Information processing device, communication control device, and communication system

Abstract

This system detects failures in base stations within a wireless communication network system that has multiple base stations. [Solution] The information processing device has an acquisition unit and a determination unit. The acquisition unit of the information processing device acquires connection information between a communication device that is sequentially connected to a plurality of communication control devices and the communication control devices. The determination unit of the information processing device determines whether the communication control device is functioning normally or not based on predetermined arrangement information of the plurality of communication control devices and the acquired connection information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, a communication control apparatus, and a communication system.

Background Art

[0002] [[ID=eleven]] In recent years, 5G mobile communication systems have become widespread. These 5G systems have features such as low latency, high-speed large-capacity communication, and the ability to support a large number of simultaneous connections, and are also applied to private networks and the like. Here, a private network provides cellular communication services in a limited area such as a factory, an office, a studio, a hospital, or a university. Unlike ordinary public cellular communication services, the communication services of a private network are limited to a specific area.

[0003] In such a 5G mobile communication system, a mobile communication system that arranges a plurality of base stations side by side to provide a linear service area is used. For example, a mobile communication system in which a plurality of base stations are arranged along a specific route such as a road and wireless communication services are provided to users passing through the road is used. In such a communication system, methods for detecting failures of base stations have been proposed. For example, a system has been proposed that identifies a transmitter in which an abnormality has occurred based on order information generated by a receiver moving in an area where a plurality of transmitters are installed and sequentially receiving signals from the plurality of transmitters (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the conventional technology described above has the problem that it detects failures in multiple transmitters and cannot be applied to wireless communication network systems with multiple base stations.

[0006] Therefore, this disclosure proposes an information processing device, a communication control device, and a communication system using these for detecting base station failures in a wireless communication network system having multiple base stations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The information processing apparatus of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires connection information between a communication device that is sequentially connected to a plurality of communication control devices and the communication control devices, and a determination unit that determines whether the communication control device is functioning normally or not based on predetermined arrangement information of the plurality of communication control devices and the connection information.

[0008] Furthermore, the communication control device of this disclosure has a communication unit that transmits connection information between a communication device that is sequentially connected to a plurality of communication control devices and the communication control devices. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of a private network. [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing an example of a cellular system. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of base station fault detection. [Figure 4] This figure shows another example of a cellular system. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing an example of a base station layout. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example configuration of a network system according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example configuration of a terminal device according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the configuration of a base station according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 9]It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a fault detection function according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an example of order information according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an example of a fault detection process according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing an example of a detection result according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a network system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing an example of order information according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] It is a diagram showing an example of order information according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing an example of a detection result according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] It is a diagram showing an example of a detection result according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail based on the drawings. The description will be made in the following order. In each of the following embodiments, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. 1. Overview 2. First Embodiment 3. Second Embodiment 4. Third Embodiment 5. Fourth Embodiment 6. Fifth Embodiment

[0011] (1. Overview) (1.1 Private 5G / Local 5G) Private 5G and Local 5G are cellular communication services that operate within limited areas such as factories, offices, studios, hospitals, and universities. Different from ordinary public cellular communication services, customized cellular services can be provided by limiting the communication service to a local area.

[0012] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of a private network. The specified 4G / 5G private network shown in Figure 1 has a terminal device (UE), a base station device (BS), a control plane (CN-C) of the core network, a user plane (CN-U) of the core network, and an application function (AF).

[0013] Here, the UE and BS may be placed within facilities (On-Premise) such as factories, offices, or homes, or in a LAN (Local Area Network). The CN-C, CN-U, and AF may be placed on the cloud such as in a data center.

[0014] In a public cellular network, the settings of the base station cannot be easily changed because a large number of users are using it. On the other hand, in Private 5G, if the operator determines it is necessary, the settings of the base station can be changed according to the service. In this case, when optimizing the cellular communication service based on the service used in the local area, a change in the settings of the base station, which has a significant impact on the communication performance, is required. Therefore, it is considered that the opportunity to make setting changes involving restarting the base station will increase in Private 5G.

[0015] Let me add some information about optimizing cellular communication services. For example, in private 5G, uplink and downlink transmissions are performed using TDD (Time Division Duplex) on the same frequency. One example of optimization is changing the ratio of uplinks to downlinks in this TDD depending on the traffic used by the services within the network. In addition, changing the frequency band used or changing the frequency bandwidth settings depending on the radio wave interference situation are also examples of optimization.

[0016] (1.2 Cellular System Configuration) A cellular system is divided into a Core Network and a Radio Access Network. The Core Network manages multiple base stations, subscriber information for each terminal device, and sessions for each terminal device. Base stations control and manage all aspects of wireless communication, including the management of wireless communication frequency and time resources. The Core Network can also be located in the cloud. Base stations are often implemented by separating them into a Base Band Unit (BBU) and a Remote Radio Head (RRH). The BBU houses most of the signal processing unit. The RRH houses the analog section that handles RF (Radio Frequency) and the antenna. The RRH and BBU are connected by cables or optical fibers. The distance between the RRH and BBU can reach about 10 km. However, in many private 5G systems, the distance between the RRH and BBU is less than 1 km. This configuration allows for a smaller RRH with an antenna, thus reducing installation costs. Digital signals are transmitted and received between the RRH and BBU in accordance with the CPRI (Common Public Radio Interface) standard. In this CPRI, digital data is transmitted by storing it in containers called boxes, using I-channel and Q-channel. The BBU can consist of a CU (Central Unit) and a DU (Distributed Unit). The RRH is sometimes referred to as the RU (Radio Unit).

[0017] Figure 2 shows an example of a cellular system. The cellular system in the figure comprises a terminal device 10, a base station 20, a core network 30, and an application server 40. In the figure, the terminal device is referred to as "UE". The base station 20 is composed of the aforementioned BBU 21 and RRH 22 and antenna 223. When a user operates an application client on the terminal device 10, the application client connects to the application on the application server 40 via the base station 20 and the core network 30.

[0018] BBU21 may be located on the cloud side or on the LAN (Local Area Network) side. Core network 30 may also be located on the cloud side or on the LAN side. These configurations can be changed depending on the usage at the time. Single-mode optical fiber is typically used for the optical fiber between BBU21 and RRH22.

[0019] (1.3 Cellular System Fault Detection) As shown in Figure 2, a cellular system consists of a wireless access network comprising terminal devices 10 and base stations 20, and a core network 30 that performs various controls on the base stations 20 and terminal devices 10. Terminal devices 10 are often implemented in dedicated devices such as smartphones. The BBU 21 and core network 30 are increasingly being implemented as software on servers that meet the specifications (personal computers with server functionality). The RRH 22 is often implemented as a dedicated device.

[0020] It is important to know whether these systems are functioning correctly or have malfunctions. In particular, verifying the normal operation and detecting malfunctions of base stations 20 is important due to the large number of base stations 20. Verifying the normal operation and detecting malfunctions of the core network 30 is also important. However, since there is only one core network 30 in a cellular network with the same Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) ID, verifying its normal operation and detecting malfunctions is relatively easy. On the other hand, as mentioned above, the large number of base stations 20 presents a problem in that verifying their normal operation takes time. Furthermore, detecting malfunctions in the analog section of base stations 20 requires actually transmitting and receiving radio waves from the antenna. In other words, malfunction detection of base stations 20 is performed using terminal equipment 10, which is relatively difficult. This disclosure will proceed with the discussion focusing on malfunction detection of base stations 20.

[0021] Figure 3 shows an example of base station fault detection. The figure illustrates the expected faults of the base station 20 and the fault detection method. Network interface faults can be detected by monitoring the status using ping. In contrast, antenna faults, RRH22 analog section faults, BBU21 software section faults, and disconnections in the optical fiber between RRH22 and BBU21 need to be detected by observing whether communication is possible using a nearby terminal device 10.

[0022] In a cellular system, a switch may be placed between the base station 20 and the core network 30. In this case, the BBU 21 of the base station 20 is connected to the core network 30 via the switch.

[0023] Figure 4 shows another example of a cellular system. This figure illustrates an example of a cellular system equipped with a switch 50 positioned between a base station 20 and a core network 30. This switch 50 has a component that can observe the traffic flowing through it. That is, it can observe the traffic within the switch 50 for each IP address. When a terminal device 10 communicates wirelessly with the base station 20, if the base station 20 is functioning correctly, the traffic is carried to the application server 40 via the core network 30. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the base station 20 is functioning correctly using the functions of the switch 50. On the other hand, it is difficult to determine whether the base station 20 is malfunctioning using the switch 50. This is because when the switch 50 does not detect traffic, it is impossible to determine whether this is because the terminal device 10 is not present or because the base station 20 is malfunctioning.

[0024] Therefore, to confirm the normal operation and detect faults of the base station 20, it is necessary to carry the terminal device 10 near the base station 20 and confirm that the terminal device 10 can communicate wirelessly with the base station 20. However, in private 5G, it may be difficult to connect the terminal device 10 to the desired base station 20. This is because the terminal device 10 may connect to another nearby base station 20. For this reason, it is necessary to carry the terminal device 10 to a location where it can reliably connect to the desired base station 20 and then observe whether it can communicate wirelessly.

[0025] (1.4 Problems with base station fault detection using terminal equipment) In a public cellular network, the method of bringing the operator's terminal device 10 near the base station 20 for inspection would lead to a decrease in work efficiency, because the base stations 20 are located in various places. In this case, it is also difficult to substitute with the terminal device 10 of a regular user, because it is not possible to reliably control the terminal device 10 of a regular user to go near those base stations 20.

[0026] One possible method involves using GPS (Global Positioning System) information from the terminal device 10 to detect terminal devices 10 near base stations 20, and then using those terminal devices 10 to monitor the status of base stations 20. However, in areas with many reflected waves, the accuracy of GPS positioning may be low. Furthermore, in network systems where base stations 20 are densely located, such as when the distance between them is several hundred meters, if the GPS positioning accuracy is low, it may be impossible to determine which base station 20 is being attempted to communicate with. In such cases, verifying the normal operation of base stations 20 and detecting malfunctions may become difficult.

[0027] Even if it is certain that a general user's terminal device 10 has come close to the base station 20, if no application using wireless communication is running on that terminal device 10, it will not be possible to detect a failure in the base station 20. This is because no traffic is generated via wireless communication. Thus, relying on a general user's terminal device 10 to verify the normal operation of the base station 20 and to detect failures is subject to uncertainty.

[0028] One possible approach is to pre-install a test terminal device 10 at each base station 20. However, this method presents a problem regarding the location of the terminal device 10. Furthermore, if the terminal device 10 malfunctions, it becomes impossible to detect the malfunction of the base station 20.

[0029] Thus, even in public cellular networks, it is difficult to quickly detect faults in base stations 20.

[0030] (1.5 Cellular systems covered by this disclosure) This disclosure focuses on cellular communication in limited areas such as roads and railway lines. Specifically, it focuses on a cellular system that provides services in an area shaped like a specific route, such as a road. In this cellular system, multiple base stations 20 are arranged along a specific route, such as a road, and wireless communication services are provided only to terminal devices 10 of users passing through the road. The following description will explain an example in which a terminal device 10 is brought near a base station 20 located on this road, and the normal operation of the base station 20 and fault detection are performed.

[0031] In environments like roads, it is dangerous to bring the terminal device 10 near each base station 20 due to the presence of moving vehicles. Furthermore, it is time-consuming. Therefore, a possible method is to mount the terminal device 10 in a vehicle and pass it near the base stations 20 to verify the normal operation of the base stations 20.

[0032] As described above, it is desirable that the terminal device 10, used for verifying the normal operation and detecting faults of the base stations 20 arranged along the road, be mounted on a vehicle and travel with the vehicle. One possible method for determining which base station 20 the terminal device 10 is near is to determine its position based on the position of the terminal device 10 measured using GPS or the like. However, this method has the problem that the position of the terminal device 10 cannot be accurately detected when it is affected by reflected waves from buildings, etc., or when the accuracy of GPS is reduced, such as when it is inside a tunnel. Furthermore, if the GPS system itself malfunctions, it becomes impossible to verify the normal operation and detect faults of the cellular system.

[0033] Therefore, a method can be considered in which a terminal device 10 is placed on a dedicated vehicle for road management, and the communication history of the base stations 20 located on the roads according to the vehicle's travel plan is examined to inspect the base stations 20 (confirm normal operation and detect faults). With this method, it is certain that the vehicle has traveled near the base stations 20 to be inspected, so the occurrence of communication traffic at those base stations 20 can be expected. Among the base stations 20 on the roads along the travel plan, any base station 20 for which no communication traffic was confirmed can be presumed to be faulty. This method has the complexity of requiring the vehicle to travel according to the travel plan, and the inconvenience of requiring the preparation of a correspondence table between the travel plan and the IDs of the base stations 20. In particular, when the roads are complex due to branches and merges, there is a problem that the procedures of preparing the above correspondence table, formulating a travel plan, and driving the vehicle according to that travel plan are time-consuming and troublesome.

[0034] (1.6 Base station operation check) One way to determine if base station 20 is functioning correctly is to verify at the application level that the client and server can communicate (Method 1). However, this method can cause problems in higher-level applications even if there is a failure in the core network or switches other than base station 20, or if the optical fiber is broken. Therefore, in order to determine that base station 20 is faulty, it is necessary to prove that the core network, switches, and optical fiber are functioning correctly.

[0035] Next, another method is to observe the network layer traffic of the server to which the base station 20 is connected using equipment such as a switch (Method 2). In this method, it is necessary to confirm that the terminal device 10 that transmits user data is located near the base station 20. Otherwise, it would be impossible to distinguish whether the base station 20 is malfunctioning or whether there is no traffic because the terminal device 10 does not need to send user data.

[0036] Furthermore, as an alternative method, when the terminal device 10 connects to the base station 20 via wireless communication, the base station 20 assigns identification information to the terminal device 10 to temporarily identify it. If even one piece of this identification information is assigned, it can be determined that communication of the terminal device 10 has begun (Method 3).

[0037] In this disclosure, we adopt method 3, which is the easiest to implement among the three methods described above. Specifically, in this disclosure, we determine whether the base station 20 is functioning normally or not by using the history of whether or not identification information has been assigned to it. This method is easy to implement, yet it can prove that the terminal device 10 has communicated with the base station 20 via wireless communication.

[0038] (1.7 Base station placement) Figure 5 shows an example of base station arrangement. The network system of this disclosure is configured with multiple base stations 20 (base stations 20a-20e) arranged along road 401. The terminal device 10 shown in the figure is used to detect failures in these base stations 20. The terminal device 10 is operated by a user riding in a vehicle traveling on road 401. The terminal device 10 moves in the direction of travel shown in the figure and sequentially connects to the multiple base stations 20a-20e. In a normal base station 20, the above-mentioned connection history is recorded in the base station 20. Based on the presence or absence of this connection history, the normal operation of base stations 20a-20e can be confirmed and failures detected. The figure shows an example where base station 20d fails.

[0039] (1.8 Operation after base station inspection) This section describes the operation after confirming that the base station 20 is functioning normally and the operation after detecting a malfunction. After determining that the base station 20 is functioning normally, for example, the operation of an application that runs while driving on a road can be started to provide services on the road.

[0040] On the other hand, if a failure in base station 20 is detected and a large number of base stations 20 are not functioning, it is conceivable that service may not be available. Furthermore, after detecting a failed base station 20, it can be used as an opportunity to dispatch maintenance personnel to restore those base stations 20.

[0041] Furthermore, if only one base station 20 is malfunctioning, the area of ​​the malfunctioning base station 20 can be covered by increasing the transmit / receive power of the adjacent base station 20 to expand the downlink coverage area. In this case, the uplink of the terminal device 10 can be addressed by increasing the transmit power of the terminal device 10.

[0042] (1.9 The necessity of quickly verifying the normal operation of base stations and detecting faults) Some services utilizing 5G communication can only be launched after it has been confirmed that the entire communication system in the coverage area is functioning correctly. If this confirmation process takes several hours, the service launch will need to be delayed for that period.

[0043] On the other hand, after a fault is detected, it is desirable to restore the system as quickly as possible. This is because the quality of services using private 5G will deteriorate until the system is restored. Also, if fault detection takes a long time, it will delay the initial response to restore the system. Therefore, normal operation verification and fault detection must be performed in the shortest possible time. For example, in the case of a road several hundred kilometers long, fault detection may take several days. Some kind of ingenuity is needed to perform normal operation verification and fault detection within, say, 30 minutes.

[0044] (1.10 Regarding fault detection as defined in prior art (3GPP®)) TS32.111 includes provisions for fault management. These provisions require each element of the network to be equipped with fault detection capabilities and to trigger an alarm when a fault is detected. However, there is currently no standard for easily and quickly detecting faults in 20 base stations along a road.

[0045] (1.11 Summary of the assignments) Conventionally, in network systems that provide services along roads and other pathways, it has been difficult to verify the normal operation and detect faults of multiple base stations 20 located along the road in a short time and in a simple manner. This network system is characterized by the fact that the base stations 20 are located along the road. Using this characteristic, we propose a method to estimate that a base station 20 that is sandwiched between base stations 20 that have been confirmed to be functioning normally, and which has not been verified for normal operation, is faulty.

[0046] (1.12 Use cases to which this disclosure applies) The primary application of this disclosure is to network systems deployed on highways and the like. Specifically, the main use case is fault detection and normal operation verification of base stations 20 for non-public networks on highways. However, even in ordinary public networks that are not composed solely of linear areas like highways, the technology of this disclosure can be directly applied if the order in which vehicles travel can be identified, since there are countless roads in reality. Therefore, even in ordinary planar areas, this disclosure can be applied only to terminal devices 10 that travel along roads, etc. Furthermore, in cases where there is only one road in the mountains or along the coastline, pedestrians and vehicles are forced to travel along that single road, so the technology of this disclosure can be applied.

[0047] (2. First Embodiment) <Network System Configuration> Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a network system according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. The diagram shows an example configuration of network system 1. Network system 1 comprises a plurality of base stations 20 (base stations 20a-20e), a core network 30, an application server 40, a fault detection function 60, and a terminal device 10. In the diagram, "fault detection function" is abbreviated as "FDF".

[0048] Base stations 20a-20e are arranged along roads and other pathways. The base stations 20a-20e in the figure represent an example of arrangement along road 401. Each of the base stations 20a-20e is connected to the application server 40 via the core network 30. Note that base station 20 (base stations 20a-20e in the figure) is an example of the "communication control device" in this disclosure.

[0049] Terminal device 10 is used to detect faults in base stations 20a-20e. This terminal device 10 approaches base stations 20a-20e in a predetermined order and connects to them sequentially. In the figure, terminal device 10 moves along road 401 and connects to base stations 20a-20e located on road 401 sequentially. That is, terminal device 10 first connects to base station 20a, and when it moves away from base station 20a and approaches base station 20b, it switches the connection destination to base station 20b. This switching can be done by handover. That is, terminal device 10 connects to base stations 20a-20e while switching the connection destination by handover. Note that terminal device 10 is an example of a "communication device" in this disclosure.

[0050] The base station 20 connected to the terminal device 10 outputs connection information, which is information about the connection history, to the fault detection function 60.

[0051] The fault detection function 60 detects a fault in the base station 20. Based on sorting information, which is information about the predetermined order of base stations 20a-20e, and connection information from base station 20, the fault detection function 60 determines whether base stations 20a-20e are normal or not, and detects a faulty base station 20. Details of the configuration of the fault detection function 60 will be described later. Note that the fault detection function 60 is an example of the "information processing device" of this disclosure. Note that the fault detection function 60 can also be configured to be included in the core network 30. That is, the fault detection function 60 may be one of the network functions of the core network 30. Alternatively, the fault detection function 60 may be implemented as part of an existing network function.

[0052] Generally, a cellular system deployed on a road 401 is characterized by having multiple base stations lined up in a row along the road 401. When there are three base stations 20a, 20b, and 20c lined up, it is clear that a terminal device 10 that has passed through base station 20a and then base station 20b will immediately pass through base station 20c. This is especially true on highways. Therefore, if wireless communication is conducted between base stations 20a and 20c but not between base station 20b, it can be immediately inferred that base station 20b is malfunctioning. This is because the malfunction of base station 20b can be inferred only when the same terminal device 10 has conducted wireless communication with base stations 20a and 20c, and not with base station 20b. On the other hand, this is not thought to work well when different terminal devices 10 are used. For example, when using terminal devices 10a and 10b, even if terminal device 10a communicates with base station 20a and terminal device 10b communicates with base station 20c, it is not possible to determine whether terminal devices 10a and 10b traveled near base station 20b. This is because, for example, terminal devices 10a and 10b may be traveling in opposite directions. Therefore, it is necessary to perform fault detection using the connection history of base station 20 to one terminal device 10a. Note that road 401 is an example of a "route" in this disclosure.

[0053] <Terminal device configuration> Figure 7 shows an example configuration of a terminal device according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. The terminal device 10 is a wireless communication device that communicates wirelessly with, for example, the base station 20. The terminal device 10 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smart device (smartphone or tablet), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and a personal computer. The terminal device 10 may also be a wearable device such as a head-mounted display, VR goggles, or smart glasses that has the function of sending and receiving data wirelessly.

[0054] The terminal device 10 comprises a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. Note that the configuration shown in Figure 7 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may differ. Furthermore, the functions of the terminal device 10 may be implemented in a distributed manner across multiple physically separate configurations.

[0055] The communication unit 11 is a signal processing unit for wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (e.g., base station 20 and other terminal devices 10). The communication unit 11 operates according to the control of the control unit 15. The communication unit 11 may be a wireless transceiver that supports one or more wireless access schemes. For example, the communication unit 11 supports both NR and LTE. In addition to NR and LTE, the communication unit 11 may also support W-CDMA and cdma2000. Furthermore, the communication unit 11 may also support communication using NOMA.

[0056] The communication unit 11 comprises a transmission processing unit 111, a reception processing unit 112, and an antenna 113. The communication unit 11 may have multiple transmission processing units 111, reception processing units 112, and antennas 113.

[0057] The transmission processing unit 111 performs the transmission processing of downlink control information and downlink data. The reception processing unit 211 processes the uplink signal received via the antenna 113.

[0058] The memory unit 12 is a data read / write storage device such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and hard disk. The memory unit 12 functions as a storage means for the terminal device 10.

[0059] <Base station configuration> Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a base station according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. The diagram shows an example of the configuration of base station 20. Base station 20 has a BBU 21 and an RRH 22.

[0060] The BBU21 comprises a receiving processing unit 211, a transmitting processing unit 212, and a control unit 213. The receiving processing unit 211 processes the uplink signal. The transmitting processing unit 212 processes the transmission of downlink control information and downlink data. The control unit 213 controls the entire BBU21.

[0061] The RRH22 comprises an antenna 223, a wireless receiver 221, and a wireless transmitter 222. The wireless receiver 221 performs functions on the uplink signal, including downconversion, removal of unwanted frequency components, amplification level control, quadrature demodulation, conversion to a digital signal, removal of guard intervals, and extraction of frequency domain signals using a fast Fourier transform. The wireless transmitter 222 processes the transmission of downlink control information and downlink data.

[0062] As mentioned above, the BBU21 and RRH22 are connected, for example, by a cable or optical fiber. By adopting this configuration, the RRH22 equipped with the antenna 223 can be made smaller, and installation costs can be reduced.

[0063] Furthermore, RRH22 transmits connection information, described later, to the fault detection function 60. Note that RRH22 is an example of a "communication unit" in this disclosure.

[0064] As shown in Figure 6, base stations 20a-20e are arranged in a predetermined order along a specific route. Terminal device 10 moves along that specific route and connects sequentially with base stations 20a-20e.

[0065] When the base station 20 connects to the terminal device 10, it outputs the aforementioned connection information to the fault detection function 60. Specifically, the control unit 213 controls the transmission of connection information to the fault detection function 60 when it connects to the terminal device 10. Here, the connection information is connection history information. This connection information includes, for example, identification information assigned to the terminal device 10. The base station 20 assigns identification information to the connected terminal device 10. This connection information includes, for example, identification information such as an identifier assigned by the base station 20 to the terminal device 10. For example, the RANUE ID can be used as this identification information.

[0066] When wireless communication is established between the terminal device 10 and the base station 20, the base station 20 assigns a RAN UE ID, which is identification information for identifying the terminal device 10. The core network 30 also generates information linking the RAN UE ID to IDs such as IMSI and SUPI that identify the terminal device 10. In this case, it is proven that the device is ready to communicate, even if user data is not actually transmitted or received. This allows the system to determine which base station 20 each terminal device 10 is connected to and ready to transmit and receive user data. Since there is no need to obligate the terminal device 10 to transmit or receive user data at the application level, power consumption can be reduced.

[0067] For the RAN UE ID to be acquired as information on the base station 20 side, the terminal device 10 must be in RRC CONNECTED mode, not RRC IDLE mode. Setting the inactivity timer value on the terminal device 10 to a large value will allow it to maintain RRC CONNECTED mode. Alternatively, by sending and receiving requests to the terminal device 10, even small information such as pings, before the terminal device 10's inactivity time expires, the terminal device 10 can be kept in RRC CONNECTED mode at all times. Note that depending on the base station 20, setting the inactivity timer to a value of "0" will keep the terminal device 10 in RRC CONNECTED mode at all times. Thus, the terminal device 10, which is used to verify the normal operation of the base station 20 and detect abnormalities, is configured to maintain RRC CONNECTED mode. This makes it possible to acquire a history of when the terminal device 10 is ready to communicate wirelessly with the base station 20 by observing the RAN UE ID.

[0068] <Configuration of the fault detection function> Figure 9 shows an example configuration of a fault detection function according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The figure shows an example configuration of a fault detection function 60. The fault detection function 60 comprises a network communication unit 61, a control unit 62, a sorting information holding unit 66, a connection information holding unit 67, and a detection result holding unit 68.

[0069] The network communication unit 61 connects to the base station 20 via a wired or wireless network. The network communication unit 61 is an example of the "communication unit" in this disclosure.

[0070] The control unit 62 controls the entire fault detection function 60. The control unit 62 also includes an acquisition unit 63, a determination unit 64, and a fault detection unit 65.

[0071] The acquisition unit 63 acquires the aforementioned connection information. This acquisition unit 63 acquires connection information from the base station 20 via the network communication unit 61.

[0072] The determination unit 64 determines whether multiple base stations 20 (base stations 20a-20e) are functioning normally or not. This determination unit 64 makes a determination of the base stations 20 based on the order information, which is information about the predetermined order of the multiple base stations 20, and the connection information acquired by the acquisition unit 63 described above. The order information is, for example, information indicating the order of base stations 20a-20e. The determination unit 64 can determine that a base station 20 is not functioning normally if the connection information of each base station 20a-20e does not match the order information. Details of the determination made by the determination unit 64 will be described later.

[0073] The fault detection unit 65 detects faults in the base station 20 based on the determination result of the determination unit 64. The fault detection unit 65 can detect a base station 20 that the determination unit 64 has determined to be abnormal as a faulty base station 20. The fault detection unit 65 also stores the fault detection result in the detection result holding unit 68. Furthermore, for example, the control unit 62 can notify the application server 40 of the fault detection result. Specifically, the control unit 62 controls the network communication unit 61 to transmit the fault detection result.

[0074] The sorting order information storage unit 66 stores sorting order information. The connection information storage unit 67 stores connection information. The detection result storage unit 68 stores the results of fault detection.

[0075] The fault detection function 60 in Figure 9 can also be configured using a computer system equipped with a processor and a memory device. In this case, the functions of the control unit 62 are realized by the processing of the processor. The sorting information holding unit 66, the connection information holding unit 67, and the detection result holding unit 68 are implemented in the memory device.

[0076] <Order information> Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of sorting information according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. The upper part of the figure shows the IDs assigned to base stations 20a-20e. The base stations 20a-20e are arranged in this order. In addition, base stations 20a-20e are assigned IDs from 1 to 5 (base station IDs).

[0077] The lower part of the diagram represents the sorting information. The sorting information is composed of base station IDs stored in the order of base stations 20a-20e. The sorting information in the diagram represents the order of all target base stations 20.

[0078] <Fault detection process> Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of fault detection processing according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. The diagram is a sequence diagram showing an example of fault detection processing in network system 1. The diagram shows terminal equipment 10, base stations 20a-20e, fault detection function 60, and application server 40. In the diagram, "fault detection function" is abbreviated as "FDF". In the diagram, it is assumed that base station 20d is in a fault state.

[0079] First, the terminal device 10 connects to the first base station 20 (base station 20a) (step S101). Specifically, the terminal device 10 establishes a connection with base station 20a. Next, base station 20a updates the identification information (e.g., RAN UE ID) (step S102). That is, base station 20a generates identification information for the newly connected terminal device 10 and holds it as connection information. Next, base station 20a transmits this connection information to the fault detection function 60 (step S103). The transmitted connection information is held in the connection information holding unit 67.

[0080] Next, the terminal device 10 connects to the base station 20b (step S104). Specifically, the terminal device 10 moves to the intermediate area between base stations 20a and 20b, and the connection destination of the terminal device 10 switches from base station 20a to base station 20b due to a handover. Next, base station 20b updates the identification information (step S105). Next, base station 20b transmits the connection information to the fault detection function 60 (step S106).

[0081] Next, the terminal device 10 connects to the base station 20c (step S107). Specifically, the terminal device 10 moves to the intermediate area between base stations 20b and 20c, and the connection destination of the terminal device 10 switches from base station 20b to base station 20c due to a handover. Next, the base station 20c updates the identification information (step S108). Next, the base station 20c transmits the connection information to the fault detection function 60 (step S109).

[0082] Next, the terminal device 10 moves outside the cell area of ​​base station 20c, and the connection with base station 20c is terminated. However, because base station 20d is in a fault state, the terminal device 10 cannot connect with base station 20d (step S110). As a result, the terminal device 10's connection with network system 1 is interrupted. Also, because base station 20d is in a fault state, no connection information is sent to the fault detection function 60.

[0083] Next, the terminal device 10 reaches the cell area of ​​the base station 20e and connects with the base station 20e (step S111). Specifically, the terminal device 10 establishes a connection with the base station 20e. Next, the base station 20e updates its identification information (step S112). Next, the base station 20e transmits the connection information to the fault detection function 60 (step S113).

[0084] Next, the fault detection function 60 performs a determination (step S114). Specifically, the determination unit 64 detects an abnormality in the base station 20 based on the sorting order information held in the sorting order information holding unit 66 and the connection information held in the connection information holding unit 67. The determination unit 64 can determine that a base station 20 is not normal if the connection information for the base station 20 that should exist is not stored in the connection information holding unit 67, and connection information from the preceding and succeeding base stations 20, as determined from the sorting order information, exists. Specifically, the determination unit 64 can determine that base station 20d is not normal if the connection information for base station 20d is not stored in the connection information holding unit 67, and connection information from base stations 20c and base stations 20e is stored in or received by the connection information holding unit 67.

[0085] Next, the fault detection unit 65 detects a fault in the base station 20d based on the determination result of the determination unit 64. Then, the control unit 62 notifies the application server 40 of the fault detection result (step S115). The fault detection unit 65 also has the detection result stored in the detection result holding unit 68.

[0086] In the process shown in Figure 11, the fault detection unit 65 detects a fault when the determination unit 64 detects an abnormality in the base station 20. Alternatively, the fault of the base station 20 can be detected after the terminal device 10 has passed through the cell areas of all base stations 20 and all connection information from the base stations 20 has been received. However, this method requires waiting for the terminal device 10 to pass through the road 401, which results in a longer detection time for the fault of the base station 20.

[0087] <Detection Results> Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of a detection result according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. The diagram shows an example of a detection result held in the detection result holding unit 68. The detection result can consist of the ID of the base station 20 and corresponding status information.

[0088] As described above, the network system 1 of the first embodiment of this disclosure can sequentially connect the terminal device 10 to base stations 20a-20e while moving it, and can detect a base station 20 failure based on the connection result. Since it is not necessary to strictly control the position of the terminal device 10 when communicating with the base station 20, a base station 20 failure can be easily detected. Failure detection can be performed with a simple system, which can reduce the operating cost of the system. In addition, by detecting a base station 20 failure based on the determination result of the determination unit 64, the time required for failure detection can be shortened. This allows for the rapid recovery of a failed base station 20.

[0089] (3. Second Embodiment) In the network system 1 of the first embodiment described above, multiple base stations 20 were arranged along a single road 401. In contrast, the network system 1 of the second embodiment of this disclosure differs from the first embodiment in that multiple roads converge.

[0090] <Network System Configuration> Figure 13 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a network system according to the second embodiment of this disclosure. This diagram, like Figure 6, shows an example configuration of network system 1. Note that in this diagram, the core network 30, application server 40, and fault detection function 60 are omitted from the description. Network system 1 in this diagram differs from network system 1 in Figure 6 in that base stations 20 are arranged along the converging roads 402 and 404.

[0091] As shown in the figure, base stations 20a and 20b are located on road 402. Base stations 20f, 20g, and 20h are located on road 404. Base stations 20c and 20d are located on road 403 after the merging point. The IDs assigned to each base station 20 are as shown in the figure.

[0092] In the network system 1 shown in the figure, the sorting order information for each branching road can be used. The figure shows sorting orders 412 and 413. In such cases, sorting order information can be generated in which the sorting order of base stations overlaps, including branching and merging points of roads, and used for determination. For example, consider the case where the connection history of a particular terminal device 10 is as follows. Most recently connected base station ID: 11 Base station ID: 3, connected immediately afterwards. In this case, sorting order 413 contains both base station IDs 11 and 3. The determination unit 64 uses the sorting order information corresponding to sorting order 413 to make a determination. According to this sorting order information, it is found that there is no connection information for base station 20h, so the determination unit 64 can determine that base station 20h is abnormal. On the other hand, it can be confirmed that base stations 20g and 20c, which correspond to base station IDs 11 and 3 respectively, are normal.

[0093] <Order information> Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of sorting information according to the second embodiment of this disclosure. The upper part of the figure represents sorting information corresponding to sorting order 412. The lower part of the figure represents sorting information corresponding to sorting order 413. In this way, the determination unit 64 can make a determination based on sorting information that includes multiple sorting orders.

[0094] Figure 13 illustrates the case where roads merge, but similarly, multiple arrangements can be set when roads branch off into multiple directions.

[0095] The configuration of network system 1 other than that described above is the same as the configuration of network system 1 in the first embodiment of this disclosure, so a description is omitted.

[0096] Thus, the network system 1 of the second embodiment of this disclosure can detect a fault in the base station 20 by setting multiple arrangements, even when roads merge or diverge.

[0097] (4. Third Embodiment) The network system 1 of the second embodiment described above used multiple sorting information corresponding to road merging, etc. In contrast, the network system 1 of the third embodiment of this disclosure differs from the second embodiment described above in that it simplifies the sorting information.

[0098] The arrangement information of multiple base stations 20 in the third embodiment of this disclosure is information of adjacent base stations 20 in a predetermined arrangement order for each base station 20. That is, the arrangement information in the third embodiment of this disclosure is generated for each base station 20 and consists of information indicating the base stations 20 before and after the base station 20.

[0099] <Order information> Figure 15 is a diagram showing an example of sorting information according to the third embodiment of this disclosure. The diagram shows the sorting information (sorting information 1 to 5) for each of the base stations 20a-20e. We will explain using sorting information 2 for base station 20b as an example. The adjacent base stations 20 according to the sorting order shown at the top of Figure 10 are base stations 20a and base station 20c. Therefore, the sorting information for base station 20b is information in which the IDs of base stations 20a, 20b, and 20c are arranged in this order.

[0100] This sorting information can be used to determine if there is an abnormality in the base station 20. For example, consider the following case where the connection information of a particular terminal device 10 with the base station 20 is as follows. Most recently connected base station ID: 3 Base station ID: 2, connected immediately afterwards. There are two sets of sorting information for base station 20 that include both base station IDs 3 and 2: sorting information 2 and sorting information 3. There cannot be three sets of sorting information. In this case, either set of sorting information can be used, and it can be confirmed that base stations 20b and 20c, which correspond to base station IDs 2 and 3, are functioning correctly.

[0101] Assume the following is the case for the connection information of a specific terminal device 10 with the base station 20. Most recently connected base station ID: 2 The base station ID connected immediately afterward was 4. The sorting information for base stations 20 that includes both base station IDs 2 and 4 is only one, sorting information 3. Using this sorting information 3, it is possible to determine that base station 20c with base station ID 3, which is sandwiched between base stations 20 with base station IDs 2 and 4, is abnormal.

[0102] Assume the following is the case for the connection information of a specific terminal device 10 with the base station 20. Most recently connected base station ID: 2 Base station ID: 5, connected immediately afterwards. No sorting information exists for base stations 20 that include both base station IDs 2 and 5. In this case, it can be presumed that two or more base stations 20 have failed. However, there is a problem in that it is unclear which base stations 20 are located between base station IDs 2 and 5.

[0103] It should be noted that the configuration of the third embodiment of this disclosure is not limited to this example. For example, the sorting information described above may also include information of two or more adjacent base stations 20. For example, as the sorting information of base station 20c in Figure 10, sorting information in which base station IDs "1", "2", "3", "4", and "5" are arranged in this order may be used.

[0104] The configuration of network system 1 other than that described above is the same as the configuration of network system 1 in the second embodiment of this disclosure, so a description is omitted.

[0105] Thus, the network system 1 of the third embodiment of this disclosure uses sorting information, which is information about adjacent base stations 20 in accordance with the order in which each base station 20 is arranged. This makes it possible to simplify the sorting information even when there are road merges or the like.

[0106] (5. Fourth Embodiment) The network system 1 of the third embodiment described above detected a base station 20 failure based on the sorting information of each base station 20. In contrast, the network system 1 of the fourth embodiment of this disclosure differs from the third embodiment described above in that it detects a base station 20 failure based on the update time of the failure detection result.

[0107] As mentioned above, if both base stations 20 are damaged, it is not possible to identify the faulty base station 20. To address this problem, the network system 1 of the fourth embodiment of this disclosure detects the failure of a base station 20 based on the update time of the failure detection result.

[0108] In the network system 1 of the fourth embodiment of this disclosure, the terminal device 10 moves along the road 401 multiple times to detect a fault in the base station 20. The fault detection unit 65 of the fourth embodiment of this disclosure updates the detection result held in the detection result holding unit 68 each time a fault is detected. The detection result holding unit 68 of the fourth embodiment of this disclosure also holds the update time of the detection result. Furthermore, the fault detection unit 65 detects a fault in the base station 20 based on the update time.

[0109] <Detection Results> Figure 16 shows an example of detection results according to the fourth embodiment of this disclosure. Similar to Figure 12, this figure shows an example of detection results held in the detection result holding unit 68. The detection results in this figure include the update time.

[0110] The detection results in the figure show that all base stations 20 are recorded as normal. Among these, base stations 20 whose time of normal status has not been updated and is an old time such as 180 minutes ago can be determined to be malfunctioning. Thus, the fault detection unit 65 of the fourth embodiment of this disclosure detects a malfunction in a base station 20 based on the update time stored in the detection result holding unit 68.

[0111] If both adjacent base stations 20 are functioning normally and only one base station 20 is determined to be faulty, the failure of base station 20 can be detected instantaneously. On the other hand, failures of two or more consecutive base stations 20 can be determined based on the time at which normal operation was confirmed. In this case, for example, the failure of base station 20 can be confirmed only by visual inspection.

[0112] The configuration of network system 1 other than that described above is the same as the configuration of network system 1 in the third embodiment of this disclosure, so a description is omitted.

[0113] Thus, the network system 1 of the fourth embodiment of this disclosure detects a failure in a base station 20 based on the update time of the failure detection result. This makes it possible to detect failures even if multiple base stations 20 fail in succession.

[0114] (6. Fifth Embodiment) The network system 1 of the first embodiment described above used one terminal device 10 to detect a base station 20 failure. In contrast, the network system 1 of the fifth embodiment of this disclosure differs from the first embodiment in that it uses multiple terminal devices 10 to detect a base station 20 failure.

[0115] In the network system 1 of the first embodiment described above, the failure of a base station 20 is detected based on information from one terminal device 10, so there is a possibility of false detection. For example, due to a handover error, one base station 20 may be skipped and the system may connect to the next base station 20. In this case, the skipped base station 20 would be judged to be faulty.

[0116] To reduce the probability of such false detections, the detection results record how many terminal devices 10 detected the fault. Specifically, the detection result holding unit 68 further stores the number of detections based on the detection results. The fault detection unit 65 then detects a fault in the base station 20 based on the number of detections.

[0117] <Detection Results> Figure 17 shows an example of detection results according to the fifth embodiment of this disclosure. Similar to Figure 12, this figure shows an example of detection results held in the detection result holding unit 68. The detection results in this figure include the number of detections described above.

[0118] For example, the detection count can be set to record up to 5 items. When a normal or abnormal state is detected for a specific base station 20 using a terminal device 10, the detection result holding unit 68 stores the normal or abnormal state. Subsequently, when an inspection is performed using another terminal device 10, if the same state as the already stored state is detected, the value "1" is added to the detection count. On the other hand, if a state different from the already stored state is detected, the newly detected state is stored and the detection count is set to "1". This operation is repeated until the detection count reaches the upper limit value of "5", at which point the base station 20 is detected as being in a faulty state.

[0119] The upper limit of the detection count can be determined by considering the possibility of a ping-pong phenomenon occurring with adjacent base stations 20 during handovers, etc. By setting the upper limit of the detection count to, for example, a value of "5", counting errors due to the ping-pong phenomenon can be prevented.

[0120] The configuration of network system 1 other than that described above is the same as the configuration of network system 1 in the first embodiment of this disclosure, so a description is omitted.

[0121] Thus, the network system 1 of the fifth embodiment of this disclosure detects base station 20 failures based on the number of detections. This reduces false positives and prevents an increase in system operating costs.

[0122] Furthermore, the configuration of the second embodiment of this disclosure can be applied to other embodiments. Specifically, the sorting information based on the multiple sorting arrangements in Figure 13 can be applied to the fourth and fifth embodiments of this disclosure.

[0123] (Other variations) The control device that controls the application server 40, core network 30, fault detection function 60, base station 20, and terminal device 10 in this embodiment may be implemented by a dedicated computer system or by a general-purpose computer system.

[0124] For example, a communication program for performing the above-described operations is stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as an optical disc, semiconductor memory, magnetic tape, or flexible disk and distributed. Then, for example, the control device is configured by installing the program on a computer and executing the above-described process. In this case, the control device may be an external device (e.g., a personal computer) of the application server 40, core network 30, fault detection function 60, base station 20, and terminal device 10. Alternatively, the control device may be an internal device of the application server 40, core network 30, fault detection function 60, base station 20, or terminal device 10.

[0125] Alternatively, the above communication program may be stored on a disk device provided by a server on a network such as the Internet, and made available for download to a computer. Furthermore, the above functions may be realized through the cooperation of an OS (Operating System) and application software. In this case, the parts other than the OS may be stored on a medium and distributed, or the parts other than the OS may be stored on a server device and made available for download to a computer.

[0126] Furthermore, among the processes described in the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically by known methods. In addition, the processing procedures, specific names, and information including various data and parameters shown in the above document and drawings can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each figure is not limited to the information shown.

[0127] Furthermore, the components of each illustrated device are functionally conceptual and do not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the specific forms of distribution and integration of each device are not limited to those shown, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads and usage conditions. This distribution and integration configuration may also be performed dynamically.

[0128] Furthermore, for example, this embodiment can also be implemented as any configuration that makes up a device or system, such as a processor as a system LSI (Large Scale Integration), a module using multiple processors, a unit using multiple modules, or a set with additional functions added to a unit (i.e., a configuration of a part of a device).

[0129] In this embodiment, a system refers to a collection of multiple components (devices, modules (parts), etc.), regardless of whether all components are located in the same enclosure. Therefore, multiple devices housed in separate enclosures and connected via a network, and a single device containing multiple modules within a single enclosure, are both considered systems.

[0130] Furthermore, for example, this embodiment can adopt a cloud computing configuration in which a single function is shared and processed collaboratively by multiple devices via a network.

[0131] Although the embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, the technical scope of this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of this disclosure. Furthermore, components from different embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate.

[0132] Furthermore, the effects described herein are merely illustrative and not limiting, and other effects may also occur.

[0133] Furthermore, this technology can also be configured as follows. (1) An acquisition unit that acquires connection information between a communication device that is sequentially connected to multiple communication control devices and the communication control devices, A determination unit that determines whether the communication control device is functioning normally based on predetermined arrangement information of the plurality of communication control devices and the connection information. An information processing device having (2) The connection information includes identification information assigned to the communication device, as described in (1). (3) The aforementioned identification information is the RANUE ID, as described in (2) above. (4) The acquisition unit is an information processing device according to any one of (1) to (3) above, which acquires the connection information from the communication control device. (5) The plurality of communication control devices are arranged in a predetermined order along a specific path. The communication device moves along the specific route and sequentially connects with the plurality of communication control devices. An information processing device as described in any of (1) to (4) above. (6) The determination unit is an information processing device according to any one of (1) to (5) above, which performs the determination based on a plurality of sorting information and connection information. (7) The information processing device described in any of (1) to (6) above, wherein the sorting information is information indicating the order of the plurality of communication control devices. (8) The sorting information is information of adjacent communication control devices for each of the communication control devices, as described in any of (1) to (6) above. (9) A fault detection unit that detects a failure of the communication control device based on the result of the above determination, A detection result holding unit that holds the fault detection results and An information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (8) above, further comprising: (10) The information processing apparatus according to (9), further comprising a communication unit for transmitting the detection result. (11) Each time the fault detection unit detects a fault, it updates the detection result held in the detection result holding unit. The detection result holding unit further holds the update time of the detection result, The fault detection unit detects a fault in the communication control device based on the update time. The information processing device described in (9) above. (12) Each time the fault detection unit detects a fault, it updates the detection result held in the detection result holding unit. The detection result holding unit further holds the number of detections based on the detection results, The fault detection unit detects a fault in the communication control device based on the number of detected faults. The information processing device described in (9) above. (13) The determination unit is an information processing device according to any one of (1) to (12) above, which constitutes a network function of the core network to which the communication control device is connected. (14) A communication control device having a communication unit that transmits connection information between a communication device that is sequentially connected to multiple communication control devices and the communication control devices. (15) The communication unit transmits the connection information to the information processing device. The information processing device determines whether the communication control device is functioning correctly based on predetermined sorting information of the plurality of communication control devices and the connection information. The communication control device described in (14) above. (16) The connection information includes identification information assigned to the communication device, as described in (14). (17) A communication device that connects sequentially to multiple communication control devices, Multiple communication control devices that transmit connection information with the aforementioned communication device, An information processing apparatus having an acquisition unit for acquiring connection information from the communication control device and a determination unit for determining whether the communication control device is functioning correctly based on the arrangement information of the plurality of communication control devices and the connection information. A communication system having [Explanation of Symbols]

[0134] 1 Network System 10, 10a, 10b Terminal devices 20, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h base station 21 BBU 30 Core Network 40 Application Servers 60 Fault Detection Function 63 Acquisition Department 64 Judgment section 65 Fault detection unit 66 Sorting order information holding unit 67 Connection Information Holding Unit 68 Detection result holding unit

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires connection information between a communication device that is sequentially connected to multiple communication control devices and the communication control devices, A determination unit that determines whether the communication control device is functioning normally based on predetermined arrangement information of the plurality of communication control devices and the connection information. An information processing device having

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection information includes identification information assigned to the communication device.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the identification information is a RANUE ID.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the connection information from the communication control device.

5. The plurality of communication control devices are arranged in a predetermined order along a specific path. The communication device moves along the specific route and sequentially connects with the plurality of communication control devices. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit performs the determination based on a plurality of sorting information and connection information.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sorting information is information indicating the order of the plurality of communication control devices.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sorting information is information of adjacent communication control devices for each of the communication control devices.

9. A fault detection unit that detects a failure of the communication control device based on the result of the above determination, A detection result holding unit that holds the fault detection results and The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising the above.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a communication unit for transmitting the detection result.

11. Each time the fault detection unit detects a fault, it updates the detection result held in the detection result holding unit. The detection result holding unit further holds the update time of the detection result, The fault detection unit detects a fault in the communication control device based on the update time. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9.

12. Each time the fault detection unit detects a fault, it updates the detection result held in the detection result holding unit. The detection result holding unit further holds the number of detections based on the detection results, The fault detection unit detects a fault in the communication control device based on the number of detected faults. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit constitutes a network function of the core network to which the communication control device is connected.

14. A communication control device having a communication unit that transmits connection information between a communication device that is sequentially connected to multiple communication control devices and the communication control devices.

15. The communication unit transmits the connection information to the information processing device. The information processing device determines whether the communication control device is functioning correctly based on predetermined sorting information of the plurality of communication control devices and the connection information. The communication control device according to claim 14.

16. The communication control device according to claim 14, wherein the connection information includes identification information assigned to the communication device.

17. A communication device that connects sequentially to multiple communication control devices, Multiple communication control devices that transmit connection information with the aforementioned communication device, An information processing apparatus having an acquisition unit for acquiring connection information from the communication control device and a determination unit for determining whether the communication control device is functioning correctly based on the arrangement information of the plurality of communication control devices and the connection information. A communication system having

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