JP2021100157A - Radio communication device and radio communication system switching method - Google Patents

Abstract

To perform mobile carrier communication by appropriately selecting a first communication network in which an upper limit of an accumulated communication volume is determined by a period unit and a second communication network in which the upper limit of the accumulated communication volume of a period unit is not determined but has a communication area narrower than the first communication network.SOLUTION: A radio communication device 101 installed on a mobile body includes a measurement unit 132 which measures an accumulated communication volume in a previously determined measurement period by a first communication network of a communication unit 12, a determination unit 131 which determines whether or not the radio communication device 101 is in a communication area of the second communication network, and a selection unit which selects, as a communication network to be used, one of the first communication network and the second communication network on the basis of the accumulated communication volume in the measurement period by the first communication network and the result of the area determination. In the first communication network, a communication speed is restricted when the accumulated communication volume in the measurement period exceeds the upper limit value. The second communication network has a communication area narrower than the first communication network, but the communication speed is not restricted according to the accumulated communication volume.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to switching of communication networks in a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication using a communication network provided by a mobile communication operator.

In recent years, the speed of wireless communication has been increasing. LTE (Long Term Evolution) and WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) Release 2.1 are widespread in mobile communications (hereinafter referred to as "mobile carrier communications") by mobile communication carriers. The practical application of the 5th generation mobile communication system (5G) is imminent.

In the communication environment of mobiles such as trains, IT has been introduced in recent years, and in addition to the conventional train radio, that is, operation commands, digital signage, maintenance services, or operation support services using mobile carrier communication have begun to spread. There is. Digital signage is, for example, train vision. The maintenance service is a service that transfers various sensor information or vehicle logs mounted on the train from the train to the ground observer, and the ground observer quickly grasps information such as a failure and maintains it. The driving support service is a service that provides ECO driving support by transferring a driving state such as a speed or an operating state of a brake from a train to a ground observer, for example.

In the future, the amount of ground-to-vehicle communication in a mobile environment is expected to increase. Some communication networks provided by mobile carrier communication have an upper limit on the cumulative data communication amount on a period-by-period basis such as monthly (hereinafter referred to as "first communication network"), and cumulative data communication on a period-by-period basis. There is also a communication network with no upper limit in quantity (hereinafter referred to as "second communication network"). Then, some wireless communication devices can be used by switching between these plurality of communication networks provided by the mobile carrier communication.

The first communication network and the second communication network often use different frequency bands. The second communication network has no upper limit on the cumulative data communication amount for each period, but the frequency band used is higher and the communication area tends to be narrower than that of the first communication network. Therefore, the wireless communication device may have to use the first communication network having a wide communication area outside the metropolitan area or underground. When the cumulative data communication amount by the first communication network exceeds the upper limit, the communication speed may be limited not only in the first communication network but also in the second communication network. Therefore, the wireless communication device needs to prevent the amount of data communication by the first communication network from exceeding the upper limit.

JP-A-2018-67887

Patent Document 1 discloses a mobile communication terminal that switches between LTE and WiFi. However, the mobile communication terminal of Patent Document 1 switches from LTE to WiFi when the amount of communication in the LTE communication unit is large and the elapsed time after the WiFi becomes communicable exceeds the threshold value. It did not take into account the upper limit of data traffic set for each period such as month.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and there is no first communication network in which an upper limit of cumulative communication amount is set for each period, and there is no upper limit of cumulative communication amount for each period. It is an object of the present invention to perform mobile carrier communication by appropriately selecting a second communication network having a narrower communication area than one communication network.

The wireless communication device of the present invention is a wireless communication device mounted on a mobile body, and is a communication unit that performs wireless communication using either a first communication network or a second communication network provided by a mobile communication carrier. A measurement unit that measures the cumulative communication volume for a predetermined measurement period by the first communication network of the communication unit, and a determination unit that determines whether or not the wireless communication device is in the communication area of the second communication network. Based on the cumulative communication volume of the communication unit measured by the measurement unit during the measurement period by the first communication network and the result of the area determination of the judgment unit, either the first communication network or the second communication network is selected as the communication unit. The first communication network is provided with a selection unit selected as the communication network to be used, which is a communication network used for wireless communication, and the first communication network has a communication speed when the cumulative communication amount during the measurement period by the first communication network of the communication unit exceeds the upper limit. The second communication network is a communication network in which the communication area is narrower than that of the first communication network and the communication speed is not limited according to the cumulative communication amount.

According to the present invention, a first communication network in which an upper limit of cumulative communication amount is set for each period and a second communication network in which there is no upper limit of cumulative communication amount for each period but the communication area is narrower than that of the first communication network. Can be appropriately selected to perform mobile carrier communication.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the mobile router of the prerequisite technology. It is a figure which shows the structure of the wireless communication apparatus of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the wireless communication apparatus of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the area determination process of the wireless communication apparatus of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the wireless communication apparatus of Embodiment 2. It is a figure which shows the area map. It is a flowchart which shows the area determination process of the wireless communication apparatus of Embodiment 2. It is a figure which shows the structure of the wireless communication apparatus of Embodiment 3. It is a figure which shows the area map which superposed the route map. It is a flowchart which shows the area determination process of the wireless communication apparatus of Embodiment 3. It is a figure which shows the hardware composition of the control part of a wireless communication device. It is a figure which shows the hardware composition of the control part of a wireless communication device.

<A. Prerequisite technology>
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a mobile router 41 which is a prerequisite technology of the present invention. The mobile router 41 includes a communication unit 12, an antenna 14 for transmitting and receiving LTE radio waves, an antenna 15 for transmitting and receiving WiMAX radio waves, and a GUI (Graphical User Interface) 42. The user of the mobile router 41 performs a communication network switching operation on the GUI 42. Then, the control signal 16 is output from the GUI 42 to the communication unit 12, and the communication unit 12 performs wireless communication using either of the antennas 14 and 15 according to the control signal 16. That is, the communication unit 12 uses the antenna 14 to perform LTE wireless communication, or the antenna 15 to perform WiMAX wireless communication. In this way, the mobile router 41 can switch between LTE and WiMAX to perform wireless communication by manual operation by the user.

Here, LTE and WiMAX are examples of communication networks provided by mobile carrier communication. In particular, LTE is an example of the first communication network, which is a communication network in which an upper limit is set for the cumulative communication amount within a predetermined period such as monthly, and the communication speed is limited when the communication amount exceeds the upper limit. is there. In the following description, it is assumed that LTE has an upper limit on the cumulative communication volume on a monthly basis. Further, WiMAX is an example of a second communication network, which is a communication network having a narrower communication area than the first communication network, although the communication speed is not limited according to the cumulative communication amount as in the first communication network. In this specification, the first communication network will be referred to as LTE and the second communication network will be referred to as WiMAX.

When the monthly cumulative communication volume by LTE exceeds the upper limit value, the mobile router 41 shall impose a communication speed limit on both LTE and WiMAX. Therefore, the user needs to operate the GUI 42 to appropriately switch the communication network to be used between LTE and WiMAX while grasping the cumulative communication amount by LTE.

However, such a switching operation is troublesome for the user. Further, when the mobile router 41 is used for train communication, it is not realistic for the train crew to perform the operation of switching the communication network used by the mobile router 41 separately from the train operation work. Therefore, the wireless communication device described in each of the following embodiments is configured to automatically switch the communication network to be used without requiring any user operation.

<B. Embodiment 1>
<B-1. Configuration>
FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the wireless communication device 101 of the first embodiment. The wireless communication device 101 includes a control unit 13 instead of the GUI 42, as compared with the configuration of the mobile router 41 of the prerequisite technology. The control unit 13 includes a determination unit 131, a measurement unit 132, and a selection unit 133.

The wireless communication device 101 is mounted on the mobile body. An example of a mobile is a train. In each of the following embodiments, the moving body will be described as a train.

The determination unit 131 determines the area of whether or not the wireless communication device 101 is located within the WiMAX communication area.

The measuring unit 132 measures the cumulative communication amount of LTE by the communication unit 12 in a period unit. The period during which the measuring unit 132 measures the cumulative communication amount (hereinafter referred to as “measurement period”) is a period during which the cumulative communication amount subject to the LTE communication speed limitation is determined, and is described below as an example. One month. That is, the measuring unit 132 measures the cumulative LTE communication amount on a monthly basis.

The selection unit 133 acquires the area determination result from the determination unit 131, and acquires the cumulative LTE communication amount from the measurement unit 132. Then, the selection unit 133 selects the communication network used for the wireless communication of the communication unit 12 between WiMAX and LTE based on this information. Then, when the selection unit 133 selects a communication network different from the communication network currently used by the communication unit 12, the selection unit 133 outputs the control signal 16 of the communication network to the communication unit 12. The communication unit 12 switches the communication network according to the control signal 16 to perform wireless communication.

<B-2. Operation>
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the wireless communication device 101. Hereinafter, the operation of the wireless communication device 101 will be described according to the flow of FIG.

In the initial state, the communication unit 12 uses WiMAX as a communication network (hereinafter referred to as "used communication network") and performs wireless communication (step S101).

Next, the measuring unit 132 measures the current monthly cumulative communication volume of LTE and outputs it to the selection unit 133. Then, the selection unit 133 determines whether or not the cumulative LTE traffic is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (step S102). This threshold value is set below the upper limit value based on the upper limit value of the monthly cumulative communication amount of LTE that can communicate without imposing a limitation on the communication speed. When this upper limit value is, for example, 9 GB, the threshold value in step S102 is set to, for example, 8.9 GB.

If the cumulative amount of LTE communication is equal to or greater than the threshold value in step S102, the communication speed may be limited if the communication unit 12 further uses LTE for wireless communication. Therefore, the communication unit 12 does not use LTE for the rest of the month, and continues to use WiMAX (step S109).

When the cumulative LTE communication volume is less than the threshold value in step S102, the selection unit 133 continuously uses the wireless communication device 101 for a certain period of time, for example, 2 minutes or more, based on the area determination result acquired from the determination unit 131. It is determined whether or not it is outside (step S103).

If the determination of the selection unit 133 in step S103 is negative, the selection unit 133 repeats step S103 until the wireless communication device 101 is continuously out of the WiMAX communication area for 2 minutes or more. On the other hand, if the wireless communication device 101 is continuously out of the WiMAX communication area for 2 minutes or more, the selection unit 133 selects LTE as the communication network used by the communication unit 12. Then, the selection unit 133 outputs a control signal 16 for switching the used communication network to the communication unit 12, and the communication unit 12 switches the used communication network from WiMAX to LTE (step S104).

After that, the measuring unit 132 measures the current monthly cumulative communication volume of LTE and outputs it to the selection unit 133. Then, the selection unit 133 determines whether or not the cumulative LTE traffic is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (step S105). This threshold is the same as the threshold in step S102.

If the cumulative amount of LTE communication is equal to or greater than the threshold value in step S105, the communication speed may be limited if the communication unit 12 further uses LTE for wireless communication. Therefore, the selection unit 133 selects WiMAX as the communication network used in the communication unit 12. Then, the selection unit 133 outputs a control signal 16 for switching the used communication network to the communication unit 12, and the communication unit 12 switches the used communication network from LTE to WiMAX (step S108). Then, the communication unit 12 continues to use WiMAX for the rest of the month (step S109). In this case, although the wireless communication device 101 is outside the WiMAX communication area and communication by WiMAX is not always possible, the communication unit 12 continues to use WiMAX.

When the cumulative LTE communication volume is less than the threshold value in step S105, the selection unit 133 acquires the current area determination result from the determination unit 131, and based on this, whether or not the wireless communication device 101 is located in the WiMAX communication area. Is determined (step S106). If the wireless communication device 101 is not within the WiMAX communication area in step S106, the process of the selection unit 133 returns to step S105. On the other hand, if the wireless communication device 101 is within the WiMAX communication area in step S106, the selection unit 133 outputs a control signal 16 for switching the communication network used to the communication unit 12, and the communication network used in the communication unit 12 is LTE. To WiMAX (step S108). Then, the process of the selection unit 133 returns to step S103.

The determination unit 131 determines the area of whether or not the wireless communication device 101 is within the WiMAX communication area at any time such as at a fixed cycle. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an area determination process by the determination unit 131 of the wireless communication device 101. Hereinafter, the area determination process of the first embodiment will be described along with the flow of FIG.

First, the determination unit 131 acquires the radio field intensity signal 17 from the communication unit 12 (step S201). The radio wave intensity signal 17 includes information on the reception intensity of the WiMAX radio wave received by the antenna 15. The determination unit 131 determines whether or not the intensity of the received radio wave of WiMAX is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value based on the radio wave intensity signal 17 (step S202). In step S202, if the strength of the WiMAX received radio wave is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the determination unit 131 determines that the wireless communication device 101 is within the WiMAX communication area (step S203). On the other hand, in step S202, if the strength of the WiMAX received radio wave is less than the threshold value, the determination unit 131 determines that the wireless communication device 101 is outside the WiMAX communication area (step S204).

<B-3. Effect>
The wireless communication device 101 of the first embodiment is a wireless communication device mounted on a mobile body, and wireless communication is performed using either the first communication network or the second communication network provided by the mobile communication operator. Whether or not the communication unit 12 to perform the communication, the measurement unit 132 for measuring the cumulative communication amount of the communication unit 12 for a predetermined measurement period, and the wireless communication device 101 are in the communication area of the second communication network. Based on the cumulative communication volume during the measurement period by the first communication network of the communication unit 12 measured by the determination unit 131 and the measurement unit 132, and the determination result of the determination unit 131, the first communication network and the second communication It includes a selection unit 133 that selects one of the networks as a communication network to be used, which is a communication network used by the communication unit 12 for wireless communication. The first communication network is a communication network in which the communication speed is limited when the cumulative communication amount in the measurement period by the first communication network of the communication unit 12 exceeds the upper limit value, and the second communication network communicates from the first communication network. It is a communication network with a small area and the communication speed is not limited according to the cumulative communication volume. Therefore, according to the wireless communication device 101, the first communication network and the second communication network can be appropriately used together without the user's switching operation.

Further, in the wireless communication device 101, the selection unit 133 sets the cumulative communication amount of the wireless communication device 101 within the communication area of the second communication network or the cumulative communication amount of the communication unit 12 during the measurement period by the first communication network to the upper limit value. When the first threshold value equal to or less than the upper limit value determined based on the above is exceeded, the second communication network is selected as the communication network to be used, the wireless communication device 101 is not in the communication area of the second communication network, and the communication unit 12 is located. When the cumulative communication volume within the measurement period by one communication network does not exceed the first threshold value, the first communication network is selected as the communication network to be used. Therefore, according to the wireless communication device 101, the first communication network and the second communication network can be used together within a range in which the cumulative communication amount of the first communication network does not exceed the upper limit value without the switching operation of the user.

Further, in the wireless communication device 101, the determination unit 131 determines the area based on the strength of the signal received by the communication unit 12 through the second communication network. Therefore, according to the wireless communication device 101, the area can be accurately determined.

The first communication network is LTE, and the second communication network is WiMAX. Therefore, according to the wireless communication device 101, according to the wireless communication device 101, LTE and WiMAX can be appropriately used together without a user switching operation.

<C. Embodiment 2>
In the wireless communication device 101 of the first embodiment, the area determination is performed based on the strength of the received radio wave of WiMAX. On the other hand, in the wireless communication device 102 of the second embodiment, the area determination is performed using the GPS signal and the area map.

<C-1. Configuration>
FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the wireless communication device 102 of the second embodiment. In the configuration of the wireless communication device 101 of the first embodiment, the wireless communication device 102 includes a positioning unit 135 and an area map storage unit 134 in the control unit 13.

The positioning unit 135 acquires a GPS signal received by the GPS receiver 18 mounted on the mobile body, measures the position of the wireless communication device 102 based on the GPS signal, and outputs the position to the determination unit 131.

The area map storage unit 134 stores an area map provided by a mobile carrier communication operator that provides WiMAX. The area map is map information as shown in FIG. 6, and includes at least information on an area that can be communicated by WiMAX.

From this area map, the determination unit 131 defines a communication area 20 that can be reliably communicated by WiMAX. Then, the determination unit 131 determines whether or not the wireless communication device 102 is within the communication area 20 based on the position information of the communication area 20 and the wireless communication device 102.

<C-2. Operation>
The overall operation of the wireless communication device 102 is the same as the overall operation of the wireless communication device 101 of the second embodiment described in the flowchart of FIG. In the wireless communication device 102, the area determination process related to step S103 and step S106 in FIG. 3 is different from that of the wireless communication device 101. Hereinafter, the area determination process of the wireless communication device 102 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7.

First, the positioning unit 135 acquires a GPS signal from the GPS receiver 18 and measures the position of the wireless communication device 102 based on the GPS signal (step S301).

Next, the determination unit 131 acquires the area map from the area map storage unit 134 and the position information of the wireless communication device 102 from the positioning unit 135, and whether or not the position of the wireless communication device 102 is within the communication area 20 of the area map. Is determined (step S302). Then, if the position of the wireless communication device 102 is within the communication area 20 of the area map, the determination unit 131 determines that the wireless communication device 102 is within the communication area (step S303), and the position of the wireless communication device 102 is determined. If it is outside the communication area 20 of the area map, it is determined that the wireless communication device 102 is outside the communication area (step S304).

Note that FIG. 6 shows a rectangular communication area 20. However, the communication area 20 is not limited to this, and is actually defined in a form according to the area map provided by the mobile carrier communication operator.

Further, in FIG. 5, the configuration in which the control unit 13 includes the area map storage unit 134 has been described. However, if the first communication network and the second communication network are general Internet networks and the control unit 13 can acquire the area map provided by the mobile carrier communication carrier via the Internet network, the control unit 13 Is not provided with the area map storage unit 134, and may acquire and use the area map provided by the mobile carrier communication carrier at any time via the Internet network.

<C-3. Effect>
The wireless communication device 102 of the second embodiment includes a positioning unit 135 that measures the position of the wireless communication device 102. Then, the determination unit 131 determines the area based on the area map in which the communication area of the second communication network is defined and the position of the wireless communication device 102 measured by the positioning unit 135. Therefore, according to the wireless communication device 102, the area can be accurately determined.

The positioning unit 135 measures the position of the wireless communication device 102 based on the GPS signal received by the GPS receiver mounted on the mobile body. Therefore, according to the wireless communication device 102, the area can be accurately determined. it can.

<D. Embodiment 3>
The wireless communication device 102 of the second embodiment performs area determination using GPS signals and an area map. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the moving body is a train, and the wireless communication device 103 of the third embodiment determines the area by using the kilometer of the train and the area map.

<D-1. Configuration>
FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the wireless communication device 103 of the third embodiment. The wireless communication device 103 has the same configuration as the wireless communication device 102 of the second embodiment, but differs in that the positioning unit 135 acquires the distance of the train from the TIMS (Train Information Management System) 21. TIMS is an example of a train information management system.

The determination unit 131 identifies a section of the train line that can communicate with WiMAX by superimposing the train line 22 on the area map 19 acquired from the area map storage unit 134. For example, in the example of FIG. 9, the section between the B station and the C station in the train line 22 is specified as a communication area capable of communicating with WiMAX. Then, the determination unit 131 determines whether or not the wireless communication device 103 is within the communication area according to the kilometer of the train acquired from the positioning unit 135.

<D-2. Operation>
The overall operation of the wireless communication device 103 is the same as the overall operation of the wireless communication device 101 of the second embodiment described in the flowchart of FIG. In the wireless communication device 103, the area determination process related to step S103 and step S106 in FIG. 3 is different from that of the wireless communication device 101. Hereinafter, the area determination process of the wireless communication device 103 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the positioning unit 135 acquires the kilometer of the train from the TIMS 21, and identifies the position of the wireless communication device 103 according to the kilometer (step S401).

Next, the determination unit 131 acquires the area map from the area map storage unit 134 and the distance of the train from the positioning unit 135, and determines whether or not the wireless communication device 103 is within the communication area of the area map (step S402). ). In the example of FIG. 9, assuming that the section between the B station and the C station on the line 22 is set as the communication area, the determination unit 131 is located between the B station and the C station from the distance of the train kilometer. Judge whether or not. Then, if the train is between B station and C station, the determination unit 131 determines that the wireless communication device 103 is within the WiMAX communication area (step S403), and the train must be between B station and C station. For example, the determination unit 131 determines that the wireless communication device 103 is outside the WiMAX communication area (step S404).

<D-3. Effect>
In the wireless communication device 103 of the third embodiment, the moving body is a train, and the positioning unit 135 of the wireless communication device 103 is based on the kilometer of the train acquired from the train information management system (TIMS) mounted on the train. Measure the position. Therefore, according to the wireless communication device 103, it is possible to determine whether or not the wireless communication device 103 is within the communication area of WiMAX from the distance of the train, and select the communication network according to the determination result.

<E. Hardware configuration>
The communication unit 12 and the control unit 13 in the wireless communication device 101-103 described above are realized by the processing circuit 81 shown in FIG. That is, the processing circuit 81 includes a communication unit 12, a determination unit 131, a measurement unit 132, a selection unit 133, an area map storage unit 134, and a positioning unit 135. Dedicated hardware may be applied to the processing circuit 81, or a processor that executes a program stored in the memory may be applied. The processor is, for example, a central processing unit, a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or the like.

When the processing circuit 81 is dedicated hardware, the processing circuit 81 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field-Programmable). Gate Array), or a combination of these. The functions of each of the communication unit 12, the determination unit 131, the measurement unit 132, the selection unit 133, the area map storage unit 134, the positioning unit 135, etc. (hereinafter, "determination unit 131, etc.") are realized by a plurality of processing circuits 81. It may be performed, or the functions of each part may be integrated and realized by one processing circuit.

When the processing circuit 81 is a processor, the functions of the determination unit 131 and the like are realized by a combination of software and the like (software, firmware or software and firmware). Software and the like are described as programs and stored in memory. As shown in FIG. 12, the processor 82 applied to the processing circuit 81 realizes the functions of each part by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 83. That is, when the wireless communication device 101-103 is executed by the processing circuit 81, the step of performing wireless communication using either the first communication network or the second communication network provided by the mobile communication operator, and A step of measuring the cumulative communication amount within a predetermined measurement period by the first communication network of the wireless communication device, a step of determining whether or not the wireless communication device is in the communication area of the second communication network, and a step of determining whether or not the wireless communication device is in the communication area of the second communication network. A step of selecting either the first communication network or the second communication network as the communication network used for wireless communication based on the cumulative communication volume of the wireless communication device during the measurement period by the first communication network and the result of the area determination. A memory 83 is provided for storing a program that will be executed as a result. In other words, it can be said that this program causes the computer to execute the procedure or method of the determination unit 131 or the like. Here, the memory 83 includes, for example, non-volatile such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). Or with volatile semiconductor memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) and its drive device, etc., or any storage medium used in the future. There may be.

The configuration in which each function of the determination unit 131 and the like is realized by either hardware or software has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration may be configured in which a part of the determination unit 131 or the like is realized by dedicated hardware and another part is realized by software or the like.

As described above, the processing circuit can realize each of the above-mentioned functions by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Although the area map storage unit 134 is composed of the memory 83, they may be composed of a single memory 83 or each of them may be composed of individual memories.

In the present invention, each embodiment can be freely combined, and each embodiment can be appropriately modified or omitted within the scope of the invention.

12 communication unit, 13 control unit, 14, 15 antenna, 16 control signal, 17 radio field strength signal, 18 GPS receiver, 19 area map, 20 communication area, 22 routes, 41 mobile router, 81 processing circuit, 82 processor, 83 memory , 101-103 wireless communication device, 131 judgment unit, 132 measurement unit, 133 selection unit, 134 area map storage unit, 135 positioning unit.

Claims (8)

A wireless communication device mounted on a mobile body
A communication unit that performs wireless communication using either the first communication network or the second communication network provided by the mobile communication operator, and
A measuring unit that measures the cumulative communication volume of the communication unit during a predetermined measurement period by the first communication network, and a measuring unit.
A determination unit that determines whether or not the wireless communication device is in the communication area of the second communication network, and a determination unit.
Either the first communication network or the second communication network is based on the cumulative communication volume of the communication unit measured by the measurement unit during the measurement period by the first communication network and the result of the area determination of the determination unit. One is provided with a selection unit selected by the communication unit as a communication network to be used, which is a communication network used for the wireless communication.
The first communication network is a communication network in which the communication speed is limited when the cumulative communication amount during the measurement period by the first communication network of the communication unit exceeds the upper limit value.
The second communication network is a communication network in which the communication area is narrower than that of the first communication network and the communication speed is not limited according to the cumulative communication amount.
Wireless communication device. The selection unit
When the wireless communication device is in the communication area of the second communication network, or the cumulative communication amount of the communication unit during the measurement period by the first communication network is equal to or less than the upper limit value determined based on the upper limit value. When the threshold is exceeded, the second communication network is selected as the communication network to be used, and the communication network is selected.
When the wireless communication device is not in the communication area of the second communication network and the cumulative communication amount of the communication unit during the measurement period by the first communication network does not exceed the threshold value, the first communication. Select the network as the communication network to be used,
The wireless communication device according to claim 1. The determination unit determines the area based on the strength of the signal received by the communication unit through the second communication network.
The wireless communication device according to claim 1 or 2. A positioning unit for measuring the position of the wireless communication device is further provided.
The determination unit determines the area based on the area map in which the communication area of the second communication network is defined and the position of the wireless communication device measured by the positioning unit.
The wireless communication device according to claim 1 or 2. The positioning unit measures the position of the wireless communication device based on a GPS signal received by a GPS receiver mounted on the mobile body.
The wireless communication device according to claim 4. The moving body is a train
The positioning unit measures the position of the wireless communication device based on the kilometer of the train acquired from the train information management system mounted on the train.
The wireless communication device according to claim 4. The first communication network is LTE, and the second communication network is WiMAX.
The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. It is a wireless communication method switching method using a wireless communication device mounted on a mobile body.
Wireless communication is performed using either the first communication network or the second communication network provided by the mobile communication operator.
The cumulative communication volume of the wireless communication device within a predetermined measurement period by the first communication network is measured, and the cumulative communication amount is measured.
Area determination is performed to determine whether or not the wireless communication device is in the communication area of the second communication network.
Based on the cumulative communication volume of the wireless communication device during the measurement period by the first communication network and the result of the area determination, either the first communication network or the second communication network is used for the wireless communication. Select as a communication network,
The first communication network is a communication network in which the communication speed is limited when the cumulative communication amount during the measurement period exceeds the upper limit value.
The second communication network is a communication network in which the communication area is narrower than that of the first communication network and the communication speed is not limited according to the cumulative communication amount.
Wireless communication method switching method.

Images