JP2016158200A - Information processor, control program, control method for information processor, and information processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processor, control program, control method for the information processor, and information processing system that elongate the system's life based on a residual battery amount of a device.SOLUTION: An information processor includes: a processing unit for receiving, from a plurality of devices through a relay device, acquisition information acquired by the devices and residual amount information indicating the devices' battery residual amounts; and a storage unit for storing the received acquisition information and residual information. The processing unit, when any device's residual amount information shows a value lower than a predetermined value, performs switching from a first mode of receiving the acquisition information and residual amount information through a relay device selected by the device to a second mode of further receiving, from the plurality of devices, communication information indicating states of communication with one or a plurality of relay devices, determining a relay device for the plurality of devices on the basis of the residual amount information and the communication information, notifying the plurality of devices of the determined relay device, and receiving the acquisition information and the residual amount information through the determined relay device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a control program, a control method for the information processing apparatus, and an information processing system.

  There is an information processing system in which an information processing apparatus collects data acquired by each of a plurality of devices including sensors via a relay apparatus such as a gateway and performs a predetermined process based on the collected data. Each device is fixedly installed at a location from which data is acquired, and transmits data to the gateway via short-range wireless communication. In addition, the gateway transmits data received from the device to the information processing apparatus via wired or wireless.

  Each device includes a battery and is driven by the battery. Therefore, when the battery of the device runs out, the worker visits the place where the device is installed and performs maintenance such as battery replacement and charging.

  In the information processing system, one or more gateways are arranged for one device. For example, each device selects a gateway to be connected to, and transmits data to the information processing apparatus via the selected gateway.

  The technologies related to the communication path of a device including a battery are described in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

JP 2005-526416 A JP 2006-211389 A

  However, when a device selects a gateway as a connection destination, the number of retransmissions to a gateway of a device with a small remaining battery level increases, and power consumption may increase. This shortens the life of a device with a small remaining battery capacity, and shortens the life of an information processing system based on the remaining battery capacity of each device. As the life of the information processing system is shortened, the cost for maintenance increases.

  One aspect of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus, a control program, a control method for the information processing apparatus, and an information processing system that extend the life of the system based on the remaining battery level of the device. .

  According to the first aspect, the processing unit that receives the acquisition information acquired by the device and the remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of the battery of the device from a plurality of devices via the relay device, and received A storage unit that stores the acquired information and the remaining amount information, and the processing unit selects a relay device that the device selects when the remaining amount information of any device falls below a predetermined value. From the first mode in which the acquisition information and the remaining amount information are received via, communication information indicating a communication state with one or a plurality of the relay devices is further received from the plurality of devices, and the remaining amount The relay device for the plurality of devices is determined based on the information and the communication information, the determined relay device is notified to the plurality of devices, and the acquired information and the remaining amount information are determined for the relay device. Receive via That is switched to the second mode.

  According to the first aspect, the life of the system based on the remaining battery level of the device can be extended.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration of an information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment. It is a figure explaining the deviation of the battery remaining amount between the devices of the information processing system 100 shown in FIG. It is a figure which illustrates typically the mode of control of center server 10 of this embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of the center server 10 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of software blocks of a data collection program 210 of the center server 10 shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a device information table 310 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a device connection destination control information table 311 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. It is a hardware block diagram of the device 30a shown in FIGS. It is a block diagram of the software block of the device 30a shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining an example of the control information table 411 shown in FIG. 8, FIG. It is a sequence diagram explaining the flow of the switching process from autonomous control to centralized control. It is a sequence diagram explaining the flow of the switching process from centralized control to autonomous control. It is a figure which shows the device information table 310-1 after switching to centralized control. It is a figure which shows an example of the format of the transmission sensor data demonstrated in FIG. 11, FIG. 12, the control information notification request, transmission control data, and a connection destination control notification. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of control switching determination processing of the data collection program 210 of the center server 10 illustrated in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of reception processing of transmission sensor data and transmission control data of the data collection program 210 illustrated in FIG. 5. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of sensor data transmission processing of the data transmission program 410 of the device 30 illustrated in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of control switching processing in response to reception of a connection destination control notification in the data transmission program 410 of the device 30 illustrated in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process flow when a control information notification request is received by the data transmission program 410 of the device 30 illustrated in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a flow of connection destination switching processing of the data transmission program 410 of the device 30 shown in FIG. 9. It is a hardware block diagram of the gateway 20 shown in FIGS. 1-3. It is a block diagram of the software block of the gateway 20 shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but extends to the matters described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

[Information processing system]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration of an information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment. The information processing system 100 in FIG. 1 is a system based on M2M (Machine to Machine: M2M). M2M indicates a system that performs advanced control and operation by machines exchanging information with each other via a network.

  The information processing system 100 in FIG. 1 includes a center server (information processing apparatus) 10, a plurality of gateways (relay apparatuses) 20-1 to 20-3, and a plurality of devices 30a to 30f. A center server 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a server realized by, for example, cloud computing. The gateway 20 is a device that relays communication between the device 30 and the center server 10.

  Each device 30a-30f is connected to gateways 20-1 to 20-3 (also referred to as gateway 20) via short-range wireless communication (dotted line in the figure). The short-range communication indicates, for example, wireless communication in a communication area of about several tens of meters, and indicates wireless communication based on ZigBee (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or the like. The gateway 20 is connected to the center server 10 via a wireless communication or a wired communication (straight line in the figure). When based on wireless communication, the gateway 20 is connected to the center server 10 according to a standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution: LTE) or 3G (3rd Generation).

  Each device 30 shown in FIG. 1 is fixedly located at a sensing location. Each device 30 includes a sensor, and acquires data detected by the sensor. Each device 30 periodically acquires data and transmits the acquired data (also referred to as sensor data) to the center server 10 via the gateway 20.

  Each device 30 is not necessarily provided with a sensor. The acquired data may be data detected by another device or program provided in the device 30. In the example of FIG. 1, six devices 30 a to 30 f (also referred to as devices 30) are illustrated, but the information processing system 100 actually includes a large number of devices 30.

  The center server 10 performs predetermined processing based on acquired data collected from the plurality of devices 30. For example, when the information processing system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a manhole sewage management system, the center server 10 collects water level data (acquired data) observed by a water level sensor installed in the manhole from each device 30. Then, when there is water level data that exceeds the threshold among the collected water level data, the center server 10 performs a warning notification to the residents in the vicinity of the device 30 of the water level data. Alternatively, the center server 10 outputs the collected water level data as information for the worker.

  The information processing system 100 is not limited to a sewage management system. The information processing system 100 may be a vibration management system such as a bridge or a tunnel. The center server 10 of the vibration management system collects vibration data from each device 30, and performs inspection work, repair work, and the like based on the collected vibration data.

  Each device 30 includes a battery and is driven by the battery. As for the power consumption of the device 30, the ratio of the power consumption by the data transmission process is large. When the battery of the device 30 runs out, the worker visits the place where the device 30 is installed and performs maintenance such as battery replacement and charging. The device 30 may be installed in a remote place or a place where workability is difficult, and the cost for maintenance increases according to the work load such as battery replacement or charging by the worker.

  In addition, the information processing system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 redundantly arranges a plurality of gateways 20 for one device 30. The wireless environment between the device 30 and the gateway 20 varies according to changes in the installation environment. Therefore, when the wireless environment deteriorates, the gateway 20 may not be able to receive data from the device 30. Further, when the amount of data processed by the gateway 20 exceeds the allowable amount, packet collisions frequently occur and data transmission errors are likely to occur.

  Therefore, the information processing system 100 increases the reliability of data reception from the device 30 and sets a plurality of gateways 20 for one device 30 in order to keep the amount of data processed by each gateway 20 within an allowable amount. Place redundantly. The plurality of gateways 20 have different frequency channel (CH) settings.

[Autonomous control]
Each device 30 selects the optimum gateway 20 from a plurality of gateways 20 that can be connected, for example. Each device 30 selects the gateway 20 to be connected based on, for example, the radio wave intensity, the number of retransmissions, and the like. The radio wave intensity indicates the radio wave intensity of wireless communication between the device 30 and the gateway 20. The higher the radio field intensity, the lower the probability that a transmission error will occur. The number of retransmissions indicates the number of retransmissions due to a data transmission error to the gateway 20.

  Each device 30 connects to another gateway 20 having a good wireless environment when the wireless environment with the connected gateway 20 deteriorates. Thereby, the device 30 suppresses the number of retransmissions of the sensor data. For example, when the radio wave intensity of the connected gateway 20 falls below a predetermined threshold value, the device 30 disconnects the connection with the gateway 20, and selects a gateway 20 whose radio wave intensity is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold value from the surrounding gateways 20. select. Then, the device 30 sets and connects the same frequency channel as the selected gateway. Alternatively, each device 30 may select the gateway 20 with a small number of retransmissions as a connection destination.

  Thus, the device 30 selects the gateway 20 that is most suitable for the device 30. Since each device 30 can autonomously select the gateway 20, the center server 10 may not control the path between each device 30 and the gateway 20. As a result, the processing load of the center server 10 can be suppressed, and communication processing related to path control does not occur.

  On the other hand, each device 30 selects the gateway 20 to be connected without considering other devices 30. Therefore, the number of times of retransmitting the sensor data to the gateway 20 to be connected by the device 30 with a small remaining battery capacity may increase. As the power consumption increases in accordance with the increase in the data transmission process, the remaining battery level of the device 30 with a low remaining battery level further decreases. As a result, the remaining amount of the battery tends to be uneven between the devices.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a deviation in the remaining battery level between devices of the information processing system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. 2 that are the same as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same symbols. FIG. 2 shows gateways 20-1 and 20-2 among the gateways 20-1 to 20-3 shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows devices 30g and 30h in addition to the devices 30a to 30f shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the center server 10 is not shown.

  In the example of FIG. 2, the radio field intensity between the devices 30a to 30f and the gateway 20-1 is high, and the radio field intensity between the devices 30a to 30f and the gateway 20-2 is low. Accordingly, each of the devices 30 a to 30 f selects the gateway 20-1 as the connection destination gateway 20, for example. Thereby, the connections of the plurality of devices 30a to 30f are concentrated on the gateway 20-1, and the data amount may exceed the processing capacity and the radio capacity allowable amount of the gateway 20-1. As a result, packet collisions occur frequently, and the number of retransmissions of sensor data increases, further increasing the amount of communication data. As the number of retransmissions continues to increase, the power consumption of the devices 30a to 30f increases.

  In addition, for example, in order to suppress the number of retransmissions, the device 30f reselects the gateway 20-2 with a smaller number of retransmissions as a connection destination although the radio wave intensity is weaker than the gateway 20-1. According to the example of FIG. 2, the remaining battery level BPf of the device 30f is smaller than the remaining battery levels BPa to BPe of the devices 30a to 30e. Accordingly, the devices 30a to 30e having a large remaining battery level BPa to BPe are connected to the gateway 20-1 having a high radio wave intensity, and the device 30f having a low battery level BPf is connected to the gateway 20-2 having a low radio wave intensity. Will occur.

  As a result, the power consumption of the device 30f with a small remaining battery level BPf is increased, and the remaining battery level BPf of the device 30f is further reduced, thereby causing a bias in the remaining battery level between devices. When the battery of the device 30f runs out, the information processing system 100 cannot collect sensor data of all the devices 30a to 30h (also referred to as device 30). That is, the life of the information processing system 100 is shortened by reducing the remaining battery level of the device 30f.

  Note that the power consumption for the transmission process may vary depending on the characteristics of the battery included in the device 30. Further, depending on the environmental factors of the device 30 such as temperature, the power consumption due to the transmission processing varies depending on the degree of deterioration of the battery between the devices. Thus, even if the number of retransmissions between devices is the same, there may be a bias in the remaining battery power between devices.

[This embodiment]
Therefore, the center server 10 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not the remaining battery level (remaining capacity information) of any of the devices 30 is lower than a predetermined value. To switch to the second mode.

  In the first mode, the center server 10 receives sensor data (acquisition information) and remaining amount information via the gateway 20 selected by the device 30. Hereinafter, an aspect in which each device 30 selects the gateway 20 to be connected is referred to as autonomous control. In the second mode, the center server 10 further receives communication information (control data) indicating a communication state with the gateway 20 from each device 30, and the gateway of each device 30 based on the remaining amount information and the communication information. 20 is determined. Then, the center server 10 notifies each device 30 of the determined gateway 20 and receives the sensor data and the remaining amount information via the determined gateway 20. Hereinafter, a mode in which the center server 10 determines gateways 20 to which all devices 30 are connected is referred to as centralized control.

  According to the centralized control, the center server 10 can assign the gateway 20-1 having a high radio wave intensity only to the device 30f with a small remaining battery level BPf. That is, the center server 10 determines the connection destination of the device 30f as the gateway 20-1, and determines the connection destination of the devices 30a to 30e having the remaining battery levels BPa to BPe as another gateway 20-2.

  As a result, the number of retransmissions of the device 30f can be reduced, and power consumption for data transmission processing can be suppressed. By reducing the power consumption of the device 30f with a small remaining battery level BPf, the life of the device 30f is extended. Thereby, the lifetime of the information processing system 100 based on the battery remaining amount of each device 30a-30h prolongs.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a control mode of the center server 10 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 3, the same components as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same symbols. FIG. 3 illustrates a case where the information processing system 100 includes gateways 20-4 to 20-8 in addition to the gateways 20-1 to 20-3 illustrated in FIG.

  An upper schematic diagram MD1 of FIG. 3 shows an aspect of autonomous control (first mode). According to the schematic diagram MD1, the remaining battery levels BPa to BPh (also referred to as the remaining battery level BP) of any of the devices 30a to 30h are sufficient. That is, according to the schematic diagram MD1, the remaining battery levels BPa to BPh of any of the devices 30a to 30h are not less than the predetermined value. Therefore, the center server 10 collects sensor data via the gateways 20-1 to 20-8 selected by the devices 30a to 30h according to autonomous control.

  For example, each device 30 selects the gateway 20 that is the best connection destination for the device 30 based on either or both of the radio wave intensity and the number of retransmissions among the connectable gateways 20. As a result, the device 30 can suppress the error occurrence rate at the time of data transmission and suppress the power consumption associated with the retransmission process. According to the example of the schematic diagram MD1 in FIG. 3, the device 30a selects the optimum gateway 20 from the connectable gateways 20-1 and 20-2, and transmits the sensor data via the gateway 20.

  A schematic diagram MD2 below FIG. 3 shows a mode of centralized control (second mode). As described with reference to FIG. 2, when adopting the autonomous control, the battery remaining amount BP between devices tends to be biased. Schematic diagram MD2 in FIG. 3 shows a state in which a deviation in the remaining battery level BP between the devices has occurred by continuing the autonomous control. Since the remaining battery level BPb of the device 30b and the remaining battery level BPg of the device 30g are below a predetermined value, the center server 10 switches from autonomous control to centralized control.

  According to the centralized control, the center server 10 determines gateways 20-1 to 20-8 to which all devices 30a to 30h are connected. The center server 10 further receives communication information (also referred to as control data) indicating a communication state with the connectable gateway 20 from each device 30a to 30h, and each device 30a based on the remaining battery level BP and the control data. The gateway 20 to be connected to ˜30h is determined. The communication information indicating the communication state indicates the state of communication with one or a plurality of gateways 20 to which the device 30 can be connected. The communication information includes, for example, the number of retransmissions.

  According to the example of the schematic diagram MD2 of FIG. 3, the center server 10 determines the connection destinations of the devices 30b and 30g having a small remaining battery level BPb and BPg as gateways 20-2 and 20-7 having good communication status based on the communication information. Each will be prioritized. Further, the center server 10 determines the connection destinations of the devices 30a and 30h having a large remaining battery level BPa and BPh as gateways 20-1 and 20-8 different from the gateways 20-2 and 20-7, respectively.

  Thereby, the center server 10 can reduce the power consumption of the devices 30b and 30g having a small remaining battery capacity BPb and BPg. Therefore, the center server 10 can smooth the remaining battery level BP between the devices and prolong the lifetime of the devices 30b and 30g. Thereby, the center server 10 can prolong the lifetime of the information processing system 100 based on the remaining battery levels BPa to BPh of the devices 30a to 30h.

  As described above, when the life of the information processing system 100 is shortened, the center server 10 smoothes the bias of the remaining battery level BP between the devices by switching to the centralized control, thereby reducing the life of the information processing system 100. Can be extended. Alternatively, when the life of the information processing system 100 tends to be shortened, the center server 10 smoothes the deviation of the remaining battery power BP between the devices by switching to the centralized control, and extends the life of the information processing system 100. can do. By extending the service life, it is possible to reduce the cost of battery maintenance.

  By switching to centralized control, control data collection processing from each device 30 occurs, and the amount of communication data increases. When a wireless line that charges for the increase in the amount of data is adopted for communication between the gateway 20 and the center server 10, the cost for communication increases as the amount of communication data increases.

  Further, the power consumption of each device 30 is increased by the control data transmission process. For example, when the information processing system 100 includes an enormous amount of gateways 20, the load of the communication processing of the center server 10 accompanying the collection of control data from each device 30 is large. Furthermore, the processing load for the center server 10 to calculate the optimum combination from all the combinations of the device 30 and the gateway 20 is also large.

  On the other hand, the center server 10 in the present embodiment switches to the centralized control only when the remaining battery level BP of any device 30 falls below a predetermined value. Thereby, the center server 10 can suppress the communication cost, the load of the communication process and the calculation process of the center server 10, and the power consumption when extending the life of the information processing system 100. In addition, although the cost of communication increases due to the centralized control, the cost for maintenance of the battery is reduced due to the extension of the lifetime, so that the overall cost can be suppressed.

  Next, the hardware configuration and software block diagram of the center server 10 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The hardware configuration and software block diagram of the device 30 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[Hardware configuration of center server]
FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the center server 10 shown in FIG. The center server 10 illustrated in FIG. 4 includes, for example, a CPU 101, a memory 102, an auxiliary storage device 103, a communication interface unit 104, an input device 105, and an output device 106. Each unit is connected to each other via a bus 107. The memory 102 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory: RAM) 201, a nonvolatile memory 202, and the like. The input device 105 indicates, for example, a keyboard and a mouse, and the output device 106 is, for example, a display.

  The CPU 101 is connected to the memory 102 and the like via the bus 107 and controls the center server 10 as a whole. The communication interface unit 104 transmits and receives data and the like via the antenna 108 according to wireless communication with the gateway 20 and other devices (not shown). The antenna 108 transmits and receives various data using radio waves. The communication interface unit 104 may be connected to the gateway 20 or another device (not shown) according to wired communication. A RAM 201 of the memory 102 stores data to be processed by the CPU 101. The auxiliary storage device 103 is, for example, a hard disk (Hard disk drive: HDD) that stores various types of information.

  The nonvolatile memory 202 of the memory 102 includes an area (not shown) for storing an OS (Operating System: OS) program executed by the CPU 101. The nonvolatile memory 202 includes a data collection program storage area 210 and an application program storage area 211. The nonvolatile memory 202 indicates, for example, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory.

  A data collection program (hereinafter referred to as a data collection program 210) in the data collection program storage area 210 collects data from each device 30 by the execution of the CPU 101. Details of the processing of the data collection program 210 will be described with reference to FIG. An application program (hereinafter referred to as application program 211) in the application program storage area 211 performs aggregation and analysis processing of data collected by the data collection program 210 by the execution of the CPU 101.

  The auxiliary storage device 103 also has a device information storage area 310 (hereinafter referred to as a device information table 310) and a device connection destination control information storage area 311 (hereinafter referred to as a device connection destination control information table 311). The device information table 310 is a table that stores data of each device 30 collected by the data collection program 210. Details of the device information table 310 will be described later with reference to FIG. The device connection destination control information table 311 is a table that stores information on the gateway 20 for specifying the connection of each device 30. Details of the device connection destination control information table 311 will be described later with reference to FIG.

[Center Server Software Block]
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of software blocks of the data collection program 210 of the center server 10 shown in FIG. 5 that are the same as those shown in FIG. 4 are indicated by the same symbols.

  As illustrated in FIG. 5, the data collection program 210 illustrated in FIG. 4 includes a control module 221, a connection control switching module 222, and a connection destination optimization module 223. Details of processing of each module 221 to 223 will be described later with reference to flowcharts of FIGS. 15 and 16.

  The control module 221 controls the modules 222 and 223, and stores data received from each device 30 through the gateway 20 in the device information table 310 (FIG. 4).

  The connection control switching module 222 refers to the device information table 310 to determine whether or not to switch between autonomous control and centralized control, and performs processing according to each control. The connection control switching module 222 instructs the connection destination optimization module 223 to optimize the connection destination gateways 20 of all devices 30 when switching from autonomous control to centralized control. Further, the connection control switching module 222 stores the determined information of the connection destination gateway 20 of each device 30 in the device connection destination control information table 311 (FIG. 4).

  In response to the instruction from the connection control switching module 222, the connection destination optimization module 223 refers to the device information table 310 and determines the gateway 20 to be specified as the connection destination of all the devices 30 according to the calculation process.

[Device information table]
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the device information table 310 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. The device information table 310 includes items such as a remaining battery level, a transmission frequency, the number of retransmissions, and a radio wave intensity, using, for example, a MAC (Media Access Control: MAC) address of the device 30 as identification information. The battery remaining amount indicates remaining amount information of a battery that drives the device 30. The transmission frequency (times / sec) indicates the number of transmissions of sensor data per second. The number of retransmissions indicates the number of retransmissions accompanying a transmission error of sensor data to each gateway 20 in a predetermined period. The radio wave intensity (dBm (decibel-milliwatts)) indicates the radio wave intensity between each gateway 20.

  The device 30 having the device address “aaaa” illustrated in FIG. 6 is the device 30a illustrated in FIGS. The device 30 with the device address “bbbb” indicates the device 30b, and the device 30 with the device address “cccc” indicates the device 30c. Further, gateways “GW1” to “GW4” illustrated in FIG. 6 correspond to the gateways 20-1 to 20-4 illustrated in FIG. The same applies to the device connection destination control information table 311 described later with reference to FIG.

  According to the device information table 310 shown in FIG. 6, the remaining battery level of the device 30a is 90%, and the transmission frequency is “0.1”. That is, the device 30a transmits the sensor data to the center server 10 once every 10 seconds. Further, according to the device information table 310, the device 30a can be connected to the gateway “GW1” 20-1, the gateway “GW2” 20-2, and the gateway “GW4” 20-4.

  Further, according to the device information table 310 shown in FIG. 6, the number of retransmissions from the device 30a to the gateway “GW1” 20-1 is 5, the number of retransmissions to the gateway “GW2” 20-2 is 1, and the gateway “GW4”. The number of retransmissions to 20-4 is 10 times. That is, among the gateways 20 that can be connected to the device 30a, the number of retransmissions to the gateway “GW2” 20-2 is the smallest.

  Further, according to the device information table 310 illustrated in FIG. 6, the radio field intensity between the device 30a and the gateway “GW1” 20-1 is “−70 dBm”. The radio field intensity between the device 30a and the gateway “GW2” 20-2 is “−45 dBm”, and the radio field intensity between the gateway “GW4” 20-4 is “−88 dBm”. That is, of the gateways 20 that can be connected to the device 30a, the radio field intensity with the gateway “GW2” 20-2 is the highest.

  The device information table 310 illustrated in FIG. 6 similarly includes information on the remaining battery level, the transmission frequency, the number of retransmissions, and the radio wave intensity for the other devices 30b and 30c. According to the device information table 310 illustrated in FIG. 6, the transmission frequency is different for each device 30. Thus, each device 30 may transmit different types of sensor data according to different transmission frequencies.

[Device connection destination control information table]
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the device connection destination control information table 311 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 7A shows an example of the device connection destination control information table 311a in autonomous control, and FIG. 7B shows an example of the device connection destination control information table 311b in centralized control.

  The device connection destination control information tables 311 a and 311 b have an item of the gateway 20 for specifying the connection of each device 30. The connection-designated gateway 20 indicates the gateway 20 to which each device 30 is connected, determined by the center server 10.

  Since the device connection destination control information table 311a shown in FIG. 7A is a table in the case of adopting autonomous control, there is no information in the item of the gateway 20 designated for connection. On the other hand, the device connection destination control information table 311b shown in FIG. 7B is a table in the case where centralized control is employed, and therefore has information in the item of the gateway 20 designated for connection. Specifically, the gateway 20 for specifying the connection of the device 30a is the gateway “GW1” 20-1. Further, the gateway 20 for specifying the connection of the device 30b is the gateway “GW2” 20-2, and the gateway 20 for specifying the connection of the device 30c is the gateway “GW3” 20-3.

  Next, the hardware configuration and software block diagram of the gateway 20 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[Gateway hardware configuration diagram]
FIG. 21 is a hardware configuration diagram of the gateway 20 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3. The gateway 20 illustrated in FIG. 21 includes, for example, a CPU 501, a memory 502, and a communication interface unit 503. Each unit is connected to each other via a bus 505. The memory 502 includes a RAM 520, a nonvolatile memory 521, and the like.

  The CPU 501 is connected to the memory 502 and the like via the bus 505 and controls the entire gateway 20. The communication interface unit 503 transmits and receives data to and from the device 30 and the center server 10 via the antenna 504. The antenna 504 transmits and receives various data using radio waves. Note that the communication interface unit 503 may transmit / receive data to / from the center server 10 according to wired communication.

  A RAM 520 of the memory 502 stores data to be processed by the CPU 501. The nonvolatile memory 521 of the memory 502 includes an area (not shown) for storing an OS program executed by the CPU 501. The nonvolatile memory 521 includes a data relay program storage area 510. The nonvolatile memory 521 indicates, for example, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory. The data relay program (hereinafter referred to as the data relay program 510) in the data relay program storage area 510 implements sensor data relay processing by execution of the CPU 101. Details of the processing of the data relay program 510 will be described with reference to FIG.

[Gateway Software Block]
FIG. 22 is a block diagram of software blocks of the gateway 20 shown in FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 22, the data relay program 510 illustrated in FIG. 21 includes a control module 511 and a relay module 512.

  The control module 511 manages the processing of the relay module 512. Further, when receiving data destined for the center server 10 from the device 30, the relay module 512 transmits the received data to the center server 10 according to wireless communication or wired communication. Further, when the relay module 512 receives data destined for the device 30 from the center server 10, the relay module 512 transmits the received data to the device 30 according to short-range wireless communication.

  Next, the hardware configuration and software block diagram of the device 30 will be described. 8 and FIG. 9 show an example of the device 30a among the plurality of devices 30a to 30h shown in FIG. 3, but the same applies to the other devices 30b to 30h.

[Device hardware configuration diagram]
FIG. 8 is a hardware configuration diagram of the device 30a shown in FIGS. The device 30a illustrated in FIG. 8 includes, for example, a CPU 301, a memory 302, a sensor 303, a communication interface unit 304, and a battery 305. Each unit is connected to each other via a bus 306. The memory 302 includes a RAM 401, a nonvolatile memory 402, and the like.

  The CPU 301 is connected to the memory 302 and the like via the bus 306 and controls the entire device 30a. The sensor 303 is a detection unit that detects measurement information such as a water level, temperature, and vibration. The sensor 303 is, for example, a water level sensor, a temperature sensor, a vibration sensor, or the like. The communication interface unit 304 performs data transmission / reception and the like via the antenna 307 according to the short-range wireless communication with the gateway 20. The antenna 307 transmits and receives various data using radio waves. The battery 305 is power supply means for supplying power for operating the device 30a. For example, the battery 305 is a rechargeable battery such as a dry battery or a lithium ion, but is not limited thereto.

  A RAM 401 of the memory 302 stores data to be processed by the CPU 301. The nonvolatile memory 402 of the memory 302 includes an area (not shown) for storing an OS program executed by the CPU 301. The nonvolatile memory 402 includes a data transmission program storage area 410 and a control information storage area 411. The nonvolatile memory 402 represents, for example, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory.

  A data transmission program in the data transmission program storage area 410 (hereinafter referred to as a data transmission program 410) implements sensor data acquisition processing and transmission processing by execution of the CPU 101. Details of the processing of the data transmission program 410 will be described with reference to FIG. The control information storage area 411 (hereinafter referred to as the control information table 411) stores the remaining battery capacity, control data (transmission frequency, number of retransmissions, radio wave intensity), and information on the connection-designated gateway 20. Details of the control information table 411 will be described later with reference to FIG.

[Device Software Block]
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of software blocks of the device 30a shown in FIG. 9, the same components as those shown in FIG. 8 are indicated by the same symbols. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the data transmission program 410 illustrated in FIG. 8 includes a control module 421, a sensing module 422, a battery remaining amount acquisition module 423, a connection destination control switching module 424, and a connection destination switching module 425. Details of the processes of the modules 421 to 425 will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  The control module 421 controls each module 422-425. In addition, the control module 421 periodically gives an instruction to acquire sensor data to the sensing module 422 and an instruction to acquire battery remaining amount information to the battery remaining amount acquiring module 423. Further, the control module 421 controls the transmission process of the acquired sensor data and remaining amount information, and stores the number of retransmissions and remaining amount information of the transmission process in the control information table 411 (FIG. 8).

  The sensing module 422 acquires sensor data detected by the sensor 303 (FIG. 8) in response to an instruction from the control module 421. The battery remaining amount acquisition module 423 acquires battery remaining amount information (also referred to as battery remaining amount) of the battery 305 (FIG. 8) in response to an instruction from the control module 421.

  The connection destination control switching module 424 updates the control information table 411 in response to an instruction for switching between autonomous control and centralized control by the center server 10. Further, the connection destination control switching module 424 transmits control data to the center server 10 in response to a request from the center server 10. The connection destination switching module 425 updates the control information table 411 and selects the gateway 20 in the case of autonomous control.

[Control information table]
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the control information table 411 illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. 10A shows an example of the control information table 411a in autonomous control, and FIG. 10B shows an example of the control information table 411b in centralized control.

  The control information tables 411a and 411b have items of remaining battery capacity, transmission frequency, number of retransmissions, radio wave intensity information, and connection designation gateway 20 items. Each item is as described in the device information table 310 of FIG. 6 and the device connection destination control information tables 311a and 311b of FIG.

  Since the control information tables 411a and 411b shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B are the control information table 411 of the device 30a, the same information as the information of the device 30a included in the device information table 310 shown in FIG. Have.

  Further, the control information table 411a in the autonomous control shown in FIG. 10A is similar to the device connection destination control information table 311a described in FIG. Does not have. Further, the control information table 411b in the centralized control shown in FIG. 10B is similar to the device connection destination control information table 311b described in FIG. Have

  Next, the flow of switching processing from autonomous control to centralized control will be described according to FIG. 11, and the flow of switching processing from centralized control to autonomous control will be described according to FIG.

[Switching from autonomous control to centralized control]
FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating the flow of switching processing from autonomous control to centralized control. 11, the same components as those shown in FIG. 3 are indicated by the same symbols. FIG. 11 illustrates the flow of switching processing from autonomous control to centralized control according to the flow of signal transmission / reception between the plurality of devices 30a to 30h (device group 30 and each device 30) and the center server 10. . Each device 30 transmits information to the center server 10 via the gateway 20, but FIG. 11 omits the illustration of the gateway 20 in order to simplify the description.

  The device group 30 acquires sensor data and remaining amount information every predetermined time such as 10 seconds, generates transmission sensor data, and passes through a gateway (not shown in FIG. 11) 20 selected by the device 30. To the center server 10 (a1). The format of the transmission sensor data will be described later according to FIG.

  The center server 10 receives the transmission sensor data from the device group 30, and acquires the sensor data and remaining amount information of each device 30 (a2). Each device 30 may acquire sensor data and remaining amount information in response to an acquisition instruction received from the center server 10 or another device (not shown), and may transmit it to the center server 10.

  The center server 10 calculates the average remaining battery level (hereinafter referred to as the average remaining battery level) based on the received remaining level information of the device group 30 (a3). Then, the center server 10 determines whether or not the remaining battery level of any one of the devices 30 is lower than a predetermined value, and switches from autonomous control to centralized control when it is determined that it is lower. The predetermined value indicates a threshold value or a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined degree from the average remaining battery level. That is, the center server 10 determines whether or not the remaining battery level of any of the devices 30 is lower than the threshold value, or whether or not it is lower than the average battery level by a predetermined degree or more. Switch from autonomous control to centralized control. The threshold and the predetermined degree indicate values set in advance according to verification or the like, for example.

  The state in which the remaining battery level of any one of the devices 30 is lower than the threshold value indicates a case where the life of the information processing system 100 is shortened to a predetermined period or less by shortening the life of at least one device 30. In addition, when the remaining battery level of any device 30 falls below a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined degree from the average remaining battery level, the remaining battery level of at least one device 30 is smaller than the remaining battery level of other devices 30. This shows the case where there is a divergence and decrease. Or the case where the standard deviation of the battery remaining charge of the device group 30 is large is shown. That is, the battery remaining amount between the devices is biased, and the life of the information processing system 100 tends to be shortened.

  Therefore, the center server 10 switches from autonomous control to centralized control when the life of the information processing system 100 is shortened or when the life of the information processing system 100 tends to be shortened. Thereby, the center server 10 suppresses the power consumption of the device 30 with a small remaining battery level, smoothes the remaining battery level between devices, and extends the life of the information processing system 100. The center server 10 may switch from autonomous control to centralized control when the remaining battery level of any device 30 falls below a threshold and falls below a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined degree from the average remaining battery level. Good.

  The threshold value in the present embodiment is “20%”. The predetermined degree in the present embodiment is “25%”. According to the device information table 310 described in FIG. 6, the remaining battery level of the device 30a is “90%”, the remaining battery level of the device 30b is “40%”, and the remaining battery level of the device 30c is “80%”. Accordingly, the remaining battery level of any of the devices 30a to 30c does not fall below the threshold “20%”. On the other hand, the average remaining battery level of the devices 30a to 30c is “70% (= (90% + 40% + 80%) ÷ 3)”, and the remaining battery level “40%” of the device 30b is the average remaining battery level. It is below the value “45%” obtained by subtracting the predetermined degree “25%” from “70%”. Therefore, the center server 10 switches to centralized control.

  When switching to the central control, the center server 10 transmits a control information notification request instructing the switch to the central control to the device group 30 via the gateway 20 (a4). The format of the control information notification request will be described later with reference to FIG. In response to receiving the control information notification request, the device group 30 acquires control data (transmission frequency, number of retransmissions, radio wave intensity) (a5). Each device 30 generates transmission control data including control data, and transmits the transmission control data to the center server 10 via the gateway 20 selected by each device 30 (a6). The format of the transmission control data will be described later according to FIG.

  Upon receiving the transmission control data of the device group (a7), the center server 10 optimizes and determines the gateways 20 to which all the devices 30 are connected based on the remaining amount information and control data of the device group 30 ( a8).

  The center server 10 of the present embodiment has a smaller number of retransmissions among the gateways 20 that can connect the connection destination of the device (second device) 30 having a remaining battery level less than that of the other device (first device) 30. The gateway 20 is determined. That is, the center server 10 preferentially assigns the gateway 20 with a small number of retransmissions to the device 30 with a small remaining battery level. Thereby, the center server 10 can suppress the power consumption of the device 30 with a small amount of remaining power, and can smooth the remaining power between devices. Details of the optimization processing of the gateways 20 to which all the devices 30 are connected will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Note that the center server 10 may preferentially assign the gateway 20 that is close in distance and has a good radio wave environment to the device 30 that has a low remaining battery level. Alternatively, the center server 10 may preferentially assign either or both of the gateway 20 having a small number of retransmissions and the gateway 20 having a short distance and a good radio wave environment to the device 30 having a small remaining battery level.

  The center server 10 stores the determined information of the connection destination gateway 20 of each device 30 in the device connection destination control information table 311 (FIG. 7), and sends a connection destination control notification including the information of the connection destination gateway 20 respectively. It transmits to the device 30 (a9). The format of the connection destination control notification will be described later with reference to FIG. In response to the reception of the connection destination control notification, each device 30 stores information on the connection-designated gateway 20 included in the connection destination control notification in the control information table 411b (FIG. 10), and changes the connection destination gateway 20 (A10).

  As described above, the center server 10 according to the present embodiment switches from autonomous control to centralized control when the remaining battery level of any device 30 falls below a predetermined value. As a result, the center server 10 can switch to centralized control at the end of the life of the information processing system 100 and extend the life. Thereby, it becomes possible to hold down the cost concerning the maintenance of a battery.

  Further, the center server 10 determines whether or not the remaining battery level of any of the devices 30 is lower than the threshold value, or whether or not it is lower than the average battery level by a predetermined degree or more. Switch from autonomous control to centralized control. Thereby, the center server 10 can detect when the life of the information processing system 100 is shortened or tends to be shortened, and can extend the life.

  Further, the center server 10 switches to centralized control only when the remaining battery level of any device 30 falls below a predetermined value. As a result, it is possible to suppress the degree of increase in communication cost, power consumption, load on the center server 10 and the like due to collection of control data while realizing a long life. Further, since the cost for maintenance can be suppressed, it is possible to suppress the total cost including the communication and maintenance costs.

[Switching from centralized control to autonomous control]
The center server 10 may further perform a determination process after switching from autonomous control to centralized control, and may switch from centralized control to autonomous control when it is determined that it is not below. As described with reference to FIG. 11, when the remaining battery level of any device 30 is lower than the average remaining battery level by a predetermined level or more, the remaining battery level between devices is biased, and the life of the information processing system 100 is shortened. Indicates that it tends to be shorter.

  Therefore, when switching to the centralized control because the average battery level is lower than a predetermined degree, the battery level between devices is smoothed by continuing the centralized control, and the battery level of any device 30 is also predetermined. There may be a transition to a state that is not less than the value. That is, there is a case where the average battery remaining amount makes a transition to a state that is not lower than a predetermined degree. Therefore, the center server 10 returns from the centralized control to the autonomous control, and suppresses the resources consumed by the centralized control (communication cost, load on the center server 10, power consumption of the device 30, etc.).

  There is a trade-off between an increase in consumption resources based on centralized control and an increase in the lifetime of the information processing system 100. In other words, the communication control, the load on the center server 10, the power consumption of the device 30 based on the collection of control data, and the like can be suppressed by being based on the autonomous control. The lifetime of the information processing system 100 based on the remaining amount is shortened.

  On the other hand, based on the centralized control, although the life of the information processing system 100 can be extended, the communication cost, the load on the center server 10, power consumption, and the like increase. In addition, in order to follow a change in the wireless environment between the device 30 and the gateway 20, the gateways 20 to which all the devices 30 are connected may be determined frequently. This further increases resource consumption based on centralized control.

  Therefore, the center server 10 in the present embodiment further switches from the centralized control to the autonomous control in accordance with the change in the remaining battery level of the device group 30. That is, the center server 10 appropriately switches between autonomous control and centralized control according to the change in the remaining battery level. Thereby, the center server 10 can efficiently optimize the life of the information processing system 100 and the communication cost.

  FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating the flow of switching processing from centralized control to autonomous control. 12, the same components as those shown in FIG. 11 are denoted by the same symbols. Similarly to FIG. 11, FIG. 12 omits the gateway 20.

  The device group 30 periodically acquires sensor data and remaining amount information, generates transmission sensor data, and transmits to the center server 10 via a gateway (not shown in FIG. 12) 20 determined by the center server 10. Transmit (a11).

  The center server 10 receives the transmission sensor data from the device group 30, and acquires the sensor data and remaining amount information of each device 30 (a12). The center server 10 calculates the average battery remaining amount based on the received remaining amount information of the device group 30 (a13). Then, as described with reference to FIG. 11, the center server 10 determines whether or not the remaining battery level of any of the devices 30 is lower than a threshold value or lower than a predetermined degree from the average remaining battery level. If it is determined that the value is below, the centralized control is continued. On the other hand, when it determines with it not being below, the center server 10 switches from centralized control to autonomous control.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the device information table 310-1 after switching to the centralized control. A device information table 310-1 illustrated in FIG. 13 is a table after a certain period of time has elapsed from the device information table 310 illustrated in FIG.

  The remaining battery level of the device 30a is “90%” in the device information table 310 of FIG. 6, whereas it is reduced to “70%” in the device information table 310-1 of FIG. Further, the remaining battery level of the device 30b is “40%” in the device information table 310 of FIG. 6, whereas it is reduced to “30%” in the device information table 310-1 of FIG. Further, the remaining battery level of the device 30c is “80%” in the device information table 310 of FIG. 6, but is reduced to “50%” in the device information table 310-1 of FIG.

  As shown in the device information table 310-1 of FIG. 13, based on the centralized control, the degree of decrease of the battery of the device 30b with a small remaining battery level is small, and the remaining battery level between the devices is smoothed. Therefore, the remaining battery level of any of the devices 30a to 30c is not lower than the average remaining battery level “50% (= (70% + 30% + 50%) ÷ 3)” by a predetermined degree “25%” or more. Further, the remaining battery level of any of the devices 30a to 30c does not fall below the threshold “20%”. Therefore, the center server 10 switches from centralized control to autonomous control.

  Returning to FIG. 12, when switching to autonomous control, the center server 10 transmits a connection destination control notification instructing switching to autonomous control to each device 30 (a14). The format of the connection destination control notification will be described later with reference to FIG. In response to the reception of the connection destination control notification, each device 30 deletes the information of the connection-designated gateway 20 stored in the control information table 411b (FIG. 10) (a15). Thereby, each device 30 transmits the sensor data and the remaining amount information to the center server 10 via the gateway 20 selected by the device 30.

  In addition, after returning from centralized control to autonomous control, when the remaining battery level of any device 30 falls below a predetermined value, the center server 10 concentrates from autonomous control as described with reference to FIG. Switch back to control. In this way, the center server 10 can easily optimize the information processing system 100, the communication cost, the load on the center server 10, the power consumption, and the like.

[Data format]
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the formats of the transmission sensor data, the control information notification request, the transmission control data, and the connection destination control notification described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

  FIG. 14A shows an example of the format of transmission sensor data. The transmission sensor data shown in FIG. 14A has a transmission source address Ma1, a destination address Ma2, and remaining amount information Ma3 in a header part (not shown), and a sensor in a body part (not shown). It has data Ma4. The transmission source address Ma1 indicates the address of the device 30, and the destination address Ma2 indicates the address of the center server 10. The remaining amount information Ma3 and the sensor data Ma4 are as described above.

  FIG. 14B shows an example of the format of the control information notification request. The control information notification request has a transmission source address Mb1 and a destination address Mb2 in a header portion (not shown), and a control information notification request instruction Mb3 in a body portion (not shown). The source address Mb1 indicates the address of the center server 10, and the destination address Mb2 indicates the address of the device 30. The control information notification request instruction Mb3 indicates an instruction to transmit control data to the center server 10.

  FIG. 14C shows an example of the format of transmission control data. The transmission control data includes a transmission source address Mc1 and a destination address Mc2 in a header part (not shown), and a transmission frequency Mc3, the number of retransmissions Mc4, and a radio wave intensity Mc5 in a body part (not shown). The source address Mc1 indicates the address of the device 30, and the destination address Mc2 indicates the address of the center server 10. The transmission frequency Mc3, the number of retransmissions Mc4, and the radio wave intensity Mc5 are as described in FIG.

  FIG. 14D shows an example of the format of the connection destination control notification. The connection destination control notification has a transmission source address Md1 and a destination address Md2 in a header portion (not shown), and a connection destination control instruction Md3 in a body portion (not shown). The source address Md1 indicates the address of the center server 10, and the destination address Md2 indicates the address of the device 30. The connection destination control instruction Md3 has information on the connection-designated gateway 20 at the time of switching from autonomous control to centralized control, and does not have information on the connection-designated gateway 20 at the time of switching from centralized control to autonomous control. .

  Next, details of the processing of the center server 10 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. Details of the process of the device 30 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 15 to 16, description will be made according to the device information table 310 shown in FIGS. 6 and 13 and the device connection destination control information table 311 shown in FIG.

[Center server: Control switching process]
FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of control switching determination processing of the data collection program 210 of the center server 10 shown in FIG.

  S11: The connection control switching module 222 of the data collection program 210 acquires the remaining battery levels of all the devices 30 from the device information table 310 (FIG. 6) in response to an instruction from the control module 221. Further, the connection control switching module 222 calculates the average value of the remaining battery levels of all the devices 30 as the average remaining battery level.

  S12: The connection control switching module 222 determines whether or not the remaining battery level of any device 30 has fallen below a predetermined value. Specifically, the connection control switching module 222 determines whether the remaining battery level of any one of the devices 30 is lower than a threshold value or lower than a predetermined degree from the average remaining battery level calculated in step S11.

  S13: As a result of the determination in step S12, when it is determined that the value is lower (Yes in S12), the connection control switching module 222 transmits a control information notification request ((B) in FIG. 14) to all the devices 30. The connection control switching module 222 switches from autonomous control to centralized control when autonomous control is employed, and continuously employs centralized control when centralized control is already employed.

  As described in FIG. 11, according to the device information table 310 described in FIG. 6, the battery remaining amount “40%” of the device 30b is obtained by subtracting a predetermined degree “25%” from the average remaining battery amount “70%”. Below the value “45%” (Yes in S12). Therefore, the connection control switching module 222 transmits a control information notification request ((B) in FIG. 14) to all the devices 30a to 30c (S13). Each device 30a to 30c transmits transmission control data ((C) in FIG. 14) to the center server 10 in response to receiving the control information notification request. Details of the processing of the devices 30a to 30c will be described later according to the flowchart of FIG.

  S14: The connection control switching module 222 receives transmission control data ((C) in FIG. 14) from the device 30, and stores the control data included in the transmission control data in the device information table 310 (FIG. 6). Then, the connection control switching module 222 instructs the connection destination optimization module 223 to optimize the connection destination gateways 20 of all the devices 30.

  When the centralized control is continuously employed, the connection control switching module 222 again instructs the connection destination optimization module 223 to perform the optimization process of the connection destination gateways 20 of all the devices 30. This makes it possible to periodically update the gateway 20 to which each device 30 is connected to the optimal gateway 20 according to changes in the radio wave environment.

  The connection destination optimization module 223 refers to the device information table 310 (FIG. 6), acquires the remaining battery level and control data of each device 30, and connects the gateways 20 of the connection destinations of all the devices 30 according to the calculation process. To decide. The connection destination optimization module 223 optimizes the connection destination gateways 20 of all the devices 30 by preferentially determining the gateway 20 of the connection destination of the device 30 with a small remaining battery power as the gateway 20 with a small number of retransmissions. To do.

(Optimization process)
Specifically, in the present embodiment, the connection destination optimization module 223 extracts a plurality of combination patterns of the device 30 and the gateway 20. Next, the connection destination optimization module 223 calculates the operating time of each device 30 in each combination pattern based on the remaining battery level, the transmission frequency, and the number of retransmissions. Then, the connection destination optimization module 223 selects a combination pattern in which the operation time of the device 30 with a small remaining battery capacity becomes long, and determines the gateway 20 to which each device 30 is connected.

  The larger the number of retransmissions, the shorter the operating time. Therefore, the combination pattern in which the operation time of the device 30 with a small remaining battery amount is long indicates a combination pattern in which the number of retransmissions of the device 30 with a small remaining battery amount is decreased. The connection destination optimization module 223 calculates the operating time (seconds) of each device 30 according to, for example, Expression 1 “b / p / (t + r)”.

  The value “b%” in Equation 1 indicates the ratio of the power consumption of one sensor data transmission process in the accumulative capacity of the battery 305, and the value “p%” indicates the remaining battery level of the battery 305. Therefore, the sub-expression “b / p” indicates the required number of transmissions until the remaining battery level becomes “0%”. Further, the value “t (times / sec)” in Equation 1 indicates the data collection frequency, and the value “r (times / sec)” indicates the retransmission frequency associated with the transmission process per second. Therefore, the sub-expression “(t + r)” indicates the transmission frequency per second including retransmission.

  That is, Equation 1 is obtained by dividing the required number of transmissions “b / p” until the remaining battery level becomes “0%” according to the transmission frequency “(t + r)” including retransmission per second. This is a formula for calculating the time required until the remaining amount becomes “0%”, that is, the operating time (seconds).

  For example, the connection destination optimization module 223 calculates the retransmission frequency “r (times / sec)” per one transmission process according to the formula 2 “number of simultaneous connections × (number of retransmissions / maximum number of simultaneous connections)”. . Expression 2 shows an equation for calculating the retransmission frequency when the number of simultaneous connections is plural, and is an expression for calculating the retransmission frequency by linearly increasing the number of retransmissions according to the number of simultaneous connections.

  The maximum number of simultaneous connections in Expression 2 indicates the total number of devices 30 that can be connected to the gateway 20 as a connection candidate of the device 30. The number of simultaneous connections in Expression 2 indicates the total number of devices 30 connected to the connection candidate gateway 20 in the combination pattern. The number of retransmissions indicates the number of retransmissions under the condition of the maximum number of simultaneous connections.

  For example, when the maximum number of simultaneous connections of the connection candidate gateway 20 is “10”, the number of simultaneous connections is “3”, and the number of retransmissions is “5”, the connection destination optimization module 223 determines the retransmission frequency “1. 5 {= 3 × (5/10)} (times / sec) ”is calculated. The retransmission frequency “1.5 (times / sec)” indicates that 1.5 retransmissions can occur per second. When the maximum number of simultaneous connections of the connection candidate gateway 20 is “10”, the number of simultaneous connections is “8”, and the number of retransmissions is “5”, the connection destination optimization module 223 transmits the retransmission frequency “4 { = 8 × (5/10)} (times / sec) ”is calculated.

  When the number of retransmissions is unknown because the connection candidate gateway 20 is not connected, the connection destination optimization module 223 retransmits the number of retransmissions to the gateway 20 having the same radio field strength as that of the connection candidate gateway 20. Get as number of times.

  Note that the optimization processing method is not limited to the above-described method. The connection destination optimization module 223 may determine the gateway 20 of the connection destination of each device 30 so that the variation in operation time between devices is reduced. Further, the connection destination optimization module 223 may perform the optimization process by allocating the gateway 20 with a small number of retransmissions to the device 30 with a small remaining battery capacity without being based on the operation time. Alternatively, the connection destination optimization module 223 may perform the optimization process by assigning the gateway 20 with a small number of retransmissions and a high radio wave intensity to the device 30 with a small remaining battery level.

  S15: After step S14, the connection control switching module 222 refers to the device connection destination control information table 311 (FIG. 7) and determines whether or not autonomous control is adopted. The connection control switching module 222 determines that the centralized control is adopted when the device connection destination control information table 311 has the information of the gateway 20 designated for connection, and adopts the autonomous control when it does not have. Judge that there is.

  S16: When it is determined that centralized control is employed (No in S15), the connection control switching module 222 extracts the device 30 whose connection destination gateway 20 is changed. That is, the connection control switching module 222 extracts the device 30 in which the connection-designated gateway 20 has changed when the centralized control is continuously employed.

  S17: The connection control switching module 222 transmits a connection destination control notification ((D) in FIG. 14) including information on the connection-designated gateway 20 for the device 30 extracted in step S16. Thereby, it becomes possible to suppress the data amount of communication. On the other hand, when it is determined that the autonomous control is adopted (Yes in S15), the connection control switching module 222 targets all the devices 30 and includes the connection specified gateway 20 information determined in Step S14. A destination control notification ((D) in FIG. 14) is transmitted.

  The connection control switching module 222 updates the determined connection destination gateways 20 of all the devices 30 to the device connection destination control information table 311b (FIG. 7). According to the device connection destination control information table 311b of FIG. 7B, the connection destination of the device 30b with a small remaining battery level is the gateway “GW2” 20-2 with a small number of retransmissions. The connection destination of the other devices 30a and 30c is the gateway 20 other than the gateway “GW2” 20-2. That is, only the device 30b is connected to the gateway “GW2” 20-2 with a small number of retransmissions.

  Thereby, the connection control switching module 222 can suppress the power consumption of the device 30b and prolong the life of the device 30b. That is, it is possible to smooth the battery remaining amount between the devices and extend the life of the information processing system 100. In the example of FIG. 7, only the device 30b is connected to the gateway “GW2” 20-2 with a small number of retransmissions, but is not limited to this example. For example, if the number of retransmissions of the device 30b does not increase, the other devices 30a and 30c may connect to the gateway “GW2” 20-2.

  S18: When it is determined by the determination in step S12 that the remaining amount information of any device 30 is not lower than the threshold and is not lower than the average battery remaining amount by a predetermined degree or more (No in S12), connection control switching Module 222 employs autonomous control. The connection control switching module 222 refers to the device connection destination control information table 311 (FIG. 7) and determines whether or not autonomous control has been adopted.

  S19: When autonomous control is not employed (No in S18), that is, when centralized control is employed, the connection control switching module 222 switches from centralized control to autonomous control. According to the device information table 310 described with reference to FIG. 13, as described above, the remaining battery level of any of the devices 30 a to 30 c is a predetermined degree “25” from the threshold “20%” and the average remaining battery level “50%”. The value obtained by subtracting “%” is not less than “25%” (No in S12). Therefore, the connection control switching module 222 determines to switch from centralized control to autonomous control.

  Specifically, the connection control switching module 222 transmits to all the devices 30 a connection destination control notification (FIG. 14D) that does not have information on the gateway 20 designated for connection. In response to the connection destination control notification, each device 30 deletes the information of the gateway 20 designated for connection in the control information table 411 shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, when the autonomous control is adopted (Yes in S18), that is, when the autonomous control is continuously adopted, the connection control switching module 222 does not perform the process of step S19.

[Center server: Reception processing of transmission sensor data and transmission control data]
FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of reception processing of transmission sensor data and transmission control data of the data collection program 210 shown in FIG. FIG. 16A is a flowchart illustrating a reception process of transmission sensor data.

  S21: When receiving the transmission sensor data ((A) in FIG. 14), the control module 221 acquires the remaining amount information included in the header part. Then, the control module 221 stores the remaining amount information in the device information table 310 (FIG. 6) using the MAC address of the transmission source device 30 as identification information.

  S 22: The control module 221 acquires the sensor data included in the body part of the transmission sensor data, and transmits it to the application program 211. The application program 211 starts processing sensor data. The application program 211 performs analysis and aggregation processing based on the sensor data.

  In addition, although transmission sensor data ((A) of FIG. 14) has residual amount information in a header part, you may have residual amount information in a body part. The control module 221 may acquire the remaining amount information included in the body portion and transmit the data of the body portion excluding the remaining amount information to the application program 211.

  FIG. 16B is a flowchart for explaining the reception process of the transmission control data.

  S31: Upon receiving the transmission control data ((C) in FIG. 14), the control module 221 acquires control data (transmission frequency, number of retransmissions, radio wave intensity) included in the transmission control data. Then, the control module 221 stores the control data in the device information table 310 (FIG. 6) using the MAC address of the transmission source device 30 as identification information.

[Device: Sensor data transmission process]
FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of sensor data transmission processing of the data transmission program 410 of the device 30 shown in FIG.

  S41: The control module 421 of the data transmission program 410 instructs the sensing module 422 at every predetermined time according to the transmission frequency, and acquires the sensor data observed by the sensor 303.

  S42: The control module 421 of the data transmission program 410 instructs the battery remaining amount acquisition module 423 every predetermined time corresponding to the transmission frequency, and acquires the remaining amount information of the battery 305.

  S43: The control module 421 generates transmission sensor data ((A) in FIG. 14) including the sensor data acquired in step S41 and the remaining amount information acquired in step S42.

  S44: The control module 421 transmits the generated transmission sensor data to the center server 10. When the control information table 411 (FIG. 10) has information on the connection-designated gateway 20, the control module 421 transmits the transmission data to the center server 10 via the connection-designated gateway 20. On the other hand, when the control information table 411 does not have the information of the gateway 20 designated for connection, the control module 421 selects the connection destination gateway 20 and transmits the transmission data to the center server 10 via the gateway 20. .

  S45: The control module 421 stores the number of retransmissions in the MAC layer at the time of transmission as the number of retransmissions in the control information table 411 (FIG. 10). Further, the control module 421 stores the transmission frequency in the control information table 411.

[Device: Processing when receiving connection destination control notification]
FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the control switching process in response to the reception of the connection destination control notification in the data transmission program 410 of the device 30 shown in FIG.

  S51: The control module 421 instructs the connection destination control switching module 424 to switch the connection destination control in response to reception of the connection destination control notification ((D) in FIG. 14). The connection destination control switching module 424 determines whether or not the connection destination control instruction of the connection destination control notification is a notification instructing switching to autonomous control based on whether or not the connection destination control instruction includes information on the gateway 20 of the connection destination. judge.

  S52: When it is a notification instructing switching to autonomous control (Yes in S51), the connection destination control switching module 424 deletes the information of the connection-designated gateway 20 included in the control information table 411 (FIG. 10).

  S53: On the other hand, if it is a notification instructing centralized control (No in S51), the connection destination control switching module 424 stores information on the connection-designated gateway 20 included in the connection destination control notification in the control information table 411 (FIG. 10). Remember (update).

  S54: In response to the update of the control information table 411, the connection destination control switching module 424 switches the connection destination to the updated connection-designated gateway 20.

[Device: Processing when a control information notification request is received]
FIG. 19 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing when the data transmission program 410 of the device 30 shown in FIG. 9 receives a control information notification request.

  S61: In response to receiving the control information notification request (FIG. 14B), the connection destination control switching module 424 refers to the control information table 411 (FIG. 10), and determines the radio field intensity with the surrounding gateways 20. get.

  S62: The connection destination control switching module 424 refers to the control information table 411 (FIG. 10) and acquires the number of retransmissions to the surrounding gateways 20.

  S63: The connection destination control switching module 424 refers to the control information table 411 (FIG. 10) and acquires the transmission frequency of the sensor data to the gateway 20.

  S64: The connection destination control switching module 424 generates transmission control data ((C) in FIG. 14) including the control data (radio wave intensity, number of retransmissions, transmission frequency) acquired in steps S61 to S63.

  S65: The connection destination control switching module 424 acquires the information of the gateway 20 when the control information table 411 (FIG. 10) has the information of the gateway 20 designated for connection, and does not have the information of the gateway 20, The gateway 20 is selected.

  S66: The connection destination control switching module 424 transmits the transmission control data generated in step S64 ((C) in FIG. 14) to the center server 10 via the gateway 20 acquired or selected in step S65.

[Device: Connection destination switching process]
FIG. 20 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the connection destination switching process of the data transmission program 410 of the device 30 shown in FIG.

  S71: The connection destination switching module 425 of the data transmission program 410 periodically determines whether the control information table 411 (FIG. 10) stores information on the gateway 20 designated for connection.

  S72: When the connection destination gateway 20 is not stored (Yes in S71), that is, based on autonomous control, the connection destination switching module 425 determines whether or not the radio wave environment with the connected gateway 20 has deteriorated. judge. For example, the connection destination switching module 425 determines whether the radio wave environment has deteriorated based on the radio wave intensity.

  S73: When the radio wave environment of the gateway 20 being connected has deteriorated (Yes in S72), the connection destination switching module 425 measures the radio wave environment such as the radio wave intensity with the surrounding gateway 20 and controls the control information table 411a (FIG. 10). ). The connection destination switching module 425 may measure the radio wave environment when receiving the control information notification request from the center server 10 without storing the radio wave environment in the control information table 411a.

  S74: The connection destination switching module 425 selects and connects the gateway 20 having a good radio wave environment as the connection destination gateway 20. For example, the connection destination switching module 425 selects the gateway 20 based on either or both of the radio wave intensity and the number of retransmissions.

  S75: As a result of the determination in step S71, when the information of the connection-designated gateway 20 is stored (No in S71), that is, based on the centralized control, the connection destination switching module 425 receives radio waves from the surrounding gateways 20 Measure the environment. Then, the connection destination switching module 425 stores the measured radio wave environment in the control information table 411b (FIG. 10).

  If the radio wave environment with the connected gateway 20 has not deteriorated as a result of the determination in step S72 (No in S72), the connection destination switching module 425 does not perform the processes in steps S73 and S74.

[Other embodiments]
According to the flowchart of FIG. 15, each time the connection control switching module 222 determines that the remaining battery level of any device 30 falls below a predetermined value (Yes in S12), the connection destination gateway 20 of all devices 30 is connected. Optimization processing is performed (S13, S14). That is, when continuing the centralized control, the connection control switching module 222 performs an optimization process for each interval at which the transmission sensor data of the device group 30 is received.

  Therefore, especially when the transmission interval of the transmission sensor data of the device group 30 is short, the communication cost and the load on the center server 10 increase. Therefore, the connection control switching module 222 may perform the optimization process according to a frequency less than the reception frequency of the transmission sensor data. For example, when it is determined that the connection control switching module 222 falls below, the control information notification request is transmitted to each device 30 only when a predetermined period has elapsed since the previous optimization process, and the optimization process is performed. Do.

  Thereby, it becomes possible to suppress the increase degree of the communication cost, the load of the center server 10, etc. accompanying the centralized control. Therefore, the center server 10 can prolong the life of the information processing system 100 more effectively while suppressing an increase in cost due to the control data transmission process of each device 30.

  Note that the present embodiment can also be applied to route generation in a multi-hop environment including routes via a plurality of devices 30. The center server 10 applies the process of the present embodiment to the generation process of the partial path between the gateway 20 and the device 30 directly connected to the gateway 20 in the path. As a result, it is possible to generate a partial path of a multi-hop environment that extends the life of the information processing system 100 while suppressing the power consumption of the device 30.

  The above embodiment is summarized as follows.

(Appendix 1)
A processing unit that receives, from a plurality of devices, acquired information acquired by the device and remaining amount information indicating a remaining battery level of the device via a relay device;
A storage unit for storing the received acquisition information and the remaining amount information;
From the first mode, the processing unit receives the acquisition information and the remaining amount information via a relay device selected by the device when the remaining amount information of any device is lower than a predetermined value. , Further receiving communication information indicating a communication state with one or a plurality of the relay devices from the plurality of devices, determining relay devices of the plurality of devices based on the remaining amount information and the communication information, Notifying the determined relay device to the plurality of devices, and receiving the acquired information and the remaining amount information via the determined relay device, and switching to a second mode.
Information processing device.

(Appendix 2)
In Appendix 1,
The processing unit is configured such that the remaining amount information of any device falls below a threshold indicating the predetermined value, or the remaining amount information of any device is predetermined from an average of the remaining amount information of the plurality of devices. Switching from the first mode to the second mode when the degree is less than the predetermined value,
Information processing device.

(Appendix 3)
In Appendix 1 or 2,
The processing unit switches from the second mode to the first mode when the remaining amount information no longer falls below the predetermined value after switching to the second mode.
Information processing device.

(Appendix 4)
In any one of supplementary notes 1 to 3,
In the second mode, the processing unit further receives the communication information including the number of retransmissions of wireless communication from the device to the relay apparatus, and the remaining amount information of the second device is smaller than that of the first device. The relay device is determined as the relay device with a small number of retransmissions among the plurality of relay devices connected to the second device.
Information processing device.

(Appendix 5)
In any one of supplementary notes 1 to 4,
In the first mode, the processing unit determines whether the device has one or both of radio field intensity of wireless communication with one or a plurality of the relay devices and the number of retransmissions of wireless communication from the device to the relay device. Receiving the acquired information and the remaining amount information via the relay device to be selected based on;
Information processing device.

(Appendix 6)
In Appendix 3,
The processing unit performs the processing in the second mode when the remaining amount information is lower than the predetermined value after switching to the second mode.
Information processing device.

(Appendix 7)
Executing a first mode of receiving, from a plurality of devices, acquired information acquired by the device and remaining amount information indicating a remaining battery level of the device via a relay device selected by the device;
When the remaining amount information of any device is below a predetermined value, further receiving communication information indicating a communication state with one or more relay devices from the plurality of devices from the first mode, The relay device of the plurality of devices is determined based on the remaining amount information and the communication information, the determined relay device is notified to the plurality of devices, and the acquired information and the remaining amount information are determined. Receiving via the relay device, switching to the second mode,
A control program that causes a computer to execute processing.

(Appendix 8)
In Appendix 7,
In the switching, the remaining amount information of any device falls below a threshold value indicating the predetermined value, or the remaining amount information of any device is predetermined from an average of the remaining amount information of the plurality of devices. When the degree is less than the predetermined value, the first mode is switched to the second mode.
Control program.

(Appendix 9)
In Appendix 7 or 8,
The switching is performed by switching from the second mode to the first mode when the remaining amount information no longer falls below the predetermined value after switching to the second mode.
Control program.

(Appendix 10)
In any one of appendixes 7 to 9,
In the second mode, the switching further receives the communication information including the number of retransmissions of wireless communication from the device to the relay apparatus, and the second device has less remaining information than the first device. The relay device is determined as the relay device with a small number of retransmissions among the plurality of relay devices connected to the second device.
Control program.

(Appendix 11)
In any one of appendixes 7 to 10,
In the switching in the first mode, the switching is performed by either or both of the radio field intensity of wireless communication with one or a plurality of the relay apparatuses and the number of retransmissions of wireless communication from the device to the relay apparatus. Receiving the acquired information and the remaining amount information via the relay device to be selected based on;
Control program.

(Appendix 12)
In Appendix 9,
The switching is performed in the second mode when the remaining amount information falls below the predetermined value after switching to the second mode.
Control program.

(Appendix 13)
A first mode in which a processing unit receives, from a plurality of devices, acquired information acquired by the device and remaining amount information indicating a remaining amount of the battery of the device via a relay device selected by the device; Run,
When the processing unit has the remaining amount information of any device below a predetermined value, communication information indicating a communication state from the plurality of devices to one or a plurality of the relay devices is obtained from the first mode. Further, receiving, determining relay devices of the plurality of devices based on the remaining amount information and the communication information, notifying the determined relay devices to the plurality of devices, the acquisition information and the remaining amount information, Is received via the determined relay device and switched to the second mode,
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus.

(Appendix 14)
In Appendix 13,
In the switching, the remaining amount information of any device falls below a threshold value indicating the predetermined value, or the remaining amount information of any device is predetermined from an average of the remaining amount information of the plurality of devices. When the degree is less than the predetermined value, the first mode is switched to the second mode.
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus.

(Appendix 15)
In Appendix 13 or 14,
The switching is performed by switching from the second mode to the first mode when the remaining amount information no longer falls below the predetermined value after switching to the second mode.
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus.

(Appendix 16)
In any one of Supplementary Notes 13 to 15,
In the second mode, the switching further receives the communication information including the number of retransmissions of wireless communication from the device to the relay apparatus, and the second device has less remaining information than the first device. The relay device is determined as the relay device with a small number of retransmissions among the plurality of relay devices connected to the second device.
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus.

(Appendix 17)
In any of Supplementary Notes 13 to 16,
In the switching in the first mode, the switching is performed by either or both of the radio field intensity of wireless communication with one or a plurality of the relay apparatuses and the number of retransmissions of wireless communication from the device to the relay apparatus. Receiving the acquired information and the remaining amount information via the relay device to be selected based on;
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus.

(Appendix 18)
In Appendix 15,
The switching is performed in the second mode when the remaining amount information falls below the predetermined value after switching to the second mode.
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus.

(Appendix 19)
A plurality of devices each transmitting acquisition information and battery level information indicating the remaining battery level,
A plurality of relay devices that relay the acquired information and the remaining amount information received by the plurality of devices to an information processing device;
The information processing device that receives the acquired information and the remaining amount information, and the information processing device includes:
A storage unit for storing the received acquisition information and the remaining amount information;
The plurality of devices from a first mode that receives the acquired information and the remaining amount information via a relay device selected by the device when the remaining amount information of any device is lower than a predetermined value Further receiving communication information indicating a communication state with one or a plurality of the relay devices, determining relay devices of the plurality of devices based on the remaining amount information and the communication information, and determining the determined relay devices A processing unit that switches to a second mode that receives the acquired information and the remaining amount information via the determined relay device.
Information processing system.

(Appendix 20)
In Appendix 19,
The processing unit of the information processing device switches from the second mode to the first mode when the remaining amount information no longer falls below the predetermined value after switching to the second mode.
Information processing system.

100: Information processing system, 10: Center server, 101: CPU, 102: Memory, 103: Auxiliary storage device, 104: Communication interface unit, 105: Input device, 106: Output device, 108: Antenna, 20 (20-1) -20-8): Gateway, 30 (30a-30h): Device, 301: CPU, 302: Memory, 303: Sensor, 304: Communication interface unit, 305: Battery, 307: Antenna

Claims (7)

A processing unit that receives, from a plurality of devices, acquired information acquired by the device and remaining amount information indicating a remaining battery level of the device via a relay device;
A storage unit for storing the received acquisition information and the remaining amount information;
From the first mode, the processing unit receives the acquisition information and the remaining amount information via a relay device selected by the device when the remaining amount information of any device is lower than a predetermined value. , Further receiving communication information indicating a communication state with one or a plurality of the relay devices from the plurality of devices, determining relay devices of the plurality of devices based on the remaining amount information and the communication information, Notifying the determined relay device to the plurality of devices, and receiving the acquired information and the remaining amount information via the determined relay device, and switching to a second mode.
Information processing device. In claim 1,
The processing unit is configured such that the remaining amount information of any device falls below a threshold indicating the predetermined value, or the remaining amount information of any device is predetermined from an average of the remaining amount information of the plurality of devices. Switching from the first mode to the second mode when the degree is less than the predetermined value,
Information processing device. In claim 1 or 2,
The processing unit switches from the second mode to the first mode when the remaining amount information no longer falls below the predetermined value after switching to the second mode.
Information processing device. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
In the second mode, the processing unit further receives the communication information including the number of retransmissions of wireless communication from the device to the relay apparatus, and the remaining amount information of the second device is smaller than that of the first device. The relay device is determined as the relay device with a small number of retransmissions among the plurality of relay devices connected to the second device.
Information processing device. Executing a first mode of receiving, from a plurality of devices, acquired information acquired by the device and remaining amount information indicating a remaining battery level of the device via a relay device selected by the device;
When the remaining amount information of any device is below a predetermined value, further receiving communication information indicating a communication state with one or more relay devices from the plurality of devices from the first mode, The relay device of the plurality of devices is determined based on the remaining amount information and the communication information, the determined relay device is notified to the plurality of devices, and the acquired information and the remaining amount information are determined. Receiving via the relay device, switching to the second mode,
A control program that causes a computer to execute processing. A first mode in which a processing unit receives, from a plurality of devices, acquired information acquired by the device and remaining amount information indicating a remaining amount of the battery of the device via a relay device selected by the device; Run,
When the processing unit has the remaining amount information of any device below a predetermined value, communication information indicating a communication state from the plurality of devices to one or a plurality of the relay devices is obtained from the first mode. Further, receiving, determining relay devices of the plurality of devices based on the remaining amount information and the communication information, notifying the determined relay devices to the plurality of devices, the acquisition information and the remaining amount information, Is received via the determined relay device and switched to the second mode,
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus. A plurality of devices each transmitting acquisition information and battery level information indicating the remaining battery level,
A plurality of relay devices that relay the acquired information and the remaining amount information received by the plurality of devices to an information processing device;
The information processing device that receives the acquired information and the remaining amount information, and the information processing device includes:
A storage unit for storing the received acquisition information and the remaining amount information;
The plurality of devices from a first mode that receives the acquired information and the remaining amount information via a relay device selected by the device when the remaining amount information of any device is lower than a predetermined value Further receiving communication information indicating a communication state with one or a plurality of the relay devices, determining relay devices of the plurality of devices based on the remaining amount information and the communication information, and determining the determined relay devices A processing unit that switches to a second mode that receives the acquired information and the remaining amount information via the determined relay device.
Information processing system.

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