WO2024142293A1 - Communication apparatus, communication method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

This communication apparatus improves the efficiency relating to data transfer by comprising: a determination unit configured to determine, on the basis of a correspondence relationship between a category to which transmission target data belongs and a transfer path on a network, the transfer path for use in transmission of the data; and an application unit configured to apply a label to a packet storing the data such that the transmission target data is to be transferred to a transmission destination by using the transfer path determined by the determination unit.

Description

Communication device, communication method, and program

The present invention relates to a communication device, a communication method, and a program.

A messaging system is middleware that mediates data transfer between systems and temporarily holds (queues) data. Messaging systems are used to relay stream data, which is a collection of data that is generated continuously or sequentially, and as a hub for transferring large amounts of data. Messaging systems are also used to start applications based on event sequences of time-series records and to collect logs and monitoring data. Messaging systems are placed between devices or servers that generate data and data processing servers. Messaging systems receive the generated stream data, temporarily store the data, and transfer the data to the processing server each time or when necessary.

A typical messaging system is realized with three elements: producers, brokers, and consumers, as shown in Figure 1. A producer is the source of a message, a broker collects and distributes messages, and a consumer is the destination of a message.

Queues are prepared within the broker for each category called a topic, and messages and data from producers are stored in the queues.

Consumers can retrieve messages, and there can be multiple consumers for one queue.

Message exchange between brokers and consumers follows a pub/sub model; consumers register the topics they subscribe to, and when a message is sent from the producer to the broker on that topic, the message is delivered to the consumer in a push-type manner. Consumers can also retrieve messages in a pull-type manner.

By using a messaging system, for example, it is possible to achieve the effect of loosely coupling the state management of the data sender and destination and hiding each other's state.

On the other hand, the 5G core of the fifth generation communication system adopts SBA (Service Based Architecture), and employs an architecture (Figure 2) in which communication between network (NW) functions is via APIs (Non-Patent Document 1).

In the 5G system, by defining the Network Exposure Function (NEF), many of the network functions for controlling user movement and communications realized by the 5G core can be controlled and managed externally via APIs (Non-Patent Document 2).

The 5G system also introduces the Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF), which collects various information on the network status and provides analytical information.

In order to realize automation of 5G networks through NWDAF, it specifies the changing of QoS parameters according to network usage status and the changing of traffic routes.

The NWDAF is connected to each network function of the 5G core via a Service Based IF, and has the ability to collect and analyze data from network functions and operation devices (Non-Patent Document 3).

3GPP TS23.501 V17.6.0, "System architecture for the 5G System (5GS)" 3GPP TS23.502 V17.6.0, "Procedures for the 5G System (5GS)" 3GPP TS29.522 V17.6.0, "5G System; Network Exposure Function Northbound APIs" 3GPP TS23.288 V17.5.0, "Architecture enhancements for 5G System (5GS) to support network data analytics services"

In a 5G system, data needs to be transferred in a way that matches the expected characteristics of the application that will use the data.

For example, in the remote control of vehicles and robots, the control data for remotely operating the vehicle or robot must be delivered with low latency and without jitter. Similarly, in the case of video data, large volumes of data must be delivered without delay from the time the data is generated. On the other hand, in the delivery of environmental sensor data such as temperature, cost-efficient delivery with few constraints on latency is required.

However, the messaging system is implemented as an application in each node of producer, broker, and consumer. As shown in Fig. 3, multiple topics exist in one node, but since multiple topics are managed in the application, the transfer process can only be changed for each application or node in the existing communication method. Therefore, the network cannot take into account the characteristics of the data, and the transfer of data between producers, users, and brokers, and between brokers and consumers, becomes inefficient, and the transfer of data that is not suitable for the characteristics may cause delays in the arrival of data.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above points, and aims to improve the efficiency of data transfer.

In order to solve the above problem, the communication device has a determination unit configured to determine the transfer route to be used for transmitting the data based on the correspondence between the classification to which the data to be transmitted belongs and the transfer route on the network, and an assignment unit configured to assign a label to a packet that stores the data so that the data to be transmitted is transferred to the destination using the transfer route determined by the determination unit.

be able to.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a messaging system. This is a diagram to explain SBA (Service Based Architecture). FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a problem with the conventional technology. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a communication system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a diagram for explaining a communication network control and management device 50, a communication network information analysis device 60, and a data transfer control cooperative device 40. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a data generating device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a data generating device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a data delivery device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a data consuming device 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure executed by a data generating device. 11 is a diagram for supplementing the description of the processing procedure executed by the data generating device 10. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a broker list storage unit 121, a transmission requirement storage unit 122, and a corresponding information storage unit 123. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process performed by the data delivery device 20. 11 is a diagram for supplementing the description of the processing procedure executed by the data delivery device 20. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a subscription list storage unit 221, a transmission requirement storage unit 222, and a corresponding information storage unit 223. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure executed by the data consuming device 30. 11 is a diagram for supplementing the description of the processing procedure executed by the data consuming device 30. FIG.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication system 1 in an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, the communication system 1 includes a plurality of data generating devices 10, a plurality of data delivery devices 20, a plurality of data consuming devices 30, a data transfer control association device 40, a communication network control/management device 50, and a communication network information analysis device 60. Each data generating device 10 is connected to each data delivery device 20 via a communication network N1. Each data delivery device 20 is connected to each data consuming device 30 via a communication network N1. Each data generating device 10, each data delivery device 20, and each data consuming device 30 are connected to the data transfer control association device 40 via a network. The data transfer control association device 40 is connected to the communication network control/management device 50 and the communication network information analysis device 60 via a network. The communication network N1 is, for example, a 5G network.

The data generating device 10 is a device that divides data into a plurality of partial data (chunks) in a predetermined unit each time data is generated in a terminal or device such as a sensor, vehicle, or camera (hereinafter referred to as "device, etc."), and transmits a copy of each divided partial data to one or more data delivery devices 20. All partial data is transmitted to each data delivery device 20 as a transmission destination. At this time, the data generating device 10 specifies the classification or category (hereinafter referred to as "topic") to which the data to be transmitted belongs. A topic is a classification of data based on the contents or characteristics of the data. The data generating device 10 may be the device, etc. itself, or may be a computer connected to one or more devices, etc. via a network. In this embodiment, the latter case will be described, but in the former case, the data generating device 10 also generates the data.

The data delivery device 20 is a computer that temporarily stores data received from the data generation device 10 by topic, maintaining the order based on the time of arrival. The data delivery device 20 retrieves the stored data each time it arrives, and delivers the data in parallel to one or more data consumption devices 30 that have requested a subscription to the topic to which the data belongs. By storing the data replicated in the data generation device 10 in each of the multiple data delivery devices 20, data redundancy is achieved so that data can be recovered even if some data is lost or missing in some of the data delivery devices 20.

The data consumption device 30 is a computer that registers topics to which it subscribes (requests delivery or receives) in advance with the data delivery device 20, and receives data belonging to the topic in real time from the data delivery device 20 when the data is generated. The data consumption device 30 reconstructs the partial data group, extracts it as received data, and passes the received data to an application.

The data generating device 10, the data delivery device 20, and the data consuming device 30 constitute a messaging system. The data generating device 10 corresponds to a producer, the data delivery device 20 corresponds to a broker, and the data consuming device 30 corresponds to a consumer.

The communication network control and management device 50, the communication network information analysis device 60, and the data transfer control linkage device 40 will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

The communication network control and management device 50 is a computer that manages resources such as routes, quality, and bandwidth within the communication network N1 used for data transfer, and publishes and controls the status (available routes, redundant configuration, available bandwidth, etc.) of the transfer routes (hereinafter referred to as the "transfer network"; for example, a VPN (Virtual Private Network)) required for data transfer according to the topic between the data generating device 10 and the data distributing device 20, and between the data distributing device 20 and the data consuming device 30. For example, the communication network control and management device 50 sets communication-related parameters for the communication control function and data transfer function within the communication network N1 from outside the communication network N1, and publishes information regarding the status of a specific terminal within the communication network N1.

The communication network information analysis device 60 is a computer that manages and provides statistical information on the quality of communications other than those performed using the communication network N1 for the messaging system, as well as information on transfer networks suitable for data transfer or delivery. For example, the communication network information analysis device 60 collects statistical information required to analyze various communication volumes, device loads, and communication quality (e.g., throughput, etc.) from the communication control functions, data transfer functions, wireless communication functions, and network setting and management functions within the communication network N1, and provides the results of the analysis to functions outside the communication network N1.

The data transfer control linkage device 40 is a computer that has an API for linking quality information for each transfer network used for data transfer in the messaging system, and grants access to the communication network control and management device 50 and the communication network information analysis device 60.

Note that any two or more of the communication network control and management device 50, the communication network information analysis device 60, and the data transfer control collaboration device 40, or all of these devices, may be realized using the same computer.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a data generating device 10 in an embodiment of the present invention. The data generating device 10 in FIG. 6 includes a drive device 100, an auxiliary storage device 102, a memory device 103, a CPU 104, and an interface device 105, all of which are interconnected via a bus B.

The program that realizes the processing in the data generating device 10 is provided by a recording medium 101 such as a CD-ROM. When the recording medium 101 storing the program is set in the drive device 100, the program is installed from the recording medium 101 via the drive device 100 into the auxiliary storage device 102. However, the program does not necessarily have to be installed from the recording medium 101, but may be downloaded from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 102 stores the installed program as well as necessary files, data, etc.

When an instruction to start a program is received, the memory device 103 reads out the program from the auxiliary storage device 102 and stores it. The CPU 104 executes functions related to the data generating device 10 in accordance with the program stored in the memory device 103. The interface device 105 is used as an interface for connecting to a network.

In addition, the data delivery device 20, the data consumption device 30, the data transfer control cooperation device 40, the communication network control and management device 50, and the communication network information analysis device 60 may also have the same hardware configuration as that shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a data generating device 10 in an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, the data generating device 10 has a connection network control unit 11, a data receiving unit 12, a data classification and division unit 13, and a data transmitting unit 14. Each of these units is realized by processing in which one or more programs installed in the data generating device 10 are executed by the CPU 104. The data generating device 10 also uses a broker list storage unit 121, a transmission requirement storage unit 122, and a corresponding information storage unit 123. Each of these storage units can be realized using, for example, the auxiliary storage device 102, or a storage device that can be connected to the data generating device 10 via a network.

The broker list storage unit 121 stores communication address information for each data delivery device 20.

The transmission requirements storage unit 122 stores, for each topic, parameters related to the transmission requirements (data volume, allowable delay, upper limit of retries, etc.) to the data delivery device 20 for data belonging to that topic. The transmission requirements refer to conditions related to the communication quality required for transmitting data.

The connection network control unit 11 determines, for each topic, a transfer network to be used for transferring data belonging to that topic (that can satisfy the transmission requirements of that topic) based on information managed by the communication network information analysis device 60 regarding multiple transfer networks on the communication network N1, information stored in the broker list storage unit 121, and information stored in the transmission requirements storage unit 122, and records the correspondence between each topic, the transfer network to be used for transmitting data of that topic, and the data delivery device 20 to which the data is to be transmitted, etc., in the correspondence information storage unit 123. If there is no transfer network that can satisfy the transmission requirements for any topic, the connection network control unit 11 requests the setting of a transfer network that can satisfy the transmission requirements via the communication network control and management device 50.

The data receiving unit 12 receives data generated by the device and transfers the data to the data classification and division unit 13.

The data classification and division unit 13 determines the topic to which the data transferred from the data receiving unit 12 belongs based on the characteristics (or contents) of the data. The data classification and division unit 13 divides the data into multiple partial data and assigns information indicating the topic to each partial data, and also generates copies of each partial data to send to multiple data delivery devices 20. The data classification and division unit 13 transfers multiple copies of each partial data to the data sending unit 14.

The data transmission unit 14 stores the data (partial data) transferred from the data classification and division unit 13 in a packet and sends it to the communication network N1. At this time, the data transmission unit 14 assigns a label to the packet to identify the transfer network to be used to transmit the data (so that the data is transferred to the destination using that transfer network) based on the information stored in the correspondence information storage unit 123.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the data delivery device 20 in an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, the data delivery device 20 has a connection network control unit 21, a data receiving unit 22, a data transmitting unit 23, and the like. Each of these units is realized by a process in which one or more programs installed in the data delivery device 20 are executed by the CPU of the data delivery device 20. The data delivery device 20 also uses a subscription list storage unit 221, a transmission requirement storage unit 222, a corresponding information storage unit 223, and a data accumulation unit 224 for each topic. Each of these storage units can be realized, for example, by using the auxiliary storage device 102 included in the data delivery device 20, or a storage device connectable to the data delivery device 20 via a network.

The subscription list storage unit 221 stores, for each data consumption device 30 to which a data group stored by the data delivery device 20 is delivered, the topic to which the data consumption device 30 has requested subscription. Therefore, the contents stored in the subscription list storage unit 221 change dynamically in response to a subscription start request or subscription end request from the data consumption device 30.

The transmission requirements storage unit 222 stores, for each topic of data to be transmitted, parameters related to the transmission requirements (data volume, allowable delay, retry limit, etc.) to the data consuming device 30 for data belonging to that topic.

The connection network control unit 21 determines, for each topic, a transfer network to be used for transferring data belonging to that topic (that can satisfy the transmission requirements of that topic) based on information managed by the communication network information analysis device 60 regarding multiple transfer networks on the communication network N1, information stored in the subscription list storage unit 221, and information stored in the transmission requirements storage unit 222, and records in the correspondence information storage unit 223 the correspondence between each topic, the transfer network to be used for transmitting data of that topic, and the data consumption device 30 to which the data is to be transmitted.

The data receiving unit 22 receives the data (partial data) sent from the data generating device 10, and stores the data in the data storage unit 224 corresponding to the topic indicated by the information attached to the partial data.

Each data storage unit 224 stores, from among the data groups received by the data receiving unit 22, the data groups that belong to the topic to which the data storage unit 224 corresponds, in chronological order for a certain period of time while maintaining the order.

The data transmission unit 23 stores the data stored in each data storage unit 224 in a packet and sends it to the communication network N1. At this time, the data transmission unit 23 assigns a label to the packet to identify the transfer network to be used to transmit the data (so that the data is transferred to the destination using that transfer network) based on the information stored in the correspondence information storage unit 223.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the data consuming device 30 in an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, the data consuming device 30 has a data receiving unit 31 and a data composing unit 32. Each of these units is realized by a process executed by the CPU of the data consuming device 30 by one or more programs installed in the data consuming device 30.

The data receiving unit 31 sends a subscription start request to the data delivery device 20 and receives data (partial data) belonging to the topic specified in the subscription start request from the data delivery device 20. When the data receiving unit 31 no longer needs to receive data from a certain topic, it sends a subscription end request for that topic to the data delivery device 20.

The data construction unit 32 reconstructs (combines) the partial data groups received by the data receiving unit 31, and transmits the reconstructed data to the application.

The processing procedure executed in the communication system 1 will be described below. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing procedure executed by the data generating device 10. FIG. 11 is a diagram for supplementing the explanation of the processing procedure executed by the data generating device 10.

In step S101, the connection network control unit 11 collects the communication quality for each available transport network from the communication network information analysis device 60, and refers to the broker list storage unit 121 and the transmission requirement storage unit 122 to determine the network ID (NWID), QoS parameters, sending and receiving endpoints, and output interface (output IF) to be used for each topic. The connection network control unit 11 records the determined contents (correspondence information) in the correspondence information storage unit 123.

FIG. 12 shows an example of the configuration of the broker list storage unit 121, the transmission requirements storage unit 122, and the correspondence information storage unit 123.

In FIG. 12, the broker list storage unit 121 pre-stores the broker ID, destination address, etc. for each data delivery device 20 to which the data generating device 10 sends data. The broker ID is identification information for the data delivery device 20. The destination address is an address (e.g., IP address) that is the destination when sending data to the data delivery device 20 related to the broker ID.

In addition, in FIG. 12, the transmission requirements storage unit 122 stores in advance the transmission requirements for each topic. The transmission requirements include, for example, the data amount, the allowable delay, and the retry upper limit. The data amount is the data size of one piece of data (data transmitted at one time). The allowable delay is the upper limit of the delay allowed for transmitting the data. The retry upper limit is the upper limit of the number of retries for transmitting the data.

Furthermore, in FIG. 12, the correspondence information storage unit 123 stores an NWID, QoS parameters, an endpoint, and an output IF for each topic. The NWID of a certain topic is the NWID of a transport network between the data generating device 10 and the data delivery device 20 that is used to transmit data belonging to the topic. The QoS parameters of a certain topic are parameters related to the QoS (Quality of Service) required for the transmission of the data. The endpoint of a certain topic is information indicating the identification information of the data generating device 10 that is the source of data belonging to the topic, and the identification information (broker ID) of the data delivery device 20 that is the destination of the data. For example, the endpoints in the first row, "Producer1, Broker1-3", indicate that the data generating device 10 related to Producer1 is the source, and the three data delivery devices 20 related to Broker1-3 are the destinations. In other words, it is indicated that the same data is transmitted to the three data delivery devices 20. Note that for the endpoints in the first, second, and third lines, the sender identification information (Producer1, Producer2, Producer3) is different from one another. This is because, for convenience, different identification information is assigned to the same data generating device 10 for each topic.

The connection network control unit 11 determines, for each topic, a transport network that can satisfy the transmission requirements stored in the transmission requirements storage unit 122 for that topic by comparing the communication quality collected from the communication network information analysis device 60 for each available transport network with the transmission requirements. For example, the throughput of each transport network may be collected from the communication network information analysis device 60, and a transport network whose transport time based on the throughput and the data size of the topic is less than the allowable delay for the topic may be selected. As a result, the NWID corresponding to the topic is determined. The connection network control unit 11 also determines, among the output IFs of the data generating device 10, an output IF connected to the transport network related to the NWID as the output IF corresponding to the topic. The connection network control unit 11 also determines QoS parameters for the topic based on the transmission requirements for the topic. The connection network control unit 11 further generates an endpoint for the topic that has the identification information for the topic of the data generating device 10 as the source and all broker IDs stored in the broker list storage unit 121 as the destinations. As a result, correspondence information is generated and stored in the correspondence information storage unit 123.

In the correspondence information storage unit 123 in FIG. 12, the NWIDs for topic A and topic B are different, but the output IF is the same. This is because the transport network used for topic A and the transport network used for topic B are connected to the same output IF in the data generating device 10. Even if the output IF is the same, a label including the NWID and QoS parameters corresponding to the topic is assigned to the packet storing the data belonging to each topic, so that the communication network N1 (routers, etc.) can transfer data using different transport networks based on the labels.

If there is no transport network that can satisfy the transmission requirements of a certain topic, the connection network control unit 11 invokes an API provided by the NEF in the 5G core system to start a new transport network that satisfies the transmission requirements via the communication network control and management device 50. The connection network control unit 11 associates the NWID and output IF, etc. related to the transport network with the topic.

After that, when the data receiving unit 12 receives the data (Yes in S102), the data classification and division unit 13 determines the topic to which the data belongs based on the characteristics of the data (S103). However, the data classification and division unit 13 may also determine the topic of the data based on the device from which the data receiving unit 12 received the data (i.e., based on the source of the data).

Then, the data classification and division unit 13 divides the data into a plurality of partial data, and copies each partial data to make it redundant, and transfers the plurality of copies of each partial data to the data transmission unit 14 (S104). The number of copies is equal to the number of end points (destinations) of the endpoints stored in the correspondence information storage unit 112 for the topic to which the data belongs. The data classification and division unit 13 assigns information indicating the topic determined in step S103 to each partial data.

Then, the data transmission unit 14 refers to the corresponding information storage unit 123 (FIG. 12) to determine the NWID, QOS parameters, destination, and output IF corresponding to the topic indicated by the information attached to each partial data received from the data classification/division unit 13 (S105). The destination can be determined by referring to the endpoint. Next, the data transmission unit 14 attaches a label including the NWID and the QoS parameters to the header of a packet that stores each partial data, and transmits the packet to the destination via the output IF (S106). As a result, the same duplicated partial data group is transmitted to multiple data delivery devices 20.

The communications network N1 (routers) determine the transport network (large capacity transport network, low latency transport network, small data network) to use for transporting each packet based on the NWID assigned to each packet, and performs priority control for each packet based on the QoS parameters assigned to each packet. As a result, each packet is transported using a transport method appropriate for the topic to which the data stored in the packet belongs.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a processing procedure executed by the data delivery device 20. FIG. 14 is a diagram for supplementing the explanation of the processing procedure executed by the data delivery device 20.

In step S201, the connection network control unit 21 collects the communication quality for each available transport network from the communication network information analysis device 60, and refers to the subscription list storage unit 221 and the transmission requirement storage unit 222 to determine the network ID (NWID), QoS parameters, sending and receiving endpoints, and output interface (output IF) to be used for each topic. The connection network control unit 21 records the determined contents (correspondence information) in the correspondence information storage unit 223.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the subscription list storage unit 221, the transmission requirement storage unit 222, and the correspondence information storage unit 223.

In FIG. 15, the subscription list storage unit 221 stores a consumer ID and a topic for each data consuming device 30 that has requested the data delivery device 20 to subscribe to that topic. The consumer ID is identification information (e.g., IP address) of the data consuming device 30.

In addition, in FIG. 15, the transmission requirement storage unit 222 stores the transmission requirements for each topic in advance. The configuration of the information stored in the transmission requirement storage unit 222 is the same as that of the transmission requirement storage unit 122 (FIG. 12).

Furthermore, in FIG. 15, the correspondence information storage unit 223 stores an NWID, QoS parameters, an endpoint, and an output IF for each topic. The meaning of each of these items is the same as that of the items with the same name in the correspondence information storage unit 123. However, the NWID is the NWID of the transfer network between the data delivery device 20 and the data consumption device 30. The endpoint is information indicating the identification information (broker ID) of the data delivery device 20 that is the source of data between the data delivery device 20 and the data consumption device 30, and the identification information (consumer ID) of the data consumption device 30 that is the destination of the data between the data delivery device 20 and the data consumption device 30. The output IF is the output IF of the data delivery device 20.

The connection network control unit 11 uses the same logic as the connection network control unit 21 of the data generating device 10 to determine the NWID, QoS parameters, and output IF to be recorded in the corresponding information storage unit 223 for each topic. The connection network control unit 11 also refers to the subscription list storage unit 221 to determine the endpoint end point (data destination) to be recorded in the corresponding information storage unit 223 for each topic. In the correspondence information storage unit 223 of Figure 15, Consumer 1, 3 of the endpoints corresponding to Topic A means Consumer 1 and Consumer 3. This is based on the fact that Topic A is registered as a subscription target for Consumer 1 and Consumer 3 in the subscription list storage unit 221 of Figure 15. Note that in a messaging system, the main broker can be different for each topic. The correspondence information storage unit 223 in FIG. 15 is based on an example in which the main broker for topics A and B is the data delivery device 20 related to Broker1, and the main broker for topic C is Broker2. Therefore, the starting point of the endpoint for topics A and B is Broker1, and the starting point of the endpoint for topic C is Broker2.

After that, when the data receiving unit 22 receives the partial data via the communication network N1 (Yes in S202), it stores the received partial data in chronological order in the data storage unit 224 corresponding to the topic related to the partial data (S203). The topic related to the partial data can be determined based on the information attached to the partial data.

Then, the data transmission unit 23 acquires the partial data stored in the data accumulation unit 224, and determines the NWID, QOS parameters, destination, and output IF corresponding to the topic to which the partial data belongs by referring to the correspondence information storage unit 223 (FIG. 15) (S204). The destination can be determined by referring to an endpoint. Next, the data transmission unit 23 assigns a label including the NWID and the QoS parameters to the header of a packet that stores the partial data, and transmits the packet to the destination via the output IF (S205). As a result, the partial data is transmitted to the data consumption device 30 related to the destination via the transfer network related to the NWID.

The processing procedure from step S202 onwards is executed in parallel by multiple data delivery devices 20 that have received copies of the same partial data.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a processing procedure executed by the data consuming device 30. FIG. 17 is a diagram for supplementing the explanation of the processing procedure executed by the data consuming device 30.

In step S301, the data receiving unit 31 sends a subscription start request including the topic to be subscribed (received) and the consumer ID of the data consuming device 30 to the data delivery device 20, thereby registering the consumer ID and topic in the subscription list storage unit 221 of the data delivery device 20.

After that, when the data receiving unit 31 receives a partial data group for any of the topics (Yes in S302), the data constructing unit 32 reconstructs (restores) the original data before it was split by combining the partial data groups (S303).

Then, the data construction unit 32 extracts the necessary data from the reconstructed original data and passes it on to the application for processing (S304).

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to use different transfer networks (transfer paths) for transferring data depending on the classification (topic) based on the characteristics of the data. As a result, it is possible to improve the efficiency of data transfer.

Therefore, for example, it becomes possible to switch transfer networks or use multiple transfer networks depending on the state of the network and fluctuations in the amount of data generated or distributed. By changing the network speed and route depending on fluctuations in the amount of data generated or distributed, data can be distributed to data consuming nodes (data consuming devices 30) with minimal data loss or delays.

In this embodiment, the data generating device 10 and the data delivery device 20 are examples of communication devices. The data transmitting unit 14 and the data transmitting unit 23 are examples of a determination unit and an assignment unit. The connection network control unit 11 and the connection network control unit 21 are examples of a generation unit.

The above describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention as described in the claims.

1 Communication system 10 Data generating device 11 Connection network control unit 12 Data receiving unit 13 Data classification and division unit 14 Data transmitting unit 20 Data delivery device 21 Connection network control unit 22 Data receiving unit 23 Data transmitting unit 30 Data consuming device 31 Data receiving unit 32 Data structuring unit 40 Data transfer control cooperation device 50 Communication network control and management device 60 Communication network information analysis device 100 Drive device 101 Recording medium 102 Auxiliary storage device 103 Memory device 104 CPU
105 Interface device 121 Broker list storage unit 122 Transmission requirement storage unit 123 Correspondence information storage unit 221 Subscription list storage unit 222 Transmission requirement storage unit 223 Correspondence information storage unit 224 Data storage unit B Bus

Claims (7)

A determination unit configured to determine a transfer route to be used for transmitting the data based on a correspondence relationship between a classification to which the data belongs and a transfer route on the network;
an assignment unit configured to assign a label to a packet storing the data so that the data to be transmitted is forwarded to a destination using the forwarding path determined by the determination unit;
A communication device comprising: the destination is a device that delivers the data to another device that has requested delivery in advance for the classification to which the data to be transmitted belongs;
2. The communication device according to claim 1. The destination is another device that is requesting delivery of the data to which the data belongs.
2. The communication device according to claim 1. a generation unit configured to generate the correspondence relationship by determining, for each of the categories, a transfer path to be used for transmitting data belonging to the category, based on a condition regarding a communication quality required for transmitting data belonging to the category and communication qualities of a plurality of transfer paths;
4. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising: The label includes identification information of the transfer path determined by the determination unit and a QoS parameter related to the transfer of the data to be transmitted.
2. The communication device according to claim 1. a determination step of determining a transfer route to be used for transmitting the data based on a correspondence relationship between a classification to which the data belongs and a transfer route on the network;
a transmission step of attaching a label to a packet storing the data so that the data to be transmitted is transmitted to a destination using the transmission path determined by the determination step;
A communication method characterized in that the above steps are executed by a computer. a determination step of determining a transfer route to be used for transmitting the data based on a correspondence relationship between a classification to which the data belongs and a transfer route on the network;
a transmission step of attaching a label to a packet storing the data so that the data to be transmitted is transmitted to a destination using the transmission path determined by the determination step;
A program characterized by causing a computer to execute the above.

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