Mobile station, control circuit, and storage medium

Abstract

Provided is a mobile station (10) characterized by comprising: a wireless communication unit (110) that wirelessly communicates, through a direct connection or a relay connection via another communication device, with a destination device; and an application server unit (111) that performs higher layer processing than the wireless communication unit (110), wherein the wireless communication unit (110) notifies the application server unit (111) of connection state information that is information for specifying the type of connection and the destination device, when starting the connection with the destination device and when the type of connection switches between the relay connection and the direct connection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a mobile station that performs wireless communication, a control circuit, and a storage medium.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the autonomous driving technology of moving objects such as automobiles and robots has been developing. Further, in order to provide different functions according to the position of the moving object, it is conceivable to change the control content according to the position. As one method of realizing the change of the control content according to the position, a method of performing specific control when connected to a predetermined device such as a specific roadside unit using wireless communication is conceivable. Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless communication technology used in the field of autonomous driving.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, according to the above conventional technology, when the preprocessing before performing specific control takes time, there is a problem that it takes time to start specific control after connecting to a predetermined device. Non-Patent Document 1 describes a technique of making communication possible with a destination device by performing a relay connection via another communication device even at a position where direct connection to the destination device is not possible. By using the relay connection technique, it is conceivable to start preprocessing before moving to a position where direct connection to the destination device can be made.

[0005] However, in the technology disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, since the upper system can communicate without being aware of the lower system, an application for realizing specific control cannot determine whether it is connected to the destination device by a relay connection or a direct connection.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to obtain a mobile station that enables an application to determine whether the type of connection to a destination device is a relay connection or a direct connection.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a mobile station according to the present disclosure is movable and includes a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication by directly connecting to a destination device or by relay connection via another communication device, and an application server unit that performs processing at a layer higher than the wireless communication unit. The wireless communication unit notifies the application server unit of connection state information, which is information for specifying the type of connection and the destination device, when starting the connection to the destination device and when the type of connection switches between a relay connection and a direct connection. down when, and when the type of connection switches between a relay connection and a direct connection -ed when The wireless communication unit that is currently connected characterized by notifying the application server unit of connection state information, which is information for specifying the type of connection and the destination device.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] The mobile station according to the present disclosure has an effect that it can enable an application to determine whether the type of connection to a destination device is a relay connection or a direct connection.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, the mobile station, the control circuit, and the storage medium according to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a wireless communication system 1 according to Embodiment 1. The wireless communication system 1 is, for example, a fifth-generation (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "5G") wireless communication system. The wireless communication system 1 includes a mobile station 10, a roadside unit 12 having an edge server 11, and roadside units 13-a to 13-d that relay-connect between the mobile station 10 and the roadside unit 12. Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish each of the roadside units 13-a to 13-d, they are simply referred to as the roadside unit 13.

[0012] The mobile station 10 has a function of wirelessly communicating with the roadside unit 12 and the roadside unit 13. When the mobile station 10 is in a position where it can directly connect to the roadside unit 12, it directly connects to the roadside unit 12. When the mobile station 10 is in a position where it cannot directly connect to the roadside unit 12, it relay-connects to the roadside unit 12 via the roadside unit 13.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the mobile station 10 shown in FIG. 1. The mobile station 10 includes a wireless communication unit 110 and an application server unit 111. The wireless communication unit 110 communicates with the roadside units 12 and 13 directly or via relay connection through a 5G wireless communication network.

[0014] The application server unit 111 realizes specific control using an application 113 (not shown) that operates in cooperation with the edge server 11 provided in the roadside unit 12. The specific control is, for example, control executed when the mobile station 10 exists at a position where it can be directly connected to the roadside unit 12, and is different from the control executed when the mobile station 10 exists at a position where it cannot be directly connected to the roadside unit 12. The application server unit 111 performs processing using a protocol of a higher layer than the protocol used by the wireless communication unit 110 for communication with the roadside units 12 and 13. The protocol used by the application server unit 111 enables communication without being aware of the operations in the lower layer. For this reason, within the application 113, it is not possible to determine whether the wireless communication unit 110 is directly connected to the destination device or is relayed. Therefore, in the first embodiment, it is assumed that the wireless communication unit 110 notifies the application server unit 111 of connection state information, which is information for specifying the type of connection and the destination device.

[0015] Figure 3 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the wireless communication system 1 shown in Figure 1. The wireless communication unit 110 of the mobile station 10 transmits a connection request to the roadside unit 12, which is the destination device (step S101). In response to the connection request, the roadside unit 13 connects to each of the wireless communication unit 110 of the mobile station 10 and the roadside unit 12 and functions as a relay roadside unit, thereby starting a relay connection (step S102).

[0016] When the wireless communication unit 110 of the mobile station 10 connects to the roadside unit 13 for relay connection, it notifies the application server unit 111 of connection state information indicating that it has a relay connection with the roadside unit 12 (step S103). The connection state information is information for specifying the type of connection and the destination device, and the wireless communication unit 110 notifies the connection state information when starting a connection with the destination device and when the type of connection switches between a relay connection and a direct connection.

[0017] The application server unit 111 can control the operation of the mobile station 10 based on the connection status information. When the destination device is the roadside unit 12 determined in advance and the pre - processing for starting the specific control has not been performed yet based on the connection status information, the application server unit 111 starts the application 113 necessary for the specific control (step S104) and executes the pre - processing with the edge server 11 (step S105). The pre - processing is the processing to be performed in advance for performing the specific control and includes, for example, authentication processing. Further, the pre - processing may include, for example, the processing of acquiring data used when performing the specific control from the edge server 11.

[0018] When the mobile station 10 moves, the distance between the roadside unit 12 and the mobile station 10 changes. When the mobile station 10 approaches the roadside unit 12 and moves to a position where it can be directly connected to the roadside unit 12, a direct connection is started between the mobile station 10 and the roadside unit 12 (step S106). The wireless communication unit 110 of the mobile station 10 notifies the application server unit 111 of the connection status information indicating that the type of connection with the roadside unit 12 has switched to a direct connection (step S107).

[0019] Based on the connection status information notified in step S107, the application server unit 111 notifies the start of the specific control to the edge server 11 of the roadside unit 12 (step S108), and the mobile station 10 realizes the specific operation instructed by the edge server 11.

[0020] As described above, according to Embodiment 1, when the wireless communication unit 110 of the mobile station 10 starts the connection with the roadside unit 12 which is the destination device, and when the connection type switches between the relay connection and the direct connection, the connection state information which is the information for specifying the connection type and the destination device is notified to the application server unit 111. By having such a configuration, the application server unit 111 of the mobile station 10 can grasp whether the connection type is a relay connection or a direct connection. Therefore, it becomes possible to execute the preprocessing which is the preparation before starting the specific control at the stage of the relay connection before the mobile station 10 can directly connect to the roadside unit 12. For this reason, when the mobile station 10 moves to a position where it can directly connect to the roadside unit 12, it becomes possible to finish the preprocessing, and it becomes possible to shift to the specific control immediately after the direct connection.

[0021] Embodiment 2. The configuration of the wireless communication system 1 according to Embodiment 2 is the same as the configuration of Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1, and the configuration of the mobile station 10 is the same as the configuration of the mobile station 10 according to Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the wireless communication system 1 according to Embodiment 2.

[0022] The operation shown in FIG. 4 starts from the state where the specific control is started between the application server unit 111 of the mobile station 10 and the edge server 11 of the roadside unit 12 as shown in step S108. After the mobile station 10 directly connects to the roadside unit 12, it executes the specific control. After that, when the mobile station 10 moves in the direction away from the roadside unit 12 and can no longer directly connect, the relay connection via the roadside unit 13 is restarted in the connection between the mobile station 10 and the roadside unit 12 (step S109). At this time, the wireless communication unit 110 of the mobile station 10 notifies the application server unit 111 of the connection state information indicating that the connection type between the mobile station 10 and the roadside unit 12 has switched from the direct connection to the relay connection (step S110).

[0023] The application server unit 111 ends the specific control by ending the application 113 that is running according to the connection status information notified in step S110 (step S111), and notifies the edge server 11 of the end of the specific control (step S112).

[0024] As described above, according to the second embodiment, by ending the application 113 at the timing when the connection type between the mobile station 10 and the roadside unit 12 switches from the direct connection to the relay connection, it becomes possible to end the specific control at the timing when the connection switches from the direct connection to the relay connection. Therefore, it becomes possible to realize application control that starts the specific control at the timing of switching to the direct connection with the roadside unit 12 and ends the specific control at the timing of switching from the direct connection to the relay connection.

[0025] Embodiment 3. The configuration of the wireless communication system 1 according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and the configuration of the mobile station 10 is the same as that of the mobile station 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the wireless communication system 1 according to the third embodiment.

[0026] The operation shown in FIG. 5 starts from the state where specific control has been started between the application server unit 111 of the mobile station 10 and the edge server 11 of the roadside unit 12, as shown in step S108. After the mobile station 10 makes a direct connection with the roadside unit 12, it executes specific control. After that, when the mobile station 10 moves in the direction away from the roadside unit 12 and can no longer make a direct connection, a relay connection via the roadside unit 13 is restarted in the connection between the mobile station 10 and the roadside unit 12 (step S109). At this time, the wireless communication unit 110 of the mobile station 10 notifies the application server unit 111 of connection status information indicating that the connection with the roadside unit 12 has switched from the direct connection to the relay connection (step S110).

[0027] After that, when the mobile station 10 further moves in the direction approaching the roadside unit 12 and direct connection becomes possible again, direct connection is restarted between the mobile station 10 and the roadside unit 12 (step S113). At this time, the wireless communication unit 110 of the mobile station 10 notifies the application server unit 111 of connection state information indicating that the connection type between the mobile station 10 and the roadside unit 12 has switched from relay connection to direct connection (step S114).

[0028] In response to the connection state information notified in step S114, the application server unit 111 terminates the specific control by terminating the running application 113 (step S115) and notifies the edge server 11 of the termination of the specific control (step S116). At this time, the application server unit 111 executes termination processing such as discarding the information used for the specific control.

[0029] As described above, according to the third embodiment, after the connection type between the mobile station 10 and the roadside unit 12 switches from direct connection to relay connection and then switches back to direct connection again, by terminating the application 113 at the timing of the switch back to direct connection, it becomes possible to terminate the specific control at the timing of the switch from relay connection to direct connection. Therefore, it becomes possible to realize application control that starts specific control at the timing of switching to direct connection with the roadside unit 12, switches from direct connection to relay connection, and terminates specific control at the timing of switching back to direct connection again.

[0030] The control as shown in Embodiment 3 can be used, for example, in a scenario where an entrance / exit is provided in a specific area where specific control is to be performed, and a roadside unit 12 connected to the edge server 11 is installed at the entrance / exit. It is conceivable that the mobile station 10 enters the specific area from the entrance / exit, circulates within the precincts of the specific area, and then returns to the entrance / exit. In this case, when the mobile station 10 attempts to enter the specific area from the entrance / exit, the connection switches from the relay connection to the direct connection when it approaches the entrance / exit. While the mobile station 10 is circulating within the precincts of the specific area, the connection switches from the direct connection to the relay connection, and it is considered that the connection switches back to the direct connection again when the mobile station 10 returns to the entrance / exit. According to the control shown in Embodiment 3, when the mobile station 10 enters the specific area from the entrance / exit, the specific control can be started, and the specific control can be terminated at the timing when the mobile station 10 returns to the entrance / exit again and directly connects to the roadside unit 12.

[0031] Subsequently, the hardware configuration of the mobile station 10 according to Embodiments 1 to 3 will be described. The functions of the wireless communication unit 110 and the application server unit 111 of the mobile station 10 are realized by a processing circuit. Regarding the wireless communication unit 110, the processing circuit may be realized by dedicated hardware or may be a control circuit using a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Regarding the application server unit 111, the processing circuit is a control circuit using a CPU.

[0032] When the above processing circuit is realized by dedicated hardware, these are realized by the processing circuit 90 shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing dedicated hardware for realizing the functions of the mobile station 10 according to Embodiments 1 to 3. The processing circuit 90 is a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel-programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof.

[0033] When the above processing circuit is implemented by a control circuit using a CPU, this control circuit is, for example, a control circuit 91 having the configuration shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control circuit 91 for realizing the functions of the mobile station 10 according to Embodiments 1 to 3. As shown in FIG. 7, the control circuit 91 includes a processor 92 and a memory 93. The processor 92 is a CPU and is also called an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or the like. The memory 93 is, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (registered trademark) (Electrically EPROM), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or the like.

[0034] When the above processing circuit is implemented by the control circuit 91, it is realized by the processor 92 reading and executing a program corresponding to the processing of each component stored in the memory 93. Further, the memory 93 is also used as a temporary memory in each process executed by the processor 92. Note that the program executed by the processor 92 may be provided in a state stored in a storage medium or may be provided via a communication path.

[0035] Note that the processing circuit may be realized by combining dedicated hardware and a control circuit using a CPU.

[0036] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and it is possible to combine them with other known techniques, combine the embodiments with each other, or omit or change a part of the configuration without departing from the gist.

[0037] For example, the mobile station 10 may be a mobile terminal whose position changes as a person carries and moves it, or it may be a vehicle such as an automobile or a train, or a moving body such as a robot. When the mobile station 10 is a moving body and has an autonomous driving function, it is conceivable to use the technology described in the above embodiment to perform a higher level of autonomous driving only in a specific area where it can be directly connected to the roadside unit 12. In this case, the specific control is to deploy the dynamic map information and the operation instruction information to the application server unit 111 and perform control to implement a higher level of autonomous driving in a specific area than in other areas.

[0038] Also, in the above embodiment, the communication partner devices of the mobile station 10 are assumed to be the roadside units 12 and 13. However, the communication partner devices of the mobile station 10 are not limited to the roadside units 12 and 13. The communication partner device of the mobile station 10 only needs to have a wireless communication function. For example, the communication partner device of the mobile station 10 may be a base station instead of being limited to the roadside units 12 and 13.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0039] 1 Wireless communication system, 10 Mobile station, 11 Edge server, 12, 13, 13-a to 13-d Roadside units, 90 Processing circuit, 91 Control circuit, 92 Processor, 93 Memory, 110 Wireless communication unit, 111 Application server unit, 113 Application.

Claims

1. A mobile station capable of moving, a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication by directly connecting to a destination device or by relay connection via another communication device, an application server unit that performs processing at a higher layer than the wireless communication unit, comprising: when the wireless communication unit starts a connection with the destination device and when the connection type switches between a relay connection and a direct connection, the wireless communication unit notifies the application server unit of connection status information, which is information for identifying the connection type and the destination device of the currently connected connection. The mobile station is characterized by this.

2. When the wireless communication unit is directly connected to a predetermined device, the application server unit performs specific control different from the control performed when the wireless communication unit cannot be directly connected to the predetermined device. Based on the connection status information, when the destination device is the predetermined device and the connection type is a relay connection, the application server unit starts preprocessing to be performed before executing the specific control. The mobile station according to claim 1 is characterized by this.

3. The application server unit terminates the specific control according to the connection status information notified at the timing when the connection type between the wireless communication unit and the predetermined device switches from a direct connection to a relay connection. The mobile station according to claim 2 is characterized by this.

4. The application server unit terminates the specific control according to the connection status information notified at the timing when the connection type between the wireless communication unit and the predetermined device switches from a direct connection to a relay connection and further switches from a relay connection to a direct connection. The mobile station according to claim 2 is characterized by this.

5. The mobile station is a moving body having an autonomous driving function, When the wireless communication unit is directly connected to a predetermined device, the application server unit performs specific control, which is control to expand dynamic map information and operation instruction information to perform autonomous driving at a higher level in a specific area than in other areas. Based on the connection status information, when the destination device is the predetermined device and the connection type is a relay connection, before executing the specific control, the application server unit starts preprocessing, which is authentication processing and processing to acquire in advance the data used when performing the specific control. The mobile station according to claim 1 is characterized by this.

6. A control circuit for controlling a mobile station, comprising: a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication by directly connecting to a destination device or by relay connection via another communication device; an application server unit that performs processing at a layer higher than the wireless communication unit; wherein, when the wireless communication unit starts a connection with the destination device and when the connection type switches between a relay connection and a direct connection, the wireless communication unit notifies the application server unit of connection state information, which is information for specifying the connection type and the destination device of the currently connected connection. The control circuit is characterized in that it causes the mobile station to execute the above steps.

7. A storage medium storing a program for controlling a mobile station, comprising: a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication by directly connecting to a destination device or by relay connection via another communication device; an application server unit that performs processing at a layer higher than the wireless communication unit; wherein the program causes the mobile station to execute the following steps: when the wireless communication unit starts a connection with the destination device and when the connection type switches between a relay connection and a direct connection, the wireless communication unit notifies the application server unit of connection state information, which is information for specifying the connection type and the destination device of the currently connected connection. The storage medium is characterized in that it causes the mobile station to execute the above steps. ​ ​

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