JP2004032366A - Mobile communication system and router compatible with mobile communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent deterioration in service quality or the disconnection of mobile communication utilizing an IP network by acquiring network resources surely at the time of hand over. <P>SOLUTION: The mobile communication system comprises means 104 and 105 for forecasting a course to a goal from the information of a set goal and the information of a current location, and a means 106 for reserving the resources for hand over to another subnet on the forecast course by exchanging a message with a router compatible with mobile communication on at least another subnet on the forecast course. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mobile communication device using an IP network and a router device compatible with the mobile communication device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An IP network is a collection of small networks called subnets, each having a unique network identifier. One or more routers corresponding to mobile communication devices exist in a subnet corresponding to mobile communication, and enable connection between subnets and connection between the subnet and the mobile communication device. When a conventional mobile communication device is connected to a certain subnet and moves to a position connected to another subnet, resources (lines, addresses, etc.) necessary for starting communication with the other subnet for the first time are In order to acquire resources necessary for maintaining communication quality, the mobile communication device is configured to negotiate with a mobile communication device-compatible router device on the different subnet.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, if there is not enough network resources in the destination subnet, there is a problem that even if negotiation is performed after the movement, necessary resources cannot be obtained, and the communication quality is degraded or the communication is interrupted.
[0004]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in mobile communication using an IP network, it is possible to reliably acquire network resources at the time of handover, thereby preventing deterioration in call quality and disconnection of communication. The purpose is to:
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is a mobile communication device that performs communication using a network to which a subnet is connected via a mobile communication device-compatible router device.
Means for predicting a travel route to the destination from the information on the set destination and the information on the current position;
By exchanging messages with the router corresponding to the mobile communication device of at least one other subnet on the predicted moving route, resources for handover with another subnet on the predicted moving route are reserved. And means for performing the operation.
[0006]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the prediction means has a database storing addresses and latitude / longitude information of each subnet.
[0007]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the database further stores a communication method of each subnet and a radio wave condition to be maintained, and refers to the database to determine a timing of starting a handover. And means for controlling switching of the communication system.
[0008]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the control means starts the handover when the radio field intensity falls below the required radio field intensity of the currently connected subnet.
[0009]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the control means starts a handover when a noise level or the number of instantaneous interruptions of communication exceeds a predetermined value.
[0010]
To achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 6 is a router for a mobile communication device having a function of connecting a subnet to a network and enabling the mobile communication device to communicate via the network. At
Means for transmitting, to the mobile communication device, an address of another router device adjacent in the direction of the destination as a predicted route from information on the current location and information on the destination of the mobile communication device received from the mobile communication device. It is characterized by having.
[0011]
The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claim 6, wherein the means has a database storing addresses of router devices in a subnet geographically adjacent to a subnet to which the means belongs.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the mobile communication device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile communication device includes an input terminal 101, a destination management unit 102 for storing a destination address, a current position management unit 103 for storing information on a current position, and a handover management system for managing execution of a handover. A path information database unit 105 in which latitude / longitude information and addresses of subnets are registered, a resource securing execution unit 106 for securing resources of the handover destination subnet, and an output terminal 107. The operation of this device will be described below.
[0013]
When the user inputs destination information (destination address, subnet information, etc.) from the input terminal 101 prior to moving to the destination, the information is sent to the destination management unit 102 (process 108S). The current position information (information for specifying the address of the current position and the connected subnet) is input from the user or a GPS receiver (not shown) to the input terminal 101 as needed, and the information is transmitted to the current position management unit 103. (Step 109S).
The destination management unit 102 sends destination information to the handover management unit 104 (process 110), and the current location management unit 103 sends current location information to the handover management unit 104 (process 111S).
[0014]
The handover management unit 104 sends the current position information and the destination information to the route information database 105 (Step 112S).
[0015]
The route information database 105 is based on the current position information and the destination information, and one or more of the subnets registered in advance on the route from the current position to the destination, which may be handed over. The address of the subnet is sent to the handover management unit 104 (step 113S).
[0016]
The handover management unit 104 sends the address of one or a plurality of subnets having a possibility of handover sent from the route information database 105 to the resource securing execution unit 106 (Step 114S).
[0017]
Based on the addresses of the subnets sent from the handover management section 104, the resource securing execution section 106 uses an output terminal 107 connected to the network to secure network resources such as addresses and bandwidths in advance. Is sent to the router corresponding to the mobile communication device (process 115S).
[0018]
By the above processing, as shown in FIG. 2, when the user moves from the current position to the destination, resources of the subnet on the route and predicted for handover are reserved, so that the user moves from the current position to the destination. During this time, the communication quality is not degraded or the communication is disconnected at the time of handover, and high-quality communication can be maintained.
[0019]
FIG. 3 shows a configuration of a mobile communication device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the apparatus includes an input terminal 201, a destination management unit 202 for storing a destination address, a current position management unit 203 for storing information on a current position, and a handover management unit 204 for managing execution of a handover. , A route information database unit 205 in which latitude / longitude information and addresses of subnets are registered, a communication system / radio field intensity management unit 206 for managing switching of communication systems and start of handover, and resources for securing resources of a subnet of a handover destination. It includes a securing execution unit 207 and an output terminal 208.
[0020]
In the second embodiment, a communication system / radio wave intensity management unit is added, and the route information database unit 205 further stores communication intensity of each subnet and radio wave intensity required by various communication systems such as wireless LAN and Bluetooth. This is different from the first embodiment in that Hereinafter, the operation of the device of the second embodiment will be described.
[0021]
When the user inputs destination information (information for specifying the address or subnet of the destination) from the input terminal 201 before moving to the destination, the information is sent to the destination management unit 202 (process 209S). The current position information (address of the current position, connected subnet information, radio field intensity, communication method) is also input to the input terminal 201 from a user or a GPS receiver (not shown) as needed. It is sent to 203 (process 210S).
[0022]
The destination management unit 202 sends destination information to the handover management unit 204 (process 211), and the current location management unit 203 sends current location information to the handover management unit 204 (process 212S).
The handover management unit 204 sends the current position information and the destination information to the route information database 205 (Process 213S).
[0023]
The route information database 205 is based on the current position information and the destination information, and one or more subnets that are on a route from the current position to the destination from among the subnets registered in advance and have a possibility of handover. The address of the subnet is sent to the handover management unit 204 (process 214S).
[0024]
The handover management unit 204 sends the received radio wave intensity, the current communication system, and the communication system of the subnet with the possibility of handover notified from the route information database 205 to the communication system / wave strength management unit 206 as needed. 215S).
[0025]
When the received radio wave intensity is equal to or lower than the required radio wave intensity of the current communication system, the communication system / radio wave intensity management unit 206 instructs the handover management unit 204 to prepare for the start of the handover. An instruction is issued to prepare for switching the communication method (process 216S).
[0026]
Upon receiving this instruction, the handover management unit 204 notifies the resource securing execution unit 207 of the address of one or a plurality of subnets having a possibility of handover received in step 214S. In response to this, the resource securing execution unit 207 sends a message requesting resource securing such as an address and a band from the output terminal 207, and sends the message to the router corresponding to the mobile communication device of these subnets via the network.
[0027]
As described above, the mobile communication device of the second embodiment performs a handover when the intensity of the radio wave being received falls below the required radio wave intensity of the currently used communication system, and performs communication as needed at that time. Since the system is also changed, the user can maintain high-quality communication from the current location to the destination without suffering a decrease in communication quality due to a decrease in radio wave intensity regardless of the radio wave shielding characteristics of the moving means.
[0028]
Next, a mobile communication device compatible router and a mobile communication device according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 shows the configuration of a mobile communication device compatible router according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 5 shows the configuration of a mobile communication device according to the third embodiment.
[0029]
The mobile communication device compatible router according to the third embodiment has a mobile communication device side input / output terminal 301 for transmitting / receiving a message to / from a mobile communication device, and a function of converting a geographical position of a destination into a corresponding address. A destination conversion unit 302, a route prediction unit 303 that predicts a movement route based on the destination information and the current location information, an adjacent router list holding unit 304 that holds a list of routers of subnets that are geographically adjacent to its own subnet, A network side input / output terminal 305 for transmitting / receiving a message to / from a network is provided.
[0030]
The mobile communication device according to the third embodiment includes a network input / output terminal 401 for transmitting / receiving a message to / from a network, a handover management unit 402 for managing execution of handover, and a resource securing execution for securing resources of a handover destination subnet. A unit 403 is provided. The operation of the third embodiment will be described below.
[0031]
In the mobile communication device-compatible router, from the mobile communication device side input / output terminal 301, location information indicating the latitude / longitude of the destination of the mobile communication device and the current address of the current position of the mobile communication device and information on the connected subnet etc. When the position information is input, the information is sent to the destination conversion unit 302 (Step 306S).
[0032]
The destination conversion unit 302 converts the location information and the current location information into destination network address information indicating the network address of the destination and current location network address information indicating the current network address, respectively, and sends them to the route prediction unit 303. (Process 307S).
[0033]
Upon receiving the destination network address information and the current location network address information, the route prediction unit 303 uses the destination network address information to obtain information such as the addresses of other routers that are geographically adjacent to the destination. It is sent to the neighboring router list holding unit 304 (process 308S).
[0034]
The adjacent router list holding unit 304 notifies the route prediction unit 303 of the geographically adjacent router registered in association with the received destination network address information (Step 309S).
[0035]
The route prediction unit 303 determines that the notified router is a router on the moving route. If this router is a router corresponding to a mobile communication device having the neighbor router list holding function and the route prediction function described above, the network-side input / output terminal 305 is used to know a router further adjacent to this neighbor router. Sends a message to the adjacent router, and requests the adjacent router to send information about the router adjacent to the destination (step 310S).
[0036]
The list of routers obtained by the above processing is input to the route prediction unit 303 via the network-side input / output terminal 305 (processing 311S). The route prediction unit 303 repeats the process 310 and the process 311 as necessary, predicts a route including addresses of a plurality of routers, and sends the route information to the mobile communication device via the mobile communication device side input / output terminal 301 (processing 312S).
[0037]
This route information is input to the handover management unit 402 via the network input / output terminal 401 of the mobile communication device (process 404S). Upon receiving the route information, the handover management unit 402 estimates the timing of starting the handover based on the current position information, the strength of the received radio wave, and the like. This is sent to 403 (process 405).
[0038]
Upon receiving the path information, the resource securing execution unit 403 sends a message requesting resource securing such as an address and a band to each router included in the path information list via the network input / output terminal 401 (process 406S).
[0039]
As described above, in the third embodiment of the present invention, when the mobile communication device-compatible router receives its current location information and destination location information from the mobile communication device, the router refers to the neighboring router list and moves. The route is predicted, a list of routers existing in the direction of the destination is created, and the list is sent to the mobile communication device. The mobile communication device can send a message to a router included in the list as needed to reserve resources for handover.
[0040]
The third embodiment has an advantage that the processing is performed quickly by performing the route prediction not by a mobile communication device having poor processing capability and network speed but by a mobile communication device-compatible router. In addition, since the mobile communication device ultimately determines whether or not to actually make a reservation, there is an advantage that resources can be prevented from being wastefully secured.
[0041]
In the first embodiment, the route information database is provided in the mobile communication device. However, the route information database may be provided on the network side to answer an inquiry from the mobile communication device.
[0042]
In the third embodiment, the destination conversion unit, the route prediction unit, and the adjacent router list holding unit are provided in the mobile communication device-compatible router. However, if there is no problem even if the load on the mobile communication device increases, These may be provided in the mobile communication device.
[0043]
Further, the mobile communication devices of the first and second embodiments convert the destination setting unit, that is, the user setting to the navigator by voice input or manual input into coordinate information such as latitude and longitude, and A part managed as location information and a current position management unit, that is, a latitude / longitude at which the mobile communication device is located by a high-precision input such as a GPS receiver is managed as current position information (a position having a lower precision than GPS) The information may be managed while correcting the information such as latitude and longitude using the input of the information system.) These parts are provided if accurate information is externally input to the handover management unit. Not required.
[0044]
Further, the first and second embodiments may be combined with the third embodiment, and the route information database of the mobile communication device may be appropriately updated according to the route prediction of the router corresponding to the mobile communication device. As a result, the route information database of the mobile communication device can always be maintained at the latest content.
[0045]
Although the mobile communication device of the second embodiment includes a communication method / radio wave intensity management unit, the mobile communication device manages not radio wave intensity but radio wave quality (noise and the number of instantaneous interruptions in communication), based on the radio wave quality. Handover may be performed. Thereby, good communication quality can be maintained even when the intensity of the received radio wave is high but the quality of the received radio wave is poor.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, in a mobile communication using an IP network, a movement route from a current position to a destination is predicted, and network resources of a subnet on the movement route are reserved to obtain network resources at the time of handover. As a result, it is possible to prevent deterioration of call quality and disconnection of communication.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a mobile communication device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a situation in which when a user moves from a current position to a destination, resources of a subnet that is on the route and for which handover is predicted are reserved.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile communication device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile communication device compatible router according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile communication device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
101, 201 input terminal, 102, 202 destination management unit, 103, 203 current position management unit, 104, 204, 402 handover management unit, 105, 205 route information database unit, 106, 207, 403 resource securing execution unit, 107 , 208 output terminal, 206 communication method / radio field strength management unit, 301 mobile communication device side input / output terminal, 302 destination conversion unit, 303 route prediction unit, 304 neighbor router list holding unit, 305 network side input / output terminal, 401 network Input / output terminal.

Claims (7)

In a mobile communication device that performs communication using a network including a plurality of subnets including a mobile communication device-compatible router device,
Means for predicting a travel route to the destination from the information on the set destination and the information on the current position;
By exchanging messages with the router corresponding to the mobile communication device of at least one other subnet on the predicted movement route, reserve resources for handover with another subnet on the predicted movement route. A mobile communication device comprising: 2. The mobile communication device according to claim 1, wherein the prediction unit has a database storing addresses and latitude / longitude information of each subnet. The database further comprises means for storing communication methods of each subnet and radio wave quality required by each communication method, and controlling timing of handover start and switching of communication methods by referring to the database. The mobile communication device according to claim 2, wherein The mobile communication device according to claim 3, wherein the control means starts the handover when the intensity of the received radio wave falls below a value required by the current communication system. The mobile communication device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit starts the handover when the noise level or the number of instantaneous interruptions of communication exceeds a predetermined value. A mobile communication device-compatible router device having a function of connecting a subnet to a network and enabling the mobile communication device to communicate via the network,
From the information on the current location of the mobile communication device and the information on the destination received from the mobile communication device, information identifying another router device adjacent in the direction of the destination is transmitted to the mobile communication device as predicted route information. A router device for a mobile communication device, characterized by comprising means. 7. The router device according to claim 6, wherein said means has a database storing addresses of router devices in a subnet geographically adjacent to a subnet to which the router belongs.

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