period of time may be on the order of several seconds, but may also be set by the meter administrator. This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which the communication device 100 does not operate and meter information is not transmitted to the server 200.

[0055] In one embodiment, switching unit 111 may switch the power supply source for the device from the external power source to internal battery 150 when the rate of change per unit time of the voltage applied to the device (rate of voltage drop or rate of voltage rise) reaches or exceeds a predetermined value. For example, sensor 140 (voltage sensor or current sensor) may detect a large voltage change over a short period of time caused by a power supply interruption. This allows for quick detection of a power supply interruption.

[0056] The above description has been given of a mode in which communication device 100 detects that power supply from an external power source has stopped. However, in one embodiment, the meter may detect that power supply from the external power source has stopped. Then, switching unit 111 may switch the power supply source in response to a notification transmitted from the meter. For example, a meter that operates using power supplied from an external power source may detect that the power supply has been interrupted, and the meter may transmit a predetermined command to communication device 100 indicating that the power supply source should be switched to the built-in battery. The predetermined command may be transmitted, for example, by being included in an AT command defined by 3GPP. In response to receiving the command, communication device 100 may switch its power supply source from the external power source to built-in battery 150. This allows communication device 100 to be quickly notified that power supply from the external power source has been interrupted.

[0057] Furthermore, as described above, in one embodiment, the communication unit 120 may wait for an incoming call from the base station 20 at an interval based on DRX as a first interval when driven by power supplied from an external power source, and may wait for an incoming call from the base station 20 at an interval based on eDRX as a second interval when driven by an internal battery. This makes it possible to reduce power consumption when driven by an internal battery.

[0058] In one embodiment, the timer 114 may measure the accumulated time spent waiting at the second interval. The accumulated time spent waiting at the second interval corresponds to the accumulated time spent by the communication device 100 on the built-in battery 150, and may therefore be used to predict the remaining battery power of the built-in battery 150.

[0059] While the present invention has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art would readily be able to make various modifications and alterations based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are within the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions included in each component, step, etc. may be rearranged so as not to cause logical inconsistencies. Multiple components, steps, etc. may be combined or divided into one, or omitted or modified as appropriate, as necessary. Furthermore, the configurations described in the above embodiments may be combined as appropriate. For example, the functional units described as being included in the communication device 100 may be implemented by the server 200.

[0060] For example, the above description has been given of an aspect in which operation is switched between DRX and eDRX in response to switching of the power supply source to communication device 100. Accordingly, the above description has been given of an aspect in which the first interval and second interval for waiting for an incoming call are set to the DRX cycle and the eDRX cycle, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and communication device 100 may operate in eDRX mode when the power supply source is an external power source. In this case, the value of the eDRX cycle may be changed in response to switching of the power supply source. That is, both the first interval and the second interval are set to the eDRX cycle, but the second interval may be set to be longer than the first interval.

[0061] In the above description, the communication device 100 is described as an IoT device installed in a meter. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the communication device 100 may be an IoT sensor used to monitor infrastructure such as bridges and roads, a wearable device, or the like.

[0062] Also, in the above description, the communication device 100 is described as having an internal battery 150. However, the communication device 100 may not have an internal battery, and may instead receive power from an internal battery provided in the meter during a power outage.

[0063] In the above description, the communication device 100 switches between DRX and eDRX operation. However, the communication device 100 may operate in PSM when powered by an internal battery. When the communication device 100 is in PSM, its wireless communication function is almost completely suspended for up to 13 days, so it does not respond to paging and can reduce power consumption.

[0064] The program of each embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided in a state stored in a storage medium readable by a communication device or an information processing device. The storage medium may be a "non-transitory tangible medium" capable of storing the program. The program may include, for example, a software program or an information processing device program.

[0065] The storage medium may, where appropriate, include one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (ICs) (e.g., field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific ICs (ASICs), etc.), hard disk drives (HDDs), hybrid hard drives (HHDs), optical disks, optical disk drives (ODDs), magneto-optical disks, magneto-optical drives, floppy diskettes, floppy disk drives (FDDs), magnetic tapes, solid state drives (SSDs), RAM drives, secure digital cards or drives, any other suitable storage media, or any suitable combination of two or more of these. The storage medium may, where appropriate, be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile.

[0066] Furthermore, the program of the present disclosure may be provided to the server 200 via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or broadcast waves) capable of transmitting the program.

[0067] Furthermore, each embodiment of the present disclosure may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which a program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0068] The program of the present disclosure may be implemented using any programming language, such as a scripting language such as JavaScript (registered trademark) or Python, or C language, Go language, Swift, Koltin, or Java (registered trademark).

[0069] According to each aspect of the present disclosure described above, by providing technology related to the monitoring and maintenance of IoT devices for network technologies beyond 5G, it is possible to contribute to the achievement of Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to "build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation." [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 100 Communication equipment 110 control section 111 Switching section 112 Changes 113 Acquisition Department 114 Timing section 120 Communications Department 130 Input / Output Interface 140 sensors 150 Built-in battery 170 Storage section 10 Core Network (EPC) 20 Base station (eNB) 200 Server (information processing device) 400 Network 600 Communication Systems

Claims

1. A communication device that performs wireless communication with a base station, a communication unit that waits for an incoming call from the base station at a predetermined interval; A switching unit that switches the power supply source to the device between an external power source and an internal battery; a change unit that changes the predetermined interval for waiting for an incoming call from the base station from a first interval to a second interval that is longer than the first interval, in response to the switching unit switching the power supply source for the device from the external power source to the built-in battery; A communication device comprising:

2. the change unit changes the predetermined interval from the second interval to the first interval in response to a power supply source to the device being switched from the built-in battery to the external power supply. The communication device according to claim 1 .

3. the switching unit switches the power supply source for the device from the external power source to the built-in battery in response to the power supply from the external power source to the device being cut off for a predetermined period of time or longer. The communication device according to claim 1 .

4. the switching unit switches the power supply source for the device from the external power source to the built-in battery in response to a rate of change per unit time of the voltage applied to the device becoming equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The communication device according to claim 1 .

5. the communication device is connected to a measurement device, and a measurement value by the measurement device is transmitted to an information processing device via the base station, the switching unit switches the power supply source of the measuring device from the external power source to the built-in battery in response to a predetermined command being notified from the measuring device, which operates by receiving power from the external power source, in response to a cutoff of the power supply from the external power source. The communication device according to claim 1 .

6. The communication unit waits for an incoming call from the base station at an interval based on DRX (Discontinuous Reception) as the first interval, and waits for an incoming call from the base station at an interval based on eDRX (extended Discontinuous Reception) as the second interval. The communication device according to claim 1 .

7. A timer unit that measures a cumulative time during which the device waits at the second interval. The communication device according to claim 5.

8. A communication device that performs wireless communication with a base station, waiting for an incoming call from the base station at a predetermined interval; A step of switching a power supply source to the device between an external power source and an internal battery; a step of changing the predetermined interval for waiting for an incoming call from the base station from a first interval to a second interval longer than the first interval in response to the power supply source to the device being switched from the external power source to the built-in battery in the switching step; A method for controlling a communication device.

9. On the computer, A communication device that performs wireless communication with a base station and has a function of waiting for an incoming call from the base station at a predetermined interval; A function to switch the power supply source to the device between an external power source and a built-in battery; a function of changing the predetermined interval for waiting for an incoming call from the base station from a first interval to a second interval longer than the first interval in response to a power supply source for the device itself being switched from the external power source to the built-in battery; A control program for a communication device that realizes the above.

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