Communication system

Abstract

This communication system comprises: a first base station installed at a user's house in response to a request from a communication carrier; and a master station that controls communication between the first base station and each of among a user terminal operated by a person associated with the user's house and a third-party terminal operated by a person not associated with the user's house. The master station controls the communications of each of the user terminal and the third-party terminal with the first base station in accordance with the communication quality of a communication line between the master station and the first base station.　

Description

Communication System

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system.

[0002] With the increase in capacity of wireless communications, high frequency bands are envisioned as the frequency bands for the 6G (Generation) era. High frequency bands have a short communication range, requiring base stations to be installed at high density. Conventionally, communication carriers negotiate with building owners and the like to install antennas and base stations, but there are limits to conventional antenna installation. Accordingly, it is desired that base stations can also be installed in private residences.

[0003] Conventionally, in a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) system, a system has been proposed that determines the attribute of a connecting user (for example, an installer or a service user) based on the MAC address described in the packet header, and executes charging according to the communication volume (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-208179

[0005] As described above, methods for sharing access points in wireless LAN systems have been proposed, but in public networks such as cellular systems, it is desirable to maintain a certain level of communication quality. However, in the conventional art, the communication quality of the communication line between the access point and the edge node is not considered, which may affect the communication of the line subscriber.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology capable of performing communication control in consideration of the communication quality of the communication line between a base station installed at a user's residence and a master station.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a communication system comprising: a first base station installed at a user's residence in response to a request from a communication carrier; and a master station that controls communication between the first base station and each of a user terminal operated by a person associated with the user's residence and a third-party terminal operated by a person other than the person associated with the user's residence, wherein the master station controls communication of the user terminal and the third-party terminal respectively with the first base station according to the communication quality of the communication line between the master station and the first base station.

[0008] This invention makes it possible to control communication while taking into account the communication quality in the communication line between a base station installed at a user's home and the main station.

[0009] This figure shows an example of the configuration of a communication system according to the present invention. This figure shows an example of the configuration of a base station and a master station in an embodiment. This is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow of the communication system in an embodiment. This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the connection process between the master station and the base station in an embodiment. This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the connection process between a user terminal and a third-party terminal to the base station performed by the master station in an embodiment. This is a flowchart showing the flow of the handover process from an external base station performed by the master station in an embodiment. This is a flowchart showing the flow of the handover process to an external base station performed by the master station in an embodiment. This is a flowchart showing the flow of the billing process performed by the master station in an embodiment.

[0010] One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Figure 1 shows an example configuration of the communication system 100 according to the present invention. The communication system 100 comprises a base station 10, an external base station 15, and a master station 20. Either a user terminal 30 or a third-party terminal 40 is wirelessly connected to the base station 10. In addition, either a user terminal 30 or a third-party terminal 40 is wirelessly connected to the third-party terminal 40 as needed. Hereinafter, unless specifically distinguished, the user terminal 30 and the third-party terminal 40 will simply be referred to as terminals.

[0012] The master station 20 is located between the base station 10 and the external network. Note that in Figure 1, for simplicity, the master station 20 is shown connected to one base station 10 and one external base station 15; however, in normal operation, the master station 20 is connected to multiple base stations 10 and multiple external base stations 15. Here, the external network includes the carrier network 50 and the internet 60. The master station 20 communicates with the carrier network 50, such as through voice calls, and with the internet 60, such as through data communication.

[0013] Base station 10 is a base station that a telecommunications carrier installs at the user's home with the user's cooperation. Base station 10 only needs to be installed at the user's home; it is not limited to the interior of the home, but may also be installed on the exterior wall, etc. Unlike, for example, a base station that a user contracts for and exclusively uses at their home, base station 10 is a base station that can be used not only by persons related to the user, but also by third parties unrelated to the user. Persons related to the user include the user themselves, family members, and other persons designated by the user. Hereinafter, persons related to the user will be collectively referred to as "installation users, etc." Base station 10 and the master station 20 are connected via a broadband line within the user's home. The broadband line within the user's home shall be encrypted using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) or the like to ensure security. Base station 10 communicates wirelessly with either the user terminal 30 or the third-party terminal 40.

[0014] The external base station 15 is a base station installed outside the user's premises. The external base station 15 communicates wirelessly with either the user terminal 30 or a third-party terminal 40.

[0015] The master station 20 connects user terminals 30 and third-party terminals 40, which are connected via base station 10 or external base station 15, to the external network. Here, user terminals 30 are communication terminals used by the installation user, etc., and third-party terminals 40 are communication terminals used by third parties. The master station 20 identifies user terminals 30 and third-party terminals 40 and controls their connection to base station 10. For example, the master station 20 controls the connection of terminals to base station 10 based on the communication quality between them and base station 10. Communication quality includes, for example, the connection status of uplink and downlink, latency, communication bandwidth, packet loss rate, etc.

[0016] If the quality of the broadband connection within the user's premises (the communication line between base station 10 and the main station 20) does not meet a certain standard (high quality) based on the available communication quality (for example, the carrier grade quality set by the telecommunications company), the third-party terminal 40 will not be allowed to connect to base station 10. Furthermore, if the quality of the broadband connection within the user's premises (the communication line between base station 10 and the main station 20) does not meet the minimum communication quality, the user terminal 30 will not be allowed to connect to base station 10. The minimum communication quality means a state where the quality is worse than the available communication quality mentioned above. The minimum communication quality is set in advance. In this way, as long as the minimum communication quality is met, the main station 20 will allow the user terminal 30 to connect to base station 10 even in the case of low quality.

[0017] In the following, cases where the available communication quality is not met will be described as cases where the first quality condition is not met, and cases where the minimum communication quality is not met will be described as cases where the second quality condition is not met.

[0018] As described above, if the first quality condition is not met, the connection of the third-party terminal 40 can be restricted and the connection of the user terminal 30 can be prioritized. The minimum communication quality value may be arbitrarily set by the installation user, etc. In this case, different minimum communication quality values ​​may be set even among the installation users, etc.

[0019] The master station 20 performs connection processing with the base station 10, connection processing of user terminals 30 and third-party terminals 40 to the base station 10, handover processing from external base station 15, handover processing to external base station 15, billing processing, etc. Details of these processes will be described later. The external base station 15 is a base station other than base station 10, for example, a base station installed outside the user's premises.

[0020] Furthermore, the master station 20 determines communication by linking and managing the information of the base station ID and the user's connection authentication ID. The base station ID is information for uniquely identifying the base station 10 connected to the master station 20. The connection authentication ID is information for uniquely identifying the installation user, etc. The connection authentication ID is identification information assigned to the line, such as a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) number. Based on the connection authentication ID of the terminal requesting the connection, the master station 20 identifies whether it is a user terminal 30 or a third-party terminal 40.

[0021] Furthermore, the master station 20 identifies communications made by installation users, etc., using the base station 10 and provides incentives such as discounts on charges. However, communications by third parties who have contracts with telecommunications carriers are not eligible for discounts. In addition, the master station 20 provides incentives to installation users for communications by third parties using the base station 10, based on the amount of data transmitted.

[0022] The user terminal 30 is a communication terminal used by the installation user, etc. When the user terminal 30 is connected to the external base station 15 and receives a handover instruction from the master station 20, it switches its connection to the base station 10 according to the instruction from the master station 20.

[0023] Furthermore, the user terminal 30 displays information on its screen indicating that it is connected to the base station 10, in response to a notification from the base station 10. The information displayed on the screen can be any information that indicates that the user terminal 30 is currently connected to the base station 10 in the user's home. For example, the user terminal 30 may display information different from the usual connection communication standard "5G" or "6G" on its screen, such as "5G + house icon" or "6G + house icon" when connected to the base station 10.

[0024] The third-party terminal 40 is a communication terminal used by a third party. The third-party terminal 40 connects to the base station 10 or an external base station 15. If the third-party terminal 40 cannot connect to the base station 10 due to communication control by the master station 20, it connects to the external base station 15, which has the highest radio wave strength, excluding the base station 10.

[0025] The carrier network 50 is a network provided by a telecommunications carrier.

[0026] (Device Configuration) Next, the configuration of the base station 10 and the master station 20 will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the base station 10 and the master station 20 in the embodiment.

[0027] (Configuration of base station 10) First, let's explain the configuration of base station 10. Base station 10 comprises a wireless communication unit 11, a wired communication unit 12, and a control unit 13. The wireless communication unit 11 communicates wirelessly with the user terminal 30 and the third-party terminal 40. The wired communication unit 12 communicates with the master station 20 via a broadband line within the user's home.

[0028] The control unit 13 controls the entire base station 10. The control unit 13 is composed of a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory. The control unit 13 implements the functions of the communication control unit 131 and the quality measurement unit 132 by executing a program.

[0029] Some or all of the communication control unit 131 and the quality measurement unit 132 may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include non-temporary storage media such as portable media like flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. The program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

[0030] Some of the functions of the communication control unit 131 and the quality measurement unit 132 do not need to be pre-installed on the base station 10, and may be realized by installing additional application programs on the base station 10.

[0031] The communication control unit 131 controls communication between the wireless communication unit 11 and the wired communication unit 12. For example, the communication control unit 131 causes the wired communication unit 12 to transmit information received by the wireless communication unit 11 to the master station 20. For example, the communication control unit 131 causes the wireless communication unit 11 to transmit information received by the wired communication unit 12 to the terminal.

[0032] The quality measurement unit 132 measures the communication quality of the broadband line between the base station 10 and the master station 20. For example, the quality measurement unit 132 sends and receives packets of a certain size at regular intervals between the time-synchronized base station 10 and master station 20, each packets having a timestamp. This allows the quality measurement unit 132 to measure the communication quality.

[0033] (Configuration of the master station 20) Next, the configuration of the master station 20 will be described. The master station 20 includes a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23. The communication unit 21 communicates with the base station 10, for example, via a broadband line within the user's home. The communication unit 21 also communicates with an external network via wired connection. Here, the configuration in which the communication unit 21 communicates with the base station 10 and with an external network is not distinguished, but communication with the base station 10 and communication with an external network may be performed by different communication units. In this case, the master station 20 includes multiple communication units.

[0034] The storage unit 22 stores a user information DB 221 and a communication history DB 222. The user information DB 221 is a database in which information about the installation user, etc., is registered. For example, the base station ID and the connection authentication ID are registered in association with each other in the user information DB 221. The communication history DB 222 is a database in which information about communication using the base station 10 is registered. For example, the communication history such as call time and packet communication volume is registered in the communication history DB 222 in association with classification information indicating whether it was via base station 10 or via an external base station 15, based on the combination of the connection authentication ID and the base station ID. The storage unit 22 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic storage device or a semiconductor storage device.

[0035] The control unit 23 controls the entire master station 20. The control unit 23 is configured using a processor such as a CPU and memory. By executing a program, the control unit 23 realizes the functions of the communication control unit 231, user management unit 232, connection management unit 233, and billing management unit 234.

[0036] Some or all of the communication control unit 231, user management unit 232, connection management unit 233, and billing management unit 234 may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as ASICs, PLDs, and FPGAs, or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. A computer-readable recording medium is a non-temporary storage medium such as a flexible disk, magneto-optical disk, ROM, CD-ROM, or other portable media, or a hard disk built into a computer system. The program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

[0037] Some of the functions of the communication control unit 231, user management unit 232, connection management unit 233, and billing management unit 234 do not need to be pre-installed on the master station 20, and may be realized by installing additional application programs on the master station 20.

[0038] The communication control unit 231 controls communication by the communication unit 21. For example, the communication control unit 231 causes the communication unit 21 to transmit information transmitted from the base station 10 to the carrier network 50 or the internet 60 as needed. For example, the communication control unit 231 causes the communication unit 21 to transmit information transmitted from the carrier network 50 or the internet 60 to the base station 10.

[0039] The user management unit 232 refers to the user information DB 221 and identifies whether the terminal requesting the connection is a user terminal 30 or a third-party terminal 40.

[0040] The connection management unit 233 controls the connection of the user terminal 30 and the third-party terminal 40 based on the communication quality. For example, the connection management unit 233 performs handover control so that the user terminal 30 and the third-party terminal 40 are connected to the optimal destination. The connection management unit 233 restricts (prevents) the connection of the third-party terminal 40 based on the communication quality.

[0041] The billing management unit 234 records the communication history of the user terminal 30 and the communication history of the third-party terminal 40 in the communication history DB 222 in a manner that allows for differentiation. At this time, the billing management unit 234 also records information indicating whether the communication was via base station 10 or via external base station 15. Then, the billing management unit 234 refers to the communication history DB 222 and applies discounted billing, such as fee reductions or free provision, according to the amount of communication via base station 10.

[0042] (Processing of Communication System 100) Figure 3 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow of the communication system 100 in the embodiment. Figure 3 describes the overall flow of the communication system 100. The user terminal 30 makes a connection request to the master station 20 via the base station 10 (step S11). Specifically, the wireless communication unit 11 of the base station 10 receives the connection request transmitted from the user terminal 30. The communication control unit 131 causes the wired communication unit 12 to transmit the connection request received by the wireless communication unit 11 to the master station 20. The wired communication unit 12 transmits the connection request to the master station 20 according to the control of the communication control unit 131. The connection request transmitted from the user terminal 30 includes a connection authentication ID.

[0043] A communication unit 21 of a master station 20 receives a connection request transmitted from a base station 10. A connection management unit 233 instructs measurement of communication quality of a broadband line between the base station 10 and the master station 20 based on the connection request received by the communication unit 21 (step S12). A communication control unit 231 causes the communication unit 21 to transmit the instruction from the connection management unit 233. The communication unit 21 transmits a line quality measurement instruction that instructs measurement of communication quality to the base station 10 under the control of the communication control unit 231.

[0044] A wired communication unit 12 of the base station 10 receives the line quality measurement instruction transmitted from the master station 20. A quality measurement unit 132 measures communication quality between the base station 10 and the master station 20 in accordance with the line quality measurement instruction received by the wired communication unit 12 (step S13). The quality measurement unit 132 notifies the master station 20 of the measurement result of the communication quality via the wired communication unit 12. Accordingly, the base station 10 requests the master station 20 to perform user authentication and determine whether connection is permitted (step S14).

[0045] The communication unit 21 of the master station 20 receives the measurement result of the communication quality transmitted from the base station 10. A user management unit 232 performs user authentication and determines whether connection is permitted based on the communication quality measurement result received by the communication unit 21 and a connection authentication ID included in the connection request acquired in the process of step S11. Specifically, the user management unit 232 refers to a user information DB 221, and identifies whether the terminal that is the transmission source of the connection request is a user terminal 30 or a third-party terminal 40 based on whether the connection authentication ID included in the connection request is registered in the user information DB 221.

[0046] The user management unit 232 identifies that the terminal that is the transmission source of the connection request is the user terminal 30 when the connection authentication ID is registered in the user information DB 221. On the other hand, when the connection authentication ID is not registered in the user information DB 221, the user management unit 232 identifies that the terminal that is the transmission source of the connection request is the third-party terminal 40. Here, it is assumed that the terminal that is the transmission source of the connection request is identified as the user terminal 30. Therefore, the user management unit 232 notifies the connection management unit 233 that connection is permitted.

[0047] Note that the user management unit 232 does not allow the third-party terminal 40 to connect (authenticate) when the communication quality measurement result does not satisfy the first quality condition. That is, the user management unit 232 notifies the connection management unit 233 that connection is not possible when the communication quality measurement result does not satisfy the first quality condition and the terminal that is the source of the connection request is the third-party terminal 40.

[0048] In response to the notification from the user management unit 232, the connection management unit 233 transmits connection information for connecting to the base station 10 to the user terminal 30 via the communication unit 21 and the base station 10 (step S16). Specifically, the wired communication unit 12 of the base station 10 receives the connection information transmitted from the parent station 20. The communication control unit 131 causes the wireless communication unit 11 to transmit the connection information received by the wired communication unit 12 to the user terminal 30. The wireless communication unit 11 transmits the connection information to the user terminal 30 under the control of the communication control unit 131.

[0049] The user terminal 30 receives the connection information transmitted from the base station 10. The user terminal 30 performs information communication with the parent station 20 via the base station 10 based on the received connection information (step S17). The charging management unit 234 of the parent station 20 registers the history of communication using the base station 10 (for example, call duration, packet communication volume, etc.) in the communication history DB 222 in combination with the connection authentication ID of the user terminal 30 and the base station ID (step S18).

[0050] Thereafter, the third-party terminal 40 sends a connection request via the base station 10 to the parent station 20 (step S19). Since the subsequent flow of connection authentication and the like is the same as the processing from step S12 to step S18, the description thereof is omitted. Here, it is assumed that the parent station 20 determines that connection is possible. The third-party terminal 40 performs information communication with the parent station 20 via the base station 10 (step S20). Note that in FIG. 3, the third-party terminal 40 performs information communication with the parent station 20 via the base station 10, but as described above, when the condition of the communication line between the base station 10 and the parent station 20 deteriorates (when the communication quality no longer satisfies the first quality condition), the parent station 20 performs control to prevent the third-party terminal 40 from connecting to the base station 10.

[0051] Next, we will explain in detail the connection process between the master station 20 and the base station 10, the connection process between the user terminal 30 and the third-party terminal 40 and the base station 10, the handover process from the external base station 15, the handover process to the external base station 15, and the billing process.

[0052] (Connection process with base station 10) Figure 4 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the connection process with base station 10 performed by the master station 20 in the embodiment. In the present invention, since a broadband line laid in the user's home is used, it is necessary to confirm whether the minimum communication quality (latency, communication bandwidth, packet loss rate, etc.) is met. Therefore, the quality measurement unit 132 of the base station 10 checks the quality of the communication line (broadband line) between the base station 10 and the master station 20 in response to instructions from the base station 10 (step S101). As described above, the quality measurement unit 132 only needs to send and receive packets of a certain size at regular intervals between the time-synchronized base station 10 and master station 20, with time stamps attached.

[0053] Subsequently, the connection management unit 233 of the master station 20 authenticates the base station 10 (step S102). To confirm that it is a legitimate base station 10, the connection management unit 233 authenticates the base station with a certificate or private key associated with a base station ID that is different for each base station. In addition, to confirm that it is installed in the legitimate location, the connection management unit 233 obtains the line ID of the broadband line and checks whether the combination of base station ID and line ID matches one of those that have been registered in advance. Here, the line ID is information used to identify the optical fiber line, and is, for example, identification information associated with a broadband line.

[0054] The connection management unit 233 determines that the base station 10 is installed in the correct location if the combination of base station ID and line ID matches one of the pre-registered ones. On the other hand, the connection management unit 233 determines that the base station 10 is not installed in the correct location if the combination of base station ID and line ID does not match one of the pre-registered ones. Here, it is assumed that the authentication of the base station 10 was successful. That is, it is assumed that the authentication of the base station 10 based on a certificate or private key was performed and it was confirmed that the base station 10 is installed in the correct location.

[0055] Subsequently, the connection management unit 233 establishes a VPN connection between the base station 10 and the master station 20 (step S103). Once the VPN connection is complete, the connection management unit 233 registers the base station ID (step S104). The process of registering the base station ID here means that the base station 10 is started up and connects to the master station 20 to which the base station 10 is connected.

[0056] (Connection process of user terminal 30 and third-party terminal 40 to base station 10) Figure 5 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the connection process of user terminal 30 and third-party terminal 40 to base station 10 performed by the master station 20 in the embodiment. The terminal sends a connection request including a connection authentication ID to the base station 10 (step S201). The base station 10 sends the connection request sent from the terminal to the master station 20 (step S202). The master station 20 authenticates the terminal based on the connection request sent from the base station 10 (step S203). Specifically, the user management unit 232 of the master station 20 identifies whether the terminal that sent the connection request is a user terminal 30 or a third-party terminal 40 based on whether the connection authentication ID included in the connection request is registered in the user information DB 221. The user management unit 232 notifies the connection management unit 233 of the identification result.

[0057] Furthermore, the connection management unit 233 identifies the terminal that is the source of the connection request in response to a notification from the user management unit 232. If the source of the connection request is the user terminal 30, the connection management unit 233 determines that a connection is possible. However, even if the source of the connection request is the user terminal 30, the connection management unit 233 determines that a connection is not possible if the minimum communication quality of the installation user, etc., identified by the connection authentication ID is not met.

[0058] The connection management unit 233 determines that a connection is possible only if the source of the connection request is a third-party terminal 40 and the communication quality meets the minimum communication quality requirement. The connection management unit 233 determines that a connection is not possible if the source of the connection request is a third-party terminal 40 and the communication quality does not meet the minimum communication quality requirement. Regarding communication quality, the latest value measured periodically by the quality measurement unit 132 may be used.

[0059] Furthermore, if the connection request originates from the user terminal 30, the connection management unit 233 notifies the base station 10 via the communication unit 21 of this fact (step S204). The connection management unit 233 also notifies the base station 10 via the communication unit 21 of the result of its determination of whether or not the connection is possible (step S205). If the connection management unit 233 determines that the connection is possible, it includes connection information in the determination result. The base station 10 transmits the determination result sent from the master station 20 to the terminal (step S206). This allows the terminal to determine whether or not it is possible to connect to the base station 10. If the terminal is able to connect to the base station 10, it connects to the base station 10.

[0060] If the user terminal 30 is connected to the base station 10, the following process is performed. The connection management unit 233 of the base station 10 notifies the connected user terminal 30 that it is connected to the base station 10 in the user's home (step S207). The user terminal 30 displays the information notified by the base station 10 that it is connected to the base station 10 on its screen (step S208).

[0061] (Handover processing from external base station 15) Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the handover processing from the external base station 15 performed by the master station 20 in this embodiment. The connection management unit 233 of the master station 20 periodically checks whether the terminal connected to the external base station 15 is able to receive radio waves from the base station 10 when the terminal is connected to the external base station 15 adjacent to the base station 10 installed in the user's home (step S301). Specifically, the connection management unit 233 periodically checks whether the terminal is located within the communication area of ​​the base station 10.

[0062] The connection management unit 233 determines that a terminal located within the communication area of ​​the base station 10 can receive radio waves from the base station 10. The connection management unit 233 determines that a terminal not located within the communication area of ​​the base station 10 cannot receive radio waves from the base station 10. Here, the connection management unit 233 sets different thresholds for the communication area of ​​the base station 10 for the user terminal 30 and the third-party terminal 40, and attempts to connect the user terminal 30 to the base station 10 as much as possible.

[0063] For example, the connection management unit 233 sets the second communication area threshold, which is used to determine whether a user terminal 30 is located within the communication area of ​​the base station 10, to be wider than the first communication area threshold, which is used to determine whether a third-party terminal 40 is located within the communication area of ​​the base station 10 (first communication area threshold < second communication area threshold). The connection management unit 233 then determines whether the location of the third-party terminal 40 connected to the external base station 15 is within the range defined by the first communication area threshold. If the location of the third-party terminal 40 connected to the external base station 15 is within the range defined by the first communication area threshold, the connection management unit 233 determines that the third-party terminal 40 can receive radio waves from the base station 10. On the other hand, if the location of the third-party terminal 40 connected to the external base station 15 is not within the range defined by the first communication area threshold, the connection management unit 233 determines that the third-party terminal 40 cannot receive radio waves from the base station 10.

[0064] Similarly, the connection management unit 233 determines whether the location of the user terminal 30 connected to the external base station 15 is within the range defined by the second communication area threshold. If the location of the user terminal 30 connected to the external base station 15 is within the range defined by the second communication area threshold, the connection management unit 233 determines that the user terminal 30 can receive radio waves from the base station 10. On the other hand, if the location of the user terminal 30 connected to the external base station 15 is not within the range defined by the second communication area threshold, the connection management unit 233 determines that the user terminal 30 cannot receive radio waves from the base station 10.

[0065] If the connection management unit 233 determines that a terminal can receive radio waves of a certain strength from the base station 10, it instructs the terminal that has determined it can receive radio waves of a certain strength to hand over to the base station 10 (step S302). Note that a different second communication area threshold may be set for each combination of connection authentication ID and base station ID.

[0066] (Handover process to external base station 15) Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the handover process to the external base station 15 performed by the master station 20 in this embodiment. The connection management unit 233 of the master station 20 measures the signal strength of the base station 10 and the signal strength of the external base station 15 (for example, a nearby base station adjacent to the base station 10) (step S401). Based on the measurement results, the connection management unit 233 instructs the terminal connected to the base station 10 to hand over to the external base station 15 only if the communication quality of the base station 10 cannot be maintained (step S402). For example, if the signal strength of the external base station 15 is higher than the signal strength of the base station 10, the connection management unit 233 instructs the third-party terminal 40 connected to the base station 10 to hand over to the external base station 15. However, even if the signal strength of the external base station 15 is higher than the signal strength of the base station 10, the connection management unit 233 does not instruct the user terminal 30 to hand over if the signal strength of the base station 10 meets the minimum communication quality requirements.

[0067] (Billing Process) Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of billing processing performed by the base station 20 in the embodiment. The billing management unit 234 records the communication history for each terminal in the communication history DB 222 (step S501). The billing management unit 234 determines whether or not it is time to calculate the billing amount (step S502). If the billing management unit 234 determines that it is not time to calculate the billing amount (step S502-NO), it executes the process in step S501. On the other hand, if the billing management unit 234 determines that it is time to calculate the billing amount (step S502-YES), the billing management unit 234 calculates the billing amount by referring to the communication history DB 222 (step S503). For example, the billing management unit 234 calculates calls and communications via the base station 10 using a different rate table (discounted rates, etc.) than usual in order to provide an incentive for the installation of the base station 10.

[0068] The communication system 100 configured as described above includes a base station 10 and a master station 20 that controls communication between the user terminal 30 and the third-party terminal 40, respectively. The master station 20 controls the communication between the user terminal 30 and the third-party terminal 40 to the base station 10 according to the communication quality of the communication line between the base station 10 and the master station 20.

[0069] This makes it possible to control communication while taking into account the communication quality of the communication line between base station 10 and 20, when base station 10 installed at a user's home is shared with external users.

[0070] Furthermore, the base station 20 restricts the connection of the third-party terminal 40 to the base station 10 if the communication quality is below a threshold, but does not restrict the connection of the user terminal 30 to the base station 10 as long as the minimum communication quality is met. For example, the base station 20 will not allow the third-party terminal 40 to connect to the base station 10 if it does not meet a certain level (high quality) based on the available communication quality (for example, carrier-grade quality defined by the telecommunications company). However, as long as the minimum communication quality is met, the base station 20 will allow the user terminal 30 to connect to the base station 10 even in the case of low quality as described above. In this way, the base station 20 controls communication so that only the user terminal 30 can connect to the base station 10 when the communication quality is poor. As a result, the base station 20 can prioritize the use of the base station 10 for the user terminal 30. Unlike conventional home Wi-Fi (registered trademark), this technology allows for seamless handover from outside to the user's home and improves the user's perceived quality.

[0071] When the user terminal 30 is connected to the external base station 15, the base station 20 instructs the user terminal 30 to hand over to the base station 10 if the user terminal 30 can receive radio waves from the base station 10 at a predetermined strength or higher. In this way, the base station 20 can connect the user terminal 30 to the base station 10 whenever possible. Unlike conventional home Wi-Fi (registered trademark), this technology allows for seamless handover from the user's home to the outside, improving the user's perceived quality.

[0072] When a third-party terminal 40 is connected to base station 10, if the signal strength of the external base station is stronger than that of base station 10, the master station 20 instructs the third-party terminal 40 to hand over to the external base station 15. This allows the master station 20 to connect the third-party terminal 40 to the external base station 15 and give the user terminal 30 priority use of base station 10.

[0073] When the user terminal 30 is connected to base station 10, the master station 20 displays information on the user terminal 30 indicating that it is connected to base station 10. This allows the user of the user terminal 30 to easily determine whether it is currently connected to base station 10 or an external base station 15. As a result, the user of the user terminal 30 can operate the user terminal 30 to connect to base station 10 as needed.

[0074] The master station 20 provides incentives to installation users, etc., based on communication via the base station 10. In this way, individual installation users, etc., are provided with incentives based on their usage. In particular, as described above, the communication system 100 controls communication so that user terminals 30 are given priority in connecting to the base station 10. In this way, the master station 20 controls communication so that installation users, etc., can receive more incentives, and thus can provide more added value to installation users, etc. As a result, it can provide an incentive to obtain consent for the installation of the base station 10.

[0075] While embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments and includes designs and the like that do not depart from the spirit of this invention.

[0076] This invention can be applied to technology related to the installation of base stations.

[0077] 10...Base station, 15...External base station, 20...Master station, 30...User terminal, 40...Third-party terminal, 50...Carrier network, 60...Internet, 11...Wireless communication unit, 12...Wired communication unit, 13...Control unit, 131...Communication control unit, 132...Quality measurement unit, 21...Communication unit, 22...Storage unit, 23...Control unit, 100...Communication system, 221...User information DB, 222...Communication history DB, 231...Communication control unit, 232...User management unit, 233...Connection management unit, 234...Billing management unit

Claims

1. A communication system comprising: a first base station installed at a user's home at the request of a telecommunications carrier; a user terminal operated by a person related to the user's home and a third-party terminal operated by a person other than the person related to the user's home; and a master station that controls communication with the first base station, wherein the master station controls the communication of the user terminal and the third-party terminal to the first base station according to the communication quality of the communication line between the master station and the first base station.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the master station restricts the connection of the third-party terminal to the first base station when the communication quality is below a threshold, and does not restrict the connection of the user terminal to the first base station as long as the minimum communication quality is met.

3. The communication system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the master station, when the user terminal is connected to a second base station located elsewhere than the user's home, instructs the user terminal to hand over to the first base station if the user terminal can receive radio waves from the first base station at a predetermined strength or higher, and when the third-party terminal is connected to the first base station, instructs the third-party terminal to hand over to the second base station if the radio wave strength of the second base station is stronger than that of the first base station.

4. The communication system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the master station causes the user terminal to display information indicating that it is connected to the first base station when the user terminal is connected to the first base station.

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