JP2006279378A - Automatic mode switching system for mobile communication apparatus and mobile communication apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for automatically properly switching a mode of a mobile communication apparatus in a vehicle interior of a public means of transportation or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The system for automatically properly switching the mode of the mobile communication apparatus is characterized in including: a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission means each installed at a plurality of positions in a vehicle and transmitting an ultrasonic wave with a predetermined frequency depending on each installed position for a prescribed time interval; and a means for detecting a current position of the mobile communication apparatus depending on a difference from the arrival orders of the ultrasonic waves received from a plurality of the ultrasonic wave transmission means and determining a mode transition of the mobile communication apparatus depending on the detected current position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for forcibly changing a mode of a mobile communication device such as a mobile phone or a PHS phone.

Due to the widespread use of mobile phones, a type of mobile communication device, electromagnetic waves generated during the use of mobile phones can cause malfunctions of medical devices such as cardiac pacemakers, and troubles with other passengers due to calls in public transport vehicles. It has become a social problem.
For this reason, a technique for forcibly turning off the power of the mobile communication device at a specific location has been devised.
The following patent document 1 is given as a known technical document related to the present invention.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-242901

Recently, as a manner of a cellular phone user in public transportation, it has been required to turn off the power in the vicinity of the priority seat and set the manner mode in other places.
This is a problem that can be solved as long as mobile phone users follow the manners, but there are many users who do not follow the manners because they are carelessly forgotten or troubled.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a system and a mobile communication device that automatically and appropriately switches the mode of a mobile communication device in a public transportation vehicle or the like.

In order to achieve the above object, an automatic mode switching system for a mobile communication device according to the present invention is installed at a plurality of positions in a vehicle, and ultrasonic waves having a frequency determined in advance according to each installation position for a predetermined time. A plurality of ultrasonic transmission means for transmitting at intervals and a current position of the mobile communication device is detected by a difference in arrival order of ultrasonic waves received from the plurality of ultrasonic transmission means, and the mode of the mobile communication device is detected from the detected current position. And means for determining a transition.
Further, the mobile communication device according to the present invention receives ultrasonic waves having a frequency determined in advance according to each installation position transmitted at a predetermined time interval from a plurality of ultrasonic transmission means installed in the vehicle. The present invention is characterized by comprising means for detecting the current position of the own apparatus based on the difference in the arrival order of the received ultrasonic waves and determining the mode transition of the own apparatus from the detected current position.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the mode of a mobile communication apparatus can be automatically switched appropriately in the vehicle etc. of public transport.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a system to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail.
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the present invention.
This system includes a plurality of ultrasonic transmitters 101, 102, 103, and 104 installed in a vehicle, and mobile communication devices 109 and 110 that incorporate ultrasonic receivers.
The ultrasonic transmitters 101 to 104 on the vehicle 100 side are installed on the ceiling portion at the center between the vehicle end and the door.
The ultrasonic transmitters 101 and 104 installed in the vicinity of the priority seats 105 and 108 emit ultrasonic waves of the frequency A, and the ultrasonic transmitters 102 and 103 installed in the vicinity of the normal seats 106 and 107 are super Emits sound waves.
Each ultrasonic transmitter emits ultrasonic waves (approximately 5 milliseconds at a time) at a constant interval (for example, approximately 1 second). Ultrasonic waves travel through air at a speed of 340 meters per second (2.94 milliseconds per meter).

FIG. 2 shows the internal configuration of the mobile communication devices 109 and 110.
That is, an ultrasonic receiving unit 21 that receives ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic transmitters 101 to 104, a state management processing unit 22 that determines the operation of its own device by a reception event notification from the ultrasonic receiving unit 21, and transmission / reception of radio waves The transmission / reception unit 23 performs a display, and the display unit 24 displays the current mode of the mobile communication device.
Here, the state management processing unit 22 is managed by the ultrasonic reception state management processing unit 221 and the ultrasonic reception state management processing unit 221 that manage the frequency and reception time of the ultrasonic waves received by the ultrasonic reception unit 21. And a mode management processing unit 222 that performs mode transition of the mobile communication device based on the reception state.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing outline of the ultrasonic wave reception state management processing unit 221.
The ultrasonic wave reception state management processing unit 221 determines whether or not a reception event notification has been received from the ultrasonic wave reception unit 21 (step 301), and if not received, waits for reception. In the case of reception, the received ultrasonic frequency (frequency A or frequency B) 42 and reception time 43 are recorded in the reception state management table 41 shown in FIG. 4 (step 302) for a short time (about 100 milliseconds). (Step 303). The reception event notification received from the ultrasonic receiver 21 during sleep is ignored and not recorded in the reception state management table. After sleep, the device again waits for reception.
With this processing, the frequency of the ultrasonic transmitter closest to the mobile communication devices 109 and 110 is recorded in the reception state management table 41.
For example, since the mobile communication device 109 receives the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic transmitter 101 earliest, the frequency A is recorded in the reception state management table 41.
Similarly, since the mobile communication device 110 receives the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic transmitter 103 earliest, the frequency B is recorded in the reception state management table 41.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing of the mode management processing unit 222.
Modes include normal mode (a mode that allows voice calls and data communications), voice call prohibition mode (modes that allow data communications but prohibit voice calls), and radio wave stop mode (not only voice calls but also data communications) Prohibit mode and stop transmission / reception of radio waves).
In order to suppress frequent mode switching, the mode management processing unit 222 performs mode switching while monitoring changes in the ultrasonic reception state management table 41 in the past 5 seconds.
Specifically, initialization processing is performed by turning on the power, and transition to the normal mode is made (step 501).
After activation, the ultrasonic wave reception state management table 41 is monitored at intervals of 1 second (steps 502, 506, 510). If ultrasonic waves of frequency A are received three times or more within the past 5 seconds (step 503). 507), it is determined that the device is in the vicinity of the priority seat, and transitions to the radio wave stop mode (step 509). If it has been received (step 504), it is determined that the device is in the vicinity of a normal seat, and a transition to the voice call prohibition mode is made (step 505).
In addition, when the ultrasonic wave of frequency A is not received for 5 seconds or more but the ultrasonic wave of frequency B is received (step 512), the mode returns to the voice call prohibition mode (step 505). If no ultrasonic wave has been received (steps 508 and 512), it is determined that the vehicle has gone out of the vehicle, and the normal mode is restored (step 501).

Through the above processing, the respective modes are automatically switched to the normal mode in which voice communication and data communication are possible, the voice call prohibition mode, and the radio wave stop mode in accordance with the positions of the mobile communication devices 109 and 110.
This makes it possible to automatically switch to an appropriate mode without performing a cumbersome operation of manually switching the mode of the mobile communication device, and improve the manner of use of the mobile communication device in the vehicle.

1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is an internal block diagram of a mobile communication apparatus. It is a flowchart of an ultrasonic wave reception state management process part. It is a block diagram of the data which manages the reception state of an ultrasonic wave. It is a flowchart of a mode management process part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Ultrasonic reception part 22 State management process part 23 Transmission / reception part 24 Display part 41 Ultrasonic reception state management table 42 Reception frequency 43 Reception time 100 Vehicle 101,102,103,104 Ultrasonic transmitter 105,106,107,108 Seat 109, 110 Mobile communication device 221 Ultrasonic wave reception state management processing unit 222 Mode management processing unit

Claims (2)

A system for automatically switching the mode of a mobile communication device in a vehicle,
A plurality of ultrasonic transmission means installed at a plurality of positions in the vehicle and transmitting ultrasonic waves of a predetermined frequency according to each installation position at a predetermined time interval;
And a means for detecting a current position of the mobile communication device based on a difference in arrival order of ultrasonic waves received from the plurality of ultrasonic transmission means, and determining a mode transition of the mobile communication device from the detected current position. An automatic mode switching system for mobile communication devices.   A difference in the arrival order of the received ultrasonic waves is received by receiving ultrasonic waves of a predetermined frequency according to the respective installation positions transmitted from the plural ultrasonic transmission means installed in the vehicle at predetermined time intervals. A mobile communication device comprising means for detecting the current position of the own apparatus by means of and determining the mode transition of the own apparatus from the detected current position.

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