JP2021077995A - Communication control apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To properly allocate IP addresses in a mobile communication network.SOLUTION: An SMF 10 is a communication control apparatus included in a mobile communication network 1 for providing a mobile communication function to a mobile communication terminal 100 installing a SIM card 110 that is a subscriber authentication module to store subscriber information needed for the mobile communication terminal 100 to perform mobile communication. The SMF comprises: a detection unit 11 that detects communication conditions regarding the SIM card 110 to which an IP address needed for communication is allocated; and a control unit 12 that sets a dynamic method or a static method as an IP address allocation method for the SIM card 110 depending on the communication conditions detected by the detection unit 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a communication control device included in a mobile communication network that provides a mobile communication function to a mobile communication terminal.

Conventionally, when a terminal communicates via a communication network, an IP address is assigned to the terminal and the IP address is used for communication (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-028174

Even when communicating via a mobile communication network using a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card provided by a telecommunications carrier, an IP address is issued and assigned to a terminal equipped with the SIM card. In the case of a terminal possessed and used by a human (user), an IP address is usually issued each time the terminal connects to a mobile communication network. Therefore, the IP address will be different each time a connection is made. That is, in this case, the IP address is assigned by a dynamic method.

On the other hand, in the case of a terminal that is an IoT (Internet of Things) device (for example, a vending machine), when the company or the like manages the IoT device, the relationship between the IP address and the device is fixed and stored in the mobile communication network. It is common to keep it. That is, in this case, the IP address is assigned by a static method.

Whether the IP address is assigned by a dynamic method or a static method is usually predetermined according to the SIM card installed in the terminal. Therefore, when the SIM card installed in the terminal used for humans is installed in the IoT device (when the SIM card is replaced), the IP address is used even though the IoT device communicates. Allocation will be done in a dynamic way. Such IP address assignment is not desirable for controlling IoT devices.

On the contrary, when the SIM card attached to the IoT device is attached to the terminal used by humans, the IP address is assigned by a static method even though the terminal used by humans communicates. It will be. In this case, the IP address is fixedly issued to the SIM card that does not need to be fixedly issued, that is, the address is reserved for the SIM card, so that the mobile communication network resource Not preferred.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a communication control device capable of appropriately assigning an IP address in a mobile communication network.

In order to achieve the above object, the communication control device according to the present invention is a mobile communication equipped with a subscriber authentication module that stores subscriber information which is information necessary for a mobile communication terminal to perform mobile communication. A communication control device included in a mobile communication network that provides a mobile communication function to a terminal, and a detector that detects the communication status of a subscriber authentication module to which an IP address required for communication is assigned. A control unit that sets the method of assigning an IP address to the subscriber authentication module to a dynamic method or a static method according to the communication status detected by the detection unit is provided.

In the communication control device according to the present invention, the IP address allocation method is set to a dynamic method or a static method according to the communication status related to the subscriber authentication module. Therefore, according to the communication control device according to the present invention, the IP address in the mobile communication network depends on the type of mobile communication terminal to which the subscriber authentication module is mounted, for example, the one used for humans or the IoT device. Can be assigned appropriately.

According to the present invention, the IP address allocation method is set to a dynamic method or a static method according to the communication status related to the subscriber authentication module. Therefore, the IP address is appropriately assigned in the mobile communication network. be able to.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the mobile communication network including SMF which is the communication control device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. This is an example of a table used for holding information in SMF. It is a flowchart which shows the process which is executed when the session of the mobile communication terminal is released by SMF which is the communication control device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process executed at the time of establishment of the session of the mobile communication terminal by SMF which is the communication control device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware composition of SMF which is a communication control device which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the communication control device according to the present invention will be described in detail together with the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

FIG. 1 shows SMF (Session Management Function) 10 which is a communication control device according to the present embodiment. The SMF 10 is included in the core network of the mobile communication network 1. The mobile communication network 1 is a communication network that provides a mobile communication function to the mobile communication terminal (mobile station) 100. The mobile communication network 1 according to the present embodiment is, for example, a 5G mobile communication network. However, the mobile communication network 1 does not necessarily have to be a 5G mobile communication network, and may be any mobile communication network having a framework conforming to the present embodiment.

The mobile communication terminal 100 is a device having a function of connecting to the mobile communication network 1 and performing mobile communication. Specifically, the mobile communication terminal 100 establishes a session by the mobile communication network 1 as the connection and performs mobile communication. The mobile communication terminal 100 corresponds to, for example, a conventional mobile phone or smartphone. A mobile communication terminal 100 possessed and used by a human (user) such as a mobile phone or a smartphone is referred to as a mobile communication terminal 100 used by a human. The mobile communication terminal 100 used for humans uses, for example, the service of another network (for example, the Internet) connected to the mobile communication network 1 via the mobile communication network 1.

Alternatively, the mobile communication terminal 100 corresponds to, for example, a conventional IoT device such as a vending machine. A mobile communication terminal 100 that is not directly used by humans (users) such as an IoT device is called a mobile communication terminal 100 that is used for things. The mobile communication terminal 100 used for goods communicates with a company server via, for example, a mobile communication network 1 and a dedicated line connected to the mobile communication network 1. IoT devices such as vending machines perform mobile communication for control from companies that provide vending machines. Specifically, IoT devices for checking the inventory of beverages in vending machines, providing beverages free of charge in the event of an earthquake (disaster vending machines), and notifying disaster information on vending machine bulletin boards (disaster vending machines). Mobile communication is performed. In the mobile communication terminal 100 connected to the mobile communication network 1, a mobile communication terminal 100 used for humans and a mobile communication terminal 100 used for things are mixed.

The SIM card 110 can be detachably attached to the mobile communication terminal 100. The SIM card 110 is a subscriber authentication module that stores subscriber information, which is information necessary for the mobile communication terminal 100 to perform mobile communication. The SIM card 110 is provided to the user by the communication carrier when the user concludes a contract with a communication carrier (communication carrier) that provides the mobile communication network 1. The SIM card 110 stores subscriber information according to the contract.

The mobile communication terminal 100 performs mobile communication by using the subscriber information stored in the SIM card 110 as in the conventional case. As the hardware of the SIM card 110, the hardware of a conventional SIM card including an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip or the like can be used. A number, which is an identifier uniquely corresponding to the SIM card 110, is preset in the SIM card 110. For example, the SIM card 110 is preset with a MSISDN (Mobile Subscriber ISDN number) used as a telephone number. The SIM card 110 stores the MSISDN set in the SIM card 110. The subscriber authentication module is a SIM card as long as it stores subscriber information, which is information necessary for the mobile communication terminal 100 to perform mobile communication, and is detachably attached to the mobile communication terminal 100. Those other than 110 may be used.

The mobile communication terminal 100 to which the SIM card 110 is mounted may be changed. That is, the SIM card 110 may be replaced with another mobile communication terminal 100. For example, the SIM card 110 attached to the mobile communication terminal 100 used for things may be attached to the mobile communication terminal 100 used for humans, and may be attached to the mobile communication terminal 100 used for humans. The SIM card 110 may be attached to and used by the mobile communication terminal 100 used for things. Specifically, there are cases where the SIM card 110 used in the vending machine is lent to a person or vice versa due to the removal of the vending machine used by the company.

When the mobile communication terminal 100 performs mobile communication, an IP address is assigned from the mobile communication network 1 to the SIM card 110 (the mobile communication terminal 100 to which the SIM card 110 is attached) and used for mobile communication. There are a dynamic method and a static method in the allocation method of the mobile communication terminal 100. The IP address is assigned to each SIM card 110.

In the dynamic method, every time the mobile communication terminal 100 connects to the mobile communication network 1, a new IP address is paid to the mobile communication terminal 100 from the IP address pooled by the mobile communication network 1 for payout. It is a way to put it out. Usually, the IP address is assigned by a dynamic method to the mobile communication terminal 100 used for humans, that is, the SIM card 110 which is supposed to be attached to the mobile communication terminal 100 used for humans. .. In the dynamic method, the IP address assigned to the mobile communication terminal 100 may be different each time the mobile communication network 1 is connected. In the dynamic method, the IP address is assigned automatically, so the IP address that is usually issued is not conscious. In the dynamic method, since the IP address is usually assigned only to the mobile communication terminal 100 connected to the mobile communication network 1, the IP address can be used efficiently.

In the static method, the association between the IP address and the SIM card 110 (for example, MSISDN) is stored in advance in the mobile communication network 1, and the association is associated with the SIM card 110 mounted on the mobile communication terminal 100. This is a method of assigning an IP address. Usually, the IP address is assigned by a static method to the mobile communication terminal 100 used for the thing, that is, the SIM card 110 which is supposed to be attached to the mobile communication terminal 100 used for the thing. .. In the static method, for example, since the IP address of the mobile communication terminal 100 can be grasped in advance by the company, it is possible to specify the IP address and perform communication for controlling the mobile communication terminal 100. On the other hand, in the static method, since an IP address is usually assigned to the SIM card 110 in advance, it is necessary to reserve the IP address for that amount.

In the present embodiment, the IP address allocation method is set to a dynamic method or a static method so that the IP address is appropriately assigned according to the situation of the SIM card 110.

The mobile communication network 1 provides a service related to mobile communication to the mobile communication terminal 100 by using the slice 20 which is a virtual network generated on the network infrastructure. The slice 20 is logically generated by virtually dividing the network resource (network infrastructure) between the link of the network device and the node and combining the separated resources. Specifically, the slice 20 is realized by a plurality of virtual servers operating in a virtual machine realized on a physical server which is a network infrastructure. The mobile communication network 1 allocates the mobile communication function necessary for realizing the service to the slice 20, and provides the service to the mobile communication terminal 100 for each slice 20. A service refers to a service using network resources such as a communication service (dedicated line service, etc.) or an application service (service using a sensor device such as a video distribution or an embedded device). A plurality of slices 20 are provided in the mobile communication network 1, and the services provided for each slice 20 are different. When the mobile communication terminal 100 performs mobile communication, it connects to any of a plurality of slices 20 and receives a service from the slice 20.

The slice 20 is configured to include an NF (Network Function) which is a plurality of functional elements (network function units). The NF has a function for realizing the slice 20. Specifically, the NF includes an AMF (Access and Mobility management Function), an UPF (User Plane Function), and the like according to the function. The AMF is an NF having a function of performing position management of the mobile communication terminal 100 and setting processing of a communication path. UPF is an NF having a function of transmitting and receiving user data used for providing services. Further, the slice 20 may include nodes and the like other than the above. The slice 20 itself may be a conventional one.

The SMF 10 is a node that manages connections, that is, session management in the mobile communication network 1. Further, the SMF 10 assigns an IP address to the mobile communication terminal 100. The SMF 10 is realized by a plurality of virtual servers operating in a virtual machine realized on a physical server which is a network infrastructure. Further, the mobile communication network 1 includes nodes and devices (for example, RAN (Radio Access Network), PCF (Policy Control Function), UDM (Unified Data) included in the mobile communication network other than the above SMF 10 and slice 20. Management)) may be included. The functions of the nodes and devices of the SMF 10 and other mobile communication networks 1 may be the same as those of the conventional ones except for the functions described below. The nodes and functions of the mobile communication network 1 are shown in, for example, 3GPP TS23.501 and 3GPP TS23.502.

Subsequently, in addition to the above functions, the functions of the SMF 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the SMF 10 is functionally configured to include a detection unit 11 and a control unit 12.

The detection unit 11 is a functional unit that detects the communication status of the SIM card 110 to which the IP address required for communication in IP (Internet Protocol) is assigned. The detection unit 11 detects the length of the interval from disconnection to reconnection of the mobile communication terminal 100 in which the SIM card 110 is mounted as the communication status related to the SIM card 110. Specifically, the detection unit 11 determines the time (timing) of the release of the session of the mobile communication terminal 100 as the disconnection of communication and the mobile communication terminal 100 as the reconnection of communication for each SIM card 110 (MSISDN of the SIM card 110). Detects the time of establishment of a session to detect the length of time between the release of a session and the establishment of the next session. The time can be detected by a conventional method. The detection unit 11 detects the above time for each consecutive session related to the SIM card 110.

In addition, the detection unit 11 detects the position of the mobile communication terminal 100 equipped with the SIM card 110 during communication as the communication status related to the subscriber authentication module. Specifically, the detection unit 11 acquires, for each SIM card 110, area information included in a signal (PDU Session Establishment Request) requested by the mobile communication terminal 100 to establish a session as information indicating a position during communication. .. The area information is a cell ID that identifies a base station on which the mobile communication terminal 100 is performing wireless communication. Usually, since the base station is fixedly provided at a fixed geographical position, the cell ID can be used as information indicating the position of the mobile communication terminal 100. The detection unit 11 acquires the cell ID every time the mobile communication terminal 100 establishes a session.

Information other than the cell ID may be detected as information indicating the position of the mobile communication terminal 100 during communication. For example, the mobile communication terminal 100 performs its own positioning by GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like at the time of communication, and transmits information (for example, latitude and longitude) indicating the position obtained by the positioning to the mobile communication network 1. The detection unit 11 may acquire the information and detect the position of the mobile communication terminal 100 at the time of communication.

Further, the detection unit 11 detects the cycle of the communication interval of the mobile communication terminal 100 in which the SIM card 110 is mounted as the communication status related to the SIM card 110. Specifically, the detection unit 11 may use time-series information of the length of time from the release of the above session to the establishment of the next session for each SIM card 110 as information indicating the period of the interval. Alternatively, the communication interval cycle may be the cycle of the interval from the establishment of the session to the establishment of the next session, or the cycle of the interval from the release of the session to the release of the next session.

Further, the detection unit 11 detects the communication data size of the mobile communication terminal 100 to which the SIM card 110 is mounted as the communication status related to the SIM card 110. Specifically, the detection unit 11 detects the data size (amount of data) transmitted / received in the session related to the mobile communication terminal 100 for each SIM card 110 and session. The detection of the transmitted / received data time can be performed by a conventional method. The detection unit 11 acquires the data size every time the mobile communication terminal 100 releases a session.

The detection unit 11 stores and stores the information indicating the communication status related to the SIM card 110 detected as described above in the table shown in FIG. The table shown in FIG. 2 is information in which "User information (SIM)", "connection area", "connection time", "release time", "data size", and "address allocation" are associated. "User information (SIM)" is information that identifies the SIM card 110, and is specifically MSISDN. In the "connection area", "connection time", "release time", and "data size", information indicating the communication status related to the SIM card 110 detected by the detection unit 11 is stored. Each record (one row of data shown in FIG. 2) is data corresponding to one session.

The "connection area" is the area information detected as described above. The "connection time" is information indicating the time when the session was established. The "release time" is information indicating the time when the session was released. The "connection time" and "release time" are represented by, for example, hours, minutes and seconds as shown in FIG. However, the information indicating the time may be information in another format. The length of time from the release of the previous session to the establishment of the session is the length from the "release time" of the previous session to the "connection time" of the session. The "data size" is the data size detected as described above. In the "address payout", information indicating an IP address allocation method set according to the communication status related to the SIM card 110 is stored by the control unit 12 described later.

The control unit 12 is a functional unit that sets the method of assigning the IP address to the SIM card 110 to a dynamic method or a static method according to the communication status detected by the detection unit 11. For example, when the session of the mobile communication terminal 100 is released, the control unit 12 assigns an IP address to the SIM card 110 mounted on the mobile communication terminal 100 by either a dynamic method or a static method. Decide whether to do it. The control unit 12 makes the above determination by referring to the information related to the SIM card 110 from the table shown in FIG. 2 in which the information related to the communication status is stored by the detection unit 11.

The control unit 12 refers to the latest "connection time" and the previous "release time" information related to the SIM card 110, and establishes the session from the release of the previous session indicated by the information. It is determined whether or not the length of time until is within the threshold value of t seconds (first determination). That is, the control unit 12 determines whether or not the time from the previous session opening to the reconnection is within t seconds. The threshold value t seconds is a preset value, for example, a value corresponding to a time of several minutes to several tens of minutes. However, a time other than this may be set to the threshold value t seconds. When it is determined that the length of time is within t seconds, the control unit 12 subsequently refers to the latest information related to the SIM card 110 and the information of the previous "connection area", and refers to the current area. Judge whether the information and the previous area information are the same (second judgment).

When it is determined that the current area information and the previous area information are the same, the control unit 12 subsequently determines the latest "connection time" and the immediately preceding "release time" related to the SIM card 110. In addition, the information of the previous "connection time" and the previous "release time" (the latest two) is referred to. The control unit 12 has the length of time from the release of the previous session to the establishment of the session and the length of time from the release of the two previous sessions to the establishment of the previous session indicated by the information. Judge whether they are about the same (third judgment). Judgment as to whether or not they are about the same is made by, for example, determining whether or not the difference between the two is less than or equal to a preset constant value or less than or equal to a preset fixed ratio with respect to any length of time. .. Alternatively, it may be determined whether or not the lengths of those times match. In this way, the control unit 12 checks the connection interval between this time and the previous time, and between the previous time and the time before the previous time, and determines whether or not the reconnection is periodic. It should be noted that the determination as to whether or not the reconnection is periodic may be performed not only by checking only the above-mentioned two time intervals but also by checking three or more time intervals.

When it is determined that the length of each time is about the same, that is, the reconnection is periodic, the control unit 12 subsequently determines the latest and previous "data size" of the SIM card 110. ”, It is determined whether the data sizes indicated by the information are about the same (fourth determination). Judgment as to whether or not they are about the same is performed, for example, by determining whether or not the difference between the two is equal to or less than a preset constant value or equal to or less than a preset constant ratio with respect to any data size. It should be noted that the determination as to whether or not the data sizes are about the same may be performed by performing a check relating to three or more sessions instead of the check relating to the above two sessions.

When it is determined that the respective data sizes are about the same, the control unit 12 sets the method of assigning the IP address to the SIM card 110 to a static method. In this case, the SIM card 110 is attached to the mobile communication terminal 100 used for the thing, that is, it is presumed that the SIM card 110 is used by the thing for communication. In other cases, the control unit 12 sets the method of assigning the IP address to the SIM card 110 to a dynamic method. In this case, the SIM card 110 is attached to the mobile communication terminal 100 used by humans, that is, it is presumed that the SIM card 110 is used by humans for communication. The control unit 12 stores the set IP address allocation method in association with the SIM card 110 (for example, MSISDN). The control unit 12 stores, for example, information indicating the allocation method set in the “address allocation” of the table of FIG. The SMF 10 allocates an IP address when the next session is established based on the IP address allocation method stored in association with the SIM card 110.

If the IP address allocation method is a dynamic method at the time of setting the IP address allocation method to the static method, that is, if the allocation method is changed, the control unit 12 is static at this point. Set the IP address used for assigning the IP address in a similar way. For example, the control unit 12 may set the IP address set at this time (in a dynamic manner) as the IP address. Further, the control unit 12 may set an IP address set in advance for each SIM card 110 as the IP address. Further, the control unit 12 may select the IP address from the IP addresses pooled in advance as the IP address used for assigning the IP address by a static method.

The SMF 10 may perform the process itself of IP address allocation by a static method in the next and subsequent sessions in the same manner as before. Further, if the IP address allocation method is a static method at the time of determination, that is, if there is no change in the allocation method, the control unit 12 does not perform any particular control, and the SMF 10 is a static method. The process of assigning the IP address in the above may be performed in the same manner as before.

When it is determined that the IP address allocation method is a dynamic method, the SMF 10 may perform the IP address allocation process itself by the dynamic method in the next and subsequent sessions in the same manner as before.

Communication by things such as IoT devices (communication by mobile communication terminal 100 used for things) is usually used for mechanical control, so it is different from communication by humans (communication by mobile communication terminal 100 used by humans). It has one characteristic. For example, communication by a thing is communication with a fixed data size of a fixed cycle having a relatively long interval at a fixed position. The above judgment is based on the characteristics of communication by goods.

The first judgment described above is to deny that the communication is by goods and presume that the communication is by humans when the time until reconnection is short. The second judgment described above is that when the position of the mobile communication terminal 100 is different, that is, when the mobility of the mobile communication terminal 100 is detected, it is denied that the communication is by goods and it is presumed to be communication by humans. Is. The third judgment described above is to deny that the communication is by goods and presume that the communication is by humans when the reconnection is not periodic, that is, when the cycle of the connection time is disturbed. The fourth judgment described above is to deny that the communication is by goods and presume that the communication is by humans when the data size is not constant. The order of each of the above judgments is not limited to the above. Further, it is not necessary to make all of the above judgments, and any of them may be made. Further, if the IP address allocation method is set according to the communication status detected by the detection unit 11 in consideration of the characteristics of communication by goods or communication by humans as described above, a judgment other than the above is made. May be made. Alternatively, settings may be made according to characteristics other than communication by goods or humans.

Record L1 in FIG. 2 is an example in which the IP address allocation method is changed from a static method to a dynamic method. In the first to third lines of record L1, the time until reconnection is within t seconds, the area information is the same as the previous time, the reconnection is periodic, and the data size is about the same as the previous time. , Since all the conditions for making it a static method are satisfied, the allocation method is set to the static method. In the 4th line of the record L1, the area information is different from the record in the 3rd line, the mobility of the mobile communication terminal 100 is detected, and the allocation method is a dynamic method (that is, the SIM card 110 is a human being). Used). In the fourth line of the record L1, the data size is different from the previous time, and the allocation method is set to the dynamic method from this point as well.

In the 4th to 6th lines of record L1, although the area information is the same as the previous time, the allocation method is still set to the dynamic method in terms of whether the reconnection is periodic or not and the data size. Become. Also, in the 7th to 9th lines of record L1, although the area information is the same as the previous time and the reconnection is periodic, the allocation method is set to a dynamic method in terms of the time until reconnection and the data size. It remains as it was. The 7th to 9th lines of the record L1 assume, for example, a case where periodic data is acquired and streamed, and the last 20 kB is a record at the end of the corresponding reproduced program.

Record L2 in FIG. 2 is an example in which the IP address allocation method is changed from a dynamic method to a static method. In the 4th to 6th lines of record L2, regular constant communication is performed from the same area, and the allocation method is static at the time of the 6th line that satisfies all the conditions for setting the static method. Set to a specific method.

Further, when the control unit 12 sets the method of assigning the IP address to the SIM card 110 to a dynamic method, the control unit 12 assigns the IP address to the SIM card 110 for a predetermined period from the disconnection of the communication of the mobile communication terminal 100. Control may be performed to keep the allocation. Specifically, when the session related to the mobile communication terminal 100 is released as the communication disconnection of the mobile communication terminal 100, the control unit 12 does not release the IP address assigned to the SIM card 110. , The IP address is cached and stored while being assigned to the SIM card 110. The control unit 12 deletes the cache when a preset period elapses after caching the IP address, and releases the allocation of the IP address to the SIM card 110. During the above preset period, the cached IP address is not assigned to another SIM card 110.

When there is a reconnection request (session establishment request) from the mobile communication terminal 100 equipped with the SIM card 110 during a preset period, the SMF 10 is cached without performing a new IP address allocation process. The process of establishing a connection (session) is performed assuming that the IP address is assigned to the SIM card 110. Even if the IP address allocation method is a dynamic method, the IP address allocation process can be omitted by caching the IP address. The above-mentioned preset period may be, for example, about several minutes to several hours.

The control unit 12 may control the mobile communication terminal 100 so that the mobile communication function is provided by the slice 20 according to the set allocation method among the plurality of slices 20 of the mobile communication network 1. .. As the slice 20, a slice 20 for the mobile communication terminal 100 used for humans and a slice 20 for the mobile communication terminal 100 used for things may be provided respectively. This is because the required services related to mobile communication differ between human communication and mono communication. For example, human communication requires a large amount of communication. On the other hand, communication by goods requires a large-scale IoT (for mass machines) connection.

The control unit 12 changes the slice 20 to which the mobile communication terminal 100 is connected when the IP address allocation method is changed. When the IP address allocation method is changed from the static method to the dynamic method, the control unit 12 attaches the slice 20 to which the mobile communication terminal 100 equipped with the SIM card 110 is connected to the slice 20 for humans. Change to. When the IP address allocation method is changed from the dynamic method to the static method, the control unit 12 connects the slice 20 to which the mobile communication terminal 100 equipped with the SIM card 110 is connected to the slice 20 for mono. Change to.

The process related to the above change is performed, for example, when the mobile communication terminal 100 requests the establishment of a session. When the slice 20 is changed, the control unit 12 uses the SST (Slice Service Type) parameter, which is information indicating the changed slice 20, as a response signal (Nsmf PDU Session CreateSM Context Response) to the request for establishing a session. Notify the mobile communication terminal 100 including the mobile communication terminal 100. The signal may include information (Cause indicating that a PDU Session re-establishment) instructing the mobile communication terminal 100 to reestablish the session. When the mobile communication terminal 100 receives the notification, the mobile communication terminal 100 and the mobile communication network 1 perform a process of connecting to the slice 20 indicated by the SST parameter. The above is the function of the SMF 10 according to the present embodiment.

Subsequently, the process executed by the SMF 10 according to the present embodiment (operation method performed by the SMF 10) will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 4. First, using the flowchart of FIG. 3, a process of setting an IP address allocation method for the SIM card 110 mounted on the mobile communication terminal 100, which is executed when the session of the mobile communication terminal 100 is released, is performed. explain.

In the SMF 10, the detection unit 11 detects the communication status related to the SIM card 110 (S01). Note that part or all of the communication status detection process may be performed before the session is released. Subsequently, the control unit 12 sets the method of assigning the IP address to the SIM card 110 to a dynamic method or a static method according to the detected communication status (S02 to S07). Specifically, the settings are made as follows.

First, it is determined whether or not the length of time from the previous session opening to reconnection is within t seconds (S02). When it is determined that the length of time is within t seconds (YES in S02), it is subsequently determined whether or not the current area information and the previous area information are the same (S03). When it is determined that the current area information and the previous area information are the same (YES in S03), it is subsequently determined whether or not the reconnection is periodic (S04).

When it is determined that the reconnection is periodic (YES in S04). Subsequently, it is determined whether the data size of the communication related to the current session and the data size of the communication related to the previous session are about the same (S05). When it is determined that the current data size and the previous data size are about the same (YES in S05), the method of assigning the IP address to the SIM card 110 is set to the static method (S06). In cases other than the above (NO in S02, NO in S03, NO in S04 and NO in S05), the method of assigning the IP address to the SIM card 110 is set to a dynamic method (S07). In this case, the IP address set in the SIM card 110 at that time is subsequently cached by the control unit 12 for a predetermined period (S08). When a reconnection request is made from the mobile communication terminal 100 equipped with the SIM card 110 during the predetermined period, the connection establishment process is performed assuming that the cached IP address is assigned.

The order of determination (the order of S02 to S05) according to the communication status of the SIM card 110 does not necessarily have to be the above, and may be any order. When the next session of the mobile communication terminal 100 equipped with the SIM card 110 is established, the IP address is assigned by the SMF 10 by the set allocation method. The above is the processing of the SMF 10 executed when the session of the mobile communication terminal 100 is released.

Subsequently, using the flowchart of FIG. 4, a process of changing the slice 20 that provides the service to the mobile communication terminal 100, which is executed when the session of the mobile communication terminal 100 is established, will be described. This process is performed when a signal requesting the establishment of a session from the mobile communication terminal 100 is transmitted to the mobile communication network 1. When a signal corresponding to the signal (Nsmf PDU Session CreateSM Context Request) is received from the AMF by the SMF 10, the control unit 12 determines the method of assigning the IP address to the SIM card 110 related to the signal last time when the previous session is released. It is determined whether or not the change has been made since the session was established (S11). If the IP address allocation method has not been changed (NO in S11), no special processing is performed.

When the IP address allocation method is changed (YES in S11), the control unit 12 changes the slice 20 to which the mobile communication terminal 100 is connected to the slice 20 according to the changed IP address allocation method. (S12). When the IP address allocation method is changed from the static method to the dynamic method, the connected slice 20 is changed to the human slice 20. When the IP address allocation method is changed from the dynamic method to the static method, the connected slice 20 is changed to the mono slice 20. Further, the control unit 12 controls the mobile communication terminal 100 to connect to the changed slice 20, and the mobile communication terminal 100 connects to the changed slice 20 by the control to perform mobile communication. The above is the processing of the SMF 10 executed when the session of the mobile communication terminal 100 is established.

In the present embodiment, the IP address allocation method is set to a dynamic method or a static method according to the communication status of the SIM card 110. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the IP address in the mobile communication network 1 depends on the type of the mobile communication terminal 100 to which the SIM card 110 is mounted, for example, the one used for humans or the one used for things. Can be assigned appropriately. As a result, in human communication, an IP address is set for each communication, so that the resources of the mobile communication network 1 can be effectively utilized. Further, in human communication, since the IP address is fixed, control from a company or the like can be appropriately and reliably performed.

Further, as in the present embodiment, as the communication status related to the SIM card 110, as described above, the length of the interval from the disconnection to the reconnection of the communication of the mobile communication terminal 100 and the position of the mobile communication terminal 100 at the time of communication. , The communication cycle of the mobile communication terminal 100 and the data size of the communication of the mobile communication terminal 100 can be used. By using these as the communication status related to the SIM card 110, the IP address allocation method can be appropriately set. It is not necessary to use all of these as the communication status related to the SIM card 110, and any of them may be used. In addition, other than the above may be used as the communication status related to the SIM card 110.

Further, when the IP address allocation method is set to the dynamic method as in the present embodiment, the IP address is still assigned to the SIM card 110 for a predetermined period from the disconnection of the communication of the mobile communication terminal 100. For example, the IP address may be cached for a predetermined period of time. According to this configuration, the process of assigning a new IP address at the time of reconnection can be omitted, and the process of reconnection can be simplified. However, it is not always necessary to cache the IP address.

Further, as in the present embodiment, control may be performed so that the mobile communication terminal 100 is provided with the mobile communication function by the slice 20 according to the set IP address allocation method. That is, the network slicing may be automatically switched by the trigger on the mobile communication network 1 side to provide the network suitable for the switching target. According to this configuration, depending on the type of the mobile communication terminal 100 to which the SIM card 110 is mounted, for example, the one used for humans or the one used for things, mobile communication suitable for the mobile communication terminal 100 can be performed. You can get the service. However, it is not always necessary to select the slice 20 according to the IP address allocation method.

The block diagram used in the description of the above embodiment shows a block of functional units. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Further, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized by using one device that is physically or logically connected, or directly or indirectly (for example, by two or more devices that are physically or logically separated). , Wired, wireless, etc.) and may be realized using these plurality of devices. The functional block may be realized by combining the software with the one device or the plurality of devices.

Functions include judgment, decision, judgment, calculation, calculation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, solution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, and assumption. There are broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, assigning, etc., but only these. I can't. For example, a functional block (constituent unit) for functioning transmission is called a transmitting unit or a transmitter. As described above, the method of realizing each of them is not particularly limited.

For example, the SMF 10 (the physical server in which it is realized) in one embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs the processing of the method of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the SMF 10 (physical server in which the SMF 10 is realized) according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. The above-mentioned SMF10 (the physical server in which the SMF10 is realized) is physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, and the like. May be good.

In the following description, the word "device" can be read as a circuit, a device, a unit, or the like. The hardware configuration of the SMF 10 (the physical server in which the SMF 10 is realized) may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in the figure, or may be configured not to include some of the devices.

For each function in the SMF 10, the processor 1001 performs an operation by loading predetermined software (program) on the hardware such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, and controls the communication by the communication device 1004, or the memory 1002 and the storage. It is realized by controlling at least one of reading and writing of data in 1003.

Processor 1001 operates, for example, an operating system to control the entire computer. The processor 1001 may be configured by a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with a peripheral device, a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, and the like. For example, each function in the above-mentioned SMF 10 may be realized by the processor 1001.

Further, the processor 1001 reads a program (program code), a software module, data, and the like from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002, and executes various processes according to these. As the program, a program that causes a computer to execute at least a part of the operations described in the above-described embodiment is used. For example, each function in the SMF 10 may be realized by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and operating in the processor 1001. Although it has been described that the various processes described above are executed by one processor 1001, they may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. Processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The program may be transmitted from the network via a telecommunication line.

The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium, and is composed of at least one such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). May be done. The memory 1002 may be referred to as a register, a cache, a main memory (main storage device), or the like. The memory 1002 can store a program (program code), a software module, or the like that can be executed to carry out the method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

The storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, an optical magnetic disk (for example, a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray). It may consist of at least one (registered trademark) disk), smart card, flash memory (eg, card, stick, key drive), floppy (registered trademark) disk, magnetic strip, and the like. The storage 1003 may be referred to as an auxiliary storage device. The storage medium included in the SMF 10 (the physical server in which the SMF 10 is realized) may be, for example, a database including at least one of the memory 1002 and the storage 1003, a server, or any other suitable medium.

The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also referred to as, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, or the like. Communication device 1004 includes, for example, a high frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, and the like in order to realize at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). It may be composed of. For example, each function in the above-mentioned SMF 10 may be realized by the communication device 1004.

The input device 1005 is an input device (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that receives an input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (for example, a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that outputs to the outside. The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may have an integrated configuration (for example, a touch panel).

Further, each device such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002 is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured by using a single bus, or may be configured by using a different bus for each device.

The SMF10 (physical server in which the SMF10 is realized) includes a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP: Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and the like. It may be configured to include the hardware of the above, and a part or all of each functional block may be realized by the hardware. For example, processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware.

The notification of information is not limited to the embodiments / embodiments described in the present disclosure, and may be performed by other methods. For example, information notification includes physical layer signaling (for example, DCI (Downlink Control Information), UCI (Uplink Control Information)), upper layer signaling (for example, RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling, MAC (Medium Access Control) signaling, etc. It may be carried out by notification information (MIB (Master Information Block), SIB (System Information Block)), other signals, or a combination thereof. Further, the RRC signaling may be referred to as an RRC message, and may be, for example, an RRC Connection Setup message, an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, or the like.

Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure includes LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), and 5G (5th generation mobile communication). system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) )), LTE 802.16 (WiMAX®), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth®, and other systems that utilize and extend based on these. It may be applied to at least one of the next generation systems. Further, a plurality of systems may be applied in combination (for example, a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A and 5G).

The order of the processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be changed as long as there is no contradiction. For example, the methods described in the present disclosure present elements of various steps using exemplary order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

Information and the like can be output from the upper layer (or lower layer) to the lower layer (or upper layer). Input / output may be performed via a plurality of network nodes.

The input / output information and the like may be stored in a specific location (for example, a memory), or may be managed using a management table. Input / output information and the like can be overwritten, updated, or added. The output information and the like may be deleted. The input information or the like may be transmitted to another device.

The determination may be made by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), by a true / false value (Boolean: true or false), or by comparing numerical values (for example, a predetermined value). It may be done by comparison with the value).

Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched with execution. Further, the notification of predetermined information (for example, the notification of "being X") is not limited to the explicit one, but is performed implicitly (for example, the notification of the predetermined information is not performed). May be good.

Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described in the present disclosure. The present disclosure may be implemented as an amendment or modification without departing from the purpose and scope of the present disclosure, which is determined by the description of the scope of claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is for the purpose of exemplary explanation and does not have any limiting meaning to the present disclosure.

Software, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or by any other name, is an instruction, instruction set, code, code segment, program code, program, subprogram, software module. , Applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, features, etc. should be broadly interpreted.

Further, software, instructions, information and the like may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, a website where the software uses at least one of wired technology (coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), etc.) and wireless technology (infrared, microwave, etc.). When transmitted from a server, or other remote source, at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included within the definition of transmission medium.

The information, signals, etc. described in the present disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description are voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or photons, or any of these. It may be represented by a combination of.

The terms described in the present disclosure and the terms necessary for understanding the present disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of a channel and a symbol may be a signal (signaling). Also, the signal may be a message. Further, the component carrier (CC: Component Carrier) may be referred to as a carrier frequency, a cell, a frequency carrier, or the like.

The terms "system" and "network" used in this disclosure are used interchangeably.

In addition, the information, parameters, etc. described in the present disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values from predetermined values, or using other corresponding information. It may be represented. For example, the radio resource may be one indicated by an index.

The names used for the above parameters are not limited in any way. Further, mathematical formulas and the like using these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure. Since the various channels (eg, PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements can be identified by any suitable name, the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are in any respect limited names. is not it.

In the present disclosure, "Base Station (BS)", "Wireless Base Station", "Fixed Station", "NodeB", "eNodeB (eNB)", "gNodeB (gNB)", " "Access point", "transmission point", "reception point", "transmission / reception point", "cell", "sector", "cell group", "cell group" Terms such as "carrier" and "component carrier" can be used interchangeably. Base stations are sometimes referred to by terms such as macrocells, small cells, femtocells, and picocells.

The base station can accommodate one or more (eg, three) cells. When a base station accommodates multiple cells, the entire coverage area of the base station can be divided into multiple smaller areas, each smaller area being a base station subsystem (eg, a small indoor base station (RRH:)). Communication services can also be provided by Remote Radio Head). The term "cell" or "sector" refers to a portion or all of the coverage area of at least one of the base stations and base station subsystems that provide communication services in this coverage. Point to.

In the present disclosure, terms such as "mobile station (MS)", "user terminal", "user equipment (UE)", and "terminal" may be used interchangeably. ..

Mobile stations can be used by those skilled in the art as subscriber stations, mobile units, subscriber units, wireless units, remote units, mobile devices, wireless devices, wireless communication devices, remote devices, mobile subscriber stations, access terminals, mobile terminals, wireless. It may also be referred to as a terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable term.

At least one of a base station and a mobile station may be referred to as a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, or the like. At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device mounted on the mobile body, the mobile body itself, or the like. The moving body may be a vehicle (for example, a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned moving body (for example, a drone, an autonomous vehicle, etc.), or a robot (manned or unmanned type). ) May be. It should be noted that at least one of the base station and the mobile station includes a device that does not necessarily move during communication operation. For example, at least one of a base station and a mobile station may be an IoT (Internet of Things) device such as a sensor.

Further, the base station in the present disclosure may be read by the user terminal. For example, the communication between the base station and the user terminal is replaced with the communication between a plurality of user terminals (for example, it may be called D2D (Device-to-Device), V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything), etc.). Each aspect / embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to the configuration. In this case, the user terminal may have the function of the base station. In addition, words such as "up" and "down" may be read as words corresponding to inter-terminal communication (for example, "side"). For example, an uplink channel, a downlink channel, and the like may be read as a side channel.

Similarly, the user terminal in the present disclosure may be read as a base station. In this case, the base station may have the functions of the above-mentioned user terminal.

The terms "determining" and "determining" as used in this disclosure may include a wide variety of actions. "Judgment" and "decision" are, for example, judgment (judging), calculation (calculating), calculation (computing), processing (processing), derivation (deriving), investigating (investigating), search (looking up, search, inquiry). (For example, searching in a table, database or another data structure), ascertaining may be regarded as "judgment" or "decision". Also, "judgment" and "decision" are receiving (for example, receiving information), transmitting (for example, transmitting information), input (input), output (output), and access. (Accessing) (for example, accessing data in memory) may be regarded as "judgment" or "decision". In addition, "judgment" and "decision" mean that the things such as solving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and comparing are regarded as "judgment" and "decision". Can include. That is, "judgment" and "decision" may include considering some action as "judgment" and "decision". Further, "judgment (decision)" may be read as "assuming", "expecting", "considering" and the like.

The terms "connected", "coupled", or any variation thereof, mean any direct or indirect connection or connection between two or more elements, and each other. It can include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two "connected" or "combined" elements. The connection or connection between the elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connection" may be read as "access". As used in the present disclosure, the two elements use at least one of one or more wires, cables and printed electrical connections, and, as some non-limiting and non-comprehensive examples, the radio frequency domain. Can be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using electromagnetic energies having wavelengths in the microwave and light (both visible and invisible) regions.

The phrase "based on" as used in this disclosure does not mean "based on" unless otherwise stated. In other words, the statement "based on" means both "based only" and "at least based on".

Any reference to elements using designations such as "first", "second" as used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations can be used in the present disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Thus, references to the first and second elements do not mean that only two elements can be adopted, or that the first element must somehow precede the second element.

When "include", "including" and variations thereof are used in the present disclosure, these terms are as comprehensive as the term "comprising". Is intended. Furthermore, the term "or" used in the present disclosure is intended not to be an exclusive OR.

In the present disclosure, if articles are added by translation, for example a, an and the in English, the disclosure may include the plural nouns following these articles.

In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other". The term may mean that "A and B are different from C". Terms such as "separate" and "combined" may be interpreted in the same way as "different".

1 ... Mobile communication network, 10 ... SMF, 11 ... Detection unit, 12 ... Control unit, 20 ... Slice, 100 ... Mobile communication terminal, 110 ... SIM card, 1001 ... Processor, 1002 ... Memory, 1003 ... Storage, 1004 ... Communication device, 1005 ... Input device, 1006 ... Output device, 1007 ... Bus.

Claims (7)

Communication included in a mobile communication network that provides mobile communication functions to a mobile communication terminal equipped with a subscriber authentication module that stores subscriber information, which is information necessary for the mobile communication terminal to perform mobile communication. It ’s a control device,
A detector that detects the communication status of the subscriber authentication module to which the IP address required for communication is assigned, and
A control unit that sets the method of assigning an IP address to the subscriber authentication module to a dynamic method or a static method according to the communication status detected by the detection unit.
A communication control device comprising. The communication control according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects the length of the interval from disconnection to reconnection of the mobile communication terminal to which the subscriber authentication module is mounted as the communication status related to the subscriber authentication module. apparatus. The communication control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the detection unit detects a communication position of a mobile communication terminal equipped with a subscriber authentication module as a communication status related to the subscriber authentication module. The communication control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the detection unit detects a communication cycle of a mobile communication terminal equipped with a subscriber authentication module as a communication status related to the subscriber authentication module. The communication control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the detection unit detects the communication data size of the mobile communication terminal to which the subscriber authentication module is mounted as the communication status related to the subscriber authentication module. .. When the control unit sets the method of assigning the IP address to the subscriber authentication module to a dynamic method, the control unit assigns the IP address to the subscriber authentication module for a predetermined period from the disconnection of the communication of the mobile communication terminal. The communication control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which controls the assigned state. The mobile communication network has a plurality of slices that are virtual networks.
The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6 controls so that the mobile communication terminal is provided with the mobile communication function by the slice corresponding to the set allocation method among the plurality of slices. The communication control device described.

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