JP2022009832A - APPARATUS, METHOD AND PROGRAM FOR TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING DATA TO AND FROM IoT DEVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve overhead reduction in an apparatus for transmitting and receiving data to and from an IoT device in order to accelerate the spread of IoT.

SOLUTION: First, in an IoT device 110, some event occurs. The IoT device 110 generates a message to be transmitted, and transmits, via SMS, the message to a phone number of a first server 101, which is stored in the IoT device 110. The first server 101 notifies the IoT terminal 110, as needed, of having received SMS data including the message, and thereafter delivers the SMS data to a second server 102. On the basis of a destination identifier included in the message of the SMS data, the second server 102 specifies a destination with reference to associations between destination identifiers includable in the SMS data and destinations. The second server 102 transmits, to a third external server 123, a portion obtained by excluding the destination identifier from the message or the whole message including the destination identifier.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a device, a method and a program for transmitting and receiving data to and from an IoT device.

With the progress of sensing technology and communication technology, the number of devices connected to computer networks is increasing, and the idea of the Internet of Things, in which all things are networked, is spreading. Hereinafter, not only the Internet but also networked devices are referred to as "IoT devices".

IoT devices can connect to networks to send collected data to servers, storage, etc., and receive data distribution from servers, but for that purpose, a secure connection is established with the servers. It must be. One method is to provide both the server and the device with the same or corresponding authentication information in advance to communicate using a predetermined communication method, and for example, software that operates when the device is turned on. The authentication information can be used to establish a connection with the server.

When the power of the IoT device with the SIM card inserted is turned on, the IoT device is attached to the cellular network after being authenticated by the IMSI HLR / HSS written on the SIM card. When data communication is performed by packet switching after being attached to the cellular network, an additional GTP connection is made, and data can be sent and received by IP communication with the server.

However, in the above-mentioned communication method, a large overhead is generated for the data that is originally desired to be transmitted / received. As an example, when considering sending 11 octet log data as shown in Fig. 1 to the server from an IoT device capable of GPS tracking, establishing a GTP connection, establishing a TCP socket, HTTP POST request, HTTP POST Hundreds of octets of data processing are required: response, TCP socket disconnection, and GTP connection disconnection. This overhead is directly linked to the power consumption of IoT devices and has a great impact on continuous operation time.

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to reduce overhead in a device, a method, and a program for transmitting and receiving data to and from an IoT device in order to accelerate the spread of IoT. Is to plan.

In order to achieve such an object, the first aspect of the present invention is a device for transmitting or receiving data with an IoT device, and receiving SMS data including a message from the IoT device. A first server and a second server for specifying a destination of the message or data corresponding thereto based on the SMS data are provided, and the second server is on the destination and the IP network. It is characterized by communicating.

A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the destination is specified with reference to the association between the destination identifier and the destination that can be included in the SMS data. do.

Further, a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the second aspect, the destination identifier is included in the SMS data as a part of a message.

Further, a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the third aspect, the destination identifier is a number or a symbol having a predetermined number of digits or a predetermined number of digits or less.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the message is in binary format.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the fifth aspect, the second server expands the SMS message into a text format and then sends the SMS message to the destination.

Further, in the seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the second server expresses a command from an external server to the IoT device by communication on an IP network. Upon receiving the data, the data is passed to the first server, and the first server transmits the SMS data including the data or the corresponding data in the message to the IoT device, and the first server. The server is characterized in that when the SMS data is transmitted, the data from the IoT device is not received for a predetermined time or longer.

Eighth aspect of the present invention is a device for transmitting or receiving data to and from an IoT device, and receives signaling data including a message from the IoT device by signaling on a cellular network. A server of 1 and a second server for specifying a destination of the message or data corresponding thereto based on the signaling data are provided, and the second server communicates with the destination on an IP network. It is characterized by performing.

A ninth aspect of the present invention is a method for transmitting or receiving data with an IoT device, which is a step of receiving signaling data including a message from the IoT device by signaling on a cellular network. And, based on the signaling data, the step of specifying the destination of the message or the data corresponding thereto is included, and the transmission to the destination is performed on the IP network.

A tenth aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute a method for transmitting or receiving data with an IoT device, wherein the method is performed from the IoT device on a cellular network. Including a step of receiving signaling data including a message by signaling of the above and a step of specifying a destination of the message or data corresponding thereto based on the signaling data, transmission to the destination is IP. It is characterized by doing it on the network.

In order to achieve such an object, according to one aspect of the present invention, when an SMS having a limited capacity is used for communication between an IoT device and an external server, the destination such as the URL of the external server is used as it is. By introducing a destination identifier with a predetermined number of digits or less, and converting the identifier to a destination on the receiving side of SMS data, instead of describing it in the data, with various external services. It is possible to realize a significant reduction in overhead without impairing cooperation.

It is a figure which shows an example of the log data by GPS tracking. It is a figure which shows the apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow of the data transmission from the IoT device which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention to an external server. It is a figure which shows the sequence of instruction transmission from an external server to an IoT device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. When the SIM card 111 is inserted in the IoT device 110, the inventors use SMS instead of IP communication, which has a large overhead, to perform complicated processing similar to IP communication, and to significantly reduce the overhead. Found that is possible.

The device 100 has a first server 101 that receives SMS data from the IoT device 110 into which the SIM card 111 is inserted, and a destination of a message included in the SMS data or data corresponding thereto based on the SMS data. A second server 102 for specifying the above. As the destination, an external server that provides various services is possible, and complicated processing can be realized. FIG. 2 shows a first external server 121, a second external server 122, and a third external server 123. While communication between the IoT device 110 and the device 100 is performed by SMS in the cellular network, IP communication can be performed between the device 100 and the external server.

The device 100 can be a communication device of an MNO (mobile network operator), or a communication device of an MVNO (virtual mobile network operator) in a form of connecting to the communication infrastructure of the MNO to provide a wireless communication service. It can also be. Between MNO and MVNO, MVNE (Virtual Mobile Network Operator), which provides support services for MVNO to carry out smooth business, intervenes, and MVNE connects to MNO's communication infrastructure to provide wireless communication services. May have a communication infrastructure to do so. In this case, the device 100 can be an MVNE communication device. Further, the first server 101 included in the device 100 may be a communication device of an MNO, the second server 102 may be a communication device of an MVNE or an MVNO, and the like may be communication infrastructures of different operators.

The first server 101 is a server called an SMS center (SMSC) for transmitting or receiving an SMS message, and the second server 102 receives SMS data including the message as body data from the first server 101. Receive it, perform the necessary processing on the message as appropriate, and send it to the appropriate recipient. The first server 101 and the second server 102 can be one or more instances on a public cloud or a private cloud, respectively, and in particular, the second server 102 is divided into a plurality of instances according to the function. Sometimes it is appropriate to design. It is also conceivable that the first server 101 is responsible for some or all of the functions of the second server 102.

Here, the term "cloud" as used herein refers to a system that can dynamically provision and provide computing resources such as CPU, memory, storage, and network bandwidth according to demand on the network. For example, the cloud can be used by AWS or the like. The "public cloud" is a cloud that can be used by multiple tenants.

The IoT device 110 can be any device having a required communication function, and may have an identification number such as an IMSI for connecting to a cellular network. In order to perform IP communication in a cellular network, it is necessary to connect to a packet switching network (PS), but for communication by SMS, it is sufficient to connect to a circuit switching network (CS), so to PS. It is possible to adopt a simplified device that removes the functions required for connection.

In this specification, an example in which a SIM card is inserted into an IoT device 110 will be mainly described, but an identification number such as an IMSI is not only stored in the physical SIM card 111 but also an IoT device. One or more IMSIs are stored on a semiconductor chip (also called "eSIM") embedded in the 110, software is installed in a secure area in the module of the IoT device 110, and one or more on the software. It is possible to store a plurality of IMSIs, and there are various possible modes in which the IoT device 110 directly or indirectly holds the identification number. In the IoT device 110, in addition to the identification number such as the IMSI, the telephone number such as its own MSISDN and the telephone number such as the MSISDN of the first server 101 which is the SMSC are stored.

The first external server 121, the second external server 122, and the third external server 123 can be used for various purposes, respectively. For example, data is transmitted by HTTP to the company's own server that operates the IoT device 110, data is stored securely by HTTP on SSL / TLS, and the second server 102 is an instance or server on the cloud. In some cases, data may be transferred to an instance or server in the same cloud or another cloud. It is possible to have a mechanism in which setting information such as a destination server, credentials, and protocol to be used is held in the device 100 for each SIM card, and data transmitted by SMS is transferred according to the setting information.

Each device described herein is not limited to a physically single device, but may be a plurality of mutually accessible devices. Further, regarding the second server 102, a communication unit 102-1 such as a communication interface, a processing unit 102-2 such as a processor and a CPU, and a storage unit 102-3 including a storage device such as a memory and a hard disk or a storage medium. Each function is realized by executing the program for performing each process stored in the storage device or the storage medium accessible from the storage unit 102-3 or the second server 102 in the processing unit 102-2. Other devices can be achieved with similar hardware, as illustrated as possible. The program may include one or more programs and may be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium to be a non-transient program product.

FIG. 3 shows a sequence of data transmission from an IoT device to an external server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. First, some event occurs in the IoT device 110 (S301). For example, there is an example in which the timer is activated and the information acquired by the sensor of the IoT device 110 is to be transmitted to the third external server 123.

The IoT device 110 generates a message in which the acquired information is described, and transmits the message to the telephone number of the first server 101 stored in advance in the IoT device 110 by SMS (S302). The message includes a destination identifier for identifying a third external server 123 to which at least a portion of the message or the corresponding data is transmitted. The destination identifier can be a 4-digit number such as 1001, 1002, 1003, 2000, etc., and more generally, a predetermined number of digits or a number or symbol having a predetermined number of digits or less. .. Since the capacity of messages that can be sent by SMS is very limited to 140 octets or the like, it is desirable to use a binary format.

The first server 101 notifies the IoT terminal 110 that it has received the SMS data including the message (S303), and then delivers the SMS data to the second server 102 (S304). .. At this time, the identification number stored in the IoT terminal 110 or the telephone number of the IoT terminal 110 which is a source that can be determined based on the identification number may be included in the SMS data.

The second server 102 identifies the destination based on the destination identifier included in the message of the SMS data, with reference to the association between the destination identifier and the destination that can be included in the SMS data (S305). ). The destination can be a URL on an IP network, often in the tens of octets. When the message is in binary format, the second server 102 expands to a format generally widely used on the server side, for example, a text-based format such as JSON or XML, so that it can be easily handled by the third server 123 to which the message is sent. May be performed (S306).

The second server 102 transmits the portion of the message excluding the destination identifier or the entire message including the destination identifier to the third external server 123 (S307). As an example, at least a part of the message or the corresponding data can be transmitted by an HTTP POST request in JSON format or the like.

Each device may be inactive when it receives a result or makes a transmission for each transmission made, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. The period during which each device is active is indicated by a vertically long rectangle.

It is unrealistic to use SMS with limited capacity for communication between IoT devices and external servers because the destinations such as the URL of the external server occupy a large proportion of the capacity, as described above. By introducing a destination identifier of a number or symbol with a predetermined number of digits or less and converting the identifier to a destination on the receiving side of SMS data, communication by SMS becomes practically possible, and various externals can be realized. Significant overhead savings are achieved without compromising service integration. Also, when the server side is open to the outside, it is generally necessary for security to request the credential for authentication from the client, and if you try to transmit this information over SMS, it will be an overhead. However, in the present embodiment, this information can be reduced by retaining this information on the server side and applying it as appropriate. For this purpose, the device 100 may hold the association between the destination or the destination identifier and the credential.

In the above description, the destination is specified based on the destination identifier, but the telephone number of the sender included or added to the SMS data in addition to or in place of the destination identifier. Alternatively, the destination may be specified based on at least a part of the message of the SMS data.

Further, in the present embodiment, data transmission from the IoT device 110 to the device 100 to the first server 101 is performed by SMS on the cellular network, but this does not necessarily limit the spirit of the present invention to SMS alone. , It is also possible to adopt signaling on cellular networks other than SMS. In this case, the data received by the first server 101 is called "signaling data", and more specifically, the data can be transmitted from the client, and the receiving server side uniquely identifies the identification number used for the transmission. , And can be defined as data that can be securely identified. For example, signaling data can include messages from USSD.

If there is no description of "only" such as "based on XX only", "according to XX only", and "in the case of XX only", additional information is provided in this specification. It should be noted that it is assumed that also can be considered.

Further, just in case, even if some method, program, terminal, device, server or system (hereinafter referred to as "method") has an aspect of performing an operation different from the operation described in the present specification, each of the present inventions. The embodiment is intended for the same operation as any of the operations described in the present specification, and the existence of an operation different from the operation described in the present specification means that the method and the like are described in the present invention. It is added that it is not outside the scope of the embodiment.

(Second embodiment)
In the second embodiment, for example, as a premise for transmitting the sensor data exemplified in the first embodiment, an instruction such as data acquisition is issued from an external server. The data generated as a result of the operation according to the instruction can be transmitted to the external server in the flow described in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a sequence of instruction transmission from an external server to an IoT device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. First, some event occurs in the second external server 122 (S401). For example, since the administrator of the IoT device 110 is concerned about the situation on the terminal side, it is conceivable that the IoT device 110 presses a button for executing the process of acquiring the sensor data.

The second external server 122 uses the device identifier that identifies the IoT device 110 as a parameter, the above command as body data, and passes a command to the IoT device 110 to the Web API (S402). The device identifier can be a telephone number of the IoT device 110, an identification number such as an IMSI, a device name, or the like.

If the received instruction is in text format, Web API may convert it to binary format if necessary (S403). Then, when the device identifier is other than the telephone number, the Web API specifies the telephone number of the IoT device 110 by referring to the correspondence between the device identifier and the telephone number, and the second server 102 is connected to the IoT device 110. A telephone number and a command to the IoT device 110 or corresponding data are passed (S404). Although the server or instance that provides the Web API is not shown in FIG. 2, it may be provided separately from the second server 102 or may be provided by the second server 102. It may also be regarded as a second server 102 including the Web API on a separate server or instance.

The second server 102 transmits to the first server 101 a transmission request of SMS data whose destination is the telephone number of the IoT device 110, the instruction for receiving the message, or the corresponding data (S405). At this time, the source of the SMS data is the telephone number assigned to the first server 101, which is SMSC, and the management in which the command is given from the second external server 122 or the second external server 122 that has given the command. The message may also include an external source that identifies the person or an identifier that represents it.

The first server 101 transmits SMS data including the data representing the command or the data corresponding thereto in the message to the IoT device 110 (S406). The IoT device 110 returns a receipt confirmation response as necessary (S407), and executes processing according to the instruction (S408).

Here, one of the features of the method according to the present embodiment is that the IoT device is not required to be always online in order to receive a command or instruction that does not know when it will fly. In the case of IP communication instead of SMS communication, in general, a device such as NAT intervenes between the server and the server, and it cannot be accessed directly from the server. Every time a TCP / UDP session is established, the server concerned Access from the server is made possible by creating and holding state information in each device such as firewall and NAT on the route. And since state information is generally implemented in soft state and has an expiration date, a method called keepalive that maintains state information by sending empty data from the device before the expiration date. Is often used. And the need for keepalive is a big overhead.

On the other hand, in the communication by SMS, since the modem in the dormant mode can be awakened by paging to notify the incoming message, the first server 101 according to the present embodiment periodically or intermittently connects to the IoT device 110. It is possible to send SMS data at any time to execute an instruction without sending data. From the viewpoint of the first server 101, since keepalive is unnecessary, SMS data can be transmitted even if the data from the IoT device 110 has not been received for a predetermined time or longer. For example, in IP communication, it is often difficult to access from a server at an arbitrary timing without performing keepalive for several minutes or more or several tens of minutes or more, but according to the present embodiment, the IoT device 110 is the IoT device 110. It is not necessary to send data over such a long period of time.

More specifically, the frequency of data transmission for keepalive cannot be unconditionally determined because it depends on the expiration date of the state information in each device on the network path, but it is set in the network that is not managed by itself. Since it can change, it is necessary to set it according to the shortest device in order to maintain stable communication. Especially in UDP, which is often used in IoT, the timer that maintains the state is often shorter than TCP, which is often used in applications with long-lasting sessions, and it is necessary to perform keepalive frequently for several tens of seconds to several minutes. be.

As an example, consider the case where a Registration Update request is sent to the server as keepalive every minute so that the data acquisition command can be executed from the server at any time using OMA LWM2M.

Assuming that the request size is 80 octets and the response size is 80 octets, the communication volume for keepalive per day is 230,40 octets, which is about 7 MB in January, which causes a cost that cannot be ignored when the number of devices is large. Let me.

In addition, if the device is battery-powered, the device and modem must always be active to perform this communication, significantly reducing battery life. Waiting for a command or instruction in sleep mode, when there is a command, it becomes active for data transmission and consumes power, and SMS communication, which is always active and frequently sends data for keepalive. It makes a difference of tens or hundreds of times compared to IP communication that must be continued.

100 Device 101 First server 102 Second server 102-1 Communication unit 102-2 Processing unit 102-3 Storage unit 110 IoT device 111 SIM card 121 First external server 122 Second external server 123 Third external server

Claims (7)

A device for transmitting or receiving data between an IoT device and an external server on an IP network.
Signaling data including a message is received from the IoT device by signaling on a cellular network.
Based on the signaling data, the destination of the message or the corresponding data is specified.
The signaling data includes a destination identifier that indirectly represents the destination on the IP network of the external server as part of the message.
The destination is identified with reference to the association between the destination identifier and the destination that may be included in the signaling data.
The device communicates with the destination on an IP network. A device for transmitting or receiving data between an IoT device and an external server on an IP network.
Signaling data including a message is received from the IoT device by signaling on a cellular network.
Based on the signaling data, the destination of the message or the corresponding data is specified.
The signaling data includes a destination identifier that indirectly represents the destination on the IP network of the external server as part of the message.
The destination is identified with reference to the association between the destination identifier and the destination that may be included in the signaling data.
The device receives data expressing a command to the IoT device from the external server by communication on the IP network, and transmits the signaling data including the data or the corresponding data in the message to the IoT device. Send to. The device according to claim 1 or 2.
The message is in binary format
The device expands the message into a text-based format. A method for sending or receiving data between an IoT device and an external server on an IP network.
A step in which the device receives signaling data including a message from the IoT device by signaling on a cellular network.
The device includes a step of identifying a destination of the message or corresponding data based on the signaling data.
The signaling data includes a destination identifier that indirectly represents the destination on the IP network of the external server as part of the message.
The destination is identified with reference to the association between the destination identifier and the destination that may be included in the signaling data.
The device communicates with the destination on an IP network. A method for sending or receiving data between an IoT device and an external server on an IP network.
A step in which the device receives signaling data including a message from the IoT device by signaling on a cellular network.
The device includes a step of identifying a destination of the message or corresponding data based on the signaling data.
The signaling data includes a destination identifier that indirectly represents the destination on the IP network of the external server as part of the message.
The destination is identified with reference to the association between the destination identifier and the destination that may be included in the signaling data.
The device receives data expressing a command to the IoT device from the external server by communication on the IP network, and transmits the signaling data including the data or the corresponding data in the message to the IoT device. Send to. A program for causing a device to execute a method for transmitting or receiving data between an IoT device and an external server on an IP network.
A step in which the device receives signaling data including a message from the IoT device by signaling on a cellular network.
The device includes a step of identifying a destination of the message or corresponding data based on the signaling data.
The signaling data includes a destination identifier that indirectly represents the destination on the IP network of the external server as part of the message.
The destination is identified with reference to the association between the destination identifier and the destination that may be included in the signaling data.
The device communicates with the destination on an IP network. A program for causing a device to execute a method for transmitting or receiving data between an IoT device and an external server on an IP network.
A step in which the device receives signaling data including a message from the IoT device by signaling on a cellular network.
The device includes a step of identifying a destination of the message or corresponding data based on the signaling data.
The signaling data includes a destination identifier that indirectly represents the destination on the IP network of the external server as part of the message.
The destination is identified with reference to the association between the destination identifier and the destination that may be included in the signaling data.
The device receives data expressing a command to the IoT device from the external server by communication on the IP network, and transmits the signaling data including the data or the corresponding data in the message to the IoT device. Send to.

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