Communication device, communication method, and program

Abstract

This communication device comprises: an application execution unit that executes one or more applications which perform at least data communication; a feature acquisition unit that acquires first features pertaining to the data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed by the application execution unit; a feature output unit that, with regard to a communication path used for the data communication, expresses a second feature indicating one or more desired features for at least one object on the basis of at least one of the first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit; and a transmission unit that transmits the second feature expressed by the feature output unit.

Description

Communication device, communication method, and program

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-167522, filed on September 28, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Conventionally, there have been known techniques for suitably providing a mobile network used by a communication device. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a proposal for a user-centric Radio Access Network (RAN) architecture for Beyond 5G mobile networks, which provides an appropriate virtual network for each User Equipment (UE).

[0003] K. Yamazaki, T. Ohseki, Y. Amano, H. Shinbo, T. Murakami and Y. Kishi, "Proposal for a User-Centric Ran Architecture Towards Beyond 5G," 2021 ITU Kaleidoscope: Connecting Physical and Virtual Worlds (ITU K), Geneva, Switzerland, 2021, pp. 1-7, doi: 10.23919 / ITUK53220.2021.9690496.

[0004] The architecture disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 proposes building and providing an appropriate network for each UE. In the current 5G mobile network architecture, an appropriate network for each application is provided as a slice. However, in 5G network slicing, a slice type according to the application is selected from slices created in advance by the network provider. This configuration has the problem that the granularity of expressing an appropriate network for each UE as shown in Non-Patent Document 1 is coarse.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a communication device, a communication method, and a program that are capable of accurately constructing an appropriate network on a UE-by-UE basis.

[0006] (1) One aspect of the present invention is a communication device including: an application execution unit that executes one or more applications that perform at least data communication; a feature acquisition unit that acquires first features related to the data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed by the application execution unit; a feature output unit that expresses second features indicating one or more desired features for at least one or more objects regarding a communication path used for the data communication based on the at least one or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit; and a transmission unit that transmits the second features expressed by the feature output unit. (2) Another aspect of the present invention is the communication device of (1), wherein the feature output unit expresses the second feature based on situation information, which is information related to a situation and is information other than information related to the application executed by the application execution unit. (3) Another aspect of the present invention is the communication device of (1) or (2), wherein the situation information includes at least information related to a remaining battery level, and the feature output unit expresses the second feature to reduce communication volume when the remaining battery level is low. (4) In another aspect of the present invention, in the communication device of any of (1) to (3) described above, the situation information includes at least information regarding the movement status of the device, and the feature output unit expresses the second feature to establish a communication path that prioritizes communication stability or takes into account the movement route depending on the speed at which the device is moving. (5) In another aspect of the present invention, in the communication device of any of (1) to (4) described above, the situation information includes at least information regarding time, and the feature output unit expresses the second feature to establish a communication path that is timed to coincide with an event starting at a specific time, or to establish a communication path for transmitting data at specific time intervals. (6) In another aspect of the present invention, in the communication device of any of (1) to (5) described above, the situation information includes at least history information regarding the second feature transmitted by the device, and the feature output unit expresses the second feature depending on a difference between the history information and past communication performance.(7) In another aspect of the present invention, in the communication device of any of (1) to (6) described above, the situation information includes at least information transmitted from a communication system that provides a communication path used by the device, and the feature output unit expresses the second feature based on information transmitted from the communication system in response to the second feature transmitted by the device, the information including availability of the second feature and information on the communication performance that can be provided. (8) In another aspect of the present invention, in the communication device of any of (1) to (7) described above, the situation information includes at least information input by a user, and the feature output unit expresses the second feature based on the information input by the user. (9) In another aspect of the present invention, in the communication device of any of (1) to (8) described above, the second feature is expressed by a set of an object, a condition, a value, or a value range. (10) According to another aspect of the present invention, in the communication device of any one of (1) to (9) described above, the feature output unit expresses the second feature by statistically calculating the communication features required for data communication by each of the applications based on at least two or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit. (11) According to another aspect of the present invention, in the communication device of any one of (1) to (10) described above, the feature output unit selects, as the second feature, the communication features required for data communication by the active application based on the at least two or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit. (12) According to another aspect of the present invention, in the communication device of any one of (1) to (11) described above, the first feature includes at least two or more features, and the feature output unit expresses the second feature by individually selecting from two or more features included in each of the first features based on the at least two or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit. (13) Furthermore, one aspect of the present invention is that in any of the communication devices described above in (1) to (11), the transmitting unit transmits the second feature using at least one of the User-Plane (U-Plane) or the Control-Plane (C-Plane).(14) Another aspect of the present invention is a communication method having an application execution step of executing one or more applications that perform at least data communication, a feature acquisition step of acquiring first features related to the data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed by the application execution step, a feature output step of expressing second features indicating one or more desired features for at least one or more objects with respect to a communication path used for the data communication based on the at least one or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition step, and a transmission step of transmitting the second features expressed by the feature output step.(15) Another aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to execute an application execution step of executing one or more applications that perform at least data communication, a feature acquisition step of acquiring first features related to the data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed by the application execution step, a feature output step of expressing second features indicating one or more desired features for at least one or more objects with respect to a communication path used for the data communication based on the at least one or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition step, and a transmission step of transmitting the second features expressed by the feature output step.

[0007] According to the present invention, an effect is obtained in that an appropriate network can be constructed accurately for each UE.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a functional configuration diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram showing a modified example of the functional configuration of a communication device according to the embodiment; FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a series of operations performed by a communication device according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of use of a communication device according to the embodiment; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a first modified example of use of a communication device according to the embodiment; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second modified example of use of a communication device according to the embodiment; FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a communication device according to the embodiment;

[0009] A communication device, a communication method, and a program according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and includes various modifications and improvements. In other words, the components described below include those that would be easily conceivable to a person skilled in the art or that are substantially identical, and the components described below can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, in the drawings, the scale and number of components may differ from the scale and number of the actual components to make each configuration easier to understand.

[0010] [Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a functional configuration diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment. First, an example of the functional configuration of a communication device 10 will be described with reference to the diagram. The communication device 10 includes one or more applications, a feature acquisition unit 11, a feature output unit 12, and a transmission unit 13. The one or more applications are executed by an application execution unit (not shown) included in the communication device 10. The diagram shows an example in which three applications, App1, App2, and App3, are executed. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this example.

[0012] The application execution unit executes one or more applications. When the application execution unit executes two or more applications, it is preferable that at least one of the applications performs data communication. The communication device 10 may be, for example, a user terminal (User Equipment; UE) that can access a mobile network. An application operates at least partially on the communication device 10 and utilizes the communication functions of the communication device 10. Examples of applications include applications designed to use specific Internet services such as web browsers, cloud services, video sites, image sites, SNS, and games, tools for sending and receiving sensor data, and tools for remotely controlling other devices.

[0013] The feature acquisition unit 11 acquires features of communication performed by an application. The feature acquisition unit 11 may acquire the communication features directly from the application, or may acquire the communication features indirectly via an application execution unit or the like. The feature acquisition unit 11 transmits information related to the acquired features to the feature output unit 12. The features of communication performed by an application are acquired for each application. The features of communication performed by an application are information that can be used to determine the level of communication performance desired by the application. The communication performance includes, for example, at least one of delay time, throughput, availability of a communication path, and stability.

[0014] In the following description, the communication feature acquired by the feature acquisition unit 11 from each application may be referred to as a first feature. The first feature relates to data communication performed by each of one or more applications executed by the application execution unit. The first feature is a feature of communication performed by an application, and may specifically be communication statistical information for each application, an intent embedded in each application, or other information.

[0015] For example, the communication characteristics acquired by the characteristics acquisition unit 11 may be a log including a communication log of an application, or statistical information of the log. In this case, the communication device 10 can acquire information such as the communication volume and communication time used by the application by acquiring the log information. The communication volume and communication time used by the application can be used to determine the communication performance desired by the application.

[0016] Furthermore, for example, the communication characteristics acquired by the characteristics acquisition unit 11 may be information about desired communication performance embedded in an application. For example, in a video viewing application, it is possible to predict in advance the recommended throughput value depending on the image quality of the video to be viewed. In such a case, by embedding information about the desired communication performance in the application in advance, it is possible to convey the desired communication performance to the characteristics acquisition unit 11 from the first time the application is used.

[0017] The feature acquisition unit 11 may convert the communication features performed by the application before transmitting them to the feature output unit 12. For example, if the data format of the communication features that can be acquired varies depending on the application, the features may be converted into a standardized data format within the feature acquisition unit 11 before transmitting them to the feature output unit. This conversion may be performed by the application execution unit rather than the feature acquisition unit 11, or may be incorporated as a function within each application.

[0018] The feature output unit 12 acquires features of communication performed by the application (i.e., first features) from the feature acquisition unit 11. The feature output unit 12 expresses desired features based on at least one or more first features. The desired features are not the communication performance required by each application, but the communication performance desired for the communication device 10 as a whole. The communication performance desired by the feature output unit 12 is expressed in a form including one or more desired features for one or more objects with respect to the data communication path used by the communication device 10. For example, the feature output unit 12 may express the object as "wireless access network" and the desired feature as "delay of 10 ms (milliseconds) or less."

[0019] In the following description, the desired feature expressed by the feature output unit 12 may be referred to as a second feature. Specifically, the second feature may be characteristics or expectation targets.

[0020] Furthermore, the number of outputs of the desired communication performance is not limited to the case where it matches the number of inputs of the communication features obtained from the feature acquisition unit 11. This is because the communication features of each application may be summed or decomposed to obtain the desired communication performance of the communication device 10 as a whole.

[0021] The transmitter 13 transmits the communication performance desired for the entire communication device 10 output from the feature output unit 12 (i.e., the second feature expressed by the feature output unit 12) to an outside of the communication device 10. The destination to which the transmitter 13 transmits information may be, for example, a communication system (not shown) that provides a communication path used by the communication device 10. By the transmitter 13 transmitting information to an outside, the communication system can provide an appropriate communication path in accordance with the communication performance desired by the communication device 10.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram showing a modified functional configuration of a communication device according to this embodiment. A modified functional configuration of the communication device 10 will be described with reference to the diagram. In the example shown in FIG. 2, components similar to those already described in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In the communication device 10 shown in FIG. 2, the feature acquisition unit 11 acquires situation information, which is information about a situation, in addition to a first feature related to an application executed by the application execution unit. The situation information is information other than information related to the application executed by the application execution unit. The feature output unit 12 expresses a second feature based on the situation information. The situation information is, for example, information obtained from sources other than the application performing data communication, such as various information obtained from inside and outside the communication device 10. Specific examples of situation information will be described in detail below.

[0023] For example, the status information may be information regarding the remaining battery power of the communication device 10. When the remaining battery power of the communication device 10 is low, the communication device 10 may perform control to reduce the amount of communication in order to extend the operating time of the communication device 10. Therefore, when the feature output unit 12 determines that the remaining battery power is low based on the status information, the feature output unit 12 may express the second feature to reduce the amount of communication.

[0024] For example, the situation information may be information about the movement status of the device itself (i.e., the communication device 10). The information about the movement status may include location information obtained from a position sensor (e.g., a GPS acquisition unit, etc.) not shown, speed information obtained from a speed sensor not shown, acceleration information obtained from an acceleration sensor not shown, etc. When the device itself begins to move at high speed, the communication device 10 may perform control such as prioritizing communication stability or requesting the establishment of a communication path taking into account the movement route. Therefore, the feature output unit 12 may express the second feature to prioritize communication stability or establish a communication path taking into account the movement route, depending on the speed at which the device itself is moving, based on the situation information.

[0025] For example, the situation information may be information related to time. The communication device 10 may desire to establish a communication path for an event starting at a specific time or a communication path for transmitting data at specific time intervals. Therefore, the feature output unit 12 may express the second feature based on the situation information to establish a communication path for an event starting at a specific time or a communication path for transmitting data at specific time intervals.

[0026] For example, the situation information may be history information regarding the second feature transmitted by the communication device 10. The communication device 10 may compare the history information with a difference between the communication performance of past data communications to determine the necessity of transmission. Therefore, the feature output unit 12 may express the second feature according to the difference between the history information and past communication performance based on the situation information.

[0027] For example, the status information may be information transmitted from a communication system (not shown) that provides a communication path used by the communication device 10. When the communication system responds with information on whether the second feature can be provided or on the communication performance that can be provided in response to the second feature once transmitted by the communication device 10, the communication device 10 may transmit the second feature taking that information into consideration. Therefore, the feature output unit 12 may express the second feature based on the status information and the information transmitted from the communication system in response to the second feature once transmitted by the communication device 10 on whether the second feature can be provided or on the communication performance that can be provided.

[0028] For example, the situation information may be information input by a user of the communication device 10. For example, information is input to the communication device 10 based on a predetermined operation performed by the user, such as character input, voice input, or selection of an option on a user interface screen. The user may be configured to directly input information regarding desired communication performance (i.e., the second feature). In this case, the feature output unit 12 may express the second feature based on the information input by the user indicated in the situation information.

[0029] 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a series of operations performed by the communication device according to this embodiment. An example of the operation of the communication device 10 will be described with reference to the diagram. The description with reference to the diagram is based on the configuration in which the communication device 10 performs processing based on situation information (i.e., the functional configuration shown in FIG. 2).

[0030] (Step S1) First, the feature acquisition unit 11 detects a start trigger and starts operation. A start trigger is generated mainly when there is a possibility that the communication performance desired by the communication device 10 should be reconsidered. For example, a start trigger may be generated periodically based on time. The start trigger may also be generated based on a change in an application. For example, the start trigger may be generated in response to a change in the operation status of an application, such as starting, stopping, activating, or deactivating an application. The start trigger may also be generated based on a change in status information. For example, the start trigger may be generated in response to a change in status information, such as the remaining battery level, movement status, the time or duration of an event, or data reception from a communication system. The start trigger may also be generated in response to a command instruction from a user, etc.

[0031] (Step S2) Next, the feature acquisition unit 11 transmits a request to the application to acquire a feature (first feature) of the communication performed by the application. If necessary, the feature acquisition unit also transmits a request to a component that stores the status information to acquire a feature related to status information other than the application. While this information may be acquired in response to a request from the feature acquisition unit 11, it may also be transmitted unilaterally. Examples of unilateral transmission include cases where the application or the component that stores the status information transmits the information at a predetermined timing. When the application or the status information is transmitted unilaterally, step S2 can be omitted.

[0032] (Step S3) The application started by the application execution unit transmits the characteristics of the communication performed by the application as first characteristics to the characteristics acquisition unit 11. The configuration unit that holds the situation information transmits characteristics related to the situation information to the characteristics acquisition unit 11. The characteristic transmission process performed in step S3 may be in response to the request in step S2, or may be performed spontaneously.

[0033] (Step S4) The feature acquisition unit 11 converts the features received in step S3 as necessary. For example, when the data formats of the communication features that can be acquired differ for each application, the conversion process may involve converting the data into a standardized data format within the feature acquisition unit 11. The data format converted by the conversion process may be a format that includes one or more desired features for one or more objects, such as that output by the feature output unit 12. The order of steps S3 and S4 may be reversed, and the conversion process may be performed within the application.

[0034] (Step S5 ) The feature acquisition unit 11 transmits the acquired features to the feature output unit 12 .

[0035] (Step S6) The feature output unit 12 outputs desired communication performance for the entire communication device 10 based on the information received from the feature acquisition unit 11. The desired communication performance is expressed in a form including one or more desired features for one or more objects with respect to the communication path used by the communication device 10. The feature expressed by the feature output unit 12 based on the first feature acquired by the feature acquisition unit 11 may be referred to as a second feature.

[0036] Here, the desired feature expressed by the feature output unit 12 may be expressed by a set of a target, a condition, a value, or a value range related to an object. For example, if the object is a "wireless access network" and the desired feature is to be expressed as "a delay of 10 ms (milliseconds) or less," the target would be "delay," the condition would be "or less," and the value would be "10 ms."

[0037] Constraints on the object, desired characteristics, and desired communication performance may also be set. For example, a constraint on the desired characteristics may be expressed as "a delay of 10 ms or less for the wireless access network between 9:00 and 12:00."

[0038] Here, the application execution unit may execute multiple applications simultaneously. In such a case, communication characteristics are acquired from each application. In other words, the first characteristics may include multiple characteristics. When the first characteristics include at least two or more characteristics, the characteristic output unit 12 derives communication characteristics desired for the communication device 10 as a whole based on these characteristics. The characteristic output unit 12 may employ the following method when deriving communication characteristics desired for the communication device 10 as a whole.

[0039] The first method is to select a maximum value, a minimum value, a sum value, and an average value from the communication characteristics of the applications. The feature output unit 12 can also express the second characteristics by statistically calculating the communication characteristics required for data communication by each application based on at least two or more first characteristics acquired by the feature acquisition unit 11. The statistical calculation includes various calculations in addition to calculating the maximum value, minimum value, sum value, and average value. For example, if a first application has a communication characteristic of "10 ms or less" and a second application has a communication characteristic of "20 ms or less" for the same object "wireless access network," the feature output unit 12 may derive the minimum value, "10 ms or less," as the desired communication performance of the communication device 10 as a whole.

[0040] The second method is to select or prioritize the communication characteristics of the active application. The characteristic output unit 12 may select, as the second characteristic, the communication characteristics required for data communication by the active application based on at least two or more first characteristics acquired by the characteristic acquisition unit 11. For example, in a case where a first application for remote control by a user has a communication characteristic of "a delay of 10 ms or less" and a second application has a communication characteristic of "a delay of 20 ms or less," and only the second application is actively used, the characteristic output unit 12 may derive the characteristic of the second application, "a delay of 20 ms or less," as the communication performance desired for the entire communication device 10.

[0041] The third method is to decompose the communication characteristics of an application into individual characteristics. For example, in the case of an application that allows interactive operation of transmitted video, communication characteristics for both throughput and delay may be obtained, such as "throughput is 200 Mbps" and "delay is 10 ms." In this case, if it is not necessary to satisfy each communication characteristic with a single communication path, the characteristic output unit 12 may output each communication characteristic as an individual characteristic for a different communication path. In other words, the characteristic output unit 12 may express the second characteristic by individually selecting from two or more characteristics included in each of the at least two or more first characteristics acquired by the characteristic acquisition unit 11.

[0042] As a variation of the third method, communication characteristics for both throughput and latency may be obtained, such as "a throughput of 200 Mbps or more is recommended for video transmission" and "a latency of 10 ms or less is recommended for operation." Typically, a desired communication performance may be derived that includes both "a throughput of 200 Mbps or more" and "a latency of 10 ms or less" as desired characteristics. However, because a communication path that simultaneously satisfies high speed and low latency requires a large amount of network resources, it may be determined that such a communication path is inappropriate, for example, when a communication system providing the communication path responds that the path is unavailable or warns about resource consumption. In such cases, the communication device 10 may consider each communication characteristic to be a separate characteristic for a separate communication path, considering that it is not necessary to satisfy each communication characteristic with a single communication path. For example, the communication characteristics for the video communication path may be derived as the first desired communication performance, and the communication characteristics for the operation communication path may be derived as the second desired communication performance. Furthermore, the application side may include information indicating whether or not it is necessary to satisfy the characteristics of each communication with one communication path as the characteristics of the communication performed by the application.

[0043] A fourth method is to construct a learning model using feedback of past derivations of desired communication performance. In this case, the communication device 10 may have, for example, a function to have the user confirm and evaluate the derived desired communication performance. Furthermore, by incorporating a model that learns the results of the user's confirmation and evaluation, the communication device 10 can subsequently derive desired communication performance that reflects user feedback based on similar communication characteristics.

[0044] (Step S7) The feature output unit 12 determines whether to transmit the derived desired communication performance. For example, if the desired communication performance has not changed from the previously transmitted desired communication performance and there is no need to retransmit the derived desired communication performance to the outside, the feature output unit 12 does not transmit the desired communication performance through the transmitter 13 and ends the process.

[0045] (Step S8) If it is determined in step S7 that the desired communication performance is to be transmitted to the outside, the characteristic output unit 12 transmits the desired communication performance to the transmission unit 13.

[0046] (Step S9) The transmitter 13 transmits the desired communication performance to the outside.

[0047] 4 is a diagram showing an example of use of the communication device according to this embodiment. An example of use of the communication device 10 will be described with reference to the same figure. Here, the communication device 10 is assumed to be a terminal that can access a mobile network. In this case, the communication path used by the terminal is the mobile network, and the communication system that provides the communication path is the system of the mobile network operator.

[0048] When the communication device 10 sends the desired communication performance (i.e., the second characteristic described above) to the system of a mobile network operator, the communication performance may be sent to the reception system 20 provided by the mobile network operator, for example. The connection from the communication device 10 to the reception system 20 may use the User-Plane (U-Plane), which is a communication path that can be used for normal mobile network access. For example, the connection from the communication device to the reception system 20 may be made using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (Secure) (HTTP(S)) from a web browser, or an Application Programming Interface (API) may be used from an application for connecting to the reception system 20.

[0049] The reception system 20 communicates the desired communication performance to the control device 30 of the mobile network operator, and the control device 30 establishes a communication path in accordance with the desired communication performance. The control device 30 communicates connection information of the communication path to the communication device 10 via the reception system 20, and the communication device 10 is able to communicate using the established communication path. In the illustrated example, a communication path is established using a RAN 40 and a Core 50.

[0050] 5 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the use of the communication device according to this embodiment. The first modified example of the use of the communication device 10 will be described with reference to the same figure. In this example, when the communication device 10 transmits desired communication performance, it uses the Control-Plane (C-Plane), a communication path that can be used for normal mobile network access. When the communication device 10 transmits desired communication performance more frequently, processing is performed on the C-Plane, thereby avoiding the concentration of load on the reception system.

[0051] For example, a mobile network operator may distribute the devices and systems it provides in specific areas, etc. The desired communication performance transmitted from the communication device 10 passes through a radio access network (RAN 41) and is sent to equipment in a core network (Core 51). For example, the Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol may be used to connect from the communication device 10 to the Core 51. When using the NAS protocol, for example, a Message Type for transmitting the desired communication performance may be defined, or an Information Element related to information regarding the desired communication performance may be defined. The Core 51 communicates the desired communication performance to the control device 30 of the mobile network operator. The control device 30 establishes a communication path in accordance with the desired communication performance. The control device 30 communicates connection information for the communication path to the communication device 10 via the Core 51. The communication device 10 is then able to communicate using the established communication path. In the illustrated example, a communication path is established using a RAN 42 and a core 52 .

[0052] When desired communication performance (intent) is exchanged using C-Plane signals, the communication carrier can scale processing performance by designing the Core 51 and RAN 42 that receive the intent in a distributed manner. For example, as a specific example, it is conceivable to install separate facilities for the Core 51 and RAN 42 for each area where the communication device 10 is located.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a second modified example of the use of the communication device according to this embodiment. The second modified example of the use of the communication device 10 will be described with reference to the same figure. In this example, the desired communication performance transmitted from the communication device 10 may use the C-Plane, as in the example described with reference to FIG. 5, but the destination is the equipment of the RAN 41. For example, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol may be used to connect from the communication device 10 to the RAN 41. The RAN 41 communicates the desired communication performance to the control device 30 of the mobile network operator, and the control device 30 establishes a communication path in accordance with the desired communication performance. The control device 30 communicates connection information of the communication path to the communication device 10 via the RAN 41. The communication device 10 can communicate using the established communication path. In the illustrated example, a communication path is established using the RAN 42 and the core 52.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a communication device according to this embodiment. At least some of the functions of the communication device can be implemented using a computer. As shown in the figure, the computer includes a central processing unit 901, a RAM 902, an input / output port 903, input / output devices 904 and 905, and a bus 906. The computer itself can be implemented using existing technology. The central processing unit 901 executes instructions contained in a program read from the RAM 902 or the like. In accordance with each instruction, the central processing unit 901 writes data to the RAM 902, reads data from the RAM 902, and performs arithmetic and logical operations. The RAM 902 stores data and programs. Each element included in the RAM 902 has an address and can be accessed using the address. Note that RAM stands for "random access memory." The input / output port 903 is a port through which the central processing unit 901 exchanges data with external input / output devices. The input / output devices 904 and 905 are input / output devices. The input / output devices 904 and 905 exchange data with the central processing unit 901 via the input / output port 903. The bus 906 is a common communication path used within the computer. For example, the central processing unit 901 reads and writes data from and to the RAM 902 via the bus 906. Also, for example, the central processing unit 901 accesses the input / output port via the bus 906. Furthermore, all or part of the functional units provided in the communication device may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC, a PLD, or an FPGA. Furthermore, all or part of the functional units may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

[0055] [Summary of the embodiment] According to the present embodiment, the communication device 10 includes an application execution unit that executes at least one application that performs data communication; a feature acquisition unit 11 that acquires first features related to the data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed by the application execution unit (i.e., the features of the communication performed by each application); a feature output unit 12 that expresses second features indicating one or more desired features for at least one or more objects regarding a communication path used for data communication based on the at least one or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit 11 (i.e., the communication features desired for the communication device 10 as a whole); and a transmission unit 13 that transmits the second features expressed by the feature output unit 12.

[0056] By adopting such a configuration, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to construct and provide an appropriate network depending on the application being used and the situation information. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the accuracy of expressing an appropriate network for the communication device 10 as a whole, taking into consideration the characteristics of the application. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to construct and provide an appropriate network.

[0057] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like are also included within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0058] Furthermore, a computer program for implementing the functions of each of the above-described devices may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program may be read and executed by a computer system. The term "computer system" may also include hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. The term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a writable nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, a portable medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a storage device such as a hard disk built into a computer system.

[0059] Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" also includes a storage medium that stores a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory (e.g., DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)) within a computer system that serves as a server or client when the program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. The program may also be transmitted from a computer system that stores the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by transmission waves within the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" that transmits the program refers to a medium that has the function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line. The program may also be a program that realizes part of the aforementioned functions. Furthermore, the program may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can realize the aforementioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

[0060] According to the present invention, it is possible to construct an appropriate network for each UE with high accuracy.

[0061] 10... communication device, 11... feature acquisition unit, 12... feature output unit, 13... transmission unit, 20... reception system, 30... control device, 40, 41, 42... RAN, 50, 51, 52... Core

Claims

1. A communications device comprising: an application execution unit that executes one or more applications that perform at least data communication; a feature acquisition unit that acquires a first feature related to the data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed by the application execution unit; a feature output unit that expresses a second feature indicating one or more desired features for at least one or more objects regarding a communication path used for the data communication based on the at least one or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit; and a transmission unit that transmits the second feature expressed by the feature output unit.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic output unit expresses a second characteristic based on situation information, which is information other than information related to the application executed by the application execution unit and is information related to a situation.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the status information includes at least information relating to a remaining battery level, and the characteristic output unit expresses a second characteristic to suppress communication volume when the remaining battery level becomes low.

4. The communication device of claim 2, wherein the situation information includes at least information regarding the movement status of the device itself, and the characteristic output unit expresses a second characteristic so as to prioritize communication stability or establish a communication path taking into account the movement route depending on the speed at which the device itself is moving.

5. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the situation information includes at least information relating to time, and the characteristic output unit expresses a second characteristic to establish a communication path in accordance with an event starting at a specific time, or to establish a communication path for transmitting data at specific time intervals.

6. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the status information includes at least historical information regarding a second characteristic transmitted by the device itself, and the characteristic output unit expresses the second characteristic according to a difference between the historical information and past communication performance.

7. The communication device of claim 2, wherein the status information includes at least information transmitted from a communication system that provides a communication path used by the device itself, and the characteristic output unit expresses the second characteristic based on information received from the communication system in response to the second characteristic once transmitted by the device itself, such as whether the second characteristic can be provided and the communication performance that can be provided.

8. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the situation information includes at least information input by a user, and the feature output unit expresses a second feature based on the information input by the user.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the second characteristic is expressed by a set of objects, conditions, values, or ranges.

10. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the feature output unit expresses a second feature by performing statistical calculations on the communication features required for data communication by each of the applications based on at least two or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit.

11. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the feature output unit selects, as a second feature, a communication feature required for data communication by the active application based on at least two or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit.

12. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first features include at least two or more features, and the feature output unit expresses the second features by individually selecting from two or more features included in each of the first features based on the at least two or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition unit.

13. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits the second characteristic using at least one of a User-Plane (U-Plane) and a Control-Plane (C-Plane).

14. A communication method comprising: an application execution step of executing one or more applications that perform at least data communication; a feature acquisition step of acquiring a first feature related to the data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed by the application execution step; a feature output step of expressing a second feature indicating one or more desired features for at least one or more objects regarding a communication path used for data communication based on the at least one or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition step; and a transmission step of transmitting the second feature expressed by the feature output step.

15. A program causing a computer to execute the following steps: an application execution step of executing one or more applications that at least perform data communication; a feature acquisition step of acquiring a first feature related to the data communication performed by each of the one or more applications executed by the application execution step; a feature output step of expressing a second feature indicating one or more desired features for at least one or more objects with respect to a communication path used for data communication based on the at least one or more first features acquired by the feature acquisition step; and a transmission step of transmitting the second feature expressed by the feature output step.

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