Communication system, communication control method, and cellular network

Abstract

To reduce power consumption related to information transmission.SOLUTION: A communication system includes a communication control device that outputs instructions to control the transmission of information to each of multiple pieces of UE, with respect to the information transmitted from each of the multiple pieces of UE recognized to be in the same location to a specific destination via a cellular network, so that the specific destination receives information transmitted from representative UE among the multiple pieces of UE and does not receive information from UE other than the representative UE.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication system, a communication control method, and a cellular network. [Background technology]

[0002] The following technology has been proposed in the past: A server that collects multiple types of data, including overlapping data, acquired by multiple terminals has an issuing means for issuing an information request that describes attributes of one or more required pieces of data, a data receiving means for receiving the data acquired by each terminal, and a plan creating means for creating a plan that includes the timing for issuing a new information request, after issuing an information request, to request data that the server device has not yet acquired from among the multiple types of data. The issuing means issues the information request according to the plan (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-128837 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a communication system, a communication control method, and a cellular network that can reduce power consumption related to information transmission. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a communication system including a communication control device that outputs instructions to control the transmission of information to each of a plurality of UEs that are recognized to be located in the same location and that are transmitted to a specific destination via a cellular network, so that the specific destination receives information transmitted from a representative UE among the plurality of UEs and does not receive information from any UE other than the representative UE.

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a communication control method that includes a communication control device outputting an instruction to control transmission of information to each of a plurality of UEs that are recognized to be located in the same location and that are transmitted to a specific destination via a cellular network, so that the specific destination receives information transmitted from a representative UE among the plurality of UEs and does not receive information from any UE other than the representative UE.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a cellular network, which includes a network node that executes the following: transmitting location information of two or more UEs that satisfy a specific condition among UEs whose locations are registered with the cellular network; and receiving an instruction to control transmission of information to each of a plurality of UEs that are selected from the two or more UEs and recognized to be in the same location and that are transmitted to a specific destination via the cellular network from each of the plurality of UEs, such that the specific destination receives information transmitted from a representative UE among the plurality of UEs and does not receive information from any UE other than the representative UE.

[0008] Aspects of the present disclosure may further include a communication control device included in the above-mentioned communication system, a program for operating a computer as a communication control device, or a non-transitory computer-readable medium (storage medium) on which the above-mentioned program is recorded, a network node that constitutes a cellular network, etc. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce power consumption related to information transmission. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing details of network nodes (components) that make up a cellular network. [Figure 3]FIG. 3A is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device (computer) that can operate as a server, and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device (computer) that can operate as a network node. [Figure 4] FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a group management database (group management DB), and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of an individual group management database (individual group management DB). [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating a first operation example in the communication system. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the management server. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing details of the first operation example in the communication system. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a second operation example in the communication system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of a communication system, a communication control method, and a cellular network will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

[0012] <Communication Systems> 1 is a diagram showing an example of a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes the Internet 1 and a cellular network 3 connected to the Internet 1. The Internet 1 is an example of a public network.

[0013] The cellular network 3 is, for example, a fourth generation mobile communication system (4G network (LTE network)), a fifth generation mobile communication system (5G network), or a sixth generation mobile communication system (6G network). In this embodiment, a case will be described where the cellular network 3 is a 5G network. The cellular network 3 is made up of a core network 3A and a radio access network (RAN) 4, which is a radio network. The RAN 4 is made up of one or more base stations (called gNBs). The cellular network 3 is an example of a "radio network".

[0014] A UE (User Equipment) 10 is a mobile terminal (wireless terminal) capable of wireless communication. The UE 10 is connected to one of the base stations 5, communicates with the core network 3A through the connected base station 5, and registers the location of the UE 10. When the UE 10 communicates with a communication partner (e.g., a server 2) connected to the Internet 1, a transmission path (communication path) for packets storing data or information is established in the RAN 4 and the core network 3A. A communication path called a radio bearer is established between the UE 10 and the base station 5, and a communication path called a PDU (Packet Data Unit) session is established between the base station 5 and the exit of the core network 3A. A packet that arrives at the termination point (UPF 11a) of the PDU session is sent to the Internet 1 and reaches the server 2 through the Internet. Data or information intended for the UE 10 from the server 2 is sent to the UE 10 via the reverse path.

[0015] In FIG. 1, as exemplified by UE 10a, UE 10b, UE 10c, and UE 10d, there is a case where these are carried on one moving body 6. For example, there is a case where each of a family of four carries a UE 10 and boards one moving body 6. The moving body 6 may be, but is not limited to, a vehicle, a railroad car, a ship, or an aircraft. Furthermore, it does not matter whether the moving body 6 is manned or unmanned.

[0016] Assume that a program (application) is installed in each of multiple UEs 10 (UEs 10a to 10d) mounted on a single mobile object 6. The program (application) captures images of the UE's surroundings and transmits the captured images to the server 2. In this case, the multiple UEs 10 transmit identical or similar captured image data to the server 2. The server 2 analyzes the captured images obtained from the UEs 10 to obtain desired information. If the captured images obtained from the multiple UEs 10 are identical or similar, duplicate analysis (duplicate processing) is performed, resulting in unnecessary work. Furthermore, the transmission of identical or similar captured image data from each of the multiple UEs 10 consumes power. Furthermore, the cellular network 3 also consumes power by transmitting packets containing the captured image data transmitted from each of the multiple UEs 10. Thus, the transmission of identical or similar captured images, i.e., duplicate information, results in unnecessary processing by the server 2 and waste of power in the UEs 10 and the cellular network 3.

[0017] Therefore, the communication system according to the embodiment has a configuration that can solve the above problem and avoid the above-mentioned unnecessary processing and power waste (reduce power consumption), and is provided with a management server 15 connected to the Internet 1. The management server 15 is capable of communicating with the cellular network 3 (core network 3A), and performs communication control to avoid the above-mentioned power waste.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing details of network nodes (components) that make up the cellular network 3. In FIG. 2, UE 10 is a terminal of a user (subscriber). RAN 4 is an access network to a core network 3A (called 5G core (5GC)). RAN 4 is composed of a necessary number of base stations 5 (called gNBs) to cover the communication area of ​​UE 10. Each base station 5 is wirelessly connected to one or more UEs 10. A DN (Data Network) 5 is connected to a user plane (UPF 11b) of the core network 3A.

[0019] The core network 3A (5GC) is composed of a set of network nodes (components) having predetermined functions called NFs (Network Functions). In Figure 2, the following NFs 11a to 11k are illustrated as NFs 11 constituting the 5GC. UPF (User Plane Function) 11a AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function)11b SMF (Session Management Function)11c PCF(Policy Control Function)11d NEF(Network Exposure Function)11e NRF(Network Repository Function)11g NSSF(Network Slice Selection Function)11h AUSF(Authentication Server Function)11i UDM(Unified Data Management)11j NWDAF(Network Data Analytics Function)11k

[0020] The UPF 11a is the only network node for the user plane in 5GC. All other network nodes are for the control plane. The UPF 11a performs routing and forwarding of user packets (user plane packets sent and received by the UE 10), packet inspection, and QoS processing. The UPF 11a is connected to the DN (Data Network) 8. The DN 8 is an external network of the core network 3A, such as the Internet 1.

[0021] The AMF 11b is a device in the core network 3A that accommodates the UE 10. The AMF 11b accommodates the RAN 4 (base station 5) and performs subscriber authentication control, location (mobility) management of the UE 10, etc. The UDM 11j provides subscriber information, acquires and registers the status of the UE 10, etc. The UDR 14 is a database that stores various information such as subscriber information, authentication information of the subscriber (UE), and location information of the UE 10.

[0022] The SMF 11c manages a PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session and controls the UPF 11a to implement QoS (Quality of Service) control and policy control. The PDU session is a virtual communication path for exchanging data between the UE 10 and the DN 8, and is established between the UE 10 and the UPF 11a.

[0023] The PCF 11d performs QoS control, policy control, billing control, etc. under the control of the SMF 11c. QoS control involves controlling the quality of communication, such as by prioritizing packet forwarding. Policy control involves controlling communication, such as QoS based on network or subscriber information, whether packet forwarding is permitted, and billing.

[0024] NEF11e is a function for disclosing the functions (NF) or information of 5GC to network nodes (nodes that run external applications) outside the core network 3A (5GC). External applications can use the functions of 5GC via NEF11e.

[0025] The AF (Application Function) 12 is an external application of the 5GC. The management server 15 shown in Fig. 1 is a computer (external server) on which the AF 12 is installed. The AF 12 may be arranged as an external device of the core network 3A or as a component of the core network 3A.

[0026] The NRF 11g stores and manages information about NFs (for example, the AMF 11b, the SMF 11c, the UPF 11a, etc.) in the 5GC. In response to an inquiry about an NF that a user wishes to use, the NRF 11g can return multiple candidate NFs to the source of the inquiry. In other words, the NRF 11g can provide, in response to an inquiry, information indicating which NFs 11 are providing what services, or information indicating the services that each NF 11, including the NRF 11g itself, can provide.

[0027] The NSSF11h has the function of selecting the network slice to be used by the subscriber from among the network slices generated by network slicing. A network slice is a virtual network with specifications according to the application.

[0028] The AUSF11i is a subscriber authentication server that performs subscriber authentication under the control of the AMF11b. The UDM11j holds subscriber-related information. The NWDAF11k has the function of collecting and analyzing data from each NF11, OAM (Operations, Administration, and Maintenance) terminals, 5GC external devices, etc. The NWDAF12 is an NF that provides network analysis information.

[0029] The NF 13 is a new NF that receives a request from the management server 15, collects location information of the UE 10, and controls transmission of information from the UE 10, in response to an instruction from the management server 15. The functions performed by the NF 13 may be implemented by implementing a new NF as described in this embodiment, or by extending one or more existing NFs 11, such as the AMF 11b, the SMF 11c, the UPF 11a, or the NEF 11e.

[0030] Each of NF11a to 11k, AF12, and NF13 is realized by one or more information processing devices (computers) executing a program. Also, UDR14 is a database stored in a storage device of one or more information processing devices.

[0031] When UE 10 establishes a wireless connection with base station 5, it transmits predetermined information to AMF 11b via base station 5. AMF 11 registers location information of UE 10 in UDR 13. When AUSF 11i successfully authenticates UE 10, AMF 11 instructs SMF 11c to establish a PDU session for UE 10 to communicate with server 2 (communication partner). SMF 11c selects UPF 11a corresponding to server 2 and instructs the selected UPF 11a to establish a PDU session. A PDU session is established between UE 10 and UPF 11a by UPF 11a. Furthermore, packets are forwarded between UPF 11a and server 2 according to the destination address of the packet, and packets with the address of server 2 set as the destination address ultimately arrive (are received) at server 2.

[0032] FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing device (computer) 20A that can operate as the server 2 or the management server 15. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing device (computer) 20A that can operate as the NF 11, AF 12, or NF 13. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device 20B that can be used.

[0033] In FIG. 2A, the information processing device 20A is a personal computer (PC), a workstation, It is configured using general-purpose or dedicated computers such as workstations (WS) or server machines. As an example, the information processing device 20A includes a processor 21, a storage device 22, a communication interface (communication IF) 23, an input device 24, and an output device 25, which are interconnected via a bus .

[0034] The storage device 22 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The main storage device is used as a storage area for programs and data, a program development area, a program work area, and a buffer area for communication data. The main storage device is configured with RAM (Random Access Memory) or a combination of RAM and ROM (Read Only Memory). The auxiliary storage device is used as a storage area for data and programs. Non-volatile storage media such as a hard disk, a solid state drive (SSD), a flash memory, and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) can be used as the auxiliary storage device.

[0035] The communication IF 23 is a circuit that performs processing related to communication, and operates as a transmitting unit and a receiving unit (communication unit). The communication IF 23 is, for example, a network interface card (NIC).

[0036] The input device 24 includes keys, buttons, a pointing device, a touch panel, etc., and is used to input information. The input device 34 may include a microphone (audio input device). The output device 25 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, and displays information and data. The output device 35 may include a speaker (audio output device).

[0037] The processor 21 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The server 21 executes various programs stored in the storage device 22 to perform various processes.

[0038] 2A, the information processing device 20B is configured using a general-purpose or dedicated computer such as a personal computer (PC), a workstation (WS), or a server machine, similar to the information processing device 20A. As an example, the information processing device 20B has a processor 31, a storage device 32, a communication IF 33, an input device 34, and an output device 35, which are interconnected via a bus 36. The processor 31, the storage device 32, the communication IF 33, the input device 34, and the output device 35 can be similar to the processor 21, the storage device 22, the communication IF 23, the input device 24, and the output device 25. However, depending on the processing content and the required performance, Depending on the situation, different performances are adopted.

[0039] It should be noted that a plurality of CPUs or a multi-core CPU may be applied as the processor 21 or 31. At least a part of the processing performed by the CPU may be performed by a processor such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) or a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit). The processing may be performed by a processor other than the CPU. Furthermore, at least a part of the processing performed by the CPU may be performed by a dedicated or general-purpose integrated circuit (hardware). The integrated circuit may be an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA. (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc. Or, processing performed by the CPU At least a part of the above may be executed by a combination of a processor and an integrated circuit. The combination is called, for example, a microcontroller (MCU), a system-on-a-chip (SoC), a system LSI, or a chipset. The processor 31, the integrated circuit, and the combination are each an example of a circuit.

[0040] Fig. 4A is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the group management DB, and Fig. 4B is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the individual group management DB. The group management DB and the individual group management DB are stored, for example, in the storage device 22 of the information processing device 20A that operates as the management server 15, or in a storage device (external storage) on a network that the management server 15 can access.

[0041] 4A, the group management DB has a table structure consisting of one or more entries provided for each group ID (group identifier). Each entry includes the group ID and information (member information) indicating the member corresponding to the group ID. The member information includes, for example, identification information (UE-ID) of each UE 10 that is a member of the group. The UE-ID is stored in, for example, a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card of the UE 10. However, the UE-ID is used to uniquely identify the UE 10. Any information that can identify the user can be used. D is, for example, the UE-ID of each UE 10 owned by a family member, or a specific ID of a mobile unit 6. UE-ID of UE10 owned by multiple people (employees or group members, etc.) who will be boarding at the same time However, the combination of multiple UE-IDs is arbitrary.

[0042] Furthermore, the member information may be information indicating a condition for generating a group based on a location (referred to as a grouping condition). The grouping condition becomes a criterion (filtering criterion) for selecting (filtering) UEs 10 in the core network 3A.

[0043] The grouping condition is, for example, that the UEs 10 are located in the same cell (connected to the same base station 5). The base station 5 may be a fixed base station or a mobile base station mounted on a mobile object 6. The cell (base station) is specified using a cell ID or identification information (BS-ID) of the base station 5 other than the cell ID. In addition, the grouping condition is, for example, that the UEs 10 are located in the same cell (connected to the same base station 5). 0 may be present in a circular area of ​​a predetermined radius centered on a certain position coordinate. Alternatively, the grouping condition may be that the distance to one UE 10 selected from two or more UEs 10 (referred to as a specific UE) is equal to or less than a threshold (or less than the threshold). There is no limitation on the method for selecting the specific UE. The specific UE may be selected randomly, selected in order of earliest or latest connection to the base station 5, or selected in order of highest to lowest predetermined priority.

[0044] The individual group management DB is made up of, for example, one or more tables prepared for each group ID. Each table is made up of one or more tables prepared for each identification information (UE-ID) of the UE 10. The entry consists of the above entries. The entry stores the UE-ID and the status information corresponding to the UE-ID. The UE-ID is identification information of the UE 10, and can uniquely identify the UE 10. The UE status information may be any information as long as it includes the location information of the UE 10 and The UE status information includes information indicating the establishment state (established or not established) of the PDU session related to the UE 10. The location information may be cell identification information such as a cell ID (information that indirectly indicates the location of the UE 10) or information that indicates the location coordinates where the UE 10 is located (information that directly indicates the location). The UE status information may include information that indicates the moving direction of the UE 10.

[0045] Fig. 5 is a sequence diagram showing a first operation example in the communication system (Fig. 1). Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing example of the management server 15. The processing shown in Fig. 6 is performed by the management server 15, that is, the management server 15 (the processor 21 that executes the AF 12 installed in the information processing device 20A that operates as the management server 15).

[0046] In FIG. 5, the management server 15 extracts one entry from the group management DB (FIG. 4A) and generates a location information request message including the group ID and member information in the extracted entry (step S01 in FIG. 6). The location information request message is transmitted from the management server 15 to the core network 3A (FIG. 5). <1> ).

[0047] The core network 3A collects location information (see Figure 5 <2> That is, the core network 3A receives the location information of each UE 10 having the UE-ID included in the member information or the grouping information. The location information of one or more UEs 10 that satisfy the conditions (filtering criteria for UEs 10) is collected (acquired) from the UDR 13, etc. The acquired location information is included in a location information response message in response to the location information request message, and is transmitted from the core network 3A to the management server 15.

[0048] The management server 15 receives the location information response message (step S02 in FIG. 6). Then, the management server 15 performs group registration of the UE 10 (see FIG. 5). <4> The location information response message received from the core network 3A includes the group ID, the UE-IDs, location information, and PDU session states (established or not) relating to two or more UEs 10 according to the member information. The information includes information indicating whether the connection has been established or not, and the time of establishment.

[0049] The management server 15 registers the UE-ID, the location information, and the PDU session state in a table (group table) corresponding to the group ID in the individual group management DB (see FIG. 6). (Step S03) The groups registered in the individual group management DB are subject to control of information transmission.

[0050] Here, if the member information contains multiple UE-IDs, regrouping is performed. For example, if the location information response contains location information of UE 10 that does not satisfy the location-based grouping condition, management server 15 excludes UE 10 having such location information from the group table. This is because UE 10 that does not satisfy the grouping condition is not considered to be in the same location.

[0051] The management server 15 selects a representative UE (see FIG. 5 <5> ). That is, the management server 15 selects (determines) one UE 10 that meets the selection conditions as the representative UE from among the multiple UEs 10 registered in the table for which group registration has been completed (step S05 in FIG. 6). As a selection condition, a UE 10 with which a PDU session has been established is selected preferentially over a UE 10 with which no PDU session has been established. When there are two or more UEs 10 with which a PDU session has been established, the UE 10 with which the PDU session was established the oldest (earliest) or the UE 10 with which the PDU session was established the most recent (latest) is selected as the representative UE. However, there may be cases where a UE other than the UE 10 with the oldest or most recent establishment time is selected as the representative UE. When there is no UE 10 with which a PDU session has been established, the management server 15 can select a representative UE according to predetermined rules.

[0052] The management server 15 generates a control instruction (see FIG. 5 <6> ) That is, the management server 15 generates and transmits a control instruction message related to information transmission of each UE 10 of the group members (step S06 in FIG. 6). The control instruction message includes at least the UE-IDs of the group members and the UE-ID of the representative UE.

[0053] The control instruction message is sent from the management server 15 to the core network 3A (see FIG. 5 <7> Upon receiving the control instruction, the core network 3A executes control to make the server 2 receive information transmitted from the representative UE among the group members, but not to make the server 2 receive information transmitted from UEs 10 other than the representative UE (see FIG. 5). <8> ).

[0054] Thereafter, the core network 3A monitors the representative UE, and if the core network 3A does not receive information from the representative UE for a predetermined period of time, or if the representative UE performs handover, it detects that the representative UE 10 is unsuitable as the representative UE (see FIG. 5). <9> In this case, the core network 3A transmits a message requesting a change of the representative UE to the management server 15 (see FIG. 5). <11> ).

[0055] When the management server 15 receives the change request (step S07 in FIG. 6, YES), it performs a procedure for selecting a secondary representative UE (FIG. 5). <10> 6. That is, the management server 15 returns the process of FIG. 6 to step S01 and performs the processes of steps S01 to S06. <1> ~ <8> The same process as in FIG. 5 is performed. However, UE 10 that is deemed unsuitable as a representative UE is excluded from the targets for registration in the group table. In this way, when the representative UE is unsuitable, a secondary (sub) representative UE may be selected and information transmission may be controlled. However, as shown in FIG. <5> In the selection of the representative UE, a primary representative UE and a secondary representative UE are selected, and if the primary representative UE is detected to be unsuitable, a process may be performed in the core network 3A to switch the representative UE to the secondary representative UE.

[0056] FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing details of a first operation example in the communication system, and shows details of an operation example within the core network 3A. In the example shown in FIG. 7, a location information request from the management server 15 is received by the NEF 11e (information processing device 20B operating as the NEF 11e) of the core network 3A (FIG. 7 <1> The NEF 11e sends a location information collection instruction in response to the location information request to the NF 13 (the information processing device 20B operating as the NF 13) (FIG. 7<1A>).

[0057] NF13 is shown in Figure 5. <2> The same process as the location information collection shown in Figure 7 <2> The NF 13 sends the collected location information to the NEF 11e (Fig. 7<3A>), and the NEF 11e generates a location information response message and sends it to the management server 15 (Fig. 7<3A>). <3> ).

[0058] The management server 15 is shown in FIG. <4> ~ <6> The same process is performed as above, and a control instruction is sent to the NEF 11e of the core network 3A (see FIG. 7 <7> ) NEF11e sends a control instruction to NF13 (Fig. 7<7A>).

[0059] The NF 13 transmits a control instruction to at least one of the AMF 11b, SMF 11c, and UPF 11a (the information processing device 20B operating as at least one of the AMF 11b, SMF 11c, and UPF 11a) (<7B> in FIG. 7). At least one of the AMF 11b and SMF 11c controls information transmission so that only information transmitted from the representative UE reaches the server 2 (FIG. 7). <8> ).

[0060] For example, when a control instruction is supplied to the AMF 11b, the AMF 11b performs an operation of establishing or maintaining an established state of a PDU session for transmitting information (such as image data obtained by capturing an image of the UE 10) to the server 2 in cooperation with the SMF 11c for the representative UE. The representative UE of the member 1 then rejects the establishment of a PDU session for transmitting information to the server 2, or terminates an established PDU session. As a result, only the representative UE of the member 1 becomes able to transmit information to the server 2.

[0061] When the control instruction is supplied to the SMF 11c, the SMF 11c accepts a request from the AMF 11b to establish a PDU session related to the representative UE, but rejects a request to establish a PDU session related to members other than the representative UE. This also allows only the representative UE among the members to send information to the server 2.

[0062] Alternatively, the NF 13 can send a control instruction to the UPF 11a. In this case, the UPF 11a establishes a PDU session related to the representative UE in accordance with the instruction from the SMF 11c, but does not establish PDU sessions related to members other than the representative UE. This also allows only the representative UE among the members to send information to the server 2.

[0063] Alternatively, the UPF 11a may be in a state where it performs the following operation. The UPF 11a establishes a PDU session related to the UE 10 of each member. However, while the information from the representative UE is forwarded to the server 2, the information from members other than the representative UE is discarded (it is not forwarded to the server 2). This results in a state where only the information from the representative UE reaches the server 2.

[0064] When the control instruction is supplied to the APF 11b, the following configuration can also be adopted. That is, the APF 11b communicates with an information transmission application installed in the member UE 10 or an application that controls the information transmission application via the RAN 4. In the communication, the APF 11b instructs the representative UE to permit information transmission and instructs members other than the representative UE to prohibit information transmission. This also allows only the representative UE to transmit information to the server 2.

[0065] According to the first operation example, a PDU session for the representative UE is established, and PDU sessions for UEs other than the representative UE are not established, so that only the representative UE can transmit information (such as image data) to the server 2. This prevents members other than the representative UE from transmitting information to the server 2, reducing the power consumption of the members. Furthermore, in the cellular network 3, forwarding processing of packets transmitted from members other than the representative UE is no longer performed, reducing the power consumption in the cellular network 3 (RAN 4 and core network 3A).

[0066] Only information (imaging data) from the representative UE reaches the server 2, which prevents the server 2 from processing the same or similar information (duplicate data). This reduces the processing load and power consumption of the server 2. Furthermore, in a configuration in which the UPF 11a discards information from UEs other than the representative UE, the UPF 11a avoids the process of sending information from each member to the server 2, thereby reducing power consumption in the core network 3A.

[0067] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a second operation example in the communication system. <1> ~ <6> The process in Fig. 5 <1> ~ <6> This is the same as the process in Figure 8, so the explanation will be omitted. <7> In the above, the management server 15 sends a control instruction to the server 2 via the Internet 1.

[0068] The server 2 (the information processing device 20A operating as the server 2) that has received the control instruction transmits an instruction to prohibit (stop) the transmission of information to the UEs 10 of the members other than the representative UE in accordance with the control instruction (see FIG. 8 <8> ) As a result, members other than the representative UE will not transmit information to the server 2. This also makes it possible to reduce the power consumption of the UEs 10 other than the representative UE and the cellular network.

[0069] When the server 2 detects that the representative UE is unsuitable, for example, when information is not received from the representative UE for a predetermined period of time, the server 2 transmits a message to the management server 15 requesting a change of the representative UE (see FIG. 8 <9> Upon receiving the change request, the management server 15 executes the procedure for selecting a secondary representative UE (see FIG. 8 <1> ~ <7> (Similar process to Figure 8) <10> ).

[0070] The communication system according to the embodiment includes a management server 15 (corresponding to a communication control device). The management server 15 can output (transmit) instructions regarding information to be transmitted from each of the group member UEs 10 (corresponding to a plurality of UEs recognized to be in the same location) to the server 2 (corresponding to a specific destination) via the cellular network 3. The instructions are instructions to control transmission of information to each of the members so that the server 2 (specific destination) receives information transmitted from a representative UE among the members (a plurality of UEs) and does not receive information transmitted from any UE other than the representative UE.

[0071] By controlling the server 2 to receive information from the representative UE, it is possible to reduce the processing load and power consumption of the UEs of members other than the representative UE, the cellular network, and the server 2.

[0072] In the embodiment, the management server 15 (communication control device) can generate a group to which a plurality of UEs belong and select a representative UE from the group based on the location information of each of two or more UEs 10 received from the cellular network 3 (see FIG. 5). <4> and <5> , S03 to S05 in Figure 6).

[0073] In the embodiment, the cellular network 3 included in the communication system can acquire location information of two or more UEs 10 that satisfy a grouping condition (corresponding to a specific condition) from among the UEs 10 whose locations are registered in the cellular network 3 (FIG. 5 <2> ) The cellular network 3 can also transmit two or more pieces of location information to the management server 15 (communication control device) (see FIG. 5 <3> ).

[0074] The grouping condition (specific condition) may be, for example, that the UE is present in one or more specific cells. Alternatively, the grouping condition may be that the UE 10 is included in member information (corresponding to a UE list).

[0075] In generating a group (group registration, S03 and S04 in FIG. 6), the management server 15 (communication control device) can use the grouping conditions and the location information of each of the two or more UEs 10 to generate a group that includes one UE 10 (specific UE) selected from the two or more UEs 10 and a UE 10 whose distance from the location of the specific UE is shorter than a threshold.

[0076] In generating a group (group registration, S03 and S04 in FIG. 6), the management server 15 (communication control device) can use grouping conditions and location information relating to two or more UEs 10 to generate a group that includes a specific UE selected from two or more UEs 10 and a UE 10 whose distance from the location of the specific UE is shorter than a threshold and whose moving direction is recognized to be the same as that of the specific UE.

[0077] The management server 15 (communication control device) can select a UE 10 with which a PDU session has been established in the cellular network 3 as a representative UE from among the UEs 10 of the group members (see FIG. 5 <5> , S05 in Figure 6).

[0078] When there are two or more UEs 10 with which a PDU session has been established in a group, the management server 15 (communication control device) selects the UE with which the PDU session was first established (the UE with which the PDU session was first established). The UE 10 with the oldest PDU session established or the UE 10 with the latest PDU session established can be selected as the representative UE (see FIG. 5). <5> , S05 in Figure 6).

[0079] When a request to change the representative UE is received, the management server 15 (communication control device) can select a UE (secondary representative UE) to replace the representative UE (see FIG. 5 <11> ).

[0080] The cellular network 3 (AMF 11b, SMF 11c, or UPF 11a) included in the communication system can adopt a configuration in which, based on a control instruction, a PDU session is established to transmit information from the representative UE to the server 2, and a PDU session is not established for the UEs 10 of members other than the representative UE (FIG. 5 <8> ,Figure 7 <8> ).

[0081] The cellular network 3 included in the communication system can be configured to discard packets containing information transmitted from UEs other than the representative UE based on a control instruction (see FIG. 5 <8> ,Figure 7 <8> ).

[0082] The management server 15 (communication control device) supplies (transmits) a control instruction to the server 2, and the server 2 that receives the control instruction can transmit information indicating prohibition of information transmission (an instruction to prohibit information transmission) to the UEs 10 of members other than the representative UE (see FIG. 8 <8> ).

[0083] The information destined for the server 2 may include image data captured by each of the member's UEs 10. However, the type of information is not limited to images, and may be any information that is recognized by the server 2 as being identical or similar (duplicate information).

[0084] The cellular network 3 according to the embodiment may include a network node (NEF11e) that transmits location information of two or more UEs 10 that satisfy a specific condition (grouping condition) among the UEs 10 whose locations are registered in the cellular network 3, and that receives, with regard to information transmitted to the server 2 via the cellular network 3 from each of the multiple UEs 10 that are selected from the two or more UEs 10 and recognized to be in the same location, information transmitted from a representative UE among the multiple UEs 10, and receives an instruction to control transmission of information to each of the multiple UEs 10 so that the server 2 does not receive information from any UE other than the representative UE. The network node may be an NF 11 other than the NEF11e. The network node may be one or more NFs 11. The network node may be a new NF 11 or an extended existing NF 11.

[0085] The above-described embodiment and modifications are merely examples, and the present disclosure may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the gist thereof. Furthermore, the processes and means described in the present disclosure may be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0086] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed.

[0087] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program that implements the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors in the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions, such as, for example, any type of disk, such as a magnetic disk (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (e.g., a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, a Blu-ray disk), a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, or an optical card. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1 Internet, 2 Server (communication partner), 3 Cellular network, 3A Core network, 4 RAN, 5 Base station, 10 UE, 15 Management server (communication control device), 20A, 20B Information processing device, 21, 31 Processor, 22, 32 Storage device

Claims

1. a communication control device that outputs an instruction to control transmission of information to each of a plurality of UEs, the information being transmitted to a specific destination via a cellular network from each of the plurality of UEs that are recognized to be in the same location, so that the specific destination receives information transmitted from a representative UE among the plurality of UEs and does not receive information from any UE other than the representative UE; A communication system including:

2. The communication control device generates a group to which the plurality of UEs belong based on location information of each of the two or more UEs received from the cellular network, and selects the representative UE from the group. The communication system of claim 1 .

3. the communication system further includes the cellular network; The cellular network acquires location information of the two or more UEs that satisfy a specific condition from among UEs whose locations are registered in the cellular network, and transmits the two or more pieces of location information to the communication control device. The communication system according to claim 2 .

4. The specific condition is that the UE is located in one or more specific cells. The communication system according to claim 3 .

5. The specific condition is that the UE is included in the UE list. The communication system according to claim 3 .

6. The communication control device generates the group to which one UE selected from the two or more UEs belongs and a UE whose distance from the location of the one UE is shorter than a threshold, using the location information of each of the two or more UEs. The communication system according to claim 2 .

7. The communication control device uses location information related to the two or more UEs to generate the group to which one UE selected from the two or more UEs belongs, and a UE whose distance from the location of the one UE to the one UE is shorter than a threshold and whose moving direction is recognized to be the same as that of the one UE. The communication system according to claim 2 .

8. The communication control device selects, from the plurality of UEs, a UE with which a PDU session has been established in the cellular network as the representative UE. The communication system according to claim 2 .

9. When there are two or more UEs with which the PDU session has been established, the communication control device selects the UE with which the PDU session has been established first or the UE with which the PDU session has been established last as the representative UE.

9. The communication system of claim 8.

10. When a request to change the representative UE is received, the communication control device selects a UE to replace the representative UE. The communication system according to claim 2 .

11. the communication system further includes the cellular network; The cellular network forwards the information from the representative UE to the specific destination based on the instruction. A PDU session is established for transmitting the PDU to the next UE, and a PDU session is not established for UEs other than the representative UE among the plurality of UEs. The communication system of claim 1 .

12. the communication system further includes the cellular network; The cellular network discards packets including the information transmitted from UEs other than the representative UE among the plurality of UEs based on the instruction. The communication system of claim 1 .

13. the communication control device provides the instruction to the specific destination; The specific destination that has received the instruction transmits information indicating prohibition of transmission of the information to UEs other than the representative UE among the plurality of UEs. The communication system of claim 1 .

14. The information includes an image captured at each of the plurality of UEs. The communication system of claim 1 .

15. A communication control device outputs an instruction to control transmission of information to each of a plurality of UEs, the plurality of UEs being recognized as being in the same location, to a specific destination via a cellular network, so that the specific destination receives information transmitted from a representative UE among the plurality of UEs and does not receive information from any other than the representative UE. A communication control method comprising:

16. The communication control device generates a group to which the plurality of UEs belong based on location information of each of the two or more UEs received from the cellular network, and selects the representative UE from within the group. Also includes The communication control method according to claim 15.

17. The cellular network acquires location information of the two or more UEs that satisfy a specific condition from among UEs whose locations are registered in the cellular network, and transmits the two or more pieces of location information to the communication control device. Also includes The communication control method according to claim 16.

18. The communication control device uses location information of each of the two or more UEs to generate the group to which one UE selected from the two or more UEs belongs and a UE whose distance from the location of the one UE is shorter than a threshold. The communication control method according to claim 16.

19. The communication control device uses location information related to the two or more UEs to generate the group to which one UE selected from the two or more UEs belongs, and a UE whose distance from the location of the one UE to the one UE is shorter than a threshold and whose moving direction is recognized to be the same as that of the one UE. The communication control method according to claim 16.

20. A cellular network, Transmitting location information of two or more UEs that satisfy a specific condition from among UEs whose locations are registered in the cellular network; Regarding information transmitted to a specific destination via the cellular network from each of a plurality of UEs that are selected from the two or more UEs and that are recognized to be present in the same location, receiving an instruction to control transmission of information to each of the plurality of UEs so that the UE receives information transmitted from a representative UE among the plurality of UEs and does not receive information from any UE other than the representative UE; A network node running cellular networks, including

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