JP2009188743A - Radio communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate the need for a user's input related to security at the startup under a predetermined condition, and to release a user from a troublesome input operation. <P>SOLUTION: A radio communication terminal can accommodate to a first and a second radio communication systems, requires a user's input associated with a security at least at the startup, and performs a security check based on input information. In the presence of an instruction of switching the radio communication system during operation, a radio communication system switch-over flag is set ON to be stored with nonvolatility, and then the radio communication terminal restarts. At the re-startup, a program of the radio communication system after switch-over is developed into an RAM 141 from a NAND memory 132 to be executed. Also, the radio communication system switch-over flag is checked, and when a startup factor is of a switch-over in the radio communication system, requiring the user's input related to security is eliminated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication terminal capable of supporting the first and second wireless communication systems.

  There has been proposed a digital mobile phone terminal that can handle a plurality of wireless communication systems such as CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) with a single terminal.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for reducing the size and weight of a mobile phone terminal corresponding to the WCDMA system and the GSM system and reducing power consumption.
JP 2007-036868 A

  In recent years, a terminal such as a CDMA mobile device requests a user to input various passwords at the time of start-up from the viewpoint of strengthening security, thereby protecting the user. For example, with regard to UIM security, when a mode that requires password input (PIN input) is set, the user is required to input a password at startup when the power is turned on.

  By the way, in a dual boot system in which one of the first and second wireless communication systems is activated and then the wireless communication system operates independently, switching from one wireless communication system to the other wireless communication system is performed. In this case, after the power is turned off once, the other wireless communication system is restarted. In this power-off and restart, power-off and restart are automatically executed according to the user's switching instruction, and there is no possibility that the user will change during that time. There is a problem that the input is required and the operation is complicated for the user. That is, when the user executes a switching process from CDMA to GSM, for example, the UIM password (PIN input) is requested again from the viewpoint of the user, despite a series of operations.

  The present invention has been made in such a background, and it is intended to make security-related user input at startup unnecessary under a predetermined condition and to release the user from complicated input operations.

  The wireless communication terminal according to the present invention is a wireless communication terminal capable of supporting the first and second wireless communication systems, and means for storing in a non-volatile manner what the currently selected wireless communication system is, at least A means for requesting user input related to security at startup and performing a security check based on the input information; a means for receiving a wireless communication system switching instruction; and a wireless communication system switching flag when a wireless communication system switching instruction is issued Is set to ON and stored in a non-volatile manner, and then restarted. This control means checks the wireless communication system switching flag at the time of restart, and omits requesting user input relating to the security when the activation factor is switching of the wireless communication system.

  When switching the wireless communication method after the normal activation is completed, the input of the password has already been confirmed and a certain level of security has been ensured, and it is not necessary to input the password again until such a case. Therefore, in the present invention, when there is an instruction to switch the wireless communication method, the wireless communication method switching flag is set to ON and stored in a nonvolatile manner, and whether the activation factor is switching of the wireless communication method at the time of restart Confirm. Thereby, when it is determined that the activation factor is switching of the wireless communication method, it is omitted to obtain the user input regarding the security.

  In a case where the user further includes means for setting whether or not to require user input related to the security, the control means checks the wireless communication system switching flag at the time of restart, and the activation factor is switching of the wireless communication system If there is no request for user input related to the security, the user input related to the security is requested.

  At startup, the program of the wireless communication method selected from the first and second wireless communication methods stored in the nonvolatile memory is transferred from the nonvolatile memory to the RAM, and the program on the RAM is processed. To execute.

  According to the present invention, a user input related to security is not required every time a wireless communication system is switched. As a result, usability of the wireless communication terminal is improved.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of a wireless communication terminal (mobile terminal) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  This wireless communication terminal includes a processor (CPU) 110 as processing means (or control means), a UIM (User Identity Module) card 121 as a subscriber identification module, a key input part 122 as an input part, and a display part as a display part. LCD 131, NAND memory 132 as a rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, current mode / status recording device 133 for recording the current mode indicating the currently selected wireless communication system and the status indicating the current state, A RAM 141 is provided as a memory. The UIM card 121 is connected to the processor 110 via a serial transmission interface (UART I / F). The key input unit 122 is connected to the processor 110 via a key interface (Key I / F). The LCD 131 and the NAND memory 132 are connected to the processor 110 via the bus 130. The RAM 141 is connected to the processor 110 via the bus 140. In addition, although not shown, a wireless communication unit, an audio processing unit, a microphone, a speaker, and the like are included.

  Flash memory includes NAND type and NOR type. NAND flash memory (hereinafter also referred to as NAND memory) is suitable for large capacity and has a low cost per unit capacity, but can only read and write in blocks of a certain size, and random access is slow Have On the other hand, the NOR type flash memory has a feature that it can read at a high speed and can be randomly accessed, but it is not suitable for high integration and requires a large current for writing. Therefore, when a NAND memory advantageous in terms of cost, high integration, and power consumption is used for storing a program of the wireless communication terminal and booting from the NAND memory is performed, the NAND memory is temporarily changed to the RAM. The program area is transferred to and the program is executed on the RAM. Therefore, the program body exists on the NAND memory.

  The UIM card 121 is also called a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card, and enhances the security of the terminal. The UIM card has a data processing function and a storage function, and is a normal card-like device that can be inserted into and removed from a wireless communication terminal for identifying a subscriber. Normally, when the terminal is turned on with the UIM card attached to the wireless communication terminal, the user is prompted to enter a password (PIN: Personal Identification Number), and a security check is performed based on the input information. This enables the terminal communication function and the like. In this specification, the PIN is also included in the “password” in a broad sense.

  Since the current mode / status recording device 133 requires only a very small storage capacity, a recording device having a backup area, such as a power supply IC (not shown), may be used. The current mode / status recording device 133 can be accessed even before the activation is completed. However, instead of the current mode / status recording device 133, if possible, a partial area of another storage unit (for example, the NAND 132) may be used.

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a dual boot system according to the present embodiment. In the dual boot system, a program (CDMA program) 21 that realizes a CDMA function as a first wireless communication system and a program (GSM program) 22 that realizes a function as a second wireless communication system are independent. The program is arranged on the NAND memory 132, and either program is expanded from the NAND memory 132 to the RAM 141 according to the mode selected in advance by the user at the time of startup (Boot), and the program on the RAM 141 is executed. The At the time of switching the wireless communication method, the terminal is once powered off and restarted. At this time, a new program is expanded in the RAM 141.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of security related information.

  In recent years, CDMA mobile devices and the like have entered various passwords at the time of start-up from the viewpoint of strengthening the security to protect the user. For example, regarding UIM security, a mode that requires password input (including PIN input) is set. In this case, when the power is turned on, the user is requested to input a password.

  Normally, while a program is being executed on the RAM 141, the database (DB area) 23 arranged on the NAND memory 132 is commonly used to refer to the security-related setting value regardless of the program. use. For this reason, even after the security release has already been executed, it is necessary to refer to the database by the reboot process for mode switching, and the security release operation is required again.

  In the database area 23, security code data 231 and security setting data 232 are stored. As shown in the internal configuration example of the database area 23 in FIG. 4, the security code data 231 includes a registered password that is verification source data at the time of verification when input is omitted, that is, PIN registration data (registration PIN ( Collation source)) 2311, other security-related registered passwords 2312, and password (collation destination) 2313 as collation destination data at the time of collation. The password (verification destination) 2313 is stored initially or afterwards when a user uses a password to install a service. The security setting data 232 includes password input request setting data 2321 that determines whether or not to input a password related to security other than the PIN. In the UIM card 121, in addition to the UIM information 1211, a PIN (security code) 1212 as collation destination data at the time of PIN collation, and PIN input request setting data (security setting data) that determines whether or not to ask for PIN input ) 1213 is stored in a nonvolatile manner. The NAND memory 132 also has a storage area 24 for storing user data.

  At present, the only security-related item that needs to be input from the time the power is turned on to the transition to the standby screen is the UIM PIN input. “Other security-related passwords” are not essential to the present invention, but correspond to cases where security functions such as an auto-lock function are enhanced in the future.

  In the present invention, when there is an instruction to switch the wireless communication system (that is, mode switching), the wireless communication system switching flag is set to ON and stored in a nonvolatile manner, and then restarted. Specifically, when a process of switching from CDMA to GSM or switching from GSM to CDMA is executed, a status (functioning as a flag), which is a reboot process by mode switching, is set as an activation factor. As a result, if it is found at the time of restart that such a status is set, it is possible to improve user convenience by skipping unnecessary security-related processing.

  The status of the activation factor stored in the nonvolatile memory includes “normal activation by turning on the power key”, “reboot when an abnormality is detected”, “forced power-on from the outside”, and the like. As the nonvolatile memory, the NAND memory 132 may be used, and when backup with a secondary battery is possible, a memory such as SRAM can be used.

  In the present embodiment, the current mode representing the currently selected wireless communication method is stored in the current mode / status recording device 133 in a nonvolatile manner, and is saved in the current mode / status recording device 133 when the mode switching is restarted. Rewrite the current mode to the other. However, the rewriting timing of the current mode / status recording device 133 is not limited to this. For example, when an instruction to switch the mode is given, the current mode / status recording device 133 is first rewritten, then the power is turned off, and the rewritten current mode / status recording device 133 is restarted immediately after the restart. The procedure of selecting a program according to the content may be used.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the wireless communication terminal according to the present embodiment. This processing is executed by the processor 110 of FIG.

  If the CDMA / GSM mode is selected during normal activation of the terminal (during operation after completion of activation) (S11, Yes), the process proceeds to the next step S12. While there is no such mode selection, other processing is performed (S25).

  In step S12, the activation factor (ie, status) is set to “reboot by mode switching” in the current mode / status recording device 133. Next, power off processing is performed (S13), and reboot is performed (S14). Although not shown, the boot program executed at the time of rebooting is stored at the top of the NAND memory 132. At the time of this reboot, the current mode / status of the current mode / status recording device 133 is confirmed. After the reboot, the selected program held on the NAND memory 132 is expanded on the RAM 141, and the program is started (S15).

  If the activation factor is “reboot by mode switching” (S17, Yes), automatic PIN authentication by software is performed without requiring user input regarding security (S26). That is, although there is no user input, the registered PIN (verification source) 2311 is collated with the collation destination PIN 1212 in the UIM card 121 as if there was a user input. (As will be described later, since the input PIN at the time of verification is registered as the registered PIN, this verification result is OK.) Also, if necessary, the registration password (verification source) 2312 and the password (verification destination) 2313 The password is automatically authenticated by software (S27). Thereafter, the screen changes to a standby screen (S24). As described above, in the case of “reboot by mode switching”, security is ensured by the PIN input when the power is turned on for the first time. This eliminates the need for the user to perform UIM PIN input and other password input for canceling the security every time the mode is switched, thereby improving the usability of the user. As a result, the user is free from complicated input operations.

  If the activation factor is not “reboot by mode switching” (S17, No), in the next step S18 and after, a user input related to security is requested according to the setting conditions. This is performed by displaying an input screen on the LCD 131.

  In step S18, it is determined whether the PIN request setting is ON. This determination is made based on the PIN input request setting data 2321 in the database area 23 of FIG. If the PIN request setting is ON, the user is requested to enter a PIN (S19). The PIN input can be performed by the key input unit 122 (FIG. 1). When the PIN is input, the input data is compared with the collation destination PIN 1212 in the UIM card 121 to determine whether the input PIN is correct (S20). If the input PIN is correct, this PIN is registered as a registered PIN 2311, and the process proceeds to the next step S21. If the input PIN is not correct, a predetermined number of retries are accepted.

  In step S21, it is determined whether other security settings are ON. This determination is made based on the password input request setting data 2321 in the database area 23 of FIG. If the password input request setting data 2321 is ON, the user is requested to input a password (S22). When the password is input, the input data is compared with the verification destination password 2313 to determine whether the input password is correct (S23). If the input password is correct, the password is registered as the registration password 2312, and the process proceeds to the next step S22, where the screen is changed to the standby screen. If the input password is not correct, a predetermined number of retries are accepted.

  After the transition to the standby screen, a standby state for waiting for an instruction from the user or the system is entered.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various modifications and changes other than those mentioned above can be made. For example, although the number of selectable wireless communication systems is two, it may be three or more. The CDMA and GSM are given as examples of the wireless communication system, but the invention is not limited to these as long as input of security related information is requested at the time of activation.

It is the block diagram which showed schematic hardware structure of the radio | wireless communication terminal (mobile terminal) which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram of the dual boot (DualBoot) system in embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing about the security relevant information in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the internal structural example of the database area | region 23 of FIG. It is a flowchart showing the operation example of the radio | wireless communication terminal in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

21 ... CDMA program, 22 ... GSM program, 23 ... database area, 110 ... processor, 121 ... UIM card, 122 ... key input unit, 132 ... NAND memory, 133 ... status recording device, 231 ... security code data, 232 ... security Setting data, 1211 ... UIM information, 1212 ... PIN (verification destination), 1213 ... PIN input request setting data (security setting data), 1321 ... Input request setting data, 2311 ... Registration PIN, 2312 ... Registration password, 2313 ... Password ( Verification destination), 2321 ... Password input request setting data

Claims (4)

A wireless communication terminal capable of supporting the first and second wireless communication methods,
Means for storing in a nonvolatile manner what the currently selected wireless communication method is;
Means for at least user input related to security at startup and performing a security check based on the input information;
Means for receiving an instruction to switch the wireless communication system;
When there is an instruction to switch the wireless communication system, the wireless communication system switching flag is set to ON and stored in a non-volatile manner, and then restarted.
The wireless communication terminal, wherein the control unit checks the wireless communication system switching flag at the time of restart, and omits requesting user input related to the security when the activation factor is switching of the wireless communication system. Further comprising means for a user to set whether or not to require user input related to the security;
The control means checks the wireless communication system switching flag at the time of restart, and when the activation factor is not wireless communication system switching and the user input related to the security is set to be requested, the security related user is set. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein an input is obtained.   Of the first and second wireless communication methods stored in the non-volatile memory at startup, the program of the selected wireless communication method is transferred from the non-volatile memory to the RAM, and the program on the RAM is processed. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication terminal is executed according to claim 1.   The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the user input related to security is input of a password, and a security check is performed by comparing the input password with a password to be verified.

Images