JP7575247B2 - Communications monitoring equipment - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates, for example, to a communications monitoring device.

Conventionally, a method is known in which communication quality is measured by communicating between devices via a mobile communication network at a predetermined measurement time, specifically between a server device for measuring communication quality and a terminal device such as a mobile phone (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2016/125233

In recent years, companies and other organizations have begun to use closed networks via dedicated lines to ensure security, etc. For this reason, operators of closed networks have had to monitor the communication quality of each closed network.

In order to solve the above problem, a communication monitoring device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first testing terminal device connected to a mobile communication network, and a setting terminal device that sets transmission conditions for a test signal to the first testing terminal device, wherein the first testing terminal device transmits the test signal to a first destination via a first closed network including the mobile communication network and a first line according to a schedule based on the transmission conditions, outputs an indicator indicating the communication quality of the first closed network based on a result of the test signal transmitted to the first destination, and transmits the test signal to a second destination via a second closed network including the mobile communication network and a second line according to the schedule, and outputs an indicator of the communication quality of the second closed network based on the result of the test signal transmitted to the second destination.
According to the communication monitoring device according to the above aspect, the communication quality can be monitored for each closed network.

1 is a diagram showing an overview of a system including a communication monitoring device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 illustrates a hardware configuration of a test server device. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of functions implemented in a test server device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a first test terminal device. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of functions implemented in a first test terminal device; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of setting information for each closed network. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence relationship between a monitoring level and a monitoring interval, etc.; FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a schedule. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the communication monitoring device. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a system including a communication monitoring device according to an application example.

Below, the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<System Overview>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a system 1 to which a communication monitoring device 10 according to an embodiment is applied.
1, the system 1 includes a communication monitoring device 10, a user terminal device 20, a mobile communication network 200, a first line 310, a first intra-company communication network 410, a second line 320, and a second intra-company communication network 420. The communication monitoring device 10 includes a first test terminal device 110, a test server device 130, and a setting terminal device 140.

The mobile communication network 200 is a communication network for communication by the user terminal device 20, which is a mobile body. Radio waves emitted from the user terminal device 20 and the first test terminal device 110 are received via a base station 210, while radio waves emitted from the base station 210 are received by the user terminal device 20 and the first test terminal device 110.
Examples of the user terminal device 20 include a smartphone, a portable PC, a handheld terminal for collecting data on electricity and gas, etc., and a terminal device for collecting sales information from vending machines.

The exchanges 313 and 323 are connected to the mobile communication network 200. The exchange 313 is connected to a router 317. The router 317 is connected to one end of the first line 310, and the other end of the first line 310 is connected to a router 417. The first line 310 is a line that is not directly accessed by an unspecified number of people, and is a dedicated line that connects the mobile communication network 200 and the first intra-company communication network 410.
In addition, the router 317 is actually connected to one end of the first line 310 via a termination device, and the other end of the first line 310 is connected to the router 417 via a termination device, but the termination device has been omitted from Figure 1 to avoid complexity.

In the first internal corporate communication network 410, a terminal device 415 is connected via a router 417. The terminal device 415 is, for example, a computer. In the first internal corporate communication network 410, a plurality of terminal devices and server devices are actually connected via the router 417. The terminal device 415 represents a plurality of terminal devices and server devices present in the first internal corporate communication network 410.
In this way, between the terminal device 415 included in the first internal corporate communication network 410 and the user terminal device 20, a secure first closed network that does not go through the Internet is realized by the mobile communication network 200 and the first line 310.

The second intra-company communication network 420 is almost the same as the first intra-company communication network 410. That is, the exchange 323 is connected to a router 327, which is connected to one end of the second line 320, and the other end of the second line 320 is connected to a router 427 in the second intra-company communication network 420. In the second intra-company communication network 420, a terminal device 425 is connected via the router 427.
In this manner, a secure second closed network is realized between the terminal device 425 included in the second internal corporate communication network 420 and the user terminal device 20 by the mobile communication network 200 and the second line 320 .

The first intra-company communication network 410 and the second intra-company communication network 420 are not limited to companies, but may be communication networks provided in government offices, public organizations, etc. In other words, the term "company" in this description refers not only to organizations that conduct economic activities for the purpose of profit, but also to all organizations that operate non-profitably, and to all organizations to which a closed network is provided.
In addition, although FIG. 1 only shows the first in-house communication network 410 and the second in-house communication network 420, closed networks are also realized for the other in-house communication networks via the mobile communication network 200 and dedicated lines in the in-house communication networks.

When the user terminal device 20 communicates with, for example, the terminal device 415, the communication passes through various elements in the mobile communication network 200, the first line 310, etc. For this reason, the communication quality between the user terminal device 20 and the terminal device 415 is easily affected by the state of the above elements, the number of elements, the path length between the elements, and the like.
On the other hand, although closed networks have the advantage of being secure, in recent years, there has been an increasing demand for a certain level of communication quality.
From the perspective of a company providing a closed network, it is necessary to monitor the communication quality of the closed network for each company in real time.

In this embodiment, the communication monitoring device 10 monitors the communication quality of the closed network. Note that the communication quality required for a closed network generally differs from company to company. For this reason, the communication monitoring device 10 monitors the closed network according to the communication quality required for each company.

Among the elements included in the communication monitoring device 10, the setting terminal device 140 is a computer operated by a company that provides a closed network. In the setting terminal device 140, information that is the basis of the transmission conditions described below is input by the company through operation, and the input information is transmitted to the test server device 130.
The test server device 130 is a computer that creates a schedule based on information transmitted from the setting terminal device 140 and stores the schedule. The test server device 130 controls the first test terminal device 110 according to the stored schedule.
The first test terminal device 110 executes a process for monitoring the closed network according to the control by the test server device 130. Specifically, in this embodiment, the first test terminal device 110 transmits a test signal to a designated destination at a time designated by the test server device 130, and determines whether or not a reply signal to the transmission of the test signal has been received.

The test server device 130 and the setting terminal device 140 are connected, for example, via the Internet. On the other hand, the first test terminal device 110 and the test server device 130 are connected, for example, via a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to ensure security.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the test server device 130. As shown in Fig. 2, the test server device 130 is realized by a computer including a central processing unit 132, a storage device 134, and a connection device 136. The elements of the test server device 130 are connected to each other via a single bus or multiple buses.
The term "apparatus" may be replaced with other terms such as a circuit, a device, or a unit. Each element of the test server apparatus 130 is composed of one or more pieces of equipment. Some elements of the test server apparatus 130 may be omitted, and other elements such as an input device or a display device may be added.

The central processing unit 132 is a processor that controls the entire test server device 130, and is configured, for example, by one or more chips. The central processing unit 132 is configured, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that includes an interface with peripheral devices, a calculation unit, a register, and the like.
Some or all of the functions of the central processing unit 132 may be realized by hardware such as a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. The central processing unit 132 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

The storage device 134 is a recording medium that can be used by the central processing unit 132, and stores multiple programs executed by the central processing unit 132 and various data used by the central processing unit 132. The storage device 134 is composed of one or more types of memory circuits, such as, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), or a RAM (Random Access Memory).

The multiple programs executed by the central processing unit 132 include, for example, a control program and a monitoring application program. Of these, the control program is an OS (Operating System) that manages and controls the entire test server device 130, which is a computer. The monitoring application program is a program for controlling the first test terminal device 110 and the test server device 130 to monitor the communication quality of the closed network. In addition, data used by the central processing unit 132 includes tables Tb1, Tb2, and schedule SL, which will be described later.

The connection device 136 is a device for sending and receiving information between the first test terminal device 110 and the setting terminal device 140.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration realized by the central processing unit 132 executing a program stored in the storage device 134. As shown in this figure, the central processing unit 132 is configured with an operation control unit 1320, a schedule acquisition unit 1322, a time output unit 1324, and a test instruction unit 1326.

The operation control unit 1320 controls the operations of a schedule acquisition unit 1322 , a time output unit 1324 , and a test instruction unit 1326 .
The schedule acquisition unit 1322 reads and acquires the schedule SL stored in the storage device 134. The time output unit 1324 outputs the current time. The test instruction unit 1326 instructs the first test terminal device 110 to perform a test for monitoring communication quality according to the read schedule SL and the like.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first test terminal 110. As shown in Fig. 4, the first test terminal 110 is realized by a computer including a central processing unit 112, a storage unit 114, a connection unit 116, and a communication unit 118.
The central processing unit 112 is a processor that controls the entire first test terminal device 110 .

The storage device 114 is a recording medium that can be used by the central processing unit 112 , and stores a plurality of programs executed by the central processing unit 112 and various data used by the central processing unit 112 .
The connection device 116 is a device for sending and receiving information to and from the test server device 130 .
The communication device 118 transmits a test signal to a specified destination in order to monitor the communication quality of the closed network. The communication device 118 includes a built-in timer (not shown).

The multiple programs executed by the central processing unit 112 include, for example, a control program and a test application program. Of these, the control program is the OS. The test application program reads data from the storage device 114 and controls the communication device 118. Data used by the central processing unit 112 includes information Sa and Sb on the cards used by the communication device 118.

The card information Sa is, for example, information necessary for the communication device 118 of the first test terminal device 110 to communicate with the terminal device 415. In this embodiment, the communication quality from the user terminal device 20 to the terminal device 415 is monitored by the communication device 118 sending a test signal on behalf of the user terminal device 20 and receiving the reply signal. For this reason, the information Sa necessary for the communication device 118 to communicate with the terminal device 415 instead of the user terminal device 20 is stored in the storage device 114.

The card information Sb is information necessary for the communication device 118 to communicate with the terminal device 425. In this embodiment, the communication quality from the user terminal device 20 to the terminal device 425 is monitored by the communication device 118 transmitting a test signal on behalf of the user terminal device 20 and receiving the reply signal. For this reason, the information Sb necessary for the communication device 118 to communicate with the terminal device 425 instead of the user terminal device 20 is stored in the storage device 114.

When card information Sa is set in communication device 118, said communication device 118 can transmit a test signal to terminal device 415 via mobile communication network 200 and first line 310. Also, when card information Sb is set in communication device 118, said communication device 118 can transmit a test signal to terminal device 425 via mobile communication network 200 and second line 320.

5 is a diagram showing a functional configuration realized by the central processing unit 112 executing a program stored in the storage device 114. As shown in this figure, in the central processing unit 112, an operation control unit 1120 and a time output unit 1124 are constructed.
Of these, the operation control unit 1120 controls reading from the storage device 114 and the operation of the communication device 118. The time output unit 1124 outputs the current time.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of table Tb1 stored in storage device 134 of test server machine 130. As shown in FIG.
As shown in this figure, in table Tb1, the destination, the monitoring level, and the type of card used are associated with each closed network (company) to be monitored.
Among these, the destination is information indicating the address of a device included in the intra-company communication network, and for example, an IP address is used. Specifically, in the first intra-company communication network 410, it is the IP address of the terminal device 415 or the router 417, and in the second intra-company communication network 420, it is the IP address of the terminal device 425 or the router 427. Note that the destination associated with the first company (first closed network) is an example of a first destination, and the destination associated with the second company (second closed network) is an example of a second destination.

The monitoring levels are ranked from A to D as described below. Monitoring level A indicates that the communication quality required for the closed network leading to the intranet is the highest, followed by monitoring levels B, C, and D, in that order, indicating that the required communication quality decreases.
The required communication quality is determined taking into consideration the importance of the communication provided through the closed network. Also, for example, the monitoring level A is an example of the first monitoring level, and for example, the monitoring levels B, C, or D are examples of the second monitoring level.

The card type indicates the card used when testing the communication quality of the closed network leading to the intra-company communication network. As described above, in this embodiment, when monitoring the communication quality of the closed network leading to the first intra-company communication network 410, card information Sa is used, and therefore "Sa" is associated with the first company as the card type. When monitoring the communication quality of the closed network leading to the second intra-company communication network 420, card information Sb is used, and therefore "Sb" is associated with the second company as the card type.

7 is a diagram showing an example of table Tb2 stored in storage device 134 of test server machine 130. In table Tb2, a time interval (test interval) is associated with each monitoring level.
As shown in FIG. 7, as the required communication quality becomes higher, that is, as the monitoring level moves from D to A, the time interval for transmitting the test signal through the closed network is set to become shorter.
7 indicates the approximate number of companies to be subject to each monitoring level. As shown in this figure, the number of companies to be subject to the monitoring level decreases as the monitoring level increases from D to A.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a schedule SL for monitoring communication quality.
In the schedule SL, the test time of the closed network, specifically, the time of transmitting a test signal through the closed network, is set at each test interval according to the above-mentioned monitoring level. In addition, in the schedule SL, the destination of the transmitted signal, the type of card to be used, etc. are associated with the test time.

When information on the closed network to be monitored, the destination, the monitoring level, and the type of card to be used is input as transmission conditions in the setting terminal device 140, the input information is transmitted to the test server device 130. The operation control unit 1320 in the test server device 130 creates a table Tb1 based on the information input in the setting terminal device 140, and stores the table Tb1 in the storage device 134.
Based on the destination, monitoring level, and type of card used in table Tb1, the operation control unit 1320 creates a schedule SL as shown in Fig. 8. When setting test times in the schedule SL, the operation control unit 1320 refers to the test intervals determined for each monitoring level in table Tb2.
In this way, the schedule SL is created by the operation control unit 1320 of the test server apparatus 130 based on the transmission conditions set by the setting terminal apparatus 140 , and is stored in the storage device 134 .

The schedule SL is created, for example, every 72 hours (the test interval for monitoring level D), when a closed network to be monitored by the setting terminal device 140 is added or changed, and so on.
In addition, depending on the number of closed networks to be monitored and the test intervals corresponding to the monitoring levels, the test times of two or more closed networks may overlap. In such a case, the higher monitoring level is given priority, and the test time of the lower monitoring level is moved back.
Incidentally, table Tb1 may be created by the setting terminal device 140 instead of the test server device 130 and transferred to the test server device 130 .

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication monitoring device 10 according to the embodiment.
It should be noted that the following description is based on the assumption that a schedule SL as shown in FIG. 8 has been created.

First, in test server device 130, operation control unit 1320 causes schedule acquisition unit 1322 to acquire schedule SL stored in storage device 134 (step Sa11).
Next, the operation control unit 1320 determines whether the current time output from the time output unit 1324 is a predetermined time before, for example 3 minutes before, the test time listed in the acquired schedule SL (step Sa12).

If the current time is not the predetermined time before the test time (if the determination result of step Sa12 is "No"), the operation control unit 1320 returns the process to step Sa12. Therefore, the process loops around step Sa12 until the current time is the predetermined time before the test time, and thus enters a standby state.
On the other hand, if the current time is a predetermined time before the test time (if the judgment result of step Sa12 is "Yes"), the operation control unit 1320 transmits the test time, which is now a predetermined time before, the destination to which the test signal is sent via the closed network associated with the test time, and the type of card to be used as test information to the first test terminal device 110 (step Sa13).

When the first test terminal device 110 receives test information from the test server device 130 (step Sb14), the operation control unit 1120 reads the card information specified by the card type included in the test information from the storage device 114 and sets it in the communication device 118 (step Sb15).

Next, the operation control section 1120 determines whether the current time output from the time output section 1124 has reached the test time (step Sb16).
If the current time has not yet reached the present time (if the determination result of step Sb16 is "No"), the operation control unit 1120 returns the procedure to step Sb16. Therefore, the procedure loops around step Sb16 until the current time reaches the test time, and thus enters a standby state.
On the other hand, if the current time reaches the test time (if the determination result in step Sb16 is "Yes"), operation control unit 1120 causes communication device 118 to send a ping as a test signal to the address received from test server device 130 (step Sb17). Furthermore, operation control unit 1120 instructs communication device 118 to start measuring time using a timer after sending the ping.

The operation control unit 1120 determines whether or not there is a reply signal from the other party to which the ping was sent in the communication device 118 (step Sb18).
If there is no reply signal from the recipient of the ping (if the judgment result of step Sb18 is "No"), the operation control unit 1120 judges whether the time elapsed since the ping was sent has exceeded a predetermined time (e.g., 15 seconds) (step Sb20).
If the time that has elapsed since the ping was sent has not exceeded the predetermined time (if the determination result in step Sb20 is "No"), the operation control unit 1120 returns the process to step S18.
In other words, if the state in which there is no reply signal after the ping is sent does not exceed a predetermined time, the processing procedure loops between steps Sb18 and Sb20, and if there is a reply signal within the predetermined time, the judgment result of step Sb18 will be "Yes", and if there is no reply signal even after the predetermined time has elapsed, the judgment result of step Sb20 will be "Yes".

If a reply signal is received from the other party before a specified time has elapsed after the ping is sent (if the judgment result of step Sb18 is "Yes"), the operation control unit 1120 judges that the closed network used when sending the test signal is in communication (step Sb19).
On the other hand, if there is no reply signal from the other party even after a specified time has elapsed after sending the ping (if the judgment result of step Sb20 is "Yes"), the operation control unit 1120 determines that the closed network used when sending the test signal is out of service (step Sb21).
The operation control unit 1120 transmits to the test server device 130 information indicating whether the closed network used when transmitting the test signal is in communication or not (step Sb22).

When the test server device 130 receives information from the first test terminal device 110 indicating that the closed network used when transmitting the test signal is in communication or out of communication, the test server device 130 transfers the information to the setting terminal device 140 (step Sa22).
This allows a business providing a closed network to know whether the communication quality of the closed network is good or bad.
The operation control unit 1120 is configured to transmit information indicating whether the closed network is in communication or not to the test server device 130, and the test server device 130 transfers the information indicating whether the closed network is in communication or not to the setting terminal device 140, but is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured not to transfer information indicating whether the closed network is in communication or not, but to transfer only information indicating that the closed network is in communication or not to the setting terminal device 140, to alert the business operator that provides the closed network.

Moreover, the processes of steps Sa11 to Sa23 are repeatedly executed at each test time described in the schedule SL. That is, tests on the lines of each company are repeatedly executed at time intervals according to the monitoring level set for the closed network (company).
Therefore, a business providing a closed network can monitor the communication quality of the closed network for each company at a time interval according to the monitoring level.

If monitoring reveals that a closed network has poor communication quality, measures such as improving the closed network may be required.

<Application Examples>
The above-described embodiment can be applied or modified as follows.

In the communication monitoring device 10 according to the embodiment, the communication device 118 sends a ping as a test signal to a specified destination, and if a reply signal from the ping is received within a specified time, it is determined that the closed network is in communication with the specified destination, and if a reply signal from the ping is not received within the specified time, it is determined that the closed network is out of communication.
The indicator of communication quality is not limited to connection/disconnection. For example, the following response time, throughput, upload or download time, MOS, etc. may be used as an indicator of communication quality.
As the response time, for example, the communication device 118 may measure the time from sending a ping to receiving a reply signal, and the measured time may be used. In the embodiment, the communication device 118 measures the time from sending a ping to receiving a reply signal, and the measured time may be obtained as the response time.
As the throughput, the communication device 118 or the terminal device 415 (425) may measure the effective transmission amount per unit time, and the measured transmission amount may be used.
The upload time may be determined by measuring the time required to transfer a predetermined amount of data from the communication device 118 to the terminal device 415 (425) and then measuring the time required for the transfer.
The download time may be determined by measuring the time required to transfer a predetermined amount of data from the terminal device 415 (425) to the communication device 118 and then measuring the time required for the transfer.
MOS (Mean Opinion Score) is a numerical value that evaluates the audio quality perceived by the receiving end after data such as voice is compressed using a codec.
As for the index indicating the communication quality, a plurality of the above examples may be obtained to monitor the communication quality.

A secure first closed network is realized between the user terminal device 20 and, for example, terminal device 415, but depending on the point at which the user terminal device 20 connects to the mobile communication network 200, specifically depending on the point of the base station 210 that is passed through, the transmission path length and the number of elements passed through may differ significantly, which will affect the communication quality.
For example, if the first intra-company communication network is established within Tokyo, the communication quality is likely to be different when the user terminal device 20 accesses the terminal device 415 from nearby Kanagawa Prefecture versus when the user terminal device 20 accesses the terminal device 415 from faraway Osaka Prefecture.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, a second test terminal device 120 may be provided at a location different from the first test terminal device 110, and an index showing the communication quality of the closed network when the terminal device 415 (425) is accessed from each of the different locations may be obtained.

In the communication monitoring device 10 according to the embodiment, the first test terminal device 110 and the test server device 130 are separated for convenience, but the functions of the first test terminal device 110 and the test server device 130 may be realized by the same computer. As shown in FIG. 10, when the first test terminal device 110 and the second test terminal device 120 are installed at different locations, the functions of the first test terminal device 110 and the test server device 130 may be realized by the same computer and installed at one location, and the functions of the second test terminal device 120 and the test server device 130 may be realized by another computer and installed at another location.

＜Other＞
In the illustrated flowchart, the order of each step may be changed, that is, the order of each process in the preferred embodiment of the present invention is not limited to a specific order.

Each function illustrated in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5 may be realized by any combination of hardware and software. In addition, each function may be realized by a single device, or may be realized by two or more devices configured separately from each other.

Program shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, or functions, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or by any other name.

Also, software, instructions, etc. may be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies, such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, and digital subscriber line (DSL), and/or wireless technologies, such as infrared, radio, and microwave, these wired and/or wireless technologies are included within the definition of a transmission medium.

Each aspect/embodiment described herein may be applied to systems utilizing LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G, 5G, FRA (Future Radio Access), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other suitable systems and/or next generation systems based on and enhanced thereon.

The input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or may be managed in a management table. The input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. The output information may be deleted. The input information may be transmitted to another device.

The determination may be based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean (true or false) value, or a numerical comparison (e.g., with a predetermined value).

Each aspect/embodiment described in this specification may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation.

The information, signals, etc. described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

As used herein, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.
The information described in this specification may be expressed as an absolute value, a relative value from a predetermined value, or a value corresponding to another piece of information.

The first test terminal device 110, the second test terminal device 120, the test server device 130 and the configuration terminal device 140 mentioned above are computers. A computer may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology.

The term "connected," or any variation thereof, means any connection or coupling, direct or indirect, between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" to one another. The coupling or connection between the elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. As used herein, two elements may be considered to be "connected" to one another by using one or more wires, cables, and/or printed electrical connections, as well as by using electromagnetic energy, such as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, the storage device 134 (114) is exemplified by recording circuits such as ROM and RAM, but the storage device 134 (114) may be a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-ROM), a register, a removable disk, a hard disk, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, a database, a server, or any other suitable storage medium. The program may also be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

In this description, where articles have been added by translation, for example a, an and the in English, these articles include the plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

It is clear to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in this specification. The present invention can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description in this specification is for illustrative purposes only and does not have any limiting meaning on the present invention. In addition, multiple aspects selected from the aspects exemplified in this specification may be combined.

1...system, 10...communication monitoring device, 110...first test terminal device, 120...second test terminal device, 130...test server device, 140...setting terminal device, 200...mobile communication network, 410...first intra-company communication network, 420...second intra-company communication network.

Claims (7)

a first test terminal device connected to a mobile communication network;
a setting terminal device that sets a transmission condition of a test signal to the first test terminal device;
Including,
The first test terminal device is
Transmitting the test signal to a first destination via a first closed network including the mobile communication network and a first line according to a schedule based on the transmission conditions;
outputting an index indicating a communication quality of the first closed network based on a result of the test signal transmitted to the first destination;
transmitting the test signal to a second destination via a second closed network including the mobile communication network and a second line according to the schedule;
outputting an index of communication quality of the second closed network based on a result of the test signal transmitted to the second destination;
A communication monitoring device ,
The transmission conditions are:
A first monitoring level is set for the first closed network, and a second monitoring level is set for the second closed network;
The schedule includes:
For the first test terminal device,
Specifying that the first destination is to transmit the test signal at a time interval corresponding to the first monitoring level;
Specifying that the test signal is to be transmitted to the second destination at a time interval corresponding to the second monitoring level.
Communications monitoring equipment . If the first monitoring level is higher than the second monitoring level,
The schedule includes:
A time interval for transmitting the test signal to the first destination is specified to be shorter than a time interval for transmitting the test signal to the second destination.
The communication monitoring device according to claim 1 . The first test terminal device,
providing test information for transmitting the test signal to the first destination before the test signal is transmitted to the first destination;
providing test information for transmitting the test signal to the second destination before the test signal is transmitted to the second destination;
Includes test server equipment
3. A communication monitoring device according to claim 1 or 2 . The test server device
An index indicating a communication quality of the first closed network and an index indicating a communication quality of the second closed network are acquired from the first testing terminal device, and the indexes are transferred to the setting terminal device.
The communication monitoring device according to claim 3 . The first test terminal device is
Depending on the presence or absence of a reply signal in response to the transmission of the test signal to the first destination, information indicating whether the first closed network is in communication or not is output as an index indicating the communication quality of the first closed network.
5. A communication monitoring device according to claim 1 . The first test terminal device is
Information on the time taken for the test signal to be transmitted to the first destination and for a reply signal to be received is output as an index showing the communication quality of the first closed network.
5. A communication monitoring device according to claim 1 . A second test terminal device is connected to the mobile communication network at a point different from the first test terminal device.
7. A communication monitoring device according to claim 1 .

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