Relay system, wireless communication relay method, and relay base station

Abstract

To provide a relay system capable of limiting communication terminals providing a wireless communication relay service to communication terminals owned by users on board a vehicle.SOLUTION: In a relay system 100, an authentication device 13 determines whether registered identification information of a registered terminal owned by a user on board a vehicle 10 matches identification information on a first communication terminal 14 received from a relay base station 11 via a base station 12, generates a permission / denial signal indicating whether or not to permit relay of wireless communication between the first communication terminal 14 and the base station 12 according to a determination result, and transmits the generated permission / denial signal to the relay base station 11 via the base station 12. The relay base station 11 executes the relay of wireless communication between the first communication terminal 14 and the base station 12 when the permission / denial signal indicates that the relay of wireless communication is permitted, and on the other hand the relay base station does not execute the relay of the wireless communication when the permission / denial signal indicates that the relay of wireless communication for the first communication terminal 14 is not permitted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a relay system using a relay base station mounted on a vehicle, a method for relaying wireless communication executed in the relay system, and a relay base station. [Background technology]

[0002] A technology has been proposed that allows only communication terminals located within a specific facility to connect to the Internet (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] The communication system disclosed in Patent Document 1 analyzes distance information and the like included in the communication result with the communication terminal received from the in-facility communication device, and when it is determined that the communication terminal is present within the facility, the authentication is successful. If the authentication is successful, the communication terminal is provided with connection information required for connecting to an access point via the in-facility communication device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-182391 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the above technology, the distance between the base station and the communication terminal is used to determine whether the communication terminal is located inside the facility. However, in some cases, the communication terminal may be located outside the facility even if the distance between the base station and the communication terminal is shorter than the distance from the base station to one end of the facility. In such a case, there is a risk that connection information may be provided to the communication terminal located outside the facility.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a relay system that can limit communication terminals that provide a wireless communication relay service to communication terminals carried by a user who is in a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one embodiment, there is provided a relay system having an authentication device connected to a base station and a relay base station mounted on a vehicle for relaying wireless communication between the base station and at least one communication terminal. In this relay system, the authentication device determines whether or not registration identification information of a registration terminal carried by a user in the vehicle matches identification information of a first communication terminal among the at least one communication terminal received from the relay base station via the base station, generates an authorization / rejection signal representing whether or not to permit relaying of wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station according to the result of the determination, and transmits the generated authorization / rejection signal to the relay base station via the base station. If the authorization / rejection signal represents authorization of relaying of wireless communication, the relay base station executes relaying of wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station, and on the other hand, if the authorization / rejection signal represents non-authorization of relaying of wireless communication, the relay base station does not execute relaying of wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station.

[0008] In this relay system, the authentication device registers as registered identification information the identification information of a second communication terminal carried by the user when the user boards the vehicle, among at least one communication terminal obtained via a reader installed in the vehicle that records the user's boarding and disembarking from the vehicle, and, on the other hand, if the identification information of the second communication terminal obtained via the reader when the user disembarks from the vehicle matches any of the registered identification information, it is preferable to erase the matching registered identification information.

[0009] Alternatively, in this relay system, it is preferable that the authentication device acquires identification information of a second communication terminal carried by the user among at least one communication terminal, together with riding period information indicating the riding period during which the user is riding in the vehicle, prior to the start time of the riding period, and registers the identification information of the second communication terminal carried by the user as registered identification information only for the riding period.

[0010] According to another embodiment, there is provided a method for relaying wireless communication in a relay system having an authentication device connected to a base station and a relay base station mounted on a vehicle for relaying wireless communication between the base station and at least one communication terminal, the method for relaying wireless communication includes the steps of: the authentication device determining whether or not registration identification information of a registration terminal carried by a user in the vehicle matches identification information of a first communication terminal among the at least one communication terminal received from a relay base station via the base station, the authentication device generating an authorization / rejection signal representing whether or not to permit relaying of wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station according to a result of the determination, the authentication device transmitting the generated authorization / rejection signal to the relay base station via the base station, and the relay base station relaying the wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station if the authorization / rejection signal represents authorization of relaying of wireless communication, and not relaying the wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station if the authorization / rejection signal represents authorization of relaying of wireless communication, and not relaying the wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station if the authorization / rejection signal represents non-authorization of relaying of wireless communication.

[0011] According to still another embodiment, there is provided a relay base station mounted on a vehicle and capable of relaying wireless communication between the base station and at least one communication terminal. The relay base station includes a storage unit that stores registration identification information of a registration terminal carried by a user in the vehicle, an authentication determination unit that determines whether or not the registration identification information matches identification information of a first communication terminal among the at least one communication terminal, the first communication terminal being received by wireless communication, and determines whether or not to permit relaying of wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station according to the result of the determination, and a communication control unit that executes relaying of wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station when it is determined that relaying of wireless communication is permitted, and does not execute relaying of wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station when it is determined that relaying of wireless communication is not permitted. Effect of the Invention

[0012] The relay system according to the present disclosure has an advantage that the communication terminals that provide the wireless communication relay service can be limited to the communication terminals carried by the user who is in the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a relay system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the wireless communication device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a processor of a wireless communication device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the authentication device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a processor of the authentication device. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining an outline of communication relay processing according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is an operation sequence diagram of a communication relay process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, a relay system, a communication relay method executed in the relay system, and a relay base station and an authentication device included in the relay system will be described with reference to the drawings. This relay system determines whether or not registration identification information, which is identification information of a communication terminal carried by a user on board a vehicle, matches with identification information of the terminal received from a relay base station mounted on the vehicle via the base station. Then, only if the two match, the relay base station executes relaying of wireless communication between the terminal and the base station. This makes it possible for this relay system to provide wireless communication relay services only to the terminal carried by the user on board the vehicle. Hereinafter, the relaying of wireless communication between a base station and at least one communication terminal may be simply referred to as relay communication.

[0015] 1 is a schematic diagram of a relay system. The relay system 100 includes a wireless communication device 11, which is an example of a relay base station mounted on a vehicle 10, a base station 12 connected to a core network 101, and an authentication device 13 connected between the base station 12 and the core network 101. The wireless communication device 11 is capable of relaying wireless communication between the base station 12 and at least one communication terminal 14. The authentication device 13 compares identification information of a communication terminal registered in advance among the at least one communication terminal 14 with identification information of the communication terminal received from the wireless communication device 11. Depending on the result of the comparison, the authentication device 13 determines whether or not to permit relay communication between the communication terminal corresponding to the identification information received from the wireless communication device 11 and the base station 12.

[0016] The vehicle 10 in which the wireless communication device 11 is mounted is a vehicle such as a bus in which multiple users can ride, and includes the wireless communication device 11 and a wireless tag reader 15. The wireless tag reader 15 and the wireless communication device 11 are communicatively connected via an in-vehicle network that complies with a standard such as a controller area network.

[0017] The wireless tag reader 15 is an example of a reader that records whether a user gets on or off the vehicle 10, and is provided near the entrance of the vehicle 10. The wireless tag reader 15 is capable of communicating with the communication terminal 14 according to a communication method that complies with a short-range wireless communication standard such as ISO / IEC 18092 or ISO / IEC 21481. When a user gets on the vehicle 10, or when a user on the vehicle 10 gets off the vehicle 10, the user brings the communication terminal 14 held by the user close to the wireless tag reader 15, so that the wireless tag reader 15 reads the identification information of the communication terminal 14. The wireless tag reader 15 outputs the read identification information to the wireless communication device 11 via the in-vehicle network. The identification information of the communication terminal 14 may be a unique number that is uniquely assigned to the communication terminal 14, such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). Alternatively, the identification information of the communication terminal 14 may be an identification number assigned to the user himself / herself.

[0018] The wireless communication device 11 is an example of a relay base station, and is capable of relaying wireless communication between a base station 12 installed outside the vehicle 10 and at least one communication terminal 14. In this embodiment, the wireless communication device 11 relays wireless communication between the base station 12 and a communication terminal that is permitted by the authentication device 13 to relay wireless communication, among the at least one communication terminal 14.

[0019] 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the wireless communication device 11. The wireless communication device 11 has an antenna 31, a wireless processing circuit 32, a wired interface 33, a memory 34, and a processor 35. The wireless processing circuit 32, the wired interface 33, the memory 34, and the processor 35 may each be implemented in the wireless communication device 11 as separate circuits, or may be implemented in the wireless communication device 11 as a single integrated circuit.

[0020] The antenna 31 transmits an uplink signal or a downlink relay signal transmitted from the radio processing circuit 32 as a radio signal. The antenna 31 also receives a radio signal from the base station 12, converts it into an electrical signal to make it a downlink signal, and transmits the downlink signal to the radio processing circuit 32. The antenna 31 also receives a radio signal received from any of the communication terminals, converts it into an electrical signal, and transmits the electrical signal to the radio processing circuit 32. The radio signal received from any of the communication terminals includes a connection request signal or an uplink relay signal. The antenna 31 may have separate antennas for communication with the base station 12 and communication with the communication terminal 14.

[0021] The radio processing circuit 32 converts the uplink signal or downlink relay signal received from the processor 35 into an analog signal, and then superimposes it on a carrier wave having a radio frequency specified by the processor 35. The radio processing circuit 32 then amplifies the uplink signal or relay signal superimposed on the carrier wave to a desired level using a high-power amplifier (not shown), and transmits the amplified uplink signal or relay signal to the antenna 31.

[0022] Furthermore, the radio processing circuit 32 amplifies the downlink signal, the connection request signal, or the uplink relay signal received from the antenna 31 using a low-noise amplifier (not shown). The radio processing circuit 32 multiplies the amplified downlink signal, the connection request signal, or the relay signal by a periodic signal having an intermediate frequency, thereby converting the frequency of the downlink signal, the connection request signal, or the relay signal from a radio frequency to a baseband frequency. The radio processing circuit 32 then performs analog / digital conversion on the downlink signal, the connection request signal, or the relay signal having the baseband frequency, and passes it to the processor 35.

[0023] The wired interface 33 has an interface circuit for connecting the wireless communication device 11 to the in-vehicle network. That is, the wired interface 33 is connected to the wireless tag reader 15 via the in-vehicle network. The wired interface 33 passes the identification information of the communication terminal 14 received from the wireless tag reader 15 to the processor 35.

[0024] The memory 34 is an example of a storage unit, and includes, for example, a non-rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory and a rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory or a volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 34 stores various information for communicating with the base station 12 and the communication terminal 14, identification information of the vehicle 10, and various programs that operate in the wireless communication device 11. Furthermore, the memory 34 may temporarily store a signal (for example, a connection request signal or an acceptance / rejection signal) received from the base station 12 or the communication terminal 14, and a signal to be transmitted to either the base station 12 or the communication terminal 14. Furthermore, the memory 34 may temporarily store identification information of the communication terminal 14 that has received a connection request signal.

[0025] The processor 35 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 35 may further have other arithmetic circuits such as a logical arithmetic unit or a numerical arithmetic unit. The processor 35 executes processes related to wireless communication between the base station 12 and the wireless communication device 11, and relay communication between the base station 12 and the communication terminal 14.

[0026] 3 is a functional block diagram of the processor 35. The processor 35 has an identification information update request unit 41, an authentication request unit 42, and a communication control unit 43. Each of these units in the processor 35 is, for example, a functional module realized by a computer program that runs on the processor 35. Alternatively, each of these units in the processor 35 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit built into the processor 35.

[0027] When the identification information update request unit 41 acquires the identification information of the communication terminal 14 from the wireless tag reader 15 via the wired interface 33, it generates an identification information update request signal including the identification information of the communication terminal 14. The identification information update request signal is a signal that requests the authentication device 13 to register or delete the identification information of the communication terminal 14. The communication terminal 14 corresponding to the identification information acquired from the wireless tag reader 15 is an example of a second communication terminal. The identification information update request unit 41 may further include the identification information of the vehicle 10 in the identification information update request signal. Furthermore, the identification information update request unit 41 generates an uplink signal including the generated identification information update request signal and outputs the uplink signal to the wireless processing circuit 32. The uplink signal including the identification information update request signal is transmitted to the base station 12 using the wireless resource allocated by the base station 12, and the identification information update request signal is transmitted to the authentication device 13 via the base station 12.

[0028] When the authentication request unit 42 receives a connection request signal requesting a connection to any base station for wireless communication as a wireless signal from the communication terminal 14, the authentication request unit 42 extracts identification information of the communication terminal 14 contained in the connection request signal. Then, the authentication request unit 42 generates an authentication request signal including the extracted identification information. The authentication request signal is a signal that requests the authentication device 13 to determine whether or not to authenticate the communication terminal that has issued the connection request. The communication terminal 14 that has transmitted the connection request signal is an example of a first communication terminal. Furthermore, the authentication request unit 42 generates an uplink signal including the generated authentication request signal, and outputs the uplink signal to the wireless processing circuit 32. The uplink signal including the authentication request signal is transmitted to the base station 12 using wireless resources allocated by the base station 12, whereby the authentication request signal is transmitted to the authentication device 13 via the base station 12.

[0029] The communication control unit 43 executes relay communication between the base station 12 and a communication terminal that is permitted to execute relay of wireless communication in the permission / denial signal received from the authentication device 13 via the base station 12, among the communication terminals 14 from which the wireless communication device 11 has received a connection request signal. That is, the communication control unit 43 executes relay communication between the base station 12 and the communication terminal 14 corresponding to the identification information included in the permission / denial signal indicating that the relay communication is permitted. On the other hand, the communication control unit 43 does not execute relay communication between the base station 12 and the communication terminal 14 corresponding to the identification information included in the permission / denial signal indicating that the relay communication is not permitted. In this embodiment, the execution of relay communication is permitted for the communication terminal 14 carried by the user who is in the vehicle 10, while the execution of relay communication is not permitted for the communication terminal 14 located outside the vehicle 10.

[0030] When performing relay communication, the communication control unit 43 performs various processes for performing wireless communication between the base station 12, the communication terminal 14, and the wireless communication device 11 in accordance with a predetermined wireless communication standard. The predetermined wireless communication standard may be, for example, a wireless communication standard for a so-called fifth generation mobile communication system established by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)), or a standard for another mobile communication system. The processes for performing wireless communication include, for example, processes for establishing communication between the base station 12, the communication terminal 14, and the wireless communication device 11, allocating wireless resources, and controlling transmission power. Furthermore, the communication control unit 43 outputs a downlink relay signal received from the wireless processing circuit 32 to the wireless processing circuit 32 so that the relay signal is transmitted to the communication terminal 14 using the wireless resources allocated for wireless communication with the communication terminal 14. Similarly, the communication control unit 43 outputs an uplink relay signal received from the wireless processing circuit 32 to the wireless processing circuit 32 so that the relay signal is transmitted to the base station 12 using the wireless resources allocated for wireless communication with the base station 12.

[0031] Moreover, the communication control unit 43 executes various processes for performing wireless communication between the base station 12 and the wireless communication device 11 according to a predetermined wireless communication standard. Furthermore, the communication control unit 43 generates an uplink signal including a signal for transmission to other devices outside the vehicle 10. Then, the communication control unit 43 performs coding processing such as error correction coding on the uplink signal. Furthermore, the communication control unit 43 modulates the uplink signal according to a predetermined modulation method. Then, the communication control unit 43 outputs the modulated uplink signal to the wireless processing circuit 32. Furthermore, the communication control unit 43 demodulates the downlink signal received from the wireless processing circuit 32 and performs error correction decoding. Then, the communication control unit 43 extracts various information included in the decoded downlink signal. The communication control unit 43 may output the information extracted from the downlink signal to an electronic control device of the vehicle 10 or a navigation device mounted on the vehicle 10 via the wired interface 33 and the in-vehicle network.

[0032] Next, a description will be given of authentication device 13. Authentication device 13 is connected between base station 12 and core network 101. Alternatively, authentication device 13 may be configured as any of the upper nodes that make up core network 101.

[0033] 4 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of authentication device 13. Authentication device 13 has a wired interface 51, a memory 52, and a processor 53. Wired interface 51, memory 52, and processor 53 may be implemented in authentication device 13 as separate circuits, or may be implemented in authentication device 13 as a single integrated circuit.

[0034] The wired interface 51 has an interface circuit for connecting the authentication device 13 to the core network and the base station 12 in accordance with a predetermined wireless communication standard. The wired interface 51 receives an identification information update request signal transmitted by the wireless communication device 11 via the base station 12. The wired interface 51 then passes the received identification information update request signal to the processor 53. Similarly, the wired interface 51 receives an authentication request signal transmitted by the wireless communication device 11 via the base station 12. The wired interface 51 then passes the received authentication request signal to the processor 53. Furthermore, the wired interface 51 transmits an authorization / rejection signal received from the processor 53 to the wireless communication device 11 via the base station 12.

[0035] The memory 52 is an example of a storage unit, and includes, for example, a non-rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory and a rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory or a volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 52 stores various information used in the processing executed by the authentication device 13, and various programs that run on the authentication device 13. The various information used in the processing executed by the authentication device 13 includes the registration identification information of the communication terminal 14 carried by the user who is in the vehicle 10. Such information may further include the identification information of the vehicle 10.

[0036] The processor 53 has one or more central processing units (CPUs) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 53 may further have other arithmetic circuits such as a logical operation unit or a numerical operation unit. The processor 53 updates the identification information of the communication terminal 14, and performs authentication of the communication terminal 14 that has transmitted a connection request and determines whether or not to permit relay communication based on the authentication result.

[0037] 5 is a functional block diagram of the processor 53. The processor 53 has an identification information update unit 61 and an authentication judgment unit 62. Each of these units in the processor 53 is, for example, a functional module realized by a computer program running on the processor 53. Alternatively, each of these units in the processor 53 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit built into the processor 53.

[0038] Every time the identification information update unit 61 receives an identification information update request signal, it compares the identification information included in the received identification information update request signal with one or more pieces of registered identification information stored in the memory 52. ​​If the identification information included in the identification information update request signal does not match any of the registered identification information, the identification information update unit 61 stores the identification information in the memory 52 as new registered identification information. If the identification information of the vehicle 10 is included in the identification information update request signal, the identification information update unit 61 may associate the identification information of the vehicle 10 with the new registered identification information and store it in the memory 52. ​​As a result, the identification information of the communication terminal 14 carried by a user who has newly boarded the vehicle 10 is stored in the memory 52 as registered identification information. The communication terminal 14 corresponding to the registered identification information stored in the memory 52 is an example of a registered terminal.

[0039] On the other hand, when the identification information included in the identification information update request signal matches any of the registered identification information, the identification information update unit 61 erases the matching registered identification information from the memory 52. ​​This is because the identification information included in the identification information update request signal represents the identification information of the communication terminal 14 carried by the user who has dismounted from the vehicle 10. Therefore, the memory 52 stores, as registered identification information, the identification information of only the communication terminal carried by the user currently aboard the vehicle 10 among the communication terminals 14. Note that the identification information update unit 61 may associate, with the identification information of each communication terminal stored in the memory 52, a flag having a different value depending on whether or not the communication terminal is carried by the user currently aboard the vehicle 10. In this case, the identification information update unit 61 may rewrite the value of the flag instead of saving and erasing the identification information.

[0040] Each time the authentication determination unit 62 receives an authentication request signal, it compares the identification information included in the received authentication request signal with the registered identification information stored in the memory 52. ​​If the identification information included in the authentication request signal matches any of the registered identification information, the authentication determination unit 62 authenticates the communication terminal 14 identified by the identification information included in the authentication request signal as a communication terminal carried by the user who is in the vehicle 10. Then, the authentication determination unit 62 generates a permission / rejection signal indicating that relay communication is permitted for the communication terminal 14 identified by the identification information included in the authentication request signal. The authentication determination unit 62 includes the identification information included in the authentication request signal in the permission / rejection signal.

[0041] On the other hand, if the identification information included in the authentication request signal does not match any of the registered identification information, it is presumed that the communication terminal 14 identified by the identification information included in the authentication request signal is located outside the vehicle 10, and the authentication judgment unit 62 does not authenticate the communication terminal 14. Then, the authentication judgment unit 62 generates a permission / denial signal indicating that relay communication is not permitted for the communication terminal 14 identified by the identification information included in the authentication request signal. In this case as well, the authentication judgment unit 62 includes the identification information included in the authentication request signal in the permission / denial signal.

[0042] The authentication determination unit 62 transmits the generated permission / rejection signal to the wireless communication device 11 via the wired interface 51 and the base station 12.

[0043] 6(a) and 6(b) are diagrams for explaining an outline of the communication relay process according to this embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 6(a), the communication terminal 14 is carried by a user (not shown) who is in the vehicle 10, and is located inside the vehicle 10. Therefore, the authentication device 13 permits relay communication for the communication terminal 14, and the wireless communication device 11 executes relay communication between the communication terminal 14 and the base station 12.

[0044] 6(b), the communication terminal 14 is located outside the vehicle 10. Therefore, the authentication device 13 does not permit relay communication with the communication terminal 14. Therefore, the wireless communication device 11 does not execute relay communication between the communication terminal 14 and the base station 12. In this case, the communication terminal 14 may execute direct wireless communication with the base station 12.

[0045] 7 is a sequence diagram of a communication relay process according to this embodiment. The relay system 100 according to this embodiment determines whether or not relay communication can be performed according to the following sequence diagram every time a request for relay communication is made by the communication terminal 14.

[0046] The communication terminal 14 transmits a connection request signal including its own identification information (step S101). The wireless communication device 11 that receives the connection request signal generates an authentication request signal including the identification information included in the connection request signal, and transmits the generated authentication request signal to the authentication device 13 via the base station 12 (step S102).

[0047] The authentication device 13 compares the identification information included in the received authentication request signal with the registered identification information, and generates a permission / rejection signal according to the comparison result (step S103). As described above, when the identification information included in the authentication request signal matches any of the registered identification information, the authentication device 13 generates a permission / rejection signal that permits the communication terminal 14 to execute relay communication. On the other hand, when the identification information included in the authentication request signal does not match any of the registered identification information, the authentication device 13 generates a permission / rejection signal that does not permit the communication terminal 14 to execute relay communication. Then, the authentication device 13 transmits the generated permission / rejection signal to the wireless communication device 11 via the base station 12 (step S104). The wireless communication device 11 determines whether or not to execute relay communication between the communication terminal 14 and the base station 12 according to the received permission / rejection signal (step S105). That is, when the permission / rejection signal indicates that execution of relay communication is permitted, the wireless communication device 11 executes relay communication between the communication terminal 14 and the base station 12. On the other hand, if the permission / denial signal indicates that execution of relay communication is not permitted, wireless communication device 11 does not execute relay communication between communication terminal 14 and base station 12.

[0048] As described above, this relay system determines whether or not the registration identification information, which is the identification information of the communication terminal carried by the user who is in the vehicle, matches the identification information of the terminal received from the relay base station mounted in the vehicle via the base station.The relay base station then relays wireless communication between the terminal and the base station only if the two match.This allows the relay system to limit the communication terminals that provide the wireless communication relay service to the communication terminals carried by the user who is in the vehicle.

[0049] According to a modified example, the authentication device 13 may obtain, from another device (not shown), the identification information of the communication terminal 14 possessed by the user together with riding period information indicating the riding period during which the user is riding in the vehicle 10, before the start time of the riding period. The communication terminal 14 corresponding to the identification information obtained together with the riding period information is another example of the second communication terminal. In addition, the other device is, for example, a server that manages a ride reservation for the vehicle 10, and is connected to the authentication device 13 via the core network 101. In this case, the identification information update unit 61 stores the identification information in the memory 52 in association with the riding period. That is, the identification information of the communication terminal 14 possessed by the user is registered as the registered identification information only during the riding period. Therefore, the authentication judgment unit 62 selects the registered identification information associated with the riding period including the time when the authentication request signal is received. Then, only when any of the selected registered identification information matches the identification information included in the authentication request signal, the authentication judgment unit 62 authenticates the communication terminal 14 specified by the identification information as being possessed by the user riding in the vehicle 10. Then, the authentication determination unit 62 generates a permission / denial signal that permits relay communication for the authenticated communication terminal 14. In this modification, the relay system can obtain the same effects as in the above embodiment. In this modification, the identification information of the communication terminal 14 carried by the user who is in the vehicle 10 is registered even if the communication terminal 14 does not transmit an identification information update request signal, so that the wireless tag reader 15 may be omitted in the vehicle 10.

[0050] According to another modification, the processor 35 of the wireless communication device 11 may execute not only the functions in the above embodiment but also the functions of the processor 53 of the authentication device 13, and the memory 34 may store the registration identification information. That is, the authentication determination unit of the processor 35 determines whether the identification information of the communication terminal 14 included in the connection request signal received by wireless communication matches the registration identification information, and permits relay communication between the communication terminal 14 and the base station 12 if they match. The communication control unit executes relay communication between the communication terminal 14 and the base station 12 only if relay communication is permitted. In this case, the wireless communication device 11 itself manages the identification information of the communication terminal 14 carried by the user who is in the vehicle 10, and the communication relay process is simplified.

[0051] According to another modification, the vehicle 10 may be equipped with another wireless communication terminal (not shown) connected to the in-vehicle network, separate from the wireless communication device 11. The wireless communication standard to which the other wireless communication terminal conforms may be different from the wireless communication standard to which the wireless communication device 11 conforms, and the communication speed may be limited compared to the wireless communication standard to which the wireless communication device 11 conforms. In this case, the identification information of the communication terminal 14 read by the wireless tag reader 15 may be transmitted to the authentication device 13 via the other wireless communication terminal.

[0052] A computer program for causing a computer to realize the functions of each unit of the processor of the relay base station according to the above embodiment or modification may be provided in a form stored in a computer-readable recording medium. Similarly, a computer program for causing a computer to realize the functions of each unit of the processor of the authentication device according to the above embodiment or modification may be provided in a form stored in a computer-readable recording medium. Note that the computer-readable recording medium may be, for example, a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory.

[0053] As described above, those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the embodiments within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 100 Relay System 101 Core Network 10 Vehicles 11 Wireless communication equipment (relay base station) 12 base station 13 Authentication Device 14 Communication terminals 15 Wireless tag reader 31 Antenna 32 Wireless processing circuit 33 Wired Interface 34 Memory 35 Processors 41 Identification information update request section 42 Authentication request section 43 Communication control section 51 Wired Interface 52 Memory 53 Processors 61 Identification information update unit 62 Authentication Judgment Unit

Claims

1. A relay system including an authentication device connected to a base station and a relay base station mounted on a vehicle for relaying wireless communication between the base station and at least one communication terminal, The authentication device includes: determining whether or not registration identification information of a registered terminal carried by a user aboard the vehicle matches identification information of a first communication terminal of the at least one communication terminal received from the relay base station via the base station; generating a permission / denial signal representing whether or not to permit relaying of wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station according to a result of the determination; Transmitting the generated acceptance / rejection signal to the relay base station via the base station; The relay base station, If the permission / denial signal indicates that the relaying is permitted, relaying wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station is performed; On the other hand, when the permission / denial signal indicates that the relaying is not permitted, the relaying of the wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station is not performed, The authentication device registers, as the registered identification information, the identification information of a second communication terminal carried by the user when the user boards the vehicle, among the at least one communication terminal, obtained via a reader installed in the vehicle that records the user's getting on and off the vehicle, and, on the other hand, if the identification information of the second communication terminal obtained via the reader when the user gets off the vehicle matches any of the registered identification information, the authentication device erases the matching registered identification information.

2. A method for relaying wireless communication in a relay system having an authentication device connected to a base station and a relay base station mounted on a vehicle, the relay base station relaying wireless communication between the base station and at least one communication terminal, comprising: the authentication device determines whether or not registration identification information of a registration terminal carried by a user who is in the vehicle matches identification information of a first communication terminal of the at least one communication terminal received from the relay base station via the base station; the authentication device generates a permission / denial signal representing whether or not to permit relaying of wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station according to a result of the determination; the authentication device transmits the generated authorization / rejection signal to the relay base station via the base station; The relay base station, If the permission / denial signal indicates that the relaying is permitted, relaying wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station is performed; On the other hand, when the permission / denial signal indicates that the relaying is not permitted, the relaying of the wireless communication between the first communication terminal and the base station is not performed, The authentication device, A wireless communication relay method comprising: registering, as the registered identification information, the identification information of a second communication terminal carried by the user when the user boards the vehicle, among the at least one communication terminal obtained via a reader provided in the vehicle that records the user's boarding and disembarking from the vehicle; and, if the identification information of the second communication terminal obtained via the reader when the user disembarks from the vehicle matches any of the registered identification information, erasing the matching registered identification information.

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