Terminal equipment, base station equipment, communication methods, programs, and integrated circuits

Abstract

To reduce the power consumption of terminal devices. [Solution] The terminal device comprises a measurement unit for measuring an object to be measured, a determination unit for determining whether the measurement result from the measurement unit is a normal value, and a transmission unit for transmitting the measurement result to a base station device. The transmission unit transmits the measurement result according to a period based on a timer when the measurement result is a normal value, and when the measurement result is an abnormal value, it transmits a communication maintenance request to the base station device, which is a request to maintain communication for a predetermined time, and transmits the measurement result to the base station device based on a response message to the communication maintenance request.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal apparatus, a base station apparatus, a communication method, a program, and an integrated circuit.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Currently, in 3GPP (registered trademark), RedCap (Reduced Capability), which is a standard with a part of NR (New Radio) functions restricted (restricting functions such as bandwidth and MIMO (Multi Input Multi Output)) assuming the use of IoT (Internet of Things) devices and the like, is under study. RedCap devices compliant with this standard are mainly considered to be used as sensors and wearable devices.

[0003] Unlike ordinary smartphones, IoT devices have a small data volume. In addition, for the purpose of long-time operation even in an environment where a power source cannot be secured, IoT devices are generally used in such a manner that the standby state is extended and the state during communication is completed in a short time so as to suppress power consumption as much as possible. The operation of extending the standby state described above (extending the non-communication time) is generally called discontinuous reception, and when communication is not necessary, the operation works to suppress power consumption by not performing transmission and reception as much as possible. Further, power consumption increases in proportion to the transmission time from the terminal apparatus to the base station apparatus. To suppress power consumption, it is necessary to operate such that the data transmission time is as short as possible.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a transmitter that communicates with a receiver that performs intermittent reception, comprising: a transmitting unit that transmits various signals to the receiver; a receiving unit that receives a response signal transmitted from the receiver in response to the transmitting unit transmitting the various signals to the receiver; a receiving identification unit that identifies the reception timing of the receiver's intermittent reception when it receives a response signal from the receiver; and a transmitting / receiving control unit that controls the receiving unit and the transmitting unit and determines the transmission start timing and transmission duration of the various signals based on the reception timing identified by the receiving identification unit, wherein the transmitting / receiving control unit comprises: a transmission condition determination unit that determines the transmission start timing and transmission duration of a startup signal included in the various signals; and a transmission time storage unit that stores the most recently transmitted transmission time, and the transmitting condition determination unit changes the transmission start timing and transmission duration of the various signals determined by the transmitting / receiving control unit so that the transmission duration covers the intermittent reception duration on the receiver side, according to the elapsed time since the most recently transmitted transmission time stored in the transmission time storage unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4700725 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] As mentioned above, if the RedCap device is a sensor, it reports measurement results infrequently (the reporting cycle is long). Furthermore, it is assumed that the RedCap device immediately transitions to standby mode after reporting to conserve power. However, if, for example, an abnormality is detected in the sensor's measurement results, the measurement results must be reported immediately. Therefore, synchronized transmission, such as the technology described in Patent Document 1, would delay the detection of the abnormality. Furthermore, as a general operation when such an abnormality is detected, it is expected that measurement results will be reported at short intervals for a while after the abnormality is detected in order to confirm the situation. In this case, if data is transmitted repeatedly at short intervals, the RedCap device will have to perform connection processing with the base station device each time it reports, and the power consumption of the terminal device will increase as connection processing is performed for each data transmission.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and aims to provide a terminal device, a base station device, a communication method, a program, and an integrated circuit that can suppress the power consumption of the terminal device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and one aspect of the present invention is a terminal device comprising: a measurement unit for measuring an object to be measured; a determination unit for determining whether the measurement result from the measurement unit is a normal value or not; and a transmission unit for transmitting the measurement result to a base station device, wherein the transmission unit transmits the measurement result according to a period based on a timer when the measurement result is a normal value, transmits a communication maintenance request to the base station device which is a request to maintain communication for a predetermined time when the measurement result is an abnormal value, and transmits the measurement result to the base station device based on a response message to the communication maintenance request.

[0009] (2) Another aspect of the present invention is a base station device comprising: a receiving unit that receives measurement results from a terminal device; a transmitting unit that transmits a response message to the terminal device; a predetermined time determination unit that determines a predetermined time; and a determination unit that determines whether the measurement result is a normal value, a first abnormal value, or a second abnormal value, wherein the predetermined time determination unit determines the predetermined time to be a first predetermined time if the measurement result is a first abnormal value, determines the predetermined time to be a second predetermined time if the measurement result is a second abnormal value, and transmits a communication termination message to the terminal device after the first predetermined time or the second predetermined time has elapsed.

[0010] (3) Another aspect of the present invention is a communication method used in a terminal device, wherein a computer comprises a measurement process for measuring an object to be measured, a determination process for determining whether the measurement result obtained from the measurement process is a normal value, and a transmission process for transmitting the measurement result to a base station device, wherein in the transmission process, if the measurement result is a normal value, the computer transmits the measurement result according to a period based on a timer, and if the measurement result is an abnormal value, the computer transmits a communication maintenance request to the base station device, which is a request to maintain communication for a predetermined time, and transmits the measurement result to the base station device based on a response message to the communication maintenance request.

[0011] (4) Another aspect of the present invention is a program used in a terminal device, which causes a computer to perform a measurement step of measuring an object to be measured, a determination step of determining whether the measurement result obtained in the measurement step is a normal value, and a transmission step of transmitting the measurement result to a base station device, wherein in the transmission step, if the measurement result is a normal value, the program transmits the measurement result according to a period based on a timer, and if the measurement result is an abnormal value, it transmits a communication maintenance request to the base station device, which is a request to maintain communication for a predetermined time, and transmits the measurement result to the base station device based on a response message to the communication maintenance request.

[0012] (5) Another aspect of the present invention is an integrated circuit to be mounted on a terminal device, wherein the computer causes the terminal device to perform a measurement function for measuring an object to be measured, a determination function for determining whether the measurement result obtained by the measurement function is a normal value, and a transmission function for transmitting the measurement result to a base station device, wherein the transmission function transmits the measurement result according to a period based on a timer when the measurement result is a normal value, transmits a communication maintenance request to the base station device which is a request to maintain communication for a predetermined time when the measurement result is an abnormal value, and transmits the measurement result to the base station device based on a response message to the communication maintenance request. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, the power consumption of terminal devices can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a system diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This block diagram shows an example of the configuration of a terminal device according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a base station device according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of the reporting cycle for the terminal device according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] This sequence diagram shows an example of communication processing in the communication system according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of communication processing in the terminal device according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing an example of communication processing in the base station device according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This block diagram shows an example of the configuration of a terminal device according to this embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of communication processing in the terminal device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of communication processing in the base station apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0015] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0016] <First Embodiment> [System Configuration] Figure 1 is a system diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication system SYS according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The communication system SYS is configured to include a terminal device 100 and a base station apparatus 200. The terminal device 100 communicates with one or a plurality of base station apparatuses. The terminal device 100 is a terminal device such as an IoT device or a sensor. The terminal device 100 is also referred to as a RedCap (Reduced Capability) terminal. For example, the terminal device 100 communicates with the base station apparatus 200 in a communication area A. The terminal device 100 measures a measurement target and periodically transmits the measurement result to the base station apparatus 200.

[0017] The base station apparatus 200 is an NR (New Radio) base station apparatus. The base station apparatus 200 communicates with one or a plurality of terminal devices. The base station apparatus 200 receives the measurement result from the terminal device 100.

[0018] Next, the configuration of the terminal device 100 will be described.

[0019] [Configuration of Terminal Device] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the terminal device 100 according to the present embodiment. The terminal device 100 is configured to include a wireless communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130. The wireless communication unit 110 has the function of communicating with the base station device 200. The wireless communication unit 110 receives various data from the base station device 200 and outputs this data to the control unit 130. The wireless communication unit 110 also transmits the various data output from the control unit 130 to the base station device 200.

[0020] The memory unit 120 stores the threshold value 121. Threshold 121 is a threshold used to determine whether the measurement result is within the normal range.

[0021] The control unit 130 is comprised of a measurement unit 131 and a determination unit 132. The measurement unit 131 measures the object to be measured. The measurement unit 131 outputs the measurement result to the determination unit 132.

[0022] The determination unit 132 includes a timer 1321, an abnormality determination unit 1322, and a reporting unit 1323. Timer 1321 is a timer related to the reporting cycle for reporting measurement results to the base station device 200.

[0023] When the measurement result is input from the measurement unit 131, the abnormality determination unit 1322 determines whether the measurement result is an abnormal value based on the threshold value 121 stored in the storage unit 120. Specifically, the anomaly detection unit 1322 calculates the absolute value of the difference between the input measurement result and the previous measurement result. The anomaly detection unit 1322 determines whether the measurement result is an abnormal value by determining whether the calculated absolute value of the difference is less than or equal to the threshold 121. The anomaly detection unit 1322 determines that the measurement result is a normal value (normal) if the absolute value of the difference is less than or equal to the threshold 121. The anomaly detection unit 1322 determines that the measurement result is an abnormal value (abnormal) if the absolute value of the difference is greater than the threshold 121. The anomaly detection unit 1322 outputs the determination result to the reporting unit 1323.

[0024] Here, an example of a case where the abnormality determination unit 1322 makes a determination using the difference has been described, but it is not limited to this, and for example, it may determine that an abnormality exists if the measurement result is greater than a certain threshold, or that a normal condition exists if the measurement result is less than a certain threshold.

[0025] When the reporting unit 1323 receives a judgment result from the abnormality judgment unit 1322, it starts the connection process for reporting. Specifically, if the judgment result from the abnormality judgment unit 1322 is normal, the reporting unit 1323 adds an Early Indication (Early Indication bit) indicating that it is a RedCap UE to the RACH (Random Access Channel) transmission and sends it to the base station device 200. The RACH to which the Early Indication is added is RACH Message 1 (RACH Msg 1).

[0026] Furthermore, if the abnormality detection unit 1322 determines that the result is abnormal, the reporting unit 1323 adds an Early Indication (Early Indication bit) indicating that it is a RedCap UE to the RACH (Random Access Channel) transmission based on the determination result indicating that it is an abnormal value, and also adds a communication maintenance (Connected) request before transmitting it to the base station device 200. The communication maintenance request is information requesting the base station device 200 to maintain communication for a certain period of time.

[0027] If the reporting unit 1323 determines that the measurement result is within the normal range, it transmits (reports) the measurement result generated based on the reporting result to the base station device 200 at the reporting cycle indicated by the timer 1321. If the reporting unit 1323 determines that the measurement result is within the normal range, it transmits (reports) the measurement result generated based on the reporting result to the base station device 200 immediately, regardless of the reporting cycle indicated by the timer 1321.

[0028] The reporting unit 1323 receives RACH Message 2 (RACH Msg 2) from the base station device 200 as a response to RACH Message 1 (RACH Msg 1). RACH Msg 2, which is a response to RACH Message 1 (RACH Msg 1) generated based on a report result indicating an abnormal value, contains information authorizing the maintenance of communication for a certain period of time. Upon receiving RACH Msg 2 containing the information authorizing the maintenance of communication for a certain period of time, the reporting unit 1323 maintains communication with the base station device 200 for a certain period of time and transmits the measurement results to the base station device 200. After a certain period of time has elapsed, the reporting unit 1323 receives an RRC Release message from the base station device 200. Upon receiving the RRC Release message, the reporting unit 1323 completes communication with the base station device 200.

[0029] In this embodiment, the reporting unit 1323 determines whether or not to receive RACH Msg 2 or RRC Release messages, but this may be done by another functional unit in the terminal device 100 instead of the reporting unit 1323.

[0030] The RRC Release message is sent after a certain amount of time has elapsed since receiving RACH Msg 2, which contains information authorizing the maintenance of communication for a certain period of time.

[0031] Furthermore, based on the receipt of RACH Msg 2, which contains information authorizing the maintenance of communication for a certain period of time, the reporting unit 1323 may cause the measurement unit 131 to measure the object to be measured at a shorter interval than the predetermined period.

[0032] Next, the configuration of the base station equipment 200 will be described.

[0033] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the base station device 200 according to this embodiment. The base station device 200 is comprised of a wireless communication unit 210, a storage unit 220, and a control unit 230. The wireless communication unit 210 has the function of communicating with the terminal device 100. The wireless communication unit 210 receives various data from the terminal device 100 and outputs such data to the control unit 230. The wireless communication unit 210 also transmits various data output from the control unit 230 to the terminal device 100.

[0034] The memory unit 220 stores various types of information used by the control unit 230.

[0035] The control unit 230 is configured to include a timing determination unit 231 and a connection request determination unit 232. The timing determination unit 231 determines whether the RACH Msg 1 received from the terminal device 100 is a RACH Msg 1 that was transmitted at a predetermined interval. The timing determination unit 231 outputs the determination result to the connection request determination unit 232.

[0036] The connection request determination unit 232 includes a request confirmation unit 2321, a processing unit 2322, and a timer 2323. The request confirmation unit 2321 checks whether the RACH Msg 1 received from the terminal device 100 contains a Connected request. The request confirmation unit 2321 outputs the confirmation result to the processing unit 2322.

[0037] Based on the input of the judgment result and confirmation result, the processing unit 2322 sends RACH Msg 2 to the terminal device 100. The processing unit 2322 recognizes that an abnormality has occurred if RACH Msg 1 is not a RACH Msg 1 sent at a predetermined interval, i.e., a RACH Msg 1 sent aperiodically, and RACH Msg 1 contains a Connected request. Based on the recognition that an abnormality has occurred, the processing unit 2322 includes information in RACH Msg 2 that authorizes maintaining communication for a certain period of time (information authorizing the Connected request), and sends RACH Msg 2, which is a response to RACH Msg 1, to the terminal device 100. Based on the fact that RACH Msg 1 contains a Connected request, the processing unit 2322 maintains communication with the terminal device 100 for a certain period of time.

[0038] In this embodiment, we have described a case where the timing determination unit 231 determines that a predetermined period has been reached and the processing unit 2322 determines whether or not a Connected request has been made, thereby determining an abnormality. However, the timing determination unit 231 may also determine whether or not an abnormality has occurred. In this case, if the timing determination unit 231 determines that an abnormality has occurred, it should always maintain communication for a certain period of time.

[0039] The processing unit 2322 determines that no abnormality has occurred if RACH Msg 1 is a RACH Msg 1 sent at a predetermined interval and does not contain a Connected request. Based on this determination that no abnormality has occurred, the processing unit 2322 sends RACH Msg 2, which is a response to RACH Msg 1, to the terminal device 100.

[0040] If RACH Msg 1 contains a Connected request, Timer 2323 determines whether a certain amount of time has elapsed since sending RACH Msg 2, which contains information acknowledging the maintenance of communication with the terminal device 100 for a certain period of time. Based on the fact that a certain amount of time has elapsed since sending RACH Msg 2, which contains information acknowledging the maintenance of communication with the terminal device 100 for a certain period of time, Timer 2323 sends an RRC Release message (also referred to as a communication termination message) to the terminal device 100.

[0041] Next, we will explain the timing of the RACH Msg 1 report.

[0042] Figure 4 shows an example of the reporting cycle of the terminal device 100 according to this embodiment. In the illustrated example, (A) is an example of periodic reporting, (B) is an example of non-periodic reporting, and (C) is an example of a fixed-time maintenance report. Specifically, they are as follows: (A) is an example in which the terminal device 100 sends a RACH Msg 1 reporting the measurement results at a predetermined interval, for example, every 43.96 minutes.

[0043] (B) is an example of a case in which the terminal device 100 determines that the measurement result it has measured is an abnormal value, and sends a RACH Msg 1 containing a Connected request to the base station device 200 at time t1.

[0044] (C) is an example of a case in (B) where, based on the fact that the terminal device 100 has received a RACH Msg 2 from the base station device 200 containing information acknowledging to maintain communication for a certain period of time as a response to a RACH Msg 1 containing a Connected request, the terminal device 100 maintains communication with the base station device 200 for a certain period of time, for example 10 minutes, and transmits RACH Msg 1 to the base station device 200. In this case, the terminal device 100 reports to the base station device 200 the measurement results measured at a shorter period (e.g., 30 seconds) than a predetermined period (e.g., 43.96 minutes) during the certain period.

[0045] Alternatively, instead of maintaining communication with the base station device 200 for a certain period of time, the terminal device 100 may send RACH Msg 1 to the base station device 200 based on the transmission cycle of RACH Msg 1 sent from the base station device 200 and / or the number of times RACH Msg 1 has been sent. In this case, the terminal device 100 only needs to request the base station device to provide the transmission cycle of RACH Msg 1 and / or the number of times RACH Msg 1 has been sent as a Connected request, and the base station device 200 only needs to maintain communication until it receives a predetermined number of measurement results, instead of maintaining communication for a certain period of time.

[0046] Next, the communication processing in the communication system SYS according to this embodiment will be described.

[0047] Figure 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of communication processing in the SYS communication system according to this embodiment. Here, the example shown in Figure 5 is an example of when the terminal device 100 determines that the measurement result it has measured is an abnormal value, and the terminal device 100 reports the measurement result to the base station device 200. In step ST101, the terminal device 100 starts periodic reporting with the base station device 200 at a predetermined interval (for example, every 43.96 minutes). Next, the terminal device 100 executes the process in step ST102.

[0048] In step ST102, the terminal device 100 measures the object to be measured. Next, the terminal device 100 executes the process in step ST103.

[0049] In step ST103, the terminal device 100 determines whether the measurement result is an abnormal value. Specifically, the terminal device 100 determines whether the measurement result is an abnormal value by determining whether the absolute value of the difference between the current measurement result and the previous measurement result is less than or equal to a threshold. Here, we assume that the terminal device 100 determines that the measurement result is an abnormal value based on the fact that the absolute value of the difference between the measurement results is greater than the threshold. Next, the terminal device 100 executes the process in step ST104.

[0050] In step ST104, the terminal device 100 adds an Early Indication bit indicating that it is a RedCap UE and a Connected request to the base station device 200, and sends it to the base station device 200. The base station device 200 then performs the processing in step ST105.

[0051] In step ST105, the base station device 200 recognizes that an anomaly has occurred based on the fact that RACH Msg 1 contains a Connected request and that the reporting timing is aperiodic. The base station device 200 then executes the process in step ST106.

[0052] In step ST106, the base station device 200 sends RACH Msg 2, which contains information acknowledging the maintenance of communication for a certain period of time (information acknowledging the Connected request), to the terminal device 100 as a response to RACH Msg 1. The terminal device 100 then performs the processing in step ST107.

[0053] In step ST107, the terminal device 100 starts maintaining communication with the base station device 200 for a certain period of time. The terminal device 100 reports a measurement result that it has determined to be abnormal for the first time at a short interval different from the predetermined period (for example, every 30 seconds). Next, the terminal device 100 executes the process in step ST108.

[0054] In step ST108, the terminal device 100 measures the target object for the second time at short intervals (e.g., 30-second intervals) and reports the measurement results. Next, the terminal device 100 executes the process in step ST109.

[0055] In step ST109, the terminal device 100 repeatedly measures and reports the target object at short intervals over a certain period of time. Then, in a short interval, the terminal device 100 measures the target object for the Xth time (for example, the 10th time) and reports the measurement result. Next, the base station device 200 executes the process in step ST110.

[0056] In step ST110, the base station device 200 sends an RRC Release message to the terminal device 100 based on the fact that a certain amount of time has elapsed since it sent RACH Msg 2, which contains information acknowledging that it will maintain communication with the terminal device 100 for a certain period of time. The terminal device 100 then performs the processing in step ST111.

[0057] In step ST111, when the terminal device 100 receives an RRC Release message, it completes communication with the base station device 200 that is maintained for a certain period of time. The terminal device 100 then starts (resumes) intermittent reception cycle reporting with the base station device 200 at a predetermined interval (for example, every 43.96 minutes). The communication system SYS then terminates the process shown in Figure 5.

[0058] Next, the processing of the terminal device 100 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0059] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of communication processing in the terminal device 100 according to this embodiment. In step S101, the terminal device 100 starts periodic reporting with the base station device 200 at a predetermined interval (for example, every 43.96 minutes). Next, the terminal device 100 executes the process in step S102.

[0060] In step S102, the terminal device 100 measures the object to be measured. Next, the terminal device 100 performs the process in step S103.

[0061] In step S103, the terminal device 100 determines whether the measurement result is an abnormal value. It determines whether the absolute value of the difference between the current measurement result and the previous measurement result is less than or equal to a threshold. If the absolute value of the difference between the measurement results is less than or equal to the threshold, it determines that the measurement result is not an abnormal value (step S103 NO), and the terminal device 100 executes the process in step S104. The terminal device 100 determines whether the measurement result is an abnormal value. It determines whether the absolute value of the difference between the current measurement result and the previous measurement result is less than or equal to a threshold. If the absolute value of the difference between the measurement results is greater than the threshold, it determines that the measurement result is an abnormal value (step S103 YES), and the terminal device 100 executes the process in step S105.

[0062] In step S104, terminal device 100 adds an Early Indication bit indicating that it is a RedCap UE to RACH Msg 1 and transmits it to base station device 200. Terminal device 100 receives RACH Msg 2 from base station device 200 as a response to RACH Msg 1. Then, it transmits the measurement result (normal) to base station device 200, and terminal device 100 terminates the process shown in Figure 6.

[0063] In step S105, terminal device 100 adds an Early Indication bit indicating that it is a RedCap UE and a Connected request to base station device 200 requesting that communication be maintained for a certain period of time to RACH Msg 1, and sends it to base station device 200. Then, terminal device 100 receives RACH Msg 2 from base station device 200 as a response to RACH Msg 1, which contains information acknowledging the Connected request. Then, terminal device 100 executes the process in step ST106.

[0064] In step S106, the terminal device 100 starts maintaining communication with the base station device 200 for a certain period of time and transmits the measurement result (abnormality) to the base station device 200. Then, the terminal device 100 executes the process in step S107.

[0065] In step S107, the terminal device 100 measures the object to be measured at a shorter period than the predetermined period. Then, the terminal device 100 executes the process in step S108.

[0066] In step S108, the terminal device 100 transmits RACH Msg 1 to the base station device 200. Then, the terminal device 100 executes the process in step S109.

[0067] In step S109, the terminal device 100 determines whether a certain amount of time has elapsed based on whether or not it has received an RRC Release from the base station device 200. If a certain amount of time has not elapsed (step S109 NO), the terminal device 100 executes the process in step S107. If a certain amount of time has elapsed (step S109 YES), that is, if an RRC Release has been received, the terminal device 100 completes the communication with the base station device 200 that is maintained for a certain period of time. The terminal device 100 then starts (resumes) periodic reporting with the base station device 200 at a predetermined interval (for example, every 43.96 minutes) and terminates the process shown in Figure 6.

[0068] Next, the processing of the base station device 200 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0069] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of communication processing in the base station device 200 according to this embodiment. In step S201, the base station device 200 receives RACH Msg 1 from the terminal device 100. Then, the base station device 200 executes the process in step S202.

[0070] In step S202, the base station device 200 determines whether the RACH Msg 1 received from the terminal device 100 is a RACH Msg 1 transmitted at a predetermined interval, that is, whether it is a periodic report. Next, the base station device 200 executes the process in step S203.

[0071] In step S203, the base station device 200 determines whether RACH Msg 1 contains a Connected request. If RACH Msg 1 does not contain a Connected request (step S203 NO), the base station device 200 executes the process in step S204. If RACH Msg 1 contains a Connected request (step S203 YES), the base station device 200 executes the process in step S205.

[0072] In step S204, the base station device 200 sends RACH Msg 2 to the terminal device 100 as a response to RACH Msg 1. It then receives the measurement results from the terminal device 100 at predetermined intervals. After that, the base station device 200 sends an RRC Release message to the terminal device 100. Then, the base station device 200 terminates the process shown in Figure 7.

[0073] In step S205, the base station device 200 sends RACH Msg 2, which contains information acknowledging the Connected request, to the terminal device 100 as a response to RACH Msg 1. The base station device 200 then performs the processing in step S206.

[0074] In step S206, the base station device 200 maintains communication with the terminal device 100 for a certain period of time. Next, the base station device 200 executes the process in step S207.

[0075] In step S207, the base station device 200 determines whether a certain amount of time has elapsed since it sent RACH Msg 2 containing information acknowledging the Connected request. If a certain amount of time has not elapsed since it sent RACH Msg 2 containing information acknowledging the Connected request (step S207 NO), the base station device 200 executes the process in step S206. If a certain amount of time has elapsed since it sent RACH Msg 2 containing information acknowledging the Connected request (step S207 YES), the base station device 200 sends an RRC Release message to the terminal device 100. Then, the base station device 200 terminates the process shown in Figure 7.

[0076] As described above, the terminal device 100 according to this embodiment includes a measurement unit 131 that measures the object to be measured, a determination unit (abnormal determination unit 1322) that determines whether the measurement result is a normal value or not, and a transmission unit (reporting unit 1323) that transmits the measurement result to the base station device. The transmission unit (reporting unit 1323) transmits the measurement result according to a period based on the timer 1321 when the measurement result is a normal value, and when the measurement result is an abnormal value, it transmits a communication maintenance request to the base station device 200, which is a request to maintain communication for a predetermined time, and transmits the measurement result to the base station device 200 based on a response message to the communication maintenance request.

[0077] By doing so, the terminal device 100 can reduce the reconnection process for communication with the base station device 200, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device 100.

[0078] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The second embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0079] Next, the configuration of terminal device 100A will be explained.

[0080] Figure 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device 100A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The terminal device 100A is comprised of a wireless communication unit 110, a storage unit 120A, and a control unit 130A. The memory unit 120A stores various information used for controlling the terminal device 100A.

[0081] The control unit 130A includes a measurement unit 131 and a reporting unit 1323A. The reporting unit 1323A transmits RACH Msg 1 to the base station device 200A. When the reporting unit 1323A receives RACH Msg 2 from the base station device 200, which contains information instructing it to maintain communication for a certain period of time, it maintains communication with the base station device 200 for the specified period of time. Based on the receipt of RACH Msg 2, which contains information instructing it to maintain communication for a certain period of time, the reporting unit 1323A causes the measurement unit 131 to measure the object to be measured at a cycle shorter than a predetermined cycle.

[0082] Next, the configuration of the base station device 200A according to this embodiment will be described.

[0083] Figure 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a base station device 200A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The base station device 200A comprises a wireless communication unit 210, a storage unit 220A, and a control unit 230A. The memory unit 220A stores the threshold value 221A. Threshold 221A is a multi-level threshold used to determine whether a measurement result is an abnormal value.

[0084] The control unit 230A includes a timing determination unit 231 and a measurement result management unit 233A. The measurement result management unit 233A includes an abnormality determination unit 2331A, a processing unit 2332A, a timer 2333A, and a time determination unit 2334A. When the abnormality determination unit 2331A receives the measurement result from the terminal device 100A, it determines whether the measurement result is an abnormal value based on the threshold value 221A stored in the storage unit 220A. Specifically, the anomaly determination unit 2331A calculates the absolute value of the difference between the received measurement result and the immediately preceding measurement result. The anomaly determination unit 2331A determines whether the measurement result is an abnormal value by determining whether the calculated absolute value of the difference is less than or equal to the first threshold. The anomaly determination unit 2331A determines that the measurement result is a normal value (normal) if the absolute value of the difference is less than or equal to the first threshold. The anomaly determination unit 2331A determines that the measurement result is an abnormal value (abnormal) if the absolute value of the difference is greater than the threshold 221A. The anomaly determination unit 2331A outputs the determination result to the time determination unit 2334A.

[0085] The time determination unit 2334A determines the time to maintain communication with the terminal device 100A based on the measurement result being an abnormal value. Based on the measurement result being an abnormal value, the time determination unit 2334A determines whether the absolute value of the difference between the current measurement result and the previous measurement result is less than or equal to a second threshold stored in the storage unit 220A. If the absolute value of the difference in the measurement results is less than or equal to the second threshold, the time determination unit 2334A determines the time to maintain communication to be a first fixed time (for example, 5 minutes). If the absolute value of the difference at the time of measurement is greater than the second threshold, the time determination unit 2334A determines the time to maintain communication to be a second fixed time (for example, 10 minutes). Here, the second threshold is a threshold value greater than the first threshold.

[0086] If RACH Msg 1 is a RACH Msg 1 that has been sent at a predetermined interval, the processing unit 2332A sends RACH Msg 2, which is a response to RACH Msg 1, to the terminal device 100.

[0087] The processing unit 2332A recognizes that an anomaly has occurred if RACH Msg 1 is not a RACH Msg 1 transmitted at a predetermined interval, that is, if it is a RACH Msg 1 transmitted aperiodically. Based on its recognition that an anomaly has occurred, the processing unit 2332A includes information instructing the terminal device 100A to maintain communication for a certain period of time in RACH Msg 2 and transmits it to the terminal device 100A as a response to RACH Msg 1.

[0088] Timer 2333A sends an RRC Release message to terminal device 100A based on the measurement result from terminal device 100A being an abnormal value. If the absolute value of the difference in the measurement result is less than or equal to the second threshold, Timer 2333A determines that the time to maintain communication is the first fixed time, and if it is greater than the second threshold, it determines that the time to maintain communication is the second fixed time, and determines whether the first or second fixed time has elapsed since sending RACH Msg 2 containing information instructing to maintain communication with terminal device 100A for a fixed time. Based on whether the first or second fixed time has elapsed since sending RACH Msg 2 containing information instructing to maintain communication with terminal device 100A for a fixed time, Timer 2333A sends an RRC Release message to terminal device 100A.

[0089] Next, the communication processing of the terminal device 100A according to this embodiment will be described.

[0090] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of communication processing in the terminal device 100A according to this embodiment. In step S301, the terminal device 100A starts periodic reporting with the base station device 200A at a predetermined interval (for example, every 43.96 minutes). Next, the terminal device 100A executes the process in step S302.

[0091] In step S302, the terminal device 100A measures the object to be measured. Next, the terminal device 100A executes the process in step S303.

[0092] In step S303, terminal device 100A transmits RACH Msg 1 to base station device 200A. Then, terminal device 100A executes the process in step S304.

[0093] In step S304, terminal device 100A receives RACH Msg 2 from base station device 200A as a response to RACH Msg 1. Terminal device 100A determines whether RACH Msg 2 contains information instructing it to maintain communication for a certain period of time. If RACH Msg 2 does not contain information instructing it to maintain communication for a certain period of time (step S304 NO), terminal device 100A starts (resumes) periodic reporting with base station device 200A at a predetermined interval (e.g., every 43.96 minutes) and terminates the process shown in Figure 10. If RACH Msg 2 contains information instructing it to maintain communication for a certain period of time (step S304 YES), terminal device 100A starts maintaining communication with base station device 200A for a certain period of time.

[0094] In step S305, the terminal device 100A measures the object to be measured at a shorter interval than the predetermined period (for example, at 30-second intervals). Then, the terminal device 100A executes the process in step S306.

[0095] In step S306, terminal device 100A transmits RACH Msg 1 to base station device 200A. Then, terminal device 100A executes the process in step S307.

[0096] In step S307, terminal device 100A determines whether a certain amount of time has elapsed based on whether or not it has received an RRC Release from base station device 200A. If a certain amount of time has not elapsed (step S307 NO), terminal device 100A executes the process in step S305. If a certain amount of time has elapsed (step S307 YES), i.e., if an RRC Release has been received, terminal device 100A completes the communication with base station device 200A that was to be maintained for a certain period of time. Then, terminal device 100A starts (resumes) periodic reporting with base station device 200A at a predetermined interval (for example, every 43.96 minutes) and terminates the process shown in Figure 10.

[0097] Next, the communication processing in the base station device 200A according to this embodiment will be described.

[0098] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of communication processing in the base station device 200A according to this embodiment. In step S401, the base station device 200A receives RACH Msg 1 from the terminal device 100A. Then, the base station device 200A executes the process in step S402.

[0099] In step S402, the base station device 200A determines whether the RACH Msg 1 received from the terminal device 100A is a RACH Msg 1 transmitted at a predetermined interval, that is, whether it is a periodic report. Next, the base station device 200A executes the process in step S403.

[0100] In step S403, if the RACH Msg 1 from the terminal device 100A is at a predetermined interval (step S403 NO), the base station device 200A executes the process in step S404. If the measurement result is an abnormal value (step S403 YES), the base station device 200A executes the process in step S405.

[0101] In step S404, the base station device 200A sends RACH Msg 2 to the terminal device 100A as a response to RACH Msg 1. Then, it receives the measurement results from the terminal device 100A at predetermined intervals. After that, it determines whether the absolute value of the calculated difference is less than or equal to the first threshold and confirms that there is no abnormality. Once the confirmation is complete, the base station device 200A sends an RRC Release message to the terminal device 100. Then, the base station device 200A terminates the process shown in Figure 11.

[0102] In step S405, the base station device 200A notifies the terminal device 100A of information instructing it to maintain communication with RACH Msg 2 for a certain period of time, and determines whether the absolute value of the calculated difference is less than or equal to the first threshold, and whether the calculated difference is less than or equal to the second threshold. If the measurement result is less than or equal to the second threshold (step S405 YES), the base station device 200A executes the process in step S406. If the calculated difference is not less than or equal to the second threshold (step S405 NO), the base station device 200A executes the process in step S406.

[0103] In step S406, the base station device 200A decides to maintain the communication for a certain period of time. Then, the base station device 200A performs the process in step S408.

[0104] In step S407, the base station device 200A decides to maintain the communication for a second set of time. Then, the base station device 200A performs the process in step S408.

[0105] In step S408, the base station device 200A maintains communication with the terminal device 100A for a first fixed period of time or a second fixed period of time. Then, the base station device 200A executes the process in step S409.

[0106] In step S409, it is determined whether a first or second set of time has elapsed since sending RACH Msg 2 containing information instructing that communication with terminal device 100A be maintained for a certain period of time. If a first or second set of time has elapsed since sending RACH Msg 2 containing information instructing that communication with terminal device 100A be maintained for a certain period of time (step S409 YES), the base station device 200A sends an RRC Release message to terminal device 100. Then, the base station device 200A terminates the process shown in Figure 11. If a first or second set of time has not elapsed since sending RACH Msg 2 containing information instructing that communication with terminal device 100A be maintained for a certain period of time (step S409 NO), the base station device 200A executes the process in step S408.

[0107] As described above, the base station device 200A according to this embodiment further comprises a receiving unit (wireless communication unit 210) that receives measurement results from the terminal device 100A, a transmitting unit (processing unit 2332A) that transmits a response message to the terminal device 100A, a predetermined time determination unit (time determination unit 2334A) that determines a predetermined time, and a determination unit (abnormality determination unit 2331A and time determination unit 2334A) that determines whether the measurement result is a normal value, a first abnormal value, or a second abnormal value. The predetermined time determination unit (abnormality determination unit 2331A and time determination unit 2334A) determines the predetermined time to be the first predetermined time if the measurement result is a first abnormal value, determines the predetermined time to be the second predetermined time if the measurement result is a second abnormal value, and transmits an RRC Release to the terminal device 100A after the first or second predetermined time has elapsed.

[0108] By doing so, the base station device 200A can reduce the reconnection processing for communication with the terminal device 100A, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device 100A.

[0109] Furthermore, base station devices 200 and 200A may calculate the difference in timing between the reporting time of the current measurement result and the reporting time of a previous measurement result (for example, the previous day). If a timing difference occurs, they may maintain communication with terminal devices 100 and 100A for a certain period of time (they do not need to send an RRC Release). In this case, terminal devices 100 and 100A should measure the target object and report the measurement results to base station devices 200 and 200A only if they are maintaining communication with base station devices 200 and 200A. In addition, terminal devices 100 and 100A should be equipped with a communication determination unit that determines whether they are maintaining communication with base station devices 200 and 200A.

[0110] Furthermore, some of the terminal devices 100, 100A and base station devices 200, 200A in the above-described embodiment may be implemented using a computer. In that case, the program for implementing this control function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on this recording medium may be loaded into a computer system and executed. The term "computer system" as used herein refers to the computer system built into the terminal devices 100, 100A and base station devices 200, 200A, and includes hardware such as an operating system and peripheral devices.

[0111] Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. In addition, "computer-readable recording media" may also include those that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs over networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, and those that hold programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside computer systems that act as servers or clients in such cases. Moreover, the above-mentioned programs may be for the purpose of realizing some of the functions described above, and may also be able to realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with programs already recorded in the computer system.

[0112] Furthermore, some or all of the terminal devices 100, 100A and base station devices 200, 200A in the above-described embodiments may be implemented as integrated circuits such as LSIs (Large Scale Integration). Each functional block of the terminal devices 100, 100A and base station devices 200, 200A may be individually implemented as a processor, or some or all of them may be integrated into a single processor. In addition, the method of implementing the integrated circuit is not limited to LSIs; it may also be implemented using dedicated circuits or general-purpose processors. Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSIs emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology, an integrated circuit using that technology may be used.

[0113] Although one embodiment of this invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to that described above, and various design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of this invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0114] SYS Communication System 100, 100A terminal equipment 110 Wireless Communication Section 120, 120A storage unit 121 threshold 130, 130A Control Unit 131 Measuring section 132 Judgment section 1321 Timer 1322 Abnormality determination section 1323, 1323A Reporting Department 200, 200A base station equipment 210 Wireless Communication Section 220, 220A memory unit 221A threshold 230 Control Unit 231 Timing determination unit 232 Connection Request Determination Unit 2321 Request confirmation section 2322 Processing Unit 2323 Timer 233A Measurement result management section 2331A Abnormality determination unit 2332A Processing Unit 2333A Timer 2334A Time determination unit

Claims

1. A measuring unit that measures the object to be measured, A determination unit that determines whether the measurement result from the measurement unit is a normal value, A transmitting unit that transmits the measurement results to the base station device, Equipped with, The aforementioned transmitting unit If the measurement result is within the normal range, the measurement result is transmitted according to the period determined by the timer. If the measurement result is an abnormal value, a communication maintenance request, which is a request to maintain communication for a predetermined time, is transmitted to the base station device, and the measurement result is transmitted to the base station device based on the response message to the communication maintenance request. Terminal device.

2. The aforementioned communication maintenance request is transmitted in addition to information indicating that it is a RedCap terminal device. The terminal device according to claim 1.

3. The measuring unit measures the object to be measured in the first cycle, Based on the response message to the communication maintenance request, the object to be measured is measured in a second period shorter than the first period. The terminal device according to claim 1.

4. The measuring unit measures the object to be measured in the first cycle, Based on the response message to the communication maintenance request, the object to be measured is measured in a second period shorter than the first period. The transmitting unit transmits the measurement results by changing the transmission period of the measurement results. The terminal device according to claim 1.

5. A predetermined time determination unit that determines a predetermined time, Furthermore, The determination unit, Determine whether the measurement result is a normal value, a first abnormal value, or a second abnormal value. The predetermined time determination unit, If the measurement result is the first abnormal value, the predetermined time is determined to be the first predetermined time. If the measurement result is the second abnormal value, the predetermined time is determined to be the second predetermined time. The aforementioned transmitting unit If the measurement result is the first abnormal value, a communication maintenance request, which is a request to maintain communication for the first predetermined time, is transmitted to the base station device. If the measurement result is the second abnormal value, a communication maintenance request, which is a request to maintain communication for the second predetermined time, is transmitted to the base station device. The terminal device according to claim 1.

6. A receiving unit that receives measurement results from a terminal device, A transmitting unit that sends a response message to the terminal device, A predetermined time determination unit that determines a predetermined time, A determination unit that determines whether the measurement result is a normal value, a first abnormal value, or a second abnormal value, Furthermore, The predetermined time determination unit, If the measurement result is a first abnormal value, the predetermined time is determined to be the first predetermined time. If the measurement result is a second abnormal value, the predetermined time is determined to be the second predetermined time. After the first predetermined time or the second predetermined time has elapsed, a message indicating the end of communication is sent to the terminal device. Base station equipment.

7. A communication method used in terminal devices, wherein a computer The measurement process for measuring the object to be measured, A determination process for determining whether the measurement result obtained through the above measurement process is a normal value, A transmission process for transmitting the measurement results to the base station device, It has, In the aforementioned transmission process, If the measurement result is within the normal range, the measurement result is transmitted according to the period determined by the timer. If the measurement result is an abnormal value, a communication maintenance request, which is a request to maintain communication for a predetermined time, is transmitted to the base station device, and the measurement result is transmitted to the base station device based on the response message to the communication maintenance request. Communication method.

8. A program used in a terminal device, which is used in a computer. A measurement step to measure the object to be measured, A determination step to determine whether the measurement result obtained in the measurement step is a normal value, A transmission step of transmitting the measurement results to the base station device, Make it run, In the transmission step, If the measurement result is within the normal range, the measurement result is transmitted according to the period determined by the timer. If the measurement result is an abnormal value, a communication maintenance request, which is a request to maintain communication for a predetermined time, is transmitted to the base station device, and the measurement result is transmitted to the base station device based on the response message to the communication maintenance request. program.

9. An integrated circuit implemented in a terminal device, which is used in a computer. A measurement function for measuring the object to be measured, A determination function that determines whether the measurement result obtained by the aforementioned measurement function is a normal value, A transmission function that transmits the measurement results to the base station device, The terminal device is made to exert the following: In the aforementioned transmission function, If the measurement result is within the normal range, the measurement result is transmitted according to the period determined by the timer. If the measurement result is an abnormal value, a communication maintenance request, which is a request to maintain communication for a predetermined time, is transmitted to the base station device, and the measurement result is transmitted to the base station device based on the response message to the communication maintenance request. Integrated circuit.

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