Terminal control device and method

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a terminal control device includes: a transceiver for acquiring information about each of a first terminal and a second terminal; and a processor for performing a predetermined determination associated with a user of each terminal based on the acquired information about the first terminal and the second terminal, providing a result of the determination to the first terminal, and upon receiving role information about a role to be shared and executed by each of the first terminal and the second terminal, configuring an operation mode of the first terminal and the second terminal based on the received role information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a terminal control device and method. Background Art

[0002] The standards for next-generation 5G (hereinafter referred to as "B5G") technology are currently under discussion for controlling media and cloud rendering, as well as XR (including VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) concepts). For example, the following use cases have emerged based on these standards.

[0003] -NCIS Service Support

[0004] -New requirements for VR-based NCIS services

[0005] -Cloud rendering for games

[0006] -High-speed scenes

[0007] -Social networking based on IoE

[0008] -Communication within the NCIS team

[0009] In the context of B5G, the requirement to differentiate between the role of the network and the role of the terminal based on the characteristics or type of the terminal is becoming increasingly stringent. This requirement is becoming increasingly stringent in areas such as smart factories, vertical industries, or V2X communications.

[0010] Along with this requirement, there are some considerations to be made regarding the sub-terminal, such as AR glasses, and the main terminal, such as a smartphone. For example, it is necessary to consider the resources or processing power that the sub-terminal can provide, the battery performance of the sub-terminal, and even the radio resources that the sub-terminal will use. Summary of the Invention

[0011] Technical issues

[0012] One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that provides efficient control of a first terminal such as a smartphone and a second terminal operating as a sub-terminal of the first terminal.

[0013] For example, a technology for efficiently utilizing radio resources when a first terminal and a second terminal communicate with a network, and a technology for controlling the first terminal and the second terminal when the first terminal surpasses the second terminal in terms of available resources or processing power or in terms of battery performance.

[0014] Aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to the foregoing, and other aspects not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0015] Technical Solution

[0016] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal control device is provided, which includes: a transceiver that obtains information about a first terminal and a second terminal; and a processor that performs a predetermined determination related to a user of each terminal based on the obtained information about the first terminal and the second terminal, provides the determination result to the first terminal, and upon receiving role information including information about a role to be performed by the first terminal and information about a role to be performed by the second terminal, sets an operation mode of the first terminal and the second terminal based on the received role information.

[0017] The processor may determine whether the subscriber of the first terminal and the subscriber of the second terminal are the same person based on the obtained information.

[0018] In addition to the result of the determination, the processor may also provide the first terminal with terminal information of the second terminal by using the transceiver.

[0019] In addition to the result of the determination, the processor may also provide, to the first terminal, an indication that the first terminal performs the master role and the second terminal performs the sub role by using the transceiver.

[0020] The processor may receive ratio information together with role information by using the transceiver, the ratio information including information about a ratio of resources to be allocated when the first terminal and the second terminal perform roles, the role information including information about a role to be performed by the first terminal and information about a role to be performed by the second terminal.

[0021] The processor may set an operation mode of the first terminal and the second terminal based on the received role information so that the second terminal communicates with the terminal control device through the first terminal.

[0022] The obtained information may include at least one of terminal location, application ID, slice ID (SST, SD), IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), SUPI (Subscription Permanent Identifier), GPSI (Universal Public Subscription Identifier), MSISDN (Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number), PDU session information, radio capability information, RAT (Radio Access Technology) information, single / dual registration operation mode, DRX information and communication interface information.

[0023] The processor may change the operation mode of the first terminal and the second terminal based on connection status information received from the first terminal, the connection status information indicating that a connection status between the first terminal and the second terminal is lower than a predetermined level.

[0024] Connection status information may be periodically received from the first terminal, and the processor may periodically monitor the connection status between the first terminal and the second terminal based on the periodically received connection status information.

[0025] The changed operation mode of the second terminal may include an operation mode in which the second terminal communicates with the terminal control device without the mediation of the first terminal.

[0026] The changed operation mode of the second terminal may include an operation mode in which the second terminal communicates with the terminal control device via a network different from a network used by the first terminal to communicate with the terminal control device.

[0027] When the connection state between the first terminal and the second terminal changes from below a predetermined level to a predetermined level or above a predetermined level, the processor may re-change the operation modes of the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0028] The changed operation mode of the first terminal and the changed operation mode of the second terminal may be determined based on a value from a motion sensor included in the first terminal or the second terminal.

[0029] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal control method is provided, the method including: making a predetermined determination related to a user of each terminal based on information obtained about a first terminal and a second terminal; providing a result of the determination to the first terminal; and upon receiving role information including information about a role to be performed by the first terminal and information about a role to be performed by the second terminal, setting an operation mode of the first terminal and the second terminal based on the received role information.

[0030] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program is provided, the terminal control method including: making a predetermined determination related to a user of each terminal based on information obtained about a first terminal and a second terminal; providing a result of the determination to the first terminal; and upon receiving role information including information about a role to be performed by the first terminal and information about a role to be performed by the second terminal, setting an operation mode of the first terminal and the second terminal based on the received role information.

[0031] Beneficial effects

[0032] According to an embodiment, the first terminal and the second terminal can be assigned and perform predetermined roles. In this case, the second terminal does not require radio resources, which enables efficient use of radio resources. In addition, if the second terminal is generally surpassed by the first terminal in terms of available resources or processing power, or in terms of battery performance, some of the second terminal's original roles can be assigned or transferred to the first terminal. Thus, resource or capability limitations of the second terminal can be overcome or improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 A portion of the architecture of a 5G system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0034] Figure 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a portion of a 5G system to which the technology according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied.

[0035] Figure 3 An exemplary configuration of a terminal control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0036] Figure 4 is an exemplary view of a process of a terminal control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 5 An example of role information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0038] Figure 6 An example of connection status information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0039] Figure 7 A diagram illustrating operation mode settings of each terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The advantages and features of the present disclosure and the methods for achieving them will be clearly understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments are not limited to those described, as the embodiments can be implemented in various forms. It should be noted that the present embodiment is provided for comprehensive disclosure and also allows those skilled in the art to understand the full scope of the embodiments. Therefore, the embodiments are limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

[0041] When describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known component or function unnecessarily obscures the key points of the present disclosure, its detailed description will be omitted. In addition, the terms described below are defined in consideration of the functions of the embodiments of the present disclosure and may vary depending on the intention or practice of the user or operator. Therefore, their definitions can be made based on the content of the entire specification.

[0042] Figure 1 A portion of the architecture of a 5G system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0043] Will describe Figure 1 The 5G system in the illustrated architecture 10 is an advanced technology derived from the fourth generation LTE telecommunication technology. The 5G system is a new radio access technology (RAT) and an extension of Long Term Evolution (LTE) through the evolution of existing mobile communication network structures or clean state structures, and supports extended LTE (eLTE), non-3GPP access, etc.

[0044] However, Figure 1The illustrated architecture 10 is merely exemplary, and thus the concepts of the present disclosure are not to be construed as being limited to Figure 1 The content shown is not limited to 5G systems. Figure 1 The architecture of the 5G system is described in detail, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0045] The architecture 10 includes various components, namely network functions (NFs), such as a policy control function (PCF), a (core) access and mobility management function (AMF) 100, a network repository function (NRF), a session management function (SMF), and a user plane function (UPF).

[0046] In addition, the architecture 10 may include a data network (DN), a (radio) access network ((R)AN or base station), a network data analysis function (NWDAF), etc., and may also include a first terminal 200 and a second terminal 210.

[0047] Here, PCF, AMF 100 , NRF, SMF, UPF, etc. are interconnected via an interface called a service-based interface (SBI) 600 .

[0048] Among them, PCF, AMF100, NRF and SMF are components included in the user plane of the 5G system, and AMF100 can be called a terminal control device, which will be described later. In addition, UPF is a component included in the user plane.

[0049] Examples of the first terminal 200 may include, but are not limited to, a smart phone and a smart tablet. The first terminal 200 may be connected to networks such as 4G, LTE-A, 5G, and B5G.

[0050] In addition, the second terminal 210 can be connected to the first terminal 200 to access the above network, or can be directly connected to the above network. Examples of the second terminal 210 may include but are not limited to AR / VR glasses, wearable devices and drones.

[0051] Figure 2 The first terminal 200, the second terminal 210, the base station (AP / gNB) and the network (edge / cloud) are schematically shown. Figure 2 , AR / VR glasses are shown as an example of the second terminal 210, and a smart phone is shown as an example of the first terminal 200. The second terminal 210 can be connected to the first terminal 200 via a wireless or wired interface (for example, USB, UE to UE PC5 I / F, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, Ethernet, etc.). The second terminal 210 can be connected to the network via the first terminal 200 in a state connected to the first terminal 200, or can be directly connected to the network without the intermediary of the first terminal 200. However, Figure 2The illustrations in are for illustrative purposes only.

[0052] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a terminal control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the terminal control device 100 is described in FIG, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0053] First, the terminal control device 100 may be implemented in an access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0054] Reference Figure 3 , the terminal control device 100 may include a determination unit 110 and an operation mode setting unit 120. In addition, the terminal control device 100 and the components included therein, namely, the determination unit 110 and the operation mode setting unit 120, may be implemented by a memory storing instructions programmed to perform functions to be described below and a microprocessor executing these instructions.

[0055] The terminal control device 100 may further include a transceiver (not shown). The terminal control device 100 may transmit information to and receive information from the first terminal 200, the second terminal 210, the NF 300, and / or the SMF / UPF / NF 500 using the transceiver (not shown). For example, as will be described later, the terminal control device 100 may perform functions such as receiving terminal information from the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210, receiving additional terminal information from the NF 300, and communicating with the SMF / UPF / NF 500 for PDU session processing.

[0056] The determination unit 110 is configured to make a predetermined determination related to a user of each terminal based on information obtained on the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210. For example, the determination unit 110 may determine whether the subscriber of the first terminal 200 and the subscriber of the second terminal 210 are the same person.

[0057] The determination unit 110 can make a determination based on various information, such as terminal information provided from the first terminal 200 or the second terminal 210, or information provided from at least one of the NFs within the core network (PCF (Policy Management Function), AF (Application Function), NEF (Network Exposure Function), UCMF (UE Radio Capability Management), PMF (Performance Management Function) or UDM (Unified Data Management)).

[0058] In addition, the determination unit 110 can determine whether the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 are located within a predetermined distance from each other. To this end, the determination unit 110 can obtain the location information of the first terminal 200 and the location information of the second terminal 210, and determine whether the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 are located within a predetermined distance from each other based on the information.

[0059] Here, the terminal information may include at least one of terminal location, application ID, slice ID (SST, SD), IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), SUPI (Subscription Permanent Identifier), GPSI (Universal Public Subscription Identifier), MSISDN (Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number), PDU session information, radio capability information, RAT (Radio Access Technology) information, single / dual registration operation mode, DRX information, and communication interface information. In this case, if the subscribers of the two terminals are the same person, the terminal information may be exactly the same, or in other ways, for example, the terminals may have a predetermined number of different last digits for their 10 digits, while the other digits are common.

[0060] Subsequently, description will be given of the operation mode setting unit 120. The operation mode setting unit 120 is configured to set or change the operation modes of the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210, respectively.

[0061] The operation mode setting unit 120 will be described in more detail.

[0062] Before the operation mode setting unit 120 sets the operation mode of the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210, the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 can operate individually or independently to connect to the network, such as the terminal control device 100. In this state, the operation mode of the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 is called "independent mode".

[0063] On the other hand, the operating mode setting unit 120 can set the operating mode of the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 to "interconnected mode." In interconnected mode, the second terminal 210 can connect to the terminal control device 100 through the first terminal 200. Furthermore, in interconnected mode, the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 can be assigned and perform predetermined roles, that is, operate in conjunction with each other. In this case, since the second terminal 210 is connected to the network through the first terminal 200, the second terminal 210 does not require radio resources, which enables efficient use of radio resources. Furthermore, in situations where the second terminal 210 is generally outperformed by the first terminal 200 in terms of available resources or processing power, or in terms of battery performance, some of the original roles of the second terminal 210 can be assigned or transferred to the first terminal 200. Thus, resource or capability limitations of the second terminal 210 can be overcome or improved.

[0064] Meanwhile, even when the operation modes of the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 are set to the interconnected mode, the operation mode setting unit 120 can set the operation modes of the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 back to the independent mode as long as a predetermined condition is satisfied. For example, based on information about the movement of each terminal obtained from the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210, namely, information about acceleration, gyroscope, geomagnetic field, pressure, light, proximity, gravity, orientation, compass, temperature, and humidity measured by various sensors embedded in each terminal, the operation mode setting unit 120 can determine whether the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 are located at a certain distance from each other or are not within a short distance from each other. If it is determined that the terminals are spaced apart from each other or are not within a short distance from each other, the operation mode setting unit 120 can set the operation modes of the terminals back to the independent mode.

[0065] Will refer to Figure 4 The details of the operation mode setting unit 120 are described in more detail.

[0066] Figure 4 is an exemplary view of a process of a terminal control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0067] Although Figure 4 The process of the terminal control method is described in , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0068] First, the terminal control method may be executed by the terminal control device 100 .

[0069] The first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 may perform initial registration on the terminal control device 100 or make a service request thereto. In this process, the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 provide terminal information to the terminal control device 100 (S10, S11).

[0070] Then, the terminal control device 100 may receive additional terminal information corresponding to the terminal information received in S10 and S11 from the NF 300 (eg, PCF, AF, NEF, NWDAF, PMF (Performance Management Function), etc.) (S12). Here, S12 may not be performed in some embodiments.

[0071] Terminal information is also known as UE capabilities and may include application ID, terminal location, slice ID, IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), SUPI (Subscription Permanent Identifier), GPSI (Universal Public Subscription Identifier), MSISDN (Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number), PDU session ID, radio capabilities, RAT (Radio Access Technology), operating mode, DRX information and at least one of communication interface information.

[0072] As described above, the determination unit 110 of the terminal control device determines whether the subscriber of the first terminal 200 and the subscriber of the second terminal 210 are the same person (S20). For example, if the location, slice ID, and MSISDN of the first terminal 200 are the same as the location, slice ID, and MSISDN of the second terminal 210, the determination unit 110 may determine that the subscriber of the first terminal 200 and the subscriber of the second terminal 210 are the same person.

[0073] In addition, the determination unit 110 can determine which terminal performs the master role and which terminal performs the sub-role among the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210. The above-mentioned terminal information can also be used to make such a determination. The following description will be given assuming that the first terminal 200 performs the master role and the second terminal 210 performs the sub-role.

[0074] If it is determined in S20 that they are not the same person, the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 operate individually or independently.

[0075] On the other hand, if it is determined in S20 that they are the same person, the operation mode setting unit 120 of the terminal control device 100 may then provide the determination result in S20 to the first terminal 200 (S21). In this case, in S21, the terminal information of the second terminal 210 and an indication of which terminal performs the main role and which terminal performs the sub-role may be sent to the first terminal 200. Here, the terminal information of the second terminal 210 may include information about the communication interface (e.g., LTE, 5G, WiFi, or Bluetooth) between the second terminal 210 and the first terminal 200.

[0076] In addition, in some embodiments, the operation mode setting unit 120 of the terminal control device 100 may transmit terminal information about the first terminal 200 to the second terminal 210 (S22). In this case, in S22, an instruction may be transmitted to the second terminal 210 that the first terminal 200 performs the master role and the second terminal 210 performs the sub role. Therefore, unless a specific condition is met, the second terminal 210 communicates with the terminal control device 100 only through the first terminal 200.

[0077] The first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 assign roles based on the information received in S21 and S22, and also share the information (S30). In the process of assigning roles, the resources (CPU, memory, storage, I / O) of the terminals 200 and 210 or the communication resources (Ethernet, WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth, USB, 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.) of the terminals 200 and 210 can be considered. For example, the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 can assign roles as follows: the ratio of the CPU occupancy of the first terminal 200 to the CPU occupancy of the second terminal 210 is 8:2, and the ratio of the memory consumption of the first terminal 200 to the memory consumption of the second terminal 210 is 6:4.

[0078] Here, roles can be assigned by determining which terminal among the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 executes which function (hereinafter also referred to as "funcN") processed by each application. For example, assume that there is an application related to a head-mounted display, and the application contains five functions: func1, func2, func3, func4, and func5. Then, through the assignment of roles, the first terminal 200 can be responsible for func1 to func4, and the second terminal 210 can be responsible for func5. Alternatively, the first terminal 200 can be responsible for func1 to func4, and the second terminal 210 can be responsible for func4 and func5. That is, the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 can execute func4 together.

[0079] As for the allocation of roles, the total amount of resources required to process a given session can be recorded in advance, and then all resources can be allocated later at a predetermined ratio, but the allocation method is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the roles can be allocated in such a manner that the second terminal 210 only performs display while the first terminal 200 performs rendering, preprocessing, etc. for display.

[0080] Figure 5 An example of how to use this method to allocate roles between the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 is shown. Figure 5 The concepts shown in FIG. 1 are merely exemplary and thus the concepts of the present disclosure are not to be construed as being limited to Figure 5 Although Figure 5 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0081] Return Reference Figure 4 , role information about the role assigned in S30 is transmitted from the first terminal 200 to the terminal control device 100 ( S31 ).

[0082] Then, the operation mode setting unit 120 of the terminal control device 100 sets the operation mode of the terminals 200 and 210 based on the role information received in S31 (S40). Based on this information, the operation mode is set in such a way that the first terminal 200 plays the master role and the second terminal 210 plays the child role, which is called the interconnected mode as described above. Therefore, the operation mode can be set in such a way that the second terminal operates according to cIoT, mMTC communication, MICO (Mobile Initiated Connection), etc.

[0083] Afterwards, the terminal control device 100 communicates with the second terminal 210 only through the first terminal 200 , and the second terminal 210 also communicates with the terminal control device 100 only through the first terminal 200 .

[0084] Therefore, when the terminal control device 100 communicates with the SMF / UPF / NF 500 for PDU session processing (S41), the terminal control device 100 performs an operation for PSU session processing with the first terminal 200 (S42), and performs a predetermined operation with the second terminal 210 only through the first terminal 200 (S43).

[0085] As described above, according to an embodiment, the first terminal and the second terminal can be assigned and perform predetermined roles. In this case, since the second terminal does not require radio resources, the first terminal and the second terminal in the 5G system use radio resources efficiently. In addition, in the case where the second terminal is generally surpassed by the first terminal in terms of available resources or processing power or battery performance, some of the original roles of the second terminal can be assigned or transferred to the first terminal. Therefore, the resource or capability limitations of the second terminal can be overcome or improved.

[0086] The connection state between the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 may change depending on circumstances. In some cases, the connection between the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 may be disconnected.

[0087] Therefore, the first terminal 200 periodically monitors its connection with the second terminal 210 (S50). The monitoring result is periodically transmitted from the first terminal 200 to the terminal control device 100 in the form of connection status information (S51).

[0088] The connection status information may include an ID of a service application, importance or QoS of the service application, etc., and information on the type, speed, latency, and load of an interface between the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 . Figure 6 An example of information included in the connection status information is shown.

[0089] Return Reference Figure 4, the PDU session is updated based on the connection status information received in S51 (S52).

[0090] For example, if it is determined that the connection between the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 is lower than a predetermined level or is cut off, the PDU session can be updated so that the second terminal 210 no longer communicates with the terminal control device 100 through the first terminal 200, and the second terminal 210 communicates directly with the terminal control device 100 or SMF / UPF / NF 500.

[0091] Then, based on the information about the connection status between the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 received from the first terminal 200 and the PDU session updated in S52, the terminal control device 100 periodically determines whether the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 need to terminate each other. If it is determined that they need to be disconnected, the terminal control device 100 sends a request to the first terminal 200 to terminate the connection with the second terminal 210 (S53). In response to this request, the connection between the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 is terminated (S60).

[0092] Then, the second terminal 210 communicates directly with the terminal control device 100 or with the SMF / UPF / NF 500, thereby activating a PDU session (S70).

[0093] Although not shown, the connection state between the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 may return to a predetermined level or higher. In this case, the first terminal 200 may send information about the connection state back to the terminal control device 100. In this case, the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 may operate in the "interconnection mode" of their assigned roles, as explained in S30 to S43.

[0094] The above description has been given of how the second terminal 210 is directly connected to the terminal control apparatus 100 when the connection between the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 is below a predetermined level or disconnected. However, the concept of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0095] For example, if the connection between the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 is lower than a predetermined level or disconnected, only the first terminal 200 may perform the master role, and the second terminal 210 may no longer be on the same network as the terminal control device 100, or only the second terminal 210 may perform the master role, and the first terminal 200 may no longer be on the same network as the terminal control device 100. Figure 7 In addition, as previously mentioned, the first terminal 200 and the second terminal 210 can each be connected to the same network with the terminal control device 100 individually or independently.

[0096] According to an embodiment, the first terminal and the second terminal can be assigned and perform predetermined roles. In this case, since the second terminal does not require radio resources, the first terminal and the second terminal in the 5G system use radio resources efficiently. In addition, in the case where the second terminal is generally surpassed by the first terminal in terms of available resources or processing power or battery performance, some of the original roles of the second terminal can be assigned or transferred to the first terminal. Therefore, the resource or capability limitations of the second terminal can be overcome or improved.

[0097] As described above, according to an embodiment, the first terminal and the second terminal can be assigned and perform predetermined roles. In this case, since the second terminal does not require radio resources, the first terminal and the second terminal in the 5G system use radio resources efficiently. In addition, in the case where the second terminal is generally surpassed by the first terminal in terms of available resources or processing power or battery performance, some of the original roles of the second terminal can be assigned or transferred to the first terminal. Therefore, the resource or capability limitations of the second terminal can be overcome or improved.

[0098] Meanwhile, the above-described embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program programmed to execute each step or in the form of a computer program programmed to execute each step included in the method stored in a computer-readable recording medium.

[0099] The above description is merely an exemplary description of the technical scope of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the original features of the present disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure are intended to explain rather than limit the technical scope of the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the embodiments. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted based on the appended claims, and it should be understood that all technical scopes included in the scope equivalent thereto are included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A terminal control device, comprising: a transceiver that obtains information about the first terminal and the second terminal; as well as a processor that performs a predetermined determination related to a user of each terminal based on the obtained information about the first terminal and the second terminal, provides a result of the performed determination to the first terminal, and upon receiving role information including information about a role to be performed by the first terminal and information about a role to be performed by the second terminal, sets an operation mode of the first terminal and the second terminal based on the received role information, In addition to the result of the determination, the processor further provides, by using the transceiver, to the first terminal an indication that the first terminal performs a master role and the second terminal performs a sub role.

2. The terminal control device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor determines whether a subscriber of the first terminal and a subscriber of the second terminal are the same person based on the obtained information.

3. The terminal control device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor provides the first terminal with terminal information of the second terminal in addition to a result of the performed determination by using the transceiver.

4. The terminal control device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor receives ratio information including information about a ratio of resources to be allocated when the first terminal and the second terminal perform roles, together with role information, by using the transceiver, the role information including information about a role to be performed by the first terminal and information about a role to be performed by the second terminal.

5. The terminal control device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor sets operation modes of the first terminal and the second terminal based on the received role information, so that the second terminal communicates with the terminal control device through the first terminal. The terminal control device according to claim 1 , wherein: The obtained information includes at least one of terminal location, application ID, slice ID, international mobile subscriber identity IMSI, subscription permanent identifier SUPI, universal public subscription identifier GPSI, mobile station international subscriber directory number MSISDN, PDU session information, radio capability information, radio access technology RAT information, single / dual registration operation mode, DRX information and communication interface information.

7. The terminal control device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor changes an operation mode of the first terminal and the second terminal based on connection status information received from the first terminal, the connection status information indicating that a connection status between the first terminal and the second terminal is lower than a predetermined level.

8. The terminal control device according to claim 7, wherein: The connection status information is periodically received from the first terminal, and the processor periodically monitors the connection status between the first terminal and the second terminal based on the periodically received connection status information.

9. The terminal control device according to claim 7, wherein: The changed operation mode of the second terminal includes an operation mode in which the second terminal communicates with the terminal control device without the mediation of the first terminal.

10. The terminal control device according to claim 7, wherein: The changed operation mode of the second terminal includes an operation mode in which the second terminal communicates with the terminal control device via a network different from a network used by the first terminal to communicate with the terminal control device.

11. The terminal control device according to claim 7, wherein: When the connection state between the first terminal and the second terminal changes from below the predetermined level to the predetermined level or above, the processor re-changes the operation modes of the first terminal and the second terminal.

12. The terminal control device according to claim 7, wherein: The changed operation mode of the first terminal and the changed operation mode of the second terminal are determined based on a value from a motion sensor included in the first terminal or the second terminal.

13. A terminal control method executed by a terminal control device, the terminal control method comprising the following steps: making a predetermined determination related to a user of each terminal based on the obtained information about the first terminal and the second terminal; providing a result of the performed determination to the first terminal; as well as upon receiving role information including information about a role to be performed by the first terminal and information about a role to be performed by the second terminal, setting operation modes of the first terminal and the second terminal based on the received role information, The terminal control method comprises the following steps: In addition to the result of the determination made, an indication is provided to the first terminal that the first terminal performs the master role and the second terminal performs the sub-role.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions, wherein: When the instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes a terminal control method, the terminal control method comprising the following steps: making a predetermined determination related to a user of each terminal based on the obtained information about the first terminal and the second terminal; providing a result of the determination made to the first terminal; and upon receiving role information including information about a role to be performed by the first terminal and information about a role to be performed by the second terminal, setting operation modes of the first terminal and the second terminal based on the received role information, The terminal control method comprises the following steps: In addition to the result of the determination made, an indication is provided to the first terminal that the first terminal performs the master role and the second terminal performs the sub-role.

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