JP7326765B2 - Communication device, power control method and computer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a communication device, a power control method, and a computer that receives power from an external power source.

Some conventional communication devices do not have an internal power source and operate by receiving power from an external power source such as an AC adapter. In addition, since a connector (port) of a general-purpose interface such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) of a computer is provided with a power connection section, a communication device is provided with a connector of a general-purpose interface, and the power supply connection section of the connector is provided with a power supply connection section. Some work with power.

In a communication device that receives power using such a general-purpose interface, the power that can be externally supplied via the general-purpose interface may fall below the power required by the communication device. For example, when a device having multiple ports for a general-purpose interface is connected with a communication device and another device conforming to the general-purpose interface, the power that can be supplied to the communication device is limited, and it is conceivable that the power may fall below the required power. . In such a case, there is a problem that the communication device cannot operate normally due to insufficient power.

As a method to solve this problem, as shown in Patent Document 1, the power is controlled by controlling the device through power adjustment processing and device settings so that it operates within the power supply range of the general-purpose interface. is proposed.

JP 2010-244457 A

However, the power consumption of communication devices has increased due to the recent increase in speed and functionality of communication devices, and there is a limit to how much power can be reduced by improving systems. In addition, in the control method based on the setting of the communication device, it is necessary to individually set according to the type and version of the general-purpose interface connected by the user. There is also a method of automatically detecting the type and version of the general-purpose interface in advance, but this method requires a dedicated IC or LSI function for detecting the type and version of the general-purpose interface, and is compatible with many types and versions of the general-purpose interface. In order to cope with this, there is a problem that the cost increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a communication device, a power control method for the communication device, and a computer program for the power control method, which can achieve appropriate power control according to the power supply capacity from the outside at low cost. It is to be.

A communication device of the present invention is a communication device that operates by receiving power supply from the outside, the communication unit communicating with an external device at a communication speed of one of a plurality of different communication speeds; a comparing unit that compares a power supply voltage from the outside with a threshold voltage; and communication in which the one communication speed is increased by one step among the plurality of communication speeds when the power supply voltage is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage. The communication unit is notified of communication speed information indicating a speed, and when the power supply voltage falls below the threshold voltage, the one communication speed is reduced by one step out of the plurality of steps of the communication speed. and a control unit that notifies the communication unit of the communication speed information indicated , and the communication unit performs communication at the communication speed indicated by the communication speed information notified from the control unit.
Further, the communication device of the present invention is a communication device that operates by receiving power supply from the outside, and includes a communication unit that communicates with an external device at one of a plurality of different communication speeds. a comparison unit for comparing the power supply voltage from the outside with a threshold voltage; and when the power supply voltage is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage, the one communication speed is set to the communication unit as one of the plurality of levels of communication speeds. a control unit that increases the communication speed by one step and reduces the one communication speed for the communication unit by one step among the plurality of communication speeds when the power supply voltage falls below the threshold voltage; It is characterized in that power is supplied from the outside through a connector for general-purpose interfaces.

A power control method of the present invention includes a communication unit that communicates with an external device at a communication speed of one of a plurality of different communication speeds, and power control of a communication device that operates by receiving power supply from the outside. a comparison step of determining whether or not the power supply voltage from the outside is equal to or higher than a threshold voltage; Notifying the communication unit of communication speed information indicating a communication speed increased by one step among the communication speeds, and changing the one communication speed to the communication speeds of the plurality of steps when the power supply voltage is lower than the threshold voltage. and a control step of notifying the communication unit of communication speed information indicating a communication speed that is reduced by one step, and causing the communication unit to communicate at the communication speed indicated by the notified communication speed information. Characterized by

The program of the present invention includes a communication unit that communicates with an external device at a communication speed of one of a plurality of different communication speeds, and receives power supply from the outside via a connector for a general-purpose interface. A program for a power control method of an operating communication device, comprising: a comparison step of determining whether the power supply voltage from the outside is equal to or higher than a threshold voltage; When the communication speed of the communication unit is increased by one step among the communication speeds of the plurality of steps, and when the power supply voltage falls below the threshold voltage, the communication speed of the communication unit is increased. and a control step of reducing the speed by one step among the plurality of steps of the communication speed.

According to the communication device, power control method, and program of the present invention, when the power supply voltage from the external power supply is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage, the communication speed of the communication unit is increased by one step among a plurality of steps of communication speed, When the power supply voltage falls below the threshold voltage, the communication speed of the communication unit is reduced by one step out of multiple steps of communication speed. The communication unit can be operated at high speed. Therefore, it is possible to realize appropriate power control of the communication unit according to the power supply capability from the outside with a simple configuration and at low cost.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication apparatus with which this invention was applied. 2 is a flow chart showing the operation of the communication device of FIG. 1; Figure 3 is a flow chart of a continuation of the operation of the communication device of Figure 2;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a communication device 101 to which the invention is applied. This communication device 101 receives power from a power connection unit 100 of a connector defined by the standard of a general-purpose interface, USB (Universal Serial Bus), and performs communication operations with the power supplied. In this embodiment, USB will be described as a general-purpose interface, but power may be supplied from a general-purpose interface other than USB. An external power supply 102 is provided outside the communication device 101 as a power supply for a general-purpose interface. The communication device 101 and the external power source 102 are detachably connected by a power source connecting portion 100, which is a connector. The standard voltage of the power supply voltage of the external power supply 102 is a DC voltage of 5V.

The communication device 101 includes, as shown in FIG. It has

When the external power supply 102 is connected to the communication device 101 by the power supply connection unit 100 , the voltage comparison circuit 103 and the power supply circuit unit 104 are connected to the external power supply 102 via the power supply connection unit 100 .

The power supply circuit unit 104 is composed of a constant voltage circuit, converts the voltage supplied from the external power supply 102 to a predetermined voltage, and supplies the constant voltage to other circuits 103 and 105 to 109 in the communication apparatus 101 . In FIG. 1, only the connection by the power supply voltage supply line 121 from the power supply circuit unit 104 to the communication control unit 107 is shown. omitted. The output voltage of the power supply circuit unit 104 is supplied to the voltage comparison circuit 103, the power supply circuit unit 104, the power control unit 105, the recording unit 106, the communication control unit 107, the external interface input unit 108, and the external interface output unit 109 in the communication device 101. is supplied, the communication device 101 is activated. As will be described later, the voltage comparison circuit 103 is directly applied with the supply voltage from the external power supply 102, so that the supply voltage may be used as the power supply voltage.

A voltage comparison circuit 103 compares the voltage supplied from the external power supply 102 with the threshold voltage. The threshold voltage is 4 V, for example, and is generated based on the output voltage of the power supply circuit section 104 . The voltage comparison circuit 103 is connected to the power control section 105 and outputs a comparison result signal to the power control section 105 .

The power control unit 105 includes a computer comprising a control circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), for example, and controls the communication speed of the communication control unit 107 based on the comparison result signal supplied from the voltage comparison circuit 103. to control the power consumption of the communication device 101 . When using a computer, the computer executes a program for controlling power consumption as described later. A recording unit 106 and a communication control unit 107 are connected to the power control unit 105 . The recording unit 106 includes a memory, and the power control unit 105 writes the communication speed to the recording unit 106 as communication speed information.

The communication control section 107 forms a communication section 120 together with the external interface input section 108 and the external interface output section 109 . In this embodiment, the communication unit 120 is a part that performs communication conforming to the Ethernet (registered trademark) standard with an external device (not shown). Each of the external interface input section 108 and the external interface output section 109 is provided between the communication control section 107 and the reception terminal 110 and the transmission terminal 111 of the communication connector.

Receive terminal 110 and transmit terminal 111 are included in, for example, an RJ-45 connector in the case of Ethernet. The external interface input unit 108 receives the Ethernet reception signal supplied via the reception terminal 110 and supplies it to the communication control unit 107 as a reception data signal RXD. The external interface output unit 109 supplies the transmission data signal TXD supplied from the communication control unit 107 to the transmission terminal 110 as an Ethernet transmission signal.

For example, the communication control unit 107 extracts the clock timing together with the data from the received data signal RXD in the packet format, decodes the data, and outputs the data. It has a data transmission/reception processing function that produces a transmission data signal TXD of the form. Further, the communication control unit 107 can change the communication speed of the data signal to be transmitted and received in multiple stages (N stages) under the control of the power control unit 105 . As a specific communication speed, for example, in N=3 stages, any one of 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, and 1000 Mbps can be set, and the setting is performed according to the communication speed information supplied from the power control unit 105. . The communication control unit 107 has data transmission/reception processing circuits for each communication speed indicated by the communication speed information, and selects one data transmission/reception processing circuit from among these data transmission/reception processing circuits in accordance with a command from the power control unit 105. Configuration is fine. Also, the clock frequency may be selected according to the communication speed.

The power consumption of the communication unit 120 including the communication control unit 107, the external interface input unit 108, and the external interface output unit 109 increases as the communication speed increases. That is, among the above-described three levels of communication speed, power consumption is lowest at 10 Mbps and highest at 1000 Mbps. The power control unit 105 controls the power consumption of the entire communication apparatus 101 including the communication unit 120 by designating the communication speed to the communication control unit 107 .

Next, the operation of the communication apparatus 101 having such a configuration will be described according to the operation flow of FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG.

When the external power source 102 is connected to the communication device 101 via the power connection unit 100 , the communication device 101 is powered on from the external power source 102 via the power connection unit 100 . When the power is turned on, the power supply circuit section 104 starts supplying power to the respective sections 103, 105 to 107 in the communication device 101 (step 201), thereby activating the communication device 101 (step 202). The power control unit 105 determines whether or not the activation of the communication device 101 is completed (step 203). For example, the communication control unit 107 generates an initial signal when activation is completed, and it can be determined whether or not the initial signal is supplied to the power control unit 105 within a predetermined activation time. That is, if the initial signal is supplied within the activation time, the power control unit 105 determines that the activation of the communication device 101 is completed. Determine that the boot has not completed. If the activation of the communication device 101 has not been completed, it is assumed to be inoperable (step 204), and the operation ends.

When the communication device 101 is completely activated, the power control unit 105 determines whether or not the communication speed information is recorded in the recording unit 106 (step 205). When the communication speed information is recorded, that is, when the communication speed information at the end of the previous operation is recorded, the power control unit 105 reads the communication speed information, and sends the read communication speed information to the communication control unit. 107 (step 206). The communication control unit 107 executes data transmission/reception processing at the communication speed indicated by the communication speed information.

If the communication speed information is not recorded in the recording unit 106 in step 205, the power control unit 105 sets n=1 (n is a variable) and transmits the communication speed information indicating the communication speed of the first stage to the communication control unit 107. Notify (step 207). Therefore, the communication control unit 107 executes data transmission/reception processing at the communication speed of the first stage. The communication speed of the first level is the minimum communication speed among the n levels of communication speed. The communication speed increases in order from the communication speed of the first stage to the communication speed of the n-th stage.

After that, the power control unit 105 receives the comparison result signal from the voltage comparison circuit 103, and determines whether the voltage supplied from the external power supply 102 is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage based on the comparison result signal (step 208). . If the voltage supplied from the external power supply 102 is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage, communication operation is possible, and communication speed information indicating the current communication speed of the first stage is written in the storage unit 106 (step 209). On the other hand, if the supply voltage is lower than the threshold voltage, information corresponding to the inoperability is written in the storage unit 106 and an operation prohibition command is issued to the communication control unit 107 (step 210). The communication control unit 107 stops the data transmission/reception processing operation in response to the operation prohibition command.

After executing step 209, the power control unit 105 notifies the communication control unit 107 of communication speed information indicating the communication speed of the second stage with n=2 (step 211). On the other hand, the communication control unit 107 executes data transmission/reception processing at the second stage communication speed.

After that, the power control unit 105 receives the comparison result signal of the voltage comparison circuit 103, and determines whether or not the voltage supplied from the external power supply 102 is higher than the threshold voltage based on the comparison result signal (step 212). ). If the supply voltage is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage, the communication operation is possible, so the current communication speed is written in the storage unit 106 as communication speed information (step 213). On the other hand, if the supply voltage is lower than the threshold voltage, the power control unit 105 notifies the communication control unit 107 of communication speed information indicating the communication speed of the first stage (step 214), and stores the communication speed information in the storage unit. 106 (step 215). In step 214, the communication control unit 107, which has received the communication speed information, executes data transmission/reception processing at the first-stage communication speed instead of the second-stage communication speed. After execution of step 215, the process proceeds to step 223 for continuous voltage monitoring operation.

After execution of step 213, the power control unit 105 performs optimum communication speed detection operation. That is, first, n=n+1 is set (step 216), and communication speed information indicating the communication speed of the n-th stage is notified to the communication control unit 107 (step 217). Therefore, the communication control unit 107 executes data transmission/reception processing at the n-th stage communication speed. After that, the power control unit 105 receives the comparison result signal of the voltage comparison circuit 103, and determines whether or not the voltage supplied from the external power supply 102 is higher than the threshold voltage based on the comparison result signal (step 218). ). If the supply voltage of the external power supply 102 is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage, the communication section 120 is ready for communication operation, so the communication speed information indicating the current communication speed is written in the storage section 106 (step 219). After executing step 219, the power control unit 105 determines whether or not n=N (step 220). If n<N, return to execution of step 216; If n=N at step 220, the maximum communication speed is reached, so power control unit 105 terminates the optimum communication speed detection operation and proceeds to step 223 for continuous voltage monitoring operation.

In step 218, if the supply voltage is lower than the threshold voltage, the power control unit 105 sends communication speed information indicating the communication speed of the (n-1)th step to the communication control unit 107 in order to reduce the communication speed by one step. (step 221), and writes the communication speed information in the storage unit 106 (step 222). The communication control unit 107 executes data transmission/reception processing at the n-1th stage communication speed. Execution of step 222 ends the optimum communication speed detection operation, and the power control unit 105 proceeds to step 223 of the continuous voltage monitoring operation.

In the continuous voltage monitoring operation, the power control unit 105 receives a comparison result signal from the voltage comparison circuit 103, and determines whether or not the voltage supplied from the external power supply 102 is higher than the threshold voltage based on the comparison result signal. (step 223). If the supply voltage of the external power supply 102 is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage, it is determined whether power control from the first communication speed is necessary for re-learning (step 224). For example, re-learning is determined when the current communication speed continues for a predetermined time or more, or when there is a specific operation input by the user. In power control from the first communication speed for re-learning, execution returns to step 207 described above. If it is determined that re-learning is not necessary, step 223 is repeated at a predetermined timing. In step 223, if the supply voltage of the external power supply 102 is lower than the threshold voltage, the power control unit 105 controls communication speed information indicating the communication speed of the (n-1)th step in order to reduce the communication speed by one step. section 107 (step 225), and writes the communication speed information in storage section 106 (step 226). Then, step 223 is repeated at predetermined timings.

It should be noted that determination of whether or not the voltage supplied from the external power supply 102 is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage after changing the communication speed may be performed with a predetermined delay time.

Further, if the n-1th step is lower than the first step in step 221 or 225, the power control unit 105 issues an operation prohibition command to the communication control unit 107 because the operation is disabled as in step 210. emit.

By the power control unit 105 performing the power control operation in this manner, the communication unit 120 performs communication operation at the maximum communication speed within a range in which the voltage supplied from the external power supply 102 does not fall below the threshold voltage. Therefore, the communication unit 120 can perform stable communication at the communication speed set by the power control unit 105 . A state in which the communication operation of the communication unit 120 becomes unstable due to insufficient power due to the high communication speed of the communication unit 120 is avoided. In addition, since it is only necessary to provide the voltage comparison circuit 103 and the power control unit 105 in addition to the communication unit 120, appropriate power control according to the power supply capability from the outside can be realized at low cost.

In the above-described embodiments, USB was used as a general-purpose interface, but the present invention may of course use other general-purpose interfaces other than USB, such as IEEE1394 and HDMI (registered trademark).

Moreover, although the communication unit 120 that performs wired communication is shown in the above-described embodiment, it may be a communication unit that performs wireless communication.

In the above-described embodiment, the communication device 101 is provided with a storage battery and a charging circuit for charging the storage battery by power supply from the external power supply 102 during non-communication operation of the communication unit 120 or when the power consumption is low. The power consumption of the communication unit 120 may be supplemented by the storage battery. Furthermore, the above threshold voltage may be generated from the output voltage of the storage battery.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, for example, if information on the power supply capability of the external power supply 102 can be obtained from the power supply connection unit 100 together with power supply, the power control unit 105 can obtain the information on the power supply capability in addition to the voltage comparison result. Based on this, the optimum communication speed may be determined.

100 Power supply connection unit 101 Communication device 102 External power supply 103 Voltage comparison circuit 104 Power supply circuit unit 105 Power control unit 106 Recording unit 107 Communication control unit 108 External interface input unit 109 External interface output unit 110 Reception terminal 111 Transmission terminal 120 Communication unit 121 Power supply voltage supply line

Claims (10)

A communication device that operates by receiving power supply from the outside,
a communication unit that communicates with an external device at a communication speed of one of a plurality of different communication speeds;
a comparison unit that compares the power supply voltage from the outside with a threshold voltage;
Notifying the communication unit of communication speed information indicating a communication speed obtained by increasing the one communication speed by one step among the plurality of communication speeds when the power supply voltage is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage, and providing the power supply voltage a control unit that notifies the communication unit of communication speed information indicating a communication speed obtained by lowering the one communication speed by one step among the plurality of communication speeds when is below the threshold voltage,
The communication device, wherein the communication unit performs communication at a communication speed indicated by communication speed information notified from the control unit. A communication device that operates by receiving power supply from the outside,
a communication unit that communicates with an external device at a communication speed of one of a plurality of different communication speeds;
a comparison unit that compares the power supply voltage from the outside with a threshold voltage;
When the power supply voltage is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage, the communication unit is caused to increase the one communication speed by one step among the plurality of communication speeds, and when the power supply voltage is lower than the threshold voltage, the a control unit that reduces the one communication speed for the communication unit by one step among the plurality of communication speeds;
A communication device, wherein the power supply from the outside is performed through a connector for a general-purpose interface. 3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein said general-purpose interface is USB. The control unit stops the communication operation of the communication unit when the first communication speed of the communication unit is the minimum communication speed among the plurality of stages of communication speeds and the power supply voltage is lower than the threshold voltage. 4. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it allows When the first communication speed of the communication unit is the maximum communication speed among the plurality of stages of communication speeds and the power supply voltage is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage, 5. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the communication speed is maintained. a power supply circuit unit that stabilizes the power supply voltage from the outside, and the voltage stabilized by the power supply circuit unit is used to operate the communication unit, the communication unit in the communication device, the comparison unit, 6. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the voltage is applied to a circuit including the control unit and the control unit. Having a recording unit for recording communication speed information indicating the communication speed of the 1,
7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein when said control unit increases or decreases said one communication speed, said control unit causes said recording unit to record said communication speed information indicating said one communication speed after the increase or decrease. A communication device according to any one of the preceding claims. 8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit reads the communication speed information from the recording unit when the communication device is activated, and controls the communication unit to the one communication speed indicated by the communication speed information. Communication device. A power control method for a communication device that includes a communication unit that communicates with an external device at a communication speed of one of a plurality of different communication speeds and that operates by receiving power supply from the outside,
a comparison step of determining whether the power supply voltage from the outside is equal to or higher than a threshold voltage;
Notifying the communication unit of communication speed information indicating a communication speed obtained by increasing the one communication speed by one step among the plurality of communication speeds when the power supply voltage is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage, and providing the power supply voltage is less than the threshold voltage, notifying the communication unit of communication speed information indicating a communication speed obtained by lowering the one communication speed by one step among the communication speeds of the plurality of steps, and the notified communication speed information and a control step of causing the communication unit to communicate at a communication speed indicated by . The power of a communication device that has a communication unit that communicates with an external device at any one of a plurality of different communication speeds, and that operates by receiving power supply from the outside via a connector for a general-purpose interface. A program for a control method, comprising:
to the computer,
a comparison step of determining whether the power supply voltage from the outside is equal to or higher than a threshold voltage;
When the power supply voltage is equal to or higher than the threshold voltage, the communication unit is caused to increase the one communication speed by one step among the plurality of communication speeds, and when the power supply voltage is lower than the threshold voltage, the A program for causing a communication unit to execute a control step of lowering the one communication speed by one step among the plurality of steps of the communication speed.

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