Communication control device, communication system, communication control method, and program

Abstract

To provide a communication control device and the like that can contribute to stable communication by avoiding radio wave interference even in a communication terminal compatible with a plurality of communication carriers.SOLUTION: A communication control device is configured to control communication between a plurality of communication terminals present in a communication overlapping area and a plurality of radio base stations so as to avoid interference of radio waves used by the plurality of radio base stations corresponding to the communication overlapping area. The communication overlapping area is an area where the communication possible areas of the plurality of radio base stations that are compatible with different communication carriers overlap. Each of the plurality of communication terminals is configured to be able to communicate with at least two of the plurality of radio base stations.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, there are communication terminals (for example, smartphones, mobile routers, etc.) that can be equipped with multiple SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards in one terminal to support multiple communication carriers, or communication terminals that can support multiple communication carriers by installing one multi-profile SIM card, or communication terminals that can support multiple communication carriers by writing contract information of multiple communication carriers to a SIM (eSIM; embedded Subscriber Identity Module) embedded in the terminal in advance via a network. Among such communication terminals, there are those (for example, DSDA: Dual SIM Dual Active) that can use multiple communication carriers simultaneously without switching the SIM. Along with this, there are those that can automatically select the communication carrier to be used according to communication conditions (data volume, presence or absence of delay conditions, throughput, security requirements, etc.) and communication fees (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The following analysis is provided by the inventor of the present application.

[0005] In an area where the communicable areas of radio base stations related to a plurality of communication carriers overlap (communication overlapping area), the frequencies of the radio waves used by the radio base stations may be close to each other. Even if a communication terminal that can support a plurality of communication carriers automatically selects a communication carrier to be used according to communication conditions and communication fees, if the radio wave used by the radio base station related to the selected communication carrier interferes with the radio wave used by the radio base station related to another communication carrier, the communication may become unstable, and the communication performance and communication quality may deteriorate.

[0006] The main object of the present invention is to provide a communication control device, a communication system, a communication control method, and a program that can contribute to avoiding radio wave interference and performing stable communication even in a communication terminal that can support a plurality of communication carriers.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The communication control device according to the first aspect is configured to control communication between a plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area and the plurality of radio base stations so as to avoid interference of radio waves used by the plurality of radio base stations corresponding to the communication overlapping area. The communication overlapping area is an area where the communicable areas of the plurality of radio base stations with different corresponding communication carriers overlap. Each of the plurality of communication terminals is configured to be able to communicate with at least two of the plurality of radio base stations.

[0008] The communication system according to the second aspect includes a plurality of radio base stations with different corresponding communication carriers, a plurality of communication terminals configured to be able to communicate with at least two of the plurality of radio base stations, and the communication control device according to the first aspect.

[0009] The communication control method according to the third perspective includes a step in which a communication control device controls communication between a plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area and the plurality of radio base stations so as to avoid interference of radio waves used by the plurality of radio base stations corresponding to the communication overlapping area. The communication overlapping area is an area where communicable areas of the plurality of radio base stations with different corresponding communication carriers overlap. The plurality of communication terminals are each configured to be able to communicate with at least two of the plurality of radio base stations.

[0010] The program according to the fourth perspective causes a communication control device to execute a process of controlling communication between a plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area and the plurality of radio base stations so as to avoid interference of radio waves used by the plurality of radio base stations corresponding to the communication overlapping area. The communication overlapping area is an area where communicable areas of the plurality of radio base stations with different corresponding communication carriers overlap. The plurality of communication terminals are each configured to be able to communicate with at least two of the plurality of radio base stations.

[0011] Note that the program can be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can be non-transitory such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, etc. Also, in the present disclosure, it is also possible to embody it as a computer program product. The program is input into a computer device via an input device or externally via a communication interface, stored in a storage device, drives a processor according to a predetermined step or process, and can display the processing result including an intermediate state step by step via a display device as necessary, or can communicate with the outside via a communication interface. A computer device for that purpose typically includes a processor, a storage device, an input device, a communication interface, and a display device as necessary, which can communicate with each other via a bus as an example.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] According to the first to fourth viewpoints, even a communication terminal that can support a plurality of communication carriers can contribute to avoiding radio interference and performing stable communication.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] The following describes the embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the present application, when reference numerals are attached to the drawings, they are solely for the purpose of assisting understanding and are not intended to limit the illustrated embodiments. Further, the following embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the present invention. Also, the connection lines between blocks such as the drawings referred to in the following description include both bidirectional and unidirectional ones. Regarding the one-way arrow, it schematically shows the flow of the main signal (data) and does not exclude bidirectionality. Furthermore, in the circuit diagrams, block diagrams, internal configuration diagrams, connection diagrams, etc. shown in the present disclosure, although not explicitly shown, input ports and output ports exist at the input ends and output ends of the respective connection lines. The same applies to the input / output interfaces. The program is executed via a computer device, which includes, for example, a processor, a storage device, an input device, a communication interface, and a display device if necessary. The computer device is configured to be able to communicate with devices inside or outside the device (including computers) via the communication interface, whether wired or wireless.

[0015] [Embodiment 1] The communication system according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a first example of the configuration of the communication system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the radio interference information used in the first example of the configuration of the communication system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the communicable carrier information used in the first example of the configuration of the communication system according to the present disclosure.

[0016] The communication system 1 is a system in which communication terminals (10A and 10B in FIG. 1) communicate via a network 30 including radio base stations 31 to 33 for a plurality of communication carriers (line operators; carriers A to C in FIG. 1) (see FIG. 1). The communication system 1 is configured to be able to simultaneously use the radio waves of a plurality of radio base stations 31 to 33 corresponding to a communication overlapping area 3 where the communicable areas of the plurality of radio base stations 31 to 33 overlap. The communication system 1 has a function of avoiding radio wave interference by switching the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlapping area 3 and the radio base stations 31 to 33. The switching of the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33 can be performed by the communication control device 20 controlling the selection of the used SIMs 13 to 16. Examples of communication carriers include NTT DoCoMo (registered trademark), SoftBank (registered trademark), au (registered trademark), etc. In the case of overseas, examples of communication carriers include Vodafone (registered trademark), AT&T (registered trademark), T-Mobile (registered trademark), Verizon (registered trademark), China Mobile (registered trademark), etc. The main components of the communication system 1 include communication terminals 10A and 10B, a communication control device 20, a network 30, and carrier servers 41 to 43.

[0017] The communication terminals 10A and 10B are communicable terminals used by a user (a contractor with a line operator, a subscriber, etc.) (see Fig. 1). As the communication terminals 10A and 10B, communication terminals capable of corresponding to a plurality of communication carriers are used. For example, communication terminals capable of mounting a plurality of SIM cards, communication terminals capable of mounting a multi-profile type SIM card, communication terminals capable of writing contract information of a plurality of communication carriers to a SIM embedded in advance in the terminal via a network, etc. can be used. As the form of the communication terminals 10A and 10B, terminals having a computer function, such as smartphones, mobile routers, etc. can be used. As the communication method of the communication terminals 10A and 10B, a method capable of simultaneously using a plurality of communication carriers, for example, DSDA can be used. In Fig. 1, the communication terminals 10A and 10B are present in the communication overlapping area 3 and are communicable with a plurality of radio base stations 31 to 33 in the network 30. The communication terminals 10A and 10B are configured to be able to be used even under conditions where interference of radio waves used by the radio base stations 31 to 33 occurs. The communication terminals 10A and 10B can be configured to virtually include a communication unit 11, a control unit 12, and SIMs 13 to 16 by storing a predetermined program and executing the predetermined program. Note that the communication terminal 10A includes a plurality of SIMs 13 and 14 corresponding to different communication carriers (carriers A and B in Fig. 1), and the communication terminal 10B includes a plurality of SIMs 15 and 16 corresponding to different communication carriers (carriers B and C in Fig. 1).

[0018] The communication unit 11 is a functional unit that communicates with the radio base stations 31 to 33 corresponding to the SIMs 13 to 16 (see Fig. 1). The communication unit 11 is controlled by the control unit 12.

[0019] The control unit 12 is a functional unit that controls the communication unit 11 and the SIMs 13 to 16 (see Fig. 1). The control unit 12 selects the SIMs 13 to 16 to be used by receiving the control of the communication control device 20.

[0020] SIMs 13 to 16 are functional units that store information (e.g., mobile phone numbers, data communication identification information) for identifying users (see FIG. 1). SIMs 13 to 16 are controlled by the control unit 12. In FIG. 1, SIM 13 is a SIM for carrier A, SIM 14 is a SIM for carrier B, SIM 15 is a SIM for carrier B, and SIM 16 is a SIM for carrier C.

[0021] The communication control device 20 is a device that controls communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33 by monitoring communication carriers (communicable carriers) related to the radio base stations 31 to 33 that can communicate with the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlapping area 3, and communication carriers (in-use carriers) related to the radio base stations 31 to 33 in which the communication terminals 10A and 10B are in use (see FIG. 1). In communication control, for example, only data communication, only voice call communication, or both data communication and voice call communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33 may be controlled. The communication control device 20 is communicably connected to the radio base stations 31 to 33. The communication control device 20 has a function of controlling to switch the SIMs 13 to 16 used in the communication terminals 10A and 10B so as to avoid interference of radio waves used in the plurality of radio base stations 31 to 33 corresponding to the communication overlapping area 3. As the communication control device 20, for example, a computer, a server, or the like can be used. The communication control device 20 stores a predetermined program and can be configured to virtually include an information acquisition unit 21, an information holding unit 22, and a communication control unit 23 by executing the predetermined program.

[0022] The information acquisition unit 21 is a functional unit that acquires predetermined information from the communication terminals 10A and 10B (or the radio base stations 31 to 33) (see FIG. 1). The information acquisition unit 21 acquires information on communication carriers (communicable carrier information) related to the radio base stations 31 to 33 that are communicable with the communication terminals 10A and 10B from the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlapping area 3. The information acquisition unit 21 acquires information on communication carriers (in-use carrier information) related to the radio base stations 31 to 33 that the communication terminals 10A and 10B are using.

[0023] The information holding unit 22 is a functional unit that holds (stores) predetermined information (see FIG. 1). The information holding unit 22 holds radio interference information 22a and communicable carrier information 22b. The radio interference information 22a is information on radio interference confirmed from the combination of the configurations of the antennas of the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the communication carriers used by the communication terminals 10A and 10B, and is preset information. In the radio interference information 22a, combinations of communication carriers (carriers A and B in FIG. 1) related to radio base stations (31 and 32 in FIG. 1) that use radio waves known to interfere in the communication overlapping area 3 are defined (see FIG. 2). The communicable carrier information 22b is information on communication carriers (carriers A and B for the communication terminal 10A, carriers B and C for the communication terminal 10B) related to the radio base stations 31 to 33 that are communicable with the communication terminals 10A and 10B from the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlapping area 3. The communicable carrier information 22b is updated to the latest state according to the presence of the communication terminals 10A and 10B in the communication overlapping area 3.

[0024] The communication control unit 23 is a functional unit that controls communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlapping area 3 and the radio base stations 31 to 33 (see FIG. 1). Based on the communicable carrier information 22b of the information holding unit 22 (or the communicable carrier information acquired by the information acquisition unit 21), the communication control unit 23 determines whether or not a plurality of communication terminals 10A and 10B exist in the communication overlapping area 3. When a plurality of communication terminals 10A and 10B exist in the communication overlapping area 3, the communication control unit 23 determines whether or not the communication carrier of the in-use carrier information corresponds to the communication carrier defined in the radio interference information 22a of the information holding unit 22 based on the in-use carrier information acquired by the information acquisition unit 21. When the communication carrier of the in-use carrier information corresponds to the communication carrier defined in the radio interference information 22a of the information holding unit 22, the communication control unit 23 determines whether or not it is necessary to change the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33. In the determination of whether or not it is necessary to change the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33, for example, it is determined whether or not the communication carriers related to the radio base stations 31 to 33 with which the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlapping area 3 can communicate overlap (completely overlap or partially overlap), or when the communication carriers overlap, it is determined whether or not at least one of the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlapping area 3 is not in use. When it is necessary to change the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33, the communication control unit 23 performs a communication change process between the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlapping area 3 and the radio base stations 31 to 33. In the communication change process, for example, the communication carrier related to the radio base station that can be communicably connected to the unused communication terminal (for example, 10B in FIG. 1) can be changed to the communication carrier (for example, carrier C) related to the radio base station (for example, 33 in FIG. 1) that does not cause radio interference with the radio base station (for example, 31 in FIG. 1) to which the in-use communication terminal (for example, 10A in FIG. 1) is communicably connected.

[0025] Network 30 is an information communication network that is communicably connected to communication terminals 10A and 10B and carrier servers 41 to 43 (see Fig. 1). Network 30 has a plurality of radio base stations 31 to 33 corresponding to communication overlapping area 3. The plurality of radio base stations 31 to 33 have different corresponding communication carriers. In Fig. 1, radio base station 31 is a radio base station for carrier A, radio base station 32 is a radio base station for carrier B, and radio base station 33 is a radio base station for carrier C.

[0026] Carrier servers 41 to 43 are servers of communication carriers (carriers A to C in Fig. 1) (see Fig. 1). Carrier servers 41 to 43 are communicably connected to network 30. Carrier servers 41 to 43 manage information regarding the communication of radio base stations 31 to 33 corresponding to their own communication carriers in network 30 and communication terminals 10A and 10B having SIMs 13 to 16 corresponding to their own communication carriers.

[0027] Next, the operation of the communication system according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 4 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of the operation of a first example of the configuration of the communication control device of the communication system according to the present disclosure. Note that, for the configuration of the communication system, refer to Fig. 1.

[0028] First, the information acquisition unit 21 of the communication control device 20 acquires information on communication carriers (communicable carrier information) related to radio base stations 31 to 33 that are communicable with communication terminals 10A and 10B from communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in communication overlapping area 3 and stores it in the information holding unit 22 (step A1).

[0029] Next, the information acquisition unit 21 of the communication control device 20 acquires information on communication carriers (in-use carrier information) related to radio base stations 31 to 33 being used by communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in communication overlapping area 3 (step A2).

[0030] Next, the communication control unit 23 of the communication control device 20 determines whether or not a plurality of communication terminals 10A and 10B exist in the communication overlap area 3 based on the communicable carrier information 22b of the information holding unit 22 (step A3). If no plurality of communication terminals 10A and 10B exist in the communication overlap area 3 (NO in step A3), the process ends, and then returns to the start.

[0031] If a plurality of communication terminals 10A and 10B exist in the communication overlap area 3 (YES in step A3), the communication control unit 23 of the communication control device 20 determines whether or not the communication carrier of the in-use carrier information corresponds to the communication carrier defined in the radio interference information 22a of the information holding unit 22 based on the in-use carrier information acquired by the information acquisition unit 21 (step A4). If the communication carrier of the in-use carrier information does not correspond to the communication carrier defined in the radio interference information 22a (NO in step A4), the process ends, and then returns to the start.

[0032] If the communication carrier of the in-use carrier information corresponds to the communication carrier defined in the radio interference information 22a (YES in step A4), the communication control unit 23 of the communication control device 20 determines whether or not it is necessary to change the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33 (step A5). In determining whether or not it is necessary to change the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33, for example, it is possible to determine whether or not the communication carriers related to the radio base stations 31 to 33 that the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlap area 3 can communicate with overlap (entirely overlap, partially overlap), or to determine whether or not at least one of the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlap area 3 is not in use when the communication carriers overlap. If it is not necessary to change the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33 (NO in step A5), the process ends, and then returns to the start.

[0033] When it is necessary to change the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33 (YES in step A5), the communication control unit 23 of the communication control device 20 performs a communication change process between the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlapping area 3 and the radio base stations 31 to 33 (step A6), and then ends and returns to the start. In the communication change process, for example, the communication carrier related to the radio base station that can be communicably connected to an unused communication terminal (for example, 10B in FIG. 1) is changed to a communication carrier (for example, carrier C) related to a radio base station (for example, 33 in FIG. 1) that does not cause radio wave interference with the radio base station (for example, 31 in FIG. 1) that is communicably connected to the used communication terminal (for example, 10A in FIG. 1). That is, the SIM selected by the unused communication terminal 10B is switched from the SIM15 for carrier B to the SIM16 for carrier C.

[0034] According to Mode 1, since the communication available carriers and the used carriers of the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlapping area 3 are monitored and the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33 is controlled, it is possible to contribute to avoiding radio wave interference and performing stable communication even with the communication terminals 10A and 10B that can support a plurality of communication carriers (carriers A to C in FIG. 1).

[0035] Also, according to Mode 1, since the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33 is switched to avoid interference of the radio waves used by the radio base stations 31 to 33, it is not necessary to limit the use of the radio waves of the radio base stations 31 to 33 that are communicably connected to the communication terminals 10A and 10B, and the communication can be stabilized.

[0036] [Mode 2] The communication system according to Mode 2 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing a second example of the configuration of the communication system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the radio wave interference information used in the second example of the configuration of the communication system according to the present disclosure.

[0037] Embodiment 2 is a modification of Embodiment 1, in which the radio base stations 31 to 33 and the communication control device 20 are communicably connected via the network 30. Also, in Embodiment 2, radio wave interference can be avoided even in a plurality of communication overlapping areas 3A to 3N. Along with this, the information acquisition unit 21 of the communication control device 20 acquires communicable carrier information and in-use carrier information from the communication terminals 10A and 10B (or the radio base stations 31 to 33) via the network 30. In addition, the information acquisition unit 21 acquires the position information of the communication terminals 10A and 10B from the communication terminals 10A and 10B via the network 30 so as to be able to identify which communication overlapping areas 3A to 3N the communication terminals 10A and 10B belong to. As the position information of the communication terminals 10A and 10B, for example, position information specified by the GPS (Global Positioning System) of the communication terminals 10A and 10B, position information of the radio base stations 31 to 33 communicably connected to the communication terminals 10A and 10B, and position information specified based on the reception level between the radio base stations 31 to 33 and the communication terminals 10A and 10B can be used. The communication control device 20 controls the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33 via the network 30. For the communication between the radio base stations 31 to 33 and the communication control device 20, a network (not shown) different from the network 30 may be used. For other configurations, they are the same as those in Embodiment 1.

[0038] Next, the operation of the communication system according to Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of the operation of a second example of the configuration of the communication control device of the communication system according to the present disclosure. For the configuration of the communication system, refer to FIG. 5.

[0039] First, the information acquisition unit 21 of the communication control device 20 acquires, via the network 30, information on communication carriers (communicable carrier information) related to the radio base stations 31 to 33 that are communicable with the communication terminals 10A and 10B from the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlapping areas 3A to 3N, and stores the information in the information holding unit 22 (step B1).

[0040] Next, the information acquisition unit 21 of the communication control device 20 acquires, via the network 30, information on communication carriers (in-use carrier information) related to the radio base stations 31 to 33 in use by the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlapping areas 3A to 3N (step B2).

[0041] Next, the information acquisition unit 21 of the communication control device 20 acquires, via the network 30, the position information of the communication terminals 10A and 10B from the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlapping areas 3A to 3N (step B3). Note that if the position information of the communication terminals 10A and 10B is included in the communicable carrier information or the in-use carrier information, step B3 may be omitted or skipped.

[0042] Next, the communication control unit 23 of the communication control device 20 determines whether or not a plurality of communication terminals 10A and 10B exist in a communication overlapping area (any one of the areas 3A to 3N) based on the communicable carrier information 22b of the information holding unit 22 and the position information of the communication terminals 10A and 10B acquired by the information acquisition unit 21 (step B4). If a plurality of communication terminals 10A and 10B do not exist in the communication overlapping area (any one of the areas 3A to 3N) (NO in step B4), the process ends and then returns to the start.

[0043] If a plurality of communication terminals 10A and 10B exist in a communication overlapping area (any one of the areas 3A to 3N) (YES in step B4), the communication control unit 23 of the communication control device 20 determines whether or not the communication carrier of the in-use carrier information corresponds to the communication carrier defined in the radio interference information 22a of the information holding unit 22 based on the in-use carrier information acquired by the information acquisition unit 21 (step B5). If the communication carrier of the in-use carrier information does not correspond to the communication carrier defined in the radio interference information 22a (NO in step B5), the process ends and then returns to the start.

[0044] When the communication carrier of the in-use carrier information corresponds to the communication carrier defined in the radio interference information 22a (YES in step B5), the communication control unit 23 of the communication control device 20 determines whether it is necessary to change the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33 (step B6). If it is not necessary to change the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33 (NO in step B6), the process ends, and then returns to the start.

[0045] If it is necessary to change the communication between the communication terminals 10A and 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33 (YES in step B6), the communication control unit 23 of the communication control device 20 performs a communication change process between the communication terminals 10A and 10B existing in the communication overlapping areas 3A to 3N and the radio base stations 31 to 33 via the network 30 (step B7), and then ends and returns to the start. In the communication change process, for example, the communication carrier related to the radio base station that can be communicably connected to the unused communication terminal (for example, 10B in FIG. 5) is changed to the communication carrier (for example, carrier C) related to the radio base station (for example, 33 in FIG. 5) that does not cause radio interference with the radio base station (for example, 31 in FIG. 5) to which the in-use communication terminal (for example, 10A in FIG. 5) is communicably connected.

[0046] [Effect] According to the second embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, it is possible to contribute to avoiding radio interference and performing stable communication even for the communication terminals 10A and 10B that can correspond to a plurality of communication carriers (carriers A to C in FIG. 1). Since the communication control device 20 is communicably connected to the radio base stations 31 to 33 corresponding to the plurality of communication overlapping areas 3A to 3N via the network 30, it is possible to avoid radio interference and perform stable communication for each of the communication overlapping areas 3A to 3N.

[0047] [Embodiment 3] The communication control device according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of the communication control device according to the present disclosure.

[0048] The communication control device 20 is configured to control communication between a plurality of communication terminals 10A, 10B (three or more are also possible) and a plurality of radio base stations 31 to 33 existing in the communication overlapping area 3 so as to avoid interference of radio waves used by the plurality of radio base stations 31 to 33 (four or more are also possible) corresponding to the communication overlapping area 3. The communication overlapping area 3 is an area where communication available areas of a plurality of radio base stations 31 to 33 with different corresponding communication carriers (carriers A to C in FIG. 8) overlap each other. Each of the plurality of communication terminals 10A, 10B is capable of communicating with at least two of the plurality of radio base stations 31 to 33.

[0049] According to Mode 3, since the communication between the communication terminals 10A, 10B and the radio base stations 31 to 33 existing in the communication overlapping area 3 is controlled so as to avoid interference of radio waves in the communication overlapping area 3, it is possible to contribute to avoiding radio wave interference and performing stable communication even with the communication terminals 10A, 10B that can correspond to a plurality of communication carriers.

[0050] Note that the communication control device according to Modes 1 to 3 can be configured by so-called hardware resources (information processing devices, computers), and those having the configuration illustrated in FIG. 9 can be used. For example, the hardware resource 100 includes a processor 101, a memory 102, a network interface 103, etc., which are mutually connected by an internal bus 104.

[0051] Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 9 is not intended to limit the hardware configuration of the hardware resource 100. The hardware resource 100 may include hardware not shown (for example, an input / output interface). Alternatively, the number of units such as the processor 101 included in the device is not intended to be limited to the example shown in FIG. 9. For example, a plurality of processors 101 may be included in the hardware resource 100. As the processor 101, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. can be used.

[0052] For the memory 102, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), etc. can be used.

[0053] For the network interface 103, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) card, a network adapter, a network interface card, etc. can be used.

[0054] The functions of the hardware resource 100 are realized by the above-described processing modules. The processing modules are realized, for example, by the processor 101 executing a program stored in the memory 102. Also, the program can be downloaded via a network or updated using a storage medium storing the program. Furthermore, the above-described processing modules may be realized by semiconductor chips. That is, the functions performed by the above-described processing modules may be realized as long as software is executed in some hardware.

[0055] Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as follows in the appendices, but are not limited thereto.

[0056] [Appendix 1] Configured to control communication between a plurality of communication terminals and the plurality of radio base stations existing in the communication overlapping area so as to avoid interference of radio waves used by the plurality of radio base stations corresponding to the communication overlapping area, The communication overlapping area is an area where communication possible areas of the plurality of radio base stations with different corresponding communication carriers overlap, Each of the plurality of communication terminals is configured to be able to communicate with at least two radio base stations among the plurality of radio base stations, Communication control device. [Appendix 2] The plurality of communication terminals each include a plurality of SIMs corresponding to different communication carriers, and are configured to be capable of communicating with at least two of the plurality of radio base stations according to the plurality of SIMs. When controlling communication between the plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area and the plurality of radio base stations, the communication control device is configured to switch the SIM selected by any one of the plurality of communication terminals. The communication control device according to Supplementary Note 1. [Supplementary Note 3] An information acquisition unit configured to acquire communication available carrier information related to the plurality of radio base stations with which the plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area can communicate, and acquire in-use carrier information related to the radio base stations in use by the plurality of communication terminals; An information holding unit configured to hold radio wave interference information that defines a combination of communication carriers related to any one of the plurality of radio base stations that use radio waves known to interfere in the communication overlapping area; Based on the communication available carrier information, the in-use carrier information, and the radio wave interference information, the communication control unit is configured to control communication between the plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area and the plurality of radio base stations by switching the SIM selected by any one of the plurality of communication terminals so as to avoid interference of radio waves used by the plurality of radio base stations corresponding to the communication overlapping area. comprising The communication control device according to Supplementary Note 2. [Supplementary Note 4] The communication control unit a process of determining whether or not the plurality of communication terminals exist in the communication overlapping area based on the communication available carrier information; When the plurality of communication terminals exist in the communication overlapping area, based on the in-use carrier information, a process of determining whether the communication carrier of the in-use carrier information corresponds to the communication carrier defined in the radio interference information; When the communication carrier of the in-use carrier information corresponds to the communication carrier defined in the radio interference information, a process of determining whether it is necessary to change the communication between the plurality of communication terminals and the plurality of radio base stations; When it is necessary to change the communication between the plurality of communication terminals and the plurality of radio base stations, a process of performing a communication change process between the plurality of communication terminals and the plurality of radio base stations existing in the communication overlapping area; is configured to perform: The communication control device according to Supplementary Note 3. [Supplementary Note 5] When determining whether it is necessary to change the communication between the plurality of communication terminals and the plurality of radio base stations, the communication control unit determines whether the communication carriers related to the plurality of radio base stations with which the plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area can communicate overlap. When the communication carriers overlap, it is configured to determine whether at least one of the plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area is not in use. The communication control device according to Supplementary Note 4. [Supplementary Note 6] When performing the communication change process, the communication control unit is configured to change the communication carrier related to the radio base station to be communicably connected to the unused communication terminal so that it does not cause radio interference with the communication carrier related to the radio base station to which the in-use communication terminal is communicably connected. The communication control device according to Supplementary Note 4 or 5. [Supplementary Note 7] The information acquisition unit is configured to acquire the position information of each of the plurality of communication terminals from the plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area. When determining whether or not the plurality of communication terminals exist in the communication overlapping area, the communication control unit is configured to determine whether or not the plurality of communication terminals exist in the communication overlapping area based on the communicable carrier information and the position information. The communication control device according to any one of Appendices 4 to 6. [Appendix 8] When switching the SIM selected by any one of the plurality of communication terminals, the communication control device is configured to switch the SIM selected by an unused communication terminal among the plurality of communication terminals. The communication control device according to any one of Appendices 2 to 7. [Appendix 9] When controlling communication between the plurality of communication terminals and the plurality of radio base stations, the communication control device is configured to control at least one of data communication and voice call communication. The communication control device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 8. [Appendix 10] The communication control device is connected so as to communicate directly with the plurality of radio base stations. The communication control device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 9. [Appendix 11] The communication control device is communicably connected to the plurality of radio base stations via a network. The communication control device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 10. [Appendix 12] A plurality of radio base stations with corresponding communication carriers being different from each other, A plurality of communication terminals configured to be communicable with at least two radio base stations among the plurality of radio base stations, The communication control device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 11, and a communication system including the same. [Appendix 13] The method includes a step of controlling communication between the plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area and the plurality of radio base stations so that the communication control device avoids interference of radio waves used by the plurality of radio base stations corresponding to the communication overlapping area. The communication overlapping area is an area where the communicable areas of the plurality of radio base stations corresponding to different communication carriers overlap with each other, Each of the plurality of communication terminals is configured to be communicable with at least two radio base stations among the plurality of radio base stations. Communication control method. [Appendix 14] The communication control device is made to execute a process of controlling communication between a plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area and the plurality of radio base stations so as to avoid interference of radio waves used by the plurality of radio base stations corresponding to the communication overlapping area. The communication overlapping area is an area where the communicable areas of the plurality of radio base stations corresponding to different communication carriers overlap with each other, Each of the plurality of communication terminals is configured to be communicable with at least two radio base stations among the plurality of radio base stations. Program.

[0057] Note that the disclosure of the above patent document is incorporated herein by reference and can be used as the basis or part of the present invention as necessary. Within the scope of the entire disclosure of the present invention (including the claims and drawings), further modifications and adjustments of the form or embodiment can be made based on the basic technical idea. Also, within the scope of the entire disclosure of the present invention, various combinations or selections (including non-selections if necessary) of various disclosure elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each form or embodiment, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible. That is, the present invention naturally includes various modifications and corrections that those skilled in the art could make according to the entire disclosure including the claims and drawings and the technical idea. Also, regarding the numerical values and numerical ranges described in the present application, even if not clearly stated, any intermediate value, lower numerical value, and small range are considered to be described. Furthermore, each disclosure item of the above-cited document is considered to be included (belonging) in the disclosure of the present application as part of the disclosure of the present invention according to the spirit of the present invention and can be used in combination with the description items of this document, in part or in whole, as necessary.

Explanation of Signs

[0058] 1 Communication system 3, 3A~3N Communication overlapping area 10A, 10B Communication terminals 11 Communication unit 12 Control unit 13~16 SIM 20 Communication control device 21 Information acquisition unit 22 Information storage unit 22a Radio interference information 22b Communicable carrier information 23 Communication control unit 30 Network 31~33 Radio base stations 41~43 Carrier servers 100 Hardware resources 101 Processor 102 Memory 103 Network interface 104 Internal bus

Claims

1. configured to control communication between a plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area and the plurality of radio base stations so as to avoid interference of radio waves used by the plurality of radio base stations corresponding to the communication overlapping area, wherein the communication overlapping area is an area where communication-enabled areas of the plurality of radio base stations with different corresponding communication carriers overlap, wherein each of the plurality of communication terminals is configured to be communicable with at least two of the plurality of radio base stations, A communication control device.

2. wherein the plurality of communication terminals include a plurality of SIMs with different corresponding communication carriers, and are configured to be communicable with at least two of the plurality of radio base stations according to the plurality of SIMs, wherein the communication control device is configured to switch the SIM selected by any one of the plurality of communication terminals when controlling communication between the plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area and the plurality of radio base stations, The communication control device according to claim 1.

3. an information acquisition unit configured to acquire communication carrier information of the communication carriers related to the plurality of radio base stations with which the plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area can communicate, and acquire in-use carrier information of the communication carriers related to the radio base stations in use by the plurality of communication terminals; an information holding unit configured to hold radio wave interference information that defines a combination of the communication carriers related to any of the plurality of radio base stations that use radio waves known to interfere in the communication overlapping area; a communication control unit configured to control communication between the plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area and the plurality of radio base stations by switching the SIM selected by any one of the plurality of communication terminals so as to avoid interference of radio waves used by the plurality of radio base stations corresponding to the communication overlapping area based on the communication carrier information, the in-use carrier information, and the radio wave interference information; comprising The communication control device according to claim 2.

4. The communication control unit is a process of determining whether or not the plurality of communication terminals exist in the communication overlapping area based on the communication carrier information, When the plurality of communication terminals exist in the communication overlapping area, based on the in-use carrier information, a process of determining whether the communication carrier of the in-use carrier information corresponds to the communication carrier defined in the radio interference information; When the communication carrier of the in-use carrier information corresponds to the communication carrier defined in the radio interference information, a process of determining whether it is necessary to change the communication between the plurality of communication terminals and the plurality of radio base stations; When it is necessary to change the communication between the plurality of communication terminals and the plurality of radio base stations, a process of performing a communication change process between the plurality of communication terminals and the plurality of radio base stations existing in the communication overlapping area; It is configured to perform the above. The communication control device according to claim 3.

5. When determining whether it is necessary to change the communication between the plurality of communication terminals and the plurality of radio base stations, the communication control unit determines whether the communication carriers related to the plurality of radio base stations with which the plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area can communicate overlap. When the communication carriers overlap, it is configured to determine whether at least one of the plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area is not in use. The communication control device according to claim 4.

6. When performing the communication change process, the communication control unit changes the communication carrier related to the radio base station to be communicably connected to the unused communication terminal so that it becomes the communication carrier related to the radio base station that does not cause radio interference with the radio base station communicably connected to the in-use communication terminal. It is configured to do so. The communication control device according to claim 4.

7. The communication control device is communicably connected to the plurality of radio base stations via a network. The communication control device according to claim 1.

8. A plurality of radio base stations with different corresponding communication carriers; A plurality of communication terminals configured to be communicable with at least two of the plurality of radio base stations; The communication control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7; A communication system comprising:

9. The communication control device includes a step of controlling the communication between the plurality of communication terminals and the plurality of radio base stations existing in the communication overlapping area so as to avoid interference of radio waves used by the plurality of radio base stations corresponding to the communication overlapping area. The communication overlapping area is an area where communicable areas of the plurality of radio base stations with different corresponding communication carriers overlap. Each of the plurality of communication terminals is configured to be communicable with at least two radio base stations among the plurality of radio base stations. Communication control method.

10. Causing a communication control device to execute a process of controlling communication between a plurality of communication terminals existing in the communication overlapping area and the plurality of radio base stations so as to avoid interference of radio waves used by the plurality of radio base stations corresponding to the communication overlapping area. The communication overlapping area is an area where communicable areas of the plurality of radio base stations with different corresponding communication carriers overlap. Each of the plurality of communication terminals is configured to be communicable with at least two radio base stations among the plurality of radio base stations. Program.

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