Information communication system and information processing system

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of appropriately recognizing an object existing in a specific area.SOLUTION: An information communication system includes a control unit configured to execute: receiving a first message that requests the number of objects satisfying designated conditions including area information; and transmitting a second message including the number of objects satisfying the designated conditions in response to reception of the first message.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information communication system and an information processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses dynamically scaling up or scaling out a virtual server based on an operation policy and a load situation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-33292 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] One aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide a technology that enables appropriate recognition of objects present in a specific area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is receiving a first message requesting a number of objects that satisfy a specified condition including area information; In response to receiving the first message, sending a second message including a number of objects that satisfy the specified condition; The information and communication system includes a control unit that executes the above.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure is An information processing system including a plurality of servers capable of dynamically allocating resources, sending a first message requesting a number of objects that satisfy a specified condition including area information; receiving a second message including a number of objects that satisfy the specified condition; Allocating resources to a server corresponding to the area information in accordance with the number of the objects; The information processing system is characterized by comprising a control unit that executes the above. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to properly recognize objects present in a specific area. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating components of an information communication system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an information communication system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3A] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing device capable of operating as an NF or an external server. [Figure 3B] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device capable of operating as a user terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing operations related to collection and provision of sensing data in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of a notification message of the number of objects according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an information processing system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart showing a resource allocation process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an information processing system according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] (overview) In services such as metaverse application services that constantly require the transmission and reception of large amounts of data and calculations, it is desirable to allocate sufficient server resources for stable operation. In general, the amount of resources required increases or decreases according to the number of users connecting to the service. If a reactive method is used in which server resource allocation is changed after a user connects to the server, a certain time lag occurs until resource allocation is completed. Therefore, new users may not be able to use the service until allocation is completed, or congestion may occur, degrading the service quality of the entire server. In addition, if server resources are allocated in advance more than necessary, there will be no degradation of service quality, but costs will increase.

[0010] Therefore, it is desirable to estimate how many users will actually use the application server before users actually connect to the server, and to complete resource allocation in advance.

[0011] By the way, in the 5G system, it is being considered to use radio waves used by base stations (gNB) or user equipment (UE) for wireless communication to sense objects. Sensing makes it possible to detect what objects exist and where they are. However, there has been no consideration of using such sensing to know in advance the number of users connecting to the above-mentioned server, and it has not been optimized for that purpose.

[0012] The present disclosure proposes a method for providing new sensing information in an information and communication system.

[0013] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information and communication system that includes a control unit that receives a first message requesting the number of objects that satisfy specified conditions including area information, and in response to receiving the first message, sends a second message including the number of objects that satisfy the specified conditions.

[0014] In this way, in response to receiving a first message having at least area information as a specified condition, a second message including the number of objects that satisfy the specified condition can be sent, thereby notifying the number of objects present in a specified area.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the specified condition may include at least one of the type of object, the shape of the object, and the moving speed of the object in addition to the area information. When the type of object is the specified condition, one or more object types may be included in the specified condition to request the number of objects of the specified type, or the number of objects other than the specified type. When multiple object types are specified, the total number of objects matching the specified object type may be notified, or the number of each of the specified object types may be notified. The shape of the object is typically the size of the object, but may also be a shape type such as a cube, a rectangular parallelepiped, a sphere, or a cylinder. The size of the object may be specified, for example, as at least one of width, depth, and height, or as the maximum or minimum value of the total value of multiple items, or as a range of values. The moving speed of the object may also be specified as a maximum or minimum value, or as a range of values.

[0016] In this way, by notifying the user of the number of objects that satisfy the specified condition, it is possible to provide the user with the information he or she requires.

[0017] In the present disclosure, the exchange of the first message and the second message may be a subscribe / notify method or a request / response method. In the subscribe / notify method, the second message is transmitted when a predetermined transmission trigger is satisfied. As an example, the transmission trigger may be the number of objects being within a predetermined range, the number of objects changing by a predetermined amount or more, or the passage of a certain amount of time.

[0018] In the present disclosure, the area information included as the specified condition may be an overlapping area where a first area and a second area overlap. In this case, the specified condition may further include that the moving direction of the object is from the first area to the second area. This allows the user to know whether the object existing in the overlapping area is moving from the first area to the second area or from the second area to the first area.

[0019] In the present disclosure, the specified condition may further include that the object is a user terminal that has concluded a predetermined contract. Here, an example of the predetermined contract is a contract for use of a wireless communication network such as a mobile communication service. An example of a mobile communication service is a system that uses 5G, 4G, LTE, LTE-A, SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, NR, and others, and a next-generation system that is extended based on these. Since the mobile communication service knows the location information of the user terminal, it is possible to determine whether the sensed object is a user terminal by matching the location of the object obtained as a sensing result with the location of the user terminal known by the core network.

[0020] In the present disclosure, the control unit may acquire information about the object in any manner, and as an example, it is possible to acquire sensing results from other devices. An example of the other devices is a base station and a user terminal included in 3GPP (registered trademark) (e.g., 5G system), and the control unit acquires sensing performed by these devices using radio waves. The device that performs sensing may be a sensing device such as a camera or Lidar.

[0021] Another aspect of the present invention is an information processing system including a plurality of servers capable of dynamically allocating resources, the information processing system including a control unit that executes the following: sending a first message requesting the number of objects that satisfy a specified condition including area information, receiving a second message including the number of objects that satisfy the specified condition, and allocating resources to a server corresponding to the area information according to the number of objects. When the load on a server is determined according to the number of objects in an area, it is possible to allocate an appropriate amount of resources by knowing the number of objects in the area as in this aspect.

[0022] In this aspect, the second message may include the number of objects for each object type, and the control unit may allocate resources according to the number of objects for each object type to a server corresponding to the area information. Furthermore, when the load on a server per object is determined according to the type of object, knowing the number of objects for each object type allows for more accurate estimation of an appropriate resource amount.

[0023] In this aspect, before the information processing system starts providing the service, the resource allocation based on the second message may be executed. Before the service starts, it is necessary to predict the number of connected users at the time of the service start and allocate the necessary resources. However, by grasping the number of objects in the area and allocating resources accordingly as in this aspect, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of resource surpluses and shortages.

[0024] The present disclosure further includes a computer program for causing a computer to execute each step of the above method, and a computer program for implementing the above network node or information processing system using a computer. The present disclosure further includes a computer-readable medium having the above computer program recorded thereon.

[0025] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiment is merely an example for explanation, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment. For example, an example in which the present disclosure is applied to a fifth generation mobile communication system will be described below, but the present disclosure may be applied to a fourth generation or fifth generation mobile communication system or later. The present disclosure may also be applied to a mobile communication system defined by a system other than 3GPP, or to any wireless communication system or wired communication system other than a mobile communication system.

[0026] <Configuration of information and communication systems> FIG. 1 shows components constituting a fifth generation mobile communication system (5G network). In FIG. 1, UE (User Equipment) 2 is a terminal of a user (subscriber). RAN (Radio Access Network) 3 is an access network to a 5G core network (5GC). RAN 3 is composed of base stations (gNB). The 5G network has a 5G core network (5GC) and an access network ((R)AN), and a UE 2, a DN 5, and an AF 12 are connected to the 5G network. Each of NFs 11a to 11n is a function realized by one or more computers (information processing devices) executing a program. However, a single computer may realize two or more of NFs 11a to 11n. Each of NFs 11a to 11n can also be called a network node or a network component.

[0027] 5GC is composed of a set of components with specific functions called NFs (Network Functions). Figure 1 shows the following NFs 11 that make up 5GC. In Figure 1, they are shown as thick rectangles.

[0028] UPF(User Plane Function)11a AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function)11b SMF (Session Management Function)11c PCF(Policy Control Function)11d NEF(Network Exposure Function)11e NRF(Network Repository Function)11g NSSF(Network Slice Selection Function)11h AUSF(Authentication Server Function)11i UDM(Unified Data Management)11j NWDAF(Network Data Analytics Function)11k SENSING (Sensing Function) 11n

[0029] The UPF 11a performs routing and forwarding of user packets (user plane packets transmitted and received by the UE 2), packet inspection, and QoS processing.

[0030] The AMF 11b is a device for accommodating UEs in the 5GC. The AMF 11b accommodates the RAN 3 and performs subscriber authentication control and location (mobility) management of the UE 2.

[0031] The SMF 11c manages PDU (Protocol Data Unit) sessions and controls the UPF 11a to implement QoS (Quality of Service) control and policy control. The session is a virtual communication path for exchanging data between the UE 2 and a DN (Data Network) 5. The DN 5 is a data network (such as the Internet) outside the 5GC.

[0032] The PCF 11d performs QoS control, policy control, billing control, etc. under the control of the SMF 11c. QoS control controls the quality of communication, such as by prioritizing packet forwarding. Policy control controls communication, such as QoS based on network or subscriber information, whether or not to forward packets, and billing.

[0033] NEF11e plays a role in mediating communication between external nodes such as AF (Application Function) 12 and nodes in the control plane. AF12 is an application server (external server) that provides auxiliary services other than the 5GC specification.

[0034] The NRF 11g stores and manages information on NFs (e.g., AMF, SMF, UPF, etc.) in the 5GC. In response to an inquiry about an NF to be used, the NRF 11g can return multiple NF candidates to the inquiry source.

[0035] The NSSF11h has a function to select a network slice to be used by a subscriber from among the network slices generated by network slicing. A network slice is a virtual network with specifications according to the application.

[0036] The AUSF 11i is a subscriber authentication server that performs subscriber authentication under the control of the AMF 11b.

[0037] The UDM 11j holds subscriber-related information, and provides subscriber information, or obtains, registers, deletes, and changes the status of the UE 2.

[0038] The NWDAF11k has the function of collecting and analyzing data from each NF11, the OAM terminal 8 (Figure 2), external servers, etc. It is an NF that provides analysis information of the network.

[0039] SENSING11n performs sensing services including collecting sensing information from UE2 or other external systems and providing the collected sensing information to UE2 or other external systems (AF12, DN5, etc.).

[0040] The AF 12 is a network node having a function of controlling an application server (external server) outside the 5GC. An example of an application server is a server that provides sensing measurement data or a service based on the sensing measurement data to the UE 2 or other devices.

[0041] In 5GC, multiple NFs of the same type may be prepared. For example, an NF 11 may be prepared for each data center (station). Also, one NF 11 may be shared between data centers. Also, multiple NFs 11 of the same type may be configured in one data center. The number of data centers, the number of NFs 11, and the correspondence between the NFs 11 and the data centers may be set appropriately.

[0042] 2 is an explanatory diagram of an information communication system according to an embodiment. SENSING11n receives sensing results for area A (30A) from gNB3A or UE2A, and also receives sensing results for area B (30B) from gNB3B or UE3B. gNB3A and gNB3B (hereinafter collectively referred to as gNB3) receive reflected waves of radio waves transmitted by themselves or radio waves transmitted from a wireless transmitter installed at a fixed position, gNB3 and UE2 may detect the position, type, shape, size, and moving speed of the object based on the received radio waves. Alternatively, gNB3 and UE2 may transmit the received signal to SENSING11n or another entity, and SENSING11n or another entity may analyze the received signal to detect the position, type, shape, size, and moving speed of the object.

[0043] In the example of Fig. 2, pedestrians 31, vehicles 32, and drones (UAVs) 33 exist in each area. From information obtained from gNBs 3a and 3B and UEs 2A and 2E, SENSING 11 can grasp the number of objects of each object type, that is, pedestrians 31, vehicles 32, and drones 33, that exist in areas A and B. Therefore, in response to a request from AF 12, SENSING 11n can notify the number of objects of each object type related to a specified area.

[0044] In FIG. 2, gNB3A senses area A, and gNB3B senses area B. However, multiple gNBs may sense one area, or one gNB may sense multiple areas. Similarly, multiple UEs may sense one area, or one UE may sense multiple areas.

[0045] SENSING 11n may notify AF 12 of the moving direction of an object. For example, with respect to an overlapping area C (30C) between areas A and B, SENSING 11n may notify the moving direction of an object present in area C. The notification of the moving direction may be expressed by a bearing, or may be expressed by how the object is moving through the overlapping area, such as from area A to area B, or from area B to area A.

[0046] <Configuration of information processing device and terminal> Fig. 3A is a diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing device capable of operating as each of NFs 11a to 11k and an external server. In Fig. 3A, the information processing device 20 can be configured using a dedicated or general-purpose information processing device (computer) such as a personal computer (PC), a workstation (WS), or a server machine. However, the information processing device 20 may be a collection (cloud) of one or more computers.

[0047] The information processing device 20 includes a processor 21 serving as a processing unit or control unit (controller), a storage device 22, a communication interface 23 (communication IF 23), an input device 24, and a display 25, which are interconnected via a bus 26.

[0048] The storage device 22 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The main storage device is used as at least one of a storage area for programs and data, a program development area, a program work area, and a buffer area for communication data. The main storage device is configured with a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a combination of a RAM and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The auxiliary storage device is used as a storage area for data and programs. A non-volatile storage medium is applied to the auxiliary storage device. Examples of the non-volatile storage medium include a hard disk, a Solid State Drive (SSD), a flash memory, and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). The storage device 22 may also include a drive device for a disk recording medium.

[0049] The communication IF 23 is a circuit that performs communication processing. For example, the communication IF 23 is a network interface card (NIC). The communication IF 23 also supports wireless communication (5G, wireless It may be a wireless communication circuit that performs LAN (Wi-Fi (registered trademark), BLE, etc.). Moreover, the communication IF 23 may be a combination of a circuit that performs wired communication processing and a wireless communication circuit.

[0050] The input device 24 includes keys, buttons, a pointing device, a touch panel, etc., and is used to input information. The display 25 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, etc., and displays information and data.

[0051] The processor 21 performs various processes by executing various programs stored in the storage device 22. The processor 21 executes the programs stored in the storage device 22, so that the information processing device 20 can operate as each of the NFs 11a to 11k, the OAM terminal 8, and the external servers 12a and 12b.

[0052] 3B is a diagram showing a configuration example of a terminal 40 operable as a UE 2. The terminal 40 includes a processor 41, a storage device 42, a communication interface 43 (communication IF 43), an input device 44, and a display 45, which are mutually connected via a bus 46. The processor 41, the storage device 42, the communication IF 43, the input device 44, and the display 45 can be similar to the processor 21, the storage device 22, the communication IF 23, the input device 24, and the display 25. Therefore, description thereof will be omitted.

[0053] The processors 21 and 41 are, for example, Central Processing Units (CPUs). The PU is also called a Microprocessor Unit (MPU). The processors 21 and 41 may have a single processor configuration or a multi-processor configuration. Also, a single physical CPU connected via a single socket may have a multi-core configuration. The processors 21 and 41 may include arithmetic devices of various circuit configurations, such as a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) or a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). Also, the processors 21 and 41 may have a configuration in which they cooperate with at least one of an integrated circuit (IC), other digital circuits, and analog circuits. The integrated circuit may be an LSI, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), etc. The PLD includes, for example, a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The processors 21 and 41 include, for example, what is called a microcontroller (MCU), a system-on-a-chip (SoC), a system LSI, or a chip set.

[0054] <Example of operation: Sensing data provision process> Fig. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of operations related to collection and provision of sensing data in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that the sequence diagram shown here is an example, and may include processes other than those shown in the diagram, may omit some of the processes shown in the diagram, and may change the order of execution of the processes shown in the diagram. Also, Figs. 4A and 4B show an example of data provision using the Subscribe / Notify method, but data may be provided using the Request / Response method.

[0055] In step S12, the AF 12 transmits a Subscribe message for sensing data to the SENSING 11n to the NEF 11e. This corresponds to the first message in the example.

[0056] The subscription message includes a specification condition related to the sensing data to be subscribed. The specification condition includes at least one of area information, object type, object shape, and object movement speed. The area information specifies the area for which the sensing data notification is to be received, and may be expressed in latitude and longitude format or by a predetermined area ID. The type of object is the area for which the notification is to be received. The object shape represents the type of object to be notified. The object shape is typically a specification related to the size of the object to be notified, and the size of the object to be notified can be specified as a lower limit, an upper limit, or a range. The object shape may be specified by a shape type such as a cube, rectangular parallelepiped, sphere, or cylinder. The object movement speed can be specified by a lower limit, an upper limit, or a range of the object movement speed, similar to the object size.

[0057] The subscription message also includes a condition regarding a trigger for receiving the notification. The trigger may be anything, and examples of transmission triggers include the number of objects being within a certain range, the number of objects having changed by a certain amount since the previous notification, or the passage of a certain amount of time since the previous notification.

[0058] In step S14, the NEF 11e transmits the subscription message received from the AF 12 to the SENSING 11n.

[0059] In step S16, SENSING11n selects gNBs and / or UEs to sense the area included in the subscription message. SENSING11n can make this selection based on AMF11b or LMF11m.

[0060] In step S18, sensing processing is performed between SENSING11n and the selected gNB3 and UE2. For example, SENSING11n transmits a sensing execution request to the gNB3 and UE2 selected in step S16. The gNB3 and UE2 that receive the request transmit the sensing result or sensing signal to SENSING11n periodically or each time an object is sensed. From this information, SENSING11n can obtain the sensing result, such as what object exists and where it exists. Typically, the sensing result includes the position of the object, the type of the object, the shape of the object, the moving direction of the object, and the moving speed of the object. The analysis of the sensing result may be performed by the gNB3 and UE2, by SENSING11n, or by another entity.

[0061] In step S20, the SENSING 11n counts the number of objects that satisfy the specified condition for each type of object. Also, when conditions other than the area are specified as the specified condition, the count may be performed for each of those conditions.

[0062] If the transmission trigger condition is satisfied, SENSING11n transmits the summarization result of sensing to AF12. Specifically, in step S22, a notification message is transmitted from SENSING11n to NEF11e, and based on that, in step S24, NEF11e transmits a notification message to AF12. The notification message includes, for example, area information of the sensing target and the number of objects of each object type included in the area. This notification message corresponds to the second message in this disclosure.

[0063] 5(A) to 5(C) show examples of information contained in a notification message in the situation shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5(A) shows an example of a message notifying that there are a total of six objects in area A, and a message notifying that there are a total of five objects in area B. FIG. 5(B) shows an example of a message indicating that there are six pedestrians, two vehicles, and one drone in area A, making a total of six objects, and an example of a message indicating that there are two pedestrians, two vehicles, and one drone in area B, making a total of five objects. FIG. 5(C) shows, for area C, an overlapping area between area A and area B, one pedestrian moving from area A toward area B, and one vehicle moving from area B toward area A. Here is an example of a message indicating that there are two objects, one of which is a vehicle moving in the direction.

[0064] In addition, if a user terminal or user who has signed a contract for the 5G cellular service is specified as the sensing target as a specified condition, SENSING11n determines in step S20 whether the sensed object is a user terminal or user who has signed a contract. Specifically, SENSING11n inquires of AMF11b or LMF11m whether a user terminal who has signed a service contract is present at the position of the object obtained from gNB3 or UE2. If a response is received that a user terminal is present at the position, it can be determined that the sensed object is a user terminal who has signed a contract for the 5G cellular service or a user who owns the user terminal. Therefore, SENSING11n can notify the number of user terminals or users who have signed a contract for the 5G cellular service.

[0065] In the above embodiment, SENSING11n acquires the sensing result from gNB3A or UE2A, but may acquire the sensing result from other non-3GPP devices such as a camera (including any camera such as a visible light camera or an infrared camera) or Lidar. There is no particular limitation on how SENSING11n acquires the sensing result.

[0066] (Embodiment 2) The present embodiment is an information processing system that utilizes the information communication system according to the first embodiment for resource allocation to a server.

[0067] 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system 100 according to this embodiment. The information processing system 100 includes a resource control unit 110 and a server platform 120. As an example, the information processing system 100 is a system that provides a metaverse application service, and dynamically allocates resources of the server platform 120 to be used for processing by various servers.

[0068] The metaverse application service is a service that reproduces a real space in a virtual space. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a pedestrian 31, a vehicle 32, and a drone (UAV) 33 are assumed as service users. The target area includes area A and area B. On the server platform 120, a pedestrian server 122A, a vehicle server 123A, and a drone server 124A that process pedestrians, vehicles, and drones in area A, and a pedestrian server 122B, a vehicle server 123B, and a drone server 124B that process pedestrians, vehicles, and drones in area B are used. The amount of resources required by each server depends on the number of service users in each area. Here, it is assumed that all pedestrians, vehicles, and drones in each area are service users. Then, the amount of resources required for each server changes depending on the number of objects of each type that exist in each area. Calculating and allocating the necessary and sufficient amount of resources leads to efficient resource use.

[0069] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing that the information processing system 100 performs prior to starting to provide a metaverse application service in this embodiment.

[0070] In step S71, the resource control unit 110 acquires the number of objects, such as pedestrians, vehicles, and drones, present in areas A and B by inquiring of the SENSING 131 using the method described in embodiment 1. This request may be a subscribe-notify method or a request-response method.

[0071] In step S72, the resource control unit 110 performs the area and object type The amount of resources required for each server is calculated according to the number of objects in each area. The resources referred to here are, for example, at least one of computational resources, memory resources, and communication resources. Note that for objects in overlapping area C, the amount of resources required for both the server for area A and the server for area B may be used to calculate the amount of resources required. Alternatively, if it is known that an object in overlapping area C is moving toward area A or area B, the amount of resources required for the server in the area to which the object has moved may be used only to calculate the amount of resources required for the server in the area to which the object has moved.

[0072] In step S73, the resource control unit 110 requests the server board 120 to allocate the calculated resource amount to each server.

[0073] In step S74, resource control unit 110 operates each server to start providing the service.

[0074] The resource allocation amount may be controlled by the same method even after the service provision starts. However, after the service provision starts, the resource amount may be adjusted so that there is a certain surplus with respect to the currently required resource amount. However, since a sudden increase in objects leads to a sudden increase in the required resource amount, an increase or decrease in objects may be confirmed using SENSING 131 even after the service provision starts.

[0075] According to this embodiment, the amount of resources required to be prepared on the server side can be known before the service user connects to the server. Therefore, even at the start of service provision, a necessary and sufficient amount of resources can be secured.

[0076] (Embodiment 3) The present embodiment relates to an information processing system in which the information communication system according to the first embodiment is used for edge discovery in edge computing (MEC; Multi-access Edge Computing). It is a logical system.

[0077] 8A is a diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing system 800 according to the present embodiment. The information processing system 800 includes a UE 801, a core network 804, an edge data network (EDN) 805, and an edge configuration server (ECS) 808. The UE 801 includes an application client (AS) 802 and an edge enabler client (EEC) 803. The EDN 805 includes an edge application server (EAS) 806 and an edge enabler server (EES) 807. The EAS 806 registers with the EES 807, and the EES 807 registers with the ECS 808. The EES 807 has a function of provisioning setting information to the EEC 808, a function of registering the EEC 808 and the EAS 806, and the like. The EES 806 has a function of acquiring configuration information that enables communication between the AC 801 and the EAS 806, a function of discovering the EAS 806, and the like. ECS808 supports cooperation with EEC803 and EES807.

[0078] FIG. 8(B) is a diagram for explaining cooperation between the information processing system 800 and the 5G core 810. The ECS 808 uses the method described in the first embodiment to request the number of objects present in an area (service area) near the installation position of the EAS 806 from the SENSING 811 (11n) included in the 5G core 810. The ECS 808 performs EAS discovery taking into consideration the number of objects present near the EAS 806. In the EAS discovery, the distance between the UE 801 and the EAS 806, communication delay, and the load of the EAS 806 are taken into consideration. Here, the load of the EAS 806 may be determined based on the number of objects near the EAS 806. Alternatively, the EAS discovery may be performed taking into consideration the number of objects near the EAS 806 in addition to the load of the EAS 806.

[0079] <Other Modifications> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure can be modified and implemented as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0080] In the above embodiment, the data provided and used by the user terminal is assumed to be sensing measurement data measured by the user terminal. However, the data provided and used may be sensing measurement data measured by a device other than the user terminal, or any data other than the sensing measurement data.

[0081] In the above embodiment, data is provided to the user terminal by the Subscribe / Notify method, but it may be provided by the Request / Response method.

[0082] In the above embodiment, an incentive is given for providing data and a fee is charged for data usage, but the fee for data usage does not have to be charged. If the fee for data usage is not charged, the generation of a CDR for data usage (step S30) does not have to be performed, but it is preferable to generate a CDR for data usage in order to give an incentive according to the data usage history. If only an incentive according to the data usage history is to be given, it is not necessary to identify the user terminal that used the data, so the data usage CDR does not have to include an identifier of the second user terminal.

[0083] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program implementing the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors of the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk, such as a magnetic disk (floppy disk, hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD disk, Blu-ray disk, etc.), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, and any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 2: User equipment (UE) 3: gNB 11n:SENSING (Sensing Function) 12:AF12 13: BD (Billing Domain)

Claims

1. receiving a first message requesting a number of objects satisfying a specified condition including area information; In response to receiving the first message, sending a second message including a number of objects that satisfy the specified condition; An information and communication system comprising a control unit that executes the above.

2. The specified conditions include at least one of a type of object, a shape of an object, and a moving speed of an object in addition to the area information.

2. The information and communication system according to claim 1 .

3. The first message includes information regarding a transmission trigger of the second message; The control unit transmits the second message when the transmission trigger is satisfied; The transmission trigger is any one of the number of the objects being within a predetermined range, the number of the objects being changed, and the passage of a certain period of time.

2. The information and communication system according to claim 1 .

4. the area information is an overlapping area where a first area and a second area overlap, the designation condition includes, in addition to the area information, that a moving direction of an object is a direction from the first area toward the second area; 2. The information and communication system according to claim 1 .

5. The specified condition includes, in addition to the area information, that the object is a user terminal with which a predetermined contract has been concluded.

2. The information and communication system according to claim 1 .

6. The control unit acquires information about an object sensed by another device, and transmits the second message based on the acquired information.

2. The information and communication system according to claim 1 .

7. An information processing system including a plurality of servers capable of dynamically allocating resources, Sending a first message requesting a number of objects that satisfy a specified condition including area information; receiving a second message including a number of objects that satisfy the specified condition; Allocating resources to a server corresponding to the area information in accordance with the number of the objects; An information processing system comprising: a control unit that executes the above.

8. the second message includes a number of objects for each object type; the control unit allocates resources according to the number of objects of each type of object to a server corresponding to the area information; 8. The information processing system according to claim 7.

9. the control unit executes resource allocation based on the second message prior to a start of service provision by the information processing system.

8. The information processing system according to claim 7.

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