Control device and control method

Abstract

To perform appropriate regulation control of a terminal when terminal identification cannot be performed in a mobile communication network.SOLUTION: A AMF10, which is a control device, includes an identification-result acquiring unit 11 that acquires, from a UE100, which is a device, device information for specifying the UE100, causes the UE100 to be identified whether use of the UE100 in a mobile communications network N is permitted using the device information, and acquires an identification result, and a re-identification control unit 12 that causes the region to be identified again when the identification result acquired by the identification-result acquiring unit 11 indicates that the region has not been identified.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device and a control method for identifying a terminal in a mobile communication network. [Background technology]

[0002] The 3GPP (The 3rd Generation Partnership Project) standard specifies a terminal identification procedure (ME Identity check procedure) in a mobile communication network (see, for example, Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3). The terminal identification procedure is performed by a 5G-EIR (5G-Equipment Identity Register), which is a node in the mobile communication network, using a PEI (Permanent Equipment Identifier), which is a terminal identification number set in the terminal. If the terminal is permitted to be used as a result of the terminal identification, the terminal can communicate in the mobile communication network. If the terminal is not permitted to be used as a result of the terminal identification, the terminal cannot communicate in the mobile communication network. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] 3GPP TS 23.501 V18.4.0 (2023-12) [Non-patent document 2] 3GPP TS 23.502 V18.4.0 (2023-12) [Non-patent document 3] 3GPP TS 29.511 V18.2.0 (2023-12) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There are cases where the above terminal identification cannot be performed due to problems in the mobile communication network. For example, if the 5G-EIR cannot obtain the PEI used for terminal identification or cannot access the terminal identification database used for terminal identification, terminal identification cannot be performed. In this case, the 5G-EIR outputs information that terminal identification could not be performed. For example, if the PEI is unknown, the 5G-EIR outputs an error.

[0005] The 3GPP standard does not specifically specify what processing to perform when terminal identification is not possible. In this case, if terminal communication is prohibited, terminals that should be able to communicate will be prohibited from communicating. On the other hand, if terminal communication is permitted, terminals that should be prohibited from communicating will be able to communicate. As such, either method adopted results in imperfect regulatory control.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a control device and a control method that can perform appropriate terminal restriction control when terminal identification cannot be performed in a mobile communication network. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the control device of the present invention includes an identification result acquisition unit that acquires terminal information identifying the terminal from the terminal, and performs identification using the terminal information to determine whether or not use of the terminal is permitted in the mobile communication network, thereby acquiring the identification result, and a re-identification control unit that performs the identification again if the identification result acquired by the identification result acquisition unit indicates that the terminal could not be identified.

[0008] According to the control device of the present invention, even if identification using terminal information cannot be performed in a mobile communication network, identification is performed again. Therefore, according to the control device of the present invention, appropriate terminal restriction control can be performed when terminal identification cannot be performed in a mobile communication network.

[0009] Incidentally, the present invention can be described not only as a control device invention as described above, but also as a control method invention as described below. These are essentially the same inventions, just in different categories, and have similar functions and effects.

[0010] That is, the control method according to the present invention includes an identification result acquisition step of acquiring terminal information identifying the terminal from the terminal, and using the terminal information to identify whether or not use of the terminal in the mobile communication network is permitted, thereby acquiring the identification result; and a re-identification control step of causing the terminal to be identified again if the identification result acquired in the identification result acquisition step indicates that the terminal could not be identified. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform appropriate restriction control of terminals when terminal identification cannot be performed in a mobile communication network. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an AMF (Access and Mobility management Function), which is a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a configuration of a mobile communication system including the AMF. [Figure 2] 3 is a sequence diagram showing a control method which is a process executed by the AMF which is a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a sequence diagram showing a control method which is a process executed by the AMF which is a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an AMF (or a physical server or the like in which the AMF is realized) that is a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a control device and a control method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0014] FIG. 1 shows AMF10, which is a control device according to this embodiment. AMF10 is a device (system, node) that controls the identification of terminals in a mobile communication network N. The mobile communication network N is a communication network that provides mobile communication functions to UE100, which is a mobile communication terminal (mobile device). The mobile communication network N according to this embodiment is, for example, a 5G mobile communication network. Furthermore, the mobile communication network N may have functions conforming to the 3GPP standard. However, the mobile communication network N does not need to be the one described above, and may be any mobile communication network within a framework that conforms to this embodiment.

[0015] The UE 100 is a terminal having a function of connecting to a mobile communication network N and performing mobile communication. The UE 100 is, for example, a mobile phone or a smartphone used by a user. The UE 100 may be a conventional one. The UE 100 is set with a PEI, which is terminal information (terminal identification number, device serial number) that identifies the UE 100. As will be described later, the PEI is used to control the use of the UE 100 in the mobile communication network N.

[0016] The mobile communication network N includes a plurality of functional elements (network function units) called NFs (Network Functions), which provide mobile communication functions to the UE 100. The mobile communication network N includes network resources (network infrastructure), which are physical networks including links (e.g., lines or transmission paths between devices) and nodes (e.g., the devices themselves) of network devices. The NFs are implemented on a physical server, which is one of the resources, or on a dedicated network device (e.g., a router or a switch).

[0017] The mobile communication network N includes, as components according to this embodiment, an AMF 10, a 5G-EIR 20, a terminal identification database 30, a UDM (Unified Data Management) 40, and a subscriber database 50. These components 10 to 50 according to this embodiment may be NFs. These components 10 to 50 according to this embodiment are nodes that configure (are included in) the core network of the mobile communication network N. In addition to the above, the mobile communication network N may also include devices and nodes that are included in a conventional mobile communication network.

[0018] The AMF 10 is a node having the function of managing the location of the UE 100 and performing communication path setting processing. The 5G-EIR 20 is a node that executes a terminal identification procedure using the PEI. The terminal identification database 30 is a database that holds information used in the terminal identification procedure and executes part of the terminal identification procedure. The UDM 40 is a node that manages data on subscribers of the mobile communication network N. The subscriber database 50 is a node that holds subscriber information, which is information related to subscribers of the mobile communication network N.

[0019] Each device and node of the mobile communication network N has the same functions as each device and node of a conventional mobile communication network. The mobile communication network N may be realized in the same way as a conventional mobile communication network, except for those according to this embodiment, which will be described later. For example, each device and node of the mobile communication network N has the functions shown in Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3. Note that some nodes, such as the AMF 10, have the functions described below in addition to the conventional functions.

[0020] Next, the functions of the AMF 10, which is the control device according to this embodiment, will be explained. As shown in FIG. 1, the AMF 10 is configured to include an identification result acquisition unit 11 and a re-identification control unit 12. Below, the functions of other nodes and devices that correspond to the functions of the AMF 10 according to this embodiment will also be explained. Note that if the other nodes and devices have new functions according to this embodiment that differ from conventional functions, the control device (system) according to this embodiment may further include the other nodes and devices.

[0021] The identification result acquisition unit 11 is a functional unit that acquires terminal information identifying the UE 100 from the terminal UE 100, and uses the terminal information to identify whether or not the use of the UE 100 in the mobile communication network N is permitted, thereby acquiring the identification result.

[0022] In this embodiment, the identification of UE 100 is a PEI check, which is an identification performed by the terminal identification procedure shown in Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3. The PEI check is performed using the PEI set in UE 100. If the PEI check determines that use of UE 100 in mobile communication network N is permitted, UE 100 is permitted to perform mobile communication using mobile communication network N. If the PEI check determines that use of UE 100 in mobile communication network N is not permitted, UE 100 is prohibited from performing mobile communication using mobile communication network N.

[0023] The PEI check is performed when the UE 100 registers its location in the mobile communication network N. When the UE 100 requests location registration to the mobile communication network N, the location registration process is performed in the mobile communication network N. The mobile communication network N usually includes multiple AMFs 10. When the location registration process is performed in the mobile communication network N, an AMF 10 that performs processing for the UE 100 is set from the multiple AMFs 10. The identification result acquisition unit 11 of the set AMF 10 acquires the identification result for the UE 100 as follows: The location registration process in the mobile communication network N, including the setting of the AMF 10, may be performed in the same way as in a conventional mobile communication network.

[0024] When the UE 100 transmits a signal (Registration Request) requesting location registration to the mobile communication network N, the AMF 10 receives the signal. The signal includes the PEI of the UE 100. If the AMF 10 is unable to acquire the PEI of the UE 100 due to some malfunction in the UE 100 or the mobile communication network N, the AMF 10 requests and acquires the PEI from the UE 100 according to a terminal re-identification procedure. For example, the AMF 10 transmits a signal (Identity Request) related to the request and receives a response (Identity Response) including the PEI from the UE 100.

[0025] When the AMF 10 receives the above signal (a signal requesting location registration or a response including the PEI), the identification result acquisition unit 11 transmits a signal (for example, N5g-eir_EquipmentIdentityCheck_Get Request) requesting a PEI check to the 5G-EIR 20. The signal includes the PEI to be subjected to the PEI check.

[0026] The 5G-EIR 20 receives the signal and transmits a signal requesting a PEI check to the terminal identification database 30. The signal includes the PEI that is the target of the PEI check.

[0027] The terminal identification database 30 stores information used for PEI check in advance. For example, the terminal identification database 30 stores a list of PEIs of UEs 100 that are permitted to be used (i.e., a whitelist). Alternatively, the terminal identification database 30 stores a list of PEIs of UEs 100 that are prohibited to be used (i.e., a blacklist). The terminal identification database 30 receives a signal requesting a PEI check transmitted from the 5G-EIR 20, and compares (collates) the PEI included in the signal with information stored in advance to perform a PEI check.

[0028] The terminal identification database 30 transmits information indicating the result of the PEI check to the 5G-EIR 20 as a response to the received signal. If the use of the UE 100 is permitted as a result of the PEI check, the terminal identification database 30 transmits a signal to that effect. The use of the UE 100 is permitted, for example, when the PEI included in the signal requesting the PEI check is included in the whitelist, or when the PEI is not included in the blacklist. If the use of the UE 100 is prohibited as a result of the PEI check, the terminal identification database 30 transmits a signal to that effect. The use of the UE 100 is prohibited, for example, when the PEI included in the signal requesting the PEI check is not included in the whitelist, or when the PEI is included in the blacklist.

[0029] The 5G-EIR 20 receives information indicating the result of the PEI check from the terminal identification database 30, and transmits the received information as a response to the signal requesting the PEI check (for example, N5g-eir_EquipmentIdentityCheck_Get Response) to the AMF 10. The identification result acquisition unit 11 receives and acquires the information transmitted from the 5G-EIR 20 as the identification result.

[0030] During the above PEI check process, if the PEI is not acquired at any node, i.e., if the PEI is unknown, the PEI check cannot be performed. Furthermore, if the 5G-EIR 20 cannot access the terminal identification database 30, the PEI check cannot be performed. Furthermore, there may be other reasons why the PEI check cannot be performed. These may occur, for example, due to a temporary failure or other problem in the mobile communication network N.

[0031] In such a case, the identification result acquisition unit 11 acquires, as the identification result, information indicating that the PEI check could not be performed, that is, information indicating that the UE 100 could not be identified.

[0032] For example, if the terminal identification database 30 receives a signal requesting a PEI check from the 5G-EIR 20 but the signal does not contain a PEI that is the target of the PEI check, the terminal identification database 30 returns information indicating an error to the 5G-EIR 20 as information indicating that the PEI check could not be performed. The 5G-EIR 20 receives the information indicating the error and transmits an identification result based on the received information to the AMF 10. Furthermore, if the PEI is unknown at the time the 5G-EIR 20 receives a signal requesting a PEI check from the AMF 10 (for example, if the signal does not contain a PEI), the 5G-EIR 20 does not request a PEI check from the terminal identification database 30 and transmits an identification result to the AMF 10 indicating that the PEI was unknown. Furthermore, if the 5G-EIR 20 cannot access the terminal identification database 30 and cannot perform a PEI check, it transmits information indicating that as the identification result to the AMF 10. These identification results transmitted from the 5G-EIR 20 to the AMF 10 may all be, for example, "404 Not Found." The identification result acquisition unit 11 receives and acquires the information transmitted from the 5G-EIR 20 as the identification result.

[0033] The process of acquiring the identification result by the identification result acquisition unit 11, including the case where the PEI check cannot be performed, may be performed in the same manner as in the past. Furthermore, the process of acquiring the identification result by the identification result acquisition unit 11 may be performed by a method other than the above.

[0034] If the identification result acquired by the identification result acquisition unit 11 is a result of the PEI check being successful, that is, if the result of the PEI check is that the use of the UE 100 is permitted (no restriction) or that the use of the UE 100 is prohibited (restriction), the mobile communication network N controls whether to permit or prohibit the use of the UE 100 according to the identification result. This control may be performed in the same manner as in the past.

[0035] If the identification result acquired by the identification result acquisition unit 11 is a result of a case where a PEI check could not be performed, the identification result acquisition unit 11 notifies this fact to the re-identification control unit 12. Furthermore, if a PEI has been acquired for the UE 100 that was the target of the PEI check, the identification result acquisition unit 11 notifies the re-identification control unit 12 of the PEI together with the notification.

[0036] If the PEI cannot be acquired for UE 100 that was the target of the PEI check, then the identification result acquisition unit 11 notifies the re-identification control unit 12 of information (information other than the PEI) (e.g., the ID of UE 100) that can identify UE 100 that is the target of the PEI check, together with the notification. For example, the identification result acquisition unit 11 notifies the re-identification control unit 12 of the SUPI (Subscription Permanent Identifier) ​​acquired from UE 100 at the time of location registration as the information. The SUPI is a subscriber identification number that is information that identifies the subscriber related to UE 100. Furthermore, the information that can identify UE 100 may be something other than the SUPI. The UE 100 is identified by the information, and subsequent processing for UE 100 is performed.

[0037] In this case, the PEI check does not determine whether use of the UE 100 is permitted or prohibited. As described above, the 3GPP standard does not specifically specify what processing to perform in this case. In this case, if communication of the UE 100 in the mobile communication network N is prohibited, communication of the UE 100 (authorized terminal) that is originally capable of communication will be prohibited. On the other hand, if communication of the UE 100 is permitted, communication of the UE 100 (unauthorized terminal) that should originally be prohibited from communication will become possible. The control according to this embodiment is intended to suppress such an incomplete restriction control state.

[0038] As described above, the state in which the PEI check cannot be performed is due to, for example, a problem in the mobile communication network N, that is, not due to a cause on the side of the UE 100. Therefore, even if the PEI check cannot be performed, the mobile communication network N may temporarily permit the use of the UE 100 (for example, the presence of the UE 100 in the area of ​​the mobile communication network N).

[0039] The re-identification control unit 12 is a functional unit that performs the identification again when the identification result acquired by the identification result acquisition unit 11 indicates that the UE 100 could not be identified. The re-identification control unit 12 may acquire terminal information from the UE 100 again and perform the identification again using the newly acquired terminal information. The re-identification control unit 12 may acquire terminal information from the UE 100 again by a method other than retrying the location registration.

[0040] When the identification result acquired by the identification result acquisition unit 11 indicates that UE 100 could not be identified, the re-identification control unit 12 may store this information in the mobile communication network N, and may perform the identification again when an event related to UE 100 other than the identification occurs. The event related to UE 100 may be the occurrence of call processing related to UE 100. The event related to UE 100 may be a change in subscriber information related to UE 100 held in the mobile communication network N. The re-identification control unit 12 may store, in multiple nodes of the mobile communication network N, information indicating that the identification result indicated that UE 100 could not be identified, and may delete the stored information from the nodes in response to the occurrence of an event, and then perform the identification again.

[0041] The re-identification control unit 12 performs re-identification, for example, as follows: The re-identification control unit 12 receives a notification from the identification result acquisition unit 11 that the PEI check could not be performed and information that can identify the UE 100 that is the target of the PEI check. Upon receiving the notification, the re-identification control unit 12 performs processing for performing a PEI check on the UE 100 again.

[0042] For example, the re-identification control unit 12 may perform control so that a PEI check is performed again immediately upon receiving the notification. Alternatively, the re-identification control unit 12 may perform control so that a PEI check is performed again after a preset time has elapsed since the notification (when a preset timer has expired since the notification). The time lapse can be achieved, for example, by monitoring within the system. By leaving a time until the next PEI check, the possibility that the problem that prevented the PEI check from being performed has been resolved increases.

[0043] Considering a case where the PEI of the UE 100 has not been acquired in the mobile communication network N, the re-identification control unit 12 may acquire the PEI again from the UE 100. For example, the re-identification control unit 12 may request the PEI from the UE 100 and acquire it. For example, the re-identification control unit 12 transmits a signal (Identity Request) related to the request and receives a response (Identity Response) including the PEI from the UE 100.

[0044] Alternatively, re-identification control unit 12 may request UE 100 to retry location registration, and cause UE 100 to retry location registration. As described above, UE 100 performs location registration in mobile communication network N, and thereby the PEI of UE 100 used for PEI check is acquired in mobile communication network N, i.e., AMF 10. For example, re-identification control unit 12 transmits a signal (e.g., 5GMM_Deregistration Request) to cause UE 100 to retry location registration, and causes UE 100 to retry location registration.

[0045] Note that, by acquiring the PEI from the UE 100 by a method other than retrying location registration, such as a method using a signal requesting a PEI (Identity Request), it is possible to avoid inconveniences that may occur when retrying location registration. For example, if location registration of the UE 100 is restarted to acquire the PEI, service interruption of the UE 100 occurs (calls being communicated are forcibly disconnected). Furthermore, if location registration is retried for a large number of UEs 100 at the same time, there is a concern that the traffic load in the mobile communication network N will increase and congestion will occur. By acquiring the PEI from the UE 100 by a method other than retrying location registration, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of the above problems without imposing a load on the mobile communication network N.

[0046] Furthermore, re-identification control unit 12 may acquire the PEI from UE 100 only when the PEI has not been acquired (for example, when the PEI has not been notified from identification result acquisition unit 11).

[0047] The re-identification control unit 12 causes a PEI check to be performed again using the acquired PEI. The control of the execution of the PEI check may be performed in the same manner as the control of the execution of the PEI check by the above-mentioned identification result acquisition unit 11, i.e., the control of the execution of the conventional PEI check. Furthermore, the control of permission or prohibition of use of the UE 100 according to the identification result of the PEI check may also be performed in the same manner as the above-mentioned conventional control. Furthermore, if the PEI check cannot be performed even by the control by the re-identification control unit 12, i.e., if the identification result obtained by the control by the re-identification control unit 12 is a case where the PEI check cannot be performed, the re-identification control unit 12 may control to perform a PEI check again (third or later).

[0048] When the re-identification control unit 12 receives a notification from the identification result acquisition unit 11, it may store in the mobile communication network N, for example as follows, the fact that the PEI check could not be performed, and may perform a PEI check again if an event related to the UE 100 other than the PEI check occurs.

[0049] Re-identification control unit 12 stores a PEI check failure flag indicating that the PEI check could not be performed in association with UE 100 that is the target of the PEI check. For example, re-identification control unit 12 stores the PEI check failure flag in association with information (e.g., ID of UE 100) that can identify UE 100 that is the target of the PEI check.

[0050] Furthermore, the re-identification control unit 12 notifies the UDM 40 that the PEI check could not be performed for the UE 100 that is the target of the PEI check, i.e., notifies that the PEI check has failed (the query has failed). Upon receiving this notification, the UDM 40 notifies the subscriber database 50. Upon receiving this notification, the subscriber database 50, like the re-identification control unit 12 (AMF 10), stores a PEI check failure flag in association with the UE 100 that is the target of the PEI check. In this way, the re-identification control unit 12 stores the PEI check failure flag in multiple nodes (in this example, the AMF 10 and the subscriber database 50) in the mobile communication network N.

[0051] In the mobile communication network N, when a PEI check retry trigger, which is a trigger for another PEI check, is detected, the PEI check is performed again. The PEI check retry trigger is the occurrence of a preset event related to the UE 100 other than the PEI check. The event may be an appropriate timing for another PEI check. For example, the event may be an event for which a process related to the event is appropriate to be executed after the PEI check is performed.

[0052] The event is, for example, the occurrence of call processing related to the UE 100. The call processing related to the UE 100 is, for example, an outgoing call for voice communication from the UE 100 to another terminal, or an incoming call for voice communication from another terminal to the UE 100. The event may also be another change in the state of the UE 100, or input of a maintenance command related to the UE 100 to the mobile communication network N, or the like.

[0053] The re-identification control unit 12 detects that the event has occurred for the UE 100. The event detection may be performed by a conventional method. If the re-identification control unit 12 has stored a PEI check failure flag in association with the UE 100 for which the event has been detected, the re-identification control unit 12 causes a PEI check to be performed again for the UE 100. The control of the execution of the PEI check again may be performed in the same manner as described above.

[0054] Furthermore, the above event may be a change (update) of subscriber information related to UE 100 stored in the subscriber database 50. The change of subscriber information is, for example, a change of contract related to UE 100. A request to change the subscriber information is made, for example, by inputting information from a dedicated terminal of a communication carrier of the mobile communication network N connected to the mobile communication network N. In the mobile communication network N, the UDM 40 accepts the input. That is, the UDM 40 detects a trigger for updating the subscriber information. Upon accepting the input, the UDM 40 requests the subscriber database 50 to update the subscriber information. The subscriber database 50 accepts the request and updates the subscriber information related to UE 100.

[0055] If the subscriber database 50 has stored a PEI check failure flag in association with the UE 100 related to the updated subscriber information, the subscriber database 50 includes the PEI check failure flag in a response to the request and transmits the response to the UDM 40. The UDM 40 receives the response from the subscriber database 50. If the received response includes a PEI check failure flag, the UDM 40 requests the AMF 10 to perform a PEI check again for the UE 100 corresponding to the PEI check failure flag. The request for a PEI check again is made, for example, by including the check failure flag in a signal (for example, Nudm_DeresigtrationNotification Request) requesting a retry of location registration and transmitting the signal.

[0056] The re-identification control unit 12 receives the above request from the UDM 40 and causes a PEI check to be performed again for the UE 100. In this case, the control of the execution of the PEI check again may be performed in the same manner as described above. As described above, the re-identification control unit 12 may detect a PEI check retry trigger related to a change in subscriber information by receiving a request from the UDM 40.

[0057] Furthermore, an event related to UE 100 that can be a PEI check retry trigger detected by UDM40 may be other than a change in subscriber information. The event may be a change in the location state of UE 100. For example, when mobile communication network N includes multiple mobile communication networks based on multiple standards (e.g., 5G and LTE (Long Term Evolution)), a change in the location state of UE 100 is a change in the mobile communication network in which UE 100 is located (e.g., a change from a state in which UE 100 is located in an LTE mobile communication network to a state in which UE 100 is located in a 5G mobile communication network). The event may also be input of a maintenance command related to UE 100 to UDM40, etc.

[0058] The UDM 40 detects that the event has occurred for the UE 100. The event detection may be performed by a conventional method. The UDM 40 checks whether a PEI check failure flag is stored in the subscriber database 50 in association with the UE 100 that detected the event. If a PEI check failure flag is stored in the subscriber database 50 in association with the UE 100 that detected the event, the UDM 40 requests the AMF 10 to perform a PEI check again for the UE 100 that corresponds to the PEI check failure flag. The re-identification control unit 12 receives the above request from the UDM 40 and causes the AMF 10 to perform a PEI check again for the UE 100 in the same manner as above.

[0059] If the re-identification control unit 12 is able to perform the PEI check again, it deletes (erases) the PEI check failure flag stored for the UE 100 involved in the PEI check. In this case, the re-identification control unit 12 also deletes (erases) the PEI check failure flag stored in the subscriber database 50 for the UE 100 involved in the PEI check. The deletion is performed by transmitting a signal requesting deletion from the re-identification control unit 12 to the subscriber database 50.

[0060] In the mobile communication network N, if PEI check failure flags are held in multiple types of nodes (for example, the AMF 10 and the subscriber database 50 in the above example), and if different events that become PEI check retry triggers are detected corresponding to the respective nodes at the same time, there is a risk that the PEI check will be performed again multiple times (for example, twice) in response to the detection. Therefore, when the event is detected, the PEI check failure flags other than the PEI check failure flag stored corresponding to the node that detected the event may be deleted, and then the PEI check may be performed again.

[0061] For example, when the re-identification control unit 12 first detects the occurrence of the event for the UE 100 (rather than a notification from the UDM 40, etc.), it deletes the PEI check failure flags other than the PEI check failure flags stored in the re-identification control unit 12 itself, i.e., the PEI check failure flags stored in the subscriber database 50. After the PEI check failure flags stored in the subscriber database 50 are deleted, no further PEI checks will be performed due to the PEI check failure flags stored in the subscriber database 50. After the PEI check failure flags stored in the subscriber database 50 are deleted, the re-identification control unit 12 causes a PEI check to be performed again.

[0062] Furthermore, when the UDM 40 detects the occurrence of the event for the UE 100, it deletes the PEI check failure flags other than the PEI check failure flags stored in the subscriber database 50, i.e., the PEI check failure flags stored in the AMF 10. The deletion is performed by transmitting a signal requesting deletion from the UDM 40 to the AMF 10. After the PEI check failure flags stored in the AMF 10 are deleted, a PEI check will no longer be performed again due to the PEI check failure flags stored in the AMF 10. After deleting the PEI check failure flags stored in the AMF 10, the UDM 40 requests the AMF 10 to perform a PEI check again. The re-identification control unit 12 receives the request from the UDM 40 and causes the AMF 10 to perform a PEI check again. The signal requesting deletion and the request for a PEI check again, which are transmitted from the UDM 40 to the AMF 10, may be a single signal. In this case, when the signal is received by the AMF 10, the PEI check failure flag is deleted, and then the re-identification control unit 12 causes a PEI check to be performed again. The above is the function of the AMF 10 according to this embodiment.

[0063] Next, a control method, which is a process executed by the AMF 10 according to this embodiment (an operation method performed by the AMF 10 according to this embodiment), will be described using the sequence diagrams of Figures 2 and 3. In the following description, processes that are normally performed in a mobile communication network but are not related to this embodiment will be omitted.

[0064] First, a process for performing a PEI check again without being triggered by an event related to the UE 100 other than the PEI check will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of Fig. 2. As shown in the sequence diagram of Fig. 2, in this process, first, a signal (Registration Request) requesting location registration is transmitted from the UE 100 to the mobile communication network N (S01). In the mobile communication network N, the AMF 10 receives the signal. The PEI of the UE 100 is included in the signal. If the PEI of the UE 100 has not been acquired by the AMF 10 at this point, the AMF 10 requests the UE 100 for the PEI, and the AMF 10 acquires the PEI.

[0065] When the AMF 10 receives a signal requesting location registration, the identification result acquisition unit 11 transmits a signal requesting a PEI check (for example, N5g-eir_EquipmentIdentityCheck_Get Request) to the 5G-EIR 20 (S02, identification result acquisition step). The signal includes the PEI that is the target of the PEI check. The 5G-EIR 20 receives the information and transmits a signal requesting a PEI check to the terminal identification database 30 (S03). The signal includes the PEI that is the target of the PEI check.

[0066] The terminal identification database 30 receives the signal transmitted from the 5G-EIR 20 and compares the PEI contained in the signal with pre-stored information to perform a PEI check (S04). Information indicating the result of the PEI check is transmitted from the terminal identification database 30 to the 5G-EIR 20 (S05). The information indicating the result of the PEI check is received by the 5G-EIR 20, and the received information is transmitted to the AMF 10 as a response to the signal requesting the PEI check (for example, N5g-eir_EquipmentIdentityCheck_Get Response) (S06). In the AMF 10, the identification result acquisition unit 11 receives and acquires the information transmitted from the 5G-EIR 20 as the identification result (S06, identification result acquisition step).

[0067] If the PEI check is performed by the above processing (S01 to S06), that is, if the result of the PEI check is that the use of the UE 100 is permitted or that the use of the UE 100 is prohibited, the mobile communication network N performs the same processing as in the past according to the result of the PEI check. Note that this processing is not shown in FIG. 2.

[0068] If the PEI check cannot be performed by the above processes (S01 to S06), the following process for re-checking the PEI is performed as shown in Fig. 2. If the PEI check cannot be performed, the mobile communication network N may treat the UE 100 involved in the PEI check as being permitted to be used until the PEI check is performed again.

[0069] In this case, in the AMF 10, the re-identification control unit 12 transmits a signal (Identity Request) requesting a PEI to the UE 100 (S07, re-identification control step). The signal is received by the UE 100, and a response (Identity Response) including the PEI is transmitted from the UE 100 to the AMF 10 (S08). In the AMF 10, the re-identification control unit 12 receives the response including the PEI and acquires the PEI (S08, re-identification control step). Note that the re-identification control unit 12 may acquire the PEI by causing the UE 100 to retry location registration. Furthermore, if the PEI of the UE 100 has already been acquired in the AMF 10 (at the time of S06), the request for the PEI to the UE 100 (S07) does not need to be made (S07).

[0070] Next, the re-identification control unit 12 transmits a signal (for example, N5g-eir_EquipmentIdentityCheck_Get Request) to the 5G-EIR 20 requesting another PEI check (S09, identification result acquisition step). The signal includes the PEI that is the target of the PEI check. The 5G-EIR 20 receives the information and transmits a signal requesting a PEI check to the terminal identification database 30 (S10). The signal includes the PEI that is the target of the PEI check.

[0071] The terminal identification database 30 receives a signal transmitted from the 5G-EIR 20 and compares the PEI contained in the signal with pre-stored information to perform a PEI check (S11). Information indicating the result of the PEI check is transmitted from the terminal identification database 30 to the 5G-EIR 20 (S12). The information indicating the result of the PEI check is received by the 5G-EIR 20, and the received information is transmitted to the AMF 10 as a response (for example, N5g-eir_EquipmentIdentityCheck_Get Response) to a signal requesting another PEI check (S13). In the AMF 10, the re-identification control unit 12 receives and acquires the information transmitted from the 5G-EIR 20 as an identification result (S13, re-identification control step).

[0072] If the PEI check can be performed by the above processing (S07 to S13), that is, if the result of the PEI check is that the use of UE 100 is permitted or that the use of UE 100 is prohibited, the mobile communication network N performs the same processing as in the past depending on the result of the PEI check. Note that this processing is not shown in FIG. 2. Furthermore, if the PEI check cannot be performed by the above processing (S07 to S13), the processing (S07 to S13) for performing the PEI check again may be performed repeatedly. The above is the processing when performing the PEI check again without being triggered by an event related to UE 100 other than the PEI check.

[0073] Next, a process for performing a PEI check again triggered by an event related to the UE 100 other than the PEI check will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of Fig. 3. In this process, the process until the identification result acquisition unit 11 in the AMF 10 acquires the identification result (S01 to S06 in Fig. 2) is the same as the process described with reference to Fig. 2.

[0074] If the PEI check cannot be performed by the process (S01 to S06), the following process for re-checking the PEI is performed as shown in Fig. 3. If the PEI check cannot be performed, the mobile communication network N may treat the UE 100 involved in the PEI check as being permitted to be used until the PEI check is performed again.

[0075] In this case, in the AMF 10, the re-identification control unit 12 stores a PEI check failure flag in association with the UE 100 that is the target of the PEI check (S21, re-identification control step). Also, the re-identification control unit 12 notifies the UDM 40 that the PEI check has failed for the UE 100 that is the target of the PEI check (S22, re-identification control step). This notification is for storing the PEI check failure flag in the subscriber database 50.

[0076] Next, the UDM 40 that has received the notification notifies the subscriber database 50 (S23). Next, the subscriber database 50 that has received the notification stores a PEI check failure flag in association with the UE 100 that is the target of the PEI check (S24).

[0077] In this state, if an event that triggers a PEI check retry occurs in the mobile communication network N, a PEI check is performed again as follows. If the PEI check retry trigger is one that is first detected by the re-identification control unit 12 (AMF 10) (rather than a notification from the UDM 40, etc.), the re-identification control unit 12 detects the PEI check retry trigger (S31, re-identification control step). If this detection is performed for a UE 100 in which a PEI check failure flag is stored, processing for a PEI check again (S51) is performed for that UE 100. The processing for a PEI check again (S51) is similar to the processing for a PEI check again (S07 to S13) shown in FIG. 2.

[0078] If the PEI check retry trigger is detected by the UDM 40, the PEI check retry trigger is detected by the UDM 40. For example, the UDM 40 detects a subscriber information update trigger as the PEI check retry trigger (S41). That is, a request to change the subscriber information is input to the UDM 40. Next, the UDM 40 requests the subscriber database 50 to update the subscriber information (S42). Next, the subscriber database 50 accepts the request and updates the subscriber information related to the UE 100 (S43).

[0079] If a PEI check failure flag is stored in the subscriber database 50 in association with the UE 100 related to the updated subscriber information, a response including the PEI check failure flag is transmitted from the subscriber database 50 to the UDM 40 (S44). The response is received by the UDM 40. If the received response includes the PEI check failure flag, the UDM 40 requests the AMF 10 to perform a PEI check again for the UE 100 corresponding to the PEI check failure flag (S45). In the AMF 10, the re-identification control unit 12 receives the request from the UDM 40 (S45, re-identification control step). In this way, the re-identification control unit 12 detects (recognizes) a PEI check retry trigger. Subsequently, a process for a PEI check again for the UE 100 (S51) is performed. The process for a PEI check again (S51) is similar to the process for a PEI check again (S07 to S13) shown in FIG. 2.

[0080] If the PEI check can be performed by the process for the re-PEI check (S51), that is, if the result of the PEI check is that the use of the UE 100 is permitted or that the use of the UE 100 is prohibited, the same process as before is performed according to the result of the PEI check in the mobile communication network N. Also, in this case, the PEI check failure flag stored in the AMF 10 and the subscriber database 50 for the UE 100 related to the PEI check is deleted (erased) by the re-identification control unit 12.

[0081] Furthermore, if the PEI check retry trigger is first detected by the re-identification control unit 12 (AMF 10) (rather than by a notification from UDM 40, etc.), the PEI check failure flag stored in the subscriber database 50 may be deleted before the process for the PEI check again (S51). Furthermore, if the PEI check retry trigger is detected by UDM 40, the PEI check failure flag stored in (the re-identification control unit 12 of) the AMF 10 may be deleted before the process for the PEI check again (S51). Note that these processes are not shown in FIG. 3.

[0082] Furthermore, if the PEI check cannot be performed by the above processing (S51), the processing for the PEI check again (S21 onward) may be repeated. The above is the processing when the PEI check is performed again using an event related to the UE 100 other than the PEI check as a trigger.

[0083] According to the present embodiment, even if identification using terminal information cannot be performed in the mobile communication network N, identification is performed again. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, appropriate restriction control of the UE 100 can be performed when terminal identification cannot be performed in the mobile communication network N. That is, according to the present embodiment, the above-described incomplete restriction control state can be suppressed. For example, as described above, even if the use of the UE 100 is temporarily permitted when the PEI check cannot be performed, the frequency of use of the UE 100, whose communication should originally be prohibited, can be reduced compared to the case where communication is simply permitted as described above.

[0084] As in the present embodiment, when the PEI check is performed again, the PEI may be acquired again from the UE 100, and the PEI check may be performed again using the newly acquired PEI. According to this configuration, even if the PEI check before the PEI check cannot be performed because the PEI cannot be acquired, the PEI check can be performed again appropriately and reliably.

[0085] Furthermore, the above-mentioned new PEI acquisition may be performed by a method other than retrying location registration. With this configuration, it is possible to acquire a PEI without imposing a load on the mobile communication network N due to retrying location registration. However, the new PEI acquisition does not necessarily have to be performed as described above. Also, for example, if a PEI has already been acquired, it is not necessary to acquire a new PEI.

[0086] Furthermore, as in the present embodiment, a PEI check failure flag may be stored, and a PEI check may be performed again when an event other than the PEI check occurs related to the UE 100. According to this configuration, a PEI check can be performed as needed at an appropriate timing.

[0087] The event may also be the occurrence of call processing related to the UE 100. The event may also be a change in subscriber information related to the UE 100 held in the mobile communication network N. With these configurations, it is possible to perform a PEI check as needed at a more appropriate timing. However, the event may be something other than the above.

[0088] When storing the PEI check failure flag, the flag may be stored in multiple nodes of the mobile communication network N, and the stored information may be deleted from the node in response to the occurrence of an event, after which the PEI check may be performed again. This configuration can prevent the PEI check from being performed multiple times at the same timing, as described above. However, the deletion of the information as described above is not necessarily required. Furthermore, the PEI check may not necessarily be performed again in response to the occurrence of an event related to the UE 100.

[0089] In this embodiment, the control device included in the mobile communication network N is the AMF 10, but a node other than the AMF included in the mobile communication network N may be the control device.

[0090] In this embodiment, the terminal information is the PEI, but information other than the PEI may be used as long as it identifies the terminal. Also, in this embodiment, the identification is performed by checking the PEI, but information other than the PEI may be used as long as it is used to identify whether or not the use of the UE 100 in the mobile communication network N is permitted, using the terminal information.

[0091] The block diagrams used to explain the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wires, wirelessly, etc.) and these multiple devices. The functional block may also be realized by combining the single device or multiple devices with software.

[0092] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, determination, judgment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, election, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, consideration, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocation, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. As mentioned above, there are no particular limitations on how these functions are implemented.

[0093] For example, the AMF 10 (or a physical server or the like in which the AMF 10 is implemented) in one embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs processing of the method of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the AMF 10 (or a physical server or the like in which the AMF 10 is implemented) in one embodiment of the present disclosure. The above-mentioned AMF 10 (or a physical server or the like in which the AMF 10 is implemented) may be physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, etc. In addition, the hardware configurations of other components of the mobile communication network N and the UE 100 may also be as described here.

[0094] In the following explanation, the term "apparatus" can be interpreted as a circuit, device, unit, etc. The hardware configuration of AMF 10 (or the physical server on which it is implemented) may be configured to include one or more of the apparatuses shown in the figure, or may be configured to exclude some of the apparatuses.

[0095] Each function in AMF10 is realized by loading specified software (programs) onto hardware such as processor 1001 and memory 1002, causing processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication via communication device 1004, and control at least one of reading and writing data in memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0096] The processor 1001, for example, runs an operating system to control the entire computer. The processor 1001 may be configured as a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. For example, each function of the AMF 10 described above may be realized by the processor 1001.

[0097] Furthermore, the processor 1001 reads programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002, and executes various processes in accordance with these. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described in the above-described embodiments. For example, each function of the AMF 10 may be realized by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and running on the processor 1001. Although the above-described various processes have been described as being executed by one processor 1001, they may also be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may also be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

[0098] The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be configured by, for example, at least one of a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 1002 can store an executable program (program code), a software module, etc. for implementing a method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0099] Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be, for example, at least one of an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray® disc), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be referred to as an auxiliary storage device. The storage medium provided in AMF 10 (or the physical server on which AMF 10 is implemented, etc.) may be, for example, a database, a server, or other appropriate medium including at least one of memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0100] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also referred to as, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module. The communication device 1004 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc., to realize at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). For example, each function of the AMF 10 described above may be realized by the communication device 1004.

[0101] The input device 1005 is an input device (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that receives input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (for example, a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that outputs to the outside. The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one device (for example, a touch panel).

[0102] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0103] Furthermore, the AMF 10 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0104] The notification of information is not limited to the aspects / embodiments described in the present disclosure and may be performed using other methods. For example, the notification of information may be performed by physical layer signaling (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI) and Uplink Control Information (UCI)), higher layer signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling, and broadcast information (Master Information Block (MIB) and System Information Block (SIB))), other signals, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the RRC signaling may be referred to as an RRC message, and may be, for example, an RRC Connection Setup message, an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, or the like.

[0105] Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be applied to at least one of systems using LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (New Radio), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-Wideband), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other appropriate systems, and next-generation systems extended based on these. Furthermore, a combination of multiple systems (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G, etc.) may also be applied.

[0106] The order of the procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be changed unless it is consistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

[0107] In the present disclosure, a specific operation described as being performed by a base station may be performed by its upper node in some cases. In a network consisting of one or more network nodes having a base station, it is clear that various operations performed for communication with a terminal may be performed by at least one of the base station and another network node other than the base station (for example, but not limited to, an MME or an S-GW). Although the above example illustrates a case where there is one other network node other than the base station, a combination of multiple other network nodes (for example, an MME and an S-GW) may also be used.

[0108] Information etc. may be output from a higher layer (or a lower layer) to a lower layer (or a higher layer), or may be input / output via multiple network nodes.

[0109] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (for example, memory) or may be managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be sent to another device.

[0110] The determination may be made based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0111] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation. Furthermore, notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is true") is not limited to being done explicitly, but may be done implicitly (e.g., by not notifying the predetermined information).

[0112] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

[0113] Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

[0114] Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0115] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0116] Note that terms explained in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of a channel and a symbol may be a signal (signaling). Furthermore, a signal may be a message. Furthermore, a component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, a cell, a frequency carrier, etc.

[0117] As used in this disclosure, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0118] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc. described in the present disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, may be expressed using relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or may be expressed using other corresponding information. For example, a radio resource may be indicated by an index.

[0119] The names used for the above-described parameters are not intended to be limiting in any way. Furthermore, the mathematical expressions using these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure. The various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements may be identified by any suitable names, and therefore the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not intended to be limiting in any way.

[0120] In this disclosure, terms such as "base station (BS)," "radio base station," "fixed station," "NodeB," "eNodeB (eNB)," "gNodeB (gNB)," "access point," "transmission point," "reception point," "transmission / reception point," "cell," "sector," "cell group," "carrier," and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably. Base stations may also be referred to by terms such as macrocell, small cell, femtocell, and picocell.

[0121] A base station can accommodate one or more (e.g., three) cells. When a base station accommodates multiple cells, the overall coverage area of ​​the base station can be divided into multiple smaller areas, and each smaller area can be provided with communication service by a base station subsystem (e.g., a small indoor base station (RRH: Remote Radio Head)). The term "cell" or "sector" refers to a part or the entire coverage area of ​​a base station and / or base station subsystem that provides communication service within this coverage.

[0122] In this disclosure, the terms "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," "terminal," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0123] A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0124] At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be called a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device mounted on a mobile body, or the mobile body itself. The mobile body may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned mobile body (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle, etc.), or a robot (manned or unmanned). At least one of the base station and the mobile station may also include devices that do not necessarily move during communication operations. For example, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be an IoT (Internet of Things) device such as a sensor.

[0125] Furthermore, a base station in the present disclosure may be read as a user terminal. For example, the aspects / embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a base station and a user terminal is replaced with communication between multiple user terminals (which may be called, for example, D2D (Device-to-Device) or V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything)). Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may be read as terms corresponding to communication between terminals (for example, "side"). For example, terms such as an uplink channel and a downlink channel may be read as a side channel.

[0126] Similarly, a user terminal in the present disclosure may be read as a base station.

[0127] As used in this disclosure, the terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. "Determining" and "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and the like. Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. as having been "judged" or "decided." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding some action as having been "judged" or "decided." Furthermore, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

[0128] The terms "connected," "coupled," or any variation thereof, refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "access." As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using one or more wires, cables, and / or printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0129] As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0130] As used in this disclosure, any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must in some way precede the second element.

[0131] When used in this disclosure, the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, when used in this disclosure, the term "or" is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0132] In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0133] In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "coupled" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

[0134] The control device and control method of the present disclosure have the following configuration. [1] An identification result acquisition unit that acquires terminal information identifying the terminal from the terminal, and uses the terminal information to identify whether or not the terminal is permitted to be used in a mobile communication network, and acquires an identification result; a re-identification control unit that, when the identification result acquired by the identification result acquisition unit indicates that the terminal could not be identified, causes the terminal to be identified again; A control device comprising: [2] The control device according to [1], wherein the re-identification control unit acquires terminal information from the terminal again and performs re-identification using the newly acquired terminal information. [3] The control device according to [2], wherein the re-identification control unit acquires terminal information from the terminal again by a method other than retrying location registration. [4] A control device described in any of [1] to [3], wherein the re-identification control unit, when the identification result acquired by the identification result acquisition unit indicates that the terminal could not be identified, stores this information in the mobile communication network, and when an event other than the identification occurs related to the terminal, causes the identification to be performed again. [5] The control device according to [4], wherein the event relating to the terminal is the occurrence of call processing relating to the terminal. [6] The control device according to [4] or [5], wherein the event relating to the terminal is a change in subscriber information relating to the terminal held in a mobile communication network. [7] A control device described in any of [4] to [6], wherein the re-identification control unit stores in multiple nodes of a mobile communication network a memory indicating that the identification result was unable to identify the terminal, deletes the stored information from the node in response to the occurrence of the event, and then performs the identification again. [8] An identification result acquisition step of acquiring terminal information identifying the terminal from the terminal, and using the terminal information to identify whether or not use of the terminal in the mobile communication network is permitted, and acquiring an identification result; a re-identification control step of causing the terminal to be identified again when the identification result acquired in the identification result acquisition step indicates that the terminal could not be identified; A control method comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0135] 10...AMF, 11...identification result acquisition unit, 12...re-identification control unit, 20...5G-EIR, 30...terminal identification database, 40...UDM, 50...subscriber database, N...mobile communication network, 1001...processor, 1002...memory, 1003...storage, 1004...communication device, 1005...input device, 1006...output device, 1007...bus.

Claims

1. an identification result acquisition unit that acquires terminal information identifying the terminal from the terminal, and uses the terminal information to identify whether or not use of the terminal in the mobile communication network is permitted, and acquires an identification result; a re-identification control unit that, when the identification result acquired by the identification result acquisition unit indicates that the terminal could not be identified, causes the terminal to be identified again; A control device comprising:

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the re-identification control unit acquires terminal information from the terminal again and performs re-identification using the newly acquired terminal information.

3. The control device according to claim 2 , wherein the re-identification control unit acquires the terminal information from the terminal again by a method other than retrying the location registration.

4. The control device described in claim 1, wherein the re-identification control unit stores an indication in the mobile communication network that the identification result acquired by the identification result acquisition unit indicates that the terminal could not be identified, and causes the identification to be performed again when an event related to the terminal other than the identification occurs.

5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein the event relating to the terminal is the occurrence of call processing relating to the terminal.

6. 5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein the event relating to the terminal is a change in subscriber information relating to the terminal held in a mobile communication network.

7. The control device described in claim 4, wherein the re-identification control unit stores in multiple nodes of a mobile communication network a memory indicating that the identification result was that the terminal could not be identified, deletes the stored information from the node in response to the occurrence of the event, and then performs the identification again.

8. an identification result acquisition step of acquiring terminal information identifying the terminal from the terminal, and using the terminal information to identify whether or not use of the terminal in the mobile communication network is permitted, and acquiring an identification result; a re-identification control step of causing the terminal to be identified again when the identification result acquired in the identification result acquisition step indicates that the terminal could not be identified; A control method comprising:

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