Application provision support method, application provision support system, IoT (Internet of Things) system, and application provision support program

Abstract

To estimate in advance how many devices will introduce an IoT cloud application.SOLUTION: An application provision support system stores application data information that lists required data items of sensor data required by an application, and cloud-side data information that lists data items used by existing applications for each device. If required data items of a new application included in the application data information are included in the cloud-side data information, the application provision support system positions devices that are associated with the required data items in the cloud-side data information at a first group having the highest provision likelihood of the new application from among a plurality of groups for classifying the devices according to provision propriety factors of the new application, and estimates the number of the devices belonging to the first group to which the new application can be provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an application provision support method, an application provision support system, an IoT system, and an application provision support program. [Background technology]

[0002] The Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming increasingly popular. Sensor data output from sensors attached to devices is collected on the cloud via a communication device called an edge, and the sensor data is then analyzed using cloud applications on the cloud. The vast amount of sensor data collected by the IoT is extremely valuable when analyzed using cloud applications, providing new insights into device operation and business processes, and providing resources for building artificial intelligence (AI) models.

[0003] In such IoT systems, there are techniques for making estimates related to sensor data. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional technique for estimating the cost of a storage device that accumulates sensor data. According to Patent Document 1, although the value of the sensor data is unknown at the beginning of accumulation, it is possible to estimate the appropriate cost of the storage device that accumulates the sensor data. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-155071 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Generally, sensor data is selected by the user of each device and then sent from each device to the cloud. For this reason, when a new cloud application is provided, the sensor data required by the cloud application may not have been uploaded to the cloud in the first place. The new cloud application cannot be introduced to devices that do not send the necessary sensor data. In other words, it is desirable for device vendors to support the introduction of new cloud applications after estimating in advance the level of demand and expected adoption for the application.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide an application introduction support method, an application introduction support system, and an application introduction support program that can estimate in advance how many devices an IoT cloud application will be introduced into. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention is an application provision support method executed by an application provision support system that supports providing a new application to a device as an application that collects and uses sensor data output from a sensor attached to the device on the cloud side via an edge and a network, wherein the application provision support system has a memory unit that stores application data information that lists data items of the sensor data required by the application, and cloud-side data information that lists, for each device, the data items used by existing applications that have already been provided as the application, and an equipment number estimation unit of the application provision support system determines whether a required data item required for the new application included in the application data information is included in the cloud-side data information, and if the required data item is included in the cloud-side data information, positions the device associated with the required data item in the cloud-side data information in a first group that has the highest possibility of providing the new application out of a plurality of groups that classify the devices according to factors that determine whether the new application can be provided, and estimates the number of devices that belong to the first group and are capable of providing the new application based on the positioning result. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to estimate in advance how many devices will be introduced with an IoT cloud application. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an IoT system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of an application data table. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device-specific cloud-side data table. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device attribute information table (cloud side). [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a supply possibility estimation result table. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a supply availability rate table. [Figure 7] Diagram showing availability and factors. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a table of the number of units by availability group. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a table of available unit number estimation results. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device-specific data generation capability table. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of an edge-by-edge data processing capability table. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device attribute information table (edge ​​side). [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of estimating the number of devices capable of providing a new application. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of estimating the number of devices capable of providing a new application. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen for displaying the result of estimating the number of devices to which a new application can be provided. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the technology disclosed herein will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments, including the drawings, are examples for explaining the present application. In the embodiments, appropriate omissions and simplifications have been made for clarity of explanation. Unless otherwise specified, each component of the embodiments may be singular or plural.

[0011] The same or similar components are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions of the previously described embodiments in later embodiments may be omitted or may focus on the differences.

[0012] When there are multiple identical or similar components, they may be described using the same reference numerals with different subscripts. When there is no need to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted.

[0013] In the embodiments, processing performed by executing a program may be described. A computer performs processing defined by a program using a processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU)) while using storage resources (e.g., memory). Therefore, the entity performing the processing by executing a program may be the processor. Similarly, the entity performing the processing by executing a program may be a controller, device, system, computer, or node having a processor. The entity performing the processing by executing a program may be any computing unit, and may include a dedicated circuit that performs specific processing. Here, the dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (field programmable gate array), an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), or a CPLD (complex programmable logic device).

[0014] A program may be installed on a computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a non-transitory storage medium readable by a computer. When the program source is a program distribution server, the program distribution server may include a processor and a storage resource (storage) for storing the program to be distributed, and the processor of the program distribution server may distribute the program to be distributed to other computers. In addition, in an embodiment, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0015] In the following embodiments, various types of information are described in table format, but the various types of information may be in a data format other than a table format. Furthermore, various names such as "XX information," "XX table," "XX list," and "XX queue" are interchangeable. For example, "XX table" may be called "XX list." Furthermore, when describing identification information, expressions such as "identification information," "identifier," "name," "ID," and "number" are used, but these are interchangeable.

[0016] In the following embodiments, for example, in the system configuration, illustration and description of components other than the main components such as a processor and memory will be omitted, and illustration and description will focus on elements and processing related to the technology disclosed in the present application.

[0017] [Embodiment] (Configuration of IoT System 1) 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an IoT system 1 according to an embodiment. The IoT system 1 includes an application introduction support system 10, an application execution system 20, multiple edges 30, and multiple devices 40. The application introduction support system 10, the application execution system 20, and the edges 30 are connected via a network N. The network N is a public line network such as the Internet.

[0018] The application introduction support system 10 and the application execution system 20 are cloud-side sites. The application execution system 20 is an execution platform for cloud applications (hereinafter simply referred to as "applications") and executes one or more applications 21. The application introduction support system 10 and the application execution system 20 may be built on the same platform.

[0019] The device 40 connected to the edge 30 is a boiler. However, the device is not limited to a boiler, and may be any device that is a target of IoT and that can acquire sensor data (hereinafter simply referred to as "data").

[0020] The application introduction support system 10 supports the introduction of applications into each device 40. The application introduction support system 10 includes a storage device 11, a CPU 12, a memory 13, and a communication interface 14. The communication interface 14 is a communication device that enables the application introduction support system to communicate with the edge 30 via the network N.

[0021] The storage device 11 is a storage device and stores a monitoring program 111, a display program 112, and an equipment number estimation program 113. The storage device 11 also stores an application data table 114, an equipment-specific cloud-side data table 115, and an equipment-specific attribute information table 116. The storage device 11 also stores a provision possibility estimation result table 117, a provision possibility rate table 118, a number-by-provision possibility group table 119, and a provision possibility number estimation result table 120.

[0022] The monitoring program 111 realizes a monitoring unit through cooperation between the CPU 12 and the memory 13. The monitoring program 111 monitors data collected from each edge 30 by an application 21 executed in the application execution system 20. Based on the monitoring results, the monitoring program 111 generates a device-specific cloud-side data table 115 that indicates which data (data items, generation cycles) are being uploaded to the cloud (application execution system 20) for each device 40.

[0023] Furthermore, the monitoring program 111 periodically receives a device-specific data generation capability table 311 (FIG. 10) from each edge 30. Based on the received content, the monitoring program 111 generates a copy (not shown) of the device-specific data generation capability table 311 in the storage device 11. The necessary information for the device-specific data generation capability table 311 may be acquired each time the process for estimating the number of devices that can be provided by a new application (FIGS. 13 and 14) is performed.

[0024] The monitoring program 111 also periodically receives an edge-specific data processing capacity table 312 (FIG. 11) from each edge 30. The monitoring program 111 generates a copy (not shown) of the edge-specific data processing capacity table 312 in the storage device 11. The necessary information for the edge-specific data processing capacity table 312 may be acquired each time the process for estimating the number of devices that can be provided by a new application (FIGS. 13 and 14) is performed.

[0025] The monitoring program 111 also periodically receives a device-specific attribute information table 313 (FIG. 12) from each edge 30. Based on the received information, the monitoring program 111 ascertains the attribute information (model name, use, region, etc.) for each device 40. The attribute information for each device 40 is stored in a device-specific attribute information table 116. The used application ID 1165 in the device-specific attribute information table 116 is generated by the monitoring program 111 by monitoring which application each device 40 is using.

[0026] The display program 112 realizes a display control unit through cooperation between the CPU 12 and the memory 13. The display program 112 outputs a GUI (Graphical User Interface) 50 (FIG. 15) showing the result of estimating the number of devices to which a new application can be provided to a display device (not shown) connected to the application introduction support system 10.

[0027] The device number estimation program 113 realizes a device number estimation unit through cooperation between the CPU 12 and the memory 13. The device number estimation program 113 executes a new application providing device number estimation process (FIGS. 13 and 14) to estimate the number of devices 40 that can provide a new application.

[0028] (Application Data Table 114) 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the application data table 114. The application data table 114 is information indicating which data (data items, generation cycles) are required for each new and existing application. A new application is an application that is to be newly installed in the user's device 40. An existing application is an application that has already been installed in the user's device 40.

[0029] 2, the application data table 114 has columns for an application ID 1141, a data item 1142, and a generation cycle 1143. The application data table 114 stores data items 1142 of data required for execution by an application identified by the application ID 1141, and their generation cycles 1143. The application ID is information that uniquely identifies all applications 21 within the IoT system 1. An entry is added to the application data table 114 every time a new application is introduced.

[0030] (Device-specific cloud data table 115) 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the device-specific cloud-side data table 115. The device-specific cloud-side data table 115 is information indicating which data (data item, generation period) is uploaded to the cloud side for each device 40. The device-specific cloud-side data table 115 has columns for a device ID 1151, a data item 1152, and a generation period 1153. The device-specific cloud-side data table 115 stores data items 1152 of data output by a device 40 identified by the device ID 1151 and their generation periods. The device ID is information that uniquely identifies all devices 40 within the IoT system 1. Entries are added to the device-specific cloud-side data table 115 by the monitoring program 111.

[0031] (Device attribute information table (cloud side) 116) 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the device attribute information table (cloud side) 116. The device attribute information table 116 is information showing attribute information (model, purpose, region, and used application ID) of the device 40 (or the user of the device 40). As shown in FIG. 4, the device attribute information table 116 has columns for device ID 1161, model 1162, purpose 1633, and used application ID 1164.

[0032] The device attribute information table 116 indicates the model name or model number (model 1162) of the device 40 identified by the device ID 1161, the purpose or type of business where the device 40 is installed (purpose 1163), and the area where the device 40 is installed and used (area 1164). The device attribute information table 116 also indicates identification information (used application ID 1165) of an application actually used by the device 40 identified by the device ID 1161. In the example of Fig. 4, it is indicated that device 01 has "model number A-02," is a boiler installed in a cleaning business in area A, and uses applications 01, 03, ...

[0033] The device ID 1161, model 1162, and purpose 1633 are obtained by the monitoring program 111 from the device ID 3131, model 3132, and purpose 3133 in the device attribute information table 313. The used application ID 1164 is based on information obtained by the monitoring program 111 monitoring communication between the device 40 identified by the device ID 1161 and the application execution system 20, and identifying which application the device 40 in question is using.

[0034] (Availability Estimation Results Table 117) Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the provision possibility estimation result table 117. The provision possibility estimation result table 117 is generated during the new application provision device number estimation process (Figs. 13 and 14) by the device number estimation program 113 (Fig. 1), and is information that classifies each device 40 for each application ID from the viewpoint of provision possibility.

[0035] 5, the availability estimation result table 117 has columns of application ID 1171, availability: 1_1172, availability: 2_1173, availability: 3_1174, availability: 4_1175, and availability: other_1176. "Availability: n" (n=1 to 4, other) is a label for a group that classifies the availability of an application to each device 40 by factor. The smaller n is, the higher the availability possibility.

[0036] Furthermore, "Availability: Other" indicates that the availability is due to "individual user circumstances." In this embodiment, where the device 40 is a boiler, the "individual user circumstances" are factors estimated based on business domain knowledge, such as the fact that each user has their own security policy and the availability depends on the security policy of each user.

[0037] In the example of Figure 5, for application 01, the devices 40 that correspond to availability: 1 are devices 01, 03, ..., the devices 40 that correspond to availability: 2 are devices 02, 04, ..., and there are no devices 40 that correspond to availability: 3, 4, or others. (Availability Rate Table 118) FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the supply availability rate table 118. As shown in FIG. 6, the supply availability rate table 118 has columns of supply availability groups 1181 and supply availability rates 1182. Each group of "supply availability: n" (n=1 to 4, etc.) in the supply availability groups 1181 is associated with a supply availability rate 1182 indicating the possibility that the corresponding application can be provided to the device 40. As the supply availability rate, a predetermined fixed value may be used, or a statistical value of past supply rates for each supply availability group may be used. The supply availability rate allows appropriate tuning of the estimated value of the supply availability number that is ultimately presented to the device vendor.

[0038] (Availability and Factors) Fig. 7 is a diagram showing provision possibilities and factors. Fig. 7 shows factors that determine whether an application can be provided to each device 40 corresponding to each "provision possibility: n" in this embodiment where the device 40 is a boiler. The factors are reasons why a user does not adopt a new application, which are estimated based on business knowledge.

[0039] For example, when the availability group is "Availability: 1," it is estimated that the reason for classifying device 40 into this group is that "data required for new applications (including fulfillment of data generation requirements) has been provided to the cloud." When "the required data has been provided to the cloud," the required data has already been uploaded to the cloud, making it easier for new applications to be introduced. "Fulfillment of data generation requirements" means, for example, when the data generation requirement is the data generation cycle, that the generation cycle of the existing data is equal to or shorter than the generation cycle of the data required for the new application.

[0040] Furthermore, when the availability group is "Availability: 2," it is estimated that the reason why the device 40 is classified into this group is that "existing applications that use the same data items are unpopular." This factor suggests that by developing an attractive application, the new application may be adopted by many more devices 40.

[0041] Furthermore, when the availability group is "Availability: 3," it is estimated that the reason why the device 40 is classified into this group is that "the performance of the edge is insufficient." In other words, adding required data items will exceed the upper limit of the communication capacity of the edge 30. This factor suggests that by improving the performance of the edge 30, new applications may be introduced by more devices 40.

[0042] Furthermore, when the availability group is "Availability: 4," it is estimated that the reason why the device 40 is classified into this group is that "the device does not generate the data required for the new application (including non-fulfillment of the data generation requirements)." This factor suggests that the new application may be introduced by more devices 40 by attaching a sensor that outputs the required data items to the device 40 or by developing an application that fulfills the data generation requirements.

[0043] Furthermore, when the availability group is "Availability: Other," it is estimated that the reason why device 40 is classified into this group is that "the device user may have set their own security policy." In other words, this reason is "due to the individual circumstances of the device user." This suggests that new applications may be introduced to more devices 40 if the device user changes their security policy or develops an application that conforms to the device user's security policy.

[0044] The equipment number estimation program 113 may estimate the number of equipment classified into each provision possibility group, and may store the table of Fig. 7 in the storage device 11 and estimate the factors for determining each provision possibility group based on this table. Furthermore, the equipment number estimation program 113 may output the estimated results of the factors from the GUI 50 (Fig. 15) together with the estimated value of the number of equipment belonging to each provision possibility group (provision possibility number).

[0045] (Table 119: Number of units by availability group) Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the number-of-units-by-provision-possibility-group table 119. As shown in Fig. 8, the number-of-units-by-provision-possibility-group table 119 has columns of application ID 1191, number (provision possibility: 1) 1192, ..., number (provision possibility: 4) 1195, and number (provision possibility: other) 1196.

[0046] 8, the number of devices corresponding to each availability group of availability: n (n = 1 to 4, others) is stored for an application identified by application ID 1191. For example, for application 01, the numbers of devices corresponding to availability: 1, availability: 2, availability: 3, availability: 4, and availability: others are 24000, 7273, 0, 0, and 0, respectively.

[0047] (Available Unit Estimation Results Table 120) Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the available number of units estimation result table 120. As shown in Fig. 9, the available number of units estimation result table 120 has columns of application ID 1201 and available number of units 1202. Application ID 1201 corresponds to application ID 1191 in Fig. 8, and for each application ID 1201, a value obtained by multiplying the number of units (availability: n) (n = 1 to 4, etc.) by the available rate 182 (Fig. 6) is stored. For example, the available number of units for application 01 is 24000 x 0.75 + 7273 x 0.44 + 0 x 0.3 + 0 x 0.15 + 0 x 0.28 = 21200 (rounded as appropriate).

[0048] (Application Execution System 20) The application execution system 20 is connected to the network N via a communication interface. The application execution system 20 receives data such as the operating status and environmental information of each device 40 from each edge 30 via the network N in real time or periodically, and stores the data in storage (not shown). Note that, for example, if the device 40 is a boiler, the operating status is information indicating the operating status of the boiler, such as the water pressure detected by a water pressure sensor, the water temperature detected by a temperature sensor, and the water level detected by a water level sensor. The environmental information is the temperature and humidity of the installation environment of the device 40. The observation data is not limited to these, and there are various types of data depending on the type of device 40.

[0049] The application execution system 20 then executes one or more applications 21 on the stored data.

[0050] (Edge 30 configuration) The edge 30 acquires data output from sensors attached to one or more devices 40 connected to one edge 30. The edge 30 is an edge device that transmits the acquired data to the application introduction support system 10 and the application execution system 20 in real time or periodically. The edge 30 also has a function of periodically transmitting its own device-specific data generation capability table 311 and edge-specific data processing capability table 312 to the application introduction support system 10.

[0051] The edge 30 includes a storage device 31 , a CPU 32 , a memory 33 , a communication interface 34 , and a local communication interface 35 .

[0052] The communication interface 34 is a communication device that enables the edge 30 to communicate with the application introduction support system 10 via the network N. The local communication interface 35 is a communication device that enables the edge 30 to communicate with one or more devices 40 that are connected to the edge 30 itself.

[0053] The storage device 31 is a storage device, and stores a device-specific data generation capability table 311 , an edge-specific data processing capability table 312 , a device-specific attribute information table 313 , and a monitoring program 314 .

[0054] (Data Generation Capability Table 311 by Equipment) 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of the device-specific data generation capability table 311. The device-specific data generation capability table 311 is information indicating the data generation capability (data items, generation cycle) of each device 40. When a sensor is added locally to the device itself, a corresponding entry is added to the device-specific data generation capability table 311.

[0055] As shown in Fig. 10, the device-specific data generation capability table 311 has columns for device ID 3111, data item 3112, generation cycle 3113, and data processing speed 3114. The device-specific data generation capability table 311 indicates that the device 40 identified by the device ID 3111 has the capability to generate data for the data item 3112 at the cycle indicated by the generation cycle 3113 and transmit it at a speed of 100 kbps. The example in Fig. 10 indicates that device 01 can generate the data item for water pressure sensor A at a cycle of 5 ms and transmit it at a speed of 100 kbps.

[0056] (Data Processing Capacity by Edge Table 312) Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of the edge-specific data processing capability table 312. The edge-specific data processing capability table 312 is information indicating the data processing capabilities (data type, transmission cycle, transmission speed, number of connected devices) of the edge 30 of the device itself. As shown in Fig. 11, the edge-specific data processing capability table 312 has columns for an edge ID 3121, a transmittable data type 3122, a transmission cycle 3123, a data processing speed 3124, and a connected device ID 3125.

[0057] The edge-specific data processing capability table 312 indicates the type of data that an edge identified by an edge ID can transmit, the data transmission cycle, the data transmission speed, and the device ID of the device 40 connected to this edge. In the example of Fig. 11, it is indicated that edge 01 can transmit data of data type 20, with a transmission cycle of 5 ms and a transmission speed of 100 kbps, and that devices 01, 02, ... are connected to this edge 01.

[0058] The data type is a classification of the type of data item, for example, water pressure sensor A and water pressure sensor B are both classified as the data type water pressure sensor. For example, when data item 3112 in device-specific data generation capability table 311 is included in transmittable data type 3122, this means that the same data type as data item 3112 exists in transmittable data type 3122.

[0059] (Device attribute information table (edge ​​side) 313) Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of the device attribute information table (edge ​​side) 313. As shown in Fig. 12, the device attribute information table 313 has columns of device ID 3131, model 3132, use 3133, and region 3134. The device attribute information table 313 indicates the model name or model number (model 3132) of the device 40 identified by the device ID 3131, the use or type of business in which the device 40 has been introduced (use 3133), and the installation and use region of the device 40 (region 3134). In the example of Fig. 12, it is indicated that device 01 has "model number A-02," is a boiler introduced in a cleaning business in region A, and uses applications 01, 03, ....

[0060] (Monitoring Program 314) The monitoring program 314 realizes a monitoring unit through cooperation between the CPU 32 and the memory 33. The monitoring program 314 receives observation data in real time from each device 40 connected to the monitoring program 314, and transmits the data to the application introduction support system 10 in real time or periodically after compiling a certain amount of the observation data.

[0061] Furthermore, the monitoring program 314 transmits the device-specific data generation capability table 311 (FIG. 10), the edge-specific data processing capability table 312 (FIG. 11), and the device-specific attribute information table 313 (FIG. 12) to the monitoring program 111 (FIG. 1).

[0062] (Processing to estimate the number of devices that can be provided with a new application) 13 and 14 are flowcharts showing the process of estimating the number of devices that can be provided for a new application (hereinafter simply referred to as the "process of estimating the number of devices that can be provided"). The process of estimating the number of devices that can be provided is executed by the device number estimation program 113 of the application introduction support system 10 periodically or in response to a user instruction.

[0063] First, in step S101, the device number estimation program 113 reads the data item 1142 and generation period 1143 corresponding to the new application ID from the application data table 114 (FIG. 2). The device number estimation program 113 also reads all data items 1152 and generation periods 1153 from the device-specific cloud-side data table 115 (FIG. 3).

[0064] Next, in step S102, the equipment number estimation program 113 compares the data set X1 of the data items 1142 and generation period 1143 read in step S101 with the data set X2 of the data items 1152 and generation period 1153. If the data set X1 is included in the data set X2 (step S102 YES), the equipment number estimation program 113 proceeds to step S103, and if not (step S102 NO), the program proceeds to step S104.

[0065] "Dataset X1 is included in dataset X2" means that the data items of dataset X1 are included in dataset X2 and the generation cycle of dataset X1 is longer than or equal to the generation cycle of dataset X2. In other words, this means that data with a generation cycle required by a newly provided application is uploaded to the cloud by an existing application.

[0066] In step S103, the device number estimation program 113 places the device ID corresponding to the data item and generation cycle for which the answer to step S102 was determined to be YES in the device-specific cloud-side data table 115 in the "provision possibility: 1" group. "Provision possibility: 1" is a group of devices 40 that are determined to have the highest provision possibility in this provision possibility number estimation process. When step S103 is completed, the device number estimation program 113 stores the device ID of the device 40 determined to have "provision possibility: 1" in the corresponding application ID and "provision possibility: 1" column of the provision possibility estimation result table 117. After storing the device ID in the provision possibility estimation result table 117, the process proceeds to step S116 in FIG. 14.

[0067] In step S104, the device number estimation program 113 reads the data item 1142 and generation period 1143 corresponding to the new application ID from the application data table 114 (FIG. 2). The device number estimation program 113 also reads all data items 3112 and generation periods 3113 from the device-specific data generation capability table 311 (FIG. 10) (or a copy thereof).

[0068] Next, in step S105, the equipment number estimation program 113 compares the data set X3 of the data item 1142 and the generation period 1143 read in step S104 with the data set X4 of the data item 3112 and the generation period 3113. If the data set X3 is included in the data set X4 (step S105 YES), the equipment number estimation program 113 proceeds to step S107, and if not (step S105 NO), the program proceeds to step S106.

[0069] "Dataset X3 is included in dataset X4" means that the data items of dataset X3 are included in dataset X4 and the generation cycle of dataset X3 is longer than or equal to the generation cycle of dataset X4. In other words, this means that the device in question already has the capability (including the sensor) to generate sensor data with the generation cycle required by the newly provided application.

[0070] In step S106, the device number estimation program 113 places the device ID corresponding to the data item and generation cycle for which step S105 was determined to be NO in the "provision possibility: 4" group in the device-specific data generation capability table 311. "Provision possibility: 4" is a group of devices 40 determined to have the lowest provision possibility in this provision possibility number estimation process. When step S106 is completed, the device number estimation program 113 stores the device ID of the device 40 determined to have "provision possibility: 4" in the corresponding application ID and "provision possibility: 4" column of the provision possibility estimation result table 117. After storing the device ID in the provision possibility estimation result table 117, the process proceeds to step S116 in FIG. 14.

[0071] Next, in step S107, the device number estimation program 113 reads the data item 1152 and generation period 1153 corresponding to the new application ID from the device-specific cloud-side data table 115. The device number estimation program 113 also reads all data processing speeds 3124 and connected device IDs 3125 from the edge-specific data processing capacity table 312.

[0072] Next, in step S108, the device number estimation program 113 determines whether the total data processing load obtained by adding the data items of the generation cycle determined as YES in step S105 to the communication data exceeds the upper limit of the processing capacity of the edge 30.

[0073] Step S108 will be described in detail. First, the device number estimation program 113 acquires the data processing speed 3114 corresponding to the combination of data item, generation cycle, and device ID for which the answer in step S105 is YES from the device-specific data generation capability table 311. This data processing speed 3114 is the processing load that increases when a data item is added.

[0074] Next, the device number estimation program 113 refers to the edge-specific data processing capacity table 312 and calculates the sum (processing load for existing data items) of the data processing speeds 3114 (device-specific data generation capacity table 311) for all connected device IDs of the corresponding edge ID.

[0075] Then, the device number estimation program 113 determines whether the sum of the processing load that increases by adding a data item and the processing load of the existing data items exceeds the data processing speed 3124, which is the upper limit of the processing load of the corresponding edge 30. The data processing speed 3124 can be obtained from the edge-specific data processing capacity table 312.

[0076] If the upper limit is exceeded (YES in step S108), the device number estimation program 113 proceeds to step S109, and if the upper limit is not exceeded (NO in step S108), the device number estimation program 113 proceeds to step S110.

[0077] "Exceeding the upper limit of the processing load" means that when data required for a new application is generated by adding a sensor, etc., the total processing load of the edge 30 that increases due to the addition of the data exceeds the upper limit of the processing load of the edge 30.

[0078] In step S109, the device number estimation program 113 places the device IDs corresponding to the data items and generation cycles for which a YES decision was made in step S108 in the "provision possibility: 3" group in the device-specific data generation capability table 311. "Provision possibility: 3" is a group of devices 40 whose provision possibility is determined to be the next lowest after "provision possibility: 4" in this provision possibility number estimation process. When step S109 ends, the device number estimation program 113 stores the device IDs of the devices 40 determined to have "provision possibility: 3" in the corresponding application ID and "provision possibility: 3" columns of the provision possibility estimation result table 117. After storing the device IDs in the provision possibility estimation result table 117, the process proceeds to step S116 in FIG. 14.

[0079] In the case of "Availability: 3", it is necessary to improve the performance of the edge 30 or to replace the existing transmission data and make changes so that the data item required by the new application is transmitted. On the other hand, if the communication load upper limit of the edge 30 is not exceeded, it can be inferred that the user of the device in question is not transmitting the data item in question because of the user's own security policy, or because the user is not interested in the existing application.

[0080] Next, in step S110, the device number estimation program 113 searches the application data table 114 to acquire a list of existing applications that use the data items and generation cycles for which the answer in step S105 is YES.

[0081] Next, in step S111, the device number estimation program 113 references the device attribute information table 116 using the application ID included in the list of existing applications acquired in step S110 as a key. The total number of existing devices 40 can be calculated. Furthermore, by this reference, the total number of existing devices 40 that use existing applications that use data items required for the new application can be calculated for each user attribute (model, purpose, region, etc.). Therefore, the usage rate (adoption rate) of existing applications that use the relevant data items can be calculated for each user attribute. For example, if user attribute = purpose, the adoption rate of existing applications that use the relevant data items for each purpose, such as cleaning or food, can be calculated. Furthermore, if user attribute = region, the adoption rate of existing applications that use the relevant data items for each region can be calculated.

[0082] Next, in step S112, the device number estimation program 113 averages the adoption rates for each user attribute in step S111 for all existing applications. This average is set as the popularity rate of the existing application in the cluster of the corresponding user attribute.

[0083] Next, in step S113, the device number estimation program 113 determines whether the popularity rate calculated in step S112 exceeds a predetermined value. If the popularity rate exceeds the predetermined value (step S113 YES), the device number estimation program 113 proceeds to step S114, and if the popularity rate is equal to or less than the predetermined value (step S113 NO), the device number estimation program 113 proceeds to step S115.

[0084] In step S114, the device number estimation program 113 classifies the device 40 in question as "Availability: Other." "Availability: Other" is a group of devices 40 that are highly popular but are thought not to use existing applications, suggesting that the availability may have been reduced for "some reason." For example, if the device 40 is a boiler, it is empirically known that the reason for "availability: Other" is the user's security policy settings.

[0085] When step S114 is completed, the device number estimation program 113 stores the device ID of the device 40 determined to be "Provision possibility: Other" in the corresponding application ID and "Provision possibility: Other" column of the provision possibility estimation result table 117. After storing the device ID in the provision possibility estimation result table 117, the process proceeds to step S116 in FIG.

[0086] In step S115, the device number estimation program 113 classifies the corresponding sensor data as "provision possibility: 2." "Provision possibility: 2" is a group of devices 40 that have been determined to have the second lowest provision possibility in this new application provision device number estimation process. "Provision possibility: 2" is a group of devices 40 that are considered not to be using existing applications because of their low popularity rate. Conversely, if the new application has value, it is considered that there is a possibility that it will be introduced.

[0087] When step S115 is completed, the device number estimation program 113 stores the device ID of the device 40 determined to have "provision possibility: 2" in the corresponding application ID and "provision possibility: 2" column of the provision possibility estimation result table 117. After storing the device ID in the provision possibility estimation result table 117, the process proceeds to step S116 in FIG.

[0088] 14, in step S116, the equipment number estimation program 113 refers to the supply possibility estimation result table 117 and tallies the number of equipment 40 by supply possibility group. Next, in step S117, the equipment number estimation program 113 registers the number of equipment 40 by supply possibility group tallied in step S117 in the number-by-supply possibility group table 119.

[0089] Next, in step S118, the device number estimation program 113 multiplies the "provision availability rate" for each provision possibility group listed in the provision availability rate table 118 by the corresponding number in the provision possibility group number table 119. The device number estimation program 113 calculates an estimate of the number of devices 40 that can provide the new application by summing up the numbers multiplied by the "provision availability rate" for each application ID.

[0090] Next, in step S119, the device number estimation program 113 registers the number of devices 40 capable of providing the new application estimated in step S118 in the table 120 of estimated number of devices that can provide the new application.

[0091] (GUI displaying the estimated number of devices to which a new application can be provided) 15 is a diagram showing a GUI 50 that displays the estimated number of devices to which a new application can be provided. The GUI 50 is output from a display device (not shown) connected to the application introduction support system 10.

[0092] GUI 50 includes areas 51 and 53, and button 52. The user inputs information identifying the application they wish to provide (application ID, data item, generation cycle, etc.) in area 51 and presses button 52. In response, device number estimation program 113 executes the provideable device number estimation process for the new application shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. Then, device number estimation program 113 acquires the "device number" and "providable number" for each provision possibility group from provideable number estimation result table 120, and controls display program 112 to display them in area 53. In addition, device number estimation program 113 controls display program 112 to acquire the "provisionable rate" from provisionable rate table 118, and displays them in area 53.

[0093] 7, each provision possibility group is associated with a factor for that group. Therefore, the association between the provision possibility groups and their factors may be tabulated, and each provision possibility group may be associated with a factor or a suggestion for a solution and displayed on the GUI 50.

[0094] (Effects of the embodiment) Device vendors can estimate the potential demand for a new application based on the number of devices in each availability group, which is classified based on the installation status of existing applications. Therefore, by implementing measures according to the availability group factors, the vendor can encourage more devices to install the new application.

[0095] That is, vendors can know the factors of the availability group as the basis for demand estimation. This allows vendors to make improvements to make new applications more attractive, improve edge performance, or promote the installation of new sensors to acquire required data items. Vendors can also relax the data generation requirements for required data items or take measures to encourage device users to review their security policies. Therefore, we can support vendors in providing new applications so that they can take measures to introduce new applications to more devices.

[0096] The technology disclosed herein is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the technology disclosed herein, and are not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, as long as there is no contradiction, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add part or all of the configuration of one embodiment to part or all of the configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, replace, integrate, or distribute part of the configuration of each embodiment. Furthermore, the configurations and processes described in the embodiments can be distributed, integrated, or replaced as appropriate based on processing efficiency or implementation efficiency. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1: IoT system, 10: Application implementation support system, 20: Application execution system, 30: Edge, 40: Equipment, 113: Equipment number estimation program.

Claims

1. An application provision support method executed by an application provision support system that supports providing a new application to a device as an application that uses sensor data output from a sensor attached to the device, by collecting the sensor data on a cloud side via an edge and a network, the method comprising: The application provision support system includes: a storage unit that stores application data information that lists data items of the sensor data required by the application, and cloud-side data information that lists, for each device, the data items used by an existing application that has already been provided as the application; a device number estimation unit of the application provision support system, An application provision support method characterized by: determining whether a necessary data item required for the new application included in the application data information is included in the cloud-side data information; and if the necessary data item is included in the cloud-side data information, positioning the device associated with the necessary data item in the cloud-side data information in a first group that has the highest possibility of providing the new application among a plurality of groups that classify the devices according to factors that determine whether the new application can be provided; and estimating the number of devices that belong to the first group and are capable of providing the new application based on the positioning result.

2. 2. The application provision support method according to claim 1, The device number estimation unit, In the first group, the application provision support method is characterized in that it is estimated that the factor determining whether the new application can be provided is whether the required data items have already been uploaded to the cloud side.

3. 2. The application provision support method according to claim 1, The storage unit storing device-specific data generation capability information that lists the data items that the device can generate and the data processing speeds required for the edge to process the data of the data items in association with each other; The device number estimation unit, It is determined whether the required data items that are included in the application data information but not in the cloud-side data information are included in the device-specific data generation capability information, and if they are not included, the device that is associated with the required data items in the cloud-side data information is placed in a fourth group that has the lowest possibility of providing the new application among the plurality of groups, and based on the result of the placement, the number of devices that can provide the new application and belong to the fourth group is estimated.

1. An application provision support method comprising:

4. 4. The application provision support method according to claim 3, The device number estimation unit, In the fourth group, the application provision support method is characterized in that the factor determining whether the new application can be provided is estimated to be that the required data items have not been generated by the device.

5. 4. The application provision support method according to claim 3, The storage unit storing edge-specific data processing capability information that lists, in association with each other, the data type of the sensor data that can be transmitted by the edge, the upper limit of the data processing capability of the edge, and information on the device connected to the edge; The device number estimation unit, If the required data item is included in the device-specific data generation capacity information, it is determined based on the edge-specific data processing capacity information whether adding the required data item will cause the data processing load of the edge to exceed the upper limit, and if the data processing load exceeds the upper limit, the device associated with the required data item in the cloud-side data information is placed in a third group that has the second lowest possibility of provision among the multiple groups, and based on the result of the placement, the number of devices that can provide the new application and belong to the third group is estimated.

1. An application provision support method comprising:

6. 6. The application provision support method according to claim 5, The device number estimation unit, In the third group, the application provision support method is characterized in that it is estimated that the factor determining whether the new application can be provided is that the addition of the required data items will exceed the upper limit of the communication capacity of the edge.

7. 6. The application provision support method according to claim 5, The storage unit storing device-specific attribute information that lists, for each of the devices, attribute information of the device and information on the existing applications used by the device in association with each other; The device number estimation unit, an application provision support method comprising: when the data processing load does not exceed the upper limit, creating a list of existing applications that already use the required data item from the application data information; calculating the adoption rate of each of the existing applications that use the required data item for each attribute of the user of the device based on the list and the device-specific attribute information; taking the average of the adoption rates calculated across all of the existing applications as the popularity rate of the existing applications that use the required data item for each attribute; when the popularity rate exceeds a predetermined value, classifying the device that corresponds to the required data item in the cloud-side data information into another group among the multiple groups in terms of its provision possibility; and estimating the number of devices belonging to the other group that can provide the new application based on the result of the classification.

8. 8. The application provision support method according to claim 7, The device number estimation unit, In the other group, the factors that determine whether or not the new application can be provided depend on the individual circumstances of the user of the device, and are estimated to differ depending on the type of device.

9. 8. The application provision support method according to claim 7, The device number estimation unit, If the popularity rate is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the device associated with the required data item in the cloud-side data information is placed in a second group among the plurality of groups, which has the second highest possibility of providing the new application after the first group, and the number of devices belonging to the second group that can provide the new application is estimated based on the result of the placement.

1. An application provision support method comprising:

10. 10. The application provision support method according to claim 9, The device number estimation unit, In the second group, the application provision support method is characterized in that it is estimated that the factor determining whether the new application can be provided is that the existing application that uses the required data items is unpopular.

11. The application provision support method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, The device number estimation unit, The application provision support method, wherein the necessary data items include a generation cycle of the necessary data items.

12. 10. The application provision support method according to claim 9, A display control unit of the application provision support system, The estimated number of devices is displayed on a display device for each of the new applications and for each of the plurality of groups.

1. An application provision support method comprising:

13. The application provision support method according to claim 12, The display control unit The cause or a measure to be taken against the cause is displayed on the display device together with the estimated value.

1. An application provision support method comprising:

14. An application provision support system that supports providing a new application to a device as an application that collects and uses sensor data output from a sensor attached to the device on a cloud side via an edge and a network, a storage unit that stores application data information that lists data items of the sensor data required by the application, and cloud-side data information that lists, for each device, the data items used by an existing application that has already been provided as the application; a device number estimation unit that estimates the number of devices that can provide the new application, The device number estimation unit An application provision support system characterized by: determining whether or not a necessary data item required for the new application included in the application data information is included in the cloud-side data information; and if the necessary data item is included in the cloud-side data information, positioning the device associated with the necessary data item in the cloud-side data information in a first group that has the highest possibility of providing the new application among a plurality of groups that classify the devices according to factors that determine whether or not the new application can be provided; and estimating the number of devices that belong to the first group and are capable of providing the new application based on the positioning result.

15. An IoT (Internet of Things) system that collects and uses sensor data on the cloud side, Equipment and an edge that transmits the sensor data output from a sensor attached to the device to the cloud side via a network; an application execution system that executes an application that collects and uses the sensor data on the cloud side; an application provision support system that provides support when providing a new application to the device as the application, The application provision support system includes: a storage unit that stores application data information that lists data items of the sensor data required by the application, and cloud-side data information that lists, for each device, the data items used by an existing application that has already been provided as the application; a device number estimation unit that estimates the number of devices that can provide the new application, The device number estimation unit An IoT system characterized by: determining whether or not a necessary data item required for the new application included in the application data information is included in the cloud-side data information; and if the necessary data item is included in the cloud-side data information, positioning the device associated with the necessary data item in the cloud-side data information in a first group that has the highest possibility of providing the new application among a plurality of groups that classify the devices according to factors that determine whether or not the new application can be provided; and estimating the number of devices that belong to the first group and are capable of providing the new application based on the positioning result.

16. An application provision support program for causing a computer to function as an application provision support system that supports providing a new application to a device as an application that collects and uses sensor data output from a sensor attached to the device on a cloud side via an edge and a network, The computer a storage unit that stores application data information that lists data items of the sensor data required by the application, and cloud-side data information that lists, for each device, the data items used by an existing application that has already been provided as the application; an equipment number estimation unit that estimates the number of the equipment that can provide the new application; and make it work, The device number estimation unit An application provision support program characterized by: determining whether or not a necessary data item required for the new application included in the application data information is included in the cloud-side data information; and if the necessary data item is included in the cloud-side data information, positioning the device associated with the necessary data item in the cloud-side data information in a first group that has the highest possibility of providing the new application among a plurality of groups that classify the devices according to factors that determine whether or not the new application can be provided; and estimating the number of devices that belong to the first group and are capable of providing the new application based on the positioning result.

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