Information Processing Apparatus, Method, and Program

Abstract

To provide an information processor capable of providing, to a provision source of an external service, information that contributes to make the provision source of the external service execute suitable control of a provision destination of the external service based on communication quality.SOLUTION: An information processor communicating with a provision source of an external service includes: a receiving unit that receives, from the provision source, a request concerning communication quality required for execution of the external service; an acquisition unit that acquires, from a predetermined database, information on communication quality required for execution of the external service based on the request received by the receiving unit; and a transmitting unit that transmits, to the provision source, the information acquired by the acquisition unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus that communicates with a provider of an external service, etc.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an autonomous vehicle service platform connected via a network so as to be communicable with a plurality of autonomous vehicles that automatically drive on a road network. This autonomous vehicle service platform remotely controls a plurality of autonomous vehicles and provides various services using the autonomous vehicles to users.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In an external service for remotely controlling a vehicle, if communication between the provider of the external service and the vehicle that is the destination of the service is delayed or interrupted, it may affect the execution of the external service. For this reason, there is room for further improvement in the method of providing an external service that takes into account communication quality including delays and interruptions between the provider and the destination of the external service.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus or the like that can give information to a provider of an external service, the information contributing to suitably performing control of the destination of the external service based on communication quality at the provider of the external service.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, one aspect of the disclosed technology is an information processing apparatus that communicates with a provider of an external service, the information processing apparatus including: a receiving unit that receives a request regarding communication quality required for execution of the external service from the provider; an acquiring unit that acquires information regarding communication quality required for execution of the external service from a predetermined database based on the request received by the receiving unit; and a transmitting unit that transmits the information acquired by the acquiring unit to the provider.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the information processing apparatus of the present disclosure and the like, in response to a request from a provider of an external service, information regarding communication quality required for execution of the external service is transmitted, so that it becomes possible to suitably perform control of the destination of the external service based on communication quality at the provider of the external service.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] When the information processing apparatus of the present disclosure receives a request regarding the communication quality required for the execution of an external service from the provider of the external service, it acquires communication quality information required for the execution of the external service corresponding to the request from the communication quality map database and transmits it to the provider of the external service. Thereby, the provider of the external service that has received the communication quality information can suitably control the destination of the external service based on the communication quality information. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] <Embodiment> [Configuration] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration example of a system 100 including an information processing apparatus 130 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes an external service destination 110, an external service provider 120, and an information processing apparatus 130.

[0011] (1) External service destination The external service destination 110 is configured to communicate with the external service provider 120 and enjoy an external service from the external service provider 120. Examples of the external service destination 110 include mobility such as a vehicle. Further, the external service destination 110 can transmit a response regarding the enjoyed external service to the external service provider 120. Note that the number of external service destinations 110 that communicate with the external service provider 120 is not limited to one.

[0012] (2) External service provider The external service provider 120 is configured to communicate with the external service destination 110 and provide a predetermined external service to the external service destination 110. Further, the external service provider 120 can communicate with the information processing apparatus 130 and acquire information required for the execution of the external service from the information processing apparatus 130. The external service provider 120 includes a communication unit 121 and a control unit 122.

[0013] The communication unit 121 transmits (transmission unit) and receives (reception unit) predetermined data and information to and from the external service provider 110 and the information processing device 130. The communication unit 121 transmits instructions regarding operations necessary for providing an external service to the external service provider 110, and receives responses regarding the behavior in response to this instruction from the external service provider 110. Also, the communication unit 121 transmits a request to the information processing device 130 to obtain information regarding the communication quality necessary for executing an external service, and receives, as a result of this request, information regarding the communication quality necessary for executing the external service from the information processing device 130. Furthermore, the communication unit 121 can receive an inquiry from the information processing device 130 and transmit a response corresponding to this inquiry to the information processing device 130.

[0014] The control unit 122 is in charge of overall control of the external service provider 120, including processing for providing a predetermined external service to the external service provider 110 and processing for utilizing information regarding the communication quality necessary for executing the external service obtained from the information processing device 130 for control of the external service. As an example of the external service, when the external service provider 110 is a vehicle, manual remote driving of the vehicle by an operator or automatic remote driving of the vehicle by an application (APP) can be cited.

[0015] All or part of this external service provider 120 can typically be configured as an electronic control unit (ECU: Electronic Control Unit) including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a readable storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and an input / output interface. By the processor reading and executing a program stored in the memory, all or part of the functions performed by the communication unit 121 and the control unit 122 described above can be realized.

[0016] (3) Information Processing Device The information processing device 130 is configured to communicate with the external service provider 120 and provide the external service provider 120 with information necessary for the execution of the external service. This information processing device 130 is, for example, a cloud server. The information processing device 130 includes a communication unit 131, a mediation / acquisition unit 132, and a communication quality map database 133.

[0017] The communication unit 131 receives (reception unit) from the external service provider 120 a request regarding the communication quality necessary for the execution of the external service, and transmits (transmission unit) to the external service provider 120 information regarding the communication quality necessary for the execution of the external service as a result of this request. Further, when acquiring information regarding the communication quality necessary for the execution of the external service, the communication unit 131 transmits (transmission unit) an inquiry about the running information (described later) required for the acquisition to the external service provider 120, and receives (reception unit) a response corresponding to this inquiry from the external service provider 120.

[0018] Based on the request regarding the communication quality necessary for the execution of the external service received by the communication unit 131, the mediation / acquisition unit 132 acquires (acquisition unit) from the communication quality map database 133 information regarding the communication quality necessary for the execution of the external service. Here, when there are a plurality of requests regarding the communication quality necessary for the execution of the external service received by the communication unit 131, the mediation / acquisition unit 132 can perform mediation to select any one of the requests based on the type of each external service (such as related to vehicle running, non-running related to the vehicle, autonomous driving, manual driving, etc.) (mediation unit). For example, mediation can be performed with the highest priority given to services related to vehicle safety / peace of mind. The information acquired by the mediation / acquisition unit 132 from the communication quality map database 133 is determined by the content requested from the external service provider 120. Information regarding the communication quality necessary for the execution of the external service will be described later.

[0019] The communication quality map database 133 is a storage device that stores information and data related to the communication quality of the communication area where the external service provider 120 can provide external services. Information and data stored in the communication quality map database 133 are acquired from the external service destination 110, the external service provider 120, etc. via the communication unit 131. In this communication quality map database 133, the measurement time of data and information, GPS latitude / longitude, the name of the communication line service provider, and the cell ID (Identification) of the base station that relays communication, etc. are stored statistically as past data in a map format corresponding to the map information of the road. Further, in the communication quality map database 133, information provided by the base station (the received signal strength RSSI of the entire band received by the antenna, the reference signal received power RSRP indicating the radio wave strength from the base station, the radio wave reception quality RSRQ serving as a measure of the line congestion situation, the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio RSSNR representing the signal quality, etc.), the effective speed (average / peak throughput of upload and download), the communication delay time, and the packet loss, etc. are stored as communication quality information.

[0020] A part of this information processing device 130 can typically be configured as an electronic control unit (ECU) including a processor such as a CPU, a memory such as a RAM, a readable / writable storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and an input / output interface, etc. By the processor reading and executing the program stored in the memory, all or part of the functions performed by the above-described communication unit 131 and the mediation / acquisition unit 132 can be realized.

[0021] [Control] Next, with further reference to FIGS. 2 to 6, the external service control executed by the external service provider 120 and the information processing device 130 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0022] (1) First example of external service control Figure 2 is a processing sequence for explaining a first example of external service control executed by the external service provider 120 and the information processing apparatus 130. This first example is an example of external service control in a case where a remote operation center (operation center), which is the external service provider 120, provides manual remote driving by an operator's operation as an external service to the vehicle of the external service recipient 110.

[0023] (Step S211) The remote operation center 120 (external service provider 120) transmits a request regarding the communication quality required for the execution of manual remote driving (external service) to the information processing apparatus 130. Examples of requests from the remote operation center 120 include requests related to improving the accuracy of the predicted driving trajectory depicted in the camera image in front of the vehicle that the operator checks in order to manually remotely operate the vehicle 110 (external service recipient 110).

[0024] (Step S221) When the information processing apparatus 130 receives a request regarding the communication quality required for the execution of manual remote driving from the remote operation center 120, it inquires of the remote operation center 120 for the driving information necessary to obtain information regarding the communication quality required for the execution of manual remote driving. Examples of the driving information to be inquired of the remote operation center 120 include the current position, destination, planned driving route, speed, and information granularity (the area where information is required (narrow area or wide area)) of the vehicle 110.

[0025] (Step S212) When the remote operation center 120 receives an inquiry for driving information from the information processing apparatus 130, it answers the information processing apparatus 130 with the driving information corresponding to this inquiry.

[0026] (Step S222) When the information processing device 130 receives the travel information response from the remote driving center 120, it refers to the communication quality map database 133 and identifies one or more base stations that are responsible for the communication areas of one or more routes along which the vehicle 110 may travel according to the travel information received. Then, the information processing device 130 derives, as a communication quality result, information on the communication quality required for executing manual remote driving according to the content requested by the remote driving center 120, based on various data and information associated with the identified one or more base stations stored in the communication quality map database 133. This communication quality result includes at least the communication quality between the vehicle 110 and the remote driving center 120 (such as the probability of communication delays and communication interruptions occurring according to the granularity of the information).

[0027] (Step S223) The information processing device 130 transmits the communication quality result derived in response to a request from the remote operation center 120 to the remote operation center 120 .

[0028] (Step S213) The remote driving center 120 receives the communication quality result from the information processing device 130 and utilizes the received communication quality result to provide remote driving control for the vehicle. In this embodiment, the communication quality result is utilized in determining whether to change the mode of the predicted driving trajectory drawn in the camera image in front of the vehicle that the operator checks for manual remote operation.

[0029] FIG. 5 is an image diagram of a camera image in front of the vehicle that an operator checks for manual remote operation. In the example of FIG. 5, when the probability of delay or interruption in communication between the vehicle 110 and the remote operation center 120 is low (good communication quality) on the planned travel route after a predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds) during which the vehicle 110 travels, the predicted travel trajectory is normally displayed as a dotted line as shown in FIG. 5(a). On the other hand, when the probability of delay or interruption in communication between the vehicle 110 and the remote operation center 120 is high (poor communication quality) on the planned travel route after a predetermined time during which the vehicle 110 travels, the predicted travel trajectory considering the influence of delay or interruption is highlighted with a solid line, thick line, etc. as shown in FIG. 5(b), or is highlighted step by step according to the difference in the occurrence probability. Note that the threshold value of the occurrence probability for changing the display mode of the predicted travel trajectory may be fixedly set in the remote operation center 120 in advance, or may be dynamically set according to the current situation of the vehicle 110 and its surroundings, such as the road width and number of lanes of the travel route, the speed of the vehicle 110, and the presence or absence of oncoming vehicles.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5, by making the display mode of the predicted travel trajectory on the remote operation screen that the operator sees different between the area with good communication quality and the area with poor communication quality between the vehicle 110 and the remote operation center 120, for example, if the display in FIG. 5(a) is being performed, the operator can recognize that the probability of occurrence of communication delay, communication interruption, etc. is relatively low, and thus can recognize that normal manual remote operation may be performed. On the other hand, if the display in FIG. 5(b) is being performed, it indicates that the probability of occurrence of communication delay, communication interruption, etc. is relatively high, and it can be recognized that it is necessary to perform manual remote operation with a greater sense of tension so as to be able to respond to changes in the situation. Therefore, according to the remote operation method of the present embodiment, compared with the conventional remote operation method that does not utilize the communication quality result, it is possible to expect a reduction in the operation burden of the operator while the display in FIG. 5(a) is being performed.

[0031] (2) Second Example of External Service Control Figure 3 is a processing sequence for explaining a second example of external service control executed by the external service provider 120 and the information processing apparatus 130. This second example is an example of external service control in a case where an automatic remote driving application server, which is the external service provider 120, provides automatic remote driving by an application as an external service to a vehicle that is the external service recipient 110.

[0032] (Step S311) The automatic remote driving application server 120 (external service provider 120) transmits a request regarding the communication quality required for the execution of automatic remote driving (external service) to the information processing apparatus 130. Examples of requests from the automatic remote driving application server 120 include requests regarding compression or reduction of the amount of data transmitted and received between the automatic remote driving application server 120 and the vehicle (external service recipient 110).

[0033] (Step S321) When the information processing apparatus 130 receives a request regarding the communication quality required for the execution of automatic remote driving from the automatic remote driving application server 120, the information processing apparatus 130 inquires of the automatic remote driving application server 120 about the driving information necessary for acquiring information regarding the communication quality required for the execution of automatic remote driving. Examples of the driving information to be inquired of the automatic remote driving application server 120 include the current position of the vehicle, the destination, the planned driving route, the speed, and the granularity of the information (the area where the information is required (narrow area or wide area)).

[0034] (Step S312) When the automatic remote driving application server 120 receives an inquiry about driving information from the information processing apparatus 130, the automatic remote driving application server 120 answers the information processing apparatus 130 with the driving information corresponding to this inquiry.

[0035] (Step S322) When the information processing device 130 receives the travel information response from the automatic remote driving application server 120, it refers to the communication quality map database 133 and identifies one or more base stations that are responsible for the communication areas of one or more routes along which the vehicle 110 may travel according to the returned travel information. Then, the information processing device 130 derives, as a communication quality result, information on the communication quality required to execute automatic remote driving according to the content requested by the automatic remote driving application server 120, based on various data and information associated with the one or more identified base stations stored in the communication quality map database 133. This communication quality result includes at least the communication quality between the vehicle 110 and the automatic remote driving application server 120 (such as the probability of occurrence of communication delays and communication interruptions according to the granularity of the information).

[0036] (Step S323) The information processing device 130 transmits the communication quality result derived in response to a request from the automatic remote driving application server 120 to the automatic remote driving application server 120.

[0037] (Step S313) The autonomous remote driving application server 120 receives the communication quality result from the information processing device 130 and utilizes the received communication quality result to provide autonomous remote driving control for the vehicle. In this embodiment, the communication quality result is utilized for determining whether to compress, reduce, or eliminate the amount of data transmitted and received between the autonomous remote driving application server 120 and the vehicle 110.

[0038] In general, in automatic remote driving, the automatic remote driving application server 120 redundantly provides the vehicle 110 with data related to normal remote driving control (remote control signals) and data related to remote driving control in case of failure, as well as data related to remote driving control considering communication delays and interruptions. Therefore, if it can be determined from the communication quality result that the probability of communication delays, interruptions, etc. occurring between the vehicle 110 and the automatic remote driving application server 120 until a predetermined time has elapsed from the current position of the vehicle 110 is low (good communication quality), the redundant data for the period until the predetermined time has elapsed can be compressed or omitted. On the other hand, if it can be determined from the communication quality result that the probability of communication delays, interruptions, etc. occurring between the vehicle 110 and the automatic remote driving application server 120 until a predetermined time has elapsed from the current position of the vehicle 110 is high (poor communication quality), the amount of redundant data transmitted during the period until the predetermined time has elapsed can be increased, or the communication accuracy can be improved. Thus, according to the remote driving method of the present embodiment, compared with the conventional remote driving method that does not utilize the communication quality result, it is expected to compress, reduce, or cut down the amount of data transmitted and received between the automatic remote driving application server 120 and the vehicle 110, and reduce the load on the communication line.

[0039] (3) Third Example of External Service Control FIG. 4 is a processing sequence for explaining a third example of external service control executed by the external service provider 120 and the information processing device 130. This third example is an example of external service control when a user or operator of an external service, which is the external service provider 120, makes a predetermined determination regarding an external service provided to or to be provided to a vehicle of the external service recipient 110.

[0040] (Step S411) The user / operator 120 of the external service (external service provider 120) transmits a request regarding the communication quality required for the execution of an external service, such as manual remote driving by operator operation or automatic remote driving by an application, to the information processing device 130. Examples of requests from the user / operator 120 of the external service include requests for determining the availability of the external service and requests for evaluation during the use of the external service.

[0041] (Step S421) When the information processing device 130 receives a request regarding the communication quality required for the execution of an external service from the user / operator 120 of the external service, it inquires of the user / operator 120 of the external service about the driving information necessary to obtain information regarding the communication quality required for the execution of the external service. Examples of the driving information to be inquired of the user / operator 120 of the external service include the current position, destination, planned driving route, speed, and information granularity (the area where information is required (narrow or wide area)) of the vehicle 110 (external service destination 110).

[0042] (Step S412) When the user / operator 120 of the external service receives an inquiry about the driving information from the information processing device 130, it answers the information processing device 130 with the driving information corresponding to the inquiry.

[0043] (Step S422) When the information processing device 130 receives a response of the driving information from the user / business operator 120 of the external service, the information processing device 130 refers to the communication quality map database 133 and identifies one or more base stations that are responsible for the communication areas of one or more routes along which the vehicle 110 may travel according to the responded driving information. Then, the information processing device 130 derives, as a communication quality result, information on the communication quality required for executing the external service according to the content requested by the user / business operator 120 of the external service, based on various data and information associated with the identified one or more base stations stored in the communication quality map database 133. This communication quality result includes at least the communication quality (such as the probability of occurrence of communication delays and communication interruptions according to the granularity of information) between the vehicle 110 and the remote driving center or the autonomous remote driving application server that provides the external service.

[0044] (Step S423) The information processing device 130 transmits the communication quality result derived in response to a request from the user / provider 120 of the external service to the user / provider 120 of the external service.

[0045] (Step S413) The user / provider 120 of the external service receives the communication quality result from the information processing device 130 and utilizes the received communication quality result for providing the external service to the vehicle 110. In this embodiment, the communication quality result is utilized for determining whether or not to provide the external service, for proposing a driving route with good communication quality if results are obtained for multiple driving routes, or for generating an information request to supplement missing data in the communication quality map database 133.

[0046] For example, as shown in Figure 6, consider a case where a user / operator 120 of an external service obtains a communication quality result indicating that, for a planned driving route A and another driving route B different from the planned driving route A, due to partial data loss on the planned driving route A, the overall communication quality from the current location to the destination is better for the other driving route B.

[0047] In this case, if the vehicle 110 is already using an external service for remote driving along the planned driving route A, the user / operator 120 of the external service can propose to the remote driving center or the automatic remote driving application server to drive along another driving route B instead of the planned driving route A (utilization evaluation), or can propose not to encourage driving along either the planned driving route A or another driving route B (service provision feasibility). As a result, it is possible to provide the vehicle 110 with a driving route with a low probability of communication delays or interruptions.

[0048] Also, if the vehicle 110 is not using the external service for remote driving, it is possible to propose to the vehicle 110 to drive along the planned driving route A for the purpose of collecting data at data missing locations on the planned driving route A. As a result, the communication quality map database 133 can be enriched, and an increase in the opportunity to provide the vehicle 110 with an external service can be expected. Further, the user / operator 120 of the external service can select an area to provide the vehicle 110 with an external service, propose a temporary detour route considering the congestion status of the communication line, determine service suspension, etc., based on the degree of enrichment of the communication quality map database 133.

[0049] <Function, effect, etc.> As described above, when the information processing apparatus 130 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure receives a request regarding the communication quality required for the execution of an external service from the external service provider 120, based on the received request regarding the communication quality required for the execution of the external service, the information processing apparatus 130 acquires information regarding the communication quality required for the execution of the external service from the communication quality map database 133. Then, the information processing apparatus 130 transmits the result of the acquired communication quality information to the external service provider 120 for utilization in the provision of the external service.

[0050] According to this control, an operator of manual remote operation, a user of an external service, etc. can grasp and judge in advance how frequently communication delays and communication interruptions may occur during service use. As a result, it is expected to reduce dissatisfaction with service interruptions due to sudden communication delays and communication interruptions, and to improve the sense of security by visualizing communication quality information.

[0051] As described above, one embodiment of the present disclosure has been explained. However, the present disclosure can be regarded as an information processing apparatus, a method executed by an information processing apparatus including a processor and a memory, a program for executing this method, and a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing the program, etc.

Industrial Applicability

[0052] The information processing apparatus of the present disclosure and the like are useful when an external service provider desires to suitably control the external service destination based on communication quality.

Explanation of Signs

[0053] 100 System 110 External Service Destination 120 External Service Provider 121 Communication Unit 122 Control Unit 130 Information Processing Apparatus 131 Communication Unit 132 Mediation / Acquisition Unit 133 Communication Quality Map Database

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus that communicates with providers of external services, a receiving unit that receives requests regarding communication quality required for execution of the external service from a plurality of different providers of the external service, a mediation unit that mediates the plurality of requests received by the receiving unit based on the type of the external service of each request, an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding communication quality required for execution of the external service from a predetermined database based on the request that is the result of mediation by the mediation unit, and a transmission unit that transmits the information acquired by the acquisition unit to the provider, the information processing apparatus.

2. The request regarding communication quality required for execution of the external service is a request regarding communication quality between the provider and the destination of the external service in a predetermined area. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The external service is manual remote driving of a vehicle by an operator, the provider is an operation center that instructs the vehicle to perform remote driving, and the transmission unit transmits information used for determination of display of a predicted driving trajectory on which the vehicle travels to the center. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The external service is automatic remote driving of a vehicle by an application, the provider is an application server that instructs the vehicle to perform remote driving, and the transmission unit transmits information used for determination of the amount of data transmitted and received between the vehicle and the application to the application. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The provider is a user or a business operator of the external service, and the transmission unit transmits information used for evaluation at the time of use of the external service or determination of availability to the user or the business operator. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. A method executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus that communicates with providers of external services, comprising: receiving, from a plurality of different providers of the external service, requests regarding communication quality required for execution of the external service; mediating the received plurality of requests based on the type of the external service for each request; obtaining, from a predetermined database, information regarding communication quality required for execution of the external service based on the request that is the result of the mediation; and transmitting the obtained information to the provider.

7. A program for causing a computer of an information processing apparatus that communicates with providers of external services to execute, comprising: receiving, from a plurality of different providers of the external service, requests regarding communication quality required for execution of the external service; mediating the received plurality of requests based on the type of the external service for each request; obtaining, from a predetermined database, information regarding communication quality required for execution of the external service based on the request that is the result of the mediation; and transmitting the obtained information to the provider.

Images