JP6640667B2 - Communication device, subscriber information control server, connection control method, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device connection control technique.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a mobile terminal represented by a smartphone, a wireless access IF (3G (3rd Generation) or LTE (Long Term Evolution)) for connecting to a mobile phone carrier and a wireless access IF (Interface: Interface) A LAN (Local Area Network) IF is provided. In addition, the portable terminal is equipped with Bluetooth (registered trademark) for wirelessly connecting peripheral devices, but the IF that can be connected to an external network such as the Internet is a wireless access IF and a wireless LAN IF. limited.

  When a plurality of wireless IFs are mounted on a mobile terminal, there are restrictions on mounting (for example, the number of antennas provided on the mobile terminal) and restrictions on costs (for example, a SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module Card) and a mobile carrier. Contract is required). Therefore, it is difficult to have many IFs in one portable terminal, and almost all portable terminals on the market have one wireless access IF and one wireless LAN IF. The wireless LAN is limited to use in a specific area. Therefore, at present, it is considered that the only wireless IF that can be used in an area-free manner is the wireless access IF.

  By using a plurality of wireless IFs at the same time, even if there is an IF that deteriorates the communication status, it is always possible to maintain the service with the remaining IFs or adjust the traffic volume for each IF according to the situation. A plurality of technologies for maintaining the quality of service have been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2005-041986

  However, a mobile terminal that aims to stably provide communication quality using a plurality of wireless IFs has the following problems. Considering the above-described restrictions, the number of wireless IFs that can be used in a mobile terminal in an area-free manner is considered to be limited to several (for example, 2 to 4). Therefore, depending on the area (the radio wave condition at the place of use or the congestion of the user) or the use state (whether or not the user is moving), a situation may occur in which all IFs cannot be used.

  In addition, in the case of an application such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) or a TV phone that maintains connection END to END during use, not only deterioration of the wireless IF but also connection within a wired network such as the Internet (for example, , NAT router connection, latching connection at the server, etc.) may be erroneously connected due to handover or the like accompanying the movement of the mobile terminal. When recovery is to be performed by switching or reconnecting an IF that can no longer be used, 3G / LTE requires time of about several tens of seconds or more for switching and reconnection. Therefore, in a real-time application such as a VoIP or a TV phone, a state similar to the disconnection continues for several tens of seconds, so that the user may think that the communication has been disconnected before the recovery and stop using the communication. In such a case, there has been a problem that real-time application services such as VoIP and TV telephone cannot be stably provided.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology capable of stably providing a real-time application service such as VoIP or TV telephone.

  One embodiment of the present invention provides a communication unit that performs communication with a plurality of wireless interfaces, a state monitoring unit that monitors deterioration of a state of communication via each wireless interface, and that the deterioration of the state of the communication is detected. And a connection control unit for reconnecting the wireless interface in such a case.

  One aspect of the present invention is the communication device described above, wherein the connection control unit performs reconnection of a section in which communication using a network address via a wireless interface in which deterioration of the communication state is detected is not performed. Do.

  One embodiment of the present invention is the communication device described above, wherein the connection control unit reconnects a section for performing communication using a network address via a wireless interface in which the deterioration of the communication state is detected. .

  One embodiment of the present invention is the communication device described above, wherein the connection control unit switches to a wireless interface having identification information different from identification information associated with a wireless interface in which the deterioration of the communication state is detected. Thus, the wireless interface is reconnected.

  One aspect of the present invention is the communication device described above, further comprising a notifying unit that notifies a user of information regarding reconnection while the reconnection is being performed.

  One embodiment of the present invention is the communication device described above, further comprising a call control unit that switches a call performed using an application requiring real-time properties to a call using another communication network, The call control unit switches the call to a call using a communication network different from a communication network used by the application when the application is used while the reconnection is being performed.

  One embodiment of the present invention is the communication device described above, wherein after the deterioration of the communication state is improved, the communication device switches from the call using the communication network to the call using the application.

  One embodiment of the present invention is the communication device described above, wherein each of the plurality of wireless interfaces corresponds to a recording medium on which identification information for identifying a subscriber for a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) is recorded. Attached.

  One aspect of the present invention is the communication device described above, further comprising a storage unit that stores a plurality of subscriber identification information that is identification information for identifying a subscriber, and a plurality of subscriptions stored in the storage unit. The user identification information is information stored in a plurality of communication devices, and the communication unit, among the plurality of subscriber identification information stored in the storage unit, a subscriber not used by another communication device. Communication is performed using the identification information.

  One aspect of the present invention is the communication device described above, wherein the plurality of subscriber identification information stored in the storage unit is obtained at a predetermined timing from a server that stores the plurality of subscriber identification information, It is stored in the storage unit.

  One aspect of the present invention is a management unit that instructs each of the plurality of communication devices to use different subscriber identification information so that the plurality of communication devices do not use the same subscriber identification information. And a subscriber information control server comprising:

  One aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned subscriber information control server, wherein the management unit controls the use procedure of the subscriber identification information for each communication device so that the plurality of communication devices have the same subscriber identification. Manage so that information is not used.

  One aspect of the present invention is a communication apparatus including a communication unit that performs communication with a plurality of wireless interfaces, a state monitoring step of monitoring deterioration of a state of communication via each wireless interface, and a state of the communication state. A connection control step of reconnecting the wireless interface when deterioration is detected.

  One embodiment of the present invention provides a computer having a communication unit that communicates with a plurality of wireless interfaces, a state monitoring step of monitoring deterioration of a state of communication via each wireless interface, and a step of monitoring the state of the communication. And a connection control step of reconnecting the wireless interface when the deterioration is detected.

  According to the present invention, real-time application services such as VoIP and TV telephone can be stably provided.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a communication system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a communication terminal 10. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a flow of processing of the communication terminal 10. It is a figure showing functional composition of communications system 100a in a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a communication terminal 10a. FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a relay server 30a. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of anxiety avoidance technique processing by the communication terminal 10a. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating a flow of processing in the communication system 100a. It is a figure showing the functional composition of communication system 100b at the time of using the 2nd cost reduction method in a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a communication terminal 10b. FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a subscriber information control server 80. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing a flow of processing in the communication system 100b. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating a flow of another example of processing in the communication system 100b.

Hereinafter, specific configuration examples (first to third embodiments) of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a communication system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The communication system 100 includes a communication terminal 10, a plurality of relay devices 20 (20-1 to 20-m (m is an integer of 2 or more)), and a relay server 30. A communication terminal 40 that communicates with the communication terminal 10 is connected to the relay server 30. The communication terminal 10 and the plurality of relay devices 20 are connected via a cellular network 50. The relay device 20 and the relay server 30 are connected via a carrier network 60 and an external network 70.

  The communication terminal 10 is configured using an information processing device such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, and a tablet device. The communication terminal 10 performs wireless communication with the relay device 20. For the wireless communication, for example, communication (for example, LTE, 3G, etc.) according to the standard of the mobile communication system may be used. The communication terminal 10 includes a plurality of recording media (hereinafter, referred to as “subscriber information recording media”) on which identification information for identifying a subscriber (hereinafter, referred to as “subscriber information”) is recorded. The subscriber information recording medium is, for example, a SIM card. The plurality of subscriber information recording media may be recording media provided by the same telecommunications carrier, partially provided by different telecommunications carriers, or all different telecommunications businesses. It may be a recording medium provided by a user.

The relay device 20 is a base station device of a mobile communication network. The relay device 20 relays communication between the communication terminal 10 and the relay server 30.
The relay server 30 is configured using an information processing device such as a personal computer, for example. The relay server 30 relays communication between the communication terminal 10 and the communication terminal 40.
The communication terminal 40 is configured using an information processing device such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, and a tablet device. The communication terminal 40 communicates with the relay server 30.

The cellular network 50 is configured using, for example, a mobile communication network.
The carrier network 60 is configured using, for example, a network provided by a communication carrier.
The external network 70 may be any configuration network. The external network 70 may be configured using, for example, the Internet.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the communication terminal 10. The communication terminal 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, and an auxiliary storage device connected by a bus, and executes a reconnection program. By executing the reconnection program, the communication terminal 10 functions as a device including the recording medium holding unit 101, the first communication unit 102, the application storage unit 103, the application call control unit 104, the state monitoring unit 105, and the connection control unit 106. . All or a part of each function of the communication terminal 10 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). Further, the reconnection program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, and a CD-ROM, and a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. Further, the reconnection program may be transmitted and received via a telecommunication line.

The recording medium holding unit 101 holds a plurality of subscriber information recording media 11-1 to 11-n (n is an integer of 2 or more).
The first communication unit 102 includes a plurality of wireless IFs 12-1 to 12-n. One of the subscriber information recording media 11-1 to 11-n is associated with each of the wireless IFs 12-1 to 12-n. The first communication unit 102 communicates with the relay device 20 corresponding to the subscriber information recording medium 11 associated with the wireless IF 12 via the cellular network 50.

The application storage unit 103 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The application storage unit 103 stores, for example, an application (hereinafter, referred to as a “real-time application”) that requires real-time properties such as a VoIP or a TV phone. The application is software executed on the communication terminal 10.
The application call control unit 104 starts a real-time application stored in the application storage unit 103 in response to a user operation, and transmits a call made using the started real-time application to the first communication unit 102. And transmits it to the relay device 20.

The state monitoring unit 105 monitors the deterioration of the state of the communication via each wireless IF 12.
The connection control unit 106 reconnects the wireless IF 12 based on the monitoring result of the state monitoring unit 105 when the deterioration of the communication state is detected. The reconnection indicates a process of disconnecting the wireless IF 12 once and reconnecting.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a processing flow of the communication terminal 10. The communication terminal 10 starts a call using a real-time application according to a user operation (step S101). With this processing, a call between the user of the communication terminal 10 and the user of the communication terminal 40 is started. The state monitoring unit 105 monitors the state of communication via each wireless IF 12 (Step S102). The state monitoring unit 105 determines whether or not deterioration of the communication state has been detected as a result of the monitoring (step S103). Here, the deterioration of the communication state indicates that any of packet loss, packet delay, and fluctuation of packet delay is equal to or larger than a threshold. When it is determined that the deterioration of the communication state is not detected (step S103-NO), the communication terminal 10 ends the processing in FIG.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the deterioration of the communication state is detected (step S103-YES), the connection control unit 106 starts the reconnection of the wireless IF 12 (step S104). The connection control unit 106 in the present embodiment performs reconnection using a plurality of reconnection methods (for example, the first reconnection method to the third reconnection method). The order in which the plurality of reconnection methods are used may be any order. Here, the reconnection first method, the reconnection second method, and the reconnection third method are performed in this order. First, the connection control unit 106 performs a reconnection process using the first reconnection method (step S105).

  The first method of reconnection is a method of reconnecting a section in which communication using an IP address via the wireless IF 12 (hereinafter, referred to as “deterioration IF”) in which deterioration of the communication state is detected is not performed. The section in which communication using the IP address is not performed indicates a section between the communication terminal 10 and the relay device 20. The connection control unit 106 once disconnects a physical connection (for example, a layer 2 connection) between the deteriorated IF and the relay device 20 connected via the deteriorated IF. After the disconnection, the connection control unit 106 connects the deteriorated IF again. At this time, the connection control unit 106 connects to the relay device 20 to which the deteriorated IF was connected immediately before disconnection by another channel, or to a relay device different from the relay device 20 to which the deteriorated IF was connected immediately before disconnection. Connect to the device 20. Thereby, the communication terminal 10 and the relay device 20 are connected again.

  After a predetermined time has elapsed, the state monitoring unit 105 determines whether the deterioration has been improved (step S106). The determination as to whether the deterioration has been improved is made based on whether or not all of the packet loss, the packet delay, and the fluctuation of the packet delay are less than the threshold value in the communication via the wireless IF 12 determined to be the deteriorated IF. . In the communication via the wireless IF 12 determined to be the deteriorated IF, if all of the packet loss, the packet delay, and the fluctuation of the packet delay are less than the threshold, the state monitoring unit 105 determines that the deterioration has been improved. On the other hand, if any or all of the packet loss, the packet delay, and the fluctuation of the packet delay are greater than or equal to the threshold value in the communication via the wireless IF 12 determined to be the deteriorated IF, the deterioration of the state monitoring unit 105 is improved. It is determined that there is not.

When it is determined that the deterioration has been improved (step S106-YES), the communication terminal 10 ends the processing in FIG.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the deterioration has not been improved (step S106-NO), the connection control unit 106 performs a reconnection process using the second reconnection method (step S107). The second method of reconnection is a method of reconnecting a section in which communication using an IP address via a deteriorated IF is performed. The section in which communication using the IP address is performed indicates a section between the communication terminal 10 and the relay server 30. The connection control unit 106 releases the assigned IP address to establish a virtual connection (for example, a layer 3 connection) between the degraded IF and the relay server 30 connected via the degraded IF once. Disconnect. After the disconnection, the connection control unit 106 reconnects the deteriorated IF by requesting the relay server 30 for the IP address again. The connection control unit 106 does not disconnect the physical connection between the deteriorated IF and the relay device 20 connected via the deteriorated IF.

After a lapse of a predetermined time, the state monitoring unit 105 determines whether the deterioration has been improved (Step S108). If it is determined that the deterioration has been improved (YES in step S108), the communication terminal 10 ends the processing in FIG.
On the other hand, if it is determined that the deterioration has not been improved (NO in step S108), the connection control unit 106 performs a reconnection process using the third reconnection method (step S109). In the third reconnection method, the wireless IF 12 to be used is associated with the subscriber information recording medium 11 of a communication carrier different from the communication carrier that provided the subscriber information recording medium 11 associated with the deteriorated IF. This is a method for reconnecting the wireless IF 12 by switching to the existing wireless IF 12.

The connection control unit 106 associates the wireless IF 12 to be used with the subscriber information recording medium 11 of a communication provider different from the communication provider that provided the subscriber information recording medium 11 associated with the deteriorated IF. By switching to the wireless IF 12, the wireless IF 12 is reconnected. Thereafter, the processing in FIG. 3 ends.
After the processing in step S109, the communication terminal 10 executes the processing for determining whether the deterioration has been improved again, and if the deterioration has not been improved, the communication terminal 10 may repeatedly execute the processing using a plurality of reconnection methods. .

  According to the communication system 100 configured as described above, a mobile terminal can stably provide a real-time application service such as a VoIP or a TV phone. Specifically, the communication terminal 10 monitors the communication state via each wireless IF 12, and performs reconnection when the deterioration of the communication state is detected. Thereby, the communication state can be improved. For this reason, it is possible to stably provide real-time application services such as VoIP and TV telephone in the portable terminal.

  The communication terminal 10 disconnects and reconnects the connection in the wireless section between the communication apparatus 10 and the relay apparatus 20, and disconnects and reconnects the connection in the wired section between the communication apparatus 10 and the relay server 30. Processing is performed by a plurality of reconnection methods, such as a connection method and a method of connecting to and reconnecting to a network provided by a different communication carrier. Thus, the communication terminal 10 can cope with various deterioration patterns of the communication state by performing reconnection from all viewpoints. Therefore, it is possible to provide a stable service to the user.

<Modification>
The method in the present embodiment is applicable to services using communication other than the real-time application service.
The recording medium holding unit 101, the first communication unit 102, the state monitoring unit 105, and the connection control unit 106 included in the communication terminal 10 are configured to be provided in a wireless LAN communication device such as a pocket wireless LAN router. Is also good. With this configuration, the technology of the present invention can be applied to existing communication terminals such as smartphones. As a specific process, a communication terminal and a wireless LAN communication device are connected via a wireless LAN (for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), and a call transmitted from the communication terminal is transmitted to the relay device 20 by the wireless LAN communication device. Send. Then, the state monitoring unit provided in the wireless LAN communication device monitors the communication of the first communication unit, and reconnects according to the monitoring result.
The first communication unit 102, the state monitoring unit 105, and the connection control unit 106 included in the communication terminal 10 may be configured to be provided in a wireless LAN communication device such as a pocket wireless LAN router. With this configuration, the technology of the present invention can be applied to an existing communication terminal such as a smartphone having a recording medium holding unit 101 that holds a plurality of subscriber information recording media 11.

[Second embodiment]
In the first embodiment, an example has been described in which deterioration is improved by performing reconnection when deterioration is detected. Here, in general, reconnection takes several tens of seconds or more. Therefore, when reconnection is performed in a state where all the wireless IFs 12 provided in the communication terminal 10 cannot be used, data communication is stopped for several tens of seconds or more. In particular, in the case of a real-time application such as VoIP or TV phone, if the user suddenly stops for several tens of seconds, the application may be determined to be uneasy to use and may not be used. Therefore, the second embodiment solves such a problem.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a communication system 100a according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The communication system 100a includes a communication terminal 10a, a plurality of relay devices 20 (20-1 to 20-m), and a relay server 30a. A communication terminal 40a that communicates with the communication terminal 10a is connected to the relay server 30. The communication terminal 10a and the plurality of relay devices 20 are connected via a cellular network 50. The relay device 20 and the relay server 30a are connected via a carrier network 60 and an external network 70. The communication terminal 10a and the communication terminal 40a are connected via a mobile phone network 71 or a satellite communication network 72. In the communication system 100a, the relay device 20 is the same as the communication system 100. In the following description, the cellular network 50, the carrier network 60, and the external network 70 will be described as communication networks used for real-time applications, and the mobile phone network 71 or the satellite communication network 72 will be a communication different from the communication network used for real-time applications. It will be described as a net.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the communication terminal 10a. The communication terminal 10a includes a CPU, a memory, an auxiliary storage device, and the like connected by a bus, and executes a reconnection program. By executing the reconnection program, the communication terminal 10a causes the recording medium holding unit 101, the first communication unit 102, the application storage unit 103, the application call control unit 104, the state monitoring unit 105, the connection control unit 106a, the notification unit 107, the call It functions as a device including the control unit 108 and the second communication unit 109. Note that all or a part of each function of the communication terminal 10a may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC, a PLD, and an FPGA. Further, the reconnection program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, and a CD-ROM, and a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. Further, the reconnection program may be transmitted and received via a telecommunication line.

  The configuration of the communication terminal 10a differs from that of the communication terminal 10 in that the communication terminal 10a includes a connection control unit 106a instead of the connection control unit 106, and that a notification unit 107, a call control unit 108, and a second communication unit 109 are newly provided. The other configuration of the communication terminal 10a is the same as that of the communication terminal 10. Therefore, description of the entire communication terminal 10a is omitted, and the connection control unit 106a, the notification unit 107, the call control unit 108, and the second communication unit 109 will be described.

  The connection control unit 106a reconnects the wireless IF 12 based on the monitoring result of the state monitoring unit 105. In addition, the connection control unit 106a executes the anxiety avoidance method during the reconnection. The anxiety avoidance method is a method for reducing the user's anxiety that may be caused by reconnection. As the anxiety avoidance method, a guidance method for notifying the user that reconnection is being performed and a communication network different from the communication network used for the real-time application (for example, the mobile phone network 71 or the satellite communication network 72 in FIG. 4) are used. Call switching method.

The notification unit 107 notifies the user of information regarding the reconnection while the reconnection is being performed. The information relating to reconnection is information indicating that reconnection is being performed due to deterioration of the network, or information indicating a time period until restoration.
The call control unit 108 switches a call performed using the real-time application to a call using a communication network different from a communication network used by the real-time application.
The second communication unit 109 communicates with the communication terminal 40a via a mobile phone network or a satellite communication network.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the relay server 30a. The relay server 30a includes a CPU, a memory, an auxiliary storage device, and the like connected by a bus, and executes a relay program. By executing the relay program, the relay server 30a functions as a device including the first communication unit 301, the second communication unit 302, the relay unit 303, the state monitoring unit 304, and the notification unit 305. All or some of the functions of the relay server 30a may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC, a PLD, and an FPGA. Further, the relay program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, and a CD-ROM, and a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. Further, the relay program may be transmitted and received via an electric communication line.

The first communication unit 301 communicates with the relay device 20 via the carrier network 60 and the external network 70.
The second communication unit 302 performs communication with the communication terminal 40a.
The relay unit 303 relays communication between the first communication unit 301 and the second communication unit 302.
The state monitoring unit 304 monitors the state of communication via the first communication unit 301.
The notification unit 305 notifies the user of the communication terminal 40a of information regarding the reconnection while the reconnection is being performed.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the anxiety avoidance technique processing by the communication terminal 10a. Note that the process shown in FIG. 7 is executed during reconnection. The connection control unit 106a determines the anxiety avoidance method to be executed (Step S201). The anxiety avoidance technique to be executed may be set in advance, or may be a technique different from the technique executed immediately before. When the anxiety avoidance method to be executed is determined to be the guidance method (step S201-guidance), the connection control unit 106a instructs the notification unit 107 to notify the user. Upon receiving an instruction from the connection control unit 106a, the notification unit 107 generates guidance including information on reconnection (step S202). The notification unit 107 notifies the generated guidance to the user (Step S203). Note that the notification method may be a voice notification, a guidance may be displayed on the screen of the communication terminal 10a, or another method may be used. Thereafter, the processing in FIG. 7 ends.

  Also, in the process of step S201, when the anxiety avoidance method to be executed is determined to be the call switching method (step S201-call switching), the connection control unit 106a instructs the call control unit 108 to switch to the detour route. . Upon receiving the instruction to switch to the detour route from the connection control unit 106a, the call control unit 108 switches the call to the detour route such as a mobile phone network or a satellite communication network via the second communication unit 109 (step S204). Specifically, the call control unit 108 establishes a connection with the communication terminal 40a via a bypass route such as a mobile phone network or a satellite communication network to enable a call and switch the call. At this time, the application call control unit 104 may or may not stop the real-time application.

The state monitoring unit 105 determines whether the deterioration of the first communication unit 102 has been improved (Step S205). When it is determined that the deterioration has not been improved (step S205-NO), the process of step S205 is repeatedly executed.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the deterioration has been improved (step S205-YES), the connection control unit 106a instructs the call control unit 108 to switch to a call using a real-time application. When the connection control unit 106a instructs switching to the call using the real-time application, the call control unit 108 switches the call using the detour route to the call using the real-time application (step S206). Thereafter, the processing in FIG. 7 ends.

FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing a flow of processing in the communication system 100a. In the description of FIG. 8, for simplicity of description, the description will be made using the communication terminal 10a, the relay server 30a, and the communication terminal 40a. Guidance will be described as an example of the anxiety avoidance method.
A call is being made between the user of the communication terminal 10a and the user of the communication terminal 40a using a real-time application (step S301). The status monitoring unit 105 detects deterioration of the communication status as a result of monitoring the communication status (Step S302). Thereby, the connection control unit 106a starts the reconnection process (step S303). The description of the reconnection process is omitted. When the reconnection process is started, the connection control unit 106a instructs the notification unit 107 to give guidance.

  Further, the state monitoring unit 304 of the relay server 30a monitors the communication state of the first communication unit 301, and detects that the communication terminal 10a is being reconnected as a result of the monitoring (step S304). The fact that the communication terminal 10a is being reconnected may be detected by receiving information indicating reconnection from the communication terminal 10a. When detecting that reconnection is being performed, the state monitoring unit 304 instructs the notification unit 305 to provide guidance.

  When instructed by the connection control unit 106a, the notification unit 107 of the communication terminal 10a generates guidance including information on reconnection (step S305). Further, the notification unit 305 of the relay server 30a generates a guidance including information on reconnection when an instruction is given from the state monitoring unit 304 (step S306). The notification unit 107 of the communication terminal 10a notifies the user of the generated guidance (Step S307). Further, the notification unit 305 of the relay server 30a notifies the generated guidance to the communication terminal 40a (Step S308).

According to the communication system 100a configured as described above, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.
Further, the communication terminal 10a and the relay server 30a notify the user of the communication terminal 10a and the user of the communication terminal 40a that reconnection is being performed. Thereby, the user can grasp that the reconnection is being performed. Therefore, anxiety can be dispelled.
In addition, the communication terminal 10a switches the call using the real-time application to a call using a mobile phone network or a satellite communication network. As a result, a call can be continuously made. Further, since the mobile phone network or the satellite communication network is less likely to deteriorate than the cellular network 50, a stable real-time application service can be provided.

  Further, when the communication terminal 10a moves largely when the communication terminal 10a is connected to the relay server 30a, the relay device 20 to which the communication terminal 10a connects changes according to the movement, and the IP address of the communication terminal 10a accordingly. May change, and the connection between the relay server 30a and the communication terminal 10a may not be maintained. On the other hand, such a problem can be avoided by reconnecting the connection between the communication terminal 10a and the relay server 30a like the communication terminal 10a.

<Modification>
The second embodiment may be modified similarly to the first embodiment.
In the present embodiment, a configuration using any one of the anxiety avoidance methods has been described, but the communication terminal 10a may be configured to use all the anxiety avoidance methods. For example, the communication terminal 10a notifies the user of the guidance and switches the call to the detour route. With this configuration, the user can grasp that the mobile phone is currently being reconnected and the mobile phone network or the satellite communication network is being used.
In the present embodiment, the case where the process of FIG. 7 is executed during the reconnection has been described. However, the process of FIG. 7 is performed when all the wireless IFs 12 included in the communication terminal 10a have to be reconnected. It may be executed only. With this configuration, the guidance notification and the call switching to the detour route are not performed each time reconnection is performed. Therefore, the processing load can be reduced. Further, it is possible to improve the troublesomeness of being notified of the guidance every time a reconnection is performed. Further, it is possible to reduce a charge caused by switching a call to a bypass route every time reconnection is performed.

[Third embodiment]
In the first embodiment, an example has been described in which deterioration is improved by performing reconnection when deterioration is detected. In the second embodiment, an example has been described in which the user's anxiety that may occur during reconnection is reduced. As in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, if a plurality of wireless IFs 12 are to be realized by a mobile phone service provided by a communication carrier, it is necessary to make a mobile phone communication contract for the wireless IF 12 and a general user is required. It is difficult to realize at a low cost that can be used. Therefore, the third embodiment solves such a problem.

(First cost reduction method)
The first cost reduction method is a method of using a subscriber information recording medium for an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) in association with each of a plurality of wireless IFs 12. When using the first cost reduction method, it is assumed that the user of the communication terminal contracts with the MVNO. Then, the first communication unit of the communication terminal performs communication using the MVNO subscriber information recording medium associated with each of the plurality of wireless IFs.

(Second cost reduction method)
The second cost reduction method is a method using virtual subscriber information (for example, virtual SIM). The second cost reduction method will be specifically described. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a communication system 100b when the second cost reduction method according to the third embodiment of the present invention is used. The communication system 100b includes a plurality of communication terminals 10b (10b-1 to 10b-1 (1 is an integer of 2 or more)), a plurality of relay devices 20 (20-1 to 20-m), a relay server 30, and subscriber information. The control server 80 is provided. A communication terminal 40 that communicates with the communication terminal 10b is connected to the relay server 30. The communication terminal 10b and the plurality of relay devices 20 are connected via a cellular network 50. The relay device 20 and the relay server 30 are connected via a carrier network 60 and an external network 70. The communication terminal 10b and the subscriber information control server 80 are connected via an external network 70. In the communication system 100a, the relay device 20, the relay server 30, and the communication terminal 40 are the same as those in the communication system 100.

The communication terminal 10b is configured using an information processing device such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, and a tablet device. The communication terminal 10b performs wireless communication with the relay device 20. The plurality of communication terminals 10b-1 to 10b-1 store the same plurality of pieces of subscriber identification information. For example, the plurality of communication terminals 10b-1 to 10b-1 store the subscriber identification information "A", "B", and "C".
The subscriber information control server 80 manages the subscriber identification information stored in the plurality of communication terminals 10b-1 to 10b-1. Specifically, the subscriber information control server 80 instructs each communication terminal 10b to use the subscriber identification information to prevent the communication terminals 10b from using the same subscriber identification information at the same time.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the communication terminal 10b. The communication terminals 10b-1 to 10b-1 have the same configuration and will be described together. The communication terminal 10b includes a CPU, a memory, an auxiliary storage device, and the like connected by a bus, and executes a reconnection program. By executing the reconnection program, the communication terminal 10b functions as a device including the first communication unit 102, the application storage unit 103, the application call control unit 104, the state monitoring unit 105, the connection control unit 106b, and the subscriber information storage unit 110. I do. All or a part of each function of the communication terminal 10b may be realized by using hardware such as an ASIC, a PLD, and an FPGA. Further, the reconnection program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, and a CD-ROM, and a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. Further, the reconnection program may be transmitted and received via a telecommunication line.

  The communication terminal 10b differs from the communication terminal 10 in that a connection control unit 106a is provided instead of the connection control unit 106, a subscriber information storage unit 110 is newly provided, and a recording medium holding unit 101 is not provided. The other configuration of the communication terminal 10b is the same as that of the communication terminal 10. Therefore, description of the entire communication terminal 10b is omitted, and the connection control unit 106b and the subscriber information storage unit 110 will be described.

  The subscriber information storage unit 110 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The subscriber information storage unit 110 stores a plurality of pieces of subscriber identification information. The subscriber identification information stored in the subscriber information storage unit 110 is, for example, identification information of a recording medium provided by a communication carrier, identification information of a subscriber information recording medium for MVNO, and the like. The subscriber identification information stored in the subscriber information storage unit 110 may be stored in the subscriber information storage unit 110 in advance, or a server (for example, a subscription) that stores the subscriber identification information at a predetermined timing. May be acquired from the subscriber information control server 80) and stored in the subscriber information storage unit 110. The predetermined timing may be, for example, a timing at which a predetermined time has elapsed since the connection between the communication terminal 10b and the server has been made, a timing at which the predetermined time has come, or a storage of the subscriber identification information. The timing may be a timing at which an instruction from the server is performed, or may be another timing.

  The connection control unit 106b reconnects the wireless IF 12 based on the monitoring result of the state monitoring unit 105. Further, the connection control unit 106b is configured to be able to communicate by associating the subscriber identification information used in accordance with the instruction from the subscriber information control server 80 with each wireless IF 12 using the subscriber information storage unit 110. Thereby, the first communication unit 102 can perform communication using the subscriber identification information stored in the subscriber information storage unit 110.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the subscriber information control server 80. The subscriber information control server 80 includes a CPU, a memory, and an auxiliary storage device connected by a bus, and executes a management program. By executing the management program, the subscriber information control server 80 functions as a device including the communication unit 801, the subscriber identification information storage unit 802, the use state storage unit 803, and the management unit 804. Note that all or a part of each function of the subscriber information control server 80 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC, a PLD, and an FPGA. Further, the management program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, and a CD-ROM, and a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. Further, the management program may be transmitted and received via a telecommunication line.

The communication unit 801 communicates with the communication terminal 10b via the relay device 20.
The subscriber identification information storage unit 802 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The subscriber identification information storage unit 802 stores a plurality of pieces of subscriber identification information.
The use state storage unit 803 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The use state storage unit 803 stores the use states of the subscriber identification information of the plurality of communication terminals 10b-1 to 10b-1. Specifically, the use state storage unit 803 stores identification information of the plurality of communication terminals 10b-1 to 10b-1 in association with subscriber identification information used by each communication terminal 10b.
The management unit 804 sets different subscribers for the plurality of communication terminals 10b-1 to 10b-1 so that the plurality of communication terminals 10b-1 to 10b-1 do not use the same subscriber identification information. Instructs the use of identification information.

  FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating a flow of processing in the communication system 100b. In the description of FIG. 12, for simplification of description, the description will be made using two communication terminals 10 b-1 to 10 b-2 and the subscriber information control server 80. The communication terminals 10b-1 and 10b-2 store the same plurality of subscriber identification information in advance, and the subscriber information control server 80 stores the communication terminals 10b-1 and 10b-2. It is assumed that subscriber identification information is stored.

  The connection control unit 106b of the communication terminal 10b-1 transmits a use request for requesting use of the subscriber identification information to the subscriber information control server 80 (Step S401). Further, the connection control unit 106b of the communication terminal 10b-2 transmits a use request for requesting use of the subscriber identification information to the subscriber information control server 80 (Step S402). The communication unit 801 of the subscriber information control server 80 receives the use requests transmitted from the communication terminals 10b-1 and 10b-2. In response to receiving the use request, the management unit 804 causes the communication terminals 10b-1 and 10b-2 to use the subscriber identification based on the plurality of pieces of subscriber identification information stored in the subscriber identification information storage unit 802. The information is determined (Step S403). Specifically, the management unit 804 that has received the use request from the communication terminals 10b-1 and 10b-2 sets the communication terminal 10b among the plurality of pieces of subscriber identification information stored in the subscriber identification information storage unit 802. -1 and 10b-2 determine different subscriber identification information as the subscriber identification information used by the communication terminals 10b-1 and 10b-2 so as not to use the same subscriber identification information. The method of determining the subscriber identification information used by each communication terminal 10b may be determined so that the subscriber identification information used by each communication terminal 10b is not covered. By this processing, the communication terminals 10b-1 and 10b-2 do not use the same subscriber identification information. The management unit 804 stores the determined subscriber identification information for each communication terminal 10b in the usage state storage unit 803 in association with the identification information of the communication terminal 10b. Thereafter, the management unit 804 transmits a use instruction to each of the communication terminal 10b-1 and the communication terminal 10b-2 via the communication unit 801 so as to use the determined subscriber identification information (Steps S404 and S405). . The use instruction includes information indicating which subscriber identification information is available.

The communication terminal 10b-1 receives the use instruction transmitted from the subscriber information control server 80. The connection control unit 106b is configured to be communicable by associating the usable subscriber identification information indicated by the received use instruction with each wireless IF 12. Thereafter, the communication terminal 10b-1 performs communication using the associated subscriber identification information (step S406).
The communication terminal 10b-2 receives the use instruction transmitted from the subscriber information control server 80. The connection control unit 106b is configured to be communicable by associating the usable subscriber identification information indicated by the received use instruction with each wireless IF 12. Thereafter, the communication terminal 10b-2 performs communication using the associated subscriber identification information (Step S407).

  Further, the communication terminal 10b-1 transmits the end of use to the subscriber information control server 80 when the communication has been completed (step S408). Similarly, the communication terminal 10b-2 also transmits an end of use to the subscriber information control server 80 when the communication is completed (step S409). The end of use includes information indicating which subscriber identification information to end use. Thereby, the subscriber information control server 80 can grasp which subscriber identification information has been used. When the use end is received, the management unit 804 corresponds to the identification information of the communication terminal 10b indicated by the end of use and the identification information of the communication terminal 10b among the information stored in the use state storage unit 803. Delete the attached subscriber identification information.

According to the communication system 100b configured as described above, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.
In addition, the communication terminal 10b performs communication using a subscriber information recording medium of the MVNO or virtual subscriber information. This makes it possible to use a plurality of wireless IFs 12 at low cost.
Further, the subscriber information control server 80 controls the subscriber identification information used by each communication terminal 10b so that the same subscriber identification information is not used in the plurality of communication terminals 10b. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the same subscriber identification information from being used by a plurality of communication terminals 10b.

<Modification>
The first communication unit 102, the state monitoring unit 105, the connection control unit 106b, and the subscriber information storage unit 110 included in the communication terminal 10b are configured to be provided in a wireless LAN communication device such as a pocket wireless LAN router. You may. With this configuration, the technology of the present invention can be applied to existing communication terminals such as smartphones.
The first communication unit 102, the state monitoring unit 105, and the connection control unit 106b included in the communication terminal 10b may be configured to be provided in a wireless LAN communication device such as a pocket wireless LAN router. With such a configuration, the technology of the present invention can be applied to a communication terminal such as an existing smartphone having the subscriber information storage unit 110.
The communication terminal 10b may be configured to further include the notification unit 107, the call control unit 108, and the second communication unit 109 of the communication terminal 10a in the second embodiment.

  The management unit 804 of the subscriber information control server 80 schedules the subscriber identification information used by each communication terminal 10b, and controls the subscriber identification information used by each communication terminal 10b by indicating the scheduling result. You may. Here, the scheduling means controlling the use procedure of the subscriber identification information for each communication terminal 10b. Specific processing will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating a flow of another example of processing in the communication system 100b. In the description of FIG. 13, the description will be made using two communication terminals 10 b-1 to 10 b-2 and the subscriber information control server 80 for simplification of the description. The communication terminals 10b-1 and 10b-2 store the same plurality of subscriber identification information in advance, and the subscriber information control server 80 stores the communication terminals 10b-1 and 10b-2. It is assumed that subscriber identification information is stored.

  The management unit 804 performs scheduling for each of the communication terminals 10b-1 and 10b-2 based on the plurality of pieces of subscriber identification information stored in the subscriber identification information storage unit 802 (step S501). Specifically, the management unit 804 determines the subscriber identification information to be used for the communication terminal 10b-1 among the plurality of subscriber identification information stored in the subscriber identification information storage unit 802 for a predetermined time period. (For example, 10: 00-15: 00, 15: 00-20: 00, etc.). Further, the management unit 804 determines the subscriber identification information to be used for the communication terminal 10b-2 among the plurality of subscriber identification information stored in the subscriber identification information storage unit 802 for each predetermined time period. I do. The management unit 804 sets the subscriber identification information for each time zone used by the communication terminals 10b-1 and 10b-2 so that there is no time zone affected by the subscriber identification information used by the communication terminals 10b-1 and 10b-2. To determine. The management unit 804 controls the procedure for using the subscriber identification information for each communication terminal 10b in this manner.

  The management unit 804 stores the determined scheduling result for each communication terminal 10b in the use state storage unit 803 in association with the identification information of the communication terminal 10b. Thereafter, the management unit 804 transmits the determined scheduling result to the communication terminal 10b-1 and the communication terminal 10b-2 via the communication unit 801 (steps S502 and S503). The scheduling result includes information indicating which subscriber identification information is available in which time zone.

  The communication terminal 10b-1 receives the scheduling result transmitted from the subscriber information control server 80. The connection control unit 106b refers to the received scheduling result and determines the subscriber identification information used by the own device (step S504). Then, the connection control unit 106b is configured to be communicable by associating the currently available subscriber identification information with each wireless IF 12. The communication terminal 10b-1 performs communication using the associated subscriber identification information (step S505). Thereafter, the connection control unit 106b changes the subscriber identification information to be used for each time period indicated by the scheduling result.

  The communication terminal 10b-2 receives the scheduling result transmitted from the subscriber information control server 80. The connection control unit 106b refers to the received scheduling result and determines the subscriber identification information used by the own device (Step S506). Then, the connection control unit 106b is configured to be communicable by associating the currently available subscriber identification information with each wireless IF 12. The communication terminal 10b-2 performs communication using the associated subscriber identification information (step S507). Thereafter, the connection control unit 106b changes the subscriber identification information to be used for each time period indicated by the scheduling result.

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to the embodiments and includes a design and the like within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.

10, 10a, 10b communication terminal, 11 (11-1 to 11-n) subscriber information recording medium, 12 (12-1 to 12-n) wireless IF, 20 (20-1 to 20-m) ... Relay device, 30, 30a ... Relay server, 40, 40a ... Communication terminal, 50 ... Cellular network, 60 ... Carrier network, 70 ... External network, 80 ... Subscriber information control server, 101 ... Recording medium holding unit, 102 ... First communication unit, 103: application storage unit, 104: application call control unit, 105: state monitoring unit, 106, 106a, 106b: connection control unit, 107: notification unit, 108: call control unit, 109: second communication Unit, 110: subscriber information storage unit, 301: first communication unit, 302: second communication unit, 303: relay unit, 304: state monitoring unit, 305: notification , 801 ... communication unit, 802 ... subscriber identification information storage unit, 803 ... use state storage unit, 804 ... management unit

Claims (14)

A communication unit that performs communication with a plurality of wireless interfaces,
A state monitoring unit that monitors deterioration of the state of communication via each wireless interface;
A connection control unit that reconnects the wireless interface when the deterioration of the communication state is detected,
With
Further comprising a storage unit for storing a plurality of subscriber identification information that is identification information for identifying the subscriber,
The plurality of subscriber identification information stored in the storage unit is information stored in a plurality of communication devices,
The communication device, wherein the communication unit performs communication using subscriber identification information that is not used by another communication device among the plurality of subscriber identification information stored in the storage unit.   The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the connection control unit performs reconnection of a section in which communication using a network address via a wireless interface in which deterioration of the communication state is detected is not performed.   The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the connection control unit reconnects a section for performing communication using a network address via a wireless interface in which the deterioration of the communication state is detected.   The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection control unit performs reconnection of the wireless interface by switching to a wireless interface having identification information different from identification information associated with the wireless interface in which the deterioration of the communication state is detected. 4. The communication device according to claim 3.   The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a notification unit configured to notify a user of information regarding the reconnection while the reconnection is being performed. A call control unit that switches a call that is being performed using an application that requires real-time properties to a call that uses another communication network,
The call control unit switches the call to a call using a communication network different from a communication network used by the application when the application is used while the reconnection is being performed. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   The communication device according to claim 6, wherein the communication control unit switches from the communication using the communication network to the communication using the application after the deterioration of the communication state is improved.   The recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a recording medium on which identification information for identifying a subscriber for an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) is recorded is associated with each of the plurality of wireless interfaces. Communication device. A plurality of subscriber identification information the storage unit stores, at a predetermined timing, stored in the storage unit is acquired from a server storing said plurality of subscriber identification information, the communication device according to claim 1 .   The communication unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the communication unit relays a call performed using an application that requires real-time transmission from an external communication device to another device. Communication device. A management unit that instructs each of the plurality of communication devices to use different subscriber identification information so that the plurality of communication devices according to claim 1 or 9 do not use the same subscriber identification information,
A subscriber information control server comprising:   12. The management unit according to claim 11, wherein the management unit manages the plurality of communication devices so as not to use the same subscriber identification information by controlling a use procedure of subscriber identification information for each communication device. Subscriber information control server. A communication device including a communication unit that performs communication with a plurality of wireless interfaces,
A state monitoring step of monitoring deterioration of a state of communication via each wireless interface;
A connection control step of reconnecting the wireless interface when the deterioration of the communication state is detected,
Have a,
The plurality of pieces of subscriber identification information stored in the storage unit that stores a plurality of pieces of subscriber identification information that is identification information for identifying a subscriber is information stored in a plurality of communication devices,
A connection control method in which the communication performs communication using subscriber identification information not used by another communication device among a plurality of pieces of subscriber identification information stored in the storage unit . A computer program for causing a computer to function as the communication device according to claim 1 .

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