JP6052898B2 - Wireless communication connection control system and method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides congestion when a terminal that can be connected to at least two wireless communication networks, for example, a mobile communication network (hereinafter referred to as a mobile network) and a wireless LAN, is connected to a network connection device (hereinafter referred to as an access point: AP). In particular, with the increase in the number of terminals that can be connected to a wireless LAN, such as smartphones, and the spread of public wireless LAN APs (including shared APs), for example, a large number of terminals connect to wireless LAN APs at the platform of the station as the train arrives. The present invention relates to a technique for avoiding congestion caused by trying to connect / authenticate to an AP all at once when a large number of terminals arrive within the communication range of the AP.

<Prior art 1: Wireless LAN communication technology>
When a terminal communicates via an AP, connection processing is always required first, and in many cases, authentication processing is involved (see Non-Patent Document 1).

<Prior Art 2: Collision Avoidance Technology for Wireless LAN Communication (CSMA / CA, DCF)>
When a terminal performs packet communication using a wireless LAN, collision of packets is avoided by a technique such as CSMA / CA or DCF that autonomously delays packet transmission and reception (see Non-Patent Document 2).

<Prior Art 3: Terminal Wireless LAN Connection Application>
By setting application software included in the terminal in advance, the user controls the presence / absence of connection based on the designation of the AP to be connected and the time zone and location (see Non-Patent Document 3).

<Prior Art 4: 3GPP ANDSF>
An access selection function (ANDSF) mainly managed by a mobile network operator who is a contractor of the terminal distributes AP information (SSID, BSSID, etc.) that is information about the AP and a connection policy for the AP to the terminal, The terminal is instructed to connect to the AP (see Non-Patent Documents 4 and 5).

  When connecting to a wireless LAN AP according to the prior art 1, there is a possibility that a large number of terminals try to connect to one AP all at once (for example, when a train arrives at the platform of the station where the AP is installed). In this case, communication packets in the wireless section transmitted and received by the AP and each terminal collide and become congested, making communication difficult.

  At this time, there is a technique for avoiding the collision by the conventional technique 2 such as CSMA / CA and DCF, but it is known that when a terminal / packet arrives that greatly exceeds the capacity of the AP, the performance is greatly deteriorated. ing.

  On the other hand, instead of connecting the dark cloud to the AP detected by the terminal, it is possible to determine whether or not to connect to a specific AP based on the user's prior setting of the terminal as shown in the prior art 3. There is a problem that these operations are burdened by the user and can be set only for an AP that the user recognizes in advance.

  Therefore, although there is a technique in which ANDSF distributes AP information and connection policy to the terminal as in the prior art 4, there is a problem that only the AP information of the AP managed by the operator contracted by the terminal can be reflected. It was.

  In the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned problem, in order to reduce the load by suppressing the connection to the AP and setting the delay by distributing the wireless LAN connection policy to the terminal utilizing the access selection function (ANDSF), the following points are provided. Characterized by consideration. In the following description, a network having an access selection function for distributing a connection policy to a terminal is described as a mobile network, and a network not having a wireless LAN is described as a wireless LAN. An access selection function may be provided, and information on wireless LAN APs may be exchanged with each other.

  << 1 >> The wireless LAN operator collects AP information and provides it to the mobile network operator, and the mobile network operator generates and distributes a connection policy, and performs connection inhibition / delay setting for the AP. At this time, if the AP connection inhibition or delay setting is uniformly performed for all terminals, the wireless LAN cannot be used. Therefore, it is desirable to determine a terminal that uses the wireless LAN in consideration of user information.

  << 2 >> In order to avoid wasting communication resources of the AP, the above-described connection inhibition and delay setting are not performed in connection to an AP that is not congested.

  << 3 >> Since this approach needs to be carried out between the terminals of each mobile network operator from the viewpoint of fairness, arbitration is performed when the ANDSF of each mobile network operator generates a connection policy.

The construction technique of the present invention considering the above points consists of the following three points.
<< Configuration Technology 1 >> Application policy of AP connection inhibition / delay setting for terminal combining user information managed by mobile network operator and AP information collected by wireless LAN operator << Method 1-1 >> Connection inhibition method << Method 1-2 >> Connection delay time setting method << Method 1-3 >> Radio parameter (CW: Contention Window) adjustment method << Configuration technology 2 >> The attribute information of the installation location of the AP and the application of the connection policy according to the load situation Presence / absence control << Method 2-1 >> AP notification BLE (BSS Load Element) value method «Method 2-2» Probe observation method by terminal «Method 2-3» Installation location attribute information method «Configuration technology 3» Mobile network operator Connection Policy Generation Between «Method 3-1» Connection Policy Generation Permission Arbitration Method FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 show the outlines of the configuration techniques 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Details will be described below.

<< Method 1-1 >> Connection Suppression Method> Premises—The operation sequence of connection policy generation in the access selection function and the operation sequence of connection policy application at the time of terminal connection will be described.

    -In the operation sequence of applying the connection policy at the time of terminal connection, it is assumed that the wireless LAN AP connection to which the connection policy is applied has been determined as a result of the application of << Configuration Technique 2 >>.

> Sequence: Connection policy generation in the access selection function in the mobile network (periodic execution)
-STEP1: The access selection function receives a notification of a list of [BSSID, installation location type, average congestion rate] of each AP from the AP information notification function in the wireless LAN.

    -STEP2: The access selection function refers to the acquired list and user information managed by the own mobile network, and determines a terminal that permits connection to the AP for each AP. Examples of specific methods are as follows.

      STEP2-1: The access selection function determines the ratio of terminals that are allowed to connect to an AP based on the location type and average congestion rate for an AP having a certain BSSID (eg, an AP installed at a station home is permitted to connect) The terminal ratio is 1/3, and the average congestion rate (for example, 70%) is multiplied to obtain 7/30).

      STEP 2-2: The access selection function refers to the user information of the own network, and generates a connection policy that permits connection of the AP to the 7/30 terminal (example 1: user information as member class) (For example, gold, silver, bronze, etc.) and allow AP connections for the top 7/30 users Example 2: Sort user information by the difference between the monthly communication upper limit capacity and the current consumption , AP connection is permitted for the top 7/30 users who are close to the maximum capacity.)

      -In STEP 2-2, Example 1, in the same member class, for example, gold users 5/30 overall, silver users 8/30 overall, bronze users 17/30 overall, etc. When it is necessary to determine a terminal that permits AP connection or a terminal that does not permit AP connection, the terminal selects a terminal randomly. For example, in the above example, among the silver users (total 8/30), connection is permitted to terminals of 1/4 terminals (total 2/30).

    -STEP3: The access selection function distributes a connection policy as shown in FIG. 4 determined for each terminal as in STEP2 to each terminal.

> Sequence: Operation of Applying Connection Policy at Terminal Connection -STEP 1: The terminal extracts the availability of connection from the distributed connection policy using the BSSID of the AP determined to apply the connection policy in << Configuration Technique 2 >> as a key.

    -STEP2: If the connection possibility extracted in STEP1 is Yes, connection to the wireless LAN AP is performed, and this sequence is terminated. If the connection possibility extracted in STEP 1 is No, connection to the wireless LAN AP is not performed, and this sequence is terminated.

<< Method 1-2 >> Connection Delay Time Setting Method> Premises-An operation sequence for generating a connection policy in the access selection function and an operation sequence for applying a connection policy at the time of terminal connection will be described.

    -In the operation sequence of applying the connection policy at the time of terminal connection, it is assumed that the wireless LAN AP connection to which the connection policy is applied has been determined as a result of the application of «Configuration technique 2».

> Sequence: Connection policy generation in the access selection function in the mobile network (periodic execution)
-STEP1: The access selection function receives a notification of a list of [BSSID, installation location type, average congestion rate] of each AP from the AP information notification function in the wireless LAN.

    -STEP 2: The access selection function refers to the acquired list and the user information managed by the own mobile network, and determines the delay time from when the terminal finds the AP until it connects to each AP. Examples of specific methods are as follows.

      STEP2-1: The access selection function generates a list of delay times set for the terminal based on the installation location type and the average congestion rate for an AP having a certain BSSID (Example 1: When the installation location is a station platform, If you are a store, provide 2 patterns of delay time.Example 2: Minimum delay time is 1 second for average congestion rate of 10% to less than 20%, 20% to less than 30 seconds ... Set 2 seconds, 3 seconds, etc., and set a multiple of the minimum delay time by the number of delay time patterns.In the processing according to Example 1 and Example 2, for example, the installation location is a station platform and the average congestion rate is 45% In this case, the delay time list is 4 seconds, 8 seconds, and 12 seconds.)

    STEP 2-2: The access selection function refers to the user information of the own network, divides the terminal group into the number of delay time patterns provided in STEP 2-1, and from the delay time list for each group Allocate delay time (Example 1: 4 seconds for Gold members, 8 seconds for Silver members, 12 seconds for Bronze members. Example 2: Value of difference between monthly communication upper limit capacity and current consumption for user information Sort by 1/3 and set delays of 4 seconds, 8 seconds, and 12 seconds from the top.)

    -STEP 3: The access selection function distributes the connection policy determined for each terminal as in STEP 2 to each terminal as shown in FIG.

> Sequence: Operation of Applying Connection Policy at Terminal Connection -STEP1: The terminal extracts a connection delay value from the distributed connection policy using the BSSID of the AP determined to apply the connection policy in << Configuration Technique 2 >> as a key.

    -STEP2: The terminal waits for the time specified in the connection delay value.

    -STEP3: Connection to the wireless LAN AP is performed, and this sequence ends.

<< Method 1-3 >> Radio Parameter (CW) Adjustment Method> Assumptions-An operation sequence for generating a connection policy in the access selection function and an operation sequence for applying a connection policy at the time of terminal connection will be described.

    -In the operation sequence of applying the connection policy at the time of terminal connection, it is assumed that the wireless LAN AP connection to which the connection policy is applied has been determined as a result of the application of << Configuration Technique 2 >>.

    -CW takes a value of 2 ^ n-1, and the upper limit depends on the physical layer (see Non-Patent Document 2). In the present specification, the value of n is referred to as n value.

> Sequence: Connection policy generation in the access selection function in the mobile network (periodic execution)
-STEP1: The access selection function receives a notification of a list of [BSSID, installation location type, average congestion rate] of each AP from the AP information notification function in the wireless LAN.

    -STEP2: The access selection function is one of radio parameters when the terminal sends a connection request message to the AP for each AP with reference to the acquired list and the user information managed by the own mobile network. A minimum CW value (hereinafter, CWmin) is determined for each terminal. Examples of specific methods are as follows.

      STEP2-1: The access selection function sets an n-value reference value (hereinafter referred to as “n-reference value”) to be set for the terminal based on the installation location type and the average congestion rate for an AP having a certain BSSID. Specifically:

        -When the average congestion rate is 0% or more and less than 10%, n reference value = 1, and when 10% or more and less than 20%, n reference value = 2.

        -Determine the number of CWmin value patterns according to the installation location (e.g., if the installation location is a station platform, provide three CWmin value patterns; if it is a store, provide two CWmin value patterns) .)

      STEP 2-2: The access selection function refers to the user information of the local network, divides the terminal group into the number of CWmin value patterns provided in STEP 2-1, and sets the n reference value for each group. N value is determined based on (Example 1: n value = n reference value for gold members, n value = n reference value + 1 for silver members, n value = n for bronze members) Reference value + 2. Example 2: User information is sorted by the value of the difference between the monthly communication upper limit capacity and the current consumption and divided by 1/3, the n value from the top is the n reference value, n reference value +1, n Reference value +2.)

      STEP2-3: The access selection function calculates the value of CWmin as CWmin = 2 ^ n-1 using the n value determined in STEP2-2.

    -STEP3: The access selection function distributes the connection policy determined for each terminal as shown in STEP2 to each terminal as shown in FIG.

> Sequence: Operation of Connection Policy Application at Terminal Connection -STEP 1: The terminal extracts the CWmin value from the distributed connection policy using the BSSID of the AP determined to apply the connection policy in << Configuration Technique 2 >> as a key.

    -STEP 2: The initial value of CW is set to a value equal to or greater than the CWmin value extracted in STEP 1 as a wireless parameter when sending the connection request message, the connection to the wireless LAN AP is performed, and this sequence is terminated.

      However, at this time, if the value of CWmin extracted in STEP 1 is too large and violates the physical layer limit (for example, up to 1023, etc.), the maximum value that falls within the limit is set.

<< Method 2-1 >> AP notification BLE value method> Premises-The BLE upper limit value notification sequence to the terminal in the access selection function and the operation sequence when the terminal arrives within the AP area will be described.

    -Note that the notification sequence of the BLE upper limit value to the terminal in the access selection function may be performed simultaneously with the connection policy generation sequence in the access selection function in << Configuration Technique 1 >>, and the terminal may be notified by the same message. .

    -In IEEE 802.11e, BSS Load Element or QBSS Load Element is defined as a value indicating the load status of the AP, and takes a value of 0 to 255. In this specification, this is referred to as a BLE value.

    -The access selection function generates a connection policy and distributes it to the terminal by the method shown in << Configuration Technology 1 >>.

> Sequence: Notification of the BLE upper limit value from the access selection function in the mobile network to the terminal (performed periodically)
-STEP1: The access selection function acquires a list of BSSIDs and BLE upper limit values of the AP from the AP information notification function in the wireless LAN.

    -STEP2: The access selection function notifies the terminal of a list of the BSSID and the BLE upper limit value as shown in FIG.

> Sequence: Operation when a terminal arrives in the AP area -STEP1: AP1 always emits a beacon. This beacon includes a BLE value.

    -STEP2: When the terminal enters the area of AP1 and receives a beacon, it extracts the BSSID and BLE value of AP1 from the received beacon, searches the list of BSSID and BLE upper limit value using this BSSID as a key, and sets the BLE upper limit Extract the value of the value. Next, the BLE value is compared with the value of the BLE upper limit value. If “beacon BLE value” <“BLE upper limit value”, the connection to the wireless LAN AP is performed without applying the connection policy shown in << Configuration Technique 1 >>, and this sequence ends.

    -STEP3: If “beacon BLE value”> “BLE upper limit value” in STEP2, connect to the wireless LAN AP to which the connection policy shown in << Configuration Technology 1 >> is applied, and this sequence is completed. To do.

<< Method 2-2 >> Probe Observation Method by Terminal> Premises-An operation sequence in which the terminal performs Probe observation and an operation sequence when the terminal arrives in the AP area will be described.

    -The access selection function generates a connection policy and distributes it to the terminal by the method shown in << Configuration Technology 1 >>.

> Sequence: Terminal performs probe observation (always performed to estimate the number of peripheral terminals)
-STEP 1: When a terminal observes a probe request sent when another peripheral terminal performs an active scan, the terminal ID (MAC address) and observation time included in the probe request as shown in FIG. Is stored as a table in its own terminal.

> Sequence: Operation when a terminal arrives in the AP area -STEP1: AP1 always emits a beacon.

    -STEP2: When the terminal enters the area of AP1, the terminal searches the table and counts the number of terminals that have transmitted probe requests observed in a past fixed time (eg, 3 minutes). If this number is equal to or smaller than a certain value (for example, 20), connection to the wireless LAN AP is performed without applying the connection policy shown in << Configuration Technique 1 >>, and this sequence is terminated.

    -STEP3: In STEP2, if the number of terminals that have transmitted probe requests observed in a certain past time is greater than or equal to a certain value, the connection to the wireless LAN AP to which the connection policy shown in << Configuration Technique 1 >> is applied is performed. Then, this sequence is completed.

<< Method 2-3 >> Installation Location Attribute Information Method> Premises-An operation sequence for notifying the terminal of installation location attribute information from the access selection function and an operation sequence when the terminal arrives within the AP area will be described.

    -The access selection function generates a connection policy and distributes it to the terminal by the method shown in << Configuration Technology 1 >>.

    -It is assumed that a list of AP installation location attributes to which the connection policy is applied is registered in the terminal by application operation by the user.

> Sequence: Notification of installation location attribute information to the terminal from the access selection function in the mobile network (performed periodically)
-STEP1: The access selection function acquires a list of AP BSSIDs and installation location attribute information from the wireless LAN AP information notification function.

    -STEP2: The access selection function notifies the terminal of a list of the BSSID and the installation location attribute information as shown in FIG.

      -It is possible to reduce the data size by setting the list of installation location attribute information only to the update from the previous notification.

> Sequence: Operation when a terminal arrives in the AP area -STEP1: AP1 always emits a beacon.

    -STEP2: When the terminal enters the area of AP1 and receives a beacon, it extracts the BSSID of AP1 from the received beacon, searches the list of BSSID and installation location attribute information using this BSSID as a key, and corresponds to the AP The installation location attribute information to be extracted is extracted.

    -STEP3: If the installation location attribute information extracted in STEP2 does not exist in the attribute list registered in the terminal, the terminal can connect to the wireless LAN AP without applying the connection policy shown in << Configuration Technique 1 >>. Connects and ends this sequence.

    -STEP 4: If the installation location attribute information of the AP exists in the attribute list registered in the terminal in STEP 3, the connection to the wireless LAN AP to which the connection policy shown in << Configuration Technology 1 >> is applied is performed. End the sequence.

«Method 3-1» Connection policy generation permission arbitration method premises-As shown in «Configuration technology 1», the access selection function in the mobile network generates a connection policy, and as shown in «Configuration technology 2» When the access selection function in the mobile network acquires information related to the presence / absence of connection policy application (policy application control information), the following sequence is performed prior to distributing these connection policies and policy application control information to the terminals. It is assumed to be executed. In addition, after the following sequence is completed, connection policy and policy application control information are distributed as shown in << Configuration Technology 1 >> and << Configuration Technology 2 >>.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the connection policy distributed to the terminal according to << Configuration Technology 1 >> and the policy application control information notified to the terminal according to << Configuration Technology 2 >>. FIG. 10 (a) shows connections permitted in the past. FIG. 4B shows an example of a policy and policy application control information, and FIG. 5B shows an example of a connection policy and policy application control information for a predetermined terminal.

    The wireless LAN AP information notification function stores the connection policy and policy application control information permitted for the mobile network access selection function as shown in FIG. 10A for a predetermined time, for example, the past 24 hours. To do.

    -This method includes << Method 1-1 >> << Method 1-2 >> << Method 1-3 >> included in << Configuration Technology 1 >>, and << Method 2-1 >> << Method included in << Configuration Technology 2 >> 2-2 >> << Method 2-3 >> can be applied to each, but here, algorithms according to << Method 1-1 >> and << Method 2-1 >> are described.

> Sequence: Granting decision permission to the connection policy generated by the access selection function -STEP1: The access selection function sends the generated connection policy and policy application control information to the AP information notification function as shown in FIG. , Ask for permission.

    -STEP2: The AP information notification function searches the list of connection policies notified to the access selection function of each previous operator for each AP included in the received connection policy, and performs the following processing. This process is performed for each AP included in the received connection policy, and is repeated until the processes for all APs are completed.

      STEP2-1: A search is made for a connection policy permitted to each mobile network operator in the past by using the BSSID of the AP as a key, and a ratio (hereinafter referred to as α) with “Yes” indicating whether or not connection to the AP is possible is set for each mobile network business. Calculate for each person.

      STEP 2-2: The value of α of the operator who applied for permission to generate the connection policy is more than a certain value (for example, 1.5 times or more) than the average value of α of all the operators, and the connection policy of the applied connection policy If the connection possibility of the AP is “Yes”, it is changed to “No”.

    -STEP3: The AP information notification function returns the updated connection policy to the access selection function.

≪Operation example when connecting terminal by combination of configuration technologies≫
> Assumption-A sequence in which a terminal arrives within the range of AP1 (BSSID = 00: 22: 33: 44: 55: 01) will be described.

    -It is assumed that the connection policy and policy application control information as shown in FIG. 11 has already been distributed to the terminal from the access selection function.

    -Assume that the BLE value in the beacon reported by AP1 is 120.

    -This description is an example of an operation by a combination of << Method 1-1 >> << Method 1-2 >> << Method 1-3 >> << Method 1-3 >> and << Method 2-1 >> of << Configuration Technology 1 >>. Show.

> Sequence (determining whether to connect to a wireless LAN AP)
-STEP0: AP1 always emits a beacon. This beacon includes a BLE value.

    -STEP1: When the terminal enters the range of AP1, it extracts the BSSID and BLE value of AP1 from the received beacon, and extracts the value of the BLE upper limit value from the distributed policy application control information using this BSSID as a key. Next, the BLE value is compared with the value of the BLE upper limit value. If “beacon BLE value” <“BLE upper limit value in policy operation control information”, connection to the wireless LAN AP is performed, and this sequence ends. When the connection policy and the policy operation control information as shown in FIG. 11 are distributed, the BLE value (120) in the beacon is larger than the BLE value (100) in the policy operation control information, so the process proceeds to STEP2.

    -STEP2: In STEP1, if “beacon BLE value”> “BLE upper limit value in policy operation control information”, extract the possibility of connection from the distributed connection policy using the BSSID extracted from the beacon received in STEP1 as a key To do. If this value is “No”, the connection to the wireless LAN AP is not performed, and this sequence is terminated. When the connection policy as shown in FIG. 11 is distributed, since the connection possibility of BSSID = 00: 22: 33: 44: 55: 01 is not No, the process proceeds to STEP3.

    -STEP3: If the connection possibility extracted in STEP2 is "Yes", the following sequence is executed. When the connection policy as shown in FIG. 11 is distributed, the following sequence is executed because the connection possibility of BSSID = 00: 22: 33: 44: 55: 01 is Yes.

> Sequence (connection to wireless LAN AP)
-STEP 4: The terminal extracts the delay time value and the CWmin value from the distributed connection policy using the BSSID extracted from the beacon received in STEP 1 as a key. When the connection policy as shown in FIG. 11 is distributed, these values are 15 msec and 127, respectively.

    -STEP5: The terminal stands by for the time indicated by the delay time value acquired in STEP4.

    -STEP 6: The terminal sends a connection request to the wireless LAN AP in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard, and starts connection processing including authentication. However, when this connection connection request is sent, the CW value specified in the IEEE 802.11 MAC layer is set to be at least equal to or greater than the CWmin value extracted in STEP 4.

  FIG. 12 shows an operation flowchart in this example.

  Conventionally, when a terminal discovers a wireless LAN AP, the congestion that occurs when the terminal automatically connects to the AP is limited to the correspondence in the wireless section such as CSMA / CA and DCF, and an excessive number of terminals tried to connect. In these cases, there is a problem in that congestion cannot be eliminated by these technologies and communication services cannot be provided to the terminal. According to the present invention, the terminal connection attempt is controlled from the network side based on the AP status (for example, installation location and congestion rate), and the wireless section connection parameters (CWmin and the like) are designated from the network side. It is possible to deal with congestion that cannot be resolved in the section.

  In addition, in the conventional ANDSF, only information on the wireless LAN AP managed by the own operator can be considered when distributing the connection policy to the wireless LAN AP to the terminal, but different operators are notified by notifying AP information between networks. It is possible to control the connection to the wireless LAN AP installed by.

  In addition, in the method of suppressing connection attempts in order to avoid congestion, there are many cases where it is not effective if only a single terminal performs the suppression, and only the terminal that has performed the suppression loses the chance of connection. However, it is possible to avoid congestion evenly when the wireless LAN operator arbitrates connection policy generation to avoid congestion.

The figure which shows the outline of composition technology 1 Diagram showing configuration technology 2 Diagram showing configuration technology 3 The figure which shows an example of the connection policy distributed in the case of the composition technique 1-1 The figure which shows an example of the connection policy distributed in the case of the construction technique 1-2 The figure which shows an example of the connection policy distributed in the case of the composition technique 1-3 The figure which shows an example of the BLE upper limit notified in the case of the composition technique 2-1. The figure which shows an example of the table in the terminal in the case of the composition technique 2-2 The figure which shows an example of the installation location attribute information notified in the case of the composition technique 2-3 The figure which shows an example of the connection policy in the case of the structure technique 3-1, and policy application control information The figure which shows an example of the connection policy and policy application control information in the example of the combination of composition technology Operation flowchart in the example of FIG. Explanatory drawing of a functional configuration showing the first embodiment of the wireless communication connection control system of the present invention Explanatory drawing of the operation | movement sequence which shows 1st Embodiment of the wireless communication connection control system of this invention Explanatory drawing of a functional configuration showing a second embodiment of the wireless communication connection control system of the present invention Explanatory drawing of the operation | movement sequence which shows 2nd Embodiment of the radio | wireless communication connection control system of this invention.

  In this specification, the following two embodiments will be described.

[First Embodiment (Pattern 1)]
A case where there is one wireless LAN and one mobile network will be described. There may be a plurality of wireless LANs and mobile networks, but these networks are independent and do not cooperate.

[Second Embodiment (Pattern 2)]
A case where there is one wireless LAN and a plurality of mobile networks will be described. In the present embodiment, a case where there are two mobile networks is described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and one or three or more may be used. There may be a plurality of wireless LANs, but these networks are independent and do not cooperate.

<< First Embodiment >>
<Functional configuration>
FIG. 13 shows the functional configuration of the first embodiment of the wireless communication connection control system of the present invention. In the figure, 10 is a mobile network, 20 is a wireless LAN, 30 is an external network (Internet, service provider network). 40 is a terminal contracted with the mobile network 10.

  The mobile network 10 includes a wireless LAN AP 11 and a cellular base station 12 for the terminal 40 to connect to the mobile network 10. The wireless LAN AP 11 has a function of sending a beacon including a BLE value indicating the AP load. The wireless LAN AP 11 and the cellular base station 12 may not be provided. The mobile network 10 also includes a packet communication network 13 that transfers packets transmitted and received by the terminal 40 connected to the wireless LAN AP 11 and the cellular base station 12. This packet communication network 13 may accommodate both wireless LAN access and cellular access, or may be accommodated individually.

  The mobile network 10 also includes a router 14 that transfers packets in the core network. This router 14 may be provided for each wireless LAN access and cellular access, or may be the same. In addition, the mobile network 10 includes an external connection gateway 15 for connecting to the external network 30. The external connection gateway 15 may be provided for each wireless LAN access and cellular access, or may be the same. The mobile network 10 also includes a subscriber database (DB) 16 that stores and manages subscriber information, which is information related to the contracted terminal 40.

  The mobile network 10 includes an access selection function (access selection means) 17.

This access selection function 17
A function of collecting information (for example, installation location, congestion rate, backhaul line type, etc.) of the wireless LAN AP 11 (note that the collecting method includes, for example, input by an operator, update from the wireless LAN AP 11, notification from the terminal 40, etc. Conceivable, but not limited to these)
A function of acquiring and storing wireless LAN AP information from the wireless LAN 20, and
A function of distributing wireless LAN AP information and a connection policy to each wireless LAN AP 11 to the terminal 40;
It includes a function for determining the connection policy, particularly a function for collating wireless LAN AP information with information in the subscriber DB 16 and generating a connection policy.

  The wireless LAN 20 includes a wireless LAN AP 21 for the terminal 40 to connect to the wireless LAN 20. The wireless LAN AP 21 has a function of sending a beacon including a BLE value indicating the AP load. The wireless LAN 20 also includes a packet communication network 22 that transfers packets transmitted and received by the terminal 40 connected to the wireless LAN AP 21.

  The wireless LAN 20 includes a router 23 for transferring packets in the core network and an external connection gateway 24 for connection to the external network 30.

  The wireless LAN 20 also includes an AP information notification function (AP information notification means) 25.

This AP information notification function 25
A function of collecting information (for example, installation location, congestion rate, backhaul line type, etc.) of the wireless LAN AP 21 (note that the collection method includes, for example, input by an operator, update from the wireless LAN AP 21, notification from the terminal 40, etc. Conceivable, but not limited to these)
And a function of notifying the mobile network 10 of wireless LAN AP information.

The terminal 40
A function of connecting to the wireless LAN APs 11 and 21,
When connecting to the above AP, a function that performs authentication if necessary (this authentication includes ID / password authentication (Web authentication, EAP-TTLS authentication, etc.), certificate authentication (EAP-TLS authentication, etc.), SIM authentication (EAP-SIM authentication, EAP-AKA authentication, EAP-AKA 'authentication, etc. can be considered, but not limited to these))
And a function of receiving authentication from the mobile network AAA server using authentication information (for example, SIM information) stored in the terminal 40.

"sequence"
FIG. 14 shows an operation sequence of the first embodiment of the wireless communication connection control system of the present invention. The operation of this system will be described below.

<Regular notification process>
(1) The access selection function 17 of the mobile network 10 and the AP information notification function 25 of the wireless LAN 20 respectively collect wireless LAN AP information in the own network (for example, once a day).

(2) The wireless LAN AP information of the wireless LAN 20 is notified from the AP information notification function 25 of the wireless LAN 20 to the access selection function 17 of the mobile network 10 (for example, twice per hour). As this AP information,
-AP's BSSID, installation company,
-Location type, indoor / outdoor distinction,
-Average congestion rate,
-Maximum number of connection policy distributions that can be connected to the AP,
However, it is not limited to this.

  (3) The access selection function 17 refers to the subscriber DB 16 and generates a customized connection policy for each subscriber.

As an algorithm for generating this connection policy,
-The wireless LAN AP installed at the station's home is set to Yes for the connectable flag only for the terminal of the limited excellent member.
-For wireless LAN APs with a degree of congestion of 70% or more, the connection flag is set to Yes only for user terminals that exceed 50% of the monthly limit traffic,
-The connectable flag is set to Yes only when the AP information acquired from the AP information notification function 25 does not exceed the distribution policy upper limit of the connection policy that allows connection to the AP.
-The CWmin parameter is set to 7, 15, 127 in the connection policy to the wireless LAN AP with the congestion degree of 30% or more, 50% or more, 70% or more,
However, it is not limited to this.

  (4) The connection policy generated in the sequence (3) is distributed from the access selection function 17 to the terminal 40 (for example, once per hour).

<Process during terminal connection>
(5) The terminal 40 arrives within the area of the wireless LAN AP of the wireless LAN operator.

  (6) The terminal 40 determines whether or not to connect to the wireless LAN AP 21 based on the connection policy distributed in the sequence (4).

  (7) The terminal 40 connects to the AP 21 based on the determination of the sequence (6). At this time, if there is a description about a connection method such as parameter specification of a wireless section such as CWmin in the connection policy, for example.

[Remarks]
As described in the functional configuration section, AP information collection in sequence (1) is not necessarily performed by notification from the wireless LAN AP, and may be performed by other methods such as input by an operator or notification from a terminal. It doesn't matter. For each sequence of the “periodic notification process”, the execution interval is not necessarily limited to the above. Further, as described above, the execution intervals of the sequences are not necessarily the same.

  With respect to the sequences (3) and (4), the processing for all the terminals 40 does not necessarily have to be performed simultaneously or continuously, and may be distributed. In FIG. 14, for the sequence (4), connection policy distribution from the access selection function 17 to the terminal 40 is performed in the core network, but this is not restrictive. For example, it may be via an external network such as the Internet.

  In the sequence (6), the terminal 40 may determine whether to connect to the AP based on not only the distributed connection policy but also user settings registered in the terminal itself.

<< Second Embodiment >>
<Functional configuration>
FIG. 15 shows the functional configuration of the second embodiment of the wireless communication connection control system of the present invention. In the figure, 10A and 10B are mobile networks # 1, # 2, 20 are wireless LANs, and 30 is an external network. (Internet, service provider network, etc.) 40 is a terminal contracted with the mobile network 10A or 10B (note that the example of subscriber DB and AP information is omitted in this figure, but in practice The same as in the first embodiment).

  Each of the mobile networks 10A and 10B includes a wireless LAN AP 11 and a cellular base station 12 for the terminal 40 to connect to the mobile network 10A or 10B. The wireless LAN AP 11 has a function of sending a beacon including a BLE value indicating the AP load. The wireless LAN AP 11 and the cellular base station 12 may not be provided. Each of the mobile networks 10A and 10B includes a packet communication network 13 for transferring packets transmitted and received by the terminal 40 connected to the wireless LAN AP 11 and the cellular base station 12. This packet communication network 13 may accommodate both wireless LAN access and cellular access, or may be accommodated individually.

  Each of the mobile networks 10A and 10B includes a router 14 that transfers a packet within the core network. This router 14 may be provided for each wireless LAN access and cellular access, or may be the same. Each of the mobile networks 10A and 10B includes an external connection gateway 15 for connecting to the external network 30. The external connection gateway 15 may be provided for each wireless LAN access and cellular access, or may be the same. Each of the mobile networks 10A and 10B includes a subscriber DB 16 that manages subscriber information, which is information related to the contracted terminal 40.

  Each of the mobile networks 10A and 10B has an access selection function 17.

This access selection function 17
A function of collecting information (for example, installation location, congestion rate, backhaul line type, etc.) of the wireless LAN AP 11 (note that the collecting method includes, for example, input by an operator, update from the wireless LAN AP 11, notification from the terminal 40, etc. Conceivable, but not limited to these)
A function of acquiring and storing wireless LAN AP information from the wireless LAN 20, and
A function of distributing wireless LAN AP information and a connection policy to each wireless LAN AP 11 to the terminal 40;
A function for determining the connection policy, in particular, a function for collating the wireless LAN AP information and the information in the subscriber DB 16 to generate a connection policy;
A function of inquiring of the AP information notification function of the wireless LAN 20 when determining the connection policy and obtaining permission to generate a connection policy that enables connection of the wireless LAN 20 to the AP.

  The wireless LAN 20 includes a wireless LAN AP 21 for the terminal 40 to connect to the wireless LAN 20. The wireless LAN AP 21 has a function of sending a beacon including a BLE value indicating the AP load. The wireless LAN 20 also includes a packet communication network 22 that transfers packets transmitted and received by the terminal 40 connected to the wireless LAN AP 21.

  The wireless LAN 20 includes a router 23 for transferring packets in the core network and an external connection gateway 24 for connection to the external network 30.

  The wireless LAN 20 includes an AP information notification function 25.

This AP information notification function 25
A function of collecting information (for example, installation location, congestion rate, backhaul line type, etc.) of the wireless LAN AP 21 (note that the collection method includes, for example, input by an operator, update from the wireless LAN AP 21, notification from the terminal 40, etc. Conceivable, but not limited to these)
A function of notifying the mobile networks 10A and 10B of wireless LAN AP information;
A function of granting permission to generate a connection policy that enables connection to an AP of the own network in response to an inquiry from the access selection function 17 of the mobile networks 10A and 10B;
A function for storing the permission status of connection policy generation for the mobile networks 10A and 10B;
including.

The terminal 40
A function of connecting to the wireless LAN APs 11 and 21,
When connecting to the above AP, a function that performs authentication if necessary (this authentication includes ID / password authentication (Web authentication, EAP-TTLS authentication, etc.), certificate authentication (EAP-TLS authentication, etc.), SIM authentication (EAP-SIM authentication, EAP-AKA authentication, EAP-AKA 'authentication, etc. can be considered, but not limited to these))
And a function of receiving authentication from the mobile network AAA server using authentication information (for example, SIM information) stored in the terminal 40.

"sequence"
FIG. 16 shows an operation sequence of the second embodiment of the wireless communication connection control system of the present invention. The operation in this system will be described below (in this figure, subscriber DB, AP information, distribution connection) An example of the policy is omitted, but actually, it is the same as in the case of the first embodiment).

<Regular notification process>
(1) The access selection function 17 of the mobile networks 10A and 10B and the AP information notification function 25 of the wireless LAN 20 each collect wireless LAN AP information within the own network (for example, once a day).

(2) The AP information notification function 25 of the wireless LAN 20 notifies the access selection function 17 of the mobile networks 10A and 10B of the wireless LAN AP information of the wireless LAN 20 (for example, twice per hour). As this AP information,
-AP's BSSID, installation company,
-Location type, indoor / outdoor distinction,
-Average congestion rate,
-Maximum number of connection policy distributions that can be connected to the AP,
However, it is not limited to this.

  (3) The access selection function 17 refers to the subscriber DB 16 and generates a customized connection policy for each subscriber.

As an algorithm for generating this connection policy,
-The wireless LAN AP installed at the station's home is set to Yes for the connectable flag only for the terminal of the limited excellent member.
-For wireless LAN APs with a degree of congestion of 70% or more, the connection flag is set to Yes only for user terminals that exceed 50% of the monthly limit traffic,
-The connectable flag is set to Yes only when the AP information acquired from the AP information notification function 25 does not exceed the distribution policy upper limit of the connection policy that allows connection to the AP.
-The CWmin parameter is set to 7, 15, 127 in the connection policy to the wireless LAN AP with the congestion degree of 30% or more, 50% or more, 70% or more,
However, it is not limited to this.

  (4) If the generated customized connection policy includes a connection policy to a wireless LAN AP that is not managed by the mobile network operator, the connection policy is sent to the AP information notification function 25 of the wireless LAN 20 that manages the AP. Queries permission for generation. The AP information notification function 25 refers to the previous permission status managed by itself, the AP information collected in the sequence (1), and other SO input information, and the access selection function 17 of the mobile network 10A or 10B. To determine whether or not to generate a connection policy.

As this decision algorithm,
-Only when the upper limit of the number of connection policy distributions that can be connected to the AP has not been reached, the permission to generate the connection policy is determined.
-Compare the connection status of the terminals managed by each mobile network within the last 24 hours, compare the ratio of the number of connections to the population or the absolute value of the number of connections, and compare the mobile network that exceeds twice the average value. Reject connection policy generation for the terminal (even if the connection policy distribution limit is not reached)
-Refer to the connection policy distribution permission status within the last 24 hours and refer to the parameters of the wireless section included in these connection policies to determine the permission to generate the connection policy. Specifically, for example, the average value of CWmin of connection policies generated for terminals managed by a certain mobile network is the average value of CWmin of connection policies generated for terminals managed by other mobile networks. If the value is less than, the generation of the connection policy including the value of CWmin that is lower than the average value of CWmin is rejected.
However, it is not limited to this.

  (5) The access selection function 17 of the mobile network that has received permission to generate the connection policy from the AP information notification function 25 of the wireless LAN 20 determines connection policy generation.

  (6) The connection policy determined in the sequence (5) is distributed from the access selection function 17 to the terminal 40 (for example, once per hour).

<Process during terminal connection>
(7) The terminal 40 arrives within the wireless LAN AP of the wireless LAN operator.

  (8) The terminal 40 determines whether or not to connect to the wireless LAN AP 21 based on the connection policy distributed in the sequence (6).

  (9) The terminal 40 connects to the AP 21 based on the determination of the sequence (8). At this time, if there is a description about a connection method such as parameter specification of a wireless section such as CWmin in the connection policy, for example.

[Remarks]
As described in the function deployment section, AP information collection in sequence (1) is not necessarily performed by notification from the wireless LAN AP, but may be performed by other methods such as input by an operator or notification from a terminal. It doesn't matter. For each sequence of the “periodic notification process”, the execution interval is not necessarily limited to the above. Further, as described above, the execution intervals of the sequences are not necessarily the same.

  The above sequences (3), (4), (5), and (6) do not necessarily have to be performed on all terminals 40 simultaneously or continuously, and may be distributed. . In FIG. 16, connection policy distribution from the access selection function 17 to the terminal 40 is performed in the core network for the sequence (6), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be via an external network such as the Internet.

  In the sequence (8), the terminal 40 may determine whether to connect to the AP based on not only the distributed connection policy but also user settings registered in the terminal itself. However, the distributed connection policy may be enforced by means such as including information in which the determination of the access selection function has priority over the user setting in the distributed connection policy.

  In the sequence (4), when the AP information notification function 25 of the wireless LAN 20 refers to the past connection status and connection policy distribution permission status, the data of only a specific AP is referred to even if the entire wireless LAN AP data is referred to. It doesn't matter.

  10, 10A, 10B: Mobile network, 11: Wireless LAN AP, 12: Cellular base station, 13: Packet communication network, 14: Router, 15: External connection gateway, 16: Subscriber database, 17: Access selection function, 20 : Wireless LAN, 21: wireless LAN AP, 22: packet communication network, 23: router, 24: external connection gateway, 25: AP information notification function, 30: external network, 40: terminal.

IEEE 802.11 Wireless LANs, << online >>, IEEE STANDARDS ASSOCIATION, February 3, 2014, << Search February 3, 2014 >>, Internet <URL: http://standards.ieee.org/about/get/ 802 / 802.11.html> 802.11 wireless network management, O'Reilly Japan, Inc. , September 2003, pp.32-42 Wi-Fi setting method for Android smartphones / tablets, << online >>, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., << Search February 3, 2014 >>, Internet <URL: https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/service/data /docomo#wifi/usage/android/index.html> 3GPP specification: 23.402, << online >>, 3 gpp org. , «Search February 3, 2014», Internet <URL: http://www.3gpp.org/DynaReport/23402.htm> 3GPP specification: 24.312, << online >>, 3 gpp org. , «Search February 3, 2014», Internet <URL: http://www.3gpp.org/DynaReport/24312.htm>

Claims (9)

A terminal contracted with a first wireless communication network having an access selection means capable of distributing a connection policy for an access point to the terminal and controlling the connection of the terminal to the access point is connected to the first wireless communication network. Is a wireless communication connection control system for controlling connection when connecting to an access point of a different second wireless communication network,
The second wireless communication network is
An access point for the terminal to connect to,
AP information notification means for collecting AP information that is information about the access point and notifying the first wireless communication network; and
The first wireless communication network is:
A subscriber database that stores and manages subscriber information, which is information about contracted terminals,
Access selection means for generating and distributing a connection policy in units of individual access points on the basis of subscriber information in the subscriber database and AP information notified from the second wireless communication network A wireless communication connection control system. The terminal includes at least a function of determining whether or not to apply a connection policy distributed from the first wireless communication network according to a situation of an access point of the second wireless communication network. The wireless communication connection control system according to claim 1. 3. The determination as to whether or not to apply the connection policy is performed based on a value indicating a load status regarding an access point of the second wireless communication network notified from the first wireless communication network. The wireless communication connection control system described in 1. The determination as to whether or not to apply the connection policy is performed based on a result of observation of a probe request signal that is executed by a terminal when a peripheral terminal performs an active scan. The wireless communication connection control system described. The determination as to whether or not to apply the connection policy is performed based on installation location attribute information regarding the access point of the second wireless communication network notified from the first wireless communication network. The wireless communication connection control system described. The connection policy is:
Including at least one of information on whether or not to connect to the access point, a delay time from discovery of the access point to connection, or a radio parameter when sending a connection request message to the access point The wireless communication connection control system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication connection control system is a wireless communication connection control system. When terminals each contracted with a plurality of first wireless communication networks connect to an access point of the second wireless communication network,
In addition to the above, the access selection means of each first wireless communication network has a function of inquiring whether or not the AP information notification means of the second wireless communication network is available when generating a connection policy,
In addition to the above, the AP information notification means of the second wireless communication network responds to the inquiry about whether or not the connection policy can be generated from the access selection means of each first wireless communication network, between the terminals of each first wireless communication network. The wireless communication connection control system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication connection control system has a function of returning an answer that results in maintaining fairness. The wireless communication connection control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first wireless communication network is a mobile communication network, and the second wireless communication network is a wireless LAN. A terminal contracted with a first wireless communication network having an access selection means capable of distributing a connection policy for an access point to the terminal and controlling the connection of the terminal to the access point is connected to the first wireless communication network. Is a wireless communication connection control method for controlling connection when connecting to an access point of a different second wireless communication network,
The first wireless communication network and the second wireless communication network collect AP information, which is information related to an access point to which a terminal connects;
A second wireless communication network notifying the collected AP information to the first wireless communication network;
The first wireless communication network is individually based on the AP information, subscriber information that is information related to a contracted terminal in the subscriber database, and AP information notified from the second wireless communication network. A method for controlling connection of wireless communication, comprising at least a step of generating and distributing a connection policy in units of access points for each terminal.

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