Terminal device, communication method and program

Abstract

To reduce delay of voice calls.SOLUTION: A terminal device comprises: a communication unit that communicates with another terminal device of a communication opposite party; a communication quality information generation unit that measures communication quality with a plurality of server devices and generates communication quality information indicating communication quality; a connection destination identification unit that identifies a second server device that is different from a first server device currently connected; a connection management unit that controls the communication unit to perform connection to the first server device; a request information transmitting unit that, when an own terminal device communicates with another terminal device, controls the communication unit to transmit multi-session request information including connection information with respect to the second server device to the other terminal device; and a response information receiving unit that controls the communication unit to acquire multi-session response information including connection information between the other terminal device and a third server device from the other terminal device. When acquiring the multi-session response information, the connection management unit controls the communication unit so that the own terminal device is connected to the second server device and the third server device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal device, a communication method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a Push-To-Talk over Cellular (PoC) system in which a PoC terminal device and a PoC server device are connected via a wireless network such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) and a wired network such as an optical fiber line (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-133796 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a PoC system, if a degradation in communication quality or a delay in a voice call occurs depending on the usage environment, it is conceivable to switch the connected server device to continue the voice call. However, if the connected server device is switched during a voice call, it takes time to connect to the new server device and resume the call, and there is a possibility that the voice will be interrupted due to missing or retransmitted voice packets.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal device, a communication method, and a program that enable easy switching of server devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The terminal device of the present invention comprises a communication unit that communicates with a terminal device of a communication partner; a communication quality information generation unit that measures communication quality with multiple server devices and generates communication quality information indicating the communication quality; a connection destination identification unit that identifies a second server device among the multiple server devices that is different from a first server device that is currently the connection target based on the communication quality information; a connection management unit that controls the communication unit to connect to the first server device; a request information sending unit that, when communicating from the terminal device to another terminal device, controls the communication unit to send multi-session request information to the other terminal device that includes connection information for the second server device; and a response information receiving unit that controls the communication unit to obtain multi-session response information from the other terminal device that includes connection information between the other terminal device and a third server device.When the response information receiving unit receives multi-session response information, the connection management unit controls the communication unit to connect the terminal device to the second server device and the third server device.

[0007] The communication method of the present invention includes the steps of measuring communication quality with multiple server devices and generating communication quality information indicating the communication quality; identifying a second server device from the multiple server devices that is different from a first server device to which the current connection is made based on the communication quality information; connecting to the first server device; when communicating from the own terminal device to another terminal device, transmitting multi-session request information including connection information for the second server device to the other terminal device; acquiring and receiving multi-session response information from the other terminal device including connection information between the other terminal device and a third server device; and, if the multi-session response information is acquired in the receiving step, connecting the own terminal device to the second server device and the third server device.

[0008] The program of the present invention causes a computer to perform the following steps: measuring communication quality with multiple server devices and generating communication quality information indicating the communication quality; identifying a second server device from the multiple server devices that is different from the first server device to which the current connection is made based on the communication quality information; connecting to the first server device; when communicating from the own terminal device to another terminal device, sending multi-session request information including connection information for the second server device to the other terminal device; acquiring and receiving multi-session response information from the other terminal device including connection information between the other terminal device and a third server device; and, if multi-session response information is acquired in the receiving step, connecting the own terminal device to the second server device and the third server device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, server device switching can be easily performed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the terminal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the terminal device according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and in the following embodiments, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0012] [First embodiment] An example of the configuration of a communication system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication system according to the first embodiment.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, communication system 1 includes server device 12-1, server device 12-2, server device 12-3, terminal device 10-1, and terminal device 10-2. Server devices 12-1 to 12-3 may be collectively referred to as server device 12. Terminal devices 10-1 and 10-2 may be collectively referred to as terminal device 10. Communication system 1 includes three server devices 12, server device 12-1 to server device 12-3, but the present invention is not limited to this. Communication system 1 includes two terminal devices 10, terminal device 10-1 and terminal device 10-2, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0014] Server apparatus 12-1 to server apparatus 12-3 are PoC servers. Terminal apparatus 10-1 and terminal apparatus 10-2 are PoC terminals. In other words, communication system 1 is a PoC-compatible system.

[0015] Server device 12-1 to server device 12-3 each register terminal device 10-1 and terminal device 10-2 as terminal devices included in communication system 1. Server device 12-1 to server device 12-3 each store the same registration information, such as group settings, for terminal device 10-1 and terminal device 10-2. Server device 12-1 to server device 12-3 do not communicate with other server devices 12. Server device 12-1 to server device 12-3 can identify the terminal device 10 with which it is communicating.

[0016] Terminal device 10-1 is connected to server device 12-1 via network N1. Terminal device 10-1 is connected to server device 12-2 via network N2. Terminal device 10-1 is connected to server device 12-3 via network N3. That is, terminal device 10-1 is connected to server devices 12-1 to 12-3 via different networks. Terminal device 10-1 can maintain communication sessions with each of server devices 12-1 to 12-3.

[0017] Terminal device 10-2 is connected to server device 12-1 via network N4. Terminal device 10-2 is connected to server device 12-2 via network N5. Terminal device 10-3 is connected to server device 12-3 via network N6. That is, terminal device 10-2 is connected to server devices 12-1 to 12-3 via different networks. Terminal device 10-2 can maintain communication sessions with each of server devices 12-1 to 12-3.

[0018] Networks N1 to N6 include wireless and wired networks. When there is no need to distinguish between networks N1 to N6, they may be collectively referred to as network N. Here, in the network connection between terminal device 10-1 or terminal device 10-2 and server device 12, it is desirable that communication sessions be established using different communication connections and communication paths for networks N1 to N6. These different communication connections and communication paths may be based on physically different communication paths, logically different communication paths, different communication methods, different frequencies, or different time slots. Terminal device 10-1 and terminal device 10-2 may be configured to be connected to multiple such different networks to enable multi-session connections.

[0019] In the communication system 1, the terminal device 10-1 and the terminal device 10-2 share information about a plurality of server devices 12 that can be connected to each other. The communication system 1 establishes a multi-session connection to the server device 12 common to the terminal device 10-1 and the terminal device 10-2.

[0020] (Terminal Device) An example of the configuration of a terminal device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device according to the first embodiment.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 10 includes an input unit 20, a display unit 22, a microphone 24, a speaker 26, a storage unit 28, a communication unit 30, and a control unit 32.

[0022] The input unit 20 accepts various input operations for the terminal device 10. The input unit 20 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the accepted input operation to the control unit 32. The input unit 20 includes, for example, a touch panel, a button, a switch, a PTT (Push-to-Talk) button, etc. When a touch panel is used as the input unit 20, the input unit 20 is disposed on the display unit 22.

[0023] The display unit 22 displays various images. The display unit 22 is, for example, a display including a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, or the like.

[0024] The microphone 24 is a microphone that detects sounds around the terminal device 10. The microphone 24 detects the voice of the user who uses the terminal device 10. The microphone 24 converts the detected voice into an audio signal.

[0025] The speaker 26 is a speaker that outputs various sounds.

[0026] The storage unit 28 stores various types of information. The storage unit 28 stores information such as the contents of calculations performed by the control unit 32 and programs. The storage unit 28 includes at least one of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a main storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an external storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

[0027] The communication unit 30 is a communication interface that executes communication between the terminal device 10 and an external device. The communication unit 30 executes communication between the terminal device 10 and the server device 12.

[0028] The control unit 32 controls each unit of the terminal device 10. The control unit 32 has, for example, an information processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and a storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). The control unit 32 executes a program that controls the operation of the terminal device 10 according to the present invention. The control unit 32 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The control unit 32 may be realized by a combination of hardware and software.

[0029] The control unit 32 includes a communication quality information generation unit 40 , a connection destination identification unit 42 , a connection management unit 44 , a request information transmission unit 46 , a response information reception unit 48 , and a codec unit 50 .

[0030] The communication quality information generating unit 40 measures communication quality indicating the quality of the communication state between the terminal device 10 and the multiple server devices 12. The communication quality information generating unit 40 may measure, for example, a bit rate as the communication quality, but is not limited to this. For example, the communication quality may be measured by measuring the amount of delay in communication between the terminal device 10 and the multiple server devices 12. The method for measuring communication quality may be any well-known method, and is not limited to this. The communication quality information generating unit 40 generates communication quality information indicating the measured communication quality.

[0031] The connection destination identification unit 42 identifies a server device 12 that can be a candidate for a communication destination of the terminal device 10. Specifically, the connection destination identification unit 42 identifies a candidate server device 12 that is different from the server device 12 that is currently the connection target, based on the communication quality information generated by the communication quality information generation unit 40. The server device 12 that is currently the connection target of the terminal device 10 is also called a first server device. The server device 12 that is a candidate for a communication destination of the terminal device 10 is also called a second server device.

[0032] The connection management unit 44 establishes connections with the multiple server devices 12 included in the communication system 1. Specifically, the connection management unit 44 establishes connections with the multiple server devices 12 by requesting registration from the multiple server devices 12.

[0033] The connection management unit 44 connects at least one of the server devices 12 that are candidates for connection destinations for the terminal device 10 and the server devices 12 that are candidates for connection destinations for other terminal devices 10 as a common server device 12 for the terminal device 10 and the other terminal devices 10.

[0034] When starting communication with another terminal device 10 or when another terminal device 10 is identified, the request information sending unit 46 sends multi-session request information including connection information for a server device 12 that is a candidate for connection destination to the other terminal device 10. The connection information for the server device 12 includes information indicating that connection to the server device 12 is possible.

[0035] The response information receiving unit 48 receives multi-session response information from another terminal device 10 in response to the multi-session request information, which includes connection information for a server device 12 that is a candidate for a connection destination of the other terminal device 10.

[0036] The codec unit 50 compresses, for example, audio information to be transmitted to the server device 12 using an arbitrary compression method. The codec unit 50 decodes, for example, audio information received from the server device 12.

[0037] An example of the configuration of the server device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device according to the first embodiment.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3, the server device 12 includes a communication unit 60, a storage unit 62, and a control unit 64.

[0039] The communication unit 60 is a communication interface that executes communication between the server device 12 and an external device. The communication unit 60 executes communication between the server device 12 and the terminal device 10.

[0040] The storage unit 62 stores various types of information. The storage unit 62 stores information such as the contents of calculations performed by the control unit 64 and programs. The storage unit 62 includes at least one of, for example, a RAM, a main storage device such as a ROM, and an external storage device such as an HDD.

[0041] The control unit 64 controls each unit of the server device 12. The control unit 64 has, for example, an information processing device such as a CPU or an MPU, and a storage device such as a RAM or a ROM. The control unit 64 executes a program that controls the operation of the server device 12 according to the present invention. The control unit 64 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA. The control unit 64 may be realized by a combination of hardware and software.

[0042] The control unit 64 includes a registration management unit 70, a session management unit 72, a terminal information management unit 74, a group information management unit 76, a switching request signal management unit 78, and a switching preparation complete signal management unit 80.

[0043] The registration management unit 70 accepts registrations from each terminal device 10. The registration management unit 70 registers the terminal device 10 for which registrations have been accepted as a terminal device 10 with which communication is possible.

[0044] The session management unit 72 manages a communication session with the terminal device 10. For example, the session management unit 72 transmits voice information received from a terminal device 10 to another terminal device 10 as voice information.

[0045] The terminal information management unit 74 stores in the storage unit 62 various pieces of information relating to the terminal device 10 for which registration has been accepted.

[0046] The group information management unit 76 manages group information stored in the storage unit 62 about the group to which the terminal device 10 belongs.

[0047] The switching request signal management unit 78 manages the switching request signal received from the terminal device 10. The switching request signal management unit 78 transmits the switching request signal received from the terminal device 10 to another terminal device 10.

[0048] The switching preparation completion signal management unit 80 manages the switching preparation completion signal. The switching preparation completion signal management unit 80 transmits the switching preparation completion signal received from the terminal device 10 on the receiving side to the terminal device 10 on the transmitting side.

[0049] (Processing content) The processing content of the terminal device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the terminal device according to the first embodiment.

[0050] In the following, in the example shown in Fig. 1, terminal device 10-1 is the transmitting terminal device 10, and terminal device 10-2 is the receiving terminal device 10. The processing shown in Fig. 4 shows processing in the case where there is no limit to the number of multi-session connections for both terminal device 10-1 and terminal device 10-2.

[0051] The communication quality information generating unit 40 of the terminal device 10-1 generates communication quality information indicating the communication quality with each server device 12 (step S10). Specifically, the communication quality information generating unit 40 of the terminal device 10-1 measures the communication quality with each server device 12 and generates the communication quality information. Then, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0052] The connection destination identification unit 42 of the terminal device 10-1 determines whether or not all communication qualities of communication between the terminal device 10-1 and the server devices 12 that are multi-session targets of the terminal device 10-1 have been acquired (step S12). Specifically, the connection destination identification unit 42 of the terminal device 10-1 determines whether or not communication qualities of communication with the server devices 12 that are candidate connection targets have been acquired. If it is determined that all communication qualities with the server devices 12 that are multi-session targets have been acquired (step S12; Yes), the process proceeds to step S14. If it is not determined that all communication qualities with the server devices 12 that are multi-session targets have been acquired (step S12; No), the process proceeds to step S16.

[0053] If the determination in step S12 is Yes, the request information transmitting unit 46 of the terminal device 10-1 transmits multi-session request information including connection information for the server device 12 to the other terminal devices 10 (step S14). Then, the process proceeds to step S18.

[0054] If the result of the determination in step S12 is No, the connection management unit 44 of the terminal device 10-1 switches the network N to be connected from the network N currently connected to the server device 12 to the next network N for which communication quality has not been acquired (step S16), and then proceeds to step S10.

[0055] The response information receiving unit 48 of the terminal device 10-1 receives, from the terminal device 10-2, the multi-session response information including connection information for the server device 12 that is a candidate for the connection destination of the terminal device 10-2 (step S18). Then, the process proceeds to step S20.

[0056] The connection management unit 44 of the terminal device 10-1 generates connection list information (step S20). Specifically, the connection management unit 44 of the terminal device 10-1 integrates the connection information of the terminal device 10-1 and the connection information of the terminal device 10-2 to generate the connection list information. The connection list information includes information about the server device 12 to which the terminal device 10-1 and the terminal device 10-2 are commonly connected. Then, the process proceeds to step S22.

[0057] The connection management unit 44 of the terminal device 10-1 establishes a multi-session connection with each server device 12 based on the generated connection list information (step S22), and then ends the processing of FIG.

[0058] As described above, in the first embodiment, when there is no upper limit on the number of multi-sessions, a multi-session connection is made with a server device 12 included in the connection information of the transmitting terminal device 10 and the receiving terminal device 10 as a common connection destination. As a result, in the first embodiment, when a call is started between the terminal devices 10, even if the server device 12 to be connected is switched, audio can be continued without interruption, and the server device can be easily switched.

[0059] [Second embodiment] (Terminal Device) An example of the configuration of a terminal device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device according to the second embodiment.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal device 10A differs from the terminal device 10 shown in FIG. 2 in that a control unit 32A includes a response information transmitting unit 52.

[0061] The response information transmitting unit 52 transmits multi-session response information to the other terminal devices 10. Specifically, the response information transmitting unit 52 transmits multi-session response information including the number of connections to the server device 12 and accompanied by connection priority.

[0062] (Processing content) The processing content of the terminal device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the terminal device according to the second embodiment.

[0063] The process shown in FIG. 6 is a process performed when both the terminal device 10-1 and the terminal device 10-2 have a limit on the number of multi-session connections.

[0064] The processes from step S30 to step S34 are the same as the processes from step S10, step S12, and step S16 shown in FIG. 4, respectively, and therefore will not be described here.

[0065] If the determination in step S32 is Yes, the connection management unit 44 updates the connection list information (step S36). Specifically, the connection management unit 44 updates the connection list information based on, for example, the connection information and communication quality information of the server device 12 so that the server device 12 with better communication quality has a higher priority as a connection target. Then, the process proceeds to step S38.

[0066] The connection management unit 44 of the terminal device 10-1 generates connection request list information (step S38). Specifically, the connection management unit 44 of the terminal device 10-1 generates the connection request list information based on the connection list information and the number of connection requests indicating the number of server devices 12 to connect to. The number of connection requests is set to be equal to or less than the upper limit number of multi-session connections. Then, the process proceeds to step S40.

[0067] The request information transmitting unit 46 of the terminal device 10-1 transmits the multi-session request information to the terminal device 10-2 (step S40). Specifically, the request information transmitting unit 46 of the terminal device 10-1 transmits the multi-session request information including the connection request information list of the terminal device 10 to the other terminal device 10. Then, the process proceeds to step S42.

[0068] The response information receiving unit 48 of the terminal device 10-1 receives the multi-session response information from the terminal device 10-2 (step S42). Specifically, the response information receiving unit 48 of the terminal device 10-1 receives the multi-session response information including the number of connections permitted to the server device 12 of the terminal device 10-2 and the connection request list information from the terminal device 10-2. Then, the process proceeds to step S44.

[0069] The connection management unit 44 of the terminal device 10-1 calculates the number of permitted connections to the server device 12 of the terminal device 10-1 (step S44). Specifically, the connection management unit 44 of the terminal device 10-1 calculates the number of permitted connections from the number of connectable sessions. Then, the process proceeds to step S46.

[0070] The response information transmitting section 52 of the terminal device 10-1 transmits multi-session response information including the number of permitted connections of the terminal device 10-1 to the terminal device 10-2 (step S46), and then the process proceeds to step S48.

[0071] The connection management unit 44 of the terminal device 10-1 generates common connection list information for the terminal device 10-1 and the terminal device 10-2 (step S48). Specifically, the connection management unit 44 of the terminal device 10-1 generates the common connection list information based on the number of permitted connections of the terminal device 10-1 and the number of permitted connections of the terminal device 10-2. Then, the process proceeds to step S50.

[0072] The connection management unit 44 of the terminal device 10-1 establishes a multi-session connection with each server device 12 based on the generated common connection list information (step S50), and then ends the processing of FIG.

[0073] As described above, in the second embodiment, when there is an upper limit to the number of multi-sessions, a multi-session connection is established based on the number of permitted connections, with the priority of each of the terminal device 10 on the sending side and the terminal device 10 on the receiving side being determined. As a result, in the second embodiment, when a call is started between the terminal devices 10, even if the server device 12 to be connected is switched, audio can be continued without interruption, and the server device can be easily switched.

[0074] The components of each device shown in the figure are conceptual functional components 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.

[0075] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the contents of these embodiments. Furthermore, the above-described components include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the so-called equivalent range. Furthermore, the above-described components can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the above-described embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1. Communication Systems 10 Terminal Equipment 12 Server equipment 20 Input section 22 Display section 24. Mike 26 Speaker 28, 62 Memory section 30,60 Communications Department 32,64 Control section 40 Communication quality information generation unit 42 Connection destination identification part 44 Connection Management Unit 46 Request information transmission unit 48 Response information receiving unit 50 Codec section 52 Response information transmission unit 70 Registration Management Department 72 Session Management Unit 74 Terminal Information Management Unit 76 Group Information Management Department 78 Switching request signal management unit 80 Switching ready signal management section

Claims

1. a communication unit that communicates with a terminal device of a communication partner; a communication quality information generating unit that measures communication quality with a plurality of server devices and generates communication quality information indicating the communication quality; a connection destination specifying unit that specifies a second server device that is different from a first server device that is currently connected to among a plurality of server devices based on the communication quality information; a connection management unit that controls the communication unit to connect to the first server device; a request information transmitting unit that controls the communication unit to transmit multi-session request information including connection information for the second server device to the other terminal device when communicating from the own terminal device to the other terminal device; a response information receiving unit that controls the communication unit to acquire, from the other terminal device, multi-session response information including connection information between the other terminal device and a third server device; the connection management unit controls the communication unit so that the terminal device is connected to the second server device and the third server device when the response information receiving unit acquires multi-session response information. Terminal device.

2. measuring communication quality with a plurality of server devices and generating communication quality information indicating the communication quality; Identifying a second server device, which is different from the first server device to which the communication device is currently connected, from among the plurality of server devices based on the communication quality information; making a connection to the first server device; When communicating from the terminal device to another terminal device, transmitting multi-session request information including connection information for the second server device to the other terminal device; receiving, from the other terminal device, multi-session response information including connection information between the other terminal device and a third server device; a step of connecting the terminal device itself to the second server device and the third server device when multi-session response information is acquired in the receiving step; A communication method, including:

3. measuring communication quality with a plurality of server devices and generating communication quality information indicating the communication quality; Identifying a second server device, which is different from the first server device to which the communication device is currently connected, from among the plurality of server devices based on the communication quality information; making a connection to the first server device; When communicating from the terminal device to another terminal device, transmitting multi-session request information including connection information for the second server device to the other terminal device; receiving, from the other terminal device, multi-session response information including connection information between the other terminal device and a third server device; a step of connecting the terminal device itself to the second server device and the third server device when multi-session response information is acquired in the receiving step; A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

Images