JP2011071698A - Communication device, transmitter, usage restriction method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

Just by installing one control station, the use of communication devices is restricted in the area outside the peripheral area of the control station and in the reach of transmission commands from the control station.
A transmitter (control station 3) can transmit a use restriction command and a use permission command having a shorter reach distance. The communication device (illustrated by the mobile phone 1) not only can communicate with another mobile phone by wirelessly communicating with the base station 2, but also includes the following receiving unit and function limiting unit. The receiving unit receives a use permission command and a use restriction command from the control station 3. When the function restriction unit receives only the use restriction command as a result of the reception of the use permission command and the use restriction command, the function restriction unit restricts the use of a predetermined function of the cellular phone 1 and the reception unit uses the use permission command. When both of the restriction commands are received or when neither is received, use of the predetermined function is not restricted.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device, a transmitter, a use restriction method, and a program, and more specifically, a communication device that can restrict use of a predetermined function such as a communication function with another communication device, and the restriction thereof. The present invention relates to a transmitter that transmits a command for the communication, a method for restricting the use thereof, a communication device and a program to be incorporated into the transmitter.

  As a technology for restricting the use of a mobile phone that is a type of communication device, Patent Literature 1 discloses a use restriction method that effectively restricts the use of a mobile phone while reducing the effect on an electronic device in a call restriction area. It is disclosed. In this usage restriction method, first, a call restriction device for transmitting an entry / exit identification signal to a mobile phone is provided at an entrance / exit of an area where it is desired to restrict the call of the mobile phone. Then, the mobile phone determines entry into or exit from the area using the entry / exit identification signal, and enters the call restriction mode when entering, and cancels the call restriction mode when leaving.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a communication device that discovers a slave station by transmitting a message when searching for a slave station to be connected and receiving a response message to the message. In this communication device, by changing the reach of the message based on the user setting, it is possible to efficiently perform the slave station discovery procedure in a short time and to efficiently specify the slave station thereafter.

JP 2000-32557 A JP 2001-144781 A

  However, in the usage restriction method described in Patent Document 1, since the mobile phone needs to identify entry / exit based on the entry / exit identification signal from the call restriction device, the number of receptions of the entry / exit identification signal is counted in the cellular phone. Depending on the result, it was necessary to install two antennas having different directivities in the call restriction device, or to install two antennas at positions separated from each other in the call restriction device . In addition, in this usage restriction method, in order to restrict the use in an area having a plurality of entrances, it is necessary to install more call restriction devices, resulting in a complicated system.

  Note that the communication device described in Patent Document 2 transmits a message to a search range designated by a user in order to easily find a device functioning as a slave station, and restricts use of the slave device. I can't do that.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to install a single control station and transmit from the control station outside the peripheral area of the control station. Providing a communication device capable of restricting use within the reach of the command to be provided, providing a transmitter as the control station, providing a method of restricting use thereof, and providing communication device The object is to provide a program for incorporation and a program for incorporation into the transmitter.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the first technical means of the present invention is a communication device capable of wireless communication with other communication devices, using a use restriction command and a use restriction command transmitted by a transmitter. A reception unit that receives a use permission command with a short reach, and a result of attempting to receive the use permission command and the use restriction command, and when the reception unit receives only the use restriction command, the communication device has a predetermined When the reception unit receives both the use permission command and the use restriction command, or the reception unit receives neither the use permission command nor the use restriction command. A function restriction unit that does not restrict use of the predetermined function.

  The second technical means receives the use permission command and the use restriction command intermittently transmitted by the transmitter in the first technical means, or the use permission command and the transmitter The use restriction command transmission request is intermittently performed, and the use permission command and the use restriction command transmitted by the transmitter in response to the transmission request are received.

  According to a third technical means, in the first or second technical means, the predetermined function includes a function of performing wireless communication with the other communication device.

  A fourth technical means is a transmitter including a transmission unit that transmits a command to a communication device capable of wireless communication with another communication device, and the transmission unit has a predetermined function of the communication device. A use restriction command for restricting the use is transmitted, and a use permission command for not restricting the use of the predetermined function by the use restriction command so as to be shorter than the reach of the use restriction command. It is characterized by that.

  According to a fifth technical means, in the fourth technical means, the transmitting unit executes transmission by making power for transmitting the use permission command smaller than power for transmitting the use restriction command. It is characterized by that.

  According to a sixth technical means, in the fifth technical means, the transmission unit transmits the use permission command and the use restriction command in a time-sharing manner.

  A seventh technical means is characterized in that, in the fourth technical means, the transmission unit performs transmission using different transmission methods for the use restriction command and the use permission command.

  An eighth technical means is a usage restriction method for restricting use of a communication device capable of wireless communication with another communication device, wherein the transmitter reaches the use restriction command and the use restriction command. The use restriction command having a short distance is transmitted intermittently or in response to a request from the communication device, and as a result of the communication device attempting to receive the use permission command and the use restriction command, the use restriction command. Only when it is received, both the use permission command and the use restriction command are both received, or the use permission command and the use restriction command are both restricted. When not received, the use of the predetermined function is not restricted.

  A ninth technical means is a program incorporated in a communication device capable of wireless communication with another communication device, the use restriction command transmitted by the transmitter to the control device provided in the communication device, and the use A reception step in which a reception unit provided in the communication device attempts to receive a use permission command that has a shorter reach than a restriction command, and a result of an attempt to receive the use permission command and the use restriction command. When only the use restriction command is received, use of a predetermined function of the communication device is restricted, and when the reception unit receives both the use permission command and the use restriction command, or the reception unit When neither the use permission command nor the use restriction command is received, the function restriction step for controlling the use of the predetermined function is not restricted. Is obtained is characterized in that to execute the flop, the.

  A tenth technical means is a program incorporated in a transmitter for transmitting a command to a communication device capable of wireless communication with another communication device, wherein the communication device includes the control device included in the transmitter. A step of transmitting a use restriction command for restricting the use of the predetermined function of the device, and not using the use restriction command to restrict the use of the predetermined function so as to be shorter than the reach distance of the use restriction command And a step of transmitting a use permission command.

  According to the present invention, only one control station is installed, and the use of communication devices is restricted in the area outside the peripheral area of the control station and within the reach of the command transmitted from the control station. Is possible.

It is a figure which shows the example of the positional relationship of the mobile telephone which concerns on this invention, and a control station. It is an external view showing an example of a mobile phone according to the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the mobile telephone and control station which concern on this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the command transmitted in the structural example of FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement performed according to a command reception state with the mobile telephone in the structural example of FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the mobile phone in the configuration example of FIG. 3. It is a block diagram which shows the other structural example of the mobile telephone and control station which concern on this invention. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the mobile phone in the configuration example of FIG. 7. It is a figure which shows the other example of the positional relationship of the mobile telephone which concerns on this invention, and a control station.

  The communication device according to the present invention is configured to be able to communicate with other communication devices wirelessly. Examples of the communication device according to the present invention include a communication device in a communication system that communicates with another communication device by wirelessly connecting to the base station device and communicating with the base station device. The communication device may be a communication device in a communication system that communicates with other communication devices mainly at a short distance directly without using a device. And in this invention, in order to place a use restriction with respect to this communication apparatus, the transmitter mentioned later is installed. Hereinafter, this transmitter will be described as a control station. This transmitter is a device different from the base station apparatus. Hereinafter, a mobile phone will be described as an example of a communication device according to the present invention. However, the present invention is similarly applied to other communication devices such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a portable TV with a communication function, and a game machine with a communication function. it can.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between a mobile phone and a control station according to the present invention. The control station 3 includes a transmission unit that transmits a use restriction command and a use permission command. The use restriction command is a command for restricting use of a predetermined function of the mobile phone 1. The use permission command is a command for not restricting the use of the predetermined function by the use restriction command.

  And this transmission part transmits this use permission command so that it may become shorter than the reach distance of a use restriction command. By transmitting the use permission command and the use restriction command in this manner, as illustrated in FIG. 1, both the use restriction command and the use permission command can be received within the area Ra indicating the reachable range of the use permission command. On the other hand, neither the use permission command nor the use restriction command can be received outside the region Rb indicating the reach of the use restriction command. Only the use restriction command can be received in the intermediate region, which is within the region Rb and outside the region Ra (gray region in FIG. 1). These commands are basically transmitted wirelessly, but may be transmitted by wire as will be described later at the time of contact charging.

  The mobile phone 1 includes a communication unit (hereinafter referred to as a base station communication unit) that communicates with a base station device (hereinafter simply referred to as a base station) 2, and calls and electronic mails are exchanged by the base station communication unit. It is possible to do. Here, the communication with the base station may naturally be via a relay station device that performs relaying.

  And the mobile telephone 1 is provided with the following receiving part and a function restriction | limiting part as the main characteristics of this invention. This receiving unit is a part that receives a use permission command and a use restriction command. The function restriction unit is a part that restricts the use of the predetermined function only in an area where only the use restriction command can be received when reception is attempted by the reception unit.

  Specific examples of the predetermined function will be given. The predetermined function preferably includes a function of performing communication with the base station 2. Further, not all the functions for performing communication with the base station 2 are set as the predetermined function, but only a part of the functions for performing communication with the base station 2 may be set as the predetermined function. Thus, for example, only one or two of the communication for a call, the communication for sending and receiving e-mails, and the communication for connecting to the Internet is set as the predetermined function, and use restrictions are applied to other communication. You can also avoid doing it all the time. Of the communication functions, only the function of making a call from the mobile phone 1 side (speech, e-mail transmission) may be restricted.

  Furthermore, as the predetermined function, all the functions of the mobile phone 1 (however, functions used by the user, of course, excluding functions such as command reception determination) can be adopted. Thus, the use restriction is not limited to indicating that only a part of the functions of the mobile phone 1 can be used, but can also indicate that the user cannot use the mobile phone 1. The predetermined function may be a camera function, for example.

  Further, restricting use of a predetermined function means invalidating the predetermined function. It is assumed that the predetermined function to be restricted is predetermined by the function restriction unit, that is, which function is restricted when only the use restriction command is received is predetermined by the function restriction unit. The function to be restricted is preferably configured so that it can be selected by a user setting in the mobile phone 1 or the control station 3 as a terminal. As a result, for example, a certain terminal cannot be kept powered on in the use restricted area (gray area in FIG. 1), but a certain terminal is restricted to a specific function within the use restricted area. Further, the function to be restricted may be changed depending on time, and it is preferable that the user can set how to change and the time zone to be changed. For example, there is a usage form in which the use of all the functions of the mobile phone 1 is restricted only at night time, and only the communication function is restricted at other times.

  An example of disabling a predetermined function will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is an external view showing an example of a mobile phone according to the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the mobile phone 1 generally includes a display unit 4, a speaker 5, and an operation unit 6. In addition, although the example which arranged the some key as the operation part 6 is given, the key of another shape, the touch sensor incorporated in the display part 4, etc. can be utilized as a part of operation part.

  An example in which all communication functions are employed as the predetermined function, that is, all communication functions are subject to restriction. The mobile phone 1 is configured so that the mode can be switched between an online mode in which communication is possible (normal mode) and an offline mode in which communication is not possible. And when invalidating a communication function, what is necessary is just to switch to offline mode. At this time, the display unit 4 may be displayed with an icon, a sentence, or the like indicating that it is in the offline mode or that it is in the usage restricted area, preferably that it has entered the usage restricted area. . You may display that the function is prohibited. In addition, when the use is restricted, the speaker 5 may output a voice to the effect that the offline mode has been entered due to entering the use restriction area or that the use of the function is prohibited. A sound (prohibited sound) indicating prohibition may be output. These announcements are output to the display unit 4 and / or the speaker 5 by detecting the operation when any one of the communication functions is operated by operating the operation unit 6 in the use restricted area. You may make it do.

  The case where a part of communication function is adopted as the predetermined function will be given. In this case, as a part of the communication function, a call, mail transmission / reception, and Web access are listed. When disabling them, the operation unit 6 that performs the call, mail transmission / reception, and Web access while in the online mode. When an operation on the device is detected in the use restricted area, the function is restricted by not reflecting the operation, and the fact that the display unit 4 and / or the speaker 5 is a use restricted area or the use is prohibited. Just output. When only speaking and mail transmission are restricted as a part of the communication function, the display unit 4 and / or the speaker 5 is detected when the operation of the speech key or the mail transmission key of the operation unit 6 is detected in the use restriction area. It is sufficient to output an announcement indicating that it cannot be used. Furthermore, only utterances to a specific partner, calls with a specific partner, and transmission and / or reception of mail with a specific partner can be restricted. In that case, if the operation unit 6 performs an operation related to a call or mail with a specific partner, an announcement that it is prohibited or preferably an announcement that the partner is prohibited together with the name of the partner is given. The output may be from the display unit 4 and / or the speaker 5. Even in an example in which a part of these communication functions is limited, a prohibition sound may be output from the speaker 5.

  Further, even when utterances are restricted, it is preferable not to restrict emergency calls such as police and ambulances among calls by detecting a telephone number input through the operation unit 6. . In this case, it may be output from the display unit 4 and / or the speaker 5 that a call other than an emergency call cannot be used except for an emergency call.

  In addition, when a specific application (for example, viewing of 1Seg broadcasting, a game, etc.) is subject to restriction, it is prohibited if an operation related to an application prohibited by the operation unit 6 is performed in the use restriction area. What is necessary is just to output the announcement to the effect from the display part 4 and / or the speaker 5. FIG. In this example as well, forbidden sound may be output from the speaker 5.

  Similarly, for communication devices other than mobile phones, it is preferable to appropriately output a message from the display unit or speaker when invalidating the function. For example, in the case of a game machine with a communication function, if all functions of the game machine are subject to restriction, the power can be turned on but it cannot be used, and at that time, an announcement that it cannot be used is displayed and / or Or it is good to output by voice.

  On the other hand, although not limited to a game machine, the power supply can be turned off when all the functions of the communication device are targeted for restriction. However, turning off the power means turning off the power automatically when entering the restricted use area (user operation is required to turn on the power), restricting use when entering the restricted use area. For example, turning off the energization to other than the part related to the area determination. Even when an operation to turn on the power in the use restriction area is performed, it is immediately determined that the use is within the use restriction area and can be turned off.

  As described above, according to the present invention, only one control station 3 is installed, and the use restriction is applied to the mobile phone 1 in the area outside the peripheral area of the control station 3 and within the reach range of the use restriction command. Can be applied. Hereinafter, configuration examples of the mobile phone 1 and the control station 3 will be specifically described.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the mobile phone and the control station according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a command transmitted in the configuration example of FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation performed in accordance with the command reception state in the mobile phone in the configuration example of FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a flow for explaining an operation example of the mobile phone in the configuration example of FIG. FIG.

  The control station 3 illustrated in FIG. 3 includes a control unit 30 that controls the entire control station, a communication unit 31, and a transmission amplifier 32. The communication unit 31 and the transmission amplifier 32 are examples of the transmission unit, and are configured to change the reach by changing the transmission power with a use restriction command and a use permission command.

  More specifically, the control unit 30 passes the use restriction command to the communication unit 31 to perform communication, and controls the transmission amplifier 32 so that the transmission power for the use restriction command is obtained. Similarly, the control unit 30 passes the use permission command to the communication unit 31 to perform communication, and controls the transmission amplifier 32 so that the transmission power for the use permission command is obtained. Then, the transmission amplifier 32 transmits the command transmitted from the communication unit 31 from the antenna with the transmission power controlled by the control unit 30.

  As described above, in the present invention, the reach distance of the use restriction command is longer than the reach distance of the use permission command. Therefore, the control unit 30 controls the transmission amplifier 32 so that the transmission power for the use permission command is smaller than the transmission power for the use restriction command. Since the radio wave intensity is also reduced by reducing the power, the reach distance of the use permission command is shorter than the reach distance of the use restriction command.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, by transmitting the use restriction command and the use permission command in a time-sharing manner, both commands can be transmitted. In this transmission control, the control unit 30 may pass the use restriction command and the use permission command to the communication unit 31 alternately in a time division manner. In the example of FIG. 4, command transmission is performed while changing the transmission power for each command so that the reach distance of the use permission command is smaller than the reach distance of the use restriction command, not simply time division. In addition, although the example which transmitted the use permission command first is given, you may be made to transmit a use restriction command first. In the example of FIG. 4, both commands are transmitted continuously, but may be transmitted intermittently.

  In addition, the communication unit 31 and the transmission amplifier 32 may perform communication in accordance with standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and wireless LAN, for example. In the Bluetooth (registered trademark) class 1, Bluetooth (registered trademark) class 2, and wireless LAN communication methods, the maximum reach is 100 m, the maximum is 10 m, and the maximum is 100 m. Of these, use is permitted around the control station).

  Further, the transmission power of the control station 3, in other words, the command transmission distance may be changed according to user settings. In that case, the control station 3 may be provided with a user interface for setting, or may be configured to be set by communication from the mobile phone 1 side. Thereby, the user of the control station 3 can set the range of use restriction (gray area in FIG. 1).

  Here, the command transmission timing will be described. The use permission command and the use restriction command may be transmitted by the control station 3 intermittently. That is, the control station 3 voluntarily transmits a use permission command and a use restriction command at regular intervals or variable intervals, and the mobile phone 1 receives these commands intermittently transmitted from the control station 3. do it.

  As other transmission timings, the use permission command and the use restriction command may be transmitted by the control station 3 in response to the transmission request received from the mobile phone 1. For this purpose, naturally, a transmission unit that transmits a transmission request to the mobile phone 1 and a reception unit that receives a transmission request from the control station 3 are necessary. The transmission request is made by the cellular phone 1 intermittently with respect to the control station 3 at regular intervals or variable intervals, or the cellular phone 1 can set the use restriction function ON / OFF according to the present invention. The control station 3 only needs to transmit a use permission command and a use restriction command as a response. This ON / OFF setting will be described later. As a result of such a transmission request, if the control station 3 does not receive this transmission request (when it is in a positional relationship where it cannot be received), naturally the use permission command and the use restriction command as a response No transmission is performed.

  The control station 3 transmits the command to the mobile phone 1 in this way, thereby allowing the mobile phone 1 to permit / restrict use. The processing on the mobile phone 1 side will be specifically described.

  As described above, the mobile phone 1 includes the control station communication unit 11 and the control unit 10 for controlling the whole in addition to the base station communication unit 12. The control station communication unit 11 is an example of the above-described receiving unit according to the present invention, can receive at least a command, and may be configured to transmit a transmission request as will be described later depending on the form. Actually, as shown in FIG. 3, an antenna is connected to the control station communication unit 11, and an antenna is also connected to the base station communication unit 12. Further, the above-described function restriction unit can be exemplified as a part of the control unit 10.

  The function restriction unit of the control unit 10 uses a predetermined function of the mobile phone 1 when the control station communication unit 11 receives only the use restriction command as a result of attempting to receive the use permission command and the use restriction command. Limit.

  In other cases, that is, when both the use permission command and the use restriction command are received by the control station communication unit 11 or when neither the use permission command nor the use restriction command is received by the control station communication unit 11 For example, when the command transmission timing has passed and no command has been received, the use of the predetermined function is not limited. That is, in other cases, the state is switched to or maintained in a state where a predetermined function is enabled.

  Here, “reception is attempted” means that the control unit 10 intermittently performs reception control of the use permission command and the use restriction command on the control station communication unit 11 or the control station communication unit 11 receives the command. It means that we are always waiting for. In the form in which the mobile phone 1 transmits the use permission command and the use restriction command transmission request to the control station 3, the control unit 10 intermittently instructs the control station communication unit 11 to transmit the transmission request. The instruction and the transmission request correspond to the reception attempt.

  By receiving such a command, the operation shown in the correspondence table 13 between the command reception state and the operation illustrated in FIG. 5 is performed. In the case of the reception state 1 in which both the use permission command and the use restriction command can be received, the function restriction unit of the control unit 10 does not restrict use. In order not to restrict the use, if the use is not restricted in the previous judgment, the state is kept as it is, and if the use is restricted in the previous judgment, the use can be switched. That's fine. The position of the mobile phone 1 assumed in the reception state 1 is in the area Ra of FIG. 1, that is, the peripheral area of the control station 3.

  In the case of the reception state 2 where only the use restriction command can be received, the function restriction unit of the control unit 10 performs use restriction. The position of the cellular phone 1 assumed in the reception state 2 is in the gray area in FIG. 1, that is, in the area Rb and excluding the area Ra. When the control station 3 (a control station having a reachable distance in the home) is installed at home, for example, the gray area where the use restriction is performed can be “home”.

  In the case of the reception state 3 in which neither the use permission command nor the use restriction command can be received, the function restriction unit of the control unit 10 does not restrict use. The position of the mobile phone 1 assumed in the reception state 3 is outside the region Rb in FIG. When the control station 3 (control station having a reachable range at home) is installed at home, for example, this area can be “outside home”.

  In this way, the function restriction unit of the control unit 10 controls the operation of the mobile phone 1 in accordance with the command reception state. Accordingly, when the mobile phone 1 is in the vicinity of the control station 3 (reception state 1), the use of the mobile phone 1 is permitted, and when it is in the home away from the control station 3 (reception state 2), the mobile phone 1 is used. If the mobile phone 1 is outside the home (reception state 3), the use of the mobile phone 1 can be prevented from being restricted. Further, for example, if the control station 3 is installed in the living room, the living room can be used, the other homes cannot be used, and the outside can be used. That is, in such a system having the control station 3 and the mobile phone 1, the area that can be used at home can be limited by a simple operation of installing one control station 3 at home.

  As described above, in the use restriction method as in the present invention, the use restriction of the mobile phone can be realized simply by installing one control station 3. Also, instead of restricting the use of the entire area, it is possible to use only the vicinity of the control station 3 at home, while restricting other uses within the home, it may be restricted so as not to affect the use outside the home. it can. Further, in the present invention, the mobile phone 1 which is a mobile station transmits data by changing the transmission distance according to the command, and its function is limited by the received command. Therefore, unlike the technique described in Patent Document 2, the control station 3 does not require a receiving function.

  Next, referring to FIG. 6, the operation of the mobile phone 1 in the configuration example of FIG. 3, that is, the system in which the control station 3 performs transmission of commands by switching transmission power in a time division manner and the mobile phone 1 receives the command. The flow of is illustrated. The following control in the mobile phone 1 is mainly performed by a portion other than the function restriction unit and the function restriction unit of the control unit 10.

  First, the reception operation starts intermittently using the timer of the mobile phone 1 or the control station communication unit 11 when a function for restricting use is selected by a user operation (step S1).

  As mentioned in the latter case, the use restriction function according to the present invention may be set by the user using the mobile phone 1. However, it is preferable to prevent such setting from being performed on the mobile phone 1 side from the viewpoint that the installer of the control station 3 restricts use. It is preferable that the control station 3 has a user interface so that such a use restriction function can be set to ON / OFF, and this ON / OFF setting is performed while performing communication using the operation keys of the mobile phone 1. May be configured to be possible. If necessary, the control station 3 is also preferably configured so that the ON / OFF setting of the use restriction function as described above can be performed according to a time zone, a day of the week, or a holiday / weekday. Furthermore, it is preferable not to restrict when the user moves with the mobile phone 1 in the restricted area, for example during a call, and the mobile phone 1 or the control station also determines whether or not to restrict in such a situation. 3 is preferably user-configurable.

  When reception is started in step S1, it is determined whether a use permission command has been received (step S2). If YES in step S2, the use permission reception flag of the built-in memory is turned ON (step S3).

  When the process in step S3 is completed or NO in step S2, the control station communication unit 11 starts reception when a predetermined time has elapsed (step S4). The predetermined time may be equal to or longer than the interval at which commands are switched in a time division manner at the transmission timing illustrated in FIG. When reception starts in step S4, it is determined whether or not a use restriction command has been received (step S5). If YES in step S5, the use restriction reception flag of the built-in memory is turned ON (step S6).

  When the process of step S6 is completed or NO in step S5, the use permission reception flag and the use restriction reception flag are read, and the combination of ON / OFF is analyzed (step S7). As a result of the analysis in step S7, when only the use restriction reception flag is ON, predetermined use restriction is performed (step S9). If the result of analysis in step S7 is other than that, use permission is performed (step S8). In addition, although the sequence which receives a use permission command first was shown according to the transmission timing in FIG. 4, you may employ | adopt the sequence which receives a use restriction command first.

  As described above, as a method of changing the reach distance (transmission distance), the method of changing the transmission power in time division according to the command has been described. Next, a different method will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, a configuration example in which the control station 3 has transmission means having different transmission distances for each command, and the mobile phone 1 has reception means for each command, and an operation example thereof will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of the mobile phone and the control station according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the mobile phone in the configuration example of FIG. In the example described here, the control station 3 may transmit the use permission command and the use restriction command either voluntarily or in response to a transmission request from the mobile phone 1.

  The control station 3a illustrated in FIG. 7 includes a first communication unit 31a and a second communication unit 31b as the transmission unit. The first communication unit 31a is a communication unit that transmits a use permission command, and the second communication unit 31b is a communication unit that transmits a use restriction command. The first communication unit 31a and the second communication unit 31b perform transmission using different transmission methods. That is, in this example, transmission (mainly wireless transmission) is performed using different transmission methods for the use restriction command and the use permission command. The control unit 30a corresponding to the control unit 30 in FIG. 3 instructs the first communication unit 31a to transmit a use permission command, and instructs the second communication unit 31b to transmit a use restriction command.

  Here, the transmission method (communication method) may be determined and adopted so that the reach distance of the use permission command is shorter than the reach distance of the use restriction command. That is, the transmission method for transmitting the use permission command is a transmission method having a shorter reach than the transmission method for transmitting the use restriction command. As an example of such a form, an example in which a transmission method with less transmission power than a transmission method for transmitting a use restriction command can be used as a transmission method for transmitting a use permission command.

  Examples of the transmission method include non-contact communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), wireless LAN, infrared rays, Felica (registered trademark), non-contact charging, and contact charging. Here, the non-contact charge and the contact charge are commands that the charging means provided in the control station 3 detects that the non-contact charge and the contact charge have started (or ended, or a certain time has elapsed from the start), respectively. A method for determining that a (use permission command) has been received. As for non-contact communication, it has been detected that non-contact communication has been performed by a detecting means provided in the control station 3 (for example, a card reader that reads Felica (registered trademark)), and a command (use permission command) is received. Refers to the determination method.

  In the Bluetooth (registered trademark) class 1 and wireless LAN communication method, the reachable distance is 100 m at the maximum, and it is easy to use it for the transmission of the use restriction command. In the case of Bluetooth (registered trademark) class2, since a maximum of 10 m can be reached, this communication method is easy to use for transmission of either a use permission command or a use restriction command. In the case of infrared communication, the reach is several meters, and use permission (or use restriction) is possible within this range. In addition, in the case of Felica (registered trademark), non-contact charging, and contact charging, the reach distances are several centimeters, several centimeters, and 0 cm, respectively.

  That is, as the first communication unit 31a that transmits a use permission command, the second communication unit 31b that employs non-contact communication such as Felica (registered trademark), non-contact charge, or contact charge and transmits a use restriction command, Other than these, Bluetooth (registered trademark), wireless LAN, infrared, or the like may be employed.

  Thereby, when using non-contact communication such as Felica (registered trademark) or non-contact charge or contact charge, for example, a restriction provided in the control station 3a at a predetermined time, on a holiday or on a weekday, or separately. When such communication or charging is performed within a predetermined time after the start button is pressed, the mobile phone 1a can determine that the use permission command has been received and permit the use. Except for the reception of the use permission command based on the detection of contactless communication, contactless charging, and contact charging, the command reception timing in this configuration example is also intermittently received by the control station 3 as described in the configuration example of FIG. The control station 3 may receive the transmission request from the mobile phone 1 and transmit it in response to the transmission request.

  In addition, by mounting a charger or a card reader for a mobile phone in the control station 3 separately provided with the above-described transmission units (the first communication unit 31a and the second communication unit 31b), “non-contact communication and non-contact It is possible to permit use by a similar operation by the user such as “perform charging or contact charging”.

  In addition, the transmission power of the control station 3a, in other words, the command transmission distance can be configured to be changed by the user setting in the configuration example of FIG. Thereby, the user of the control station 3a can set the range of use restriction (gray area in FIG. 1). However, the transmission distance related to the reception of the use permission command based on the detection of the contact charging is excluded, and the transmission distance based on the detection of the contactless communication and the contactless charging is basically excluded.

  The mobile phone 1a includes a first communication unit 11a and a second communication unit 11b instead of the control station communication unit 11 of the mobile phone 1 of FIG. The first communication unit 11a is a communication unit that receives a use permission command, and the second communication unit 11b is a communication unit that receives a use restriction command.

  When the first communication unit 11a and the second communication unit 11b receive the command transmitted from the control station 3a described above, the operation shown in the correspondence table 13 illustrated in FIG. 5 is performed. The operation according to the reception state is the same as that described for the configuration example of FIG.

  Next, referring to FIG. 8, an example of the operation flow of the mobile phone 1 in the configuration example of FIG. 7, that is, a system that transmits commands using different communication methods will be illustrated. The following control in the mobile phone 1 is mainly performed by a portion other than the function restriction unit and the function restriction unit of the control unit 10.

  First, the reception operation by the first communication unit 11a starts when the intermittent operation using the timer of the mobile phone 1 or the function for restricting the use is selected by a user operation (step S21). For the ON / OFF setting of the use restriction function according to the present invention, the restriction by movement during a call, and the setting thereof, those described with reference to FIG. 6 can be similarly applied.

  When reception is started in step S21, it is determined whether a use permission command has been received (step S22). If YES in step S22, the use permission reception flag of the built-in memory is turned ON (step S23).

  When the process of step S23 is completed or when NO in step S22, the second communication unit 11b starts reception (step S24). When reception starts in step S24, it is determined whether or not a use restriction command has been received (step S25). If YES in step S25, the use restriction reception flag in the built-in memory is turned ON (step S26).

  When the process of step S26 is completed or NO in step S25, the use permission reception flag and the use restriction reception flag are read, and the combination of ON / OFF is analyzed (step S27). As a result of the analysis in step S27, when only the use restriction reception flag is ON, a predetermined use restriction is performed (step S29). If the result of the analysis in step S27 is other than that, use permission is performed (step S28). In addition, although the sequence which operate | moves in order of the reception and flag recording in the 1st communication part 11a and the reception and flag recording in the 2nd communication part 11b was shown, you may perform simultaneously in parallel.

  As described above, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, the present invention will be described on the assumption that the use restriction range is the gray region in FIG. 1 on the assumption that both the use permission command transmission method and the use restriction command transmission method are not directional. However, the present invention can also be applied to a transmission scheme that has directivity in either one or both. Such an example will be briefly described with reference to FIG. However, reception of a use permission command based on detection of contact charging can be said to be wired communication, and reception of such a use permission command is permitted at the contact position.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the positional relationship between the mobile phone and the control station according to the present invention. If the radiation angle of the use permission command is p and the radiation angle of the use restriction command is q (> p), the use can be restricted in the gray area of FIG. 9 and can be restricted in other areas. In FIG. 9, the reachable range of the use permission command is indicated by Rp, and the reachable range of the use restriction command is indicated by Rq. Of course, only the case of q> p is illustrated, but the same applies to the case of q ≦ p.

  For example, a control station is installed in the rear seat of a car to allow unrestricted calls within the surrounding area Rp, and when using a hands-free set in a gray area corresponding to a driver seat or a passenger seat It may be possible to restrict use such as making only a call possible.

  The communication device, transmitter, and usage restriction method according to the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is for incorporation into a program (hereinafter referred to as a communication device program) or a transmitter (control station) for incorporation into a communication device. A form as a program (hereinafter referred to as a transmitter program) can also be adopted. These programs can be distributed and distributed via a portable recording medium, a wired / wireless communication network, and the like.

  The communication device program is a program for causing a control device provided in the communication device to execute a reception step and a function restriction step described below. This control device can be constituted by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit) or the like, and can also be called a control computer. This communication device program is stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) or the like, read out from the control device into a RAM (Random Access Memory), and various setting data required by the program as needed. Alternatively, it is executed by the control device while reading from another recording medium. Further, the control device, ROM, RAM, other recording media, and the like can be mounted on a communication device (in this case, the mobile phone 1) by being incorporated in the control unit 10 of FIGS. 3 and 7, for example.

  The reception step is a step in which the reception unit provided in the communication device attempts to receive the use restriction command transmitted from the transmitter and the use permission command having a shorter reach than the use restriction command. The function restriction step means that if the reception unit receives only the use restriction command as a result of receiving the use permission command and the use restriction command, the use of the predetermined function of the communication device is restricted and the use is permitted by the reception unit. When both the command and the use restriction command are received, or when neither the use permission command nor the use restriction command is received by the receiving unit, the control is performed so as not to restrict the use of the predetermined function. In the function restriction step, the control itself that does not restrict the use of the predetermined function does not have to be performed spontaneously, and only when necessary, that is, when only the use restriction command is received, It is preferable to control to limit the use. Other application examples are the same as those described with reference to FIGS.

  The transmitter program is a program incorporated in a transmitter for transmitting a command to a communication device capable of wireless communication with other communication devices. This control device can also be configured in the same manner as the control device described for the communication device program, and the transmitter program can be similarly stored in the ROM or the like. The above-described control device, ROM, RAM, and other recording media for storing and executing the transmitter program are incorporated into, for example, the control unit 30 in FIG. 3 or the control unit 30a in FIG. 3).

  The transmitter program transmits a use restriction command for restricting the use of a predetermined function of the communication device to the control device provided in the transmitter, and is shorter than the reach of the use restriction command. And a step of transmitting a use permission command for not restricting the use of the predetermined function by the use restriction command. Here, the order of transmission of the use restriction command and transmission of the use permission command does not matter. Other application examples are the same as those described with reference to FIGS.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1a ... Cellular phone, 2 ... Base station, 3, 3a ... Control station, 4 ... Display part, 5 ... Speaker, 6 ... Operation part, 10 ... Control part, 11 ... Control station communication part, 11a ... 1st Communication unit, 11b ... second communication unit, 12 ... base station communication unit, 13 ... correspondence table, 30, 30a ... control unit, 31 ... communication unit, 31a ... first communication unit, 31b ... second communication unit, 32 … Transmission amplifier.

Claims (10)

A communication device capable of wireless communication with other communication devices,
A receiver for receiving a use restriction command and a use permission command having a shorter reach than the use restriction command transmitted by the transmitter;
As a result of trying to receive the use permission command and the use restriction command, if only the use restriction command is received by the receiving unit, use of a predetermined function of the communication device is restricted, and the use is performed by the receiving unit. A function restriction unit that does not restrict use of the predetermined function when both the permission command and the use restriction command are received, or when neither the use permission command nor the use restriction command is received by the reception unit. When,
A communication device comprising:   The transmitter receives the use permission command and the use restriction command intermittently transmitted, or intermittently requests the transmitter to transmit the use permission command and the use restriction command, The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the use permission command and the use restriction command transmitted by the transmitter in response to a transmission request are received.   The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined function includes a function of performing wireless communication with the other communication device. A transmitter including a transmitter that transmits a command to a communication device capable of wireless communication with another communication device,
The transmission unit transmits a use restriction command for restricting use of a predetermined function of the communication device, and the predetermined use is performed by the use restriction command so as to be shorter than a reach distance of the use restriction command. A transmitter characterized by transmitting a use permission command for not restricting use of a function.   5. The transmitter according to claim 4, wherein the transmission unit performs transmission by setting power for transmitting the use permission command to be smaller than power for transmitting the use restriction command. 6.   The transmitter according to claim 5, wherein the transmission unit transmits the use permission command and the use restriction command in a time division manner.   The transmitter according to claim 4, wherein the transmission unit performs transmission using different transmission methods for the use restriction command and the use permission command. A usage restriction method for restricting use of a communication device capable of wireless communication with other communication devices,
The transmitter transmits a use restriction command and a use permission command having a shorter reach than the use restriction command intermittently or in response to a request from the communication device,
When the communication device receives only the use restriction command as a result of receiving the use permission command and the use restriction command, the communication device restricts the use of a predetermined function of the communication device, and the use permission command The use restriction method characterized by not restricting the use of the predetermined function when both the use restriction command is received or when neither the use permission command nor the use restriction command is received. A program incorporated in a communication device capable of wireless communication with other communication devices,
In the control device provided in the communication device,
A reception step in which a reception unit provided in the communication device attempts to receive a use restriction command transmitted by the transmitter and a use permission command having a shorter reach than the use restriction command; and
As a result of trying to receive the use permission command and the use restriction command, if only the use restriction command is received by the receiving unit, use of a predetermined function of the communication device is restricted, and the use is performed by the receiving unit. When both the permission command and the use restriction command are received, or when neither the use permission command nor the use restriction command is received by the receiving unit, control is performed so as not to restrict the use of the predetermined function. A function restriction step;
A program characterized by having executed. A program incorporated in a transmitter for transmitting a command to a communication device capable of wireless communication with other communication devices,
In the control device provided in the transmitter,
Transmitting a use restriction command for restricting use of a predetermined function of the communication device;
Transmitting a use permission command for not restricting the use of the predetermined function by the use restriction command so as to be shorter than the reach of the use restriction command;
A program characterized by having executed.

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