Management device

Abstract

This management apparatus comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires an execution request for requesting execution of one of a plurality of QoS controls; and a quality control unit that, when resources for executing a QoS control of a start candidate indicated by the execution request are not insufficient, executes the QoS control of the start candidate, and that, when some or all resources are insufficient due to ongoing execution of one or more QoS controls other than the QoS control of the start candidate among the plurality of QoS controls, determines whether to execute the QoS control of the start candidate, on the basis of the execution priority order of the QoS control of the start candidate and the execution priority order of the currently executed QoS controls.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a management device. [Background technology]

[0002] QoS (Quality of Service) control is known as a technique for ensuring the communication quality of a network that provides communication services. Examples of QoS control include guaranteed QoS control that guarantees communication quality, and best-effort QoS control that makes communication quality as high as possible. In a network that performs guaranteed QoS control, for example, a method is known in which a part of the network bandwidth is allocated in advance to a bandwidth for communication with guaranteed communication quality (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-283552 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Meanwhile, when focusing on the target of QoS control, there is QoS control targeted at communication based on a subscriber identity module (SIM) held by a terminal device, QoS control targeted at specific communication among communications based on the SIM, etc. The specific communication is, for example, communication of an application program installed in the terminal device.

[0005] The network performs various QoS controls according to, for example, the form of communication quality guarantee and the combination of QoS control targets. Note that in QoS control, finite network resources are used. Therefore, it is desired to realize a network that effectively uses finite network resources and executes appropriate QoS control for various QoS control requests from a plurality of information processing devices such as terminal devices.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a management device according to a preferred aspect of the present invention is a management device that executes a plurality of quality controls for controlling the communication quality of a network, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires an execution request for requesting the execution of any one of the plurality of quality controls, and when there is no shortage of resources for executing the quality control of the start candidate indicated by the execution request, executes the quality control of the start candidate, and among the plurality of quality controls, when a part or all of the resources are insufficient due to the execution of one or more quality controls other than the quality control of the start candidate, a quality control unit that determines whether to execute the quality control of the start candidate based on the execution priority of the quality control of the start candidate and the execution priority of the quality control being executed.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively use finite network resources and execute appropriate QoS control for various QoS control requests.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

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Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] [1. Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a network system 10 including a management device 100 according to an embodiment. The network system 10 includes a network NW that provides a communication service, and information processing devices such as a terminal device 200 and an application server 300 connected to the network NW. The terminal device 200 and the application server 300 are examples of "devices connected to the network".

[0010] Note that the term "device" in this specification may be read as other terms such as a circuit, a device, or a unit. Also, the connection between the network NW and the terminal device 200 may be, for example, a connection that enables communication between a plurality of elements, and may be a connection using either wired or wireless means, or a connection using both wired and wireless means. For example, the application server 300 may be connected to the network NW via the Internet (not shown).

[0011] The network NW is a telecommunications line such as a mobile communication network managed by a telecommunications carrier that provides communication services, for example, and includes one or both of a wired network and a wireless network. For example, the network NW has a management device 100 that performs quality control for controlling the quality of communication (communication quality) provided by the communication service. In FIG. 1, for the sake of easy viewing of the figure, the description of nodes (devices) other than the management device 100 among the plurality of nodes (devices) included in the network NW is omitted. Hereinafter, quality control is also referred to as QoS (Quality of Service) control.

[0012] The management device 100 can execute a plurality of QoS controls for controlling the communication quality of the network NW, for example. Specifically, the management device 100 can execute a plurality of QoS controls corresponding to a plurality of modes such as low latency, high speed and large capacity, and low speed. Note that an execution priority is associated in advance with each of the plurality of QoS controls as a priority regarding execution. An example of the plurality of QoS controls will be described in FIG. 3 described later. Also, an example of the configuration of the management device 100 will be described in FIG. 2 described later.

[0013] The QoS control may be executed for each line based on a contract of the communication service, or may be executed for each application program PRap. The line based on the contract of the communication service may be, for example, a communication line corresponding to one line contract, or may be a communication line associated with a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module). The SIM is a module in which, for example, identification information for identifying a subscriber of the communication service is recorded. Also, for example, the line based on the contract of the communication service may be a communication line used by the terminal device 200.

[0014] That is, the QoS control executed for each line based on the contract of the communication service may be the QoS control executed for each line contract, or may be the QoS control executed for each SIM, or may be the QoS control executed for each terminal device 200.

[0015] In addition, when a plurality of SIMs correspond to one line contract, the QoS control may be executed for each line contract or for each SIM. When the QoS control is executed for each SIM, priority may be assigned among the plurality of QoS controls corresponding to the plurality of SIMs. That is, different execution priorities may be associated with at least two of the plurality of QoS controls corresponding to the plurality of SIMs. Further, when one line contract and one SIM correspond one-to-one, the QoS control executed for each line contract may or may not be distinguished from, for example, the QoS control executed for each SIM.

[0016] Also, when one terminal device 200 includes a plurality of SIMs, the QoS control may be executed for each terminal device 200 or for each SIM. When the QoS control is executed for each SIM, priority may be assigned among the plurality of QoS controls corresponding to the plurality of SIMs. Note that when one terminal device 200 and one SIM correspond one-to-one, the QoS control executed for each terminal device 200 may or may not be distinguished from, for example, the QoS control executed for each SIM.

[0017] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the management device 100 can execute a plurality of QoS controls including the QoS control executed for each line contract, the QoS control executed for each SIM, the QoS control executed for each terminal device 200, and the QoS control executed for each application program PRap. The application program PRap to be the target of the QoS control is, for example, an application program PRap among the application programs PRap available in the terminal device 200 for which the use of the QoS control is permitted.

[0018] In this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, the application program PRap means an application program for which the use of QoS control is permitted. Also, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the application program PRap is installed in the terminal device 200, but the application program PRap does not necessarily have to be installed in the terminal device 200. For example, the terminal device 200 may use an application program PRap that is being executed on another device by means of SaaS (Software as a Service) or the like.

[0019] QoS control may be requested by the terminal device 200 or by the application server 300. Alternatively, QoS control may be requested by a device included in the network NW. Also, the management device 100 may request QoS control for itself.

[0020] The management device 100 executes the QoS control requested from the terminal device 200, the application server 300, etc. out of a plurality of QoS controls. Note that since finite network resources are used for the execution of QoS control, the QoS control requested from the terminal device 200, the application server 300, etc. may not be executed.

[0021] Here, the network resources are, for example, the resources of the network NW. For example, as network resources, the bandwidth of the network NW, the resources of network devices such as base stations and relay devices included in the network NW, and communication paths, etc. are applicable. The relay device is, for example, a network device such as an L2 switch, an L3 switch, and a router, and determines the communication path within the network NW. Also, the resources of the network device may be, for example, the usage rate of a processor or the like included in the network device.

[0022] In this embodiment, for example, the management device 100 determines the QoS control to be executed based on the execution priorities of a plurality of QoS controls and network resources, etc. Thereby, in this embodiment, for various QoS control requests from a plurality of information processing devices such as the terminal device 200, it is possible to effectively use limited network resources and execute appropriate QoS control. An example of the operation of the management device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 and the like described later.

[0023] As the terminal device 200, for example, any information processing device can be adopted, which may be a stationary information device such as a personal computer, or a portable information terminal such as a smartphone, a notebook computer, a wearable terminal, and a tablet terminal. In the following description, a smartphone is assumed as the terminal device 200.

[0024] The terminal device 200 is realized by, for example, a computer system including a processing device 210, a storage device 260, a communication device 270, an input device 280, and an output device 290. A plurality of elements of the terminal device 200 are interconnected by a single or a plurality of buses for communicating information. Further, each of the plurality of elements of the terminal device 200 may be composed of a single or a plurality of devices. Also, some elements of the terminal device 200 may be omitted.

[0025] The processing device 210 is a processor that controls the entire terminal device 200 and is composed of, for example, one or more chips. The processing device 210 is composed of, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, registers, and the like. Note that part or all of the functions of the processing device 210 may be realized by hardware such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The processing device 210 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0026] The processing device 210 functions as, for example, the request unit 240, etc., by reading the application program PRap from the storage device 260 and executing the read application program PRap. Note that in FIG. 1, the description of the functional blocks other than the request unit 240 related to the request for QoS control among the functional blocks realized by the execution of the application program PRap is omitted. The application program PRap may be transmitted from another device.

[0027] The request unit 240 requests the management device 100 to execute or terminate QoS control, for example. For example, when the request unit 240 requests the execution of QoS control, as shown in FIG. 5 described later, the request unit 240 may transmit an execution request REQS for requesting the execution of QoS control to the management device 100. Also, when the request unit 240 requests the termination of QoS control, as shown in FIG. 5 described later, the request unit 240 may transmit an end request REQE for requesting the termination of QoS control to the management device 100.

[0028] Note that the requirements regarding the QoS control process are not limited to being realized only by transmitting process requests such as the execution request REQS and the end request REQE. For example, the requirements regarding the QoS control process may be realized by calling an API (Application Programming Interface) related to the process. Specifically, the request for executing QoS control may be that the request unit 240 executes a call to the start API of QoS control for the management device 100. Also, the request for ending QoS control may be that the request unit 240 executes a call to the end API of QoS control for the management device 100. In this embodiment, transmitting the execution request REQS includes calling the start API of QoS control, and transmitting the end request REQE includes calling the end API of QoS control.

[0029] The storage device 260 is a recording medium readable by the processing device 210, and stores various data such as a plurality of programs including the application program PRap executed by the processing device 210. The storage device 260 may be constituted by at least one of, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage device 260 may be referred to as a register, a cache, or a main memory (main storage device), etc.

[0030] The communication device 270 is hardware (a transmission / reception device) for communicating with other devices such as the management device 100 and the application server 300. The communication device 270 is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, and a communication module. The communication device 270 may include, for example, a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, and a frequency synthesizer in order to implement one or both of frequency-division duplexing (FDD) and time-division duplexing (TDD).

[0031] The input device 280 is an input device (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, and a sensor, etc.) that receives an external input. For example, the input device 280 receives an operation for inputting symbols such as numbers and characters to the processing device 210 and an operation for selecting an icon displayed on the display surface of the terminal device 200. For example, a touch panel that detects contact with the display surface of the terminal device 200 is suitable as the input device 280. Note that the input device 280 may include a plurality of operators that can be operated by the user.

[0032] The output device 290 is an output device such as a display that performs an external output. The output device 290 displays an image, for example, under the control of the processing device 210. For example, various display panels such as a liquid crystal display panel and an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display panel are suitably used as the output device 290. Note that the input device 280 and the output device 290 may have an integrated configuration (for example, a touch panel). Also, the output device 290 may be an output device having a speaker and an LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp, etc.

[0033] As the application server 300, for example, any information processing device can be adopted. The application server 300 provides, for example, a service based on the application program PRap to the terminal device 200 that is executing the application program PRap via the network NW. Also, similar to the terminal device 200, the application server 300 may request the management device 100 to execute or terminate QoS control.

[0034] In FIG. 1, the configuration of the application server 300 is not particularly illustrated, but the configuration of the application server 300 may be the same as, for example, the configuration of the management device 100 shown in FIG. 2 described later. That is, the application server 300 may be realized by a computer system including a processing device that controls the entire application server 300, a storage device that stores various data, and a communication device for communicating with other devices. Also, the application server 300 may have, for example, an input device and an output device similar to the input device 280 and the output device 290 of the terminal device 200.

[0035] Note that the configuration of the network system 10 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1. For example, a plurality of application servers 300 may be connected to the network NW. In this case, one or more of the plurality of application programs PRap corresponding to the plurality of application servers 300 may be installed in one of the plurality of terminal devices 200. Note that the application program PRap installed in one of the plurality of terminal devices 200 may be the same as or different from the application program PRap installed in other terminal devices 200 among the plurality of terminal devices 200.

[0036] Also, for example, the terminal device 200 may have an auxiliary storage device. The auxiliary storage device is a recording medium readable by the terminal device 200, and may be constituted by, for example, at least one of an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (for example, a compact disc, a digital versatile disc, and a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc), a smart card, a flash memory (for example, a card, a stick, and a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, and a magnetic strip. Similarly, for example, the application server 300 may have an auxiliary storage device.

[0037] Also, the network system 10 may have a plurality of networks NW connected to each other via the Internet (not shown). In this case, each of the plurality of networks NW may have a management device 100. Note that the management device 100 only needs to be able to execute QoS control in the corresponding network NW, and it is not particularly limited whether the network NW is defined without including the management device 100. Also, when the network system 10 has a plurality of networks NW, the terminal device 200 may be simultaneously connected to two or more of the plurality of networks NW.

[0038] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management device 100 shown in FIG. 1.

[0039] As the management device 100, for example, any information processing device can be adopted. For example, the management device 100 is realized by a computer system including a processing device 110, a storage device 160, and a communication device 170.

[0040] The processing device 110 is a processor that controls the entire management device 100 and is configured in the same manner as the processing device 210 of the terminal device 200 described in FIG. 1. For example, the processing device 110 reads the control program PRcl from the storage device 160 and functions as the acquisition unit 120, the quality control unit 140, etc. by executing the read control program PRcl. The control program PRcl may be transmitted from another device via the network NW.

[0041] The acquisition unit 120 acquires an execution request REQS that requests the execution of any one of a plurality of QoS controls for controlling the communication quality of the network NW. When there is no shortage of resources for executing the QoS control of the start candidate indicated by the execution request REQS, the quality control unit 140 executes the QoS control of the start candidate. For example, when the QoS control is started, the resources required for the execution of the QoS control are allocated to the QoS control, and when the QoS control ends, the resources allocated to the QoS control are released. Hereinafter, the resources for executing the QoS control are also referred to as QoS control resources.

[0042] Part or all of the resources of the QoS control of the start candidate may be insufficient, for example, when one or more QoS controls that use part or all of the resources of the QoS control of the start candidate among a plurality of QoS controls have already been executed. That is, when one or more QoS controls other than the QoS control of the start candidate among the plurality of QoS controls are executed, part or all of the resources of the QoS control of the start candidate may be insufficient. In this case, the quality control unit 140 determines whether to execute the QoS control of the start candidate based on the execution priority of the QoS control of the start candidate and the execution priority of the QoS control being executed.

[0043] The storage device 160 is a recording medium readable by the processing device 110, and stores a plurality of programs including the control program PRcl executed by the processing device 110 and various data such as the queue QUE. The storage device 160 may be configured by at least one of, for example, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and RAM, similarly to the storage device 260 of the terminal device 200 described in FIG. 1.

[0044] The communication device 170 is hardware (a transmission / reception device) for communicating with other devices such as the terminal device 200 and the application server 300, and is configured similarly to the communication device 270 of the terminal device 200 described in FIG. 1.

[0045] Note that the management device 100 may be realized as a single device, or may be realized as a set of a plurality of devices configured separately from each other (that is, a system). For example, a function for receiving a QoS control request or the like (for example, the acquisition unit 120) and a function for executing QoS control (for example, the quality control unit 140) may be realized as a single device. Alternatively, a function for receiving a QoS control request or the like and a function for executing QoS control may be realized as a set of two devices configured separately from each other. Further, the management device 100 may have a plurality of devices for executing QoS control.

[0046] Also, the configuration of the management device 100 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 2. For example, the management device 100 may have an auxiliary storage device. Further, the management device 100 may have an input device and an output device similar to the input device 280 and the output device 290 described in FIG. 1, for example.

[0047] Also, for example, the processing device 110 may function as a request unit similar to the request unit 240 described in FIG. 1. In this case, the request unit among the functional blocks realized by the processing device 110 may request the quality control unit 140 to execute any of a plurality of QoS controls. Then, the acquisition unit 120 may acquire the execution request REQS from the request unit among the functional blocks realized by the processing device 110. That is, the execution request REQS that the management device 100 requests for itself for QoS control also corresponds to the execution request REQS acquired by the acquisition unit 120.

[0048] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of QoS control. In the example shown in FIG. 3, an execution priority with a smaller numerical value indicates a higher priority than an execution priority with a larger numerical value.

[0049] QoS control has a plurality of modes, such as, for example, a low-latency mode, a high-speed large-capacity mode, a low-speed mode, a multi-connection mode, a conversation mode, an interactive game mode, and a mission-critical mode. For example, the low-latency mode is a mode with a smaller communication delay than other modes, the high-speed large-capacity mode is a mode capable of transferring a large amount of data at high speed compared to other modes, and the low-speed mode is a mode with a slower communication speed than other modes. The multi-connection mode is, for example, a mode for realizing a communication quality suitable for communication of devices used in IoT (Internet of Things). The conversation mode is, for example, a mode used for calls such as telephone calls. The interactive game mode is, for example, a mode for realizing a communication quality suitable for execution of interactive games. The mission-critical mode is, for example, a mode for realizing a communication quality suitable for communication used to maintain a safe and secure environment. The communication used to maintain a safe and secure environment may be, for example, communication used for contact during an emergency such as a disaster.

[0050] Also, QoS control has multiple types based on, for example, the form of communication quality guarantee and the combination of QoS control targets. Examples of the form of communication quality guarantee include a guaranteed type that guarantees communication quality, and a best-effort type that makes the communication quality as high as possible, etc. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the communication of the network NW is classified into communication where guaranteed type QoS control is executed, communication where best-effort type QoS control is executed, and communication where no QoS control is executed.

[0051] Examples of the communication subject to QoS control include, for example, communication based on SIM, and communication of the application program PRap among the communication based on SIM. When the QoS control target is communication based on SIM, the QoS control is executed, for example, for each SIM. Also, when the QoS control target is communication of the application program PRap, the QoS control is executed, for example, for each application program PRap.

[0052] The type SIM-GA shown in FIG. 3 is executed for each SIM and represents a guaranteed type QoS control at the SIM unit that guarantees communication quality. Also, the type SIM-BE is executed for each SIM and represents a best-effort type QoS control at the SIM unit that controls communication quality by best effort. Also, the type AP-GA is executed for each application program PRap and represents a guaranteed type QoS control at the application program unit that guarantees communication quality. Also, the type AP-BE is executed for each application program PRap and represents a best-effort type QoS control at the application program unit that controls communication quality by best effort.

[0053] The guaranteed QoS control at the SIM unit level is an example of "first quality control", and the best-effort QoS control at the SIM unit level is an example of "second quality control". Also, the guaranteed QoS control at the application program unit level is an example of "third quality control", and the best-effort type at the application program unit level is an example of "fourth quality control". In the example shown in FIG. 3, 28 QoS controls are shown by the combination of 7 modes and 4 types. Each of the 28 QoS controls is associated with a QCI (QoS Class Identifier). Also, as described with reference to FIG. 1, each of the 28 QoS controls is associated with an execution priority. Note that the number of QoS controls is not limited to 28.

[0054] The management device 100 executes, for example, bandwidth control for controlling the communication bandwidth in the network NW, low-latency control for controlling the communication latency, and priority control for preferentially transferring packets related to specific communication (data as a transfer unit when performing communication) according to the QCI. For example, in the guaranteed QoS control in the low-latency mode, low-latency control with a delay guarantee in which an upper limit value of the delay is set may be executed. Also, for example, in the guaranteed QoS control in the high-speed large-capacity mode, bandwidth control with a bandwidth guarantee in which a lower limit value of the bandwidth is set may be executed. Note that, as the low-latency control, for example, a delay limit in which a lower limit value of the delay is set may be executed. Similarly, as the bandwidth control, a bandwidth limit in which an upper limit value of the bandwidth is set may be executed. For example, in the QoS control in the low-speed mode, a bandwidth limit in which an upper limit value of the bandwidth is set may be executed.

[0055] Also, the management device 100 may combine a plurality of controls such as bandwidth control, low-latency control, and priority control according to the QCI, for example. For example, low-latency control and priority control may be combined. In the priority control, for example, priorities are assigned to the packets flowing on the network NW, and the packets with higher priorities than other packets are processed earlier than other packets.

[0056] In the example shown in FIG. 3, an execution priority is associated with each of the 28 QoS controls based on the concept shown below, but the execution priority associated with each of the 28 QoS controls is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 3.

[0057] When focusing on the guaranteed type and the best effort type, the guaranteed type QoS control should be prioritized over the best effort type QoS control. For this reason, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the execution priority of the guaranteed type QoS control is set higher than the execution priority of the best effort type QoS control.

[0058] Also, when focusing on the SIM unit and the application program unit, in the application program unit, the target of QoS control is limited to the communication of the application program PRap, but in the SIM unit, the target of QoS control is not particularly limited. Therefore, when QoS control for the SIM unit is required, it is assumed that QoS control is always necessary. In this case, the necessity and importance of QoS control are considered to be higher for the SIM unit than for the application program unit. For this reason, in the example shown in FIG. 3, in each mode, the execution priority of the QoS control for the SIM unit is set higher than the execution priority of the QoS control for the application program unit.

[0059] Also, in each mode, by setting the execution priority of QoS control at the SIM unit higher than that of QoS control at the application program unit, the following effects can be obtained. In QoS control at the SIM unit, billing is assumed from the user (individual or corporation) of the terminal device 200, and in QoS control at the application program unit, billing is assumed from the application provider that provides the application program PRap to the terminal device 200 or the like. For example, the user of the terminal device 200 is billed for QoS control for almost all communications of the terminal device 200, and the application provider is billed for QoS control for some communications of the terminal device 200. Therefore, the billing amount for QoS control at the SIM unit becomes higher than the billing amount for QoS control at the application program unit. In the example shown in FIG. 3, since QoS control at the SIM unit with a higher billing amount than the billing amount for QoS control at the application program unit is preferentially executed, it is possible to suppress the biller from feeling dissatisfied with the billing amount.

[0060] Modes with clear uses such as the conversation mode, interactive game mode, and mission critical mode are considered to require QoS control more than general-purpose modes such as the low-latency mode, high-speed large-capacity mode, low-speed mode, and multi-connection mode.

[0061] Specifically, since it is assumed that communications used to maintain a safe and secure environment are subject to QoS control in the mission critical mode, it should be prioritized over other modes. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the execution priority of the mission critical mode is set higher than that of other modes in each type.

[0062] Since the conversation mode assumes that calls such as phone calls are subject to QoS control, calls for realizing a secure and safe life may be subject to QoS control. Therefore, in the example shown in Fig. 3, for each type, the execution priority of the conversation mode is set higher than the execution priorities of the interactive game mode, low-latency mode, high-speed large-capacity mode, low-speed mode, and multi-connection mode.

[0063] The application of the interactive game mode is clear. Therefore, in the example shown in Fig. 3, for each type, the execution priority of the interactive game mode is set higher than the execution priorities of the low-latency mode, high-speed large-capacity mode, low-speed mode, and multi-connection mode.

[0064] In the low-latency mode, since it is assumed that the amount of communication subject to QoS control is small, it is considered that even if QoS control is executed, the impact on other communications is small. Therefore, in the example shown in Fig. 3, for each type, the execution priority of the low-latency mode is set higher than the execution priorities of the high-speed large-capacity mode, low-speed mode, and multi-connection mode.

[0065] In the high-speed large-capacity mode, although it is assumed that the amount of communication subject to QoS control is larger than in the low-latency mode, if QoS control is not executed, it is considered that the user is likely to feel a degradation in communication quality. Therefore, in the example shown in Fig. 3, for each type, the execution priority of the high-speed large-capacity mode is set higher than the execution priorities of the low-speed mode and multi-connection mode.

[0066] In the low-speed mode, instead of reducing the communication speed, it is assumed that the charging for QoS control is made cheaper. Therefore, it is considered that there is basically no problem even if the execution priority of the low-speed mode is lower than the execution priorities of other modes for each type. Therefore, in the example shown in Fig. 3, for each type, the execution priority of the low-speed mode is set lower than the execution priorities of other modes.

[0067] Since it is assumed that QoS control is to be executed for devices used in IoT, even if QoS control is not executed for several devices, the overall impact is considered to be small. Therefore, in each type, it is considered that there is no problem even if the execution priority of the multi-connection mode is lower than the execution priorities of the conversation mode, the interactive game mode, the mission-critical mode, the low-latency mode, and the high-speed large-capacity mode. For this reason, in the example shown in FIG. 3, in each type, the execution priority of the multi-connection mode is set lower than the execution priorities of the conversation mode, the interactive game mode, the mission-critical mode, the low-latency mode, and the high-speed large-capacity mode.

[0068] Note that the QoS control is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 3. For example, although the QCI shown in FIG. 3 does not conform to the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) standard, a QCI conforming to the 3GPP standard may be used for QoS control. In 3GPP, for example, the priority of resource allocation for packets, the packet loss rate, and the tuning method of the network NW are defined for each QCI. Note that the execution priorities shown in FIG. 3 do not correspond to the priorities of the QCI conforming to the 3GPP standard. Also, for example, multiple QoS controls may be divided based on 5G (5th generation mobile communication system)-corresponding parameters such as 5QI (5G QoS Identifier) and slices used in 5G.

[0069] Also, for example, multiple types may be associated with one QCI. For example, two types, i.e., the best effort type per SIM unit (SIM-BE) and the best effort type per application program unit (AP-BE), may be associated with the low latency mode where QCI is "2". And, for example, two types, i.e., the best effort type per SIM unit (SIM-BE) and the best effort type per application program unit (AP-BE), may be associated with the high speed and large capacity mode where QCI is "6". In this case, the execution priority of the low latency mode in the best effort type per application program unit may be higher than the execution priority of the high speed and large capacity mode in the best effort type per SIM unit.

[0070] Also, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the QoS control executed for each line contract and the QoS control executed for each terminal device 200 are not shown, but QCI may be associated with the QoS control executed for each line contract and the QoS control executed for each terminal device 200. The execution priority of the QoS control executed for each line contract is described, for example, by replacing the above-mentioned "per SIM unit" with "per line contract". In this case, the guaranteed type of QoS control per line contract is another example of the "first quality control", and the best effort type of QoS control per line contract is another example of the "second quality control". Also, the execution priority of the QoS control executed for each terminal device 200 is described by replacing the above-mentioned "per SIM unit" with "per terminal device unit". In this case, the guaranteed type of QoS control per terminal device unit is another example of the "first quality control", and the best effort type of QoS control per terminal device unit is another example of the "second quality control".

[0071] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the queue QUE shown in FIG. 2.

[0072] The standby queue QUE stores, in an associated manner, a control ID indicating QoS control during standby, an execution priority of the QoS control indicated by the control ID, and control target information indicating the target of the QoS control indicated by the control ID. The control ID may be, for example, identification information for identifying the QoS control indicated by the control ID from among a plurality of QoS controls. The control target information may be, for example, information for identifying a SIM included in the information processing apparatus that transmitted the execution request REQS of the QoS control indicated by the control ID from among a plurality of SIMs when the QoS control indicated by the control ID is SIM unit-based QoS control. Alternatively, the control target information may be the IP (Internet Protocol) address of the information processing apparatus that transmitted the execution request REQS of the QoS control indicated by the control ID. Further, for example, when the QoS control indicated by the control ID is QoS control at the application program unit, the control target information may be identification information indicating the application program PRap that is the target of the QoS control indicated by the control ID.

[0073] Note that the standby queue QUE is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 4. For example, the standby queue QUE may store information included in the execution request REQS of the QoS control indicated by the control ID. Further, for example, the standby queue QUE may store information indicating a resource for executing the QoS control indicated by the control ID.

[0074] FIG. 5 is a sequence chart showing an example of the operation of the network system 10 shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 5, in order to distinguish a plurality of terminal devices 200 from each other, a lowercase alphabet letter (a, b, c, or d) is attached to the end of the symbol of each terminal device 200. Further, a lowercase alphabet letter (a, b, c, or d) same as that of the corresponding terminal device 200 is also attached to the end of the symbol of the processing and the like related to each terminal device 200.

[0075] In the example shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the terminal devices 200a, 200b, 200c, and 200d transmit execution requests REQS. Hereinafter, the QoS control based on the execution request REQSa from the terminal device 200a is also referred to as QoSa, and the QoS control based on the execution request REQSb from the terminal device 200b is also referred to as QoSb. Similarly, the QoS control based on the execution request REQSc from the terminal device 200c is also referred to as QoSc, and the QoS control based on the execution request REQSd from the terminal device 200d is also referred to as QoSd.

[0076] In the example shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that QoSa, QoSb, QoSc, and QoSd use a common resource with each other, and among QoSa, QoSb, QoSc, and QoSd, QoSd has the highest execution priority and QoSc has the lowest execution priority. For example, QoSa, QoSb, QoSc, and QoSd may be in the low-latency mode described in FIG. 3. In this case, for example, the QCI of QoSd may be 1, the QCI of QoSa may be 3, the QCI of QoSb may be 2, and the QCI of QoSc may be 4. For example, in the operation shown in FIG. 5, in a network NW that has already executed a plurality of QoS controls (not shown) with the same QCI as the QCI of QoSd, there may be insufficient resources to execute QoSa, QoSb, QoSc, and QoSd simultaneously.

[0077] In the example shown in FIG. 5, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that the network NW does not have sufficient resources to execute three of QoSa, QoSb, QoSc, and QoSd simultaneously.

[0078] First, the request unit 240 of the terminal device 200a transmits an execution request REQSa for requesting the execution of QoS control to the management device 100 (S200a). As a result, the acquisition unit 120 of the management device 100 receives the execution request REQSa from the terminal device 200a. That is, the acquisition unit 120 of the management device 100 acquires the execution request REQSa from the terminal device 200a (S100a). Then, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 determines whether there is a shortage of resources for executing the QoS control (QoSa) indicated by the execution request REQSa (S120a).

[0079] In the example shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that there is no shortage of resources. Therefore, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 executes QoSa (S140a). Then, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 transmits an affirmative response ACKSa indicating the execution of QoSa to the terminal device 200a as response information for the execution request REQSa (S150a). As a result, the terminal device 200a receives the affirmative response ACKSa as response information for the execution request REQSa (S202a).

[0080] Next, the request unit 240 of the terminal device 200b transmits an execution request REQSb for requesting the execution of QoS control to the management device 100 (S200b). The management device 100 executes the same processing as the processing for the execution request REQSa from the terminal device 200a also for the execution request REQSb from the terminal device 200b (S100b, S120b, S140b, and S150b). As a result, the terminal device 200b receives an affirmative response ACKSb indicating the execution of QoSb as response information for the execution request REQSb (S202b).

[0081] Next, the request unit 240 of the terminal device 200c transmits an execution request REQSc for requesting the execution of QoS control to the management device 100 (S200c). As a result, the acquisition unit 120 of the management device 100 acquires the execution request REQSc from the terminal device 200c (S100c). Then, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 determines whether there is a shortage of resources for executing the QoS control (QoSc) of the start candidate indicated by the execution request REQSc (S120c).

[0082] In the example shown in FIG. 5, since QoSa and QoSb are being executed, there is a shortage of resources for executing QoSc. Therefore, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 determines whether the QoS control of the end candidate whose execution priority is lower than that of QoSc is included in the currently executed QoS controls (QoSa and QoSb) (S122c). The execution priorities of the currently executed QoSa and QoSb are higher than the execution priority of QoSc. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 determines that there is no QoS control of the end candidate. For this reason, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 waits for the execution of QoSc (S130c).

[0083] Then, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 transmits a negative response NACKSc indicating that QoSc is not executed as response information to the execution request REQSc to the terminal device 200c (S150c). As a result, the terminal device 200c receives the negative response NACKSc as response information to the execution request REQSc (S202c). Note that the negative response NACSc may include information indicating that it is waiting for the execution of QoSc. The negative response NACKS is an example of "negative information".

[0084] Note that in the example shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the communication targeted by QoSc that is not executed is not disconnected and is executed as communication for which QoSc is not executed, but the communication targeted by QoSc may be disconnected. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that QoSc that is not executed is waited for, but QoSc that is not executed may be rejected without waiting.

[0085] Next, the request unit 240 of the terminal device 200b transmits an end request REQEb for requesting the end of QoSb to the management device 100 (S220b). As a result, the acquisition unit 120 of the management device 100 receives the end request REQEb from the terminal device 200b. That is, the acquisition unit 120 of the management device 100 acquires the end request REQEb from the terminal device 200b (S160b). Then, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 ends the QoS control (QoSb) indicated by the end request REQEb (S162b). Also, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 transmits an affirmative response ACKEb indicating the end of QoSb to the terminal device 200b as response information for the end request REQEb (S164b). As a result, the terminal device 200b receives the affirmative response ACKEb as response information for the end request REQEb (S222b).

[0086] Also, since the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 has ended QoSb, it determines whether the standby QoSc can be executed (S182c). For example, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 determines whether there is insufficient resource for executing the standby QoSc.

[0087] In the example shown in FIG. 5, since QoSb among QoSa and QoSb has ended, there is no insufficient resource for executing the standby QoSc. Therefore, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 determines that the standby QoSc can be executed. For this reason, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 executes the standby QoSc (S184c). Then, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 transmits execution information SINFc indicating the execution of the standby QoSc to the terminal device 200c that has transmitted the execution request REQSc (S186c). As a result, the terminal device 200c receives the execution information SINFc (S210c).

[0088] Thus, in this embodiment, even for QoS control with a low execution priority, when there is free space in the network resource, it is executed.

[0089] Next, the request unit 240 of the terminal device 200d transmits an execution request REQSd for requesting the execution of QoS control to the management device 100 (S200d). As a result, the acquisition unit 120 of the management device 100 acquires the execution request REQSd from the terminal device 200d (S100d). Then, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 determines whether there is a shortage of resources for executing the QoS control (QoSd) of the start candidate indicated by the execution request REQSd (S120d).

[0090] In the example shown in FIG. 5, since QoSa and QoSc are being executed, there is a shortage of resources for executing QoSd. For this reason, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 determines whether the QoS control of the end candidate whose execution priority is lower than that of QoSd is included in the QoS control (QoSa and QoSc) being executed (S122d). The execution priorities of the ongoing QoSa and QoSc are lower than the execution priority of QoSd. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 determines that the QoS control of the end candidate is included in the QoS control being executed. The quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 selects, for example, QoSc with a lower execution priority among QoSa and QoSc as the QoS control of the end candidate.

[0091] Then, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 determines whether it is possible to secure resources for executing the start candidate QoSd by ending the end candidate QoSc (S124d). When QoSc ends, the resources used for QoSc are released, so resources for executing QoSd are secured. Therefore, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 determines that it is possible to secure the resources of the start candidate QoSd by ending the end candidate QoSc.

[0092] Therefore, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 ends the QoSc and manages the ended QoSc as the QoS control in waiting (S126d and S128d). Also, since the resources of QoSd are secured due to the end of QoSc, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 executes QoSd (S140d). Then, the quality control unit 140 of the management device 100 transmits end information EINFc indicating the end of QoSc to the terminal device 200c that transmitted the execution request REQSc of QoSc, and transmits an affirmative response ACKSd of the execution request REQSd to the terminal device 200d (S150d). As a result, the terminal device 200c receives the end information EINFc (S212c). Also, the terminal device 200d receives an affirmative response ACKSd indicating the execution of QoSd as response information to the execution request REQSd (S202d).

[0093] Note that in the example shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the communication targeted by the ended QoSc continues as communication where QoSc is not executed without being disconnected, but the communication targeted by QoSc may be disconnected. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the ended QoSc is waited for, but the ended QoSc may be rejected without being waited for.

[0094] As described above, when the resources of the QoS control with a high execution priority are insufficient, the management device 100 determines whether it is possible to secure the resources of the QoS control with a high execution priority by ending the QoS control being executed with a low execution priority. Then, when the management device 100 can secure the resources of the QoS control with a high execution priority by ending the QoS control being executed with a low execution priority, the management device 100 ends the QoS control being executed with a low execution priority and executes the QoS control with a high execution priority. Thereby, in the present embodiment, it is possible to effectively use limited network resources to execute appropriate QoS control for various QoS control requests from a plurality of information processing devices such as the terminal device 200. For example, in the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the situation where QoS control for truly important communication such as a call by the prime minister's mobile phone is not executed.

[0095] Note that the operation of the network system 10 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 5. For example, before executing the QoS control indicated by the execution request REQS, the management device 100 may transmit an affirmative response ACKS to the terminal device 200 or the like, or before ending the QoS control indicated by the end request REQE, the management device 100 may transmit an affirmative response ACKE to the terminal device 200 or the like. Also, for example, the transmission of response information such as the affirmative response ACKS for the execution request REQS may be omitted. That is, the affirmative response ACKS or the like for the execution request REQS may not be transmitted to the device that transmitted the execution request REQS or the like. Also, for example, the application server 300 may transmit the execution request REQS. Also, for example, in QoSa, QoSb, QoSc, and QoSd, some of the resources used may be common. Note that, for example, the fact that a QoS control with a higher execution priority can intrude into the resources of a QoS control with a lower execution priority also corresponds to the case where some of the resources are common in a plurality of QoS controls.

[0096] Also, for example, a terminal device 200 that has already received any one of a plurality of QoS controls may request the execution of a QoS control different from the said QoS control. Specifically, for example, assume a case where the terminal device 200a is executing a first application program PRap and a second application program PRap. In this case, the terminal device 200a may request the execution of QoS control for the communication of the second application program PRap in a state where QoS control for the communication of the first application program PRap has already been executed. That is, among a plurality of QoS controls, one or more QoS controls other than the QoS control that is a start candidate may be executed for a device that has requested the QoS control that is the start candidate.

[0097] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the management device 100 when receiving an execution request REQS for QoS control. The operation shown in FIG. 6 is executed, for example, when an execution request REQS is sent from an information processing device (e.g., the terminal device 200 and the application server 300, etc.) connected to the network NW, and a device included in the network NW to the management device 100.

[0098] First, in step S100, the acquisition unit 120 acquires the execution request REQS. Then, the acquisition unit 120 advances the process to step S120.

[0099] In step S120, the quality control unit 140 determines whether part or all of the resources for executing the QoS control of the start candidate indicated by the execution request REQS acquired in step S100 are insufficient. For example, the quality control unit 140 determines whether the resources of the QoS control of the start candidate are insufficient because one or more QoS controls other than the QoS control of the start candidate among the plurality of QoS controls are being executed for at least one device connected to the network NW.

[0100] If the result of the determination in step S120 is negative, the quality control unit 140 advances the process to step S140. On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S120 is positive, the quality control unit 140 advances the process to step S122.

[0101] In step S122, the quality control unit 140 determines whether a QoS control of an end candidate whose execution priority is lower than the execution priority of the QoS control of the start candidate is included in the QoS control being executed. If the result of the determination in step S122 is negative, the quality control unit 140 advances the process to step S130. On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S120 is positive, the quality control unit 140 advances the process to step S124.

[0102] In step S124, the quality control unit 140 determines whether it can secure resources for executing the QoS control of the start candidate by ending the QoS control of the end candidate. Note that when two or more QoS controls correspond to the QoS control of the end candidate, the quality control unit 140 may determine whether it can secure resources for executing the QoS control of the start candidate by ending some or all of the QoS controls of the multiple end candidates. If the result of the determination in step S124 is negative, the quality control unit 140 proceeds with the process to step S130. On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S124 is positive, the quality control unit 140 proceeds with the process to step S126.

[0103] In step S126, the quality control unit 140 ends the QoS control of the end candidate. As a result, the resources used for the QoS control of the end candidate are released, so resources for executing the QoS control of the start candidate are secured. After executing the process of step S126, the quality control unit 140 proceeds with the process to step S128.

[0104] In step S128, the quality control unit 140 manages the QoS control ended in step S126 as the QoS control waiting in line. For example, the quality control unit 140 registers the QoS control ended in step S126 in the waiting queue QUE. After executing the process of step S128, the quality control unit 140 proceeds with the process to step S140.

[0105] In step S140, the quality control unit 140 executes the QoS control of the start candidate. After executing the process of step S140, the quality control unit 140 proceeds with the process to step S150. Before explaining the process of step S150, the process of step S130 will be explained.

[0106] In step S130, the quality control unit 140 manages the QoS control of the start candidate as the QoS control in waiting without executing the QoS control of the start candidate. For example, the quality control unit 140 registers the QoS control of the start candidate in the waiting queue QUE. After executing the process of step S130, the quality control unit 140 advances the process to step S150.

[0107] In step S150, the quality control unit 140 transmits the response information for the execution request REQS obtained in step S100 to the device that sent the execution request REQS. For example, when the quality control unit 140 executes the QoS control of the start candidate (when the process of step S140 is executed), it transmits an affirmative response ACKS indicating that the QoS control of the start candidate is executed as the response information for the execution request REQS. Also, for example, when the quality control unit 140 does not execute the QoS control of the start candidate (when the process of step S130 is executed), it transmits a negative response NACKS indicating that the QoS control of the start candidate is not executed as the response information for the execution request REQS. Note that the negative response NACS may include information indicating that it is waiting for the execution of the QoS control of the start candidate.

[0108] Also, when the quality control unit 140 finishes the QoS control of the end candidate (when the process of step S126 is executed), it may transmit end information EINF indicating that the QoS control based on the execution request REQS has ended to the device that sent the execution request REQS for the QoS control of the end candidate. The end information EINF may be transmitted in step S150, or may be transmitted in step S126 or S128. Also, the end information EINF may include information indicating that it is waiting for the execution of the QoS control.

[0109] In this way, when the resources for the QoS control of the start candidate are insufficient, the management device 100 determines whether to execute the QoS control of the start candidate based on the execution priority of the QoS control of the start candidate and the execution priority of the QoS control being executed. For example, when the management device 100 can secure the resources for the QoS control of the start candidate by ending the QoS control of the end candidate whose execution priority is lower than the execution priority of the QoS control of the start candidate, the management device 100 ends the QoS control of the end candidate and executes the QoS control of the start candidate. Thereby, in the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the situation where the QoS control with a high execution priority cannot be executed because the QoS control with a low execution priority is being executed.

[0110] Note that the operation of the management device 100 when receiving the execution request REQS for QoS control is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 6. For example, in steps S128 and S130 and the like, it may be selectable whether to register the QoS control that is not executed in the queue QUE. In this case, for example, the execution request REQS may include information on whether to register the QoS control that is not executed in the queue QUE when it is not executed. Alternatively, whether to register the QoS control that is not executed in the queue QUE when it is not executed may be preset for each QoS control.

[0111] Also, for example, one or both of steps S128 and S130 may be omitted. When step S128 is omitted, the communication that is the target of the completed QoS control (the communication that is the target of the QoS control of the termination candidate) may be continued or disconnected as a communication for which QoS control is not executed. Similarly, when step S130 is omitted, the communication that is the target of the QoS control of the start candidate that is not executed may be executed or disconnected as a communication for which QoS control is not executed without being disconnected. Further, when both steps S128 and S130 are omitted, that is, when waiting for the execution of QoS control is not performed, the management device 100 may not have the waiting queue QUE. Note that when one or both of steps S128 and S130 are omitted, the terminal device 200, the application server 300, etc. may transmit the execution request REQS to the management device 100 again when QoS control is required.

[0112] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the management device 100 for QoS control in a waiting state. The operation shown in FIG. 7 is executed, for example, when an end request REQE is transmitted from an information processing device (e.g., the terminal device 200 and the application server 300, etc.) connected to the network NW and a device included in the network NW to the management device 100.

[0113] First, in step S160, the acquisition unit 120 acquires the end request REQE. Then, the acquisition unit 120 advances the process to step S162.

[0114] In step S162, the quality control unit 140 ends the QoS control indicated by the end request REQE acquired in step S160. As a result, since the resources used for the QoS control indicated by the end request REQE are released, the available network resources increase. After executing the process of step S162, the quality control unit 140 advances the process to step S164.

[0115] In step S164, the quality control unit 140 transmits the response information for the end request REQE obtained in step S160 to the device that sent the end request REQE. For example, the quality control unit 140 transmits, as the response information for the end request REQE, an affirmative response ACKE indicating that the QoS control indicated by the end request REQE is to be terminated. After executing the process of step S164, the quality control unit 140 advances the process to step S170.

[0116] In step S170, the quality control unit 140 determines whether there is any QoS control in standby. For example, the quality control unit 140 determines whether the QoS control in standby is registered in the queue QUE. If the result of the determination in step S170 is negative, the operation shown in FIG. 7 ends. On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S170 is affirmative, the quality control unit 140 advances the process to step S180.

[0117] In step S180, the quality control unit 140 selects the QoS control to be determined from the QoS controls in standby. For example, the quality control unit 140 selects, as the QoS control to be determined, the QoS control with the highest execution priority among the QoS controls to be selected registered in the queue QUE. The QoS controls to be selected registered in the queue QUE are the QoS controls among the QoS controls registered in the queue QUE for which the determination in step S182 described later has not been executed.

[0118] Note that when a plurality of QoS controls with the highest execution priority are included in the QoS controls to be selected, the quality control unit 140 may select, as the QoS control to be determined, the QoS control with the earliest registration order in the queue QUE among the plurality of QoS controls with the highest execution priority. In this case, it is possible to suppress the waiting time from becoming unnecessarily long. After executing the process of step S180, the quality control unit 140 advances the process to step S182.

[0119] In step S182, the quality control unit 140 determines whether it is possible to execute the QoS control of the determination target selected in step S180. For example, the quality control unit 140 determines whether there is sufficient resource for executing the QoS control of the determination target. If the result of the determination in step S182 is negative, the quality control unit 140 advances the process to step S188. On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S182 is positive, the quality control unit 140 advances the process to step S184.

[0120] In step S184, the quality control unit 140 executes the QoS control of the determination target. Then, the quality control unit 140 advances the process to step S186.

[0121] In step S186, the quality control unit 140 transmits execution information SINF indicating that the QoS control of the determination target has been executed to the device that has transmitted the execution request REQS of the QoS control of the determination target. Then, the quality control unit 140 advances the process to step S188.

[0122] In step S188, the quality control unit 140 determines whether the determination in step S182 has been executed for all of the QoS controls in standby. If the result of the determination in step S188 is negative, the quality control unit 140 returns the process to step S180. Thus, for example, when the quality control unit 140 manages two or more QoS controls out of a plurality of QoS controls as QoS controls in standby, the quality control unit 140 makes a decision on whether to execute each of the two or more QoS controls managed as QoS controls in standby in descending order of execution priority. If the result of the determination in step S170 is positive, the operation shown in FIG. 7 ends.

[0123] In this way, when any of the QoS controls in execution ends, the management device 100 determines whether to execute a waiting QoS control based on the execution priority of the waiting QoS control and the execution priority of the QoS control in execution. For example, when the management device 100 can secure the resources of one QoS control among the waiting QoS controls due to the end of any of the QoS controls in execution, the management device 100 executes one QoS control among the waiting QoS controls. Thereby, in the present embodiment, when there is free space in the network resources, any of the waiting QoS controls can be executed, so that the network resources can be effectively used.

[0124] Note that the operation of the management device 100 for the waiting QoS control is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 7. For example, for example, alternatively, the process of step S164 may be executed before the process of step S162, or may be executed in parallel with the process of step S162. Alternatively, the process of step S164 may be executed after a series of processes from step S170 to step S188 are completed, or may be executed in parallel with a series of processes from step S170 to step S188.

[0125] Further, for example, a series of processes from step S170 to step S188 may be executed due to a trigger different from the transmission of the end request REQE to the management device 100. Alternatively, a series of processes from step S170 to step S188 may be repeatedly executed at a predetermined interval, or may be executed after a predetermined time has elapsed from the registration timing when a QoS control is newly registered in the waiting queue QUE.

[0126] Another such trigger may be, for example, when the available network resources increase. Although the available network resources increase when QoS control ends, as shown below, the available network resources may increase even after QoS control ends. For example, when network resources are reduced compared to the normal state due to maintenance of devices in the network NW, the available network resources increase when the maintenance ends. Also, for example, when the facilities of the network NW are expanded, the available network resources increase.

[0127] The end of any of the ongoing QoS controls is an example of a "predetermined trigger", and the increase in the available network resources is another example of a "predetermined trigger". Also, when a series of processes from step S170 to step S188 is repeated at a predetermined interval, the elapse of a time corresponding to the predetermined interval from the previous execution timing of the series of processes from step S170 to step S188 is another example of a "predetermined trigger". In this case, the first trigger of the repeated process may be the timing when a time corresponding to the predetermined interval has elapsed from the timing when the first QoS control was registered in the queue QUE where QoS control is not registered. Also, when a series of processes from step S170 to step S188 is executed after a predetermined time has elapsed from the registration timing when a new QoS control is registered in the queue QUE, the elapse of the predetermined time from the registration timing is another example of a "predetermined trigger".

[0128] Also, for example, the management device 100 may execute a series of processes similar to the series of processes from step S122 to step S128 shown in FIG. 6 in step S182. In this case, among the QoS control during execution and the QoS control during standby, the QoS control with a higher execution priority can be preferentially executed. For example, assume that QoSe, whose execution priority is higher than that of QoSc shown in FIG. 5 and lower than that of QoSb, is in standby, and the resources of QoSe can be secured when neither QoSb nor QoSc is being executed. During the period when both QoSb and QoSc are being executed, QoSe waits without being executed. The resources of the standby QoS are secured, for example, by terminating QoSc, whose execution priority is lower than that of QoSe, when QoSb among the executing QoSb and QoSc ends. Therefore, for example, when QoSb among the executing QoSb and QoSc ends, the management device 100 can execute the standby QoSe by terminating QoSc, whose execution priority is lower than that of QoSe.

[0129] Note that the series of processes similar to the series of processes from step S122 to step S128 shown in FIG. 6 is described by replacing "QoS control of start candidates" with "QoS control of determination targets" in the description of the series of processes from step S122 to step S128 in FIG. 6. For example, if the result of a determination similar to the determination in step S122 or S124 in FIG. 6 is negative, the process of step S188 is executed, and after the process similar to the process of step S128 is executed, the process of step S184 is executed.

[0130] Also, for example, the management device 100 may not terminate the QoS control indicated by the end request REQE acquired in step S160. In this case, the management device 100 may transmit a negative response indicating that it does not terminate the QoS control indicated by the end request REQE in step S164. Also, when not terminating the QoS control indicated by the end request REQE, the series of processes from step S170 to step S188 may not be executed.

[0131] As described above, in this embodiment, the management device 100 includes an acquisition unit 120 that acquires an execution request REQS for requesting execution of any one of a plurality of QoS controls, and a quality control unit 140. When there is no shortage of resources for executing the QoS control of the start candidate indicated by the execution request REQS, the quality control unit 140 executes the QoS control of the start candidate. Note that, among the plurality of QoS controls, a part or all of the resources of the QoS control of the start candidate may be insufficient due to execution of one or more QoS controls other than the QoS control of the start candidate. In this case, the quality control unit 140 determines whether to execute the QoS control of the start candidate based on the execution priority of the QoS control of the start candidate and the execution priority of the QoS control being executed.

[0132] In this way, when the resources of the QoS control of the start candidate are insufficient, the management device 100 determines whether to execute the QoS control of the start candidate based on the execution priority of the QoS control of the start candidate and the execution priority of the QoS control being executed. Thereby, in this embodiment, the QoS control with a higher execution priority can be preferentially executed. As a result, in this embodiment, appropriate QoS control can be executed by effectively using limited network resources for various QoS control requests.

[0133] Also, in this embodiment, the quality control unit 140 may terminate the QoS control of the end candidate, whose execution priority is lower than that of the QoS control of the start candidate, among the QoS controls in execution, so as to secure the resources for the QoS control of the start candidate if possible. Then, the quality control unit 140 may execute the QoS control of the start candidate. Thereby, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the QoS control with a higher execution priority from becoming unable to be executed due to the execution of the QoS control with a lower execution priority. Also, if the quality control unit 140 cannot secure the resources for the QoS control of the start candidate even after terminating the QoS control of the end candidate, it may continue the execution of the QoS control of the end candidate without executing the QoS control of the start candidate. Thereby, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the QoS control with a lower execution priority from being terminated unnecessarily.

[0134] Also, in this embodiment, when the quality control unit 140 terminates the QoS control of the end candidate, it may transmit end information EINF indicating that the QoS control based on the execution request REQS has been terminated to the device that transmitted the execution request REQS for the QoS control of the end candidate. Thereby, in this embodiment, the device that transmitted the execution request REQS for the QoS control of the end candidate can be made aware of the termination of the QoS control. Also, when the quality control unit 140 continues the execution of the QoS control of the end candidate without executing the QoS control of the start candidate, it may transmit a negative response NACKS indicating that the QoS control based on the execution request REQS is not executed to the device that transmitted the execution request REQS for the QoS control of the start candidate. Thereby, in this embodiment, the device that transmitted the execution request REQS for the QoS control of the start candidate can be made aware that the QoS control is not executed.

[0135] Also, in this embodiment, when the quality control unit 140 finishes the QoS control of the termination candidate, among the QoS controls of the termination candidate, the terminated QoS control may be managed as a QoS control waiting for execution. Also, when the quality control unit 140 continues the execution of the QoS control of the termination candidate without executing the QoS control of the start candidate, the QoS control of the start candidate may be managed as a QoS control waiting for execution. Then, the quality control unit 140 may determine whether to execute the QoS control waiting for execution based on the execution priority of the QoS control waiting for execution and the execution priority of the QoS control being executed at a predetermined timing. Thereby, in this embodiment, for example, when there is free space in the network resources due to the end of any of the QoS controls being executed, any of the QoS controls waiting for execution can be executed. As a result, in this embodiment, the network resources can be effectively used.

[0136] Also, in this embodiment, when it is determined to execute any of the QoS controls waiting for execution, the execution information SINF indicating that the QoS control based on the execution request REQS is executed may be transmitted to the device that transmitted the execution request REQS of the QoS control to be executed among the QoS controls waiting for execution. Thereby, in this embodiment, the device that transmitted the execution request REQS of the QoS control to be executed can be made to recognize that the QoS control is executed.

[0137] Also, in this embodiment, the plurality of QoS controls may include a first QoS control, a second QoS control, a third QoS control, and a fourth QoS control. The first QoS control is executed for each line based on the contract of the communication service provided by the network NW and guarantees the communication quality. The second QoS control is executed for each line and controls the communication quality by best effort. The third QoS control is executed for each application program PRap available in the terminal device 200 connected to the network NW and guarantees the communication quality. The fourth QoS control is executed for each application program PRap and controls the communication quality by best effort.

[0138] Also, in the present embodiment, the execution priority of the first QoS control and the execution priority of the third QoS control are higher than either the execution priority of the second QoS control or the execution priority of the third QoS control. Further, the execution priority of the first QoS control is higher than the execution priority of the third QoS control. And the execution priority of the second QoS control is higher than the execution priority of the fourth QoS control.

[0139] In this way, in the present embodiment, for various QoS control requirements such as the first QoS control, the second QoS control, the third QoS control, and the fourth QoS control, finite network resources can be effectively used to execute appropriate QoS control. Also, in the QoS control executed for each line, it is considered that more resources are required compared to the QoS control executed for each application program PRap. For this reason, it is assumed that a communication carrier will set the charge amount for the QoS control executed for each line higher than the charge amount for the QoS control executed for each application program PRap. In this case, for example, it is assumed that the charge amount for the second QoS control is set higher than the charge amount for the fourth QoS control. However, since the second QoS control is executed preferentially over the fourth QoS control, it is possible to suppress the charge payer from feeling dissatisfied with the charge amount.

[0140] [2. Modification Example] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated above. Specific modification aspects are illustrated below. Two or more aspects arbitrarily selected from the following illustrations may be combined.

[0141] [First Modification Example] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the execution priority when the QoS control is being executed is the same as the execution priority when the QoS control is not being executed was shown. However, the present invention is not limited to such an aspect. For example, the execution priority when the QoS control is being executed may be different from the execution priority when the QoS control is not being executed.

[0142] Specifically, the execution priority of the QoS control before execution among a plurality of QoS controls indicates the priority regarding the start of the QoS control before execution, and the execution priority of the QoS control during execution among the plurality of QoS controls may indicate the priority regarding the continuation of the QoS control during execution. In each of the plurality of QoS controls, the execution priority of the QoS control during execution is the same priority as the execution priority of the QoS control before execution, or a higher priority than the execution priority of the QoS control before execution. Thereby, in the first modification example, although there is a high possibility that the start of the QoS control will be postponed, it is possible to provide a QoS control in which the possibility of ending during execution is low when the QoS control is started.

[0143] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of QoS control according to the first modification example. In FIG. 8, the QoS control according to the first modification example will be described by taking a part (low-latency mode) of the plurality of QoS controls shown in FIG. 3 as an example.

[0144] The start priority shown in FIG. 8 is the execution priority of the QoS control before execution, and indicates the priority regarding the start of the QoS control before execution. Also, the continuation priority shown in FIG. 8 is the execution priority of the QoS control during execution, and indicates the priority regarding the continuation of the QoS control during execution.

[0145] As shown in FIG. 8, for example, in the QoS controls where QCI is "1", "2", and "3", the start priority before the execution of the QoS control and the continuation priority during the execution of the QoS control are the same as each other. For example, in the QoS control where QCI is "2", both the start priority and the continuation priority are "18". In contrast, in the QoS control where QCI is "4", the start priority before the execution of the QoS control and the continuation priority during the execution of the QoS control are different from each other. For example, in the QoS control where QCI is "4", the start priority is "25" and the continuation priority is "17". That is, in the QoS control where QCI is "4", the continuation priority is higher than the start priority. Thus, in the QoS control where QCI is "4", the start of the QoS control is prioritized over the QoS control where QCI is "2", but the possibility of ending halfway during execution is lower than that of the QoS control where QCI is "2".

[0146] Note that in the example shown in FIG. 8, when the start priority corresponds to the priority of the best-effort type that prioritizes starting as much as possible, the continuation priority corresponds to the priority of the best-effort type that continues as much as possible without ending the executed QoS control halfway. Also, when the start priority corresponds to the priority of the guaranteed type that guarantees the start of the QoS control, the continuation priority corresponds to the priority of the guaranteed type that guarantees not to end halfway.

[0147] The QoS control according to the first modification example is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 8. For example, the start priority may correspond to the priority of the best-effort type and the continuation priority may correspond to the priority of the guaranteed type. Also, the start priority may correspond to the priority of the guaranteed type and the continuation priority may correspond to the priority of the best-effort type. That is, the execution priority of the QoS control according to the first modification example may be any of a plurality of patterns by the combination of the start priority corresponding to the guaranteed type or the best-effort type and the continuation priority corresponding to the guaranteed type or the best-effort type.

[0148] In the first modification example, the execution priority when QoS control is being executed can be set to the same priority as the execution priority when QoS control is not being executed, or a higher priority than the execution priority when QoS control is not being executed. Thereby, in the first modification example, the usability of QoS control can be improved.

[0149] [Second Modification Example] In the above-described embodiment and the first modification example, the case where the quality control unit 140 determines whether or not there is a shortage of resources for executing the QoS control of the start candidate each time the acquisition unit 120 acquires the execution request REQS has been shown. However, the present invention is not limited to such an aspect. For example, when the quality control unit 140 already manages, as the QoS control in standby, a QoS control whose execution priority is higher than the execution priority of the QoS control of the start candidate at the time when the acquisition unit 120 acquires the execution request REQS, it may not be necessary to execute the determination as to whether or not there is a shortage of resources.

[0150] Specifically, when the management device 100 includes, among the QoS controls in standby, a QoS control that uses a resource common to the QoS control of the start candidate and whose execution priority is higher than the execution priority of the QoS control of the start candidate, it may not be necessary to execute the determination as to whether or not there is a shortage of resources.

[0151] Note that when the quality control unit 140 does not execute the determination as to whether or not there is a shortage of resources for the QoS control of the start candidate, the quality control unit 140 may manage the QoS control of the start candidate as the QoS control in standby. That is, when the quality control unit 140 already manages, as the QoS control in standby, a QoS control whose execution priority is higher than the execution priority of the QoS control of the start candidate, the quality control unit 140 may add the QoS control of the start candidate to the QoS controls managed as the QoS control in standby.

[0152] In the second modification example, for QoS control of start candidates with an execution priority lower than at least one execution priority of waiting QoS control, it is possible to omit the determination of whether resources are insufficient. As a result, in the second modification example, it is possible to suppress the complication of the operation of the management device 100 when receiving the execution request REQS of QoS control.

[0153] [Third Modification Example] In the above-described embodiment, the first modification example, and the second modification example, end conditions may be determined for some or all of the plurality of QoS controls. For example, as described in the above-described embodiment, the acquisition unit 120 acquires an end request REQE that requests the end of the QoS control in execution. Further, when the acquisition unit 120 acquires the end request REQE, the quality control unit 140 ends the QoS control indicated by the end request REQE among the QoS controls in execution. And in the third modification example, when any of the QoS controls in execution satisfies the end condition, the quality control unit 140 automatically ends the QoS control that satisfies the end condition among the QoS controls in execution, regardless of whether the acquisition unit 120 has acquired the end request REQE. That is, the QoS control that satisfies the end condition is forcibly ended.

[0154] The end condition may be, for example, that the state of the terminal device 200 or the application server 300 transitions to a state where communication is unnecessary, or may be a predetermined QoS usage time, usage date, day of the week, or number of times. Examples of the state where communication is unnecessary include a state where communication of the application program PRap has not occurred for a predetermined time, and a state where an application program PRap outside the QoS control is executed. Note that the communication for which the QoS control is forcibly ended may be disconnected, or may continue as communication for which the QoS control is not executed without being disconnected.

[0155] In the third modification example, since the QoS control that has satisfied the end condition can be forcibly terminated, it is possible to suppress the unnecessary use of network resources. As a result, in the third modification example, network resources can be used effectively.

[0156] [Fourth Modification Example] In the above-described embodiments and the modification examples from the first to the third modification examples, the case where the execution priority of the QoS control for each SIM unit is higher than the execution priority of the QoS control for each application program unit in each mode of the QoS control has been shown. However, the present invention is not limited to such an aspect. For example, in each mode of the QoS control, the execution priority of the QoS control for each application program unit may be higher than the execution priority of the QoS control for each SIM unit.

[0157] Therefore, in the fourth modification example, when the above-described first QoS control, second QoS control, third QoS control, and fourth QoS control are included in a plurality of QoS controls, the execution priority of the third QoS control may be a higher priority than the execution priority of the first QoS control. Also, the execution priority of the fourth QoS control may be a higher priority than the execution priority of the second QoS control.

[0158] In the QoS control of the SIM unit, since QoS control is executed for almost all communications of the terminal device 200, QoS control may be executed for the communication of the application program PRap with low necessity for QoS control. On the other hand, in the QoS control of the application program unit, the necessary QoS control is selected for each application program PRap. Therefore, for example, the application program PRap with low necessity for QoS control may not be set to the application program PRap for which the use of QoS control is permitted. Accordingly, in each mode of QoS control, when executing the QoS control of the application program unit preferentially over the QoS control of the SIM unit, it is possible to suppress the execution of QoS control for the communication of the application program PRap with low necessity for QoS control. That is, in the fourth modification example, it is possible to preferentially execute the QoS control of the truly necessary use case.

[0159] Also, the resources used for the QoS control of the application program unit are considered to be less than the resources used for the QoS control of the SIM unit. Therefore, when executing the QoS control of the application program unit preferentially over the QoS control of the SIM unit, it is possible to provide QoS control to more users than when executing the QoS control of the SIM unit preferentially over the QoS control of the application program unit. Thus, in the fourth modification example, it is possible to effectively use network resources and provide QoS control to more users.

[0160] [Fifth Modification Example] In the above-described embodiments and the modification examples from the first modification example to the fourth modification example, when the quality control unit 140 has already executed, for the device that has requested the QoS control of the start candidate, a QoS control different from the QoS control of the start candidate among the plurality of QoS controls, it may operate as follows.

[0161] For example, assume that a QoS control different from the QoS control of the start candidate has already been executed for the terminal device 200 that requested the QoS control of the start candidate, resulting in a shortage of resources for the QoS control of the start candidate. Further, assume that both the QoS control of the start candidate and the other QoS control are best-effort QoS controls. In this case, the quality control unit 140 may execute the QoS control with the higher execution priority between the QoS control of the start candidate and the other QoS control, and may not execute the QoS control with the lower execution priority. Note that the QoS control not to be executed (the QoS control with the lower execution priority) may not be registered in the queue QUE.

[0162] In the fourth modification example, since it is possible to suppress the execution of a plurality of QoS controls for a specific terminal device 200, it is possible to effectively use network resources and execute QoS control for many terminal devices 200.

[0163] [Sixth Modification Example] In the above-described embodiments and the modification examples from the first modification example to the fifth modification example, the case where the guaranteed QoS control is not executed has not been particularly described. However, when the guaranteed QoS control is not executed, the charging amount or the like may be reduced.

[0164] [3. Others] (1) In the above-described embodiments, the storage devices (for example, storage devices 160 and 260) are recording media readable by the processing devices (for example, processing devices 110 and 210), and ROM and RAM are exemplified. However, flexible disks, magneto-optical disks (for example, compact disks, digital versatile disks, Blu-ray (registered trademark) disks), smart cards, flash memory devices (for example, cards, sticks, key drives), CD-ROM (Compact Disc-ROM), registers, removable disks, hard disks, floppy (registered trademark) disks, magnetic strips, databases, servers, and other suitable storage media. Also, the program may be transmitted from a network via a telecommunication line. Also, the program may be transmitted from a communication network via a telecommunication line.

[0165] (2) The above-described embodiments may be applied to at least one of a system using LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and other suitable systems and a next-generation system extended based on these. Also, a plurality of systems may be combined (for example, a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A and 5G, etc.) and applied.

[0166] (3) In the above-described embodiments, the information, signals, etc. described may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0167] (4) In the above-described embodiments, the input and output information, etc. may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory), or may be managed using a management table. The input and output information, etc. may be overwritten, updated, or appended. The output information, etc. may be deleted. The input information, etc. may be transmitted to other devices.

[0168] (5) In the above-described embodiments, the determination may be made based on a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0169] (6) In the above-described embodiments, the processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. illustrated may be reordered as long as there is no contradiction. For example, for the methods described in the present disclosure, the elements of various steps are presented using an exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order presented.

[0170] (7) Each function illustrated in the drawings such as FIG. 1 is realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Also, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one physically or logically combined device, or two or more physically or logically separated devices may be directly or indirectly connected (e.g., using wired, wireless, etc.) and realized using these multiple devices. The functional block may be realized by combining software with the above one device or the above multiple devices.

[0171] In addition, communication devices 170 and 270 are hardware (transmission and reception devices) for performing communication between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and are also referred to as, for example, network devices, network controllers, network cards, communication modules, etc. Communication devices 170 and 270 may be configured to include, for example, a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc. in order to implement at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD).

[0172] (8) The program exemplified in the above-described embodiments should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program codes, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, etc., regardless of whether the software is called a software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or another name.

[0173] Also, software, instructions, information, etc. may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, when software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technologies (such as coaxial cables, optical fiber cables, twisted pairs, digital subscriber lines (DSL), etc.) and wireless technologies (such as infrared rays, microwaves, etc.), at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included within the definition of the transmission medium.

[0174] (9) In each of the foregoing embodiments, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0175] (10) The information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using absolute values, relative values from a predetermined value, or using corresponding other information. For example, the radio resources may be indicated by an index. The names used for the above-described parameters are not limiting names in any respect. Further, the mathematical formulas, etc. using these parameters may be different from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure. Since various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements can be identified by any suitable names, the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not limiting names in any respect.

[0176] (11) In the above-described embodiments, the terminal device 200 may include a case where it is a mobile station (MS: Mobile Station). A mobile station may be called by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable term. Also, in this disclosure, terms such as "mobile station", "user terminal", "user equipment (UE)", "terminal", etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0177] In the above-described embodiments, the terms "connected" and "coupled," or any variations thereof, mean any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and can include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements can be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "accessed." As used in this disclosure, two elements can be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, as well as, by way of some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples, electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency region, microwave region, and optical (both visible and invisible) region.

[0178] (13) In the above-described embodiments, the description "based on" does not mean "based only on" unless otherwise specified. In other words, the description "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0179] (14) The terms "determining" and "deciding" as used in this disclosure may encompass a wide variety of operations. "Determining" and "deciding" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or another data structure), and considering something as having "determined" or "decided" what has been ascertained. Also, "determining" and "deciding" may include considering something as having "determined" or "decided" what has been received (e.g., receiving information), transmitted (e.g., transmitting information), input, output, accessed (e.g., accessing data in memory). Further, "determining" and "deciding" may include considering something as having "determined" or "decided" what has been resolved, selected, chosen, established, compared, etc. That is, "determining" and "deciding" may include considering that some operation has been "determined" or "decided". Also, "determining (deciding)" may be read as "assuming", "expecting", "considering", etc.

[0180] (15) In the above-described embodiments, when the terms "include", "including" and their variants are used, these terms are intended to be inclusive, like the term "comprising". Further, the term "or" as used in this disclosure is not intended to be an exclusive disjunction.

[0181] (16) In this disclosure, for example, when articles are added by translation, as in the case of a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0182] (17) In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other". In addition, the term may mean "A and B are each different from C". Terms such as "separate" and "coupled" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different".

[0183] (18) Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched during execution. Further, the notification of predetermined information (for example, the notification of "being X") is not limited to being explicitly performed, and may be performed implicitly (for example, by not performing the notification of the predetermined information).

[0184] As described above in detail, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described in the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be implemented as modified and changed modes without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure defined by the description of the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is for illustrative purposes and has no restrictive meaning for the present disclosure.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0185] 10... Network system, 100... Management device, 110... Processing device, 140... Quality control unit, 160... Storage device, 170... Communication device, 200... Terminal device, 210... Processing device, 240... Request unit, 260... Storage device, 270... Communication device, 280... Input device, 290... Output device, 300... Application server, NW... Network.

Claims

1. A management device that executes a plurality of quality controls for controlling the communication quality of a network, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires an execution request for requesting execution of any one of the plurality of quality controls; when there is no shortage of resources for executing the quality control of the start candidate indicated by the execution request, the quality control of the start candidate is executed, and among the plurality of quality controls, when one or more quality controls other than the quality control of the start candidate are being executed and thus a part or all of the resources are insufficient, a quality control unit that determines whether to execute the quality control of the start candidate based on the execution priority of the quality control of the start candidate and the execution priority of the quality control being executed; and the quality control unit when it is possible to secure the resources by ending the quality control of the end candidate among the quality controls being executed, the execution priority of which is lower than the execution priority of the quality control of the start candidate, ends the quality control of the end candidate and executes the quality control of the start candidate; when the resources cannot be secured even by ending the quality control of the end candidate, the execution of the quality control of the end candidate is continued without executing the quality control of the start candidate; when the quality control of the end candidate is ended, the ended quality control is managed as a quality control waiting for execution; when the execution of the quality control of the end candidate is continued without executing the quality control of the start candidate, the quality control of the start candidate is managed as the quality control waiting for execution; and at a predetermined timing, determines whether to execute the quality control waiting for execution based on the execution priority of the quality control waiting for execution and the execution priority of the quality control being executed. A management device characterized by the above.

2. The quality control unit when, at the time when the acquisition unit acquires the execution request, the quality control having an execution priority higher than the execution priority of the quality control of the start candidate is already managed as the quality control waiting for execution, adds the quality control of the start candidate to the quality control managed as the quality control waiting for execution. The management device according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The quality control unit when it is determined to execute any one of the quality controls waiting for execution, transmits execution information indicating that the quality control based on the execution request is to be executed to the device that transmitted the execution request of the quality control to be executed among the quality controls waiting for execution. The management device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

4. The execution priority of the pre-execution quality control among the plurality of quality controls indicates the priority regarding the start of the pre-execution quality control, The execution priority of the in-execution quality control among the plurality of quality controls indicates the priority regarding the continuation of the in-execution quality control, In each of the plurality of quality controls, the execution priority of the in-execution quality control is the same priority as the execution priority of the pre-execution quality control, or a higher priority than the execution priority of the pre-execution quality control, The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that.

5. End conditions are determined for some or all of the plurality of quality controls, The acquisition unit, Acquires an end request for requesting the end of the in-execution quality control, The quality control unit, When the acquisition unit acquires the end request, among the in-execution quality controls, ends the quality control indicated by the end request, When any of the in-execution quality controls satisfies the end condition, among the in-execution quality controls, the quality control that satisfies the end condition is automatically ended regardless of whether the acquisition unit has acquired the end request, The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that.

6. The quality control unit, When ending the quality control of the end candidate, transmits end information indicating that the quality control based on the execution request has ended to the device that transmitted the execution request for the quality control of the end candidate, When continuing the execution of the quality control of the end candidate without executing the quality control of the start candidate, transmits negative information indicating that the quality control based on the execution request is not executed to the device that transmitted the execution request for the quality control of the start candidate, The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that.

7. A management device that executes a plurality of quality controls for controlling the communication quality of a network, An acquisition unit that acquires an execution request for requesting the execution of any one of the plurality of quality controls, When there is no shortage of resources for performing quality control of the start candidate indicated by the execution request, perform the quality control of the start candidate. Among the plurality of quality controls, if part or all of the resources are insufficient due to the execution of one or more quality controls other than the quality control of the start candidate, based on the execution priority of the quality control of the start candidate and the execution priority of the quality control being executed, a quality control unit that determines whether to execute the quality control of the start candidate, comprising, Among the plurality of quality controls, the execution priority of the quality control before execution indicates the priority regarding the start of the quality control before execution, Among the plurality of quality controls, the execution priority of the quality control being executed indicates the priority regarding the continuation of the quality control being executed, In each of the plurality of quality controls, the execution priority of the quality control being executed is the same priority as the execution priority of the quality control before execution, or a higher priority than the execution priority of the quality control before execution, A management device characterized by this.

8. A management device that executes a plurality of quality controls for controlling the communication quality of a network, An acquisition unit that acquires an execution request for requesting the execution of any one of the plurality of quality controls, When there is no shortage of resources for performing quality control of the start candidate indicated by the execution request, perform the quality control of the start candidate. Among the plurality of quality controls, if part or all of the resources are insufficient due to the execution of one or more quality controls other than the quality control of the start candidate, based on the execution priority of the quality control of the start candidate and the execution priority of the quality control being executed, a quality control unit that determines whether to execute the quality control of the start candidate, comprising, End conditions are determined for some or all of the plurality of quality controls, The acquisition unit, Acquires an end request for requesting the end of the quality control being executed, The quality control unit, When the acquisition unit acquires the end request, ends the quality control indicated by the end request among the quality controls being executed, When any of the quality controls being executed satisfies the end condition, the quality control that satisfies the end condition among the quality controls being executed is automatically ended regardless of whether the acquisition unit has acquired the end request, A management device characterized by this.

9. The plurality of quality controls are, Performed for each line based on a contract for a communication service provided by the network, the first quality control for guaranteeing the communication quality, Performed for each line, the second quality control for controlling the communication quality by best effort, Performed for each application program available in a device connected to the network, the third quality control for guaranteeing the communication quality, Performed for each application program, the fourth quality control for controlling the communication quality by best effort, including, The execution priority of the first quality control and the execution priority of the third quality control are higher than any of the execution priority of the second quality control and the execution priority of the fourth quality control, The execution priority of the first quality control is higher than the execution priority of the third quality control, The execution priority of the second quality control is higher than the execution priority of the fourth quality control, The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that.

10. The plurality of quality controls are, Performed for each line based on a contract for a communication service provided by the network, the first quality control for guaranteeing the communication quality, Performed for each line, the second quality control for controlling the communication quality by best effort, Performed for each application program available in a device connected to the network, the third quality control for guaranteeing the communication quality, Performed for each application program, the fourth quality control for controlling the communication quality by best effort, including, The execution priority of the first quality control and the execution priority of the third quality control are higher than any of the execution priority of the second quality control and the execution priority of the fourth quality control, The execution priority of the third quality control is higher than the execution priority of the first quality control, The execution priority of the fourth quality control is higher than the execution priority of the second quality control, The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that.

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