Designation of analysis object in estimating competent area of emergency calls

Abstract

This communication control device comprises at least one processor that executes processes for: detecting, using an emergency call detection unit, an emergency call from a communication instrument in a communication cell that includes the competent area of a plurality of emergency response organizations: designating, as objects to be analyzed and using an analysis object designation unit, a time and an area that are different from at least one of the time and the area at which or in which the communication instrument made the emergency call; estimating, using a competent area estimation unit, a competent area where the communication instrument is positioned, on the basis of analysis of at least one of the time and the area to be analyzed; and connecting, using a connection control unit, the emergency call to an emergency response organization in the estimated competent area. The analysis object designation unit designates, as the object to be analyzed, a past time earlier than the time at which the communication instrument made the emergency call, or a future time later than the time at which the communication instrument made the emergency call.

Description

Specifying the analysis target for estimating jurisdiction areas for emergency calls

[0001] The present disclosure relates to specifying an analysis target in estimating a jurisdiction area for an emergency call.

[0002] The number, types, and uses of wireless communication devices (hereinafter referred to as communication devices), such as smartphones and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, are steadily increasing, and wireless communication standards are continually being expanded and improved. For example, commercial service for the fifth-generation mobile communication system, known as "5G," began in 2018, and standardization is still underway at the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In addition, efforts have begun to develop standards for the sixth-generation mobile communication system, or "6G," as the next-generation wireless communication standard following 5G.

[0003] When a communication device such as a smartphone makes an emergency call to an emergency response agency such as a police agency or a fire department via an emergency call telephone number, the core network that detects the emergency call determines the emergency response agency to which the communication device should be connected. Specifically, the core network determines the emergency response agency whose jurisdiction includes the location of the communication cell in which the communication device is located, typically the location of the base station that provides the communication cell, as the connection destination for the emergency call. For example, if the base station of the communication cell is in area A, an emergency call from a communication device within the communication cell will be connected to emergency response agency A, whose jurisdiction includes area A.

[0004] Japan Special Table No. 2021-503199

[0005] Satellite communications via communications satellites are being considered for 5G and 6G. However, the satellite communications cells provided by communications satellites can exceed 20 km in diameter, which is generally larger than the terrestrial communications cells used in mobile communications such as 5G and 4G (fourth-generation mobile communications systems). In such cases, it is possible that the jurisdictions of multiple different emergency response agencies may be included in a single relatively large communications cell. For example, a single large communications cell, such as a satellite communications cell, may include Area A, which is the jurisdiction of Emergency Response Agency A, and Area B, which is the jurisdiction of Emergency Response Agency B. If a communications device making an emergency call in this communications cell is located in Area B, the emergency call should normally be connected to Emergency Response Agency B, which is responsible for Area B. However, if the base station of the communications cell is located in Area A, the emergency call will instead be connected to Emergency Response Agency A, as described above.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of these circumstances, and provides a communication control device and the like that can connect an emergency call from a communication device to an appropriate emergency response organization.

[0007] A communication control device of one aspect of the present disclosure includes at least one processor that, when an analysis target designation unit detects that the communication cell from which the communication device made an emergency call includes the jurisdiction areas of multiple emergency response agencies, designates an analysis target for estimating the jurisdiction area in which the communication device is located.

[0008] In this aspect, for an emergency call from a communication device within a communication cell that includes the jurisdictions of multiple emergency response agencies, an analysis target is specified for estimating the jurisdiction area from which the emergency call was made, so that the emergency call can be connected to an appropriate emergency response agency. Note that, although a satellite communication cell has been exemplified above as a communication cell that includes the jurisdictions of multiple emergency response agencies, a terrestrial communication cell (e.g., a so-called macrocell) provided by a terrestrial base station installed on the ground may also include the jurisdictions of multiple emergency response agencies. Therefore, this aspect is applicable not only to satellite communication cells but also to general terrestrial communication cells.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a communication control device that includes at least one processor that executes the following: detecting, by an emergency call detection unit, an emergency call from a communication device within a communication cell that includes jurisdiction areas of multiple emergency response organizations; estimating, by a jurisdiction area estimation unit, a jurisdiction area in which the communication device is located based on an analysis of at least one of a time and an area in which the communication device made the emergency call, the time and the area being different from the time and the area in which the communication device made the emergency call; and connecting, by a connection control unit, the emergency call to an emergency response organization in the estimated jurisdiction area.

[0010] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a communication control method that, when a communication device detects that a communication cell in which the communication device has made an emergency call includes jurisdictions of multiple emergency response organizations, specifies an analysis target for estimating the jurisdiction area in which the communication device is located.

[0011] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a storage medium storing a communication control program that causes a computer to specify an analysis target for estimating the jurisdiction area in which the communication device is located when the communication device detects that a communication cell in which the communication device made an emergency call includes jurisdiction areas of multiple emergency response organizations.

[0012] Any combination of the above components, or any conversion of these expressions into methods, devices, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc., are also encompassed within the present disclosure.

[0013] According to the present disclosure, an emergency call from a communication device can be connected to an appropriate emergency response organization.

[0014] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing an overview of a wireless communication system to which a communication control device is applied; FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an example of a communication device in a satellite communication cell communicating with a communication satellite making an emergency call to an emergency response organization; FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an example of an emergency call connection process based on ECGI; FIG. 5C is a diagram showing an example of an initial message from a UE; FIG. 5D is a diagram showing an example of user location information included in the initial message from the UE in FIG. 5C; and FIG. 5E is a functional block diagram of a communication control device.

[0015] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an overview of a wireless communication system 1 to which a communication control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied. The wireless communication system 1 includes a 5G wireless communication system 11, a 4G wireless communication system 12, and a satellite communication system 13. The 5G wireless communication system 11 conforms to a fifth-generation mobile communication system (5G) that uses NR (New Radio) or 5G NR (Fifth Generation New Radio) as a radio access technology (RAT) and 5GC (Fifth Generation Core) as a core network (CN). The 4G wireless communication system 12 conforms to a fourth-generation mobile communication system (4G) that uses LTE (Long Term Evolution) or LTE-Advanced as a radio access technology and EPC (Evolved Packet Core) as a core network. The satellite communication system 13 is responsible for satellite communication via a communication satellite 131. Although not shown in the figure, the wireless communication system 1 may include a wireless communication system of a generation earlier than 4G, a wireless communication system of a generation later than 5G (such as 6G), or any wireless communication system that cannot be associated with a generation, such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0016] The 5G wireless communication system 11 includes communication devices 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D (hereinafter collectively referred to as communication devices 2) such as smartphones that are installed on the ground and are also called UE (User Equipment), and multiple 5G base stations 111A, 111B, and 111C (hereinafter collectively referred to as 5G base stations 111) that can communicate via 5G NR. The base station 111 in 5G is also called a gNodeB (gNB). The communication range or support range of each of the 5G base stations 111A, 111B, and 111C is called a cell, and is illustrated as 112A, 112B, and 112C, respectively (hereinafter collectively referred to as 5G cells 112).

[0017] The size of the 5G cell 112 of each 5G base station 111 is arbitrary, but typically has a radius of several meters to several tens of kilometers. Although there is no established definition, a cell with a radius of several meters to several tens of meters is called a femtocell, a cell with a radius of tens to several tens of meters is called a picocell, a cell with a radius of several tens to several hundred meters is called a microcell, and a cell with a radius of more than several hundred meters is called a macrocell. 5G often uses high-frequency radio waves such as millimeter waves, and because of their high line-propagation ability, the radio waves are blocked by obstacles, shortening the communication distance. For this reason, 5G tends to use smaller cells than 4G and earlier generations.

[0018] A communication device 2 can perform 5G communication if it is located within at least one of multiple 5G cells 112A, 112B, and 112C. In the illustrated example, a communication device 2B located within 5G cells 112A and 112B can communicate with both 5G base stations 111A and 111B via 5G NR. Furthermore, a communication device 2C located within 5G cell 112C can communicate with 5G base station 111C via 5G NR. Communication devices 2A and 2D are located outside all of the 5G cells 112A, 112B, and 112C and are therefore unable to communicate via 5G NR. 5G communication via 5G NR between each communication device 2 and each 5G base station 111 is managed by the 5GC, which is a core network. For example, the 5GC handles data exchange with each 5G base station 111, data exchange with external networks such as EPC, satellite communication system 13, and the Internet, and mobility management of the communication device 2.

[0019] The 4G wireless communication system 12 includes multiple 4G base stations 121 (only one is shown in FIG. 1 ). The multiple 4G base stations 121 are installed on the ground and are capable of communicating with the communication device 2 via LTE or LTE-Advanced. In 4G, the base station 121 is also called an eNodeB (eNB). Like each 5G base station 111, the communication range or support area of ​​each 4G base station 121 is also called a cell and is illustrated as 122.

[0020] If the communication device 2 is located inside the 4G cell 122, it can perform 4G communication. In the illustrated example, communication devices 2A and 2B located inside the 4G cell 122 can communicate with the 4G base station 121 via LTE or LTE-Advanced. Communication devices 2C and 2D are located outside the 4G cell 122 and therefore cannot communicate via LTE or LTE-Advanced. 4G communication by LTE or LTE-Advanced between each communication device 2 and each 4G base station 121 is managed by the EPC, which is a core network. For example, the EPC handles the exchange of data with each 4G base station 121, the exchange of data with external networks such as 5GC, the satellite communication system 13, and the Internet, and the mobility management of the communication device 2.

[0021] Focusing on each of the communication devices 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D, in the illustrated example, communication device 2A is capable of 4G communication with 4G base station 121, communication device 2B is capable of 5G communication with 5G base stations 111A and 111B and 4G communication with 4G base station 121, and communication device 2C is capable of 5G communication with 5G base station 111C. When there are multiple base stations (111A, 111B, 121) with which communication is possible, as with communication device 2B, one base station determined to be optimal in terms of communication quality, etc. is selected under the management of the core network 5GC and / or EPC, and communication with communication device 2B is performed. Furthermore, communication device 2D is not capable of communication with any of the 5G base stations 111 and 4G base station 121, and therefore performs communication via satellite communication system 13, which will be described next.

[0022] The satellite communication system 13 is a wireless communication system that uses a communication satellite 131, a low-orbit satellite that flies in space at an altitude of approximately 500 km to 700 km above the Earth's surface, as a non-terrestrial base station. Similar to the 5G base station 111 and the 4G base station 121, the communication coverage or support area of ​​the communication satellite 131 is also called a cell and is illustrated as 132. In this way, the communication satellite 131, as a non-terrestrial base station, provides the satellite communication cell 132, as a non-terrestrial communication cell, to the ground. A terrestrial communication device 2 can perform satellite communication if it is located within the satellite communication cell 132. Similar to the 5G base station 111 in the 5G wireless communication system 11 and the 4G base station 121 in the 4G wireless communication system 12, the communication satellite 131, as a base station in the satellite communication system 13, can wirelessly communicate with the communication device 2 within the satellite communication cell 132 directly or indirectly via an aircraft or the like. The radio access technology that the communication satellite 131 uses for radio communication with the communication device 2 in the satellite communication cell 132 may be 5G NR, the same as the 5G base station 111, or LTE or LTE-Advanced, the same as the 4G base station 121, or any other radio access technology that can be used by the communication device 2. Therefore, the communication device 2 does not need to be provided with special functions or components for satellite communication.

[0023] The satellite communication system 13 includes a gateway 133 as a ground station installed on the ground and capable of communicating with a communication satellite 131. The gateway 133 includes a satellite antenna for communicating with the communication satellite 131, and is connected to a 5G base station 111 and a 4G base station 121 as terrestrial base stations that constitute a terrestrial network (TN). In this way, the gateway 133 connects the non-terrestrial network (NTN) formed by the communication satellite 131 as a non-terrestrial base station or satellite base station and the TN formed by the terrestrial base stations 111 and 121 so that they can communicate with each other. When the communication satellite 131 performs 5G communication with the communication device 2 in the satellite communication cell 132 using 5G NR, the 5GC connected via the gateway 133 and the 5G base station 111 (or the 5G radio access network) in the TN is used as the core network, and when the communication satellite 131 performs 4G communication with the communication device 2 in the satellite communication cell 132 using LTE or LTE-Advanced, the EPC connected via the gateway 133 and the 4G base station 121 (or the 4G radio access network) in the TN is used as the core network. In this way, appropriate cooperation is achieved between different wireless communication systems such as 5G communication, 4G communication, and satellite communication via the gateway 133.

[0024] Satellite communication using a communication satellite 131 is primarily used to cover areas where terrestrial base stations such as the 5G base station 111 and the 4G base station 121 are not installed or are few in number. In the illustrated example, a communication device 2D located outside the communication cells of all terrestrial base stations communicates with the communication satellite 131. Meanwhile, communication devices 2A, 2B, and 2C that can communicate satisfactorily with any terrestrial base station are also within the satellite communication cell 132 and can therefore communicate with the communication satellite 131. However, by communicating with the terrestrial base station rather than the communication satellite 131 as a satellite base station, the limited communication resources (including power) of the communication satellite 131 are conserved for the communication device 2D and the like. The communication satellite 131 improves the quality of communication with the communication device 2D by directing communication radio waves toward the communication device 2D within the satellite communication cell 132 using beamforming.

[0025] The size of the satellite communication cell 132 of the communication satellite 131 serving as a satellite base station can be set arbitrarily depending on the number of beams emitted by the communication satellite 131. For example, a maximum of 2,800 beams can be combined to form a satellite communication cell 132 with a diameter of approximately 24 km. As shown in the figure, the satellite communication cell 132 is typically larger than terrestrial communication cells such as the 5G cell 112 and the 4G cell 122, and may include one or more 5G cells 112 and / or 4G cells 122 therein. Note that, although the above example illustrates a communication satellite 131 flying in low orbit at an altitude of approximately 500 km to 700 km above the Earth's surface as a flying non-terrestrial base station, a communication satellite flying in high orbit such as a geostationary orbit, or an unmanned or manned aircraft or drone flying in the atmosphere at a lower altitude (e.g., approximately 20 km above the Earth's surface) such as the stratosphere, may also be used as a non-terrestrial base station in addition to or instead of the communication satellite 131.

[0026] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates how a communication device 2D in a satellite communication cell 132 communicating with a communication satellite 131 makes an emergency call to an emergency organization (emergency response organization) such as a police agency or a fire department. An example of an emergency call is a call to the emergency call telephone number of each emergency organization. In Japan, 110 is assigned as the emergency call telephone number for a police agency, 119 is assigned as the emergency call telephone number for a fire department, and 118 is assigned as the emergency call telephone number for the Japan Coast Guard. A call via eCall, an emergency call system used in Europe in the event of a car accident, is also an example of an emergency call in this embodiment. An in-vehicle communication unit that issues an emergency call regarding the occurrence of a car accident, the location of the car, etc., via the wireless communication system 1 corresponds to the communication device 2D shown in the figure. Furthermore, a call via Emergency Services Fallback (ES-FB) or Evolved Packet System Fallback (EPS Fallback), which are specified in the fifth-generation mobile communication system, is also an example of an emergency call.

[0027] In the illustrated example, the satellite communication cell 132 includes the jurisdiction areas of multiple different emergency agencies. Specifically, the satellite communication cell 132 is divided by a boundary line L into a jurisdiction area 132A of emergency agency A and a jurisdiction area 132B of emergency agency B. Note that the jurisdiction areas 132A and 132B may overlap. P is a representative point representing the location of the satellite communication cell 132, and in the illustrated example, belongs to the jurisdiction area 132A. The representative point P may be any point within the satellite communication cell 132, but is typically a point near the geographical center of the satellite communication cell 132.

[0028] The location information of the representative point P of the satellite communication cell 132 can be referred to as the cell global identity (CGI) of the satellite communication cell 132 in a core network available for 5GC, EPC, and other satellite communications. The CGI is an identifier or ID that is uniquely assigned to each communication cell in a mobile communication network or wireless communication system 1 including the satellite communication system 13 according to this embodiment. The CGI consists of four parts: a mobile country code (MCC), a mobile network code (MNC), a location area code (LAC), and a cell identification (CI).

[0029] The MCC and MNC constitute a PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) number, which is an identifier of each wireless communication network provided by each telecommunications carrier in each country / region, and the PLMN (number) and LAC constitute a LAI (Location Area Identity), which is an identifier (also referred to as a Geographical Identifier) ​​of the geographical location of each wireless communication network. In the example of Figure 2, by referencing the LAI of the satellite communication cell 132 in the core network, the geographical location of the representative point P can be determined, and therefore it can be determined that the representative point P belongs to the jurisdiction area 132A of the emergency agency A. Note that various technologies developed based on CGI, such as CGI+TA, E-UTRAN CGI (ECGI), E-CGI, U-TDOA, ATI, and A-GPS, may be used instead of or in addition to CGI.

[0030] 2(A) and 2(B) show how an emergency call made by a communication device 2D communicating with a communication satellite 131 within a satellite communication cell 132 is connected in accordance with a representative point P detected by the core network based on the CGI. In FIG. 2(A), the communication device 2D is located within a jurisdiction area 132A of emergency agency A, and in FIG. 2(B), the communication device 2D is located within a jurisdiction area 132B of emergency agency B. In either case, the core network, upon detecting the emergency call from the communication device 2D, detects the geographical location of the representative point P based on the CGI of the satellite communication cell 132 and connects the emergency call to emergency agency A, whose jurisdiction area 132A includes the representative point P. In FIG. 2(A), where the communication device 2D is located within the jurisdiction area 132A, the emergency call is connected to the correct emergency agency A. However, in FIG. 2(B), where the communication device 2D is located within the jurisdiction area 132B, the emergency call is connected to the wrong emergency agency A, not the correct emergency agency B.

[0031] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the connection process for an emergency call based on ECGI. The user of communication device 2 is located within communication cell "Cell #1," whose representative point P is "XX City, A Prefecture," and makes an emergency call to the emergency call number "110" assigned to the Japanese police. The core network CN, which receives the emergency call via terrestrial base stations 111, 121, or satellite base station 131, converts the emergency call number "110" into the actual telephone number of the police command center (collectively referred to as the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)) that has jurisdiction over the emergency call, in its IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem). At this time, the core network CN refers to the ECGI of the communication cell (terrestrial communication cell 112, 122 or satellite communication cell 132 provided by the terrestrial base station 111, 121 or satellite base station 131) that sent the emergency call (specifically, the core network CN obtains the ECGI from the base station by a predetermined procedure or process such as "PCC based NPLI retrieval") and recognizes the location of the representative point P as "xx city, A prefecture." As a result, the emergency call telephone number "110" is converted to the actual telephone number "03xxxxxxxx" of "Police A," whose jurisdiction covers "xx city, A prefecture." In this way, an emergency call to the emergency call telephone number "110" from the communication device 2 in the communication cell "Cell#1" is connected to "Police A," the jurisdictional emergency agency.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows the flow of connection processing for an emergency call based on CGI. First, a user equipment (UE), such as a smartphone, notifies a radio access network (RAN) of the occurrence of an emergency call. The RAN is a radio access network composed of terrestrial base stations 111 and 121 or a satellite base station 131. When the RAN receives the emergency call, it notifies the core network CN of the occurrence of the emergency call by providing the core network CN with the CGI of the terrestrial communication cell 112 and 122 or the satellite communication cell 132 from which the emergency call originated, according to a predetermined procedure such as "PCC-based NPLI retrieval." The RAN also sends an initial UE message from the UE to the core network CN.

[0033] FIG. 5 shows a specific example of an initial message from the UE. The initial message from the UE is transmitted to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) included in the core network CN from the 4G base station eNB (121), the 5G base station gNB (111), the satellite base station communication satellite 131, or the like, to which the UE is connected. FIG. 6 shows a specific example of user location information included in the initial message from the UE in FIG. 5. This user location information includes CGI information such as "E-UTRA CGI" or "NR CGI," so that the core network CN receiving this information can recognize the location of the representative point P of the terrestrial communication cell 112, 122 or the satellite communication cell 132, which is the source of the emergency call. The core network CN then connects the emergency call from the UE to an emergency service whose jurisdiction includes the representative point P.

[0034] In the examples of Figures 3 to 6, as in Figure 2(B), if the UE (communication device 2D in Figure 2(B)) is within the jurisdiction of another emergency agency (emergency agency B in Figure 2(B)) whose jurisdiction does not include representative point P, the emergency call will not be connected to the correct emergency agency (B), but will be connected to the wrong emergency agency (A) whose jurisdiction includes representative point P.

[0035] FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a communication control device 3 according to this embodiment, which can solve the problems described in FIGS. 2 to 6. The communication control device 3 includes an emergency call detection unit 31, an analysis target designation unit 32, a jurisdiction area estimation unit 33, and a connection control unit 34. Some of these functional blocks may be omitted as long as the communication control device 3 can achieve at least some of the functions and / or effects described below. These functional blocks are realized by the cooperation of hardware resources, such as a computer's central processing unit, memory, input devices, output devices, and peripheral devices connected to the computer, and software executed using these resources. Regardless of the type or location of the computer, each of the above functional blocks may be realized by the hardware resources of a single computer or by combining hardware resources distributed across multiple computers. In particular, in this embodiment, some or all of the functional blocks of the communication control device 3 may be realized in a centralized or distributed manner by computers and processors provided in the communication device 2, the RAN including base stations 111, 121, and 131, the gateway 133, and the core network CN.

[0036] 7, a user (not shown) of the communication device 2 moves sequentially through a first position P1, a second position P2, a third position P3, a fourth position P4, and a fifth position P5. The user also makes an emergency call using the communication device 2 at at least one of the second position P2, the third position P3, and the fourth position P4.

[0037] In the following, the location or area where the communication device 2 makes an emergency call is referred to as the "present," the location or area where the communication device 2 was located at a time before the "present" is referred to as the "past," and the location or area where the communication device 2 is located at a time after the "present" is referred to as the "future." Specifically, when an emergency call is made by the communication device 2 with the second position P2 as the current location, the first position P1 is a past location, and the third position P3 to the fifth position P5 are future locations. When an emergency call is made by the communication device 2 with the third position P3 as the current location, the first position P1 to the second position P2 are past locations, and the fourth position P4 to the fifth position P5 are future locations. When an emergency call is made by the communication device 2 with the fourth position P4 as the current location, the first position P1 to the third position P3 are past locations, and the fifth position P5 is a future location.

[0038] In the illustrated example, the second position P2 to the fourth position P4 at which the communication device 2 makes an emergency call are all included in a non-terrestrial communication cell NTC such as a satellite communication cell 132 provided by a non-terrestrial base station such as a communication satellite 131. Furthermore, when making an emergency call at the second position P2 to the fourth position P4, the communication device 2 is assumed to be connected to the non-terrestrial base station such as the communication satellite 131 (even if there is a terrestrial base station nearby, it is not connected). In other words, in the illustrated example, the communication device 2 within the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC makes an emergency call to a non-terrestrial base station such as the communication satellite 131.

[0039] Similar to the satellite communication cell 132 in the example of Figure 2, the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC includes jurisdiction areas JA1, JA2, and JA3 of multiple different emergency response agencies. As shown schematically, the second location P2 from which the communication device 2 makes an emergency call is included in the first jurisdiction area JA1 of a first emergency response agency (not shown), the third location P3 from which the communication device 2 makes an emergency call is included in the second jurisdiction area JA2 of a second emergency response agency (not shown), and the fourth location P4 from which the communication device 2 makes an emergency call is included in the third jurisdiction area JA3 of a third emergency response agency (not shown). In this case, the emergency call from the second location P2 is preferably connected to the first emergency response agency, the emergency call from the third location P3 is preferably connected to the second emergency response agency, and the emergency call from the fourth location P4 is preferably connected to the third emergency response agency.

[0040] 2 , processing based solely on the CGI of the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC is unable to connect the emergency call to the appropriate first to third emergency response agencies depending on the position P2 to P4 of the communication device 2 within the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC. For example, if the CGI of the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC indicates a location within the second jurisdiction area JA2, the emergency call will always be connected to the second emergency response agency regardless of the position P2 to P4 of the communication device 2 within the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC. Therefore, in this embodiment, as will be described later, the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33 estimates the jurisdiction area (one of JA1 to JA3) to which the communication device 2 made the emergency call, so that the emergency call is connected to the appropriate emergency response agency having that jurisdiction area.

[0041] Around or inside a non-terrestrial communication cell NTC such as the satellite communication cell 132, terrestrial communication cells TC1, TC2, and TC3, which are typically smaller than the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC, are provided by a terrestrial base station (not shown). In the illustrated example, the first terrestrial communication cell TC1 is entirely included only in the first jurisdiction area JA1 and partially overlaps with the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC. In the illustrated example, the second terrestrial communication cell TC2 is entirely included only in the second jurisdiction area JA2 and entirely overlaps with the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC (included in the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC). In the illustrated example, the third terrestrial communication cell TC3 is entirely included only in the third jurisdiction area JA3 and entirely located on the periphery (outside) of the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC.

[0042] As described above, the terrestrial communication cells TC1 to TC3 in the illustrated example are arranged in different ways relative to the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC. However, the terrestrial communication cells TC1 to TC3 in the illustrated example have in common the fact that they are close to the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC. As such, the term "close" in this embodiment refers to any of "partial overlap" such as the first terrestrial communication cell TC1, "full overlap" such as the second terrestrial communication cell TC2, and "non-overlapping" (but close arrangement) such as the third terrestrial communication cell TC3.

[0043] It is assumed that the first position P1 is located within the first ground communication cell TC1, and the communication device 2 located at the first position P1 is connected to the first ground communication cell TC1. It is also assumed that the fifth position P5 is located within the third ground communication cell TC3, and the communication device 2 located at the fifth position P5 is connected to the third ground communication cell TC3.

[0044] In the illustrated example, the communication device 2 connected to the first terrestrial communication cell TC1 is switched from the first terrestrial communication cell TC1 to the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC while the communication device 2 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2. Also, the communication device 2 connected to the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC is switched from the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC to the third terrestrial communication cell TC3 while the communication device 2 moves from the fourth position P4 to the fifth position P5. As described above, the communication device 2 making an emergency call between the second position P2 and the fourth position P4 between the first position P1 and the fifth position P5 is connected to the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC (however, the communication device 2 may be temporarily connected to the second terrestrial communication cell TC2 that it passes while moving from the third position P3 to the fourth position P4).

[0045] The emergency call detection unit 31 detects emergency calls from a communication device 2 within a non-terrestrial communication cell NTC, which includes jurisdiction areas JA1 to JA3 of multiple different emergency response organizations, via a communication satellite 131 or the like that provides the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC. In the illustrated example, the emergency call detection unit 31 detects an emergency call from a communication device 2 located at any one of a second position P2 to a fourth position P4 within the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC. As described above, a communication device 2 that makes an emergency call at any one of the second position P2 to the fourth position P4 is connected to the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC. Therefore, the main function of the emergency call detection unit 31 that receives the emergency call from the communication device 2 is preferably implemented in a core network, such as 5GC, that is available in the satellite communication system 13 or the like that provides the connected non-terrestrial communication cell NTC.

[0046] When the analysis target designation unit 32 detects that the communication cell in which the communication device 2 made an emergency call includes jurisdiction areas of multiple emergency response organizations, the analysis target designation unit 32 designates an analysis target for estimating the jurisdiction area in which the communication device 2 is located. Specifically, the analysis target designation unit 32 designates, as the analysis target, a time and an area different from at least one of the time and area in which the communication device 2 made the emergency call. For example, for an emergency call made by the communication device 2 at a second position P2, a past time before the emergency call at the second position P2, a future time after the emergency call, and / or an area different from the second position P2 (e.g., an area including at least one of the first position P1 and the third to fifth positions P3 to P5) are designated as the analysis target. For an emergency call made by the communication device 2 at the third position P3, a past time before the emergency call at the third position P3, a future time after the emergency call, and / or an area different from the third position P3 (e.g., an area including at least one of the first position P1 to the second position P2 and the fourth position P4 to the fifth position P5) are designated as analysis targets. For an emergency call made by the communication device 2 at the fourth position P4, a past time before the emergency call at the fourth position P4, a future time after the emergency call, and / or an area different from the fourth position P4 (e.g., an area including at least one of the first position P1 to the third position P3 and the fifth position P5) are designated as analysis targets.

[0047] The analysis target designation unit 32 is preferably realized in the core network CN, and can be configured by various network functions (hereinafter also referred to as NFs (Network Functions)) in the core network CN, such as IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem), AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), AF (Application Function), and P-CSCF (Proxy-Call Session Control Function).

[0048] When the analysis target designation unit 32 designates an area other than the area where the emergency call was made as the analysis target, it may designate as the analysis target another communication cell adjacent to the communication cell from which the communication device 2 made the emergency call, the communication cell including the jurisdiction area of ​​a single emergency response agency. As described above, in the example of this embodiment, the communication cell from which the communication device 2 makes the emergency call is always the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC, regardless of the second position P2 to the fourth position P4. Furthermore, examples of other communication cells adjacent to the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC include, as described above, the first terrestrial communication cell TC1, which has a "partial overlap" relationship with the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC; the second terrestrial communication cell TC2, which has a "full overlap" relationship with the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC; and the third terrestrial communication cell TC3, which has a "non-overlapping" relationship (but is located adjacently) with the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC. As described above, these "nearby" communication cells TC1 to TC3 each include the jurisdiction areas JA1 to JA3 of a single emergency response agency. In other words, for each of the "neighboring" communication cells TC1 to TC3, a respective jurisdiction area JA1 to JA3 is uniquely determined.

[0049] As described above, in the example of this embodiment, the analysis target designation unit 32 may designate at least one of the other terrestrial communication cells TC1 to TC3 that are adjacent to the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC from which the emergency call was made as the analysis target. For example, regardless of the second position P2 to the fourth position P4, all of the terrestrial communication cells TC1 to TC3 that are adjacent to the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC from which the emergency call was made may be designated as the analysis target.

[0050] Alternatively, among the multiple terrestrial communication cells TC1 to TC3 adjacent to the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC from which the emergency call was made, only those within a predetermined distance from each of the positions P2 to P4 from which the emergency call was made may be designated as the analysis target. For example, for an emergency call from a second position P2, only the first terrestrial communication cell TC1 adjacent to the second position P2 may be designated as the analysis target. For an emergency call from a third position P3, only the second terrestrial communication cell TC2 adjacent to the third position P3 may be designated as the analysis target. For an emergency call from a fourth position P4, only the third terrestrial communication cell TC3 adjacent to the fourth position P4 may be designated as the analysis target.

[0051] As described above, the analysis target area is preferably specified by the analysis target designation unit 32 in units of communication cells, which are also the basic management units in the core network CN. However, the analysis target designation unit 32 may also designate an analysis target area of ​​any shape or range (for example, a substantially circular area within a predetermined distance from each of the positions P2 to P4 where the communication device 2 made an emergency call) using geographical boundaries that can be set arbitrarily regardless of the boundaries of the communication cells.

[0052] In order to specify the analysis target (terrestrial communication cells TC1 to TC3) according to the positions P2 to P4 where the emergency call was made as described above, the analysis target designation unit 32, which is typically provided in the core network CN, needs to recognize the approximate position where the emergency call was made. For this reason, it is preferable that the analysis target designation unit 32 obtains various types of location information suggesting the position of the communication device 2 that made the emergency call from the communication device 2 itself, the RAN, the core network CN, etc.

[0053] For example, the analysis target designation unit 32 may acquire past or current positioning information from a positioning sensor based on GPS or the like installed in the communication device 2 that made the emergency call. The analysis target designation unit 32 can also estimate the movement and current location of the communication device 2 by referencing various activity histories of the communication device 2 recorded in the core network CN or the like, such as the history of communication cells to which the communication device 2 has connected up to the present. It is also conceivable that the location information of the communication device 2 described above may be collected and / or analyzed by an AI / ML function such as NWDAF, which will be described later with respect to the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33. In such a case, all or part of the functions of the analysis target designation unit 32 described above may be realized by the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33, which may be realized by an AI / ML function such as NWDAF. In particular, if all of the functions of the analysis target designation unit 32 are realized by the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33, there is no need to provide the analysis target designation unit 32.

[0054] The analysis target time and / or analysis area specified by the analysis target designation unit 32 as described above is preferably specified based on management information, such as a table, prepared in advance in the IMS or the like in which the analysis target designation unit 32 is implemented. Specifically, when specifying the analysis target time, a past time period before the emergency call or a future time period after the emergency call is specified in advance in the management information. For example, a predetermined length or range of past and / or future time periods, such as "one hour before the emergency call" or "30 minutes after the emergency call," is specified in advance in the management information as the analysis target time. As in this example, the analysis target time specified in the management information may be a fixed time period in the past and / or future relative to the time or time period when the emergency call was made. However, as described below, these fixed time periods can be flexibly updated based on the estimation results of the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33, etc.

[0055] Similarly, in specifying the analysis target area, an area (e.g., terrestrial communication cells TC1 to TC3) different from the area where the emergency call was made (e.g., non-terrestrial communication cell NTC or positions P2 to P4) is specified in advance in the management information. For example, for the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC as the communication cell where the communication device 2 made the emergency call, other communication cells (e.g., terrestrial communication cells TC1 to TC3) that the analysis target designation unit 32 designates as the analysis target area may be predetermined in the management information. Specifically, as in the above-mentioned example, regardless of the second position P2 to the fourth position P4, all terrestrial communication cells TC1 to TC3 that are adjacent to the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC where the emergency call was made may be designated in advance in the management information as the analysis target area or analysis target communication cells.

[0056] Alternatively, for an emergency call from an area including the second position P2, only the first terrestrial communication cell TC1 adjacent to the area may be designated in advance in the management information as the area to be analyzed or the communication cell to be analyzed. For an emergency call from an area including the third position P3, only the second terrestrial communication cell TC2 adjacent to the area may be designated in advance in the management information as the area to be analyzed or the communication cell to be analyzed. For an emergency call from an area including the fourth position P4, only the third terrestrial communication cell TC3 adjacent to the area may be designated in advance in the management information as the area to be analyzed or the communication cell to be analyzed.

[0057] As in the above example, the analysis target area or analysis target communication cell defined in the management information may be a fixed area or communication cell that is close to the location or area where the emergency call was made. However, as will be described later, these fixed areas or communication cells can be flexibly updated based on the estimation results of the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33, etc.

[0058] As described above, management information such as tables that can be referenced by the analysis target designation unit 32 when designating the analysis target time and / or analysis target area may associate the "current" time or time zone at which the emergency call was made with a fixed time zone in the past and / or future, and / or may associate the "current" location or area at which the emergency call was made with a nearby fixed area or communication cell. The analysis target designation unit 32, which can refer to such tables, can quickly designate a different analysis target time and / or analysis target area based on the "current" time and / or area of ​​the emergency call detected by the emergency call detection unit 31.

[0059] The jurisdiction area estimation unit 33 estimates the jurisdiction area in which the communication device 2 that made the emergency call detected by the emergency call detection unit 31 is located, based on an analysis of at least one of the analysis target time (past and / or future time) and analysis target area (nearby area and / or nearby communication cell) specified by the analysis target designation unit 32.

[0060] For example, the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33 may include geographical information about the jurisdiction area in which the communication device 2 that made the emergency call detected by the emergency call detection unit 31 is located, based on an analysis of at least one of the analysis time and analysis area specified by the analysis target designation unit 32. Here, the geographical information about the jurisdiction area may be a geographical location identifier (Geographical Identifier or Geographical Identifier Indicator) of a representative point of the jurisdiction area (e.g., the location of an emergency response agency that has jurisdiction over the jurisdiction area), or may be a geographical location identifier (Geographical Identifier or Geographical Identifier Indicator) of the communication device 2 that made the emergency call within the jurisdiction area. Furthermore, the analysis target designation unit 32 may provide part of such geographical information about the jurisdiction area to the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33 so that the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33 can derive or estimate the jurisdiction area.

[0061] The jurisdiction area estimation unit 33 is preferably implemented in the core network CN and may be configured using various artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) functions in the core network CN, such as the Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) introduced in 5G. The NWDAF is responsible for collecting and analyzing data on networks, including 5G. Specifically, the NWDAF collects and stores activity history information, movement information, measurement information, etc., of multiple communication devices 2 and other objects connected to the mobile communication network, and uses the analysis results for traffic control on the mobile communication network, for example. The analysis function of movement information of multiple communication devices 2 and other objects provided by the NWDAF is also referred to as mobility analytics. Note that it is expected that functions similar to the NWDAF may be provided under different names in other wireless communication systems, including wireless communication systems of generations after 5G. In this embodiment, such similar functions may be used instead of or in addition to the NWDAF.

[0062] When the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33 is configured by NWDAF, at least a portion of the following standard information is provided from the analysis target designation unit 32 configured by IMS or the like. Analysis ID (Analytics ID): In this embodiment, "UE Mobility" is designated for analyzing the mobility information of the communication device 2 (UE) (that made the emergency call). Target of Analytics Reporting: This designates whether the communication device 2 that made the emergency call is "single" or "multiple." For example, "multiple" is designated when emergency calls are made from multiple communication devices 2 approximately simultaneously in the event of a crowd accident or the like. Area information: This designates the current location of the communication device 2 that made the emergency call, and accordingly, a past or future analysis target area (Area of ​​Interest and / or Visited AOI) designated by the analysis target designation unit 32. Time information: A past or future analysis target time (Analytics Target Period) designated by the analysis target designation unit 32 is designated.

[0063] For example, if an emergency call is made at the second position P2, the analysis target designation unit 32 designates the first terrestrial communication cell TC1, which is close to the second position P2, as the analysis target area, and designates the past time period of "one hour before the emergency call" as the analysis target time. The jurisdiction area estimation unit 33 then analyzes the first terrestrial communication cell TC1 designated as the analysis target by the analysis target designation unit 32 over the past time period of "one hour before the emergency call." If this analysis reveals that the communication device 2 that made the emergency call at the second position P2 was connected to the first terrestrial communication cell TC1 within the "one hour before the emergency call," it is highly likely that the communication device 2 continues to be located in the first jurisdiction area JA1, which includes the first terrestrial communication cell TC1. Therefore, the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33 can estimate that the jurisdiction area in which the communication device 2 that made the emergency call is located is the first jurisdiction area JA1.

[0064] For example, if an emergency call is made at a third position P3, the analysis target designation unit 32 designates the first ground communication cell TC1 and the second ground communication cell TC2 that are close to the third position P3 as the analysis target area, and designates a past time period of "30 minutes before the emergency call" and a future time period of "30 minutes after the emergency call" as the analysis target times. The jurisdiction area estimation unit 33 then analyzes the first ground communication cell TC1 designated as the analysis target by the analysis target designation unit 32 over the past time period of "30 minutes before the emergency call," and analyzes the second ground communication cell TC2 designated as the analysis target by the analysis target designation unit 32 over the future time period of "30 minutes after the emergency call." If this analysis shows that the communication device 2 that made the emergency call at the third position P3 has not been connected to the first terrestrial communication cell TC1 within "30 minutes before the emergency call" and is estimated to be connected to the second terrestrial communication cell TC2 within "30 minutes after the emergency call," then there is a high possibility that the communication device 2 is in the second jurisdiction area JA2, which includes the second terrestrial communication cell TC2 that is estimated to be connected in the future. Therefore, the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33 can estimate that the jurisdiction area in which the communication device 2 that made the emergency call is located is the second jurisdiction area JA2.

[0065] For example, if an emergency call is made at a fourth position P4, the analysis target designation unit 32 designates the third terrestrial communication cell TC3, which is close to the fourth position P4, as the analysis target area, and designates a future time period, "one hour after the emergency call," as the analysis target time. The jurisdiction area estimation unit 33 then analyzes the third terrestrial communication cell TC3 designated as the analysis target by the analysis target designation unit 32 over the future time period, "one hour after the emergency call." If, as a result of this analysis, it is estimated that the communication device 2 that made the emergency call at the fourth position P4 will connect to the third terrestrial communication cell TC3 within "one hour after the emergency call," it is highly likely that the communication device 2 is located in a third jurisdiction area JA3, which includes the third terrestrial communication cell TC3 that is estimated to be connected in the future. Therefore, the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33 can estimate that the jurisdiction area in which the communication device 2 that made the emergency call is located is the third jurisdiction area JA3.

[0066] As described above, even if the non-terrestrial communication cell NTC from which the emergency call was made includes multiple jurisdiction areas JA1 to JA3, the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33, which is configured by the NWDAF etc., can estimate the jurisdiction area JA1 to JA3 from which the emergency call was made based on an analysis of past and / or future analysis target times and geographically nearby analysis target areas. The connection control unit 34 connects the emergency call detected by the emergency call detection unit 31 to the first to third emergency response organizations in the jurisdiction areas JA1 to JA3 estimated by the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33.

[0067] Note that, for each of the locations P2 to P4 and the communication cell (non-terrestrial communication cell NTC) where the communication device 2 made an emergency call, other communication cells (terrestrial communication cells TC1 to TC3) and the like designated as analysis targets by the analysis target designation unit 32 may be updated based on the estimation results of the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33. That is, management information such as tables referenced by the analysis target designation unit 32 when designating the analysis target time and / or the analysis target area may be updated as needed based on feedback of the estimation results and the like from the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33. Furthermore, management information such as tables referenced by the analysis target designation unit 32 when designating the analysis target time and / or the analysis target area may be updated based on the results of mobility analytics unrelated to emergency calls (i.e., during normal times) that can be obtained from the NWDAF.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the NWDAF, which implements the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33, performs analysis according to an externally specified analysis time and analysis area under the current 3GPP standard. To identify the origination location of the emergency call, the emergency call detected by the emergency call detection unit 31 can be directly input to the NWDAF. However, in this case, the analysis time and analysis area are the "current" time and area. Therefore, for an emergency call made in a non-terrestrial communication cell NTC that includes multiple jurisdiction areas JA1 to JA3, as in the example of Figure 7, the jurisdiction area JA1 to JA3 of the originator of the emergency call cannot be appropriately estimated based solely on the "current" pinpoint analysis time and analysis area.

[0069] In contrast, in this embodiment, the analysis target designation unit 32, which is configured using an IMS or the like, designates the analysis target area that is geographically close to the past and / or future analysis target time, and the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33, which is configured using an NWDAF or the like, can appropriately estimate the jurisdiction area JA1 to JA3 of the sender of the emergency call through analysis of the behavior of the communication device 2 before (past) and / or after (future) the emergency call.

[0070] In addition, the current 3GPP standard requires external specification of the analysis time and analysis area. However, the NWDAF's functionality may be expanded to allow the NWDAF to specify the analysis time and analysis area itself. For example, if the analysis target (analysis time and / or analysis area) is insufficiently specified by the analysis target specification unit 32, the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33, which is configured by the NWDAF or the like, may compensate for this insufficiency and estimate the jurisdiction area JA1-JA3 in which the communication device 2 that made the emergency call is located based on an analysis of the analysis target specified by the NWDAF or the like. Furthermore, all of the functions of the analysis target specification unit 32 may be incorporated into the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33, which is configured by the NWDAF or the like. In this case, the jurisdiction area estimation unit 33 can estimate the jurisdiction area JA1-JA3 in which the communication device 2 is located based on an analysis of a time and area different from at least one of the time and area in which the communication device 2 made the emergency call.

[0071] The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments. Various modifications are possible to the combinations of the components and processes in the exemplary embodiments, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such modifications are included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0072] The configuration, operation, and function of each device and method described in the embodiments can be realized by hardware resources, software resources, or a combination of hardware and software resources. Examples of hardware resources include processors, ROM, RAM, and various integrated circuits. Examples of software resources include operating systems, applications, and other programs.

[0073] This disclosure may be expressed in the following terms:

[0074] Item 1: A communication control device comprising at least one processor that executes, when an analysis target designation unit detects that a communication cell in which a communication device has made an emergency call includes jurisdiction areas of multiple emergency response organizations, designating an analysis target for estimating the jurisdiction area in which the communication device is located. Item 2: The communication control device according to item 1, wherein the analysis target designation unit designates, as the analysis target, a time and area different from at least one of the time and area in which the communication device made the emergency call. Item 3: The communication control device according to item 2, wherein the analysis target designation unit designates, as the analysis target, a time in the past before the time in which the communication device made the emergency call or a time in the future after the time in which the communication device made the emergency call. Item 4: The communication control device according to item 2 or 3, wherein the analysis target designation unit designates, as the analysis target, another communication cell that is adjacent to the communication cell in which the communication device made the emergency call and that includes the jurisdiction area of ​​one emergency response organization. Item 5: The communication control device according to item 4, wherein the other communication cells designated by the analysis target designation unit as analysis targets for the communication cell from which the communication device made the emergency call are predetermined. Item 6: The communication control device according to any one of items 2 to 5, wherein the analysis target designation unit designates other areas within a predetermined distance from the area from which the communication device made the emergency call as analysis targets. Item 7: The communication control device according to any one of items 1 to 6, wherein the analysis target designation unit is configured using an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem). Item 8: The communication control device according to any one of items 2 to 7, wherein the at least one processor executes: detecting an emergency call from a communication device in a communication cell that includes jurisdiction areas of a plurality of emergency response organizations using an emergency call detection unit; estimating the jurisdiction area in which the communication device is located based on analysis of at least one of the time and area of ​​the analysis target; and connecting the emergency call to an emergency response organization of the estimated jurisdiction area using a connection control unit.Item 9: The communication control device according to item 8, wherein the jurisdiction area estimation unit includes geographical information related to the jurisdiction area in which the communication device is located in the estimation result based on an analysis of at least one of the time and area of ​​the analysis target. Item 10: The analysis target designation unit designates, as the analysis target, another communication cell that is adjacent to the communication cell from which the communication device made the emergency call and that includes the jurisdiction area of ​​one emergency response organization, and for the communication cell from which the communication device made the emergency call, the other communication cell designated as the analysis target by the analysis target designation unit is updated based on the estimation result of the jurisdiction area estimation unit. Item 11: The communication control device according to any one of items 8 to 10, wherein, when the designation of the analysis target by the analysis target designation unit is insufficient, the jurisdiction area estimation unit estimates the jurisdiction area in which the communication device is located based on an analysis of an analysis target designated to compensate for the insufficiency. Item 12: The communication control device according to any one of items 8 to 11, wherein the jurisdiction area estimation unit is configured by an NWDAF (Network Data Analytics Function). Item 13: The communication control device according to any one of items 1 to 12, wherein the communication cell including the jurisdiction areas of multiple emergency response agencies is provided by a communication satellite flying in outer space. Item 14: A communication control device comprising at least one processor that performs the following: detecting an emergency call from a communication device in a communication cell including the jurisdiction areas of multiple emergency response agencies by an emergency call detection unit; estimating the jurisdiction area in which the communication device is located by a jurisdiction area estimation unit based on an analysis of a time and area different from at least one of the time and area in which the communication device made the emergency call; and connecting the emergency call to an emergency response agency in the estimated jurisdiction area by a connection control unit. Item 15: A communication control method that performs the following: when it is detected that the communication cell in which the communication device made the emergency call includes the jurisdiction areas of multiple emergency response agencies, designating an analysis target for estimating the jurisdiction area in which the communication device is located.Item 16: A storage medium that stores a communication control program that causes a computer to execute the following: when detecting that a communication cell from which a communication device made an emergency call includes the jurisdiction areas of multiple emergency response organizations, designating an analysis target for estimating the jurisdiction area in which the communication device is located.

[0075] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-001294, filed on January 6, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference.

[0076] The present disclosure relates to specifying an analysis target in estimating a jurisdiction area for an emergency call.

[0077] 1 Wireless communication system, 2 Communication device, 3 Communication control device, 11 5G wireless communication system, 12 4G wireless communication system, 13 Satellite communication system, 31 Emergency call detection unit, 32 Analysis target designation unit, 33 Jurisdiction area estimation unit, 34 Connection control unit, 111 5G base station, 112 5G cell, 121 4G base station, 122 4G cell, 131 Communication satellite, 132 Satellite communication cell, 133 Gateway, JA1 First jurisdiction area, JA2 Second jurisdiction area, JA3 Third jurisdiction area.

Claims

1. When an analysis target specifying unit detects that a communication cell in which a communication device has made an emergency call includes the jurisdiction areas of a plurality of emergency response agencies, specifying an analysis target for estimating the jurisdiction area in which the communication device is located. A communication control device that performs this operation.

2. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the analysis target specifying unit specifies, as an analysis target, at least one of a time and an area that are different from at least one of the time and the area in which the communication device made the emergency call.

3. The communication control device according to claim 2, wherein the analysis target specifying unit specifies, as an analysis target, a past time before the time when the communication device made the emergency call or a future time after the time when the communication device made the emergency call.

4. The communication control device according to claim 2, wherein the analysis target specifying unit specifies, as an analysis target, another communication cell adjacent to the communication cell in which the communication device made the emergency call and including the jurisdiction area of one emergency response agency.

5. The communication control device according to claim 4, wherein the other communication cell specified by the analysis target specifying unit as an analysis target for the communication cell in which the communication device made the emergency call is predetermined.

6. The communication control device according to claim 2, wherein the analysis target specifying unit specifies, as an analysis target, another area within a predetermined distance from the area in which the communication device made the emergency call.

7. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the analysis target specifying unit is constituted by an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem).

8. Detecting an emergency call from a communication device in a communication cell that includes the jurisdiction areas of a plurality of emergency response agencies by an emergency call detection unit; Estimating the jurisdiction area in which the communication device is located based on an analysis of at least one of the time and the area of the analysis target by a jurisdiction area estimation unit; Connecting the emergency call to an emergency response agency in the estimated jurisdiction area by a connection control unit; The communication control device according to claim 2, which performs the above operations.

9. The communication control device according to claim 8, wherein the jurisdiction area estimation unit includes geographical information regarding the jurisdiction area in which the communication device is located in the estimation result based on an analysis of at least one of the time and the area of the analysis target.

10. The analysis target specifying unit designates, as an analysis target, another communication cell that is adjacent to the communication cell in which the communication device has made the emergency notification and that includes the jurisdiction area of one emergency response organization. For the communication cell in which the communication device has made the emergency notification, the other communication cell designated by the analysis target specifying unit as an analysis target is updated based on the estimation result of the jurisdiction area estimation unit. The communication control device according to claim 8.

11. When the designation of the analysis target by the analysis target specifying unit is insufficient, the jurisdiction area estimation unit estimates the jurisdiction area where the communication device is located based on the analysis of the analysis target designated to make up for the insufficiency. The communication control device according to claim 8.

12. The jurisdiction area estimation unit is configured by NWDAF (Network Data Analytics Function). The communication control device according to claim 8.

13. The communication cell including the jurisdiction areas of a plurality of emergency response organizations is provided by a communication satellite flying in space. The communication control device according to claim 1.

14. Detecting an emergency notification from a communication device in a communication cell including the jurisdiction areas of a plurality of emergency response organizations by an emergency notification detection unit; Estimating the jurisdiction area where the communication device is located based on the analysis of at least one of the time and area that is different from the time and area when the communication device has made the emergency notification by a jurisdiction area estimation unit; Connecting the emergency notification to an emergency response organization in the estimated jurisdiction area by a connection control unit; A communication control device that executes the above.

15. A communication control method that, when it is detected that a communication cell in which a communication device has made an emergency notification includes the jurisdiction areas of a plurality of emergency response organizations, specifies an analysis target for estimating the jurisdiction area where the communication device is located.

16. A communication control program that causes a computer to execute the operation of specifying an analysis target for estimating the jurisdiction area where a communication device is located when it is detected that a communication cell in which the communication device has made an emergency notification includes the jurisdiction areas of a plurality of emergency response organizations.