JP6477040B2 - Communication terminal, communication method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication terminal, a communication method, and a program, and more particularly, to a communication terminal, a communication method, and a program that can communicate with a plurality of communication means (for example, a plurality of wireless access methods).

  In a mobile environment where a plurality of radio access schemes (RAT: Radio Access Technology) can be used, a radio communication terminal can perform communication suitable for the access environment by appropriately switching the RAT.

  Here, as the RAT, for example, a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) system including IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, or UTRAN (UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Terrestrial Radio Access Network). 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) access system including LTE (Long Term Evolution).

  Hereinafter, WLAN communication is referred to as wireless LAN communication. On the other hand, 3GPP access communication is called cellular communication.

  As a related technique, Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless communication terminal that automatically selects and switches a RAT optimal for an application used by a user. The wireless communication terminal described in the document measures the usage frequency of an application and selects a RAT suitable for an application with a high usage frequency.

  In addition, an earlier application by the applicant (application date: June 28, 2013) discloses a wireless communication terminal that performs distribution control to a plurality of RATs in units of application communication flows based on application communication patterns. Has been. The wireless communication terminal described in the document is optimal for each communication flow according to a communication pattern for each application communication flow (for example, a communication mode such as small-capacity high-frequency communication, large-capacity communication, and streaming communication). Select RAT.

  Further, Non-Patent Document 1 describes an Android OS software platform, and Non-Patent Document 2 describes an iOS software platform. Non-Patent Document 3 describes a technique called OpenFlow, which is a centralized control type network architecture.

Japanese Patent No. 5514748

Jason Chen (Google), "An Introduction to Android (presentation slide)," p. 16, 2008, <URL: https://sites.google.com/site/io/an-introduction-to-android> Apple Inc., “Overview of iOS Technology” p. 8, 2014.09.17, <URL: https://developer.apple.com/jp/devcenter/ios/library/documentation/iPhoneOSTechOverview.pdf> Open Networking Foundation, "OpenFlow Switch Specification, Version 1.4.0 (Wire Protocol 0x05)," October 14, 2013, <URL: https: //www.opennetworking.org/images/stories/downloads/sdn-resources/onf- specifications / openflow / openflow-spec-v1.4.0.pdf>

  The entire disclosures of the above patent documents and non-patent documents are incorporated herein by reference. The following analysis is by the inventors.

  The wireless communication terminal described in Patent Literature 1 merely selects a RAT suitable for an application with high usage frequency. According to such a wireless communication terminal, there is a problem that RAT selection considering each communication of a plurality of applications currently operating on the terminal is not performed.

  On the other hand, the wireless communication terminal described in the previous application by the applicant performs distribution control to a plurality of RATs for each communication flow of the application based on the communication pattern of the application. According to such a wireless communication terminal, each communication of a plurality of applications currently operating on the terminal can be distributed to a plurality of RATs in communication flow units. However, when distributing the communication flow of each application, distribution control is merely performed based on the communication pattern. That is, the RAT selection is not performed in consideration of how the sorted result contributes to the improvement of the user experience.

  Here, the user experience includes a response time when the application communicates and returns the result as a response to the user through some means, a fee required for the communication, and the like. This response time is mainly the time required for communication. That is, the response time depends on the communication delay time of the RAT that is the communication path of the application and the available communication bandwidth.

  As an example, consider a case where two applications A and B are simultaneously operating on a wireless communication terminal. Here, it is assumed that the application A is interacting with the user via the display. On the other hand, it is assumed that the application B is operating in the background without any interaction with the user. Further, it is assumed that the applications A and B are both performing the same type of communication pattern (for example, streaming communication).

  At this time, it is desirable to shorten the response time related to the communication of the application A from the viewpoint of the user experience. Therefore, it is conceivable to prioritize the communication of the application A that is interacting with the user and to select a RAT with good communication conditions for the application A. On the other hand, with respect to communication of the application B that does not interact with the user, the priority is lowered so that, for example, a RAT different from the RAT used by the application A is used so that the communication of the application A is not affected. It is possible to control.

  However, the wireless communication terminal described in the previous application document by the applicant does not perform distribution considering the influence on the user experience, and identifies and distributes communication flows using only communication patterns. Therefore, the communication of the applications A and B cannot be controlled from the viewpoint of the user experience as described above.

  Therefore, it is desired to perform communication control that contributes to improving the user experience after determining the influence on the user experience for the communication of each application currently running on the wireless communication terminal.

  The above problem is not limited to the case where the communication terminal has a plurality of wireless communication means, but also when the communication terminal has a plurality of wired communication means or when the communication terminal has a wireless communication means and a wired communication means. It can occur as well.

  Then, when a communication terminal has a some communication means, it becomes a subject to perform communication control so that a user's experience may be improved. An object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication terminal, a wireless communication method, and a program that contribute to solving such a problem.

  The communication terminal according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of communication means, a user operation monitor unit that determines presence / absence of interaction between an application and a user, and a communication pattern identification unit that determines communication characteristics required by the application A terminal context monitor unit that monitors actual communication characteristics of the plurality of communication means; presence of the interaction; communication characteristics required by the application; and communication assigned to the application according to the actual communication characteristics A user experience evaluation unit that selects a means from among the plurality of communication means.

  The communication method according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a step in which a communication terminal having a plurality of communication means determines whether or not there is an interaction between an application and a user, and determines the communication characteristics required by the application. Monitoring the actual communication characteristics of the plurality of communication means; presence or absence of the interaction; communication characteristics required by the application; and communication means assigned to the application according to the actual communication characteristics Selecting from the communication means.

  The program according to the third aspect of the present invention includes a process for determining presence / absence of an interaction between an application and a user with respect to a computer provided in a communication terminal having a plurality of communication means, and communication requested by the application. Processing for determining characteristics, processing for monitoring actual communication characteristics of the plurality of communication means, presence of the interaction, communication characteristics required by the application, and the actual communication characteristics. And selecting a communication means to be assigned from the plurality of communication means. The program can also be provided as a program product recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

  According to the communication terminal, the communication method, and the program according to the present invention, when the communication terminal has a plurality of communication means, it is possible to perform communication control so as to improve the user's experience.

It is a block diagram which illustrates the composition of the communication terminal concerning one embodiment. It is a block diagram which illustrates the composition of the radio communications system provided with the radio communication terminal concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the monitoring result of the utilization condition of UI device for every application as an example. It is a figure which shows the accumulation | storage information of the communication flow for every application as an example. It is a figure which shows the category classification | category result for every application as an example. It is a figure which shows the monitoring result of the actual communication characteristic of each RAT as an example. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the wireless communication terminal according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the communication characteristic which each category for every application requests | requires for a communication path as an example. It is a block diagram which illustrates the composition of the radio communications system provided with the radio communication terminal concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is a block diagram which illustrates the composition of the radio communications system provided with the radio communications terminal concerning a 3rd embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates the composition of user preference information. It is a figure which illustrates the structure of the communication system based on the open flow (OpenFlow) which concerns on related technology. It is a figure which illustrates the structure of the flow entry (Flow Entry) in an open flow. It is a figure which abstracts and shows the structure of the software platform of a smart phone. It is a block diagram which illustrates the composition of the radio communications terminal concerning the 5th embodiment (terminal implemented based on the software platform of a smart phone).

  First, an outline of one embodiment will be described. Note that the reference numerals of the drawings attached to this summary are merely examples for facilitating understanding, and are not intended to limit the present invention to the illustrated embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a communication terminal 10 according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, a communication terminal 10 includes a plurality of communication means 11 and 12 (when the communication terminal 10 is a wireless communication terminal, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication IF (Interface), a cellular communication IF, etc.) (For example, by monitoring the usage status of a UI (User Interface) device), the user operation monitor unit 14 for determining the presence or absence of the interaction between the application and the user, and (for example, depending on the characteristics of the communication flow generated by the application ) Communication pattern identification unit 15 for determining communication characteristics required by an application, and actual communication characteristics of a plurality of communication means (for example, communication delay time, communication band, connection stability, and communication charge by the communication means) The terminal context monitor unit 16 for monitoring the presence or absence of interaction, the communication characteristics required by the application, And includes in accordance with the actual communication characteristics, a user experience evaluation unit 17 for selecting a communication means for assigning to the application from among a plurality of communication means 11, 12.

  According to the communication terminal 10, when the communication terminal 10 has a plurality of communication means, it is possible to perform communication control so as to improve the user experience. This is because, according to the presence / absence of the interaction between the application and the user, the communication characteristics required by the application, and the actual communication characteristics, it is possible to assign suitable communication means to the application from the viewpoint of the user's experience.

  Next, a case where the wireless terminal 10 according to an embodiment is a wireless communication terminal will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the wireless communication terminal 100 according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2, the wireless communication terminal 100 includes a user operation monitor unit 140, a communication pattern identification unit 150, a terminal context monitor unit 160, a user experience evaluation unit 170, and a communication path control unit 180.

  The user operation monitor unit 140 monitors an interaction between a user and an application through a UI (User Interface) device on the wireless communication terminal 100.

  The communication pattern identification unit 150 identifies the communication pattern of each application (applications 190 to 19N) operating on the wireless communication terminal 100. That is, the communication pattern identification unit 150 identifies a characteristic communication pattern of each application.

  The terminal context monitor unit 160 monitors the context of the wireless communication terminal 100 including the state of RAT (Radio Access Technology) on the wireless communication terminal 100. That is, the terminal context monitor unit 160 monitors the context of the wireless communication terminal 100 including the state of the RAT on the wireless communication terminal 100 such as wireless LAN communication and cellular communication.

  The user experience evaluation unit 170 determines the degree of influence of the communication flow on the user experience from the viewpoint of communication responsiveness, delay, throughput, and the like, in units of application communication flows, based on the information of each of the units 140, 150, and 160. To do. That is, the user experience evaluation unit 170 performs communication responsiveness, delay, and communication in units of application communication flows based on information monitored and identified by the user operation monitor unit 140, the communication pattern identification unit 150, and the terminal context monitor unit 160, respectively. From the viewpoint of throughput or the like, the degree of influence of the communication flow on the user experience is determined. In addition, the user experience evaluation unit 170 determines a communication path control method suitable from the viewpoint of the user experience based on the actual terminal context including the RAT state by the terminal context monitor unit 160.

  The communication path control unit 180 applies the communication path control method determined by the user experience evaluation unit 170 to the communication flow. That is, the communication path control unit 180 includes the actual terminal context including the degree of influence on the user experience for each communication flow by the user experience evaluation unit 170, the RAT state by the terminal context monitor unit 160, and the communication pattern identification unit 150. Based on the communication pattern of the application and the communication flow, the communication path control suitable for the user experience is performed.

  As described above, the user experience evaluation unit 170 includes the presence / absence of interaction with the user for each application monitored by the user operation monitor unit 140, the communication pattern identification result for each application identified by the communication pattern identification unit 150, and the terminal context monitor unit. Based on the terminal context information including the state of the RAT on the wireless communication terminal 100 by 160, the degree of influence on the user experience of the communication flow of a certain application newly generated this time is evaluated. Further, the communication path control unit 180 performs optimal communication path control based on the actual terminal context based on the evaluation result by the user experience evaluation unit 170.

  According to the wireless communication terminal 100 having the above configuration, priority is given to a communication flow having a large influence on the user experience over a plurality of communication flows generated from a plurality of applications on the wireless communication terminal 100 over a RAT having a high communication quality. By performing control such as route control automatically, it is possible to improve the user experience in terms of communication responsiveness, delay, and throughput. That is, according to the wireless communication terminal 100, communication control that contributes to improving the user experience is performed on the communication of each application actually running on the wireless communication terminal after determining the influence on the user experience. Is possible.

  Below, based on embodiment, the communication terminal which concerns on this invention is demonstrated in detail. In the following embodiment, a case where the communication terminal is a wireless communication terminal and has a plurality of wireless communication means as communication means will be described as an example. However, the communication terminal of the present invention is not limited to such an example. That is, the present invention is not limited to the case where the communication terminal has a plurality of wireless communication means, but also when the communication terminal has a plurality of wired communication means or when the communication terminal has both the wireless communication means and the wired communication means. The same can be applied.

<Embodiment 1>
Next, the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless communication system including the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2, the wireless communication system includes a wireless communication terminal 100, a wireless local area network (LAN) access point 200, a cellular base station 300, and a server group 400.

  The wireless communication terminal 100 and the wireless LAN access point 200 are connected via a wireless LAN for communication. Similarly, the wireless communication terminal 100 and the cellular base station 300 are connected by cellular communication and perform communication.

  The wireless LAN access point 200 and the server group 400 are connected by wireless or wired communication means. Similarly, cellular base station 300 and server group 400 are connected by wireless or wired communication means.

  The wireless communication terminal 100 communicates with the server group 400 by wireless LAN communication via the wireless LAN access point 200. In addition, the wireless communication terminal 100 communicates with the server group 400 by cellular communication via the cellular base station 300.

  The wireless communication terminal 100 includes a wireless LAN communication IF (Interface) 110, a cellular communication IF 120, a UI (User Interface) device 130, a user operation monitor unit 140, a communication pattern identification unit 150, a terminal context monitor unit 160, and a user experience evaluation unit 170. , A communication path control unit 180 and applications 190 to 19N.

  Each of these units operates as follows.

  The user operation monitor unit 140 monitors and analyzes the interaction between the user and the applications 190 to 19N through the UI device 130 on the wireless communication terminal 100.

  The communication pattern identification unit 150 identifies a communication pattern for each application based on a communication flow generated from the applications 190 to 19N operating on the wireless communication terminal 100.

  The terminal context monitor unit 160 monitors the context of the wireless communication terminal 100 including the state of the wireless LAN communication IF 110 and the cellular communication IF 120 that are RATs (Radio Access Technology) on the wireless communication terminal 100.

  Based on the analysis result and the identification result by the user operation monitor unit 140 and the communication pattern identification unit 150, the user experience evaluation unit 170 provides a user experience in terms of communication responsiveness, delay, throughput, and the like in units of application communication flows. From the viewpoint of the user experience, a suitable communication path control method is determined based on the actual terminal context information including the state of each RAT by the terminal context monitor unit 160.

  The communication path control unit 180 performs communication path control for the communication flow according to the communication path control method determined by the user experience evaluation unit 170.

  Next, the operation of the wireless communication terminal 100 according to this embodiment will be described in more detail.

  First, the behavior of wireless LAN communication and cellular communication of the wireless communication terminal 100 will be described.

  When the wireless communication terminal 100 exists within the coverage area where the wireless radio wave of the wireless LAN access point 200 is reachable, the wireless communication terminal 100 performs wireless connection processing with the wireless LAN access point 200 using the wireless LAN communication IF 110 and then enters the wireless LAN. To communicate. The wireless communication terminal 100 also has a cellular communication function. Therefore, when the wireless radio wave of cellular base station 300 is within the reachable area, wireless communication terminal 100 performs cellular communication with cellular base station 300 using cellular communication IF 120.

  Each communication flow when the applications 190 to 19N operating on the wireless communication terminal 100 communicate with the server group 400 passes through either the wireless LAN communication IF 110 side or the cellular communication IF 120 through the communication path control unit 180. Communication is performed by wireless LAN communication or cellular communication.

  Depending on the type of the wireless communication terminal 100, the wireless LAN communication and the cellular communication may be used exclusively or may be used simultaneously. In this embodiment, both exclusive use and simultaneous use are targeted.

  First, the user operation monitor unit 140 constantly monitors the operation of the applications 190 to 19N operating on the wireless communication terminal 100, particularly the usage status of the UI device 130. Specific examples of the UI device 130 include a display, hardware keys and buttons (keyboard, mouse, etc.), a touch panel, an audio microphone, a speaker, and the like. The user operation monitor unit 140 holds the monitoring result as information on the usage status of the UI device 130 for each application.

  FIG. 3 shows information held by the user operation monitor unit 140 as an example. The user operation monitor unit 140 preferably holds an application name and information on whether or not the UI device 130 is used. Further, the user operation monitor unit 140 may hold information such as the type of the UI device 130, the usage time, and the ratio of the UI device usage time to the application activation time.

  As an example, when a certain application (for example, browser A in FIG. 3) displays information on the display and the user operates the touch panel to perform UI operation of the application, the user operation monitor unit 140 displays the application name. At the same time, information indicating that the UI device is used is held, and accompanying information such as a detailed type (for example, display, touch panel) of the UI device is held.

  As another example, it may be considered that an application does not display information on the display, operates in the background of another application that displays information on the display, and uses an audio microphone and a speaker. For example, the voice call application C of FIG. 3 operates in the background of another application as described above, and does not present information to the user through the display, but interacts with the user through a voice microphone or a speaker. Even in such a case, the user operation monitor unit 140 determines that the UI device is used for this application, and holds information to that effect.

  Further, for an application that does not use any UI device including a display and does not interact with the user (for example, data synchronization application B in FIG. 3), the user operation monitor unit 140 indicates that the UI device is not used. Hold.

  As described above, the user operation monitor unit 140 determines whether or not to perform an interaction with the user through the UI device for each application running on the wireless communication terminal 100, and monitors the usage status of the UI device 130. And keep the information constantly updated.

  The communication pattern identification unit 150 constantly monitors communication flows generated from applications 190 to 19N operating on the wireless communication terminal 100.

  Here, the communication flow is communication performed between the applications 190 to 19N and the server group 400, and is a source IP (Internet Protocol) address and port number, and a destination IP address and port number. Refers to the flow of communication between two points identified by. Therefore, generally, a plurality of communication flows are generated from one application. Communication between the applications 190 to 19N and the server group 400 is performed via the wireless LAN communication IF 110 or the cellular communication IF 120 on the wireless communication terminal 100. The communication path control unit 180 controls which communication IF allows each communication flow to flow.

  The communication pattern identification unit 150 monitors each communication flow generated from the applications 190 to 19N and accumulates information on each communication flow for each application. As information of each communication flow accumulated by the communication pattern identification unit 150, for example, a communication flow duration, a change in communication amount per time of the communication flow and a total communication amount, a communication flow generated by one application at the same time And the frequency of occurrence of communication flows per hour. As other information, the communication flow information may include information such as a destination IP address and a port number.

  The communication pattern identification unit 150 may accumulate the information on these communication flows in, for example, a database provided in the communication pattern identification unit 150. FIG. 4 shows an example of the data format of the accumulated communication flow information.

  Based on the accumulated communication flow information, the communication pattern identification unit 150 classifies the communication patterns for the applications 190 to 19N in units of applications, and performs categorization. This category classification method will be described below.

  The communication pattern identification unit 150 acquires, for each application, a list of information regarding communication flows generated from the application for the accumulated data. The communication pattern identification unit 150 classifies how to use communication for each application based on the list of communication flow information.

Here, the communication pattern identification unit 150 performs classification according to the following viewpoints U1 to U5, for example.
Viewpoint U1: Number of communication flows generated by the application at the same time,
Viewpoint U2: Average duration of each communication flow,
Viewpoint U3: Change in communication volume per hour of each communication flow,
Viewpoint U4: average of the total traffic of each communication flow,
Viewpoint U5: Frequency per hour of communication flow generated by application

  Based on the viewpoint U1, the communication pattern identification unit 150 generates a large number of communication flows at the same time as a browser application when the number of communication flows generated at the same time is large. It is classified as a type of application that acquires content in parallel. Hereinafter, the category name of the application classified in this way is referred to as “parallel communication type”.

  Based on the viewpoint U2, the communication pattern identification unit 150 is a type of application that is used while the communication flow maintains a single communication flow in a streaming format, such as an Internet radio or voice call application, when the duration of the communication flow is long. Or an application that downloads a large-capacity file using one communication flow. The communication pattern identification unit 150 combines the viewpoint U2 and the viewpoint U3, and the duration of the communication flow is long based on the viewpoint U2. Further, the change in the communication amount per time of the communication flow is constant based on the viewpoint U3. In this case, the former application is determined to receive data at a constant communication rate in the streaming format. Hereinafter, the category name of the application classified in this way is referred to as “streaming type”.

  On the other hand, the communication pattern identification unit 150 has a large total communication amount per communication flow based on the viewpoint U4, and the change in the communication amount per communication flow increases rapidly at the start of communication and rapidly at the end based on the viewpoint U3. If it shows a change that decreases, it is determined that the application downloads a large-capacity file. Hereinafter, the category name of the application classified in this way is referred to as “file download type”.

  Further, the communication pattern identification unit 150 has a high frequency of communication flows generated per unit time by the application based on the viewpoint U5, and the average duration of the communication flows is short based on the viewpoint U2. If the total amount of communication per communication flow is small based on this, the user's current state (for example, preference information such as whether or not the wireless communication terminal 100 is being used) is periodically communicated to the server, or the user It is estimated that the application has communication characteristics such as an SNS (Social Network Service) application for exchanging short messages with each other. Hereinafter, the category name of the application classified in this way is referred to as “signaling type”.

  Note that the above classification is merely an example of a classification regarding how to use communication of an application based on the characteristics of the communication flow, and the classification method in the present invention is not limited to this. By categorizing based on the communication characteristics of the application in this way, it is possible to apply optimal communication path control to each user category in the communication path control processing described later, from the viewpoint of improving the user experience. .

  FIG. 5 illustrates the result of the communication pattern identification unit 150 performing category classification for each application. The communication pattern identification unit 150 constantly monitors and analyzes the communication flow, and holds the result of adding and updating the categorization result for each application.

  The terminal context monitor unit 160 constantly monitors the context of the wireless communication terminal 100 including the state of the wireless LAN communication IF 110 that is the RAT on the wireless communication terminal 100 and the cellular communication IF 120.

  As the state of the wireless LAN communication IF 110, for example, whether or not the wireless LAN access point 200 is connected, and if it is connected, the SSID (Service Set Identifier) of the connection target wireless LAN access point, the electric field of the wireless LAN radio wave Strength, packet loss rate of wireless LAN communication, delay time in communication through a connected wireless LAN access point, usable communication bandwidth, and the like.

  On the other hand, as the state of the cellular communication IF 120, for example, whether it is connected to the cellular base station 300, if it is connected, the type of cellular communication (for example, 3G, LTE, etc.), the radio wave intensity of the cellular communication, The packet loss rate of cellular communication, the delay time in cellular communication, the available communication band, etc. are mentioned.

  Here, the terminal context monitor unit 160 is connected to the wireless LAN access point 200 or the cellular base station 300 regarding the communication specification of the connection destination and the delay time of the wireless LAN communication or the cellular communication and the usable communication band. A theoretical delay time and an available communication bandwidth value based on the used communication method may be used. Further, the terminal context monitor unit 160 may use an actual measurement value obtained by actually transmitting a communication packet for delay time and bandwidth measurement on the communication path.

The terminal context monitor unit 160 performs analysis based on the monitoring results of the above states, and classifies the characteristics of each RAT in the wireless communication terminal 100 from the following viewpoints V1 to V4, for example.
Viewpoint V1: Communication delay time,
Viewpoint V2: communication bandwidth,
Viewpoint V3: connection stability,
Viewpoint V4: Communication charges

  The terminal context monitor unit 160 classifies the viewpoint V1 and the viewpoint V2 according to the above-described state monitoring result of each RAT by the terminal context monitor unit 160.

  For example, the terminal context monitor unit 160 classifies the communication delay time of the viewpoint V1 in several stages from a short delay time to a long delay time.

  On the other hand, the terminal context monitor unit 160 uses the communication band value of each RAT as it is for the communication band of the viewpoint V2.

  In addition, the terminal context monitor unit 160 classifies the connection stability of the viewpoint V3 in several stages from high stability to low stability based on the radio wave strength or packet loss rate of wireless LAN or cellular communication.

  Further, the terminal context monitor 160, in the case of a wireless LAN, with respect to the communication charge of the viewpoint V4, is a public wireless LAN provided by a communication carrier or the like based on the SSID, or a wireless LAN installed at home or work Is determined.

  When the terminal context monitor unit 160 is a public wireless LAN, the terminal context monitor unit 160 uses a separately prepared SSID and the corresponding public wireless LAN fee structure information (for example, a list of how many yen per packet up to how many GBytes) Determine communication charges.

  On the other hand, the terminal context monitor unit 160 determines that the communication fee is free in the case of a wireless LAN such as home or work.

  If there is an exception, the terminal context monitor unit 160 prepares a list of SSIDs and fee structure information as in the case of the public wireless LAN, and determines the communication fee of the connected SSID.

  FIG. 6 shows, as an example, the result of the terminal context monitoring unit 160 classifying the characteristics of the wireless LAN communication IF 110 and the cellular communication IF 120, which are RATs provided in the wireless communication terminal 100.

  These terminal contexts change over time. Therefore, the terminal context monitor unit 160 constantly monitors and analyzes the context on the wireless communication terminal 100 as described above, and holds the classification results of the characteristics of each RAT while updating them as needed.

  Next, information on presence / absence of interaction with the user for each application by the user operation monitor unit 140 described above, category classification information of the communication pattern for each application by the communication pattern identification unit 150, and a wireless communication terminal by the terminal context monitor unit 160 A process for performing communication path control suitable from the viewpoint of improving the user experience based on the characteristic classification information of 100 RATs will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating such processing by the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 7, first, when any one of the applications 190 to 19N operating on the wireless communication terminal 100 communicates with the server group 400, a new communication flow is generated in the wireless communication terminal 100. (Step A1).

  The user experience evaluation unit 170 specifies the generation application of the communication flow (step A2).

  The user experience evaluation unit 170 can use the following method as a method of identifying the source application from the communication flow. That is, for example, the user experience evaluation unit 170 checks a process that performs communication using the port number based on the transmission source port number of the communication flow, and then specifies an application name to which the process belongs.

  Identification of these processes and application names can be realized by using an OS (Operating System) function. This is because the OS knows the process that communicates using the port number, and also knows the file name of the executable file of the application that generated the process.

  The user experience evaluation unit 170 inquires of the user operation monitor unit 140 regarding the presence or absence of interaction with the user of the obtained generation application (step A3).

  The user operation monitor unit 140 interacts with the user based on a list of information on the presence / absence of interaction with the user for each application held by the user operation monitor unit 140 (for example, FIG. 3). Is returned to the user experience evaluation unit 170 (step A4).

  Next, the user experience evaluation unit 170 inquires of the communication pattern identification unit 150 about the category classification information of the communication pattern of the application (step A5).

  The communication pattern identification unit 150, for the application name that has been queried, based on a list of communication pattern category classification results (for example, FIG. 5) for each application held by itself, A reply is sent to the evaluation unit 170 (step A6).

  Next, the user experience evaluation unit 170 acquires the characteristic classification information of each RAT of the current wireless communication terminal 100 from the terminal context monitor unit 160 (step A7).

  Next, the user experience evaluation unit 170 obtains the presence / absence of user interaction of the source application of the communication flow generated this time, the category classification result of the communication pattern of the source application obtained in Steps S3 to S7, the wireless communication terminal 100 Based on the current characteristic classification information of each RAT, a communication path control method is determined in consideration of the influence of the communication flow generated this time on the user experience (step A8).

  In the procedure for determining the communication path control method, for example, the user experience evaluation unit 170 first determines the importance of the communication flow according to the presence / absence of user interaction of the source application. In general, communication of an application having an interaction with a user greatly affects the user experience. Therefore, for example, the user experience evaluation unit 170 determines that the importance is high when there is an interaction with the user, and determines that the importance is low in other cases.

  Furthermore, the user experience evaluation unit 170 determines a request for the communication path based on the result of categorizing the communication pattern of the source application.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating communication characteristics required for a communication path for each category of communication patterns. The communication characteristics shown in FIG. 8 describe the communication characteristics required for the communication path from the viewpoint of improving the user experience based on the characteristics of the communication flow of each category.

  In the streaming type, communication is continued for a long time in a certain band. Therefore, for the streaming type, a communication band of a certain level or more and communication stability are required for the communication path.

  On the other hand, the file download type receives a large amount of data. Therefore, it is desirable for the file download type that the communication band is larger and the communication fee is relatively low.

  In addition, although the signaling type frequently performs a small amount of data communication, neither the communication band nor the communication stability is required so much.

  Furthermore, the parallel communication type uses a large number of communication flows simultaneously. Therefore, for the parallel communication type, it is preferable to distribute the load for each RAT by distributing each communication flow to a plurality of RATs.

  The user experience evaluation unit 170 matches the request for the importance and communication path of the communication flow with the characteristic classification information of each RAT of the actual wireless communication terminal 100, and selects a suitable RAT and communication flow. Set the priority.

  For example, when the communication flow is generated from a streaming type application, the user experience evaluation unit 170 selects a RAT having high connection stability among the RATs of the wireless communication terminal 100.

  On the other hand, when the communication flow is generated from a download type application, the user experience evaluation unit 170 selects communication using the RAT with the larger communication band among the RATs of the wireless communication terminal 100. . In addition, when both RATs have the same communication band, the user experience evaluation unit 170 selects a RAT that exhibits better characteristics from the viewpoint of delay time, connection stability, and fee.

  Further, when the communication flow is generated from a signaling type application, the user experience evaluation unit 170 does not have a special request for a communication path, so that the RAT with a lower charge or another application currently uses the communication flow. Select a RAT that is not.

  Further, in the case where communication flows generated from parallel communication type applications, the user experience evaluation unit 170 is configured to alternately distribute communication flow groups generated from the same application to the RATs provided in the wireless communication terminal 100. select. Specifically, when the communication flow generated last time from the application selects to use the wireless LAN communication IF 110, the user experience evaluation unit 170 selects the communication flow generated this time to use the cellular communication IF 120.

  Further, the user experience evaluation unit 170 selects a RAT that is different from the communication flow having a higher importance in the case of a communication flow having a lower importance based on the importance based on the presence / absence of the interaction with the user of the communication flow. You may decide to do.

  As an example, let us consider a case where a streaming type application A having an interaction with a user and a download type application B having no interaction with the user are simultaneously started and communicating.

  In this case, the user experience evaluation unit 170 regards the communication flow generated from the streaming type application A as a communication flow having high importance, and selects to use a RAT with better conditions that matches the category of the application. On the other hand, since there is no interaction with the user, the user experience evaluation unit 170 regards the download type application B as having low importance. Also, the user experience evaluation unit 170 selects a RAT different from the RAT selected for the communication flow of the application A for the communication flow of the application B.

  As a result, the application B does not place a communication load on the RAT used by the application A. Therefore, it is possible to improve the communication characteristics of the communication flow of the highly important application A having interaction with the user, and as a result, it is possible to improve the user experience.

  Here, when there is currently only one RAT in a communicable state, or communication flows of a large number of applications have already occurred, only high-priority communication flows occupy RATs with specific communication characteristics. If it is not possible, the user experience evaluation unit 170 selects the same RAT as the communication flow of the other application and performs priority communication control such that communication with high priority is performed with respect to the communication flow with high importance. Also good.

  As a method for realizing such priority communication control, for example, it can be realized by using a QoS (Quality of Service) processing function of a network provided in the OS. For example, an OS such as Linux (registered trademark) includes a packet scheduler and a queue management mechanism as a mechanism for realizing QoS processing for TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) communication. Therefore, by using these, it is possible to realize control for preferential communication with respect to communication packets constituting a specific communication flow.

  Next, the communication path control unit 180 performs communication path control of the communication flow according to the communication path control method determined by the user experience evaluation unit 170 (step A9).

  Here, as described above, the communication path control method refers to control of which RAT is used for communication with respect to a certain communication flow and priority communication control of a specific communication flow.

  In the above description of the operation, the presence / absence of user interaction is determined for each application, the communication patterns are categorized, and communication path control based on this is performed. However, the above operation may be performed in units of processes instead of in units of applications.

  A process is an execution unit of processing on the OS. The application is composed of 1 to N processes. Some applications may have different functions for each process that configures the application. For example, the application A may be composed of processes A1 and A2. Here, the process A1 has an interaction with the user and communicates at any time according to the user's instruction. On the other hand, the process A2 operates in the background without any interaction with the user, and may download a large amount of data necessary for the operation of the application regardless of the user's instruction.

  Performing suitable communication control that improves user experience even when multiple processes play different roles within one application by determining the presence of user interaction and categorizing communication patterns in process units Is possible.

  Next, effects of the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  In the wireless communication terminal 100 of the present embodiment, the user operation monitor unit 140 determines the presence / absence of user interaction by the application that generated the communication flow, the communication pattern identification unit 150 performs communication pattern categorization, and the terminal context monitor After the unit 160 determines the current RAT state of the wireless communication terminal 100, a suitable communication path control method based on the influence of the communication flow on the user experience and the characteristics required for the communication path The communication path control unit 180 performs communication control based on this.

  That is, in the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment, the presence / absence of interaction with the user for each application and the request for the communication path for each application are determined by analyzing the communication flow generated on the wireless communication terminal 100. Based on the communication characteristics of each RAT on the current wireless communication terminal 100, the user experience evaluation unit 170 performs communication path control suitable for each communication flow from the viewpoint of the user experience such as communication responsiveness and communication connection stability. select. As a result, with respect to a plurality of communication flows generated from a plurality of applications on the wireless communication terminal 100, a control is performed such as preferentially routing a communication flow having a great influence on the user experience to a RAT having a high communication quality. It becomes possible to improve the user experience.

  Therefore, according to the wireless communication terminal 100 of the present embodiment, when a communication flow on the wireless communication terminal 100 occurs, by performing suitable communication path control considering the influence of the communication flow on the user experience, The responsiveness and stability of the communication flow can be improved, and as a result, the user experience related to communication can be improved.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a wireless communication terminal 100 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the wireless communication terminal 100 according to this embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 9, a wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment includes a wireless local area network (LAN) communication IF (Interface) 110, a cellular communication IF 120, a UI (User Interface) device 130, an application information database (DB: Database). ) 1100, a terminal context monitor unit 160, a user experience evaluation unit 170, a communication path control unit 180, and applications 190 to 19N.

  The wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment is different from the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the first embodiment in the following points. That is, in the present embodiment, the wireless communication terminal 100 uses the information on the presence / absence of user interaction for each application and the information on the categorization result based on the communication pattern for each application as profile information in the application information database 1100 in advance. Hold on.

  The application information DB 1100 holds information similar to the result analyzed by the user operation monitor unit 140 and the communication pattern identification unit 150 of the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the first embodiment. That is, the application information DB 1100 holds information illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5. Here, as a method of inputting information to the application information DB 1100, information may be input via a UI provided in the wireless communication terminal 100. Further, it may be distributed from the outside of the wireless communication terminal 100 in the form of a file or the like by means of communication or the like.

  Regarding the flow of processing (steps A1 to A9 in FIG. 7) for performing communication path control suitable from the viewpoint of improving the user experience, in the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the first embodiment and the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment, It differs in the following points.

  That is, in the first embodiment, the information on the presence / absence of user interaction for each application and the information on the categorization result based on the communication pattern for each application are obtained from the user operation monitor unit 140 and the communication pattern identification unit 150, respectively. Instead, in the present embodiment, these pieces of information are acquired from the application information database 1100. For other points, the same processing is performed between the first embodiment and this embodiment.

  Note that, according to the wireless communication terminal 100 of the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the user operation monitoring unit 140 and the communication pattern identifying unit 150 do not constantly monitor the application operation and the communication flow. Therefore, according to the wireless communication terminal 100 of the present embodiment, the effect of the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the first embodiment can be obtained with less power consumption.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, a wireless communication terminal 100 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the wireless communication terminal 100 according to this embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 10, a wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment includes a wireless local area network (LAN) communication IF (Interface) 110, a cellular communication IF 120, a UI (User Interface) device 130, a user operation monitor unit 140, a communication. A pattern identification unit 150, a terminal context monitor unit 160, a user experience evaluation unit 170, a communication path control unit 180, applications 190 to 19N, and a user preference information database (DB) 1110 are provided.

  Differences between the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment and the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the first embodiment include the following points. That is, in the present embodiment, the user preference information DB 1110 holds preference information indicating what the user places importance on communication. In addition, when determining the communication control method of the communication flow, the user experience evaluation unit 170 performs a determination in consideration of an element designated by this user preference.

  FIG. 11 illustrates information stored in the user preference information DB 1110. As shown in FIG. 11, the user preference information DB 1110 holds, as preference information, information specified in several stages as to whether or not to place importance on elements such as communication speed, connection stability, and charge. As a method for inputting these pieces of information, for example, the user may input a degree of importance for each element through a UI on a display provided in the wireless communication terminal 100.

  The operation of the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment is the same as the operation of the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the first embodiment. However, a suitable communication path control determination method by the user experience evaluation unit 170 in step A8 is different between the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment and the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the first embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the importance determination of the communication flow based on the information of the user operation monitor unit 140, the request for the communication path of the communication flow based on the information of the communication pattern identification unit 150, and the actual wireless communication When a suitable RAT selection and communication flow priority setting are performed by matching the characteristic classification information of each RAT of the terminal 100, the user experience evaluation unit 170 further stores the preference stored in the user preference information DB 1110. Make judgments that take information into account.

  For example, when the degree of emphasis on the communication fee is high in the user preference information, the user experience evaluation unit 170 determines to preferentially select the RAT with the lower communication fee in the characteristic classification information of each RAT.

  As another example, when the degree of emphasis on communication connection stability is high in the user preference information, the user experience evaluation unit 170 gives priority to the RAT having the higher connection stability in the characteristic classification information of each RAT. Judge to choose.

  Furthermore, when the degree of importance of the communication speed is high in the user preference information, the user experience evaluation unit 170 determines to preferentially select a RAT having excellent delay time and communication bandwidth in the characteristic classification information of each RAT.

  In the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment, the user preference information DB 1110 holds elements that are important to the user as user preference information, and the user experience evaluation unit 170 reflects the user preference information in the determination of the communication path control method. Let Therefore, according to the wireless communication terminal 100 of the present embodiment, communication path control according to the user's intention can be performed more than the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the first and second embodiments.

<Embodiment 4>
Next, a wireless communication terminal 100 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment is applied to the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the first embodiment by improving the technique called OpenFlow (Non-Patent Document 3), which is a centralized control type network architecture. Is. Note that the OpenFlow can be similarly applied to the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the second and third embodiments.

  OpenFlow recognizes communication as an end-to-end flow, and makes it possible to execute path control and the like in units of flows. First, the open flow will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system configured by the open flow technology. Here, the flow refers to a series of communication packet groups having predetermined attributes (for example, attributes identified based on a communication destination, a transmission source, and the like).

  An OpenFlow Switch 71 is a network switch that employs OpenFlow technology. The open flow switch 71 includes a flow table 710. An OpenFlow controller 70 is an information processing apparatus that controls the OpenFlow switch 71.

  The OpenFlow switch 71 communicates with the OpenFlow controller 70 via a secure channel 72 set with the OpenFlow controller 70. The OpenFlow controller 70 sets the flow table 710 of the OpenFlow switch 71 via the secure channel 72. The secure channel 72 is a communication path on which measures for preventing eavesdropping or falsification of communication between the switch and the controller are taken.

  FIG. 13 shows a configuration example of each entry (flow entry, flow entry) of the flow table 710. The flow entry is a matching rule (Matching Rule or Match Fields) for matching with information (for example, destination IP (Internet Protocol) address, VLAN ID (Virtual Local Area Network Identifier), etc.) included in the header of the packet received by the switch. ), Statistical information (Counters) that is statistical information for each packet flow, and instructions (Instructions or Action) that define a method of processing a packet that matches the matching rule.

  When receiving the packet, the open flow switch 71 refers to the flow table 710. The OpenFlow switch 71 searches for a flow entry that matches the header information of the received packet. When an entry that matches the header information of the received packet is found, the OpenFlow switch 71 processes the received packet according to the processing method defined in the instruction field of the found entry. As processing, for example, “transfer received packet from a predetermined port”, “discard received packet”, “rewrite a part of the header of the received packet and transfer from a predetermined port”, etc. are defined. Yes.

  On the other hand, if no entry matching the header information of the received packet is found, the OpenFlow switch 71 transfers the received packet to the OpenFlow controller 70 via the secure channel 72, for example. The OpenFlow switch 71 requests the OpenFlow controller 70 to set a flow entry that defines the received packet processing method by transferring the received packet. When the packet matches a flow entry that stipulates that a request is transmitted to the controller, the OpenFlow switch 71 requests the controller to set the flow entry according to the processing method. Also good.

  The OpenFlow controller 70 determines a received packet processing method, and sets a flow entry including the determined processing method in the flow table 710. After that, the open flow switch 71 processes subsequent packets belonging to the same flow as the received packet according to the set flow entry.

  By using the above OpenFlow mechanism, the operations of the communication pattern identification unit 150 and the communication path control unit 180 described in the first embodiment can be realized.

  In the present embodiment, as an example, the communication pattern identification unit 150 is realized using the OpenFlow switch 71, and the communication path control unit 180 is realized using the OpenFlow controller 70. As a specific mounting method, either a switch and a controller device configured by hardware may be used, or a software module of a switch and a controller may be used.

  Next, an example of a specific operation will be described. The communication pattern identification unit 150 realized by the OpenFlow switch uses the OpenFlow switch 71 when constantly monitoring the communication flows generated from the applications 190 to 19N operating on the wireless communication terminal 100 in the first embodiment. Monitor the occurrence of communication flows. When a new communication flow occurs, the communication pattern identification unit 150 acquires the information of the transmission source port number of the communication flow from the information included in the header of the packet received by the OpenFlow switch 71, and based on this port number As described in the first embodiment, the communication flow generation source application is specified. In addition, the communication pattern identification unit 150 records the duration of each communication flow, the change in the traffic, and the like by referring to the statistical information for each packet flow included in the flow entry (FIG. 13) of the flow table 710.

  In the first embodiment, the operation of the communication path control unit 180 controlling the communication path of the communication flow (step A9 in FIG. 7) can be realized as follows. In other words, the communication path control unit 180 realized by the OpenFlow controller 70 uses a flow table to store a flow entry having an instruction such as a communication path using a specific RAT, for example, the wireless LAN communication IF 110 or the cellular communication IF 120 as an output destination. Set to 710. As a result, the OpenFlow controller 70 instructs the OpenFlow switch 71 to perform path control for each communication flow. Then, the open flow switch 71 performs distribution control to the designated communication path.

  According to the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment, the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the first embodiment can be realized based on OpenFlow (Non-Patent Document 3) which is a centralized control type network architecture. . The wireless communication terminal 100 according to the second and third embodiments can be similarly realized based on the open flow.

<Embodiment 5>
Next, a wireless communication terminal 100 according to a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The wireless communication terminal 100 of this embodiment is obtained by mounting the wireless communication terminal 100 of the first embodiment on a smartphone equipped with Android OS or iOS.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram abstractly showing the configuration of the software platform of the smartphone. When an Android OS software platform (Non-Patent Document 1) and an iOS software platform (Non-Patent Document 2) are referred to to abstract the software platform of a smartphone, as shown in FIG. (Operating System Kernel) layer, common library layer, application framework layer, application layer.

  The hardware layer is smartphone hardware. The OS kernel layer provides basic functions as an OS. The common library layer is a layer that provides various library groups that are commonly used in the upper layer. The application framework layer provides functions necessary for application development to the application layer by utilizing the functions of the lower layer. The application layer implements necessary functions by appropriately using an application framework layer, a common library layer, an OS kernel layer, and a hardware layer to realize an application.

  Each layer can use the functions of each other layer by an IF (Interface) called API (Application Programming Interface).

  FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration when the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the first embodiment is mounted on an abstracted software platform (FIG. 14).

  The function of each part and the flow of processing in the wireless communication terminal 100 of this embodiment are the same as those of the wireless communication terminal 100 of the first embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 15, applications 190 to 19N in the wireless communication terminal 100 of the first embodiment are arranged in the application layer. On the other hand, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication IF 110, a cellular communication IF 120, and a UI (User Interface) device 130 are arranged in a hardware layer.

  In addition, the user operation monitor unit 140, the communication pattern identification unit 150, and the terminal context monitor unit 160 are arranged in the common library layer.

  Further, the user experience evaluation unit 170 is arranged in the application framework layer.

  The communication path control unit 180 is arranged in the OS kernel layer.

  Each unit makes some of its functions available to other units through an API that each deployed layer exposes to other layers.

  The user operation monitor unit 140 implements the functions described in the first embodiment by monitoring the usage status of the UI device 130 of each application through the API provided by the hardware layer and the OS kernel layer.

  Further, the communication pattern identification unit 150 is described in the first embodiment by identifying the communication flow of each application and acquiring information through the API provided by the hardware layer, the OS kernel layer, and the communication path control unit 180. Realize the function.

  Furthermore, the terminal context monitor unit 160 implements the functions described in the first embodiment by acquiring various states of the wireless LAN communication IF 110 and the cellular communication IF 120 through APIs provided by the hardware layer and the OS kernel layer. To do.

  Further, the user experience evaluation unit 170, through the API provided by the user operation monitor unit 140, the communication pattern identification unit 150, and the terminal context monitor unit 160, respectively, the presence / absence of user interaction of the application, the categorization result of the application communication pattern, By acquiring the current communication characteristic information of each RAT of the communication terminal 100, the function described in the first embodiment is realized.

  Further, the communication path control unit 180 receives a communication path control instruction of the communication flow through the API from the user experience evaluation unit 170, and the communication path of the communication flow of the application through the API provided by the OS kernel layer and the hardware layer. Take control.

  According to the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment, the wireless communication terminal 100 according to the first embodiment can be realized on a software platform of a smartphone such as Android OS or iOS. The wireless communication terminal 100 according to the second and third embodiments can be similarly realized on a software platform of a smartphone.

  The radio communication terminal 100 according to the first to fifth embodiments can be applied, for example, when a communication unit is selected in a terminal equipped with a plurality of communication units.

In the present invention, the following modes are possible.
[Form 1]
As in the communication terminal according to the first aspect.
[Form 2]
The communication pattern identification unit classifies the application into one of a plurality of categories according to the characteristics of a communication flow generated by the application, and determines communication characteristics required by the application according to the classified category. ,
The communication terminal according to aspect 1.
[Form 3]
The characteristics of the communication flow include the duration of the communication flow, the history of the change in communication speed or the total communication amount, the number of communication flows generated simultaneously by the application or the frequency of communication flows generated by the application, or these A combination of two or more,
The communication terminal according to mode 2.
[Form 4]
The terminal context monitor unit monitors, as the actual communication characteristics, at least one of a communication delay time, a communication band, connection stability, and a communication fee by the plurality of communication units;
The communication terminal according to any one of Forms 1 to 3.
[Form 5]
The user experience evaluation unit preferentially assigns communication means to an application having an interaction with a user among a plurality of applications.
5. The communication terminal according to any one of forms 1 to 4.
[Form 6]
The user operation monitor unit determines whether or not there is an interaction between the application and the user by monitoring a usage state of a UI (User Interface) device.
The communication terminal according to any one of Forms 1 to 5.
[Form 7]
In place of the user operation monitor unit and the communication pattern identification unit, a first database that holds the presence or absence of the interaction and communication characteristics required by the application is provided.
The user experience evaluation unit assigns communication means to be assigned to the application according to the actual communication characteristics, the presence / absence of the interaction held in the first database, and the communication characteristics required by the application. Choose from the means,
The communication terminal according to any one of Forms 1 to 6.
[Form 8]
A second database that holds information indicating which of the communication delay time, communication band, connection stability, and communication charge is emphasized by the user;
The user experience evaluation unit includes communication means assigned to the application according to presence / absence of the interaction, communication characteristics required by the application, actual communication characteristics, and information stored in the second database. Selecting from the plurality of communication means;
The communication terminal according to any one of Forms 1 to 7.
[Form 9]
The user experience evaluation unit assigns a communication means different from a communication means assigned to an application having an interaction with the user to an application having no interaction with the user.
The communication terminal according to any one of Forms 1 to 8.
[Mode 10]
The UI device is at least one of a display, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a microphone, and a speaker.
The communication terminal according to mode 6.
[Form 11]
The communication method according to the second aspect is as described above.
[Form 12]
The communication terminal classifying the application into one of a plurality of categories according to the characteristics of a communication flow generated by the application;
Determining communication characteristics required by the application in accordance with the classified category.
The communication method according to the eleventh aspect.
[Form 13]
The characteristics of the communication flow include the duration of the communication flow, the history of the change in communication speed or the total communication amount, the number of communication flows generated simultaneously by the application or the frequency of communication flows generated by the application, or these A combination of two or more,
The communication method according to Form 12.
[Form 14]
The communication terminal monitors, as the actual communication characteristics, at least one of a communication delay time, a communication band, a connection stability, and a communication fee by the plurality of communication means;
The communication method according to any one of forms 11 to 13.
[Form 15]
The communication terminal preferentially assigns communication means to an application having an interaction with a user among a plurality of applications.
The communication method according to any one of forms 11 to 14.
[Form 16]
The communication terminal determines whether or not there is an interaction between the application and the user by monitoring a usage state of a UI (User Interface) device.
The communication method according to any one of forms 11 to 15.
[Form 17]
The communication terminal holds, in a database, information indicating which of the communication delay time, communication band, connection stability, and communication charge is important by the user;
The communication means to be assigned to the application is selected from the plurality of communication means by referring to the presence / absence of the interaction, the communication characteristics required by the application, the actual communication characteristics, and the information held in the database. Including the steps of:
The communication method according to any one of forms 11 to 16.
[Form 18]
The communication terminal includes a step of assigning a communication means different from a communication means assigned to an application having an interaction with a user to an application having no interaction with the user.
The communication method according to any one of forms 11 to 17.
[Form 19]
The program according to the third aspect is as described above.
[Mode 20]
A process of classifying the application into one of a plurality of categories according to the characteristics of the communication flow generated by the application;
Causing the computer to execute processing for determining communication characteristics required by the application according to the classified category,
The program according to form 19.
[Form 21]
The characteristics of the communication flow include the duration of the communication flow, the history of the change in communication speed or the total communication amount, the number of communication flows generated simultaneously by the application or the frequency of communication flows generated by the application, or these A combination of two or more,
The program according to form 20.
[Form 22]
Causing the computer to execute processing for monitoring at least one of communication delay times, communication bands, connection stability, and communication charges by the plurality of communication means as the actual communication characteristics;
The program according to any one of forms 19 to 21.
[Form 23]
Causing the computer to execute processing for preferentially assigning communication means to an application having an interaction with a user among a plurality of applications.
The program according to any one of forms 19 to 22.
[Form 24]
Monitoring the usage status of a UI (User Interface) device, causing the computer to execute a process of determining whether or not the application and the user interact with each other;
The program according to any one of forms 19 to 23.
[Form 25]
A process for storing in the database information indicating which of the communication delay time, communication band, connection stability, and communication charge is important by the user;
The communication means to be assigned to the application is selected from the plurality of communication means by referring to the presence / absence of the interaction, the communication characteristics required by the application, the actual communication characteristics, and the information held in the database. And causing the computer to execute processing to
The program according to any one of forms 19 to 24.
[Form 26]
Causing the computer to execute a process of assigning a communication means different from a communication means assigned to an application having an interaction with a user to an application having no interaction with the user;
The program according to any one of forms 19 to 25.

  It should be noted that the entire disclosure contents of the above-mentioned patent documents and non-patent documents are incorporated by reference in this document. Within the scope of the entire disclosure (including claims) of the present invention, the embodiment can be changed and adjusted based on the basic technical concept. Further, various combinations or selections of various disclosed elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each embodiment, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible within the framework of the entire disclosure of the present invention. is there. That is, the present invention of course includes various variations and modifications that could be made by those skilled in the art according to the entire disclosure including the claims and the technical idea. In particular, with respect to the numerical ranges described in this document, any numerical value or small range included in the range should be construed as being specifically described even if there is no specific description.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Communication terminal 11, 12 Communication means 14 User operation monitor part 15 Communication pattern identification part 16 Terminal context monitor part 17 User experience evaluation part 70 Open flow controller (OFC: OpenFlow Controller)
71 OpenFlow Switch (OFS)
72 Secure Channel
100 wireless communication terminal 110 wireless LAN communication IF
120 Cellular communication IF
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 130 UI (User Interface) device 140 User operation monitor part 150 Communication pattern identification part 160 Terminal context monitor part 170 User experience evaluation part 180 Communication path control part 190-19N Application 200 Wireless LAN access point 300 Cellular base station 400 Server group 710 Flow Table (Flow Table)
1100 Application information database 1110 User preference information database

Claims (6)

A plurality of communication means;
A first database holding presence / absence of interaction between the application and the user and communication characteristics required by the application ;
A terminal context monitor for monitoring actual communication characteristics of the plurality of communication means;
A user experience evaluation unit that selects communication means to be assigned to the application from the plurality of communication means according to presence / absence of the interaction, communication characteristics required by the application, and actual communication characteristics. Terminal. The terminal context monitor unit monitors, as the actual communication characteristics, at least one of a communication delay time, a communication band, connection stability, and a communication fee by the plurality of communication units;
The communication terminal according to claim 1 . The user experience evaluation unit preferentially assigns communication means to an application having an interaction with a user among a plurality of applications.
The communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2 . A second database that holds information indicating which of the communication delay time, communication band, connection stability, and communication charge is emphasized by the user;
The user experience evaluation unit includes communication means assigned to the application according to presence / absence of the interaction, communication characteristics required by the application, actual communication characteristics, and information stored in the second database. Selecting from the plurality of communication means;
The communication terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . A communication terminal comprising a plurality of communication means refers to a first database holding presence / absence of interaction between an application and a user and communication characteristics requested by the application ;
Monitoring actual communication characteristics of the plurality of communication means;
Selecting communication means to be assigned to the application from among the plurality of communication means according to presence / absence of the interaction, communication characteristics required by the application, and actual communication characteristics.
A communication method characterized by the above. A process of referring to a first database that holds the presence or absence of interaction between an application and a user and communication characteristics required by the application on a computer provided in a communication terminal including a plurality of communication means;
A process of monitoring actual communication characteristics of the plurality of communication means;
A process of selecting communication means to be assigned to the application from the plurality of communication means according to presence / absence of the interaction, communication characteristics required by the application, and the actual communication characteristics;
A program characterized by that.

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