JP3898081B2 - Mobile communication system and method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mobile communication system and method, and is suitable for application to, for example, communication corresponding to MIP (Mobile IP) defined in RFC2002, which is a document issued by IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force). It is.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A protocol called MIP has been developed by IETF so that a mobile node (MN: mobile body) can communicate with a fixed IP address unique to the mobile node via a router connected at the destination. This is a protocol for maintaining communication in the IP (Internet Protocol) layer even if the link is re-established at the destination. A process necessary for re-linking the link at the destination and maintaining the communication is called a handover process.
[0003]
In the handover process, various information (that is, context) necessary for continuation of communication is transferred, and time is also required for the transfer. Therefore, in actuality, the MN is actually in the adjacent radio zone (cell). If the delivery is performed after moving, the communication is temporarily stagnated during the handover process.
[0004]
In order to solve this problem, the same IETF is used to develop a protocol for smoothly executing a handover process on the MIP simultaneously with the MIP protocol. A CT (Context Transfer) method, which is one of these methods, will be described with reference to FIG.
[0005]
According to the CT method, an AR (access router) 2002 to which the MN 2005 is connected by a wireless link or the like before the MN 2005 moves from the wireless zone Z1 covered by itself to the adjacent wireless zones Z2, Z3, etc. The context related to the communication performed with the MN 2005 so far is transmitted to the AR 2003A, 2003B, etc. covering the adjacent wireless zones Z2, Z3, etc. As a result, the AR 2003A and 2003B to be connected next can perform the handover process in advance, so that when the MN 2005 relinks with the next AR (one of 2003A, 2003B, etc.), the communication is performed. No stagnation.
[0006]
Actually, when the MN 2005 moves to a wireless zone (for example, Z2), the initialization process for the compression protocol, the tunneling protocol initialization process with the HA, the QoS reservation for the communication path, the authentication re- Because it is possible to reduce packet loss, communication delay, etc. that may occur when reestablishing a session such as QoS reservation or compression protocol, etc., while securing an encrypted communication path, etc. is there.
[0007]
In FIG. 2, GW 2001 is a gateway that accommodates AR 1, AR 2003 A, 2003 B, AR 2004 and the like and connects to network 2000.
[0008]
In addition, a method of introducing and configuring an access point (AP) has been proposed in order to reduce the intermittent connection due to the change of the access destination with respect to the movement of the MN. The AR is an IP layer device, but the AP is a lower layer device than the IP layer, and the MN does not directly access the AR, but a plurality of APs are connected to the AR. It communicates with the AR via the nearby AP.
[0009]
FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of a network configured by introducing an AP. The difference from FIG. 2 is that in FIG. 2 the AR directly covers the radio zone (Z1, Z2, etc.), whereas in FIG. 6, the AP directly covers the radio zone and 1 or The only difference is that multiple APs are accommodated in one AR. Since the AP is interposed in the middle, the structure in which each AR accommodates the MN is not changed even in the configuration of FIG. Therefore, the above description regarding FIG. 2 applies to FIG. 6 almost as it is.
[0010]
However, when a plurality of APs are accommodated by one AR, a plurality of small radio zones covered by the plurality of APs are handled as a single large radio zone when viewed from the AR hierarchy. For example, for AR6003, a large radio zone including four small radio zones covered by AP6007A to 6007C and AP6008 is handled as a single radio zone.
[0011]
It is natural that these small radio zones are different radio zones from the AP hierarchy.
[0012]
In FIG. 15, for example, assuming that the radio zone covered by the AR 6003 in FIG. 6 is the large area 15b, the areas covered by the APs 6007A to 6007C, 6008, etc. accommodated by the AR 6003 are small areas ( 15f). In FIG. 15, since the large wireless zone 15b includes seven small wireless zones, according to FIG. 15, the AR 6003 has seven APs (of which four are the above-mentioned 6007A to 6007C and 6008). Will be housed.
[0013]
In this case, the large wireless zone 15a in FIG. 15 is covered by an AR other than the AR 6003 (for example, the AR 6002 in FIG. 6), and the large wireless zone 15c is the third AR (for example, AR 6004 in FIG. 6). Will cover. Further, each AR accommodates seven APs under its control corresponding to each of the seven small radio zones included in the radio zones 15A and 15c.
[0014]
In the example of FIG. 15, the MN 2005 travels straight from the start point SP to the end point EP along the route RT1. The route RT1 exists geographically over all the large radio zones 15a to 15c in the hierarchy of the large radio zone. However, in the hierarchy of the small radio zone, the route RT1 is located on the small radio zones 15d to 15h. Although it exists, it does not exist on other small radio zones.
[0015]
Accordingly, when the MN 2005 moves along the route RT1, the MN 2005 accesses the AR 6002 and the network 6000 via the AP 6006 at the start point SP, and performs wireless communication every time the small wireless zone to which the movement changes with the movement. Each time the AP to be switched is switched and the large wireless zone to which it belongs changes, the AR to be communicated (subject to relay processing) is switched.
[0016]
The internal configuration of such MN2005 is shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the MN 2005 includes a control unit 4001, a communication unit 4002, a MIP processing unit 4003, and an application processing unit 4004.
[0017]
Data packets and control packets used for communication are input / output via the communication unit 4002.
[0018]
The MIP processing unit 4003 is a part that performs the MIP processing by the control packet and the data packet delivery processing, and the application processing unit 4004 performs processing of the communication application, generation of the data packet to be transmitted, and processing of the received data packet It is a part to do.
[0019]
The internal configuration of the AP is shown in FIG. The internal configurations of the APs (for example, 6007A and 6006) shown in FIG. 6 may all be the same.
[0020]
In FIG. 5, the AP includes a control unit 5001, a communication unit 5002, and a MIP processing unit 5003.
[0021]
The communication unit 5002 receives data packets and control packets, passes them to the MIP processing unit 5003, receives a packet generated by the MIP processing unit 5003, and sends data to an appropriate link.
[0022]
Finally, FIG. 3 shows the internal configuration of the AR. The internal configuration of the AR in FIG. 6 that accommodates APs under it and the AR in FIG. 2 that does not accommodate APs are actually different in terms of the presence or absence of a wireless communication function for wireless communication with the MN, but are shown in FIG. This difference is ignored at the level. Therefore, as far as the components shown in FIG. 3 are concerned, it can be said that the AR in FIG. 2 (for example, 2002) and the AR in FIG. 6 (for example, 6002) have the same internal configuration.
[0023]
In FIG. 3, the AR includes a control unit 3001, a communication unit 3002, a MIP processing unit 3003, and a next candidate AR determination unit 3004.
[0024]
The MIP processing unit 3003 processes the input data packet or control packet. When the control unit 3001 determines that a handover process is necessary from the control packet information, the wireless strength, etc., the next candidate AR is determined. The unit 3004 determines a candidate AR that is a destination of context transfer according to the CT method, and executes context transfer to the candidate AR. This context transfer makes it possible to execute a smooth handover process that does not stagnate ongoing communication.
[0025]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, as is clear from the wireless zones Z1 to Z3 in FIG. 2 and FIG. 15 and the like, the wireless zones are usually set close to each other so as to overlap each other. There are many ARs. Considering that the movement speed of the MN may be high, each AR that directly covers the wireless zone of the AR currently communicating with the MN (adjacent wireless zone) as well as each of these ARs. This is because the context needs to be transferred to each AR that covers a wireless zone (indirect wireless zone) adjacent to the AR.
[0026]
Assuming that the MN is located in the wireless zone E0 arranged in the center of FIG. 20, if attention is paid to the wireless zone E0, the wireless zones E1 to E6 are adjacent to the wireless zone E0, and the wireless zones E11 to E22 are the same. Indirect radio zone. Including up to the indirect wireless zone, there are 19 wireless zones in FIG.
[0027]
When a context is transferred to many candidate ARs (for example, 18 candidate ARs excluding the radio zone covered by itself among the 19 radio zones), an excessive processing load is imposed on the AR or network that transfers the context. Network load occurs.
[0028]
Although the MN actually moves in one radio zone, it can be said that transferring contexts to a large number of candidate ARs in this way is inefficient in context transfer.
[0029]
In order to reduce these loads, it is conceivable to reduce the number of candidate ARs. However, if the number of candidate ARs is reduced unnecessarily, there is a high possibility that the MN moves to a radio zone of an AR that does not transfer the context. turn into. Due to the nature of context transfer, if the MN moves to an AR radio zone that does not transfer the context, naturally, the handover process cannot be performed smoothly, and communication temporarily stops during the processing time. For MN users, this stagnation is recognized as an interruption in communication, leading to a decrease in communication quality and a decrease in communication reliability.
[0030]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve such a problem, in the first invention, a mobile communication terminal that moves on a predetermined geographical area while continuing predetermined communication, and a relay device network including a plurality of relay devices that relay the communication, And at least a part of the plurality of relay devices included in the relay device network is a cover relay device having wireless communication means for directly communicating with the mobile communication terminal, and each cover relay device In the mobile communication system configured to cover the geographical area, at least the cover relay device among the relay devices is (1) Recieved Context corresponding means for guaranteeing continuation of the communication using predetermined context information, and (2) the mobile communication terminal communicating with the wireless communication means, The destination area where the destination position will exist after a predetermined time from now Predicted movement Destination area Prediction means, and (3) the movement Destination area Movement predicted by the predictor Destination area With the cover area on top Do Candidate selection means for selecting a candidate cover relay apparatus from among the cover relay apparatuses; and (4) context information transfer means for transferring the context information to the candidate cover relay apparatus selected by the candidate selection means. (2) The destination area prediction means includes a low speed prediction template used when the moving speed of the mobile communication terminal is smaller than the size of one cover area, and a high speed used when the moving speed is large. A template storage unit storing two of the prediction templates, wherein the low-speed prediction template determines a predicted center position of a movement destination from a current position, a moving direction and a moving speed, and covers the predicted center position as a center The destination area is predicted within an area of the area size, and the high-speed prediction template determines a predicted center position of the destination from the current position, the moving direction and the moving speed, and the predicted center position In the combined region of the first region of the size of the cover region centered on and the second region of the closed region formed by the tangent line between the first region and the current position, It is intended to predict the serial movement destination area It is characterized by that.
[0031]
In the second invention, the mobile communication terminal moves on a predetermined geographical area while continuing a predetermined communication, and at least one of a plurality of relay devices that relay the communication within a predetermined relay device network. The unit is a cover relay device having a wireless communication means for directly communicating with the mobile communication terminal, and the cover area covered by each cover relay device covers the geographical region. In at least the cover relay device among the relay devices, (1) the context handling means includes: Recieved Guaranteeing continuation of the communication using predetermined context information, and (2) moving the mobile communication terminal in communication by the wireless communication means. Destination area Move Destination area Predictive means The destination area where the destination position will exist after a predetermined time from now Predict, (3) the movement Destination area Movement predicted by the predictor Destination area With the cover area on top Do The candidate selection means selects a candidate cover relay apparatus from the cover relay apparatuses, and (4) the context transfer means transfers the context information to the candidate cover relay apparatus selected by the candidate selection means. (2) The destination area predicting means uses a low speed prediction template used when the moving speed of the mobile communication terminal is smaller than the size of one cover area, and a high speed used when the moving speed is large. The low-speed prediction template determines a predicted center position of the movement destination from the current position, the moving direction and the moving speed, and the predicted center position is the center. The destination area is predicted within the size of the cover area, and the high-speed prediction template determines the predicted center position of the destination from the current position, the moving direction and the moving speed, and the predicted center A combined area of a first area having a cover area centered on the position and a second area formed by a closed area formed by the first area and a tangent line between the current position and the first area In, it is predictive of the destination area It is characterized by that.
[0032]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(A) Embodiment
Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to an example in which the mobile communication system and method according to the present invention are applied to the mobile communication system using the MIP.
[0033]
The handover process generally refers to a process of transferring necessary information (context) in a mobile communication switching center or the like in order to continue the communication (session) when the MN crosses a radio zone during communication. Therefore, the handover process is not a process specific to MIP, but is used in many mobile communications.
[0034]
However, in the handover process related to MIP, the context transfer is executed between routers (access routers (AR)) covering each geographically adjacent radio zone. The contents of the context include, for example, initialization processing for a compression protocol performed on link communication such as wireless communication, and initialization of a tunneling protocol with a home agent (HA) defined in MIP. Various information related to processing, QoS (service quality) reservation of communication path, re-authentication, securing of encrypted communication path, and the like.
[0035]
In addition, since the AR is basically a router that performs processing corresponding to the network layer of the OSI reference model, the packet (in this case, the IP address in this case) is also used for transferring the context between the ARs. Packet) will be used.
[0036]
A feature common to the first to fifth embodiments is that the destination of the MN is predicted, context transfer is efficiently and effectively processed, network resources are effectively used, and communication quality is maintained. . Thereby, the range of context transfer can be appropriately expanded according to the moving speed of the MN, and the handover process during high-speed movement can be efficiently performed.
[0037]
(A-1) Configuration of the first embodiment
An example of the overall configuration of the mobile communication system of the present embodiment may be the same as that shown in FIG. However, the internal configurations of the MN and the AR among the components shown in FIG. 2 are different from the conventional ones.
[0038]
Although FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration omitted in many respects, in reality, the AR has a function as a radio base station for the MN. Naturally, a large number of base stations, that is, ARs are arranged corresponding to patterns (12-cell repetitive patterns) and the like. Therefore, when a part of the radio zone group covered by each of these multiple ARs is extracted and illustrated, for example, a radio zone configuration as shown in FIG. 20 is obtained. In FIG. 20, as described above, 19 radio zones E0 to E6 and E11 to E22 are arranged.
[0039]
If necessary, an AR having a function as a radio base station is not directly connected to the GW 2001, but a relay router may be arranged between the AR and the GW 2001. The relay router may be interposed not only between the AR and the GW 2001 but also between the AR and the AR.
[0040]
As long as it is a mobile communication system, there are usually a large number of independent and unspecified MNs in the system. In the following, description will be given mainly focusing on one MN (here, MN8000).
[0041]
FIG. 1 shows an internal configuration example of the AR 1000 of the present embodiment that performs wireless communication with the MN 8000. In the present embodiment, the AR predicts the movement destination of the MN 8000 in cooperation with the MN 8000.
[0042]
(A-1-1) AR internal configuration example
In FIG. 1, the AR (access router) 1000 includes a control unit 1001, a communication unit 1002, a MIP processing unit 1003, a next candidate AR determination unit 1004, a speed measurement unit 1005, a position detection unit 1006, and a neighborhood An AR position search unit 1007, a position data storage unit 1008, a movement prediction unit 1009, and a prediction pattern holding unit 1010 are provided.
[0043]
Of these, the communication unit 1002 is a part that inputs and outputs the data packet DP1 and the control packet CP1, and the MIP processing unit 1003 is a part that processes the input data packet DP1 and the control packet CP1 according to the MIP. The data packet is a packet containing user data for the MN 8000 to communicate with other MNs or fixed communication terminals, and the control packet is a packet for performing control related to MIP. It is. In addition to these packets, the communication unit 1002 performs input / output processing includes a speed information notification packet VN1, a position information notification packet PN1, and a wireless zone information related packet ZN1, which will be described later.
[0044]
The context transfer packet CX1 is also transmitted and received by the MIP processing unit 1003.
[0045]
The control unit 1001 is a part that determines whether or not a handover process is necessary based on the information of the control packet and the strength of the radio that communicates with the MN 8000. In general, when the MN 8000 is located near the center of one radio zone covered by the AR 1000, it is determined that there is no need for a handover process because the MN 8000 is located near the center, and sufficient strength is obtained when located near the outer edge. Since it is not obtained, there is a high tendency to determine that a handover process is necessary.
[0046]
The next candidate AR determination unit 1004 is a part that determines an AR as a destination to which the context is transferred. In this embodiment, the destination of the context is determined according to the prediction result information CN1 of the movement path of the MN 8000 by the movement prediction unit 1009. In order to determine the next candidate AR, the number of next candidate ARs is usually smaller than in the conventional case.
[0047]
The movement prediction unit 1009 acquires various basic information from the speed measurement unit 1005, the position detection unit 1006, and the position data storage unit 1008, and executes predetermined prediction processing based on the basic information, thereby moving the MN 8000. This is the part that predicts the route. In this prediction process, it is sufficient if the destination wireless zone of the MN 8000 can be narrowed down.
[0048]
The speed measurement unit 1005 is a part that processes the speed information notification packet VN1 from the MN 8000 and extracts the speed information VI1. The speed information VI1 is information indicating the current speed detected by the MN 8000 itself, and arrives in a state accommodated in the speed information notification packet VN1.
[0049]
The position detection unit 1006 is a part that processes the position information notification packet PN1 from the MN 8000 and extracts the position information PI1. The position information PI1 is information indicating the current position of the MN 8000 itself measured by the MN using GPS or the like, and arrives in a state accommodated in the position information notification packet PN1.
[0050]
The prediction pattern holding unit 1010 is a part that stores and holds a plurality of prediction templates TL1. The movement prediction unit 1009 can retrieve an appropriate prediction template TL1 from the prediction pattern holding unit 1010 based on the speed information VI1 and the position information PI1. The search key used for this search corresponds to the speed information VI1 and the position information PI1.
[0051]
The prediction template TL1 is basic information that is effective for the movement prediction unit 1009 to obtain the prediction result information CN1 in a short time by a simpler arithmetic process. As the prediction template TL1, for example, a high-speed prediction template TL11 indicated by hatching in FIG. 10A and a low-speed prediction template TL12 indicated by hatching in FIG. 10B are used. it can. Such a prediction template TL1 has a prediction pattern. N The holding unit 1010 may be automatically created and held, or an externally created one may be stored in the prediction pattern holding unit 1010 in advance.
[0052]
The prediction template TL1 used by the movement prediction unit 1009 for prediction needs to be able to specify the radius r of the radio zone and the movement speed of the MN 8000 (specified by the speed information VI1) as search keys. Depending on how the prediction template TL1 is used, the radius of the circle portion (that is, the set value of the prediction template TL1) does not necessarily match the radius of the actual wireless zone, but in the present embodiment, it is assumed that they match. is doing. If the current location of the MN 8000 is known based on the location information PI1, the wireless zone to which the MN 8000 belongs can also be known, so that the set value r necessary for the search can be specified based on the current location.
[0053]
The shape of the radio zone is not necessarily circular as shown in FIG. 20 when the AR as a radio base station does not use an omnidirectional antenna in a horizontal plane. The size (for example, the radius r) is not necessarily the same as shown in the figure, but here, in order to simplify the description, a wireless zone having a circular shape and the same size is assumed. Under this assumption, there is only one set value r, so that only the moving speed is practically the search key.
[0054]
In FIG. 10A, 10c corresponds to the set value r, and v1 is the moving speed. The current position of MN8000 is 10a (or 10g).
[0055]
The meaning of the high-speed prediction template TL11 is that the MN 8000 is currently moving at the speed v1 in the direction from the position 10a to the position 10b. Although it is the highest, considering the possibility of changing the speed v1 or changing the direction of movement, the possibility of moving to another position inside the prediction template TL11 that is shaded is not low. It is. The highest probability means that if there is no change in either the direction of movement or the speed v1, it moves to the position 10b.
[0056]
The movement to the hatched area other than the circle portion in the prediction template TL11 is when the MN 8000 suddenly decreases the movement speed from v1. The predetermined time is determined based on a time required for performing the context transfer and executing a handover process.
[0057]
The reason why the high-speed prediction template TL11 does not cover movement from the position 10a in the opposite direction to the position 10c is that such movement occurs during the predetermined time when the movement speed is high. This is because the probability is considered to be extremely low.
[0058]
v1 × T If> r holds, that is, the predetermined time T The high-speed prediction template TL11 is used when the MN 8000 moves at a speed v1 and the distance that the MN 8000 moves is longer than the set value r.
[0059]
Similarly, in FIG. 10B, 10d (or 10i) indicates the current position of MN8000, v2 indicates the current moving speed of MN8000, and 10e, which is the center of the circle, is the probability of moving most after the predetermined time. Indicates a high position. Again, the radius (set value) 10f of the circle matches the radius r.
[0060]
Unlike the high-speed prediction template TL11, the low-speed prediction template TL12 covers to some extent movement from the position 10d in the direction opposite to the position 10e. This is because when the moving speed is low, the probability that a large change in the moving direction occurs is not necessarily low.
[0061]
v2 × T <R is satisfied, that is, the predetermined time T When the MN 8000 travels at a speed v2 and the distance traveled by the MN 8000 is shorter than the set value r, the low speed prediction template TL12 is used.
[0062]
Here, only two prediction templates for high speed and low speed are representatively shown here, but it is natural that a large number of prediction templates that can exist in between may be prepared according to the moving speed or the like. . By preparing many prediction templates, more accurate prediction is possible.
[0063]
The position data storage unit 1008 is a part that stores wireless zone information ZI related to the neighboring AR and the own AR 1000. The neighborhood AR is a concept including the adjacent AR that covers the above-described adjacent radio zone and the indirect AR that covers the indirect radio zone. If necessary, the geographical range of this neighboring AR may be extended outside the indirect radio zones E11 to E22 on FIG. The reason for the expansion is that the upper limit value of the moving speed of the MN 8000 is extremely high compared to the size of the wireless zone, and the MN 8000 crosses two or more wireless zones during one handover process. It is a case that may end up.
[0064]
The wireless zone information is information indicating the geographical position and size of the wireless zone covered by each AR, and can be configured by the latitude, longitude, radius, etc. of the wireless zone as an example. If necessary for detecting the latitude and longitude of the wireless zone, each AR may be equipped with a GPS system.
[0065]
The neighboring AR position search unit 1007 is a part that exchanges the wireless zone information by exchanging wireless zone information related packets ZN1 and ZN2.
[0066]
The radio zone is not necessarily statically stable, and radio base stations (corresponding to AR in this embodiment) are added, deleted, or changed to reflect the increase or change of traffic, such as a cellular phone network. If so, the wireless zone is also dynamically changed. In order to cope with such a dynamic change, the AR 1000 needs to make an inquiry about the wireless zone information to the neighboring AR as appropriate. On the contrary, if there is an inquiry from the neighboring AR, it is necessary to answer the inquiry. is there.
[0067]
In FIG. 1, the wireless zone information of the AR 1000 itself is ZI1, and the wireless zone information of the neighboring AR is ZI2. Further, the wireless zone information related packet ZN1 is a packet transmitted to make an inquiry to the neighboring AR or respond to an inquiry from the neighboring AR, and the wireless zone information related packet ZN2 receives an inquiry from the neighboring AR, AR1000 This is a packet received to receive a response from a neighboring AR for an inquiry made by itself.
[0068]
Next, the internal configuration of the MN 8000 connected to the AR 1000 via a radio link will be described with reference to FIG. The MNs other than the MN 8000 accommodated in the mobile communication system of the present embodiment may have the same internal configuration as the MN 8000.
[0069]
(A-1-2) MN internal configuration example
In FIG. 8, the MN 8000 includes a control unit 8001, a communication unit 8002, a MIP processing unit 8003, an application processing unit 8004, a speed measuring unit 8005, a position detection unit 8006, and a GPS unit 8007. .
[0070]
As described above, the MN 8000 of this embodiment has a function of detecting its current speed and obtaining the speed information VI1 and a function of obtaining the position information PI1. The speed measuring unit 8005 detects the speed, and the position detecting unit 8006 detects the position.
[0071]
When the position detection unit 8006 obtains the position information PI1 from the GPS unit 8007, the position information PI1 is supplied to the speed measurement unit 8005. Since the GPS is used, the accuracy of the current position of the MN 8000 indicated by the position information PI1 is quite high.
[0072]
The speed measuring unit 8005 is a part that calculates the speed information VN1 indicating the current moving speed of the MN 8000 from the time change of the position indicated by the position information PI1.
[0073]
When the calculation of the speed information VN1 by the speed measurement unit 8005 is completed, the speed information notification packet VN1 containing the speed information VN1 is transmitted from the speed measurement unit 8005 to the AR 1000, and at the same time, the position information at that time The location information notification packet PN1 containing PI1 is transmitted to the AR1000.
[0074]
An application processing unit 8004 is a part corresponding to a communication application, and transmits / receives the data packet DP1 described above. Any type of communication application may be used. As an example, assuming that the MN 8000 is a mobile phone, a communication application for a voice call is basic. However, if the mobile phone is equipped with a mailer, the mailer can also correspond to this communication application. If the mobile phone is equipped with a browser, the Web browser can also correspond to this communication application.
[0075]
The control unit 8001 corresponds to the control unit 1001, the communication unit 8002 corresponds to the communication unit 1002, and the MIP processing unit 8003 has a function corresponding to the MIP processing unit 1003.
[0076]
The operation of the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described below. The operation of this embodiment is largely divided into an initialization operation and a handover processing operation. The initialization operation is a precondition for performing the handover processing operation.
[0077]
(A-2) Operation of the first embodiment
(A-2-1) Initialization operation
In the initialization operation, the AR 1000 exchanges the wireless zone information related packets ZN1 and ZN2 with the neighboring AR, for example, periodically to store the contents stored in the position data storage unit 1008 as necessary. The wireless zone information ZI is updated.
[0078]
However, if the configuration of the mobile communication system is very stable and there is almost no expansion, deletion, modification of AR, or expansion, reduction, modification of the radio zone covered by each AR, It is also efficient to statically set the storage contents of the position data storage unit 1008 in advance. In that case, the neighboring AR position search unit 1007 can be omitted.
[0079]
In any case, it is assumed that the movement prediction unit 1009 of the AR 1000 stores accurate wireless zone information regarding the neighboring AR in the position data storage unit 1008 in order to predict the accurate movement destination of the MN 8000. It becomes.
[0080]
Next, the handover processing operation will be described.
[0081]
(A-2-2) Handover processing operation
For example, assuming that the wireless zone covered by the AR 1000 is the wireless zone E0 in FIG. 20, from the time when the MN 8000 appears in the wireless zone E0 and starts wireless communication with the AR 1000 as a wireless base station. , MN8000 falls under the management of AR1000.
[0082]
In this state, the MN 8000 can move in any direction at any speed in FIG.
[0083]
If the wireless communication corresponds to a session that needs to guarantee communication continuity, the MN 8000 moves from the wireless zone E0 to another wireless zone (for example, E1) while continuing the wireless communication. In this case, the handover process is necessary.
[0084]
At this time, in the prediction process executed by the movement prediction unit 1009 in the AR 1000, the processes shown in FIGS. 11 to 14 are executed using the above-described high-speed and low-speed prediction templates TL11 and TL12. 11 and 12 show cases where the low-speed prediction template TL12 is used. 13 And figure 14 Is a case of using the high-speed prediction template TL11.
[0085]
Since the movement prediction unit 1009 can recognize the wireless zone configuration around the wireless zone E0 as shown in FIG. 20 from the stored contents of the position data storage unit 1008, the speed information VI1 obtained from the speed measurement unit 1005. Is the predicted pattern when v2 corresponds to N The low speed prediction template TL2 shown in FIG. 10B can be searched from the holding unit 1010.
[0086]
On the other hand, since the position information PI1 obtained from the position detection unit 1006 indicates the precise current position of the MN 8000, the wireless zone configuration and prediction are performed so that the point 10i on the low speed prediction template TL12 is superimposed on the current position 11a in FIG. If the template TL12 is overlaid, the movement prediction unit 1009 can obtain, for example, FIG. 11 or FIG. In this superposition, it is natural to consider the moving direction of MN8000.
[0087]
Assuming that the arrow N in the figure indicates the north, FIG. 11 shows a case where the current position of the MN 8000 is near the outer edge of the radio zone E0 and is moving toward the north-northeast. , The current position of the MN 8000 is near the center of the wireless zone E0 and is moving toward the north.
[0088]
In the example of FIG. 11, there are three wireless zones that overlap in two dimensions with the prediction template TL12, E1, E2, and E12, excluding E0 itself. Means that the MN 8000 has predicted that it has moved to one of these three radio zones. Then, the prediction result information CN1 to that effect is supplied from the movement prediction unit 1009 to the next candidate AR determination unit 1004.
[0089]
Therefore, in this case, if the next candidate AR determination unit 1004 does not perform further selection, the AR 1000 transfers the context to the three neighboring ARs covering these three radio zones E1, E2, and E12. become. In this context transfer, the number of destinations is reduced to 1/6 compared to the case of transferring the context to all 18 neighboring ARs for AR1000.
[0090]
Here, E1 and E2 correspond to the adjacent wireless zone, and E12 corresponds to the indirect wireless zone.
[0091]
Here, E12 having a small area overlapping with prediction template TL12 is handled in the same manner as E2 having a large overlapping area, but the size of the overlapping area is a predetermined value as necessary. In the following cases, the neighboring AR of the wireless zone may be excluded from the context transfer destination.
[0092]
In addition, since the movement probability to each point in the prediction template TL12 is not uniform (for example, the movement probability to the point 10e is the highest), weighting considering the movement probability to each point is performed in the prediction process. You may do it. The next candidate AR determination unit 1004 may execute the process (selection process) in consideration of the size of the overlapping area and the movement probability.
[0093]
Other prediction processes are basically the same as in the case of FIG.
[0094]
However, in FIG. 12, E1, E2, and E6 overlap with the prediction template TL12, in FIG. 13, E1, E2, E11, E12, and E22 overlap with the prediction template TL11, and in FIG. Since E6, E11, E12, and E22 overlap with the prediction template TL11, in each case, the AR 1000 transfers the context to the neighboring AR that covers each overlapping wireless zone.
[0095]
Conventionally, the context is transferred only to the adjacent AR that covers the adjacent wireless zone. However, in this embodiment, when the moving speed of the MN 8000 is high, the context is also applied to the indirect AR that covers the indirect wireless zone. Since the transfer can be performed, the possibility that the MN moves to the radio zone of the AR that does not transfer the context can be reduced.
[0096]
Note that the AR 1000 performs the same operations as the conventional AR for operations other than the initialization operation and the handover processing operation described above.
[0097]
(A-3) Effects of the first embodiment
According to the present embodiment, since the context transfer efficiency is high and smooth handover processing can be guaranteed, the communication quality is high and the communication reliability is improved.
[0098]
(B) Second embodiment
Below, only the point from which this embodiment is different from 1st Embodiment is demonstrated.
[0099]
In the first embodiment, the position and speed of the MN 8000 are substantially detected by the MN 8000 itself, and thus cannot be applied to an existing MN that does not have such a function. The feature is that the AR side performs these detections.
[0100]
If these detections are performed on the AR side, the existing MN that does not have the function of detecting the position and speed can be used as it is, so the feasibility is improved.
[0101]
(B-1) Configuration and operation of the second embodiment
An example of the internal configuration of the AR7000 of this embodiment is shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, since an AP (access point) is interposed between the MN and the AR, the overall configuration of the mobile communication system is the configuration shown in FIG. 6 described above. An example of the internal configuration of the AP 9000 of this embodiment is as shown in FIG.
[0102]
In FIG. 7, the AR 7000 includes a control unit 7001, a communication unit 7002, a MIP processing unit 7003, a next candidate AR determination unit 7004, a speed analysis unit 7005, a position analysis unit 7006, and a neighboring AP position search unit 7007. A position data storage unit 7008, a movement prediction unit 7009, a prediction pattern holding unit 7010, and an AP position storage unit 7011.
[0103]
In FIG. 7, the function of the component assigned the same name as FIG. 1 is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, and the function of the signal assigned the same reference numeral is basically the same as that of the first embodiment. It is.
[0104]
Further, as shown in FIG. 9, an AP 9000 that accommodates one or more for one AR 7000 includes a control unit 9001, a communication unit 9002, a MIP processing unit 9003, and a communication area position information storage unit 9004. It has.
[0105]
Also in FIG. 9, the function of the component assigned the name corresponding to FIG. 1 is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, and the function of the signal assigned the corresponding code is also basically the first embodiment. Is the same.
[0106]
However, in this embodiment, the AP 9000 directly performs wireless communication with the MN, and the AR 7000 is connected to the MN via the AP 9000. Communication between the AP 9000 and the AR 7000 may be wireless communication or wired communication.
[0107]
Accordingly, the neighboring AP location search unit 7007 installed in the AR 7000 of the present embodiment exchanges the radio zone information related packets ZN1, ZN2 not only with the neighboring AR but also with the AP 9000 under the AR 7000. Will do.
[0108]
The geographical location of the AR 7000 itself of this embodiment that does not have a function as a radio base station is irrelevant to the prediction process, but the subordinate radio zone information (that is, one or a plurality of APs 9000 subordinate to the AR 7000) In this embodiment, the wireless zone information (radio zone information regarding one or a plurality of radio zones (subordinate radio zone clusters) to be covered) is answered in response to an inquiry from another AR, or the subordinate radio zone information is inquired to a neighboring AR. But it is necessary.
[0109]
In FIG. 15, if the wireless zone 15f or the like is an individual subordinate wireless zone, the wireless zone cluster indicates 15b.
[0110]
Although depending on the processing performed in the AP 9000, the handover processing in the present embodiment may occur not only between the radio zone clusters but also within one radio zone cluster. The case that occurs between the radio zone clusters is the same as that of the first embodiment in that context transfer is performed between ARs. However, the handover process that occurs in the radio zone cluster is the same as that of each radio zone cluster. Necessary when the MN moves between radio zones.
[0111]
For example, if the AP 9000 is performing a decompression process corresponding to a compression protocol on a wireless link, information related to initialization (also context) necessary for the decompression process constitutes a wireless zone cluster. The AP 9000 that covers each wireless zone can be transferred to the AP 9000 to which the MN moves. This transfer may be performed via the AR7000, but may be performed directly between APs.
[0112]
Note that the AP position storage unit 7011 of this embodiment may be a part that stores the wireless zone information in the same manner as the position data storage unit 7008. However, the position data storage unit 7008 is a wireless zone that serves as basic information for prediction processing. In order to provide the information ZI to the movement prediction unit 7009, it is necessary to store subordinate radio zone information regarding all neighboring ARs, whereas the AP location storage unit 7011 stores only the subordinate radio zone information of the AR7000 itself. You only need to store it.
[0113]
In the first embodiment, the current position of the MN is measured with high accuracy using GPS, but in this embodiment, the current position of the MN is determined by examining which AP 9000 wireless zone the MN belongs to. Identify. For this reason, the accuracy of the current position obtained in this embodiment may be lower than that in the first embodiment, but in the end, in this embodiment, one wireless zone (or one Since it is sufficient to be able to specify the MN's destination with a resolution of the order of (radio zone cluster), this method can also provide practically sufficient accuracy.
[0114]
When each AP 7000 is identified using a predetermined APID, in the initialization operation in this embodiment, the location data storage unit 7008 and the AP location storage unit 7011 are in a format in which the APID is associated with the wireless zone information. Can store wireless zone information.
[0115]
If each MN is identified using a predetermined MNID, the current position of each MN can be indicated by the pair of the APID of the AP that covers the wireless zone to which the MN belongs and the MNID of the MN. In the present embodiment, the position information PI1 accommodated in the position information notification packet PN1 is a pair.
[0116]
When the location analysis unit 7006 receives the location information notification packet PN1 from the subordinate AP 9000, among the location information (the pair) extracted from the location information notification packet PN1, the AP storage unit 7011 currently uses the APID as a search key. The position (for example, latitude, longitude) of the wireless zone to which the MN belongs is searched. Then, the position analysis unit 7006 supplies the MNID included in the position information together with the search result to the movement prediction unit 7009 as the position information PI1.
[0117]
The position information PI1 can include information such as a movement history of the MN obtained by a similar operation over a plurality of APs and a measurement error of the current position determined according to the size of the wireless zone to which the MN belongs.
[0118]
The speed analysis unit 7005 that receives the position information PI1 from the position analysis unit 7006 calculates the movement speed of the MN by calculating the movement displacement per unit time based on the movement history and the like. The speed is supplied to the movement prediction unit 7009 as VI1. Therefore, unlike the speed measurement unit 1005 of the first embodiment, the speed analysis unit 7005 can obtain the moving speed VI1 without receiving the speed information notification packet VN1 from the outside.
[0119]
As described above, the accuracy of the current position obtained in the present embodiment may be lower than that in the first embodiment. Therefore, the accuracy of the speed information VI1 is also lower than that in the first embodiment. In consideration of the possibility that the prediction templates TL11 and TL12 are superimposed on the wireless zone configuration as shown in FIG. 20, the two-dimensional sizes of the prediction templates TL11 and TL12 are set to be larger than those in the first embodiment. Also good.
[0120]
(B-2) Effects of the second embodiment
According to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain substantially the same effect as that of the first embodiment.
[0121]
In addition, in the present embodiment, since an existing MN can be used as it is, it is excellent in feasibility.
[0122]
(C) Third embodiment
In the following, only the differences of the present embodiment from the first and second embodiments will be described.
[0123]
This embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that a domain management server is used. The domain management server has a function of responding to an inquiry about wireless zone information related to a neighboring AR issued by the AR. For this reason, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to exchange the wireless zone information related packets ZN1, ZN2 between ARs.
[0124]
(C-1) Configuration and operation of the third embodiment
Since the domain management server 19011 is used, an example of the overall configuration of the mobile communication system of this embodiment is as shown in FIG. FIG. 19 is the same as FIG. 6 described above except that the domain management server 19011 exists.
[0125]
Note that AR and AP in FIG. 19 may be the same as AR7000 and AP9000 in the second embodiment. Accordingly, the MN in FIG. 19 may be an existing MN.
[0126]
The internal configuration of the domain management server 19011 is the same as the domain management server 16000 shown in FIG.
[0127]
In FIG. 16, the domain management server 16000 includes a control unit 1601, a communication unit 16002, an AR location search unit 16003, and a location data storage unit 16004.
[0128]
In FIG. 16, the function of the component given the same name as FIG. 1 is basically the same as that of the first embodiment. However, the domain management server 16000 communicates with the AR and does not need to communicate with the MN or AP.
[0129]
The position data storage unit 16004 is a part that stores subordinate radio zone information of each AR in a format associated with the ARID for identifying the AR. Since the domain management server 16000 centrally manages the subordinate radio zone information for a sufficiently larger number of ARs than the above-described 19 ARs, the location data storage unit 16004 stores a large number of ARIDs and subordinate radio zone information. Has been.
[0130]
One ARID may be associated with subordinate radio zone information for all neighboring ARs around the AR specified by the ARID. When each AR recognizes its own ARID, if the neighboring AR inquiry packet AQ1 containing the ARID is transmitted to the domain management server 16000, the AR location search unit 16003 that has received the packet AQ1 via the communication unit 16002 Can obtain all subordinate radio zone information to be obtained by searching the position data storage unit 16004 using the ARID as a search key, and accommodates the subordinate radio zone information in a response packet AQ2 to obtain the neighboring AR inquiry The packet AQ1 can be returned to the source AR.
[0131]
If each AR does not recognize its own ARID, each AR may transmit its own subordinate radio zone information in the neighboring AR inquiry packet AQ1. Since the subordinate radio zone information includes position information such as longitude and latitude as described above, it is easy for the domain management server 16000 to identify the corresponding neighboring AR from the position information.
[0132]
(C-2) Effects of the third embodiment
According to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain substantially the same effect as that of the second embodiment.
[0133]
In addition, in this embodiment, each AR does not need to respond to inquiries from other ARs, so the processing load can be reduced.
[0134]
In addition, since the domain management server centrally manages a large number of subordinate radio zone information, the subordinate radio zone information can be easily managed as a whole mobile communication system.
[0135]
(D) Fourth embodiment
Below, only the point from which this embodiment differs from the 1st-3rd embodiment is explained.
[0136]
This embodiment is basically the same as the second embodiment, except that movement history information is added to the contents of the context.
[0137]
Since the movement history information is not information necessary for guaranteeing the continuity of communication, according to the definition of the original context described above, it does not belong to the context concept, but in this embodiment, the MN performed by each AR In order to improve the accuracy of the movement prediction regarding the movement, the movement history is transferred between the ARs.
[0138]
(D-1) Configuration and operation of the fourth embodiment
An example of the overall configuration of the mobile communication system according to the present embodiment is as shown in FIG. 6 as in the second embodiment.
[0139]
However, the internal configuration of the AR 18000 of this embodiment is different from that of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG.
[0140]
In FIG. 18, the AR 18000 includes a control unit 18001, a communication unit 18002, a MIP processing unit 18003, a next candidate AR determination unit 18004, a speed analysis unit 18005, a position analysis unit 18006, and a neighboring AP position search unit 18007. A position data storage unit 18008, a movement prediction unit 18809, a prediction pattern holding unit 18010, an AP position storage unit 18011, and a position information CT processing unit 18012.
[0141]
In FIG. 18, the function of the component assigned the same name as FIG. 7 is basically the same as that of the second embodiment, and the function of the signal assigned the same reference numeral is basically the same as that of the second embodiment. It is.
[0142]
As apparent from a comparison between FIG. 18 and FIG. 7, the difference between the AR 18000 of the present embodiment and the AR 7000 of the second embodiment is limited to the presence or absence of the position information CT processing unit 18012.
[0143]
The position information CT processing unit 18012 extracts the movement history information HS1 indicating the movement history of the MN included in the position information PI1 supplied from the position analysis unit 18006, and supplies the movement history information HS1 to the MIP processing unit 18003. The movement history information HS1 is accommodated in the context transfer packet CX1, and transferred to the neighboring AR (next candidate AR) narrowed down by the prediction process.
[0144]
Since the neighboring AR that has received this transfer has the same configuration as AR 18000, the movement history in its subordinate radio zone cluster can be added to the movement history information HS1 and transferred to the next AR. Since the AR also repeats the same operation, it is possible to accumulate movement histories in many wireless zone clusters.
[0145]
As long as the movement speed and direction of the MN do not fluctuate abruptly and the static movement is statistically predictable from the past history, the more the movement history is accumulated, the higher the accuracy of the movement prediction can be. it can. In general movement of a moving body (for example, an automobile or a pedestrian), the situation in which sudden fluctuations occur is limited. Therefore, it is possible to generally improve the accuracy of movement prediction by such operations. is there.
[0146]
There are various types of static movement, such as movement that draws a linear trajectory, movement that draws a circular trajectory, and movement that patrols a trajectory of a specific shape many times.
[0147]
Note that the timing at which the location analysis unit 18006 supplies the location information PI1 to the location information CT processing unit 18012 is the timing at which the control unit 18001 recognizes the necessity for the handover processing and context transfer. In this embodiment, this timing is, for example, when the MN is located near the outer edge of the radio zone cluster under AR18000.
[0148]
When the AR 18000 receives a transfer of context including movement history information from another AR, the context is received as the packet CX1 by the MIP processing unit 18003 via the communication unit 18002. Only the movement history information HS2 is extracted from CX1 and supplied to the position information CT processing unit 18012.
[0149]
Naturally, the extraction of the movement history information HS2 from the packet CX1 may be performed not by the MIP processing unit 18003 but by the position information CT processing unit 18012 or the like.
[0150]
The position information CT processing unit 18012 supplies the movement history information HS2 to the position analysis unit 18006. The timing of the supply is determined by the control unit 18001 so that the MN actually moves in the radio zone cluster under the AR 18000. It may be after confirming that it was done. If the MN does not move into the wireless zone cluster under AR18000, the movement history information HS2 is unnecessary data that can be deleted, and therefore it is not necessary to supply it to the position analysis unit 18006.
[0151]
(D-2) Effects of the fourth embodiment
According to this embodiment, an effect equivalent to the effect of the second embodiment can be obtained.
[0152]
In addition, in this embodiment, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the prediction process by using the statistical movement characteristics of the MN.
[0153]
(E) Fifth embodiment
Below, only the point in which this embodiment is different from the 1st-4th embodiment is demonstrated.
[0154]
This embodiment is basically the same as the third embodiment in that a domain management server is used, but there are differences in the functions of the domain management server.
[0155]
(E-1) Configuration and operation of the fifth embodiment
An example of the overall configuration of the mobile communication system of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 19, and the MN in FIG. 19 may be an existing MN.
[0156]
However, the internal configuration of the domain management server 19011 in FIG. 19 is the domain management server 17000 shown in FIG. 17 in this embodiment.
[0157]
In FIG. 17, the domain management server 17000 includes a control unit 17001, a communication unit 17002, an AR location search unit 17003, a location data storage unit 17004, and a location history processing unit 17005.
[0158]
In FIG. 17, the function of the component assigned the same name as FIG. 16 is basically the same as that of the third embodiment, and the function of the signal assigned the same reference numeral is basically the same as that of the third embodiment. It is.
[0159]
As apparent from the comparison between FIG. 17 and FIG. 16, the difference between the domain management server 17000 of this embodiment and the domain management server 16000 of the third embodiment is limited to the presence or absence of the location history processing unit 17005.
[0160]
The position history processing unit 17005 is a part that accumulates the position information received from each AR via the communication unit 17007 and records the movement history and movement speed of the MN. This recorded information can be used as billing or access records.
[0161]
Since the domain management server 17000 is supplied with location information from a large number of ARs, it is possible to centrally manage the movement history of the MN in the mobile communication system.
[0162]
(E-2) Effects of the fifth embodiment
According to this embodiment, an effect equivalent to that of the third embodiment can be obtained.
[0163]
In addition, in this embodiment, it is possible to centrally manage the MN's movement history and the like in the mobile communication system, which is convenient for billing and access recording.
[0164]
(F) Other embodiments
Regardless of the first to fifth embodiments, the present invention omits the prediction pattern holding unit and causes the movement prediction unit to perform the prediction process related to the movement of the MN without using the prediction template TL1. You can also.
[0165]
The MIP processing unit may change the content of the context to be transferred according to the adjacent distance of the AR. For example, if there is a large amount of context data to be transferred, such as when there are a large number of hops to the destination AR, the possibility of the MN moving being completed before the transfer is complete increases, so the data amount is reduced as much as possible It is because it is preferable to do.
[0166]
Further, for example, the movement history information may be different for each context destination.
[0167]
Furthermore, the first to fifth embodiments described above State It is possible to adopt a plurality of configuration methods by changing the combination of the devices in the system.
[0168]
For example, a mobile communication system in which an AR having an AP under its control and an AR having no AP (the AR itself also functions as a radio base station) can be configured.
[0169]
In addition, the GPS unit in the first embodiment can be replaced with other detection means for detecting the position and movement of the MN.
[0170]
Note that the information indicating the position and speed of the MN used for the prediction process may be replaced by an ID that can be converted to the position of the MN, time information, etc. Prediction result information CN1 can be obtained.
[0171]
In addition, it has already been described that the next candidate AR determination unit in the first to fifth embodiments may further select the next candidate AR specified by the prediction result information CN1 based on a predetermined selection criterion. As it is, the selection criterion is not limited to the size of the overlapping area and the movement probability.
[0172]
Furthermore, the configuration of each device (AR, AP, MN, domain management server) shown in the first to fifth embodiments is an example, and the configuration of these devices can be modified.
[0173]
Furthermore, the overall configuration of the first to fifth embodiments (FIGS. 2, 6, 19, etc.) is merely an example, so it can be combined with other network devices not shown or the network configuration can be changed. It is also possible to do.
[0174]
In the fourth embodiment, the movement history information is included in the context. However, the movement history information may be transferred separately from the other various information constituting the context.
[0175]
In the first to fifth embodiments, the case where MIP is used has been described as an example. However, the present invention is widely applied to the case where handover processing is performed regardless of whether MIP is used. Can do.
[0176]
As an example, the present invention can be applied to a network such as a car phone, a PHS, a PDA, and a mobile phone.
[0177]
In the above description, the present invention is realized mainly by hardware, but the present invention can also be realized by software.
[0178]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve communication quality and communication reliability by increasing the transfer efficiency of context information.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of an AR according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a mobile communication system according to a conventional and the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part related to a conventional AR.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part related to a conventional MN.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part related to a conventional access point.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overall configuration related to the second and fourth embodiments and the like.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part related to an AR according to the second embodiment or the like.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part related to the MN according to the first embodiment;
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part related to an AP according to the second embodiment;
FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram of the first to fifth embodiments.
FIG. 11 is an operation explanatory diagram of the first to fifth embodiments.
FIG. 12 is an operation explanatory diagram of the first to fifth embodiments.
FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory diagram of the first to fifth embodiments.
FIG. 14 is an operation explanatory diagram of the first to fifth embodiments.
FIG. 15 is an operation explanatory diagram of the conventional and second embodiments.
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a conventional operation.
FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of a domain management server according to the third embodiment.
FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part related to an AR according to the fourth embodiment;
FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a mobile communication system according to third and fifth embodiments.
FIG. 20 is an operation explanatory diagram of the first to fifth embodiments.
[Explanation of symbols]
1000, 2002, 2003A, 2003B, 2004, 3000, 6002 to 6004, 7000, 18000 ... AR (access router), 1004, 18004 ... next candidate AR determining unit, 1005 ... speed measuring unit, 1006 ... position measuring unit, 1007 ... Neighboring AR location search unit, 7007 ... Neighboring AP location search unit, 1008 ... Location data storage unit, 1009 ... Movement prediction unit, 1010, 7010, 18010 ... Prediction pattern holding unit, 4000, 8000 ... MN (mobile node), 5000, 9000 ... AP (access point), 7005 ... Speed analysis unit, 7006 ... Position analysis unit, 7011 ... AP position storage unit, 8005 ... Speed measurement unit, 8006 ... Position detection unit, 9004 ... Communication region position information storage unit, 17003 ... AR position search unit, 17005 ... position history processing .

Claims (10)

A plurality of relay devices included in the relay device network, including a mobile communication terminal that moves on a predetermined geographical area while continuing predetermined communication, and a relay device network including a plurality of relay devices that relay the communication At least a part of which is a cover relay device having a wireless communication means for directly communicating with the mobile communication terminal, and the cover area covered by each cover relay device covers the geographical region In the mobile communication system configured as follows:
At least the cover relay device among the relay devices,
Context corresponding means for guaranteeing continuation of the communication using the received predetermined context information;
With respect to the mobile communication terminal in communication by the wireless communication means, a destination area prediction means for predicting a destination area where a destination position will exist after a predetermined time from the present time ;
And candidate selection means for selecting a candidate cover relay device from the cover relay apparatus for chromatic said cover areas on the predicted movement destination area by the destination region prediction means,
Context information transfer means for transferring the context information to the candidate cover relay device selected by the candidate selection means ,
The destination area prediction means includes two low-speed prediction templates that are used when the movement speed of the mobile communication terminal is smaller than the size of one cover area, and two high-speed prediction templates that are used when the movement speed is large. A template storage unit that stores
The low-speed prediction template determines the predicted center position of the destination from the current position, the moving direction and the moving speed, and predicts the destination area within the area of the cover area centered on the predicted center position. Is what
The high-speed prediction template determines a predicted center position of a movement destination from a current position, a moving direction, and a moving speed, a first area having a cover area size around the predicted center position, and the first area. The mobile communication system is characterized in that the destination area is predicted within a combined area of a second area that is a closed area formed by the area and a tangent to the current position . The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein
The function of the cover relay device is as follows:
Mobile communication characterized in that an access point device belonging to a lower protocol layer and a router device belonging to an upper protocol layer are divided and distributed so that one router device accommodates one or a plurality of access point devices. system. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein
The prediction process by the destination area prediction means is
The cover relay device executes independently without depending on the function mounted on the mobile communication terminal, or is executed by the cooperation of the function mounted on the mobile communication terminal and the function mounted on the cover relay device. A mobile communication system. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein
At least for the destination area prediction means, a part of the function is distributed to the relay device management server instead of the cover relay device,
A mobile communication system comprising a plurality of cover relay devices accommodated in the relay device management server. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein
The destination communication area prediction unit uses a movement characteristic obtained by processing a past movement history of the mobile communication terminal for the prediction process . A mobile communication terminal moves on a predetermined geographical area while continuing a predetermined communication, and at least a part of a plurality of relay devices that relay the communication within a predetermined relay device network includes the mobile communication terminal In the mobile communication method, which is a cover relay device having wireless communication means for directly performing communication, the cover area covered by each cover relay device covers the geographical area,
In at least the cover relay device among the relay devices,
The context corresponding means ensures the continuation of the communication using the received predetermined context information,
The destination area for the mobile communication terminal in communication with the wireless communication means, the destination area prediction means predicts the destination area where the destination position will exist after a predetermined time from the present time ,
From the cover relay apparatus for chromatic said cover areas on the predicted movement destination region by the destination region prediction unit, the candidate selection means selects a candidate cover relay device,
The context transfer means transfers the context information to the candidate cover relay device selected by the candidate selection means ,
The destination area prediction means includes two low-speed prediction templates that are used when the movement speed of the mobile communication terminal is smaller than the size of one cover area, and two high-speed prediction templates that are used when the movement speed is large. A template storage unit that stores
The low-speed prediction template determines the predicted center position of the destination from the current position, the moving direction and the moving speed, and predicts the destination area within the area of the cover area centered on the predicted center position. Is what
The high-speed prediction template determines a predicted center position of a movement destination from a current position, a moving direction, and a moving speed, a first area having a cover area size around the predicted center position, and the first area. The mobile communication method is characterized in that the destination area is predicted within a combined area of a second area that is a closed area formed by the area and a tangent to the current position . The mobile communication method according to claim 6 , wherein
The function of the cover relay device is as follows:
Mobile communication characterized in that an access point device belonging to a lower protocol layer and a router device belonging to an upper protocol layer are divided and distributed so that one router device accommodates one or a plurality of access point devices. Method. The mobile communication method according to claim 6 , wherein
The prediction process by the destination area prediction means is
The cover relay device executes independently without depending on the function mounted on the mobile communication terminal, or is executed by the cooperation of the function mounted on the mobile communication terminal and the function mounted on the cover relay device. A characteristic mobile communication method. The mobile communication method according to claim 6 , wherein
At least for the destination area prediction means, a part of the function is distributed to the relay device management server instead of the cover relay device,
A mobile communication method characterized in that a plurality of cover relay devices are accommodated in the relay device management server. The mobile communication method according to claim 6 , wherein
The mobile communication method characterized in that the prediction process by the movement destination region prediction means uses a movement characteristic obtained by processing a past movement history of the mobile communication terminal for the prediction process .

Images