JP2020188397A - Communication control system, server device, communication control method, and communication control program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a communication control system that can immediately notify important data with high priority while communicating such that communication cost is within a budget.SOLUTION: A communication control system 500 controls communication of communication data 50 between a gateway device 100 connected to a device 11 and a server device 200 that communicates with the gateway device 100 via a network 40. A rule determination unit 230 determines a data transmission rule 61 of the communication data 50 on the basis of communication condition information 611 including a communication cost condition and a priority condition for each data type of the communication data 50, and charge information 612 indicating a communication charge system. A transmission control unit 310 controls the transmission of the communication data 50 according to the data transmission rule 61.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a communication control system, a server device, a communication control method, and a communication control program. In particular, the present invention relates to a communication control system, a server device, a communication control method, and a communication control program that control communication between a server device and a gateway device on the cloud.

The IoT (Internet of Things) system stores the sensor data of the device placed in the field in a database in the cloud, and notifies the user of the IoT system about the device. The sensor data is transmitted from the device to the cloud via an aggregation device such as a gateway device. In addition, the cloud may be a public cloud as well as a private cloud.
Normally, when collecting information on devices placed in the field in the cloud, charges are made based on the amount of data communication communicated with the cloud and the communication frequency. Therefore, it is necessary to limit communication so that it is within the budget.

In order to reduce the cloud usage fee, it is common to reduce the amount of data transmitted and the number of times data is transmitted. Specifically, a method is used in which data is stored at a fixed frequency once an hour, the data is compressed, and then transmitted to the cloud.
Patent Document 1 discloses a mechanism in which an upper limit of the amount of data communication transmitted to the cloud is held by the gateway device and communication is restricted when the amount of data communication exceeds the upper limit.

International Publication No. 2015/075962 Pamphlet

Important data, such as warning information about equipment failures, must be notified to the user immediately. However, if data transmission occurs more than expected, there is a risk that the amount of data communication will exceed the upper limit and notification will not be possible even if important data is generated thereafter.

An object of the present invention is to provide a communication control system capable of immediately notifying important high-priority data while communicating so that the communication cost is within the budget.

The communication control system according to the present invention is a communication control system that controls communication of communication data between a gateway device connected to a device and a server device that communicates with the gateway device via a network.
Based on the communication condition information including the condition of the cost for the communication of the communication data and the condition of the priority for each data type in the communication of the communication data, and the charge information representing the charge system for the communication of the communication data. , A rule determination unit that determines the communication data transmission rule as a data transmission rule,
It is provided with a transmission control unit that controls the transmission of the communication data according to the data transmission rule.

In the communication control system according to the present invention, the rule determination unit is based on communication condition information and charge information including a condition of cost for communication of communication data and a condition of priority for each data type in communication of communication data. , Determine the data transmission rule for transmission of communication data. Then, the transmission control unit controls the transmission of communication data according to the data transmission rule. Therefore, according to the communication control system according to the present invention, there is an effect that communication data having a high priority can be immediately transmitted while communicating so that the cost is within the budget.

The overall block diagram of the IoT system which is the premise of Embodiment 1. The block diagram of the server apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. The block diagram of the gateway apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. The overall block diagram of the communication control system which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart of communication control processing by the communication control system according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the example of the data type priority which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the example of the expense budget which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the example of the charge information which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the specific example of the calculation of the estimated number of times of communication for each data type of the month which satisfies the communication condition information which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of the data transmission rule which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the specific example of the recalculation of the estimated number of communication times for each data type of the month which satisfies the communication condition information which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. The block diagram of the server apparatus which concerns on the modification of Embodiment 1. The overall block diagram of the communication control system which concerns on Embodiment 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. In the description of the embodiment, the description will be omitted or simplified as appropriate for the same or corresponding parts.

Embodiment 1.
*** Explanation of configuration ***
First, a general IoT system, which is a premise of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the gateway device aggregates the sensor data of the IoT device in the field environment and transmits it to the cloud environment via the Internet. The endpoint in the cloud environment receives the sensor data from the gateway device in the field environment. Data with low urgency is stored in the database as a log. The data stored in the database 22 is subjected to visualization processing, and the statistical data is referred to by the user who uses the IoT system at a later date. Highly urgent sensor data such as device failure information is immediately notified to the user by the notification process.

As described above, the IoT service may receive sensor data of an IoT device from a gateway device and perform visualization processing or notification processing in a cloud environment. Further, although not shown, there are cases where a user performs a command operation on an IoT device via a cloud environment. Commands include power on / off or temperature setting commands.

An example of sensor data and commands exchanged in a general IoT system which is a premise of this embodiment is shown below.
Examples of sensor data are as follows.
-Abnormality notification information (alert information): Information that notifies you of a device abnormality.
-Device status information: History information of the device status or parameters. Specifically, the current state of power on / off, temperature, humidity, or power consumption.
-Device log information: Device operation history, operation history, and external access history.

An example of a command transmitted to the IoT device is as follows.
-Device power operation: Operation of turning the device on and off.
-Change device setting value: Operate device parameters. Specifically, the set temperature of the air conditioner or the electric power value.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the server device 200 according to the present embodiment.
The server device 200 is a computer. The server device 200 includes a processor 910 and other hardware such as a memory 921, an auxiliary storage device 922, an input interface 930, an output interface 940, and a communication device 950. The processor 910 is connected to other hardware via a signal line and controls these other hardware.

The server device 200 includes a data receiving unit 210, a detecting unit 220, a rule determining unit 230, an information registration unit 240, a rule notification unit 250, and a storage unit 260 as functional elements. Communication condition information 611, charge information 612, installation status information 613, and data transmission rule 61 are stored in the storage unit 260.

The functions of the data receiving unit 210, the detecting unit 220, the rule determining unit 230, the information registration unit 240, and the rule notification unit 250 are realized by software. The storage unit 260 is provided in the memory 921. Alternatively, the storage unit 260 may be provided in the auxiliary storage device 922. Further, the storage unit 260 may be provided separately as a memory 921 and an auxiliary storage device 922.

The processor 910 is a device that executes a communication control program. The communication control program is a program that realizes the functions of the data receiving unit 210, the detecting unit 220, the rule determining unit 230, the information registration unit 240, and the rule notification unit 250.
The processor 910 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) that performs arithmetic processing. Specific examples of the processor 910 are a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

The memory 921 is a storage device that temporarily stores data. A specific example of the memory 921 is a SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).
The auxiliary storage device 922 is a storage device that stores data. A specific example of the auxiliary storage device 922 is an HDD. Further, the auxiliary storage device 922 may be a portable storage medium such as an SD (registered trademark) memory card, CF, NAND flash, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk, or DVD. HDD is an abbreviation for Hard Disk Drive. SD® is an abbreviation for Secure Digital. CF is an abbreviation for CompactFlash®. DVD is an abbreviation for Digital Versaille Disc.

The input interface 930 is a port connected to an input device such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel. Specifically, the input interface 930 is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal. The input interface 930 may be a port connected to a LAN (Local Area Network). The server device 200 may acquire information such as communication condition information 611, charge information 612, and installation status information 613 via the input interface 930.
The output interface 940 is a port to which a cable of an output device such as a display is connected. Specifically, the output interface 940 is a USB terminal or an HDMI (registered trademark) (High Definition Interface Interface) terminal. Specifically, the display is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).

The communication device 950 has a receiver and a transmitter. The communication device 950 is wirelessly connected to a communication network such as a LAN, the Internet, or a telephone line. Specifically, the communication device 950 is a communication chip or a NIC (Network Interface Card). The server device 200 may acquire information such as communication condition information 611, charge information 612, and installation status information 613 via the communication device 950. Further, the server device 200 transmits the data transmission rule 61 to the gateway device 100 via the communication device 950.

The communication control program is read into processor 910 and executed by processor 910. In the memory 921, not only the communication control program but also the OS (Operating System) is stored. The processor 910 executes the communication control program while executing the OS. The communication control program and the OS may be stored in the auxiliary storage device 922. The communication control program and the OS stored in the auxiliary storage device 922 are loaded into the memory 921 and executed by the processor 910. A part or all of the communication control program may be incorporated in the OS.

The server device 200 may include a plurality of processors that replace the processor 910. These plurality of processors share the execution of the communication control program. Each processor, like the processor 910, is a device that executes a communication control program.

Data, information, signal values and variable values used, processed or output by the communication control program are stored in the memory 921, the auxiliary storage device 922, or the register or cache memory in the processor 910.

The "section" of each of the data receiving section 210, the detecting section 220, the rule determining section 230, the information registration section 240, and the rule notification section 250 may be read as "processing", "procedure", or "process". Also, even if "processing" of data reception processing, detection processing, rule determination processing, information registration processing, and rule notification processing is read as "program", "program product", or "computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded". Good.
The communication control program causes the computer to execute each process, each procedure or each process in which the "part" of each of the above parts is read as "process", "procedure" or "process". The communication control method is a method performed by the server device 200 executing a communication control program.
The communication control program may be provided stored in a computer-readable recording medium. Further, the communication control program may be provided as a program product.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the gateway device 100 according to the present embodiment.
The gateway device 100 is a computer. The gateway device 100 includes a processor 910 and other hardware such as a memory 921, an auxiliary storage device 922, an input interface 930, an output interface 940, and a communication device 950. The processor 910 is connected to other hardware via a signal line and controls these other hardware.

The gateway device 100 includes a data receiving unit 110 and a transmission control unit 310 as functional elements. The transmission control unit 310 includes a data distribution unit 311, a queue 312, a data transmission unit 313, and a rule reception unit 314.

The functions of the data receiving unit 110, the data distribution unit 311 and the data transmitting unit 313 and the rule receiving unit 314 are realized by software. The queue 312 is stored in memory 921. The data transmission rule 61 is also stored in the memory 921.

The processor 910 is a device that executes a communication control program. The communication control program is a program that realizes the functions of the data receiving unit 110, the data distribution unit 311 and the data transmitting unit 313 and the rule receiving unit 314.
Other hardware configurations are the same as those described in the server device 200.

It is not necessary for each of the gateway device 100 and the server device 200 to have all the hardware configurations described above. Any hardware configuration may be used as long as the present embodiment can be realized.

FIG. 4 is an overall configuration diagram of the communication control system 500 according to the present embodiment.
The overall configuration of the communication control system 500 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The communication control system 500 according to the present embodiment includes a gateway device 100 and a server device 200. The communication control system 500 controls the communication of the communication data 50 between the gateway device 100 and the server device 200 that communicate via the network 40. The communication control system 500 includes a gateway device 100 on the field and a server device 200 on the cloud. The communication control system 500 may include a plurality of gateway devices 100. In FIG. 4, n gateway devices 100 (n is an integer of 2 or more) from the GW device 1 to the GW device n are provided.

The gateway device 100 is connected to a plurality of devices 11. The device 11 is a field device placed on the field and is an IoT device that communicates with the server device 200 via the gateway device 100 and the network 40. The device 11 is an IoT device such as an air conditioner or a smart meter. The network 40 is specifically the Internet. The gateway device 100 receives the device status data 51 representing the status of the device 11 from the device 11. Then, the gateway device 100 transmits the device status data 51 as communication data 50 to the server device 200. The communication data 50 is data exchanged between the gateway device 100 connected to the device 11 and the server device 200 that communicates with the gateway device 100 via the network 40. Further, the device status data 51 is sensor data acquired by the device 11 and representing the status of the device 11 such as temperature, humidity, power consumption, or alert information. The device status data 51 is an example of the communication data 50.
The data receiving unit 110 of the gateway device 100 receives the device status data 51 from each device 11 and passes it to the transmission control unit 310. The transmission control unit 310 of the gateway device 100 controls the transmission of the device status data 51 according to the data transmission rule 61.

The server device 200 is a cloud server placed on the cloud. The server device 200 receives the device status data 51 from each device 11 via the gateway device 100, and provides the user 30 with an IoT service.

The server device 200 includes a storage unit 260 that stores communication condition information 611, charge information 612, and installation status information 613. Further, the server device 200 includes a rule determination unit 230 that determines a data transmission rule 61 for the gateway device 100 to transmit the device status data 51.
The rule determination unit 230 of the server device 200 determines the transmission rule of the communication data 50 as the data transmission rule 61 based on the communication condition information 611, the charge information 612, and the installation status information 613 for each gateway device 100. .. In the present embodiment, the rule determination unit 230 determines the data transmission rule 61 when the gateway device 100 transmits the device status data 51 to the server device 200 for each gateway device 100. Then, the rule notification unit 250 of the server device 200 notifies each gateway device 100 of each data transmission rule 61 via the network 40.

The communication control program described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 includes all or a part of a program that realizes the functions of the communication control system 500 by being executed by the gateway device 100 and the server device 200. Further, the communication control method includes all or a part of a method of realizing the function of the communication control system 500 by the gateway device 100 and the server device 200.

*** Explanation of operation ***
The communication control process by the communication control system 500 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
Steps S101 to S105 of FIG. 5 show a process of notifying the gateway device 100 of a data transmission rule at an initial stage, that is, a communication control process at the time of initial setting.
In steps S106 to S105'in FIG. 5, the process of changing the data transmission rule and notifying the gateway device 100 again, that is, at the time of recalculation, is triggered by the fact that the budget is expected to be exceeded in the middle of the month. Indicates communication control processing.

<Communication control processing at the time of initial setting>
<Information registration process: Step S101>
In advance, the user 30 registers information such as communication condition information 611, charge information 612, and installation status information 613 in the server device 200.

In step S101, the information registration unit 240 receives the communication condition information 611, the charge information 612, and the installation status information 613 from the user 30 via the input interface 930. Then, the information registration unit 240 stores the communication condition information 611, the charge information 612, and the installation status information 613 in the storage unit 260.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data type priority 601 according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a cost budget 602 according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of charge information 612 according to the present embodiment.
The communication condition information 611 includes a condition of the cost for communication of the communication data 50 and a condition of priority for each data type in the communication of the communication data 50. The data type priority 601 is set with priority conditions for each data type in the communication of the communication data 50. In the cost budget 602, the conditions of the budget for the cost of communicating the communication data 50 are set.
In the charge information 612, a charge system for communication of the communication data 50 is set.
In this embodiment, the “number of communications” will be used as a parameter for controlling communications so as not to exceed the cost budget 602.

The data ID (Identifier), data type, target device, information type, and priority are set in the data type priority 601. For the data type, at least one type of data generated for each IoT device set in the target device is set. All types of data may be set to data types. Specifically, when the target device is an air conditioner, the data types are generated from the air conditioner such as the air conditioner power usage (30 minutes value), the air conditioner power usage (30 minutes), and the message when the air conditioner is abnormal. At least one of the types of data to be used is set. If the target device is a smart meter, the data types include smart meter power usage (30 minutes), smart meter power usage (30 minutes), and smart meter error message. Of the types, at least one type is set. In this way, the data type changes depending on the IoT device.
In addition, an information type that represents the content of the information is set for each data type. In addition, the priority is set for each data type. In the data type priority 601 of FIG. 6, the higher the numerical value, the higher the priority. In the data type priority 601 of FIG. 6, the data whose information type is an abnormality notification is set to have a higher priority than the other data. Also, the data on smart meters has a relatively higher priority than the data on air conditioners.
It is not necessary to give priority to the types of data generated for each device. Priority may be associated with the combination of the device and the data type. As a specific example, the data of the equipment state of the air conditioner may be uniformly set to 100, and the data of the abnormality notification of the air conditioner may be uniformly set to 1000.

A gateway ID and a monthly budget (max_cost) are set in the cost budget 602. Here, one month is an example of a determination period for determining whether or not the communication condition information 611 is satisfied. The determination period may be any period such as 2 weeks, 2 months, 6 months, or 1 year. Since the budget is generally different for each gateway depending on the number of devices that are nodes, the budget is set for each gateway in FIG. 7. In addition, the budget may be prioritized for each customer.

In the charge information 612, a charge system ID, a cloud vendor, a protocol, input / output, a charge unit, a charge amount, and an upper limit value are set. The charge information 612 is also referred to as cloud billing system information.

Further, the storage unit 260 stores the installation status information 613. The installation status information 613 is information indicating the installation status of the device 11 for each gateway device 100 of the plurality of gateway devices. Information such as the number of devices, the device type, and the data type from the devices is set in the installation status information 613. The installation status information 613 is also referred to as field information.

<Rule determination process: step S102 and step S103>
The rule determination unit 230 determines the transmission rule of the communication data 50 as the data transmission rule 61 based on the communication condition information 611 and the charge information 612.

In step S102, the rule determination unit 230 is the estimated number of communications for each data type in the determination period, satisfies the condition of the cost for communication of the communication data 50, and prioritizes the communication of the communication data 50 for each data type. Calculate the estimated number of communications for each data type that meets the conditions. Specifically, the rule determination unit 230 calculates the estimated number of communications for each data type in a month that satisfies the communication condition information 611.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a specific example of calculation of the estimated number of communications for each data type in a month satisfying the communication condition information 611 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 9, the data types are an air conditioner abnormality message, an air conditioner normal message, a smart meter abnormality message, and an air conditioner normal message.
Estimated number of communications for each data type of α1, α2, α3, and α4 that can take the estimated_cost that takes the maximum value under (Condition 1), (Condition 2), and (Condition 3) shown in FIG. Calculate as.

(Condition 1) is a condition that the cost does not exceed the monthly budget.
(Condition 2) is a formula for calculating the cost using the estimated number of communications for each data type.
(Condition 3) is a condition that reflects the priority for each data type.

In step S103, the rule determination unit 230 determines the data transmission rule 61 by using the estimated number of communications for each data type in the determination period.
The rule determining unit 230 determines the data transmission rule 61 for each of the gateway devices 100 of the plurality of gateway devices based on the installation status information 613 indicating the device installation status of each of the gateway devices 100 of the plurality of gateway devices.
When a plurality of data transmission rule candidates are determined by the calculation shown in FIG. 9, an arbitrary data transmission rule is determined. Specifically, a plurality of candidates may be presented to the user 30 and a selection may be accepted from the user 30, or the rule determination unit 230 may be configured to determine at random.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a data transmission rule 61 according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 10, an example of the data transmission rule 61 corresponding to each of the GW device 1 and the GW device 2 is shown. In each data transmission rule 61, a transmission rule composed of a transmission frequency and a transmission data amount is set for each data type.

<Rule notification processing: step S104>
In step S104, the rule notification unit 250 transmits the data transmission rule 61 determined by the rule determination unit 230 to the gateway device 100. The rule notification unit 250 transmits the data transmission rule 61 determined corresponding to each gateway device 100 to the corresponding gateway device 100 via the network 40.

<Transmission control process: step S105>
In step S105, the transmission control unit 310 of the gateway device 100 controls the transmission of the communication data 50, that is, the device status data 51 according to the data transmission rule 61.
Specifically, the gateway device 100 modifies the logic of the data distribution unit 311, the queue 312, and the data transmission unit 313 based on the data transmission rule 61. The data distribution unit 311 distributes the priority queue to be input according to the data type of the device status data 51. Further, the data transmission unit 313 adjusts the transmission frequency and the amount of transmission data based on the data transmission rule 61, and transmits the device status data 51 to the server device 200.
This completes the initial setting of the gateway device 100.

<Communication control processing at the time of recalculation>
<Update process: Step S106 and Step S107>
Subsequently, the rule determination unit 230 updates the data transmission rule 61 when it is calculated that the measured value of the number of communications for each data type exceeds the threshold value obtained from the estimated number of communications for each data type. Specifically, the amount of received data and the number of times received by the data receiving unit 210 are compared with the threshold value by the detecting unit 220. When the received data amount and the number of times exceed the threshold value, the rule determination unit 230 reviews the data transmission rule 61.

In step S106, when the communication data 50 from the gateway device 100 is received by the data receiving unit 210, the detecting unit 220 determines whether or not the measured value of the number of communications for each data type exceeds the threshold value. As an example, the threshold value is α1 (estimated number of communications) calculated in FIG. 9 × 0.75. That is, it is determined whether or not the measured value of α1, that is, the measured value of the number of monthly communications of the air conditioner abnormality message exceeds the threshold value (α1 (estimated number of communications) × 0.75) calculated in FIG. This determination is for determining whether or not the measured value of α1 is likely to exceed α1 (estimated number of communications) by the end of the month, which is the determination period.

When the measured value of the number of communications for each data type exceeds the threshold value, the rule determination unit 230 determines that the data transmission rule 61 is to be updated, and proceeds to step S107. If the measured value of the number of communications for each data type does not exceed the threshold value, the rule determination unit 230 determines that the data transmission rule 61 is not updated, and repeats step S106 to continue the determination of updating the data transmission rule 61.

As the threshold value, α1 (estimated number of communications for each data type) * (elapsed period in the determination period / determination period) may be used. Specifically, it is calculated as threshold value = α1 (estimated number of communications) * (number of days for which charges are calculated / 30). With this threshold value, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the measured value of α1 is likely to exceed α1 (estimated number of communications) by the end of the month, which is the determination period.
Further, as the threshold value, a busy day within the determination period may be considered instead of uniform communication within the determination period. For example, if the number of communications is expected to be several times higher than usual on the 25th of each month, the threshold value may be changed depending on the date before the 25th or the date after the 25th. .. Set the threshold value = α1 (estimated number of communications) * (number of calculated days / 30)-(estimated number of communications on the 25th) until the start of busy communication on the 25th, which is the day before the 25th. To do. After the 25th, or more specifically, after the completion of the busy communication on the 25th, the threshold value = α1 (estimated number of communications) * (the number of days for which the charge was calculated / 30) is set.

In step S107, the rule determination unit 230 recalculates the number of communications expected in the determination period for the communication data of the data type exceeding the threshold value based on the measured value of the number of communications of the data type exceeding the threshold value. Recalculate as'. Then, the rule determination unit 230 recalculates the estimated number of communications for each data type in the determination period so that the number of communications for the data type exceeding the threshold value is greater than the number of recalculated communications α'.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of recalculation of the estimated number of communications for each data type in a month satisfying the communication condition information 611 according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 11, it is assumed that the measured value of the communication count α1 of the air conditioner abnormality message exceeds the threshold value. (Condition 1), (Condition 2), and (Condition 3) shown in FIG. 11 are the same as those in FIG. Further (condition 4) is added in the recalculation.
In (Condition 4), α1'(estimated number of communications on the 30th day based on the measured value) is a recalculated communication in which the number of communications expected during the judgment period is recalculated for communication data of a data type exceeding the threshold value. This is an example of the number of times α'. By adding this (condition 4), it is possible to communicate within the budget without lowering the priority of the number of times of communication of the air conditioner abnormality message.

Then, in step S103', the rule determination unit 230 updates the data transmission rule 61 by using the estimated number of communications for each data type in the recalculated determination period. That is, the rule determination unit 230 determines the data transmission rule 61 using the estimated number of communications for each data type in the recalculated determination period, and notifies the gateway device 100 of the data transmission rule 61 to transmit data. Rule 61 is updated.
After that, the data transmission rule 61 reset in step S104'is transmitted to the gateway device 100, and the gateway device 100 controls the communication data in step S105'.

*** Other configurations ***
In the present embodiment, the transmission control unit 310 distributes data to the priority queue using the data type, and the data transmission unit adjusts the transmission frequency. However, the data transmission rule 61 may be realized by a method that does not use the priority queue. The transmission control unit 310 may control transmission in any way as long as the data transmission rule 61 can be realized.

<Modification example 1>
In the present embodiment, the functions of the data receiving unit 210, the detecting unit 220, the rule determining unit 230, the information registration unit 240, and the rule notification unit 250 are realized by software. As a modification, the functions of the data receiving unit 210, the detecting unit 220, the rule determining unit 230, the information registration unit 240, and the rule notification unit 250 may be realized by hardware.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of the server device 200 according to a modified example of the present embodiment.
The server device 200 includes an electronic circuit 909, a memory 921, an auxiliary storage device 922, an input interface 930, and an output interface 940.

The electronic circuit 909 is a dedicated electronic circuit that realizes the functions of the data receiving unit 210, the detecting unit 220, the rule determining unit 230, the information registration unit 240, and the rule notification unit 250.
The electronic circuit 909 is specifically a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, a logic IC, a GA, an ASIC, or an FPGA. GA is an abbreviation for Gate Array. ASIC is an abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit. FPGA is an abbreviation for Field-Programmable Gate Array.

The functions of the data receiving unit 210, the detecting unit 220, the rule determining unit 230, the information registration unit 240, and the rule notification unit 250 may be realized by one electronic circuit or distributed in a plurality of electronic circuits. May be good.
As another modification, some functions of the data receiving unit 210, the detecting unit 220, the rule determining unit 230, the information registration unit 240, and the rule notification unit 250 are realized by an electronic circuit, and the remaining functions are realized by software. May be good.
Further, as another modification, some or all the functions of the data receiving unit 210, the detecting unit 220, the rule determining unit 230, the information registration unit 240, and the rule notification unit 250 may be realized by the firmware.

Each of the processor and the electronic circuit is also called a processing circuit. That is, in the server device 200, the functions of the data receiving unit 210, the detecting unit 220, the rule determining unit 230, the information registration unit 240, and the rule notification unit 250 are realized by the processing circuit.

As for the gateway device 100, similarly to the server device 200, an electronic circuit 909 may be used instead of the processor 910, and the function of the gateway device 100 may be realized by hardware.
In the present embodiment, the "number of communications" and the "amount of received data (communication volume)" that changes depending on the number of communications are used as parameters for controlling the communication so as not to exceed the cost budget 602. However, the cost may be calculated by taking into account the communication time zone, the communication method based on the protocol, the communication speed, the service level of communication, etc., in addition to the "number of communications" and the "amount of received data". In that case, the estimated number of communications is calculated in step S102, and the estimated quantity that constitutes the cost is also calculated for another parameter.
Then, in step S103, the data transmission rule 61 is determined in consideration of the estimated number of communications and the estimated quantity based on other parameters.

*** Explanation of the effect of this embodiment ***
In the communication control system 500 according to the present embodiment, the rule determination unit includes communication condition information and charge information including a condition of cost for communication of communication data and a condition of priority for each data type in communication of communication data. The data transmission rule for transmitting communication data is determined based on. Then, the transmission control unit controls the transmission of communication data according to the data transmission rule. Therefore, according to the communication control system 500 according to the present embodiment, communication data having a high priority can be immediately transmitted while communicating so that the cost is within the budget.

Further, in the communication control system 500 according to the present embodiment, the communication frequency and the communication upper limit value for each data type are used by using the communication condition information corresponding to the charge information such as the cloud usage fee and the actual value of the communication with the cloud. Reconfigure so that is totally optimized. Therefore, according to the communication control system 500 according to the present embodiment, by communicating with the cloud according to the reset upper limit value, important data is immediately notified and the amount of communication is suppressed so as to be within the budget. It becomes possible. The technology described in this embodiment can be utilized as a basic technology for cost reduction when operating the IoT (Internet of Things) platform on the cloud in the future.

Normally, there are a plurality of gateway devices that transmit data to the cloud, and there is a risk that overall optimization will not be possible if only the gateway device side manages the amount of data communication or the number of communications. However, in the communication control system 500 according to the present embodiment, the server device 200 can generate a data transmission rule for each gateway device in consideration of the installation status information for each gateway device. Therefore, according to the communication control system 500 according to the present embodiment, the upper limit value can be reset before any of the gateway devices shakes off the upper limit value, so that the overall optimized IoT service can always be provided. ..

Embodiment 2.
In this embodiment, the points different from those in the first embodiment will be mainly described. The same components as those in the first embodiment may be designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof may be omitted.

*** Explanation of configuration ***
In the first embodiment, the communication control when the gateway device 100 transmits the device status data 51 collected from the device 11 to the server device 200 has been described.
In the present embodiment, the communication control when the user 30 transmits the command 52 to the device 11 via the server device 200 will be described.

FIG. 13 is an overall configuration diagram of the communication control system 500a according to the present embodiment.
The server device 200 transmits a command 52 for the device 11 as communication data 50 to the gateway device 100. The server device 200 includes a storage unit 260 that stores communication condition information 611, charge information 612, and installation status information 613, and a rule determination unit 230 that determines a data transmission rule 61 for transmitting a command 52. Further, the server device 200 includes a transmission control unit 310 that controls the transmission of the command 52 according to the data transmission rule 61.

In the communication control system 500a according to the present embodiment, the command receiving unit 270 of the server device 200 receives the command 52 from the user 30. Then, the transmission control unit 310 of the server device 200 controls the transmission of the command 52 according to the data transmission rule 61. In the first embodiment, the device status data 51 transmitted from the gateway device 100 to the server device 200 is used as the communication data 50, and the transmission control unit 310 included in the gateway device 100 controls the transmission of the device status data 51. In the present embodiment, the command 52 transmitted from the server device 200 to the gateway device 100 is used as the communication data 50, and the transmission control unit 310 included in the server device 200 controls the transmission of the command 52.

In this embodiment, the communication data 50 is the command 52.
Further, the detection unit 220 checks the transmission data amount and the number of times of the data transmission unit 313 that transmits the command 52.
Further, the rule notification unit 250 outputs the data transmission rule 61 to the rule reception unit 314 inside the server device 200.
Other processing is the same as that of the first embodiment.

In the above-described first and second embodiments, each part of each device of the communication control system has been described as an independent functional block. However, the configuration of each device of the communication control system does not have to be the configuration as in the above-described embodiment. The functional block of each device of the communication control system may have any configuration as long as the functions described in the above-described embodiment can be realized. Further, each device of the communication control system may be a system composed of a plurality of devices instead of one device.

Further, the first and second embodiments may be combined and implemented. That is, the rule determination unit 230 of the server device 200 has a data transmission rule when the device status data 51 is transmitted from the gateway device to the server device and a data transmission rule when the command 52 is transmitted from the server device to the gateway device. It may be a configuration that generates both.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, a plurality of parts may be combined and carried out. Alternatively, one part of these embodiments may be implemented. In addition, these embodiments may be implemented in any combination as a whole or partially.
That is, in the first and second embodiments, it is possible to freely combine the embodiments, modify any component of each embodiment, or omit any component in each embodiment.

It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are essentially preferred examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, the scope of application of the present invention, and the scope of use of the present invention. The above-described embodiment can be variously modified as needed.

11 devices, 30 users, 40 networks, 50 communication data, 51 device status data, 52 commands, 61 data transmission rules, 100 gateway devices, 110 data receivers, 200 server devices, 210 data receivers, 220 detectors, 230 rules Decision unit, 240 information registration unit, 250 rule notification unit, 260 storage unit, 270 command reception unit, 310 transmission control unit, 311 data distribution unit, 312 queues, 313 data transmission unit, 314 rule reception unit, 500,500a communication Control system, 601 data type priority, 602 cost budget, 611 communication condition information, 612 charge information, 613 installation status information, 800 IoT system, 909 electronic circuit, 910 processor, 921 memory, 922 auxiliary storage device, 930 input interface, 940 output interface, 950 communication device.

Claims (10)

In a communication control system that controls communication of communication data between a gateway device connected to a device and a server device that communicates with the gateway device via a network.
Based on the communication condition information including the condition of the cost for the communication of the communication data and the condition of the priority for each data type in the communication of the communication data, and the charge information representing the charge system for the communication of the communication data. , A rule determination unit that determines the communication data transmission rule as a data transmission rule,
A communication control system including a transmission control unit that controls transmission of the communication data according to the data transmission rule. The communication control system controls a plurality of gateway devices, and the communication control system controls a plurality of gateway devices.
The rule determination unit
The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein the data transmission rule is determined for each gateway device of the plurality of gateway devices based on the installation status information indicating the device installation status for each gateway device of the plurality of gateway devices. The rule determination unit
The estimated number of communications for each data type in the determination period for determining whether or not the communication condition information is satisfied, which satisfies the condition of the cost for communication of the communication data and is prioritized for each data type in the communication of the communication data. The communication control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the estimated number of communications for each data type satisfying the condition is calculated, and the estimated number of communications for each data type is used to determine the data transmission rule. The rule determination unit
The communication control system according to claim 3, wherein the data transmission rule is updated when the measured value of the number of communications for each data type exceeds the threshold value obtained from the estimated number of communications for each data type. The rule determination unit
Based on the measured value of the communication count of the data type exceeding the threshold value, the communication count assumed in the determination period is recalculated as the recalculated communication count for the communication data of the data type exceeding the threshold value, and the threshold value is calculated. The estimated number of communications for each data type in the determination period is recalculated so that the number of communications for the exceeded data type is greater than the number of recalculated communications, and the estimated number of communications for each data type in the recalculated determination period is assumed. The communication control system according to claim 4, wherein the data transmission rule is updated by using the number of communications. The rule determination unit is provided in the server device, and calculates the data transmission rule for the gateway device to transmit the device status data representing the status of the device as the communication data to the server device.
The communication control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the transmission control unit is provided in the gateway device and controls transmission of the device status data according to the data transmission rule. The rule determination unit is provided in the server device, calculates the data transmission rule for transmitting a command to the device as the communication data to the gateway device, and calculates the data transmission rule.
The communication control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the transmission control unit is provided in the server device and controls transmission of the command according to the data transmission rule. In a server device that communicates communication data with a gateway device connected to a device via a network, and is a server device that controls communication of the communication data.
Based on the communication condition information including the condition of the cost for the communication of the communication data and the condition of the priority for each data type in the communication of the communication data, and the charge information representing the charge system for the communication of the communication data. , A server device including a rule determining unit that determines a rule for transmitting communication data as a data transmission rule and transmits the data transmission rule to a transmission control unit that controls transmission of the communication data. In a communication control method of a communication control system that controls communication of communication data between a gateway device connected to a device and a server device that communicates with the gateway device via a network.
The rule determination unit represents the communication condition information including the condition of the cost for the communication of the communication data and the condition of the priority for each data type in the communication of the communication data, and the charge system for the communication of the communication data. Based on the information, the rule for transmitting the communication data is determined as the data transmission rule, and
A communication control method in which a transmission control unit controls transmission of the communication data according to the data transmission rule. In a communication control program of a communication control system that controls communication of communication data between a gateway device connected to a device and a server device that communicates with the gateway device via a network.
Based on the communication condition information including the condition of the cost for the communication of the communication data and the condition of the priority for each data type in the communication of the communication data, and the charge information representing the charge system for the communication of the communication data. , The rule determination process for determining the communication data transmission rule as a data transmission rule,
A communication control program that causes a computer to execute a transmission control process that controls transmission of communication data according to the data transmission rule.

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