Communication device and communication method

Abstract

In the present invention, a communication device (100, 100A-100C) comprises a first communication unit (110), a second communication unit (110), and a control unit (140, 140A-140C). The first communication unit (110) performs wireless communication via an upper communication path. The second communication unit (110) performs communication with a terminal device (200, 200B) via a selected communication path, which is one of a plurality of lower communication paths including a wireless communication path and a wired communication path. The control unit (140, 140A-140C) detects whether the upper communication path is affected by communication in which the selected communication path is used, and estimates, for each combination of a plurality of lower and upper communication paths, the communication status of the upper and lower communication paths included in the combination when it is detected that the upper communication path is affected.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication device and a communication method. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a known technology that uses the communication function of a communication device (parent device) to connect a terminal device (child device) to an upstream network. One example of such a technology is a technology called tethering, in which a terminal device such as a camera or tablet connects to an upstream network using the communication function of a communication device such as a smartphone.

[0003] A communication device that performs tethering establishes multiple communication paths, including a communication path for connecting to an upstream network and a communication path for connecting to a terminal device. In such a device that establishes multiple communication paths, a technique for selecting the optimal communication path is known. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2017 / 130593 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When realizing stable communication quality in a communication path (downstream network) between a communication device and a terminal device, a wired (cable) communication path using, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus) or Ethernet (registered trademark) is often selected.

[0006] For example, in NR (New Radio), a wireless access method for cellular mobile communications, utilization of a high frequency band called millimeter waves, which ranges from 52.6 GHz to 110 GHz, is being considered.

[0007] Compared to the 2 GHz band currently used for cellular, millimeter waves have greater propagation loss and are more directional. Therefore, if a cable is used to connect a communication device and a terminal device, there is a risk that the cable will block the millimeter waves. If the cable connecting the communication device and the terminal device blocks the communication path of an upstream network that uses millimeter waves, there is a risk that the communication quality of the upstream network will deteriorate.

[0008] Even if the communication quality of the downstream network is stable due to a wired connection, if the communication quality of the upstream network deteriorates, the communication quality of the terminal device connected to the upstream network via the downstream network will deteriorate.

[0009] In this way, there may be cases where the upstream and downstream networks have a mutually influential relationship (dependency). In such tethering, even when there is a dependency between the upstream and downstream networks, it is desirable to perform tethering with more optimal communication quality.

[0010] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a mechanism that enables tethering with more optimal communication quality even when a dependency occurs between upstream and downstream networks.

[0011] It should be noted that the above problem or object is merely one of multiple problems or objects that can be solved or achieved by multiple embodiments disclosed in this specification. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a communication device. The communication device includes a first communication unit, a second communication unit, and a control unit. The first communication unit performs wireless communication via an upper communication path. The second communication unit communicates with a terminal device via a selected communication path that is one of multiple lower communication paths including a wireless communication path and a wired communication path. The control unit detects whether communication using the selected communication path will affect the upper communication path, and if it detects that the communication will affect the upper communication path, estimates the communication states of the upper communication path and the lower communication path included in each combination of the multiple lower communication paths and the upper communication path. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a communication system according to a proposed technique of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating communication in a communication system according to a proposed technique of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating communication in a communication system according to a proposed technique of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining an example of a screen that a parent device according to the proposed technique of the present disclosure presents to a user. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a parent device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of dependency information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of dependency information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of dependency information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of dependency information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of dependency information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of presentation information presented to a user by a prediction result display unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining another example of presentation information presented to a user by a prediction result display unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining another example of presentation information presented to a user by a prediction result display unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a slave device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an update process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a presentation process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a master unit according to a first modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of dependency information according to a first modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] 10 is a diagram for explaining another example of dependency information according to the first modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 20] 10 is a diagram for explaining another example of dependency information according to the first modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 21] 10 is a diagram for explaining another example of dependency information according to the first modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 22] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an update process according to a first modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a parent device according to a second modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a slave device according to a second modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of capability information according to a second modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 26] 10 is a table illustrating an example of dependency information according to a second modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of capability information according to the second modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 28] 10 is a table showing another example of dependency information according to the second modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 29] 10 is a table showing another example of dependency information according to the second modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an update process according to a second modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a presentation process according to a second modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 32] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a parent device according to a third modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 33] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a presentation process according to a third modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0015] In this specification and drawings, similar components of the embodiments may be distinguished by adding different letters or numbers after the same reference numeral. However, if there is no need to particularly distinguish between the similar components, only the same reference numeral will be used.

[0016] One or more embodiments (including examples and modifications) described below can be implemented independently. However, at least a portion of the embodiments described below may be implemented in appropriate combination with at least a portion of another embodiment. These embodiments may include novel features that are different from one another. Therefore, these embodiments may contribute to solving different purposes or problems and may produce different effects.

[0017] <<1. Introduction>> <1.1. An example of a communication system> First, an overview of a communication system 1 according to the proposed technique of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a communication system 1 according to the proposed technique of the present disclosure.

[0018] 1 includes a communication device 100 and a terminal device 200. The terminal device 200 connects to an upstream network (hereinafter also referred to as an upper network (NW)) using a communication function of the communication device 100. In this way, the communication system 1 has a tethering function.

[0019] The communication device 100 connects to the upper network by wireless communication via an upper communication path, for example, like a smartphone or a mobile terminal. In the example of FIG. 1, the communication device 100 connects to the upper network by communicating with the base station 300 via the antenna 112_1. In this case, the upper network is, for example, a cellular network. Alternatively, the communication device 100 connects to the upper network by communicating with an access point (not shown). In this case, the upper network is, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0020] In this way, the communication device 100 connects to the upper network by wireless communication via one of a plurality of upper communication paths.

[0021] Furthermore, the communication device 100 communicates with the terminal device 200 via one of a plurality of lower communication paths including a wireless communication path or a wired communication path. The network between the communication device 100 and the terminal device 200 is also referred to as a downstream network or a lower NW.

[0022] 1, the communication device 100 is connected to the terminal device 200 by a USB cable and communicates with the terminal device 200 based on, for example, the USB 3.x standard. The lower NW is not limited to USB and may be, for example, a wired network such as Ethernet (registered trademark), or a wireless network such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0023] In order to further stabilize the quality of communication between the communication device 100 and the terminal device 200, it is desirable to use a wired connection for connecting the communication device 100 and the terminal device 200.

[0024] The terminal device 200 is, for example, a camera or a tablet, and is connected to a higher-level NW via the communication device 100.

[0025] Hereinafter, the communication device 100 will also be referred to as the parent device 100. The terminal device 200 will also be referred to as the child device 200.

[0026] <1.2.Challenges> As described above, when the parent device 100 such as a smartphone performs tethering, there are multiple paths (lower communication paths) such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), USB, and Ethernet (registered trademark) as the lower network.

[0027] As various communication standards evolve, the quality and speed of each communication are also improving. As a result, the communication quality enjoyed by the slave device 200 as a downstream network is also improving. For example, the quality and speed of communication are improving with the transition from USB 3.0 to USB 3.1 and with the transition from 802.11ac to 802.11ax for Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0028] However, when it is desired to stabilize the communication quality of the downstream NW, a connection using a cable such as USB or Ethernet (registered trademark) is generally likely to be selected as the downstream NW.

[0029] When the wireless access method for cellular mobile communications shifts from 4G to 5G, base unit 100 may use millimeter waves to communicate with the upper network. Millimeter waves have a tendency to travel in a straight line, and propagation loss due to obstructions is large.

[0030] Therefore, if there is an obstruction between the antenna module and the 5G base station, the communication quality of the upper network will deteriorate. For example, if the USB cable connecting the parent device 100 and the child device 200 obstructs the space between the antenna module and the 5G base station, the communication quality of the upper network may deteriorate. Such a case will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining communication in the communication system 1 according to the proposed technology of the present disclosure.

[0031] As described above, millimeter waves have a high degree of directivity and large propagation loss. Therefore, when the master device 100 connects to an upper network using millimeter waves, it communicates using an antenna that corresponds to the position of the base station 300 with which it communicates. For example, in FIG. 2, the master device 100 is used in a landscape orientation, so the master device 100 communicates with the base station 300 using the antenna 112_2 instead of the antenna 112_1 (see FIG. 1).

[0032] In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, if a cable connecting the parent unit 100 and the child unit 200 is connected near the antenna 112_2, the cable may act as an obstruction, deteriorating the communication quality between the parent unit 100 and the base station 300.

[0033] On the other hand, if the upper network is Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and the parent device 100 selects Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark) as the lower network, a frequency band (e.g., 2.4 GHz) close to the frequency band used by the upper network may be selected as the frequency band used by the lower network. If the frequency band used by the upper network and the frequency band used by the lower network are close to each other, interference occurs, degrading the communication quality of the upper network and the lower network.

[0034] When the parent device 100 selects a lower communication path with the child device 200, taking into consideration the usability and quality of the lower communication path, the communication quality of the upper communication path deteriorates due to the influence of the lower communication path, resulting in a deterioration in the communication quality of both the upper communication path and the lower communication path.

[0035] In this way, in the master device 200 having a plurality of communication paths, the quality of communication in the upper network deteriorates depending on the selection of the lower network. In this way, there are cases where a dependency relationship exists between the lower network and the upper network.

[0036] When there is a dependency between the communication quality of the upper / lower network, improving the communication quality of one of the upper / lower network will degrade the communication quality of the other, resulting in a problem of degraded communication quality in both the upper and lower network.

[0037] Because communication quality does not deteriorate when the upper network is used alone, users are unaware of the dependency between the upper and lower networks and the resulting degradation in communication quality. This has led to the problem that users are unaware that communication quality can be improved by using a different communication path as the lower network that is not dependent or is small.

[0038] <1.3. Overview of proposed technology> Therefore, in the proposed technology of the present disclosure, the master device 100 detects whether there is a dependency relationship between a currently operating upper network and a lower network, specifically, whether the lower network affects communication of the upper network. Such detection is performed, for example, based on information about the dependency relationship that the master device 100 holds in advance.

[0039] When the parent device 100 detects that there is a dependency, it estimates the communication state of the combined communication path for each combination of upper communication path and lower communication path. This estimation includes detecting the communication quality of the upper communication path and lower communication path that are currently in use, and estimating the communication quality of the upper communication path and lower communication path that are not in use. Furthermore, hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, when simply referring to a communication path, it means the combined communication path of the upper communication path and lower communication path.

[0040] As described above, the parent device 100 communicates with the child device 200 using one of a plurality of lower communication paths including a wireless communication path and a wired communication path. Therefore, when the parent device 100 detects that the upper communication path and the lower communication path are dependent on each other, the parent device 100 detects the communication quality of the lower communication path (one of the plurality of lower communication paths) currently being used for connection with the child device 200. The parent device 100 also estimates the communication quality of the lower communication path (the remaining communication path of the plurality of lower communication paths) that can be used for connection with the child device 200.

[0041] For example, as shown in Fig. 2, it is assumed that the parent device 100 uses a cellular network as the upper network and a wired network via USB as the lower network. In the example of Fig. 2, the USB cable causes the communication quality of the upper network to deteriorate, which in turn causes the communication quality of the lower network to deteriorate.

[0042] In this case, the master device 100 detects the dependency relationship between the upper network and the lower network. Therefore, the master device 100 detects the current communication quality of the cellular network and the communication quality of the USB communication.

[0043] Furthermore, the parent device 100 estimates the communication quality of a communication path that can be selected as a downstream NW. As described above, the parent device 100 can select a plurality of communication paths, such as Ethernet (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark), as a downstream NW with the child device 200.

[0044] Therefore, the master device 100 estimates the communication quality of a plurality of selectable communication paths. Here, the estimation of the communication quality of Wi-Fi (registered trademark) by the master device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining communication in the communication system 1 according to the proposed technique of the present disclosure.

[0045] 3, when the parent device 100 communicates with the child device 200 using Wi-Fi (registered trademark), the parent device 100 does not use a cable that would impede communication in the upper network, and therefore is less likely to affect the communication quality of the upper network compared to when a connection is made using USB. Therefore, it is estimated that the communication quality of the lower network will be better than when a USB is used.

[0046] Here, the case where the master device 100 estimates the communication quality of Wi-Fi (registered trademark) as a downstream communication path that can be selected as a downstream NW has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The master device 100 estimates the communication quality of multiple downstream communication paths. For example, the master device 100 also estimates the communication quality of downstream communication paths that can be selected as a downstream NW, such as Ethernet (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0047] In this way, the master device 100 estimates the communication quality of the upper network and multiple lower communication paths. This allows the master device 100 to switch to an lower communication path estimated to have better communication quality, or to suggest to the user that the lower communication path be switched. This allows the communication system 1 to further improve the communication quality between the slave device 200 and the base station 300.

[0048] Here, FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a screen that parent device 100 according to the proposed technique of the present disclosure presents to the user. The parent device 100 presents to the user information about the communication quality when the lower communication path is switched. In the example of Fig. 4, the parent device 100 presents information indicating that when the USB is used as the lower communication path, the communication quality of the upper network deteriorates and the communication quality of the child device 200 deteriorates.

[0049] Similarly, the parent device 100 presents information indicating that when Ethernet (registered trademark) is used as the lower communication path, the communication quality of the upper network will deteriorate, and the communication quality of the child device 200 will deteriorate. The parent device 100 also presents information indicating that when Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is used as the lower communication path, the communication quality of the upper network will not change (i.e., will not deteriorate), and the communication quality of the child device 200 will not change (i.e., will not deteriorate).

[0050] In this way, the parent device 100 presents the user with information about the communication quality of a plurality of lower-level communication paths, allowing the user to select a lower-level communication path with better communication quality.

[0051] Although the case where the parent device 100 prompts the user to switch the lower-level communication path by presenting the user with information on the communication quality of the lower-level communication path has been described above, the parent device 100 may switch the lower-level communication path based on the estimation result. In this case, the parent device 100 can select the lower-level communication path with better communication quality without bothering the user.

[0052] <<2. Configuration Example>> <2.1. Example of parent device configuration> The master device 100 is a communication device that communicates with other communication devices such as the base station 300, an access point, and the slave device 200. The master device 100 has a tethering function (tethering host function) and relays access from the slave device 200 to the upper NW.

[0053] The master device 100 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smart device (a smartphone or a tablet), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a personal computer. The master device 100 may also be an imaging device (for example, a camcorder) equipped with a communication function, or a motorcycle or mobile broadcast van equipped with a communication device such as an FPU (Field Pickup Unit). The master device 100 may also be an M2M (Machine to Machine) device or an IoT (Internet of Things) device. The master device 100 may also be a router having multiple communication paths.

[0054] Furthermore, the master device 100 may be capable of LPWA communication with other communication devices (for example, a base station 300, an access point, and a slave device 200). The wireless communication used by the master device 100 may be wireless communication using millimeter waves. The wireless communication used by the master device 100 may be wireless communication using radio waves, or wireless communication using infrared rays or visible light (optical wireless). For example, the master device 100 performs wireless communication using millimeter waves with the base station device 300 or an access point. For example, the master device 100 performs wireless communication or wired communication with the slave device 200 using radio waves, infrared rays, or visible light.

[0055] Furthermore, the base unit 100 may be a mobile device. The mobile device is a mobile wireless communication device. In this case, the base unit 100 may be a wireless communication device installed in the mobile device, or may be the mobile device itself. For example, the base unit 100 may be a vehicle that moves on a road, such as an automobile, bus, truck, or motorcycle, or a wireless communication device mounted on the vehicle. The mobile device may be a mobile terminal, or may be a mobile device that moves on land, underground, on water, or underwater. The mobile device may be a mobile device that moves within the atmosphere, such as a drone or a helicopter, or a mobile device that moves outside the atmosphere, such as an artificial satellite.

[0056] The base station 100 may simultaneously connect to and communicate with a plurality of base stations or a plurality of cells. For example, when one base station supports a communication area through a plurality of cells (e.g., pCell, sCell), the plurality of cells can be bundled together to enable communication between the base station and the base station 100 by using Carrier Aggregation (CA) technology, Dual Connectivity (DC) technology, or Multi-Connectivity (MC) technology. Alternatively, the base station 100 can communicate with the plurality of base stations via cells of different base stations by using Coordinated Multi-Point Transmission and Reception (CoMP) technology.

[0057] Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the parent device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 5, the parent device 100 has a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, an input / output unit 130, and a control unit 140. Note that the configuration shown in Fig. 5 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may be different from this. Furthermore, the functions of the parent device 100 may be distributed and implemented in multiple physically separated configurations.

[0058] (1) Communications Unit 110 The communication unit 110 has first to N-th communication units 111_1 to 111_N (N is a natural number). The n-th communication unit 111_n (n=a natural number from 1 to N) is a communication interface for communicating with other devices. For example, the n-th communication unit 111_n is a network interface. For example, the n-th communication unit 111_n is a LAN (Local Area Network) interface such as a NIC (Network Interface Card). Note that the n-th communication unit 111_n may be a wired interface or a wireless interface. The n-th communication unit 111_n functions as a communication means of the parent device 100. The n-th communication unit 111_n communicates with the child device 200 and the base station 300 under the control of the control unit 140.

[0059] The communication unit 110 communicates with the base station 300 (see FIG. 1 ) using one of the first to Nth communication units 111_1 to 111_N (for example, the Lth communication unit 111_L (L is a natural number from 1 to N)) in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 140. In this case, the Lth communication unit 111_L functions as an upper communication unit. In addition, an upper communication path is formed between the Lth communication unit 111_L and the base station 300.

[0060] The communication unit 110 communicates with the slave device 200 (see FIG. 2 ) using one of the first to Nth communication units 111_1 to 111_N (for example, the Mth communication unit 111_M (M is a natural number from 1 to N)) in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 140. In this case, the Mth communication unit 111_M functions as a lower communication unit. In addition, a lower communication path is formed between the Mth communication unit 111_M and the slave device 200.

[0061] (2) Storage section 120 The storage unit 120 is a storage device that can read and write data, such as a DRAM, an SRAM, a flash memory, or a hard disk. The storage unit 120 functions as a storage means of the parent device 100. The storage unit 120 stores, for example, a communication path dependency relationship and communication quality information database (DB: Date table) 121. The communication path dependency relationship and communication quality information database 121 is a database that stores, for example, information on the dependency relationship between upper-level communication paths and lower-level communication paths and the communication quality of each communication path (hereinafter also referred to as dependency information or impact information).

[0062] The dependency information includes information about the communication quality of the upper communication path and the lower communication path. The dependency information is obtained in advance, for example, through simulations or experiments during development, and is stored in the communication path dependency relationship and communication quality information database 121 in the storage unit 120 before shipping.

[0063] Here, an example of the dependency information will be described with reference to Figs. 6 to 9. Figs. 6 to 9 are diagrams illustrating an example of the dependency information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 6 shows an example of the dependency information when the upper communication channel is Ethernet (registered trademark). Fig. 7 shows an example of the dependency information when the upper communication channel is BT (Bluetooth (registered trademark)). Fig. 8 shows an example of the dependency information when the upper communication channel is a WLAN such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Fig. 9 shows an example of the dependency information when the upper communication channel is cellular.

[0064] 6 to 9 show cases where the lower communication paths are Eth (Ethernet (registered trademark), USB, BT (Bluetooth (registered trademark), and WLAN). In FIGS. 6 to 9, the degree to which throughput decreases when tethering compared to when not tethering is shown as the throughput degradation degree. Non-tethering means that communication is performed using the upper communication path without using the lower communication path, and tethering means that communication is performed using both the upper and lower communication paths.

[0065] For example, as shown in Figure 6, when the upper communication path is (Ethernet (registered trademark)), a wired connection is not selected as the lower communication path, so Eth (Ethernet (registered trademark)) and USB are "N / A." Also, BT (Bluetooth (registered trademark)) and WLAN, which are lower communication paths, are "0%" because they do not affect the upper communication path.

[0066] Also, as shown in FIG. 7, when the upper communication channel is BT (Bluetooth (registered trademark)), the lower communication channel does not affect the upper communication channel, so all items are "0%".

[0067] As shown in Figure 8, when the upper communication channel is BT (Bluetooth (registered trademark), wired connections do not affect the upper communication channel, so Eth (Ethernet (registered trademark)) and USB are set to "0%". On the other hand, when the same BT (Bluetooth (registered trademark)) is used as the lower communication channel, or when WLAN is used as the lower communication channel, the frequency bands used by the upper communication channel and the lower communication channel are close. Therefore, when BT (Bluetooth (registered trademark)) or WLAN is selected as the lower communication channel, the throughput degradation rate becomes "-20%" as shown in Figure 8.

[0068] As shown in Figure 9, when the upper communication channel is cellular, BT (Bluetooth (registered trademark)) and WLAN, which use different frequency bands, do not affect the upper communication channel, so the throughput degradation rate is "0%." On the other hand, for prioritized connections, millimeter waves may be blocked by cables, for example, which could affect the cellular upper communication channel, so the throughput degradation rate is "-30%."

[0069] When tethering is started by, for example, selecting one of a plurality of upper communication paths and one of a plurality of lower communication paths, the control unit 140, which will be described later, refers to the dependency information in the communication path dependency relationship and communication quality information database 121. Based on the reference result, the control unit 140 detects whether or not the lower communication path affects the upper communication path, that is, whether or not the upper network and the lower network are in a dependency relationship. In addition, the dependency information is used by the control unit 140 to detect and estimate the communication quality of each communication path. Details of the detection of dependency and the detection and estimation of communication quality by the control unit 140 will be described later.

[0070] Although the communication path dependency relationship and communication quality information database 121 stores dependency information for each upper level communication path, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the dependency information shown in Figs. 6 to 9 may be stored together as a single piece of information in the communication path dependency relationship and communication quality information database 121.

[0071] Further, here, the communication path dependency relationship and communication quality information database 121 stores the dependency relationship for each bearer such as cellular or WLAN as the upper communication path in association with the lower communication path, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0072] For example, the following are categories of upper communication paths associated with lower communication paths: The communication path dependency relationship and communication quality information database 121 stores the dependency relationships by associating one or a combination of the following with lower communication paths.

[0073] For example, categories include physical layer information such as frequency bands and channels used by each communication path, signal strength, and communication standards, protocols, and methods.

[0074] Examples of communication standards include 802.11b / g / n / ax, WDCMA (registered trademark), LTE, NR, etc. The communication path dependency relationship and communication quality information database 121 may store the dependency relationship for each of these communication standards in association with the lower communication path.

[0075] Other categories include information about the antenna module associated with each communication path during communication, as well as destination information such as SSID (Service Set Identifier), BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier), cell and neighboring cell information, and destination MAC address.

[0076] In this way, by further subdividing the categories of upper communication channels and associating them with dependencies, the control unit 140 can detect dependency states at more accurate timing. For example, if the upper communication channel is cellular and a specific antenna module is used, a dependency relationship with a wired connection occurs. This allows the control unit 140 to detect dependency relationships at more accurate timing. Alternatively, if the upper communication channel is WLAN and uses a specific frequency band (e.g., 2.4 GHz band), a dependency relationship with Bluetooth (registered trademark) occurs.

[0077] 6 to 9 show the case where the degree of throughput degradation is used as an index of the dependency information, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the degree of degradation of communication quality such as delay, jitter, or packet loss rate may be used as an index of the dependency information.

[0078] Furthermore, as an index of dependency information, a specific numerical value (for example, 100 Mbps in the case of throughput) may be used in addition to a relative value such as the degree of degradation.

[0079] Alternatively, the dependency information may be an index of a higher level concept, such as the time it takes to download a certain amount of data, such as a 1 GB file, or profile and level information associated with a particular video compression standard, such as H.264 Baseline 4.1, 5.

[0080] In this way, by using a more generalized index as an index of dependency information, it is possible to present the user with a quality and designing environment that is suited to the user's use case (for example, downloading a file).

[0081] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing another example of dependency information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 10 shows a case where the cellular upper communication channel is further subdivided compared to Figs. 6 to 9. Fig. 10 also shows a case where uplink throughput is used as an index of dependency information.

[0082] As shown in Figure 10, when the upper communication path is cellular, the upper communication path and the lower communication path are associated with each other by dividing them into the frequency band used (millimeter wave or Other) and the antenna module used (Main Ant #1, #2).

[0083] Also, the column with "none" for the lower communication path shows the throughput when not tethering. For example, in the example of Figure 10, when the upper communication path is WLAN, the throughput is 300Mbps regardless of the type of lower communication path. Also, when the upper communication path is millimeter wave cellular communication using Main Ant#1, the throughput is 800Mbps regardless of the type of lower communication path. This indicates that the upper communication path and the lower communication path are not dependent on each other.

[0084] On the other hand, when the upper communication path is millimeter-wave cellular communication using Main Ant#2, the throughput is 600Mbps when a wired connection (Eth (Ethernet (registered trademark)) and USB) is selected as the lower communication path. When not tethering (when the lower communication path is "none") or when WLAN is selected as the lower communication path, the throughput is 800Mbps. In this way, when the upper communication path is millimeter-wave cellular communication using Main Ant#2, a dependency occurs between the upper communication path and the lower communication path, which is a wired connection.

[0085] In this way, even if the upper communication channel is millimeter-wave cellular communication, the dependency with the lower communication channel may change if a different antenna module is used (see, for example, Figures 1 and 2).

[0086] Although the dependency information is previously stored in the storage unit 120, this is not limiting. For example, the dependency information may be updated by the control unit 140, which will be described later. The control unit 140 updates the dependency information according to, for example, communication path information and communication quality calculated when actual communication is performed. Details of such dependency information updating will be described later.

[0087] Furthermore, in the above-described dependency information, the case where the upper communication path is subdivided into categories has been described, but the lower communication path can also be subdivided into categories in the same way as the upper communication path.

[0088] (3) Input / output section 130 Returning to FIG. 5, the input / output unit 130 is a user interface for exchanging information with the user. For example, the input / output unit 130 is an operation device such as a keyboard, a mouse, operation keys, or a touch panel that allows the user to perform various operations. Alternatively, the input / output unit 130 is a display device (display unit) such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic electroluminescence display (OLED). The input / output unit 130 may be an audio device such as a speaker or a buzzer. The input / output unit 130 may also be a lighting device such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp. The input / output unit 130 functions as input / output means (input means, output means, operation means, notification means, or display means) of the parent device 100.

[0089] (4) Control unit 140 The control unit 140 is a controller that controls each unit of the parent device 100. The control unit 140 is realized by a processor such as a CPU or an MPU. For example, the control unit 140 is realized by a processor executing various programs stored in a storage device inside the parent device 100 using a RAM or the like as a work area. The control unit 140 may also be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA. The CPU, MPU, ASIC, and FPGA can all be considered as controllers. The control unit 140 may also be realized by a GPU in addition to or instead of a CPU.

[0090] The control unit 140 includes a communication path information collection unit 141, a communication quality estimation unit 142, a dependency state estimation unit 143, and a prediction result display unit 144. Each block (communication path information collection unit 141 to prediction result display unit 144) constituting the control unit 140 is a functional block indicating a function of the control unit 140. These functional blocks may be software blocks or hardware blocks. For example, each of the above-mentioned functional blocks may be a software module realized by software (including a microprogram), or may be a circuit block on a semiconductor chip (die). Of course, each functional block may be a processor or an integrated circuit. The control unit 140 may be configured by functional units different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The method of configuring the functional blocks is arbitrary.

[0091] (Communication path information collection unit 141) The communication path information collection unit 141 acquires communication path information relating to the communication path from the communication unit 110. The communication path information collection unit 141 outputs the acquired communication path information to the communication quality estimation unit 142 and the dependency state estimation unit 143.

[0092] (Communication quality estimation unit 142) The communication quality estimation unit 142 estimates the communication quality of the communication path based on the communication path information about the communication path collected by the communication path information collection unit 141, and updates the dependency information stored in the communication path dependency relationship and communication quality information database 121.

[0093] The communication quality estimation unit 142 may estimate the communication quality using, for example, link speed information that can be acquired from the link layer of each communication path currently connected or a theoretical value associated with the protocol of each communication path as a reference value. For example, if the protocol of the communication path is 802.11b / g / n / ax, the communication quality estimation unit 142 estimates the communication quality using, as a reference value, the theoretical value of the throughput of each of 802.11b / g / n / ax.

[0094] Alternatively, the communication quality estimation unit 142 may estimate the communication quality using a general theoretical throughput calculation formula based on the signal strength (e.g., RSSI (Reference Signal Strength Indicator)) of each communication path, the channel used, and the frequency bandwidth. Also, the communication quality estimation unit 142 may estimate the communication quality using deep learning that infers communication quality using various elements including communication path information as input parameters.

[0095] Furthermore, the communication quality estimator 142 may calculate the communication quality from, for example, actual communication packets. For example, the communication quality estimator 142 may calculate the throughput from the size per unit time. Alternatively, the communication quality estimator 142 may calculate, as the communication quality, for example, a delay from the round trip time (RTT) or a packet loss rate from the number of transmission control protocol (TCP) retransmissions.

[0096] The communication quality estimation unit 142 uses the estimated or calculated communication quality to update the dependency information stored in the communication path dependency relationship and communication quality information database 121. Alternatively, the communication quality estimation unit 142 may store the estimated or calculated communication quality in the storage unit 120 as new dependency information.

[0097] The communication quality estimating unit 142 estimates or calculates the communication quality using the communication path information, so that the master unit 100 can present the user with a more accurate quality estimation result.

[0098] In addition, the communication quality enjoyed by the slave device 200, for example in the case of throughput, is limited by the bottleneck of either the upper or lower communication path. Also, the delay is approximated to the sum of the delay between the parent device 100 and the slave device 200 and the delay from the parent device 100 to the destination via the upper network. Therefore, the delay between the parent device 100 and the slave device 200 can have a significant impact on the communication quality between the parent device 100 and the slave device 200.

[0099] The communication quality between the parent device 100 and the child device 200 can be measured by calculating the total number of IP (Internet Protocol) packets per unit time from a specific port and destination, or by calculating direct communication between the parent and child devices, such as ARP / ICMP and Neighbor Discovery, provided that certain conditions are met, such as the IP packets not being encrypted or NAT (Network Address Translation) or NAPT (Network Address Port Translation).

[0100] Furthermore, as described above, the communication quality can be calculated using a higher-level indicator such as the time required to download a predetermined size of data (hereinafter also referred to as the download completion time). In this case, the communication quality estimation unit 142 may use L2 information such as a MAC address, or L3 or higher information such as IPv4 / v6, sending / receiving addresses, port numbers, and TX / RX as additional information for the communication quality.

[0101] Alternatively, the communication quality estimation unit 142 may use, as additional information, information about each upper layer, such as video compression standard information H.264 / H.265 and the profile and level associated therewith. Also, the communication quality estimation unit 142 may perform application identification using Deep Packet Inspection (aka DPI).

[0102] This allows the parent device 100 to provide the user with information tailored to the quality layer of the upper application that is affected by the deterioration of communication quality. For example, the parent device 100 can present the user with the FTP transmission throughput of a specific server (not shown) or the resolution / frame rate of a video.

[0103] As described above, the communication quality estimation unit 142 estimates and calculates the communication quality, which allows the control unit 140 to treat the communication quality in the user's actual environment, such as execution speed and delay, as an absolute value. Furthermore, the control unit 140 can personalize the dependency information according to the user's communication usage status, and can present the user with information about a communication environment that is more optimal for the user.

[0104] (Dependency state estimation unit 143) The dependency state estimation unit 143 detects the dependency relationship between the upper network and the lower network at the start of tethering, and estimates the communication states of the upper communication path and the lower communication path. The dependency state estimation unit 143 outputs the estimation result to the prediction result display unit 144.

[0105] More specifically, the dependency state estimation unit 143 detects, for example, an upper network and a lower network used for tethering. The dependency state estimation unit 143 refers to the communication path dependency relationship / communication quality information database 121 to detect whether the upper network and the lower network are in a dependency relationship.

[0106] For example, the dependency state estimation unit 143 refers to any of the dependency information in Fig. 6 to Fig. 9 depending on the type of the detected upper network. Based on the dependency information, the dependency state estimation unit 143 detects the dependency relationship depending on whether or not the throughput is degraded by using the communication path corresponding to the detected lower network. More specifically, the dependency state estimation unit 143 detects the dependency relationship by, for example, comparing the degree of throughput degradation with a predetermined threshold value.

[0107] For example, when the upper communication path is cellular, if the dependency state estimation unit 143 detects WLAN as the lower communication path, the degree of degradation of throughput is "0%", and therefore it detects that there is no dependency between the upper network and the lower network (see FIG. 9). On the other hand, if the dependency state estimation unit 143 detects USB as the lower communication path, the degree of degradation of throughput is "-30%", and therefore it detects that there is a dependency between the upper network and the lower network (see FIG. 9).

[0108] When it is detected that there is a dependency relationship between the upper network and the lower network, the dependency state estimation unit 143 estimates the communication state for each combination of multiple lower communication paths and at least one upper communication path. The dependency state estimation unit 143 estimates the communication state for each combination by, for example, acquiring the communication quality estimated by the communication quality estimation unit 142.

[0109] Note that the communication state of the communication path changes depending on the dependency state between the upper communication path and the lower communication path, and therefore, hereinafter, estimation of the communication state may be referred to as estimation of the dependency state.

[0110] The dependency state estimation unit 143 outputs the estimation result to the prediction result display unit 144.

[0111] (Prediction result display unit 144) The prediction result display unit 144 presents information about the dependency state to the user based on the estimation result by the dependency state estimation unit 143.

[0112] For example, when the dependency state estimation unit 143 detects a dependency relationship between an upper network and a lower network, the prediction result display unit 144 presents information about the dependency relationship to the user. For example, the prediction result display unit 144 presents information about an upper network that is affected by a lower network to the user. More specifically, the prediction result display unit 144 presents to the user, for example, that a millimeter wave antenna module in use will be affected by USB, or that it will not be affected in the case of Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0113] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of presentation information presented to the user by the prediction result display unit 144 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0114] 11, the prediction result display unit 144 presents to the user a message indicating that the deterioration of the upper network has been detected due to the insertion of a USB cable. The prediction result display unit 144 may also present a message urging the user to try another tethering route.

[0115] This allows the user to become aware of an environment in which the tethering communication quality is degraded or not degraded.

[0116] Furthermore, the prediction result display unit 144 may present to the user the presentation information including an index of dependency information. For example, the prediction result display unit 144 may present to the user communication quality such as absolute values of throughput and delay, or the time required to complete downloading a predetermined size of data. Alternatively, the prediction result display unit 144 may present to the user the percentage of communication quality that may be improved by switching the lower-level communication path.

[0117] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining another example of presentation information presented to the user by the prediction result display unit 144 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0118] 12, the prediction result display unit 144 presents to the user a message indicating that, in the current terminal environment, quality degradation of tethering via a wired connection (USB / Ethernet (registered trademark) tethering) is estimated. In addition, the prediction result display unit 144 presents to the user a message indicating that use of Wi-Fi (registered trademark) tethering may improve communication quality by about 20%.

[0119] In this way, the prediction result display unit 144 presents information on the communication quality index to the user, so that the user can select to switch the communication path based on the specific information on the communication quality.

[0120] The prediction result display unit 144 may also recommend user behavior that improves communication quality. User behavior includes, for example, switching to a predetermined communication path such as using Wi-Fi (registered trademark) tethering (see FIG. 12), changing the orientation or position of the parent device 100, etc. Alternatively, assuming that the position of the base station 300 (see FIG. 1) or access point with which the parent device 100 communicates via an upper communication path can be changed, the prediction result display unit 144 may recommend changing the location of the base station 300 or access point.

[0121] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining another example of presentation information presented to the user by the prediction result display unit 144 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0122] As shown in FIG. 13, the prediction result display unit 144 displays to the user a message indicating that the wired adapter is covering the mobile antenna (an example of an antenna module used in an upper communication path) and recommending that the user change the orientation of the terminal (parent device 100).

[0123] This allows the user to follow instructions from the base unit 100 without having to make a decision about communication quality by himself, thereby preventing deterioration of communication quality.

[0124] The prediction result display unit 144 may present the presentation information to the user before communication is performed on the detected upper communication path and lower communication path, or may present the presentation information at the timing when communication is actually performed and deterioration of communication quality occurs. Furthermore, the prediction result display unit 144 may continue to present the presentation information to the user while the lower communication path is affecting the upper communication path, or may present the presentation information to the user for a predetermined period after the effect is detected.

[0125] Further, here, the prediction result display unit 144 presents the presentation information when tethering starts or when deterioration of communication quality occurs, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0126] For example, the prediction result display unit 144 may present presentation information to the user to prevent degradation that is not currently occurring. For example, the prediction result display unit 144 may present to the user that changing to a wired connection when WLAN is being used as the lower communication path may result in degradation of communication quality. Alternatively, the prediction result display unit 144 may present to the user that a change in the orientation or position of the parent device 100, or the placement of the base station 300 or access point, may result in degradation of communication quality.

[0127] In this case, the dependency state estimation unit 143 estimates the communication quality for each combination of the upper communication path and the lower communication path even if no dependency relationship is detected.

[0128] It should be noted that, although the dependency information is described here as being stored in the storage unit 120, this is not limiting. For example, if the communication system 1 includes a plurality of communication devices 100 that operate as master devices, the plurality of communication devices 100 may share the dependency information.

[0129] Alternatively, the communication system 1 may include an information processing device (not shown) that manages the dependency information. In this case, the dependency information used by the multiple communication devices 100 may be managed by, for example, one information processing device. The information processing device may manage and update the dependency information by centrally managing the dependency information, for example, as in federated learning in deep learning, and learning using information collected by the multiple communication devices 100.

[0130] In this way, by sharing and updating dependency information among a plurality of communication devices 100, the accuracy of the dependency information can be further improved.

[0131] <2.2. Example of child device configuration> Next, the configuration of the child device 200 will be described.

[0132] The slave device 200 is a communication device that communicates with other communication devices such as the parent device 100. The slave device 200 has a tethering function (tethering client function) and accesses an upstream network via the parent device 100. Note that the slave device 200 may also have a function to directly access the upstream network without going through the parent device 100. For example, the slave device 200 may be able to directly access a base station or an access point.

[0133] The slave device 200 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smart device (a smartphone or a tablet), a PDA, or a personal computer. The slave device 200 may also be an imaging device (for example, a camcorder) equipped with a communication function, or may be a motorcycle or a mobile broadcasting van equipped with a communication device such as an FPU. The slave device 200 may also be an M2M device or an IoT device. The slave device 200 may also be a router.

[0134] Furthermore, slave device 200 may be capable of LPWA communication with other communication devices (for example, master device 100). Furthermore, the wireless communication used by slave device 200 may be wireless communication using millimeter waves. Note that the wireless communication used by slave device 200 may be wireless communication using radio waves, or wireless communication using infrared rays or visible light (optical wireless).

[0135] Furthermore, slave device 200 may be a mobile device. A mobile device is a wireless communication device that can move. In this case, slave device 200 may be a wireless communication device installed in a mobile device, or may be the mobile device itself. For example, slave device 200 may be a vehicle that moves on a road, such as an automobile, a bus, a truck, or a motorcycle, or a wireless communication device mounted on the vehicle. Note that the mobile device may be a mobile terminal, or may be a mobile device that moves on land, underground, on water, or underwater. Furthermore, the mobile device may be a mobile device that moves within the atmosphere, such as a drone or a helicopter, or a mobile device that moves outside the atmosphere, such as an artificial satellite.

[0136] Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the slave device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 14, the slave device 200 has a communication unit 210, a storage unit 220, an input / output unit 230, and a control unit 240. Note that the configuration shown in Fig. 14 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may be different from this. Furthermore, the functions of the slave device 200 may be distributed and implemented in multiple physically separated configurations.

[0137] (1) Communications Unit 210 The communication unit 210 has first to N-th communication units 211_1 to 211_N (N is a natural number). The n-th communication unit 211_n (n=a natural number from 1 to N) is a communication interface for communicating with other devices. For example, the n-th communication unit 211_n is a network interface. For example, the n-th communication unit 211_n is a LAN (Local Area Network) interface such as a NIC (Network Interface Card). Note that the n-th communication unit 211_n may be a wired interface or a wireless interface. The n-th communication unit 211_n functions as a communication means of the child device 200. The n-th communication unit 211_n communicates with the parent device 100 under the control of the control unit 240.

[0138] The communication unit 210 communicates with the parent device 100 (see FIG. 2 ) using one of the first to Nth communication units 211_1 to 211_N (for example, the Mth communication unit 211_M (M is a natural number from 1 to N)) in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 240. As a result, a lower communication path is formed between the Mth communication unit 211_M and the parent device 100.

[0139] (2) Storage section 220 The storage unit 220 is a data readable / writable storage device such as a DRAM, an SRAM, a flash memory, a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 220 functions as a storage means of the child device 200.

[0140] (3) Input / output section 230 The input / output unit 230 is a user interface for exchanging information with the user. For example, the input / output unit 230 is an operation device such as a keyboard, a mouse, operation keys, or a touch panel that allows the user to perform various operations. Alternatively, the input / output unit 230 is a display device (display unit) such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic electroluminescence display (OLED). The input / output unit 230 may be an audio device such as a speaker or a buzzer. The input / output unit 230 may also be a lighting device such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp. The input / output unit 230 functions as input / output means (input means, output means, operation means, notification means, or display means) of the child device 200.

[0141] (4) Control unit 240 The control unit 240 is a controller that controls each unit of the parent device 100. The control unit 240 is realized by a processor such as a CPU or an MPU. For example, the control unit 240 is realized by a processor executing various programs stored in a storage device inside the child device 200 using a RAM or the like as a work area. The control unit 240 may also be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA. The CPU, MPU, ASIC, and FPGA can all be considered as controllers. The control unit 240 may also be realized by a GPU in addition to or instead of a CPU.

[0142] <<3. Information processing by the parent unit>> <3.1. Dependency information update process> Next, a dependency information update process executed by the parent device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the update process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The update process shown in Fig. 15 is executed, for example, when any communication is performed by the parent device 100.

[0143] 15, the parent device 100 first establishes an arbitrary communication path (step S101). This communication path includes a communication path established when used for tethering, as well as a communication path established for communication when not tethering.

[0144] The master device 100 acquires communication path information about the established communication path (step S102), and calculates or estimates any communication quality from the acquired communication path information (step S103).

[0145] The master device 100 updates the dependency information using the calculated or estimated communication quality (step S104). Alternatively, the master device 100 may create new dependency information using the communication quality.

[0146] Here, it has been described that the parent device 100 executes the update process when communicating using an arbitrary communication path, but this is not limiting. For example, the parent device 100 may execute the update process at any timing, such as at a predetermined interval. In this case, the parent device 100 may calculate the communication quality of the communication path being used at the timing of executing the update process. Alternatively, the parent device 100 may select a communication path for which the update process is to be performed, and establish the communication path selected in step S101, thereby calculating the communication quality of the selected communication path.

[0147] <3.2. Presentation process> Next, a presentation process of presentation information executed by the parent device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the presentation process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The presentation process shown in Fig. 16 is executed, for example, when tethering starts.

[0148] 16, the parent device 100 determines whether communication of the upper network on which the lower network depends is operating by tethering (step S201). If it is determined that communication is not operating (step S201; No), the parent device 100 ends the process.

[0149] On the other hand, if it is determined that the dependent communication is active (step S201; Yes), the parent device 100 estimates the dependency state of the communication path for each combination of the upper communication path and the lower communication path (step S202).

[0150] Based on the estimated dependency state, the master device 100 presents presentation information to the user (step S203). Subsequently, the master device 100 accepts selection or non-selection of a communication path by the user (step S204).

[0151] As described above, the master device 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure detects upper communication paths and lower communication paths that are in a dependent relationship. When the master device 100 detects upper communication paths and lower communication paths that are in a dependent relationship, the master device 100 estimates the dependency state for each combination of multiple upper communication paths and lower communication paths. This enables the master device 100 to present information to the user for suppressing degradation of communication quality.

[0152] <<4. Modifications>> <4.1. Variation 1> In the above-described embodiment, the master unit 100 estimates the dependency state according to the dependency relationship between the upper communication path and the lower communication path, but this is not limiting. For example, the master unit 100 may estimate the deterioration of communication quality based on information other than the communication path. Specifically, for example, the master unit 100 may estimate the deterioration of communication quality based on the location of the master unit 100, such as whether it is at home or in the office, or the setting of the master unit 100, such as whether power saving is enabled. This point will be described as Modification 1.

[0153] Fig. 17 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a master device 100A according to a first modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. The master device 100A shown in Fig. 17 has the same configuration as the master device 100 shown in Fig. 5, except that it includes a control unit 140A and a sensor unit 150. The control unit 140A also differs from the configuration of the master device 100 shown in Fig. 5 in that it includes a communication quality estimation unit 142A, a dependency state estimation unit 143A, a prediction result display unit 144A, a various parameter acquisition unit 145, and a communication environment estimation unit 146.

[0154] The sensor unit 150 includes, for example, a sensor such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor or an acceleration sensor that detects the position and attitude of the parent device 100. Note that the sensor unit 150 is not limited to the above and may include various other sensors.

[0155] The various parameter acquisition unit 145 acquires, as parameters, for example, setting information of the master device 100A stored in the storage unit 120 and sensing results by the sensor unit 150. The various parameter acquisition unit 145 notifies the communication environment estimation unit 146 of the acquired parameters.

[0156] The communication environment estimation unit 146 estimates the communication environment of the master device 100A using parameters acquired from the various parameter acquisition unit 145. The communication environment estimation unit 146 estimates, for example, whether a power saving setting is set or whether the master device 100A is connected to a VPN (Virtual Private Network), and generates communication environment information. The communication environment estimation unit 146 also estimates the current location of the master device 100A (for example, home / office) based on location information of the master device 100A, and generates communication environment information. Note that the communication environment estimation unit 146 is not limited to the above, and may also perform various other estimations, such as whether the master device 100A is moving.

[0157] The communication environment estimation unit 146 outputs the estimated communication environment information to the communication quality estimation unit 142A.

[0158] The communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates communication quality according to the acquired communication environment information. For example, the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates whether communication quality will deteriorate depending on whether a power saving setting is set, and stores the estimation result as dependency information in the communication path dependency relationship and communication quality information database 121 of the storage unit 120.

[0159] Fig. 18 is a chart for explaining an example of dependency information according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 18 illustrates a case where the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates whether or not the communication quality will deteriorate depending on whether or not the power saving setting is set.

[0160] 18, the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates that the throughput will change depending on whether the power consumption setting is "OFF" or "ON" without depending on the upper communication path ("Any"). For example, when the power consumption setting is "OFF", the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates that the degree of throughput degradation is "0%", whereas when the power consumption setting is "ON", the degree of throughput degradation is "-5%". Note that the power consumption setting is set to "OFF" by default unless a particular setting is made by the user.

[0161] In addition, the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates whether communication quality will deteriorate depending on whether a VPN connection is in place, and stores the estimation result as dependency information in the communication path dependency relationship and communication quality information database 121 in the storage unit 120.

[0162] Fig. 19 is a chart for explaining another example of dependency information according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 19 illustrates a case where the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates whether or not the communication quality will deteriorate depending on whether or not a VPN connection is established.

[0163] In the example shown in Fig. 18, the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates that the throughput changes depending on whether a VPN connection is present or absent, regardless of the upper communication path ("Any"). For example, when a VPN connection is absent, the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates that the degree of throughput degradation is 0%, whereas when a VPN connection is present, the degree of throughput degradation is -10%. Note that the VPN connection is set to "absent" by default unless otherwise specified by the user.

[0164] In addition, the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates whether communication quality will deteriorate depending on the location (position) of the parent device 100A, and stores the estimation result as dependency information in the communication path dependency relationship / communication quality information database 121 of the memory unit 120.

[0165] 20 and 21 are diagrams for explaining other examples of dependency information according to the first modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 20 illustrates a case where the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates deterioration of communication quality by associating a location with a lower communication channel when the upper communication channel is Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Fig. 21 illustrates a case where the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates deterioration of communication quality by associating a location with a lower communication channel when the upper communication channel is cellular.

[0166] Here, when the upper communication path is Wi-Fi (registered trademark), it is assumed that the communication quality of Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is more degraded in the office than at home due to, for example, line interference. In this case, as shown in FIG. 20, when the lower communication path is wired, the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates that the degradation degree of throughput is "0%" both at home and at the office. Furthermore, when the lower communication path is Wi-Fi (registered trademark), the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates that the degradation degree of throughput at home is "-10%" and that at the office is "-30%", for example.

[0167] Also, when the upper communication path is cellular, millimeter waves are blocked by a wired adapter at home, but no blocking by a wired adapter occurs in the office. In this case, as shown in Fig. 21, when the lower communication path is wired, the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates, for example, that the degradation degree of throughput at home is "-10%" and that the degradation degree at the office is "0%." When the lower communication path is Wi-Fi (registered trademark), the communication quality estimation unit 142A estimates, for example, that the degradation degree of throughput at home is "0%" and that the degradation degree at the office is "-20%."

[0168] When estimating the dependency state based on the combination of each communication path, the dependency state estimation unit 143A also estimates the communication state based on the combination of the environment and the communication path. For example, when the dependency state estimation unit 143A detects that the upper communication path used for tethering is cellular using millimeter waves, the dependency state estimation unit 143A combines the location of the master unit 100A with the upper communication path to estimate the deterioration of the communication quality.

[0169] The prediction result display unit 144A may present presentation information including environmental information to the user based on the estimation result of the dependency state estimation unit 143A. If it is estimated that communication quality will improve if the power saving setting is set to "OFF," the prediction result display unit 144A presents, for example, a sentence recommending that the power saving setting be set to "OFF" to the user as presentation information.

[0170] In this way, the parent unit 100A estimates the communication state taking into account environmental information other than communication and presents presentation information to the user, allowing the user to select settings and environmental conditions for the parent unit 100A according to the communication state.

[0171] Next, a dependency information update process executed by the parent device 100A will be described with reference to Fig. 22. Fig. 22 is a flowchart showing an example of the update process according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure. Of the update process shown in Fig. 22, the same processes as those in the update process shown in Fig. 15 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0172] 22, when the parent device 100A establishes a communication path in step S101, the parent device 100A acquires environmental information in addition to communication path information (step S301). In addition, the parent device 100A calculates or estimates any communication quality according to the environmental information (step S302).

[0173] As described above, the master device 100A according to the first modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure estimates communication quality according to environmental information and generates dependency information, thereby making it possible to present to the user information that suppresses degradation of communication quality according to the environment of the master device 100A.

[0174] <4.2. Variation 2> In addition to the configurations of the above-described embodiment and modification 1, capability information may be received from the child device 200B. This point will be described as modification 2.

[0175] Fig. 23 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a parent device 100B according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure. The parent device 100B shown in Fig. 23 differs from the parent device 100A shown in Fig. 17 in that a control unit 140B includes a communication quality estimation unit 142B, a dependency state estimation unit 143B, a prediction result display unit 144B, and a capability receiving unit 147.

[0176] The capability receiving unit 147 receives capability information from the slave device 200 B. The capability information includes, for example, information on an upper communication path or a lower communication path that the slave device 200 B desires to select, an index of communication quality, a threshold value for the index, and other information on the communication quality of tethering that the slave device 200 B desires.

[0177] The capability receiving unit 147 notifies the communication quality estimating unit 142B and the dependency state estimating unit 143B of the received capability information.

[0178] The communication quality estimating unit 142B estimates the communication quality based on the capability information and updates the dependency information. For example, the communication quality estimating unit 142B estimates the communication quality using an index included in the capability information.

[0179] More specifically, the communication quality estimation unit 142B updates dependency information related to an index included in the capability information when the dependency information is stored in the storage unit 120. On the other hand, when dependency information related to an index included in the capability information is not stored in the storage unit 120, the communication quality estimation unit 142B calculates the communication quality of the communication path using the index and generates new dependency information.

[0180] The dependency state estimation unit 143B estimates the dependency state of communication paths that satisfy the conditions included in the capability information. For example, the dependency state estimation unit 143B acquires the degree of degradation of communication quality from communication environments that satisfy the conditions included in the capability information, and estimates a combination of communication paths with a small degree of degradation. For example, when the capability information includes information on an upper communication path or a lower communication path that the slave device 200B desires to select, the dependency state estimation unit 143B acquires the communication quality of the combination of communication paths desired by the slave device 200B, and determines the combination of communication paths with the smallest degree of degradation of communication quality.

[0181] The dependency state estimation unit 143B notifies the prediction result display unit 144B of the estimation result. For example, the prediction result display unit 144B receives, as the estimation result, a combination of communication paths with the smallest degree of degradation in communication quality, and presents information about the received combination of communication paths to the user as presentation information. In addition, the prediction result display unit 144B notifies the presentation information to the slave device 200B via the communication unit 110.

[0182] Fig. 24 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a slave device 200B according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure. The slave device 200B shown in Fig. 24 differs from the slave device 200 shown in Fig. 14 in that a control unit 240B includes a capability transmission unit 251, an estimation result reception unit 252, and an estimation result display unit 253.

[0183] The capability transmission unit 251 generates the above-mentioned capability information and transmits it to the parent device 200B via the communication unit 210.

[0184] The estimation result receiving unit 252 receives the presentation information from the parent device 200B via the communication unit 210 as an estimation result.

[0185] The estimation result display unit 253 presents the received presentation information to the user via the input / output unit 230.

[0186] Here, the capability information transmitted by the slave device 200B may include, for example, information about a communication standard supported by the slave device 200B (for example, Ethernet (registered trademark), USB, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or Wi-Fi (registered trademark)).

[0187] The capability information may also include protocol information such as 100 / 1000 / 10GBASE-T and 802.11 ax / ac.

[0188] The capability information may include a communication quality indicator and a corresponding threshold value. Examples of the indicator include throughput, delay, jitter, etc. The threshold value may include a lower or upper limit of the indicator, such as 50 Mbps or an RTT of 10 ms.

[0189] Alternatively, the capability information may include information specifying the communication quality for a specific server domain or IP address, or an index related to communication quality that specifies the direction of communication, such as uplink or downlink. Alternatively, the capability information may include information that can be calculated based on the communication quality. Furthermore, the index may include, for example, information related to the FTP upload time for data of a predetermined size (e.g., 1 GB) or the estimated resolution when performing a live upload of a video.

[0190] Any format may be adopted for the data, such as capability information, exchanged between the parent device 100B and the child device 200B. Examples of such formats include XML, JSON, protobuf, and YAML.

[0191] Here, an example of capability information according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 25. Fig. 25 is a diagram showing an example of capability information according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0192] As shown in FIG. 25, the capability information transmitted by the slave device 200B includes, for example, an indicator of the communication quality desired by the slave device 200, “require-type”, a threshold value of the indicator, “require-value”, and a type of the desired lower communication path, “client capabilities”.

[0193] 25, the communication quality index "require-type" is "throughput," and the threshold value "require-value" is "85 Mbps." This indicates that the slave device 200B desires communication with a "throughput" of "85 Mbps" or higher as the communication quality during tethering.

[0194] The desired type of lower communication path, "client capabilities," is, in other words, information indicating the communication standard supported by the slave device 200 B. In the example of Fig. 25, "client capabilities" is "Any," indicating that the slave device 200 B supports all communication standards supported by the master device 100 B as lower communication paths.

[0195] Upon receiving the capability information shown in FIG. 25, the communication quality estimating unit 142B of the master device 100B estimates the throughput as the communication quality and updates the dependency information.

[0196] Fig. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of dependency information according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication quality estimator 142B generates or updates the dependency information illustrated in Fig. 26 using, for example, the received capability information.

[0197] FIG. 26 shows the estimated throughput of the slave device 200 in a combination of WLAN and cellular as upper communication paths and Eth (Ethernet (registered trademark)), USB, BT (Bluetooth (registered trademark)) and WLAN as lower communication paths.

[0198] Here, when estimating the dependency between the lower communication path and the upper communication path, the dependency estimation unit 143B estimates the dependency for a combination of communication paths that meets the condition included in the capability information shown in Figure 25 ("throughput" is "85Mbps" or more).

[0199] For example, in the dependency information shown in Figure 26, when the upper communication path is WLAN, the combination of communication paths that satisfies the conditions of the capability information is when the lower communication path is Eth (Ethernet (registered trademark)), USB, and WLAN. Also, when the upper communication path is cellular, the combination of the lower communication path and WLAN satisfies the conditions of the capability information. Note that in Figure 26, combinations that satisfy the conditions of the capability information are shown with hatching.

[0200] The dependency state estimation unit 143B estimates a combination that can further improve communication quality from combinations that satisfy the conditions, and notifies the estimation result to the prediction result display unit 144B.

[0201] As a result, the prediction result display unit 144B can present information on the communication quality of the tethering, which is the communication quality of the communication path that satisfies the request of the child device 200B, to the user via the parent device 100B and the child device 200B.

[0202] FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating another example of capability information according to the second modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0203] 27, the communication quality index "require-type" is "latency", the threshold "require-value" is not specified (null), and the "client capabilities" are Ethernet (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0204] Upon receiving the capability information shown in FIG. 27, the communication quality estimation unit 142B of the master device 100B estimates delay as the communication quality and updates the dependency information.

[0205] 28 is a diagram illustrating another example of dependency information according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication quality estimator 142B generates or updates the dependency information illustrated in FIG. 28 using, for example, the received capability information.

[0206] In Figure 28, the upper communication path is not particularly specified (Any), and the delay degradation degree compared to when tethering is shown when the lower communication path is Eth (Ethernet (registered trademark)), USB, and WLAN.

[0207] Here, when the dependency state estimation unit 143B estimates the dependency state between the lower communication path and the upper communication path, it estimates the dependency state for a combination of communication paths that satisfies the condition included in the capability information shown in Figure 27 (the lower communication path is Ethernet (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark)).

[0208] For example, among the dependency information shown in Fig. 28, the lower-level communication paths that satisfy the conditions of the capability information are those in which the lower-level communication paths are Eth (Ethernet (registered trademark)) and WLAN. Note that in Fig. 26, the lower-level communication paths that satisfy the conditions of the capability information are indicated by hatching.

[0209] The dependency state estimation unit 143B estimates a communication path that can further improve the communication quality from among communication paths that satisfy the conditions, and notifies the estimation result to the prediction result display unit 144B.

[0210] As a result, the prediction result display unit 144B can present information about a communication path having a communication quality that satisfies the requirements of the slave device 200B to the user via the master device 100B and the slave device 200B.

[0211] For example, the slave device 200B may include information about an application to be used during tethering in the capability information. In this case, the master device 100B updates or generates the dependency information based on the application information and the index included in the capability information.

[0212] 29 is a chart illustrating another example of dependency information according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication quality estimator 142B generates or updates the dependency information illustrated in FIG. 29 using, for example, the received capability information.

[0213] For example, the capability information may include information about an application that performs live streaming of video, and information that specifies an estimated resolution at the time of streaming as an index.

[0214] In this case, the quality estimation unit 142B estimates the resolution at which video can be delivered for each combination of upper and lower communication paths. For example, in live video delivery, the quality estimation unit 142B estimates the resolution at which video codec H.264 can be delivered at 60 fps for each combination of communication paths.

[0215] Here, when estimating the dependency state between a lower-level communication path and an upper-level communication path, the dependency state estimation unit 143B estimates the dependency state for a combination of communication paths that satisfies a condition (e.g., minimum resolution) included in the capability information. Note that the dependency state estimation unit 143B may be configured to detect a combination of communication paths that satisfies multiple conditions (e.g., a condition related to delay and a condition related to resolution). In Fig. 29, combinations of communication paths that satisfy multiple conditions are shown with hatching.

[0216] Next, a process of updating dependency information using capability information will be described with reference to Fig. 30. Fig. 30 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an update process according to the second modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0217] First, the parent device 100B establishes an arbitrary upper communication path (step S401), and then establishes a lower communication path between the parent device 100B and the child device 200B (step S402).

[0218] The slave device 200B notifies the capability information using the established lower layer communication path (step S402).

[0219] Master unit 100B acquires communication path information and parameter information (step S404).

[0220] Having received the capability information, parent device 100B determines whether or not there is dependency information corresponding to the capability information (step S405).

[0221] If there is no corresponding dependency information (step S405; No), parent device 100B calculates the index included in the capability information as the communication quality (step S406), and generates dependency information corresponding to the capability information (step S407).

[0222] On the other hand, if corresponding dependency information exists (step S405; Yes), parent device 100B calculates the communication quality of the corresponding dependency information (step S408), and updates the dependency information corresponding to the capability information (step S409).

[0223] Next, a presentation process of presentation information by the communication system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 31. Fig. 31 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a presentation process according to the second modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0224] 31, the parent device 100B determines whether or not a communication path has been established with the child device 200B (step S501). Note that the communication path determined here is a lower communication path.

[0225] If a communication path has not been established with the slave device 200B (step S501; No), the process ends. On the other hand, if a communication path has been established with the slave device 200B (step S501; Yes), the master device 100B determines whether communication dependent on the communication path is active (step S502). Note that the communication here is communication using an upper communication path.

[0226] If the dependent communication is not operating (step S502; No), the process ends. On the other hand, if the dependent communication is operating (step S502; Yes), the parent device 100B adds information (capability information) from the child device 200B to the estimated communication quality and environmental conditions (step S503).

[0227] The parent device 100B estimates the dependency state for each combination that satisfies the conditions included in the capability information (step S503).

[0228] The parent device 100B determines whether or not there is a transmission request for the estimation result from the child device 200B (step S504). If there is no transmission request (step S504; No), the process proceeds to step S509.

[0229] If there is a transmission request (step S504; Yes), the parent unit 100B notifies the child unit 200B of the presentation information (step S505).

[0230] The slave unit 200B that has received the presentation information displays the received presentation information on the input / output unit 230 (step S506), and accepts the user's selection or non-selection of the communication path (step S507).

[0231] In step S506, parent device 100B transmits the presentation information to child device 200B, and displays the presentation information on input / output unit 130 of the parent device (step S508), and accepts selection or non-selection of the communication path by the user (step S509).

[0232] As described above, in this modification, the parent device 100B estimates the dependency state due to the combination of communication paths based on the capability information received from the child device 200B. This allows the parent device 2100B to prompt the user to select a communication path that satisfies the capabilities and requirements of the child device 200B.

[0233] In this modification, the parent device 100B transmits presentation information to the child device 200B, which allows the user to select a communication path from the child device 200B side as well.

[0234] <4.3. Variation 3> In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the parent devices 100, 100A, and 100B present presentation information to the user, but this is not limiting. For example, the parent device 100B may automatically switch the lower communication path depending on the dependency state estimated. This point will be described as modified example 3.

[0235] Fig. 32 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a parent device 100C according to Modification 3 of the embodiment of the present disclosure. The parent device 100C shown in Fig. 32 has the same configuration as the parent device 100B shown in Fig. 23, except that a control unit 140C has a terminal setting control unit 148.

[0236] The terminal setting control unit 148 changes the communication environment to one that further improves communication quality based on the dependency state estimation result by the dependency state estimation unit 143B. For example, the terminal setting control unit 148 selects a lower communication path that satisfies the capability information from the slave device 200B and has the best communication quality, and changes to the selected lower communication path. Alternatively, the terminal setting control unit 148 may change terminal settings such as an upper communication path or power saving settings. In addition to the power saving settings, the terminal settings may also include suppressing the operation of the master device 100C, such as restricting certain application functions or restricting communications other than tethering.

[0237] Note that the changes made by the terminal setting control unit 148 may include changes not intended by the user. Therefore, the parent device 100C may obtain permission from the user in advance. In this case, the parent device 100C may obtain permission by presenting to the user possible changes, such as stopping a specific application.

[0238] Next, a presentation process of presentation information by the communication system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 33. Fig. 33 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a presentation process according to Modification 3 of the embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that the same processes as those in Fig. 31 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0239] Having estimated the dependency state in step S503, master unit 100C changes the communication environment to an improved one based on the estimated dependency state (step S601).

[0240] As described above, in this modification, the master unit 100C automatically changes the communication environment, thereby improving the tethering communication environment without bothering the user.

[0241] Although the case where this modification is applied to parent device 100B has been described here, this modification can also be applied to parent devices 100 and 100A in the same way.

[0242] Although the communication environment of the parent device 100C is automatically changed here, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the child device 200B may change the communication environment, such as automatically changing the lower communication path in response to a change in the lower communication path of the parent device 100C.

[0243] <<5. Conclusion>> Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. Furthermore, components of different embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate.

[0244] The control device that controls the communication devices 100, 100A to 100C and the terminal devices 200, 200B of this embodiment may be realized by a dedicated computer system or a general-purpose computer system.

[0245] For example, a communication program for executing the above-described operations is stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic tape, or a flexible disk and distributed. Then, for example, the program is installed in a computer and the above-described processing is executed to configure a control device. In this case, the control device may be a device (for example, a personal computer) external to the communication devices 100, 100A-100C and the terminal devices 200, 200B. Alternatively, the control device may be a device (for example, control units 140, 140A-C, control units 240, 240B) internal to the communication devices 100, 100A-100C and the terminal devices 200, 200B.

[0246] The communication program may also be stored in a disk device provided in a server device on a network such as the Internet, and may be downloaded to a computer. The above-mentioned functions may also be realized by cooperation between an OS (Operating System) and application software. In this case, the parts other than the OS may be stored on a medium and distributed, or may be stored in a server device and downloaded to a computer.

[0247] Furthermore, among the processes described in the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically using a known method. In addition, the information including the processing procedures, specific names, various data, and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed as desired unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each drawing is not limited to the information shown in the drawings.

[0248] Furthermore, the components of each device shown in the figure are conceptual functional units and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads and usage conditions. This distribution and integration configuration may also be performed dynamically.

[0249] The above-described embodiments can be combined as appropriate within the scope of the present invention without causing any inconsistency in the processing content. The order of the steps shown in the flowcharts of the above-described embodiments can be changed as appropriate.

[0250] Furthermore, for example, this embodiment can also be implemented as any configuration that constitutes an apparatus or system, such as a processor as a system LSI (Large Scale Integration), a module using multiple processors, a unit using multiple modules, a set in which other functions are added to a unit, etc. (i.e., a configuration of a part of an apparatus).

[0251] In this embodiment, a system refers to a collection of multiple components (devices, modules (components), etc.), regardless of whether all the components are in the same housing. Therefore, multiple devices housed in separate housings and connected via a network, and a single device in which multiple modules are housed in a single housing, are both systems.

[0252] Furthermore, for example, this embodiment can have a cloud computing configuration in which one function is shared and processed jointly by a plurality of devices via a network.

[0253] The effects of the embodiments described in this specification are merely examples and are not limiting, and other effects may also be provided.

[0254] The present technology can also be configured as follows. (1) a first communication unit that performs wireless communication via an upper communication path; a second communication unit that communicates with the terminal device via a selected communication path that is one of a plurality of lower-level communication paths including a wireless communication path and a wired communication path; a control unit that detects whether or not the communication using the selected communication path will affect the upper communication path, and when it is detected that the communication will affect the upper communication path, estimates communication states of the upper communication path and the lower communication path included in each combination of the plurality of lower communication paths and the upper communication path; A communication device comprising: (2) The communication device according to (1), wherein the control unit causes a display unit to display information relating to the estimation result of the communication state. (3) The communication device according to (1), wherein the control unit changes the selected communication path depending on the estimation result of the communication state. (4) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the control unit estimates the communication state based on at least one of an antenna module used by the first communication unit and information relating to the communication of the first communication unit. (5) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the control unit estimates the communication state based on at least one of an antenna module used by the second communication unit and information relating to the communication of the second communication unit. (6) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the control unit estimates the communication state depending on an environment in which the communication device is used. (7) The control unit detects whether the lower communication path has an effect on the upper communication path based on impact information calculated in advance, the impact information indicating whether the lower communication path has an effect on the upper communication path. (8) The communication device according to (7), wherein the control unit updates the impact information based on communication path information acquired from the first communication unit and the second communication unit. (9) The communication device according to (7) or (8), wherein the control unit estimates the communication state based on the impact information. (10) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein the control unit estimates the communication state based on information acquired from the terminal device. (11) The communication device according to (10), wherein the control unit estimates the communication state of the upper communication path and the lower communication path included in the combination that satisfies the condition included in the information acquired from the terminal device. (12) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the first communication unit performs wireless communication using millimeter waves. (13) performing wireless communication via an upper communication path; communicating with a terminal device via a selected communication path that is one of a plurality of lower-level communication paths including a wireless communication path and a wired communication path; detecting whether or not the communication using the selected communication path will have an effect on the upper communication path, and when it is detected that the communication will have an effect, estimating the communication states of the upper communication path and the lower communication path included in each combination of the plurality of lower communication paths and the upper communication path; A communication method including: [Explanation of symbols]

[0255] 1. Communication Systems 100, 100A, 100B, 100C Communication device (parent unit) 110, 210 Communications Department 120, 220 storage section 130, 230 input / output section 140, 140A, 140B, 140C, 240, 240B control unit 200, 200B terminal device (handset)

Claims

1. a first communication unit that performs wireless communication with a base station via an upper communication path; a second communication unit that performs communication with a terminal device via a selected communication path that is one of a plurality of lower communication paths including a wireless communication path and a wired communication path, the communication path being dependent on the upper communication path; a control unit that detects whether or not the communication using the selected communication path will affect the upper communication path, and when it is detected that the communication will affect the upper communication path, estimates communication states of the upper communication path and the lower communication path included in each combination of the plurality of lower communication paths and the upper communication path; Equipped with the control unit connects the base station and the terminal device by tethering via the upper communication path and the selected communication path. Communication equipment.

2. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit causes a display unit to display information relating to the estimation result of the communication state.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit changes the selected communication path in accordance with the estimation result of the communication state.

4. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit estimates the communication state based on at least one of an antenna module used by the first communication unit and information related to communication by the first communication unit.

5. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit estimates the communication state based on at least one of an antenna module used by the second communication unit and information related to communication by the second communication unit.

6. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit estimates the communication state depending on an environment in which the communication device is used.

7. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit detects whether the lower communication path has an effect on the upper communication path based on effect information calculated in advance and indicating whether the lower communication path has an effect on the upper communication path.

8. The communication device according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit updates the impact information based on communication path information acquired from the first communication unit and the second communication unit.

9. The communication device according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit estimates the communication state based on the effect information.

10. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit estimates the communication state based on information acquired from the terminal device.

11. The communication device according to claim 10 , wherein the control unit estimates the communication states of the upper communication path and the lower communication path included in the combination that satisfies a condition included in the information acquired from the terminal device.

12. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the first communication unit performs wireless communication using millimeter waves.

13. Communication equipment wirelessly communicating with a base station via an upper communication path; performing communication between a terminal device and the upper communication path in a dependent relationship via a selected communication path that is one of a plurality of lower communication paths including a wireless communication path and a wired communication path; detecting whether or not the communication using the selected communication path will have an effect on the upper communication path, and when it is detected that the communication will have an effect, estimating the communication states of the upper communication path and the lower communication path included in each combination of the plurality of lower communication paths and the upper communication path; connecting the base station and the terminal device by tethering via the upper communication path and the selected communication path; A communication method including:

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