JP2007189444A - System, method and program for changing communication quality - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To give a user a feeling of satisfaction by change of communication quality even during communication carried out through a plurality of networks of different management entrepreneurs. <P>SOLUTION: A communication quality changing server 30 having received a quality change request (for example, a request to improve voice quality) from a mobile telephone device 10 acquires information of communication factors used for a current telephone call and information of communication factors (other base stations, routes, etc.) which can be changed to from the current state from networks 1A and 1B about communication factors (base stations, routs, etc.) affecting sound quality, then determines how the communication factors need to be changed to comply with the quality change request, and sends out quality change designation including base station change contents, route change contents, etc., to networks 1A and 1B. The network 1A and 1B change base stations and routes to change the voice quality of the communication already started between the mobile telephone device 10 and a mobile telephone device 20 according to the change content included in the instruction of quality content. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication quality change system, a communication quality change method, and a communication quality change program for changing the communication quality of a communication device connected to a network in response to a request received from a user.

  Conventionally, a technique called QoS (Quality of Service) or SLA (Service Level Agreement), which guarantees the quality of a communication service provided on a network to a specific user has been known (for example, (See Patent Documents 1 and 2). More specifically, first, there is a contract between a communication service provider and a user that specifies quality assurance items such as a minimum communication speed (for example, a bandwidth of 10 Mbps or more) and an average delay time (for example, a delay of 50 msec or less). It is concluded. After the conclusion of the contract, the communication service provider provides the network environment so as to satisfy the quality assurance items included in the contract when the user receives the communication service.

“Information on QoS Control Function”, [online], 1999, NTT East, [Search May 17, 2005], Internet (URL: http://www.ntt-east.co.jp/qos /) “SLA Information”, [online], 1999, NTT East, [Search May 17, 2005], Internet (URL: http://www.ntt-east.co.jp/senyo/sla /index.html)

  By the way, since the above-described conventional technology is intended for communication performed through a single network managed by a contracted communication service provider, the management provider operates through a plurality of different networks. As for communication, the quality assurance items included in the contract cannot always be satisfied, and there is a problem that it is difficult to provide the user with satisfaction by changing the communication quality.

  Note that such a problem is not limited to the above-described fixed communication quality service such as QoS or SLA, and is a problem that is similarly assumed for a relative communication quality service. In other words, for example, regarding communication performed by a management company via a plurality of different networks, it is limited to a case where a communication quality change request is made with a fixed value such as “bandwidth of 10 Mbps or more and delay of 50 msec or less”. It is not a problem but a problem that is similarly assumed when a request for changing the relative communication quality such as “Please raise the voice quality from the current level” is made.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and even in communications performed through a plurality of networks with different management operators, the user is satisfied with the change in communication quality. It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication quality change system, a communication quality change method, and a communication quality change program that can be assigned to a network.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 is a communication quality change system that changes the communication quality of a communication device connected to a network in response to a request received from a user. A change request accepting unit that accepts a change request for communication quality of the communication device from a user of a communication device that communicates via a plurality of different networks, and the change request accepted by the change request accepting unit And a communication factor control means for controlling a communication factor that affects the communication quality in the plurality of networks.

  In the invention according to claim 2, in the above invention, the communication factor control means may change the communication factor in accordance with the change request for a network under its control among the plurality of networks. Is sent to the network to control the communication factor, and for a network that is not under its control among the plurality of networks, a quality change request in accordance with the change request is sent to the network. The communication factor is controlled by sending it to a network communication quality change server.

  In the invention according to claim 3, in the above invention, the communication factor control means selects one or a plurality of networks from which the communication factor is to be changed from the plurality of networks, and the selected network or The quality change instruction or the quality change request is transmitted to the communication quality change server of the selected network.

  The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that, in the above invention, the communication factor control means continuously selects one or a plurality of networks in which the communication factor is to be changed.

  Further, in the invention according to claim 5, in the above invention, the communication factor control means includes a request source of the change request, an instruction from the request source, a frequency of the change request, and a network under its control. The communication factor is changed based on one or more of a situation, a situation of a network that is not under its control, a situation of a communication quality change server of a network that is not under its control, and a situation of the communication quality. One or more networks to be selected are selected.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the above invention, wherein the change request accepting unit accepts a relative change request for the current communication quality, and the communication factor control unit is accepted by the change request accepting unit. The communication factor is controlled so as to meet the relative change request.

  The invention according to claim 7 is a communication quality changing method for changing the communication quality of a communication device connected to a network in response to a request received from a user via a plurality of networks with different management operators. A change request receiving step for receiving a change request for communication quality of the communication device from a user of the communication device that performs communication, and the communication in the plurality of networks so as to follow the change request received by the change request receiving step. And a communication factor control step for controlling a communication factor that affects quality.

  In the invention according to claim 8, in the above invention, in the communication factor control step, the change contents of the communication factor in accordance with the change request for the network under the control of the plurality of networks. Is sent to the network to control the communication factor, and for a network that is not under its control among the plurality of networks, a quality change request in accordance with the change request is sent to the network. The communication factor is controlled by sending it to a network communication quality change server.

  In the invention according to claim 9, in the above invention, the communication factor control step selects one or a plurality of networks in which the communication factor is to be changed from the plurality of networks, and the selected network or The quality change instruction or the quality change request is transmitted to the communication quality change server of the selected network.

  The invention according to claim 10 is a communication quality change program for causing a computer to execute a communication quality change method for changing communication quality of a communication device connected to a network in response to a request received from a user. A change request acceptance procedure for accepting a change request for communication quality of the communication device from a user of a communication device that communicates via a plurality of different networks, and a change request accepted by the change request acceptance procedure And causing a computer to execute a communication factor control procedure for controlling a communication factor that affects the communication quality in the plurality of networks.

  Further, in the invention according to claim 11, in the above invention, the communication factor control procedure includes: a change content of the communication factor in accordance with the change request for a network under its control among the plurality of networks. Is sent to the network to control the communication factor, and for a network that is not under its control among the plurality of networks, a quality change request in accordance with the change request is sent to the network. The communication factor is controlled by sending it to a network communication quality change server.

  The invention according to claim 12 is the above invention, wherein the communication factor control procedure selects one or a plurality of networks in which the communication factor is to be changed from the plurality of networks, and the selected network or The quality change instruction or the quality change request is transmitted to the communication quality change server of the selected network.

  According to the invention of claim 1, 7 or 10, a plurality of networks with different management operators (for example, a plurality of networks connected via a gateway device such as a mobile phone network of company A and a mobile phone network of company B) ) To meet the change request for the communication quality (for example, connection quality, audio quality, image quality, communication speed, safety, etc.) of the communication device received from the user of the communication device that performs communication via Controls communication factors that affect communication quality in the network (eg, transmission priority, bandwidth, content, codec, route, base station such as accommodating base station, connection destination such as connection destination server, etc.). Even in communication performed via a plurality of networks having different communication quality, satisfaction can be given to the user by changing the communication quality.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 2, 8 or 11, for a network under its control among a plurality of networks, a quality change instruction (for example, a base) including a change content of a communication factor in accordance with the change request. The communication factor is controlled by sending a change instruction (including a station change content and route change content) to the relevant network. For networks that are not under their control among multiple networks, follow the change request. Since the communication factor is controlled by sending the requested quality change request to the communication quality change server of the network, the communication quality change server that receives the quality change request also sends a quality change instruction to the network. As a result of controlling the communication factor, the communication quality can be changed regardless of whether each of the multiple networks is under its own control. It is possible to grant satisfaction to the user that.

  According to the invention of claim 3, 9 or 12, one or a plurality of networks whose communication factors are to be changed is selected from a plurality of networks, and the selected network or a communication quality change server of the selected network is selected. Since a quality change instruction or a quality change request is sent to the mobile phone network of company A and the mobile phone network of company B, for example, the mobile phone networks of both company A and company B It is possible to control a plurality of networks in various ways, such as controlling communication factors in A, controlling only communication factors in Company A's mobile phone network, and controlling only communication factors in Company B's mobile phone network. .

  According to the invention of claim 4, since one or a plurality of networks whose communication factors are to be changed are continuously selected, for example, via the mobile phone network of company A and the mobile phone network of company B Concerning the communications that are being carried out, we will continue to control various networks, such as controlling only the communication factors in the mobile phone network of Company A, and then controlling the communication factors in the mobile phone network of Company B. Is possible.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the request source of the change request, the instruction from the request source, the frequency of the change request, the status of the network under its control, the status of the network not under its control, the self Since one or more networks whose communication factors are to be changed are selected based on one or more of the communication quality change server status and the communication quality status of the network not under the control of the network, for example, A In response to an instruction from the request source, which controls only communication factors in the mobile phone network of Company A, which is the request source of the change request, for communications performed through the mobile phone network of Company B and the mobile phone network of Company B If the quality change is difficult only with the mobile phone network of company A that accepts the change request, the communication factor in the mobile phone network of company B is also controlled. When the quality change request company B's mobile phone network cannot change the quality, it is possible to control a plurality of networks in various ways, such as controlling only the communication factors in the company A's mobile phone network. Is possible.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 6, a request for relative change to the current communication quality (that is, a request defined by a fixed numerical value such as “guarantee of bandwidth of 10 Mbps or more, guarantee of delay of 50 msec or less”), for example, “ “Please raise the voice quality from the current level”, and so on, and the communication factor is controlled to follow the relative change request. It is possible to relatively feel the change, and to give a high satisfaction to the user as compared with the case of providing a fixed communication quality. Furthermore, providing the highest communication quality for all users is difficult in terms of cost, but according to the present invention, instead of providing the highest communication quality for all users, Since only the communication quality of the user who made the change request is relatively changed, it is possible to give a great satisfaction to the user while suppressing the cost.

  Embodiments of a communication quality change system, a communication quality change method, and a communication quality change program according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the following first embodiment, after describing the outline and features of the communication quality changing system according to the first embodiment, the configuration of the communication quality changing server and the mobile phone device constituting the system, and the communication quality changing process according to the first embodiment. The flow and effects of the first embodiment will be described in order.

[Outline and Features of Communication Quality Change System (Example 1)]
Initially, the outline | summary and characteristic of the communication quality change system which concern on Example 1 are demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the outline and features of the first embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, the communication quality changing system is a network that is a mobile phone network (a communication network including a base station, an exchange, a base station control device, a regional register, a home register, a gateway exchange, a gateway device, etc.). The outline is to change the voice quality of the mobile phone device 10 or the mobile phone device 20 connected to 1 according to the quality change request received from the user. In other words, in a telephone (voice call) service performed between the mobile phone device 10 that is the calling side and the mobile phone device 20 that is the called side, the voice of the phone in response to the quality change request received from the user on the calling side It is something that changes the quality. The “mobile phone device” corresponds to the “communication device” recited in the claims, and the “voice quality” also corresponds to the “communication quality”.

  Then, the communication quality changing system according to the first embodiment includes a plurality of networks 1A (for example, a mobile phone network of company A) and networks 1B (for example, of company B) having different management operators, as will be briefly described below. The communication performed via the mobile phone network) also has a main feature in that a user can be satisfied with a change in communication quality. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, this communication quality change system is configured by further connecting a network 1A and a network 1B to a communication quality change server 30 that controls these networks. There is a main feature in the processing for changing the communication quality by the communication quality change server 30.

  Briefly describing this feature, in the communication quality changing system shown in FIG. 1, a call request is sent from the calling-side mobile phone device 10 to the network 1A (see (1) in FIG. 1), and the called-side mobile phone is sent. When the telephone device 20 responds to the call, a line is connected between the mobile phone device 10 and the mobile phone device 20 via the network 1A and the network 1B and a call is started (see (2) in the figure). . Thereafter, when a quality change request (for example, a packet addressed to the communication quality change server 30 including a control signal indicating a voice quality change request) is sent from the originating mobile phone device 10 to the network 1A. The quality change request is delivered to the communication quality change server 30 (see (3) in the figure). Here, the quality change request received from the originating mobile phone device 10 by the communication quality change server 30 is not a request defined by a fixed numerical value such as “guaranteed bandwidth of 10 Mbps or more, guarantee of delay of 50 msec or less”. It is a relative change request for the current communication quality.

  Upon receiving such a quality change request, the communication quality change server 30 instructs the network 1A and the network 1B to change the communication quality (see (4) in the figure). In other words, for communication factors that affect voice quality (such as base stations and routes), information on the communication factors used in the current call and communication factors that can be changed from the current state (such as other base stations and routes) How to change communication factors in order to respond to a relative quality change request such as “Please raise the voice quality from the current level” after acquiring information from the network 1A and the network 1B under its control. It is determined whether or not to change (communication factor change contents), and a quality change instruction including base station change contents and route change contents is sent to each of the networks 1A and 1B. Here, the quality change request is not a requirement specified by a fixed numerical value, but is relative to the current state. Therefore, the content of the change is not determined so as to satisfy the fixed maximum voice quality. For example, even if there are few communication factors that can be changed from the current state, the change content is determined so that the voice quality can be said to be at least relatively higher than the current state.

  The network 1A and the network 1B that have received the quality change instruction execute a base station change or a route change in accordance with the change content included in the quality change instruction, and start between the mobile phone device 10 and the mobile phone device 20. The communication quality (voice quality) being changed is changed (see (5) in the figure). That is, in the mobile phone devices 10 and 20, the voice quality is not constantly changed in response to a quality change request, but the current voice quality is at least within a range where the voice quality is higher than the current voice quality. It is changed relatively. Therefore, according to the communication quality change system according to the first embodiment, as described above, the user is satisfied with the change in the communication quality even in the communication performed through the plurality of networks 1 with different management operators. It is possible to give to.

  The communication quality change server 30 performs a billing process for the user as well as executing the above-described quality change instruction (see (6) in the figure). In other words, in a predetermined charging policy (for example, flat-rate charging not depending on the number of change requests, pay-per-use according to the number of change requests, time-zone charge considering the time zone, pay-per-use depending on the number of changed communication factors, etc.) A charge amount is calculated based on the charge amount, and the charge amount is stored in a predetermined DB together with the service usage history.

[Configuration of Communication Quality Change Server (Example 1)]
Then, the structure of the communication quality change server which comprises the communication quality change system which concerns on Example 1 is demonstrated using FIGS. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication quality change server, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the user information DB, and FIG. 4 is information stored in the communication factor DB. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the quality policy DB, and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the billing information DB.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the communication quality change server 30 includes a communication control IF unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33. Among these, the communication control IF unit 31 is a processing unit that controls communication performed between the network 1A and the network 1B. For example, a quality change request (for example, a voice quality change request) sent from the mobile phone device 10 is used. A packet addressed to the communication quality change server 30 including a request) is received from the network 1A, and a quality change instruction (for example, a control signal including base station change contents, route change contents, etc.) is sent to the network 1A and the network 1B. Send.

  2 shows an example in which one communication control IF unit 31 is provided, but each network 1 under its control has a communication control IF unit 31 according to the communication protocol of each network 1 and the like. You may do it. In addition, when the specified format such as a quality change request and a quality change instruction used in each network 1 is different from that used in the communication quality change server 30, a translation process is performed between the communication control IF unit 31 and the control unit 33. A quality change request and a quality change instruction transmitted / received between each network 1 and the communication quality change server 30 may be translated into an appropriate specified format.

  The storage unit 32 is a storage unit (storage unit) that stores data and programs necessary for various processes performed by the control unit 33. As shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 32 is particularly closely related to the present invention. An information DB 32a, a communication factor DB 32b, a quality policy DB 32c, and a charging information DB 32d are provided.

  Among these, the user information DB 32a is a means for storing various types of information related to the user who is provided with the communication quality change service. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. For each user, a telephone number for uniquely identifying the mobile phone device 10 possessed by each user, a name for identifying each user, service contract details of each user (for example, a time limit for receiving service provision) ) And the like are stored in association with each other. The terminal number uniquely assigned to the mobile phone device 10 may be stored in place of the “telephone number”, and the user information DB 32a is separated for each network 1A or 1B. Further, the difference between the two may be absorbed by a DBMS (database management system).

  The communication factor DB 32b is a means for storing various types of information related to communication factors that affect the communication quality. Specifically, for each quality change request received from the mobile phone device 10, as illustrated in FIG. Change request side telephone number (phone number of the mobile phone device 10 that sent the quality change request), communication factor used in the current call in the mobile phone device 10 (for example, the change request side mobile phone device 10 is connected) Information on the base station being connected, the base station to which the mobile phone device 20 on the communication partner side is connected, the route connecting the two, etc., and communication factors that can be changed from the current state (for example, the mobile phone on the change request side) Information on other base stations to which the device 10 can actually be connected, other base stations to which the mobile phone device 20 on the communication partner side can actually connect, and other routes that can actually connect both of them are stored in association with each other.In addition, each information memorize | stored in communication factor DB32b is collected and registered from the network 1A and the network 1B by the process by the network monitoring part 33b of the control part 33 mentioned later.

  The quality policy DB 32c is a means for storing various types of information relating to communication quality. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the quality policy DB 32c is required for each communication quality that accepts a change request (here, “voice quality” only). In response to a change request related to communication quality, the types of communication factors to be collected from the network 1A and the network 1B (for example, base stations and routes), and criteria to be considered when determining the change contents of the communication quality (for example, base Give priority to the change of the base station when it can respond to the voice quality change request regardless of the change of the station or the route, change both if the change request can only respond to the change request slightly, etc. Determining the contents of the change so as not to deteriorate the quality of the user, and the like. Although not illustrated in FIG. 5, the quality policy DB 32 c also has a policy that defines, for the determined quality change content, to which device in the network 1 </ b> A and the network 1 </ b> B a quality change instruction is transmitted. Remember.

  The billing information DB 32d is a means for storing various types of information related to billing for users. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 6, for each user who has contracted for services, each user has a mobile phone. The telephone number of the telephone device 10, the name of each user, the use date and time when the service for changing communication quality is used, and the charge charged for each use history are stored in association with each other. In addition, although the example which memorize | stores "user's name" in charging information DB32d was shown here, it is not necessarily memorize | stored, You may make it memorize | store only the telephone number which identifies a user, Further, the accounting information DB 32d may be separated for each network 1A or 1B, and the difference between the two may be absorbed by a DBMS (database management system).

  The control unit 33 has an internal memory for storing a control program, a program defining various processing procedures, etc., and necessary data, and executes various processes by these, and is closely related to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, a change request receiving unit 33a, a network monitoring unit 33b, a change content determination unit 33c, a change content instruction unit 33d, and a billing processing unit 33e are provided. The change request accepting unit 33a corresponds to “change request accepting unit” described in the claims, and the change content determining unit 33c and the change content instructing unit 33d also correspond to “communication factor control unit”.

  Among these, the change request accepting unit 33a is relative to the current communication quality from the user of the mobile phone device 10 (that is, a communication device that communicates via a plurality of networks 1A and 1B with different management operators). A processing unit that accepts a change request. Specifically, it is a relative change request for the current communication quality, such as “Please raise the voice quality from the current level”, for example, a communication quality change including a control signal indicating a voice quality improvement request. A packet addressed to the server 30 is received from the mobile phone device 10.

  The change request receiving unit 33a is also a processing unit that performs user authentication when a quality change request is received. Specifically, the user information DB 32a (see FIG. 3) is referred to based on the telephone number included in the quality change request (the telephone number of the mobile phone device 10 that has sent the quality change request), and the telephone number is determined by the user. The user is authenticated by determining whether it is stored in the information DB 32a, and further, whether the service contract content stored in association with the telephone number is actually valid. If the telephone number is not stored in the user information DB 32a or if the service contract content is invalid, the quality change request is rejected.

  The network monitoring unit 33b is a processing unit that collects information on communication factors that affect the communication quality by monitoring the networks 1A and 1B under the control of the network monitoring unit 33b. Specifically, when a voice quality change request is received, the type of communication factor (for example, base station, route) to be collected from the network 1A and the network 1B in response to the change request is indicated in the quality policy DB 32c (FIG. 5). And the communication factor used in the current call (for example, the base station to which the change requesting mobile phone device 10 is connected, the communication partner mobile phone device) Information on the base station to which 20 is connected, the path connecting the two, etc., and communication factors that can be changed from the current state (for example, other base stations to which the mobile phone device 10 on the change request side can actually connect) , Other base stations to which the mobile phone device 20 on the communication partner side can actually connect, and other routes that can actually connect both of them are collected from the network 1A and the network 1B. The collected information is stored in the communication factor DB32b described above (see FIG. 4).

  Note that the timing at which the network monitoring unit 33b collects communication factor information from the network 1A or the network 1B is not necessarily limited to the point in time when the voice quality change request is received, and the predetermined time interval after the change request is received. The information may be continuously collected at the time point, and the information (in this case, the entire status of the network 1A and the network 1B under its control) is collected at a predetermined interval before the change request is received. It may be.

  The change content determination unit 33c is a processing unit that determines the change content of the communication factor necessary to follow the relative change request received by the change request reception unit 33a. Specifically, while referring to the current communication factor stored in the communication factor DB 32b and the information of the communication factor that can be changed from the current status, in accordance with the determination criteria stored in the quality policy DB 32c (see FIG. 5), In order to respond to a relative quality change request such as “Please raise the voice quality from the current level”, it is determined how the communication factor should be changed (contents of communication factor change). The quality change request received by the change request receiving unit 33a is not a request defined by a fixed numerical value, but is relative to the current state, depending on the contents of the determination criteria stored in the quality policy DB 32c. Therefore, for example, even when there are few communication factors that can be changed from the current state, the change content is determined so that the voice quality can be said to be at least relatively higher than the current state.

  The change content instruction unit 33d is a processing unit that instructs the network 1A and the network 1B with the change content determined by the change content determination unit 33c. Specifically, when the quality change content is determined by the change content determination unit 33c, the quality stored in the policy (for example, any device in the network 1A or the network 1B) stored in the quality policy DB 32c (see FIG. 5) is changed. A policy that defines whether to send an instruction or the like) is sent to the network 1A and the network 1B including a quality change instruction that includes base station change contents and route change contents. The network 1A and the network 1B that have received the quality change instruction execute a base station change, a route change, and the like according to the change contents included in the quality change instruction, so that the mobile phone device 10 and the mobile phone device 20 communicate with each other. Change the voice quality being started.

  The billing processing unit 33e is a processing unit that performs billing processing for the user. Specifically, when a quality change process is executed in response to a quality change request, a predetermined charging policy (for example, a fixed amount charge regardless of the number of change requests, a pay-per-use charge corresponding to the number of change requests, and a time zone is taken into consideration) A billing amount is calculated based on time zone billing, metered billing according to the number of changed communication factors, metered billing according to the number of networks used for communication, and the billing information DB 32d together with the service usage history. (See FIG. 6).

[Configuration of Mobile Phone Device (Example 1)]
Next, in addition to FIG. 2, the configuration of the mobile phone devices 10 and 20 configuring the communication quality change system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of information displayed on the mobile phone device.

  The cellular phone devices 10 and 20 are communication devices that perform voice communication and packet communication according to a predetermined communication method (for example, PDC, PHS, CDMA, etc.). The cellular phone device 10 that sends out the quality change request has a quality change program 11 as shown in FIG. 2, particularly as closely related to the present invention.

  The quality change program 11 is a program executed when using the communication quality change service, and the mobile phone device 10 incorporating the program receives, for example, a quality change request from the user and sends it to the network 1. Execute the process. More specifically, after a call is started with the mobile phone device 20, the mobile phone device 10 displays on the display section that a request for improving the voice quality is received, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, a request for improving voice quality is received from the user via the operation unit. When the quality change request is input by the user's operation, the mobile phone device 10 receives the quality change request (for example, a packet addressed to the communication quality change server 30 including a control signal indicating a request for improving the voice quality). Is sent to the network 1A. Note that the quality change request sent from the mobile phone device 10 is not a request specified by a fixed numerical value such as “guaranteed bandwidth of 10 Mbps or more, guarantee of delay of 50 msec or less”. For example, “Please raise the voice quality from the current level. "Is a relative change request for the current communication quality.

[Flow of communication quality change processing (Example 1)]
Next, the flow of communication quality change processing according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the communication quality change process according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, in the communication quality changing system according to the first embodiment, when a call request is sent from the originating mobile phone device 10 to the network 1A (step S801), the network 1A uses the network 1B. Then, a call request is made to the mobile phone device 20 on the called side (step S802). When the called mobile phone device 20 responds to the call request (step S803), the network 1A and the network 1B can connect by connecting a line between the mobile phone device 10 and the mobile phone device 20. (Step S804).

  Thereafter, a call is started between the mobile phone device 10 and the mobile phone device 20, and further, a quality change request (for example, a control signal indicating a request for changing the voice quality) is sent from the calling mobile phone device 10 to the network 1A. (Such as a packet addressed to the communication quality change server 30 including) (step S805), the communication quality change server 30 receiving the quality change request performs user authentication (step S806). Specifically, the user information DB 32a (see FIG. 3) is referred to based on the telephone number included in the quality change request (the telephone number of the mobile phone device 10 that has sent the quality change request), and the telephone number is determined by the user. It is determined whether it is stored in the information DB 32a, and further, whether the service contract content stored in association with the telephone number is actually valid. If the telephone number is not stored in the user information DB 32a or if the service contract content is invalid, the quality change request is rejected.

  After the user authentication, the communication quality change server 30 acquires information on communication factors that affect the communication quality from the networks 1A and 1B (step S807). Specifically, when a voice quality change request is received, the type of communication factor to be collected (eg, base station, route), the communication factor used in the current call (eg, change request side) Information on the base station to which the mobile phone device 10 is connected, the base station to which the mobile phone device 20 on the communication partner side is connected, the route connecting the two), and the communication factors that can be changed from the current state (For example, another base station to which the mobile phone device 10 on the change request side can actually connect, another base station to which the mobile phone device 20 on the communication partner side can actually connect, and other routes that can actually connect both) Are collected from the network 1A and the network 1B.

  Following this, the communication quality change server 30 determines the change contents of the communication factor necessary to meet the relative change request received in step S805 (step S808). Specifically, referring to the current communication factor acquired in step S807 and the information of the communication factor that can be changed from the current status, in accordance with the determination criteria stored in the quality policy DB 32c (see FIG. 5), “ In order to respond to a relative quality change request such as “Please raise the voice quality from the current level”, it is determined how the communication factor should be changed (contents of communication factor change).

  Thereafter, the communication quality change server 30 instructs the network 1A and the network 1B, respectively, about the change contents determined in step S808 (step S809). Specifically, referring to a policy stored in the quality policy DB 32c (see FIG. 5) (for example, a policy defining which device in the network 1A or the network 1B is to send a quality change instruction), A quality change instruction including base station change contents, route change contents, and the like is transmitted to the network 1A and the network 1B.

  On the other hand, the network 1A and the network 1B that have received such a quality change instruction execute a base station change, a route change, and the like according to the change content included in the quality change instruction, so that the mobile phone device 10 and the mobile phone device 20 are connected. The voice quality started at is changed (step S810). In addition, the communication quality change server 30 that has sent out the quality change instruction performs a billing process for the user (step S811). Specifically, a predetermined charging policy (for example, fixed amount charging that does not depend on the number of change requests, pay-per-use for each change request, time-zone charging considering the time zone, pay-per-use depending on the number of changed communication factors, The billing amount is calculated based on the amount-based billing according to the number of networks used for communication, and the billing amount is stored in the billing information DB 32d (see FIG. 6) together with the service usage history.

[Effects of Example 1]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, the mobile phone device 10 that performs communication via a plurality of networks (for example, the mobile phone network of the company A and the mobile phone network of the company B) with different management operators is provided. Communication factors that affect the communication quality in the plurality of networks 1A and 1B (for example, paths, base stations) so as to meet the change request for the communication quality (for example, voice quality) of the mobile phone device 10 received from the user Etc.), it is possible to give satisfaction to the user by changing the communication quality even in communication performed through a plurality of networks with different management operators.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, a request for relative change with respect to the current communication quality (that is, a request defined by a fixed numerical value such as “guarantee of bandwidth of 10 Mbps or more, guarantee of delay of 50 msec or less”), for example, “voice quality ”Please raise the value from the current level”, and the communication factor is controlled so that the user can change the communication quality. It becomes possible to give a high satisfaction to the user as compared with the case where a fixed communication quality is provided. Furthermore, providing the highest communication quality for all users is difficult in terms of cost, but according to the present invention, instead of providing the highest communication quality for all users, Since only the communication quality of the user who made the change request is relatively changed, it is possible to give a great satisfaction to the user while suppressing the cost.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, a plurality of communication factors (that is, a route and a base station) that affect communication quality (that is, voice quality) are controlled. The voice quality can be significantly changed by changing the base station, and the communication quality can be effectively changed as compared with the case of controlling one communication factor. In addition, even when one of the communication factors is controlled, the communication quality cannot be changed due to a malfunction, but the communication quality can be changed by controlling another communication factor, so that the communication quality can be changed reliably. It is also possible to do. In the first embodiment, the case where a plurality of communication factors are controlled has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be similarly applied even when only one communication factor is controlled. it can.

  In addition, according to the first embodiment, since the communication quality in the downlink direction and the uplink direction is changed as viewed from the user who has made the change request, not only the user who makes the change request but also the use that is the communication partner of the user. The user can also feel the change in the communication quality, and can give a high satisfaction to many users.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, since the change request is accepted after the communication is started (that is, after the call is started), the user can clearly feel the change of the communication quality during the communication, It becomes possible to give higher satisfaction.

  In addition, according to the first embodiment, the user is charged according to the reception status of the change request and the control status of the communication factor. Therefore, the user who has realized the change in the communication quality relatively pays for the communication quality change service. Can be collected smoothly.

  The communication quality changing system according to the first embodiment has been described so far, but the present invention may be implemented in various different forms other than the above-described embodiments. Therefore, various different embodiments will be described below as a second embodiment.

(1) Network not under self-control For example, the case where the quality of communication performed via the network 1A and the network 1B under the control of the communication quality change server 30 has been described has been described. The present invention is not limited, and the present invention can be similarly applied to a case where the quality of communication performed via the network 1A under the control of the communication quality change server 30 and the network 1B not under the control is changed. Therefore, with reference to FIG. 9, the quality of communication performed via the network 1A under the control of the communication quality change server 30A and the network 1B not under the control (the network 1B under the control of the communication quality change server 30B). An example of changing the above will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment in which the quality of communication performed via a network under control and a network not under control is changed.

  As shown in the figure, the communication quality change system in this embodiment includes, for example, a communication quality change server 30A that controls a network 1A that is a mobile phone network of company A and a network 1B that is a mobile phone network of company B. The communication quality change server 30B to be controlled is connected by a predetermined management network (that is, the network 1A is under the control of the communication quality change server 30A, and the network 1B is under the control of the communication quality change server 30B. ).

  The communication quality change server 30A and the communication quality change server 30B basically have the same functions as the communication quality change server 30 in the first embodiment described above. That is, a communication quality change request is received from a mobile phone device connected to a network under each control, information on communication factors affecting the communication quality is obtained from the network under each control, and the mobile phone device The contents of changes in communication factors necessary to comply with the received relative change request are determined in the network under each control, and the contents of the base station change and the path change for each network under the control. Send a quality change instruction including

  Further, the communication quality change server 30A and the communication quality change server 30B, in addition to the functions described above, receive a communication quality change request received from a mobile phone device connected to a network under its control as described below. And a function for sending a quality change instruction to a network under its control in response to such a quality change request.

  In the communication quality changing system shown in FIG. 9, when a call request is sent from the originating mobile phone device 10 to the network 1A (see (1) in FIG. 9), the called mobile phone device 20 responds to the call. Then, a line is connected between the mobile phone device 10 and the mobile phone device 20 via the network 1A and the network 1B, and a call is started (see (2) in the figure). Thereafter, when a quality change request (for example, a packet addressed to the communication quality change server 30A including a control signal indicating a request for changing the voice quality) is transmitted from the originating mobile phone device 10 to the network 1A. The quality change request is delivered to the communication quality change server 30A (see (3) in the figure).

  Upon receiving such a quality change request, the communication quality change server 30A instructs the network 1A under its control to change the communication quality (see (4) in the figure). In other words, for communication factors that affect voice quality (such as base stations and routes), information on the communication factors used in the current call and communication factors that can be changed from the current state (such as other base stations and routes) After obtaining information from the network 1A under its own control, how to change the communication factor in order to respond to the relative quality change request such as “Please raise the voice quality from the current level” within the network 1A (Change contents of communication factors) is determined, and a quality change instruction including base station change contents, route change contents, and the like is transmitted to the network 1A.

  Further, the communication quality change server 30A that has received the quality change request controls the network 1B because the communication that is the target of the quality change request is performed including the network 1B that is not under its control. A quality change request in accordance with the quality change request is sent to the communication quality change server 30B (see (5) in the figure). That is, the communication to be controlled, such as the telephone number of the mobile phone device 10 on the change request side and the telephone number of the mobile phone device 20 on the communication partner side, together with the quality change request content such as “Please raise the voice quality from the current level”. Information necessary for specifying the communication quality is sent to the communication quality change server 30B.

  Then, the communication quality change server 30B that has received the quality change request instructs the network 1B under its control to change the communication quality (see (6) in the figure). In other words, for communication factors that affect voice quality (such as base stations and routes), information on the communication factors used in the current call and communication factors that can be changed from the current state (such as other base stations and routes) After obtaining information from the network 1B under its own control, how to change the communication factor in order to respond to the relative quality change request such as “Please raise the voice quality from the current level” within the network 1B (Change contents of communication factors) is determined, and a quality change instruction including base station change contents, route change contents, and the like is sent to the network 1B.

  The network 1A and the network 1B that have received the quality change instruction execute base station change, route change, and the like in accordance with the change contents included in the quality change instruction, so that the mobile phone device 10 and the mobile phone device 20 are connected. The communication quality (speech quality) started at is changed (see (7) in the figure). Further, the communication quality change server 30A performs a billing process for the user as well as executing the above-described quality change instruction (see (8) in the figure).

  As described above, the communication quality change server 30 </ b> A in this embodiment, for the network 1 </ b> A that is under its control among a plurality of networks, includes a quality change instruction (including a change content of the communication factor in accordance with the change request ( For example, a communication factor is controlled by sending a quality change instruction including a base station change content or a route change content) to the network 1A, and a network 1B that is not under its control among a plurality of networks Since the communication factor is controlled by sending a quality change request in accordance with the change request to the communication quality change server 30B of the network 1B, the communication quality change server 30B that receives the quality change request also sends the quality change request to the network 1B. As a result of the communication factor being controlled by sending a quality change instruction, multiple networks are There irrespective of whether under its control, it is possible to impart satisfaction due to the change of the communication quality to the user.

  By the way, although the case where the quality change request content (for example, “Please raise the voice quality from the current level”) is transmitted as the quality change request has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and the base station A quality change request including quality change instructions such as change contents and route change contents may be transmitted. That is, in this case, it is assumed that the communication quality change server 30A can acquire information on the communication factor from the network 1B that is not under its control. Under such assumption, the communication quality change server 30A How to change the communication factor to respond to the quality change request in the network 1A, and how to change the communication factor to respond to the quality change request in the network 1B. And a quality change request including a quality change instruction such as base station change contents and route change contents in the network 1B is sent to the communication quality change server 30B. On the other hand, the communication quality change server 30B that has received such a quality change request sends a quality change instruction included in the quality change request to the network 1B.

(2) Subject of quality change request In the above embodiment, the case where the quality change request is received from the mobile phone device 10 on the calling side has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and A quality change request may be received from the mobile phone device 20. That is, FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment in which the callee makes a quality change request. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, between the mobile phone device 10 and the mobile phone device 20, After the line is connected and the call is started (see (2) in the figure), the quality change is made from the mobile phone device 20 on the receiving side incorporating the quality change program 11 (see FIG. 2) to the communication quality change server 30. A request is sent (see (3) in the figure), and quality change processing is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment (see (4) to (6) in the figure).

  In this way, if the quality change request is accepted not only from the user on the communication side but also from the user of the communication device on the destination side, not only the user on the calling side, Users can also be given authority to request changes, and it is possible to give high satisfaction to many users. When a quality change request is received from the mobile phone device 20 on the called side, the communication quality change server 30 may perform a charging process on the user on the called side.

(3) Target of Quality Change Request In the above-described embodiment, when a relative change request for downlink and uplink communication quality is received from the user's communication device that makes the quality change request (that is, the quality change request). The case where not only the voice quality on the request side but also the voice quality on the other side of the call is changed has been described), but the present invention is not limited to this, and only the downlink direction (only the quality change request side) or the uplink You may make it receive the relative change request | requirement with respect to communication quality only about a direction (only on the other party side).

  That is, in this case, the communication quality change server 30 receives, for example, a quality change request for changing the voice quality only in the downlink direction from the mobile phone device 10 that transmits the quality change request. An instruction to change the voice quality only in the downlink direction is sent to the network 1A and the network 1B. As a result, the network 1A and the network 1B have the voice quality in the downlink direction (that is, the quality of the voice output from the mobile phone device 10) among the calls made between the mobile phone device 10 and the mobile phone device 20. ) Only change.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of information displayed on the mobile phone device in the embodiment in which a one-way quality change request is made. As shown in FIG. After the call is started, the mobile phone device 10 displays on the display section that it accepts a request for voice quality up or voice quality down and accepts a voice quality change in the up or down direction. The user receives a request for voice quality up or voice quality down and a request for voice quality change in the upstream or downstream direction from the user.

  In this way, if the change request is received in the downlink direction or the uplink direction from the viewpoint of the user making the change request, the change request is made only in the downlink direction or only in the uplink direction, so that the user who makes the change request It is also possible to distinguish the subject who can feel the change in communication quality by distinguishing whether the user is a communication partner of the user. Depending on whether only the downlink direction is changed, only the uplink direction is changed, or both are changed, the charging process may be performed with a difference in charge.

(4) Contents of Quality Change Request In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which a request for improving the voice quality such as “Please raise the voice quality from the current level” is accepted as the quality change request. The present invention is not limited, and as illustrated in FIG. 11, a voice quality down request such as “Please lower the voice quality from the current level” may be accepted.

  Thus, if the communication quality reduction request is received and the communication quality is reduced, the load on the network 1 can be actively reduced. Note that when receiving a request for lowering communication quality, some privilege such as discounting the call charge of the user who has made the quality change request may be given.

(5) Input of Quality Change Request In the above embodiment, the case where the mobile phone device 10 receives the input of the quality change request via the display unit and the operation unit has been described (see FIG. 7). However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a quality change request is received by a voice command, or a quality change request is sent when the mobile phone device 10 is shaken several times. The present invention can be applied regardless of the request input form.

  As described above, if the mobile phone device 10 accepts the input of the quality change request without using the display unit or the operation unit, it is not necessary to look at the display unit again during the call and operate it. Makes it easy to make quality change requests.

(6) Multiple Quality Change Requests In the above embodiment, the case where the quality change request is received only once and the quality change process is performed has been described (see FIG. 8), but the present invention is limited to this. For example, after a quality change, a request to further improve the voice quality is received to further improve the voice quality, and after a quality change, a request to restore the communication quality is accepted to restore the voice quality. Alternatively, the quality change request may be received a plurality of times and the quality change process may be performed each time the request is made.

  In this way, if a quality change request is received multiple times during a call and the quality change process is performed at each request, the user can easily approach the communication quality desired by the multiple requests. Thus, it becomes possible to give a higher satisfaction to the user. In this case, the pay-as-you-go billing process may be performed according to the number of quality change requests made in one call.

(7) Selection of control target In the first embodiment, the case where a quality change instruction is transmitted to all of a plurality of networks (for example, the network 1A and the network 1B) has been described. The present invention is not limited, and one or a plurality of networks whose communication factors should be changed may be selected from a plurality of networks, and a quality change instruction may be transmitted to the selected networks. In addition, when selecting the network to be controlled in this way, only the downlink direction is changed, only the uplink direction is changed, or both the downlink and uplink directions are changed as viewed from the user who makes the change request. In addition, the network whose communication factor should be changed may be selected. Therefore, hereinafter, a case where a control target is selected from a plurality of networks will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment in which a control target is selected from a plurality of networks.

  As shown in the figure, when the communication quality change server 30 receives a quality change request from the mobile phone device 10, one of the plurality of networks 1A and 1B under its control is to change the communication factor. Alternatively, a plurality of networks are selected, and a quality change instruction is sent to the selected networks (see (1) to (3) in the figure). That is, both the network 1A and the network 1B, only the network 1A, only the network 1B, and whether it is the downlink direction and the uplink direction, only the downlink direction, or only the uplink direction from the viewpoint of the user who makes the change request. Select.

  Here, how to select the network to be controlled and the direction (upward and downward direction) will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. In response, the control target is selected (for example, only the network 1A to which the requesting mobile phone device 10 is connected is selected as the control target), and the control target is selected in accordance with an instruction from the requesting mobile phone device 10 (For example, if only the upstream direction of the network 1B is instructed by the request source, only the upstream direction of the network 1B is selected as the control target), and the control target is selected according to the network status (for example, the network that is the request source If it is difficult to change the quality by selecting only 1A as the control target, the network 1B is also selected as the control target). Selects a control object in accordance with the current communication quality condition (e.g., when the current state of the communication quality is considerably bad, selects a network 1A and a network 1B as the control object).

  By the way, although the case where the network 1A and the network 1B exist under the control of the communication quality change server 30 has been described above (see FIG. 12), the present invention is not limited to this and is illustrated in FIG. In addition, the present invention can be similarly applied when the network 1A and the network 1B are respectively under the control of the communication quality change server 30A and the communication quality change server 30B. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment in which a control target is selected from a plurality of networks.

  That is, in this case, as shown in the figure, when the communication quality change server 30A receives a quality change request from the mobile phone device 10, the network 1A under its control and the network 1B not under its control. Then, one or a plurality of networks whose communication factors are to be changed are selected (see (1) and (2) in the figure). That is, the communication quality change server 30A is either the network 1A and the network 1B, only the network 1A, only the network 1B, or both the downlink direction and the uplink direction as viewed from the user who makes the change request. Or only in the up direction.

  Thereafter, when the network quality change server 30A selects the network 1A under its control as the control target, the communication quality change server 30A sends a quality change instruction to the network 1A and selects the network 1B not under its control as the control target. In such a case, a quality change request is sent to the communication quality change server 30B (see (3) and (4) in the figure). When the communication quality change server 30B receives the quality change request from the communication quality change server 30A, the communication quality change server 30B sends a quality change instruction to the network 1B (see (5) in FIG. 5).

  Here, in FIG. 13, how to select the network to be controlled and the direction (upward / downward) will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. The control target is selected according to the connected network (for example, only the network 1A to which the requesting mobile phone device 10 is connected is selected as the control target), according to the instruction from the requesting mobile phone device 10 A control target is selected (for example, if only the uplink direction of the network 1B is instructed by the request source, only the uplink direction of the network 1B is selected as the control target), and the control target is selected according to the network status (for example, the request If it is difficult to change the quality by selecting only the original network 1A as the control target, the network 1B is also determined as the control target. Select the control target according to the status of the current communication quality (for example, when the current communication quality is extremely poor, select the network 1A and the network 1B as control targets) The control target is selected according to the status of the network that is not present, or the status of the communication quality change server 30B of the network 1B that is not under its control (for example, can a communication quality request be received from the communication quality change server 30B? The network 1B is selected as a control target only when an inquiry is made and a response indicating that it can be received is obtained.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, one or a plurality of networks whose communication factors are to be changed is selected from a plurality of networks, and the selected network or the communication quality change server of the selected network is selected. Therefore, for example, for communication performed via the mobile phone network of Company A and the mobile phone network of Company B, communication in the mobile phone networks of both Company A and Company B is performed. It is possible to control a plurality of networks in a variety of ways, such as controlling factors, controlling only communication factors in the mobile phone network of Company A, and controlling only communication factors in the mobile phone network of Company B.

  Further, according to this embodiment, the request source of the change request, the instruction from the request source, the status of the network under its control, the status of the network not under its control, the status of the network not under its control Since one or more networks whose communication factors are to be changed are selected based on one or more of the status of the communication quality change server and the status of communication quality, for example, the mobile phone network of company A and B For communication performed through the company's mobile phone network, only the communication factor in the company A's mobile phone network, which is the request source of the change request, is controlled. In response to an instruction from the request source, the company B's mobile phone network If the quality change is difficult with only the mobile phone network of company A that accepts the change request, the communication factor in the mobile phone network of company B is also controlled. That B's mobile telephone network can be performed, such as diverse control over multiple networks from various viewpoints controls only a communication factor in A's mobile phone network if the quality changes allowed.

(8) Continuous selection of control target By the way, in the above, when a quality change request is received from a mobile phone device, a control target (network or direction) is selected and a quality change instruction or a quality change request is sent. Although described (see FIG. 12 and FIG. 13), the present invention is not limited to this, and not only selects a control target at the timing when a quality change request is received from the mobile phone device, but also continues thereafter. The control target may be selected and a quality change instruction or a quality change request may be sent continuously.

  That is, for example, when receiving a quality change request, the communication quality change server 30 selects a control target in accordance with the request source connection network and sends a quality change instruction or a quality change request (for example, , Only the network 1A to which the requesting mobile phone device 10 is connected is selected as a control target and a quality change instruction is sent to the network 1A). Thereafter, the control target is selected according to the network status and the quality is selected. A change instruction or a quality change request is sent (for example, when a quality change instruction is sent only to the requesting network 1A, but the communication quality has not changed much, the network 1B is again selected as a control target and the network 1B is selected. Send a quality change instruction or quality change request to the device), or select the control target according to the frequency of the change request (For example, when a quality change instruction is sent only to the request source network 1A, but the quality change request is received again from the request source, the network 1B is again selected as the control target and the quality is also selected for the network 1B. Send change instructions or quality change requests).

  In this way, if one or more networks whose communication factors are to be changed are continuously selected, for example, the communication is performed via the mobile phone network of company A and the mobile phone network of company B. With regard to communication, it is possible to continue to control a plurality of networks in a variety of ways, such as controlling only the communication factors in Company A's mobile phone network and then controlling the communication factors in Company B's mobile phone network. It is.

(9) Quality change request before start of call In the above embodiment, the case where the quality change request is received after the start of the call has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the quality change is made before the start of the call. The request may be accepted. That is, FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment in which a quality change request is made before the start of a call. In this case, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the quality change request is sent together with the call request (see (1) in the figure), the communication quality change server 30 that has received the quality change request sends the network 1A and the network 1B to the network 1A before starting the call. An instruction to change the communication quality is given (see (2) in the figure).

  Specifically, it is assumed that the communication quality change server 30 is connected to the mobile phone device 20 on the receiving side as usual based on the call request, and communication factors (base station, route, etc.) that affect the voice quality. After obtaining information on communication factors used in a call under such an assumption and information on communication factors that can be changed under the assumption, the contents of the change from the assumption are determined and a quality change instruction is given to the network 1. Is sent to.

  On the other hand, the network 1A and the network 1B that have received the quality change instruction select a base station or a route different from the normal one according to the change content included in the quality change instruction, and the mobile phone device 10 and the mobile phone device 20 The communication quality started between the two is changed to a communication quality different from the normal one (see (3) in the figure). That is, the network 1A and the network 1B make a call request to the called mobile phone device 20, and when the called mobile phone device 20 responds to the call request, the mobile phone device 10 and the mobile phone A line is connected to the apparatus 20 so that a call can be made with a communication quality different from normal (see (4) in the figure).

  In this way, if a quality change request is accepted before the start of a call, the user can feel a change in communication quality that is different from normal immediately after the start of communication, and the user is satisfied with the satisfaction immediately after the start of communication. Can be granted.

(10) Prior Quality Change Request In the above embodiment, the case where the quality change request is received from the mobile phone device 10 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this and is received from the user in advance. The quality change request may be stored in a DB (database), and the quality change process may be executed by reading the quality change request from the DB in response to a call request. That is, FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment for accepting a quality change request in advance. In this case, as shown in FIG. 15, the communication quality change server 30 stores the user information DB 32a in the user information DB 32a. As a service contract content, a relative change request for communication quality received in advance from a user is stored. In other words, for example, as shown in the figure, the voice quality is always improved from 10 am to 5 pm compared to normal time or when a specific telephone number is a call request destination. A quality change request such as “improving the quality from the normal time” is stored.

  When a call request is sent from the originating mobile phone device 10 to the network 1A (see (1) in the figure), the communication quality change server 30 refers to the user information DB 32a before starting the call. Then, it is determined whether or not the call request satisfies the quality change request received in advance from the user, and if this is the case, the quality change request is accepted and communication is performed with respect to the network 1A and the network 1B. A change in quality is instructed (see (2) in the figure).

  Specifically, it is assumed that the communication quality change server 30 is connected to the mobile phone device 20 on the receiving side as usual based on the call request, as in the case of the “quality change request before starting the call” described above. After obtaining information on communication factors (base stations, routes, etc.) that affect voice quality, information on communication factors used in such hypothetical calls, and information on communication factors that can be changed from that assumption The change contents from the assumption are determined and a quality change instruction is sent to the network 1A and the network 1B. On the other hand, the network 1A and the network 1B that have received the quality change instruction select a base station or a route different from the normal one according to the change content included in the quality change instruction, and the mobile phone device 10 and the mobile phone device 20 The communication quality started between the two is changed to a communication quality different from the normal one (see (3) in the figure). That is, the network 1A and the network 1B make a call request to the called mobile phone device 20, and when the called mobile phone device 20 responds to the call request, the mobile phone device 10 and the mobile phone A line is connected to the apparatus 20 so that a call can be made with a communication quality different from normal (see (4) in the figure).

  In this way, if the quality change request is received in advance and stored in the user information DB 32a and is read from the user information DB 32a before the start of communication, the change request can be received before the user starts communication. Without performing a special operation (a special operation for requesting a change), it becomes possible to realize a change in communication quality that is different from the normal operation. In addition, although the case where a change request is received by reading from the user information DB 32a before starting communication has been described here, the present invention is not limited to this, and after connecting a line in response to a call request, The quality change request may be executed after the start of communication by reading out and processing the quality change request from the user information DB 32a. Even in this case, the user may perform a special operation (for change request after the start of communication). Without performing a special operation), it becomes possible to realize a change in communication quality that is different from the normal operation.

(11) Other Communication Factors In the above embodiment, the case where the voice quality is changed by controlling the route and the base station which are communication factors has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, For example, as shown in FIG. 16, in changing the voice quality, other communication factors such as a band, a codec, and a priority may be controlled. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the quality policy DB 32c in the embodiment for controlling a plurality of communication factors. In this way, if a larger number of communication factors are controlled, the communication quality can be changed more efficiently.

(12) Detailed Quality Change Request In the above-described embodiment, the case where the change request is simply accepted for the voice quality has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in FIG. , Voice quality related to noise (no other sounds are mixed in addition to call sound), voice quality related to intelligibility (call sound is sent with high information content), voice quality related to delay (call sound is not delayed) It is also possible to accept a detailed change request for voice quality, such as FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the quality policy DB 32c in an embodiment that accepts a plurality of quality change requests. Thus, if a fine change request for voice quality is accepted, it is possible to give a high level of satisfaction to the user.

(13) Other communication services In the above-described embodiment, the case where the communication quality is changed for a call service performed between mobile phone devices has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, As shown in FIG. 18, provided to all communication devices such as a TV phone service performed between mobile phone devices, a call service performed between fixed phone devices, and a call service performed between mobile phone devices and fixed phone devices. All the communication services that are performed can be similarly applied when the management company is provided via a plurality of different networks. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication service to which the present invention can be applied.

(14) Other Communication Quality In addition, the types of communication quality that can be accepted by the present invention in each communication service illustrated in FIG. 18 will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. , Connection quality (quality related to the smooth connection of the line with the other party's communication equipment), voice quality (quality related to noise, intelligibility, delay), safety (quality related to whether communication contents will not leak) ) And the like, and also in the TV phone service, the content DL (download) service, and the broadcast distribution service, the quality change request can be received for each quality illustrated in FIG. Note that FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of quality that can be accepted for each communication service.

  As described above, even if it is a single communication service, a plurality of communication qualities (for example, connection quality, voice quality, image quality, communication speed, etc.) can be obtained by accepting relative change requests for a plurality of communication qualities. It becomes possible to give a high satisfaction to the user who wants to change.

(15) Communication Factors in Other Communication Quality Further, the types of communication factors that can be controlled by the present invention in each quality illustrated in FIG. 19 will be described. For example, when the connection quality is changed as shown in FIG. Controls priority, bandwidth, and server (destination) as communication factors. Also, voice quality (noise), voice quality (clarity), voice quality (delay), image quality (image size, compression rate, sampling rate) , Capture rate, streaming rate, etc.), DL time (delay), safety, fee (charge level, discount, etc.) are also changed to control each communication factor illustrated in FIG. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating examples of communication factors that can be controlled for each communication quality.

(16) Fixed communication request In the above-described embodiment, the case where a relative change request for the current communication quality is performed has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the “bandwidth of 10 Mbps or more” Similarly, the present invention can be applied to a case where a communication quality change request is made with a fixed numerical value such as “delay 50 ms or less”. That is, even when a communication quality change server 30 that performs a fixed communication quality change (communication quality change such as so-called QoS or SLA) performs a quality change request from the mobile phone device 10 every time communication is performed. By similarly applying the present invention, the quality of communication performed via a plurality of different networks by management operators may be fixedly changed.

(17) Other Connection Modes In the above-described embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to a communication service in which communication devices are connected on a one-to-one basis has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 21, even if the communication service is a communication service in which communication devices are connected 1 to N (plurality), and the communication service is a communication service in which communication devices are connected in N (plurality) to N (plurality). The invention can be applied as well. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a connection form for each communication service.

  Here, the communication quality control in the 1-to-N and N-to-N connection mode will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining communication quality control in a 1-to-N and N-to-N connection mode. For example, in the one-to-N connection mode, as shown in (A) of the figure, a communication path is established with N lines (two lines in the example shown in the figure), and the sum of the uplink and downlink in each communication path is summed up. Since 2N communication quality (four communication qualities in the example shown in the figure) can be a control target, any one or more of these communication qualities are controlled in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.

  Further, in an N-to-N connection mode in which each communication device is connected in a mesh format, as shown in (B) of the figure, a communication path is established with N lines (three lines in the example shown in the figure). Since a total of N * (N-1) communication qualities (six communication qualities in the example shown in the figure) can be controlled including the uplink and downlink in the communication path, any one or a plurality of these communication qualities Is controlled in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. Further, in the N-to-N connection mode in which each communication device is connected via a multipoint call connection unit (MCU) or the like, as shown in FIG. Then, six communication qualities) can be controlled, and any one or more of these communication qualities are controlled in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. Instead of the connection modes (B) and (C) described above, a connection mode using a so-called multicast tree (a part of resources such as a relay network is shared, and data is copied at a location close to a communication device that is a user terminal. In this case, the communication quality corresponding to the number of communication paths between the communication devices is a control target.

(18) System configuration etc. In addition, among the processes described in the above embodiments, all or a part of the processes described as being automatically performed can be performed manually or manually. All or part of the processing described as being performed can be automatically performed by a known method. In addition, information including processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, various data and parameters shown in the above-mentioned documents and drawings (especially information shown in FIGS. 3 to 6) may be specially described. It can be arbitrarily changed except for.

  Further, each component of the communication quality change server 30 shown in FIG. 2 is functionally conceptual and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated. That is, the specific form of distribution / integration of the communication quality change server 30 is not limited to that shown in the figure. For example, the network monitoring unit 33b, the change content determination unit 33c, and the change content instruction unit 33d may be integrated. The units can be configured to be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in arbitrary units according to various loads and usage conditions. Furthermore, each or all of the processing functions performed in the communication quality change server 30 and the mobile phone device 10 or 20 are realized by a CPU and a program that is analyzed and executed by the CPU, or It can be realized as hardware by wired logic.

  In the above-described embodiments, each device (for example, the mobile phone devices 10 and 20 and the communication quality change server 30) that realizes the present invention has been described in terms of functions. However, each function of each device is a personal computer or workstation. It can also be realized by causing a computer to execute the program. That is, the various processing procedures described in the above embodiments can be realized by executing a program prepared in advance on a computer. These programs can be distributed via a network such as the Internet. Further, these programs can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD, and can be executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. In other words, for example, a CD-ROM (may be a separate CD-ROM for each device) storing the mobile phone device program or the communication quality change server program as shown in the first embodiment. Each computer may read and execute the program distributed and stored in the CD-ROM.

  As described above, the communication quality changing system, the communication quality changing method, and the communication quality changing program according to the present invention are useful when changing the communication quality of the communication device connected to the network according to the request received from the user. In particular, even in communication performed through a plurality of networks with different management operators, it is suitable to give satisfaction to the user by changing the communication quality.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an overview and features of the first embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a communication quality change server. It is a figure which shows the example of the information memorize | stored in user information DB. It is a figure which shows the example of the information memorize | stored in communication factor DB. It is a figure which shows the example of the information memorize | stored in quality policy DB. It is a figure which shows the example of the information memorize | stored in charging information DB. It is a figure which shows the example of the information displayed on a mobile telephone apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the communication quality change process by Example 1. It is a figure for demonstrating the Example which changes the quality of the communication performed via the network under control and the network which is not under control. It is a figure for demonstrating the Example which the callee side makes a quality change request | requirement. It is a figure which shows the example of the information displayed on a mobile telephone apparatus in the Example which performs the quality change request of one direction. It is a figure for demonstrating the Example which selects a control object from a some network. It is a figure for demonstrating the Example which selects a control object from a some network. It is a figure for demonstrating the Example which performs a quality change request | requirement before a telephone call start. It is a figure for demonstrating the Example which receives a quality change request | requirement in advance. It is a figure which shows the example of the information memorize | stored in quality policy DB in the Example which controls a some communication factor. It is a figure which shows the example of the information memorize | stored in quality policy DB in the Example which receives several quality change requests. It is a figure which shows the example of the communication service to which this invention can be applied. It is a figure which shows the example of the quality which can receive a change for every communication service. It is a figure which shows the example of the communication factor which can be controlled for every communication quality. It is a figure which shows the example of a connection form for every communication service. It is a figure for demonstrating the communication quality control in the 1 to N and N to N connection form.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1A, 1B network 10 Mobile phone device (calling side)
11 Quality Change Program 20 Mobile Phone Device (Destination)
30, 30A, 30B Communication quality change server 31 Communication control IF unit 32 Storage unit 32a User information DB
32b Communication factor DB
32c Quality Policy DB
32d Billing information DB
33 control unit 33a change request receiving unit 33b network monitoring unit 33c change content determining unit 33d change content instructing unit 33e charging processing unit

Claims (12)

A communication quality changing system for changing communication quality of a communication device connected to a network according to a request received from a user,
A change request accepting means for accepting a change request for the communication quality of the communication device from a user of the communication device that communicates via a plurality of networks with different management operators;
Communication factor control means for controlling a communication factor that affects the communication quality in the plurality of networks so as to follow the change request received by the change request receiving means,
A communication quality change system characterized by comprising:   The communication factor control means, for a network under its control among the plurality of networks, sends a quality change instruction including a change content of the communication factor in accordance with the change request to the network. For the network that is not under its control among the plurality of networks, the communication factor is controlled by sending a quality change request in accordance with the change request to a communication quality change server of the network. The communication quality changing system according to claim 1, wherein a factor is controlled.   The communication factor control means selects one or a plurality of networks in which the communication factor is to be changed from the plurality of networks, and the quality change with respect to the selected network or a communication quality change server of the selected network. 3. The communication quality change system according to claim 2, wherein an instruction or a quality change request is transmitted.   The communication quality control system according to claim 3, wherein the communication factor control means continuously selects one or a plurality of networks whose communication factors are to be changed.   The communication factor control means includes a request source of the change request, an instruction from the request source, a frequency of the change request, a network status under its own control, a network status not under its own control, and its own control. One or a plurality of networks whose communication factors are to be changed are selected based on one or more of a communication quality change server status of a network not below and the communication quality status. The communication quality changing system according to claim 3 or 4. The change request accepting means accepts a relative change request for the current communication quality,
The communication quality control system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the communication factor control unit controls the communication factor so as to follow a relative change request received by the change request receiving unit. A communication quality changing method for changing communication quality of a communication device connected to a network according to a request received from a user,
A change request accepting step for accepting a change request for the communication quality of the communication device from a user of the communication device that communicates via a plurality of networks with different management operators;
A communication factor control step for controlling a communication factor that affects the communication quality in the plurality of networks so as to follow the change request received by the change request reception step;
A communication quality changing method comprising:   In the communication factor control step, for a network under its control among the plurality of networks, a quality change instruction including a change content of the communication factor according to the change request is transmitted to the network. For the network that is not under its control among the plurality of networks, the communication factor is controlled by sending a quality change request in accordance with the change request to a communication quality change server of the network. 8. The communication quality changing method according to claim 7, wherein a factor is controlled.   The communication factor control step selects one or a plurality of networks whose communication factors are to be changed from the plurality of networks, and the quality change with respect to the selected network or a communication quality change server of the selected network. 9. The communication quality changing method according to claim 8, wherein an instruction or a quality change request is transmitted. A communication quality change program for causing a computer to execute a communication quality change method for changing the communication quality of a communication device connected to a network according to a request received from a user,
A change request acceptance procedure for accepting a change request for the communication quality of the communication device from a user of the communication device that communicates via a plurality of networks with different management operators;
A communication factor control procedure for controlling a communication factor that affects the communication quality in the plurality of networks so as to follow the change request received by the change request reception procedure,
A communication quality changing program for causing a computer to execute.   In the communication factor control procedure, for a network under its control among the plurality of networks, a quality change instruction including a change content of the communication factor in accordance with the change request is transmitted to the network. For the network that is not under its control among the plurality of networks, the communication factor is controlled by sending a quality change request in accordance with the change request to a communication quality change server of the network. The communication quality changing program according to claim 10, wherein the factor is controlled.   The communication factor control procedure selects one or a plurality of networks whose communication factors are to be changed from the plurality of networks, and the quality change with respect to the selected network or a communication quality change server of the selected network. 12. The communication quality change program according to claim 11, wherein an instruction or a quality change request is transmitted.

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