JP7124038B2 - Communication device, communication method and program - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present invention relate to communication devices, communication methods, and programs.

IEEE 802.15.4-2015 defines a method for transmitting and receiving TSCH (Time-Slotted Channel Hopping). In the TSCH, highly reliable communication is possible by previously agreeing on communication timing between communication nodes. By using the 6top Protocol being developed by the IETF 6TiSCH WG, it is possible to dynamically agree on TSCH communication timing between neighboring nodes.

In the TSCH, a data transmission node and a data reception node perform transmission/reception processing at predetermined times and on predetermined frequencies. In the TSCH, in order to maintain clock synchronization between nodes, control data is transmitted and received at a predetermined frequency even when the transmitting node does not have data to be transmitted.

IEEE 802.15.4-2015 - IEEE Standard for Low-Rate Wireless Networks 6top Protocol (6P)

Since TSCH communication control involves clock synchronization between nodes, processing related to TSCH must be preferentially processed within a node. On the other hand, nodes may require high priority application processing in order to act as sensors and actuators.

If the TSCH and its upper layers (applications) independently determine the processing order and timing, there is a possibility that the TSCH or the application, or possibly both, will not be able to exhibit the desired performance.

A communication device according to an embodiment includes an adjustment unit, a communication control unit, and a processing control unit. The adjustment unit adjusts the schedule of communication processing for transmitting and receiving messages by time-division multiplex communication and the schedule of application processing different from the communication processing. A communication controller transmits and receives messages according to the coordinated schedule. A process controller controls execution of the application according to the coordinated schedule.

1 is a block diagram of a communication system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a node according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of time division units by time division multiplexing; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an initial schedule; The figure which shows an example of a schedule. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of adjusting schedules between nodes; FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of adjusting schedules between nodes; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing for reassigning schedules; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing for reassigning schedules; The figure which shows an example of a schedule. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of allocation of application processing; 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of adjusting the schedule of application processing; FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of adjusting the schedule of application processing; FIG. 4 is a flowchart of schedule adjustment processing according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the timing of data transmission/reception processing within a time slot; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a communication system according to a second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a node according to the second embodiment; FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a communication device according to the first or second embodiment; FIG.

Preferred embodiments of the communication device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
The communication apparatus according to the first embodiment can adjust the schedule of communication processing for transmitting and receiving messages by time-division multiplex communication and the schedule of application processing. For example, a communication device (node) can handle timing of application operations in a protocol for agreement and setting of communication timing of TSCH. The node has a function of integrally handling the scheduling of the TSCH process and the scheduling of the application process, and arbitrates so that both processes do not occur at the same time.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication system according to a first embodiment; FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system includes nodes 100a and 100b as communication devices. Since the nodes 100a and 100b have the same configuration, they are simply referred to as the node 100 when there is no need to distinguish between them. The number of nodes 100 is not limited to two, and may be three or more. A plurality of nodes 100 are connected by a wireless network such as IEEE 802.15.4. A plurality of nodes 100 may be connected by any other form of connection, for example, by a wired network.

Data is transmitted and received between the node 100a and the node 100b. For convenience, the node 100a is hereinafter referred to as a data transmitting node, and the node 100b is referred to as a data receiving node.

The nodes 100a and 100b are time-synchronized and transmit and receive data at predetermined timings. Typically, the node 100a and the node 100b perform communication control using TSCH, but a time-division multiplex communication method other than TSCH may be used.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the node 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the node 100 includes a communication unit 101, a communication control unit 111, an application processing unit 112, a communication schedule control unit 113, a processing control unit 114, and an adjustment unit 115. .

The communication unit 101 is an interface for communicating with an external device such as another node 100 (the node 100b in FIG. 2). Under the control of the communication control unit 111, the communication unit 101 performs communication using a time-division multiplex method such as TSCH.

The communication control unit 111 controls communication processing by time division multiplexing. The adjustment unit 115 determines at which timing of time division multiplexing (such as a time slot described later) communication is to be performed. Communication control unit 111 controls communication using communication unit 101 and the like so that messages are transmitted and received according to the schedule adjusted by adjustment unit 115 . In the case of a communication method involving frequency hopping such as TSCH, communication control section 111 controls not only communication timing but also radio channels used for communication, and communication is performed using communication section 101 and the like.

The application processing unit 112 executes application processing that is different from communication processing controlled by the communication control unit 111 . The application processing may be any processing. For example, the application processing includes network processing higher than TSCH, sensing processing using sensors, actuation processing of the driving unit, log recording processing, and the like. The application processing may be processing involving communication or may be processing not involving communication. Also, the number of application processes is not limited to one, and two or more application processes may be executed.

The communication schedule control unit 113 controls the schedule of communication by time division multiplexing. For example, the communication schedule control unit 113 determines the number of time slots for transmission and reception required between other nodes 100 when there is data to be transmitted and received, and the timing of transmission and reception (which time slot is selected). to use). When using the TSCH, the communication schedule control section 113 may control the required communication band. The determined schedule is passed to the adjustment unit 115, and the adjustment unit 115 adjusts the final processing schedule.

The processing control unit 114 controls execution of application processing. For example, the processing control unit 114 determines the execution timing (schedule) of the application processing, the deadline for the processing, the expected processing time, and the like. When there are multiple application processes, the process control unit 114 may adjust the schedule of each application process. The determined schedule is passed to the adjustment unit 115, and the adjustment unit 115 adjusts the final processing schedule. Therefore, the processing control unit 114 controls execution of the application according to the schedule adjusted by the adjustment unit 115. FIG.

The adjustment unit 115 adjusts the schedule of communication processing by time division multiplexing and the schedule of application processing. For example, the adjustment unit 115 cooperates with the communication schedule control unit 113 and the processing control unit 114 to adjust the schedule so that communication processing requirements and application processing requirements can be met and conflicts in scheduling can be resolved as much as possible.

If it is necessary to coordinate the schedule with other nodes 100, the coordination unit 115 determines what requests and proposals to make to the other nodes 100 and whether to accept the requests and proposals. Then, the coordinator 115 exchanges messages with other nodes 100 and performs scheduling.

Each unit described above (communication control unit 111, application processing unit 112, communication schedule control unit 113, processing control unit 114, and adjustment unit 115) is implemented by, for example, one or more processors. For example, each of the above units may be realized by causing a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program, that is, by software. Each of the above units may be implemented by a processor such as a dedicated IC (Integrated Circuit), that is, by hardware. Each of the above units may be implemented using both software and hardware. When multiple processors are used, each processor may implement one of the units, or may implement two or more of the units.

Next, communication by time division multiplexing will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a time division unit by time division multiplexing. As shown in FIG. 3, in time division multiplexing, time is divided into certain periods. A minimum unit of a divided period is called a time slot, and one or more time slots are collectively called a slot frame. In the example of FIG. 3, one slotframe includes five time slots.

Each time slot is managed so that it can be uniquely identified within the slot frame. Each time slot appears cyclically over time. In FIG. 3, time slots are identified by indices 0-4. A time slot with the same index appears in every slot frame. Also, each slot frame is managed so that it can be uniquely identified within a sufficiently long period. In the example of FIG. 3, an index of "n" or "n+1" is given to the slot frame. Note that each time slot may be managed by giving an absolute identifier. In that case it is the same as thinking of a slot frame with an infinitely long duration with an infinite number of time slots.

In order for the node 100a and the node 100b to communicate, which node 100 transmits data in which time slot, which node 100 receives data, or which node 100 receives data. It must be defined that it can be sent and received ("shared" below). Determining the processing to be performed in a time slot is called scheduling, and the result of scheduling is called a schedule. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an initial schedule.

In the schedule of FIG. 4, the leading time slot (time slot 0) of each slot frame is defined as "shared". In the "shared" time slots, the node 100a may transmit data, and the node 100b may transmit data. That is, when the nodes 100a and 100b have data to be transmitted to each other, they can transmit the data using the first time slot of each slot frame. When each node 100 does not have data to be transmitted, each node 100 waits for data reception in the leading time slot of each slot frame, and prepares for data transmission.

Here, it is considered that a new scheduling is performed to give the node 100b an opportunity to transmit data. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a schedule set in this case.

In the absence of manual scheduling for nodes 100a and 100b, a control protocol such as the 6top Protocol (6P) is used to coordinate schedules among multiple nodes 100. FIG. 6 and 7 are sequence diagrams showing an example of schedule coordination between the node 100a and the node 100b. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the node 100b specifies a time slot and requests a transmission-only slot.

First, the node 100b transmits a message requesting the node 100a to use the time slot 1 as a transmission slot dedicated to the node 100b (step S101). The node 100a notifies the node 100b of a message indicating acceptance of the request (step S102). As a result of such processing, the nodes 100a and 100b share a schedule as shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 shows an example of sending a request from node 100b to node 100a without specifying which time slot is to be the transmission slot dedicated to node 100b. In this example, the node 100b transmits a request message to the node 100a without designating which time slot is to be the transmission slot dedicated to the node 100b (step S201). The node 100a transmits a message proposing, for example, to make time slot 1 a transmission slot dedicated to the node 100b (step S202). Node 100b sends a message indicating acceptance of the proposal (step S203). This allows the nodes 100a and 100b to share the schedule shown in FIG.

Although the details are omitted, the node 100a and the node 100b can share the schedule in FIG. 5 by requesting the node 100b for a reception slot dedicated to the node 100a.

Next, consider performing additional scheduling and causing the node 100a to perform application processing at time slot 1 timing.

As shown in FIG. 5, time slot 1 is designated as a transmission slot dedicated to node 100b. Therefore, node 100a must wait for data reception in time slot 1. FIG. If the node 100a cannot wait for data reception and perform application processing at the same time, it may fail to receive data in time slot 1 or fail to perform application processing, making it impossible to achieve a desired operation.

Therefore, if the communication processing schedule and the application processing schedule conflict, the adjustment unit 115 adjusts the schedule so that either the communication processing or the application processing is executed. For example, the adjustment unit 115 refers to the priority assigned to each process, and adjusts the schedule so that the process with the highest priority is preferentially executed.

For example, TSCH can specify a "hard cell" or "soft cell" cell type. "Soft cell" indicates a cell (unit of processing) that has a relatively low priority and can move within a slot frame. For example, cell type can be used as priority.

When the application processing has a lower priority than the data communication processing with the node 100b, the adjustment unit 115 of the node 100a shifts the execution timing of the application processing, for example, so that the data reception processing in time slot 1 conflicts with the application processing. try not to

If application processing has a higher priority than data communication processing with the node 100b, the coordinator 115 of the node 100a requests, for example, the node 100b to move (reassign) the transmission slot dedicated to the node 100b. do.

8 and 9 are sequence diagrams showing an example of processing for reassigning schedules for communication processing. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the node 100a designates a destination time slot and requests movement. The adjustment unit 115 of the node 100a, for example, requests the node 100b to move the transmission slot assigned to time slot 1 to time slot 4 (step S301). The node 100b notifies the node 100a of a message indicating acceptance of the request (step S302).

FIG. 9 shows an example of a case where the node 100a requests movement without designating a destination time slot. As shown in FIG. 9, the coordinator 115 of the node 100a requests the node 100b to move the transmission slot assigned to the time slot 1 without specifying the destination time slot (step S401). . The node 100b transmits, for example, a message proposing to move the transmission slot dedicated to the node 100b to time slot 4 (step S402). Node 100a transmits a message indicating acceptance of the proposal (step S403). As a result of such processing, the nodes 100a and 100b can share the schedule as shown in FIG.

After shifting the communication processing schedule in this way, the adjustment unit 115 of the node 100a allocates the priority application processing to time slot 1 . The adjustment unit 115 may allocate application processing to two or more time slots according to the execution time of the application processing. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of assigning two time slots to application processing.

When the application processing and the data communication processing with the node 100b have the same priority, the coordinator 115 resolves the conflict by, for example, the following method.
・Prioritize the process scheduled earlier ・Prioritize the schedule specified later ・Determine at random

The schedule of application processing executed by the application processing unit 112 of the node 100a may be instructed from outside such as the node 100b. 12 and 13 are sequence diagrams showing an example of adjusting the schedule of application processing between the nodes 100a and 100b.

FIG. 12 shows an example in which the node 100b designates a time slot and requests execution of application processing. For example, the coordinator 115 of the node 100b transmits to the node 100a a message requesting execution of application processing in time slot 1 (step S501). The coordinator 115 of the node 100a notifies the node 100b of a message indicating that the request has been accepted (step S502).

FIG. 13 shows an example in which the node 100b requests execution of application processing without specifying a time slot. For example, the coordinator 115 of the node 100b transmits to the node 100a a message requesting execution of application processing without specifying a time slot (step S601). The coordinator 115 of the node 100a transmits to the node 100b a message proposing, for example, time slot 1 to be a time slot for application processing (step S602). Node 100b sends a message indicating acceptance of the proposal (step S603).

The messages transmitted and received in FIGS. 12 and 13 may be implemented by extending messages conforming to a protocol for scheduling communication processing (for example, 6top Protocol), or may be implemented using other protocols.

Next, schedule adjustment processing by the node 100 configured as described above according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of schedule adjustment processing according to the first embodiment.

The schedule adjustment process is started, for example, when the adjustment unit 115 receives a communication processing schedule adjustment request from the communication schedule control unit 113 and an application processing schedule adjustment request from the processing control unit 114 . be done.

In TSCH, it is usually specified that the schedule of communication processing is periodically (repeatedly) executed. Application processes may also be specified to run periodically. Both communication processing and application processing may be designated to be executed one-time instead of periodically.

First, the adjustment unit 115 determines whether or not the process for which schedule adjustment is requested is a repetitive process (step S701). The adjustment unit 115 determines whether the requested process is a repeated process based on information added to the request or the type of the requested process, for example.

If the processing is repeated (step S701: Yes), the adjustment unit 115 identifies the processing cycle and processing time of the requested processing based on information added to the request, for example (step S702). Next, the adjustment unit 115 determines whether or not the start time of the requested process is specified (step S703). For example, when a time slot for executing the requested process is designated, the adjustment unit 115 determines that the start time is designated.

If not specified (step S703: No), the adjustment unit 115 determines whether or not the start time can be determined (step S704). For example, the adjusting unit 115 refers to the processing time of the requested process and the available time slots, etc., and determines whether it is possible to determine the time slot for starting the requested process. If necessary, the adjustment unit 115 may adjust the movement of time slots for communication processing that has already been determined with other nodes 100 . In cases such as when other high-priority processes are scheduled, the adjustment unit 115 determines that the start time of the requested process cannot be determined (the time slot cannot be adjusted).

If the start time can be determined (step S704: Yes), the adjustment unit 115 determines the start time of the requested process (periodic process) (step S705). If the start time cannot be determined (step S704: No), the adjustment unit 115 notifies the communication schedule control unit 113 or the process control unit 114, which are the request sources, of an error indicating that the schedule cannot be adjusted (step S706).

If it is determined in step S701 that the process is not repeated (step S701: No), the adjustment unit 115 specifies the start time and the process completion time of the requested process by, for example, information added to the request (step S707). ).

After step S707 and when it is determined that the requested process start time is specified in step S703 (step S703: Yes), the adjustment unit 115 determines the specified process start time and process completion time, Alternatively, it is determined whether or not there is any process that conflicts with the requested process by referring to the specified start time and processing time (step S708).

If there is conflicting processing (step S708: Yes), the adjustment unit 115 determines whether the conflict can be resolved (step S709). For example, the adjustment unit 115 determines whether contention can be resolved by moving the time slot assigned to the low priority process. If necessary, the adjustment unit 115 may adjust the movement of time slots for communication processing that has already been determined with other nodes 100 .

If the conflict can be resolved (step S709: Yes), and if it is determined that there is no conflicting process in step S708 (step S708: No), the adjustment unit 115 determines the start time of the requested process ( step S710). When the process start time has been determined (steps S705 and S710), the adjustment unit 115 notifies the communication schedule control unit 113 or the process control unit 114, which is the source of the request, of the schedule adjustment result (step S711).

If the conflict cannot be resolved (step S709: No), the adjustment unit 115 notifies the communication schedule control unit 113 or the process control unit 114 of an error indicating that the schedule cannot be adjusted (step S706). The error may be notified to a functional unit that is not the request source of the schedule adjustment request (for example, if the communication schedule control unit 113 is the request source, the processing control unit 114).

After notification of the error (step S706) and notification of the adjustment result (step S711), the schedule adjustment process is terminated.

The communication schedule control unit 113 or the processing control unit 114 that has received the notification of the error may request the adjustment unit 115 to readjust the processing schedule as necessary. When the adjustment unit 115 receives the next request for schedule adjustment, the adjustment unit 115 executes the process from step S701 again.

(Modification 1)
If the processing time of application processing is sufficiently short, adjustment section 115 can also schedule data communication processing and application processing within the same time slot.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing timings of data transmission processing and reception processing within one time slot, which are defined in IEEE 802.15.4-2015. The transmission processing and reception processing in one time slot are each composed of sub-processing indicated by "Transmitter" and "Receiver" in FIG.

In FIG. 15, for example, data transmission is performed in the section of "TX frame". Depending on the hardware configuration and software configuration of the node 100, the CPU may not necessarily intervene in the wireless signal transmission processing and reception processing, and the application processing may be executed during the "TX frame" period. Data reception is performed during "RX of frame", and application processing may be executable even during this period. Furthermore, in other sections, standby processing may be performed for timing adjustment of transmission and reception. Application processing can be performed even during the period of such standby processing.

Also, for example, a circuit (for example, a wireless communication chip) that realizes a function for executing communication processing (communication unit 101, communication control unit 111, etc.) and a function for executing other processing (application processing unit 112, processing control unit 114, etc.) ), the CPU may be able to execute other processing after the CPU instructs the wireless communication chip to start communication processing. That is, there are cases where communication processing by the wireless communication chip and application processing by the CPU can be executed simultaneously.

Thus, depending on the configuration (resources, etc.) of the node 100 and the processing time required for application processing, it may be possible to execute application processing in the same time slot as data communication processing. For this reason, the adjustment unit 115 may determine, based on resources available in the node 100, that data communication processing and application processing should be performed in one time slot.

In this manner, the communication apparatus according to the first embodiment can resolve the conflict between time-division multiplex communication processing and application processing.

(Second embodiment)
In the second embodiment, a communication device (central server, parent node, etc.) other than the node executing the communication process schedules the process of the node.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication system according to the second embodiment; As shown in FIG. 16, the communication system of the second embodiment includes nodes 100-2a, 100-2b, and 100-2c as communication devices. Since the nodes 100-2a, 100-2b, and 100-2c have similar configurations, they are simply referred to as the node 100-2 when there is no need to distinguish between them. The number of nodes 100-2 is not limited to three, and may be four or more. A plurality of nodes 100 - 2 are connected by a network 1600 . Network 1600 is a wireless network, such as IEEE 802.15.4, but may be any other form of network, such as a wired network.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the node 100-2 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 17, the node 100-2 includes a communication unit 101, a communication control unit 111, an application processing unit 112, a communication schedule control unit 113, a processing control unit 114, an adjustment unit 115-2, It has

In the second embodiment, the functions of the adjusting section 115-2 are different from those in the first embodiment. Other configurations and functions are the same as those in FIG. 2, which is a block diagram of the node 100 according to the first embodiment, so they are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described here.

The adjustment unit 115-2 adjusts the schedules of the communication processing executed by the other node 100-2 and the application processing executed by the other node 100-2. 115 is different.

For example, the coordinator 115-2 of the node 100-2a requests the nodes 100-2b and 100-2c which node 100-2 transmits (receives) data in which time slot. Propose and schedule. Further, the coordinator 115-2 of the node 100-2a requests and proposes application processing and execution timings (time slots) to the nodes 100-2b and 100-2c, and determines the schedule.

Note that the overall flow of the schedule adjustment process of the second embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 14, which is the schedule adjustment process of the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof is omitted.

A case where the node 100-2a adjusts the schedules of processes to be executed by the nodes 100-2b and 100-2c will be described below as an example. Since each node 100-2 has a similar configuration, any one of the nodes 100-2 may take the lead in adjusting the processing schedule of the other nodes 100-2.

For example, the coordinator 115-2 of the node 100-2a schedules execution of processing (communication processing or application processing) of at least one of the nodes 100-2b and 100-2c at arbitrary timing. The coordinator 115-2 also manages the schedule as shown in FIG. 4 and the like, for example, for processes executed by the other node 100-2. Then, the adjustment unit 115-2 adjusts the schedule of the process to be executed by the other node 100-2 according to the schedule adjustment process as shown in FIG. The adjustment unit 115-2 of this embodiment notifies the node 100-2 executing the process of the adjustment result.

Coordinator 115-2 of node 100-2 that has received the notification controls communication schedule controller 113 or process controller 114 to execute communication processing or application processing according to the notified adjustment result.

Examples of application processing executed by the other node 100-2 include the following. For example, assume that the communication system is a smart meter system. In this case, the headend system or meter data management system corresponds to node 100-2a, and each smart meter corresponds to node 100-2b and node 100-2c.

For example, a smart meter has an application processing function (application processing unit 112) that measures power consumption. The head-end system also has an application processing function (application processing unit 112) that manages and controls the timing of power consumption measurement by each smart meter. For example, this application processing function may determine the timing of measuring the power consumption of each smart meter and request adjustment from the adjustment unit 115-2. The adjustment unit 115-2 may adjust the schedule according to the request and notify the smart meter of the adjustment result.

The measurement timing determined by the smart meter itself may be notified to the application processing function of the headend via the adjustment section 115-2 of the smart meter.

As described above, the communication apparatus according to the second embodiment can execute scheduling of processes including processes of other nodes.

As described above, according to the first and second embodiments, it is possible to integrate and adjust the schedules of time-division multiplexed communication processing and application processing.

Next, the hardware configuration of the communication device according to the first or second embodiment will be explained using FIG. FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of a hardware configuration example of the communication device according to the first or second embodiment.

The communication device according to the first or second embodiment includes a control device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 51, a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) 52 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 53, and a network. It has a communication I/F 54 for connection and communication, and a bus 61 for connecting each part.

A program to be executed by the communication device according to the first or second embodiment is preinstalled in the ROM 52 or the like and provided.

A program to be executed by the communication device according to the first or second embodiment is a file in an installable format or an executable format, and is stored in a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), flexible disk (FD), It may be configured to be provided as a computer program product by recording it on a computer-readable recording medium such as R (Compact Disk Recordable) or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

Furthermore, the program executed by the communication device according to the first or second embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet, and provided by being downloaded via the network. good. Also, the program executed by the communication device according to the first or second embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

A program executed by the communication device according to the first or second embodiment can cause a computer to function as each part of the communication device described above. In this computer, the CPU 51 can read a program from a computer-readable storage medium into the main memory and execute it.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

100, 100-2 node 101 communication unit 111 communication control unit 112 application processing unit 113 communication schedule control unit 114 processing control unit 115, 115-2 adjustment unit

Claims (13)

Application processing including at least part of a first schedule that allocates communication processing for transmitting and receiving messages in units of time slots of time-division multiplex communication, sensing processing using a sensor, actuation processing of a drive unit, and log recording processing an adjustment unit that executes an adjustment process to adjust the second schedule of
a communication control unit that transmits and receives messages according to the adjusted first schedule;
a processing control unit that controls execution of an application according to the adjusted second schedule;
with
The adjusting process includes adjusting the second schedule so as to allocate the application process in units of the time slots.
Communication device. The adjustment unit adjusts the first schedule and the second schedule when receiving a request for adjustment of communication timing by time division multiplex communication.
A communication device according to claim 1 . The adjustment unit adjusts the first schedule and the second schedule when receiving a schedule adjustment request for the application processing.
A communication device according to claim 1 . The adjustment unit adjusts a schedule of the communication processing and the application processing executed by another device different from the communication device.
A communication device according to claim 1 . The adjustment unit adjusts a schedule according to the timing of measuring the power amount of the other apparatus, which is different from the communication apparatus and has a function of measuring power amount, with the other apparatus.
5. A communication device according to claim 4. When the first schedule and the second schedule conflict, the adjustment unit adjusts the schedule so that either the communication process or the application process is executed.
A communication device according to claim 1 . When the first schedule and the second schedule conflict, the adjustment unit readjusts the first schedule with another communication device that is a partner of the time division multiplex communication.
7. A communication device according to claim 6 . The adjustment unit adjusts the first schedule and the second schedule based on available resources.
A communication device according to claim 1 . The adjustment unit adjusts the second schedule so as to allocate the application processing in units of the time slots in response to an instruction from another device other than the communication device.
A communication device according to claim 1 . The adjustment unit adjusts the first schedule and the second schedule so as to allocate the communication process and the application process to one time slot.
A communication device according to claim 1 . the second schedule includes a designation to periodically execute the application process;
A communication device according to claim 1 . Application processing including at least part of a first schedule that allocates communication processing for transmitting and receiving messages in units of time slots of time-division multiplex communication, sensing processing using a sensor, actuation processing of a drive unit, and log recording processing an adjustment step of executing adjustment processing for adjusting the second schedule of
a communication control step of transmitting and receiving messages according to the adjusted first schedule;
a process control step of controlling execution of an application according to the adjusted second schedule;
including
The adjusting process includes adjusting the second schedule so as to allocate the application process in units of the time slots.
Communication method. the computer,
Application processing including at least part of a first schedule that allocates communication processing for transmitting and receiving messages in units of time slots of time-division multiplex communication, sensing processing using a sensor, actuation processing of a drive unit, and log recording processing an adjustment unit that executes an adjustment process to adjust the second schedule of
a communication control unit that transmits and receives messages according to the adjusted first schedule;
and a processing control unit that controls execution of the application according to the adjusted second schedule,
The adjusting process includes adjusting the second schedule so as to allocate the application process in units of the time slots.
program.

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