Wireless terminal, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

To suppress an increase in power consumption of a radio terminal capable of switching a plurality of communication systems.SOLUTION: The radio terminal includes a first radio unit configured to perform communication control and data transmission by first radio communication at a first maximum communication speed, a second radio unit configured to perform second radio communication at a second maximum communication speed higher than the first maximum communication speed, and a control unit configured to switch, when detecting a base station corresponding to the second radio communication, communication processing from first radio communication processing in which the first radio unit performs communication control and data transmission to second radio communication processing in which the first radio unit performs communication control and the second radio unit performs data transmission. The control unit measures a speed of data transmission in the first radio communication processing, and suppresses switching from the first radio communication processing to the second radio communication processing when the measured speed of the data transmission is equal to or lower than a threshold set to be equal to or lower than the first maximum communication speed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless terminal, an information processing method, and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the fifth generation mobile communication system (5G) has been widely adopted to realize a faster communication environment. To complement the 5G environment, which is not yet fully developed, wireless communication terminals that support both the conventional Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 5G communication methods have been proposed. One example of such wireless communication terminals is the Non-Stand Alone (NSA) wireless communication terminal.

[0003] Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for handing over a wireless terminal from a 4G base station that cannot be used as an anchor band to a 4G base station that can be used as an anchor band in a non-standalone (NSA) communication system. Patent Document 2 proposes a technique for displaying an icon indicating connection to a first network on a first wireless communication device. Patent Document 3 proposes a technique for allocating battery usage to a function indicated by a function icon by superimposing the function icon on a battery icon. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-162047 [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2020-521379 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-195657 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the NSA's communications system, when a wireless terminal connected to an LTE base station detects a 5G base station, it switches the base station used to transmit user data from a 4G base station to a 5G base station. While the maximum communication speed of wireless communications with a 5G base station is faster than that of wireless communications with a 4G base station, power consumption is often higher than that of wireless communications with a 4G base station. Therefore, when 5G wireless communications are initiated in situations where a lower data transmission speed is acceptable, there is a risk that the benefits of high-speed communications will be negated and power consumption of the wireless terminal will increase.

[0006] An object of one aspect of the disclosed technology is to suppress an increase in power consumption of a wireless terminal that can switch between multiple communication methods. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the disclosed technology is exemplified by the following wireless terminal. The wireless terminal includes: a first wireless unit that performs communication control and data transmission through a first wireless communication at a first maximum communication speed; a second wireless unit that performs a second wireless communication at a second maximum communication speed that is faster than the first maximum communication speed; and a control unit that, when a base station compatible with the second wireless communication is detected, switches communication processing from a first wireless communication process in which the first wireless unit performs communication control and data transmission to a second wireless communication process in which the first wireless unit performs communication control and data transmission, and the second wireless unit performs data transmission. The control unit measures a data transmission speed in the first wireless communication process, and, if the measured data transmission speed is equal to or lower than a threshold set to be equal to or lower than the first maximum communication speed, inhibits switching from the first wireless communication process to the second wireless communication process. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The disclosed technology can suppress an increase in power consumption of a wireless terminal that can switch between multiple communication methods. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of a smartphone according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the smartphone according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating communication between the smartphone and the base station according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating state transitions of the smartphone according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 compares the power consumption of smartphones during LTE and 5G communication. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing block of the smartphone according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a status icon display area for icons indicating communication statuses in the smartphone according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a first diagram illustrating variations of the battery icon in the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a second diagram illustrating variations of the battery icon in the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a third diagram illustrating variations of the battery icon in the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the state of the smartphone and the threshold value in the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a first diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow of the smartphone according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a second diagram illustrating an example of the processing flow of the smartphone according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a third diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow of the smartphone according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <Embodiment> The configurations of the embodiments described below are merely examples, and the disclosed technology is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments. A wireless terminal according to the present embodiment includes, for example, the following configuration: The wireless terminal includes a first wireless unit that performs communication control and data transmission through a first wireless communication at a first maximum communication speed; a second wireless unit that performs a second wireless communication at a second maximum communication speed that is faster than the first maximum communication speed; and a control unit that, upon detecting a base station compatible with the second wireless communication, switches communication processing from a first wireless communication process in which communication control and data transmission are performed by the first wireless unit to a second wireless communication process in which communication control is performed by the first wireless unit and data transmission is performed by the second wireless unit. The control unit measures a data transmission speed in the first wireless communication process, and, if the measured data transmission speed is equal to or lower than a threshold set to be equal to or lower than the first maximum communication speed, inhibits switching from the first wireless communication process to the second wireless communication process.

[0011] When the data transmission speed is equal to or lower than the threshold, it is considered that there is little advantage in the data transmission speed even if the second wireless communication process, which allows faster data transmission than the first wireless communication process, is performed. On the other hand, since the second wireless communication process performs data transmission at high speed, the power consumption of the wireless terminal is likely to increase. When the data transmission speed in the first wireless communication process is equal to or lower than the threshold, the wireless terminal switches from the first wireless communication process to the second wireless communication process. By suppressing the switching, it is possible to suppress the start of the second wireless communication process when high-speed communication has little merit, and as a result, the wireless terminal can suppress an increase in power consumption caused by the start of the second wireless communication process when high-speed communication has little merit.

[0012] An embodiment in which the wireless terminal is applied to a smartphone will be further described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of a smartphone 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 illustrates the appearance of the front side of the smartphone 100. The smartphone 100 has a plate-shaped housing 110. The distance (thickness) between the front and back sides of the housing 110 is short compared to the outer dimensions of the front or back side. In FIG. 1, the upper side as you face the page is the upper side of the housing 110, and the lower side as you face the page is the lower side of the housing 110.

[0013] A touch screen 113 is provided on the front surface of the housing 110. The touch screen 113 includes a display and a touch panel superimposed on the entire display surface. The smartphone 100 is provided with the touch screen 113, allowing touch operations with a finger or the like. A speaker 111 is provided at the center of the upper side of the touch screen 113. A microphone 112 is provided at the center of the lower side of the touch screen 113.

[0014] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a smartphone 100 according to an embodiment. The smartphone 100 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 101, a main memory unit 102, an auxiliary memory unit 103, a communication unit 104, a speaker 111, a microphone 112, a touch screen 113, a first wireless communication unit 114, a second wireless communication unit 115, and a battery 116. The CPU 101, the main memory unit 102, the auxiliary memory unit 103, the communication unit 104, the speaker 111, the microphone 112, the touch screen 113, the first wireless communication unit 114, the second wireless communication unit 115, and the battery 116 are connected to one another by a connection bus.

[0015] The CPU 101 is also referred to as a microprocessor unit (MPU) or processor. The CPU 101 is not limited to a single processor and may have a multiprocessor configuration. Furthermore, a single CPU 101 connected via a single socket may have a multi-core configuration. At least a portion of the processing performed by the CPU 101 may be performed by a processor other than the CPU 101, such as a dedicated processor, such as a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a numerical calculation processor, a vector processor, or an image processing processor. At least a portion of the processing performed by the CPU 101 may be performed by an integrated circuit (IC) or other digital circuit. Furthermore, at least a portion of the CPU 101 may include an analog circuit. Examples of integrated circuits include large-scale integrated circuits (LSIs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and programmable logic devices (PLDs). Examples of PLDs include field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). The CPU 101 may be a combination of a processor and an integrated circuit. This combination is called, for example, a microcontroller unit (MCU), a system-on-a-chip (SoC), a system LSI, or a chipset. In the smartphone 100, the CPU 101 loads a program stored in the auxiliary storage unit 103 into a work area in the main storage unit 102 and controls peripheral devices through the execution of the program. This enables the smartphone 100 to execute processing that meets a predetermined purpose. The main storage unit 102 and the auxiliary storage unit 103 are recording media that the smartphone 100 can read.

[0016] The main storage unit 102 is exemplified as a storage unit that is directly accessed by the CPU 101. The main storage unit 102 includes a random access memory (RAM) and a read only memory (ROM).

[0017] The auxiliary storage unit 103 stores various programs and various data on a readable and writable recording medium. The auxiliary storage unit 103 is also called an external storage device. The auxiliary storage unit 103 stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc. The OS includes a communication interface program that exchanges data with external devices connected via the communication unit 104. The external devices include, for example, other information processing devices and external storage devices connected via a computer network, etc. The auxiliary storage unit 103 may be, for example, part of a cloud system, which is a group of computers on a network.

[0018] The auxiliary storage unit 103 is, for example, an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), a solid state drive (SSD), a hard disk drive (HDD), or the like.

[0019] The speaker 111 is a sound source that outputs sound. The speaker 111 outputs sound such as the voice of the other party during a call using the smartphone 100. The microphone 112 is a microphone that is mainly used during a call. The microphone 112 receives input of sound such as the user's voice during a call using the smartphone 100.

[0020] The touch screen 113 displays data processed by the CPU 101 and data stored in the main memory unit 102. As described above, the touch screen 113 includes a display and a touch panel. The display is, for example, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Plasma Display Panel (PDP), an Electroluminescence (EL) panel, or an organic EL panel. The touch panel is, for example, a capacitive touch panel. The touch screen 113 is an example of a "display unit."

[0021] The first wireless communication unit 114 performs wireless communication with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) base station. The second wireless communication unit 115 performs wireless communication with a fifth-generation mobile communication system (hereinafter, 5G) base station. In 5G, communication is performed using radio waves with frequencies up to 6 GHz (sub6: FR1) or radio waves with frequencies from 24 GHz to 40 GHz (millimeter waves: FR2). The second wireless communication unit 115 may be compatible with both sub6 and millimeter waves, or may be compatible with either sub6 or millimeter waves.

[0022] The battery 116 is a storage battery that supplies power to the smartphone 100. The remaining capacity of the battery 116 can be detected by the CPU 101 via a connection bus, for example.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating communication between a smartphone 100 and a base station according to an embodiment. In FIG. 3, the control plane that controls communication is referred to as the "C-plane," and the user plane that transmits and receives user data is referred to as the "U-plane." (A) of FIG. 3 schematically illustrates communication between the smartphone 100 and a base station 51 that supports LTE. When communicating with the base station 51, the smartphone 100 performs LTE communication using the first wireless communication unit 114 on both the user plane and the control plane. (B) of FIG. 3 schematically illustrates communication between the smartphone 100 and a base station 52 that supports 5G. When communicating with the base station 52, the smartphone 100 communicates with the base station 52 using the first wireless communication unit 115 on the user plane and the first wireless communication unit 116 on the control plane. 4 to communicate with the base station 51. When communicating with the base station 51 or when communicating with the base station 52, the smartphone 100 connects to the base station 51 using the first wireless communication unit 114 in the control plane. In other words, the smartphone 100 is an NSA wireless communication terminal. Note that although the base station 51 and the base station 52 are depicted as separate base stations in FIG. 3, the base station 51 and the base station 52 may be formed as a single base station.

[0024] <Power Consumption of Smartphone 100 During LTE Communication and 5G Communication> FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the state transition of the smartphone 100 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 4, the state transitions among the "standby", "in communication", and "communication standby" states are schematically shown. Each of the "standby", "in communication", and "communication standby" states is assigned a number surrounded by "○(circle)" for comparison with FIG. 5.

[0025] The "standby" state is, for example, a state in which the smartphone 100 does not transmit or receive data in the user plane and transmits or receives data in the control plane. The "in communication" state is, for example, a state in which the smartphone 100 transmits and receives packets in the user plane. The "communication standby" state is, for example, a state in the middle of transitioning from the completion of packet transmission and reception to standby. When a communication packet is generated in the communication standby state, the smartphone 100 transitions from the communication standby state to the in communication state. When the communication state monitoring timer for monitoring the communication state expires in the communication standby state, the smartphone 100 transitions to the standby state.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a diagram comparing the power consumption of the smartphone 100 during LTE communication and 5G communication. In FIG. 5, the vertical axis illustrates current and the horizontal axis indicates time. That is, in FIG. 5, the area of the figure formed by the graph and the horizontal axis represents the power consumption. Also, the numbers surrounded by "○(circle)" in FIG. 5 correspond to the numbers surrounded by "○(circle)" in FIG. 4. For example, the number "2" surrounded by "○(circle)" in FIG. 5 indicates the "in communication" state.

[0027] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the relationship between current and time during LTE communication and 5G communication for each of three states of the smartphone 100 ("standby," "small amount of packets," and "large amount of packets"). The "standby" state exemplifies a state in which the smartphone 100 does not transmit or receive data on the user plane, but transmits or receives data on the control plane. The "small amount of packets" exemplifies a state in which the smartphone 100 transmits or receives a small amount of packets on the user plane. The "large amount of packets" exemplifies a state in which the smartphone 100 transmits or receives a large amount of packets on the user plane.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 5, in the "standby" state, there is almost no difference in the power consumption of the smartphone 100 between LTE and 5G. Also, in the "small packet volume" state, the power consumption of the smartphone 100 is higher with 5G than with LTE. This is because, although 5G can complete packet transmission and reception in a shorter time than LTE, 5G consumes more power in the active communication state and communication standby state, resulting in the power consumption of 5G being higher than that of LTE. In the "large packet volume" state, 5G can complete packet transmission and reception in a shorter time than LTE, so the power consumption of the smartphone 100 in 5G is less than that in 4G.

[0029] From this, it can be understood that if the smartphone 100 starts communication in 5G even though the amount of packets being transmitted and received is small, there is a risk that the power consumption of the smartphone 100 will increase. When the amount of packets being transmitted and received is small, it can also be said that the communication speed for a predetermined period is slow. In other words, if the smartphone 100 starts communication in 5G when the communication speed of the smartphone 100 in 4G is slow, there is a risk that the power consumption of the smartphone 100 will increase while the advantage of the communication speed of 5G is not seen much. It can be said that there is.

[0030] <Processing block of smartphone 100> 6 is a diagram showing an example of processing blocks of a smartphone 100 according to an embodiment. The smartphone 100 includes a first wireless communication processing unit 11, a second wireless communication processing unit 12, and a control unit 13. The smartphone 100 executes processing as each unit of the smartphone 100, such as the first wireless communication processing unit 11, the second wireless communication processing unit 12, and the control unit 13, by causing a CPU 101 to execute a computer program deployed in an executable manner in a main storage unit 102.

[0031] The first wireless communication processing unit 11 controls the first wireless communication unit 114 to perform LTE wireless communication with the base station 51. The second wireless communication processing unit 12 controls the second wireless communication unit 115 to perform 5G wireless communication with the base station 52. The first wireless communication processing unit 11 is an example of a "first wireless unit." The second wireless communication processing unit 12 is an example of a "second wireless unit."

[0032] The control unit 13 controls switching between a first method in which the first wireless communication processing unit 11 performs wireless communication on the control plane and the user plane, and a second method in which the first wireless communication processing unit 11 performs wireless communication on the control plane and the second wireless communication processing unit 12 performs wireless communication on the user plane. The state in which communication is performed by the second method is also called an E-UTRAN New Radio - Dual Connectivity (ENDC) state.

[0033] For example, when the smartphone 100 detects base station 51 but does not detect base station 52, the control unit 13 performs wireless communication using the first method. Furthermore, when the control unit 13 detects both base station 51 and base station 52, the control unit 13 performs wireless communication using the second method. Furthermore, when the control unit 13 detects base station 52 during wireless communication using the first method, the control unit 13 performs control to switch the communication method from the first method to the second method. The first method is an example of a "first wireless communication process." The second method is an example of a "second wireless communication process."

[0034] As described with reference to FIG. 5, if 5G communication is initiated when the communication speed during LTE communication is slow, there is little benefit in terms of communication speed, while power consumption of the smartphone 100 increases. Therefore, the control unit 13 measures the communication speed during communication using the first method. If the measured communication speed is equal to or less than a threshold set to be equal to or less than the maximum communication speed of the LTE method, the control unit 13 does not switch to the second method even if a base station 52 is detected, and performs control to continue wireless communication using the first method. The state in which power consumption is reduced by not switching to the second method even if a base station 52 is detected and performing control to continue wireless communication using the first method is also referred to in this specification as a "smart battery mode."

[0035] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a status icon display area 1131 of an icon indicating a communication status in the smartphone 100 according to the embodiment. On the touch screen 113 of the smartphone 100, an icon indicating whether the user plane is communicating wirelessly via LTE or 5G is displayed in the status icon display area 1131. Therefore, if wireless communication using the first method is continued despite the base station 52 being detected, an icon indicating that wireless communication is being performed via LTE is displayed on the touch screen 113, as illustrated in FIG. 7. Since wireless communication using LTE is being performed even though wireless communication using 5G is possible, this may remind the user of the smartphone 100 of a malfunction of the smartphone 100 and cause anxiety. Therefore, the control unit 13 displays a smart battery icon indicating that the smartphone is in smart battery mode in the status icon display area 1131.

[0036] 8 to 10 are diagrams illustrating variations of the battery icon 20 in an embodiment. FIG. 8 illustrates variations of the smart battery icon 20 indicating smart battery mode by adding various displays to the 5G icon 21. In (A) of FIG. 8, a meter icon 23 indicating a low communication speed is added to the 5G icon 21 indicating 5G and the battery icon 22 indicating a battery. In (B) of FIG. 8, the 5G icon 21 is outlined to indicate a state different from the second method, and the gauge-style meter icon 23 indicates a low communication speed. In (C) of FIG. 8, a variation of the smart battery icon 20 is added to the icon in (A) of FIG. 8 by adding a speed measurement value display area 24 that displays the actual measurement value of the communication speed instead of the meter icon 23.

[0037] (D) of Fig. 8 is a variation of the smart battery icon 20, which indicates the communication speed by the height of the shaded area 25 superimposed on the 5G icon 21. (E) of Fig. 8 is a variation of the smart battery icon 20, in which the color of the battery icon 22 is a different color from that during communication using the second method.

[0038] (F) in Fig. 8 is a variation of the smart battery icon 20 in which the shape is different from that when communicating by the second method by placing the 5G icon 21 inside the meter icon 23. (G) in Fig. 8 is a variation of the smart battery icon 20 in which the eco icon 26 is added to the 5G icon 21 to indicate that the icon is environmentally friendly (has low power consumption).

[0039] (H) in Fig. 8 is a variation of the smart battery icon 20 in which low power consumption is indicated by adding a B symbol 27, which indicates low power consumption of the battery 116, to the 5G icon 21. (I) in Fig. 8 is a variation of the smart battery icon 20 in which the color of the 5G icon 21 is a color different from that of the second method. (J) in Fig. 8 is a variation of the smart battery icon 20 in which the periphery of the 5G icon 21 is filled in.

[0040] Figure 9 shows variations of the smart battery icon 20 in which the display mode of the icon indicating signal strength and the number "5" indicating the communication standard are changed. Figures 9(A) to 9(C) show variations of the smart battery icon 20 that indicate smart battery mode by changing the area filled in the signal strength display 28. Figure 9(D) to 9(F) show variations of the smart battery icon 20 that indicate smart battery mode by changing the area filled in the 5G numeric icon 29 indicating 5G.

[0041] Fig. 10 illustrates variations of the smart battery icon 20 in which a battery icon 22 and a meter icon 23 are added to a 5G numeric icon 29. Fig. 10 illustrates variations of the smart battery icon 20 in which the display mode of the battery icon 22 and the meter icon 23 is changed or in which the battery icon 22 or the meter icon 23 is omitted. As illustrated in Figs. 8 to 10, the smart battery icon 20 can adopt various display modes.

[0042] Returning to FIG. 6, the control unit 13 may vary the threshold value used to determine whether to switch the wireless communication system to the second system depending on the state of the smartphone 100. For example, when the display on the touch screen 113 is turned off (non-display state), such as during a call or when the smartphone 100 is in a sleep state, the icon indicating the communication status is not visible to the user of the smartphone 100. For this reason, the threshold value used to determine whether to switch to wireless communication using the second system may be set to a higher value. By setting the threshold value in this way, it is possible to reduce the amount of time required for the first system to be switched to the second system. This makes it easier to maintain wireless communication, and the power consumption of the smartphone 100 can be further reduced.

[0043] Furthermore, when the remaining charge of the battery 116 of the smartphone 100 is low, it is preferable to further reduce power consumption. Therefore, the control unit 13 may detect the remaining charge of the battery 116 of the smartphone 100, and when the remaining charge of the battery 116 is low, may set a higher threshold value used to determine whether to switch the wireless communication system to the second system. In other words, the smartphone 100 may change the threshold value depending on the state of the smartphone 100.

[0044] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the state of the smartphone 100 and the threshold value in this embodiment. In FIG. 11, "Display OFF" illustrates a state in which the touch screen 113 is off, and "Display ON" illustrates a state in which the touch screen 113 is on. Also, "Battery FULL" illustrates a state in which the remaining charge of the battery 116 is nearly fully charged, and "Battery Medium," "Battery Low," and "Battery Almost Empty" illustrate states in which the remaining charge of the battery 116 decreases in this order. Also, "Level 1," "Level 2," "Level 3," and "Level 4" in FIG. 11 illustrate threshold values ​​that change in stages, with "Level 1" being the lowest and "Level 2," "Level 3," and "Level 4" being higher in this order.

[0045] 11, when the touch screen 113 is off, the threshold value is set to "Level 4" regardless of the remaining charge of the battery 116. When the touch screen 113 is on, the threshold value is set to a higher value as the remaining charge of the battery 116 decreases.

[0046] Here, when the communication speed during wireless communication using the first method is faster than the threshold, the communication speed during wireless communication using the first method and the communication speed of wireless communication after switching to the second method often generally match. However, due to factors such as congestion occurring in either LTE or 5G, a difference in communication speed may occur before and after switching to the second method. In such cases, the threshold may be corrected. That is, if the communication speed after switching to the second method is "N (N is an arbitrary number) Mbps" faster, a value of approximately "N / 10" may be subtracted from each of the thresholds for levels 1 to 4 to promote transition to the second method. Furthermore, if the communication speed after switching to the second method is "N (N is an arbitrary number) Mbps" slower, a value of approximately "N / 10" may be added to each of the thresholds for levels 1 to 4 to inhibit transition to the second method.

[0047] <Processing flow of smartphone 100> 12 to 14 are diagrams showing an example of a processing flow of the smartphone 100 according to the embodiment. An example of the processing flow of the smartphone 100 will be described below with reference to Fig. 12 to 14. Note that in the processing flows illustrated in Fig. 12 to 14, it is assumed that the smartphone 100 is in a communication standby state within the cell of the base station 51.

[0048] At T1, the control unit 13 determines whether or not a base station 52 has been detected. If a base station 52 has been detected (YES at T1), the process proceeds to T2. If a base station 52 has not been detected (NO at T1), an icon indicating an LTE connection is displayed in the status icon display area 1131 of the touch screen 113.

[0049] At T2, the control unit 13 displays an icon indicating a 5G connection in the status icon display area 1131. At T3, the control unit 13 determines whether a communication packet has occurred. If a communication packet has occurred (YES at T3), the process proceeds to T4. If a communication packet has not occurred (NO at T3), the process returns to T1.

[0050] At T4, the control unit 13 measures the communication speed in LTE. The control unit 13 also measures the cell power of the base station 52. At T5, the control unit 13 determines whether the touch screen 113 is on or not. If the touch screen 113 is on (YES at T5), the process proceeds to T6. If the touch screen 113 is off (NO at T5), the process proceeds to T7.

[0051] At T6, the control unit 13 detects the remaining charge of the battery 116. The control unit 13 sets a threshold value according to the detected remaining charge of the battery 116. For example, the threshold value is set to a value selected from levels 1 to 4 in FIG. 11. At T7, the control unit 13 sets the threshold value to, for example, level 4 in FIG. 11.

[0052] At T8, the control unit 13 determines whether the communication speed measured at T4 is faster than the threshold set at T6 or T7. If it is faster than the threshold (YES at T8), the process proceeds to T9. If it is equal to or less than the threshold (NO at T8), the process proceeds to T13.

[0053] At T9, the control unit 13 starts wireless communication using the second method. At T10, the control unit 13 determines whether communication is continuing. For example, the control unit 13 determines whether an application program running on the smartphone 100 is transmitting and receiving data to and from another device via wireless communication. If communication is continuing (YES at T10), the process proceeds to T11. If communication is not continuing (NO at T10), the process returns to T1.

[0054] At T11, the control unit 13 measures the communication speed of the wireless communication according to the second method. The control unit 13 determines whether the measured speed has changed from the communication speed measured at T4. If it has changed (YES at T11), the process proceeds to T12. If it has not changed (NO at T11), the process returns to T9.

[0055] At T12, the control unit 13 corrects the threshold value based on the communication speed during wireless communication using the first method and the communication speed during wireless communication using the second method. The corrected threshold value may be stored in, for example, the auxiliary storage unit 103. Thereafter, the process proceeds to T9.

[0056] In T13, the control unit 13 determines whether the received Measurement Report includes information about the 5G base station 52. When the Measurement Report does not include information about the base station 52, it may be, for example, when the cell power of the base station 52 measured in T4 does not satisfy a predetermined standard. When the Measurement Report includes information about the base station 52 (YES in T13), the process proceeds to T14. When the Measurement Report does not include information about the base station 52 (NO in T13), the process proceeds to T16.

[0057] At T14, the control unit 13 transitions to the smart battery mode. That is, even though wireless communication with the base station 52 is possible, the control unit 13 does not transition the user plane wireless communication to 5G communication with the base station 52, and maintains LTE communication with the base station 51. At T15, the control unit 13 displays the smart battery icon 20 in the status icon display area 1131.

[0058] At T16, the control unit 13 maintains the wireless communication according to the first system. At T17, the control unit 13 displays in the status icon display area 1131 an icon indicating that LTE communication is being performed.

[0059] At T18, the control unit 13 determines whether the communication is continuing. If the communication is not continuing (NO in T18), the process returns to T1.

[0060] <Effects of the embodiment> When the data transmission speed measured during communication using the LTE system is equal to or lower than a threshold set to be equal to or lower than the maximum communication speed of the LTE system, the smartphone 100 according to the embodiment does not switch to the second system even if it detects a base station 52 compatible with 5G communication, and performs control to continue wireless communication using the first system. When the data transmission speed measured during communication using the LTE system is equal to or lower than the threshold, it is considered that there is almost no benefit to high-speed communication even if communication using the second system is started. On the other hand, starting communication using the second system may increase power consumption of the smartphone 100. When the data transmission speed measured during communication using the LTE system is equal to or lower than the threshold, the smartphone 100 can suppress an increase in power consumption of the smartphone 100 by suppressing transition to communication using the second system.

[0061] In the embodiment, the smartphone 100 is controlled so that the threshold value becomes higher as the remaining charge of the battery 116 decreases. Therefore, the lower the remaining charge of the battery 116 becomes, the more difficult it becomes to transition to the second method. Therefore, an increase in power consumption of the smartphone 100 can be further suppressed.

[0062] In the embodiment, when the touch screen 113 is off, the smartphone 100 sets the threshold to level 4 regardless of the remaining charge of the battery 116. When the touch screen 113 is off, the icon indicating the communication status is not visible to the user of the smartphone 100. Therefore, even if LTE communication continues within a range where communication with the base station 52 is possible, it is considered that there is no risk of the user being concerned about a malfunction of the smartphone 100. Therefore, by setting the threshold to be high when the touch screen 113 is off, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the smartphone 100.

[0063] In the embodiment, the smartphone 100 corrects the threshold value according to the difference between the data transmission speed in the first method and the data transmission speed after switching to the second method. Therefore, the smartphone 100 can set a threshold value suitable for the surrounding communication environment that changes from moment to moment as the smartphone 100 moves.

[0064] The embodiments and modifications disclosed above can be combined with each other.

[0065] <<Computer-readable recording medium>> An information processing program that causes a computer or other machine or device (hereinafter referred to as a computer, etc.) to realize any of the above functions can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Then, by having the computer, etc. read and execute the program from this recording medium, the function can be provided.

[0066] Here, a computer-readable recording medium refers to a recording medium that stores information such as data and programs electrically, magnetically, optically, mechanically, or chemically and that can be read by a computer. Among such recording media, those that are removable from a computer include, for example, flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), Compact Disc Recordable (CD-R), Compact Disc Rewriteable (CD-RW), Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), Blu-ray Disc (BD), Digital Audio Tape (DAT), 8mm tape, and memory cards such as flash memory. Furthermore, examples of recording media that are fixed to a computer include hard disks and ROMs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 11. First wireless communication processing unit 12. Second wireless communication processing unit 13 Control section 20··Smart Battery Icon 21··5G icon 22 Battery icon 23 Meter Icon 24 Actual speed measurement display area 25··Shaded area 26··Eco Icon 27··B sign 28...Radio signal strength display 29··5G number icon 100··Smartphone 101 CPU 102...Main memory 103...Auxiliary storage section 104··Communications Department 110··Case 111··Speaker 112··Microphone 113··Touchscreen 114··First Radio Communication Division 115··Second Radio Communication Section 116··Battery 1131 Status icon display area 51...Base station 52...Base station

Claims

1. a first wireless unit that performs communication control and data transmission through a first wireless communication at a first maximum communication speed; a second wireless unit that performs second wireless communication at a second maximum communication speed that is higher than the first maximum communication speed; a control unit that, when detecting a base station compatible with the second wireless communication, switches communication processing from a first wireless communication processing in which communication control and data transmission are performed by the first wireless unit to a second wireless communication processing in which communication control is performed by the first wireless unit and data transmission is performed by the second wireless unit; The control unit measuring a data transmission rate in the first wireless communication process; When the measured data transmission speed is equal to or lower than a threshold set to be equal to or lower than the first maximum communication speed, the switching from the first wireless communication process to the second wireless communication process is inhibited; When the data transmission speed is faster than the threshold, the data transmission speed after switching the communication process to the second wireless communication process is measured, and when the data transmission speed in the second wireless communication process is faster than the data transmission speed in the first wireless communication process, a value corresponding to the speed difference is subtracted from the threshold, and when the data transmission speed in the second wireless communication process is slower than the data transmission speed in the first wireless communication process, a value corresponding to the speed difference is added to the threshold, thereby correcting the threshold. Wireless terminal.

2. The control unit detecting a remaining capacity of a storage battery included in the wireless terminal, and setting the threshold value in stages so that the lower the detected remaining capacity of the storage battery, the higher the threshold value; The wireless terminal of claim 1 .

3. The control unit When the display unit of the wireless terminal is in a non-display state, the threshold value is set to the highest level. The wireless terminal of claim 2.

4. The control unit When the switching to the second wireless communication processing is inhibited, an icon indicating that the switching to the second wireless communication processing is inhibited is displayed on a display unit provided in the wireless terminal. A wireless terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. a computer including a first wireless unit that performs communication control and data transmission by first wireless communication at a first maximum communication speed, and a second wireless unit that performs second wireless communication at a second maximum communication speed that is faster than the first maximum communication speed, a process of switching communication processing from a first wireless communication process in which communication control and data transmission are performed by the first wireless unit to a second wireless communication process in which communication control is performed by the first wireless unit and data transmission is performed by the second wireless unit when a base station compatible with the second wireless communication is detected; a process of measuring a data transmission rate in the first wireless communication process; a process of inhibiting switching from the first wireless communication process to the second wireless communication process when the measured data transmission speed is equal to or lower than a threshold set to be equal to or lower than the first maximum communication speed; If the data transmission speed is faster than the threshold, the data transmission speed after switching communication processing to the second wireless communication processing is measured, and if the data transmission speed in the second wireless communication processing is faster than the data transmission speed in the first wireless communication processing, a value corresponding to the speed difference is subtracted from the threshold, and if the data transmission speed in the second wireless communication processing is slower than the data transmission speed in the first wireless communication processing, a value corresponding to the speed difference is subtracted from the threshold. and performing a process of correcting the threshold value by adding the calculated value to the threshold value. Information processing methods.

6. A computer including a first wireless unit that performs communication control and data transmission by first wireless communication at a first maximum communication speed, and a second wireless unit that performs second wireless communication at a second maximum communication speed that is faster than the first maximum communication speed, a process of switching communication processing from a first wireless communication process in which communication control and data transmission are performed by the first wireless unit to a second wireless communication process in which communication control is performed by the first wireless unit and data transmission is performed by the second wireless unit when a base station compatible with the second wireless communication is detected; a process of measuring a data transmission rate in the first wireless communication process; a process of inhibiting switching from the first wireless communication process to the second wireless communication process when the measured data transmission speed is equal to or lower than a threshold set to be equal to or lower than the first maximum communication speed; and when the data transmission speed is faster than the threshold value, measuring the data transmission speed after switching the communication processing to the second wireless communication processing, and when the data transmission speed in the second wireless communication processing is faster than the data transmission speed in the first wireless communication processing, subtracting a value corresponding to the speed difference from the threshold value, and when the data transmission speed in the second wireless communication processing is slower than the data transmission speed in the first wireless communication processing, adding a value corresponding to the speed difference to the threshold value, thereby correcting the threshold value. Information processing program.

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