Communication device, communication method, program, and communication system

Abstract

To construct an adaptive network in a UE unit with high accuracy.SOLUTION: A communication apparatus comprises: an application execution part that executes one or more applications for performing at least data communication; a feature acquisition part that acquires a first feature related to the data communication performed by the one or more applications executed by the application execution part; a feature output part that expresses a second feature indicating one or more desired feature for at least one or more objects in regard to a communication path used for the data communication on the basis of at least the one or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition part; and a transmission part that transmits the second feature expressed by the feature output part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, a communication method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known techniques for suitably providing a mobile network used by a communication device. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a proposal for an architecture called a user-centric Radio Access Network (RAN) for a Beyond 5G mobile network, which provides an appropriate virtual network for each User Equipment (UE). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] K. Yamazaki, T. Ohseki, Y. Amano, H. Shinbo, T. Murakami and Y. Kishi, "Proposal for a User-Centric Ran Architecture Towards Beyond 5G," 2021 ITU Kaleidoscope: Connecting Physical and Virtual Worlds (ITU K), Geneva, Switzerland, 2021, pp. 1-7, doi: 10.23919 / ITUK53220.2021.9690496. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The architecture shown in Non-Patent Document 1 proposes to construct and provide an appropriate network for each UE. In the current 5G mobile network architecture, an appropriate network for each purpose is provided as a slice. However, in 5G network slicing, a slice type according to the purpose is selected from slices created in advance by the network provider. In such a configuration, there is a problem that the granularity of expressing an appropriate network for each UE shown in Non-Patent Document 1 is coarse.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a communication device, a communication method, and a program that are capable of accurately constructing an appropriate network on a UE basis. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) One aspect of the present invention is a communication device comprising: an application execution unit that executes one or more applications that perform at least data communication; a feature acquisition unit that acquires a first feature related to the data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed by the application execution unit; a feature output unit that expresses a second feature indicating one or more desired features for at least one or more objects with respect to a communication path used for the data communication based on the at least one or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit; and a transmission unit that transmits the second feature expressed by the feature output unit. (2) Also, one aspect of the present invention is that in the communication device of (1) described above, the feature output unit expresses a second feature based on situation information, which is information about a situation other than information about the application executed by the application execution unit. (3) Furthermore, in one aspect of the present invention, in the communication device of (1) or (2) described above, the status information includes at least information regarding a remaining battery level, and the feature output unit expresses a second feature to reduce the amount of communication when the remaining battery level becomes low. (4) In addition, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the communication device according to any one of (1) to (3) described above, the situation information includes at least information regarding a movement situation of the device itself; The characteristic output unit expresses the second characteristic so as to give priority to stability of communication or establish a communication path taking into consideration a moving route according to a moving speed of the own device. (5) Also, one aspect of the present invention is a communication device according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the status information includes at least information relating to time, and the feature output unit expresses a second feature to establish a communication path in accordance with an event starting at a specific time, or to establish a communication path for transmitting data at a specific time interval. (6) Also, one aspect of the present invention is a communication device according to any one of (1) to (5) above, wherein the status information includes at least historical information regarding a second characteristic transmitted by the device itself, and the characteristic output unit expresses the second characteristic according to a difference between the historical information and past communication performance. (7) Furthermore, in one aspect of the present invention, in any of the communication devices described above in (1) to (6), the status information includes at least information transmitted from a communication system that provides a communication path used by the device, and the feature output unit expresses the second feature based on information transmitted from the communication system in response to the second feature once transmitted by the device, regarding whether the second feature can be provided and the communication performance that can be provided. (8) Also, one aspect of the present invention is a communication device according to any one of (1) to (7) above, wherein the situation information includes at least information input by a user, and the feature output unit expresses a second feature based on the information input by the user. (9) Also, one aspect of the present invention is a communication device according to any one of (1) to (8) above, wherein the second feature is expressed by a set of an object, a condition, a value, or a value range. (10) Also, one aspect of the present invention is that in any of the communication devices described above in (1) to (9), the feature output unit represents a second feature by statistically calculating communication features required for data communication by each of the applications based on at least two or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit. (11) Also, one aspect of the present invention is that in any of the communication devices described above in (1) to (10), the feature output unit selects, as a second feature, a communication feature required for data communication by the active application based on at least two or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit. (12) Also, one aspect of the present invention is a communication device according to any one of (1) to (11) above, wherein the first feature includes at least two or more features, and the feature output unit expresses a second feature by individually selecting from two or more features included in each of the at least two or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit, based on the at least two or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit. (13) Furthermore, one aspect of the present invention is a communication device according to any one of (1) to (11) above, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the second feature using at least one of a User-Plane (U-Plane) or a Control-Plane (C-Plane). (14) Also, one aspect of the present invention is a communication method including an application execution step of executing one or more applications that perform at least data communication; a feature acquisition step of acquiring a first feature related to the data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed by the application execution step; a feature output step of expressing a second feature indicating one or more desired features for at least one or more objects with respect to a communication path used for the data communication based on the at least one or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition step; and a transmission step of transmitting the second feature expressed by the feature output step. (15) Also, one aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to execute an application execution step of executing one or more applications that at least perform data communication; a feature acquisition step of acquiring a first feature related to the data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed by the application execution step; a feature output step of expressing a second feature indicating one or more desired features for at least one or more objects with respect to a communication path used for the data communication based on the at least one or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition step; and a transmission step of transmitting the second feature expressed by the feature output step. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, an effect is obtained in that an appropriate network can be constructed with high accuracy for each UE. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a functional configuration diagram showing a modified example of the functional configuration of the communication device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a series of operations performed by a communication device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of use of a communication device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the use of the communication device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the use of the communication device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an internal configuration of the communication device according to the present embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A communication device, a communication method, and a program according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, showing preferred embodiments. The present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and includes various modifications or improvements. In other words, the components described below include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine, and those that are substantially the same, and the components described below can be appropriately combined. In addition, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, in the following drawings, the scale and number of each structure may be different from the scale and number of the actual structure in order to make each structure easier to understand.

[0010] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a functional configuration diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment. First, an example of the functional configuration of a communication device 10 will be described with reference to the diagram. The communication device 10 includes one or more applications, a feature acquisition unit 11, a feature output unit 12, and a transmission unit 13. The one or more applications are executed by an application execution unit (not shown) included in the communication device 10. The diagram shows an example in which three applications, App1, App2, and App3, are executed. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this example.

[0012] The application execution unit executes one or more applications. When the application execution unit executes two or more applications, it is preferable that at least one of the applications performs data communication. The communication device 10 may be, for example, a user terminal (User Equipment; UE) that can access a mobile network. An application is an application in which at least a part of the function runs on the communication device 10 and uses the communication function of the communication device 10. Examples of applications include a web browser, an application designed to use a specific Internet service such as a cloud, a video site, an image site, an SNS, or a game, a tool for transmitting and receiving sensor data, and a tool for remotely controlling other devices.

[0013] The feature acquisition unit 11 acquires features of the communication performed by the application. The feature acquisition unit 11 may acquire the features of the communication directly from the application, or may acquire the features of the communication indirectly via an application execution unit or the like. The feature acquisition unit 11 transmits information on the acquired features to the feature output unit 12. The features of the communication performed by the application are acquired for each application. The features of the communication performed by the application are information that can be used as material for determining the level of communication performance desired by the application. The communication performance includes, for example, at least one of delay time, throughput, availability of a communication path, and stability.

[0014] In the following description, the communication feature acquired by the feature acquisition unit 11 from each application may be referred to as a first feature. The first feature is related to data communication performed by each of one or more applications executed by the application execution unit. The first feature is a feature of communication performed by an application, and may be, specifically, communication statistical information for each application or information such as an intent embedded in each application.

[0015] For example, the communication characteristics acquired by the characteristics acquisition unit 11 may be a log including a communication log of an application, or statistical information of the log. In this case, the communication device 10 can acquire information such as the communication volume and communication time used by the application by acquiring the log information. The communication volume and communication time used by the application can be used as information for determining the communication performance desired by the application.

[0016] Furthermore, for example, the communication characteristics acquired by the characteristics acquisition unit 11 may be information on desired communication performance embedded in an application. For example, in a video viewing application, a recommended throughput value according to the image quality of the video to be viewed can be estimated in advance. In such a case, by embedding information on the desired communication performance in the application in advance, the desired communication performance can be conveyed to the characteristics acquisition unit 11 from the first time the application is used.

[0017] The feature acquisition unit 11 may convert the features of the communication performed by the application before transmitting them to the feature output unit 12. For example, when the data format of the communication features that can be acquired varies depending on the application, the features may be converted to a standardized data format within the feature acquisition unit 11 before transmitting them to the feature output unit. This conversion may be performed by the application execution unit instead of the feature acquisition unit 11, or may be incorporated as a function within each application.

[0018] The feature output unit 12 acquires features of the communication performed by the application (i.e., first features) from the feature acquisition unit 11. The feature output unit 12 expresses a desired feature based on at least one or more first features. The desired feature is not the communication performance required by each application, but the communication performance desired for the communication device 10 as a whole. The communication performance desired by the feature output unit 12 is expressed in a form including one or more desired features for one or more objects with respect to the data communication path used by the communication device 10. For example, the feature output unit 12 may express the object as "wireless access network" and the desired feature as "delay of 10 ms (milliseconds) or less."

[0019] In the following description, the desired feature expressed by the feature output unit 12 may be referred to as a second feature. Specifically, the second feature may be characteristics or Expectation Targets.

[0020] In addition, the number of outputs of the desired communication performance is not limited to the case where it matches the number of inputs of the communication features obtained from the feature acquisition unit 11. This is because the communication features of each application may be summed or decomposed to obtain the desired communication performance of the communication device 10 as a whole.

[0021] The transmission unit 13 transmits the communication performance desired for the communication device 10 as a whole output from the characteristic output unit 12 (i.e., the second characteristic expressed by the characteristic output unit 12) to the outside of the communication device 10. The destination to which the transmission unit 13 transmits information may be, for example, a communication system (not shown) that provides a communication path used by the communication device 10. By the transmission unit 13 transmitting information to the outside, the communication system can provide an appropriate communication path according to the communication performance desired by the communication device 10.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram showing a modified example of the functional configuration of the communication device according to the present embodiment. A modified example of the functional configuration of the communication device 10 will be described with reference to the same figure. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the same components as those already described in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In the communication device 10 shown in FIG. 2, the feature acquisition unit 11 acquires situation information, which is information about a situation, in addition to a first feature about an application executed by the application execution unit. The situation information is information other than the information about the application executed by the application execution unit. The feature output unit 12 expresses a second feature based on the situation information. The situation information is, for example, information obtained from a source other than the application performing data communication, and is various information obtained from inside and outside the communication device 10. A specific example of the situation information will be described in detail below.

[0023] For example, the status information may be information regarding the remaining battery power of the communication device 10. When the remaining battery power of the communication device 10 is low, the communication device 10 may perform control to suppress the amount of communication in order to extend the operating time of the communication device 10. Therefore, when the characteristic output unit 12 determines that the remaining battery power is low based on the status information, the characteristic output unit 12 may express the second characteristic to suppress the amount of communication.

[0024] For example, the situation information may be information about the movement status of the device itself (i.e., the communication device 10). The information about the movement status includes position information obtained from a position sensor (e.g., a GPS acquisition unit, etc.) not shown, speed information obtained from a speed sensor not shown, acceleration information obtained from an acceleration sensor not shown, etc. When the device itself starts to move at high speed, the communication device 10 may perform control to prioritize communication stability or to request establishment of a communication path taking into account the movement route. Therefore, the characteristic output unit 12 may express the second characteristic to prioritize communication stability or to establish a communication path taking into account the movement route according to the speed at which the device itself moves based on the situation information.

[0025] For example, the situation information may be information related to time. The communication device 10 may desire to establish a communication path for an event starting at a specific time or a communication path for transmitting data at a specific time interval. Therefore, the feature output unit 12 may express the second feature based on the situation information to establish a communication path for an event starting at a specific time or a communication path for transmitting data at a specific time interval.

[0026] For example, the situation information may be history information regarding the second feature transmitted by the communication device 10. The communication device 10 may compare the difference between the history information and the communication performance of data communication performed in the past to determine the necessity of transmission. Therefore, the feature output unit 12 may express the second feature according to the difference between the history information and the past communication performance based on the situation information.

[0027] For example, the status information may be information transmitted from a communication system (not shown) that provides a communication path used by the communication device 10. When the communication system responds with information on whether the second feature can be provided and on the communication performance that can be provided in response to the second feature once transmitted by the communication device 10, the communication device 10 may transmit the second feature taking the information into consideration. Therefore, the feature output unit 12 may express the second feature based on the status information and the information received from the communication system in response to the second feature once transmitted by the communication device 10 on whether the second feature can be provided and on the communication performance that can be provided.

[0028] For example, the situation information may be information input by a user using the communication device 10. For example, information is input to the communication device 10 based on a predetermined operation performed by the user, such as character input, voice input, or selection of an option on a user interface screen. The user may be configured to directly input information on desired communication performance (i.e., the second feature). In this case, the feature output unit 12 may express the second feature based on the information input by the user that is indicated in the situation information.

[0029] 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a series of operations performed by the communication device according to the present embodiment. With reference to the same figure, an example of the operation of the communication device 10 will be described. Note that the description with reference to the same figure is based on the configuration in which the communication device 10 performs processing based on situation information (i.e., the functional configuration shown in FIG. 2).

[0030] (Step S1) First, the feature acquisition unit 11 detects a start trigger and starts operation. The start trigger occurs mainly when there is a possibility that the communication performance desired by the communication device 10 should be reviewed. For example, a periodic time-based trigger can be exemplified as a trigger for the start trigger. The start trigger may also be generated based on a change in an application. For example, a start trigger may be generated in response to a change in the operation status of an application, such as starting, stopping, activating, or deactivating an application. The start trigger may also be generated based on a change in situation information. For example, a start trigger may be generated in response to a change in situation information, such as a remaining battery level, a moving situation, a time or duration related to an event, or data reception from a communication system. The start trigger may also be generated in response to a command instruction from a user or the like.

[0031] (Step S2) Next, the feature acquisition unit 11 transmits a request to the application to acquire a feature (first feature) of the communication performed by the application. Furthermore, as necessary, the feature acquisition unit transmits a request to acquire features related to situation information other than the application to a component that holds the situation information. Note that although such information may be acquired in response to a request made by the feature acquisition unit 11, there are also cases where such information is transmitted unilaterally. Examples of cases where such information is transmitted unilaterally include cases where a component that holds an application or situation information transmits information at a predetermined timing. When an application or situation information is transmitted unilaterally, step S2 can be omitted.

[0032] (Step S3) The application started by the application execution unit transmits the feature of the communication performed by the application as a first feature to the feature acquisition unit 11. Also, the configuration unit that holds the situation information transmits the feature related to the situation information to the feature acquisition unit 11. The feature transmission step performed in step S3 may be in response to the request in step S2, or may be performed spontaneously.

[0033] (Step S4) The feature acquisition unit 11 converts the features received in step S3 as necessary. For example, the conversion process may be a process in which, when the data format of the communication features that can be acquired varies depending on the application, the data is converted into a uniform data format within the feature acquisition unit 11. The data format converted by the conversion process may be a format including one or more desired features for one or more objects, such as that output by the feature output unit 12. The conversion process may be performed within the application by switching the order of steps S3 and S4.

[0034] (Step S5) The feature acquisition unit 11 transmits the acquired features to the feature output unit 12 .

[0035] (Step S6) The feature output unit 12 outputs desired communication performance of the communication device 10 as a whole based on the information received from the feature acquisition unit 11. The desired communication performance is expressed in a form including one or more desired features for one or more objects with respect to the communication path used by the communication device 10. The feature expressed by the feature output unit 12 based on the first feature acquired by the feature acquisition unit 11 may be referred to as a second feature.

[0036] Here, the desired feature represented by the feature output unit 12 may be represented by a set of a target, a condition, a value, or a value range related to an object. For example, if the object is to be represented as "wireless access network" and the desired feature is to be represented as "delay is 10 [ms (milliseconds)] or less," the target corresponds to "delay," the condition to "or less," and the value to "10 [ms]."

[0037] Constraints on the object, desired characteristics, and desired communication performance may also be provided. For example, a constraint on the desired characteristics may be expressed as "a delay of 10 ms or less for the wireless access network between 9:00 and 12:00".

[0038] Here, the application execution unit may execute multiple applications simultaneously. In such a case, communication characteristics are acquired from each application. In other words, the first characteristic may include multiple characteristics. When the first characteristic includes at least two or more characteristics, the characteristic output unit 12 derives communication characteristics desired for the communication device 10 as a whole based on these characteristics. The characteristic output unit 12 may employ the following method when deriving communication characteristics desired for the communication device 10 as a whole.

[0039] The first method is to select the maximum value, minimum value, total value, and average value from the characteristics of the communication performed by the application. The characteristic output unit 12 can also express the second characteristic by performing statistical calculations on the characteristics of the communication required for data communication by each application based on at least two or more first characteristics acquired by the characteristic acquisition unit 11. The statistical calculations include various calculations in addition to the calculation of the maximum value, minimum value, total value, and average value. For example, in the case where the first application has a communication characteristic of "delay of 10 [ms] or less" and the second application has a communication characteristic of "delay of 20 [ms] or less" for the same object "wireless access network", the characteristic output unit 12 may derive the minimum value, "delay of 10 [ms] or less", as the communication performance desired for the entire communication device 10.

[0040] The second method is to select or prioritize the communication feature performed by the active application. The feature output unit 12 can select the communication feature required for data communication by the active application as the second feature based on at least two or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit 11. For example, in a user-operated remote control application, if the first application has a communication feature of "delay of 10 [ms] or less" and the second application has a communication feature of "delay of 20 [ms] or less," and only the second application is actively used, the feature output unit 12 may derive the feature of the second application, "delay of 20 [ms] or less," as the communication performance desired for the entire communication device 10.

[0041] The third method is to decompose the characteristics of the communication performed by the application into individual characteristics. For example, in the case of an application that allows interactive operation of a transmitted video, communication characteristics may be obtained for both throughput and delay, such as "throughput is 200 [Mbps]" and "delay is 10 [ms]". In this case, if it is not necessary to satisfy each communication characteristic with one communication path, the characteristic output unit 12 may output each of the communication characteristics as individual characteristics of different communication paths. In other words, the characteristic output unit 12 can express the second characteristic by individually selecting from two or more characteristics included in each of the first characteristics based on at least two or more first characteristics acquired by the characteristic acquisition unit 11.

[0042] As a variation of the third method, communication characteristics may be obtained for both throughput and delay, such as "recommended throughput of 200 [Mbps] or more for video transmission" and "recommended delay of 10 [ms] or less for operation." Normally, a desired communication performance may be derived that includes both "recommended throughput of 200 [Mbps] or more" and "recommended delay of 10 [ms] or less" as desired characteristics. However, since a communication path that simultaneously satisfies high speed and low delay requires a large amount of network resources, it may be determined that it is inappropriate to desire such a communication path, for example, when a response that the communication path cannot be provided or a warning regarding resource consumption is received from a communication system that provides the communication path. In such a case, the communication device 10 may determine that each communication characteristic is an individual characteristic of a different communication path, considering that it is not necessary to satisfy each communication characteristic with a single communication path. For example, a communication characteristic related to the communication path for video may be derived as the first desired communication performance, and a communication characteristic related to the communication path for operation may be derived as the second desired communication performance. Furthermore, the application side may include information indicating whether or not it is necessary to satisfy the characteristics of each communication via one communication path as the characteristics of the communication performed by the application.

[0043] The fourth method is to construct a learning model using past derivations of desired communication performance as feedback. In this case, the communication device 10 may have a function of having a user confirm or evaluate the derived desired communication performance, for example. Furthermore, by incorporating a model that learns the results of the user's confirmation and evaluation, the communication device 10 can derive desired communication performance that reflects feedback from the user based on the characteristics of similar communication in the future.

[0044] (Step S7) The feature output unit 12 judges whether or not to transmit the derived desired communication performance. For example, if there is no change from the previously transmitted desired communication performance and there is no need to retransmit the derived desired communication performance to the outside, the feature output unit 12 does not transmit the desired communication performance through the transmission unit 13 and ends the process.

[0045] (Step S8) In step S7, when it is determined that the desired communication performance is to be transmitted to the outside, the characteristic output unit 12 transmits the desired communication performance to the transmission unit 13.

[0046] (Step S9) The transmitter 13 transmits the desired communication performance to the outside.

[0047] 4 is a diagram showing an example of use of the communication device according to the present embodiment. With reference to the diagram, an example of use of the communication device 10 will be described. Here, the communication device 10 is assumed to be a terminal that can access a mobile network. In this case, the communication path used by the terminal is the mobile network, and the communication system that provides the communication path is the system of the mobile network operator.

[0048] When the communication device 10 transmits the desired communication performance (i.e., the above-mentioned second characteristic) to the system of the mobile network operator, it may transmit the desired communication performance to the reception system 20 provided by the mobile network operator, for example. The connection from the communication device 10 to the reception system 20 may use the User-Plane (U-Plane), which is a communication path available for normal mobile network access. For example, the connection from the communication device to the reception system 20 may be made by accessing using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (Secure) (HTTP(S)) from a web browser, or by using an Application Programming Interface (API) from an application for connecting to the reception system 20.

[0049] The reception system 20 conveys the desired communication performance to the control device 30 of the mobile network operator, and the control device 30 constructs a communication path according to the desired communication performance. The control device 30 conveys connection information of the communication path to the communication device 10 via the reception system 20, and the communication device 10 becomes able to communicate using the constructed communication path. In the illustrated example, a communication path using a RAN 40 and a Core 50 is constructed.

[0050] 5 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the use of the communication device according to the present embodiment. The first modified example of the use of the communication device 10 will be described with reference to the same figure. In this example, when the communication device 10 transmits the desired communication performance, the control-plane (C-plane) of the communication path available for normal mobile network access is used. When the communication device 10 transmits the desired communication performance more frequently, the processing is performed on the C-plane, thereby making it possible to avoid concentration of the load on the reception system.

[0051] For example, the mobile network operator may distribute each device or system provided in a specific area or the like. The desired communication performance transmitted from the communication device 10 passes through a radio access network (RAN 41) and is sent to the equipment of the core network (Core 51). For example, a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol may be used for the connection from the communication device 10 to the Core 51. When using the NAS protocol, for example, a Message Type for sending the desired communication performance may be defined, or an Information Element related to information on the desired communication performance may be defined. The Core 51 transmits the desired communication performance to the control device 30 of the mobile network operator. The control device 30 establishes a communication path according to the desired communication performance. The control device 30 transmits connection information of the communication path to the communication device 10 via the Core 51. The communication device 10 becomes able to communicate using the established communication path. In the illustrated example, a communication path using the RAN 42 and the Core 52 is established.

[0052] When desired communication performance (Intent) is exchanged by C-Plane signals, the communication carrier can scale the processing performance by designing the Core 51 and RAN 42 that receive the Intent in a distributed manner. For example, as a specific example, it is possible to install the Core 51 and RAN 42 facilities separately for each area where the communication device 10 is located.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the use of the communication device according to the present embodiment. With reference to the same figure, a second modified example of the use of the communication device 10 will be described. In this example, the desired communication performance transmitted from the communication device 10 may use the C-Plane as in the example described with reference to FIG. 5, but the destination is the equipment of the RAN 41. For example, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol may be used for the connection from the communication device 10 to the RAN 41. The RAN 41 conveys the desired communication performance to the control device 30 of the mobile network operator, and the control device 30 constructs a communication path according to the desired communication performance. The control device 30 conveys the connection information of the communication path to the communication device 10 via the RAN 41. The communication device 10 can perform communication using the constructed communication path. In the illustrated example, a communication path using the RAN 42 and the Core 52 is constructed.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the communication device of the present embodiment. At least some of the functions of the communication device can be realized using a computer. As shown in the figure, the computer includes a central processing unit 901, a RAM 902, an input / output port 903, input / output devices 904 and 905, and a bus 906. The computer itself can be realized using existing technology. The central processing unit 901 executes instructions included in a program read from the RAM 902 or the like. The central processing unit 901 writes data to the RAM 902, reads data from the RAM 902, and performs arithmetic and logical operations according to each instruction. The RAM 902 stores data and programs. Each element included in the RAM 902 has an address and can be accessed using the address. Note that RAM is an abbreviation for "random access memory." The input / output port 903 is a port through which the central processing unit 901 exchanges data with an external input / output device or the like. The input / output devices 904 and 905 are input / output devices. The input / output devices 904 and 905 exchange data with the central processing unit 901 via the input / output port 903. The bus 906 is a common communication path used inside the computer. For example, the central processing unit 901 reads and writes data from the RAM 902 via the bus 906. Also, for example, the central processing unit 901 accesses the input / output port via the bus 906. Also, all or part of each functional unit provided in the communication device may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC, a PLD, or an FPGA. Also, all or part of each functional unit may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

[0055] [Summary of the embodiment] According to this embodiment, the communication device 10 is provided with an application execution unit, which executes at least one or more applications that perform data communication; the communication device 10 is provided with a feature acquisition unit 11, which acquires first features related to the data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed by the application execution unit (i.e., the features of the communication performed by each application); the communication device 10 is provided with a feature output unit 12, which expresses, based on the at least one or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit 11, a second feature indicating one or more desired features for at least one or more objects with respect to a communication path used for data communication (i.e., the communication features desired for the communication device 10 as a whole); and the communication device 10 is provided with a transmission unit 13, which transmits the second feature expressed by the feature output unit 12.

[0056] By adopting such a configuration, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to construct and provide an appropriate network depending on the application to be used and the situation information. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the accuracy of expressing an appropriate network as the entire communication device 10, taking into account the characteristics of the application. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to construct and provide an appropriate network.

[0057] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included.

[0058] In addition, a computer program for implementing the functions of each of the above-mentioned devices may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed. Note that the "computer system" referred to here may include hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. In addition, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to writable non-volatile memory such as a flexible disk, an optical magnetic disk, a ROM, or a flash memory, a portable medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a storage device such as a hard disk built into a computer system.

[0059] Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" also includes a medium that holds a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory (e.g., DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)) inside a computer system that becomes a server or client when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. The above program may also be transmitted from a computer system that stores the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium, or by transmission waves in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" that transmits the program refers to a medium that has the function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line. The program may be for implementing some of the functions described above, or may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can implement the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 10: communication device, 11: feature acquisition unit, 12: feature output unit, 13: transmission unit, 20: reception system, 30: control device, 40, 41, 42: RAN, 50, 51, 52: Core

Claims

1. An application execution unit that executes at least one application for performing data communication, A feature acquisition unit that acquires a first feature regarding data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed by the application execution unit, A feature output unit that expresses a second feature indicating one or more desired features for communication paths used for data communication based on at least one or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit, A transmission unit that transmits the second feature expressed by the feature output unit, A communication device comprising the above.

2. The feature output unit expresses the second feature based on situation information which is information other than information regarding the application executed by the application execution unit and is information regarding the situation. The communication device according to Claim 1.

3. The situation information includes at least information regarding the remaining battery level. When the remaining battery level decreases, the feature output unit expresses the second feature so as to suppress the communication volume. The communication device according to Claim 2.

4. The situation information includes at least information regarding the movement status of the own device. The feature output unit expresses the second feature so as to establish a communication path that prioritizes communication stability or considers the movement route according to the speed at which the own device moves. The communication device according to Claim 2.

5. The situation information includes at least information regarding time. The feature output unit expresses the second feature so as to establish a communication path in accordance with an event starting from a specific time, or to establish a communication path for transmitting data at a specific time interval. The communication device according to Claim 2.

6. The situation information includes at least history information regarding the second feature transmitted by the own device. The feature output unit expresses the second feature according to the difference between the history information and the past communication performance. The communication device according to Claim 2.

7. The situation information includes at least information transmitted from a communication system that provides a communication path used by the own device. The feature output unit expresses the second feature based on information that the communication system has responded with information on availability and available communication performance for the second feature transmitted by the own device once. The communication device according to Claim 2.

8. The situation information includes at least information input from the user. The feature output unit expresses a second feature based on information input by a user. The communication device according to claim 2.

9. The second feature is expressed by a set of an object, a condition, a value, or a value range. The communication device according to claim 1.

10. Based on at least two or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit, the feature output unit expresses a second feature by statistically calculating the features of communication required for each of the applications for data communication. The communication device according to claim 1.

11. Based on at least two or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit, the feature output unit selects, as a second feature, the features of communication required for the active applications for data communication. The communication device according to claim 1.

12. The first feature includes at least two or more features. Based on at least two or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit, the feature output unit expresses a second feature by individually selecting from two or more features included in each of the first features. The communication device according to claim 1.

13. The transmission unit transmits the second feature using at least one of User-Plane (U-Plane) or Control-Plane (C-Plane). The communication device according to claim 1.

14. An application execution step of executing one or more applications that perform at least data communication, A feature acquisition step of acquiring first features related to data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed in the application execution step, A feature output step of expressing a second feature indicating one or more desired features for at least one or more objects regarding a communication path used for data communication based on at least one or more first features acquired in the feature acquisition step, A transmission step of transmitting the second feature expressed in the feature output step, A communication method having the above steps.

15. On a computer, An application execution step of executing one or more applications that perform at least data communication, A feature acquisition step of acquiring first features related to data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed in the application execution step, A feature output step of expressing a second feature indicating one or more desired features for at least one or more objects with respect to a communication path used for data communication based on at least one or more first features obtained by the feature acquisition step; A transmission step of transmitting the second feature expressed by the feature output step; A program for executing the above.

16. A communication system having a communication device, a reception system for transmitting and receiving information to and from the communication device, and a control device for constructing a communication path used by the communication device for data communication, When the reception system receives desired communication performance from the communication device, it transmits it to the control device. The control device constructs a communication path along the desired communication performance. Communication system.

17. The desired communication performance is expressed by a combination of an object, a condition, a value, or a value range. The communication system according to claim 16.

18. The communication path is a communication path including at least a core network. The communication system according to claim 16 or claim 17.

19. The connection from the communication device to the reception system includes access using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (Secure) or access using an Application Programming Interface (API) from an application for connecting to the reception system. The communication system according to claim 16 or claim 17.

20. A communication method executed using a communication system having a communication device, a reception system for transmitting and receiving information to and from the communication device, and a control device for constructing a communication path used by the communication device for data communication, When the reception system receives desired communication performance from the communication device, it transmits it to the control device. The control device constructs a communication path along the desired communication performance. Communication method.

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