Information processing device

Abstract

The present invention implements switching between two protocol sets without correcting an application.　The information processing device comprises: a first communication processing unit for communicating with a first external device according to a first protocol set; and a second communication processing unit for communicating with a second external device according to a second protocol set, wherein the first communication processing unit transmits, to the first external device, data received from the application according to the first protocol set when a prescribed condition is not satisfied, and transmits the data to the second communication processing unit when the prescribed condition is satisfied, and the second communication processing unit transmits the data received from the first communication processing unit to the second external device according to the second protocol set.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] In-vehicle devices such as navigation systems are now able to provide a variety of services by linking with external devices on the Internet. Currently, TCP / IP is widely used as the standard protocol set for communication with external devices on the Internet. For this reason, applications installed on in-vehicle devices are developed to be able to use communications that comply with TCP / IP.

[0003] The in-vehicle device is connected to an external device on the Internet via a communication terminal device that has a function to connect to a mobile communication system such as LTE. In this case, communication between the in-vehicle device and the communication terminal device may use a unique protocol set that is different from TCP / IP.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for switching between communication according to TCP / IP and communication according to a unique protocol set by switching the IP address of the destination in an application. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-88512 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in order to implement the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 in an application developed by another company, the application must be modified.

[0007] One example of a problem to be solved by the present invention is to realize switching between two protocol sets without modifying applications. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 comprises a first communication processing unit for communicating with a first external device in accordance with a first protocol set, and a second communication processing unit for communicating with a second external device in accordance with a second protocol set, wherein the first communication processing unit transmits data received from an application to the first external device in accordance with the first protocol set if a predetermined condition is not met, and sends the data to the second communication processing unit if the predetermined condition is met, and the second communication processing unit transmits the data received from the first communication processing unit to the second external device in accordance with the second protocol set.

[0009] The invention described in claim 4 is an information processing method executed by a computer having a first communication processing unit for communicating with a first external device in accordance with a first protocol set and a second communication processing unit for communicating with a second external device in accordance with a second protocol set, comprising the steps of: transmitting data received from an application to the first external device in accordance with the first protocol set by the first communication processing unit if a predetermined condition is not met; and sending the data to the second communication processing unit if the predetermined condition is met; and transmitting data received from the first communication processing unit to the second external device in accordance with the second protocol set by the second communication processing unit.

[0010] The invention described in claim 5 causes the information processing method described in claim 4 to be executed by a computer.

[0011] The invention as recited in claim 6 stores the information processing program as recited in claim 5. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an information processing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing an example of processing operations performed in the information processing device 100 and the second external device 300 when transmitting data to the first external device 200. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] An information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first communication processing unit for communicating with a first external device according to a first protocol set and a second communication processing unit for communicating with a second external device according to a second protocol set. The first communication processing unit transmits data received from an application to the first external device according to the first protocol set if a predetermined condition is not met, and sends the data to the second communication processing unit if the predetermined condition is met. The second communication processing unit then transmits the data received from the first communication processing unit to the second external device according to the second protocol set. Thus, in this embodiment, simply by having an application of the information processing device send data to the first communication processing unit 111 according to the first protocol set, it is possible to communicate not only according to the first protocol set but also according to the second protocol set. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the application is developed by another company, it is possible to use communication according to a proprietary protocol set in addition to communication according to a standard protocol set without modifying the application.

[0014] The predetermined condition may be that communication with the second external device in accordance with the second protocol set is possible, whereby when communication with the second external device is possible, the application can transmit data from the first external device via the second external device.

[0015] The information processing device may further include a relay unit that relays communication between the first communication processing unit and the second communication processing unit, and if the predetermined condition is satisfied, the first communication processing unit may rewrite the destination of data received from the application from the first external device to its own device, and the relay unit may send data whose destination is its own device from the first communication processing unit to the second communication processing unit. By doing so, when the first communication processing unit performs communication in accordance with a standard communication protocol set (e.g., TCP / IP), it is possible to minimize modification of the first communication processing unit.

[0016] An information processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention is an information processing method executed by a computer having a first communication processing unit for communicating with a first external device according to a first protocol set and a second communication processing unit for communicating with a second external device according to a second protocol set. The information processing method includes the steps of: transmitting data received from an application to the first external device according to the first protocol set by the first communication processing unit if a predetermined condition is not met; and transmitting the data to the second communication processing unit if the predetermined condition is met; and transmitting data received from the first communication processing unit to the second external device according to the second protocol set by the second communication processing unit. Thus, in this embodiment, simply by having an application of the information processing device send data to the first communication processing unit 111 according to the first protocol set, it is possible to communicate not only according to the first protocol set but also according to the second protocol set. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the application is developed by another company, it is possible to use communication according to a proprietary protocol set in addition to communication according to a standard protocol set without modifying the application.

[0017] An information processing program according to an embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to execute the above-described information processing method, and therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to use a computer to communicate according to a unique protocol set in addition to communications according to a standard protocol set without modifying an application.

[0018] A computer-readable storage medium according to one embodiment of the present invention stores the information processing program. Therefore, in this embodiment, the information processing program can be distributed as a standalone program in addition to being incorporated into a device, and version upgrades can be easily performed. [Example]

[0019] <Information processing device 100> 1 is a diagram showing an information processing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing device 100 is, for example, an in-vehicle device such as a navigation system, and communicates with a first external device 200 installed on the Internet. When communicating with the first external device 200, the information processing device 100 can communicate via a second external device 300 (for example, a communication mobile terminal such as a smartphone).

[0020] The information processing device 100 has a control unit 110, a first communication unit 120, and a second communication unit 130. The control unit 110 is configured by a computer. The first communication unit 120 is a communication device for performing communication using a mobile communication system, for example, a communication device for performing communication according to a mobile communication standard such as LTE, 5G, or 6G. The second communication unit 130 is a communication device for wireless communication with a device in a short distance (for example, a second external device 300), for example, a communication device for performing communication according to a short-range communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0021] The control unit 110 includes a first communication processing unit 111 , a second communication processing unit 112 , and an application 113 .

[0022] The first communication processing unit 111 performs processing for communicating with a first external device 200 connected to the Internet in accordance with a first protocol set, and the second communication processing unit 112 performs processing for communicating with a second external device 300 located in close proximity in accordance with a second protocol set. The first protocol set is a standard communication protocol set, such as TCP / IP. The second protocol set is a protocol set different from the first protocol set, such as a unique protocol set.

[0023] The application 113 is, for example, an application that performs processing including transmitting and receiving data to and from the first external device 200 connected to the Internet. If the application 113 is an application that realizes the function of a navigation system, the application 113 transmits, for example, location information of a vehicle in which the information processing device 100 is installed to the first external device 200, and receives information about that location (for example, traffic congestion information) from the first external device 200.

[0024] The application 113 transmits and receives data to and from the first external device 200 in accordance with the first protocol set. For example, to transmit data to the first external device 200, the application 113 transmits data addressed to the first external device 200 to the first communication processing unit 111 in accordance with the first protocol set. The first communication processing unit 111 then processes the data received from the application 113 so that communication can be performed in accordance with the first protocol set, and transmits the data to the first external device 200.

[0025] If the first protocol set is TCP / IP, the first communication processing unit 111 is composed of a TCP module that encapsulates / decapsulates TCP headers and establishes connections, an IP module that encapsulates / decapsulates IP headers and packetizes them, and an Ethernet module that encapsulates / decapsulates Ethernet headers and frames them.

[0026] If the first protocol set is TCP / IP, the IP address of the first external device 200 is set as the destination of data to be transmitted to the first external device 200. Furthermore, the IP address of the information processing device 100 is set as the destination of data to be transmitted from the first external device 200 to an application, and the port number of the application is set as the port number.

[0027] The first communication processing unit 111 uses the first communication unit 120 or the second communication unit 130 when transmitting data to the first external device 200. When the first communication processing unit 111 transmits data to the first external device 200 using the second communication unit 130, the data is transmitted to the first external device 200 via another communication device (for example, the second external device 300). If the first protocol set is TCP / IP, this communication via the second external device 300 is communication using the tethering function of the second external device 300, and in this communication, the second external device 300 functions as a router.

[0028] In this embodiment, if the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the first communication processing unit 111 transmits the data received from the application 113 to the first external device 200 in accordance with the first protocol set, as described above. On the other hand, if the predetermined condition is satisfied, the first communication processing unit 111 sends the data received from the application 113 to the second communication processing unit 112. Then, the second communication processing unit 112 transmits the data received from the first communication processing unit 111 to the second external device 200 via the second communication unit 130 in accordance with the second protocol set.

[0029] The predetermined condition is, for example, that communication with the second external device 200 according to the second protocol set is possible. That is, for example, if communication with the second external device 200 according to the second protocol set is possible, the first communication processing unit 111 sends data received from the application 113 to the second communication processing unit 112. For example, if communication with the second external device 300 via the second communication unit 130 is connected and an application 312 (described later) is running in the second external device 300, the first communication processing unit 111 may determine that communication with the second external device 200 according to the second protocol set is possible.

[0030] The predetermined condition may be, for example, that the user has input instructing the use of communication conforming to the second protocol set. In other words, if the user has input instructing the use of communication conforming to the second protocol set, the first communication processing unit 111 sends the data received from the application 113 to the second communication processing unit 112.

[0031] The second external device 300 has a control unit 310, a first communication unit 320, and a second communication unit 330. The control unit 310 is configured by a computer. The first communication unit 320 is a communication device for performing communication using a mobile communication system, for example, a communication device for performing communication in accordance with a mobile communication standard such as LTE, 5G, or 6G. The second communication unit 330 is a communication device for performing wireless communication with a device in a short distance, for example, a communication device for performing communication in accordance with a short-range communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0032] The control unit 310 of the second external device 300 includes a first communication processing unit 311 and an application 312 .

[0033] The first communication processing unit 311 performs processing for communicating with the first external device 200 connected to the Internet in accordance with a first protocol set.

[0034] The application 312 receives data transmitted from the information processing device 100 in accordance with the second protocol set by the second communication unit 330, and sends this received data to the first communication processing unit 311 in accordance with the first protocol set, with the destination being the first external device 200. The first communication processing unit 311 then processes the data received from the application 312 so that communication in accordance with the first protocol set can be performed, and transmits the data to the first external device 200 by the first communication unit 330.

[0035] As described above, in this embodiment, it is possible to perform communication according to not only the first protocol set but also the second protocol set simply by having the application 113 of the information processing device 100 send data according to the first protocol set to the first communication processing unit 111. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the application is developed by another company, it is possible to use communication according to a unique protocol set in addition to communication according to a standard protocol set without modifying the application.

[0036] 2 is a diagram showing an example of processing operations performed in the information processing device 100 and the second external device 300 when transmitting data to the first external device 200. The application 113 of the information processing device 100 sends data addressed to the first external device 200 to the first communication processing unit 111 in accordance with a first protocol set (step S201). The first communication processing unit 111 of the information processing device 100 checks whether a predetermined condition is met (step S202).

[0037] If the specified condition is not met (step S202, NO), the first communication processing unit 111 of the information processing device 100 processes the data received from the application 113 so that communication can be performed in accordance with the first protocol set, and transmits the data to the first external device 200 via the first communication unit 120 or the second communication unit 130 (step S203).

[0038] If the predetermined condition is satisfied (step S202, YES), the first communication processing unit 111 of the information processing device 100 sends the data received from the application 113 to the second communication processing unit (step S204). Then, the second communication processing unit 112 of the information processing device 100 transmits the data received from the first communication processing unit 111 to the second external device 200 via the second communication unit 330 in accordance with the second protocol set (step S205).

[0039] The application 312 of the second external device 200 receives the data transmitted from the information processing device 100 in accordance with the second protocol set by the second communication unit 330, and sends the received data to the first communication processing unit 311 in accordance with the first protocol set and with the first external device 200 as the destination (step S206). The first communication processing unit 311 processes the data received from the application 312 so that communication in accordance with the first protocol set can be performed, and transmits the data to the first external device 200 by the first communication unit 320 (step S207).

[0040] The information processing device 100 may receive data from the first external device 200 via the second external device 300, for example, as follows. When the first communication unit 320 receives data from the first external device 200 addressed to an application 312 of the second external device 300, the first communication processing unit 311 of the second external device 300 sends the data to the application 312. The application 312 of the second external device 300 transmits the data received from the first communication processing unit 311 to the information processing device 100 via the second communication unit 330 in accordance with a second protocol set. When the second communication processing unit 112 of the information processing device 100 receives data from the second external device 300, it sends the data to the first communication processing unit 111. When the first communication processing unit 111 of the information processing device 100 receives data from the second communication processing unit 112, it sends the data to the application 113.

[0041] <Relay Unit 114> The control unit 110 may include a relay unit 114 that relays communication between the first communication processing unit 111 and the second communication processing unit 112.

[0042] For example, when the first communication processing unit 111 receives data from the application 113, if the above-mentioned predetermined conditions are satisfied, it may rewrite the destination of the data to its own device, and the relay unit 114 may send data whose destination address in the first protocol set is its own device from the first communication processing unit 111 to the second communication processing unit 112.

[0043] At this time, if the first protocol set is TCP / IP, it is preferable that the TCP module of the first communication processing unit 111 rewrites the IP address of the destination of the data received from the application 111 to a loopback address. Then, the relay unit 114 sends the data whose destination is the loopback address to the second communication processing unit 112. It is preferable that the relay unit 114 be realized by, for example, middleware.

[0044] The present invention has been described above in terms of preferred embodiments thereof. While the present invention has been described herein with reference to specific examples, various modifications and variations can be made to these examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 100 Information processing device 110 control section 111 first communication processing unit 112 second communication processing unit 113 Applications 114 Relay Section 120 First Communications Department 130 Second Communications Department 200 First external device 300 Second external device 310 Control Unit 311 first communication processing unit 312 Applications 320 First Communications Department 330 Second Communications Department

Claims

1. a first communication processor for communicating with a first external device according to a first protocol set; a second communication processing unit for communicating with a second external device in accordance with a second protocol set that is different from the first protocol set; the first communication processing unit transmits data received from an application to the first external device in accordance with the first protocol set if a predetermined condition is not satisfied, and sends the data to the second communication processing unit if the predetermined condition is satisfied; The second communication processing unit transmits the data received from the first communication processing unit to the second external device in accordance with the second protocol set.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined condition is that communication with the second external apparatus in accordance with the second protocol set is possible.

3. a relay unit that relays communication between the first communication processing unit and the second communication processing unit, if the predetermined condition is satisfied, the first communication processing unit rewrites a destination of data received from an application from the first external device to the information processing device; The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the relay unit transmits data whose destination is the information processing device from the first communication processing unit to the second communication processing unit.

4. An information processing method executed by a computer having a first communication processing unit for communicating with a first external device in accordance with a first protocol set, and a second communication processing unit for communicating with a second external device in accordance with a second protocol set that is a protocol set different from the first protocol set, comprising: transmitting data received from an application to the first external device in accordance with the first protocol set by the first communication processing unit if a predetermined condition is not satisfied, and transmitting the data to the second communication processing unit if the predetermined condition is satisfied; and transmitting, by the second communications processing unit, the data received from the first communications processing unit to the second external device in accordance with the second protocol set.

5. An information processing program that causes a computer to execute the information processing method according to claim 4.

6. A computer-readable storage medium storing the information processing program according to claim 5.

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