Communication device and wireless connection method

Abstract

Provides wireless communication technology. [Solution] Provided is a communication device 2 that wirelessly connects to an electronic device 200. The communication device 2 includes a first communication unit 42, a second communication unit 44 of the same type as the first communication unit 42, and a control unit 34 that controls the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44. The control unit 34 acquires the communication status between the first communication unit 42 and the electronic device 200 and the communication status between the second communication unit 44 and the electronic device 200, and executes an assignment process that determines the connection destination of the electronic device 200 to either the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 based on the respective communication statuses.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to wireless communication technology. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a game machine having multiple communication modules of the same type that communicate wirelessly using a frequency hopping method. A control unit of the game machine determines a hopping frequency channel for at least one communication module so that the frequency channels used by the multiple communication modules do not overlap in time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-142860 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A system has been proposed that allows users to play games together while engaging in voice chat. By using a wireless headset, users can be freed from the hassle of cables. Also, by equipping the wireless game controller that operates the game console with a microphone and speaker, an environment in which users can enjoy voice chat even without a headset is realized. With the emergence of such electronic devices, game consoles need to be able to send and receive large amounts of data to and from electronic devices, and a system must be built to efficiently manage wireless connections when multiple electronic devices are connected at the same time.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique relating to a wireless communication device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention is defined by the claims. In order to solve, at least mitigate, or at least address the above-mentioned problems, an example of an aspect of the present invention is a communication device that wirelessly connects to an external device, and includes a first communication unit, a second communication unit similar to the first communication unit, and a control unit that controls the first communication unit and the second communication unit. The control unit acquires a communication status between the first communication unit and the external device and a communication status between the second communication unit and the external device, and executes an assignment process that determines the connection destination of the external device in a data transmission mode to be the first communication unit or the second communication unit based on each communication status.

[0007] Another example embodiment of the present invention is a method for determining a connection destination in a data transmission mode of an external device in a communication device having a first communication unit and a second communication unit of the same type as the first communication unit, the method including the steps of acquiring a communication status with the external device in the first communication unit and a communication status with the external device in the second communication unit, and determining, based on the respective communication statuses, that the connection destination in the data transmission mode of the external device is to be the first communication unit or the second communication unit.

[0008] An example of yet another aspect of the present invention is a communication device that wirelessly connects to an external device, the communication device including a first communication unit, a second communication unit similar to the first communication unit, and a control unit that controls the first communication unit and the second communication unit. The control unit connects one of the first communication unit or the second communication unit to the external device in a data transmission mode in which data can be transmitted, and connects the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit to the external device in a non-data transmission mode in which data is not transmitted.

[0009] Another example of an aspect of the present invention is a method for a communication device having a first communication unit and a second communication unit similar to the first communication unit to wirelessly connect to an external device, the method including a step of connecting one of the first communication unit or the second communication unit to the external device in a data transmission mode capable of transmitting data, and a step of connecting the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit to the external device in a non-data transmission mode not transmitting data.

[0010] In addition, any combination of the above components, and conversions between expressions of the present invention such as methods, devices, systems, computer programs, recording media on which computer programs are readably recorded, and data structures are also valid aspects of the present invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a communication system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a portion of a communication device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration relating to communication between a communication device and an electronic device. [Figure 4] 10 is a diagram showing a sequence for wirelessly connecting an electronic device and a communication device in an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a first electronic device is wirelessly connected to a second communication unit. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a second electronic device is wirelessly connected to a first communication unit 42. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a third electronic device is wirelessly connected to the first communication unit. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a third electronic device is simultaneously connected to the first communication unit and the second communication unit. FIG. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the third electronic device has disconnected from the first communication unit 42. FIG. [Figure 10] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a fourth electronic device is wirelessly connected to the first communication unit. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the third electronic device is disconnected from the second communication unit. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a fourth electronic device is connected to the second communication unit. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing when an electronic device performs paging. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing when an electronic device performs paging. [Figure 15]FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state of a first communication unit. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a BT clock. [Figure 17] 4 is a diagram showing a timing chart of transmission and reception in the first communication unit and the second communication unit. FIG. [Figure 18] 1 is a flow chart outlining one method. [Figure 19] 1 is a flow chart outlining one method. [Figure 20] 1 is a flow chart outlining one method. [Figure 21] 1 is a flow chart outlining one method. [Figure 22] 1 is a flow chart outlining one method. [Figure 23] 1 is a flow chart outlining one method. [Figure 24] 1 is a flow chart outlining one method. [Diagram 25] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a computer. [Figure 26] 13 is a diagram showing a sequence for wirelessly connecting an electronic device and a communication device in a modified example. [Figure 27] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a first electronic device is wirelessly connected to a first communication unit in an active mode. [Figure 28] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a first electronic device is wirelessly connected to a first communication unit and a second communication unit in an active mode. [Figure 29] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a first electronic device is wirelessly connected to a second communication unit in an active mode and wirelessly connected to a first communication unit in a sniff mode. FIG. [Diagram 30] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a second electronic device is wirelessly connected to a first communication unit in active mode. FIG. [Diagram 31] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a second electronic device is wirelessly connected to the first communication unit and the second communication unit in active mode. FIG. [Diagram 32]13 is a diagram showing a state in which a second electronic device is wirelessly connected to a first communication unit in an active mode and wirelessly connected to a second communication unit in a sniff mode. FIG. [Diagram 33] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a third electronic device is wirelessly connected to the first communication unit in active mode. FIG. [Diagram 34] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a third electronic device is simultaneously connected to the first communication unit and the second communication unit in active mode. [Diagram 35] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a third electronic device is wirelessly connected to the second communication unit in active mode and wirelessly connected to the first communication unit in sniff mode. FIG. [Diagram 36] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a fourth electronic device is wirelessly connected to the first communication unit in active mode and wirelessly connected to the second communication unit in sniff mode. FIG. [Figure 37] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a third electronic device is disconnected from the communication block. [Figure 38] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a fourth electronic device is wirelessly connected to the second communication unit in active mode and wirelessly connected to the first communication unit in sniff mode. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] A communication system according to an embodiment will be described below. The communication system according to the embodiment includes a communication device and at least one electronic device. The communication device and the electronic device communicate wirelessly using a Bluetooth (registered trademark) protocol that employs a frequency hopping method. When the communication device is incorporated into a game device, the electronic device that wirelessly connects to the communication device may be a game device peripheral device such as a headset or a game controller for users to voice chat. By equipping the game controller with microphone and speaker functions, users can carry out voice chat even without a headset.

[0013] The communication device of the embodiment includes multiple communication units (transceivers) of the same type. Here, "homogeneous" means, for example, that the physical electrical circuits of the communication units are the same or at least can realize the same or similar functions. "Homogeneous" may mean, for example, that the operating software and / or operating protocol of the communication units are the same. "Homogeneous" means that the multiple communication units can operate according to the same wireless communication protocol (for example, but not limited to, the Bluetooth protocol). By having the multiple communication units of the same type, wireless communication with any external device can be processed alternately by any of the multiple communication units.

[0014] Therefore, regardless of which communication units form a communication group, the communication process by the external device is the same or similar, and the external device can communicate with any of the multiple communication units of the same type in the same way, for example by following a common communication protocol in communication with the communication units of the same type. (That said, it should be understood that there may be a communication mode with a specific communication unit that is specific to a specific communication operation with a specific communication unit. For example, communication between the external device and the specific communication unit may specify an identifier (obtained by pairing or ad-hoc communication) of the specific communication unit. Also, the external device and the communication unit may selectively operate as a master or a slave, respectively, for a specific communication operation. Also, the actual data transmitted or received within a specific communication period may be specific to the specific communication.)

[0015] By providing a plurality of communication units of the same type in this way, the communication device can increase the communication capacity and can wirelessly communicate with many electronic devices. The plurality of communication units may be controlled by one device driver, and data from the plurality of communication units may be treated by the device driver as data from a single communication unit. The device driver appropriately connects each communication unit to the electronic device based on the communication status of the plurality of communication units. The communication device of the embodiment may be incorporated in other types of information processing devices other than game devices.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a communication system 1 of the embodiment. The communication device 2 includes a device body 3 and a communication block 40. The communication block 40 has a plurality of Bluetooth (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as "BT") communication devices. The device body 3 has a device driver that controls the communication block 40, and data acquired via the communication block 40 is supplied to application software such as games and chat. The electronic devices 200a to 200d (hereinafter, referred to as "electronic devices 200" when no particular distinction is made) may be peripheral devices such as headsets and game controllers having BT communication devices.

[0017] It should be noted that the present technology is not limited to BT devices. Other communication protocols, such as other frequency hopping protocols (e.g., adaptive frequency hopping spread spectrum techniques or frequency hopping code division multiple access techniques) may alternatively or additionally be used. Hereinafter, a communication "operation" refers to the use of any of such techniques.

[0018] The communication block 40 is wirelessly connected to one or more electronic devices 200. A device driver installed in the device main body 3 efficiently assigns the electronic device 200 to one of a plurality of communication units in the communication block 40, and supports good wireless communication between the communication block 40 and the electronic device 200.

[0019] The communication device 2 may include a programmable processing device, and is an example of a computer that may be provided in a communication device having multiple similar communication units. The computer (e.g., as shown in FIG. 25) performs the methods or techniques described herein for operation of the communication device under the control of a program including computer-executable instructions.

[0020] Electronic device 200 illustrates an example of a computer that may include a programmable processing device and is wirelessly connectable to a communication device having multiple similar communication units. The computer (e.g., as shown in FIG. 25) performs the methods or techniques described herein for operation of the electronic device under the control of a program including computer-executable instructions.

[0021] 2 shows a block diagram of a part of a communication device 2 that wirelessly connects to an external electronic device. The communication device 2 includes a power supply block 10, a system controller 20, a host block 30, and a communication block 40. In the power supply block 10, a VDD_MAIN 12 supplies a main power supply, and a VDD_LP 14 supplies a low power supply. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the system controller 20 and the communication block 40 are driven by the low power supply, and the host block 30 is driven by the main power supply.

[0022] The communication block 40 has a plurality of communication units of the same type, and in the embodiment, has two communication units, a first communication unit 42 and a second communication unit 44. The communication units being of the same type may mean that they use the same communication standard. The communication block 40 is configured as a system on chip, and the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 may operate based on a clock signal of a common system clock oscillator provided on the same chip. The first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 are integrated circuit components that are connected to antennas and have a function of wirelessly connecting to an external electronic device 200 according to the Bluetooth protocol. The USB (Universal Serial Bus) module 32 of the host block 30 and the USB module 46 of the communication block 40 are connected to each other by a common USB standard. The host block 30 and the communication block 40 may be connected to each other by a communication standard other than the USB standard.

[0023] The first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 are connected to a single USB module 46. In the communication block 40, by sharing the single USB module 46, the chip manufacturing cost of the communication block 40 can be reduced. The data signal received by the first communication unit 42 and / or the second communication unit 44 is transmitted to the USB module 32 via the USB module 46, processed as necessary by the control unit 34, and provided to a main CPU (not shown) that executes an application. Also, the data signal generated by the main CPU is transmitted to the USB module 46 via the USB module 32 and then transmitted from the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 to the electronic device 200 that is wirelessly connected.

[0024] Hereinafter, the state transition of the power supply system in the communication device 2 will be described. <Power-off> When the power cord of the communication device 2 is disconnected from the outlet, the communication device 2 is in the power-off state.

[0025] <BT initialization> When the power cord of the communication device 2 is connected to the outlet, the system controller 20 is activated. When the system controller 20 is activated, it supplies power to the host block 30 and the communication block 40. When the host block 30 is activated, the system controller 20 supplies a USB_EN signal for enabling the USB module 46 to the communication block 40. Thereby, the USB module 32 and the USB module 46 are USB-connected.

[0026] In the host block 30, the control unit 34 operates as a device driver that controls the BT communication device. The control unit 34 downloads firmware to the first communication unit 42 via the USB connection and initializes the first communication unit 42. In this state, the control unit 34 performs initialization only for one predetermined first communication unit 42 among a plurality of communication units of the same type and does not initialize the second communication unit 44. The control unit 34 sets wake-up parameters in the first communication unit 42.

[0027] <Wake on BT> When the control unit 34 sets the wake-on parameters in the first communication unit 42, the system controller 20 stops the power supply to the host block 30 and stops the supply of the USB_EN signal. As a result, in the communication device 2, only the system controller 20 and the first communication unit 42 remain activated.

[0028] The first communication unit 42 enters a page scan mode in which it waits for a connection request from the external electronic device 200. The first communication unit 42 acquires and holds address information (device ID) for identifying the electronic device 200 to be connected to the communication device 2 in advance by pairing processing. The first communication unit 42 may acquire and hold the address information by predetermined pairing information encoded in one or both of the electronic device and the communication device, or may acquire and hold the address information by using an ad-hoc connection between the electronic device and the communication device. In the page scan mode, the first communication unit 42 reads out a device ID list including one or more connectable device IDs, and waits for a connection request (paging) from the electronic device 200. In the wake-on-BT state, a connection request from the external electronic device 200 becomes a startup request for the entire communication device including the device main body 3.

[0029] When the first communication unit 42 receives a connection request from an electronic device 200 having a BT device address included in the device ID list, it outputs a WAKE signal to the system controller 20 according to the wake-on parameters. Upon receiving the WAKE signal, the system controller 20 supplies power to the host block 30 and also supplies a USB_EN signal to the communication block 40 for enabling the USB module 46. The control unit 34 downloads firmware to the second communication unit 44 via the USB connection and initializes the second communication unit 44. As a result, in the communication block 40, the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 are ready to wirelessly connect to the external electronic device 200.

[0030] <Suspend> In the suspended state, the first communication unit 42 operates in a page scan mode waiting for a connection request from the external electronic device 200. The USB module 32 and the USB module 46 are suspended, and the second communication unit 44 goes to sleep.

[0031] 3 shows a configuration related to communication between the communication device 2 and the electronic device 200. The control unit 34 functions as a device driver that controls the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44. The control unit 34 includes a connection management unit 102, an assignment processing unit 104, and a role management unit 106. One or more of these components may be understood as a function of a "control unit" in the following description.

[0032] The first communication unit 42 has a function of wirelessly communicating with an external device by Bluetooth protocol, and includes a connection processing unit 50, a communication control unit 52, a holding unit 54, and a clock counter 56. The connection processing unit 50 executes a process of establishing a wireless connection with the electronic device 200. The communication control unit 52 transmits and receives a data signal to and from the electronic device 200 after the connection is established. The clock counter 56 generates a 28-bit BT clock with a clock rate of 3.4 KHz. The holding unit 54 holds device ID information of the electronic device 200 that has been previously paired, and the connection processing unit 50 has a function of waiting for a connection request from the external electronic device 200.

[0033] The second communication unit 44 has a function of wirelessly communicating with an external device by Bluetooth protocol, and has a connection processing unit 60, a communication control unit 62, and a clock counter 64. The connection processing unit 60 executes a process of establishing a wireless connection with the electronic device 200 from which the first communication unit 42 has received a connection request. The communication control unit 62 transmits and receives a data signal to and from the electronic device 200 after the connection is established. The clock counter 64 generates a 28-bit BT clock with a clock rate of 3.4KHz. In the communication device 2 of the embodiment, the value of a predetermined bit of the BT clock of the clock counter 56 and the value of a predetermined bit of the BT clock of the clock counter 64 are controlled to be synchronized. Unlike the connection processing unit 50, the connection processing unit 60 of the embodiment does not have a function of waiting for a connection request from the external electronic device 200, and does not wait for a connection request. In another example, the connection processing unit 60 may have a function of waiting for a connection request, but it is preferable that the waiting function is restricted and the connection request is not waited for.

[0034] The electronic device 200 is wirelessly connected to the first communication unit 42 and / or the second communication unit 44 by the Bluetooth protocol. The electronic device 200 includes a connection processing unit 210, a communication control unit 220, a storage unit 222, and a clock counter 224, and the connection processing unit 210 includes a connection request unit 212, an instruction processing unit 214, and a request processing unit 216. The storage unit 222 stores device ID information of the first communication unit 42 acquired by a pairing process with the communication device 2.

[0035] In Fig. 3, each element described as a functional block performing various processes can be configured in hardware with a circuit block, memory, or other LSI, and in software with system software, a game program loaded into memory, etc. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware alone, software alone, or a combination of both, and are not limited to any one of them.

[0036] The procedure for wirelessly connecting the electronic device 200 and the communication device 2 will be described below. In order to wirelessly connect to the communication device 2, the electronic device 200 performs a pairing process with the communication device 2 in advance. In the pairing process, the electronic device 200 and the first communication unit 42 exchange device ID information with each other. Thus, the device ID information of the first communication unit 42 is held in the holding unit 222 of the electronic device 200, and the device ID information of the electronic device 200 is held in the holding unit 54 of the first communication unit 42. The first communication unit 42 performs a pairing process with the multiple electronic devices 200a to 200d, and the device ID information of the multiple electronic devices 200a to 200d that can be wirelessly connected is held in the holding unit 54, and a device ID list is generated.

[0037] When the communication device 2 is not wirelessly connected to any of the electronic devices 200, the communication device 2 is in the wake-on-BT state. 4 shows a sequence for wirelessly connecting the electronic device 200 and the communication device 2. In the wake-on-BT state, the first communication unit 42 operates in a page scan mode in which it waits for a connection request from the external electronic device 200 (S10). In the page scan mode, the connection processing unit 50 of the first communication unit 42 waits for a connection request (paging) from the electronic device 200 included in the connectable device ID list.

[0038] In the electronic device 200, the connection request unit 212 reads out the device ID information of the first communication unit 42 from the holding unit 222, and transmits a connection request including the device ID information of the first communication unit 42 to the first communication unit 42 (S12). When the connection processing unit 50 in the first communication unit 42 receives a connection request from the electronic device 200 having a device ID included in the device ID list, it outputs a WAKE signal to the system controller 20 in accordance with the wake-on parameters (S14). When the system controller 20 receives the WAKE signal, it starts up the host block 30 and the USB module 46, and activates the USB connection between the USB module 32 and the USB module 46.

[0039] In the control unit 34, the connection management unit 102 downloads the firmware to the second communication unit 44 via the USB connection and initializes the second communication unit 44. This puts the second communication unit 44 in a state in which it can wirelessly connect to the external electronic device 200 (S16). The connection management unit 102 executes authentication processing and encryption processing with the electronic device 200, and the first communication unit 42 connects to the electronic device 200 in an active mode, which is a data transmission mode in which data can be transmitted (S18).

[0040] A BT communication device acts as either a master or a slave. (In some instances, a particular BT communication device may be constrained by design or configuration settings to act as either a master or a slave at any one time. That is, in such instances, a BT communication device cannot act as both a master and a slave at the same time, even if different communication destinations exist.) When two BT communication devices establish a BT link at the baseband level, the paging device is the master and the paged device is the slave. The master determines the frequency hopping pattern based on its BT device address and determines the phase of the hopping sequence with its own clock.

[0041] At the time of S18, the electronic device 200, which is a paging device, is the master, and the first communication unit 42, which is a paged device, is the slave. In order for the communication device 2 to control the electronic device 200, which is a peripheral device, the first communication unit 42 needs to operate as the master and the electronic device 200 needs to operate as the slave, so the role management unit 106 transmits a role switching instruction for switching the roles (roles) of the master and the slave to the electronic device 200 via the first communication unit 42 (S20). In the electronic device 200, the instruction processing unit 214 accepts the role switching instruction. The connection processing unit 50 and the instruction processing unit 214 in the first communication unit 42 synchronously execute role switching a predetermined time after the role switching instruction is transmitted. As a result, the electronic device 200 starts operating as a slave, and the first communication unit 42 starts operating as a master.

[0042] In the communication system 1 of the embodiment, the first communication unit 42 accepts a connection request from the electronic device 200, and after wirelessly connecting to the electronic device 200, instructs the electronic device 200 to enter a state of waiting for a connection request (S22). This is a process required to switch the connection destination of the electronic device 200 (which has transmitted the connection request) from the first communication unit 42 to the second communication unit 44, and such switching occurs in response to the reception of a connection request and also based on an allocation process. The reason why the first communication unit 42 transmits a standby instruction to the electronic device 200 will be described below.

[0043] The connection management unit 102 acquires the communication status (i.e., communication state) of the first communication unit 42 with the external device and the communication status (i.e., communication state) of the second communication unit 44 with the external device. At the time of connection establishment in S18, the first communication unit 42 is connected to one electronic device 200, and the second communication unit 44 is not connected to any electronic device 200. The connection management unit 102 may acquire, as the communication status, the number of external devices to which each of the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 is connected.

[0044] The allocation processing unit 104 executes an allocation process to determine the connection destination of the external device to be the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 based on the respective communication statuses of the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 acquired by the connection management unit 102. Here, the first communication unit 42 has a function of waiting for a connection request from an external device, while the second communication unit 44 does not have a function of waiting for a connection request from an external device, or does not execute the waiting function. In the embodiment, since the first communication unit 42 has a role of periodically operating in a page scan mode, it is preferable that the allocation processing unit 104 determines the connection destination of the external device to be the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 so that the communication load with the external device in the first communication unit 42 is equal to or less than the communication load with the external device in the second communication unit 44. Therefore, when there is only one electronic device 200 connected to the communication device 2, it is preferable that the allocation processing unit 104 determines the connection destination of the electronic device 200 to the second communication unit 44, and makes the communication load of the first communication unit 42 lighter than the communication load of the second communication unit 44.

[0045] The communication load that is the criterion for the allocation processing unit 104 to determine the allocation destination is a load element that affects communication by each communication unit, and may be the number of external devices connected to each communication unit. Therefore, the allocation processing unit 104 may allocate the external devices to the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 such that the number of external devices connected to the first communication unit 42 is smaller than the number of external devices connected to the second communication unit 44.

[0046] The communication load as a reference may be the amount of communication data between each communication unit and an external device. In a voice chat with the electronic device 200, the amount of voice data is large, but the amount of operation data for a game controller is small. Therefore, the connection management unit 102 may monitor the amount of communication data between each communication unit and the electronic device 200, and the allocation processing unit 104 may determine the connection destination of the electronic device 200 so that the communication load of the first communication unit 42 is smaller than the communication load of the second communication unit 44. The communication load as a reference may be the communication error rate in each communication unit, or may be obtained by combining any of the above.

[0047] At the time of establishing the connection in S18, only one electronic device 200 is already connected to the communication device 2. Therefore, the allocation processing unit 104 decides to change the connection destination of the electronic device 200 from the first communication unit 42 to the second communication unit 44. In the communication system 1 of the embodiment, in order to change the connection destination, the allocation processing unit 104 starts a process of connecting the already connected electronic device to the second communication unit. For this purpose, the electronic device 200 is operated in a scan mode (for example, a page scan mode) and a connection request is transmitted from the second communication unit 44 to the electronic device 200. For this purpose, in S22, the first communication unit 42 transmits a signal (standby instruction signal) to the electronic device 200 instructing it to enter a state of waiting for a connection request from the second communication unit 44.

[0048] In this connection destination switching process, the allocation processing unit 104 notifies the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 that the connection destination of the electronic device 200 currently connected to the first communication unit 42 will be switched from the first communication unit 42 to the second communication unit 44. At this time, the allocation processing unit 104 also notifies each of the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 of device ID information (BT device address) of the electronic device 200 whose connection destination is to be switched. As a result, the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 each recognize that they should operate to connect the electronic device 200 currently connected to the first communication unit 42 to the second communication unit 44.

[0049] In the first communication unit 42, the connection processing unit 50 transmits a standby instruction signal to the electronic device 200 (S22). The standby instruction signal may include identification information of the device (e.g., the communication unit) transmitting the connection request, in this example, device ID information of the second communication unit 44. In the electronic device 200, the instruction processing unit 214 receives the standby instruction signal and accepts an instruction to enter a state of waiting for a connection request from the second communication unit 44. As a result, the instruction processing unit 214 maintains the connection with the first communication unit 42, while the request processing unit 216 operates in a page scan mode waiting for a connection request from the second communication unit 44 (S24).

[0050] At this time, the instruction processing unit 214 operates to alternate between a communication period (first period) with the first communication unit 42, which is the connection switching source, and a scan period (second period) in which a connection request from the second communication unit 44, which is the connection switching destination. The connection processing unit 50 may include timing information that specifies the alternate switching between the first period and the second period in the standby instruction signal, and the instruction processing unit 214 may alternately and periodically switch between the communication period with the first communication unit 42 and the scan period in which a connection request from the second communication unit 44 is waited for in accordance with the timing information included in the standby instruction signal.

[0051] It is preferable that the connection processing unit 50 sets the timing information according to the connection status between the electronic device 200 and the communication device 2. At the time of S22 in Fig. 4, the electronic device 200 is in the stage of performing new connection processing with the communication device 2, and data communication such as voice data with the first communication unit 42 has not yet started. Therefore, the connection processing unit 50 sets the timing information TI1 so that the electronic device 200 can quickly establish a wireless connection with the second communication unit 44. For example, the connection processing unit 50 may set the timing information TI1 in which the second period is longer than the first period.

[0052] In the page scan mode performed during the scan period (second period), the request processing unit 216 waits for a connection request from the second communication unit 44 having the device ID information included in the standby instruction signal. In the second communication unit 44, the connection processing unit 60 transmits a connection request including the device ID information of the electronic device 200 to the electronic device 200 (S26). When the request processing unit 216 accepts the connection request, a connection process is performed between the request processing unit 216 and the connection processing unit 60. As a result, the second communication unit 44 connects to the electronic device 200 in active mode (S28).

[0053] When the connection management unit 102 detects that the second communication unit 44 and the electronic device 200 are connected, the connection management unit 102 instructs the first communication unit 42 to disconnect the connection with the electronic device 200. In response to this instruction, the connection processing unit 50 transmits a disconnection request to the electronic device 200 (S30). The disconnection request may be transmitted from the electronic device 200 to the first communication unit 42. Thereafter, the connection between the first communication unit 42 and the electronic device 200 is disconnected (for example, by the communication device 2) (S32), and the electronic device 200 connects only to the second communication unit 44. In this way, in the communication system 1, after the second communication unit 44 connects to the electronic device 200, the wireless connection between the first communication unit 42 and the electronic device 200 is disconnected (for example, by the communication device 2), and the electronic device 200 wirelessly connects only to the second communication unit 44. Then, the first communication unit 42 operates in a page scan mode in which it waits for a connection request from the external electronic device 200 (S34), and waits for a connection request (paging) from the electronic device 200 included in the connectable device ID list.

[0054] The above describes the procedure when the first electronic device 200 connects to the communication device 2. In the following, the procedure when the second or subsequent electronic devices 200 connect to the communication device 2 will be described with reference to a connection transition diagram showing the connection states. Fig. 5 shows a state in which the first electronic device 200a is wirelessly connected to the second communication unit 44 according to the wireless connection sequence shown in Fig. 4. As described above, the electronic device 200a transmits a connection request to the first communication unit 42, connects to the first communication unit 42, and then operates in a page scan mode in which the electronic device 200a waits for a connection request from the second communication unit 44. The electronic device 200a receives a connection request from the second communication unit 44, connects to the second communication unit 44, and then disconnects from the first communication unit 42. Fig. 5 shows this state.

[0055] 6 shows a state in which the second electronic device 200b is wirelessly connected to the first communication unit 42. The electronic device 200b transmits a connection request to the first communication unit 42 and connects to the first communication unit 42 in active mode.

[0056] The connection management unit 102 acquires the communication status of the first communication unit 42 with the external device and the communication status of the second communication unit 44 with the external device. In the connection state shown in Fig. 6, the first communication unit 42 is connected to one electronic device 200b, and the second communication unit 44 is connected to one electronic device 200a. The connection management unit 102 acquires the number of electronic devices 200 connected to each of the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 as the communication status. The allocation processing unit 104 executes a process of allocating the electronic device 200b to either the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 based on the number of electronic devices 200 connected to each of the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44.

[0057] The allocation processing unit 104 allocates the electronic device 200b that has newly established a connection to the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 so that the communication load with the external device in the first communication unit 42 is equal to or less than the communication load with the external device in the second communication unit 44. In a state in which the second electronic device 200b has established a connection with the first communication unit 42 (the state shown in FIG. 6), the first communication unit 42 is connected to one electronic device 200b, and the second communication unit 44 is connected to one electronic device 200a, and the communication loads of the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 are equal. Therefore, the allocation processing unit 104 determines that the connection destination of the electronic device 200b may be the first communication unit 42, and therefore determines not to change the connection destination of the electronic device 200b.

[0058] 7 shows a state in which the third electronic device 200c is wirelessly connected to the first communication unit 42. The electronic device 200c transmits a connection request to the first communication unit 42 and connects to the first communication unit 42 in active mode.

[0059] The connection management unit 102 acquires the number of external devices connected to the first communication unit 42 and the number of external devices connected to the second communication unit 44. In the connection state shown in FIG. 7, the first communication unit 42 is connected to two electronic devices 200b and 200c, and the second communication unit 44 is connected to one electronic device 200a. The allocation processing unit 104 allocates the electronic device 200c that has newly established a connection to the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 so that the number of external devices connected to the first communication unit 42 is equal to or less than the number of external devices connected to the second communication unit 44. In a state in which the third electronic device 200c has established a connection with the first communication unit 42 (the state shown in FIG. 7), the number of external devices connected to the first communication unit 42 is greater than the number of external devices connected to the second communication unit 44. Therefore, the allocation processing unit 104 determines that the connection destination of the electronic device 200c is the second communication unit 44, and therefore determines to change the connection destination of the electronic device 200c from the first communication unit 42 to the second communication unit 44.

[0060] 8 shows a state in which the electronic device 200c is simultaneously connected to the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44. The first communication unit 42 transmits a signal (standby instruction signal) to the electronic device 200c instructing it to enter a state of waiting for a connection request, and the electronic device 200c operates in a page scan mode in which it waits for a connection request from the second communication unit 44 while maintaining the connection with the first communication unit 42. The electronic device 200c receives the connection request from the second communication unit 44 and connects to the second communication unit 44. FIG. 8 shows this state.

[0061] Fig. 9 shows a state in which the electronic device 200c has disconnected from the first communication unit 42. The first communication unit 42 disconnects the connection with the electronic device 200c by transmitting a disconnection request to the electronic device 200c. Fig. 9 shows this state.

[0062] 10 shows a state in which a fourth electronic device 200d is wirelessly connected to the first communication unit 42. The electronic device 200d transmits a connection request to the first communication unit 42 and connects to the first communication unit 42 in active mode.

[0063] The connection management unit 102 acquires the number of external devices connected to the first communication unit 42 and the number of external devices connected to the second communication unit 44. In the connection state shown in FIG. 10, the first communication unit 42 is connected to two electronic devices 200b and 200d, and the second communication unit 44 is connected to two electronic devices 200a and 200c. The allocation processing unit 104 allocates the electronic device 200d that has newly established a connection to the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 so that the number of external devices connected to the first communication unit 42 is equal to or less than the number of external devices connected to the second communication unit 44. In a state in which the fourth electronic device 200d has established a connection with the first communication unit 42 (the state shown in FIG. 10), the number of external devices connected to the first communication unit 42 is equal to the number of external devices connected to the second communication unit 44. Therefore, the allocation processing unit 104 determines that the connection destination of the electronic device 200d should be the first communication unit 42, and therefore determines not to change the connection destination of the electronic device 200d.

[0064] 11 shows a state in which the third electronic device 200c is disconnected from the second communication unit 44. For example, when the user of the electronic device 200c finishes playing a game on the electronic device 200c and logs out from the device main body 3, the connection between the electronic device 200c and the second communication unit 44 is disconnected.

[0065] When the connection between the electronic device 200c and the communication device 2 is cut off, the connection management unit 102 acquires the number of connected external devices in the first communication unit 42 and the number of connected external devices in the second communication unit 44. In the connection state shown in FIG. 11, the first communication unit 42 is connected to two electronic devices 200b and 200d, and the second communication unit 44 is connected to one electronic device 200a. The allocation processing unit 104 executes allocation processing when the wireless connection with the connected electronic device 200c is terminated (in other words, in response to determining that the wireless connection is terminated). Specifically, the allocation processing unit 104 changes the connection destination of the already connected electronic device 200d so that the number of connected external devices in the first communication unit 42 is equal to or less than the number of connected external devices in the second communication unit 44. In the state shown in FIG. 11, since the number of external devices connected to the first communication unit 42 is greater than the number of external devices connected to the second communication unit 44, the allocation processing unit 104 decides to change the connection destination of the electronic device 200d from the first communication unit 42 to the second communication unit 44.

[0066] FIG. 12 shows a state in which the electronic device 200d is connected to the second communication unit 44. When switching the connection destination, the electronic device 200d receives a standby instruction signal from the first communication unit 42 and enters a state of waiting for a connection request from the second communication unit 44. The instruction processing unit 214 in the electronic device 200d alternates periodically between a communication period with the first communication unit 42 and a scan period for waiting for a connection request from the second communication unit 44 according to timing information included in the standby instruction signal. When the request processing unit 216 in the electronic device 200d accepts a connection request from the second communication unit 44, a connection process is performed between the electronic device 200d and the second communication unit 44. In this way, the electronic device 200d disconnects from the first communication unit 42 and connects only to the second communication unit 44 after passing through a state in which the electronic device 200d is simultaneously connected to the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44.

[0067] At the time of receiving the standby instruction signal, the electronic device 200d is already in a state of performing data communication such as voice data with the first communication unit 42, which is different from the situation when performing a new connection process as shown in S22 of Fig. 4. Therefore, the connection processing unit 50 sets timing information TI2 so that the electronic device 200d can wirelessly connect to the second communication unit 44 during the data communication while giving priority to maintaining the data communication between the electronic device 200d and the first communication unit 42. The connection processing unit 50 may set timing information TI2 in which the communication period (first period) with the first communication unit 42, which is the connection switching source, is longer than the scan period (second period) for waiting for a connection request from the second communication unit 44, which is the connection switching destination. In other words, the timing information TI1 transmitted at the time of the new connection process may be different from the timing information TI2 transmitted after the start of the data communication.

[0068] In the example of Figure 12, the connection destination of the electronic device 200d is switched from the first communication unit 42 to the second communication unit 44, but even when the connection destination is switched from the second communication unit 44 to the first communication unit 42, the connection processing unit 50 may include timing information TI2 in the standby instruction signal, and the second communication unit 44 may transmit the standby instruction signal to the electronic device 200d.

[0069] In the communication system 1 of the embodiment, the allocation processing unit 104 determines the connection destination of the external device to be the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 so that the communication load between the first communication unit 42 and the external device is equal to or less than the communication load between the second communication unit 44 and the external device.

[0070] Therefore, even after data communication is started between the communication device 2 and the electronic device 200, a process of switching the connection destination of the electronic device 200 is performed in response to a change in the connection environment between the communication device 2 and the electronic device 200. In other words, when one of the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 is wirelessly connected to the electronic device 200 and then the electronic device 200 connects to the other of the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44, the wireless connection between the one of the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 and the electronic device 200 is disconnected. The allocation processing unit 104 determines the connection destination of the external device based on a criterion using the communication load, thereby ensuring stable page scan mode operation by the first communication unit 42 for a new external device.

[0071] In the communication system 1 of the embodiment, the electronic device 200 performs a paging process on the first communication unit 42, so that when a connection between the first communication unit 42 and the electronic device 200 is first established, the electronic device 200 becomes the master (i.e., operates as the master) and the first communication unit 42 becomes the slave (i.e., operates as the slave). Thereafter, in order to transmit and receive data such as voice chat and game play, the communication device 2 becomes the master, the electronic device 200 becomes the slave, and the communication of the electronic device 200 needs to be controlled by the communication device 2. Therefore, as shown in S20 of FIG. 4, the role management unit 106 transmits a role switching instruction for switching the roles (roles) of the master and the slave to the electronic device 200 via the first communication unit 42, and switches the electronic device 200 to the slave and the first communication unit 42 to the master.

[0072] Figure 4 shows a sequence from the wake-on-BT state, so at the point of S18, only one electronic device 200 has established a wireless connection with the first communication unit 42. However, after the communication device 2 is started up, as shown in Figure 7, for example, electronic device 200c may newly connect while electronic device 200b is already connected to the first communication unit 42 in active mode.

[0073] 13 shows a timing chart when the electronic device 200b pages the first communication unit 42. At this time, the first communication unit 42 is not connected to an external device. When the first communication unit 42 is not connected to an external device, the first communication unit 42 waits for a connection request in the first mode in which the standby time P1 is relatively long.

[0074] The electronic device 200b transmits a connection request (paging) to the first communication unit 42. The first communication unit 42 establishes a connection with the electronic device 200b at time t1. At time t1, the first communication unit 42 and the electronic device 200b are in the state of S18 in the sequence of Fig. 4, and at the time of connection establishment, the first communication unit 42 becomes a slave and the electronic device 200b becomes a master, and the role management unit 106 recognizes their respective roles.

[0075] When electronic device 200b is connected, role management unit 106 controls the period during which first communication unit 42 operates as a slave depending on the communication state of first communication unit 42 with external devices other than electronic device 200b. At time t1 shown in Fig. 13, first communication unit 42 is not connected to other external devices. In this case, role management unit 106 operates first communication unit 42 as a slave from time t1 to time t3 when role switching processing is performed, as shown below.

[0076] After time t1, the first communication unit 42 and the electronic device 200b transmit and receive information necessary for data communication, such as clock information and communication parameters, and when these procedures are completed and such information is transmitted or conveyed, at time t2, the role management unit 106 transmits a role switching instruction to switch the roles (roles) of master and slave to the electronic device 200b via the first communication unit 42. The connection processing unit 50 in the first communication unit 42 and the instruction processing unit 214 in the electronic device 200b synchronously execute role switching at time t3, a predetermined time after the role switching instruction is transmitted. As a result, the electronic device 200 operates as a slave, and the first communication unit 42 operates as a master. In this way, if no external device other than the electronic device 200b is connected, the role management unit 106 may operate the first communication unit 42 as a slave until the role switching process is performed in response to the role switching instruction.

[0077] Therefore, in general, when the communication unit connects to an arbitrary external device, the control unit controls the period during which the communication unit operates as a slave depending on the communication status between the communication unit and an external device other than the arbitrary connected external device.

[0078] 14 shows a timing chart when the electronic device 200c pages the first communication unit 42. At this time, the first communication unit 42 is already communicating with the electronic device 200b in active mode. When the first communication unit 42 is connected to an external device, it waits for a connection request in the second mode in which the standby time P2 is relatively short. This allows the first communication unit 42 to wait for a connection request from the new electronic device 200c while maintaining communication of voice data, etc. with the electronic device 200b.

[0079] Therefore, it is preferable that the standby time P2 is set to a time that does not impede communication between the first communication unit 42 and the electronic device 200b. For example, if the communication cycle of audio data between the first communication unit 42 and the electronic device 200b is 10 ms, it is preferable that the standby time P2 is set to a time shorter than 10 ms. This allows the first communication unit 42 to wait for a connection request from a new electronic device 200c during the intervals between sending and receiving audio data.

[0080] The electronic device 200c transmits a connection request (paging) to the first communication unit 42. The first communication unit 42 establishes a connection with the electronic device 200c at time t11. At this time, the first communication unit 42 becomes a slave and the electronic device 200c becomes a master, and the role management unit 106 recognizes their respective roles. When the electronic device 200c is connected, the role management unit 106 controls the period during which the first communication unit 42 operates as a slave depending on the communication status with external devices other than the electronic device 200c in the first communication unit 42. In the state shown in FIG. 14, the first communication unit 42 has already been connected to the electronic device 200b, and the role management unit 106 controls the period during which the first communication unit 42 operates as a slave as follows.

[0081] 13, at time t11, the first communication unit 42 periodically communicates data with the electronic device 200b, and if the first communication unit 42 continues to be a slave until time t13 when role switching is performed based on a role switching instruction, communication with the electronic device 200b is not possible. This means that if the user of the electronic device 200b is engaged in voice chat, the voice chat is temporarily interrupted from time t11 to time t13.

[0082] Therefore, when the first communication unit 42 establishes a connection with the electronic device 200c, if the first communication unit 42 is already connected to another electronic device 200b, the role management unit 106 alternates between a period during which the first communication unit 42 operates as a slave and a period during which the first communication unit 42 operates as a master. The period during which the first communication unit 42 operates as a master is a period during which data communication between the first communication unit 42 and the electronic device 200b is possible, and the period during which the first communication unit 42 operates as a slave is a period during which information necessary for data communication can be transmitted and received between the first communication unit 42 and the electronic device 200c.

[0083] 15 shows the state of the first communication unit 42 from time t11 to time t13. Here, "S" represents the period in which the first communication unit 42 is the slave, and "M" represents the period in which the first communication unit 42 is the master. The role management unit 106 periodically alternates between the slave period and the master period, so that the first communication unit 42 can transmit and receive information necessary for communication with the electronic device 200c during the slave period, and can perform data communication with the electronic device 200b during the master period.

[0084] The period during which the first communication unit 42 operates as a slave is set based on the communication cycle with the connected electronic device 200b. For example, if the communication cycle of audio data between the first communication unit 42 and the electronic device 200b is 10 ms, it is preferable to set the period during which the first communication unit 42 operates as a slave to a time shorter than 10 ms. This allows the first communication unit 42 to transmit and receive information to and from the new electronic device 200c during the intervals between the time periods during which audio data is transmitted and received.

[0085] In the BT protocol, the master BT communication device transmits in even-numbered slots, and the slave BT communication device transmits in odd-numbered slots. The slot period is 625 μs, and the master's BT clock determines the transmission operation by the master and the transmission operation by the slave.

[0086] Figure 16 shows the BT clock. The clock counter built into the BT communication device generates a 28-bit BT clock with a clock rate of 3.4KHz. Here, the slot is specified by bit C1, and the master performs transmission operations in even-numbered slots (C1=0) and reception operations in odd-numbered slots (C1=1).

[0087] In the communication system 1 of the embodiment, the communication device 2 includes two communication units, a first communication unit 42 and a second communication unit 44. For example, if the second communication unit 44 performs a receiving operation while the first communication unit 42 is performing a transmitting operation, the transmitting operation of the first communication unit 42 interferes with the receiving operation of the second communication unit 44. Therefore, it is preferable to avoid collision of transmission and reception between the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44.

[0088] FIG. 17 shows a timing chart of transmission and reception in the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44. In the first communication unit 42, the communication control unit 52 switches between a transmission operation and a reception operation according to the value of a predetermined bit (C1) of the clock counter 56. The clock counter 56 generates a clock signal for the first communication unit 42 having a plurality of consecutive bits (CN, . . . C1, C0). Similarly, in the second communication unit 44, the communication control unit 62 switches between a transmission operation and a reception operation according to the value of a predetermined bit (C1) of the clock counter 64. The clock counter 64 generates a clock signal for the second communication unit 44 having a plurality of consecutive bits (CN, . . . C1, C0). Therefore, by synchronizing the value of the predetermined bit (C1) of the clock counter 56 with the value of the predetermined bit (C1) of the clock counter 64, it is possible to synchronize the transmission operation and the reception operation of the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 as shown in FIG. 17. The predetermined bit (C1) of the clock counter 56 and the predetermined bit (C1) of the clock counter 64 are both the bit at the second position from the LSB.

[0089] In the embodiment, the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 are formed on the same chip, and the clock counter 56 and the clock counter 64 may generate the BT clock based on the clock signal of a common system clock oscillator.

[0090] The clock counter 56 supplies a counter reset signal, which is a sideband signal, to the clock counter 64. The clock counter 56 outputs the counter reset signal when the two least significant bits (C1, C0) are 0. Upon receiving the counter reset signal, the clock counter 64 sets the two least significant bits (C1, C0) to 0. This enables the clock counter 56 and the clock counter 64 to synchronize the value of the bit C1 that defines the slot, and the communication control unit 52 of the first communication unit 42 and the communication control unit 62 of the second communication unit 44 can synchronize their transmission and reception operations.

[0091] It is preferable that the communication control unit 52 and the communication control unit 62 communicate at different frequencies while synchronizing the transmission and reception operations. Since the frequency hopping pattern is determined using the BT device address of the master, the communication control unit 52 may determine the frequency hopping pattern by directly using the BT device address of the first communication unit 42, and the communication control unit 62 may determine the frequency hopping pattern by offsetting the BT device address of the first communication unit 42 by a predetermined value. This ensures that the frequencies used by the communication control unit 52 and the communication control unit 62 are different.

[0092] In the embodiment, the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 have the clock counter 56 and the clock counter 64, respectively. In another example, a common clock counter may be provided for the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 arranged on the same chip, and the BT clock by the common clock counter may be supplied to the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44. The clock counter 56 may generate a BT clock from a clock signal of a system clock oscillator, and supply the generated BT clock and a counter reset signal to the clock counter 64 to synchronize the value of the bit C1 that defines the slot. In the embodiment, it is assumed that the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 are arranged on the same chip. However, even if they are arranged on different chips, the value of the bit C1 that defines the slot can be synchronized by supplying a counter reset signal from the clock counter 56 to the clock counter 64.

[0093] As described above, in the embodiment, bit synchronization of the clock counter 56 and the clock counter 64 is performed only for the lower two bits (C1, C0). Each bit can define a so-called slot (time period) in the clock cycle defined by the consecutive bits. As described above, the master performs a transmission operation in the even slot (C1=0) and a reception operation in the odd slot (C1=1). To achieve this, only bit C1 may be synchronized, but in the embodiment, C1 and C0 are set to 0 by a counter reset. Bit C2 and higher bits are not affected by the counter reset. Therefore, the "predetermined bit" may be C1 or may refer to C0 and C1.

[0094] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. The embodiments are merely illustrative, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component and each treatment process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0095] 4, the electronic device 200 operates in the page scan mode in a state in which the first communication unit 42 notifies the electronic device 200 of the device ID information of the second communication unit 44, thereby enabling the electronic device 200 to safely respond to a connection request from the second communication unit 44 having the notified device ID information. The electronic device 200 may respond to a connection request from the second communication unit 44 even if the electronic device 200 is notified of the device ID information of the second communication unit 44. Note that when the electronic device 200 is notified of the device ID information of the second communication unit 44, it is also possible for the electronic device 200 to transmit a connection request including the device ID information of the second communication unit 44 to the second communication unit 44 to establish a connection.

[0096] At least some example methods of the techniques described above will now be described with reference to the diagrams provided as FIGS. FIG. 18 shows a flowchart of a wireless connection method for realizing wireless connection with a communication device having a plurality of communication units of the same type. This method includes the steps of: A step (S1800) of retaining one piece of identification information of the communication unit acquired by performing a pairing process with the communication unit; and transmitting a connection request including identification information of one communication unit (S1810).

[0097] 19 shows a flow chart of a method of operation of a communication device including a first communication unit and a second communication unit of the same type as the first communication unit. The communication device is capable of wirelessly connecting to an external device, and the method includes: A step (S1900) of a first communication unit waiting for a connection request from an external device; The method includes a step (S1910) of wirelessly connecting, in response to receiving the connection request, the second communication unit to the external device that has transmitted the connection request received by the first communication unit.

[0098] 20 shows a flowchart of a connection destination determination method for determining a connection destination of an external device in a communication device including a first communication unit and a second communication unit of the same type as the first communication unit. This method includes the steps of: A step of acquiring a communication status between the first communication unit and the external device and another communication status between the second communication unit and the external device (S2000); and determining (S2010) whether the external device is to be connected to the first communication unit or the second communication unit based on the acquired communication statuses.

[0099] 21 shows a flowchart of a wireless connection method for connecting a communication device including a first communication unit and a second communication unit of the same type as the first communication unit to an external device. A step of wirelessly connecting to an external device (S2100); and transmitting to the external device a standby instruction signal instructing the external device to enter a state of waiting for a connection request (S2110).

[0100] FIG. 22 shows a flow chart of a wireless connection method for wirelessly connecting to a communication device. The method includes: A step of transmitting a connection request to a communication device (S2200); and receiving an instruction to wait for a connection request after connecting with the communication device (S2210).

[0101] 23 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a state of a communication unit in a communication device having a communication unit that operates as either a master or a slave. The method includes: A step of establishing a connection between the communication unit and an external device (S2300); and controlling a period during which the communication unit operates as a slave in accordance with a communication status in the communication unit with an external device other than the external device (S2310).

[0102] 24 shows a flow chart of a method of operation of a communication device comprising a first communication unit and a second communication unit similar to the first communication unit, the method comprising: A step (S2400) in which each of the first communication unit and the second communication unit switches between a transmission operation and a reception operation according to a value of a predetermined bit of each clock signal including a plurality of consecutive bits; and synchronizing the value of a predetermined bit of the clock signal of the first communication unit with the value of a predetermined bit of the clock signal of the second communication unit (S2410).

[0103] 25 shows a computer or computer processor that can be used to realize one or more components of the communication device or electronic device described above. For example, the control or other functions provided by one or more of the control unit 34, the connection processing unit 50, the communication control unit 52, the holding unit 54, the clock counter 56, the connection processing unit 60, the communication control unit 62, the clock counter 64, the connection management unit 102, the allocation processing unit 104, and the role management unit 106 described above may be realized by executing program instructions by a computer. Similarly, the control or other functions provided by one or more of the connection processing unit 210, the connection request unit 212, the instruction processing unit 214, the request processing unit 216, the communication control unit 220, the holding unit 222, and the clock counter 224 may be realized by executing program instructions by a computer. The computer comprises a central processing unit (CPU) 2500, a random access memory (RAM) 2510, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (NTMRSM) 2520, such as a read-only memory, hard disk, optical disk, flash memory, etc., from which program instructions are provided, and input / output (I / O) circuitry 2530, with these components interconnected by a bus arrangement 2540.

[0104] The following are modified examples. Fig. 26 shows a sequence for wirelessly connecting the electronic device 200 and the communication device 2 in the modified example. Procedures with the same numbers in Fig. 4 and Fig. 26 are the same or similar procedures. In the wake-on-BT state, the first communication unit 42 operates in a page scan mode waiting for a connection request from the external electronic device 200 (S10). The connection processing unit 50 of the first communication unit 42 waits for a connection request (paging) from the electronic device 200 included in the connectable device ID list.

[0105] In the electronic device 200, the connection request unit 212 reads out the device ID information of the first communication unit 42 from the holding unit 222, and transmits a connection request including the device ID information of the first communication unit 42 to the first communication unit 42 (S12). When the connection processing unit 50 in the first communication unit 42 receives a connection request from the electronic device 200 having a device ID included in the device ID list, it outputs a WAKE signal to the system controller 20 in accordance with the wake-on parameters (S14). When the system controller 20 receives the WAKE signal, it starts up the host block 30 and the USB module 46, and activates the USB connection between the USB module 32 and the USB module 46.

[0106] In the control unit 34, the connection management unit 102 downloads firmware to the second communication unit 44 via the USB connection and initializes the second communication unit 44. This allows the second communication unit 44 to be wirelessly connected to the external electronic device 200 (S16). The connection management unit 102 executes authentication processing and encryption processing with the electronic device 200, and the first communication unit 42 connects to the electronic device 200 in an active mode, which is a data transmission mode in which data can be transmitted (S18). The active mode is a connection mode in which the communication block 40 and the electronic device 200 transmit and receive data to each other through a plurality of consecutive slots. When data communication such as audio data is performed between the communication block 40 and the electronic device 200, the communication block 40 and the electronic device 200 need to be connected in the active mode.

[0107] At the time of connection in the active mode, the electronic device 200, which is a paging device, becomes the master, and the first communication unit 42, which is a paged device, becomes the slave. The role management unit 106 transmits a role switching instruction for switching the roles (roles) of the master and the slave to the electronic device 200 via the first communication unit 42 (S20). In the electronic device 200, the instruction processing unit 214 accepts the role switching instruction. The connection processing unit 50 in the first communication unit 42 and the instruction processing unit 214 synchronously execute role switching of the first communication unit 42 and the electronic device 200 a predetermined time after the role switching instruction is transmitted. As a result, the electronic device 200 starts operating as a slave, and the first communication unit 42 of the communication device 2 starts operating as a master. Then, the first communication unit 42 instructs the electronic device 200 to enter a state of waiting for a connection request (S22).

[0108] The connection management unit 102 acquires the communication status between the first communication unit 42 and the external device and the communication status between the second communication unit 44 and the external device. At the time of establishing the connection in S18, the first communication unit 42 is connected to one electronic device 200, and the second communication unit 44 is not connected to any electronic device 200.

[0109] 27 illustrates a state in which the first electronic device 200a is connected in active mode to the first communication unit 42. The connection management unit 102 may acquire, as the communication status, the number of external devices to which each of the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 is connected in active mode.

[0110] As will be explained in detail later, in a modified example, the electronic device 200 connects to either the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 in a data transmission mode in which data can be transmitted, and connects to the other of the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 in a non-data transmission mode in which data is not transmitted.

[0111] In a modified example, the data transmission mode is an active mode in which a data transmission period is secured. In the data transmission mode, data used for processing executed by an information processing device in which the communication device 2 is incorporated is transmitted and / or received. For example, if the information processing device is a game device, data used for executing a game and audio data for voice chat may be transmitted and received in the data transmission mode.

[0112] When the electronic device 200 is a peripheral device such as a headset or a game controller, in the data transmission mode, the electronic device 200 transmits data input by a user to the communication unit, and the communication unit transmits output data for the user to the electronic device 200. The data input by the user includes, for example, voice data uttered by the user and data required for executing a game (application). The data required for executing a game may include operation data of a controller and motion data of the controller. The output data for the user may include voice data of the game and voice data uttered by another user.

[0113] The non-data transmission mode may be a connection mode in which data cannot be transmitted, or may be a connection mode in which data can be transmitted but data is not transmitted. In the non-data transmission mode, data input by the user and output data for the user are not transmitted between the electronic device 200 and the communication unit. In this modification, control data for the electronic device 200 and status data indicating the status of the electronic device 200 are also transmitted in the data transmission mode, but these data may exceptionally be transmitted in the non-data transmission mode.

[0114] In this manner, in the modified example, the electronic device 200 is connected to one of the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 so as to be able to perform data communication, and is connected so as not to perform data communication with the other of the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44. Note that, for example, when the communication block 40 is provided with three or more communication units, the electronic device 200 is connected to one of the communication units in a data transmission mode, and is connected to the other communication units in a non-data transmission mode.

[0115] In the data non-transmission mode, a very short period within a communication cycle is set as a communication possible period for maintaining synchronization, and the rest is set as a non-communication period. For example, the communication possible period within a communication cycle in the data non-transmission mode may be 1 / 10 or less of the non-communication period. In this modified example, the data non-transmission mode may be a sniff mode in which packets for maintaining synchronization are transmitted and received using only a predetermined number of slots (for example, two slots) within a predetermined time interval (N slots). In the sniff mode, the N slots that define the predetermined time interval are called a sniff period, and N may be 300. The sniff mode is originally a power-saving connection mode used for the purpose of maintaining synchronization while operating with low power consumption. The data non-transmission mode may be a connection mode of another type other than the sniff mode, as long as it does not transmit data but can maintain communication synchronization.

[0116] The electronic device 200 connected to the communication unit in sniff mode transmits and receives packets to and from the communication unit only in two sniff slots set within a sniff cycle of 300 consecutive slots. The electronic device 200 does not perform processing on the communication unit connected in sniff mode in the 298 slots other than the two sniff slots. In sniff mode, the master transmits a predetermined poll packet, and the slave that receives the packet replies with a null packet, thereby terminating packet communication for maintaining synchronization in the sniff cycle. Since communication parameters for connection are maintained in sniff mode, no new paging processing or authentication processing is required when changing the connection mode from sniff mode to active mode.

[0117] The allocation processing unit 104 executes an allocation process of determining the connection destination in the data transmission mode (active mode) of the external device to be the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 based on the respective communication states of the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 acquired by the connection management unit 102. It is preferable that the allocation processing unit 104 determines the connection destination in the active mode of the external device to be the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 so that the communication load with the external device in the first communication unit 42 is equal to or lower than the communication load with the external device in the second communication unit 44. In other words, it is preferable that the allocation processing unit 104 sets the communication load of the first communication unit 42, which has a function of waiting for a connection request from the external electronic device 200, equal to or lower than the communication load of the second communication unit 44, which does not have this function.

[0118] It is preferable that the allocation processing unit 104 executes the allocation process so that the communication load of the first communication unit 42 is equal to or less than the communication load of the second communication unit 44, while preventing the communication load of the second communication unit 44 from becoming excessively larger than the communication load of the first communication unit 42. For example, it is preferable that the allocation processing unit 104 executes the allocation process so that the difference between the communication load of the second communication unit 44 and the communication load of the first communication unit 42 does not exceed a predetermined threshold, under the premise that the communication load of the first communication unit 42 is equal to or less than the communication load of the second communication unit 44.

[0119] In the modified example, the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 connect to the electronic device 200 in either the active mode or the sniff mode, but the communication load when connected in the sniff mode is significantly lower than the communication load when connected in the active mode. Therefore, the allocation processing unit 104 may ignore the communication load due to the sniff mode and determine the level of the communication load based on the number of external devices to which the first communication unit 42 connects in the active mode and the number of external devices to which the second communication unit 44 connects in the active mode, and determine the connection destination of the external device in the active mode.

[0120] As shown in FIG. 27, when there is only one electronic device 200 connected to the communication device 2, it is preferable that the allocation processing unit 104 determines the second communication unit 44 as the connection destination in active mode of the electronic device 200, and makes the communication load of the first communication unit 42 lighter than the communication load of the second communication unit 44.

[0121] In this way, the communication load that is the criterion for the allocation processing unit 104 to determine the allocation destination may be the number of external devices to which each communication unit connects in active mode. Therefore, the allocation processing unit 104 may determine the connection destination of the external device in active mode to be either the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 so that the number of external devices to which the first communication unit 42 connects in active mode is equal to or less than the number of external devices to which the second communication unit 44 connects in active mode.

[0122] The communication load as a reference may be the amount of communication data between each communication unit and an external device. In a voice chat with the electronic device 200, the amount of voice data is large, but the amount of operation data for a game controller is small. Therefore, the connection management unit 102 may monitor the amount of communication data between each communication unit and the electronic device 200, and the allocation processing unit 104 may determine the connection destination of the electronic device 200 so that the communication load of the first communication unit 42 is smaller than the communication load of the second communication unit 44. The communication load as a reference may be the communication error rate in each communication unit, or may be obtained by combining any of the above.

[0123] The reference communication load may be predicted based on the functions of the electronic device 200 and the on / off state of the functions. For example, if a microphone is not attached to the electronic device 200, the communication load of the electronic device 200 is predicted to be low, whereas if a microphone is attached, the communication load of the electronic device 200 is predicted to be high or to become high. The connection management unit 102 may notify the allocation processing unit 104 of the presence or absence of a function in the electronic device 200 and the on / off state of the function, and the allocation processing unit 104 may predict the communication load and determine the connection destination of the electronic device 200.

[0124] In the state shown in FIG. 27, only one electronic device 200a is already connected to the communication device 2. Therefore, the allocation processing unit 104 decides to change the connection destination of the electronic device 200a in the active mode from the first communication unit 42 to the second communication unit 44. The allocation processing unit 104 starts a process of connecting the already connected electronic device to the second communication unit 44. Specifically, the allocation processing unit 104 operates the electronic device 200a in a scan mode (for example, a page scan mode) and causes the second communication unit 44 to transmit a connection request to the electronic device 200a. To this end, in S22, the first communication unit 42 transmits a signal (standby instruction signal) to the electronic device 200a instructing it to enter a state of waiting for a connection request from the second communication unit 44.

[0125] The allocation processing unit 104 notifies the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 that the connection destination of the electronic device 200a in the active mode is switched from the first communication unit 42 to the second communication unit 44. At this time, the allocation processing unit 104 also notifies the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 of the device ID information (BT device address) of the electronic device 200a. As a result, the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 each recognize that they should operate to connect the electronic device 200a, which is currently connected to the first communication unit 42 in the active mode, to the second communication unit 44 in the active mode and to connect it to the first communication unit 42 in the sniff mode.

[0126] In the first communication unit 42, the connection processing unit 50 transmits a standby instruction signal to the electronic device 200a (S22). The standby instruction signal may include identification information of the device (e.g., the communication unit) transmitting the connection request, in this example, device ID information of the second communication unit 44. In the electronic device 200a, the instruction processing unit 214 receives the standby instruction signal and accepts an instruction to enter a state of waiting for a connection request from the second communication unit 44. As a result, the instruction processing unit 214 maintains a connection with the first communication unit 42 in the active mode, while the request processing unit 216 operates in a page scan mode waiting for a connection request from the second communication unit 44 (S24).

[0127] At this time, the instruction processing unit 214 operates to alternately switch between a communication period (first period) with the first communication unit 42 and a scan period (second period) for waiting for a connection request from the second communication unit 44. The connection processing unit 50 may include timing information that specifies the alternate switching between the first period and the second period in the standby instruction signal, and the instruction processing unit 214 may alternately and periodically switch between the communication period with the first communication unit 42 and the scan period for waiting for a connection request from the second communication unit 44 in accordance with the timing information included in the standby instruction signal.

[0128] It is preferable that the connection processing unit 50 sets the timing information according to the connection status in the active mode between the electronic device 200 and the communication device 2. At the time of S22 in Fig. 26, the electronic device 200a is in the stage of performing new connection processing with the communication device 2, and data communication such as voice data with the first communication unit 42 has not yet started. Therefore, the connection processing unit 50 sets the timing information TI1 so that the electronic device 200a can quickly establish a wireless connection with the second communication unit 44. For example, the connection processing unit 50 may set the timing information TI1 in which the second period is longer than the first period.

[0129] In the page scan mode performed during the scan period (second period), the request processor 216 waits for a connection request from the second communication unit 44 having the device ID information included in the standby instruction signal. In the second communication unit 44, the connection processor 60 transmits a connection request including the device ID information of the electronic device 200a to the electronic device 200a (S26). When the request processor 216 accepts the connection request, a connection process including an authentication process and an encryption process is performed between the request processor 216 and the connection processor 60. As a result, the second communication unit 44 connects to the electronic device 200 in active mode (S28).

[0130] FIG. 28 shows a state in which the first electronic device 200a is connected to the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 in active mode. When the connection management unit 102 detects that the second communication unit 44 and the electronic device 200a are connected, the connection management unit 102 instructs the first communication unit 42 to change the connection mode with the electronic device 200a to sniff mode. In response to this instruction, the connection processing unit 50 transmits an instruction to change the connection mode to the electronic device 200a (S40). Note that the mode change instruction may be transmitted from the electronic device 200 to the first communication unit 42. Thereafter, the connection mode between the first communication unit 42 and the electronic device 200a is changed to sniff mode (S42). Then, the first communication unit 42 operates in a page scan mode in which it waits for a connection request from the external electronic device 200 (S34), and waits for a connection request (paging) from the electronic device 200 included in the connectable device ID list.

[0131] The above describes the procedure when the first electronic device 200a connects to the communication device 2. In the following, the procedure when the second or subsequent electronic devices 200 connect to the communication device 2 will be described. FIG. 29 illustrates a state in which the first electronic device 200a is wirelessly connected to the second communication unit 44 in the active mode and wirelessly connected to the first communication unit 42 in the sniff mode in accordance with the wireless connection sequence illustrated in FIG.

[0132] 30 illustrates a state in which the second electronic device 200b is wirelessly connected in active mode to the first communication unit 42. The electronic device 200b transmits a connection request to the first communication unit 42 and connects to the first communication unit 42 in active mode.

[0133] The connection management unit 102 acquires the communication status between the first communication unit 42 and the external device and the communication status between the second communication unit 44 and the external device. In the connection state shown in FIG. 30, the first communication unit 42 is connected to one electronic device 200b in active mode, and the second communication unit 44 is connected to one electronic device 200a in active mode. The connection management unit 102 acquires the number of electronic devices 200 to which each of the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 connects in active mode as the communication status. The allocation processing unit 104 executes a process of determining the connection destination to which the electronic device 200b connects in active mode to be either the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44, based on the number of electronic devices 200 to which each of the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 connects in active mode.

[0134] The allocation processing unit 104 determines the connection destination in the active mode of the newly established electronic device 200b to be the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 so that the communication load with the external device in the first communication unit 42 is equal to or less than the communication load with the external device in the second communication unit 44. In a state in which the second electronic device 200b is connected to the first communication unit 42 in the active mode (the state shown in FIG. 30), the first communication unit 42 is connected to one electronic device 200b in the active mode, and the second communication unit 44 is connected to one electronic device 200a in the active mode, and the communication loads of the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 are equal. Therefore, the allocation processing unit 104 determines that the connection destination in the active mode of the electronic device 200b may be the first communication unit 42.

[0135] In this manner, it is determined that the second electronic device 200b will wirelessly connect to the first communication unit 42 in the active mode, and wirelessly connect to the second communication unit 44 in the sniff mode. Before connecting to the second communication unit 44 in the sniff mode, the electronic device 200b connects to the second communication unit 44 in the active mode through the procedures of S24, S26, and S28 shown in FIG.

[0136] 31 shows a state in which the second electronic device 200b is connected to the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 in the active mode. When the connection management unit 102 detects that the second communication unit 44 and the electronic device 200a are connected in the active mode, the connection management unit 102 instructs the second communication unit 44 to change the connection mode with the electronic device 200b to the sniff mode. In response to this instruction, the connection processing unit 60 transmits an instruction to change the connection mode to the electronic device 200b. Note that the mode change instruction may be transmitted from the electronic device 200 to the second communication unit 44. Thereafter, the connection mode between the second communication unit 44 and the electronic device 200b is changed to the sniff mode.

[0137] 32 shows a state in which the connection mode between the second communication unit 44 and the electronic device 200b has been changed to the sniff mode. In this modified example, the control unit 34 connects the electronic device 200 to one of the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 in an active mode in which data can be transmitted, and connects the electronic device 200 to the other of the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 in a sniff mode in which data cannot be transmitted. That is, the electronic device 200 connects to the first communication unit 42 in an active mode in which data can be transmitted, and connects to the second communication unit 44 in a sniff mode in which the communication period is shorter than that in the active mode and in which data cannot be transmitted. For example, when the allocation processing unit 104 changes the connection destination of the electronic device 200 in the active mode due to a change in the connection environment, the electronic device 200 is already connected to the communication unit to be changed in the sniff mode, so that the change process of the connection destination in the active mode is instantaneously performed without performing new paging processing or authentication processing.

[0138] 33 shows a state in which the third electronic device 200c is wirelessly connected to the first communication unit 42. The electronic device 200c transmits a connection request to the first communication unit 42 and connects to the first communication unit 42 in active mode.

[0139] The connection management unit 102 acquires the number of external devices to which the first communication unit 42 connects in the active mode and the number of external devices to which the second communication unit 44 connects in the active mode. In the connection state shown in FIG. 33, the first communication unit 42 connects to two electronic devices 200b and 200c in the active mode, and the second communication unit 44 connects to one electronic device 200a in the active mode. The allocation processing unit 104 determines the connection destination in the active mode of the newly connected electronic device 200c to either the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 so that the number of external devices to which the first communication unit 42 connects in the active mode is equal to or less than the number of external devices to which the second communication unit 44 connects in the active mode. In the state in which the third electronic device 200c establishes a connection with the first communication unit 42 (the state shown in FIG. 33), the number of external devices to which the first communication unit 42 connects in the active mode is greater than the number of external devices to which the second communication unit 44 connects in the active mode. The allocation processing unit 104 then determines that the connection destination of the electronic device 200c in active mode is the second communication unit 44, and therefore decides to change the connection destination of the electronic device 200c in active mode from the first communication unit 42 to the second communication unit 44.

[0140] Fig. 34 shows a state in which the electronic device 200c is simultaneously connected to the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44 in active mode. From the connection state shown in Fig. 33, the first communication unit 42 transmits a standby instruction signal to the electronic device 200c, and the electronic device 200c operates in a page scan mode in which it waits for a connection request from the second communication unit 44 while maintaining a connection with the first communication unit 42 in active mode. The electronic device 200c receives a connection request from the second communication unit 44 and connects to the second communication unit 44 in active mode. Fig. 34 shows this state.

[0141] 35 shows a state in which the connection between the electronic device 200c and the first communication unit 42 has been changed to the sniff mode. The connection management unit 102 instructs the first communication unit 42 to change the connection mode with the electronic device 200c to the sniff mode. In response to this instruction, the connection processing unit 50 transmits an instruction to change the connection mode to the electronic device 200c. Thereafter, the connection mode between the first communication unit 42 and the electronic device 200c is changed to the sniff mode.

[0142] 36 shows a state in which a fourth electronic device 200d is connected to the communication block 40. The electronic device 200d is wirelessly connected to the first communication unit 42 in active mode, and is wirelessly connected to the second communication unit 44 in sniff mode.

[0143] 37 shows a state in which the third electronic device 200c is disconnected from the communication block 40. For example, when the user of the electronic device 200c finishes playing a game and logs out from the device main body 3, the connection between the electronic device 200c and the communication block 40 is cut off.

[0144] When the connection between the electronic device 200c and the communication device 2 is cut off, the connection management unit 102 acquires the number of external devices to which the first communication unit 42 connects in active mode and the number of external devices to which the second communication unit 44 connects in active mode. In the connection state shown in FIG. 37, the first communication unit 42 connects to two electronic devices 200b and 200d in active mode, and the second communication unit 44 connects to one electronic device 200a in active mode. The allocation processing unit 104 executes allocation processing when the wireless connection with the connected electronic device 200c is terminated. Specifically, the allocation processing unit 104 changes the connection destination of the electronic device 200d in active mode so that the number of external devices to which the first communication unit 42 connects in active mode is equal to or less than the number of external devices to which the second communication unit 44 connects in active mode. In the state shown in FIG. 37, since the number of external devices to which the first communication unit 42 connects in active mode is greater than the number of external devices to which the second communication unit 44 connects in active mode, the allocation processing unit 104 decides to change the connection destination of the electronic device 200d in active mode from the first communication unit 42 to the second communication unit 44.

[0145] 38 shows a state in which the electronic device 200d is connected to the second communication unit 44 in active mode and connected to the first communication unit 42 in sniff mode. In the modified example, the paging process and authentication process required in the embodiment are not required when switching the connection destination in active mode. This makes it possible to maintain data communication between the electronic device 200 and the communication device 2 in an optimal manner.

[0146] At this time, the control unit 34 changes the connection in the sniff mode between the electronic device 200d and the second communication unit 44 to a connection in the active mode, and then changes the connection in the active mode between the electronic device 200d and the first communication unit 42 to a connection in the sniff mode. By taking such a procedure, the data communication between the electronic device 200d and the communication device 2 can be preferably maintained without interruption.

[0147] In a modified example, when the connection between either the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 and the electronic device 200 is disconnected, the control unit 34 may disconnect the connection between the other of the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 and the electronic device 200. The connection management unit 102 determines that the connection with the electronic device 200 has been disconnected, for example, when the disconnection time exceeds a predetermined time. In this way, when it is determined that one connection has been disconnected, the other connection is also disconnected, making it possible to easily manage the connection with the electronic device 200.

[0148] Although various technologies are described separately in the specification for clarity, an embodiment may utilize one or more of the technologies, and one or more of the described technologies may be combined in various forms. [Explanation of symbols]

[0149] 1 communication system, 2 communication device, 34 control unit, 40 communication block, 42 ​​first communication unit, 44 second communication unit, 50 connection processing unit, 52 communication control unit, 54 holding unit, 56 clock counter, 60 connection processing unit, 62 communication control unit, 64 clock counter, 102 connection management unit, 104 assignment processing unit, 106 role management unit, 200 electronic device, 210 connection processing unit, 212 connection request unit, 214 instruction processing unit, 216 request processing unit, 220 communication control unit, 222 holding unit, 224 clock counter.

Claims

1. A communication device that wirelessly connects to an external device, A first communication unit; A second communication unit similar to the first communication unit; a control unit that controls the first communication unit and the second communication unit, the control unit connects one of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device in a data transmission mode in which data can be transmitted, and connects the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device in a data non-transmission mode in which data is not transmitted, the control unit changes a connection in a data non-transmission mode between the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device to a connection in a data transmission mode, and then changes a connection in a data transmission mode between the one of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device to a connection in a data non-transmission mode. A communication device comprising:

2. A communication device that wirelessly connects to an external device, A first communication unit; A second communication unit similar to the first communication unit; a control unit that controls the first communication unit and the second communication unit, the control unit connects one of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device in a data transmission mode in which data can be transmitted, and connects the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device in a data non-transmission mode in which data is not transmitted, when a connection between the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device is disconnected, the control unit disconnects a connection between the one of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device. A communication device comprising:

3. The data transmission mode is a connection mode in which a data transmission period is ensured, and the non-data transmission mode is a power-saving connection mode in which communication synchronization is maintained.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. In the data transmission mode, sound data is transmitted; 4. The communication device according to claim 3.

5. The control unit acquires the number of the external devices to be connected by each of the first communication unit and the second communication unit in a data transmission mode.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. the control unit determines whether or not to change a connection mode between the communication device and one of the external devices when the connection between the communication device and one of the external devices is terminated.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. the control unit connects the one of the first communication unit or the second communication unit to the external device in a data transmission mode, connects the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit to the external device in the data transmission mode, and then changes the connection between the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device in the data transmission mode to a connection in a data non-transmission mode.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. A method for wirelessly connecting a communication device including a first communication unit and a second communication unit of the same type as the first communication unit to an external device, comprising: connecting one of the first communication unit and the second communication unit to the external device in a data transmission mode capable of transmitting data; connecting the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit to the external device in a data non-transmission mode in which no data is transmitted; changing a connection in a data non-transmission mode between the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device to a connection in a data transmission mode, and then changing a connection in a data transmission mode between the one of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device to a connection in a data non-transmission mode; A wireless connection method comprising:

9. A method for wirelessly connecting a communication device including a first communication unit and a second communication unit of the same type as the first communication unit to an external device, comprising: connecting one of the first communication unit and the second communication unit to the external device in a data transmission mode capable of transmitting data; connecting the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit to the external device in a data non-transmission mode in which no data is transmitted; when a connection between the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device is disconnected, disconnecting the connection between the one of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device; A wireless connection method comprising:

10. A computer provided in a communication device including a first communication unit and a second communication unit of the same type as the first communication unit, a function of connecting one of the first communication unit and the second communication unit to an external device in a data transmission mode capable of transmitting data; a function of connecting the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit to the external device in a data non-transmission mode in which no data is transmitted; a function of changing a connection in a data non-transmission mode between the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device to a connection in a data transmission mode, and then changing a connection in a data transmission mode between the one of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device to a connection in a data non-transmission mode; A program to achieve this.

11. A computer provided in a communication device including a first communication unit and a second communication unit of the same type as the first communication unit, a function of connecting one of the first communication unit and the second communication unit to an external device in a data transmission mode capable of transmitting data; a function of connecting the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit to the external device in a data non-transmission mode in which no data is transmitted; a function of disconnecting a connection between the one of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device when a connection between the other of the first communication unit or the second communication unit and the external device is disconnected; A program to achieve this.

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