Method for operating a self-moving mobile computing device, self-moving mobile computing device, control device, and network

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a self-moving mobile computing device, in which method at least one computing resource of at least one application running on the mobile computing device is limited for the mobile computing device depending on a movement variable for the mobile computing device. The self-moving mobile computing device is configured and designed to carry out a method according to the invention. The control device is configured and designed to carry out a method according to the invention. The network comprises such a self-moving mobile computing device and / or such a control device.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Method for operating a self-propelled mobile computing device, self-propelled mobile computing device, control device and network

[0003] The invention relates to a method for operating a self-propelled mobile computing device, a self-propelled mobile computing device, a control device and a network

[0004] Currently, most advanced communication systems and functions are implemented in software and run as virtualized functions and / or applications in general-purpose computing environments.

[0005] Computing resources frequently required for communication functions today are typically high-performance resources, since communication functions usually require high computing power due to their relationship to the communication properties required today.

[0006] Modern communications infrastructure systems in the form of self-propelled mobile systems, especially satellites, are therefore often high-performance computing systems with connected radio amplifiers and antennas. However, the available high-performance resources are still used inefficiently on these communications infrastructure systems.

[0007] Against this background of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the invention to provide a method for operating a self-propelled mobile computing device which is improved compared to conventional methods for operating mobile computing devices. In particular, the method according to the invention should enable more efficient use of the mobile computing device. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a self-propelled mobile computing device, a control device and a network by means of which the improved method can be carried out. This object of the invention is achieved by a method having the features specified in claim 1 and by a self-propelled mobile computing device having the features specified in claim 11 and by a control device having the features specified in claim 12 and by a network having the features specified in claim 13.Preferred developments of the invention are specified in the associated subclaims, the following description and the drawing.

[0008] In the method according to the invention for operating a self-moving mobile computing device, at least one computing resource of at least one application running on the mobile computing device is released to, i.e. for, at least one secondary application for the mobile computing device depending on a movement variable of the mobile computing device.

[0009] Conventional self-propelled mobile computing devices with computing and communication resources, such as satellites in particular, often move over regions, such as oceans, where a particular application payload, particularly for communications, is no longer used by users for this type of payload. This is because users are typically located in other regions, such as rural and / or agricultural areas. Thus, the computing resources of the mobile computing devices are often not fully utilized, which is all the more disadvantageous because the use of these already available and otherwise unused computing resources can be achieved at no additional cost.According to the invention, computing resources that are already available and not requested regionally can be utilized, enabling efficient use of modern communications infrastructure systems in the form of self-propelled mobile computing devices. Furthermore, conventional self-propelled mobile computing devices are designed for intensive use of computing resources in order to ensure sufficient availability in every situation. Therefore, when multiple applications are run on the systems, overprovisioning is not traditionally utilized efficiently enough, as there has often been a strict separation between location-independent computing resources and location-dependent computing resources, particularly communication resources. Currently, there is no adjustment in orchestration when location-dependent computing resources such as communication resources are not used.

[0010] The idle computing resources are therefore not currently being used. In contrast, with the method according to the invention, conventionally unused computing resources, which are kept available in particular as communication resources, can be used for other tasks and applications, so that the mobile computing devices can be operated with a more efficient utilization of their computing resources.

[0011] In the method according to the invention, the release of the at least one computing resource of the at least one application is expediently defined in a usage profile, wherein the usage profile is selected depending on the amount of movement. Such a usage profile can be selected, in particular, based on location.

[0012] For example, usage profiles may be provided at some locations on the mobile computing device that include applications that require computing resources for communication functions. At other locations on the mobile computing device, applications may be provided that do not require communication functions, and for which the computing resources, which therefore do not need to be provided for communication functions, are now available for at least one secondary application.

[0013] Preferably, in the method according to the invention, the at least one secondary application is a secondary application running on the mobile computing device. Alternatively or additionally, and also expediently, in the method according to the invention, the computing resource is a computing resource of the mobile computing device.

[0014] In this way, a particularly efficient use of at least one computing resource of modern communication infrastructure systems in the form of self-propelled mobile computing devices is possible.

[0015] In an advantageous development of the method according to the invention, the release of the at least one computing resource occurs by shutting down and / or deactivating the at least one application. In principle, the use of the computing resources by the application can also be reduced and / or limited.

[0016] In the method according to the invention, the movement variable expediently comprises at least a location and / or a time of the mobile computing device. The location and / or time of the mobile computing device can generally be easily used to determine a position along a trajectory of the mobile computing device.

[0017] A movement variable within the meaning of the present invention can be understood, on the one hand, as a location, i.e. a position, of the mobile computing device. For example, in the case of a satellite, the position of the mobile computing device can be over an ocean, whereby in this position of the mobile computing device, computing resources for communication functions are not required. Depending on the position, computing resources of the mobile computing device can therefore be reallocated to other computing tasks. A movement variable within the context of the present invention can also be understood as a time, i.e. a point in time, of the mobile computing device. This is because mobile computing devices, for example in the form of satellites, are regularly located in a certain position depending on the point in time, for example in the case of a particularly periodically repeating movement or in the case of a previously known trajectory of the mobile computing device.In this respect, the position can easily be translated into a time point, so that the position information can be replaced with an indication of the time point of the mobile computing device and vice versa.

[0018] A movement variable within the meaning of the present invention can also be considered a tuple of location and speed. Thus, depending on the location and speed, for example, in the case of a mobile computing device in the form of a satellite, it is easy to calculate for which future period no computing resources will be required for communication functions. Thus, if a movement variable includes the speed or higher temporal derivatives of the location, the further movement course of the mobile computing device and consequently also the future demand for location-dependent computing resources can be easily and reliably determined.

[0019] In an advantageous development of the method according to the invention, the at least one computing resource comprises a computing power and / or a transmission rate and / or a transmission capacity and / or a storage capacity. In particular, such computing resources can be provided for communication functions that regularly depend on the at least one movement variable. Such computing resources can be advantageously used for a variety of additional secondary applications.

[0020] In a preferred development of the method according to the invention, the self-propelled mobile computing device is formed by a satellite or a drone or an aircraft or a sea vessel or land vehicle. Such mobile computing devices are in particular self-propelled in such a way that during their operation they do not require any further means of transport which does not form a permanently integral unit with the mobile computing device. Preferably, in the method according to the invention, the at least one computing resource is a computing resource for at least one communication function. Typically, such computing resources now form high-performance computing resources which, when released for secondary applications, can represent a significant resource advantage for these secondary applications.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, this is carried out using a module of the mobile computing device. Thus, the module of the mobile computing device can release the computing resources independently without communication with other devices.

[0022] Alternatively or additionally, and also preferably, the method according to the invention is carried out by means of a controller that controls the mobile computing device. In a further development of the invention, the controller forms a device that is separate from the mobile computing device and communicates with the mobile computing device.

[0023] The self-propelled mobile computing device according to the invention is designed and constructed to carry out a method according to the invention, in particular by means of a module of the mobile computing device as already described above in a further development of the method according to the invention.

[0024] The control device according to the invention is designed and constructed to carry out a method according to the invention.

[0025] The network according to the invention comprises a self-propelled mobile computing device according to the invention as described above and / or a control device according to the invention as described above.

[0026] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings. They show:

[0027] Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a self-propelled mobile computing device according to the invention in the form of a satellite of an industrial network, and

[0028] Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the method according to the invention for operating a self-propelled mobile computing device.

[0029] The self-propelled mobile computing device ME shown in Fig. 1 is a satellite. In further embodiments not specifically shown, which otherwise correspond to the illustrated embodiment, the self-propelled mobile computing device ME can also be another self-propelled mobile computing device ME, such as an autonomous transport vehicle, a ship, or a preferably autonomous aircraft.

[0030] The mobile computing device ME has a global orchestrator GO. The global orchestrator GO is responsible for managing numerous mobile computing devices ME in the form of satellites. It is understood that, in the present case, autonomous mobile units that have computing resources are referred to as computing devices. To the extent that computing devices are an integral part of a autonomous mobile entity, the entire integrated entity can be referred to as a mobile computing device ME according to the invention.

[0031] The global orchestrator GO also ensures that all required artifacts for payload environments and usage profiles UP are uploaded in advance to the UPD databases of the mobile computing devices ME.

[0032] The onboard orchestrator 0B0 monitors the execution of software components on board the mobile computing devices ME and manages the scheduling of the usage profiles UP. Furthermore, the onboard orchestrator 0B0 monitors the system status, including the position of the mobile computing device ME. Based on this monitoring and system data, the (re)deployment of payload environments is controlled.

[0033] A navigation module HAN of the mobile computing device ME controls the mobile computing device ME, here the satellite, and provides access to telemetry data and the position of the mobile computing device ME.

[0034] The mobile computing device ME also has a storage SPE for payload environments. A payload environment contains all software components required for the proper operation of a payload and / or use case. Furthermore, all internal and external networking of the software components is defined and part of the payload environment.

[0035] The mobile computing device ME also has a usage profile database UPD. The usage profile database UPD contains all usage profiles UP that are relevant to a mobile computing device ME. This usage profile database UPD can be updated over time with new / additional usage profiles UP. A usage profile UP contains a description and configuration setting of payload environments that should be active for certain movement variables of the mobile computing device ME, for example, for a specific position of the mobile computing device ME and / or at a specific current time. For example, if the mobile computing device ME flies over land above a populated area, it offers communication functions there. However, as soon as the mobile computing device ME reaches an ocean, it is reconfigured and uses its computing resources only for other computing tasks, since no one uses the communication function over the ocean.The usage profile UP can be either a static usage profile UP or a usage profile UP that is optimized over time by integrating usage histories and learning usage prediction models using machine learning to adapt to changing system usage. Usage profiles UP contain software applications UCA1, UCA2, as well as communication functions, e.g., in the form of virtualized network functions.

[0036] A usage profile schedule UPS contains a series of usage profiles UP from the usage profile database UPD, which are activated after certain movement variables occur, e.g., after reaching a certain position of the mobile computing device and / or a certain time. In addition, application-specific and / or situation- and / or location-specific requirements not detailed above are taken into account.

[0037] The mobile computing device ME also has a computing environment CE. The computing environment CE forms a computing infrastructure on board the mobile computing device that is capable of hosting one or more payload environments.

[0038] In the illustrated example, the currently used usage profile UP contains a first use case UCA1 and a second use case UCA2, which is different from the first use case UCA1. Both use cases UCA1 and UCA2 are enabled by their use-case-specific payload environments.

[0039] The mobile computing device also has an edge network interface (ENI). The edge network interface (ENI) is a virtual network element that connects software modules within a payload environment, establishes connectivity between different payload environments, and enables connectivity to external communication systems when needed. It is the main interface to the communication infrastructure (CI).

[0040] The communication infrastructure CI provides various communication technologies: In the illustrated embodiment, radio and / or optical connections are provided on the mobile computing devices ME in the form of satellites. Software components have access to the communication infrastructure CI via the edge network interface ENI. The communication infrastructure CI includes technologies for communication between the mobile computing devices ME, for the backbone communication of the non-terrestrial network, and for the connectivity between satellites and terrestrial terminals.

[0041] By means of the mobile computing device ME according to the invention, the method according to the invention is carried out as follows:

[0042] The mobile computing device ME moves along a trajectory under the control of the navigation device HAN. The navigation module HAN determines the current position of the mobile computing device ME in a detection step ERF.

[0043] The navigation module HAN transmits the position of the mobile computing device ME to the on-board orchestrator OBO.

[0044] The on-board orchestrator OBO uses the position of the computing device ME in a further process step DEP to retrieve a usage profile UP from a usage profile database UPD according to a usage profile schedule UPS, which defines the configuration setting of payload environments.

[0045] According to the usage profile UP used, the computing resources of the mobile computing device are released by a use case UCA1 in a further release step FRE and made available to further use cases not shown in the drawing.

[0046] With these newly distributed computing resources of the mobile computing device ME, the mobile computing device ME is operated in a subsequent process step OPE.

[0047] In principle, the method according to the invention can also be implemented in further, not specifically illustrated, embodiments using a controller instead of the navigation module HAN and the on-board orchestrator OPO. Such a controller constitutes a controller according to the invention.

[0048] The previously described mobile computing device according to the invention and / or the previously described controller according to the invention are part of an industrial network according to the invention which is not shown in detail in the drawing.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Method for operating (OPE) a self-propelled mobile computing device (ME), in which, for the mobile computing device (ME), a release (FRE) of at least one computing resource of at least one application (UCA1) running on the mobile computing device (ME) is made to at least one second application depending on a movement variable of the mobile computing device (ME).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one secondary application is a secondary application running on the mobile computing device and / or wherein the computing resource is a computing resource of the mobile computing device.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the release (FRE) of the at least one computing resource of the at least one application (UCA1) is defined in a usage profile (UP), wherein the usage profile (UP) is selected depending on the movement size.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the release (FRE) of the at least one computing resource is carried out by switching off and / or inactivating the at least one application (UCA1).

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the movement quantity comprises at least a location and / or a time of the mobile computing device (ME).

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one computing resource comprises a computing power and / or a transmission rate and / or a transmission capacity and / or a storage capacity.

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the mobile computing device (ME) is controlled by means of a satellite or a drone or an aircraft or a marine or land vehicle.

8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one computing resource is a computing resource of at least one communication function.

9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, which is carried out by means of at least one module (HAN, 0P0) of the mobile computing device (ME).

10. Method according to one of the preceding claims, which is carried out by means of a controller which controls the mobile computing device (ME).

11. Self-propelled mobile computing device which is arranged and designed to carry out a method according to claim 8.

12. Control device which is arranged and designed to carry out a method according to claim 9.

13. A network comprising a self-propelled mobile computing device (ME) according to claim 11 and / or a control device according to claim 12.

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