WO2024069849A1 - Control for private chat in virtual environment - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a communication system that executes a notification process, a reception process, a transfer process, and a voice call process. The notification process is a process in which, in a communication network that relays packets, upon detecting a packet addressed to a predetermined destination outside the communication network, the predetermined destination is notified of the identifier of a communication device that has transmitted the packet. The reception process is a process of receiving, from the predetermined destination, an offload notification for offloading at least some of services of the predetermined destination with respect to the communication device. The transfer process is a process in which a packet that has been transmitted from the communication device for offloading designated by the offload notification and that is addressed to the predetermined destination is transferred to an edge server that is placed in the communication network and that provides a virtual world including one or more virtual areas. The voice call process is a process in which any of the one or more virtual areas is allocated to the communication device for offloading, and a voice call with an operator associated with the allocated virtual area is provided.

Description

Control for private chat in virtual environments

This disclosure relates to controls for private chats in a virtual environment.

In recent years, services using virtual spaces have been increasing. For example, technology for using virtual stores represented in virtual spaces has been developed.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a virtual space distribution system in which a virtual store is represented in a virtual space and multiple virtual clerks are arranged, each operated by a different clerk. In this virtual space distribution system, multiple users can operate avatars that reflect themselves and purchase desired products while communicating with the matched virtual clerk.

JP 2022-36690 A

Network services in which various users enjoy services together, such as the conventional virtual store described above, are provided by server devices connected to the Internet, but if a large number of users and store clerks log in to the service at the same time, the processing load on the server device increases.
Furthermore, a user who uses a virtual store may want to communicate with a salesperson at the virtual store by voice or other means to confirm or ask questions about products, services, etc. In such cases, the user often does not want other users to know the content of the conversation with the salesperson.

The objective of this disclosure is to reduce the processing load on the server that provides the virtual environment while allowing private chats to be conducted appropriately within the virtual environment.

In order to solve the above problem, a communication system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes one or more processors. At least one of the one or more processors executes a notification process, a reception process, a transfer process, and a voice call process. The notification process is a process of notifying the specified destination of an identifier of a communication device that transmitted a packet when a packet addressed to a specified destination outside the communication network is detected in a communication network that relays packets. The reception process is a process of receiving an offload notification from the specified destination for offloading at least a part of the service of the specified destination to the communication device. The transfer process is a process of transferring a packet addressed to the specified destination from the communication device that is the offload target specified by the offload notification to an edge server that is arranged in the communication network and provides a virtual world including at least one virtual area. The voice call process is a process of assigning one of the at least one virtual area to the communication device that is the offload target, and providing a voice call with an operator associated with the assigned virtual area.

In order to solve the above problem, a communication control method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes, when a packet addressed to a predetermined destination outside a communication network is detected in a communication network that relays packets, notifying the predetermined destination of an identifier of a communication device that transmitted the packet, receiving an offload notification from the predetermined destination for offloading at least a portion of the service of the predetermined destination to the communication device, forwarding a packet addressed to the predetermined destination, with the communication device to be offloaded specified by the offload notification as the source of the packet, to an edge server disposed in the communication network that provides a virtual world including at least one virtual area, assigning one of the at least one virtual area to the communication device to be offloaded, and providing a voice call with an operator associated with the assigned virtual area.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately conduct private chats within a virtual environment while reducing the processing load on the server that provides the virtual environment.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration of a communication system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the management apparatus. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the functional configuration of the management device. FIG. 4 shows an example of the functional configuration of the MEC server. FIG. 5 shows an example of the functional configuration of the cloud server. FIG. 6 is an example of the metaverse. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the offloading control. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing how an avatar appears in a virtual shop. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a method for determining an offload destination MEC server. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a ring network. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating packet control by the UPF. FIG. 12 is a communication sequence diagram according to this embodiment. FIG. 13 shows an example of a method for calling a store clerk.

Below, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Among the components disclosed below, those having the same functions will be given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. Note that the embodiment disclosed below is one form of the present disclosure, and should be appropriately modified or changed depending on the configuration of the device and various conditions, and is not limited to the following embodiment. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in this embodiment are necessarily essential means for solving the above problem.

In this embodiment, the fifth generation (5G) mobile network standardized by 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) (registered trademark) is assumed as the network to which the technology disclosed herein is applied. Note that the technology disclosed herein may also be applied to networks other than 5G mobile networks.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example is described in which a virtual reality (VR) space on the Internet in which a real user (person) acts as an avatar, or the metaverse, which is the mechanism for such a space, is used. In the following description, the term virtual reality space (or virtual space) refers to a virtual space, such as the metaverse, in which a user can act as an avatar of the user.

The term "connection" used in this description means a logical connection for communication. For example, "B connected to A" means that A and B are logically connected so that they can communicate. A and B do not need to be directly physically connected by a physical cable or the like, and there may be multiple devices or wireless communication between A and B.

<Network configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration of a communication system 1 according to the present embodiment.
The communication system 1 includes user equipment (UE) 10a to 10d, a communication network 20, a cloud 30, and a cloud server 40. The communication network 20 includes a base station 21, an MEC server 22, and a management device 23.

The communication network 20 may be a mobile network that relays communications (packets) from the UEs 10a, 10b to their destination.
The mobile network 20 may be, for example, a mobile network in which one MNO (Mobile Network Operator) performs end-to-end network management. The mobile network 20 has a radio access network (RAN) to which the UEs 10a and 10b directly access, and a core network that aggregates multiple RANs.

In the mobile network 20, UEs 10a and 10b communicate wirelessly with the RAN, and the information is sent to the core network for processing. UEs 10a and 10b can use network services (cloud services) 100 provided by a cloud server 40 present on a cloud 30 via the mobile network 20. UEs 10a and 10b can also connect to other companies' mobile networks 50 and 60 via the mobile network 20 to make voice calls with other UEs 10c and 10d.

Here, the UEs 10a to 10d may be communication terminals (communication devices) capable of mobile communication, such as smartphones, tablet terminals, personal computers (PCs), etc. In addition, the UEs 10a to 10d may be wearable terminals, such as head-mounted displays (HMDs) and smart glasses, stationary terminals, such as desktop PCs, game controllers, etc.
Each of the UEs 10a to 10d has a display unit such as a liquid crystal display, and each user can perform various operations using a GUI (Graphic User Interface) provided on the display unit. Note that each of the UEs 10a to 10d may have a separate display unit.
In this embodiment, UEs 10a and 10b are UEs used by users (subscribers) who have entered into a line contract with the MNO that manages the mobile network 20, and UEs 10c and 10d are UEs used by users who are not the above-mentioned subscribers.

The UEs 10a and 10b can access the cloud service 100 via the mobile network 20, the UE 10c via the mobile network 50, and the UE 10d via the mobile network 60.
Furthermore, the UEs 10a to 10d can also connect to the cloud 30 via another network, such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The two-dot chain line in Fig. 1 indicates a case where the UE 10b connects to the cloud 30 via another network. In this manner, the UEs 10a to 10d can access the cloud service 100 via various networks.
Here, the cloud 30 refers to a server or system outside the mobile network 20, and may be the Internet or a data center connected to the Internet.
It should be noted that the number of UEs that can be connected to the cloud 30 is not limited to the number shown in Fig. 1. In addition, in the following description, the UEs that can be connected to the cloud 30 may be collectively referred to as UEs 10.

The mobile network 20 can accommodate a plurality of base stations 21. The base station 21 includes an antenna, a distribution board, a battery, etc. The base station 21 performs the function of a Radio Unit (RU), which is part of the function of the RAN.
The mobile network 20 in this embodiment may be a virtualized network built on a virtualization platform. In this case, the mobile network 20 can realize the functions from the backbone network switch to the base station wireless access function by software on a general-purpose server.

At least one MEC server 22 is deployed in the mobile network 20. The MEC server 22 is a server device (edge server) for multi-access edge computing (MEC).
In the present embodiment, the MEC server 22 is disposed in the core network of the mobile network 20, but the base station 21 may be configured to have the function of the MEC server. In addition, although only one MEC server 22 is shown in Fig. 1, the number of MEC servers is not particularly limited.

The management device 23 is placed in the mobile network 20, and performs offloading control in cooperation with the cloud server 40. Here, offloading control refers to control in which an agent executes processing in place of the original executor. In this embodiment, at least a part of the processing executed in the cloud 30 is executed by the MEC server 22. This reduces the load on the cloud 30 (offloading). Also, changing the executor of processing for a UE 10 is simply described as offloading the UE 10. The management device 23 performs offloading control to offload a specific UE 10 to the MEC server 22 according to a notification from the cloud server 40. The offloading control will be described later.

The cloud server 40 is located on the cloud 30 and provides a cloud service 100, which is an external service outside the mobile network 20. The cloud service 100 may be a service that provides VR content that constitutes a virtual space (metaverse) incorporating functions such as avatars, games, communication, shopping, and advertisements. The VR content includes at least VR images, which are image data that constitute the virtual space. The VR content may be expressed by images (still images and/or videos), documents, audio, music, or a combination of any two or more of these elements.

The cloud server 40 may include a content database that stores data for generating VR content. The cloud server 40 can acquire information (user operation information) indicating an operation input by a user to the UE 10, generate VR content using data stored in the content database based on the user operation information, and deliver the VR content to the UE 10.
The UE 10 outputs (displays) the VR content, and the user can enjoy the virtual space by viewing the VR content.

The cloud service 100 is a service that provides a virtual space (virtual world) including an area (chat room) where voice conversation (voice chat) is possible. In this embodiment, as an example, a case will be described in which the area is a virtual shop and the virtual space is a metaverse in which users are represented by avatars.
The virtual shop is a virtual store represented on the metaverse. In this virtual shop, as shown in Fig. 1, multiple avatars A to D corresponding to multiple users can act in the same virtual store and purchase desired products. Here, the avatars A to D correspond to users of UE 10a to 10d, respectively.

<Hardware Configuration>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the management device 23. As shown in FIG.
2, the management device 23 includes, as an example of a hardware configuration, a CPU 1, a ROM 2, a RAM 3, a HDD 4, a communication I/F 5, and a system bus 6. The management device 23 may also include an external memory (not shown).
The CPU 1 is made up of one or more processors, and performs overall control of the operation of the management device 23. The CPU 1 controls each of the components (2 to 5) via a system bus 6, which is a data transmission path.
The CPU 1 may be replaced by one or more processors such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or the like.

The ROM 2 is a non-volatile memory that stores control programs and the like necessary for the CPU 1 to execute processing. Note that the programs may be stored in a non-volatile memory such as the HDD 5, or in an external memory such as a removable storage medium (not shown).
The RAM 3 is a volatile memory and functions as a main memory, a work area, etc. of the CPU 1. That is, when executing a process, the CPU 1 loads necessary programs, etc. from the ROM 2 into the RAM 3, and executes the programs, etc. to realize various functional operations.

The HDD 4 stores, for example, various data and various information required when the CPU 1 performs processing using a program. The HDD 4 also stores, for example, various data and various information obtained when the CPU 1 performs processing using a program. Note that the storage may be performed using an external memory such as a non-volatile memory such as an SSD or a removable storage medium together with the HDD 4 or instead of the HDD 4.
The communication I/F (Interface) 5 is an interface that controls communication between the management device 23 and external devices.

The UE 10, the MEC server 22, and the cloud server 40 may have the same hardware configuration. The UE 10 may include an input unit and an output unit in addition to the hardware configuration shown in Fig. 2. Here, the input unit may include an operation input unit that inputs a user operation (touch panel operation, keyboard operation, etc.) on the UE 10, a microphone that collects the user's voice, etc. The output unit may include a display unit such as a liquid crystal display, a speaker that outputs voice, etc.
Furthermore, the UE 10, the MEC server 22, the management device 23, and the cloud server 40 may each have dedicated hardware for executing their respective functions, or may execute part of all of their functions with hardware and execute the remaining parts with a computer that runs a program. Furthermore, all of the functions may be executed by a computer and a program.

<Functional configuration>
Fig. 3 is an example of a functional configuration of the management device 23. Each function of the management device 23 is, for example, a logical function realized by the hardware of the management device 23 shown in Fig. 2, and can be realized by the CPU 1 executing a program stored in the ROM 2 or the like.
The management device 23 includes a transmitting unit 301 , a receiving unit 302 , a UE information notifying unit 303 , an offload destination determining unit 304 , an offload control unit 305 , a store clerk information acquiring unit 306 , and a store clerk allocation processing unit 307 .

The transmitting unit 301 and the receiving unit 302 transmit and receive packets via the communication I/F 5 shown in Fig. 2, respectively. The UE information notifying unit 303 notifies the cloud server 40 of an identifier of the UE 10 as information (UE information) of the UE 10 accessing the cloud service 100 via the mobile network 20. The offload destination determining unit 304 determines the MEC server 22 as the offload destination to which the UE 10 to be offloaded is to be offloaded, based on the offload notification received from the cloud server 40. The offload control unit 305 offloads the UE 10 to be offloaded to the MEC server 22 determined by the offload destination determining unit 304. The offloading control will be described later.
The salesperson information acquisition unit 306 acquires information on salespersons of the virtual shop. The salesperson allocation processing unit 307 assigns salespersons to the MEC servers 22 that provide at least some of the services of the virtual shop based on the salesperson information acquired by the salesperson information acquisition unit 306. The salesperson allocation process will be described later.

Fig. 4 shows an example of a functional configuration of the MEC server 22. Each function of the MEC server 22 is, for example, a logical function realized by the hardware of the MEC server 22 shown in Fig. 2, and can be realized by the CPU 1 executing a program stored in the ROM 2 or the like.
The MEC server 22 includes a transmitting unit 401 , a receiving unit 402 , a user information acquiring unit 403 , and a content generating unit 404 .

The transmitting unit 401 and the receiving unit 402 respectively transmit and receive packets via the communication I/F 5 shown in FIG. 2. The user information acquiring unit 403 acquires user operation information from the UE 10. The content generating unit 404 generates VR content representing at least a portion of the services of the cloud service 100 based on the user operation information acquired by the user information acquiring unit 403, and delivers (transmits) the VR content to the UE 10 via the communication I/F 5 shown in FIG. 2.

Fig. 5 is an example of a functional configuration of the cloud server 40. Each function of the cloud server 40 is, for example, a logical function realized by the hardware of the cloud server 40 shown in Fig. 2, and can be realized by the CPU 1 executing a program stored in the ROM 2 or the like.
The cloud server 40 includes a transmitting unit 501 , a receiving unit 502 , a user information acquiring unit 503 , a content generating unit 504 , a content database 505 , a UE information acquiring unit 506 , an offload target determining unit 507 , and an offload notifying unit 508 .

The transmitting unit 501 and the receiving unit 502 respectively transmit and receive packets via the communication I/F 5 shown in Fig. 2. The user information acquiring unit 503 acquires user operation information from the UE 10. The content generating unit 504 refers to the content database 505 based on the user operation information acquired by the user information acquiring unit 503, generates VR content representing the cloud service 100, and delivers (transmits) it to the UE 10 via the communication I/F 5 shown in Fig. 2.
The UE information acquisition unit 506 acquires UE information notified by the UE information notification unit 303 of the management device 23. The offload target determination unit 507 determines, among the UEs 10 accessing the cloud service 100, one or more UEs 10 to be offloaded to the MEC server 22. The offload notification unit 508 transmits an offload notification including information indicating the UEs 10 to be offloaded determined by the offload target determination unit 507 to the management device 23.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a metaverse 110 provided by the cloud service 100 .
FIG. 6 shows an example in which eight users participate in the metaverse 110, and avatars A to H corresponding to the eight users are arranged in the metaverse 110.
The metaverse 110 is made up of multiple areas, and each avatar may be able to move within one area and also between areas.

The metaverse 110 has a virtual shop 111 as one of the areas in which an avatar can move. Note that the metaverse 110 may have amusement facilities, event venues, and the like in addition to the virtual shop 111 as areas in which an avatar can move.
FIG. 6 shows an example in which avatars A to C are inside a virtual shop 111, and avatars D to H are outside the virtual shop 111 (outdoors).
In this case, only avatars A to C are placed in the virtual shop 111. Avatars D to H are placed in the metaverse 110, but are placed in an area separate from the virtual shop 111 and are not visible to avatars A to C.

In the virtual shop 111, avatars A to C can view and purchase merchandise.
In addition, one or more avatars in the virtual shop 111 can call a virtual clerk (operator). Here, a virtual clerk is an avatar that corresponds to an actual clerk. The avatar that called the virtual clerk and the called virtual clerk move to a chat room, which is an area independent of the virtual shop 111.
The chat room is constructed in such a way that all users can chat (all users can have voice chat). In the chat room, only the avatar who called the virtual clerk and the called virtual clerk are placed, and they are not visible to other avatars. Therefore, in this chat room, a private chat is possible between the avatar who called the virtual clerk and the called virtual clerk. When the avatar finishes the private chat with the virtual clerk, it can return from the chat room to the original virtual shop 111.

As described above, a large number of users can log in to the cloud service 100 such as the metaverse via various networks. In this case, if a large number of users log in to the cloud service 100 at the same time, the load on the cloud server 40 increases.
Therefore, in this embodiment, the process requested by a specific UE 10 to the cloud server 40 is executed by the MEC server 22 arranged in the mobile network 20, thereby distributing the load (offloading). Specifically, the process is offloaded by transferring a packet that the offload target UE 10 transmits with the cloud server 40 (cloud service 100) as its destination to the MEC server 22 that is the offload destination.

Within the virtual space provided by the cloud service 100, there are a number of independent areas, and in each area, several avatars move and often remain for periods ranging from several minutes to several tens of minutes.
Therefore, in this embodiment, a partial area in the virtual space provided by the cloud service 100 is constructed (reproduced) in the MEC server 22, and an avatar that has requested to move to the partial area is placed in the area constructed in the MEC server 22. Then, the MEC server 22 becomes a service providing server and provides a partial service of the cloud service 100 to a specific UE 10.

Here, the UE 10 to be offloaded is assumed to be a UE that is accessing the cloud service 100 via the mobile network 20 .
1 can access the cloud service 100 via a network other than the mobile network 20. Therefore, when the UEs 10a and 10b access the cloud service 100 via the mobile network 20, the management device 23 detects this and notifies the cloud server 40. At this time, the management device 23 notifies the cloud server 40 of the identifiers of the UEs 10a and 10b.

The cloud server 40 can grasp the UE 10 that is accessing the cloud service 100 via the mobile network 20 by the notification from the management device 23. The cloud server 40 determines whether or not the avatar to be moved to a part of the cloud service 100 is an avatar corresponding to the user that is accessing via the mobile network 20, and when it determines that the access is via the mobile network 20, decides to use the MEC server 22 and transmits an offload notification to the management device 23.
The management device 23 that has received the offload notification transfers packets that are being sent by the UE 10 that is the offload target and is specified by the offload notification, with the cloud service 100 as the destination, to the MEC server 22 that is the offload destination.

In this embodiment, the above-mentioned partial area constructed in the MEC server 22 may be one chat room.
In this embodiment, a chat room in which a virtual clerk is assigned is constructed in advance in the MEC server 22. Then, when a user calls a clerk in the virtual shop 111 and requests a transfer to the chat room, the avatar is moved to the chat room constructed in the MEC server 22 only if the user is a user accessing the metaverse via the mobile network 20.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the offloading control according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 7, users using UE 10a to 10d are logged in to a cloud service, and avatars A to D corresponding to the users using UE 10a to 10d are placed in a virtual shop 111 on the cloud 30.
When avatars A and B corresponding to users of UE 10a and 10b accessing via mobile network 20 are moved to a chat room, cloud server 40 decides to use MEC server 22 and transmits an offload notification to management device 23. Having received the offload notification, management device 23 places avatars A and B corresponding to users of UE 10a and 10b in a chat room (shop #MEC) 121 built in MEC server 22. A virtual store clerk is placed in this chat room 121 in advance, and avatars A and B can have private chats with the virtual store clerk in chat room 121.
When avatars A and B finish their stay in chat room 121 , they return to virtual shop 111 on cloud 30 .

On the other hand, when avatar A corresponding to a user of UE 10a accessing via mobile network 20 and avatar C corresponding to a user of UE 10c accessing via another network, mobile network 50, are moved to a chat room, the cloud server 40 decides not to use the MEC server 22. In this case, the cloud server 40 places avatars A and C corresponding to the users of UE 10a and 10c in a chat room (Shop #Cloud) 122 on the cloud 30. A virtual store clerk has been placed in this chat room 122 in advance, and avatars A and C can have private chats with the virtual store clerk within the chat room 122.

As shown in FIG. 8, when avatars A to D are placed in virtual shop 111 and avatars A and B move to chat room 121, it appears to avatars C and D in virtual shop 111 that avatars A and B have disappeared. On the other hand, it appears to avatars A and B that avatars C and D have disappeared and virtual store clerk A has appeared. Here, chat room 121 may be a space that looks the same as virtual shop 111, or it may be a space that looks completely different from virtual shop 111.

In addition, when avatar C moves to chat room 122 from a state in which avatars C and D are placed in virtual shop 111, it appears to avatar D in virtual shop 111 that avatar C has disappeared. On the other hand, it appears to avatar C that avatar D has disappeared and virtual store clerk B has appeared.
In this way, when multiple avatars (in other words, UEs) are designated as offload targets collectively, the multiple avatars are assigned to the same chat room, and when multiple avatars (in other words, UEs) are designated as offload targets individually, the multiple avatars are assigned to different chat rooms. Therefore, private chats can be appropriately conducted.
The chat room 122 on the cloud 30 may be constructed with a virtual store clerk already placed therein, or may be constructed anew when it is decided to move avatars A and C, and the virtual store clerk placed in the virtual shop 111 may be moved together with avatars A and C.

Multiple MEC servers 22 may be deployed in the mobile network 20.
When a plurality of MEC servers 22 are arranged in the mobile network 20, the management device 23 may receive an offload notification from the cloud server 40 and determine an offload destination MEC server 22 from among the plurality of MEC servers 22. For example, when the management device 23 receives an offload notification from the cloud server 40, the management device 23 may determine an offload destination MEC server 22 from among the plurality of MEC servers 22 based on information on a connection base station of the UE 10 to be offloaded.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile network 20 in which a plurality of MEC servers 22a to 22c are arranged.
In this Figure 9, the MEC server 22a is located in the area closest to the connecting base stations 21a and 21b of UEs 10a and 10b, the MEC server 22b is located in the area closest to the connecting base station 21e of UE 10e, and the MEC server 22c is located in the area closest to the connecting base station 21f of UE 10f.

When the number of UEs to be offloaded specified by the offload notification is one, the management device 23 may determine the MEC server that is closest to the connected base station of the UE to be offloaded as the MEC server to be the offload destination.
For example, when the UEs to be offloaded are the UEs 10a and 10b whose connection base stations are the base stations 21a and 21b in Hokkaido, the management device 23 determines the MEC server 22a, which is the closest to the base stations 21a and 21b among the MEC servers 22a to 22c, as the MEC server to be offloaded. In this case, the avatars A and B are placed in the chat room (Shop #Hokkaido) 121a established in the MEC server 22a.
Here, the distance is not limited to a physical distance, but may be a logical distance based on the number of intermediate nodes present.

Similarly, when the UE to be offloaded is the UE 10e that has the base station 21e in Tokyo as its connection base station, the MEC server 22b that is the closest to the base station 21e among the MEC servers 22a to 22c is determined as the MEC server to be offloaded. In this case, the avatar E is placed in the chat room 121b (shop #Tokyo) established in the MEC server 22b.
In addition, when the UE to be offloaded is the UE 10f that has the base station 21f in Okinawa as its connection base station, the MEC server 22c that is the closest to the base station 21f among the MEC servers 22a to 22c is determined as the MEC server to be offloaded. In this case, the avatar F is placed in the chat room 121c (Shop #Okinawa) established in the MEC server 22c.

In addition, when offloading multiple UEs to the same MEC server, the management device 23 may determine, for example, an MEC server to which a large number of available staff members (virtual store clerks) are logged in as the offload destination MEC server.
For example, if the UEs to be offloaded are UE 10e whose connecting base station is base station 21e in Tokyo and UE 10f whose connecting base station is base station 21f in Okinawa, and many available store staff are logged in to MEC server 22b, avatars E and F may be placed in chat room 121b (Shop #Tokyo) created in MEC server 22b.

When multiple UEs are offloaded to the same MEC server, the MEC server having the smallest sum of distances from the connected base stations of the multiple UEs to be offloaded may be determined as the offload destination MEC server.
At this time, if the mobile network 20 is configured as a ring network, the management device 23 may determine the offload destination MEC server in consideration of the ring network to which the connected base station of the UE to be offloaded belongs.
10 shows an example of the configuration of a ring network. As shown in this figure, a mobile network 20 is made up of multiple ring networks, and includes multiple base stations 21 and multiple accommodation stations 24 to 26.

Accommodation station 24 is an edge data center (hereinafter also referred to as a "GC (Group unit Center)"), accommodation station 25 is a regional data center (Regional Data Center: RDC), and accommodation station 26 is a central data center (Central Data Center: CDC). Note that the black squares in FIG. 10 indicate GC 24 or RDC 25. A backhaul network (Mobile Backhaul: MBH) is formed between GC 24 connected to base station 21 and CDC 26.

The GC 24 is installed near the base station 21 and can be connected to each of the multiple base stations 21. The RDC 25 is connected to multiple GCs 24 arranged in a target area. The GC 24 or the RDC 25 performs the functions of a Distributed Unit (DU) and a Central Unit (CU), which are part of the functions of the RAN.
The CDC 26 is a large-scale data center connected to a plurality of GCs 24 and a plurality of RDCs 25. This CDC 26 performs the function of a 5G core network.
As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of base stations 21 and a CDC 26 are connected in a ring shape.

A GC ring is one of the ring networks constituting the mobile network 20, and aggregates GCs 24 that are directly connected to the base station 21. An M ring is a higher-level ring network than the GC ring, and aggregates GC rings in specific area units (for example, prefecture units). An L ring is a higher-level ring network than the M ring, and aggregates multiple M rings and connects them to a CDC 26. There may also be GCs 24 that belong to an M ring or an L ring without going through a GC ring.
The MEC server 22 can be arranged, for example, for each ring. In this case, the MEC server 22 can be arranged in an accommodation station such as a GC 24, an RDC 25, or a CDC 26. In the example shown in Fig. 10, the MEC server 22a is arranged in the GC 24, the MEC server 22d is arranged in the RDC 25, and the MEC server 22e is arranged in the CDC 26.

Here, MEC server 22a is a local MEC located closer to UE 10, MEC server 22e is a central MEC located closer to the center of mobile network 20, and MEC server 22d is a middle MEC located between the local MEC and the central MEC.
The number of MEC servers 22 arranged in one ring is not particularly limited. A plurality of MEC servers 22 may be arranged in one ring, and a ring may exist in which no MEC server 22 is arranged.

In this way, when the mobile network 20 is configured as a ring network, the management device 23 may determine the offload destination MEC server 22 from among the MEC servers 22 belonging to the ring network to which the connected base station of the UE 10 to be offloaded belongs.
For example, when the UEs to be offloaded are UEs 10a and 10b whose connected base station is a base station 21 belonging to the same GC ring R1, the MEC server 22a belonging to the GC ring R1 may be determined as the offload destination MEC server.
In addition, if the UEs to be offloaded are UEs 10a and 10e that belong to different GC rings and different M rings, respectively, and have a base station 21 belonging to the same L ring R2 as their connected base station, the MEC server 22d belonging to L ring R2 may be determined as the MEC server to be offloaded to.
Furthermore, when the UE to be offloaded is UE 10a, 10f, whose connected base stations are base stations 21 belonging to different L rings R2, R3, respectively, the MEC server 22e accommodated in CDC 26 may be determined as the MEC server to be offloaded.

Furthermore, the mobile network 20 may be configured to be capable of controlling end-to-end network slicing across the RAN, the backhaul network, and the core network. Network slicing is a network architecture in which a network is virtually divided (sliced) according to the purpose, operated as slices, and provides services according to the purpose.
In this case, when multiple UEs 10 are offloaded to the same MEC server 22, the set slice level of each UE 10 to be offloaded may be adjusted to the slice level with the highest quality among them.

Next, a packet control method in this embodiment will be described.
As described above, when the management device 23 receives an offload notification from the cloud server 40, the management device 23 transfers to the MEC server 22 packets transmitted from the UE 10 that is the offload target specified by the offload notification to the cloud server 40.
In this embodiment, a UPF (User Plane Function) connected to the MEC server 22 is controlled so that the MEC server 22 can receive packets transmitted by the UE 10 to be offloaded without the cloud server 40 receiving the packets.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a 5G network.
11 includes a UE 201, a RAN 202, UPFs 203 to 206, and MECs 207 to 209. The UPF 203 is connected to the MEC 207, the UPF 204 is connected to the MEC 208, the UPF 205 is connected to the MEC 209, and the UPF 206 is connected to a DN (Data Network) 210.
UE 201 corresponds to UE 10a, 10b in Fig. 1. RAN 202 includes base station 21 in Fig. 1. MEC 207 to 209 correspond to MEC servers 22a, 22d, 22e in Fig. 10. DN 210 is a network such as the Internet or a data center, and corresponds to cloud 30 in Fig. 1.

The management device 23 can change the route of a packet from the UE 201 to the DN 210 to any of the MECs 207 to 209 by controlling the UPFs 203 to 205 connected to the MECs 207 to 209 (intercept control).
In other words, if the management device 23 does not instruct the UPFs 203 to 205 to offload, a packet sent from the UE 201 and addressed to the DN 210 is sent to the DN 210 via the route indicated by the arrow 221 .

Then, when the management device 23 instructs the UPF 204 to offload, for example, the packet sent from the UE 201 and addressed to the DN 210 is changed in route as shown by the arrow 222 and sent to the MEC 208 .
In this case, when UPF 204 detects a packet whose source address is the IP address of UE 10 to be offloaded specified by the management device 23 and whose destination address is the IP address of cloud server 40, it forwards the packet to MEC 208.

In addition, since the UPFs 203 to 206 are controlled by an SMF (Session Management Function), the management device 23 may change the route of a packet to the DN 210 to any one of the MECs 207 to 209 by controlling the SMF.
In addition, the UPF is a function of the core network and is not usually provided in the RAN. Therefore, when the offload destination MEC server is arranged in the RAN (base station), the UPF may be provided separately in the RAN.

<Processing flow>
A specific description will be given below of a process flow in the communication system 1 of the present embodiment. Here, a process flow in a case where the UE 10a accesses the cloud service 100 via the mobile network 20 and receives the provision of the service will be described.
First, as a preliminary step, a virtual environment is constructed in the MEC server 22, and a partial area (here, chat rooms) of the cloud service 100 is reproduced. Note that the number of chat rooms constructed in one MEC server 22 is not particularly limited. It can be set appropriately depending on the specifications of the MEC server 22 and the number of virtual store clerks that can be allocated.

When a UE 10a used by a user and a UE 10z used by a store clerk connect to the mobile network 20, the UEs 10a and 10z each transmit a registration request message to the mobile network 20. This registration request message may be, for example, a "REGISTRATION REQUEST" defined by 3GPP.
The registration request messages transmitted from the UEs 10a and 10z are transmitted to the core network via the RAN of the mobile network 20, and are permitted to be connected to the UEs 10a and 10z after undergoing some processing in the core network. Then, the core network transmits registration approval messages to the UEs 10a and 10z, respectively, which are received by the UEs 10a and 10z. The registration approval messages may be, for example, "REGISTRATION ACCEPT" as defined by 3GPP.

At this time, the orchestrator of the core network registers information about the connected base station of the UE 10a, 10z in association with the identifier of the UE 10a, 10z. Here, the identifier of the UE 10a, 10z may include an IP address, SIM information (SIM ID), etc. Furthermore, the information about the connected base station may include, for example, a base station ID (Cell ID: CID), an affiliated ring ID, etc.
In this manner, a PDU (Packet Data Unit) session is established for the UE 10a, 10z to connect to an external service. That is, a PDU session is established between the UE 201 shown in FIG. 11 and the UPF 206 connected to the DN 210, and the UE 201 is able to communicate with a server in the DN 210 via the path 221.

FIG. 12 is a communication sequence diagram after the UEs 10a and 10z are connected to the mobile network 20.
First, in order for the clerk to log in to a chat room established in the MEC server 22, the UE 10z used by the clerk transmits a login request to the management device 23. Specifically, in step S1, a login request packet is transmitted from the UE 10z to the management device 23. Then, in step S2, the management device 23 performs a login process for the UE 10z. At this time, the management device 23 may register information related to the skills of the clerk who is the user of the logged-in UE 10z. Here, the information related to the skills of the clerk includes the languages that can be supported and the requirements that can be supported. In addition, at this time, the management device 23 may register the gender of the logged-in clerk.

Also, in step S2, management device 23 determines a chat room to which a sales clerk is to be assigned from among unmanned chat rooms established in MEC server 22. At this time, management device 23 may preferentially determine, based on the connection base station of UE 10z, for example, an unmanned chat room established in MEC server 22 that is closest to the connection base station of UE 10z, as the chat room to which a sales clerk is to be assigned.
When the management device 23 determines the chat room to which the sales clerk is to be assigned, in step S3, the management device 23 transmits a sales clerk assignment instruction to the MEC server 22 in which the determined chat room is established. This sales clerk assignment instruction is an instruction to place a virtual sales clerk in the chat room to which the sales clerk has been assigned.

Meanwhile, the UE 10a used by the user transmits a login request to the cloud service 100 in order to connect to the cloud service 100. Specifically, in step S4, a login request packet is transmitted from the UE 10a to the cloud server 40. This packet is transmitted to the cloud server 40 via the mobile network 20.

At this time, the management device 23 detects that a packet addressed to the cloud server 40 has been transmitted from the UE 10a. Specifically, the UPF detects the packet addressed to the cloud server 40 based on the IP address, and while transmitting the packet to the cloud server 40, notifies the management device 23 that the packet addressed to the cloud server 40 has been received. Note that the IP address of the cloud server 40 is registered in advance.
In step S5, upon receiving the notification from the UPF, the management device 23 notifies the cloud server 40 that the packet (login request) from the UE 10a has been transmitted via the mobile network 20. At this time, the management device 23 transmits the identifier of the UE 10a as the information of the UE 10a. The identifier of the UE 10a may include at least one of the IP address and the SIM ID of the UE 10a.

In step S6, the cloud server 40 performs a login process for the UE 10a to the cloud service 100. The cloud server 40 also registers that the UE 10a is accessing the cloud service 100 via the mobile network 20.
When the login process is completed, the cloud server 40 starts providing the service to the UE 10a. Specifically, the cloud server 40 generates content in which an avatar corresponding to the user of the UE 10a is arranged in the metaverse including the virtual shop 111 (step S7), and distributes the content to the UE 10a. The UE 10a outputs (displays) the content distributed from the cloud server 40 (step S8). The UE 10a also transmits information (user operation information) indicating an operation input to the UE 10a by a user who viewed the content to the cloud server 40. Then, the cloud server 40 generates content based on the user operation information (step S7), and distributes the content to the UE 10a. In this manner, the cloud service 100 is provided from the cloud server 40 to the UE 10a.

Note that while the cloud server 40 is providing services to the UE 10a, the cloud server 40 may transmit information such as an avatar corresponding to the user of the UE 10a to the management device 23 as necessary. For example, when the avatar corresponding to the user of the UE 10a is changed (updated), the cloud server 40 may transmit the latest avatar information to the management device 23. The management device 23 can store the information received from the cloud server 40 in a specified location and use the information when placing an avatar in a chat room created in the MEC server 22.

When the user of the UE 10a requests a call for a store clerk in the virtual shop 111 on the cloud 30, a store clerk call request is transmitted from the UE 10a to the cloud server 40 in step S9.
For example, the user can request to call a store clerk through the avatar by operating a store clerk call button displayed in the VR image showing the virtual shop 111. Here, the store clerk call button may be constantly displayed in the VR image, or may be configured to be displayed in a predetermined area in the VR image in response to a predetermined operation of the avatar.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a method for calling a store clerk by a plurality of users.
13, a store clerk call screen 130 is displayed within a VR image showing the virtual shop 111. This store clerk call screen 130 can be seen by all avatars sharing the virtual shop 111.
A user who wishes to talk to a store clerk operates an avatar to press a button 131 on a store clerk call screen 130. This user operation information is transmitted from the UE 10 to the cloud server 40, and the cloud server 40 generates a store clerk call screen 130 including the nominal name of the avatar who pressed the button 131, and transmits it to the UE 10. For example, when avatars A and B press the button 131, the nominal names of avatars A and B, "Mr. A" and "Mr. B", are displayed on the store clerk call screen 130, as shown in FIG.

Then, when all users who wish to speak to a store clerk have pressed button 131, a representative among them operates an avatar to press store clerk call button 132. This user operation information is transmitted from UE 10 to cloud server 40 as the above-mentioned store clerk call request.
The method of calling a store clerk is not limited to the above method. The contents displayed on the store clerk call screen 130 are not limited to those shown in Fig. 13. For example, the store clerk call screen 130 may be able to specify the conditions (such as the skills and gender of the store clerk) that the user requires of the store clerk.

Returning to FIG. 12, when the cloud server 40 receives a store clerk call request from the UE 10a, in step S10, it refers to the UE information registered in step S6 based on the identifier of the UE 10a and determines whether the UE 10a is accessing via the mobile network 20. Then, when the cloud server 40 confirms that the UE 10a is accessing via the mobile network 20, in step S10, it decides to use the MEC server 22 and determines the UE 10a as the UE to be offloaded.

If the connection between UE 10a and mobile network 20 is cut off, for example when UE 10a switches to a Wi-Fi connection, this can be recognized by the mobile network 20. In this case, management device 23 may notify cloud server 40 of the identifier of UE 10a and that UE 10a is no longer accessing via mobile network 20. This allows cloud server 40 to cancel the registration performed in step S6. As a result, it is possible to avoid erroneously determining UE 10a as the UE to be offloaded.

In step S11, the cloud server 40 transmits an offload notification to the management device 23. The offload notification may include an identifier of the UE 10a as UE information of the offload target. Note that the offload notification may include information indicating a condition requested by a store clerk from the user of the UE 10a.
In step S12, the management device 23 that has received the offload notification determines the MEC server 22 to be the offload destination. At this time, the management device 23 may determine the MEC server 22 to be the offload destination from among the multiple MEC servers 22 arranged in the mobile network 20 based on information about the connection base station of the UE 10a, as described above. Note that information about the connection base station of the UE 10a is registered in the orchestrator in association with the identifier of the UE 10a when the UE 10a connects to the mobile network 20. Therefore, the management device 23 can check information about the connection base station of the UE 10a based on the identifier of the UE 10a specified by the offload notification, and appropriately determine the MEC server 22 to be the offload destination.

When the management device 23 determines the offload destination MEC server 22, in step S13, it instructs the offload destination MEC server 22 to assign users. The instruction may include avatar information to be placed in a chat room established in the MEC server 22. At this time, the management device 23 also transmits a packet forwarding instruction (not shown) to the UPF connected to the offload destination MEC server 22. This packet forwarding instruction is an instruction to forward packets transmitted from the UE 10a to the cloud server 40 to the MEC server 22.

The MEC server 22 that has received the instruction places an avatar corresponding to the user of the UE 10a in a chat room that has been created in advance and in which the virtual clerk is located. The MEC server 22 then provides the UE 10a with a space in which a private chat (voice chat) with the virtual clerk is possible.
Specifically, the MEC server 22 generates content indicating a chat room in which an avatar corresponding to the user of the UE 10a and an avatar (virtual store clerk) corresponding to the store clerk of the UE 10z are placed (step S14), and distributes the content to the UE 10a and the UE 10z. The UEs 10a and 10z each output (display) the content distributed from the MEC server 22 (steps S15 and S16).

Furthermore, the UE 10a transmits user voice data input via a microphone or the like to the cloud server 40. The packet addressed to the cloud server 40 is routed by the UPF connected to the MEC server 22 and transferred to the MEC server 22 instead of the cloud server 40. Therefore, the MEC server 22, not the cloud server 40, receives the user voice data, generates content including the voice data (step S14), and distributes the content to the UE 10z.
The UE 10z outputs the content distributed from the MEC server 22 (step S16). This allows the store clerk to check the contents of the user's speech and respond. At this time, the UE 10z transmits the voice data of the store clerk input via a microphone or the like to the MEC server 22. The MEC server 22 then receives the voice data of the store clerk, generates content including the voice data (step S14), and distributes the content to the UE 10a. The UE 10a outputs the content distributed from the MEC server 22 (step S15). This allows the user to check the contents of the store clerk's response.
In this manner, some of the services of the cloud service 100 are provided to the UE 10a from the MEC server 22. At this time, the user of the UE 10a can enjoy the services as if he or she were logged in to the cloud service 100.

In the above example, the offload destination MEC server 22 is determined based on information about the connected base station of UE 10a. However, the offload destination MEC server 22 may also be determined based on conditions requested by the user of UE 10a to the store clerk.
For example, if the user of the UE 10a requests an English-speaking store clerk, the MEC server 22 to which an English-speaking store clerk is logged in may be determined as the offload destination MEC server 22 from among the multiple MEC servers 22. Also, for example, if the user of the UE 10a requests a female store clerk, the MEC server 22 to which a female store clerk is logged in may be determined as the offload destination MEC server 22 from among the multiple MEC servers 22.

Also, for example, if a store clerk who meets the conditions required by the user of UE10a is not logged in to the MEC server 22, or if a store clerk who meets the conditions required by the user of UE10a is assisting another user, the management device 23 determines that there is no MEC server 22 to which the offload can be made. In this case, the management device 23 sends a refusal notification to the cloud server 40 indicating that the offload is being rejected. The cloud server 40 then sends a message to UE10a indicating that no store clerk is available, and treats the user of UE10a as having made a reservation.

Thereafter, when a store clerk who satisfies the conditions required by the user of UE 10a newly logs in to the MEC server 22, or when a store clerk who satisfies the conditions required by the user of UE 10a finishes serving another user, the management device 23 determines that the offload destination MEC server 22 is available. Then, the management device 23 transmits a permission notification indicating that offloading is permitted to the cloud server 40. Then, the cloud server 40 transmits a message to the UE 10a asking whether to move to the chat room.
At this time, when the user of UE 10a agrees to move to the chat room, cloud server 40 receives a message to that effect from UE 10a and transmits an offload notification to management device 23 to offload UE 10a to MEC server 22. Having received the offload notification, management device 23 offloads UE 10a to MEC server 22. In other words, an avatar corresponding to the user of UE 10a is moved to a chat room in which a virtual store clerk corresponding to a store clerk who satisfies the conditions requested by the user is located.

In this way, by treating the user as a reserved user, the user can be moved to the chat room appropriately when a store clerk becomes available. Also, while the user is being treated as a reserved user, the user can spend their time comfortably in another area in the metaverse.
The user can also cancel the call to the store clerk during the reservation. In this case, the UE 10a transmits a request to cancel the call to the store clerk to the cloud server 40, and the cloud server 40, which receives the cancellation request, cancels the reservation of the UE 10a.

Furthermore, in the above example, the case where there is one UE to be offloaded has been described, but there may be multiple UEs to be offloaded. In this case, the cloud server 40 may determine whether all of the multiple UEs 10 sending the store clerk call requests are accessing via the mobile network 20, and if all of the UEs 10 are accessing via the mobile network 20, may decide to offload these UEs 10 to the same MEC server 22.

Returning to FIG. 12, when the user finishes interacting with the store clerk in the chat room, the MEC server 22 detects the end of the operation in step S17, and notifies the cloud server 40 of the result in step S18. The result notified to the cloud server 40 may include, for example, behavioral information in the chat room, the latest avatar information, and so on.

When cloud server 40 receives the result notification from MEC server 22, it updates the content database etc. based on the received information. Then, cloud server 40 transmits an offload end instruction to management device 23 in step S19.
In step S20, the management device 23 receives the offload end instruction and instructs the MEC server 22 to perform end processing. In step S21, the MEC server 22 executes the end processing. This end processing may include, for example, a process of deleting an avatar corresponding to the user from a chat room.
At this time, the management device 23 also transmits a packet forwarding end instruction (not shown) to the UPF connected to the MEC server 22 that is to be terminated. This packet forwarding end instruction is an instruction to restore the packet transmitted from the UE 10a to the cloud server 40 so that the packet is transmitted to the cloud server 40.

As a result, the transfer of packets by the UPF to the MEC server 22 is terminated, and the provision of services is switched to the cloud server 40 being provided to the UE 10a.
That is, similar to steps S7 and S8 described above, the cloud server 40 generates content in which an avatar corresponding to the user of the UE 10a is placed in the metaverse including the virtual shop 111 (step S22), and distributes the content to the UE 10a. The UE 10a outputs (displays) the content distributed from the cloud server 40 (step S23). The UE 10a also transmits user operation information to the cloud server 40. The cloud server 40 then generates content based on the user operation information (step S22), and distributes the content to the UE 10a.

In the above example, the mobile network 20 controls the transfer of packets addressed to the cloud server 40 from the offload target UE 10a to the MEC server 22. However, the UE 10a may control packet transmission. In this case, when the management device 23 receives an offload notification from the cloud server 40, it notifies the UE 10a to transmit packets addressed to the cloud server 40 to the MEC server 22. The UE 10a that receives the notification uses pre-installed software (application) to change the packets addressed to the cloud server 40 to packets addressed to the MEC server 22 and transmits the changed packets. For example, the software (application) may perform a process of switching the settings of the DNS (Domain Name System). As a result, packets addressed to the cloud server 40 from the UE 10a are transmitted to the MEC server 22 as the destination.

As described above, in the communication system 1 of the present embodiment, when the management device 23 in the mobile network 20 detects a packet destined for the cloud service 100, the management device 23 notifies the cloud service 100 of the identifier of the UE 10 that transmitted the packet. In addition, when the management device 23 receives an offload notification from the cloud service 100 to offload at least a part of the services of the cloud service 100 to the UE 10, the management device 23 transfers a packet destined for the cloud service 100, with the UE 10 to be offloaded specified by the offload notification as the source, to the MEC server 22 arranged in the mobile network 20, which provides a virtual world including at least one virtual area. Then, any one of at least one virtual area is assigned to the UE 10 to be offloaded, and a voice call with an operator associated with the assigned virtual area is provided.
As a result, at least a portion of the cloud service 100 is provided to the UE 10 using the MEC server 22 .

In this way, in the communication system 1 of the present embodiment, some services can be provided using the MEC server 22, so that private chat between the user and the store clerk can be appropriately performed while reducing the processing load on the cloud server 40. Furthermore, by using the MEC server 22 arranged in the mobile network 20, the distance between the UE 10 and the service providing server can be shortened and delays can be reduced compared to the case where the cloud server 40 is used as the service providing server.
Furthermore, in the communication system 1 of the present embodiment, whether or not to offload the UE 10 to the MEC server 22 is determined depending on an access route from the UE 10 to the cloud service 100. In this communication system 1, the UE 10 accessing the cloud service 100 via the mobile network 20 is determined as the UE 10 to be offloaded, and is offloaded to the MEC server 22. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately realize the provision of some services using the MEC server 22 arranged in the mobile network 20.

Furthermore, users do not always use the same network, and the cloud server 40 cannot determine, from pre-registration information or terminal information, via which network each UE 10 is accessing the cloud service 100. In this embodiment, the management device 23 of the mobile network 20 notifies the cloud server 40 that the UE 10 is accessing the cloud server 40 via the mobile network 20. At this time, the management device 23 can transmit at least one of an IP address and SIM information as an identifier of the UE 10 accessing the cloud server 40 via the mobile network 20.
This allows the cloud server 40 to properly grasp the UE 10 that is accessing via the mobile network 20. Therefore, the cloud server 40 can properly transmit to the management device 23 an offload notification for offloading only the UE 10 that is accessing via the mobile network 20. In this way, the cloud server 40 can cause the management device 23 to properly perform offloading control.

Packet forwarding to the offload destination MEC server 22 can be achieved by controlling the UPF connected to the MEC server 22. In this way, the UPF is controlled to forward packets destined for the cloud service 100 to the MEC server 22, so the UE 10 does not need to change the packet transmission process before and after offloading.

Here, the cloud service 100 may be a service that provides content in which an avatar corresponding to a user of the UE 10 is placed in a virtual shop 111 .
In this case, the MEC server 22 may construct in advance a chat room that provides private chat (voice chat) as a part of the area of the virtual shop 111, and place a virtual clerk, which is an avatar corresponding to an operator, and an avatar corresponding to the user of the offload target UE 10 in the constructed chat room that is assigned to the offload target UE 10. The chat room is an area where one or several avatars wish to communicate with the virtual clerk independently of other avatars, and therefore can be easily and appropriately assigned to the MEC server 22.

Users who use a virtual shop may want to communicate with a shop assistant, such as to confirm or ask questions about products or services. However, if the entire virtual shop is made available for general chat (all users can use voice chat), the contents of the conversation will be heard by other users. It is possible to have the shop assistant participate in a group chat between users, but inviting the shop assistant to a group chat is a time-consuming operation, which reduces usability.
In this embodiment, by using the MEC server 22, a private chat between a user and a store clerk can be realized without the contents of the conversation being heard by other users and without reducing usability. Also, since a chat room is created in the MEC server 22 arranged in the mobile network 20, it is not necessary to handle the contents of the conversation that may include contract information, personal information, etc. on the metaverse, and confidentiality is maintained. Furthermore, it is not necessary to keep a large number of store clerks logged in to the metaverse.

In addition, when the management device 23 receives an offload notification from the cloud server 40, it can determine the offload destination MEC server 22 based on information about the connected base station of the UE 10 to be offloaded, which is specified by the offload notification.
For example, when there is one UE 10 to be offloaded, the management device 23 may determine, as the offload destination edge server, the MEC server 22 that is the closest to the connected base station of the UE 10 to be offloaded among the multiple MEC servers 22. This allows the service to be provided from the MEC server 22 that is closest to the UE 10, thereby significantly improving the response time.

Furthermore, when multiple UEs 10 are offloaded to the same MEC server 22, the management device 23 may determine, among the multiple MEC servers 22, the MEC server 22 having the smallest sum of distances to the respective connected base stations of the multiple UEs 10 to be offloaded as the offload destination MEC server 22. This makes it possible to appropriately improve the response time of each UE 10.
The distance may be a physical distance or a logical distance.

Furthermore, the management device 23 may determine the offload destination MEC server 22 from among the MEC servers 22 belonging to the ring network to which the connected base station of the offload target UE 10 belongs. In this manner, the offload destination MEC server 22 may be determined depending on which ring network the base station to which the offload target UE 10 is connected belongs to.
Even in this case, it is possible to appropriately improve the response time in each UE 10. Moreover, it is possible to relatively easily determine the offload destination MEC server 22 based on the ring ID of the connected base station of the offload target UE 10.

In addition, when the management device 23 offloads multiple communication devices to the same edge server, if the connected base stations of the communication devices to be offloaded belong to different ring networks, the management device 23 may determine the offload destination edge server from among the edge servers belonging to the highest ring network among the ring networks to which the connected base stations of the communication devices to be offloaded belong. Alternatively, the offload destination edge server may be determined from among the edge servers belonging to an even higher ring network. For example, when offloading a first communication device belonging to a first GC ring and a second communication device belonging to a second GC ring, the offload destination edge server may be determined from among the edge servers belonging to the M ring that aggregates the first GC ring and the second GC ring, or the L ring that aggregates the M ring. This makes it possible to equalize the response times of the multiple communication devices to be offloaded.

In addition, the management device 23 may determine, as the offload destination MEC server 22, the MEC server 22 to which a store clerk who satisfies the conditions (skills, etc.) required of the store clerk by the user of the UE 10 to be offloaded is logged in.
In this case, the cloud server 40 accepts the conditions requested by the user of the UE 10 to the store clerk, and notifies the management device 23 of information indicating the conditions together with the offload notification. The management device 23 then manages information on the store clerk logged in to the MEC server 22, and determines the MEC server 22 to which the store clerk who satisfies the conditions specified in the offload notification is logged in as the offload destination MEC server 22. This allows the user to realize a private chat with the store clerk of his/her choice.

The management device 23 may determine the offload destination MEC server 22 by prioritizing the user's request to the store clerk in charge. For example, if the connected base stations of multiple UEs 10 to be offloaded to the same MEC server 22 are located in the same or nearby locations, the local MEC may be used as the offload destination MEC server 22. However, if a store clerk who meets the conditions set by the user is logged in only to, for example, the middle MEC, the middle MEC may be determined as the offload destination MEC server 22.

As described above, in this embodiment, some of the services of the cloud service 100 are offloaded to the MEC server, so the processing load on the cloud server 40 that provides the cloud service 100 can be reduced. In addition, in this embodiment, the MEC server can be used to provide private chat, so that a user can talk to a store clerk without other users being able to hear the content of the conversation. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the UE 10 that is accessing the cloud service 100 via the mobile network 20 is offloaded to the MEC server 22, so the operability for a user who uses the mobile network 20 can be improved compared to a user who uses another network.

In the above embodiment, voice chat in a virtual shop was described, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the present invention can also be applied to voice chat with operators at amusement facilities and event venues in the metaverse.

Note that although specific embodiments have been described above, these embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The devices and methods described herein may be embodied in forms other than those described above. Furthermore, omissions, substitutions and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Forms in which such omissions, substitutions and modifications have been made are included within the scope of those described in the claims and their equivalents, and belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

(Embodiments of the present disclosure)
The present disclosure includes the following embodiments.
[1] A communication system comprising one or more processors, wherein at least one of the one or more processors executes the following steps when a packet addressed to a predetermined destination outside a communication network is detected in a communication network that relays packets: a notification process for notifying the predetermined destination of an identifier of a communication device that transmitted the packet; a reception process for receiving from the predetermined destination an offload notification for offloading at least a portion of services of the predetermined destination to the communication device; a transfer process for transferring a packet addressed to the predetermined destination, from the communication device to be offloaded specified by the offload notification as a source, to an edge server arranged in the communication network, the edge server providing a virtual world including at least one virtual area; and a voice call process for assigning one of the at least one virtual area to the communication device to be offloaded, and providing a voice call with an operator corresponding to the assigned virtual area.

[2] The communication system described in [1] is characterized in that, when multiple communication devices are designated as targets for offloading collectively, the voice call processing assigns the multiple communication devices to the same virtual area.

[3] The communication system described in [1] or [2] is characterized in that, when multiple communication devices are individually designated as targets for offloading, the voice call processing is assigned to separate virtual areas for the multiple communication devices.

[4] The communication system according to any one of [1] to [3], further comprising a first determination process that determines an edge server to which the offload is to be performed from among the edge servers arranged in the communication network, based on information about a base station connected to the communication device to be offloaded, by at least one of the one or more processors.

[5] The communication system described in [4], characterized in that, in the first determination process, when there is one communication device to be offloaded, the edge server among the multiple edge servers that is the shortest distance from the connected base station of the communication device to be offloaded is determined as the edge server to be the offload destination.

[6] The communication system described in [4] or [5], characterized in that, in the first determination process, when multiple communication devices are offloaded to the same edge server, the edge server among the multiple edge servers that has the smallest sum of distances to each of the connected base stations of the multiple communication devices to be offloaded is determined as the offload destination edge server.

[7] The communication system according to any one of [4] to [6], characterized in that the first determination process determines the edge server to which the offload is to be performed from among edge servers that belong to a ring network to which the connected base station of the communication device to be offloaded belongs.

[8] The communication system described in any of [4] to [7], characterized in that, when multiple communication devices are offloaded to the same edge server, the first determination process determines the edge server to be offloaded from among edge servers belonging to an upper ring network that aggregates each ring network to which the connected base stations belong, or an even higher ring network that aggregates the upper ring network, when the first determination process offloads multiple communication devices to the same edge server and the connected base stations belong to different ring networks.

[9] The communication system according to any one of [1] to [8], further characterized in that at least one of the one or more processors executes a reception process for receiving conditions requested by the user of the communication device to the operator, and a second determination process for determining, as an offload destination edge server, from among the edge servers arranged in the communication network, an edge server associated with an operator that satisfies the conditions requested by the user of the communication device to the operator.

[10] The communication system described in any one of [1] to [9], characterized in that the forwarding process controls a UPF connected to the edge server that is the offload destination, and forwards packets addressed to the specified destination to the edge server.

[11] by at least one of the one or more processors,
The communication system according to any one of [1] to [10], further characterized in that a placement process is executed to place an avatar corresponding to the operator and an avatar corresponding to a user of the communication device to be offloaded in the allocated virtual area.

[12] The communication system according to any one of [1] to [11], characterized in that the notification process transmits at least one of the IP address and SIM information of the communication device as an identifier of the communication device.

[13] A communication control method comprising the steps of: in a communication network that relays packets, when a packet addressed to a predetermined destination outside the communication network is detected, notifying the predetermined destination of an identifier of a communication device that transmitted the packet; receiving from the predetermined destination an offload notification for offloading at least a part of the service of the predetermined destination to the communication device; forwarding a packet addressed to the predetermined destination, with the communication device to be offloaded specified by the offload notification as the source of the packet, to an edge server disposed in the communication network that provides a virtual world including at least one virtual area; allocating one of the at least one virtual area to the communication device to be offloaded; and providing a voice call with an operator associated with the allocated virtual area.

10a to 10f UE (communication device), 20 mobile network (communication network), 21 base station, 22 MEC server (edge server), 23 management device, 30 cloud, 40 cloud server, 100 cloud service

Claims (13)

1. one or more processors;
   by at least one of the one or more processors,
   a notification process for notifying a predetermined destination of an identifier of a communication device that has transmitted a packet when a packet addressed to a predetermined destination outside the communication network is detected in a communication network that relays packets;
   a receiving process of receiving an offload notification from the predetermined destination to cause the communication device to offload at least a part of a service of the predetermined destination;
   a forwarding process of forwarding a packet having the communication device as an offload target specified by the offload notification as a source and the predetermined destination as a destination to an edge server disposed in the communication network, the edge server providing a virtual world including at least one virtual area;
   a voice call process for allocating one of the at least one virtual areas to the communication device to be offloaded and providing a voice call with an operator associated with the allocated virtual area;
   is executed,
   A communication system comprising:
2. The voice call processing includes:
   When a plurality of the communication devices are designated as offload targets collectively, the plurality of the communication devices are assigned to the same virtual area.
   2. The communication system according to claim 1 .
3. The voice call processing includes:
   When the plurality of communication devices are individually designated as offload targets, the plurality of communication devices are assigned to separate virtual regions.
   2. The communication system according to claim 1 .
4. by at least one of the one or more processors,
   The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a first determination process for determining an edge server to be offloaded from among the edge servers arranged in the communication network, based on information regarding a base station connected to the communication device to be offloaded.
5. The first determination process includes:
   The communication system according to claim 4, characterized in that, when there is one communication device to be offloaded, the edge server among the plurality of edge servers that is the shortest distance from the connected base station of the communication device to be offloaded is determined as the edge server to be the offload destination.
6. The first determination process includes:
   The communication system according to claim 4, characterized in that, when multiple communication devices are offloaded to the same edge server, the edge server among the multiple edge servers that has the smallest sum of distances to each connected base station of the multiple communication devices to be offloaded is determined as the offload destination edge server.
7. The first determination process includes:
   The communication system according to claim 4 , wherein the offload destination edge server is determined from among edge servers that belong to a ring network to which a connected base station of the communication device to be offloaded belongs.
8. The first determination process includes:
   The communication system according to claim 4, characterized in that when multiple communication devices are offloaded to the same edge server, if the connected base stations of the communication devices to be offloaded belong to different ring networks, the offload destination edge server is determined from among edge servers belonging to an upper ring network that aggregates each ring network to which the connected base stations belong, or an even higher level ring network that aggregates the upper ring networks.
9. by at least one of the one or more processors,
   a reception process for receiving a condition requested by a user of the communication device to the operator;
   a second determination process for determining, from among a plurality of edge servers arranged in the communication network, an edge server associated with an operator that satisfies a condition requested of the operator by a user of the communication device to be offloaded, as an offload destination edge server;
   2. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising:
10. The transfer process includes:
    The communication system according to claim 1 , further comprising: controlling a UPF connected to the edge server as an offload destination, and transferring a packet addressed to the predetermined destination to the edge server.
11. by at least one of the one or more processors,
    The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a placement process for placing an avatar corresponding to the operator and an avatar corresponding to a user of the communication device to be offloaded in the allocated virtual area.
12. The communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the notification process transmits at least one of an IP address and SIM information of the communication device as an identifier of the communication device.
13. In a communication network that relays packets, when a packet addressed to a predetermined destination outside the communication network is detected, an identifier of the communication device that transmitted the packet is notified to the predetermined destination;
    receiving an offload notification from the predetermined destination to cause the communication device to offload at least a part of the service of the predetermined destination;
    forwarding a packet having the communication device to be offloaded specified by the offload notification as a source and the predetermined destination as a destination to an edge server disposed in the communication network, the edge server providing a virtual world including at least one virtual area;
    A communication control method comprising: allocating one of the at least one virtual area to the communication device to be offloaded, and providing a voice call with an operator associated with the allocated virtual area.
    
    
    
    

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