System, device, and decision-making method

Abstract

To provide a system that enables each device to take action by taking into account not only its own determination but also the determinations of surrounding devices, without providing a management device for managing the whole of a plurality of devices.SOLUTION: In a system B1 in which a plurality of devices A form a network through communication, each device A includes a communication unit 13 that communicates with the other devices A, a tentative selection unit 11 that tentatively selects one of a plurality of options, a number detection unit 12 that detects, for each option, the number of devices A whose tentative selection unit 11 has selected that option, and an option determination unit 14 that determines an option to be selected based on the number for each option detected by the number detection unit 12. The number detection unit 12 detects the number for each option by communicating with the other devices A via the communication unit 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system in which a plurality of devices form a network through communication, devices included in the system, and a decision-making method for each device in the system to make decisions. [Background technology]

[0002] Consensus cooperative control has been developed, which is a method of matching the internal values ​​of multiple devices by each device transmitting and receiving the internal values ​​through communication, rather than by a management device that manages all of these devices. In consensus cooperative control, each device transmits and receives its internal value to at least one other device, and generates an internal value using a calculation result based on the generated internal value and the received internal value. By performing this process on each device, the internal values ​​of each device converge to the same value. As an example of using this method, Patent Document 1 describes synchronizing the internal phase of an inverter device, and Patent Document 2 describes calculating an overall average value by matching internal average values ​​based on measurement values ​​of each measuring device. In addition, Patent Document 3 describes a method of searching for the number of devices that make up a network. In consensus cooperative control, there is no need to provide a management device that manages all of the multiple devices. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-027155 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2015-166901 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2018-121189 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above inventions, the internal values ​​of each device converge to the same value, and this is used to synchronize the internal phase, calculate the average of the measured values, and search for the number of devices. On the other hand, each device may make some judgment and take action based on the information it has. In such cases, it may be possible to take the most optimal action by taking into account not only the judgment of the device itself but also the judgment of the surrounding devices.

[0005] The present invention was devised in light of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a system that enables each device to take action based on not only its own judgment but also the judgment of surrounding devices, without the need to set up a management device that manages the entirety of a plurality of devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A system provided by a first aspect of the present invention is a system in which a plurality of devices form a network through communication, each of the plurality of devices comprising a communication unit that communicates with other devices, a tentative selection unit that tentatively selects one of a plurality of options, a number detection unit that detects, for each option, the number of devices that have selected that option by the tentative selection unit, and an option determination unit that determines the option to be selected based on the number of each option detected by the number detection unit, and the number detection unit detects the number of each option by communicating with the other devices via the communication unit.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of devices includes one dummy device that is set as having had all of the options selected by the provisional selection unit, and each communication unit of the plurality of devices transmits and receives an internal value group consisting of internal values ​​corresponding to the plurality of options, and the number detection unit updates a corresponding internal value that is an internal value corresponding to the option selected by the provisional selection unit, generates the internal value group as a generated internal value group without updating other internal values, transmits the generated internal value group to at least one of the other devices via the communication unit, and detects a corresponding internal value among a received internal value group that is an internal value group received from at least one of the other devices that selected the same option by the communication unit. the corresponding internal value of the generated internal value group using a calculation result based on the converged corresponding internal value and the updated corresponding internal value, thereby converging the corresponding internal values ​​of the generated internal value group; and a number search unit that sets a first value as an initial value of each internal value of the generated internal value group, sets a number calculated from the corresponding internal value after convergence as the number corresponding to the option selected by the temporary selection unit, and sets a number calculated from the internal value corresponding to the other option after convergence received from the other device that selected the other option as the number corresponding to the other option, wherein the number search unit of the dummy device sets a second value instead of the first value as the initial value of each internal value of the generated internal value group.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the option determining section determines the option with the largest number as the option to be selected.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when there are multiple options with the largest number, the option determination unit causes the tentative selection unit to select one of the options with the largest number and causes the number detection unit to perform detection again.

[0010] A device provided by a second aspect of the present invention is a device included in a system in which a plurality of devices form a network through communication, and comprises a communication unit that communicates with other devices, a tentative selection unit that provisionally selects one of a plurality of options, a number detection unit that detects, for each option, the number of devices that have selected that option by the tentative selection unit, and an option determination unit that determines the option to be selected based on the number of each option detected by the number detection unit, and the number detection unit detects the number of each option by communicating with the other devices via the communication unit.

[0011] A decision-making method provided by a third aspect of the present invention is a decision-making method in which each device selects an option in a system in which a plurality of devices form a network through communication, the method comprising: a tentative selection step in which each device tentatively selects one of a plurality of options; a number detection step in which each device detects, for each option, the number of devices from which that option has been selected in the tentative selection step; and an option determination step in which each device determines the option to select based on the number of each option detected in the number detection step, wherein in the number detection step, each device detects the number of each option by communicating with other devices. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, the number detection unit detects the number of each option by communicating with other devices. Then, the option determination unit determines an option to be selected based on the number of each option. In this way, the system according to the present invention enables each device to take action by taking into account not only its own judgment but also the judgments of surrounding devices, without providing a management device that manages all of the multiple devices. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a system according to a first embodiment, where (a) is a block diagram showing the overall configuration, and (b) is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of each device. [Diagram 2]4 is a block diagram showing an example of an internal configuration of a number detection unit; FIG. [Diagram 3] 13 is an example of a flowchart illustrating a number detection process performed by a number detection unit. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a weather prediction system that is a first example of a system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an ensemble learning system which is a second example of the system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 13 is an example of a flowchart showing an option determination process of a first modified example of the system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 13 is an example of a flowchart showing an option determination process of a second modified example of the system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a system according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are diagrams for explaining a system B1 according to a first embodiment. Fig. 1(a) is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the system B1. Fig. 1(b) is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of each device A. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a number detection unit.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1(a), the system B1 includes a plurality of devices A. The plurality of devices A constitute a network through communication with other devices A. The plurality of devices A includes one dummy device A0 and a plurality of devices A1 to A n In this embodiment, the system B1 includes six devices A other than the dummy device A0 (n=6). The number of devices A other than the dummy device A0 is not limited. The actual system B1 includes many more devices A, but for the sake of simplicity, an extremely small number of devices A is shown.n Each makes a decision based on the information they have and takes action. n takes action taking into account the judgment of other devices A. n Each of the devices A1 to A n Based on the majority vote of the options selected by n The dummy device A0 selects the option selected by each device A1 to A n This is a temporary device added to perform majority voting, and is set to select all options, so it is not counted in the number of majority votes.

[0017] Each arrow in FIG. 1(a) indicates communication. A solid arrow indicates communication between devices A other than the dummy device A0, and a dashed arrow indicates communication between the dummy device A0 and a device A other than the dummy device A0. Each device A does not need to communicate with all other devices A. For example, device A1 communicates only with device A2, device A5, and dummy device A0. Note that in this embodiment, dummy device A0 communicates with all other devices A.

[0018] 1(b), each device A includes a tentative selection unit 11, a number detection unit 12, a communication unit 13, and an option determination unit 14. The tentative selection unit 11, the number detection unit 12, and the option determination unit 14 are functional components of a control device (not shown) realized by, for example, a microcomputer.

[0019] The tentative selection unit 11 is configured to provisionally select one of a plurality of options. The tentative selection unit 11 makes the selection based on the processing result of information processed by the function of the control device of the device A. In this embodiment, an example is described in which each device A other than the dummy device A0 selects one of three options (1), (2), and (3). The number of options is not limited. The tentative selection unit 11 provisionally selects one of the three options (1), (2), and (3) and outputs it to the number detection unit 12.

[0020] The communication unit 13 communicates with other devices A (including the dummy device A0). The communication unit 13 receives the internal value Y i The communication unit 13 receives an internal value Y j The internal value Y i ,Y j The communication method is not limited, and may be wired communication or wireless communication.

[0021] The number detection unit 12 is configured to detect, for each option, the number of devices A for which the tentative selection unit 11 has selected the option. In this embodiment, the number detection unit 12 detects the number N1 of devices A that have selected option (1), the number N2 of devices A that have selected option (2), and the number N3 of devices A that have selected option (3). The number detection unit 12 detects the numbers N1, N2, and N3 by communicating with other devices A via the communication unit 13. The number detection unit 12 outputs the detected numbers N1, N2, and N3 to the option determination unit 14. There is no limitation on the method by which the number detection unit 12 detects the numbers N1, N2, and N3, but for example, the configuration number search method disclosed in Patent Document 3 may be applied.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the number detector 12 detects an internal value Y i and an internal value generator 4 for generating an internal value Y i Set the initial value to and the converged internal value Y i The internal value Y i The three internal values ​​Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i The internal value Y1 is calculated provisionally within each device A. i is an internal value for detecting the number N1, and corresponds to option (1). i is an internal value for detecting the number N2, and corresponds to option (2). Internal value Y3 iis an internal value for detecting the number N3, and corresponds to option (3).

[0023] The internal value generator 4 receives the internal value Y i to at least one of the other devices A, and receives the internal value Y j Receive the internal value Y i (Internal value Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i ) is an internal value generated by the target device A (the i-th device A), where i is an integer from 0 to n (n=6 in this embodiment). j (Internal value Y1 j ,Y2 j ,Y3 j ) is an internal value received from the j-th device A among the other devices A, where j is an integer from 0 to n (n=6 in this embodiment). The internal value generation unit 4 generates the internal value Y i and the received internal value Y j The internal value Y is calculated using the result of the calculation based on i Generates the internal value Y i and the internal value Y j Even if the internal value Y is different from the internal value Y, the internal value Y can be obtained by repeating the calculation process in the internal value generating unit 4. i and the internal value Y j and converge to a common value.

[0024] The internal value generator 4 generates the internal value Y i The internal value Y1 contained in i , internal value Y2 i , and the internal value Y3 i Among them, the temporary selection unit 11 selects and performs calculations on only the one corresponding to the input option, and does not perform calculations on the others. In other words, the internal value generation unit 4 generates the internal value (Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i ) and the internal value (Y1 j ,Y2 j ,Y3 j The internal value (Y1i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i That is, when the temporary selection unit 11 selects the option (1), the internal value generation unit 4 generates the internal value Y1 i Only the calculation of the internal value Y2 i and the internal value Y3 i In addition, when the temporary selection unit 11 selects the option (2), the internal value generation unit 4 does not perform the calculation of the internal value Y2 i Only the calculation of the internal value Y3 i and the internal value Y1 i In addition, when the temporary selection unit 11 selects the option (3), the internal value generation unit 4 does not perform the calculation of the internal value Y3 i Only the calculation of the internal value Y1 i and the internal value Y2 i 2, the internal value generating unit 4 includes a calculation unit 41, a multiplier 42, and an integrator 43.

[0025] The calculation unit 41 performs a calculation based on the following formula (1). That is, the calculation unit 41 receives an internal value Y j (Y1 j ,Y2 j ,Y3 j The internal value Y generated by the internal value generator 4 is i (Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i ) are subtracted from each other, and the subtraction results are all added together to obtain the result u i is output to the multiplier 42.

number

[0026] The multiplier 42 multiplies the calculation result u i is multiplied by a predetermined coefficient ε and output to the integrator 43. The coefficient ε is 0<ε<1 / d max It is a value that satisfies and is set in advance. max is the number of other devices A with which the communication unit 13 communicates, d iAmong the devices A in the system B1, the largest one is the device A that communicates with the most other devices A. In other words, the internal value Y j The coefficient ε is the number of internal values ​​Y i In order to suppress the fluctuation of u i Therefore, when the processing in the internal value generating unit 4 is a continuous time processing, there is no need to provide the multiplier 42.

[0027] The integrator 43 integrates the value input from the multiplier 42 (i.e., multiplies the previously generated internal value Y i The internal value Y i Generate and output the internal value Y i is output to the communication unit 13, the calculation unit 41, and the convergence detection unit 53 via the switching unit 51. As described above, the calculation unit 41, the multiplier 42, and the integrator 43 output the internal value Y i The internal value Y1 contained in i , internal value Y2 i , and the internal value Y3 i Only the processing corresponding to the selected option is performed.

[0028] Among the multiple devices A, the dummy device A0 is set as having been selected by the tentative selection unit 11 in all options, unlike the other devices A. Therefore, the internal value generation unit 4 of the dummy device A0 sets the internal value Y1 i , internal value Y2 i , and the internal value Y3 i In other words, the calculation unit 41, the multiplier 42, and the integrator 43 perform calculations for all of the internal values ​​Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i Processing is performed for each of the above.

[0029] The internal value generator 4 of each device A repeats the calculation process, and the internal value Y i (Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i) are the common convergence values ​​Y α (Y1 α ,Y2 α ,Y3 α ) converges to the convergence value Y1 α is the internal value Y1 of device A that selected option (1). i The convergence value Y2 α is the internal value Y2 of device A that selected option (2). i The arithmetic mean of the initial values ​​is the convergence value Y3 α is the internal value Y3 of device A that selected option (3). i It becomes the arithmetic mean of the initial values.

[0030] The number search unit 5 calculates the internal value Y i (Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i 2, the number searching unit 5 includes a switching unit 51, a timing generating unit 52, a convergence detecting unit 53, and a number calculating unit .

[0031] The switching unit 51 selects an internal value Y i (Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i The switching unit 51 sets an initial value for the internal value Y i is input, and the internal value Y i is output as is to the communication unit 13, the calculation unit 41, and the convergence detection unit 53. However, when an instruction to input an initial value is input from the timing generation unit 52, "0" or "1" is input to the internal value Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i In the dummy device A0, the internal value Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i The initial value of each is set to "1". In addition, in the device A other than the dummy device A0, the internal value Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 iThe initial value of each is set to "0".

[0032] The timing generation unit 52 outputs an instruction to input an initial value to the switching unit 51 at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing is not limited and is set in advance as a timing at which the number is to be searched. For example, the predetermined timing may be set to the timing at which the tentative selection units 11 of all the devices A select options.

[0033] The convergence detector 53 detects the internal value Y i Detects that convergence has occurred and returns the converged internal value Y i (Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i ) the convergence value Y α (Y1 α ,Y2 α ,Y3 α The internal value generating unit 4 does not perform any calculation on the internal values ​​corresponding to the options not selected, but the internal values ​​that have converged as a result of calculations in the other device A are input via the communication unit 13. After the switching unit 51 sets the initial value, the convergence detection unit 53 detects the internal value Y i When the internal value Y i Specifically, the convergence detection unit 53 determines that the internal value Y i and the previous internal value Y i If the difference is within a predetermined error range, the internal value Y i has not changed. If this state continues for a predetermined time, it is determined that convergence has occurred. In this embodiment, the number of calculations in the calculation unit 41 is used as the predetermined time. The configuration of the convergence detection unit 53 is not limited as long as it can determine that convergence has occurred. For example, the convergence detection unit 53 takes into consideration the time required for convergence and resets the internal value Y i The convergence detection unit 53 may determine that the internal value Y i When it is determined that the convergence has been reached, the internal value Y i The convergence value Y α to the number calculation unit 54.

[0034] The number calculation unit 54 calculates the convergence value Y α (Y1 α ,Y2 α ,Y3 α ) based on which the numbers N1, N2, and N3 are calculated. As described above, the convergence value Y1 α (Y2 α ,Y3 α ) is the internal value Y1 of device A that selected option (1) ((2), (3)). i (Y2 i ,Y3 i The internal value Y1 of the dummy device A0 is the arithmetic mean value of the initial value of i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i The initial value of each is set to "1", and the internal value Y1 of device A other than the dummy device A0 is set to "1". i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i Since the initial values ​​of are set to "0", the sum of the initial values ​​is "1". Therefore, the convergence value Y1 α ,Y2 α ,Y3 α are 1 / (N1+1), 1 / (N2+1), and 1 / (N3+1), respectively. Therefore, the number N1 is the convergence value Y1 α The reciprocal of N1 minus 1 (N1 = (1 / Y1 α )-1). Also, the number N2 is the convergence value Y2 α The reciprocal of N2 minus 1 (N2 = (1 / Y2 α )-1), and the number N3 is the convergence value Y3 α The reciprocal of N3 minus 1 (N3 = (1 / Y3 α The number calculation unit 54 receives the convergence value Y α Based on this, the numbers N1, N2, and N3 are calculated and output to the option determination unit 14. Note that the configuration of the number detection unit 12 is not limited to that described above. In addition, since the dummy device A0 does not need to determine the options, it does not need to include the convergence detection unit 53 and the number calculation unit 54.

[0035] 3 is an example of a flowchart showing the number detection process performed by the number detection unit 12. The number detection process starts when the device A is started.

[0036] First, it is determined whether or not there is a timing input indicating an instruction to input an initial value (S1). Specifically, it is determined whether or not an instruction to input an initial value has been input from the timing generation unit 52 to the switching unit 51. If there is no timing input (S1: NO), the process returns to step S1 and the determination is repeated. If there is a timing input (S1: YES), the process proceeds to step S2. In other words, the process waits for the timing input, and when there is a timing input, specific processing (S2 to S7) is started.

[0037] Next, the internal value Y i Specifically, the switching unit 51 inputs an internal value Y i Set the initial value "0" or "1" to the internal value Y i is sent (S3), and the internal value Y j Specifically, the internal value generator 4 receives the internal value Y i Send the internal value Y to another device A. j Then, the internal value Y i Specifically, the calculation unit 41 generates an internal value Y i and the internal value Y j The multiplier 42 calculates the result u i is multiplied by a predetermined coefficient ε, and the integrator 43 integrates the multiplication result to obtain the internal value Y i Generate.

[0038] Next, the internal value Y i Specifically, the convergence detection unit 53 determines whether the internal value Y i If it has not converged (S6: NO), the process returns to step S3, and steps S3 to S6 are repeated. If it has converged (S6: YES), the numbers N1, N2, and N3 are calculated and output (S7), and the process returns to step S1. Specifically, the convergence detection unit 53 detects the internal value Y iWhen it is determined that has converged, the convergence value Y α to the number calculation unit 54, which outputs the convergence value Y α The numbers N1, N2, and N3 are calculated based on this, and output to the option determining unit 14. Note that the process shown in the flowchart in Fig. 3 is an example, and the number detection process performed by the number detecting unit 12 is not limited to the one described above.

[0039] The option determination unit 14 determines an option to be selected based on the numbers N1, N2, and N3 input from the number detection unit 12. In this embodiment, the option determination unit 14 determines the option corresponding to the largest one of the numbers N1, N2, and N3 as the option to be selected. That is, when the number N1 is the largest (N1>N2, N3), the option determination unit 14 determines option (1) as the option to be selected. Also, when the number N2 is the largest (N2>N1, N3), the option determination unit 14 determines option (2) as the option to be selected, and when the number N3 is the largest (N3>N1, N2), the option determination unit 14 determines option (3) as the option to be selected. The device A (control device) performs processing according to the option determined by the option determination unit 14. Note that the dummy device A0 does not need to determine an option, and therefore may not be provided with the option determination unit 14.

[0040] In the example shown in FIG. 1(a), a case will be described in which devices A1, A2, and A5 select option (1), device A3 selects option (2), and devices A4 and A6 select option (3).

[0041] In this case, when an instruction to input an initial value is received from the timing generation unit 52, the internal values ​​Y1 of the devices A1 to A6 are i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i The initial value "0" is set to the dummy device A0's internal value Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i The internal value generator 4 of the device A1 then repeats the calculation. For example, the internal value generator 4 of the device A1 sets the internal value Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 iThe internal value Y1 is sent from the devices A2, A5 and the dummy device A0. j ,Y2 j ,Y3 j Then, the internal value generating unit 4 of the device A1 receives the internal value Y1 i The internal value Y2 is calculated. i ,Y3 i The calculation of the internal value Y1 is not performed. The calculation and transmission / reception of the internal value are repeated. i Converges to the arithmetic mean value of the initial value, 0.25 (=(1+0+0+0) / 4). Similarly, by repeating the calculation and transmission of the internal value in the device A3 and the dummy device A0, the internal value Y2 i The internal value Y3 converges to 0.5, and the internal value Y3 converges to 0.5 by repeatedly calculating and transmitting the internal values ​​in the devices A4, A6 and the dummy device A0. i The device A1 receives the internal value Y2 from the dummy device A0. i ,Y3 i The convergence value of can be obtained. The same is true for other device A.

[0042] The number calculation unit 54 of each device A receives the convergence value Y1 α The number calculation unit 54 calculates the number N1=3 (=(1 / 0.25)-1) from the convergence value Y2 α Calculate the number N2 = 1 (= (1 / 0.5) - 1) from = 0.5, and the convergence value Y3 α = 0.333, the option determination unit 14 of each device A then determines the option (1) corresponding to the maximum number N1 from the numbers N1 (= 3), N2 (= 1), and N3 (= 2) input from the number calculation unit 54 as the option to be selected.

[0043] Next, the operation and effects of the device A and the system B1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0044] According to this embodiment, the number detection unit 12 detects the numbers N1, N2, and N3 for each option by communicating with other devices A. Then, the option determination unit 14 determines the option to be selected based on the numbers N1, N2, and N3. This enables the system B1 to take action by taking into account not only its own judgment but also the judgment of surrounding devices A, without providing a management device that manages the entirety of the multiple devices A.

[0045] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the option determination unit 14 determines the option corresponding to the largest number of numbers N1, N2, and N3 as the option to be selected. As a result, each device A determines the option selected by the most number of devices A as the option to be selected. In other words, each device A can take action based on the result of the majority vote.

[0046] According to the present embodiment, the internal value generating unit 4 receives the internal value Y i to at least one of the other devices A, and receives the internal value Y j The internal value generator 4 receives the generated internal value Y i and the received internal value Y j The internal value Y is calculated using the result of the calculation based on i The internal value generator 4 of each device A repeats the calculation process to generate the internal value Y i is the common convergence value Y α The number search unit 5 is configured such that the switching unit 51 changes the internal value Y i The initial value is set to , and the number calculation unit 54 calculates the convergence value Y α Therefore, the number detection unit 12 can appropriately detect the numbers N1, N2, and N3.

[0047] In this embodiment, the case where the option determination unit 14 determines the option corresponding to the largest one of the numbers N1, N2, and N3 to be the option to be selected is described, but this is not limited to this. The option determination unit 14 may determine the option corresponding to the smallest one of the numbers N1, N2, and N3 to be the option to be selected, or may determine the option corresponding to the middle one of the numbers N1, N2, and N3 to be the option to be selected. The method by which the option determination unit 14 determines the option is appropriately set depending on the function targeted by the device A and the contents of the options.

[0048] In this embodiment, the switching unit 51 of the number detection unit 12 changes the internal value Y i (Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i ) is a combination of "0" and "1", but this is not limiting. The initial value set by switching unit 51 may be another combination of numerical values. However, when the initial value is another combination of numerical values, the calculation method in number calculation unit 54 is different. Setting the initial value to a combination of "0" and "1" is desirable because it is possible to most simply calculate the method in number calculation unit 54.

[0049] In the present embodiment, the dummy device A0 communicates with all other devices A, but the present invention is not limited to this. i (Internal value Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i ) converges, in a group consisting of each device A and dummy device A0 that selected the same option, each member of the group must be communicating with at least one of all members, and a communication path must exist between any two members (hereinafter, this state is called a "connected state"). If the groups that selected each option are each in a connected state, there is no restriction on which device A each device A communicates with, and the dummy device A0 does not need to communicate with all other devices A.

[0050] 4 and 5 are diagrams for explaining an example of the system B1 according to the first embodiment.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a weather prediction system B11, which is a first embodiment of the system B1. The weather prediction system B11 includes a weather prediction device A' as a plurality of devices A. The weather prediction device A' extracts clouds from a plurality of sky images acquired in time series by the hemispherical camera 6, recognizes their shapes, and detects the moving speed of the clouds. The weather prediction device A' estimates the future position of each cloud, predicts the proportion of the sun hidden by the clouds, and selects the future weather from, for example, clear, fine, cloudy, etc. according to the proportion. Each weather prediction device A' is influenced by the surroundings depending on the installation location of the hemispherical camera 6. In the weather prediction system B11, each weather prediction device A' communicates with the other weather prediction devices A' and selects the weather based on the majority vote of the weather provisionally selected by each weather prediction device A'. Therefore, each weather prediction device A' can predict the weather with higher accuracy.

[0052] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an ensemble learning system B12, which is a second embodiment of the system B1. The ensemble learning system B12 is an artificial intelligence that has been ensemble-learned by bagging (bootstrap aggregating). The ensemble learning system B12 includes a learning device A" as a plurality of devices A. Each learning device A" is a weak learning device with low accuracy when used alone, and is a learning model that performs classification as output. Each learning device A" is trained by a sample obtained by the sampling unit 7 from the population randomly, allowing overlapping. Each learning device A" communicates with the other learning devices A" and selects a classification based on the majority vote of the classification provisionally selected by each learning device A". Therefore, each learning device A" can perform classification with higher accuracy.

[0053] The system B1 is not limited to these embodiments, and may be applied to a system that performs majority voting, or a system that can improve accuracy by performing majority voting.

[0054] 6 and 7 are diagrams for explaining modified examples of the system B1 according to the first embodiment, and are examples of flowcharts showing the option determination process performed by the option determination unit 14. These modified examples are examples in which the option determination unit 14 can also handle cases in which there are multiple maximum numbers among the input numbers N1, N2, and N3. Note that these modified examples are merely changes to the process in the option determination unit 14, and other configurations are the same, so illustrations and explanations are omitted.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 6, the option determination unit 14 according to the first modified example first waits for the numbers N1, N2, and N3 to be input from the number detection unit 12 (S11). If the numbers are input (S11: YES), the option determination unit 14 determines whether or not there are multiple options with the largest number among the numbers N1, N2, and N3 (S12). If there are not multiple options (S12: NO), the option determination unit 14 determines the option corresponding to the largest number among the numbers N1, N2, and N3 as the option to be selected (S13), and returns to step S11. On the other hand, if there are multiple options (S12: YES), the option determination unit 14 determines whether or not the option selected by the provisional selection unit 11 is one of the options corresponding to the largest number (S14). If it is one of the options corresponding to the largest number (S14: YES), proceed to step S16, and if it is not one of the options corresponding to the largest number (S14: NO), have the temporary selection unit 11 select one of the options corresponding to the largest number (S15) and proceed to step S16. Next, the option determination unit 14 has the number detection unit 12 detect the numbers N1, N2, and N3 again (S16) and return to step S11. As a result, device A, which did not select the option corresponding to the largest number, reselects one of the options corresponding to the largest number, and a majority vote is taken again among the options corresponding to the largest number.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 7, the option determination process performed by the option determination unit 14 according to the second modification is a modification of steps S14 and S15 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. In step S12, if there are multiple options (S12: YES), the option determination unit 14 determines whether the option selected by the temporary selection unit 11 is the option corresponding to the smallest one (S17). If it is not the option corresponding to the smallest one (S17: NO), the process proceeds to step S16. If it is the option corresponding to the smallest one (S17: YES), the process causes the temporary selection unit 11 to select one of the options other than the option corresponding to the smallest one (S18), and proceeds to step S16. As a result, the device A that had selected the option corresponding to the smallest one reselects from the options other than the option corresponding to the smallest one, and a majority vote is taken again with the option corresponding to the smallest one excluded.

[0057] Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining a system B2 according to a second embodiment, and is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the system B2. In Fig. 8, elements that are the same as or similar to those in the system B1 according to the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations are omitted. The system B2 according to this embodiment differs from the system B1 according to the first embodiment in that the multiple devices A do not include a dummy device A0.

[0058] In the system B2 according to the present embodiment, the multiple devices A do not include the dummy device A0, and the multiple devices A1 to A n (n=6). The number of devices A is not limited. Each device A communicates with all other devices A. In this embodiment, each device A has an internal value Y1 i ,Y2 i ,Y3 i The initial value of each of these is basically set to "0". However, in one of the devices A that selected option (1), the internal value Y1 i is set to "1", and the internal value Y2 i is set to "1", and the internal value Y3 iThe value "1" is set to "1" in the initial value. Note that it does not matter which device A is set to "1" as the initial value.

[0059] In this embodiment, the convergence value Y1 outputted from the convergence detection unit 53 α ,Y2 α ,Y3 α are 1 / N1, 1 / N2, and 1 / N3, respectively. Therefore, the number calculation unit 54 according to the present embodiment calculates the convergence value Y1 α ,Y2 α ,Y3 α From the reciprocal of, the number N1 (= 1 / Y1 α ), number N2 (=1 / Y2 α ), number N3 (=1 / Y3 α ) is calculated.

[0060] In this embodiment, the number detection unit 12 also detects the numbers N1, N2, and N3 for each option by communicating with other devices A. Then, the option determination unit 14 determines the option to be selected based on the numbers N1, N2, and N3. This allows the system B2 to take action by taking into account not only its own judgment but also the judgment of the surrounding devices A, without providing a management device that manages the entirety of the multiple devices A. Furthermore, the system B2 according to this embodiment has a common configuration with the system B1 according to the first embodiment, and can achieve the same effects as the system B1. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the system B2 does not need to add a dummy device A0.

[0061] In this embodiment, a case where each device A communicates with all other devices A has been described, but this is not limited to this. As long as the groups that select each option are connected to each other, there is no limitation on which device A each device A communicates with, and each device A does not necessarily have to communicate with all other devices A.

[0062] The system, device, and decision-making method according to the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. The specific configurations of the components of the system and device according to the present invention, and the specific processing of each step of the decision-making method can be freely designed in various ways. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] B1, B2: System, A, A1~A n : device, A0: dummy device, 11: tentative selection unit, 12: number detection unit, 4: internal value generation unit, 5: number search unit, 13: communication unit, 14: option determination unit

Claims

1. A system in which a plurality of devices form a network through communication, Each of the plurality of devices comprises: A communication unit for communicating with other devices; a provisional selection unit for provisionally selecting one of a plurality of options; a number detection unit that detects, for each option, the number of devices that have selected the option by the provisional selection unit; an option determination unit that determines an option to be selected based on the number of each option detected by the number detection unit; Equipped with the number detection unit detects the number of each of the options by communicating with the other device via the communication unit; system.

2. the plurality of devices includes one dummy device that is set as if the provisional selection unit had selected all of the options, each communication unit of the plurality of devices transmits and receives a group of internal values ​​each corresponding to one of the plurality of options; The number detection unit is an internal value generation unit that repeats the steps of: updating a corresponding internal value, which is an internal value corresponding to the option selected by the temporary selection unit, generating the internal value group as a generated internal value group without updating other internal values, transmitting the generated internal value group to at least one of the other devices via the communication unit, and updating the corresponding internal value of the generated internal value group using a calculation result based on the corresponding internal value of a received internal value group, which is an internal value group received by the communication unit from at least one of the other devices that selected the same option, and the updated corresponding internal value, thereby converging the corresponding internal value of the generated internal value group; a number search unit that sets a first value as an initial value of each internal value of the generated internal value group, sets a number calculated from corresponding internal values ​​after convergence as the number corresponding to the option selected by the temporary selection unit, and sets a number calculated from internal values ​​corresponding to the other option after convergence received from the other device that selected the other option as the number corresponding to the other option; Equipped with the number search unit of the dummy device sets a second value instead of the first value as an initial value of each internal value of the generated internal value group; The system of claim 1 .

3. The option determination unit determines the option with the largest number as the option to be selected.

3. A system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. When there are a plurality of options having the largest number, the option determination unit causes the tentative selection unit to select one of the options having the largest number and causes the number detection unit to perform detection again. The system of claim 3.

5. A device included in a system in which a plurality of devices form a network through communication, A communication unit for communicating with other devices; a provisional selection unit for provisionally selecting one of a plurality of options; a number detection unit that detects, for each option, the number of devices that have selected the option by the provisional selection unit; an option determination unit that determines an option to be selected based on the number of each option detected by the number detection unit; Equipped with the number detection unit detects the number of each of the options by communicating with the other device via the communication unit; Device.

6. A decision-making method in which each device selects an option in a system in which a plurality of devices form a network through communication, comprising: a provisional selection step in which each of the devices provisionally selects one of a plurality of options; a number detection step in which each of the devices detects, for each option, the number of devices from which the option has been selected in the provisional selection step; an option determination step in which each of the devices determines an option to be selected based on the number of each option detected in the number detection step; Equipped with In the number detection step, each of the devices detects the number of each of the options by communicating with other devices. How to make decisions.

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