Communication methods, communication systems, electronic devices and programs

Abstract

To enable the connection of multiple mobile devices such as smartphones to a single portable wireless device such as a smartwatch, while suppressing an increase in the power consumption of the smartwatch or other portable wireless device. [Solution] A communication method comprising a portable wireless device 1 comprising a control unit 11 and a communication unit 16, a portable terminal device 2A comprising a control unit 21 and a communication unit 26, and a portable terminal device 2B comprising a control unit 21 and a communication unit 26, wherein the control unit 11 causes the communication unit 16 to transmit an advertisement signal conforming to the BLE communication standard, the control unit 21 connects the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2A based on scanning the advertisement signal, and the control unit 11, based on the connection between the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2A, performs a scan of the advertisement signal to connect with the portable terminal device 2B at a frequency shorter than the transmission period of the advertisement signal.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Wristwatch-type smartwatches have come to be used as convenient communication terminals that are connected to smartphones via wireless communication and have functions such as notifying users of calls to the smartphone, incoming e-mails, and call functions. A smartwatch and a smartphone are generally connected by wireless communication conforming to the Bluetooth Low Energy (hereinafter referred to as "BLE") communication standard, which consumes relatively little power. In BLE, a slave device called a peripheral transmits a wireless signal called an advertising signal at a predetermined cycle, and a master device called a central performs scans at a predetermined interval and requests pairing with the slave device when an advertising signal is detected, thereby establishing a wireless connection. Due to the constraints of its shape and dimensions, a smartwatch has a smaller charging capacity compared to other terminals such as smartphones. Therefore, for example, the power required for communication connections with a plurality of terminals becomes a problem.

[0003] For example, in Patent Document 1, in a configuration where an imaging device is BLE-connected to a mobile terminal, it is proposed to reduce power consumption by changing the advertising interval when reconnecting based on the usage situation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, Patent Document 1 considers a configuration in which one imaging device is connected to one mobile terminal via BLE, and does not consider a configuration in which multiple smartphones are connected to one smartwatch.

[0006] One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a communication method, communication system, electronic device, and program that enable the connection of multiple portable terminal devices to a single portable wireless device while suppressing an increase in the power consumption of the portable wireless device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a communication method using a system comprising: a first electronic device comprising a first control unit and a first communication unit for performing wireless communication; a second electronic device comprising a second control unit and a second communication unit for performing wireless communication; and a third electronic device comprising a third control unit and a third communication unit for performing wireless communication, wherein the first control unit causes the first communication unit to transmit a wireless signal which is a signal that is repeatedly output at time intervals including at least a first time interval; the second control unit causes the second communication unit to connect the first electronic device and the second electronic device based on scanning the wireless signal; and the first control unit, based on the connection between the first electronic device and the second electronic device, repeatedly scans the wireless signal to connect with the third electronic device at time intervals including at least a second time interval shorter than the first time interval. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to connect multiple mobile terminal devices to a single portable wireless device while suppressing an increase in the power consumption of the portable wireless device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1A] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a communication system in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1B]This is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a communication system in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a portable wireless device in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a mobile terminal device in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of a portable wireless device in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of a mobile terminal device in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a sequence diagram illustrating a connection sequence in a communication system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7A] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a communication system in another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7B] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a communication system in another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a sequence diagram illustrating a connection sequence in a communication system according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in accordance with its embodiments.

[0011] <Background of this embodiment> First, to help understand this embodiment, let's explain the background. When a smartwatch is wirelessly connected to a smartphone via BLE, the smartwatch typically transmits an advertisement signal as a peripheral, and the smartphone, acting as a central, scans for wireless signals and establishes the wireless connection by detecting the advertisement signal from the smartwatch. This is because the central's wireless signal scan is performed at a shorter frequency than the transmission period of the advertisement signal in order to reliably detect the advertisement signal, thus consuming more power than the peripheral. Therefore, a smartphone, which can be equipped with a larger power supply than the smartwatch, is used as the central.

[0012] The problem with the smartwatch and smartphone connection mode described above is that, due to the BLE specification, a smartwatch acting as a peripheral can only connect to one smartphone acting as the central device. Today, it's not uncommon for individuals to use two smartphones: one for personal use and one for business. In this case, the smartwatch can only connect to one of the smartphones. To use a personal smartphone connected to a business smartphone, the BLE connection procedure must be redone.

[0013] In BLE, an electronic device acting as a central can connect to multiple peripheral electronic devices simultaneously, and there is no upper limit on the number of connections specified in the specifications. Therefore, if a smartwatch is used as the central device in a BLE connection, it is possible to connect and use it with multiple smartphones. However, when a smartwatch is used as the central device, it is necessary to perform scans to detect advertised signals in order to discover peripherals at a shorter interval than the transmission period of the advertised signals. For electronic devices with limited power capacity, such as smartwatches, power consumption becomes a significant problem. This embodiment includes the need to reduce power consumption in smartphones when multiple smartphones are connected to a smartwatch, as described above.

[0014] <Configuration of Communication System> First, referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the configuration of the communication system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams illustrating the overall configuration of the communication system in the present embodiment. The communication system S includes a mobile wireless device 1 which is a first electronic device and a mobile terminal device 2 which is a second electronic device, and the mobile wireless device 1 and the mobile terminal device 2 can be BLE-connected. The mobile wireless device 1 of the present embodiment is configured as a wristwatch-type electronic device that a user wears on the forearm and uses, that is, a so-called smartwatch. The mobile wireless device 1 has standard time display and timekeeping functions such as time display, alarm, and timer. The mobile wireless device 1 may be provided with various measurement functions including temperature measurement, barometric pressure measurement, heart rate measurement, and activity amount measurement such as step count measurement. Alternatively, the mobile wireless device 1 may be an electronic device such as an activity meter that does not have a time display function as a watch, or may be a simple analog watch, digital watch, etc. equipped with a communication function.

[0015] The mobile terminal device 2 is typically a smartphone equipped with a call function. The mobile wireless device 1 as a smartwatch functions as a wireless terminal of the mobile terminal device 2 by being wirelessly connected to the mobile terminal device 2 as a smartphone. Specifically, notifications such as a phone call incoming, an e-mail reception, and a schedule time arrival at the mobile terminal device 2 can be received by the mobile wireless device 1. The mobile terminal device 2 is not limited to a smartphone, and other mobile terminals such as a tablet terminal equipped with a wireless communication function and other electronic devices such as a notebook computer can be assumed. When distinguishing the mobile terminal devices 2 individually, they will be hereinafter referred to as mobile terminal devices 2A and 2B.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1A, in this embodiment, the portable wireless device 1 first functions as a peripheral and transmits an advertisement signal at a predetermined time interval. Specifically, the portable terminal device 2A to be connected functions as a central and performs passive scanning at a time interval shorter than the transmission time interval of the advertisement signal. When the portable terminal device 2A detects an advertisement signal from the portable wireless device 1, the portable terminal device 2A is paired with the portable wireless device 1 through connection processing such as key exchange for encrypted communication. In this embodiment, the reason for making the portable wireless device 1 function as a peripheral is that since the transmission time interval of the advertisement signal is longer than the scanning execution interval as a central, the power consumption is reduced compared to the case of functioning as a central.

[0017] FIG. 1B shows a state where the portable wireless device 1 is paired with one wireless terminal device 2A. The portable wireless device 1 paired with the portable terminal device 2A as a peripheral cannot be directly connected to the second portable terminal device 2B as it is. Therefore, when the portable wireless device 1 is paired with the first wireless terminal device 2A, it changes its function as a BLE terminal to a central. The second portable terminal device 2B functions as a peripheral. In this state, the portable wireless device 1 can detect the advertisement signal transmitted by the second portable terminal device 2B through passive scanning. When the portable wireless device 1 detects an advertisement signal from the second portable terminal device 2B functioning as a peripheral, pairing is executed as in the case of the first one, and the portable wireless device 1 is connected to the two wireless terminal devices 2A and 2B. In this embodiment, since the upper limit of the number of connections of the portable wireless device 1 is set to 2, when the portable wireless device 1 detects connections with the two portable terminal devices 2A and 2B, it can stop the execution of scanning for advertisement signal detection or reduce the execution frequency of scanning to suppress power consumption.

[0018] <Hardware Configuration Example of Portable Wireless Device 1> Next, the configuration of the portable wireless device 1 in this embodiment will be described. Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the portable wireless device 1 in one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 3, the portable wireless device 1 in this embodiment includes a control unit 11, a main memory unit 12, an auxiliary memory unit 13, an input unit 14, an output unit 15, a communication unit 16, a sensor unit 17, and a GNSS unit 18.

[0019] The hardware elements illustrated in Figure 3 will now be described. The control unit 11 is composed of a processor that performs various calculations and control processes necessary for the operation of the portable wireless device 1. The control unit 11 can also be referred to as a processor. The processors that make up the control unit 11 include, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processing Unit), SoC (System on a Chip), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or combinations thereof. The control unit 11 may also be a combination of these processors with hardware accelerators, etc.

[0020] The main memory unit 12 stores programs such as firmware, system software, and application software, and also functions as a work area that is temporarily used for various processing tasks. The main memory unit 12 is composed of, for example, non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0021] The auxiliary storage unit 13 stores data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, and various application programs. The auxiliary storage unit 13 is composed of semiconductor memory or the like.

[0022] The input unit 14 consists of various components such as a touch panel, keys, and a microphone, and accepts user input. The output unit 15 consists of a display equipped with the aforementioned touch panel to display images and a speaker to amplify sound, and outputs images and sound.

[0023] The communication unit 16 controls the wireless communication that the portable wireless device 1 performs with external devices. In this embodiment, the communication unit 16 includes, for example, a BLE module that supports wireless communication with the portable terminal device 2. The BLE module makes the portable wireless device 1 function as a central or peripheral of the BLE communication standard. The communication unit 16 may also include network connection devices such as a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card and a network adapter, and wireless communication devices based on communication standards such as Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) and NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0024] The sensor unit 17 consists of various sensors that detect the user's state and movements. The sensor unit 17 is composed of, for example, an acceleration sensor, an angular acceleration sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, a pressure sensor, a heart rate sensor, etc. The acceleration sensor, angular acceleration sensor, geomagnetic sensor, and pressure sensor can make the sensor unit 17 function as a behavior detection unit to detect the user's movements, or as a location determination unit together with the GNSS unit 18 described later. In addition, the heart rate sensor can make the sensor unit 17 function as a biometric information acquisition unit to obtain the user's heart rate as biometric information.

[0025] The GNSS unit 18 is a positioning information acquisition unit for obtaining location information. GNSS is an abbreviation for Global Navigation Satellite System, and the GNSS unit 16 is a satellite positioning device that utilizes satellite positioning systems such as GPS (Global Positioning System). The GNSS unit 18 is composed of antennas and electronic components, and acquires positioning satellite signals transmitted from multiple positioning satellites to determine its own position.

[0026] <Example hardware configuration of mobile terminal device 2> Next, the configuration of the portable terminal device 2 in this embodiment will be described. As shown in Figure 3 above, the portable terminal device 2 in this embodiment includes a control unit 21, a main memory unit 22, an auxiliary memory unit 23, an input unit 24, an output unit 25, a communication unit 26, a sensor unit 27, and a GNSS unit 28. The hardware configuration of the portable terminal device 2 is equivalent to that of the portable wireless device 1 as a computer with communication functions, so redundant explanations of individual components will be omitted.

[0027] <Example of functional configuration of portable wireless device 1> Next, the functions realized by the control unit 11 of the portable wireless device 1 will be described. Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating the functions realized by the control unit 11 of the portable wireless device 1 in one embodiment of the present invention. The control unit 11 in this embodiment includes a communication control unit 111, an output control unit 112, an input control unit 113, a role setting unit 114, a connection detection unit 115, a search function control unit 116, and a clock function control unit 117.

[0028] The communication control unit 111 performs processing for the portable wireless device 1 to communicate with external devices via the communication unit 16. For example, in this embodiment, the communication control unit 111 controls wireless communication with the portable terminal device 2 using the BLE communication standard, and controls the process by which the BLE module provided in the communication unit 16 transmits an advertisement signal as a peripheral, or performs a passive scan for detecting the advertisement signal transmitted by the peripheral as a central. The transmission time interval for the advertisement signal can be set as appropriate, such as 100 ms, or it may be transmitted with an appropriately variable time interval that includes at least a first time interval. The scan time interval for the advertisement signal can be set as an appropriate time interval that includes at least a second time interval shorter than the first time interval in order to quickly and reliably capture the advertisement signal.

[0029] The output control unit 112 performs processing to display images on the screen of the output unit 15. For example, the output control unit 112 performs processing to display clock displays in various modes and various notification display images from the connected mobile terminal device 2 on the screen of the output unit 15. The output control unit 112 also performs processing to output audio such as call audio, various notifications, and alarms from the mobile terminal device 2 connected through the output unit 15.

[0030] The input control unit 113 executes a process to accept user operations on the input unit 14. For example, the input control unit 113 executes a process to accept input operations performed by the user via the input unit 14 based on the operation screen displayed on the output unit 15 screen, or the operation of input keys and buttons.

[0031] The role setting unit 114 has the function of instructing the communication control unit 111 to set whether the portable wireless device 1 should function as a central unit or as a peripheral unit. The specific way in which role setting is performed will be explained later in the section on data processing.

[0032] The connection detection unit 115 has the function of detecting the connection status between the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2 and notifying the communication control unit 111 and the role setting unit 114. For example, the connection detection unit 115 can detect whether the portable terminal device 2 is not connected to the portable wireless device 1, whether one device is connected, or whether two devices are connected. The connection status with the portable terminal device 2 detected by the connection detection unit 115 may be displayed as an icon on the display screen of the output unit 15, or the user may be notified by voice output when the connection status changes. Alternatively, immediately after detecting that one portable terminal device 2 has been connected, or if a predetermined time has elapsed after one portable terminal device 2 has been connected and the connection of a second portable wireless device 2 has not been detected, the connection detection unit 115 may display information on the screen or output voice to prompt the user to connect a second device. In this type of user notification process, after detecting the connection of the first mobile terminal device 2, a notification prompting the connection of the second mobile terminal device 2 may be issued immediately, and a second notification may be issued after a predetermined time has elapsed since the first notification. This prevents the user from unintentionally forgetting to connect the second device. For the second notification, the prevention effect can be further enhanced by adopting screen displays and audio outputs that make the user feel a greater sense of urgency, such as changing the content of the notification or increasing the number of audio alarms. Furthermore, when only the first mobile terminal device 2 is connected, in order to reduce power consumption while scanning for the second mobile terminal device 2 as the central device, if the portable wireless device 1 has a screen display function such as a smartwatch, power reduction processing such as dimming the screen may be performed.

[0033] The search function control unit 116 controls the search function of the mobile terminal device 2 by the mobile wireless device 1 according to the role setting of the mobile wireless device 1 by the role setting unit 114 and the connection status with the mobile terminal device 2.

[0034] The clock function control unit 117 controls the clock functions of the portable wireless device 1 in the smartwatch, which is a portable wireless device 1, such as time display, alarm, and timekeeping.

[0035] <Example of functional configuration of mobile terminal device 2> Next, the functions realized by the control unit 21 of the mobile terminal device 2 will be described. Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating the functions realized by the control unit 21 of the mobile terminal device 2 in one embodiment of the present invention. The control unit 21 in this embodiment includes a communication control unit 211, an output control unit 212, an input control unit 213, a role setting unit 214, a connection detection unit 215, a search function control unit 216, and a call function control unit 217.

[0036] The communication control unit 211 performs processing for the mobile terminal device 2 to communicate with external devices such as the portable wireless device 1 via the communication unit 26. For example, in this embodiment, the communication control unit 211 controls wireless communication with the portable wireless device 1 using the BLE communication standard, and controls the process by which the BLE module provided in the communication unit 26 transmits an advertisement signal as a peripheral, or performs a passive scan to detect the advertisement signal transmitted by the peripheral as a central.

[0037] The output control unit 212 performs processing to display images on the screen of the output unit 25. For example, the output control unit 212 performs processing to display output images of various application programs installed and running on the mobile terminal device 2 as a smartphone on the screen of the output unit 15. The output control unit 112 also performs processing to output audio such as call audio, various notifications, and alarms through the output unit 15.

[0038] The input control unit 213 executes a process to accept user operations on the input unit 24. For example, the input control unit 213 executes a process to accept input operations performed by the user via the input unit 14 based on the operation screen displayed on the output unit 15 screen, or the operation of input keys and buttons.

[0039] The role setting unit 214 has the function of instructing the communication control unit 211 to set whether the mobile terminal device 2 should function as a central device or as a peripheral device. The specific way in which role setting is performed will be explained later in the section on data processing.

[0040] The connection detection unit 215 has the function of detecting the connection status between the mobile terminal device 2 and the portable wireless device 1 and notifying the communication control unit 211 and the role setting unit 214. For example, the connection detection unit 215 detects whether or not the mobile terminal device 2 is connected to the portable wireless device 1.

[0041] The search function control unit 216 controls the search function of the portable wireless device 1 by the portable terminal device 2 according to the role setting of the portable terminal device 2 by the role setting unit 214 and the connection status with the portable wireless device 1.

[0042] The call function control unit 217 controls the functions of the smartwatch, which is a mobile terminal device 2, as a clock, such as time display, alarm, and timekeeping.

[0043] The functions of the role setting unit 214, the connection detection unit 215, and the search function control unit 216 can be realized by installing an application program on a mobile terminal device 2, which is embodied as a smartphone or the like, to manage and control information exchange and operational coordination with the mobile wireless device 1.

[0044] <Wireless communication connection control function in this embodiment> Next, the wireless communication connection process using the BLE communication standard, which is performed in the communication system S including the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2 of this embodiment, will be described. Figure 6 shows an example of the processing procedure for the wireless communication connection process performed in the communication system S of this embodiment, as illustrated in Figures 1A and 1B, as a sequence diagram. The communication system S includes one portable wireless device 1 and two portable terminal devices 2. Here, the two portable terminal devices 2 are referred to as portable terminal device 2A and portable terminal device 2B.

[0045] The wireless communication connection control process illustrated in Figure 6 is primarily executed by the communication control units 111, 211, role setting units 114, 214, connection detection units 115, 215, and search function control units 116, 216 of the portable wireless device 1 and portable terminal device 2.

[0046] The wireless communication connection processing sequence shown in Figure 6 is executed continuously after the portable wireless device 1 is powered on and starts operating.

[0047] In step S1, the role setting unit 114 of the portable wireless device 1 configures the communication control unit 111 to operate as a peripheral of the BLE communication standard. In step S2, the role setting unit 214 configures the communication control unit 211 of the portable terminal device 2A to function as a central. In step S3, the role setting unit 214 configures the communication control unit 211 of the portable terminal device 2B to function as a peripheral.

[0048] In step S4, the portable wireless device 1 transmits an advertised signal as a peripheral. In step S5, the portable terminal device 2A performs a scan for advertised signals as a central.

[0049] In step S6, when the mobile terminal device 2A detects the advertisement signal from the portable wireless device 1, in step S7, the mobile terminal device 2A requests pairing from the portable wireless device 1. After this, a connection process including key exchange for encrypted communication is performed between the mobile terminal device 2A and the portable wireless device 1. As a result, in step S8, pairing is established in the mobile terminal device 2A as the central device, and in step S9, pairing is established in the portable wireless device 1 as the peripheral device.

[0050] In step S10, the connection detection unit 115 of the portable wireless device 1 detects the connection of one wireless terminal device 2A, and the role setting unit 114 changes the setting of the communication control unit 111 from peripheral to central in the BLE communication standard. At this time, the pairing of the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2A, which are already paired, is also established with the portable wireless device 1 as the central and the portable terminal device 2A as the peripheral (steps S11, S12). The second portable terminal device 2B is sending an advertisement signal as a peripheral (step S13). In step S14, the portable wireless device 1 performs a scan to detect the advertisement signal, and in step S15, when it detects the advertisement signal of the portable terminal device 2B, it sends a pairing request (step S16).

[0051] In step S17, the communication control unit 211 of the mobile terminal device 2B, upon receiving the pairing request, establishes pairing with the portable wireless device 1 as a peripheral. In step S18, the connection detection unit 115 of the portable wireless device 1 notifies the search function control unit that it has detected pairing with the second mobile terminal device 2B. In step S19, the search function control unit of the portable wireless device 1 stops scanning for the advertisement signal as a central device, based on the fact that the two mobile terminal devices 2A and 2B are connected. In this case, the portable wireless device 1 may suppress power consumption by setting the scan execution interval for advertisement signal detection to be longer than the advertisement signal transmission time interval. Alternatively, the portable wireless device 1 may terminate the scanning of the wireless signal if it detects a predetermined number of times that the second mobile terminal device 2B has not connected after a predetermined time has elapsed since connecting with the first mobile terminal device 2A. Furthermore, if an advertising signal from the second mobile terminal device 2 is not detected for a predetermined period of time, the scan may be stopped, or the user may be notified via screen display, audio output, etc., that one more mobile terminal device 2 can be connected. This is because if the power or Bluetooth setting of the second mobile terminal device 2B is turned off, the user will need to perform some operation on the mobile terminal device 2B, and by prompting the user for action, the power consumption required to scan for the advertising signal from the second mobile terminal device 2B is minimized. In addition, if an advertising signal from the second mobile terminal device 2B is not detected for a predetermined period of time, or if such a failure to detect an advertising signal for a predetermined period of time occurs a predetermined number of times, the upper limit of the number of connections for the portable wireless device 1 may be changed to 1. This prevents unnecessary power consumption by continuing the scan even when the user does not intend to connect the second mobile terminal device 2B. The setting to limit the number of connections to 1 may be reset based on predetermined conditions, such as when the date changes.

[0052] According to the embodiments described above, the portable wireless device 1 transmits advertisement signals as a peripheral at time intervals longer than the central scan operation time interval, thereby suppressing power consumption. Furthermore, when it detects that the second portable terminal device 2B, which is the upper limit of the number of connections, has been connected, it extends the execution time interval of the scan operation for detecting advertisement signals or stops the scan operation, thereby further suppressing or stopping power consumption.

[0053] <Description of other embodiments> Next, another embodiment which is a variation of the above embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the hardware configuration and functional blocks of the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2 are the same as in the above embodiment, so their description will be omitted.

[0054] In this modified embodiment, as shown in Figure 7A, the portable wireless device 1 functions as a BLE connection central and can connect with multiple peripherals in accordance with the BLE standard. The portable terminal device 2A, which functions as a peripheral, transmits an advertisement signal at predetermined time intervals in accordance with the BLE standard. The advertisement signal is transmitted to the central for discovery using 3 of the 40 channels available in the 2.4GHz band BLE. The central performs a scan to detect the advertisement signal transmitted by the peripheral. Passive scanning is used as the scanning method to reduce power consumption. The scan execution time interval for passive scanning is set to be shorter than the advertisement signal transmission time interval of the peripheral. This is to detect the advertisement signal more quickly and reliably. When the portable wireless device 1 detects an advertisement signal from the portable terminal device 2A in the state shown in Figure 7A, the portable wireless device 1 performs connection processing such as key exchange for encrypted communication with the portable terminal device 2, and pairing is completed.

[0055] Figure 7B shows the state in which the portable wireless device 1 is paired with one wireless terminal device 2A. At this time, the portable wireless device 1 is performing a scan as a central device to detect a second portable terminal device 2B. When the portable wireless device 1 detects an advertising signal from the second portable terminal device 2B, which is functioning as a peripheral, pairing is performed in the same way as with the first device, and the portable wireless device 1 is connected to both wireless terminal devices 2A and 2B. In this embodiment, the maximum number of connections for the portable wireless device 1 is set to 2, so when the portable wireless device 1 detects a connection with two portable terminal devices 2A and 2B, it can stop performing the scan for advertising signal detection or reduce the frequency of the scan to suppress power consumption.

[0056] <Wireless communication connection control function in this embodiment> Next, the wireless communication connection process using the BLE communication standard, which is performed in the communication system S including the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2 of this embodiment, will be described. Figure 8 shows an example of the processing procedure for the wireless communication connection process performed in the communication system S of this embodiment, as illustrated in Figures 7A and 7B, as a sequence diagram. The communication system S includes one portable wireless device 1 and two portable terminal devices 2. Here, the two portable terminal devices 2 are referred to as portable terminal device 2A and portable terminal device 2B.

[0057] The wireless communication connection control process illustrated in Figure 8 is primarily executed by the communication control units 111, 211, role setting units 114, 214, connection detection units 115, 215, and search function control units 116, 216 of the portable wireless device 1 and portable terminal device 2.

[0058] The wireless communication connection processing sequence shown in Figure 8 is executed continuously after the portable wireless device 1 is powered on and starts operating.

[0059] In step S101, the role setting unit 114 of the portable wireless device 1 configures the communication control unit 111 to operate as the central for the BLE communication standard. In step S102, the role setting unit 214 configures the communication control unit 211 of the portable terminal device 2A to function as a peripheral. In step S103, the role setting unit 214 configures the communication control unit 211 of the portable terminal device 2B to function as a peripheral.

[0060] In step S104, the mobile terminal device 2A transmits an advertised signal as a peripheral. In step S105, the mobile terminal device 2B transmits an advertised signal as a peripheral. In step S106, the mobile radio device 1 performs a scan of advertised signals as a central.

[0061] In step S107, when the portable wireless device 1 detects the advertisement signal of the portable terminal device 2A, in step S108, the portable wireless device 1 requests pairing from the portable terminal device 2A. After this, connection processing including key exchange for encrypted communication is performed between the portable terminal device 2A and the portable wireless device 1. As a result, in step S108, pairing is established in the portable wireless device 1 as the central device, and in step S109, pairing is established in the portable terminal device 2A as the peripheral device, and this pairing is maintained thereafter.

[0062] In step S110, the portable wireless device 1 performs a scan to detect an advertised signal, and in step S111, when it detects an advertised signal from the portable terminal device 2B, it sends a pairing request (step S112).

[0063] In step S113, the communication control unit 211 of the mobile terminal device 2B, upon receiving the pairing request, establishes pairing with the portable wireless device 1 as a peripheral. In step S114, the connection detection unit 115 of the portable wireless device 1 notifies the search function control unit that it has detected pairing with the second mobile terminal device 2B. In step S115, the search function control unit of the portable wireless device 1 stops scanning for the advertisement signal as a central device based on the fact that the two mobile terminal devices 2A and 2B are connected. In this case, the portable wireless device 1 may suppress power consumption by setting the scan execution interval for advertisement signal detection to be longer than the advertisement signal transmission time interval. Alternatively, the portable wireless device 1 may terminate the scanning of the wireless signal if it detects a predetermined number of times that the second mobile terminal device 2B has not connected after a predetermined time has elapsed since connecting with the first mobile terminal device 2A. In addition, the selective processing from step S14 (Figure 6) onward related to scanning the second mobile terminal device 2B by the portable wireless device 1 in the first embodiment can also be applied to the processing from step S110 (Figure 8) onward in this embodiment.

[0064] According to the embodiment described above, when the second mobile terminal device 2B, which is the upper limit of the number of connections, is connected, the execution time interval of the scan operation for detecting the advertisement signal is lengthened or the scan operation is stopped, thereby further reducing or stopping power consumption.

[0065] The embodiment described above is a communication method using a communication system S that includes a portable wireless device 1 comprising a control unit 11 and a communication unit 16 for performing wireless communication, a portable terminal device 2A comprising a control unit 21 and a communication unit 26 for performing wireless communication, and a portable terminal device 2B comprising a control unit 21 and a communication unit 26 for performing wireless communication, wherein the control unit 11 of the portable wireless device 1 causes the communication unit 16 to transmit a wireless signal which is a signal that is repeatedly output at time intervals including at least a first time interval, the control unit 21 of the portable terminal device 2A connects the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2A by its communication unit 26 based on scanning the wireless signal, and the control unit 11 of the portable wireless device 1, based on the connection between the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2A, repeatedly scans the wireless signal to connect with the portable terminal device 2B at time intervals including at least a second time interval shorter than the first time interval.

[0066] In this way, the power consumption of the portable wireless device 1 can be suppressed while connecting to multiple mobile terminal devices 2A, B, such as smartphones.

[0067] The control unit 11 of the portable wireless device 1 may connect the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2B via its communication unit 26 based on scanning for the wireless signal, and may terminate the scanning of the wireless signal based on the fact that the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2B have been connected.

[0068] In this way, the power consumption of the portable wireless device 1 can be further reduced.

[0069] Regarding the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal devices 2A and 2B, the control unit 21 of the portable terminal device 2A may cause the communication unit 26 to transmit a wireless signal which is an intermittent signal of the first cycle, and the control unit 11 of the portable wireless device 1 may, after the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2A are connected based on scanning the wireless signal, connect the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2B via its communication unit 26 based on scanning the wireless signal which is an intermittent signal of the first cycle transmitted by the communication unit 26 of the portable terminal device 2B.

[0070] In this way, the power consumption of the portable wireless device 1 can be suppressed while connecting to multiple mobile terminal devices 2A, B, such as smartphones.

[0071] The control unit 11 of the portable wireless device 1 may terminate the scanning of the wireless signal based on the fact that the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2B have connected.

[0072] In this way, the power consumption of the portable wireless device 1 can be further reduced.

[0073] Furthermore, in the above, the control unit 11 of the portable wireless device 1 may terminate the scanning of the wireless signal if it detects a predetermined number of times that the portable terminal device 2B is not connected even after a predetermined time has elapsed since connecting to the portable terminal device 2A.

[0074] In this way, the power consumption of the portable wireless device 1 used to search for the portable terminal device 2B can be reduced.

[0075] If the portable wireless device 1 determines that a predetermined time has elapsed since the portable terminal device 2A was connected, it may display a screen or output an audio message containing information prompting the user to connect to the portable terminal device 2B.

[0076] In this way, the user of the portable wireless device 1 can know that the portable terminal device 2B is not connected and can take necessary actions such as turning on the power to the second portable terminal device 2B.

[0077] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a communication system S is provided which includes a portable wireless device 1 comprising a control unit 11 and a communication unit 16 for performing wireless communication, a portable terminal device 2A comprising a control unit 21 and a communication unit 26 for performing wireless communication, and a portable terminal device 2B comprising a control unit 21 and a communication unit 26 for performing wireless communication, wherein the control unit 11 of the portable wireless device 1 causes the communication unit 16 to transmit a wireless signal which is a signal that is repeatedly output at time intervals including at least a first time interval, the control unit 21 of the portable terminal device 2A connects the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2A by its communication unit 26 based on scanning the wireless signal, and the control unit 11 of the portable wireless device 1, based on the connection between the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal device 2A, repeatedly scans the wireless signal to connect with the portable terminal device 2B at time intervals including at least a second time interval shorter than the first time interval.

[0078] In this way, the same effects as the communication method according to the present embodiment described above can be achieved.

[0079] This embodiment also includes a portable wireless device 1 included in the communication system S, and a program for causing the processor to execute a control method for the portable wireless device 1.

[0080] The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or by software. In other words, the functional configuration in Figure 5 is merely illustrative and not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient that the portable wireless device 1 is equipped with a function that can execute the series of processes described above as a whole, and the type of functional block used to realize this function is not particularly limited to the example in Figure 5. Furthermore, a single functional block may be composed of hardware alone, software alone, or a combination of both. The functional configuration in this embodiment is realized by a processor that performs arithmetic processing, and processors that can be used in this embodiment include not only those composed of various processing units such as single processors, multiprocessors, and multicore processors, but also those that combine these various processing units with processing circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) and FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays).

[0081] In this specification, the steps describing data processing performed by the portable wireless device 1 and the portable terminal devices 2A and 2B include not only processes performed chronologically in that order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed chronologically, but are performed in parallel or individually.

[0082] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take on a variety of other embodiments, and it is also possible to combine the above embodiments with their modified configurations. Furthermore, various modifications such as omissions and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention as described herein, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1. Portable wireless device 2,2A,2B Mobile terminal devices 11, 21 Control Unit 12,22 Main memory 13,23 Auxiliary storage 14,24 Input section 15,25 Output section 16,26 Communications Department 111,211 Communication Control Unit 112,212 Output control unit 113,213 Input Control Unit 114,214 Role Setting Section 115,215 Connection detection unit 116,216 Search Function Control Unit 117 Clock Function Control Unit 217 Call Function Control Unit S Communication System

Claims

1. A first electronic device comprising a first control unit and a first communication unit for wireless communication, A second electronic device comprising a second control unit and a second communication unit for wireless communication, A third electronic device comprising a third control unit and a third communication unit for wireless communication, A communication method using a system that includes, The first control unit causes the first communication unit to transmit a wireless signal, which is a signal that is repeatedly output at time intervals including at least a first time interval. The second control unit connects the first electronic device and the second electronic device via the second communication unit based on scanning the wireless signal. Based on the connection between the first electronic device and the second electronic device, the first control unit repeatedly scans for the wireless signal to connect with the third electronic device at time intervals that include at least a second time interval shorter than the first time interval. Communication method.

2. The first control unit connects the first electronic device and the third electronic device via the third communication unit based on scanning the wireless signal, and terminates the scanning of the wireless signal based on the connection between the first electronic device and the third electronic device. The communication method according to claim 1.

3. The first control unit terminates the scanning of the wireless signal if it detects a predetermined number of times that the third electronic device is not connected even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the second electronic device was connected. The communication method according to claim 1.

4. With respect to the first electronic device, the second electronic device, and the third electronic device, the second control unit causes the second communication unit to transmit the wireless signal, which is a signal that is repeatedly output at time intervals including at least the first time interval, and the first control unit causes the first electronic device and the second electronic device to be connected based on scanning the wireless signal, and then causes the third communication unit of the third electronic device to connect the first electronic device and the third electronic device based on scanning the wireless signal, which is a signal that is repeatedly output at time intervals including at least the first time interval, transmitted by the third communication unit of the third electronic device. The communication method according to claim 1.

5. The first control unit terminates the scanning of the wireless signal based on the fact that the first electronic device and the third electronic device are connected. The communication method according to claim 4.

6. The first control unit terminates the scanning of the wireless signal if it detects a predetermined number of times that the third electronic device is not connected even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the second electronic device was connected. The communication method according to claim 4.

7. If the first electronic device determines that a predetermined time has elapsed since the second electronic device was connected, it will display a screen or output an audio message containing information prompting the user to connect to the third electronic device. A communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A first electronic device comprising a first control unit and a first communication unit for wireless communication, A second electronic device comprising a second control unit and a second communication unit for wireless communication, A third electronic device comprising a third control unit and a third communication unit for wireless communication, A communication system including, The first control unit causes the first communication unit to transmit a wireless signal, which is a signal that is repeatedly output at time intervals including at least a first time interval. The second control unit connects the first electronic device and the second electronic device via the second communication unit based on scanning the wireless signal. Based on the connection between the first electronic device and the second electronic device, the first control unit repeatedly performs a scan to connect with the third electronic device at time intervals that include at least a second time interval shorter than the first time interval. Communication system.

9. A first electronic device comprising a first control unit and a first communication unit for wireless communication, A second electronic device comprising a second control unit and a second communication unit for wireless communication, and a third electronic device comprising a third control unit and a third communication unit for wireless communication, are capable of communicating with each other. The first control unit is, The first communication unit transmits a wireless signal which is a signal that is repeatedly output at time intervals including at least a first time interval. The second electronic device and the second communication unit are connected based on the second control unit of the second electronic device scanning the wireless signal. Based on the connection between the first electronic device and the second electronic device, a scan is performed to connect with the third electronic device, repeatedly at time intervals that include at least a second time interval shorter than the first time interval. The first electronic device.

10. A first electronic device comprising a first control unit and a first communication unit for wireless communication, A second electronic device comprising a second control unit and a second communication unit for wireless communication, A third electronic device comprising a third control unit and a third communication unit for wireless communication, In a communication system including, The first control unit is instructed to transmit a wireless signal, which is a signal that is repeatedly output at time intervals including at least a first time interval, via the first communication unit. Based on the fact that the second control unit has connected the first electronic device and the second electronic device by the second communication unit based on scanning the wireless signal, the first control unit is instructed to perform a scan to connect with the third electronic device repeatedly at time intervals that include at least a second time interval shorter than the first time interval. program.

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