Communication control device, wireless communication system, communication control method, and communication control program

Abstract

A communication control device (100) comprises an acquisition unit (131), a generation unit (132), a determination unit (133), and a control unit (134). The acquisition unit (131) acquires, as context information of a user of a terminal device (30), traffic information relating to traffic generated by the terminal device (30) for wireless communication with a base station (20), and movement information relating to movement of the terminal device (30) corresponding to the traffic. The generation unit (132) learns the relationship between the context information and result information indicating whether or not a frequency band, among frequency bands that the base station (20) can handle, that was used by the terminal device (30) when the context information was acquired is optimal for the context information, thereby generating a model indicating the tendency of user context corresponding to the frequency band. The determination unit (133) determines, on the basis of the model, a frequency band to be used that the terminal device (30) is allowed to use preferentially in wireless communication. The control unit (134) performs control so that wireless communication is executed in the frequency band to be used.

Description

COMMUNICATION CONTROL DEVICE, WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, COMMUNICATION CONTROL METHOD, AND COMMUNICATION CONTROL PROGRAM

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication control device, a wireless communication system, a communication control method, and a communication control program.

[0002] Recently, with the widespread use of smartphones and tablet terminal devices, wireless communication systems (wireless cellular network systems) have been established in various locations. Terminal devices, also known as mobile stations, perform handovers to switch wireless base stations as they move. Therefore, technologies have been proposed to achieve low-latency handovers.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-123341

[0004] When focusing on the traffic (e.g., traffic volume and traffic behavior) generated by a terminal device in response to user operations, there are cases where some terminal devices have traffic that is not large enough to require the use of a high-frequency band, and sufficient communication quality can be ensured even if the terminal device is made to use a mid-frequency band or a low-frequency band. On the other hand, there are cases where some terminal devices have traffic that is insufficient to use a mid-frequency band or a low-frequency band, and therefore should be made to use a high-frequency band to improve communication quality.

[0005] In this way, it can be said that there is an optimal frequency band that a terminal device should use in terms of traffic. However, because the base station determines the priority of frequency bands, the terminal device will communicate wirelessly with the base station by using a specific frequency band preferentially in accordance with the priority determined by the base station, regardless of traffic.

[0006] This leads to a problem of many terminal devices using a specific frequency band, resulting in a shortage of wireless resources. Furthermore, terminal devices generally perform cell searches starting from high-frequency bands, which are set to a higher priority, and therefore tend to standby in cells in high-frequency bands. This results in frequent handovers due to terminal devices connecting to base stations using high-frequency bands with narrow coverage, which is also a problem.

[0007] For these reasons, there is a need to optimize the frequency bands used by terminal devices. However, the above-mentioned conventional technology simply determines frequencies predicted to be available using machine learning as the frequencies to be used for wireless communication, and does not take into account the traffic of the terminal devices when determining the frequency bands to be used. For this reason, the above-mentioned conventional technology does not necessarily optimize the frequency bands to be used by terminal devices.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention proposes a communication control device, a wireless communication system, a communication control method, and a communication control program that can optimize frequency bands used by terminal devices. As will be described later, the communication control device may be implemented as, for example, a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC).

[0009] In order to solve the above problem, one embodiment of a communication control device according to the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires, as context information of a user of a terminal device, traffic information regarding traffic generated by the terminal device in wireless communication with a base station and movement information regarding movement of the terminal device in response to the traffic; a generation unit that generates a model that indicates the tendency of the user's context according to frequency band by learning result information indicating whether or not a frequency band used by the terminal device when the context information was acquired, among frequency bands that the base station can support, is optimal for the context information; a determination unit that determines a target frequency band to be used preferentially by the terminal device in the wireless communication based on the model; and a control unit that controls the wireless communication to be performed in the target frequency band.

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to optimize the frequency bands used by terminal devices.

[0011] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the problem of frequent handovers. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram simply illustrating the architecture of a 5G core of a wireless communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram conceptually illustrating advantages of installing a communication control device in a regional center. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an AI-RAN. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a communication control device according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the procedure of a learning process implemented in a wireless communication system. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the procedure of an inference process implemented in a wireless communication system. FIG. 9 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating an example of a computer that implements the functions of a communication control device according to the embodiment.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0013] One or more embodiments (including examples, modifications, and application examples) described below can be implemented independently. However, at least a portion of the embodiments described below may be implemented in appropriate combination with at least a portion of another embodiment. These embodiments may include novel features that are different from one another. Therefore, these embodiments may contribute to solving different purposes or problems and may produce different effects.

[0014] (Embodiment) [1. Introduction] Assume a situation in which an unspecified number of users are using their own terminal devices on a public transportation vehicle (e.g., a train). In this case, the movement status of the terminal devices is the same, but the usage status of the terminal device varies from user to user. For example, there may be terminal devices that acquire data with a high traffic volume in response to a user's video viewing operation, and there may also be terminal devices that acquire data with a low traffic volume in response to a user's still image viewing operation. In addition, there may also be terminal devices in a standby state in which the user is not performing any operation and no wireless communication with a base station is occurring.

[0015] In this case, from the viewpoint of communication quality, it is appropriate to have terminal devices with a high traffic volume use a high frequency band, whereas for terminal devices with a low or no traffic volume, it may be possible to ensure sufficient communication quality by having them use a medium or low frequency band.

[0016] However, as described above, currently, the priority of frequency bands is determined by the base station, so that terminal devices communicate wirelessly with the base station by using specific frequency bands preferentially in accordance with the priority determined by the base station, regardless of traffic. As a result, many terminal devices tend to use specific frequency bands, resulting in a problem of a shortage of wireless resources.

[0017] In addition, base stations generally have a priority system that prioritizes high frequency bands. In this case, a terminal device performs a cell search starting from a high frequency band with a high priority, and thus sets a cell in the high frequency band as its standby destination. As a result, the terminal device moves while connected to a base station using a high frequency band with narrow coverage, resulting in frequent handovers. This point will be explained using FIG. 1.

[0018] 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the problem of frequent handovers. In FIG. 1, base stations gNB1, gNB2, and gNB3 are shown as examples of base stations gNB for the fifth generation (5G), and these base stations gNB are adjacent to each other. In other words, the cell formed by base station gNB1, the cell formed by base station gNB2, and the cell formed by base station gNB3 are adjacent to each other, and as shown in FIG. 1, they partially overlap.

[0019] In the example of Figure 1, base station gNB1 corresponds to three frequency bands, high, medium, and low, and forms high frequency band cell CE11, medium frequency band cell CE12, and low frequency band cell CE13. Base station gNB3 also corresponds to three frequency bands, high, medium, and low, and forms high frequency band cell CE31, medium frequency band cell CE32, and low frequency band cell CE33. On the other hand, base station gNB2 corresponds only to the high frequency band and forms high frequency band cell CE21.

[0020] In this example, an overlapping area H1 occurs between cells CE11 and CE21, and an overlapping area H2 occurs between cells CE21 and CE31. Furthermore, an overlapping area M1 occurs between cells CE12 and CE32, and an overlapping area L1 occurs between cells CE13 and CE33. From this example, it can be seen that there are often more overlapping areas between cells corresponding to high frequency bands than between cells corresponding to medium or low frequency bands.

[0021] Here, considering a situation in which the terminal device UE is handed over from the base station gNB1 to the base station gNB3, when moving between cells of a medium or low frequency band, one handover in one overlapping area (overlapping area M1 or overlapping area L1) is sufficient, but when moving between cells of a high frequency band, two handovers in two overlapping areas (overlapping area H1 and overlapping area H2) occur. Also, when the terminal device UE travels between the base station gNB1 and the base station gNB3, more handovers occur when using a high frequency band than when using a medium or low frequency band.

[0022] In other words, from the example of Figure 1, it can be seen that the terminal device UE performs more handovers when using a high frequency band than when using a medium or low frequency band, and communication delays can also be large when the handover frequency is high. To reduce delays, it is necessary to reduce the frequency of handovers. However, terminal devices with a high traffic volume should be made to use a high frequency band. On the other hand, it is considered acceptable to make terminal devices with a low traffic volume or no traffic volume use a medium or low frequency band.

[0023] In this way, each terminal apparatus UE has an optimal frequency band according to traffic trends. Therefore, the inventor of the present invention has noticed that if the frequency band to be used preferentially by the terminal apparatus UE is optimized according to traffic trends, the handover problem in FIG. 1 can also be optimized.

[0024] However, in the current situation where specifications are set on the base station gNB side that give priority to high frequency bands for terminal devices UE, all terminal devices UE will use high frequency bands regardless of their own traffic, and as a result, the handover problem in Figure 1 cannot be optimized.

[0025] Here, identification information called a Subscriber Profile I (SPID) indicating the priority of the communication method is known to any terminal device UE. The base station gNB can instruct the terminal device UE on the frequency band set in the SPID. However, the SPID is not intended to be dynamically changed. Therefore, basically, in a state where there is no SPID, the terminal device UE stands by in a frequency band according to the priority determined by the base station gNB, and when there is an SPID, it stands by in a frequency band set in that SPID.

[0026] That is, the proposed technology of the present invention is an idea that takes advantage of the characteristic that the SPID can be used to control the frequency band to be used preferentially. More specifically, the proposed technology of the present invention grasps the correlation between the result information indicating whether the frequency band used by the terminal device UE is optimal among the frequency bands supported by the base station gNB and the user context of the terminal device UE, and determines the frequency band to be used preferentially by the terminal device UE in wireless communication with the base station gNB based on the grasped correlation. For example, the proposed technology of the present invention determines the optimal frequency band to be used as the frequency band to be used when a certain trend can be detected between the movement status (movement route) of the terminal device UE used by the user and the network usage status (traffic status) in a specific frequency band as the user context.

[0027] The background and overview of the present invention have been described above. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described on the assumption that it is applied to a 3GPP (registered trademark) LTE / LTE-Advanced wireless communication system and a next-generation NR (New Radio) wireless communication system of the fifth generation or later. However, the concept of the present invention can be applied to any system using a similar configuration.

[0028] A communication control device according to an embodiment described herein acquires, as user context information of a terminal device, traffic information related to traffic generated by the terminal device in wireless communication with a base station and movement information related to movement of the terminal device in response to the traffic. The communication control device then generates a model indicating trends in user context according to frequency bands by learning result information indicating whether a frequency band used by the terminal device when the context information was acquired, among frequency bands supported by the base station, is optimal for the context information and the relationship with the context information. The communication control device then determines a target frequency band to be preferentially used by the terminal device in wireless communication based on the model. The communication control device also controls a wireless communication system (wireless cellular network system) so that wireless communication is performed in the target frequency band.

[0029] 2. Overview of System Configuration Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a system 1 according to the present embodiment. According to the example of Fig. 2, the system 1 includes a wireless communication system (wireless cellular network system) 5 including a communication control device 100 according to the embodiment.

[0030] 2, a wireless communication system 5 according to the embodiment is a cellular mobile communication system conforming to the fifth-generation standard specifications, and includes a 5G core network 10, a plurality of base stations 20, and a plurality of terminal devices 30. Each terminal device 30 performs data communication (packet communication) with an external device of a cloud system (cloud) 70 via the base station 20 and further via the 5G core 10 and the Internet 60. In 5G, the base station 20 is called a gNodeB (gNB).

[0031] 2, an area 10A covered by the wireless communication system 5 is a service area provided by the wireless communication system 5. The wireless communication system 5 according to the embodiment may be deployed for each area 10A, and as an example, the area 10A may be on a prefecture-by-prefecture basis. That is, the communication control device 100 may be installed for each regional area, such as a prefecture-by-prefecture basis.

[0032] The 5G core 10 is configured by a core network device having various functions (nodes) called network functions. The 5G core 10 corresponds to a part that connects the wireless communication system 5 owned by the telecommunications carrier T to the Internet 60. The telecommunications carrier T here may be a company that provides a connection service SV in which a predetermined frequency band is preferentially used using the communication control device 100 according to the embodiment.

[0033] 2, one area 10A includes base station 20(1) and base station 20(2). As shown in FIG. 1, base station 20(1) and base station 20(2) support multiple frequency bands and form cells corresponding to each frequency band. In FIG. 2, two base stations, 20(1) and 20(2), are shown as an example of base stations 20 included in area 10A, but the number of base stations within area 10A is not limited.

[0034] Each of base station 20 (1) and base station 20 (2) is configured using hardware such as a computer device having a CPU, memory, etc., an external communication interface unit for 5G core 10, a wireless communication unit, etc., and by executing a predetermined program, it is possible to perform wireless communication with terminal device 30, send and receive information with core network device of 5G core 10, and send and receive information with communication control device 100 using a predetermined communication method and wireless communication resources.

[0035] The terminal device 30 is called, for example, user equipment (UE) because it is used by a user of a communication service. Furthermore, since the terminal device 30 is mobile, it may also be called a mobile station or mobile device, or a radio device.

[0036] 2 illustrates a terminal device 30(1) used by a user U1 as an example of the terminal device 30. As the terminal device 30(1) moves, the terminal device 30(1) may perform a handover to switch the base station 20 to which it is connected from the base station 20(1) to the base station 20(2).

[0037] When the terminal device 30(1) is connected to the base station 20(1), it can perform various communications via the base station 20(1), and when connected to the base station 20(2), it can perform various communications via the base station 20(2). The terminal device 30(1) is configured using hardware such as a computer device having a CPU, memory, etc., and a wireless communication unit, and can perform wireless communications with the base station 20 by executing a predetermined program.

[0038] Although Figure 2 shows only one terminal device 30 (1) used by user U1, in reality, multiple terminal devices 30 used by an unspecified number of multiple users U are connected to the base station 20.

[0039] The communication control device 100 is an information processing device that executes communication control processing according to the proposed technique of the present invention. The communication control device 100 acquires, as context information of a user U of a terminal device 30, traffic information related to traffic generated by the terminal device 30 in wireless communication with a base station 20 and movement information related to movement of the terminal device 30 in response to the traffic. The communication control device 100 then learns the relationship between the context information and result information indicating which frequency band the terminal device 30 used among the frequency bands supported by the base station 20, thereby generating a model that indicates the tendency of the user U's context according to the frequency band, and determines a target frequency band to be preferentially used by the terminal device 30 in wireless communication based on the model. The communication control device 100 also controls the wireless communication system 5 so that wireless communication is performed in the target frequency band.

[0040] The communication control device 100 may be provided in the 5G core 10 or may be installed in a remote location such as a data center. For example, the communication control device 100 may be installed in a regional center located in each area 10A. This point will be described later with reference to FIG. 4.

[0041] 3 is a diagram showing a simplified architecture of the 5G core 10 of the wireless communication system 5 according to the embodiment. The 5G core 10 is composed of a control plane portion (C-Plane) as the overall control system of the mobile communication system where control signals are mainly transmitted and received and processed, and a user plane portion (U-Plane) where user data is mainly transmitted and received and processed. In FIG. 3, communication in the C-Plane is shown by dotted lines, and communication in the U-Plane is shown by solid lines.

[0042] The C-Plane includes a UPF (User Plane Function) 101, an SMF (Session Management Function) 102, an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) 103, a UDM (Unified Data Management) 104, and a UDR (Unified Data Repository) 105. A description of the C-Plane will be omitted.

[0043] The UPF 101 has a function of forwarding subscriber communication packets, etc. The SMF 102 has a function of managing subscriber sessions, etc. For example, the SMF 102 acquires information about the base station 20 to which the terminal device 30 is connected from the AMF 103 and establishes a PDU (Packet Data Unit) session.

[0044] The AMF 103 has functions such as subscriber authentication and subscriber mobility management. For example, the AMF 103 performs a series of access management operations, such as querying the UDM 104 and the UDR 105 for subscriber information, authenticating whether the terminal device 30 has a contract with the telecommunications carrier T, and providing connection if authentication is successful. The AMF 103 also manages whether the terminal device 30 is in the cell of which base station 20, so that the terminal device 30 can connect to the nearest base station 20 when the terminal device 30 moves. In other words, the AMF 103 can grasp the movement route of the terminal device 30, i.e., from which base station 20 to which base station 20 it has moved.

[0045] The UDM 104 has a function of managing subscriber information, etc. The UDR 105 has a function of managing a subscriber information database, etc.

[0046] 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the advantages of installing a communication control device 100 in a regional center. For example, in order to support a society in which AI is rapidly evolving, it is necessary to build a next-generation social infrastructure that can accommodate the rapidly increasing demand for data processing and the power required for data processing. Therefore, there is an AI-RAN concept in which a large-scale server group is built in a data center for each region (for example, each area 10A), and vRAN (virtual radio access network), MEC (multi-access edge computing), and AI applications are simultaneously operated and linked on the abundant computing resources.

[0047] FIG. 4 shows a scenario in which a communication control device 100 is applied to the AI-RAN concept. The communication control devices 100 present in each area 10A are AI-RANs having a computational infrastructure and a learning infrastructure, and are distributed across regions. In this way, the communication control devices 100 as an AI-RAN may be cloud servers distributed as edge servers (also known as MEC servers) near the terminal devices 30, and by utilizing a closed network separated from the Internet 60, high speed, large capacity, low latency, etc. can be achieved. Meanwhile, services utilizing data collected by the communication control devices 100 in each region (e.g., large-scale calculations or learning requiring large amounts of power) may be executed on the cloud 70 side via the Internet 60.

[0048] 3. AI-RAN Configuration Figure 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of an AI-RAN. Figure 5 shows the functional configuration of the AI-RAN possessed by the communication control device 100 corresponding to area 10A. First, AI-RAN is an architecture that allows AI and RAN (base station 20) to coexist, and it can maximize the performance of the RAN using AI, while also realizing an ultra-low latency, highly secure computing infrastructure for various AI applications at the regional level.

[0049] 5, the vRAN is a 5G virtualized radio access network in which the GPU of the communication control device 100 virtualizes the RAN, i.e., the base station 20 (the base station 20 included in the area 10A). In other words, the communication control device 100 shown in FIG. 5 is configured as an AI-RAN by further implementing a learning platform (AI) in a virtualization platform environment in which the 5G vRAN and MEC are integrated.

[0050] Furthermore, as an example of realizing a computational infrastructure at a regional level, computational resources corresponding to the base stations 20 included in the area 10A are further provided.

[0051] The learning base portion of the communication control device 100 may correspond to a generating unit 132 (FIG. 6) described later.

[0052] 4. Configuration of communication control device The communication control device 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the communication control device 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 6, the communication control device 100 has a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

[0053] (Regarding the communication unit 110) The communication unit 110 is realized by, for example, a network interface card (NIC), etc. For example, the communication unit 110 performs wireless communication with the 5G core 10 and the base station 20.

[0054] (Regarding the storage unit 120) The storage unit 120 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 120 may store, for example, data and programs related to the communication control process according to the embodiment.

[0055] (Regarding the control unit 130) The control unit 130 is realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or the like using RAM as a work area to execute various programs (for example, a communication control program according to the embodiment) stored in a storage device inside the communication control device 100. The control unit 130 is also realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0056] As shown in Fig. 6, the control unit 130 has an acquisition unit 131, a generation unit 132, a determination unit 133, and a communication control unit 134, and realizes or executes the functions and actions of the information processing described below. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 130 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 6, and may have other configurations as long as they perform the information processing described below. Furthermore, the connection relationships between the processing units of the control unit 130 are not limited to the connection relationships shown in Fig. 6, and may be other connection relationships.

[0057] (Acquisition unit 131) The acquisition unit 131 acquires, as context information of the user U of the terminal device 30, traffic information related to traffic generated by the terminal device 30 in wireless communication with the base station 20 and movement information related to the movement of the terminal device 30 in response to the traffic. The traffic information here includes the concepts of traffic volume or traffic behavior. Furthermore, traffic behavior may indicate a transition in traffic volume over a certain period of time. Furthermore, the movement information related to the movement of the terminal device 30 may include a base station ID indicating a base station to which the terminal device 30 is connected, a base station ID indicating a base station to which the terminal device 30 is switched in response to handover, and the like. In other words, the movement information may include information indicating from which base station 20 the terminal device 30 has moved to which other base station 20.

[0058] The acquisition unit 131 may acquire base station location information indicating the installation location of the base station 20 from a base station design information DB, and may also acquire the movement route of the terminal device 30 by comparing this base station location information with the movement information. The location of the base station design information DB is not limited. For example, the storage unit 120 of the communication control device 100 may have the base station design information DB, or each base station 20 may have its own base station design information DB.

[0059] (Generation unit 132) The generation unit 132 learns the relationship between result information indicating whether the frequency band used by the terminal device 30 when the context information was acquired, among the frequency bands that the base station 20 can support, is optimal for the context information, and the context information, thereby generating a model that indicates the tendency of the context of the user U according to the frequency band. When the context information of a specific user is input, the generation unit 132 causes the model to learn the relationship so as to output the frequency band that is optimal according to the context of the specific user, among the frequency bands that the base station 20 can support.

[0060] The information indicating whether the frequency band used by the terminal device 30 when the context information was acquired is optimal for the context information may be manually labeled, or may be dynamically assigned by providing the generation unit 132 with a rule for labeling.

[0061] In addition, the acquisition unit 131 may further acquire location information of the terminal device as context information of the user U, and in such a case, the generation unit 132 generates a model based on information identified based on the location information of the terminal device 30.

[0062] (Determination unit 133) Based on the model, the determination unit 133 determines a target frequency band to be preferentially used by the terminal device 30 in wireless communication between the terminal device 30 and the base station 20. For example, when context information of a predetermined user U is input to the model, the determination unit 133 determines a target frequency band to be used based on information on the frequency band output by the model.

[0063] (Communication control unit 134) The communication control unit 134 controls wireless communication to be performed in the frequency band to be used. For example, the communication control unit 134 controls the nodes in the 5G core 10 to perform wireless communication in the frequency band to be used.

[0064] (Example of control unit 130) In wireless communication between the terminal device 30 and the base station 20, the context information is associated with first identification information that identifies the user U of the terminal device 30 as a subscriber, and is linked to temporary second identification information that replaces the first identification information. The first identification information is an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). The IMSI is information that identifies the user U or subscriber of the terminal device 30, and in this embodiment, is a number assigned to subscribers who use the services of the telecommunications carrier T. The second identification information is a 5G-S Temporary Mobile Subscription Identifier (5G-S-TMSI). The 5G-S-TMSI (hereinafter abbreviated as "S-TMSI") is a temporary subscription identifier that is assigned to the user U (the terminal device 30 of the user U) instead of the IMSI.

[0065] In wireless communication, the S-TMSI is always used instead of the IMSI. Therefore, the acquisition unit 131 acquires context information associated with the S-TMSI. For example, the acquisition unit 131 acquires, as the target context information to be used in generating a model, context information associated with the S-TMSI corresponding to the IMSI of a subscriber user Ux who subscribes to a connection service SV in which a predetermined frequency band is preferentially used, among users U. In addition, the acquisition unit 131 acquires information on the frequency band used by the terminal device 30 when the target context information was acquired.

[0066] In this case, the generation unit 132 may generate a model for each subscriber user by learning the relationship between the context information and the result information acquired for each subscriber user Ux. Then, the determination unit 133 determines the target frequency band to be preferentially used by the terminal device 30 for each subscriber user based on the model generated for each subscriber user. The target frequency band determined here is also associated with an S-TMSI. Therefore, the communication control unit 134 converts the S-TMSI associated with the target frequency band to an IMSI corresponding to the S-TMSI, and registers the associated information, which associates the converted IMSI with an SPID (third identification information) indicating the priority of the frequency band to be used, in a subscriber information database in which IMSIs are stored. The subscriber information database referred to here may be the UDR 105.

[0067] Here, when the terminal device 30 accesses the base station 20, the AMF 103, which is a core network device of the 5G core 10, performs authentication processing for the terminal device 30 based on the IMSI acquired from the terminal device 30 and the IMSI registered as subscriber information in the UDR 105. If the AMF 103 can authenticate the terminal device 30, it acquires linking information including the IMSI of the terminal device 30 from the UDR 105. That is, the AMF 103 acquires an SPID corresponding to the IMSI of the terminal device 30. Then, the AMF 103 transmits the SPID to the base station 20 to which the terminal device 30 is connected. As a result, the base station 20 identifies a frequency band to be used by the connected terminal device 30 from the SPID, and becomes able to perform wireless communication with the terminal device 30 using the identified frequency band.

[0068] By subscribing to the connection service SV, the subscriber user Ux can set, for example, the optimal frequency band according to his / her context information for commuting hours to be available only during commuting hours. In order to realize such a setting, an application may be implemented for transmitting and receiving information between the terminal device 30 and the communication control device 100.

[0069] 5. Example of Model Generation The generation unit 132 may generate a model for each subscribing user Ux. For example, the generation unit 132 uses result information indicating whether the frequency band used by the terminal device 30 of the subscribing user Ux when the context information is acquired, among the frequency bands supported by the base station 20, is optimal for the context information as a target variable in machine learning. Furthermore, the generation unit 132 uses feature information extracted from the context information of the subscribing user Ux and the location information of the subscribing user Ux as explanatory variables in machine learning. Then, the generation unit 132 generates a model using the target variable and the explanatory variables. This allows the generation unit 132 to estimate, for example, the optimal frequency band according to the context of the subscribing user U1x.

[0070] For example, when the generator 132 can estimate a trend of <traffic volume "A1" / traffic behavior "A2" / movement between base station 20(1) and base station 20(2) while using the high frequency band> using the context information of the subscribing user U1 as input, it can generate a model that can obtain an output indicating that the medium frequency band is optimal. Furthermore, when the generator 132 can estimate a trend of <traffic volume "B1" / traffic behavior "B2" / movement between base station 20(2) and base station 20(3) while using the low frequency band> using the context information of the subscribing user U1 as input, it can generate a model that can obtain an output indicating that the high frequency band is optimal. As another example, when the generator 132 can estimate a trend of <when ​​moving between base station 20(3) and base station 20(4) while not connecting and in standby mode> using the context information of the subscribing user U1 as input, it can generate a model that can obtain an output indicating that standby in the high frequency band is optimal.

[0071] [6. Learning Processing Procedure] Next, the procedure of the learning processing will be described. Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating the procedure of the learning processing implemented in the wireless communication system 5. Fig. 7 shows a scene in which learning data is collected in response to wireless communication and movement by the terminal device 30(1) of the subscribing user U1, and a model is generated from the collected data. Fig. 7 also shows, as a part of such a scene, an example in which learning data is collected during a band-over in which the terminal device 30(1) first connects to the base station 20(1) and then switches its connection to the base station 20(2).

[0072] In Fig. 7, solid arrows indicate data transmission and reception between the base station 20 and the core network device of the 5G core 10, or data transmission and reception between core network devices. Meanwhile, dotted arrows indicate the flow of data for learning. Step numbers indicating processing procedures are indicated in parentheses. In the example of Fig. 7 (similar to Fig. 8), the combined functions of the learning device SV1, conversion device SV2, and association information SV3 are defined as the communication control device 100. The learning device SV1 has the control unit 130 described in Fig. 6.

[0073] As shown in Fig. 7, it is assumed that the terminal device 30(1) has IMSI "U1" and is turned on in a cell formed by the base station 20(1). In this case, in order to be able to track the terminal device 30(1) even if it moves, the terminal device 30(1) requests the AMF 103 to register its own device via the base station 20(1) (step S71).

[0074] The AMF 103 uses the IMSI "U1" acquired from the terminal device 30 to refer to the subscriber information in the UDR 105, and executes an authentication process to determine whether the IMSI "U1" is registered as subscriber information (step S72). As will be described later, the communication control process according to the embodiment registers association information linking the IMSI and the SPID in the UDR 105. However, as shown in FIG. 7, at the current stage when the frequency band to be used for the terminal device 30(1) has not been determined, the SPID linked to the IMSI "U1" is assumed to be "N / A."

[0075] Returning to the explanation, the AMF 103 generates a temporary S-TMSI "U11" instead of the IMSI "U1" (step S73) and transmits the generated S-TMSI "U11" to the base station 20 (1) and the terminal device 30 (1) (step S74). As a result, both the base station 20 (1) and the terminal device 30 (1) possess the S-TMSI "U11", and data in a state in which the S-TMSI "U11" is assigned can be input from the base station 20 (1) to the learning device SV1. Note that, although not shown in FIG. 7, the SMF 102 sets parameters for the PDU session upon receiving a request from the AMF 103, and a PDU session is established with the UPF 101 as the anchor point based on the parameters.

[0076] In this state, the base station 20(1) inputs the traffic information Trf11 linked to the S-TMSI "U11" and the frequency information F11 linked to the S-TMSI "U11" to the learning device SV1 (step S75).

[0077] The traffic information Trf11 may include the traffic volume and traffic behavior while the terminal device 30(1) is connected to the base station 20(1) and communicating wirelessly. The frequency information F11 includes the frequency band used according to the priority determined by the base station 20(1) and the base station ID "20(1)" that identifies the base station 20(1) in accordance with the SPID "N / A" at the current time.

[0078] The terminal device 30(1) is moving and executes a handover to switch the connection destination to the base station 20(2). At this time, a handover notification is sent to the AMF 103 via the base station 20(2) (step S76). The AMF 103 transmits the S-TMSI "U11" to the base station 20(2) and the terminal device 30(1) (step S77). As a result, the base station 20(2) also possesses the S-TMSI "U11", and data in a state in which the S-TMSI "U11" is assigned can be input from the base station 20(2) to the learning device SV1. Note that, although not shown in FIG. 7, the SMF 102 receives a request from the AMF 103 and instructs the UPF 101 and the base station 20(2) to replace the PDU session, and therefore, the UPF 101 becomes the anchor point and a PDU session using the new base station 20(2) becomes available.

[0079] In this state, the base station 20(2) inputs the traffic information Trf21 linked to the S-TMSI "U11" and the frequency information F21 linked to the S-TMSI "U11" to the learning device SV1 (step S78).

[0080] The traffic information Trf21 may include the traffic volume and traffic behavior while the terminal device 30(1) is connected to the base station 20(2) and communicating wirelessly. The frequency information F21 includes the frequency band used according to the priority determined by the base station 20(2) and the base station ID “20(2)” that identifies the base station 20(2).

[0081] Figure 7 shows an example in which base station 20 inputs traffic information to learning device SV1, but a configuration in which a monitoring device for monitoring traffic connected to Internet 60 is provided and the monitoring device inputs traffic information to learning device SV1 may also be adopted.

[0082] In addition, the learning device SV1 may sequentially receive location information (terminal location information) according to the movement of the terminal device 30(1), and may also receive location information (base station location information) where the base station 20(1) and the base station 20(2) are installed.

[0083] The learning device SV1 generates learning data from the data input so far and generates a model through machine learning using the generated learning data (step S79). For example, the learning device SV1 calculates a travel route RT along which the terminal device 30(1) traveled from the base station 20(1) to the base station 20(2) based on the base station location information of each base station 20 identified by the base station ID included in the frequency information F11 and the frequency information F12 and the terminal location information. Furthermore, the learning device SV1 calculates context information CX indicating the frequency band, traffic volume, and traffic behavior of the terminal device 30(1) along the travel route RT based on the traffic information Trf11, the traffic information Trf21, and the travel route RT. The learning device SV1 then determines whether the frequency band when the terminal device 30(1) indicates the context information CX is optimal for the context information CX. Here, the learning device SV1 assigns a determination result as a correct label to the frequency band when the terminal device 30(1) indicates the context information CX, and sets this as the objective variable. For example, the learning device SV1 may assign as a correct label the result of a determination as to whether the actually used frequency band was optimal or not, based on the frequency of handovers occurring between the base station 20(1) and the base station 20(2), the usage status (congestion) of wireless resources at the base station 20(1) and the base station 20(2), the optimal frequency band for the traffic volume on the travel route RT, and the actually used frequency band.

[0084] Furthermore, the learning device SV1 uses the feature information extracted from the context information CX as explanatory variables in machine learning. As a result, when new data obtained through wireless communication between the terminal device 30(1) and the base station 20 is input, the learning device SV1 can estimate a context trend according to the input data and learn a model so as to output a frequency band that is optimal for the estimated trend as the frequency band to be used.

[0085] The learning device SV1 may also use the type of content (e.g., video content, still image content, etc.) estimated from the traffic volume and traffic behavior as learning data. The learning device SV1 may generate a model using learning data acquired during a learning period that is the period from when the connection service SV is subscribed to until the service starts to be used.

[0086] Furthermore, it is preferable that the learning device SV1 be configured to be able to identify that the S-TMSI "U11" corresponds to the IMSI "U1" that identifies the subscribing user U1 who subscribes to the connection service SV. For example, the learning device SV1 may be configured to acquire a list of combinations of IMSIs and S-TMSIs from the AMF 103, or may be configured to be able to determine the IMSI that corresponds to the S-TMSI on its own. As a result, the learning device SV1 can extract only the learning data for the subscribing user U1 from the data input from the base station 20 for an unspecified number of users U other than the subscribing user U1, and generate a model customized for the subscribing user U1. While the description is given using the subscribing user U1 as an example, the same applies to other users U.

[0087] 7. Inference Processing Procedure Next, the procedure of the inference processing using the model generated by the procedure in Fig. 7 will be described. Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating the procedure of the inference processing implemented in the wireless communication system 5. Fig. 8 shows a scene in which, when the time period for which the subscribing user U1 has applied for the connection service SV (e.g., commuting time) arrives, an optimal frequency band is determined in accordance with the tendency of the subscribing user U1's context during this time period.

[0088] 8, the flow of data for inference is indicated by dashed arrows, and wireless communication control using the target frequency band is indicated by dashed arrows. Step numbers indicating the processing procedure are also indicated in parentheses.

[0089] For example, suppose that the time period designated by subscribing user U1 has arrived while the terminal device 30(1) of subscribing user U1 is communicating wirelessly with the base station 20(1). As shown in Figure 8, during the time period designated by subscribing user U1, the base station 20(1) inputs traffic information Trf12 associated with S-TMSI "U11" and frequency information F12 associated with S-TMSI "U11" to the learning device SV1 (step S81).

[0090] The traffic information Trf12 may include the traffic volume and traffic behavior while the terminal device 30(1) is connected to the base station 20(1) and communicating wirelessly. The frequency information F12 includes the frequency band used according to the priority determined by the base station 20(1) and the base station ID "20(1)" that identifies the base station 20(1) in accordance with the current SPID "N / A."

[0091] The learning device SV1 executes an inference process by inputting the data acquired from the base station 20(1) in step S81 into the model as inference data (step S82). As a result, the model outputs the optimal frequency band according to the context tendency during the time period designated by the subscribing user U1. The learning device SV1 then determines the frequency band output by the model as the frequency band "X" to be used (step S82). "X" is assumed to be one of H (high frequency band), M (medium frequency band), and L (low frequency band).

[0092] The frequency band "X" to be used is associated with S-TMSI "U11." Therefore, the conversion device SV2 converts S-TMSI "U11" to obtain the original IMSI "U1" (step S84).

[0093] The linking device SV3 generates linking information linking the IMSI "U1" obtained by the conversion with the SPID "X" that defines the target frequency band "X" as the preferred frequency band (step S85). In the following explanation, an example is used in which the terminal device 30(1) has been using the high frequency band during the time period specified by the subscribing user U1, but the target frequency band has been determined to be "M" (medium frequency band). In this example, the linking device SV3 generates linking information LK that links the IMSI "U1" with the SPID "M" as shown in FIG. 8.

[0094] The linking device SV3 then transmits the linking information LK to the UDR 105, and registers it as the subscriber information of the subscribing user U1 (step S86). In the example of FIG. 7, the SPID linked to the IMSI "U1" was "N / A," indicating no match, but at this point it is replaced with the SPID "M." As described above, the base station 20 becomes able to instruct the terminal device 30 on the frequency band set for the SPID. Therefore, based on the SPID "M," the base station 20(1) can cause the terminal device 30(1) to use the medium frequency band instead of the high frequency band during the time period specified by the subscribing user U1. This will be explained in detail below.

[0095] First, the AMF 103 extracts the linking information LK from the subscriber information of the UDR 105 (step S87). Then, the AMF 103 transmits the linking information LK to the base station 20(1) (step S88).

[0096] Based on the linking information LK, the base station 20(1) identifies that the frequency band that the terminal device 30(1) is to preferentially use is the “medium frequency band,” and instructs the terminal device 30(1) to use the “medium frequency band” (step S89).

[0097] The flow of the communication control process according to the embodiment has been described above with reference to Figures 7 and 8. According to the communication control process shown in Figures 7 and 8, the user U is connected to an optimal frequency band according to the traffic behavior and the travel route without being biased toward a specific frequency band, thereby improving the user U's experience and reducing the load on the mobile network (e.g., handover processing). In addition, the user U can select whether or not to benefit from the optimization of frequency selection due to mobility.

[0098] 8. Other Embodiments The above-described communication control device 100 may be implemented in various different forms other than the above-described embodiment. Therefore, other embodiments of the communication control device 100 will be described below.

[0099] In the above embodiment, the communication control device 100 generates a model for each subscriber user Ux who has applied for a connection service SV, and assigns an optimal frequency band according to the application details of the subscriber user Ux. However, the communication control device 100 may forcibly control frequency bands for all users U, regardless of the connection service SV. As a result, for example, the communication carrier T can activate a function that allows the terminal device 30 of each user U to use the optimal frequency band according to the context tendency.

[0100] 9. Hardware Configuration The communication control device 100 according to the embodiment may be realized, for example, by a computer 1000 configured as shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer that realizes the functions of the communication control device 100 according to the embodiment. The computer 1000 includes a CPU 1100, a RAM 1200, a ROM 1300, a HDD 1400, a communication interface (I / F) 1500, an input / output interface (I / F) 1600, and a media interface (I / F) 1700.

[0101] The CPU 1100 operates and controls each unit based on programs stored in the ROM 1300 or the HDD 1400. The ROM 1300 stores a boot program executed by the CPU 1100 when the computer 1000 starts up, programs that depend on the hardware of the computer 1000, and the like.

[0102] The HDD 1400 stores programs executed by the CPU 1100, data used by such programs, etc. The communication interface 1500 receives data from other devices via a predetermined communication network and sends it to the CPU 1100, and transmits data generated by the CPU 1100 to other devices via the predetermined communication network.

[0103] The CPU 1100 controls an output device such as a display and an input device such as a keyboard via the input / output interface 1600. The CPU 1100 acquires data from the input device via the input / output interface 1600. The CPU 1100 also outputs generated data to the output device via the input / output interface 1600.

[0104] Media interface 1700 reads a program or data stored in recording medium 1800 and provides it to CPU 1100 via RAM 1200. CPU 1100 loads the program or data from recording medium 1800 onto RAM 1200 via media interface 1700 and executes the loaded program. Recording medium 1800 is, for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a PD (Phase Change Rewritable Disc), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory.

[0105] For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the communication control device 100 according to the embodiment, the CPU 1100 of the computer 1000 executes programs loaded onto the RAM 1200 to realize the functions of the control unit 130. The CPU 1100 of the computer 1000 reads and executes these programs from the recording medium 1800, but as another example, the CPU 1100 may obtain these programs from another device via a predetermined communication network.

[0106] [10. Other] Furthermore, among the processes described in each of the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically using a known method. In addition, the information including the processing procedures, specific names, various data, and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed as desired unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each drawing is not limited to the information shown in the drawings.

[0107] Furthermore, the components of each device shown in the figure are conceptual functional components and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads, usage conditions, etc.

[0108] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined as appropriate within the scope of not causing any contradiction in the processing content.

[0109] Although some of the embodiments of the present application have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples, and the present invention can be implemented in other forms that include the aspects described in the "present invention" section and that have been modified and improved in various ways based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0110] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 System 5 Wireless communication system 10 5G core network 20 Base station 30 Terminal device 60 Internet 70 Cloud system 100 Communication control device 110 Communication unit 120 Storage unit 130 Control unit 131 Acquisition unit 132 Generation unit 133 Determination unit 134 Communication control unit

Claims

1. A communication control device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires, as context information of a user of a terminal device, traffic information regarding traffic generated by the terminal device in wireless communication with a base station and movement information regarding movement of the terminal device in response to the traffic; a generation unit that generates a model that indicates trends in the user's context according to frequency bands by learning result information indicating whether the frequency band used by the terminal device when the context information was acquired, among frequency bands that the base station can support, is optimal for the context information and the relationship with the context information; a determination unit that determines a target frequency band to be given priority for use by the terminal device in the wireless communication based on the model; and a control unit that controls the wireless communication to be performed in the target frequency band.

2. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit further acquires location information of the terminal device as context information of the user, and the generation unit generates the model based on information identified based on the location information of the terminal device.

3. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit causes the model to learn the relationship so that, when context information of a specified user is input, a frequency band corresponding to the context of the specified user is output from among the frequency bands that the base station can support.

4. A communication control device as described in claim 1, wherein in the wireless communication, the context information is associated with first identification information that identifies the user of the terminal device as a subscriber and is linked to temporary second identification information that replaces the first identification information, and the acquisition unit acquires the context information linked to the second identification information.

5. The communication control device described in claim 4, wherein the acquisition unit acquires, as target context information to be used in generating the model, the context information linked to the second identification information corresponding to the first identification information of a subscriber user who subscribes to a connection service in which a predetermined frequency band is used preferentially, and also acquires information on the frequency band used by the subscriber user's terminal device when the target context information was acquired; the generation unit generates the model for each subscriber user by learning the relationship between the target context information acquired for each subscriber user and the result information; and the determination unit determines the target frequency band to be used preferentially by the terminal device for each subscriber user based on the model generated for each subscriber user.

6. The communication control device according to claim 4, wherein the second identification information is linked to the determined frequency band to be used, and the control unit converts the second identification information linked to the frequency band to be used into the first identification information corresponding to the second identification information, and registers linking information linking the converted first identification information with third identification information indicating the priority of the frequency band to be used in a subscriber information database in which the first identification information is stored.

7. A wireless communication system comprising: a communication control device according to claim 6; a base station that transmits the context information to the communication control device; and a core network to which the base station is connected, wherein a predetermined core network device included in the core network connected to the base station, when the terminal device accesses the base station, executes authentication processing for the terminal device based on identification information acquired from the terminal device and the first identification information registered in the subscriber information database, and if the terminal device is successfully authenticated, transmits the third identification information corresponding to the authenticated terminal device to the base station that is the access destination.

8. The wireless communication system described in claim 7, wherein the base station to be accessed communicates wirelessly with the terminal device using the frequency band to be used that is prioritized in the third identification information obtained from the specified core network device.

9. An information processing method executed by a communication control device, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring, as context information of a user of a terminal device, traffic information regarding traffic generated by the terminal device in wireless communication with a base station and movement information regarding movement of the terminal device in response to the traffic; a generation step of generating a model indicating tendencies of the user's context according to frequency bands by learning result information indicating whether or not the frequency band used by the terminal device when the context information was acquired, among frequency bands that the base station can support, is optimal for the context information, and the relationship with the context information; a determination step of determining a target frequency band to be given priority for use by the terminal device in the wireless communication based on the model; and a control step of controlling the wireless communication to be performed in the target frequency band.

10. A communication control program that causes a computer to execute the following steps: an acquisition procedure for acquiring, as context information of a user of a terminal device, traffic information regarding traffic generated by the terminal device in wireless communication with a base station and movement information regarding movement of the terminal device in response to said traffic; a generation procedure for generating a model that indicates the tendency of the user's context according to frequency band by learning result information indicating whether the frequency band used by the terminal device when the context information was acquired, among frequency bands that the base station can support, is optimal for the context information and the relationship with the context information; a determination procedure for determining a target frequency band to be given priority for use by the terminal device in the wireless communication based on the model; and a control procedure for controlling the wireless communication to be performed in the target frequency band.

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