JP2022187827A - Communication control device and communication control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To handle a communication path that uses path redundancy control and continuous transmission control as a communication path that satisfies the communication requirement of an application.SOLUTION: A communication control device that selects a communication path that satisfies the communication requirement of an application on a communication platform includes an application information management unit that manages application information including a communication requirement between terminals with which the application communicate, which are specified for each of the applications, a communication path status acquisition unit that collects communication quality information of a communication path connectable to the communication platform and a communication path to which at least one of path redundancy control and continuous transmission control is applied, and a communication path determination unit that selects a communication path for transmitting data of the application on the basis of the communication requirement of the application and communication quality information collected by the communication path state acquisition unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a communication control device and a communication control method for selecting a communication channel for an application to use based on the communication requirements of the application and the state of the communication channel in a communication platform.

In a communication platform that can handle multiple communication systems, a communication path that satisfies the application communication requirements based on the application communication requirements (required bandwidth, allowable communication delay time, etc.) and the accommodation priority between applications. I have a technology suggestion. For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-209787) discloses a network including a wireless communication section having a plurality of routes and a wired communication section having one or more routes, and a communication control device for controlling the network. and wherein a communication terminal is connected to the wireless communication section, a server is connected to the wired communication section, and the communication control device comprises a plurality of Acquiring the communication status of the path and the communication status of one or more paths of the wired communication section, and requesting data communication between the communication terminal connected to the wireless communication section and the server connected to the wired communication section. when there is a route and A communication system that selects each route from the one or more wired communication section routes is described.

JP 2012-209787 A

In the communication system described in Patent Document 1, in a communication system capable of handling a plurality of wireless systems, it is possible to select a communication path using a single wireless system that satisfies the communication requirements of an application. However, in order to reduce the packet loss rate and maximum communication delay time, path redundancy control that duplicates and transmits packets to two or more communication paths, and control that repeatedly transmits a packet received from an application to one communication path multiple times. It cannot handle channels that use transmission control. Therefore, even if a communication path that uses a single wireless system cannot satisfy the communication requirements of the application, even if it is possible to provide a communication path that can satisfy the above communication requirements by using path redundancy control or continuous transmission control, the above application could not be accommodated in the communication system, and it was difficult to improve the efficiency of using the communication resources of the communication system.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide communication control that can handle communication paths that use path redundancy control and continuous transmission control as communication paths that satisfy the communication requirements of applications.

A representative example of the invention disclosed in the present application is as follows. That is, in a communication platform, a communication control device that selects a communication path that satisfies the communication requirements of an application, and is an application that manages application information including communication requirements between terminals with which the application specified for each application communicates. an information management unit, a communication channel status acquisition unit that collects and manages communication quality information of a communication channel that can be handled by the communication platform, and a communication channel that applies route redundancy control and continuous transmission control to the communication channel; A communication path determination unit that selects a communication path for transmitting data of the application based on communication requirements of the application and communication quality information collected by the communication path state acquisition unit.

According to one aspect of the present invention, in a communication platform, it is possible to select a communication path that satisfies the communication requirements of an application, including a communication path using path redundancy control or continuous transmission control. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wireless communication platform according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication control device of the wireless communication platform of the embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the physical configuration of the communication control device of this embodiment; FIG. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a procedure for communication control setting in the wireless communication platform of the embodiment; 6 is a flowchart of communication control setting processing according to the embodiment; 8 is a detailed flowchart of communication path determination processing according to the embodiment; 8 is a detailed flowchart of communication path determination processing according to the embodiment; 8 is a detailed flowchart of communication path determination processing according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a downlink communication channel list according to the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a communication channel list for uplink communication according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between throughput characteristics and packet error rate characteristics with respect to wireless communication quality for each wireless terminal used by the wireless communication platform of the embodiment; It is a figure which shows the structural example of the application terminal list|wrist of a present Example. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the application list|wrist of a present Example. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the application list|wrist of a present Example. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a list of used communication paths classified by application list for downlink communication according to the present embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a list of used communication paths classified by application list for uplink communication according to the present embodiment;

An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the wireless communication platform of this embodiment.

The communication control device 101, as a control device of the communication platforms 102 and 103, generates settings of a communication path for transmitting data for each application that transmits packets between the terminal (center) 104 and the terminal (edge) 105, to manage. Communication platforms 102 and 103 use communication paths 1 to 3 (106, 108, 110) as communication paths through which packets from applications are transmitted. Of the communication paths 1 to 3 (106, 108, 110), in the communication path using the wireless system, wireless terminals 107, 109, 111 of each wireless system are provided facing each other. Further, the communication control apparatus 101 duplicates the packets received from the application so that the communication requirements of the application are satisfied between the terminal (center) 104 and the terminal (edge) 105, and the communication platforms 102 and 103 , and a communication control function for providing a communication path for continuous transmission control for duplicating a packet received from an application and transmitting it to one communication path for a specified number of times.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication control device 101 of the wireless communication platform of this embodiment.

First, the internal configuration of the communication control device 101 will be described for each functional block. The communication control device 101 of FIG. 1 has an application information database 201, a communication path database 202, a communication control setting database 203, and an application terminal list 208. FIG. The application information database 201 holds information (communication section, communication protocol, communication requirements, communication control policy, etc.) on applications that use the communication platforms 102 and 103 in order to select a communication path that satisfies the communication requirements of the application. The application information database 201 consists of a downstream communication application list 1301 (FIG. 13) and an upstream communication application list 1401 (FIG. 14), the details of which will be described later with reference to FIGS. The communication path database 202 stores information (radio system, communication quality, communication cost, availability score, etc.) of communication paths that can be used between the communication platforms 102 and 103, including communication paths using path redundancy control and continuous transmission control. Hold. The communication channel database 202 consists of a downstream communication channel list 901 (FIG. 9) and an upstream communication channel list 1001 (FIG. 10), the details of which will be described later with reference to FIGS. The communication control setting database 203 holds information on communication paths used as packet transmission destinations for each application. The communication control setting database 203 is composed of a list of communication paths used by application list for downstream communication 1501 (FIG. 15) and a list of communication paths used by application list for upstream communication 1601 (FIG. 16). 16 below. The application terminal list 208 holds information on terminals connected to the communication platform. The configuration of the application terminal list 208 will be described later with reference to FIG.

The application information management unit 204, when information (communication section, communication protocol, communication requirements, communication control policy, etc.) of an application to be newly accommodated in the wireless communication platform is input, stores the information in the application information database 201. Store.

The communication path state acquisition unit 206 obtains information on communication paths that can be used between the communication platforms 102 and 103, including communication paths that use path redundancy control and continuous transmission control (wireless system, communication quality, communication cost, availability score, etc.). ) is acquired and stored in the communication path database 202 . Among the communication path database 202, the available bandwidth, maximum communication delay, and packet loss rate for each communication path are the wireless communication quality measured at the wireless terminals 107, 109, 111 of each communication path 106, 108, 110. Updated with information.

The communication channel determination unit 205 communicates application packets between the communication platforms 102 and 103 based on the application information input to the application information management unit 204 and the communication channel information acquired by the communication channel state acquisition unit 206. Determines the communication path to be the transmission destination of the case. The communication path used by the application is determined for each direction, that is, for downstream communication and upstream communication. Specifically, based on the communication section of the application, communication requirements (required bandwidth, maximum allowable delay, packet loss rate), and communication path determination policy, the communication section of the application is determined for the communication path stored in the communication path database 202. Acquire a communication path that is available in , and that satisfies the application's communication requirements. After that, based on the communication control policy of the application, the communication path to be finally used as the destination of the packet of the application is determined, including the case where there are a plurality of candidate communication paths.

The communication control setting generation unit 207 performs communication control required for packet transmission control in the communication control units 113 and 115 of the communication platforms 102 and 103 based on the information of the communication channel to be used for each application determined by the communication channel determination unit 205. Settings are generated and stored in the communication control setting database 203 . The communication control settings stored in the communication control setting database 203 are transmitted via the network between the communication control device 101 and the communication platforms 102 and 103 to the communication control setting database 112 of the communication platform 102 and the communication control settings of the communication platform 103. It is transferred to the setting database 114 . Thereafter, based on the transferred communication control settings, communication control is performed between the communication platforms 102 and 103 to satisfy the communication requirements of the application, and the accommodation of the application to the wireless communication platform is completed.

Next, the internal configuration of the communication platforms 102 and 103 will be explained for each functional block. The communication platforms 102 and 103 have communication control setting databases 112 and 114 that hold information on communication paths used as packet transmission destinations for each determined application by the communication control setting generation unit 207 of the communication control device 101 .

The communication control units 113 and 115 transmit the packet transmitted from the application to the specified communication path based on the setting of the communication path to be the transmission destination for each application held in the communication control setting databases 112 and 114 . If the specified communication path is a communication path that uses path redundancy control, the application sends the Duplicate the received packet and send it to two or more communication paths. Similarly, if the specified communication path is a communication path that uses continuous transmission control, the parameters sent from the application according to the parameters of continuous transmission control (such as the number of continuous transmissions) held in the communication control setting databases 112 and 114 Duplicate the packet and send it multiple times over the specified channel.

Communication platforms 102 , 103 are connectable to multiple communication paths 106 , 108 , 110 . Communication between terminals 104 , 105 may be via other terminals 116 and other communication platforms 117 .

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the physical configuration of the communication control device 101 of this embodiment.

The communication control device 101 of this embodiment is composed of a computer having a processor (CPU) 301 , a memory 302 , an auxiliary storage device 304 and a communication interface 305 . The communication control device 101 may have an input interface 303 and an output interface 306 .

The processor 301 is an arithmetic device that executes programs stored in the memory 302 . By the processor 301 executing various programs, each unit of the communication control device 101 (for example, the application information management unit 204, the communication channel state acquisition unit 206, the communication channel determination unit 205, the communication control setting generation unit 207, etc.) functions. is realized. Note that part of the processing performed by the processor 301 by executing the program may be performed by another arithmetic device (for example, hardware such as ASIC and FPGA).

The memory 302 includes ROM, which is a nonvolatile storage element, and RAM, which is a volatile storage element. The ROM stores immutable programs (eg, BIOS) and the like. RAM is a high-speed and volatile storage element such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and temporarily stores programs executed by the processor 301 and data used when the programs are executed.

The auxiliary storage device 304 is, for example, a large-capacity, non-volatile storage device such as a magnetic storage device (HDD) or flash memory (SSD). Auxiliary storage device 304 also stores data used by processor 301 when executing programs (for example, application information database 201, communication path database 202, communication control setting database 203, etc.) and programs executed by processor 301. That is, the program is read from the auxiliary storage device 304 , loaded into the memory 302 , and executed by the processor 301 to realize each function of the communication control device 101 .

A communication interface 305 is a network interface device that controls communication with other devices according to a predetermined protocol.

An input interface 303 is an interface to which an input device such as a keyboard 307 and a mouse 308 is connected and which receives input from an operator. The output interface 306 is an interface to which an output device such as a display device 309 or a printer (not shown) is connected, and which outputs program execution results in a format that can be visually recognized by the operator. A user terminal connected to the communication control device 101 via a network may provide the input device and the output device. In this case, the communication control device 101 may have the function of a web server, and the user terminal may access the communication control device 101 using a predetermined protocol (for example, http).

Programs executed by processor 301 are provided to communication control device 101 via removable media (CD-ROM, flash memory, etc.) or a network, and stored in non-volatile auxiliary storage device 304, which is a non-temporary storage medium. . Therefore, the communication control device 101 preferably has an interface for reading data from removable media.

The communication control device 101 is a computer system configured on one physical computer or on a plurality of logically or physically configured computers, and is built on a plurality of physical computer resources. It may operate on a virtual machine. For example, the application information management unit 204, the communication channel state acquisition unit 206, the communication channel determination unit 205, and the communication control setting generation unit 207 may operate on separate physical or logical computers, or may be combined. may run on a single physical or logical computer.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a communication control setting processing procedure in the wireless communication platform of this embodiment. In the sequence shown in FIG. 4, the terminal (edge) 105 connects to the communication platform (edge) 103, and the application used by the terminal (edge) 105 is transmitted between the communication platform (edge) 103 and the communication platform (center) 102. An example of a communication control setting processing procedure for satisfying communication requirements is shown.

The communication control setting process is started when the terminal used by the application is connected to the communication platform, for example, when the terminal (edge) 105 is connected to the communication platform (edge) 103 .

First, the terminal (edge) 105 sends a connection request message including an authentication request regarding the connecting terminal to the communication platform (edge) 103 (401). The communication platform (edge) 103 transmits an authentication request message included in the connection request message transmitted from the terminal (edge) 105 to the communication control device 101 (402). The communication control unit 101 determines whether the terminal that has transmitted the authentication request at the time of connection is valid (403). If the terminal is valid, the authentication result permitting the connection is transmitted to the terminal (edge) via the communication platform (edge) 103 (404, 405). If an unauthorized terminal attempts connection, the communication control device 101 sends an authentication result that rejects the connection to the communication platform (edge) 103 .

After the connection is permitted, the terminal (edge) 105 transmits application information including an application ID (AppID) to the communication control device 101 via the communication platform (edge) 103 (406, 407).

When the communication control device 101 receives the application information from the terminal (edge) 105, it refers to the information in the application information database 201, determines the application that uses the terminal (edge) 105 (408), and obtains the information of the application ( communication section, communication protocol, communication requirement, communication path selection policy) are acquired (409, 410). The communication control device 101 that has identified the communication section determines the wireless communication quality (carrier to interference ratio (CIR: Carrier to Interference Ratio (CIR: Carrier to Interference Ratio (CIR) Interference Ratio)) is transmitted to the communication platform (edge) 103 (411). The communication platform (edge) 103 transmits a wireless communication quality measurement request to the wireless terminals 107, 109, 111 of each communication path and acquires the wireless communication quality (412, 413). For example, the wireless communication quality measured by the wireless terminal is acquired by an AT command or the like. The communication platform (edge) 103 transmits the wireless communication quality information acquired from the wireless terminals 107, 109, and 111 to the communication control device 101 (414).

After acquiring the wireless communication quality information, the communication control apparatus 101 stores it in the communication path database 202 via the communication path state acquisition unit 206 (415). Also, based on the relationship between wireless communication quality and throughput (throughput characteristic) and the relationship between wireless communication quality and packet error rate (packet error rate characteristic) for each wireless terminal shown in FIG. Update bandwidth and packet loss rate information for each channel.

Next, based on the information in the communication path database 202, the communication control device 101 determines that the maximum communication delay time is equal to or greater than the required band of the communication requirements of the application and is equal to or less than the allowable communication delay time of the application. A communication path with a packet loss rate equal to or lower than the permissible packet loss rate of the application is acquired as a candidate list of the destination communication path of the application packet. Communication paths using path redundancy control and continuous transmission control may also be candidates. Then, if there are a plurality of communication paths in the destination communication path candidate list, the communication path to be used by the application is determined based on the communication control policy of the application. If the application has multiple communication sections, the communication path to be used for each communication section is determined for all communication sections (416).

The communication control setting generation unit 207 of the communication control device 101 generates settings of the communication platforms 102 and 103 related to the determined communication path to which packets of the application used by the terminal (edge) 105 are sent, and stores the communication control setting database. 203 (417). Also, the settings are transmitted to the communication platforms 102 and 103 via the network between the communication control device 101 and the communication platforms 102 and 103 . The communication platform (center) 102 and the communication platform (edge) 103 reflect the communication control settings received from the communication control device 101 in the operations of the communication control units 113 and 115 (418, 419).

Finally, communication platform (edge) 103 notifies terminal (edge) 105 that the communication path for the application used by terminal (edge) 105 is now available between communication platforms 102 and 103 (420).

Acquire and use a candidate list of communication paths that satisfy the communication requirements of the application on the communication platforms 102 and 103, including communication paths that use path redundancy control and continuous transmission control, according to the processing procedure shown in the sequence diagram above. A communication channel can be determined and communication control settings can be made for transmitting application packets.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the communication control setting process of this embodiment. The communication control setting process shown in FIG. 5 is a process of determining a communication path for transmitting data of the application between communication platforms based on communication requirements of the application and communication quality information of the communication path in the wireless communication platform.

Step 501: Start communication control setting processing for determining a communication path for transmitting application data between communication platforms based on the communication requirements of the application and the communication quality information of the communication path.

Step 502: Based on the application information (application ID (AppID)) notified from the terminal (edge) 105, application information (communication section, communication protocol, communication requirements, communication control policy). Examples of application information held in the application information database 201 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG.

Step 503: Among the application information obtained in step 502, obtain the required throughput, the required one-way maximum delay, and the required packet loss rate as communication requirements of the application.

Step 504: From the application information acquired in step 502, acquire the source node and the destination node as information relating to the communication section of the application. Furthermore, using a connected terminal list that holds information on the communication platform connected to each terminal, information on the wireless communication platform used between the source node and the destination node is obtained. Information on the communication platform to which each terminal is connected is held in a connected terminal list, and an example of the connected terminal list will be described later with reference to FIG.

Step 505: It is determined whether or not there is a communication section in which a communication path that satisfies the communication requirements of the application has not been set among the communication sections of the application acquired in step 504 . If there is an unset communication section, the process proceeds to step 506 , and if there is no unset communication section, the process proceeds to step 509 .

Step 506: Based on the information in the application information database 201 and the communication path database 202, obtain communication path candidates that satisfy the communication requirements of the application, including communication paths that use path redundancy control and continuous transmission control, and perform communication control. Decide the communication path for sending application packets according to the policy. A procedure for determining a communication path will be described later with reference to a flowchart of communication path determination processing (FIG. 6).

Step 507 : Generate communication control settings for transmitting application packets between the communication platforms 102 and 103 based on the communication channel information determined in step 506 , and store them in the communication control setting database 203 .

Step 508 : Based on the channel information determined in step 506 , the remaining available bandwidth is calculated in consideration of the required bandwidth of the application and reflected in the channel information of the channel database 202 .

Step 509: Determine whether or not a communication channel that satisfies the communication requirements of the application has been determined for all communication sections in which the application communicates. , and transitions to step 510 . On the other hand, if there is a section for which a communication path that satisfies the communication requirements cannot be determined, it is determined that the application cannot be accommodated in the wireless communication platform, and the process transitions to step 511 .

Step 510: The communication control device 101 transmits the settings related to the communication path determined for each communication section in which the application stored in the communication control setting database 203 communicates to the communication platform in the communication section via the network.

Step 511: The communication control device 101 transmits to the communication platform in the communication section via the network that the application has been determined to be unaccommodable in the wireless communication platform.

Step 512: Reflect the information about the terminal used by the application decided to be accommodated in the wireless communication platform in the connected terminal list.

Step 513: End the communication control setting process.

In this way, in the communication control setting process for determining the communication path for transmitting application data between communication platforms, based on the application communication section, communication requirements, communication control policy, and information on usable communication paths for each communication section. acquires a communication channel that satisfies the communication requirements of the application, and determines the communication channel to be used by the application based on the communication control policy of the application. Candidates for communication paths that satisfy the communication requirements of applications include communication paths that use a single wireless system, communication paths that use path redundancy control that uses multiple communication paths, and duplicated packets for multiple communication paths. By handling a communication path that uses continuous transmission control for transmission, it is possible to determine a communication path including a case where a communication path with high communication reliability due to path redundancy control or continuous transmission control is used.

6, 7, and 8 are detailed flowcharts of the communication path determination processing 506 of this embodiment. The processing shown in FIG. 6 is processing for determining a communication channel that satisfies the communication requirements of the application when the communication channel determination policy of the application prioritizes communication quality. The processing shown in FIG. This is a process of determining a communication path that satisfies the communication requirements of the application in the case of priority. The process shown in FIG. 8 is a process of determining a communication path that satisfies the communication requirements of the application when the application's communication path determination policy is cost priority. is.

First, with reference to FIG. 6, processing when communication quality is prioritized will be described.

Step 601: Based on the communication path information held in the communication path database 202, obtain a list of communication paths that can be used in the communication section where application communication is performed. The communication paths acquired at this point include communication paths that do not meet the communication requirements of the application and communication paths that use at least one of path redundancy control and continuous transmission control. Communication path information includes whether path redundancy control is used, whether continuous transmission control is used, information on the communication path platform where the communication path exists, maximum available bandwidth, available bandwidth, one-way delay, packet loss rate, communication cost, and availability score. An example of a list of communication channel information acquired from the communication channel database 202 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG.

Step 602: Acquire the communication quality for each available communication channel in the communication section of the application acquired in step 601. FIG. The communication control apparatus 101 transmits a communication quality information acquisition request to the communication platform 103 connected to the wireless terminal on the communication path, and the communication control apparatus 101 transmits the communication quality information acquired from the wireless terminal to the communication control apparatus 101. receive. Information acquired as communication quality includes, for example, received signal strength indication (RSSI), carrier-to-interference power ratio (CIR), and the like.

Step 603: Among the communication paths available in the communication section of the application acquired in step 601, select a communication path having a bandwidth that can be provided that is greater than or equal to the required bandwidth of the application acquired from the application information management unit 204, and select the communication path list ( A).

Step 604: For each communication path in the communication path list (A) obtained in step 603, select a communication path whose one-way maximum delay time is less than or equal to the maximum one-way delay requested by the application obtained from the application information management unit 204, and select the communication path. Get it as a list (B).

Step 605: For each communication channel in the communication channel list (B) acquired in step 604, select a communication channel with a packet loss rate equal to or lower than the requested packet loss rate of the application acquired from the application information management unit 204, and (C).

Step 606 : If one or more communication paths are included in the communication path list (C) acquired in step 605 , transition to step 607 . If even one communication path is not included in the communication path list (C), the process transitions to step 610 .

Step 607: Sort each communication channel included in the communication channel list (C) obtained in step 605 in ascending order of packet loss rate.

Step 608: In step 607, among the communication paths included in the communication path list (C) sorted in ascending order by packet loss rate, the communication path with the lowest packet loss rate is determined as the communication path for transmitting the application packet.

Step 609: Returns the information of the communication path for transmitting the application packet determined in step 608 and the fact that the application can be accommodated in the communication section to be processed.

Step 610: If the communication path list (C) acquired in step 605 is empty, i.e. if it does not contain any communication path, there is a communication path that satisfies the communication requirements of the application in the communication section to be processed. Since it does not, it returns a determination that it cannot be accommodated.

Step 611: End the communication path determination process when the communication path determination policy of the application is communication quality priority.

In this way, a communication path that satisfies the application's communication requirements is selected from the available communication path list for each communication section, and a communication path for sending application packets is selected according to the application's communication quality priority control policy. can. In addition to communication paths using a single wireless system, communication paths using path redundancy control using multiple communication paths in the communication path list and duplicated packets are added to the communication path list that can be used for each communication section. By setting in advance a communication path that uses continuous transmission control to transmit to multiple communication paths, a highly reliable communication path with a lower packet loss rate than a communication path that uses a single wireless system can be used for application packets. can be selected as the communication channel for transmission.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the processing when priority is given to availability will be described. The processing from step 701 to step 706 and from step 709 to step 710 are the same as the processing from step 601 to step 606 and step 609 to step 610 of the above-described processing when communication quality is prioritized, so description thereof is omitted. However, different processing will be explained.

Step 707: The channels included in the channel list (C) acquired in step 705 are sorted in descending order of availability score.

Step 708: In step 707, among the channels included in the channel list (C) sorted by availability score in descending order, the channel with the highest availability score is determined as the channel for transmitting the application packet.

In this way, a communication path that satisfies the application's communication requirements is selected from the available communication path list for each communication section, and a communication path for sending application packets is selected according to the application's communication quality priority control policy. can. In addition to communication paths using a single wireless system, communication paths using path redundancy control using multiple communication paths in the communication path list and duplicated packets are added to the communication path list that can be used for each communication section. By presetting a communication path that uses continuous transmission control to transmit to multiple communication paths, a communication path with higher availability than a communication path that uses a single wireless system can be used to transmit application packets. can be selected as In particular, when it is necessary to prioritize the availability of communication paths for sending application packets, such as when preferentially selecting communication paths to which route redundancy control is applied in a form that uses multiple wireless systems together, By the processing shown in FIG. 7, a communication path with high availability can be selected while satisfying the communication requirements of the application.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8, the processing when priority is given to availability will be described. The processing from step 801 to step 806 and step 809 to step 810 are the same as the processing from step 601 to step 606 and step 609 to step 610 of the above-described processing when communication quality is prioritized, so description thereof is omitted. However, different processing will be explained.

Step 807: Each communication channel included in the communication channel list (C) obtained in step 805 is sorted in ascending order of cost.

Step 808: In step 807, among the communication paths included in the communication path list (C) sorted in ascending order of cost, the communication path with the lowest cost is determined as the communication path for transmitting the application packet.

In this way, a communication path that satisfies the application's communication requirements is selected from the available communication path list for each communication section, and a communication path for sending application packets is selected according to the application's communication quality priority control policy. can. In addition to communication paths using a single wireless system, communication paths using path redundancy control using multiple communication paths in the communication path list and duplicated packets are added to the communication path list that can be used for each communication section. By setting in advance a communication path that uses continuous transmission control to transmit to multiple communication paths, a communication path that is lower in cost than a communication path that uses a single wireless system can be used to transmit application packets. can be selected as In particular, if you want to preferentially select a communication channel that uses a wireless system that does not require a radio station license application, such as Wi-Fi, rather than 5G or LTE, and has a low operating cost, reduce the operating cost of the communication channel that transmits application packets. is required, a low-cost communication path can be selected while satisfying the communication requirements of the application by the processing shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the downlink communication channel list 901 of this embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the uplink communication channel list 1001 of this embodiment. The downstream communication channel list 901 and the upstream communication channel list 1001 constitute the communication channel database 202 .

The downstream communication channel list 901 includes information for determining whether a communication channel satisfies the communication requirements of the application and a communication control policy specified for each application as candidate communication channels for accommodating the downstream communication performed by the application. Contains information for selecting the communication path to use based on The upstream communication channel list 1001 includes information for determining whether the communication channel satisfies the communication requirements of the application and the communication control policy specified for each application as candidates for the communication channel that accommodates the upstream communication performed by the application. Contains information for selecting the communication path to use based on Information for determining whether the communication requirements are satisfied is typically communication quality information. Communication platform, maximum available bandwidth, usable bandwidth, maximum one-way delay time, and packet loss rate. Information for selecting a communication path in relation to the communication control policy is communication cost and availability score.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between throughput characteristics and packet error rate characteristics with respect to wireless communication quality for each wireless terminal used by the wireless communication platform of this embodiment.

Throughput characteristics and packet error rate characteristics with respect to wireless communication quality for each wireless terminal are given as a function of SNR, and available bandwidth for each communication path is stored in the communication path database 202 that holds information on communication paths used by applications. , and to calculate the packet loss rate.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the application terminal list 208 of this embodiment.

The application terminal list 1201 holds information on terminals connected to the communication platform, and manages information on the connected communication platform, the IP address of the terminal, and the application ID using the terminal for each terminal using the application. .

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the downlink communication application list 1301 of this embodiment, and FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the uplink communication application list 1401 of this embodiment. The downstream communication application list 1301 and the upstream communication application list 1401 constitute the application information database 201 .

The downlink communication application list 1301 manages information related to application communication sections, communication protocols, communication requirements, and communication control policies regarding downlink communication. The uplink communication application list 1401 manages information related to application communication sections, communication protocols, communication requirements, and communication control policies regarding uplink communication. In particular, in the processing procedure for determining the communication channel used by the new application shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, this information is necessary when acquiring a communication channel that satisfies the communication requirements of the application. Specifically, the bandwidth that can be provided by the communication path stored in the communication path database 202, the maximum one-way delay time, and the packet loss rate are required as the communication requirements of the applications stored in the downstream communication application list 1301. It is used when determining in steps 603 to 605 in FIG. 6, steps 703 to 705 in FIG. 7, and steps 803 to 805 in FIG. 8 whether the bandwidth, required delay time, and required packet loss rate are satisfied.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the downlink communication application list-by-application list 1501 of this embodiment, and FIG. 16 is a configuration example of the uplink communication application list-by-application list 1601 of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows. The use communication channel list by application list 1501 for downlink communication and the use communication channel list by application list for uplink communication 1601 constitute the communication control setting database 203 .

The downlink communication application list-by-use communication path list 1501 indicates the relationship between the application and the communication path used for downlink communication in the wireless communication platform. The uplink communication application list-by-use communication path list 1601 indicates the relationship between the application and the used communication path for uplink communication in the wireless communication platform.

In the above description, a wireless communication platform capable of selecting a communication path using path redundancy control or continuous transmission control has been exemplified. Among them, the present invention is applicable to fields where it is necessary to simultaneously accommodate multiple applications with different communication requirements regarding reliability and availability in environments where multiple wireless systems can be used, such as factories, railway lines, and construction sites. Application to communication platforms and communication systems in In addition, private network systems such as Private-LTE, Local 5G, and Wi-Fi wireless LANs, and public networks such as mobile phone networks provided by telecommunications carriers, are both candidates for communication paths. It can be handled.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, in a communication platform connectable to a plurality of wireless systems, the communication control device 101 selects a communication path that satisfies the communication requirements of an application. An application information management unit 204 that manages application information including communication requirements between terminals with which an application communicates using an application information database 201; and continuous transmission control, a communication channel status acquisition unit 206 that collects communication quality information of a communication channel to which at least one of continuous transmission control is applied and manages using the communication channel database 202, and an application communication requirements and communication channel status acquisition unit 206 is provided with a communication channel determination unit 205 that selects a communication channel for transmitting application data based on the collected communication quality information. It is possible to perform communication control using not only a channel but also a communication channel to which route redundancy control and continuous transmission control are applied.

In addition, the communication path state acquisition unit 206, for each communication path, information on the presence or absence of path redundancy control in which application packets are duplicated and transmitted to two or more communication paths, and information on the identifier of the communication path used in path redundancy control, In addition, the presence or absence of continuous transmission control in which the application packet is duplicated a predetermined number of times and transmitted to the communication channel multiple times, and information on the number of continuous transmissions are stored in association with each other, so both path redundancy control and continuous transmission control are applied. It is possible to control communication using a communication path that

Also, since the application information management unit 204 associates and stores information on communication control policies, communication costs, and availability scores of communication channels, it is possible to select an appropriate communication channel according to application-specific communication requirements.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but includes various modifications and equivalent configurations within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. Also, part of the configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Moreover, the configuration of another embodiment may be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, additions, deletions, and replacements of other configurations may be made for a part of the configuration of each embodiment.

In addition, each configuration, function, processing unit, processing means, etc. described above may be realized by hardware, for example, by designing a part or all of them with an integrated circuit, and the processor realizes each function. It may be realized by software by interpreting and executing a program to execute.

Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in storage devices such as memories, hard disks, SSDs (Solid State Drives), or recording media such as IC cards, SD cards, and DVDs.

In addition, the control lines and information lines indicate those considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily indicate all the control lines and information lines necessary for mounting. In practice, it can be considered that almost all configurations are interconnected.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101... Communication control apparatus 102... Communication platform (center) 103... Communication platform (edge) 104... Terminal (center) 105... Terminal (edge) 201... Application information database 202... Communication path database 203... Communication control setting database 204 Application information management unit 205 Communication channel determination unit 206 Communication channel state acquisition unit 207 Communication control setting generation unit 901 Downlink communication channel list 1001 Uplink communication 1301 --- application list for downstream communication 1401 --- application list for upstream communication 1501 --- list of used communication paths by application list for downstream communication 1601 --- list of used communication paths by application list for upstream communication

Claims (11)

A communication control device for selecting a communication path that satisfies communication requirements of an application in a communication platform,
an application information management unit that manages application information including communication requirements between terminals with which the applications communicate, which are specified for each application;
a communication path status acquisition unit that collects communication quality information of a communication path connectable to the communication platform and a communication path to which at least one of path redundancy control and continuous transmission control is applied;
A communication control apparatus, comprising: a communication path determination unit that selects a communication path for transmitting data of the application based on communication requirements of the application and communication quality information collected by the communication path state acquisition unit. The communication control device according to claim 1,
A communication control apparatus, wherein the communication requirements are specified by at least one of a required band, an allowable communication delay time, and a packet loss rate. The communication control device according to claim 1,
The communication channel state acquisition unit acquires information for each of the communication channels, whether or not there is a route redundancy control for duplicating the application packet and transmitting it to two or more communication channels, and the identifier of the communication channel used in the route redundancy control. A communication control device characterized by being associated and stored. The communication control device according to claim 1,
The communication channel state acquisition unit stores, for each communication channel, whether there is a continuous transmission control in which the packet of the application is duplicated a predetermined number of times and is transmitted to the communication channel a plurality of times, and information on the number of continuous transmissions are associated and stored. A communication control device characterized by: The communication control device according to claim 1,
The communication channel state acquisition unit provides, for each communication channel, information on presence or absence of route redundancy control in which packets of the application are duplicated and transmitted to two or more communication channels, and information on the identifier of the communication channel used in the route redundancy control; and a communication control device that associates and stores information on the presence or absence of continuous transmission control in which the packet of the application is duplicated a predetermined number of times and transmitted to the communication path a plurality of times, and information on the number of continuous transmissions. The communication control device according to claim 1,
The communication control device, wherein the application information management unit associates and stores information on the communication control policy, communication cost, and availability score of the communication path. The communication control device according to claim 6,
The communication path determination unit,
Acquiring from the application information management unit information on the communication control policy, communication cost, and availability score of the communication path used by the application;
A communication control device that determines a communication path to be used based on a communication control policy of the application among the communication paths that satisfy the communication requirements of the application. A communication control method for outputting information for a computer to select a communication path that satisfies communication requirements of an application in a communication platform, comprising:
The computer has an arithmetic unit that executes predetermined arithmetic processing and a storage device that can be accessed by the arithmetic unit,
The communication control method includes:
a communication channel status acquisition procedure in which the computing device collects communication quality information of a communication channel connectable to the communication platform and a communication channel to which at least one of route redundancy control and continuous transmission control is applied;
characterized in that the computing device includes a communication path determination procedure for selecting a communication path for transmitting data of the application based on communication requirements of the application and communication quality information collected in the communication path state acquisition procedure. communication control method. The communication control method according to claim 8,
The storage device associates and stores, for each of the communication paths, whether there is path redundancy control for duplicating the application packets and transmitting them to two or more communication paths, and information on the identifier of the communication path used in the path redundancy control. A communication control method characterized by: The communication control method according to claim 8,
The storage device duplicates the packet of the application a predetermined number of times for each communication channel, and associates information on the presence or absence of continuous transmission control for transmitting the duplicated packet to the communication channel and the number of times of continuous transmission. A communication control method, characterized in that: The communication control method according to claim 8,
In the communication channel determination procedure, the computing device acquires information on the communication control policy, communication cost, and availability score of the communication channel used by the application, and selects the communication channel among the communication channels that satisfy the communication requirements of the application. A communication control method characterized by determining a communication channel to be used based on a communication control policy of an application.

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