Wireless communication device and method for controlling wireless communication device

Abstract

To quickly change processing according to the situation of communication.SOLUTION: A wireless communication device including a network device, a wireless base station, and a server device comprises: a plurality of surfaces being a plurality of logical network sections; and a control device connected to the network device. The network device has: a plurality of first NW-IFs connected to the server device; and a second NW-IF connected to at least one of a network and the wireless base station and connected to any one of the plurality of first NW-IFs. The server device has: a plurality of applications; a plurality of network settings; and a plurality of SV-IFs connected to the plurality of first NW-IFs. Each of the plurality of surfaces includes an application, network setting, SV-IF, and first NW-IF. The control device selects a surface conforming to conditions, and causes the network device to execute surface switching for connecting the second NW-IF to the first NW-IF in the selected surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to communication control. [Background technology]

[0002] 5G (5th Generation) is known as an example of a wireless network standard. 5G networks are more stable than wireless LANs (Local Area Networks). For this reason, it is believed that some companies are beginning to consider introducing 5G networks into their own companies (introduction of local 5G).

[0003] In addition, 5G is expected to enable low-latency processing by placing computer equipment called MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing) at the edge.

[0004] Therefore, it is conceivable to place a local 5G device (a device in which local 5G is introduced) as an MEC at an edge. For example, a location where the local 5G device is placed may be in a factory (or in a company that has a factory).

[0005] In order to quickly switch communication paths within the local 5G device in the event of a failure in a factory production line, it is possible to build a redundant path within the local 5G device, for example, based on the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-187162 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The path characteristics of a "redundant path" of a communication path are the same as the path characteristics of the communication path. When a fault occurs in a production line, the required path characteristics are different before and after the fault. For this reason, preparing a redundant path does not necessarily allow for a rapid response to a fault in the production line. For example, a monitoring system for a factory production line collects small-sized data (e.g., measurement data) from sensors on each piece of equipment, and when an abnormality is detected in the equipment, collects large-sized data (e.g., video data from a camera around the equipment) on the equipment. When the size of the data increases depending on the situation in this way, communication delays and deterioration of communication quality may occur. In addition, since the processing to be performed differs depending on the situation, it may take time to change the processing.

[0008] Therefore, even if the communication path is made redundant, such a problem cannot be solved. In addition, such a problem may occur with wireless communication other than 5G (for example, LTE (Long Term Evolution)), and may occur when the wireless communication device is installed outside the factory (or inside a company that has a factory). In addition, the communication path may be switched in response to a change other than a failure in the production line, for example, a change in the situation of a linked system using a local 5G device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A wireless communication device as an equipment package including a network device, a wireless base station, and one or more devices connected to the network device includes a plurality of planes which are a plurality of logical network partitions, and a control device connected to the network device. The one or more devices include a server device which is one or more computers connected to the network device. The network device has a plurality of first NW-IFs which are a plurality of interfaces connected to the server device, and a second NW-IF which is an interface connected to at least one of the network and the wireless base station and is connected to any one of the plurality of first NW-IFs. The server device has a plurality of applications which input and output data, a plurality of network settings which are the basis of data transfer, and a plurality of SV-IFs which are a plurality of interfaces connected to the plurality of first NW-IFs. Each of the plurality of planes includes an application, a network setting, an SV-IF, and a first NW-IF that are not included in the plane other than the plane. The control device has plane management information including information about each of the plurality of planes. The control device selects a plane that meets the conditions from among multiple planes based on the plane management information, and causes the network device to perform plane switching to connect a second NW-IF to a first NW-IF in the selected plane. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, processing can be quickly changed in response to the communication situation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of a system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a control device. [Diagram 3] 2 shows an example of the functional configuration of a control device. [Figure 4A] 13 shows an example of the configuration of a surface information table for surface construction. [Figure 4B] 13 shows an example of the configuration of a surface information table for surface construction. [Figure 4C] 13 shows an example of the configuration of a surface information table for surface construction. [Diagram 5] 13 illustrates an example of the configuration of a face group table. [Figure 6] 13 illustrates an example of the configuration of a surface information table for surface switching. [Figure 7] 13 illustrates an example of the configuration of a face selection table. [Figure 8] 3 illustrates an example of a process performed in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] An example of details of S853 to S859 and S864 to S870 in FIG. 8 will be shown. [Figure 10] 1 shows an example of the configuration of an operation UI, which is an example of a UI provided by an operation IF unit. [Figure 11] 13 illustrates a portion of a configuration example of a wireless communication device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] 13 illustrates a portion of a configuration example of a wireless communication device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] In the following description, an "interface device" may refer to one or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more homogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more heterogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., a NIC and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter)).

[0013] In the following description, a "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices, and may typically be a primary storage device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0014] In the following description, a "persistent storage device" may be one or more persistent storage devices, which are an example of one or more persistent storage devices. A persistent storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device (e.g., an auxiliary storage device), and more specifically, may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a non-volatile memory express (NVME) drive, or a storage class memory (SCM).

[0015] Also, in the following description, "storage device" may be at least memory, including memory and persistent storage device.

[0016] Furthermore, in the following description, a "processor" may be one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also be other types of processor devices such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The at least one processor device may be a single-core or multi-core. The at least one processor device may be a processor core. The at least one processor device may also be a broader processor device such as a circuit that is a collection of gate arrays written in a hardware description language that performs part or all of the processing (e.g., an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0017] In the following description, information that provides an output for an input may be described using expressions such as "xxx table," but the information may be data of any structure (for example, structured data or unstructured data), or may be a neural network that generates an output for an input, or a learning model such as a genetic algorithm or random forest. Therefore, the "xxx table" may be referred to as "xxx information." In the following description, the configuration of each table is an example, and one table may be divided into two or more tables, or all or part of two or more tables may be one table.

[0018] In the following description, functions may be described using the expression "yyy unit", but the functions may be realized by one or more computer programs being executed by a processor, or by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., FPGA or ASIC), or by a combination thereof. When a function is realized by a program being executed by a processor, the function may be at least a part of the processor, since the specified processing is performed using a storage device and / or an interface device, etc., as appropriate. Processing described with a function as the subject may be processing performed by a processor or a device having the processor. A program may be installed from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution computer equipped with a non-transitory storage device or a computer-readable recording medium (e.g., a non-transitory recording medium). The description of each function is an example, and multiple functions may be combined into one function, or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

[0019] In addition, in the following description, when describing elements of the same type without distinguishing between them, common reference symbols will be used, and when describing elements of the same type without distinguishing between them, reference symbols will be used.

[0020] Hereinafter, several embodiments will be described. In the following description, the wireless communication device 100 is a device (device package) in which local 5G is introduced, but the present invention is not limited to such a device. [First embodiment]

[0021] FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of a system according to the first embodiment.

[0022] The wireless communication device 100 is provided to, for example, a company or a local government. The wireless communication device 100 includes a network device (hereinafter, NW device) 140, a wireless base station / wireless core device 130 (gNB (next generation Node B) and 5GC (5th Generation Core network)), a server device 110 (one example of one of the one or more devices connected to the NW device 140) connected to the NW device 140, and a control device 120 connected to the NW device 140. The server device 110 is one or more computers, and corresponds to an MEC in a 5G network. The wireless base station / wireless core device 130 may be an example of a cooperation system 150 (for example, the device 130 may be disposed outside the wireless communication device 100).

[0023] The wireless base station 130 wirelessly communicates with a wireless communication device (not shown). The wireless communication device may be a robot operating in a factory, an unmanned guided vehicle, a sensor, a tablet PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, etc. The wireless communication device communicates with the server device 110 in the wireless communication device 100 via the wireless base station 130, and exchanges data such as text, audio, and video.

[0024] The NW device 140 is, for example, a network switch device. The NW device 140 has a plurality of first NW-IFs 16 and one (or a plurality of) second NW-IFs 17. The first NW-IF 16 is an interface connected to the server device 110. The second NW-IF is an interface connected to at least one of a LAN (Local Area Network) 160A and a wireless base station 130. The LAN 160A is connected to the linking systems 150A and 150C. The LAN 160A is connected to the Internet 160B, and the linking system 150B is connected to the Internet 160B. The linking system 150A may be, for example, a system installed at a site such as a factory, or may be a sensor. The linking system 150B may be, for example, a cloud computing system. The linking system 150C may be a computer as a console of the control device 120. The LAN 160A and the Internet 160B are examples of networks. Each of the NW-IFs 16 and 17 may be a physical communication interface device or a logical communication interface device. The control device 120 may be provided with a UI device as a console, and the display of information to the user and the reception of information input from the user may be performed by the UI device of the control device 120 instead of or in addition to the linkage system 150C.

[0025] The server device 110 has an OS (Operating System) 111, a plurality of APPs (Applications) 12 that operate on the OS 111 and input and output data, and a plurality of SV-IFs 14. The OS 111 is, for example, Linux (registered trademark), and has a plurality of NetNSs (Network Name Spaces) 13. The NetNSs 13 are an example of a network setting that is the basis of data transfer. The SV-IF 14 is an interface connected to the first NW-IF 16. The SV-IF 14 may be a physical communication interface device or a logical communication interface device. Communication is performed with a wireless communication device, a linkage system 150A or 150B, via the SV-IF 14.

[0026] A plurality of planes 19 are constructed in the wireless communication device 100. The planes 19 are logical network partitions. Each of the plurality of planes 19 includes an APP12, a NetNS13, an SV-IF14, and a first NW-IF16 that are not included in any plane other than the plane 19. For example, the elements of a plane 19A1 are an APP12A1, a NetNS13A1, an SV-IF14A1, and a first NW-IF16A1. For each plane 19, the elements in the plane 19 are not considered to be elements of any plane other than the plane 19, and therefore the plane 19 is a partition independent of any plane other than the plane 19. Note that in at least one plane 19, a route connected to an APP12 in the plane 19 may be made redundant. The plurality of planes 19 may also include two or more planes 19 in which the APP12 is the same but the network characteristics (for example, characteristics based on at least one of delay and bandwidth) are different. APP12 does not have to be included in a specific NetNS13, and even a virtual interface configured on the OS may be included in NetNS13. APP12 may be linked to another virtual interface, and when switching faces, the connection between the virtual interface of NetNS13 and the virtual interface of APP12 may be switched.

[0027] The control device 120 selects a plane 19 (for example, plane 19A2) that meets the conditions from among the multiple planes 19, and causes the NW device 140 to execute plane switching to connect the second NW-IF 17 to the first NW-IF 16A2 in the selected plane 19A2. As an example of the switching method, a VLAN configured with an IF 17 that is a contact point with the outside of the plane 19 and a first NW-IF 16 belonging to a certain plane is reconfigured into a VLAN configured with the same IF 17 and another NW-IF 16. Note that even if the APP 12 is the same, plane switching can be performed if the guaranteed delay or bandwidth is small. After causing the NW device 140 to execute plane switching, the control device 120 may check whether the plane switching has been performed as instructed by inquiring of the NW device 140. Also, instead of being provided in the wireless communication device 100 (i.e., locally), the control device 120 may be provided outside the wireless communication device 100 (for example, a site of a communication carrier).

[0028] In each plane 19, a connection is established in advance between elements in the plane 19. Specifically, a connection (e.g., a VLAN (Virtual LAN)) between the first NW-IF 16A and the SV-IF 14 is established in advance, and the SV-IF 14 and APP 12 are associated in advance with NetNS 13 (SV-IF 14 is assigned to NetNS 13, and APP 12 is executed by specifying NetNS 13). The APP 12 differs depending on the plane 19. Therefore, switching of the plane 19 means switching of the APP 12 and the network in the wireless communication device 100 as a whole. This allows rapid processing changes according to the situation. Specifically, for example, when a situation (for example, data to be processed via the second NW-IF17, a data transmission source, or a required network characteristic (characteristics based on at least one of communication delay and communication bandwidth)) is changed due to an abnormality occurring in equipment at a site such as a factory, and the selected plane 19A1 (plane 19A1 including the first NW-IF16 connected to the second NW-IF7) is no longer suitable for the changed situation, a plane 19A2 suitable for the changed situation is prepared in advance, so that by switching the connection destination of the second NW-IF17 from plane 19A1 to plane 19A2, it is possible to maintain processing and communication suitable for the changed situation. In other words, it is not necessary to run a new application suitable for the changed situation or establish a connection suitable for the changed situation every time the situation changes. Therefore, it is possible to quickly respond to a situation change due to an abnormality or other reasons. In addition, as an example of a reason for a change in the required network characteristics, a request to transmit video data required to investigate the cause of an abnormality may arise, although only numerical data from a sensor was collected until now. Since it becomes possible to quickly identify the cause of an abnormality or execute the processing required to deal with it, it is expected that the cause can be quickly identified or dealt with.

[0029] The same IP address may be assigned to the multiple SV-IFs 14. Since the multiple NetNSs 13 are different, even if the same IP address is assigned to the multiple SV-IFs 14, it is possible to construct multiple different planes 19. Also, since the multiple SV-IFs 14 have the same IP address, the other device (e.g., wireless communication device, linkage system 150A or 150B) that communicates with server device 110 does not need to switch IP addresses (switch IP addresses specified in communication) associated with plane switching.

[0030] Furthermore, the multiple planes 19 may configure two or more plane groups 18. Each of the two or more plane groups 18 includes two or more (or one) planes 19. The control device 120 selects one plane for each plane group 18 and causes the NW device 140 to execute plane switching to connect the first NW-IF 16 of the selected plane to the second NW-IF 17. By grouping two or more planes 19 having a common category (e.g., data type, network characteristics) into the same plane group 18, it is possible to quickly change processing according to the situation on a plane group basis (category basis). In this embodiment, the first NW-IF 16 of any of the planes 19 in each plane group 18 is connected to one second NW-IF 17, but a second NW-IF 17 is prepared for each plane group 18, and the number of first NW-IFs 16 connected to one second NW-IF 17 may be maintained to be one.

[0031] FIG. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the control device 120.

[0032] The control device 120 is, for example, a computer, and includes an interface device 201, a storage device 202, and a processor 203 connected thereto.

[0033] The interface device 201 is connected to the server device 110 (e.g., an SV-IF (an interface device of the server device 110) other than the SV-IF 14). Also, the interface device 201 is connected to the NW device 140 (e.g., an NW-IF (an interface device of the NW device 140) other than the NW-IFs 16 and 17).

[0034] The storage device 202 stores a face DB (database) including face management information. The storage device 202 also stores a computer program executed by the processor 203. The processor 203 reads the computer program from the storage device 202 and executes it.

[0035] FIG. 3 shows an example of the functional configuration of the control device 120.

[0036] The processor 203 of the control device 120 executes a computer program to realize functions such as an operation IF unit 301, a control IF unit 302, a surface collection unit 303, a surface construction unit 304, a surface selection unit 305, and a surface switching unit 306. In addition, a surface DB 307 is stored in the storage device 202.

[0037] The operation IF unit 301 provides an IF (for example, a UI (User Interface) or an API (Application Programming Interface)) to the linkage system 150. Communication with the linkage system 150 is performed through the operation IF unit 301.

[0038] The control IF unit 302 provides an IF (for example, a UI or an API) to the server device 110 or the NW device 140. Communication with the server device 110 or the NW device 140 is performed through the control IF unit 302.

[0039] The plane collection unit 303 collects plane information, which is information about elements of the plane 19 , from the server device 110 and the NW device 140 , and stores the collected plane information in the plane DB 307 .

[0040] The plane constructing unit 304 receives a plane construction request from the linkage system 150 via the operation IF unit 301 , and constructs a plane 19 in the server device 110 and the NW device 140 via the control IF unit 302 based on the plane DB 307 in accordance with the request.

[0041] The surface selection unit 305 selects a surface 19 according to the situation detected via the control IF unit 302, based on the surface DB 30. The selection of the surface 19 is performed in surface group units.

[0042] The plane switching unit 306 causes the NW device 140 to execute plane switching for connecting the first NW-IF 16 of the plane 19 selected by the plane selection unit 305 to the second NW-IF 17. Plane switching is performed in plane group units.

[0043] The surface DB 307 stores surface management information and collected surface information. The surface management information includes, for example, the tables shown in FIGS.

[0044] 4A to 4C show an example of the configuration of a surface information table 400 for surface construction.

[0045] The collected surface information stored in the surface DB 307 may be provided to the linkage system 150 by, for example, the operation IF unit 301. The linkage system 150 may determine the elements of the surface to be constructed based on the provided surface information, and may transmit a surface construction request specifying the determined elements to the control device 120. The surface construction unit 304 of the control device 120 constructs a surface in accordance with the surface construction request, and information on the constructed surface is registered in a surface information table 400 for surface construction.

[0046] Take the example of a plane construction plane information table 400 illustrated in Fig. 4A. The plane construction plane information table 400 has a column for each constructed plane. Each column holds information about the plane corresponding to the column, such as a plane name 401, a NetNS name 402, an IF name 403, an IP address 404, a routing table 405, a NW slice name 406, a QoS 407, a connection 408, and a plane switching point 409. Take one plane as an example (the "target plane" in the explanation of Fig. 4A).

[0047] The surface name 401 indicates the name of the target surface. In this embodiment, the surface name has the structure "surface group number-surface number." Therefore, it is possible to specify the surface group to which the target surface belongs from the name of the target surface.

[0048] NetNS name 402 indicates the name of the NetNS included in the target surface. IF name 403 indicates the name of the SV-IF 14 included in the target surface (if other switches such as those shown in FIG. 12, which will be described later, are included in the surface configuration, it may indicate which interface of which device). IP address 404 indicates the IP address given to the SV-IF 14 included in the target surface.

[0049] Routing table 405 represents a routing table for the target plane, and FIG. 4A shows an IP address of a default gateway as an example. Note that the routing table may have multiple entries, not limited to one entry such as a default gateway. Planes may be considered in which a change is made to take a different route to a certain destination, and a routing table corresponding to such planes may be prepared. The routing table may be referred to when the route to a certain destination is changed due to a change in APP12. Changing the route makes it possible to change the processing and network characteristics along the route. According to the example shown in FIG. 4A, network setting items required for connecting two points are listed.

[0050] The NW slice name 406 corresponds to the name of the QoS associated with the target plane. The QoS 407 indicates the QoS associated with the target plane. Therefore, for example, if the QoS of plane 1-1 and plane 1-2 are the same, the NW slice names of plane 1-1 and plane 1-2 are the same.

[0051] The connection 408 indicates whether or not there is a connection to a device (e.g., a linking system or other device) other than the NW device 140 and the server device 110. If there is such a connection, the connection 408 indicates the content of the connection (e.g., the IP address of the connected device and the connection protocol). For example, if an APP operating on a certain plane operates integrally with a database on a linking system via a TCP connection, the plane can maintain a TCP connection with the database in advance, eliminating the need for processing and time for a TCP connection after switching planes.

[0052] The plane switching point 409 indicates a switching point for switching the target plane Gr. For example, it indicates that the selected plane is determined by the selection of the NW-IF 16 in which VLAN (Virtual LAN) of which NW device.

[0053] In Figures 4A to 4C, Strict Priority (SP) and Fair Queue (FQ) refer to the handling methods when communication conflicts in the scheduler within the device. With SP, transfer is prioritized, so waiting is short and delay is low. With FQ, transfer is equal to other communications, so some waiting occurs.

[0054] 4B, when the NW device 140 is a device to which L2 is applied, the plane construction plane information table 400 of the NW device 140 has the above-mentioned information 401, 406, 407, and 409, a VLAN name 412, and an IF name 413. The IF name 413 indicates a pair (connection between the SV-IF14 and the first NW-IF16) of the name of the SV-IF14 (e.g., "if1", "if2", or "if3") and the name of the first NW-IF16 (e.g., "if4", "if5", or "if6"). The VLAN name 412 indicates the name of the VLAN that connects the SV-IF14 and the first NW-IF16. That is, the network is divided by VLAN instead of NetNS, and information on IP addresses is not required.

[0055] 4C, when the NW device 140 is a device to which L3 is applied, the plane construction plane information table 400 of the NW device 140 has the above-mentioned information 401, 406, 407, 409, and 413, a VRF name 422, an IP address 414, and a routing table 415. By using a function called VRF (Virtual Routing and Forwarding), it is possible to divide the IP (Internet Protocol) space in the same way as NetNS. The VRF name 422 indicates the name of the VRF. The IP address 414 indicates the IP addresses of the SV-IF 14 and the first NW-IF 16. The routing table 415 indicates the routing table of the target plane, and in FIG. 4C, it indicates the IP addresses of the SV-IF 14 and the first NW-IF 16 as an example.

[0056] FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the face group table 500.

[0057] The face construction request may specify a face group to which the face to be constructed belongs, or the face group to which the constructed face will belong may be automatically determined by the face construction unit 304. The face group table 500 has a record for each face group, and each record holds information such as face group name 501, number of faces 502, face list 503, selection 504, and remarks 505. Take one face group as an example ("target face group" in the explanation of FIG. 5).

[0058] The face group name 501 indicates the name of the target face group. The number of faces 502 indicates the number of faces included in the target face group. The face list 503 is a list of the names of the faces included in the target face group. The selection 504 indicates whether the selection of faces from the target face group is performed manually or automatically. The remarks 505 indicate supplementary information about the target face group, such as what the target face group is about.

[0059] One face can be selected from each of N (N is a natural number) face groups, and therefore N faces are simultaneously selected. In this way, a single control device 120 can select and manage multiple faces. The network in each face group does not compete with the network in another face group. Supplementary information for distinguishing face groups can be, for example, which user in the case of multi-tenancy, or which manufacturing line in a factory. In this embodiment, a collection of multiple faces that cannot coexist at the same time (multiple faces that cannot be in a selected state at the same time) is defined as a face group. For example, if there are two or more faces that can coexist at the same time, the two or more faces are respectively present in two or more different face groups. For each face group, a face (for example, a combination of communication characteristics, paths, applications, etc.) is switched (selected).

[0060] FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of a plane information table 600 for plane switching.

[0061] The plane switching plane information table 600 has a column for each plane. While the plane construction plane information table 400 is a table constructed for the server device 110, the plane switching plane information table 600 is a table constructed for the NW device 140. Each column of the plane switching plane information table 600 holds information about the plane corresponding to the column, such as a plane name 601, an IF name 602, a plane switching point 603, and a plane state 604. Take one plane as an example ("target plane" in the explanation of FIG. 6).

[0062] A surface name 601 indicates the name of the target surface. An interface name 602 indicates the name of the NW-IF 16 included in the target surface. A surface switching point 603 indicates a switching point for switching the target surface Gr, as in the case of Figures 4A to 4C. A surface state 604 indicates whether the target surface is in a selected state or an unselected state.

[0063] FIG. 7 shows an example of the configuration of a face selection table 700.

[0064] The surface selection table 700 has a column for each surface. Each column holds information about the surface corresponding to the column, such as a surface name 701, a delay 702, a bandwidth 703, and a connection APP 704. Take one surface as an example ("target surface" in the description of FIG. 7).

[0065] The surface name 701 indicates the name of the target surface. The delay 702 indicates the upper limit of the communication delay guaranteed by the target surface. The bandwidth 703 indicates the bandwidth secured for the target surface. The connection APP 704 indicates the purpose of the APP included in the target surface. An example of APP12 is an APP that handles audio from a microphone in a factory. If a production line in a factory is used as an example, "microphone (point A)" means a microphone installed at point "A" of a certain production line in the factory. In this embodiment, even if the microphone is the same, if the installation location is different, the path along which the data (traffic) input by the microphone flows is different, and therefore, another surface is required.

[0066] A face is selected based on the face selection table 700. According to Fig. 7, the face selection is, for example, as follows. When data communication is performed that requires low latency but does not require a narrow bandwidth, or when an APP capable of processing voice data is required, plane 1-1 is selected. When data communication does not require low latency but requires a wide bandwidth, or when an APP capable of processing video data is required, plane 1-2 is selected. If there are no particular requirements for delay and bandwidth, or if data communication is required for data collection, then planes 1-3 are selected.

[0067] The bandwidths illustrated in Fig. 7 correspond to the QoS values ​​in bps illustrated in Fig. 4A to Fig. 4C. For example, 1KB / sec=0.8Mbps, 25MB / sec=200Mbps, and Fig. 4A to Fig. 4C adopt 10Mbps and 1Gbps as values ​​that are easy to understand according to the standard and have a margin considering delay control.

[0068] FIG. 8 shows an example of the processing performed in this embodiment.

[0069] The process is broadly divided into a preparation phase and an operation phase.

[0070] <Preparation Phase>

[0071] Using a UI (User Interface) provided by the operation IF unit 301, a surface manager creates surface information (information representing the elements of a surface) whose elements are the items described in Figures 4A to 4C and 6, stores the created surface information in the surface DB 307 (S801), and receives the results (S802).

[0072] The operation IF unit 301 refers to the surface information stored in the surface DB 307 in preparation for constructing a surface (S803). The surface constructing unit 304 acquires surface information required for constructing a surface (for example, the surface information referred to and confirmed in S803) from the surface DB 307 (S804), and instructs the control IF unit 302 to construct a surface based on the surface information (S805). In response to the instruction, the control IF unit 302 constructs, in the server device 110, a portion of the surface in accordance with the surface information (S806), and constructs a portion of the surface in accordance with the surface information (S807). Specifically, for example, in S806, the control IF unit 302 creates NetNS names 402 corresponding to the surfaces in the surface name 401 in FIG. 4A, assigns each interface of the IF name 403 to each NetNS name 402, and sets each IP address of the IP address 404 to each interface of the interface name 403. The control IF unit 302 sets each routing table of the routing table 405 and each NW slice name of the NW slice name 406 in each NetNS of the NetNS name 402, and sets each QoS setting of the QoS 407 to each interface of the interface name 403. In addition, in S807, the control IF unit 302 sets the interface of the IF name 602 of the plane whose plane status 604 is selected, which corresponds to the plane name 601 in Fig. 6, to the VLAN of the plane switching point 603, and removes the interface of the IF name 602 of the plane whose plane status 604 is not selected from the VLAN of the plane switching point 603. As a result, the NW-IF 16 connected to the SV-IF 14 becomes the same VLAN as the IF 17 and is connected, and the selection as a plane is established. The control IF unit 302 notifies the plane construction unit 304 of the result (S808), the plane construction unit 304 stores the result in the plane DB 307 (S809), and the operation IF unit 301 receives the result (S810). The result indicates whether the processes of S806 and S807 were completed normally or not.

[0073] The operation IF unit 301 refers to surface information stored in the surface DB 307 in order to collect surface information (S811). The collection unit 303 acquires information on surfaces to be collected from the surface DB 307 (S812), and instructs the control IF unit 302 to collect surface information (S813). In response to the instruction, the control IF unit 302 causes the server device 110 to collect and update information set in the server device 110 (S814), and / or collect and update information set in the NW device 140 (S815). The information collected and updated in S814 is information described in the table 400 illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4C and registered in the DB 307 in S801. The information collected and updated in S815 is information described in the table 600 illustrated in FIG. 6 and registered in the surface DB 307 in S801. The control IF unit 302 notifies the surface collection unit 303 of the result (S816), the surface collection unit 303 stores the result in the surface DB 307 (S817), and the operation IF unit 301 receives the result (S818). The result indicates whether the processes of S814 and S815 were completed normally and indicates the collected information. The operation IF unit 301 may notify the linkage system 150 (e.g., 150C) of the result.

[0074] <Operation Phase>

[0075] The operation IF unit 301 receives, for example, a plane switching request from the administrator's operation or the linkage system 150, and the plane selection unit 305 refers to the plane information stored in the plane DB 307 (S851). The plane selection unit 305 refers to the plane selection table 700 (S852), and if the plane name specified in the plane switching request or the plane specified by the connection APP is in an unselected state, selects the plane, and notifies the plane switching unit 306 of the plane switching plane information of the selected plane (information of the column corresponding to the plane in the table 600) (S853). The plane switching unit 306 instructs the control IF unit 302 to switch to the selected plane (the plane specified from the plane switching plane information) (S854). That is, the plane switching unit 306 instructs the interface of the IF name 602 to be set to the VLAN specified by the plane switching point 603. In response to the instruction, the control IF unit 302 causes the NW device 140 to execute plane switching to connect the second NW-IF 17 to the first NW-IF 16 of the plane (S855). That is, the control IF unit 302 sets the first NW-IF 16 of the plane to the VLAN specified by the plane switching point 603 to which the second NW-IF 17 is connected, and excludes the first NW-IF 16 of the other planes from the VLAN specified by the plane switching point 603. The control IF unit 302 notifies the plane switching unit 306 of the result (S856), and the plane switching unit 306 notifies the plane selection unit 305 of the result (S857). The face selection unit 305 updates the face information table 600 for face switching in the face DB 307 based on the result (setting the state of the selected face to selected state and setting the state of the face that was selected before the selection to unselected state) (S858), and the operation IF unit 301 receives the result (S859). The result indicates whether the processing of S855 was completed normally and the face information of the selected face. The operation IF unit 301 may notify the linkage system 150 of the face information of the selected face (S860).

[0076] The operation IF unit 301 may receive, for example, a status change notification from the linkage system 150 (S861). That is, the control device 120 may detect the status change by the notification from the linkage system 150. The detection of the status change may be performed by the control device 120 monitoring the NW device 140. The detection of the status change may be any of the following: identification of the data transmission source device after the change, identification of the data type (e.g., video, audio, or text) of the communication target after the change, and identification of the requirement (e.g., delay and / or bandwidth) after the change of the network characteristics. The operation IF unit 301 stores a log of the status change in the plane DB 307 (S862). The plane selection unit 305 refers to the plane selection table 700 (S863), selects a plane (an unselected plane) with characteristics suitable for the changed status, and notifies the plane switching unit 306 of the plane switching information of the selected plane (S864). The plane switching unit 306 instructs the control IF unit 302 to switch to the selected plane (the plane specified by the plane information for plane switching) (S865). In response to the instruction, the control IF unit 302 causes the NW device 140 to execute plane switching to connect the second NW-IF 17 to the first NW-IF 16 of the plane (S866). The control IF unit 302 notifies the plane switching unit 306 of the result (S867), and the plane switching unit 306 notifies the plane selection unit 305 of the result (S868). The plane selection unit 305 updates the plane information table 600 for plane switching in the plane DB 307 based on the result (S869), and the operation IF unit 301 receives the result (S870). The operation IF unit 301 may notify the linkage system 150 of the plane information of the selected plane (S861).

[0077] As described above, in the preparation phase, the control device 120 constructs a surface represented by the surface information, which allows the control device 120 to quickly switch surfaces in response to changes in the situation in the operation phase.

[0078] FIG. 9 shows an example of details of S853 to S859 and S864 to S870 in FIG.

[0079] The surface selection unit 305 creates information for surface selection (S900). That is, the surface selection unit 305 compares the input related to surface selection from the operation IF 301 with the surface information for surface switching stored in the surface DB 307, and creates information combining FIG. 7 and FIG. 6. The surface selection unit 305 judges whether the surface condition is a network characteristic (S901). This judgment is made based on the condition specified in the request received through the operation IF unit 301, or the condition according to the detected (specified) changed situation. In the latter case, if there is no change in the requirements of the network characteristics but the data transmission source device has changed or the data type has changed, the APP to be processed by the data needs to be changed, and the judgment result of S901 is false.

[0080] If the judgment result of S901 is false (S901: NO), the face selection unit 305 refers to the face information table 400 for face construction and the face group table 500 (S911) and determines whether a face that meets the conditions (for example, a face that matches the specified face information or a face that includes an APP that meets the conditions) is present in the face group that meets the conditions (S912).

[0081] If the determination result of S912 is false (S912: NO), the surface selection unit 305 stores inconsistency information, which is information indicating the non-matching surface information or APP (specified surface information or APP as a condition), in the surface DB 307 (S913), and notifies the operation IF unit 301 of the result including the inconsistency information (S930). The operation IF unit 301 may display the result on the linkage system 150, for example.

[0082] If the result of the determination in S912 is true (S912: YES), the face selection unit 305 refers to the face information table 600 for face switching (S940), and determines whether the face state 604 corresponding to the face that meets the conditions is "selected" (S941).

[0083] When the determination result of S941 is true (S941: YES), the face selection unit 305 notifies the operation IF unit 301 that the face that meets the condition is in a selected state (already selected) (S951). The operation IF unit 301 may display the notification (that the face that meets the condition is in a selected state) on the linkage system 150, for example.

[0084] When the determination result of S941 is false (S941: NO), the plane selection unit 305 selects a plane that meets the condition (sets the plane state 604 to "selected"), and the plane switching unit 306 creates switching information for the selected plane (S961). That is, the plane switching unit 306 creates an instruction to set the interface of the IF name 602 of the selected plane to the VLAN specified by the plane switching point 603. The plane switching unit 306 transmits the created switching information to the control IF unit 302, and the control IF unit 302 causes the NW device 140 to execute plane switching based on the switching information, and receives the result of the plane switching (S962). The result of the plane switching is notified from the plane switching unit 306 to the operation IF unit 301 via the plane selection unit 305 (S963).

[0085] If the judgment result of S901 is true (S901: YES), the face selection unit 305 refers to the face information table 400 for face construction and the face group table 500 (S921) and determines whether a face that meets the conditions (e.g., a face having network characteristics that satisfy the changed situation) exists in the face group that meets the conditions (S922).

[0086] If the determination result of S922 is false (S922: NO), the surface selection unit 305 stores inconsistency information, which is information representing the network characteristics that are no longer applicable (for example, requirements for network characteristics that satisfy the changed situation (for example, each range of delay and bandwidth)), in the surface DB 307 (S923), and notifies the operation IF unit 301 of the result including the inconsistency information (S930). The operation IF unit 301 may display the result on the linkage system 150, for example.

[0087] When the determination result of S922 is true (S912: YES), the above-mentioned S940, S941, and S951 or S961 to S963 are performed.

[0088] As described above, the plane selection and plane switching are performed according to the changed situation detected by the control device 120. This makes it possible to maintain the APP and network (communication path) according to the situation.

[0089] Furthermore, the face selection table 700 includes information indicating network characteristics (characteristics based on at least one of communication delay and bandwidth) guaranteed for each of the multiple faces, and the condition is a requirement for the network characteristics based on at least one of communication delay and bandwidth via the second NW-IF 17. This makes it possible to maintain an appropriate APP and network (communication path) even if the requirement for the network characteristics changes.

[0090] Furthermore, the surface construction surface information table 400 includes information indicating the application included in each of the multiple surfaces. The condition is an application that can process data via the second NW-IF 17. This makes it possible to maintain an appropriate APP and network (communication path) even if the type of data to be processed changes.

[0091] FIG. 10 shows an example of the configuration of an operation UI 1000, which is an example of a UI provided by the operation IF unit 301. As shown in FIG.

[0092] The operation UI 1000 is a UI used for viewing and modifying information related to face groups, and viewing and modifying information related to faces. The operation UI 1000 displays a face group list 1010, a face list 1020, and setting items 1030.

[0093] The face group list 1010 is displayed based on the face group table 500, the face switching face information table 600, and the face selection table 700. The face group list 1010 has, for each face group, a face group name 1011, a number of faces 1012, a selected face 1013, and selection 1014. The face group name 1011, the number of faces 1012, and selection 1014 are information corresponding to the face group name 501, the number of faces 502, and selection 504, respectively. The selected face 1013 is information indicating the face name of a face in the face list 503 whose face status 604 is “selected”.

[0094] The surface list 1020 is displayed based on the surface group table 500 and the surface information table 600 for surface switching. The surface group list 1010 has a field 1025 in which a surface group name is input, and a list of surfaces corresponding to the surface group name input in the field 1025. The list has a surface name 1021, an operating application 1022, and a selected surface 1023 for each surface. The surface name 1021 is information based on the surface list 503. The operating application 1022 is information based on the connection APP 704. The selected surface 1023 is a tool (e.g., a radio button) for selecting a surface.

[0095] The setting item 1030 is displayed based on the surface information table 400 for surface construction. The setting item 1030 has a field 1035 in which the surface name of the surface selected in the surface list 1020 is displayed, and a list of devices including surface elements having the surface name displayed in the field 1035. The list has information such as a device name 1031, a device type 1032, and an operation type 1033 for each device. The device name 1031 indicates the name of the device, the device type 1032 indicates the type of device, and the operation type 1033 indicates whether the device is a component of a surface or performs surface switching. "Server" means a server device, and "switch" means a NW device.

[0096] This concludes the description of the first embodiment. The face 19 does not necessarily have to be included in a face group, and the face group does not necessarily have to exist. [Second embodiment]

[0097] The second embodiment will be described below, focusing mainly on the differences from the first embodiment, and explanations of the points in common with the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

[0098] FIG. 11 shows a portion of an example of the configuration of a wireless communication device 1100 according to the second embodiment.

[0099] In plane 19, IF1101, bridge 1111, and IF1113 exist between APP12 and NetNS13 of OS111. IF1101 and IF1113 are, for example, virtual interfaces each constructed on an OS. By using bridge 1111, it is possible to construct a plane by manipulating the settings between Bridge 1111 and IF14, which are not subject to the APP management system, without directly operating APP12, for which, for example, an IP address or VLAN is set according to the APP by, for example, an APP management system, and IF1101 accompanying the APP, from outside the APP management system. [Third embodiment]

[0100] The third embodiment will be described below, focusing mainly on the differences from the first and second embodiments, and explanations of the commonalities between the first and second embodiments will be omitted or simplified.

[0101] FIG. 12 shows a portion of an example of the configuration of a wireless communication device 1200 according to the third embodiment.

[0102] As shown by the plane 19A2, the elements included in the plane 19 are not limited to elements in the wireless communication device 1200. For example, another NW device 1250 may be interposed between the server device 110 and the NW device 140, and an APP 12A22 in an external device (not shown) connected to a NW-IF 1204 of the other NW device 1250 may be an element of the plane 19A2. The plane 19A2 may include a NW-IF 1201 and a NW-IF 1203 of the other NW device 1250, and a VRF (Virtual Routing and Forwarding) 1202. The other NW device 1250 is a NW device having elements of a plane to be constructed (operation type "plane configuration"), and the NW device 140 is a NW device used for plane switching (operation type "plane switching").

[0103] Although several embodiments have been described above, these are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. For example, instead of or in addition to the wireless communication device 100 as a device package, a control device may build the above-mentioned multiple planes for a server device and a network device external to the wireless communication device 100 and perform plane switching. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 100: Wireless communication device

Claims

1. A wireless communication device as an equipment package including a network device, a wireless base station, and one or more devices connected to the network device, a plurality of faces which are a plurality of logical network partitions; A control device connected to the network device; Equipped with the one or more devices include a server device which is one or more computers connected to the network device; The network device comprises: A plurality of first NW-IFs which are a plurality of interfaces connected to the server device; a second NW-IF which is an interface connected to at least one of a network and the wireless base station and is an interface connected to any one of the first NW-IFs; having The server device includes: Multiple applications that input and output data, Each of these has multiple network settings that are the basis for data transfer, a plurality of SV-IFs which are a plurality of interfaces connected to the plurality of first NW-IFs; having Each of the plurality of planes includes an application, a network setting, an SV-IF, and a first NW-IF that are not included in any other plane; the control device has surface management information for each of the plurality of surfaces, the surface management information including information regarding the surface; The control device, selecting a surface that meets a condition from the plurality of surfaces based on the surface management information; causing the network device to execute a plane switching to connect the second NW-IF to a first NW-IF in the selected plane; Wireless communication device.

2. The condition is a condition according to a changed situation detected by the control device. The wireless communication device of claim 1 .

3. the face management information includes, for each of the plurality of faces, information that indicates a network characteristic that is guaranteed for that face; The network characteristics are based on at least one of a communication delay and a communication bandwidth, The condition is a requirement of a network characteristic based on at least one of a delay and a bandwidth of a communication via the second NW-IF; The wireless communication device of claim 1 .

4. the surface management information includes, for each of the plurality of surfaces, information that indicates a purpose of an application included in the surface; The condition is a use of an application capable of processing data via the second NW-IF. The wireless communication device according to claim 2 .

5. the plurality of faces are arranged in two or more face groups; each of the two or more face groups includes two or more faces; the control device selects one face for each face group and causes the network device to execute face switching to connect a first NW-IF of the selected face to a second NW-IF; The wireless communication device of claim 1 .

6. The control device constructs the plurality of surfaces. The wireless communication device of claim 1 .

7. The IP addresses associated with each of the plurality of first NW-IFs are the same IP address; The wireless communication device of claim 1 .

8. 1. A method for controlling a wireless communication device as a device package including a network device and one or more devices connected to the network device, comprising: the wireless communication device has a plurality of planes which are a plurality of logical network partitions; the one or more devices include a server device which is one or more computers connected to the network device; The network device comprises: A plurality of first NW-IFs which are a plurality of interfaces connected to the server device; a second NW-IF which is an interface connected to at least one of a wireless base station and a network and is an interface connected to any one of the plurality of first NW-IFs; having The server device includes: Multiple applications that input and output data, Each of these has multiple network settings that are the basis for data transfer, a plurality of SV-IFs which are a plurality of interfaces connected to the plurality of first NW-IFs; having Each of the plurality of planes includes an application, a network setting, an SV-IF, and a first NW-IF that are not included in any other plane; The control method includes: selecting, by a computer, a surface that satisfies a condition from among the plurality of surfaces based on surface management information including information about each of the plurality of surfaces; causing the network device to execute plane switching by a computer to connect the second NW-IF to the first NW-IF in the selected plane; Control methods.

9. A computer program executed by a computer that controls a wireless communication device as a device package including a network device and one or more devices connected to the network device, the wireless communication device has a plurality of planes which are a plurality of logical network partitions; the one or more devices include a server device which is one or more computers connected to the network device; The network device comprises: A plurality of first NW-IFs which are a plurality of interfaces connected to the server device; a second NW-IF which is an interface connected to at least one of a wireless base station and a network and is an interface connected to any one of the plurality of first NW-IFs; having The server device includes: Multiple applications that input and output data, Each of these has multiple network settings that are the basis for data transfer, a plurality of SV-IFs which are a plurality of interfaces connected to the plurality of first NW-IFs; having Each of the plurality of planes includes an application, a network setting, an SV-IF, and a first NW-IF that are not included in any other plane; The computer includes: selecting a surface that satisfies a condition from among the plurality of surfaces based on surface management information including information about each of the plurality of surfaces; causing the network device to execute a plane switching to connect the second NW-IF to a first NW-IF in the selected plane; A computer program that makes things happen.

Images