Electronic device, communication control method, and program

Abstract

To reduce delay of data reception while suppressing power consumption.SOLUTION: The electronic device includes a control unit and a communication unit that communicates with an external communication device via a server, the communication unit intermittently waits for data reception from the server at a predetermined standby interval, and the control unit executes a shortening process of shortening the standby interval when the communication unit receives a certain notification via the server, and executes an extending process of extending the standby interval when a certain condition is satisfied after the execution of the shortening process.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, in electronic devices having wireless communication functions, a technique is known for reducing power consumption by intermittently waiting for the start of communication with an external communication device at predetermined standby intervals (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 170396 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the longer the standby interval is set to reduce power consumption, the more likely it is that data reception from external communication devices will be delayed. On the other hand, the shorter the standby interval is set to reduce data reception delays, the more frequently communication attempts are made, resulting in increased power consumption. Thus, conventional technologies have the problem of making it difficult to achieve both reduced power consumption and timely data reception.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to reduce delays in receiving data while suppressing power consumption. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the electronic device according to the present invention comprises: A control unit; a communication unit that communicates with an external communication device via a server, the communication unit intermittently waits for data reception from the server at predetermined standby intervals; The control unit When the communication unit receives a certain notification via the server, a shortening process is executed to shorten the standby interval; If a certain condition is satisfied after the execution of the shortening process, an extension process is executed to extend the standby interval. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce delays in receiving data while suppressing power consumption. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the electronic timepiece. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an administrator terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating eDRX. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating eDRX cycles in LTE-M and NB-IoT. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the MQTT protocol. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the switching operation between eDRX and DRX. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the flow of data transmission and reception between the electronic timepiece and the administrator terminal. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another data transmission / reception flow between the electronic timepiece and the administrator terminal. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a data transmission and reception flow in a modified example. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of a shortening control process in a modified example. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing another control procedure of the reduction control process in the modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a communication system 1 includes an electronic watch 10 (electronic device), an administrator terminal 20 (communication device), and a cloud platform 100. The cloud platform 100 is composed of various hardware and software components for implementing cloud computing, and includes, for example, multiple physical servers installed in one or more data centers. The cloud platform 100 includes a message management server 30 (server, first server), a data storage server 40 (server, second server), and a control processing unit 50. The message management server 30 and the data storage server 40 may be physical servers equipped with a central processing unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM), and a storage unit, or may be virtual servers virtually constructed using part of the hardware of one or more physical servers. The electronic watch 10 and the administrator terminal 20 can communicate data with the message management server 30 and the data storage server 40 via a network N, respectively. The electronic watch 10 can also perform data communication with the administrator terminal 20 via the message management server 30 or the data storage server 40. The network N may include, but is not limited to, a mobile communication line network provided by a mobile communication carrier and the Internet.

[0010] The electronic watch 10 is, for example, a smartwatch, and is worn or carried by the person being monitored. The person being monitored is someone being monitored by an administrator, such as a child, elderly person, or patient. The electronic watch 10 is capable of wireless communication via LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) communication (hereinafter simply referred to as "LPWA") with a base station 60 (base station 60a in FIG. 1) connected to a network N. This allows the electronic watch 10 to communicate data with the message management server 30 and data storage server 40 via the base station 60 and network N.

[0011] As shown in Figure 2, the electronic watch 10 comprises a CPU 11 (control unit, control means), RAM 12, a memory unit 13, a display unit 14, an operation unit 15, a motion sensor 16, a pulse wave sensor 17, a location information acquisition unit 18, and a communication unit 19. The various units of the electronic watch 10 are connected via a data transmission path such as a bus. The electronic watch 10 also comprises a battery (not shown), and the various units of the electronic watch 10 operate using power supplied from the battery.

[0012] The CPU 11 is a processor that reads and executes a program 131 stored in the storage unit 13 and performs various arithmetic processing to control the operation of each unit of the electronic timepiece 10. The electronic timepiece 10 may have multiple processors (e.g., multiple CPUs), and the multiple processes performed by the CPU 11 of this embodiment may be executed by these multiple processors. The RAM 12 provides working memory space for the CPU 11 and stores temporary data.

[0013] The storage unit 13 is a non-transitory recording medium readable by the CPU 11 as a computer, and stores a program 131 and various data. The storage unit 13 includes a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory. The program 131 is stored in the storage unit 13 in the form of computer-readable program code. Examples of the various data stored in the storage unit 13 include setting data related to the operation settings of the electronic watch 10, text data and audio data received from the administrator terminal 20, etc.

[0014] The display unit 14 displays various operation screens, information display screens, etc. under the control of the CPU 11. For example, a liquid crystal display device that displays in a dot matrix format can be used as the display unit 14, but is not limited to this. The operation unit 15 accepts input operations from the user (person being watched over) and outputs an input signal corresponding to the input operation to the CPU 11. The operation unit 15 includes a touch panel that is overlaid on the display screen of the display unit 14, and detects contact with the user's finger or the like as an input operation using this touch panel. The operation unit 15 may also include hardware buttons in addition to or instead of the touch panel.

[0015] The motion sensor 16 includes a three-axis acceleration sensor and a three-axis angular velocity sensor. The motion sensor 16 detects the acceleration and angular velocity that occur in the electronic watch 10 in response to the movement of the wrist of the person being watched over, and outputs the detected data to the CPU 11. Based on the data detected by the motion sensor 16, the CPU 11 estimates the actions being performed by the person being watched over (for example, walking and the number of steps, eating, sleeping, etc.).

[0016] Pulse wave sensor 17 includes a light-emitting element that emits green light that is easily absorbed by hemoglobin in the blood, and a light-receiving element that detects the light reflected by the skin. Pulse wave sensor 17 detects the pulse wave at the wrist of the person being watched over based on changes in the intensity of the light detected by the light-receiving element, and outputs the detected data to CPU 11. CPU 11 calculates the heart rate based on the waveform of the detected pulse wave.

[0017] The position information acquisition unit 18 receives and decodes radio waves transmitted from positioning satellites of a Global Positioning Satellite System (GNSS) such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) to calculate the current position. The position information acquisition unit 18 calculates the current position under the control of the CPU 11 and outputs the result to the CPU 11.

[0018] The communication unit 19 includes an LPWA module for performing wireless communication in accordance with the LPWA communication standard. The LPWA module includes an antenna, a modulation / demodulation circuit, a signal processing circuit, etc. that are compatible with the LPWA communication standard. The communication unit 19 performs wireless LPWA communication with the base station 60 using the LPWA module, thereby performing data communication with the message management server 30 and the data storage server 40.

[0019] The administrator terminal 20 shown in FIG. 1 is a device operated by an administrator who watches over the person being watched over, and is a smartphone in this embodiment. However, the administrator terminal 20 is not limited to this, and may also be a tablet terminal, a smartwatch, a laptop PC, or the like. The administrator terminal 20 is capable of 4G / 5G wireless communication with a base station 60 (base station 60b in FIG. 1) connected to the network N. This allows the administrator terminal 20 to communicate data with the message management server 30 and the data storage server 40 via the base station 60 and the network N. In this specification, "4G / 5G" refers to any wireless standard that uses a public line (licensed band) with a communication speed faster than Cat. 1, which will be described later. Therefore, "4G / 5G" includes, for example, 4G (fourth-generation mobile communication system) and 5G (fourth-generation mobile communication system), which has a communication speed (e.g., theoretical maximum speed) faster than 4G. Furthermore, "4G / 5G" also includes Beyond 5G (6G), which has an even faster communication speed than 5G. In this specification, the term "LPWA" is used to define wireless standards using public lines with communication speeds of Cat. 1 or slower, and communication standards for IoT that use non-public lines (using unlicensed bands), such as LoRaWAN and Sigfox. Note that the administrator terminal 20 may be capable of data communication with the message management server 30 and the data storage server 40 via a communication path that does not go through the base station 60, such as wireless LAN or wired communication.

[0020] 3, the administrator terminal 20 includes a CPU 21, a RAM 22, a storage unit 23, a display unit 24, an operation unit 25, and a communication unit 26. The various units of the administrator terminal 20 are connected via a data transmission path such as a bus. The administrator terminal 20 also includes a battery (not shown), and the various units of the administrator terminal 20 operate using power supplied from the battery.

[0021] The CPU 21 is a processor that controls the operation of each part of the administrator terminal 20 by reading and executing programs such as the monitoring app 231 stored in the memory unit 23 and performing various arithmetic processing. The RAM 22 provides working memory space for the CPU 21 and stores temporary data. The memory unit 23 stores programs such as the monitoring app 231 and various data. The memory unit 23 includes a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory. The monitoring app 231 is an application program related to a monitoring service for a person being monitored using the communication system 1. Examples of the various data stored in the memory unit 23 include setting data related to the operation settings of the administrator terminal 20, and status data, text data, and audio data, which will be described later, received from the electronic watch 10.

[0022] The display unit 24 displays various types of information, such as an information screen of the watching app 231, based on a control signal transmitted from the CPU 21. A liquid crystal display device, for example, can be used as the display unit 24. The operation unit 25 accepts an input operation by the user (administrator) and outputs an input signal corresponding to the input operation to the CPU 21. The operation unit 25 includes a touch panel overlaid on the display screen of the display unit 24, and detects contact with a user's finger or the like as an input operation by this touch panel. The operation unit 25 may also include hardware buttons in addition to or instead of the touch panel.

[0023] The communication unit 26 includes a 4G / 5G module for performing wireless communication in accordance with the 4G / 5G communication standards. The 4G / 5G module includes an antenna, a modulation / demodulation circuit, a signal processing circuit, and the like that are compatible with the 4G / 5G communication standards. The communication unit 26 performs 4G / 5G wireless communication with the base station 60 using the 4G / 5G module, thereby performing data communication with the message management server 30 and the data storage server 40.

[0024] 1 functions as a broker when the electronic watch 10 and the administrator terminal 20 communicate using the MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) protocol. The message management server 30 is provided with a topic data storage area 31 in which topic data in the MQTT protocol, which will be described later, is temporarily stored. The message management server 30 communicates data between the electronic watch 10 and the administrator terminal 20 via the network N through the communication operation of a communication unit (not shown).

[0025] The data storage server 40 functions as a server in HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol), a server / client type communication protocol, and stores various data transmitted from the electronic watch 10 and the administrator terminal 20. The data storage server 40 is provided with a transmission data storage area 41 in which data transmitted and received via HTTP is temporarily stored. The data storage server 40 communicates data with the electronic watch 10 and the administrator terminal 20 via the network N through the communication operation of a communication unit (not shown).

[0026] The control processing unit 50 executes various control processes in response to the occurrence of an event (such as data registration or deletion) in the data storage server 40. The control processing unit 50 may be provided on a physical server or virtual server different from the message management server 30 and the data storage server 40, or may be included in the data storage server 40.

[0027] Next, the operation of the communication system 1 will be described. In the communication system 1 of this embodiment, status data including information on the status of the person being watched over, text data including text messages, and audio data including audio messages can be transmitted and received between the electronic watch 10 worn by the person being watched over and the administrator terminal 20 used by the administrator. The status data includes, for example, information on the movements of the person being watched over derived based on acceleration and angular velocity detection data from the motion sensor 16 of the electronic watch 10, information on the heart rate of the person being watched over calculated based on detection data from the pulse wave sensor 17, and information on the current location of the person being watched over (electronic watch 10) calculated by the location information acquisition unit 18. The status data, text data, and audio data are sent from either the electronic watch 10 or the administrator terminal 20 to the message management server 30 or the data storage server 40 via the network N, where they are temporarily stored, and are then transmitted by the other of the electronic watch 10 and the administrator terminal 20 receiving (acquiring) the data from the message management server 30 or the data storage server 40. The transmission and reception of this data is performed by the communication unit 19 of the electronic clock 10, the communication unit 26 of the administrator terminal 20, and communication units (not shown) provided in the message management server 30 and the data storage server 40, but for convenience, below we will say that "the electronic clock 10, the administrator terminal 20, the message management server 30, and the data storage server 40 send or receive data."

[0028] As described above, the electronic watch 10 communicates with the base station 60 using LPWA wireless communication, and performs data communication with the message management server 30 and the data storage server 40 via a communication path that includes the wireless communication path. LPWA is a general term for communication standards that enable wide-area communication with low power consumption. Compared to mobile communication standards for mobile phones, such as 4G and 5G, LPWA is a communication standard that enables long-distance communication with lower power consumption by reducing the communication speed (bit rate) and increasing noise resistance. While 4G / 5G can achieve communication speeds of 100 Mbps or more, LPWA communication speeds are limited to, for example, 1 Mbps or less (in the case of LTE-M, described below). Furthermore, LTE Cat. 1 communication speeds are limited to 5 Mbps or less for uploads and 10 Mbps or less for downloads. Furthermore, the communication distance of LPWA is longer than that of 4G / 5G, for example, approximately 10 km, and in some environments, can reach 50 km or more. By using LPWA, which enables long-distance wireless communication with low power consumption, the power used for wireless communication can be reduced in electronic watches 10, which have small housings and limited battery capacity, and sufficient continuous operating time can be ensured.

[0029] There are two types of LPWA: licensed band LPWA, which uses frequency bands allocated to mobile communication carriers, and unlicensed band LPWA, which uses frequency bands other than those mentioned above. Of these, licensed band LPWA includes three standards standardized as part of LTE (Long Term Evolution): LTE Cat. 1, LTE-M (LTE Cat. M1), and NB-IoT (LTE Cat. NB1). The electronic watch 10 of this embodiment uses LTE-M.

[0030] Conventionally, in mobile data communications performed by mobile devices such as mobile phones, power consumption has been reduced by a function called DRX (Discontinuous Reception), which intermittently waits for paging messages, which are calls from a base station 60, at predetermined standby intervals (at a predetermined intermittent standby cycle). The standard value for the intermittent standby cycle in DRX (hereinafter referred to as the "DRX cycle" (second cycle)) is 1.28 seconds. In contrast, LPWA such as LTE Cat.1, LTE-M, and NB-IoT has a function called eDRX (Extended Discontinuous Reception), which significantly extends the intermittent standby cycle of DRX, thereby further reducing power consumption.

[0031] eDRX will be described with reference to Figure 4. In Figure 4, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the on / off status of the LPWA-related wireless communication function of the electronic watch 10 at each point in time. When the electronic watch 10 receives a paging message while the wireless communication function is on, it starts LPWA communication. On the other hand, when the wireless communication function is off, the electronic watch 10 does not receive paging messages and does not start LPWA communication. The PTW (Paging Time Window) shown in Figure 4 represents a "standby period" during which the wireless communication function is repeatedly turned on and the electronic watch 10 attempts to receive paging messages. On the other hand, during periods other than the PTW, the wireless communication function remains off and no attempt is made to receive paging messages. The period from the start of one PTW to the start of the next PTW is the intermittent standby cycle for eDRX (a period during which communication is intermittently waited for; this may also be referred to as an intermittent reception cycle; hereinafter, referred to as the "eDRX cycle" (first cycle)). The period obtained by subtracting the PTW from the eDRX cycle corresponds to the "standby interval." During the period corresponding to the standby interval, the CPU 11 reduces the power consumption of the electronic timepiece 10 by temporarily stopping the power supply to the modulation / demodulation circuit and signal processing circuit of the LPWA module of the communication unit 19.

[0032] As shown in Figure 5, in LTE-M, the eDRX cycle can be set to one of 14 standard values ​​(multiple standard values) ranging from 5.12 seconds to 2621.44 seconds (approximately 44 minutes). In addition, in NB-IoT, the eDRX cycle can be set to one of 10 standard values ​​(multiple standard values) ranging from 20.48 seconds to 10485.76 seconds (approximately 175 minutes). As such, the eDRX cycles in both LTE-M and NB-IoT are longer than the DRX cycle (1.28 seconds). When the PTW is constant, the longer the eDRX cycle, the longer the standby interval, making it possible to reduce power consumption more effectively.

[0033] Although not shown in the figure, the PTW can also be selected from multiple standard values. For example, in LTE-M, the PTW can be set to one of 15 standard values ​​between 1.28 seconds and 20.48 seconds. If the eDRX cycle is constant, the shorter the PTW, the longer the standby interval, making it possible to reduce power consumption more effectively.

[0034] The electronic watch 10 of this embodiment can switch the cycle for waiting for external data reception between a DRX cycle and an eDRX cycle. The DRX cycle or eDRX cycle and PTW set in the electronic watch 10 are shared by the electronic watch 10, the base station 60, and an MME (Mobility Management Entity), which is network equipment not shown. The MME manages the locations of communication terminals such as the electronic watch 10 and the administrator terminal 20, and controls paging of communication terminals by the base station 60. By sharing the eDRX cycle and PTW, the base station 60 and MME can send paging messages when the electronic watch 10 reaches a PTW. The administrator terminal 20, which is a smartphone, operates in DRX mode at all times because its battery capacity is large enough to cover the power consumed while waiting for communication.

[0035] Next, the MQTT protocol will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The MQTT protocol is a publish / subscribe asynchronous communication protocol. In the MQTT protocol, a device acting as a publisher and a device acting as a subscriber transmit and receive data via a device acting as a broker. In this embodiment, the control processing unit 50 operates as a publisher, and the electronic watch 10 or the administrator terminal 20 operates as a subscriber. FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which the electronic watch 10 operates as a subscriber. Note that, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 9, the electronic watch 10 or the administrator terminal 20 may also function as a publisher. In the MQTT protocol, a broker manages multiple topics to which transmitted and received data is assigned. In this embodiment, the message management server 30 acting as a broker stores data for multiple topics, including topics A to C, in a topic data storage area 31. A subscriber subscribes to (registers subscription to) the topic of the data it wishes to receive with the broker. A publisher specifies a topic and sends (publishes) data to the broker. When data is published to a topic to which a subscriber has subscribed (when the topic is updated), the broker sends (distributes) the data of that topic to the subscriber. In the example shown in Figure 6, the electronic watch 10 as a subscriber subscribes to topics A to C, and when data is published to topic A by the control processing unit 50 as a publisher (when data is stored in topic A in the topic data storage area 31), that data is sent from the message management server 30 to the electronic watch 10. In this way, with the MQTT protocol, by going through a broker, publishers and subscribers can communicate data without being aware of each other's existence.

[0036] Topic data distribution from the message management server 30 to the electronic watch 10 is performed at the timing of the DRX or eDRX PTW shared in advance between the electronic watch 10 and the base station 60. In more detail, when data is published to one of topics A to C, the data is transmitted from the message management server 30 to the base station 60. The base station 60 transmits a paging message to the electronic watch 10 at the timing of the DRX or eDRX PTW, and when communication is established with the electronic watch 10 that responded to the paging message, it transmits the topic data to the electronic watch 10.

[0037] If the standby cycle of the electronic watch 10 is set to the eDRX cycle for power saving purposes, a long delay (e.g., several tens of seconds to several tens of minutes) may occur between when a topic is updated and when the electronic watch 10 receives the updated data, depending on the timing and the standby cycle setting. Therefore, the CPU 11 of the electronic watch 10 of this embodiment normally sets the standby cycle to the eDRX cycle and executes a shortening process to shorten the standby interval when a predetermined start notification (a certain notification, a first notification) is received from the administrator terminal 20. For example, the CPU 11 shortens the standby interval by shortening the standby interval from the eDRX cycle to the DRX cycle. To achieve this operation of the electronic watch 10, in the communication system 1 of this embodiment, the control processing unit 50 publishes a start notification to topic A when at least one data transmission (which may be a single data transmission or multiple consecutive data transmissions) is performed from the administrator terminal 20 to the electronic watch 10. Topic A may be used only for sending and receiving start notifications. For example, assume that the electronic watch 10 receives a start notification sent from the control processing unit 50 at time t1 shown in Figure 7. During a period T1 prior to time t1, the standby period of the electronic watch 10 is set to the eDRX period. When the CPU 11 of the electronic watch 10 receives the start notification at time t1, it executes a shortening process to shorten the standby period to the DRX period. As a result, during a period T2 after time t1, if data is published from the administrator terminal 20 to any of topics A to C, the data can be received in a timely manner (with a short delay).

[0038] Furthermore, if a predetermined extension execution condition (certain condition) is met after the shortening process is executed, the CPU 11 of the electronic watch 10 executes an extension process to extend the standby interval. For example, the CPU 11 extends the standby interval by extending the standby interval from the DRX cycle to the eDRX cycle. Furthermore, if the CPU 11 receives a predetermined end notification (second notification) indicating that data transmission from the administrator terminal 20 is ending, for example, it determines that the extension execution condition has been met and executes the extension process (hereinafter referred to as the "first determination method"). To enable determination by the first determination method to be executed, the control processing unit 50 publishes an end notification to topic C when at least one data transmission from the administrator terminal 20 to the electronic watch 10 has ended. Topic C may be used only for sending and receiving end notifications. Furthermore, if the period during which no transmission data is received from the administrator terminal 20 continues for a first waiting time after the shortening process is performed, the CPU 11 may determine that the extension execution condition is met and execute the extension process (hereinafter referred to as the "second determination method"). The first waiting time is predetermined and registered in the storage unit 13. The first waiting time may be changeable by a user operation. The CPU 11 may also determine that the extension execution condition is met and execute the extension process when a user operation is performed on the operation unit 15 of the electronic timepiece 10 to instruct the end of data reception (hereinafter referred to as the "third determination method"). Two or all of the first to third determination methods may be combined. For example, when the first determination method and the second determination method are combined, the CPU 11 determines that the extension execution condition is met and executes the extension process when either the end notification is received or the first waiting time has elapsed. In the example shown in Fig. 7, time t2 represents the time when the electronic timepiece 10 receives an end notification, or the time when the length of period T2 becomes the first standby time. At this time t2, the CPU 11 executes extension processing. In response, the standby period is extended to the eDRX cycle for period T3 after time t2. By executing the extension processing, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the electronic timepiece 10 during periods when no data is transmitted from the administrator terminal 20.

[0039] The method for shortening the standby interval in the shortening process is not limited to the above. For example, the CPU 11 of the electronic watch 10 may shorten the standby interval by changing the standby cycle from a certain eDRX cycle (corresponding to a "first cycle") to an eDRX cycle (corresponding to a "second cycle") that is shorter than the eDRX cycle. The CPU 11 may also shorten the standby interval by extending the PTW. Alternatively, shortening the standby cycle and extending the PTW may be combined.

[0040] Furthermore, the method of extending the standby interval in the extension process is not limited to the above. For example, when the standby period after shortening by the shortening process is a certain eDRX period (corresponding to the "second period"), the CPU 21 of the administrator terminal 20 may extend the standby interval by changing the standby period to an eDRX period (corresponding to the "first period") that is longer than the certain eDRX period. Furthermore, the standby interval after extension by the extension process may be the same as or different from the standby interval before shortening by the shortening process. Furthermore, the CPU 11 may extend the standby interval by shortening the PTW. Furthermore, extending the standby period and shortening the PTW may be combined.

[0041] If data is published to topic B during the period between when the control processing unit 50 sends a start notification and when the control processing unit 50 sends an end notification, the message management server 30 sends this data to the electronic clock 10 that is waiting to receive data in the DRX cycle.

[0042] Because there is a limit to the amount of data that can be transmitted via the message management server 30, large volumes of data such as voice data may be transmitted using HTTP, which allows for a larger amount of data to be transmitted than the MQTT protocol. That is, large volumes of data such as voice data may be transmitted from the administrator terminal 20 to the electronic watch 10 via the data storage server 40. HTTP is a server / client synchronous communication protocol. With HTTP, data is transmitted and received through one-to-one synchronous communication between the data storage server 40 as the server and the electronic watch 10 or the administrator terminal 20 as the client. Therefore, when transmitting data from the administrator terminal 20 to the electronic watch 10 via the data storage server 40, the administrator terminal 20 and the data storage server 40 are first connected for communication, and the data is transmitted from the administrator terminal 20 to the data storage server 40 and stored in the transmission data storage area 41. Next, the electronic watch 10 and the data storage server 40 are connected for communication, and the data is transmitted from the data storage server 40 to the electronic watch 10 in response to a request from the electronic watch 10.

[0043] The processing flow for transmitting voice data from the administrator terminal 20 to the electronic watch 10 will be described below with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 shows the data transmitted and received between the electronic watch 10, administrator terminal 20, message management server 30, data storage server 40, and control processing unit 50, as well as the timing of transmission and reception. The subject of each process in Fig. 8 is the CPU 11 of the electronic watch 10, the CPU 21 of the administrator terminal 20, a CPU (not shown) of the message management server 30, a CPU (not shown) of the data storage server 40, or a CPU (not shown) of the control processing unit 50; however, for convenience, the electronic watch 10, administrator terminal 20, message management server 30, data storage server 40, and control processing unit 50 may be described below as the subject of the operations (the same applies to Figs. 9 and 10).

[0044] In the transmission and reception flow of FIG. 8, the electronic watch 10 first sends a request to subscribe to topics A to C to the message management server 30 (step S1). For example, the electronic watch 10 executes step S1 when it becomes able to connect to the network N after powering on. At the time of step S1, the standby cycle of the electronic watch 10 is set to the eDRX cycle. Upon receiving this request, the message management server 30 registers the electronic watch 10 as a delivery destination for topics A to C. Note that the fact that the electronic watch 10 will subscribe to topics A to C has been shared in advance with the administrator terminal 20.

[0045] The administrator terminal 20 transmits transmission data (voice data in this case) to the data storage server 40 for the electronic watch 10 (step S2). The data storage server 40 stores the received transmission data in the transmission data storage area 41. When the voice data is registered in the data storage server 40, an event notification including information such as the voice data registration and the address of the voice data is transmitted from the data storage server 40 to the control processing unit 50 (step S3). Upon receiving this event notification, the control processing unit 50 transmits a start notification specifying topic A to the message management server 30. That is, in response to the registration of the first voice data from the administrator terminal 20 in the data storage server 40, the control processing unit 50 publishes a start notification to topic A (step S4). The message management server 30 stores the start notification in topic A of the topic data storage area 31. In response to this update of topic A, the message management server 30 sends the start notification registered for topic A to the electronic watch 10 registered as a distribution destination for topic A, and the electronic watch 10 receives the start notification (step S5). As described above, the start notification sent from the message management server 30 to the base station 60 is transmitted from the base station 60 to the electronic watch 10 at the PTW of the eDRX cycle of the electronic watch 10. When the electronic watch 10 receives the start notification, it executes the shortening process described above (step Sa). For example, the electronic watch 10 shortens the standby cycle from the eDRX cycle to the DRX cycle. Thereafter, the electronic watch 10 waits for data to be received from the message management server 30 at the DRX cycle.

[0046] After sending the start notification, the control processing unit 50 specifies topic B to the message management server 30 and sends the address of the transmission data registered in the data storage server 40 in step S2. That is, the control processing unit 50 publishes the address of the transmission data to topic B (step S6). The message management server 30 stores the address received from the administrator terminal 20 in topic B in the topic data storage area 31. In response to this update of topic B, the message management server 30 sends the address registered in topic B to the electronic watch 10 registered as a distribution destination of topic B, and the electronic watch 10 receives the start notification (step S7). Here, the address sent from the message management server 30 to the base station 60 is sent from the base station 60 to the electronic watch 10 in the PTW of the DRX period of the electronic watch 10. The address of the transmission data may be included in the start notification of topic A sent in step S4. In this case, the electronic watch 10 can learn the address by receiving the start notification in step S5, so steps S6 and S7 can be omitted.

[0047] When the electronic watch 10 receives the address, it sends a request to the data storage server 40 to send the transmission data (audio data) by specifying the received address. The timing of this transmission request is not bound by the DRX cycle and can be executed at any timing. In response to the transmission request, the data storage server 40 transmits the transmission data stored in the transmission data storage area 41 to the electronic watch 10, and the electronic watch 10 receives the transmission data (step S8). If the administrator terminal 20 transmits transmission data multiple times, steps S2, S3, S6, S7, and S8 are executed after step S8 for each transmission of transmission data.

[0048] When the transmission of the transmission data is completed, the administrator terminal 20 transmits transmission completion information indicating that the transmission has been completed to the control processing unit 50 (step S9). When the control processing unit 50 receives this transmission completion information, it transmits an completion notification to the message management server 30, specifying topic C. That is, the control processing unit 50 publishes the completion notification to topic C (step S10). The message management server 30 stores the completion notification in topic C in the topic data storage area 31. In response to this update of topic C, the message management server 30 transmits the start notification registered in topic C to the electronic watch 10 registered as a distribution destination of topic C, and the electronic watch 10 receives the start notification (step S11). When the electronic watch 10 receives the completion notification, it determines that the extension execution condition is met and executes the extension process described above (step Sb). For example, the electronic watch 10 extends the standby cycle from the DRX cycle to the eDRX cycle. As described above, if the electronic watch 10 does not receive data from the administrator terminal 20 for the first standby time after the last transmission data reception in step S8, the electronic watch 10 may determine that the extension execution condition is met and execute the extension processing in step Sb. After that, the electronic watch 10 waits for data reception from the message management server 30 at the eDRX cycle. Thereafter, the process may return to step S2 and repeat the processing from step S2 onwards.

[0049] Although not shown in FIG. 8 , it is also possible for the electronic watch 10 to send voice data to the administrator terminal 20. In this case, the electronic watch 10 first sends voice data to the data storage server 40, and in response, the control processing unit 50 publishes the address of the voice data to topic B of the message management server 30. The administrator terminal 20 subscribes to topics A to C in advance and receives the voice data in response to updates to topic B. The administrator terminal 20 always operates in DRX mode and does not perform shortening or extension processing. However, if the administrator terminal 20 switches between eDRX and DRX to reduce power consumption, the administrator terminal 20 may also perform shortening and extension processing in the same way as the electronic watch 10. In this case, the control processing unit 50 may publish a start notification to topic A in response to the electronic watch 10 registering the first voice data, and the administrator terminal 20 may perform shortening processing in response to the start notification. The administrator terminal 20 may also perform extension processing in response to the control processing unit 50 publishing an end notification to topic C.

[0050] Next, referring to FIG. 9, a process flow for transmitting data from the administrator terminal 20 to the electronic watch 10 via only the message management server 30, without using the data storage server 40, will be described. The process flow in FIG. 9 is suitable for transmitting and receiving small amounts of data, such as status data or text data. Step S21 in FIG. 9 is the same as step S1 in FIG. 8. In FIG. 9, when starting data transmission to the electronic watch 10, the administrator terminal 20 sends a start notification to the message management server 30, specifying topic A. That is, the administrator terminal 20 publishes the start notification to topic A (step S22). The subsequent steps S23 and Sa are the same as steps S4 and Sa in FIG. 8. After sending the start notification in step S22, the administrator terminal 20 publishes the transmission data to topic B (step S24). The message management server 30 stores the transmission data in topic B of the topic data storage area 31. In response to this update of topic B, the message management server 30 transmits the transmission data registered in topic B to the electronic watch 10, and the electronic watch 10 receives the transmission data (step S25). When the administrator terminal 20 terminates data transmission to the electronic watch 10, it transmits an end notification to the message management server 30, specifying topic C. In other words, the administrator terminal 20 publishes the end notification to topic C (step S26). The subsequent steps S27 and Sb are the same as steps S11 and Sb in FIG. 8. Thus, in the flow of FIG. 9, the data itself is transmitted via topic B instead of the address of the data. Although omitted in FIG. 9, data transmission from the electronic watch 10 to the administrator terminal 20 can also be performed in the case of FIG. 9.

[0051] 8 and 9, if the electronic watch 10 transmits transmission data to the administrator terminal 20 before receiving the start notification, the CPU 11 may execute the shortcut process in response to a trigger other than the reception of the start notification. For example, the CPU 11 may execute the shortcut process when a user operation instructing data transmission from the electronic watch 10 is accepted by the operation unit 15, or when a predetermined movement of the electronic watch 10 is detected by the motion sensor 16, or the like.

[0052] 8 and 9 have been described using an example in which the electronic watch 10 subscribes to topics A to C in the first step S1 or S21, but this is not limited to this. For example, in step S1 or S21, the electronic watch 10 may subscribe only to topic A for receiving a start notification, and after receiving the start notification, subscribe to topic B for receiving an address or transmission data and topic C for receiving an end notification. Also, in FIGS. 8 and 9, topic A is used exclusively for sending and receiving start notifications, topic B is used exclusively for sending and receiving addresses or transmission data, and topic C is used exclusively for sending and receiving end notifications. Alternatively, a single topic may be used to send and receive start notifications, addresses, transmission data, and end notifications. To combine these into a single topic, it is sufficient to indicate in the message to be sent that it is a start notification or an end notification.

[0053] Next, a modified example of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. Differences from the above embodiment will be described below, and commonalities with the above embodiment will be omitted. This modified example is a modification of the flow in FIG. 9. This modified example assumes that after the first data transmission from the administrator terminal 20 to the electronic watch 10 after a start notification is received, no additional data is transmitted from the administrator terminal 20 to the electronic watch 10 before the electronic watch 10 transmits (replies) data to the administrator terminal 20. As shown in FIG. 10, the processing flow of this modified example differs from the processing flow of FIG. 9 in that, instead of the shortened processing (step Sa) in FIG. 9, a shortened control processing (step Sc) is executed by the electronic watch 10 after step S25 is completed. This shortened control processing includes the shortened processing (step Sa) (see FIG. 11). In this modified example, the CPU 11 of the electronic watch 10 executes the shortened processing (step Sa) when a second waiting time has elapsed since the start notification was received. Furthermore, the CPU 11 determines the second waiting time based on the content of the transmission data received first from the administrator terminal 20 after receiving the start notification.

[0054] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, in the reduction control process, the CPU 11 determines the second standby time according to the size of the transmission data received in step S25 (for example, the number of seconds of received voice data) (step S31). For example, the CPU 11 determines the second standby time so that the longer the voice data, the longer the second standby time. For example, if the length of the voice data is 15 seconds, the CPU 11 determines the second standby time to be the sum of the time it takes for the watching target to play back the voice data (15 seconds) and the time it takes for the watching target to record a reply voice (for example, 10 seconds) (25 seconds in this example). This makes it possible to maintain eDRX operation and reduce power consumption during the period when no data is transmitted from the administrator terminal 20 until the watching target replies. Thereafter, the CPU 11 repeatedly determines whether the second standby time has elapsed since receiving the start notification (step S32), and if it determines that the second standby time has elapsed ("YES" in step S32), executes the reduction process (step Sa). When the shortening process is completed, the CPU 11 ends the shortening control process. Although not shown in Figure 10, after the shortening control process (step Sc) ends, data is transmitted from the administrator terminal 20 to the electronic watch 10 via the message management server 30 until step S26.

[0055] The second waiting time may be determined based on characteristics other than the length of the voice data (such as the result of recognition as to whether it is a speaking voice or not, the volume, etc.). Even when the transmission data is not voice data, the second waiting time may be determined by a predetermined method based on the content of the transmission data. For example, when the transmission data is text data, the second waiting time may be determined so that the larger the amount of text data, the longer the second waiting time.

[0056] After receiving the start notification, the CPU 11 may execute the shortening process when the communication unit 19 transmits reply data (hereinafter referred to as "reply data") to the administrator terminal 20. The reply data may be, for example, voice data in response to the received voice data, or text data other than voice data. This also makes it possible to maintain eDRX operation and reduce power consumption during a period when no additional data is transmitted from the administrator terminal 20 until the person being watched over replies. The CPU 11 may also execute the shortening process when the CPU 11 transmits reply data whose size is equal to or greater than a reference data amount. In other words, the CPU 11 does not need to execute the shortening process when it transmits reply data whose size is less than the reference data amount to the administrator terminal 20. This makes it possible to maintain eDRX operation and reduce power consumption, for example, when the reply voice data from the electronic watch 10 to the administrator terminal 20 is extremely short (for example, when the reply consists of only one word such as "Got it" or "I got it"), and to determine that no reply will be received from the administrator terminal 20.

[0057] When the shortening process is executed at a timing corresponding to the transmission of reply data as described above, the CPU 11 of the electronic timepiece 10 executes the shortening control process shown in Fig. 12 in step Sc of Fig. 10. In this shortening control process, the CPU 11 determines whether a user operation has been performed to instruct the generation of reply data (step S41). If it is determined that the user operation has been performed ("YES" in step S41), the CPU 11 generates reply data in accordance with the user's instruction and transmits the reply data to the administrator terminal 20 by publishing it in topic B (step S42). The CPU 11 determines whether the size of the transmitted reply data is equal to or greater than the reference data amount (step S43). If it is determined that the size of the reply data is equal to or greater than the reference data amount ("YES" in step S43), the CPU 11 executes the shortening process (step Sa) and terminates the shortening control process. Furthermore, if it is determined in step S41 that no user operation has been performed to instruct the generation of reply data ("NO" in step S41), or if it is determined in step S43 that the size of the reply data is less than the reference data amount ("NO" in step S43), the CPU 11 terminates the shortening control process without executing the shortening process. Note that the shortening process may be always executed when the reply data is first sent, regardless of the size of the reply data. In this case, step S43 may be omitted.

[0058] Although Fig. 10 illustrates a process flow modified from Fig. 9, it may also be a process flow modified from Fig. 8. In this case, step Sa in Fig. 8 is deleted, and the electronic timepiece 10 executes the shortening control process after step S8.

[0059] As described above, the electronic timepiece 10 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 11 and a communication unit 19 that communicates with the administrator terminal 20 via the message management server 30 and the data storage server 40. The communication unit 19 intermittently waits for data reception from the message management server 30 at a predetermined standby interval. When the communication unit 19 receives a start notification via the message management server 30, the CPU 11 executes a shortening process to shorten the standby interval. When an extension execution condition is met after the shortening process, the CPU 11 executes an extension process to extend the standby interval. This allows the CPU 11 to reduce power consumption by normally waiting for data reception at the eDRX interval, and to reduce delays in receiving subsequently transmitted data by shortening the standby interval to DRX when data transmission from the administrator terminal 20 begins. In other words, it is possible to achieve both reduced power consumption and timely data reception.

[0060] Furthermore, the CPU 11 executes the shortening process when the communication unit 19 receives from the administrator terminal 20 a start notification indicating that data transmission from the administrator terminal 20 will start, and determines that the extension execution condition has been satisfied and executes the extension process when the communication unit 19 receives from the administrator terminal 20 an end notification indicating that data transmission will end. This allows the shortening process to be executed at an appropriate timing when data transmission from the administrator terminal 20 starts, and also allows the extension process to be executed at an appropriate timing when data transmission from the administrator terminal 20 ends.

[0061] Furthermore, if the communication unit 19 does not receive transmission data from the administrator terminal 20 for the first standby time after the execution of the shortening process, the CPU 11 determines that the extension execution condition is satisfied and executes the extension process, thereby saving the power required to receive the completion notification.

[0062] Furthermore, the communication unit 19 communicates with the administrator terminal 20 via the message management server 30, and with the administrator terminal 20 via the data storage server 40. The CPU 11 executes a shortening process when the communication unit 19 receives a start notification from the administrator terminal 20 via the message management server 30, and after executing the shortening process, causes the communication unit 19 to receive transmission data from the administrator terminal 20 via the data storage server 40. This makes it possible to receive the start notification via low-power consumption communication using the MQTT protocol, while receiving larger amounts of data using HTTP.

[0063] Furthermore, in the shortening process, the CPU 11 shortens the cycle for intermittently waiting for data reception from the message management server 30 from the eDRX cycle to the DRX cycle, thereby shortening the standby interval, and in the extension process, extends the cycle from the DRX cycle to the eDRX cycle, thereby extending the standby interval. This makes it possible to adjust the standby interval through a simple process of switching between the DRX cycle and the eDRX cycle.

[0064] Furthermore, in the shortening process, the CPU 11 may shorten the standby interval by shortening the cycle for intermittently waiting for data reception from the message management server 30 from the eDRX cycle at that time to an eDRX cycle that is shorter than the eDRX cycle, and in the extension process, may extend the standby interval by extending the cycle from the eDRX cycle at that time to an eDRX cycle that is longer than the eDRX cycle. This makes it possible to adjust the standby interval by a simple process of switching between eDRX cycles of different lengths.

[0065] Furthermore, in a modified example, the CPU 11 executes the shortening process at the timing when the second standby time has elapsed since the communication unit 19 received the start notification, and determines the second standby time based on the content of the transmission data received from the administrator terminal 20 for the first time after receiving the start notification, or the content of the start notification. This makes it possible to maintain the eDRX operation and reduce power consumption during the period when no additional data is transmitted from the administrator terminal 20 until the person being watched over replies.

[0066] Furthermore, in a modified example, after the communication unit 19 receives the start notification, the CPU 11 executes the shortening process at the timing when the communication unit 19 transmits reply data to the administrator terminal 20. This also makes it possible to maintain the eDRX operation and reduce power consumption during the period when no additional data is transmitted from the administrator terminal 20 until the person being watched over replies.

[0067] In a modified example, the CPU 11 executes the shortening process at the timing when the communication unit 19 transmits reply data of a size equal to or larger than the reference data amount to the administrator terminal 20. As a result, in cases such as when the reply audio data from the electronic watch 10 to the administrator terminal 20 is extremely short, it is possible to assume that there is no additional reply from the administrator terminal 20, maintain eDRX operation, and reduce power consumption.

[0068] Furthermore, in the communication control method according to this embodiment, the CPU 11 executes a shortening process to shorten the standby interval when the communication unit 19 receives a start notification via the message management server 30, and executes an extension process to extend the standby interval when an extension execution condition is satisfied after the execution of the shortening process. This makes it possible to reduce delays in data reception while suppressing power consumption.

[0069] Furthermore, the program 131 according to this embodiment causes the CPU 11 to function as a control means, and the control means executes a shortening process to shorten the standby interval when the communication unit 19 receives a start notification via the message management server 30, and executes an extension process to extend the standby interval when an extension execution condition is satisfied after the execution of the shortening process. This makes it possible to reduce delays in data reception while suppressing power consumption.

[0070] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a start notification was used as an example of a "certain notification," but this is not limiting. For example, the first transmission data from the administrator terminal 20 to the electronic watch 10 in FIG. 9 or 10 may be used as a "certain notification." In this case, the administrator terminal 20 may indicate that the transmission data corresponds to a start notification by publishing the transmission data to topic A. A message indicating that the transmission data is a start notification may also be added to the transmission data. Furthermore, when an electronic watch 10 operating in eDRX initially receives transmission data from the administrator terminal 20 by any method, the transmission data may be considered to be a start notification.

[0071] Furthermore, the communication protocol between the electronic watch 10 and the administrator terminal 20 is not limited to the MQTT protocol and HTTP, and any communication protocol can be used.

[0072] Furthermore, the wireless communication method between the electronic timepiece 10 and the base station 60 is not limited to LPWA, and any wireless communication method can be used as long as it allows for a changeable standby interval.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the electronic watch 10 is used as an example of the electronic device, but the electronic device may be any device that operates on battery power. For example, the electronic device may be a portable device such as a smartphone or tablet, or a wearable device such as an activity tracker or blood pressure monitor. In addition, while the administrator terminal 20 serving as a communication device is a smartphone, the communication device may be any device capable of communicating with the electronic device.

[0074] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the communication system 1 is applied to a monitoring service for a person being monitored, but the use of the communication system 1 is not limited to this. For example, the communication system 1 may be used to manage workers working at a construction site or other work site. In this case, a worker carries an electronic device (such as the electronic watch 10), and a manager who manages the worker operates a communication device (such as the manager terminal 20). Furthermore, the electronic device may be worn or attached to a monitoring target other than a person, such as an animal or luggage.

[0075] In addition, in the above embodiment, the "server" is exemplified as data communication via the message management server 30 and the data storage server 40 of the cloud platform 100, but this is not limited to this, and the "server" may be any information processing device that relays communication between electronic devices and communication devices.

[0076] In the above description, an example has been disclosed in which a flash memory in the storage unit 13 is used as a computer-readable medium for the program according to the present invention, but this is not limiting. Other computer-readable media such as HDDs, SSDs, and CD-ROMs can be used. Furthermore, a carrier wave can also be used as a medium for providing data for the program according to the present invention via a communication line.

[0077] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the detailed configuration and detailed operation of each component of the communication system 1 in the above embodiment can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0078] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 1... communication system, 10... electronic clock (electronic device), 11... CPU (control unit, control means), 19... communication unit, 20... administrator terminal (communication device), 30... message management server (server, first server), 40... data storage server (server, second server)

Claims

1. A control unit; a communication unit that communicates with an external communication device via a server, the communication unit intermittently waits for data reception from the server at predetermined standby intervals; The control unit When the communication unit receives a certain notification via the server, a shortening process is executed to shorten the standby interval; When a certain condition is satisfied after the execution of the shortening process, an extension process is executed to extend the standby interval. electronic equipment.

2. The control unit the communication unit executes the shortening process when receiving a first notification from the communication device indicating that data transmission from the communication device will be started; when the communication unit receives a second notification from the communication device indicating that the data transmission will end, the communication unit determines that the certain condition is satisfied and executes the extension process. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

3. when a period during which the communication unit does not receive transmission data from the communication device continues for a first standby time after the execution of the shortening process, the control unit determines that the certain condition is satisfied and executes the extension process. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

4. the communication unit performs communication with the communication device via a first server and communication with the communication device via a second server different from the first server; The control unit When the communication unit receives the certain notification from the communication device via the first server, the communication unit executes the shortening process; After the shortening process is performed, the communication unit receives transmission data from the communication device via the second server. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

5. The control unit In the shortening process, a period for intermittently waiting for data reception from the server is shortened from a first period to a second period that is shorter than the first period, thereby shortening the standby interval; In the extension process, the standby interval is extended by extending the period from the second period to the first period; the first cycle is a standard value of the cycle defined in eDRX (extended Discontinuous Reception), The second cycle is one of a plurality of cycle specification values ​​defined in DRX (Discontinuous Reception). The electronic device according to claim 1 .

6. The control unit In the shortening process, a period for intermittently waiting for data reception from the server is shortened from a first period to a second period that is shorter than the first period, thereby shortening the standby interval; In the extension process, the standby interval is extended by extending the period from the second period to the first period; the first cycle is one of a plurality of cycle specification values ​​defined in eDRX, The second cycle is any one of the plurality of cycle specification values ​​defined in the eDRX that is shorter than the first cycle. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

7. The control unit executes the shortening process at a timing when a second waiting time has elapsed since the communication unit received the certain notification; determining the second waiting time based on the content of the transmission data first received from the communication device after receiving the certain notification, or the content of the certain notification; The electronic device according to claim 1 .

8. the control unit executes the shortening process at a timing when the communication unit transmits data to the communication device after the communication unit receives the certain notification. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

9. the control unit executes the shortening process at a timing when the communication unit causes the communication device to transmit data having a size equal to or larger than a reference data amount.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8.

10. A communication control method executed by a computer of an electronic device, the electronic device having a communication unit that communicates with an external communication device via a server, the communication unit intermittently waiting for data reception from the server at predetermined waiting intervals, When the communication unit receives a certain notification via the server, a shortening process is executed to shorten the standby interval; When a certain condition is satisfied after the execution of the shortening process, an extension process is executed to extend the standby interval. Communication control method.

11. a communication unit that communicates with an external communication device via a server, the communication unit intermittently waiting for data reception from the server at predetermined waiting intervals, and causes a computer of the electronic device to function as a control means; The control means When the communication unit receives a certain notification via the server, a shortening process is executed to shorten the standby interval; When a certain condition is satisfied after the execution of the shortening process, an extension process is executed to extend the standby interval. program.

Images