JP2007116726A - Multicast address allocation apparatus, information distribution apparatus, information distribution system, multicast address allocation method, information distribution method, multicast address allocation program, information distribution program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information distribution apparatus capable of performing efficient information distribution. <P>SOLUTION: An information distribution apparatus 10 according to the present invention is an information distribution apparatus 10 that performs multicast transmissions of information to a plurality of mobile terminals 50, this information being relayed by a plurality of base stations 40, and is constituted comprising a multicast address allocation apparatus 20. The multicast address allocation apparatus 20 comprises a mobile terminal information database DB21 for storing location information on the mobile terminals 50, and user registration information, and extracts, from the mobile terminal information database DB21, the mobile terminals which are the targets of the information distribution on the basis of the information stored in the mobile terminal information database DB21 and of designation information transmitted by a information supply terminal 30, to thereby allocate a multicast address. The information distribution apparatus 10 then transmits a paging signal, which has the multicast address added thereto, to the areas in which the designated terminals 50 are located, and makes multicast transmissions to the mobile terminals which respond to the paging signal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a multicast address assigning device, a multicast address assigning method, a multicast address assigning program, and a multicast address assigning a multicast address for realizing multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations. The present invention relates to an information distribution apparatus, an information distribution system, an information distribution method, an information distribution program, and a computer-readable recording medium on which a multicast address allocation program or an information distribution program is recorded.

  Conventionally, in a mobile communication system composed of a plurality of base stations and a plurality of mobile terminals existing within the communication range, for example, push type information distribution for distributing information such as advertisements, news, traffic information, etc. to the mobile terminals There was service. In such push-type information distribution service, it has been proposed to use multicast technology.

  However, the currently proposed multicast technology has the following problems. In general, in mobile communication networks, the location of non-communication mobile terminals is managed in units of location registration areas, but it is not managed to which base station each mobile terminal is included in the communication range. . For this reason, when performing multicast transmission, it is necessary to distribute information to all the base stations in the location registration area. There is a problem that information is distributed to a base station in which no mobile terminal exists, and unnecessary traffic occurs.

  Therefore, the present invention solves the above-described problems and can perform efficient information distribution, an information distribution apparatus, an information distribution system, an information distribution method, an information distribution program, and a multicast address assignment apparatus for realizing these, An object of the present invention is to provide a multicast address assignment method, a multicast address assignment program, and a computer-readable recording medium on which an information distribution program or a multicast address assignment program is recorded.

  A multicast address allocation apparatus according to the present invention is a multicast address allocation apparatus that allocates a multicast address to realize multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations, The mobile terminal information storage means for storing the location information and registration information preset by the user of the mobile terminal as mobile terminal information, and the designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information should be distributed, transmitted from the information supply terminal, are received. A distribution target terminal extracting unit that extracts a mobile terminal that satisfies the condition of the received designation information based on the mobile terminal information stored in the mobile terminal information storage unit, and a distribution target terminal extracted by the distribution target terminal extraction unit. A multicast address assigning means for assigning a multicast address to Characterized in that it comprises.

  As described above, by extracting the mobile terminals that meet the conditions of the designation information transmitted from the information supply terminal by the distribution target terminal extracting means, it is possible to efficiently form a multicast group.

  A multicast address assignment device according to the present invention is a multicast address assignment device that assigns a multicast address to realize multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations. Mobile terminal information acquisition means for requesting the mobile terminal information from the mobile terminal information storage means storing the terminal position information and registration information preset by the user of the mobile terminal as mobile terminal information, and acquiring the mobile terminal information; Receives the designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information is to be transmitted, transmitted from the information supply terminal, and extracts the mobile terminal that meets the conditions of the received designation information based on the mobile terminal information acquired by the mobile terminal information acquisition means Distribution target terminal extracting means and distribution target terminal extracted by the distribution target terminal extracting means There characterized in that it comprises the multicast address allocation means for allocating a multicast address, the relative.

  As described above, by extracting the mobile terminals that meet the conditions of the designation information transmitted from the information supply terminal by the distribution target terminal extracting means, it is possible to efficiently form a multicast group.

  In the multicast address assignment device, it is preferable that the mobile terminal information storage unit stores location area information indicating an area where the mobile terminal is located as location information.

  An information distribution apparatus according to the present invention is an information distribution apparatus that multicasts information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations, and is extracted by the multicast address assignment apparatus and a distribution target terminal extraction unit. A call signal to which a multicast address assigned by the multicast address assignment device is added is transmitted to the area where the distribution target terminal is located, and is transmitted from the mobile terminal via the base station in response to the call signal A call signal processing means for receiving a participation confirmation signal indicating participation in the multicast group, and a participation confirmation signal for the mobile terminal that has transmitted the participation confirmation signal when the participation signal is received by the call signal processing means. An information distribution means for distributing information via a base station that relays That.

  In this way, the call signal processing means adds the multicast address to the call signal for calling the mobile terminal to which information is to be distributed and transmits the call signal, so that the multicast address can be assigned simultaneously with the call signal. Further, the call signal processing means transmits the call signal to the area where the distribution target terminal is located and does not transmit the call signal to the area other than the area, so that the traffic of the mobile communication network can be reduced. Furthermore, the call signal processing means can receive the participation confirmation signal to the multicast group transmitted from the mobile terminal via the base station, so that the information distribution apparatus can identify the base station that relayed the participation confirmation signal. Information can be multicast transmitted only to the base station. Therefore, no information is transmitted to a base station that does not have a mobile terminal that has transmitted a participation confirmation signal for joining a multicast group, so that useless traffic can be reduced and multicast transmission efficiency can be increased. In addition, when a node that bundles a plurality of base stations is provided between the base station and the information distribution apparatus, the participation confirmation signal is transmitted to the information distribution apparatus via the base station and the node. In this case, since the node identifies the base station that relayed the participation confirmation signal, if the information distribution device identifies the node that relayed the participation confirmation signal, it is useless even if the base station is not identified. Traffic can be reduced.

  An information distribution system according to the present invention is an information distribution system that multicasts information to a plurality of mobile terminals, and a plurality of mobile terminals and a plurality of base stations that relay transmission / reception of information between the mobile terminals, The mobile terminal includes a call signal receiving means for receiving a call signal to which a multicast address is added, and joining the multicast group in response to the call signal received by the call signal receiving means. And a participation confirmation signal transmitting means for transmitting a participation confirmation signal representing.

  As described above, since the mobile terminal is provided with a participation confirmation signal transmitting means for transmitting the participation confirmation signal indicating participation in the multicast group in response to the call signal to which the multicast address information is added, the mobile terminal participates in the multicast group. The mobile terminal that transmits can transmit a participation confirmation signal. With this participation confirmation signal, the information distribution apparatus can identify the communication range of the base station in which the mobile terminal that is the target of information distribution exists.

  A multicast address assignment method according to the present invention is a multicast address assignment method for assigning a multicast address in order to realize multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations. Location information and registration information preset by the user of the mobile terminal are stored in the mobile terminal information storage means as mobile terminal information, and designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information is to be distributed, transmitted from the information supply terminal, is stored. A distribution target terminal extraction step for extracting mobile terminals that meet the conditions of the received designation information received based on the mobile terminal information stored in the mobile terminal information storage means, and a distribution target extracted in the distribution target terminal extraction step Multicast address to assign a multicast address to the terminal And allocation step, characterized in that it comprises a.

  In this way, in the distribution target terminal extraction step, a multicast group can be efficiently formed by extracting mobile terminals that meet the conditions of the designation information transmitted from the information supply terminal.

  The multicast address assignment method according to the present invention is a multicast address assignment method for assigning a multicast address in order to realize multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations. A mobile terminal information acquisition step for requesting mobile terminal information from mobile terminal information storage means that stores, as mobile terminal information, location information of the terminal and registration information preset by a user of the mobile terminal, and acquiring mobile terminal information; Receives the designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information is to be transmitted, transmitted from the information supply terminal, and extracts the mobile terminal that meets the conditions of the received designation information based on the mobile terminal information acquired in the mobile terminal information acquisition step To be distributed in the distribution target terminal extraction step and the distribution target terminal extraction step Characterized in that it and a multicast address allocation step of allocating a multicast address to the distribution target terminals.

  In this way, in the distribution target terminal extraction step, a multicast group can be efficiently formed by extracting mobile terminals that meet the conditions of the designation information transmitted from the information supply terminal.

  In the multicast address assignment method, it is preferable that the mobile terminal information storage unit stores location area information indicating an area where the mobile terminal is located as location information.

  An information distribution method according to the present invention is an information distribution method in which information is multicast-transmitted to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations, and is set in advance by location information of the mobile terminal and a user of the mobile terminal The registered information is stored in the mobile terminal information storage means as mobile terminal information, the designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information is to be distributed, transmitted from the information supply terminal, is received, and the condition of the received designation information is set. A distribution target terminal extraction step for extracting a corresponding mobile terminal based on the mobile terminal information stored in the mobile terminal information storage means, and a multicast address assignment for allocating a multicast address to the distribution target terminal extracted in the distribution target terminal extraction step Step and the distribution target terminal extracted in the distribution target terminal extraction step. This means that a call signal added with the multicast address assigned in the multicast address assignment step is transmitted to the mobile station, and the mobile terminal transmits the call signal via the base station in response to the call signal. The call signal processing step for receiving the participation confirmation signal, and the information received via the base station that relayed the participation confirmation signal to the mobile terminal that transmitted the participation confirmation signal when the participation confirmation signal is received in the call signal processing step. And an information distribution step of distributing the information.

  In this way, by adding a multicast address to a call signal for calling a mobile terminal to which information is to be distributed in the call signal processing step, the multicast address can be assigned simultaneously with the call signal. In the call signal processing step, the call signal is transmitted to the area where the distribution target terminal is located, and the call signal is not transmitted to the area other than the area, so that the traffic of the mobile communication network can be reduced. Furthermore, in the call signal processing step, the base station that relayed the participation confirmation signal can be identified by receiving the participation confirmation signal to the multicast group transmitted from the mobile terminal via the base station. Information can only be multicasted. Therefore, no information is transmitted to a base station that does not have a mobile terminal that has transmitted a participation confirmation signal for joining a multicast group, so that useless traffic can be reduced and multicast transmission efficiency can be increased. In addition, when a node that bundles a plurality of base stations is provided between the base station and the information distribution apparatus, the participation confirmation signal is transmitted to the information distribution apparatus via the base station and the node. In this case, since the node identifies the base station that relayed the participation confirmation signal, if the information distribution device identifies the node that relayed the participation confirmation signal, it is useless even if the base station is not identified. Traffic can be reduced.

  An information distribution method according to the present invention is an information distribution method for multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations, and includes information on the location of the mobile terminal and a user of the mobile terminal. Requesting mobile terminal information from mobile terminal information storage means that stores preset registration information as mobile terminal information, and acquiring mobile terminal information acquisition step for acquiring mobile terminal information, and distributing information transmitted from the information supply terminal A distribution target terminal extracting step for receiving designation information of a mobile terminal to be received, and extracting a mobile terminal that satisfies the conditions of the received designation information based on the mobile terminal information acquired in the mobile terminal information acquisition step; Multicast address allocation for allocating multicast addresses to the distribution target terminals extracted in the extraction step A call signal added with the multicast address assigned in the multicast address assignment step is transmitted to the area where the delivery target terminal extracted in the step and the delivery target terminal extraction step is located, and moves in response to the call signal A call signal processing step for receiving a participation confirmation signal representing participation in a multicast group, which is transmitted from a terminal via a base station, and a participation confirmation signal is transmitted when the participation confirmation signal is received in the call signal processing step. An information distribution step of distributing information to the mobile terminal via a base station that relays the participation confirmation signal.

  In this way, by adding a multicast address to a call signal for calling a mobile terminal to which information is to be distributed in the call signal processing step, the multicast address can be assigned simultaneously with the call signal. In the call signal processing step, the call signal is transmitted to the area where the distribution target terminal is located, and the call signal is not transmitted to the area other than the area, so that the traffic of the mobile communication network can be reduced. Furthermore, in the call signal processing step, the base station that relayed the participation confirmation signal can be identified by receiving the participation confirmation signal to the multicast group transmitted from the mobile terminal via the base station. Information can only be multicasted. Therefore, no information is transmitted to a base station that does not have a mobile terminal that has transmitted a participation confirmation signal for joining a multicast group, so that useless traffic can be reduced and multicast transmission efficiency can be increased. In addition, when a node that bundles a plurality of base stations is provided between the base station and the information distribution apparatus, the participation confirmation signal is transmitted to the information distribution apparatus via the base station and the node. In this case, since the node identifies the base station that relayed the participation confirmation signal, if the information distribution device identifies the node that relayed the participation confirmation signal, it is useless even if the base station is not identified. Traffic can be reduced.

  The multicast address assignment program according to the present invention assigns a multicast address to realize a multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations, a computer, a location information of the mobile terminal, and a mobile Mobile terminal information storage means for storing registration information preset by the user of the terminal as mobile terminal information, designation information of a mobile terminal to which information is to be transmitted, transmitted from the information supply terminal, and received designation information A distribution target terminal extraction unit that extracts mobile terminals that satisfy the above condition based on mobile terminal information stored in the mobile terminal information storage unit, and a multicast that assigns a multicast address to the distribution target terminals extracted by the distribution target terminal extraction unit It functions as an address assignment means. To.

  The multicast address assignment program according to the present invention efficiently forms a multicast group by causing a computer to function as a distribution target terminal extraction unit and extracting mobile terminals that meet the conditions of designated information transmitted from an information supply terminal. Can do.

  In addition, the multicast address assignment program according to the present invention assigns a multicast address so as to realize multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations. Mobile terminal information acquisition means for requesting mobile terminal information from mobile terminal information storage means storing registration information preset by the user of the mobile terminal as mobile terminal information, and transmitted from the information supply terminal. Receiving terminal specification means for receiving the designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information is to be distributed, and extracting the mobile terminal that meets the conditions of the received designation information based on the mobile terminal information acquired by the mobile terminal information acquisition means , Multicast to the distribution target terminal extracted by the distribution target terminal extraction means Wherein the function as the multicast address allocation means for allocating an address.

  The multicast address assignment program according to the present invention efficiently forms a multicast group by causing a computer to function as a distribution target terminal extraction unit and extracting mobile terminals that meet the conditions of designated information transmitted from an information supply terminal. Can do.

  Preferably, the multicast address assignment program causes a computer functioning as mobile terminal information storage means to store, as location information, area information indicating an area where the mobile terminal is located.

  The information distribution program according to the present invention is configured so that the computer is preset by the location information of the mobile terminal and the user of the mobile terminal in order to multicast information to multiple mobile terminals relayed by multiple base stations. Mobile terminal information storage means for storing registration information as mobile terminal information, receiving designation information of a mobile terminal to which information should be distributed, transmitted from an information supply terminal, and moving a mobile terminal that meets the conditions of the received designation information A distribution target terminal extracting means for extracting from the terminal information storage means; a multicast address assigning means for assigning a multicast address to the distribution target terminal extracted by the distribution target terminal extracting means; and a distribution target terminal extracted by the distribution target terminal extracting means. Multicast address assignment means is used for the area in which it is located. Call signal processing means for transmitting a paging signal with an assigned multicast address and receiving a participation confirmation signal representing participation in a multicast group transmitted from the mobile terminal via the base station in response to the paging signal When the participation confirmation signal is received by the call signal processing means, the mobile terminal that has transmitted the participation confirmation signal functions as an information distribution means for delivering information via the base station that relayed the participation confirmation signal. It is characterized by.

  According to the program of the present invention, a multicast address is assigned simultaneously with a call signal by causing a computer to function as a call signal processing means and adding a multicast address to a call signal for calling a mobile terminal to which information is distributed. be able to. Further, the call signal processing means transmits the call signal to the area where the distribution target terminal is located and does not transmit the call signal to the area other than the area, so that the traffic of the mobile communication network can be reduced. Further, the call signal processing means can cause the computer to identify the base station that relayed the participation confirmation signal by receiving the participation confirmation signal to the multicast group transmitted from the mobile terminal via the base station, Only the base station can multicast information. Therefore, no information is transmitted to a base station that does not have a mobile terminal that has transmitted a participation confirmation signal for joining a multicast group, so that useless traffic can be reduced and multicast transmission efficiency can be increased. When a node that bundles a plurality of base stations is provided between the base station and the computer, the participation confirmation signal is transmitted to the computer via the base station and the node. In this case, since the node identifies the base station that relayed the participation confirmation signal, the program according to the present invention does not identify the base station if the computer identifies the node that relayed the participation confirmation signal. However, useless traffic can be reduced.

  Also, the information distribution program according to the present invention sets the computer in advance by the location information of the mobile terminal and the user of the mobile terminal in order to multicast the information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations. Requesting mobile terminal information from mobile terminal information storage means storing stored registration information as mobile terminal information, mobile terminal information acquisition means for acquiring mobile terminal information, and movement to distribute information transmitted from an information supply terminal Extraction is performed by the distribution target terminal extraction means and the distribution target terminal extraction means that receive the terminal specification information and extract the mobile terminals that meet the conditions of the received specification information based on the mobile terminal information acquired by the mobile terminal information acquisition means Multicast address allocating means for allocating a multicast address to a distributed distribution target terminal, distribution A call signal with a multicast address assigned by the multicast address assignment means is transmitted to the area where the distribution target terminal extracted by the elephant terminal extraction means is located, and the mobile station responds to the call signal from the base station. A call signal processing means for receiving a participation confirmation signal representing participation in a multicast group transmitted via the mobile terminal, and when the participation confirmation signal is received by the call signal processing means, to the mobile terminal that has transmitted the participation confirmation signal And functioning as information distribution means for distributing information via a base station that relays the participation confirmation signal.

  According to the program of the present invention, a multicast address is assigned simultaneously with a call signal by causing a computer to function as a call signal processing means and adding a multicast address to a call signal for calling a mobile terminal to which information is distributed. be able to. Further, the call signal processing means transmits the call signal to the area where the distribution target terminal is located and does not transmit the call signal to the area other than the area, so that the traffic of the mobile communication network can be reduced. Further, the call signal processing means can cause the computer to identify the base station that relayed the participation confirmation signal by receiving the participation confirmation signal to the multicast group transmitted from the mobile terminal via the base station, Only the base station can multicast information. Therefore, no information is transmitted to a base station that does not have a mobile terminal that has transmitted a participation confirmation signal for joining a multicast group, so that useless traffic can be reduced and multicast transmission efficiency can be increased. When a node that bundles a plurality of base stations is provided between the base station and the computer, the participation confirmation signal is transmitted to the computer via the base station and the node. In this case, since the node identifies the base station that relayed the participation confirmation signal, the program according to the present invention does not identify the base station if the computer identifies the node that relayed the participation confirmation signal. However, useless traffic can be reduced.

  A computer-readable recording medium according to the present invention records the multicast address assignment program or the information distribution program.

  The recording medium on which the above-described multicast address assignment program or information distribution program is recorded can realize efficient multicast address assignment and information distribution as described above by causing the computer to read and execute the program. it can.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently form a multicast group by extracting mobile terminals that meet the conditions of designated information transmitted from an information supply terminal. Further, by adding a multicast address to a call signal for calling a mobile terminal that is an object of information distribution and transmitting it, and assigning the multicast address at the same time as the call signal, traffic required for multicast address assignment can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present invention, the mobile terminal that receives the participation confirmation signal for the multicast group transmitted from the mobile terminal via the base station, and transmits the participation confirmation signal based on the received participation confirmation signal is information to the mobile terminal. Is going to deliver. At this time, it is possible to specify the base station that relayed the participation confirmation signal and multicast the information only to the base station, so to the base station where there is no mobile terminal that transmitted the participation confirmation signal to the multicast group, Information is not transmitted, wasteful traffic can be reduced, and multicast transmission efficiency can be increased.

Example 1
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an information distribution system 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an information distribution system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The information distribution system 1 includes a plurality of mobile terminals 50, a base station (BS) 40 that relays transmission / reception of information between the mobile terminals 50, and information (hereinafter referred to as “distribution information” or “ And an information distribution device 10 that distributes information supplied from the information supply terminal 30 to a designated mobile terminal 50.

  The information distribution apparatus 10 includes a control unit 11 that controls the entire information distribution apparatus 10, an interface unit 14 that performs communication with the information supply terminal 30 and the base station 40, and a storage unit 12 that temporarily stores distribution information. And a call signal processing unit 13 for processing a call signal for calling the mobile terminal 50, and a multicast address assignment device 20 for assigning a multicast address to the mobile terminal 50 to which distribution information is to be distributed. . The multicast address assignment device 20 includes a distribution target terminal extraction unit 16, a conversion table 22 used by the distribution target terminal extraction unit 16, a mobile terminal information database (hereinafter referred to as “mobile terminal information DB”) 21, A multicast allocation unit 15.

  Next, each element which comprises the information delivery apparatus 10 is demonstrated. The interface unit 14 has a function of transmitting and receiving information. For example, the interface unit 14 receives information distributed to the mobile terminal 50 from the information supply terminal 30 or distributes information to the mobile terminal 50 via the base station 40. In addition, a call signal is transmitted to the mobile terminal 50 and a response signal of the call signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 50 is received.

  The storage unit 12 has a function of temporarily buffering supplied distribution data transmitted from the information supply terminal 30.

  The call signal processing unit 13 has a function of generating a call signal to be transmitted to the mobile terminal 50 and a function of processing a response signal of the call signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 50. A multicast address is added to the call signal generated by the call signal processing unit 13, and a response signal for the call signal includes a confirmation signal for joining the multicast group. Here, “joining a multicast group” means that the mobile terminal 50 that has transmitted the response receives information specified by the multicast address by multicast transmission.

  The conversion table 22 is a table that defines a correspondence relationship between designation information for designating the mobile terminal 50 to which the information supply terminal 30 should distribute information and data for processing in the information distribution apparatus 10. This conversion table 22 can be used even when the information format used by the information supply terminal 30 as the designation information in the information distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment is different from the information format used by the information distribution apparatus 10 as the designation information. It is for making. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of data stored in the conversion table 22. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the conversion table 22 includes “registration information” and “designated information”. According to the conversion table 22, for example, it is understood that “male” of the designation information corresponds to the registration information “A”.

  The mobile terminal information DB 21 stores information related to the position of the mobile terminal 50 and registration information related to the user of the mobile terminal 50 registered in advance. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of data stored in the mobile terminal information DB 21. As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile terminal information DB 21 stores information of “mobile terminal identifier”, “located area”, and “registration information”. The “mobile terminal identifier” is an identifier for identifying each mobile terminal 50. When the mobile terminal 50 is a mobile phone, the mobile terminal identifier is preferably the telephone number. The “located area” is position information indicating in which area each mobile terminal 50 is currently located. “Registration information” is information regarding attributes and the like registered in advance by the user who owns each mobile terminal 50. The registration information is stored in an expression format defined by the conversion table 22. For example, the registration information of the user of the mobile terminal A is “A” and “C”, which indicates user information of “male” and “20s”.

  The distribution target terminal extraction unit 16 converts the designation information transmitted from the information supply terminal 30 into an expression format used for processing in the information distribution apparatus 10 using the data stored in the conversion table 22, and The distribution target terminal is extracted by comparing the information stored in the mobile terminal information DB 21.

  The multicast address assignment unit 15 has a function of assigning a multicast address to the mobile terminal 50 extracted by the distribution target terminal extraction unit 16.

  Next, the operation of the information distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described, and the information distribution method according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information distribution system 1.

  First, information to be distributed is transmitted from the information supply terminal 30 to the information distribution apparatus 10 (S10). At this time, designation information for designating the mobile terminal 50 that is the object of information distribution is also transmitted together with the information to be distributed. Here, it is assumed that “20s” and “male” are transmitted as the designation information. When receiving the distribution information transmitted from the information supply terminal 30 (S12), the information distribution apparatus 10 buffers the received distribution information in the storage unit 12 (S14). Thereafter, the distribution target terminal extraction unit 16 refers to the conversion table 22 and converts the received designation information into an expression format used for processing in the information distribution apparatus 10. Here, since the designation information is “20s” and “male”, the converted conditions are “A” and “C”. Thereafter, the information distribution apparatus 10 handles the designation information “20s” and “male” in this format.

  Subsequently, the distribution target terminal extraction unit 16 extracts the mobile terminal 50 as an information distribution target from the mobile terminal information DB 21 based on the converted condition (S16). That is, the mobile terminal 50 that matches the converted condition is extracted. Here, since “A” and “C” are the conditions of the information distribution target terminals, the mobile terminals 50 extracted as the distribution target mobile terminals 50 are the mobile terminals A, D, and E with reference to FIG. is there. The multicast address assigning unit 15 assigns a multicast address to the extracted mobile terminals A, D, and E (S18).

  Next, the information distribution apparatus 10 generates a call signal for the mobile terminal 50 extracted as a distribution target by the call signal processing unit 13. At this time, the call signal processing unit 13 generates a call signal including a multicast address. Subsequently, the information distribution apparatus 10 transmits a calling signal via the interface unit 14 (S20). At this time, the transmission destination base station 40 that transmits the call signal is a base station 40 that exists in the area where the mobile terminal 50 to which information is distributed is located. Here, referring to FIG. 2, since mobile terminals A and D exist in area X and mobile terminal E exists in area Y, a call signal is transmitted to base stations 40 in areas X and Y. The base station 40 that has received the call signal transmits the call signal to all the mobile terminals 50 existing within the communication range of the base station 40.

  When the mobile terminal 50 receives the call signal (S22), the mobile terminal 50 analyzes the information included in the call signal and determines whether or not it is a call target. When the mobile terminal 50 determines that it is a call target, it sets a multicast address included in the call signal. Further, in response to the call signal, the mobile terminal 50 transmits a participation confirmation signal for confirming participation in the multicast group to the base station 40 (S24).

  When receiving the participation confirmation signal transmitted from the target terminal, the base station 40 transmits the participation confirmation signal to the information distribution apparatus 10. The information distribution apparatus 10 receives the participation confirmation signal transmitted from the base station 40 by the interface unit 14 (S26), and processes the participation confirmation signal by the calling signal processing unit 13. The information distribution apparatus 10 obtains information about which base station 40 is within the communication range of the mobile terminal 50 that is the target of information distribution by analyzing the participation confirmation signal transmitted from the base station 40. can do.

  Next, the information distribution apparatus 10 takes out the information to be multicast distributed buffered in the storage unit 12 from the storage unit 12, and transmits it to the mobile terminal 50 to be distributed (S28). At this time, using the information of the base station 40 in which each mobile terminal 50 exists, which is obtained by receiving the participation confirmation signal, the information is sent only to the base station 40 in which the mobile terminal 50 exists. To deliver. Then, when the mobile terminal 50 receives the distributed information (S30), the operation of the information distribution system 1 is completed.

  The information distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment can efficiently form a multicast group by extracting the mobile terminals 50 that meet the conditions of the designation information transmitted from the information supply terminal 30 by the distribution target terminal extraction unit 16. it can. Then, by adding the multicast address information to the call signal, generating the call signal, and transmitting the call signal, the mobile terminal 50 that has received the call signal can immediately set the multicast address. A sequence for setting a multicast address becomes unnecessary, and traffic of the mobile communication network can be reduced.

  In addition, the mobile terminal 50 that has received the call signal transmits a participation confirmation signal to the multicast group, which is a response to the call signal, to the information distribution device 10 via the base station 40, so that the information distribution device 10 Information about which base station 40 is within the communication range of the target mobile terminal 50 can be acquired. The information distribution apparatus 10 multicasts information only to the base station 40 where the information distribution target mobile terminal 50 exists, so that useless data transmission to the base station 40 where the information distribution target mobile terminal 40 does not exist is performed. It is not performed, and the traffic of the mobile communication network can be greatly reduced. In this embodiment, since the case where the information distribution apparatus 10 is directly connected to the base station 40 is described, the information distribution apparatus 10 specifies the base station 40 to which the information is to be distributed by the participation confirmation signal, Information is distributed only to the base station 40, but in a configuration in which a node that bundles a plurality of base stations 40 exists between the base station 40 and the information distribution device 10, the information distribution device 10 A node to be distributed is specified based on the participation confirmation signal. Information can be efficiently distributed by specifying the base station 40 to which the node should distribute information. This also applies to the case where a plurality of nodes exist in a tree shape between the base station 40 and the information distribution device 10, and the information distribution device 10 or the upper node should distribute the information. By specifying the next lower node or base station 40, information distribution can be performed efficiently.

  In addition, the information distribution method according to the present invention can prevent unnecessary information distribution and reduce the traffic of the mobile communication network, like the information distribution system 1 described above.

(Example 2)
Next, an information distribution system 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing an information distribution system 2 according to the second embodiment. The information distribution system 2 according to the second embodiment has the same basic configuration as the information distribution system 1 according to the first embodiment, but the information distribution apparatus 10 that constitutes the information distribution system 2 according to the second embodiment. Is different from the information distribution device 10 in that the information management node 25 includes the mobile terminal information DB 21. The information distribution apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment includes a mobile terminal information acquisition unit 26. The mobile terminal information acquisition unit 26 requests the mobile terminal information from the information management node 25 and acquires the mobile terminal information. It has the function to do.

  The operation of the information distribution system 2 according to the second embodiment has the same basic flow as the operation of the information distribution system 1 according to the first embodiment, but the information distribution apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment uses designated information. The mobile terminal 50 to be distributed is extracted from the mobile terminal information DB 21 on the basis of the mobile terminal information DB 21, whereas the information distribution device 10 according to the second embodiment is based on the mobile terminal information acquired by the mobile terminal information acquisition unit 26. The difference is that the mobile terminal 50 is extracted.

  Similar to the information distribution system 1 according to the first embodiment, the information distribution system 2 according to the second embodiment can reduce the traffic of the mobile communication network and realize efficient multicast transmission of information. Furthermore, in the information distribution system 2 according to the second embodiment, the information distribution apparatus 10 includes the mobile terminal information acquisition unit 26 that acquires the mobile terminal information from the mobile terminal information DB 21 of the information management node 25. The system can be configured by effectively utilizing the management node 25.

  Finally, an information distribution program according to an embodiment of the present invention and a computer-readable recording medium (hereinafter simply referred to as “recording medium”) on which the information distribution program is recorded will be described. Here, the recording medium causes a state of change in energy such as magnetism, light, electricity, etc., corresponding to the description content of the program to the reading device provided in the hardware resource of the computer, and corresponds to it. The contents of the program description can be transmitted to the reading device in the form of a signal. Examples of such a recording medium include a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a CD-ROM, and a memory built in a computer.

  FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of the recording medium 60 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the recording medium 60 includes a program area 60a for recording a program and a data area 60b for recording data. An information distribution program and a multicast address assignment program (module) 66 are recorded in the program area 60a. The information distribution program is a program for multicast distribution of information in the mobile communication system. As shown in FIG. 6, the control module 61 that controls the distribution process and data that causes the computer to send and receive data to and from the outside A transmission / reception module 62, a distribution data management module 63 for buffering and storing distribution data in a computer, a distribution target terminal extraction module 64 for extracting a distribution target terminal, and generating a call signal or transmitting it in response to the call signal A call signal processing module 65 that processes the participation confirmation signal, a multicast address assignment module 66 that assigns a multicast address to the mobile terminal 50 that distributes the information, and location information of the mobile terminal 50 and user registration information to the computer. Remember or remember Configured to include a mobile terminal information management module 67 which manages, a that is to read the information. Here, the functions realized by the computer executing the control module 61, the data transmission / reception module 62, the distribution target terminal extraction module 64, the call signal processing module 65, and the multicast address allocation module 66 are the control unit of the information distribution system 1 described above. 11, the interface unit 14, the distribution target terminal extraction unit 16, the call signal processing unit 13, and the multicast address assignment unit 15. Further, by causing the distribution data management module 63 and the mobile terminal information management module 67 to be executed by a computer, the storage unit 12 and the mobile terminal information DB 21 of the information distribution system 1 can be constructed in the storage area of the computer. . The conversion table data 68 stored in the data area 60b is data used when the distribution target terminal extraction module 64 is executed and the data is converted. The conversion table data 68 is stored in the conversion table 22 of the information distribution system 1 described above. It is equivalent.

  FIG. 7 is a system configuration diagram of a computer (for example, a server system) for executing an information distribution program recorded on the recording medium 60, and FIG. 8 is for executing the information distribution program recorded on the recording medium 60. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the computer 100 includes a reading device 102, a working memory (RAM) 104 in which an operating system (OS) is resident, a display 106 serving as a display unit, and a mouse serving as an input unit. 108, a keyboard 110, a communication unit 112 which is a communication means, and a CPU 114 which controls execution of an information distribution program and the like. Here, when the recording medium 60 is inserted into the reading device 102, the information recorded on the recording medium 60 becomes accessible from the reading device 102, and the information distribution program recorded in the program area 60a of the recording medium 60 is stored in the computer. 100 can be executed. By causing the recording medium according to the first embodiment to be read and executed by a computer, the information distribution apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment can be realized, and efficient multicast transmission of information can be realized.

  As the reading device 102, a flexible disk drive device, a CD-ROM drive device, a magnetic tape drive device, or the like is used corresponding to the recording medium 60.

  Next, an information distribution program according to the second embodiment and a recording medium on which the information distribution program is recorded will be described. FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram showing a recording medium on which an information distribution program according to the second embodiment is recorded. The recording medium 160 according to the second embodiment is different from the recording medium 60 according to the first embodiment in that a mobile terminal information acquisition module 69 is provided instead of the mobile terminal information management module 67. The function realized by causing the mobile terminal information acquisition module 69 to be executed by a computer is the same as the mobile terminal information acquisition unit 26 described in the information distribution system 2 according to the second embodiment. By causing the computer to read and execute the recording medium according to the second embodiment, the information distribution device 10 according to the second embodiment can be realized, and efficient multicast transmission of information can be realized.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described in detail, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. In the above-described embodiment, the mobile terminal to which information is to be distributed is specified by the gender and age of the user. For example, the distribution target may be specified by other attributes such as occupation and address. In addition to the registration information set in advance by the user, the mobile terminal of the delivery destination may be designated by the area where the user is located. Here, the operation of the information distribution apparatus when designation information further specifying the area where the user is located is transmitted from the information supply terminal will be described. The basic operation flow is the same as that described in the above embodiment, and will be described with reference to FIG. First, distribution data is transmitted from the information supply terminal to the information distribution apparatus. At this time, it is assumed that designation of a mobile terminal existing in “area X” is made in addition to “20's” and “male” as designation information for designating a mobile terminal to which information is to be distributed. When receiving the distribution data, the information distribution apparatus buffers the distribution data and performs a conversion process on the distribution data. At this time, for the area X, if the format differs between the information supply terminal and the information distribution device, the correspondence relationship of the format for the area is stored in the conversion table, and other designation information is converted. The delivery data is converted by the same method. As a result of the distribution data conversion process, the designation information is “A”, “C”, and “area X”. Subsequently, when the mobile terminals targeted for information distribution are extracted from the mobile terminal information DB shown in FIG. 2, mobile terminals A and D are extracted. In this way, it is also possible to specify a mobile terminal to be distributed using the area where the mobile terminal is located as the designation information, and this allows information to be efficiently distributed to mobile terminals existing in the appropriate place. it can. Note that the flow of multicast address assignment, paging signal transmission, participation confirmation signal reception, and data distribution after extracting the mobile terminal based on the designation information is the same as the operation of the information distribution system according to the above-described embodiment. is there.

It is a lineblock diagram showing the information distribution system concerning an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the data stored in mobile terminal information DB. It is a figure which shows the example of the data stored in the conversion table. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the information delivery system which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the information delivery system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. 1 is a configuration diagram of a recording medium according to an embodiment. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a computer according to an embodiment. It is a perspective view of a computer concerning an embodiment. It is a block diagram of the recording medium which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information delivery system, 10 ... Information delivery apparatus, 11 ... Control part, 12 ... Memory | storage part, 13 ... Call signal processing part, 14 ... Interface part, 15 ... Multicast address allocation part, 16 ... Delivery object terminal extraction part, 20 ... multicast address allocation device, 21 ... mobile terminal information database, 22 ... conversion table, 30 ... information supply terminal, 40 ... base station, 50 ... mobile terminal.

Claims (16)

A multicast address assignment device for assigning a multicast address in order to realize multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations,
Mobile terminal information storage means for storing location information of the mobile terminal and registration information preset by a user of the mobile terminal as mobile terminal information;
Receives the designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information is to be transmitted, transmitted from the information supply terminal, and extracts the mobile terminal that meets the conditions of the received designation information based on the mobile terminal information stored in the mobile terminal information storage means A distribution target terminal extraction means,
Multicast address assigning means for assigning a multicast address to the delivery target terminal extracted by the delivery target terminal extracting means;
A multicast address assignment device comprising: A multicast address assignment device for assigning a multicast address in order to realize multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations,
Mobile terminal information acquisition for requesting mobile terminal information from mobile terminal information storage means that stores location information of the mobile terminal and registration information preset by a user of the mobile terminal as mobile terminal information, and acquiring the mobile terminal information Means,
Based on the mobile terminal information acquired by the mobile terminal information acquisition means, the mobile terminal that receives the designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information is to be transmitted, transmitted from the information supply terminal, and that meets the conditions of the received designation information A delivery target terminal extracting means for extracting;
Multicast address assigning means for assigning a multicast address to the delivery target terminal extracted by the delivery target terminal extracting means;
A multicast address assignment device comprising:   3. The multicast address assignment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal information storage unit stores area information indicating an area where the mobile terminal is located as the position information. An information distribution apparatus that multicasts information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations,
The multicast address assignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A call signal to which a multicast address assigned by the multicast address assignment device is added is transmitted to the area where the delivery target terminal extracted by the delivery target terminal extraction unit is located, and in response to the call signal, Paging signal processing means for receiving a participation confirmation signal representing participation in a multicast group, transmitted from a mobile terminal via the base station;
An information distribution unit that distributes information via a base station that relays the participation confirmation signal to a mobile terminal that has transmitted the participation confirmation signal when the participation confirmation signal is received by the call signal processing unit;
An information distribution apparatus comprising: An information distribution system that multicasts information to a plurality of mobile terminals,
Multiple mobile devices,
A plurality of base stations that relay transmission and reception of information between the mobile terminals;
An information distribution device according to claim 4,
With
The mobile terminal
Call signal receiving means for receiving a call signal with a multicast address added thereto;
In response to the call signal received by the call signal receiving means, a participation confirmation signal transmitting means for transmitting a participation confirmation signal indicating participation in a multicast group;
An information distribution system comprising: A multicast address assignment method for assigning a multicast address in order to realize multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations,
The mobile terminal information storage means stores the location information of the mobile terminal and registration information preset by the user of the mobile terminal as mobile terminal information,
Based on the mobile terminal information stored in the mobile terminal information storage means, the mobile terminal that receives the designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information is to be transmitted, transmitted from the information supply terminal, and that meets the conditions of the received designation information A delivery target terminal extraction step to be extracted;
A multicast address assignment step for assigning a multicast address to the delivery target terminal extracted in the delivery target terminal extraction step;
A multicast address assignment method comprising: A multicast address assignment method for assigning a multicast address in order to realize multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations,
Mobile terminal information acquisition for requesting mobile terminal information from mobile terminal information storage means that stores location information of the mobile terminal and registration information preset by a user of the mobile terminal as mobile terminal information, and acquiring the mobile terminal information Steps,
Based on the mobile terminal information acquired in the mobile terminal information acquisition step, the mobile terminal that receives the designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information is to be transmitted, transmitted from the information supply terminal, and meets the conditions of the received designation information A delivery target terminal extraction step to be extracted;
A multicast address assignment step for assigning a multicast address to the delivery target terminal extracted in the delivery target terminal extraction step;
A multicast address assignment method comprising:   The multicast address allocation method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the mobile terminal information storage means stores area information indicating an area where the mobile terminal is located as the position information. An information distribution method for multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations,
The mobile terminal information is stored in the mobile terminal information storage means as the mobile terminal information, the location information of the mobile terminal and the registration information preset by the user of the mobile terminal,
Based on the mobile terminal information stored in the mobile terminal information storage means, the mobile terminal that receives the designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information is to be transmitted, transmitted from the information supply terminal, and that meets the conditions of the received designation information A delivery target terminal extraction step to be extracted;
A multicast address assignment step for assigning a multicast address to the delivery target terminal extracted in the delivery target terminal extraction step;
A call signal with the multicast address assigned in the multicast address assignment step is transmitted to the area where the delivery target terminal extracted in the delivery target terminal extraction step is located, and in response to the call signal, A call signal processing step for receiving a participation confirmation signal representing participation in a multicast group transmitted from the mobile terminal via the base station;
An information distribution step of distributing information via a base station that relays the participation confirmation signal to the mobile terminal that has transmitted the participation confirmation signal when the participation confirmation signal is received in the call signal processing step;
An information delivery method comprising: An information distribution method for multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations,
A mobile terminal information acquisition step of requesting mobile terminal information from mobile terminal information storage means that stores location information of the mobile terminal and registration information preset by the user of the mobile terminal as mobile terminal information, and acquiring the mobile terminal information; ,
Based on the mobile terminal information acquired in the mobile terminal information acquisition step, the mobile terminal that receives the designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information is to be transmitted, transmitted from the information supply terminal, and meets the conditions of the received designation information A delivery target terminal extraction step to be extracted;
A multicast address assignment step for assigning a multicast address to the delivery target terminal extracted in the delivery target terminal extraction step;
A call signal with the multicast address assigned in the multicast address assignment step is transmitted to the area where the delivery target terminal extracted in the delivery target terminal extraction step is located, and in response to the call signal, A call signal processing step for receiving a participation confirmation signal representing participation in a multicast group transmitted from the mobile terminal via the base station;
An information distribution step of distributing information via a base station that relays the participation confirmation signal to the mobile terminal that has transmitted the participation confirmation signal when the participation confirmation signal is received in the call signal processing step;
An information delivery method comprising: In order to assign a multicast address to realize multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations,
Mobile terminal information storage means for storing location information of the mobile terminal and registration information preset by the user of the mobile terminal as mobile terminal information;
Receives the designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information is to be transmitted, transmitted from the information supply terminal, and extracts the mobile terminal that meets the conditions of the received designation information based on the mobile terminal information stored in the mobile terminal information storage means Distribution target terminal extraction means,
Multicast address assigning means for assigning a multicast address to the delivery target terminal extracted by the delivery target terminal extracting means;
A multicast address assignment program which is made to function as: In order to assign a multicast address to realize multicast transmission of information to a plurality of mobile terminals relayed by a plurality of base stations,
Mobile terminal information acquisition means for requesting the mobile terminal information from the mobile terminal information storage means storing the mobile terminal position information and registration information preset by the user of the mobile terminal as mobile terminal information, and acquiring the mobile terminal information;
Based on the mobile terminal information acquired by the mobile terminal information acquisition means, the mobile terminal that receives the designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information is to be transmitted, transmitted from the information supply terminal, and that meets the conditions of the received designation information Distribution target terminal extraction means for extracting;
Multicast address assigning means for assigning a multicast address to the delivery target terminal extracted by the delivery target terminal extracting means;
A multicast address assignment program which is made to function as:   The multicast address assignment program according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the mobile terminal information storage means stores area information indicating an area where the mobile terminal is located as the position information. In order to multicast information to multiple mobile terminals relayed by multiple base stations, a computer
Mobile terminal information storage means for storing location information of the mobile terminal and registration information preset by the user of the mobile terminal as mobile terminal information;
A distribution target terminal extracting unit that receives designation information of a mobile terminal to which information is to be transmitted, transmitted from the information supply terminal, and extracts from the mobile terminal information storage unit a mobile terminal that satisfies the condition of the received designation information;
Multicast address assigning means for assigning a multicast address to the delivery target terminal extracted by the delivery target terminal extracting means;
A call signal with a multicast address assigned by the multicast address assigning means is transmitted to an area where the delivery target terminal extracted by the delivery target terminal extracting means is located, and in response to the call signal, Paging signal processing means for receiving a participation confirmation signal representing participation in a multicast group, transmitted from a mobile terminal via the base station;
An information distribution means for distributing information via a base station that relays the participation confirmation signal to the mobile terminal that has transmitted the participation confirmation signal when the participation confirmation signal is received by the call signal processing means;
An information distribution program that functions as a program. In order to multicast information to multiple mobile terminals relayed by multiple base stations, a computer
Mobile terminal information acquisition means for requesting the mobile terminal information from the mobile terminal information storage means storing the mobile terminal position information and registration information preset by the user of the mobile terminal as mobile terminal information, and acquiring the mobile terminal information;
Receives the designation information of the mobile terminal to which the information is to be transmitted, transmitted from the information supply terminal, and extracts the mobile terminal that meets the conditions of the received designation information based on the mobile terminal information acquired by the mobile terminal information acquisition means Distribution target terminal extraction means,
Multicast address assigning means for assigning a multicast address to the delivery target terminal extracted by the delivery target terminal extracting means;
A call signal with a multicast address assigned by the multicast address assigning means is transmitted to an area where the delivery target terminal extracted by the delivery target terminal extracting means is located, and in response to the call signal, Paging signal processing means for receiving a participation confirmation signal representing participation in a multicast group, transmitted from a mobile terminal via the base station;
An information distribution means for distributing information via a base station that relays the participation confirmation signal to the mobile terminal that has transmitted the participation confirmation signal when the participation confirmation signal is received by the call signal processing means;
An information distribution program that functions as a program.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the multicast address assignment program according to any one of claims 11 to 13 or the information distribution program according to claim 14 or 15 is recorded.

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