Information processing device, system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

The present invention provides an information processing device, system, method, and program that deploy computing resources closer to base stations than to the core network of mobile communications, and enables voice communication via a mobile communication network using terminal devices. [Solution] The MEC device 30, as an information processing device, includes a receiving unit that receives operation information for the terminal device 50 and at least one input data of voice, video, and messages for communication with the target device from the user's terminal device via a mobile communication base station; a virtual terminal function unit 350 that performs a part of the processing at the terminal device regarding communication with the target device on behalf of the user's terminal device based on the operation information and at least one input data of voice, video, and messages received from the terminal device; and a transmitting unit that transmits at least one output data of voice, video, messages, and display screens output from the terminal device regarding communication with the target device to the user's terminal device via the base station.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, a system, an information processing method, and a program that can communicate with a terminal device for mobile communication.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a system in which a core network for mobile communication and an IMS (Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystem) cooperate to provide a voice call service is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless communication system having a user device, a base station, a packet core network device, and an IMS device.

[0003] Also, a server as an information processing apparatus having a function of MEC (abbreviation of "Multi-Access Edge Computing" or "Mobile Edge Computing") that arranges computer resources at a location closer to the base station than the core network of mobile communication (a location physically closer to the user's terminal device) and performs processing of various services is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

[0005] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a receiving unit that receives from a user's terminal device via a mobile communication base station at least one input data of voice, video, and messages input from the user's terminal device relating to operation information of the terminal device and communication with a target device; a virtual terminal function unit that performs on behalf of the user's terminal device a part of the processing at the user's terminal device relating to communication with the target device based on the operation information and at least one input data of voice, video, and messages received from the user's terminal device; and a transmitting unit that transmits to the user's terminal device via the base station at least one output data of voice, video, messages, and display screens output from the user's terminal device relating to communication with the target device.

[0006] The information processing device may be an MEC device located closer to a base station than the core network of the mobile communication network, an MEC device mounted on the base station, or an MEC device having the functions of the base station. Furthermore, the information processing device may be a device or system that provides private cloud services within the core network of the mobile communication network, or a device or system that provides public cloud services in a connection network located outside the core network of the mobile communication network.

[0007] In the aforementioned information processing device, a part of the processing may involve communicating with the IMS (Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystem) via a virtual base station function unit installed in the core network as a pseudo-base station of a mobile communication network, and cooperating with the IMS to send and receive at least one of voice, video, and messages between the user's terminal device and the target device.

[0008] In the information processing device, the virtual terminal function unit may include: a virtual terminal processing unit that performs control plane processing to enable the information processing device to function as a pseudo terminal device with respect to the core network; an IMS control processing unit that performs control processing for sending and receiving at least one of the voice, video, and message with the IMS; a terminal control processing unit that controls the OS or application of the user's terminal device based on control information notified by the IMS control processing unit and notifies the IMS control processing unit of the processing necessary for sending and receiving at least one of the voice, video, and message with respect to the user's terminal device based on information received from the user's terminal device; and an IMS packet processing unit that processes packets sent and received with the target device.

[0009] In the information processing device, the virtual terminal processing unit may select an appropriate GTP session from multiple GTP (General Packet Radio System Tunneling Protocol) sessions via multiple routes, either directly or via a UPF (User Plane Function), by rewriting the routing settings within the virtual terminal processing unit to rewrite the source IP address of user packets destined for the IMS and send them to the virtual base station processing unit, in accordance with the information of the IMS and the information of the target device, thereby rewriting the routing settings within the virtual terminal processing unit to rewrite the source IP address of user packets destined for the IMS and send them to the virtual base station processing unit.

[0010] In the information processing device, the virtual terminal processing unit may automatically select a virtual base station function unit responsible for the region where the user's terminal device is located, based on the location information of the user's terminal device, to be used as the virtual base station function unit for communication with the IMS.

[0011] In the information processing device, the terminal control processing unit may perform notification processing to the user's terminal device when it receives an emergency call voice or message or voice or message containing an emergency call to the user's terminal device.

[0012] A system relating to another aspect of this disclosure includes the information processing device, a virtual base station function unit that connects the information processing device to a core network as a pseudo base station of a mobile communication network, and an IMS (Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystem) that performs processing for sending and receiving at least one of voice, video, and messages between a user's terminal device and a target device.

[0013] An information processing method relating to yet another aspect of this disclosure includes receiving from a user's terminal device via a mobile communication base station at least one input data of voice, video, and messages input from the user's terminal device relating to operation information of the terminal device and communication with a target device; performing on behalf of the user's terminal device a part of the processing at the user's terminal device relating to communication with the target device based on the operation information and at least one input data of voice, video, and messages received from the user's terminal device; and transmitting to the user's terminal device via the base station at least one output data of voice, video, messages, and display screens output from the user's terminal device relating to communication with the target device.

[0014] A program relating to yet another aspect of this disclosure is a program that runs on a computer or processor in an information processing device capable of communicating with a user's terminal device via a mobile communication base station. The program includes: program code for receiving from the user's terminal device via a mobile communication base station at least one input data of voice, video, and messages input from the user's terminal device relating to operation information of the terminal device and communication with a target device; program code for executing on behalf of the user's terminal device a portion of the processing at the user's terminal device relating to communication with the target device based on the operation information and at least one input data of voice, video, and messages received from the user's terminal device; and program code for transmitting to the user's terminal device via the base station at least one output data of voice, video, messages, and display screens output from the user's terminal device relating to communication with the target device.

[0015] Furthermore, the program disclosed herein may include a pre-trained model used in machine learning or a trained model created by machine learning (e.g., generative AI). [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a system equipped with an MEC device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the main components of the MEC device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the challenges of IMS connectivity for voice calls in a system equipped with an MEC device as a reference example. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of voice communication in cooperation with IMS in a system equipped with an MEC device according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example configuration of the virtual terminal function unit (vUE) in the MEC device according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. An apparatus according to one embodiment of this disclosure is an information processing apparatus (e.g., MEC apparatus) that enables communication such as voice calls and sending / receiving messages (e.g., SMS messages) via a mobile communication network by a user's terminal device (UE) while suppressing the processing load on the UE. In particular, a system equipped with the MEC apparatus according to this embodiment can accommodate call requests (or requests to send / receive SMS messages) from the MEC apparatus to the IMS (Voice Call / SMS Processing System), which are not originally intended by the 3GPP® standard, without affecting existing equipment, through a virtual terminal function unit (virtual UE function unit, vUE) and a virtual base station function unit (virtual base station function unit, vgNB).

[0018] Although the embodiments of this disclosure mainly describe an example configuration of a mobile communication system conforming to the fifth-generation standard specifications, the system and information processing devices such as MEC devices of this embodiment are also applicable to mobile communication systems conforming to the fourth-generation and fifth-generation and subsequent next-generation standard specifications.

[0019] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a system equipped with an MEC device according to an embodiment. In Figure 1, the system of this embodiment is a cellular mobile communication system conforming to the fifth generation standard specifications, and comprises a 5G core network (hereinafter also referred to as "5G core" in the embodiment) 10 which is the core network of the mobile communication network, a gNodeB (hereinafter also referred to as "gNB" in the embodiment) 20 which is a base station, and an MEC group 300 which includes a plurality of MEC devices (hereinafter also referred to as "MEC" in the embodiment) 30. A user device (hereinafter also referred to as "UE" in the embodiment) 50 which is a user's terminal device can send and receive various information and data with the MEC 30 via the gNB 20 and UPF (User Plane Function) 101. In addition, the UE 50 can access the Internet 80 via the gNB 20, UPF 101, 102, and send and receive various information and data with various devices such as servers on the Internet 80 and various systems such as cloud computing systems. In this embodiment, the UE 50 is, for example, a subscriber terminal used by a subscriber of a mobile communication service.

[0020] The MEC30 is a computer device such as a server having the function of MEC (abbreviation for "Multi-Access Edge Computing" or "Mobile Edge Computing"), which, for example, places computing resources closer to the gNB (base station) 20 than the 5G core 10 or its main part (a location physically closer to the UE 50) to perform processing of various services. According to the MEC30, it is expected to achieve suppression of the amount of traffic flowing into the core network, reduction of security risks due to in-place consumption of data, improvement of real-time performance due to shortening of the transmission distance, and reduction of load due to distributed processing. Note that the MEC30 may be mounted on the gNB (base station) 20 or may have the function of the gNB (base station) 20. Also, a plurality of MEC30s belonging to the MEC group 300 may be arranged in a plurality of different areas (for example, cells of a base station). Further, the information processing apparatus of the present disclosure may be a device or system that provides a private cloud service (for example, a private cloud service of a communication carrier) within the 5G core 10 of a mobile communication network, or may be a device or system that provides a public cloud service in a connection network (for example, the Internet) located outside the 5G core 10 of the mobile communication network.

[0021] Each of the plurality of UPFs 101 and 102 in the 5G core 10 of the present embodiment is a node device having a network function for processing communication of a user plane (hereinafter also referred to as "U-Plane") in which user data is transmitted, received, and processed. In FIG. 1, among the plurality of UPFs of the 5G core 10, the UPF-MEC 101 is a UPF that processes user plane communication with the MEC 30.

[0022] In the following description, when distinguishing and describing a plurality of MEC30s, an identification number with parentheses is attached to the reference sign, and when describing common configurations and the like, reference is made without attaching an identification number with parentheses. The same applies to other gNBs 20, UEs 50, UPFs 101, 102, etc.

[0023] The 5G core 10 of this embodiment is composed of the aforementioned U-Plane and a control plane portion (hereinafter also referred to as "C-Plane"). The C-Plane is the overall control system of the mobile communication system, mainly where control signals are sent, received, and processed.

[0024] The C-Plane houses functional units (node ​​devices) such as the RAN (Radio Access Network) accommodating gNB20, UPF (User Plane Function), AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), SMF (Session Management Function), NWDAF (Network Data Analytics Function), UDR (Unified Data Repository), and AUSF (Authentication Server Function). The RAN is the radio access network. The UPF has functions such as subscriber communication packet forwarding. The AMF has functions such as subscriber mobility management. The SMF has functions such as subscriber session management. The NWDAF has functions such as analysis of 5G core 10 network data. The UDR has functions such as a subscriber information database. The AUSF has functions such as subscriber authentication.

[0025] Furthermore, the C-Plane is configured with functional units (node ​​devices) such as NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function), NEF (Network Exposure Function), NRF (Network Repository Function), PCF (Policy Control Function), UDM (Unified Data Management), and AF (Application Function). NSSF has functions such as network slice selection. NEF has functions such as external exposure of 5G core functions. NRF has functions such as 5G core function management. PCF has functions such as policy control. UDM has functions such as subscriber information management. AF has functions such as external application server.

[0026] In C-Plane, communication between node devices such as AMFs is conducted via interfaces such as Namf. Furthermore, communication between multiple gNB20s in the RAN is conducted via the Xn interface.

[0027] The U-Plane houses the RAN, DN (Data Network), etc., which accommodate the aforementioned UPF101, 102, and gNB20. The DN is an external data network to the 5G core. The DN houses the cloud, which is connected via the Internet 80, the IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) which provides services such as IP telephony including voice and video calls and message communication such as SMS, the MEC30, etc. The U-PlaneU may also include the UE50.

[0028] Communication between the AMF on the C-Plane and the UE50 on the U-Plane takes place via the N1 interface, and communication between the AMF and gNB20 takes place via the N2 interface. Communication between the SMF on the C-Plane and UPF101 and 102, which are at the point of contact with the U-Plane, takes place via the N4 interface. In the U-Plane, communication between gNB20 and UPF101 takes place via the N3 interface, communication between UPF102 and DN takes place via the N6 interface, and communication between multiple UPF101 and 102 takes place via the N9 interface.

[0029] The system of this embodiment can construct a thin client UE55 system in which UE50 and MEC30 cooperate with each other. The thin client UE55 is a system that can reduce the processing load on the actual UE 50 by using the UE 50 that the user actually uses and operates (hereinafter also referred to as "actual UE") as a thin client type UE that inputs information and data. The server device such as MEC30 on the network side executes some or most of the processing of the actual UE 50 on behalf of the actual UE 50 based on the information and data received from the actual UE 50.

[0030] In particular, the system of this embodiment can construct a thin client UE55 system in which the actual UE50 and MEC30 cooperate with each other to send and receive at least one of voice, video, and messages between the actual UE50 and target devices such as other UEs via IMS, and to use network services with the Internet 80.

[0031] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the main components of the MEC30 according to the embodiment. The MEC30 is, for example, a server device composed of a single computer device or multiple computer devices. In Figure 2, the MEC30 has a main unit 31 and an application execution unit 32. The main unit 31 has a physical server (hardware) 311, a host kernel (OS) 312, and a container base 313 for running containers of various applications. The application execution unit 32 has, for example, a guest kernel (OS) 33 consisting of open software and a thin client UE container 34 consisting of proprietary software for building the thin client UE55 system described above. The guest kernel (OS) 33 and the thin client UE container 34 are combined and implemented as a container that can be started on the main unit 31.

[0032] The thin client UE container 34 runs on the guest kernel (OS) 33 and has functions such as a terminal OS 341, an input unit 342, a screen rendering function 343, a media framework 344, and an output unit 345. The terminal OS 341 is a virtual OS that allows the thin client UE container 34 to perform some of the UE's processing on its behalf.

[0033] The input unit 342 has the function of inputting operation information and at least one data of voice, video, and messages received from the actual UE 50 into the application. The input unit 342 functions as a receiving unit that receives at least one input data of voice, video, and messages input from the actual UE (user terminal device) 50 via the gNB (mobile network base station) 20, regarding operation information of the actual UE 50 and communication with target devices such as other UEs.

[0034] The screen rendering function 343 is executed on the terminal OS 341 and has the function of rendering and generating image elements of the display screen that will be shown on the actual UE 50.

[0035] The media framework 344 has a function to generate output data for a display screen and output data for at least one of the audio, video, and messages output from the actual UE 50 by encoding the image elements of the display screen generated by the screen rendering function 343 and at least one of the audio, video, and messages output from the actual UE 50 in a predetermined format that the actual UE 50 can decode and output.

[0036] The output unit 345 transmits the output data of the display screen generated by the media framework 344 and at least one output data of audio, video, and messages to the actual UE 50. The output unit 345 functions as a transmitter that transmits at least one output data of audio, video, messages, and display screens output from the actual UE 50 to the actual UE 50 via the gNB (base station) 20 regarding communication with other target devices such as other UEs.

[0037] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the challenges of IMS connectivity for voice calls in a system equipped with MEC30 as a reference example. In Figure 3, parts common to the system in Figure 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their explanations are omitted. In the system as a reference example in Figure 3, the 5G core 10 is equipped with a Cloud Native Network Function (CNF) 103. CNF 103 is a network function consisting of containerized network components that can be executed on a cloud native environment. A cloud native environment is an environment in which applications can be executed on a cloud computing system. The CNF 103 of the 5G core 10 is connected to gNB20, UPF 101, and IMS 60, respectively. The MEC30 that constructs the thin client UE55 system mentioned above is connected to IMS 60.

[0038] In the system shown in the example in Figure 3, the 5G core 10 and IMS 60 cooperate with each other, and when a real UE 50 attempts to make a voice call to another UE (target device), the real UE 50 sends a connection request to IMS 60 to CNF 103. CNF 103 cooperates with IMS 60, such as sharing policies, and notifies the UE 50 of the IP address of IMS 60. Based on the IP address of IMS 60 notified by CNF 103, the real UE 50 executes an IMS connection sequence to connect to IMS 60 via gNB 20 and UPF 101.

[0039] However, in the example system shown in Figure 3, the 5G core 10 and IMS60 are closely linked, and the MEC30, which builds the aforementioned thin client UE55 system, cannot connect to IMS60.

[0040] In the system of this embodiment, a vgNB (virtual base station function unit) is housed in the 5G core 10, as shown below. Through this vgNB, the MEC30, which constructs the thin client UE55 system, can connect to the IMS60.

[0041] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of voice communication in cooperation with IMS60 in a system equipped with MEC30 according to the embodiment. In Figure 4, parts common to the systems in Figures 1 and 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted. In the system of Figure 4, the actual UE50 is connected to MEC30 via gNB20 and the first UPF101(1).

[0042] In 5GC10, a vgNB (virtual base station function unit) 40 is deployed as a pseudo gNB (base station) for the mobile communication network. The vgNB 40 is connected to the MEC 30 and the CNF 103 of the 5G core 10, and the MEC 30 and CNF 103 can communicate with each other via the vgNB 40. In addition, the MEC 30 is connected to the IMS 60 via the vgNB 40 and the second UPF 101(2), and the MEC 30 and IMS 60 can communicate with each other via the vgNB 40 and the second UPF 101(2).

[0043] In Figure 4, the MEC30 and IMS60 are connected via the vgNB40 installed on the 5GC10 in a manner that does not violate the 3GPP® 5G specification standard, and communication is possible between the MEC30 and IMS60. In other words, the MEC30 can achieve IMS connection via the vgNB40. Through cooperation with the IMS60 via the vgNB40, the MEC30 performs processing to send and receive at least one of voice, video, and messages between the actual UE50 and target devices such as other UEs (opposing UEs).

[0044] Furthermore, in Figure 4, the MEC 30, which builds a system for the thin client UE 55 with the actual UE 50, runs the thin client UE container 34. The thin client UE container 34 has an application execution environment unit 35 and an application execution unit 36. The application execution environment unit 35 has a vUE (virtual terminal function unit) 350 and an interface unit 355 composed of a wrapper, etc., that connects the vUE 350 and the application execution unit 36. The application execution unit 36 ​​has a voice call application (telephone APP) 361 and a message communication (SMS) application (SMS-APP) 362 installed, and in response to requests from the actual UE 50, etc., each application 361, 362 is executed on the aforementioned terminal OS.

[0045] Based on operational information and at least one input data of voice, video, and messages received from the actual UE50, the vUE350 performs some of the processing that the actual UE50 would perform on behalf of the actual UE50 regarding communication with other UEs (opposing UEs) or other target devices.

[0046] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example configuration of the virtual terminal function unit (vUE) 350 in the MEC30 according to the embodiment. In Figure 5, parts common to Figure 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted. The vUE 350 mounted on the MEC30 works in conjunction with the actual UE 50 to build the thin client UE 55 system. The MEC30 can achieve IMS connectivity via the vgNB 40. The thin client UE 55 can run a voice (or video) call application (telephone APP) 361 and a message communication (SMS) application (SMS-APP) 362 on the terminal OS 341.

[0047] In Figure 5, the virtual terminal function unit (vUE) 350 comprises a virtual UE processing unit 351, an IMS control processing unit 352, an OS control unit 353, and an IMS packet processing unit 354.

[0048] The virtual UE processing unit 351 transmits and receives C-Plane control signals from the 5G core 10 to and from the AMF. For example, the virtual UE processing unit 351 processes NAS (Non Access Stratum) messages and communicates with the vgNB40.

[0049] The virtual UE processing unit 351 holds all the information necessary for processing NAS messages. The information it holds includes, for example, the information in A1 and A2 below. A1: Static information such as authentication information, which is usually recorded on the SIM card. A2: Dynamic information such as counters for preventing impersonation, connection destination information, and UE-IP.

[0050] Note that standard wireless protocols are not used for communication between the virtual UE processing unit 351 and the vgNB40. Communication with the vgNB40 is similar to inter-process communication, IP communication, etc., and there are no restrictions on the communication standard.

[0051] In particular, the virtual UE processing unit 351 holds virtual SIM card information corresponding to the information held on the SIM (Subscriber Identification Information Recording Medium) card installed in the actual UE 50, and performs PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session construction processing for IMS 60. The virtual UE processing unit 351 also notifies the IMS control processing unit 352 of the IP address of IMS 60 and the user IP address assigned to the actual UE 50. Furthermore, the virtual UE processing unit 351 rewrites the routing settings within the thin client UE 55 according to the information of target devices such as IMS 60 and other UEs (opposite UEs).

[0052] Furthermore, because emergency calls require the caller to be connected to the nearest agency, the virtual UE processing unit 351 automatically selects the vgNB40 responsible for the area where the actual UE50 is located from among the multiple vgNBs provided on the 5G core 10, based on the location information of the actual UE50.

[0053] The IMS control processing unit 352 performs control processing for voice (or video) calls (mobile calls) with the IMS 60 based on standard defined operating protocol specifications and sequences. The IMS control processing unit 352 also holds information necessary for call processing, such as the telephone number and IP address of the target device, such as the other UE (opposite UE) being called. The IMS control processing unit 352 also sends control notifications (UE control information) to the OS control unit 353 based on control signals from the IMS 60. These control notifications (UE control information) include, for example, triggers that invoke application notifications on the terminal OS when an incoming call or SMS is received from the target device, such as the other UE (opposite UE) being called. The IMS control processing unit 352 also notifies the IMS packet processing unit 354 of information necessary for processing user packets (such as voice data and SMS messages entered by the user) for phone calls and SMS.

[0054] The OS control unit 353 has direct or indirect connections to the terminal OS 341, the phone application 361, and the SMS application 362, and controls the terminal OS 341, the phone application 361, and the SMS application 362 based on control notifications (UE control information) notified from the IMS control processing unit 352. For example, when a call is received from another UE (opposite UE) or other target device, the OS control unit 353 controls the phone application 361 to send a call notification.

[0055] Furthermore, the OS control unit 353 notifies the IMS packet processing unit 354 of the necessary processing based on user operations on the actual UE50 and information from the terminal OS 341. For example, if the user of the actual UE50 performs a call termination operation, the OS control unit 353 notifies the IMS packet processing unit 354 of the processing necessary for that operation.

[0056] Furthermore, the OS control unit 353 performs notification processing to the actual UE (real UE) 50 operating the thin client UE 55 as needed when receiving an incoming call or notification from another UE (opposite UE) or other target device. This notification processing function is especially essential when receiving an emergency call (receiving an emergency call voice or message, or receiving a voice or message that includes an emergency call).

[0057] The IMS packet processing unit 354 handles the sending and receiving of packets for voice (or video) calls and SMS messages. The IMS packet processing unit 354 also rewrites the sending and receiving IP addresses of packets necessary for data transmission in voice (or video) calls and SMS messages.

[0058] In particular, the IMS packet processing unit 354 rewrites the source IP address and sends user packets destined for IMS60 to vNB40. This allows vbNB40 to select the appropriate GTP (General Packet Radio System Tunneling Protocol) session from multiple GTP sessions via multiple routes, either directly or through UPF.

[0059] As described above, according to the embodiments of this disclosure, the physical UE50 and MEC30 cooperate with each other to construct a thin client UE55 system, thereby suppressing the processing load on the physical UE50, which is the user's terminal device, while enabling communication such as voice or video calls and sending and receiving messages (e.g., SMS messages) via a mobile communication network by the physical UE50.

[0060] Furthermore, according to the embodiments of this disclosure, the vgNB (Virtual Base Station Function Unit) 40 provided in the core network 10 and the vUE (Virtual Terminal Function Unit) 350 provided in the MEC 30 enable connection from the MEC 30 to the IMS 60, making it possible to accommodate call requests (or requests for sending and receiving SMS messages) from the MEC 30 to the IMS (Voice Call / SMS Processing System) 60, which are not originally intended by the 3GPP® standard, without affecting existing equipment.

[0061] Furthermore, the system disclosed herein can contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9, "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation," by enabling communication such as voice calls via a mobile communication network using the user's terminal device (UE) while suppressing the processing load on the UE.

[0062] Furthermore, the processing steps and components of the functional unit, processing unit, control unit, MEC device, node device, server, base station, terminal device, and system described herein can be implemented by various means. For example, these processes and components may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0063] With respect to hardware implementation, means such as processing units used to realize the above processes and components in a physical entity (e.g., various wireless communication devices, Node B, terminals, hard disk drive devices, or optical disc drive devices) may be implemented in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, computers, or combinations thereof.

[0064] Furthermore, with respect to the firmware and / or software implementation, means such as processing units used to realize the above-mentioned components may be implemented in the form of a program (e.g., code such as procedures, functions, modules, instructions, etc.) that performs the functions described herein. Generally, any computer / processor-readable medium that clearly embodies the firmware and / or software code may be used to implement means such as processing units used to realize the above-mentioned processes and components as described herein. For example, the firmware and / or software code may be stored in memory in a control device, for example, and executed by a computer or processor. That memory may be implemented inside the computer or processor, or it may be implemented outside the processor. Also, the firmware and / or software code may be stored in a computer or processor-readable medium such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), flash memory, floppy disks, compact disks (CDs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), magnetic or optical data storage devices, etc. The code may be executed by one or more computers or processors, and the computers or processors may be made to perform functional embodiments as described herein.

[0065] Furthermore, the medium may be a non-temporary recording medium. Also, the program code may be readable and executable by a computer, processor, or other device or machine, and its format is not limited to a specific format. For example, the program code may be source code, object code, or binary code, or it may be a mixture of two or more of these codes.

[0066] Furthermore, the descriptions of embodiments disclosed herein are provided to enable those skilled in the art to manufacture or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein are applicable to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accepted in the broadest sense that conforms to the principles and novel features disclosed herein. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0067] 10: Core Network 20:Virtual base station function unit (vNB) 30:MEC device 31: Main body 32: Application execution unit 33: Guest kernel (OS) 34: Thin Client UE Container 35: Application Execution Environment Department 36: Application execution unit 40: Virtual Base Station Function Unit (vgNB) 50: User's terminal device (UE, actual UE) 55: Thin Client UE 60: IMS 80: Internet 101,102:UPF 103: Cloud-native networking capabilities (CNF) 300:MEC group 313: Container infrastructure 341: Terminal OS 342: Input section 343: Screen drawing function 344: Media Framework 345: Output section 350: Virtual Terminal Function Unit (vUE) 351: Virtual UE Processing Unit 352: IMS Control Processing Unit 353: OS Control Unit 354: IMS Packet Processing Unit 355: Interface section 361: Phone app 362: SMS app

Claims

1. A system comprising: an information processing device capable of communicating with a user's terminal device via a mobile communication base station; a virtual base station function unit installed in the core network as a pseudo base station of the mobile communication network; and an IMS (Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystem), The aforementioned information processing device is A receiving unit that receives at least one input data of voice, video, and messages input from a user's terminal device via a mobile communication base station, relating to the operation information of the user's terminal device and communication with the target device, A virtual terminal function unit, based on the operation information and at least one input data of voice, video, and messages received from the user's terminal device, communicates with the IMS via the virtual base station function unit and, in cooperation with the IMS, performs the process of sending and receiving at least one of voice, video, and messages between the user's terminal device and the target device on behalf of the user's terminal device. A transmitting unit transmits, via the base station, at least one output data of voice, video, messages, and display screens output from the user's terminal device in relation to communication with the target device, The aforementioned virtual terminal function unit is: A virtual terminal processing unit that performs control plane processing to enable the information processing device to function as a pseudo-terminal device for the core network, An IMS control processing unit performs control processing for sending and receiving at least one of the audio, video, and message with the IMS, A terminal control processing unit controls the OS or application of the user's terminal device based on control information notified from the IMS control processing unit, and notifies the IMS control processing unit of the processing necessary for sending and receiving at least one of the voice, video, and message based on information received from the user's terminal device. The system includes an IMS packet processing unit that processes packets transmitted to and from the target device. system.

2. In the system of claim 1, The information processing device is a MEC device located closer to a base station than the core network of a mobile communication network, an MEC device mounted on the base station, an MEC device having the functions of the base station, a device or system that provides private cloud services within the core network of a mobile communication network, or a device or system that provides public cloud services in a connection network located outside the core network of a mobile communication network.

3. In the system of claim 1 or 2, The aforementioned virtual terminal processing unit is The user's terminal device holds virtual mobile communication service subscriber information, A PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session is established with the aforementioned IMS for packet transmission. The IP address of the IMS and the user IP address assigned to the virtual terminal function unit are notified to the IMS control processing unit. By rewriting the routing settings within the virtual terminal function unit to rewrite the source IP address of user packets destined for the IMS and send them to the virtual base station function unit in accordance with the IMS information and the target device information, an appropriate GTP (General Packet Radio System Tunneling Protocol) session is selected from multiple GTP (General Packet Radio System Tunneling Protocol) sessions via multiple routes, either directly or via UPF (User Plane Function). system.

4. In the system of claim 1 or 2, The virtual terminal processing unit is a system that, based on the location information of the user's terminal device, automatically selects a virtual base station function unit responsible for the region where the user's terminal device is located, to be used as the virtual base station function unit for communication with the IMS.

5. In the system of claim 1 or 2, The terminal control processing unit is a system that, when it receives an emergency call voice or message or voice or message containing an emergency call to the user's terminal device, performs a notification process to the user's terminal device.

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