Communication line selection system, communication line selection method, and communication line selection program

Abstract

To select and set a SIM card of an appropriate communication carrier and an appropriate protocol depending on a communication environment and a purpose of a communication terminal to be used by a user, to enable communication of the communication terminal in a set environment optimal for the user.SOLUTION: A communication line selection system for setting a communication line by automatically selecting one cloud SIM from a plurality of cloud SIMs when connecting a communication terminal to be used by a user with a communication line network as a mobile line, includes: a cloud SIM corresponding router for relaying connection between the communication terminal and the communication line network; a mobile line type selection device that on the basis of communication information previously set in the communication terminal, selects the cloud SIM to be used by the cloud SIM corresponding router; and a cloud SIM device that manages the plurality of cloud SIMs and sets a use condition for the communication terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication line selection system, a communication line selection method, and a communication line selection program that select an optimal mobile communication line based on communication information and the like that a communication terminal has in an environment in which the communication terminal is used. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, when using a mobile line, a SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module card) is used. SIM cards store the user's (subscriber's) identification information and are issued by mobile phone companies (communications carriers) at the time of signing a contract. When the SIM card is inserted into a communications device, the communications device can read the associated subscriber name and contract terms, enabling communications. However, depending on the location, time of day, and other conditions when a user uses a mobile line, communication speeds may decrease depending on the signal strength of the carrier to which the assigned SIM card is connected and the degree of line congestion. In addition, there are several types of SIM cards, such as SIM cards that use general protocols and SIM cards that can transmit more protocols than general SIM cards, and it is necessary to select and use a SIM card that corresponds to the protocol used by the user. Also, depending on the type of packets used, the usage fee can be higher than that of a SIM card with a general protocol.

[0003] Furthermore, when signing a large contract for the use of multiple SIM cards, such as a corporate contract, it becomes necessary to manage SIM cards from multiple carriers and with multiple protocols, which can make management complicated. In recent years, instead of using physical SIM cards, a method of managing SIM card information in a cloud server (hereafter referred to as a cloud SIM server) has come into use. A cloud SIM server can centrally manage information on multiple SIM cards, and by allocating SIM card data to a communication device, the communication device becomes able to communicate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2021-517744 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses an invention that provides a cloud SIM card management server to solve the problem that conventional SIM card management methods do not allow for flexible allocation or management of SIM cards, resulting in a tendency for SIM card resources to be wasted. Specifically, the invention involves obtaining a cloud SIM card allocation request having device identification information sent by a user terminal, obtaining one cloud SIM card and network access information from a system database, associating and storing the device identification information, the cloud SIM card, and the network access information, and transmitting the cloud SIM card and network access information to the user terminal.

[0006] However, in the cited document 1, the cloud SIM card assigned to the user is not assigned taking into consideration the line speed at the time of assignment or the protocol used by the user, so there are cases in which it cannot be said that the optimal communication environment for the user is assigned.

[0007] Furthermore, with conventional cloud SIM server systems, if a user used a service on a mobile line that had a fixed global address (global IP address), such as a Virtual Private Network (VPN), the global IP address previously set up for the VPN would change the next time a SIM card was assigned, resulting in the user being unable to connect to services linked to the previous global IP address.

[0008] [Objective of the Invention] The present invention has been devised with an eye on such problems, and its purpose is to provide a communication line selection system, a communication line selection method, and a communication line selection program that enable a user to communicate with a communication terminal in an optimal setting environment by selecting and setting a SIM card of an appropriate protocol of an appropriate communication carrier depending on the communication environment and purpose of the communication terminal used by the user. In addition, a further object of the present invention is to provide a communication line selection system, a communication line selection method, and a communication line selection program which, when a SIM card is assigned to a communication terminal by a cloud SIM server, can stably and continuously connect to services that require a fixed IP address by notifying related terminals in the same group that their IP addresses have changed, even if the global IP address changes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The communication line selection system of the present invention is a communication line selection system that sets up a communication line by automatically selecting one of a plurality of cloud SIMs when connecting a communication terminal used by a user to a communication line network as a mobile line, and is characterized in having a cloud SIM-compatible router that relays the connection between the communication terminal and the communication line network, a mobile line type selection device that selects the cloud SIM to be used by the cloud SIM-compatible router based on communication information that has been pre-set in the communication terminal, and a cloud SIM device that manages the plurality of cloud SIMs and sets the usage conditions of the communication terminal.

[0010] The cloud SIM device of the communication line selection system according to the present invention has an initial allocation unit, and the initial allocation unit is characterized in that it sets a table of cloud SIM usage conditions used by the communication terminal.

[0011] The mobile line type selection device of the communication line selection system of the present invention has an allocation information management unit, and the allocation information management unit is characterized in that it creates a table related to cloud SIM setting information to be set in the cloud SIM-compatible router based on a table of cloud SIM usage conditions set in the initial allocation unit.

[0012] The cloud SIM-compatible router of the communication line selection system of the present invention has an information retention / timer control unit, which determines the version of the IP protocol used by the communication terminal, creates an IP version / protocol information management table for each terminal ID held by the cloud SIM-compatible router and sent at regular intervals, and performs a duplication check for each communication terminal.

[0013] The mobile line type selection device of the communication line selection system of the present invention has a SIM type determination unit, and the SIM type determination unit determines whether or not the SIM of the communication terminal needs to be changed based on the communication method (version) analyzed by an IP version analysis unit and the protocol used analyzed by an IP protocol analysis unit, and the communication information pre-set in the communication terminal includes the communication method and the protocol used.

[0014] The mobile line type selection device of the communication line selection system of the present invention has a terminal group information control unit, and the terminal group information control unit updates the terminal group information management table when the SIM type determination unit determines that a SIM change is necessary.

[0015] The mobile line type selection device of the communication line selection system of the present invention has a terminal information holding unit, and the terminal information holding unit searches a table related to cloud SIM setting information created by an allocation information management unit, and based on the search result, if the SIM to be used is to be upgraded depending on the type of packet used by the communication terminal, updates the table related to the cloud SIM setting information (SIM type information management table).

[0016] The mobile line type selection device of the communication line selection system of the present invention has a cloud SIM type change unit, and the cloud SIM type change unit is characterized in that when the SIM type determination unit determines that a SIM change is necessary, it transmits the changed SIM to a terminal SIM type plan control unit.

[0017] The cloud SIM device of the communication line selection system of the present invention has a terminal SIM type plan control unit, and the terminal SIM type plan control unit updates information in a terminal SIM usage policy information management table based on a SIM change instruction transmitted from the SIM type determination unit, and changes the SIM-ID to one that is optimal for the communication terminal.

[0018] The communication line selection method of the present invention is a communication line selection method that automatically changes a SIM when connecting a communication terminal to a communication line network, and is characterized in that an initial allocation unit causes a computer to execute the steps of setting a table of cloud SIM usage conditions to be used by the communication terminal, and creating a table related to cloud SIM setting information to be set in the communication terminal based on the set table of cloud SIM usage conditions.

[0019] The communication line selection method according to the present invention is a communication line selection method for automatically changing a SIM when connecting a communication terminal to a communication line network, and includes the steps of: determining the version of the IP protocol used by the communication terminal; and creating a used IP version / protocol information management table for each terminal ID of a cloud SIM-compatible router sent at a fixed interval; a step of the cloud SIM-compatible router performing a duplication check; determining whether or not it is necessary to change the SIM of the cloud SIM-compatible router based on the communication method analyzed by the IP version analysis unit and the used protocol analyzed by the IP protocol analysis unit; and updating a table related to the cloud SIM setting information obtained by searching the table related to the cloud SIM setting information and, based on the search result, if the SIM to be used is to be upgraded depending on the type of packet used by the communication terminal, updating the table related to the cloud SIM setting information; when the SIM type determination unit determines that a SIM change is necessary, transmitting the changed SIM to a terminal SIM type plan control unit; and, based on a SIM change instruction transmitted from the SIM type determination unit, updating information in a terminal SIM usage policy information management table and changing to a SIM-ID that is optimal for the communication terminal.

[0020] The communication line selection program according to the present invention is a communication line selection program that automatically changes a SIM when a communication terminal is connected to a communication line network, and includes a cloud SIM-compatible router that determines the version of the IP protocol used by the communication terminal, creates a usage IP version / protocol information management table for each terminal ID of the cloud SIM-compatible router sent at a fixed period, and performs a duplication check for each communication terminal. The mobile line type selection device has an allocation information management function that creates a table related to cloud SIM setting information to be set in the communication terminal based on the table of cloud SIM usage conditions set by the initial allocation function, a SIM type determination function that determines whether or not the SIM of the cloud SIM-compatible router needs to be changed based on the communication method analyzed by the IP version analysis function and the protocol used analyzed by the IP protocol analysis function, and an allocation information management function. and a terminal information holding function of searching a table related to the cloud SIM setting information created in the step S10, and updating the table related to the cloud SIM setting information based on the search result if the SIM to be used is to be upgraded depending on the type of packet used by the communication terminal; a cloud SIM type changing function of sending the changed SIM to a terminal SIM type plan control unit when the SIM type determination unit determines that a SIM change is necessary; and a cloud SIM device of causing a computer to execute an initial allocation function of setting a table of cloud SIM usage conditions to be used by the cloud SIM-compatible router; and a terminal SIM type plan control function of updating information in a terminal SIM usage policy information management table based on a SIM change instruction sent from the SIM type determination function, and changing to a SIM-ID that is optimal for the cloud SIM-compatible router. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the present invention, a cloud SIM having optimal protocols and security for the usage environment of the communication terminal 5 is assigned to the user, and the user can use the communication network 4 without operating the communication terminal 5 .

[0022] According to the present invention, even if the global IP address of the communication terminal 5 has changed since the last time it was used, it is possible to notify related terminals in the same group that the IP address has changed. Therefore, the group can continue to use the services set up with the global IP address.

[0023] According to the present invention, the cloud SIM of all communication terminals 5 can be managed by the cloud SIM device (cloud SIM server), so that the administrator can centrally manage the cloud SIM.

[0024] According to the present invention, the cloud SIM device (cloud SIM server) can manage the cloud SIMs of all communication terminals 5, so that the cloud SIM according to the type of packet can be efficiently assigned to the cloud SIM-compatible router 1, and the communication terminals 5 can communicate, thereby reducing costs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing details of a system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram relating to initial information registration according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a process flow diagram showing a process from packet detection to a method of selecting a line type according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram showing a SIM type change process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a process flow diagram showing a notification process of a change in SIM type according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a management table of IP version and protocol information used. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a cloud SIM type determination information table. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a SIM type information management table. [Figure 9]FIG. 9(A) is a diagram showing a list of Ethernet type codes including Ethernet type numbers used in an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9(B) is a diagram showing a list of IP protocol codes including IP protocols used in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 illustrates a SIM type registration information management table. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 illustrates a terminal information management table. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a terminal SIM usage policy information management table. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a terminal group information management table. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Hereinafter, a basic configuration of a communication line selection system, a communication line selection method, and a communication line selection program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, the communication line selection program causes a computer or other hardware resources to execute each step of the communication line selection method executed based on Figs. 1 to 13, and is, for example, pre-stored in any of the cloud SIM compatible router 1, the mobile line type selection device 2, and the cloud SIM device 3 (hereinafter referred to as the cloud SIM server 3), or is pre-stored in hardware other than these and executed.

[0027] In the present invention, the SIM card may include both a physical memory card type hardware type and an electronic e-SIM, that is, a type in which information written to the SIM card can be downloaded. Also, the SIM-ID refers to a number assigned to each SIM card in order to identify multiple SIM cards. The SIM information refers to profile information (various information) and various data related to the SIM card. In the present invention, cloud SIM refers to a communication technology in which a SIM card is managed by the cloud SIM server 3, not by the communication terminal 5.

[0028] In addition, in this embodiment, "level" refers to a classification or level of the protocol code that can use the type of packet required during communication. For example, the higher the level, the more types of protocols that can be used for communication. Depending on the service to which the connection is made, when communication is not permitted using the protocol of the SIM information set in the cloud SIM-compatible router 1 (SIM allocation control unit 12), the cloud SIM is upgraded by changing the protocol code to a level at which communication is permitted, thereby enabling communication. In the example shown in FIG. 9(B), as the protocol number used increases, the cloud SIM 7 that sets the protocol tends to be fewer and more expensive, so that upgrading the level will change the cloud SIM contract to a more expensive one depending on the type of packet used.

[0029] [Basic configuration] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication line selection system of this embodiment includes a cloud SIM-compatible router 1, a mobile line type selection device 2, and a cloud SIM server 3 via a communication line network 4, and a communication terminal 5 (terminal device, router, PC, etc.) used by a user can be connected to the cloud SIM-compatible router 1, and a maintenance and operation terminal 6 is connected to the cloud SIM server 3.

[0030] In this embodiment, an example configuration will be described in which a cloud SIM-compatible router 1, a mobile line type selection device 2, and a cloud SIM server 3 are each connected via a communication line network 4, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, (1) a configuration in which a mobile line type selection device 2 connected to a communication line network 4 is connected to the cloud SIM server 3 via a dedicated line, (2) a configuration in which the mobile line type selection device 2 and the cloud SIM server 3 are integrated into an integrated device and the entire device is connected to the communication line network 4, or (3) a configuration in which the cloud SIM-compatible router 1, the mobile line type selection device 2, and the cloud SIM server 3 are integrated into an integrated device and connected to a communication terminal 5 and the communication line network 4, respectively, are also possible.

[0031] The cloud SIM-compatible router 1 is a router compatible with cloud SIM, and is a device that connects a communication terminal 5 to a communication network 4 based on the IP version and IP protocol contained in the SIM information selected by the cloud SIM server 3 as a cloud SIM device.

[0032] The mobile line type selection device 2 is a device that selects a SIM that enables the communication terminal 5 to communicate optimally based on the IP protocol and IP version used in the communication terminal 5, and has a function of instructing the cloud SIM server 3 to change the SIM information used in the cloud SIM-compatible router 1. Here, in the communication terminal 5, the IP protocol and IP version as a communication method, and the protocol to be used are set as communication information in advance. The mobile line type selection device 2 determines whether the level of security information is appropriate based on the above communication method, and then selects one cloud SIM from multiple cloud SIMs. This makes it possible to select a SIM that balances reception speed and strength depending on the type of packet used.

[0033] The cloud SIM device 3 (cloud SIM server 3) is a device that has a function of selecting SIM information of a cloud SIM 7 that enables optimal communication by the communication terminal 5 to be linked to the cloud SIM-compatible router 1. In addition, the cloud SIM server 3 is a device that can manage SIM information related to SIM cards of multiple types and multiple different carriers, and can manage the SIM information related to these multiple SIM cards as cloud SIM 7.

[0034] The communication line network 4 is a general mobile line that can connect to the Internet by wireless communication, and is connected to the cloud SIM compatible router 1, the mobile line type selection device 2, and the cloud SIM server 3. The communication line selection system of this embodiment selects a mobile line as a communication line.

[0035] The communication terminal 5 is a communication terminal used by a user, and may be a portable smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, or the like, a desktop PC, or a router capable of setting the cloud SIM 7. The communication terminal 5 does not have a SIM inside itself, but the SIM information is set in the SIM allocation control unit 12 of the cloud SIM compatible router 1. The communication terminal 5 can access the communication network 4 by using the SIM information set in the cloud SIM compatible router 1 (SIM allocation control unit 12) as its own SIM. Furthermore, the communication terminals 5 form groups, and parent terminals and child terminals are set within each group. The parent-child relationships of the communication terminals 5 and the global IP addresses of the parent terminals are managed in a terminal group information management table 59 (see FIG. 13).

[0036] The maintenance and operation terminal 6 is a terminal device for inputting settings of various information tables by the initial allocation unit 37 of the SIM used by the maintenance manager in the system. The maintenance and operation terminal 6 may be any terminal that can access the cloud SIM server 3, and may be, for example, a PC, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like.

[0037] The communication line selection system of this embodiment manages SIM card information in the cloud SIM server 3, instead of the conventional SIM card inserted / set for each communication terminal. Specifically, in the cloud SIM server 3, a SIM information registration and management unit 36 ​​is installed in a state in which it can read a plurality of magnetically stored SIM cards (for example, those used as e-SIMs) and physical SIM cards as cloud SIMs 7. The SIM information registration and management unit 36 ​​manages SIM information in a plurality of SIM cards as SIM-IDs, and assigns an appropriate SIM-ID to the cloud SIM-compatible router 1 in response to a request from the cloud SIM-compatible router 1, thereby enabling the communication terminal 5 to communicate through the communication line network 4. The level of security varies depending on the transparent version and the transparent protocol, and the range of access that users can have is determined. If the security level is high, the usage fee will be high, and the economic burden on the subscriber will increase. Therefore, by allocating SIM cards with an appropriate protocol level, the allocation of SIM cards with excessively high security levels can be reduced, and expenses can be reduced.

[0038] Next, each component of the cloud SIM-compatible router 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0039] The mobile communication unit 11 has a function of establishing a connection between the communication terminal 5 and a provider of the communication network 4 (mobile network, Internet network, etc.) by IPoEv4 (IP over Ethernet v4) or IPoEv6, and performing transmission and reception processing of IPv4 or IPoEv6 with the communication network 4. In addition, the APN information of the cloud SIM 7 is held in the mobile communication unit 11.

[0040] The SIM allocation control unit 12 has a function of holding SIM information (and SIM-ID) selected by the cloud SIM server 3.

[0041] The message sending unit 13 has a function of sending information to the mobile communication unit 11 in order to send the information detected by the IP protocol analysis unit 16 and the IP version analysis unit 17 to the mobile line type selection device 2 .

[0042] The message receiving unit 14 has a function of receiving information transmitted from the communication network 4 via the SIM allocation control unit 12.

[0043] The information holding and timer control unit 15 has a function of creating an IP version and protocol information management table 51 (see FIG. 6) for each terminal ID of the communication terminal 5 sent at a fixed interval, and carrying out a duplication check.

[0044] The IP protocol analysis unit 16 has a function of identifying the protocol of the communication terminal 5 used by the user.

[0045] The IP version analysis unit 17 has a function of identifying whether the communication terminal 5 used by the user is using an IPv4 or IPv6 communication method.

[0046] The IP packet transfer unit 18 has a function of passing data between the LAN side NIC 10 and the mobile communication unit 11 in order to transmit and receive data to and from the communication terminal 5 .

[0047] The NAT (Network Address Translation) control unit 19 has a function of converting the source IP address in the header of the IP packet. The NAT control unit 19 converts the IP address of the source communication terminal 5, which is a private IP address, into a global IP address, and transmits the packet to the communication line network 4.

[0048] The LAN side NIC 10 connects the cloud SIM compatible router 1 and the communication terminal 5. A network interface card (NIC) is used in this embodiment, but any interface that connects the cloud SIM-compatible router 1 and the communication terminal 5 may be used.

[0049] Next, each component of the mobile line type selection device 2 will be described.

[0050] The WAN-side NIC 21 is a network interface card (NIC) on the WAN side of the mobile line type selection device 2. In this embodiment, a NIC is used, but any interface that connects the mobile line type selection device 2 and the communication line network 4 may be used.

[0051] The message sending unit 23 has a function of sending an instruction to change the association of the SIM used by the cloud SIM compatible router 1 to the cloud SIM server 3.

[0052] The message receiving unit 24 has a function of receiving information on the IP version and IP protocol sent from the cloud SIM compatible router 1.

[0053] The allocation information management unit 25 has the function of creating a SIM type information management table 53 (see FIG. 8) and a cloud SIM type determination information table 52 (see FIG. 7) as tables related to cloud SIM setting information, based on the SIM type registration information management table 56 (see FIG. 10), the terminal information management table 57 (see FIG. 11), and the terminal SIM usage policy information management table 58 (see FIG. 12) sent from the cloud SIM server 3.

[0054] The cloud SIM type change unit 26 has a function of transferring information to the message sending unit 23 in order to send a SIM linking change instruction to the cloud SIM server 3 when the SIM type determination unit 28 determines that a SIM change is necessary.

[0055] The terminal group information control unit 27 has a function of updating the terminal group information management table 59 when the SIM type determination unit 28 determines that a SIM change is necessary. The previous original IP address and the newly assigned IP address are updated and added to the parent terminal ID.

[0056] The SIM type determination unit 28 has a function of determining, based on the information received from the message receiving unit 24, whether or not the SIM type needs to be changed.

[0057] The terminal information holding unit 29 has a function of searching for a matching terminal ID from the SIM type information management table 53 (see FIG. 8). If the level of the SIM type matches or is downgraded, the function leaves it unprocessed, and only if the level is upgraded, the function leaves it unprocessed in the SIM type, version used, and protocol used in the SIM type information management table 53. That is, the terminal information holding unit 29 maintains the level of security information based on the search result of the table related to the cloud SIM setting information, or leaves it unprocessed if the level is downgraded, while updating and adding to the SIM type information management table 53 as a table related to the cloud SIM setting information if the level of the SIM used is upgraded depending on the type of packet used.

[0058] Next, each component of the cloud SIM server 3 will be described.

[0059] The WAN-side NIC 31 is a network interface card (NIC) on the WAN side of the cloud SIM server 3. Although a NIC is used in this embodiment, any interface that connects the cloud SIM server 3 and the communication network 4 may be used.

[0060] The message sending unit 33 has a function of sending various tables created by the initial allocation unit 37 to the mobile line type selection device 2.

[0061] The message receiving unit 34 has a function of receiving, from the mobile line type selection device 2, information on changing the SIM linked to the cloud SIM compatible router 1.

[0062] The terminal SIM type plan control unit 35 has a function of changing the association between the communication terminal 5 and the SIM based on a SIM association change instruction received from the mobile line type selection device 2. In other words, it has a function of setting the use conditions of the communication terminal 5.

[0063] Furthermore, the terminal SIM type plan control unit 35 searches for the terminal ID and SIM type (SIM-ID) transmitted from the mobile line type selection device 2 and the terminal ID in the terminal SIM usage policy information management table 58, and obtains the SIM-ID information (priority 1, priority 2, priority 3) of the matching record. The priority is determined by communication carrier, and the SIM type for that communication carrier is updated.

[0064] The SIM information registration and management unit 36 ​​has a function of managing a SIM type registration information management table 56, which is a table of SIM information that can be linked to the cloud SIM-compatible router 1. The SIM information registration and management unit 36 ​​can install multiple magnetic (e-SIM) or physical SIM cards, and centrally manages the multiple SIM cards and assigns the SIM-ID of an appropriate SIM card and SIM information related to the SIM-ID to the cloud SIM-compatible router 1 upon request, thereby enabling the communication terminal 5 to communicate.

[0065] The initial allocation unit 37 creates a table linking the cloud SIM compatible router 1 and the SIM in the initial state before receiving a SIM linking change instruction from the mobile line type selection device 2, that is, a table of cloud SIM usage conditions. Specifically, in the initial allocation unit 37, the maintenance manager operates the maintenance and operation terminal 6 to input information into a SIM type registration information management table 56, a terminal information management table 57, and a terminal SIM usage policy information management table 58, which are tables of cloud SIM usage conditions, to create and update them.

[0066] When the communication line is allocated, the communication terminal 5 is connected to the mobile line using a SIM based on the table created by the initial allocation unit 37. Furthermore, when a personal computer or the like that can also be connected to a wired fixed line is used as the communication terminal 5, it is also possible to connect the communication terminal 5 to the mobile line type selection device 2 through a wired fixed line (not shown) instead of the communication line network 4, and it is also possible to allocate the communication line in this connection.

[0067] The Web communication unit 38 has a function of communicating between the initial allocation unit 37 and the maintenance and operation terminal 6 when the administrator of the cloud SIM server 3 uses the maintenance and operation terminal 6 .

[0068] [Information Table] Next, various information tables used in this embodiment will be described. The IP version and protocol information management table 51 shown in Figure 6 is a table created and stored by the information retention and timer control unit 15 of the cloud SIM-compatible router 1, and is linked to the terminal ID of the communication terminal 5 and sets the IP protocol version (IPv4, IPv6) in use ("in use" or "not in use"), the available protocol number in use (the protocol number in use is defined in the IP protocol code list table 55), and the IP address.

[0069] The cloud SIM type determination information table 52 shown in FIG. 7 sets the IP version used, the protocol number, and the SIM-ID. The cloud SIM type determination information table 52 is created by the allocation information management unit 25 based on the SIM type registration information management table 56, the terminal information management table 57, and the terminal SIM usage policy information management table 58 sent from the cloud SIM server 3. The SIM type determination unit 28 is also used to refer to the cloud SIM type determination information table 52 based on the usage IP version / protocol information management table 51 sent from the cloud SIM-compatible router 1, and search for a SIM type with a matching IP version and protocol number.

[0070] 8 is a table held by the mobile line type selection device 2. The SIM-ID, the version of the IP protocol in use (IPv4, IPv6) ("in use" or "not in use"), the available protocol numbers in use (the protocol numbers in use are defined in the IP protocol code list table 55), and the IP address are set in association with the terminal ID of the communication terminal 5. The allocation information management unit 25 creates the SIM type information management table 53 based on the SIM type registration information management table 56, the terminal information management table 57, and the terminal SIM usage policy information management table 58 sent from the cloud SIM server 3.

[0071] 9A, the Ethernet type code list table 54 is a table showing numbers for identifying protocols. In this embodiment, for example, it is used to distinguish "type number 0800: IPv4" and "type number 86DD: IPv6".

[0072] 9B, the IP protocol code list table 55 is a table showing numbers for identifying protocols when communicating using the Internet Protocol (IP). In this embodiment, the IP protocol code list table 55 is used to identify protocol numbers such as "1, 4, 6, 17, 50, 51, and 115."

[0073] 10, the SIM type registration information management table 56 is a table for setting the security level of the SIM, and sets the SIM-ID, communication carrier, version to be used, and protocol code to be used. Since the protocol that can transmit the Internet differs for each SIM-ID, the security level differs when accessing. The security level is higher for IPv6 than for IPv4 in terms of the version used, and the lowest when the protocol code used is "ICMP, TCP, UDP." When combining these and sorting the SIM-IDs by carrier, the security level is in the following order: (low)1<2<3(high),(low)4<5<6(high),(low)7<8<9(high) When a user requires high-security access on the communication terminal 5, SIM-IDs 3, 6, and 9 will be assigned to the cloud SIM-enabled router 1. As an initial setting, the maintenance manager sets and updates the initial allocation unit 37 via the maintenance and operation terminal 6 .

[0074] In the terminal information management table 57 shown in FIG. 11, the initial allocation unit 37 inputs information about the installation location and the user name of the cloud SIM-compatible router 1 in association with the terminal ID.

[0075] 12, the terminal SIM usage policy information management table 58 lists the SIM-IDs in order of priority, linked to the terminal IDs, for the communication terminal 5. When there is a request to change the SIM-ID from the mobile line type selection device 2, the request is sent to the cloud SIM compatible router 1 in order of priority.

[0076] The terminal group information management table 59 shown in Figure 13 is a table that manages the group relationships of communication terminals 5, and manages the parent terminal ID that is the parent of a group consisting of multiple communication terminals 5, the previous IP address for the parent terminal, the newly assigned IP address, and the ID of the child terminal for the parent terminal.

[0077] [Processing flow] Next, an overview of the processing of this system will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0078] First, the process of registering initial information in each information table will be described with reference to FIG.

[0079] First, the maintenance manager operates the maintenance operation terminal 6 (step S1) and accesses the initial allocation unit 37 (step S3) via the Web communication unit 38 (step S2).

[0080] First, the initial allocation unit 37 inputs information into the SIM type registration information management table 56 shown in Fig. 10 (step S4). For each SIM-ID, a communication carrier, a transparent version of a protocol, and a transparent protocol are input.

[0081] Next, information is input to the terminal information management table 57 shown in Fig. 11 (step S5). The installation location and user name are input for each terminal ID.

[0082] Next, information is input to the terminal SIM usage policy information management table 58 shown in Fig. 12 (step S6). A SIM-ID to be preferentially used is input for each terminal ID. 13, information is input to the terminal group information management table 59 (step S7). The parent terminal ID that is the parent of the group of communication terminals 5, the previous IP address for the parent terminal, the newly assigned IP address, and the ID of the child terminal for the parent terminal are input.

[0083] When the input of the tables is completed in initial allocation section 37, initial allocation section 37 sends the created tables (SIM type registration information management table 56, terminal information management table 57, terminal SIM usage policy information management table 58). The table is sent to the mobile line type selection device 2 via the message sending unit 33 (step S8) and the WAN side NIC 31 (step S9), and via the communication line network 4 (step S10). In the mobile line type selection device 2, the message is transmitted to the allocation information management unit 25 (step S13) via the WAN side NIC 21 (step S11) and the message receiving unit 24 (step S12). The allocation information management unit 25 creates a SIM type information management table 53 (step S14) and a cloud SIM type determination information table 52 (step S15) based on the SIM type registration information management table 56, the terminal information management table 57, and the terminal SIM usage policy information management table 58 sent from the cloud SIM server 3.

[0084] In this manner, various tables are created and set, and the initial settings are completed.

[0085] Next, a process of allocating an optimal cloud SIM 7 to the cloud SIM-compatible router 1 with which the communication terminal 5 can communicate will be described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG.

[0086] The process flow of Fig. 3 will be described. First, the communication terminal 5 is started to be used. At this time, the SIM-ID of the protocol with the lowest security level is assigned as the communication information of the communication terminal 5 for the first time. This will be one of SIM-IDs 1, 4, or 7 in the SIM type registration information management table 56. Telecommunications carriers assign the SIM-ID of the communications carrier with the strongest signal strength based on existing methods for measuring signal strength (RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power)). First, information on all packets to be transferred to the communication network 4 is transmitted from the communication terminal 5 to the LAN-side NIC 10 (step S21).

[0087] Next, the LAN-side NIC 10 determines whether the packet received from the communication terminal 5 is a notification of initial startup from the communication terminal 5 and whether a certain period of time has elapsed since the initial startup (step S22). If the determination is "YES", the packet is transferred to the IP version analyzer 17 to determine whether or not the SIM-ID needs to be changed (YES in step S22). If the determination is "NO" and it is determined that a certain period of time has passed since the initial startup and the determination as to whether or not the SIM-ID needs to be changed has been completed, the packet is transferred to the IP packet transfer unit 18 (NO in step S22).

[0088] The IP version analyzing unit 17 identifies whether the transferred packet uses a communication method, "IPv4" or "IPv6", based on the Ethernet type code list table 54 (step S23).

[0089] If the IP version analyzer 17 determines that the packet is “IPv6”, the IP version analyzer transfers the packet to the information holding and timer control unit 15 . If the IP version analyzer 17 determines that the protocol is “IPv4”, the packet is transferred to the IP protocol analyzer 16. The IP protocol analyzer 16 detects the protocol being used based on the IP protocol code list table 55 (step S24). Then, the detected protocol information and the packet are transferred to the information holding / timer controller 15.

[0090] The information holding and timer control unit 15 detects the terminal ID from the transferred packet and creates the used IP version and protocol information management table 51 for each terminal ID (step S25). Also, the information holding and timer control unit 15 updates the used IP version and protocol information management table 51 for each terminal ID sent at a fixed interval and checks whether there is any overlap with other communication terminals 5.

[0091] Subsequently, the packet is transferred from information retention / timer control unit 15 to message sending unit 13 (step S26), and the packet is sent via mobile communication unit 11 (step S27), and then to communication network 4 (step S28).

[0092] If the determination in the LAN side NIC is "No" (NO in step S22), it is determined that a normal communication line is being used. Next, when the IP address of the parent terminal in the group to which the cloud SIM-compatible router 1 belongs is changed, the NAT control unit 19 refers to the terminal group information management table 59 and converts the IP address of the parent terminal for the child terminal (step S31). This allows the child terminal to always correctly recognize the IP address of the parent terminal. The packet is then sent via the mobile communication unit 11 (step S32) and connected to the communication network 4 (step S33).

[0093] Next, the processing flow of FIG. 4 will be described. Following the communication line network 4 in step S32 of FIG. 3, the packet is transmitted to the SIM type determination unit 28 via the WAN side NIC 21 of the mobile line type selection device 2 (step S41) and the message receiving unit 24 (step S42). The SIM type determination unit 28 searches for a SIM-ID with a matching IP version and protocol number by comparing with the cloud SIM type determination information table 52 based on the communication method (version) (IPv4 or IPv6) analyzed by the IP version analysis unit 17 and the protocol used analyzed by the IP protocol analysis unit 16 (step S43). Then, the SIM type determination unit 28 determines whether or not the SIM needs to be changed.

[0094] Next, the terminal information storage unit 29 searches for a matching terminal ID from the SIM type information management table 53 (step S44). If the search result shows that the level of the SIM to be used is to be upgraded depending on the type of packet to be used, the SIM-ID, the version to be used, and the protocol number to be used are updated and added to the SIM type information management table 53 (YES in step S44). However, if the SIM-ID level matches or is downgraded to a lower level (NO in step S44), the process of the cloud SIM type change unit 26 (step S45) is left unprocessed.

[0095] Next, when the SIM type determination unit 28 determines that a SIM change is necessary, the cloud SIM type change unit 26 transmits the changed SIM-ID to the message sending unit in order to transmit information to the cloud SIM server 3 (step S45).

[0096] Furthermore, when the SIM type determination unit 28 determines that a SIM change is necessary, the terminal group information control unit 27 updates the terminal group information management table 59. For the parent terminal ID for which the SIM is changed, the previous IP address and the newly assigned IP address are updated and added (step S46).

[0097] Next, the message transmitting unit 23 transmits the SIM-ID (step S47), and the SIM-ID is transmitted via the WAN-side NIC 21 (step S48) to the communication network 4 (step S49).

[0098] The transmitted SIM-ID is then transmitted to the terminal SIM type plan control unit 35 via the WAN side NIC 31 of the cloud SIM server 3 (step S50) and the message receiving unit 34 (step S51). The terminal SIM type plan control unit 35 searches for the terminal ID in the terminal SIM usage policy information management table 58 based on the terminal ID and SIM-ID related to the SIM change instruction sent from the mobile line type selection device 2, updates the information of priority 1 to 3 of the SIM-ID of the record that matches the terminal ID, and changes the association between the communication terminal 5 and the optimal SIM-ID (step S52). The priority is to select a communication carrier, and the SIM-ID for that communication carrier is updated.

[0099] Next, responses from the mobile line type selection device 2 and the cloud SIM server 3 to the cloud SIM compatible router 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. When the SIM type determination unit 28 of the mobile line type selection device 2 determines that a SIM change is necessary (step S46), the terminal group information control unit 27 returns a response from the message sending unit 23 (step S47) to the cloud SIM-compatible router 1 via the WAN side NIC 21 (step S48) and the communication line network 4 (step S49).

[0100] A response from the mobile line type selection device 2 is received from the mobile communication unit 11 (step S53) to the message receiving unit 14 (step S54). Then, the SIM information is set in the SIM allocation control unit 12 (step S55).

[0101] If there is a change in the IP address of the parent terminal (YES in step S56), the change is notified to the NAT control unit 19 (step S57).

[0102] Also, if there is a change in the IP address of the parent terminal (NO in step S56), as shown in FIG. 5, the SIM allocation control unit 12 (step S61) reconnects to the cloud SIM server 3 via the mobile communication network 4 (step S62).

[0103] After the connection information arrives at the message receiving unit 34 (step S64) from the cloud SIM-compatible router 1 via the WAN side NIC 31 (step S63), the terminal SIM type plan control unit 35 changes the linking (step S65), and the message is sent from the message sending unit 33 (step S66) via the WAN side NIC 31 (step S67) and the mobile communication network 4 (step S68) to the SIM allocation control unit 12 of the cloud SIM-compatible router 1 (step S69).

[0104] In this way, when the cloud SIM compatible router 1 is assigned an optimal cloud SIM 7, a response is notified to the cloud SIM compatible router 1 from the mobile line type selection device 2 and the cloud SIM server 3.

[0105] In this way, by storing the changed SIM-ID in the mobile communication unit 11, when communication from the communication terminal 5 passes through the mobile communication unit 11 (see step S31), communication with the communication network 4 can be performed using the optimal SIM-ID. In addition, the SIM is automatically changed without the user being aware of the change, making the procedure easier. Furthermore, since there is no need to transmit the SIM-ID to each communication terminal 5, the burden on the communication terminal 5 can be reduced.

[0106] The present invention may be embodied in many different forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof, and it is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0107] 1 Cloud SIM compatible router 2 Mobile line type selection device 3 Cloud SIM device (Cloud SIM server) 4. Telecommunications Network 5. Communication terminals 6 Maintenance and operation terminal 7. Cloud SIM 10 LAN side NIC 11 Mobile Communications Department 12 SIM allocation control unit 13 Message sending section 14 Message Receiving Unit 15 Information retention / timer control section 16 IP Protocol Analysis Section 17 IP Version Analysis Section 18 IP packet forwarding unit 19 NAT Control Section 21 WAN side NIC 23 Message sending section 24 Message Receiving Unit 25 Allocation Information Management Unit 26 Cloud SIM type change section 27 Terminal group information control section 28 SIM type determination unit 29 Terminal information storage unit 31 WAN side NIC 33 Message sending section 34 Message Receiving Unit 35 Terminal SIM type plan control unit 36 SIM Information Registration and Management Department 37 Initial Allocation Section 51 Protocol Information Management Table 52 Cloud SIM type determination information table 53 SIM type information management table 54 Ethernet Type Code List Table 55 IP protocol code list table 56 SIM type registration information management table 57 Terminal information management table 58 Terminal SIM usage policy information management table 59 Terminal group information management table

Claims

1. A communication line selection system for setting a communication line by automatically selecting one cloud SIM from a plurality of cloud SIMs when connecting a communication terminal used by a user to a communication line network as a mobile line, comprising: A cloud SIM compatible router that relays a connection between the communication terminal and the communication line network; A mobile line type selection device that selects the cloud SIM to be used by the cloud SIM-compatible router based on communication information previously set in the communication terminal; A cloud SIM device that manages the plurality of cloud SIMs and sets the usage conditions of the communication terminal. A communication line selection system comprising:

2. The cloud SIM device has an initial allocation unit, The initial allocation unit sets a table of cloud SIM usage conditions used by the communication terminal.

2. The communication line selection system according to claim 1,

3. The mobile line type selection device has an allocation information management unit, The allocation information management unit creates a table related to cloud SIM setting information to be set in the cloud SIM-compatible router based on a table of cloud SIM usage conditions set by the initial allocation unit.

2. The communication line selection system according to claim 1,

4. The cloud SIM-compatible router has an information retention and timer control unit, 2. The communication line selection system according to claim 1, wherein the information holding / timer control unit determines the version of the IP protocol used by the communication terminal, creates a used IP version / protocol information management table for each terminal ID held by the cloud SIM-compatible router and transmitted at a constant interval, and performs a duplication check for each communication terminal.

5. The mobile line type selection device has a SIM type determination unit, The SIM type determination unit determines whether or not a SIM change is required for the communication terminal based on the communication method analyzed by the IP version analysis unit and the protocol used analyzed by the IP protocol analysis unit; 2. The communication line selection system according to claim 1, wherein the communication information preset in the communication terminal includes the communication method and the protocol to be used.

6. The mobile line type selection device has a terminal group information control unit, The terminal group information control unit updates the terminal group information management table when the SIM type determination unit determines that a SIM change is necessary.

6. The communication line selection system according to claim 5,

7. The mobile line type selection device has a terminal information storage unit, the terminal information holding unit searches a table related to cloud SIM setting information created by the allocation information management unit, and based on the search result, when upgrading the level of the SIM to be used depending on the type of packet used by the communication terminal, updates the table related to the cloud SIM setting information; 2. The communication line selection system according to claim 1,

8. The mobile line type selection device has a cloud SIM type changing unit, The cloud SIM type change unit transmits the changed SIM to a terminal SIM type plan control unit when the SIM type determination unit determines that a SIM change is necessary.

6. The communication line selection system according to claim 5,

9. The cloud SIM device has a terminal SIM type plan control unit, The terminal SIM type plan control unit updates information in a terminal SIM usage policy information management table based on a SIM change instruction transmitted from the SIM type determination unit, and changes the SIM-ID to an optimal SIM-ID for the communication terminal.

6. The communication line selection system according to claim 5,

10. A communication line selection method for automatically changing a SIM when connecting a communication terminal to a communication line network, comprising: the initial allocation unit causes a computer to execute a step of setting a table of cloud SIM usage conditions used by the communication terminal, and a step of creating a table related to cloud SIM setting information to be set in the communication terminal based on the set table of cloud SIM usage conditions; The communication line selection method according to the present invention is characterized in that

11. A communication line selection method for automatically changing a SIM when connecting a communication terminal to a communication line network, comprising: A step of determining a version of an IP protocol used by the communication terminal, and creating a management table of IP version and protocol information used for each terminal ID of the cloud SIM-compatible router sent at a fixed interval, and a step of the cloud SIM-compatible router performing a duplication check; A step of determining whether or not a SIM change is required for the cloud SIM-compatible router based on the communication method analyzed by the IP version analysis unit and the protocol used analyzed by the IP protocol analysis unit; searching a table related to cloud SIM setting information created by an allocation information management unit, and updating the table related to the cloud SIM setting information based on the search result when the level of the SIM to be used is upgraded depending on the type of packet used by the communication terminal; When the SIM type determination unit determines that a SIM change is necessary, transmitting the changed SIM to a terminal SIM type plan control unit; updating information in a terminal SIM usage policy information management table based on a SIM change instruction transmitted from the SIM type determination unit, and changing the SIM-ID to an optimum SIM-ID for the communication terminal; The communication line selection method according to claim 10,

12. A communication line selection program for automatically changing a SIM when connecting a communication terminal to a communication line network, comprising: The cloud SIM-compatible router has an information retention and timer control function for determining the version of the IP protocol used by the communication terminal, creating an IP version and protocol information management table for each terminal ID of the cloud SIM-compatible router sent at a fixed interval, and performing a duplication check for each communication terminal; The mobile line type selection device An allocation information management function for creating a table related to cloud SIM setting information to be set in the communication terminal based on the table of cloud SIM usage conditions set by the initial allocation function; A SIM type determination function that determines whether or not the SIM of the cloud SIM-compatible router needs to be changed based on the communication method analyzed by the IP version analysis function 17 and the protocol used analyzed by the IP protocol analysis function; a terminal information holding function that searches a table related to cloud SIM setting information created by the allocation information management function, and updates the table related to the cloud SIM setting information based on the search result when the level of the SIM used by the communication terminal is to be upgraded according to the type of packet used by the communication terminal; The cloud SIM type change unit has a cloud SIM type change function that transmits the changed SIM to the terminal SIM type plan control unit when the SIM type determination unit determines that a SIM change is necessary; Cloud SIM devices include: An initial allocation function for setting a table of cloud SIM usage conditions used by the cloud SIM-compatible router 1; A terminal SIM type plan control function that updates information in a terminal SIM usage policy information management table based on a SIM change instruction transmitted from the SIM type determination function and changes the SIM-ID to an optimal SIM-ID for the cloud SIM-compatible router; A communication line selection program for causing a computer to execute the above.

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