Information processing device, communication device, control method, and program

Abstract

To enable a terminal to communicate with an appropriate counterpart device with a high degree of immediacy.SOLUTION: An information processing device registers a communication device that has requested to deliver information or to receive the delivered information in association with identification information relating to that delivery, stores parameters for direct communication between a plurality of communication devices in association with the identification information, and provides the communication device that has requested to deliver information associated with the identification information or to receive the delivered information with parameters stored in association with the identification information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a setup process for direct communication. [Background technology]

[0002] A known method of communication between terminals is a publish / subscribe communication method that enables asynchronous communication between a terminal acting as a publisher that distributes information and a terminal acting as a subscriber that receives information (see Patent Document 1). In this communication method, a publisher registers a message to be sent as a topic, and a subscriber requests delivery of the topic corresponding to the information that the subscriber should obtain. The topic registered by the publisher is then delivered to the subscriber requesting delivery of that topic. Using this communication method, the publisher and the subscriber can communicate with each other without being aware of the other terminal. This ensures scalability of the communication system and allows for easy implementation of communication processing in each terminal. This publish / subscribe communication method can be applied to communication between mobile terminals.

[0003] On the other hand, publish / subscribe communication methods require certain procedures, such as registering topics and distributing information to subscribers, and are not necessarily suitable for instantaneous communication. Furthermore, devices that comply with 3GPP cellular communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 5G (5th Generation), generally communicate with other devices via the cellular communication system network. Because devices in cellular communication systems communicate with other devices via base stations and other nodes, the communication itself takes a certain amount of time.

[0004] Meanwhile, LTE and 5G cellular communication standards prescribe specifications for not only communication between a base station and a terminal, but also direct communication called sidelink communication, which is performed between a terminal and another terminal within a short distance. Sidelink communication uses a layer 2 identifier (L2ID), and a terminal generates and transmits a frame addressed to the L2ID of another device with which it will communicate directly. A terminal can also receive frames addressed to its own L2ID from another terminal to acquire data. Note that "layer 2" refers to layer 2 in the 3GPP protocol stack. Patent Document 2 describes a technology for efficiently performing sidelink communication between terminals mounted in a vehicle according to the terminal's location by associating the location with the L2ID. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-027499 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-188405 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the technology described in Patent Document 2, an L2ID is determined according to the location, and a device with which sidelink communication is possible is identified. As a result, a terminal may indiscriminately perform sidelink communication with other terminals in the vicinity of the terminal itself, and may not be able to communicate with an appropriate device with which sidelink communication is possible.

[0007] The present invention provides a technique for enabling a wireless terminal to communicate with an appropriate partner device with high immediacy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention of delivery The communication device that requested The information distributed Receipt of The communication device that requested the delivery Identify the topic a registration means for registering the parameters in association with the identification information; and a storage means for storing the parameters for direct communication between a plurality of communication devices in association with the identification information; A first parameter stored in association with the first identification information is transmitted to a first communication device that has requested distribution of information on a first topic corresponding to the first identification information and a second communication device that has requested reception of information on the first topic corresponding to the first identification information. and providing means for providing the information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, a wireless terminal can communicate with an appropriate counterpart device with high immediacy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation in which a Sidelink connection is established. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of the apparatus. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of a server. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of information that associates a topic with an L2ID. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a wireless communication device. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of L2ID sharing processing. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flow of processing executed by a server. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flow of processing executed by a wireless communication device. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a connection using the Sidelink Broadcast / Groupcast method. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Unicast connection for Sidelink. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0012] (System configuration) FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a system according to this embodiment. This system is a wireless communication system that enables communication between vehicles. Each of vehicles 102 to 104 has an on-board wireless communication device 106. The wireless communication device 106 may be, for example, a wireless communication device that complies with the cellular communication standard of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Note that the cellular communication standard is, for example, the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard or the fifth generation (5G) standard, and the wireless communication device 106 is configured to be able to communicate with a base station 105 in accordance with these standards. The communication device 106 can communicate with an information processing device (server 101) that is located on, for example, the Internet or a cloud via the base station 105.

[0013] In this embodiment, the wireless communication device 106 is configured to be able to communicate with other wireless communication devices 106 by performing publish / subscribe type communication using a cellular communication system. That is, the wireless communication devices 106 mounted on the vehicles 102 to 104 have the function of communicating by functioning as publishers that register information to be distributed as topics and as subscribers that acquire information about specific topics. Here, the server 101 operates as a broker for this publish / subscribe type communication. That is, the server 101 accepts topic registrations from the wireless communication devices 106 and distributes information related to those topics. The role of registering topics and distributing information is called a publisher. Furthermore, the server 101 accepts subscription registration requests for registered topics from other wireless communication devices 106 and performs the registration. Information related to that topic is distributed to the wireless communication device 106 that has registered the subscription. The role of making this subscription registration request and receiving the distributed information is called a subscriber.

[0014] Furthermore, when the wireless communication device 106 is sufficiently close to another wireless communication device 106, the wireless communication device 106 can communicate directly with that device via sidelink. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, as the vehicles 102 and 103 move, the wireless communication devices 106 mounted on these vehicles may enter an area where sidelink communication is possible between them. At this time, the wireless communication devices 106 can establish sidelink and communicate directly without going through the base station 105.

[0015] In this embodiment, it is assumed that vehicles 102 to 104 are each traveling toward a junction 107. When the traveling vehicles 102 to 104 approach each other at the junction 107 or an intersection with poor visibility, it is useful for the vehicles to notify each other of information about their own vehicles. In this embodiment, such information is notified using a publish / subscribe communication method and sidelink communication. In this embodiment, for example, one of the wireless communication devices 106 mounted on a vehicle heading toward the junction 107 registers a topic related to the junction 107 as a publisher. Then, another wireless communication device 106 registers as a subscriber to that topic and obtains information related to that topic. At this time, a layer 2 identifier (L2ID), which is identification information to be used in sidelink communication, is assigned to each topic, for example. Then, when the vehicles 102 to 104 approach each other, sidelink communication is performed using the L2ID. As a broker, server 101 accepts registration of a topic related to meeting point 107, and also accepts registration of subscriptions to that topic, and distributes information associated with the topic by publishers to subscribers. Furthermore, server 101 notifies the publisher of an L2ID when registering this topic, and further distributes the L2ID to subscribers who have registered to subscribe to that topic. As a result, when vehicles 102 to 104 are close to each other, wireless communication devices 106 mounted on those vehicles can communicate directly with each other using Sidelink.

[0016] In this way, one or more wireless communication devices 106 mounted on vehicles scheduled to travel to the junction 107 register for a common topic using a publish / subscribe communication method. As a result, the one or more wireless communication devices 106 acquire a common L2ID. Note that the wireless communication device 106 operating as a publisher may distribute information on traffic conditions, such as the road on which the vehicle is traveling, obtained by analyzing information acquired by an imaging device or a sensor mounted on the vehicle and connected to the wireless communication device 106. Furthermore, when the wireless communication devices 106 approach each other, they can exchange information requiring immediacy through sidelink communication. Information requiring immediacy may include, for example, information on traffic conditions that requires immediacy, as well as information such as the position, speed, and vehicle control information of the vehicle on which the wireless communication device 106 is mounted.

[0017] On the other hand, a wireless communication device 106 that is not scheduled to reach the junction 107 (for example, installed in a vehicle whose destination does not pass through the junction 107) may avoid unnecessary communication by not registering for the topic. In one example, the vehicle 104 is traveling roughly in the direction of the junction 107, but in the opposite lane from the lane that includes the junction 107. Therefore, the wireless communication device 106 installed in the vehicle 104 does not request to register for subscription for the topic related to the junction 107. As a result, the wireless communication device 106 installed in the vehicle 104 may operate not to establish a sidelink with the wireless communication devices 106 installed in the vehicles 102 and 103, and not to acquire information transmitted from publishers.

[0018] In this embodiment, the operation of the wireless communication device 106 mounted on the vehicles 102 to 104 will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the method according to this embodiment can be applied to any application in which a wireless communication device exchanges certain information with a partner device in a wide-area cell formed by one or more base stations, and directly communicates with the partner device when the wireless communication device comes close to the partner device.

[0019] (Device configuration) 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the server 101 and the wireless communication device 106. The server 101 and the wireless communication device 106 include a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, an auxiliary storage device 304, a communication I / F 305, a device I / F 306, and a bus 307. Note that CPU, ROM, and RAM are abbreviations for Central Processing Unit, Read Only Memory, and Random Access Memory, respectively. Also, I / F is an abbreviation for interface.

[0020] The CPU 301 is a processor that controls the entire device by executing a computer program stored in, for example, the ROM 302. The CPU 301 can be configured to execute the processes described in this embodiment as processes executed by the server 101 and the wireless communication device 106 by executing the computer program. While one CPU 301 is shown in FIG. 3 , multiple physically separated processors or a multi-core processor may be used. Other processors, such as an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), may also be used. That is, the CPU 301 is an example of one or more processors and may be replaced with or used in combination with another processor. In one example, the processing load of the CPU 301 can be reduced by using the CPU 301 together with an FPGA or a DSP. The ROM 302 is a read-only memory configured to store information that does not require modification, such as a computer program for device control executed by the CPU 301. The RAM 303 may function as a work memory when the CPU 301 executes a computer program, for example. The auxiliary storage device 304 is a storage device that stores, for example, computer programs to be executed by the device and data to be used by the device. Information stored in the auxiliary storage device 304 may be loaded into the RAM 303 and processed by the CPU 301, for example. The auxiliary storage device 304 may be configured by, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. Note that the ROM 302, the RAM 303, and the auxiliary storage device 304 are examples of memories or storage devices, and at least one or more memories and one or more storage devices may be included in the device.

[0021] The communication I / F 305 is an interface used for communication with an external device. For example, the communication I / F 305 of the server 101 is configured to be able to communicate with the base station 105 (for example, via one or more routers, etc.) and is configured to communicate with the communication I / F 305 of the wireless communication device 106 via the base station 105. The communication I / F 305 of the wireless communication device 106 is configured to establish a wireless connection between the base station 105 and the communication I / F 305 of another wireless communication device 106 to perform wireless communication. The communication I / F 305 of the wireless communication device 106 is configured to be able to connect to a core network of the cellular communication system via the base station 105. The communication I / F 305 of the wireless communication device 106 is also configured to be able to communicate with each device (for example, the communication I / F 305 of the server 101) connected to a network external to the cellular communication system, such as the Internet, via the base station 105. Each device can acquire information from an external device via the communication I / F 305 and temporarily store the acquired information in, for example, the auxiliary storage device 304 or the RAM 303. The device I / F 306 is an interface for connecting various other devices. For example, a display device that enables a server administrator to check information to be managed by the server 101, or a keyboard or pointing device for operating the server 101, can be connected to the server 101 via the device I / F 306. Furthermore, for example, an in-vehicle imaging device, sensor, or the like can be connected to the wireless communication device 106 via the device I / F 306.

[0022] FIG. 4 shows an example of the functional configuration of the server 101. The server 101 has, as its functions, for example, a broker unit 401, a storage unit 402, a communication unit 403, an L2ID management unit 404, and a control unit 405. These functions can be realized, for example, by the CPU 301 executing a computer program stored in the ROM 302 or the RAM 303. However, this is not limiting. For example, some or all of the functions of the server 101 described above may be implemented using dedicated hardware. Note that the functional blocks shown in FIG. 4 are merely an example. Some (or in some cases all) of the described functional blocks may be replaced with other functional blocks that perform similar functions, some functional blocks may be omitted, or additional functional blocks may be added. Furthermore, one functional block described below may be divided into multiple functional blocks, or multiple functional blocks may be integrated into one functional block.

[0023] The broker unit 401 mediates communication between multiple communication devices (e.g., wireless communication devices 106) that operate as publishers and subscribers in a publish / subscribe communication system. The storage unit 402 controls the storage of various information. The communication unit 403 executes processing for communication with other devices external to the server 101. The L2ID management unit 404 manages L2IDs assigned to communication devices external to the server 101 that are capable of performing sidelink communication. The L2ID management unit 404 may generate an L2ID and notify the external communication device of the L2ID, or may cause the external communication device to acquire an L2ID by, for example, setting up sidelink communication with a base station and then reporting the L2ID. That is, the L2ID may be generated by the server 101, or may be a value generated within a cellular communication system and reported. The control unit 405 controls the above-mentioned functions of the server 101. For example, the control unit 405 executes processing for each functional unit to operate in cooperation with each other.

[0024] Here, for example, when the broker unit 401 receives a subscribe registration request from a communication device external to the server 101, it associates the identifier of the communication device, its IP address, port number, etc., with the topic name specified in the subscribe registration request. IP is an abbreviation for Internet Protocol. The topic name is identification information associated with the information to be distributed. The broker unit 401 then stores the associated information in the storage unit 402. This registers the communication device as a subscriber for the specified topic name. Furthermore, when the broker unit 401 receives a publish distribution request from a communication device operating as a publisher, it generates a publish message for distribution to subscribers of the topic corresponding to the publish distribution request. The broker unit 401 distributes this publish message via the communication unit 403 to communication devices registered as subscribers for the specified topic name.

[0025] When a topic is registered in the broker unit 401, the L2ID management unit 404 acquires an L2ID required for sidelink communication, associates it with the topic name, and stores it in the storage unit 402. Then, the L2ID management unit 404 notifies an external communication device operating as a publisher of the L2ID via the communication unit 403. Note that the L2ID management unit 404 may, for example, cause an external communication device operating as a publisher to acquire an L2ID in a cellular communication system and notify the server 101 of the L2ID. In this case, the L2ID management unit 404 may store the notified L2ID in the storage unit 402. Furthermore, the L2ID management unit 404 may distribute the L2ID associated with a certain topic and stored in the storage unit 402 to communication devices registered as subscribers for that topic. For example, the L2ID management unit 404 may manage the L2ID only when the communication device is capable of performing communication using the L2ID, such as Sidelink communication, and may not manage the L2ID in other cases. When a direct communication method other than Sidelink communication is used, a functional unit that manages parameters used in that communication, such as an identifier, modulation / demodulation information, authentication method, encryption method, and encryption key, may be provided instead of the L2ID management unit 404. The L2ID management unit 404 may manage parameters to be used in Sidelink communication, such as modulation / demodulation information, authentication method, encryption method, and encryption key, in addition to the L2ID, and may generate these parameters as needed.

[0026] As described above, the storage unit 402 stores information such as the identifiers, IP addresses, and port numbers of communication devices operating as publishers / subscribers in association with topic names, and further stores L2IDs. An example of the information stored here is shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the storage unit 402 stores L2IDs, publisher information, and subscriber information in association with topic names. Note that the example in FIG. 5 shows an example in which three publishers are associated with three subscribers, but the number of publishers and subscribers does not have to be equal. For example, multiple subscribers may be associated with one publisher. Furthermore, all communication devices operating as publishers may be registered as subscribers, and all communication devices registered as subscribers may operate as publishers. In other words, multiple communication devices associated with a topic name may be able to transmit and receive information to and from each other. Furthermore, the information stored in FIG. 5 is an example, and other information may be stored, or some of the information shown in FIG. 5 may not be stored.

[0027] FIG. 6 shows an example of the functional configuration of the wireless communication device 106. The wireless communication device 106 includes, as its functions, a message processing unit 601, a storage unit 602, a control unit 603, a camera function processing unit 604, a communication unit 606, and a video analysis unit 605. These functions may be realized, for example, by the CPU 301 executing a computer program stored in the ROM 302 or the RAM 303. However, this is not limited to this. For example, some or all of the functions of the wireless communication device 106 described above may be implemented using dedicated hardware. Note that the functional blocks shown in FIG. 6 are merely an example. Some (or in some cases all) of the described functional blocks may be replaced with other functional blocks that perform similar functions, some functional blocks may be omitted, or additional functional blocks may be added. For example, the wireless communication device 106 may have only functions related to communication processing, and the camera function processing unit 604 and the video analysis unit 605 may be omitted. Furthermore, one functional block described below may be divided into multiple functional blocks, or multiple functional blocks may be integrated into one functional block.

[0028] The message processing unit 601 processes messages in a publish / subscribe communication system. For example, when the wireless communication device 106 operates as a publisher, the message processing unit 601 generates a topic registration request message for publishing and distributing a message including information such as analysis results (road traffic information) by the video analysis unit 605. After registering a topic, the message processing unit 601 may generate a publish distribution request message for distributing analysis results by the video analysis unit 605. Furthermore, the message processing unit 601 may generate a message for requesting deletion of a topic in order to terminate distribution of information related to the topic. When the wireless communication device 106 operates as a subscriber, the message processing unit 601 may generate a message for receiving distribution of information distributed by another wireless communication device 106 and cause the communication unit 606 to transmit the message. For example, the message processing unit 601 may generate a message for subscribing to a topic and a message for requesting cancellation of the subscription registration. The message processing unit 601 may supply these messages to the communication unit 606, which may then transmit them to the server 101. Furthermore, the message processing unit 601 can receive messages from devices external to the wireless communication device 106, such as messages related to registered topics, via the communication unit 606.

[0029] The storage unit 602 stores various information such as topic information required for communication in a publish / subscribe system and an L2ID required for Sidelink communication. The control unit 603 performs overall control of the wireless communication device 106. The control unit 603 is configured to control, for example, each functional unit shown in FIG. 6 and execute adjustment processing so that these functional units operate in a mutually complementary manner. For example, if the wireless communication device 106 is equipped with an imaging element such as a camera, the camera function processing unit 604 executes processing to acquire image information by capturing an image using the imaging element, and image processing to enable the image information to be analyzed by the video analysis unit 605. The camera function processing unit 604 can also acquire image information captured by an external imaging element connected to the wireless communication device 106 and execute image processing based on the image information. The video analysis unit 605 analyzes the image information acquired by the camera function processing unit 604 and performs tasks such as analyzing road conditions at intersections and detecting objects to be detected. The video analysis unit 605 detects events that may affect vehicle operation, such as whether there are any traffic accidents or congestion, or whether there are any vehicles such as emergency vehicles, construction vehicles, or vehicles operating abnormally. In one example, the detection results by the video analysis unit 605 can be included in the publish distribution request message by the message processing unit 601 as road traffic information, as described above.

[0030] The communication unit 606 establishes a wireless connection with the base station 105 and performs wireless communication, thereby communicating with the server 101 via the base station 105. The communication unit 606 also communicates with other devices (e.g., wireless communication devices 106 mounted on other vehicles) by, for example, publish / subscribe type communication. For example, the communication unit 606 transmits a message generated by the message processing unit 601 to the base station 105 by specifying the address of the server 101 as destination information. The communication unit 606 can also transmit a publish distribution request generated by the message processing unit 601 to the base station 105 by specifying the address of the server 101 as destination information. As a result, the base station 105 forwards these messages to the server 101. The communication unit 606 can also receive messages related to the registered topic from the server 101 via the base station 105. Furthermore, the communication unit 606 can communicate with other devices (for example, wireless communication devices 106 mounted on other vehicles) via Sidelink communication without going through the base station 105. In one example, the communication unit 606 can directly transmit and receive information such as the above-mentioned location information, traveling speed, and travel distance to and from the wireless communication devices 106 mounted on other vehicles via Sidelink communication.

[0031] (Processing flow) Next, an example of the flow of processing executed in this system will be described. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of communication in the system. Here, it is assumed that vehicle A (vehicle 102) and vehicle B (vehicle 103) are traveling toward a junction 107. Note that, hereinafter, the wireless communication device 106 mounted on vehicle 102 will be referred to as "vehicle 102." The same applies to vehicles 103 and 104.

[0032] The vehicles 102 to 104 communicate with the server 101 while traveling and are configured to be able to execute communication using a publish / subscribe communication method. In FIG. 7, the vehicles 102 and 103 are each connected to the server 101 and are ready to execute publish / subscribe communication (F701). The publish / subscribe communication may be performed according to protocols such as MQTT (Message Queueing Telementry Transport) and ROS (Robot Operating System). These are merely examples, and any other communication protocol may be used. The vehicles 102 to 104 can exchange information that does not require immediacy, such as information about traffic congestion around each vehicle, using publish / subscribe communication. The vehicles 102 and 103 may perform sidelink communication, for example, when they are in close proximity to each other and a situation is foreseen where immediacy communication is required. As an example, in this embodiment, a vehicle traveling in either a merging lane or a lane into which the merging lane merges uses Sidelink to communicate around the merging point to control the merging so that the vehicle can merge appropriately. Note that this is just one example, and the following process can be applied to a communication device that is expected to perform highly instantaneous communication.

[0033] In this embodiment, for example, vehicle 104 is not traveling in either the merging lane or the driving lane into which the merging lane merges. Therefore, vehicle 104 does not need to perform the highly instantaneous communication described here, and therefore may not perform the communication described below with vehicles 102 and 103. However, vehicle 104 can also perform publish / subscribe communication to exchange general traffic information. In order to exchange such general traffic information, vehicles 102 to 104 each act as a publisher that distributes information to a predetermined topic, and may also act as a subscriber that receives information from other vehicles.

[0034] Vehicles 102 to 104 are configured to transmit and receive topic information related to the merging point through publish / subscribe communication, for example, when the lane in which the vehicle is traveling merges into another lane or when another lane merges into the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. For example, a vehicle (vehicle 102) where another lane merges into the lane in which the vehicle is traveling transmits a topic registration request specifying a topic name for publish distribution to server 101 (F702). Note that the topic name here may be provided by the system, for example, when publish / subscribe communication with server 101 becomes executable. As a result, for example, multiple vehicles traveling in the same lane as vehicle 102 may operate as publishers of the same topic name. Note that in FIG. 7, "join_point_A" is specified as the topic name.

[0035] The topic name may be preset, for example, as a name specifying a topic related to the junction 107. In one example, the server 101 may preset information indicating topic names related to junctions and the like included in its wireless communication area, and the vehicle may acquire at least a portion of that information when initially connecting to the server 101. For example, when initially connecting to the server 101, the vehicle may notify the server 101 of its own location information, and the server 101 may notify the vehicle of information associating topic names with location information of junctions and the like present around the vehicle's location. Furthermore, the server 101 may estimate the vehicle's location from a topic registration request or a subscribe registration request (described later) received from the vehicle, and sequentially notify the vehicle of topic names of junctions and the like present around the vehicle. Furthermore, the vehicle may acquire and store information associating junctions and the like with topic names collectively during production, navigation system configuration, or the like. A junction is one example, and topic names associated with any traffic-related information, such as intersections, forks, points with a large number of pedestrians, and slopes, may be predefined and stored in the vehicle. Information other than traffic-related information (such as information about tourist spots or events) may also be shared through publish / subscribe communication, and topic names may be designated for such ad hoc information. The topic names may be expressed using names that are understandable by human users. For example, a list of topic names may be displayed in a vehicle that is a potential subscriber, allowing the user to select a topic name to obtain information. The topic names may also be expressed using names that are difficult for humans to distinguish, as long as they can be determined by the in-vehicle wireless communication device 106. In other words, in cases where humans are not involved, such as in autonomous vehicle driving control, the topic names may be designated using any character string.

[0036] When the server 101 receives the topic registration request message in F702, it executes registration processing for the topic name specified in the message (F703). In this case, the topic name specified is "join_point_A." As shown in FIG. 5, the server 101 registers information (terminal identifier, IP address, port number, etc.) of the wireless communication device 106 of the vehicle 102 as a publisher for this topic name. In addition, in preparation for the case where the vehicle 102 that sent this message executes Sidelink communication with another vehicle, the server 101 generates a Layer 2 identifier (L2ID) that will be required for the communication (F703). The server 101 then notifies the vehicle 102 that sent the message of the generated L2ID (F704). Note that if the topic "join_point_A" has already been registered in response to a request from another vehicle, the server 101 does not create new information about the topic, but instead registers the vehicle 102 as a publisher of that topic. Furthermore, the server 101 does not generate a new L2ID, but notifies the vehicle 102 of the L2ID that is already stored in association with the topic. At the timing of generating the L2ID, the vehicle 102 may perform processing such as generating a common encryption key that can be used to encrypt and decrypt data in Sidelink communication.

[0037] When the vehicle 102 receives the L2ID from the server 101, it sets up Sidelink communication (F705). For example, the vehicle 102 sets up Sidelink communication so that the received L2ID is used as the source identifier and destination identifier of the Sidelink communication, thereby enabling Sidelink communication. This enables the vehicle 102 to perform Sidelink communication with other vehicles that share the same L2ID. The vehicle 102 sets the received L2ID as the source and destination, and starts reporting its own vehicle's location information, traveling speed, traveled distance, and the like via Sidelink communication (F706).

[0038] Meanwhile, a vehicle (vehicle 103) in which another lane merges into the lane in which the vehicle is traveling transmits a subscribe registration request message to the server 101 to receive information about the merge point 107 (F707). At this time, the vehicle 103 transmits the subscribe registration request message specifying the topic name "join_point_A" related to the merge point 107. Then, upon receiving this subscribe registration request, the server 101 searches whether or not a topic related to the specified topic information has been registered. Then, if the server 101 confirms that the topic "join_point_A" has been registered, it transmits the L2ID stored in association with that topic name to the vehicle 103 (F708). Then, upon receiving the L2ID distributed from the server 101, the vehicle 103 performs settings for Sidelink communication (F709). This setting is the same as that in F705. Then, when the setting is completed, the vehicle 103 sets the received L2ID as the sender and receiver, and starts reporting the vehicle's position information, traveling speed, travel distance, etc. via Sidelink communication (F710).

[0039] Here, we will explain sidelink communication. Sidelink communication includes the "broadcast communication method," the "groupcast communication method," and the "unicast communication method." When the "broadcast communication method" or the "groupcast communication method" is used, as shown in FIG. 10, a wireless frame containing data is transmitted in which the shared L2ID is set as the identifier of the sender and the receiver in the transmitting device. Then, when the receiving device receives a wireless frame whose identifiers of the sender and the receiver match the shared L2ID, it extracts the data from the wireless frame. In this way, data communication is possible by sharing the L2ID. On the other hand, when the "unicast communication" is used, as shown in FIG. 11, a sending device transmits a connection request addressed to the shared L2ID. Then, a receiving device sharing the L2ID responds to this connection request and exchanges security information. Then, when the receiving device transmits a response to the connection request to the destination device, data communication can be performed between the devices. The technique according to this embodiment is applicable to any communication method, but it is assumed here that the "Groupcast communication method" is used.

[0040] Note that the information broadcast in F706 and F710 is not received unless two wireless communication devices 106 configured for sidelink communication using the same L2ID are close to each other. In this situation, the vehicle 102 distributes traffic road information based on the environment detected by the vehicle 102, for example, by wide-area communication via the base station 105, using publish / subscribe communication. That is, the vehicle 102 transmits a message including the traffic road information to the server 101 to publish and distribute the information (F711). Furthermore, the vehicle 103 can receive the traffic road information distributed by the vehicle 102 from the server 101, for example, by wide-area communication via the base station 105 (F712).

[0041] Thereafter, as the vehicles 102 and 103 approach each other toward the junction 107 (F713), the vehicles 102 and 103 enter a state in which they can mutually receive vehicle information reported by the other vehicle's device. In response to this state, Sidelink communication is established between the vehicles 102 and 103 (F714). At specific locations such as the junction 107, it is expected that each vehicle will need to perform steering or braking control, and therefore low-latency information exchange between the vehicles may be required. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the vehicles 102 and 103 approach each other near the junction 107, they transmit and receive information such as the vehicle's location, traveling speed, and travel distance via Sidelink communication (F715). This transmission and reception of information enables each vehicle to not only know that another vehicle is present at the junction 107 but also to grasp information such as the vehicle's location and speed, making it possible to provide, for example, driving assistance to the driver. In addition, the ability to exchange information with low latency allows each vehicle to take action such as controlling the order of merging, braking in emergencies, etc. Sidelink communication also makes it possible to transmit road traffic information, such as accidents, congestion, emergency vehicles, construction vehicles, and vehicles operating abnormally, with low latency, which is currently distributed via wide-area communications.

[0042] It is then assumed that the vehicle 103 has completed merging (F716). In this case, the vehicle 103 no longer needs to acquire information on the topic related to the merging point 107. Therefore, the vehicle 103 transmits an unsubscribe request message to the server 101 to cancel reception of published information (F717). The vehicle 103 then deletes the L2ID associated with the topic related to the merging point 107 and performs processing to stop Sidelink communication (F718). Note that the vehicle 103 may perform this processing not only when the merging is completed, but also, for example, when the vehicle 103 no longer passes through the merging point 107 due to a lane change. Note that if the vehicle 103 does not approach the vehicle 102 in this way, Sidelink communication between these vehicles is not performed, and the settings of the L2ID, etc. are deleted. Also, when the vehicle 102 has passed the merging point 107 due to the completion of merging or has changed lanes from the merging lane (F719), there is no longer any need to distribute information about the topic related to the merging point 107. In this case, the vehicle 102 transmits a topic deletion request message specifying the topic name "join_point_A" of the topic related to the merging point 107 to the server 101 (F720).

[0043] This topic deletion request message is a request to delete the specified topic. Meanwhile, in this embodiment, as described above, multiple publishers may exist for a common topic. Therefore, if the vehicle 102 is the only publisher registered for that topic, the server 101 deletes the topic. If other publishers exist for that topic, the server 101 deletes the information about the vehicle 102 from the publisher list. Regardless of whether the topic is deleted or not, the server 101 sends an L2ID invalidation notification to the vehicle 102 to cause the vehicle 102 to delete the L2ID (F721). Then, if there is no longer a publisher for the topic specified in the topic deletion request message, the server 101 deletes the topic and the L2ID (F722). Meanwhile, for example, if there is a publisher other than the vehicle 102 for that topic, the server 101 may maintain the topic and the L2ID.

[0044] In response to receiving the L2ID invalidation notification, the vehicle 102 deletes the L2ID and terminates Sidelink communication using the L2ID (F723). If the vehicle 102 has another L2ID associated with another topic, the vehicle 102 may continue Sidelink communication (transmission of notification information) using the L2ID. That is, Sidelink communication related to the junction 107 may be prevented, while Sidelink communication corresponding to other locations or traffic-related events may be maintained. In FIG. 7 , the server 101 transmits the L2ID invalidation notification only to the vehicle 102. However, the server 101 may also transmit the L2ID invalidation notification to, for example, the vehicle 103 in response to the unsubscribe request message. Alternatively, the server 101 may not transmit the L2ID invalidation notification to the vehicle 102, and the vehicle 102 may delete the L2ID corresponding to the topic specified in the topic deletion request message and its associated configuration information in response to the topic deletion request message.

[0045] In the above example, vehicle 103 sends an unsubscribe request message, and then vehicle 102 sends a topic deletion request message. Therefore, for a topic related to the junction 107, there are no subscribers before there are no publishers. In contrast, a publisher may send a topic deletion request message first, and a publisher for a certain topic may disappear before a subscriber. In this case, the topic may be deleted when the publisher disappears, or the topic and L2ID may be maintained by the subscriber alone. For example, if there are no other vehicles in the lane in which vehicle 102 is traveling, even if vehicle 103 subscribes, it is expected that information will not be delivered to vehicle 103. Therefore, the topic and L2ID may be deleted when the publisher disappears. On the other hand, by maintaining the topic and L2ID, it is possible that when another vehicle approaching the junction 107 is later registered as a publisher, vehicle 103 will be able to receive information without having to resubscribe.

[0046] Instead of the topic deletion request message or the unsubscribe request, another message requesting termination of information distribution or termination of reception of distributed information may be sent or received. In this case, the topic or L2ID may be deleted when the publisher no longer exists, or when the registered vehicle, including the subscriber, no longer exists.

[0047] (Server behavior) Next, the operation of the server 101 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The processing described below can be realized, for example, by the CPU 301 of the server 101 executing a computer program stored in the ROM 302 or loaded from the auxiliary storage device 304 to the RAM 303. Note that this is just one example, and some or all of the processing below may be realized by dedicated hardware.

[0048] When the server 101 receives a topic registration request message from the wireless communication device 106 via the communication unit 403 using the broker unit 401 (YES in S801), it performs registration processing for the topic name specified in the message. Furthermore, the server 101 generates a layer 2 identifier (L2ID) required for sidelink communication when the wireless communication device 106 that sent the message uses the L2ID management unit 404 (S802). The server 101 then stores the L2ID in association with the topic name specified in the message using the storage unit 402 (S803), and notifies the wireless communication device 106 that sent the message of the L2ID using the communication unit 403 (S804).

[0049] Meanwhile, the server 101 waits for a subscribe registration request message from another vehicle (S805). When the server 101 receives a subscribe registration request message (YES in S805), it checks whether an L2ID corresponding to the topic name specified in the message exists. If such an L2ID exists, the server 101 distributes the L2ID to the sender of the message (S806). This enables sidelink communication between a vehicle acting as a subscriber and a vehicle acting as a publisher without going through the base station 105, as the vehicle approaches the vehicle.

[0050] When there is a topic for which the publisher and subscriber registration have been completed, the server 101 operates as a broker that mediates communication between the publisher and the subscriber. That is, the server 101 waits for registration of information to be distributed from the publisher (S807), and in response to the registration of such information (YES in S807), distributes the information to the subscriber (S808). Note that, when a vehicle operating as a publisher approaches a vehicle operating as a subscriber, sidelink communication is performed, but the server 101 is not involved in this communication. Thereafter, the server 101 repeatedly waits for registration of information to be distributed and distributes the registered information until it receives a topic deletion request message from the publisher (NO in S809). Note that even when the server 101 receives a topic deletion request message from the publisher (YES in S809), it does not delete the topic if another publisher is registered for that topic (YES in S810). That is, if a publisher no longer exists (NO in S810), the server 101 deletes the topic (S811). When a topic is deleted, the associated and stored L2ID is also deleted. When the topic is deleted, the server 101 notifies the publisher that sent the topic deletion request message that the L2ID has been invalidated (S812), and ends the process.

[0051] 8 illustrates an example in which the L2ID is deleted and then notified that the L2ID has been invalidated, but this is not limiting. Even if the L2ID has not actually been deleted, the server 101 may transmit, for example, an instruction to invalidate the L2ID that is the sender of the topic deletion request message to the sender device of the message. Furthermore, when the server 101 receives an unsubscribe request message corresponding to a certain topic, the server 101 may transmit a message to invalidate the L2ID to the sender device of the message.

[0052] (Operation of wireless communication device) Next, the operation of the wireless communication device 106 mounted on the vehicles 102 to 104 will be described with reference to Figure 9. The processing described below can be realized, for example, by the CPU 301 of the wireless communication device 106 executing a computer program stored in the ROM 302 or loaded from the auxiliary storage device 304 to the RAM 303. This is just one example, and some or all of the processing below may be realized by dedicated hardware. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the wireless communication device 106 mounted on the vehicle 102 will be referred to as the "vehicle 102," and the wireless communication devices 106 mounted on the vehicles 103 and 104 will similarly be referred to as the "vehicle 103" and the "vehicle 104."

[0053] Based on the position information of the vehicle itself and map information such as a car navigation system, the vehicle 102 to vehicle 104 that is traveling determines whether or not there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach a position where it will merge with another lane in the traveling direction. For example, the vehicle 102 to vehicle 104 determines whether or not there is another lane that may merge with the traveling lane in which the vehicle itself is traveling (S901). If the vehicle 102 to vehicle 104 determines that there is no other lane that may merge with the traveling lane in which the vehicle itself is traveling (NO in S901), the vehicle 102 to vehicle 104 determines whether or not the lane in which the vehicle itself is traveling is likely to merge with another lane (S911). Note that if there is no other lane that may merge with the traveling lane in which the vehicle itself is traveling and there is no possibility that the lane in which the vehicle itself is traveling will merge with another lane, the vehicle 102 to vehicle 104 ends the processing. In the example of FIG. 1, vehicle 102 is traveling in a lane into which another lane in which vehicle 103 is traveling merges, and therefore vehicle 102 determines that there is another lane that may merge into the lane in which vehicle 102 is traveling (YES in S901). The lane in which vehicle 103 is traveling is the lane that merges into the lane in which vehicle 102 is traveling. Therefore, vehicle 103 determines that there is no other lane that may merge into the lane in which vehicle 103 is traveling, but that the lane in which vehicle 103 is traveling may merge into another lane (NO in S901, YES in S911). On the other hand, the lane in which vehicle 104 is traveling does not merge into another lane, and there is no lane merging from another lane. Therefore, vehicle 104 determines that there are no other lanes that may merge into the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, and that the lane in which the vehicle is traveling is also unlikely to merge into another lane (NO in S901 and S911), and ends the processing without performing any further processing.

[0054] First, the description will focus on the vehicle 102. The vehicle 102 uses the message processing unit 601 and the communication unit 606 to send a topic registration request message specifying a topic name for publish distribution to the server 101 (S902). Here, the information to be published and distributed is, for example, road traffic information generated by the camera function processing unit 604 and the video analysis unit 605, such as the presence or absence of accidents, congestion, emergency vehicles, construction vehicles, and abnormally operating vehicles.

[0055] After sending the topic registration request message, the vehicle 102 receives from the server 101 the L2ID required for Sidelink communication with other vehicles (S903) and sets up Sidelink communication (S904). The vehicle 102 then uses the communication unit 606 to send Sidelink communication wireless frames with the L2ID as the sender and receiver, including information such as the vehicle's location, traveling speed, and traveled distance, and begins broadcasting these to the surrounding area (S905). Meanwhile, although the vehicle 102 has completed the setup for Sidelink communication with another vehicle that shares the same L2ID at this point, Sidelink communication cannot be performed unless the vehicle comes within a predetermined distance from the other vehicle. In this case, the vehicle 102 distributes information as a publisher in publish / subscribe communication. That is, when the vehicle 102 generates traffic road information to be distributed using the camera function processing unit 604 and the video analysis unit 605 (YES in S906), it uses the communication unit 606 to publish and distribute the traffic road information to the server 101 (S907). Thereafter, the vehicle 102 determines whether it can perform Sidelink communication depending on whether it has approached closely enough to be able to receive notification information via Sidelink communication from another vehicle (e.g., vehicle 103) having a common L2ID (S908). Then, if there is another vehicle with which it can perform Sidelink communication (YES in S908), the vehicle 102 performs Sidelink communication with that vehicle (S909).

[0056] Thereafter, when the vehicle 102 has passed the merging point 107 due to the completion of merging or is no longer involved in the merging point 107 due to a lane change or the like, it no longer needs to distribute information about the topic related to the merging point 107. In such a case, the vehicle 102 may use the message processing unit 601 and the communication unit 606 to send a topic deletion request message for the topic related to the merging point 107 to the server 101 (S910). By sending this message, the vehicle 102 is no longer a publisher of the topic related to the merging point 107. After sending this message, if the vehicle 102 receives a notification from the server 101 that the L2ID is invalid, the vehicle 102 deletes the L2ID and the settings for sidelink communication using the L2ID. Note that, in response to sending the topic deletion request message, the vehicle 102 may delete the L2ID and related settings corresponding to the topic name specified in the message.

[0057] Next, the description will focus on the vehicle 103. Because the vehicle 103 is traveling in the lane where the vehicle is about to merge (YES in S911), the message processing unit 601 specifies a topic name corresponding to the merging point 107 and transmits a subscribe registration request message to the server 101 (S912). The vehicle 103 then receives a message from the server 101 using the communication unit 606, including an L2ID corresponding to the specified topic name (S913). Upon receiving the L2ID, the vehicle 103 uses the information to set up Sidelink communication (S914). The vehicle 103 then begins to notify surrounding areas using the communication unit 606 of information such as the vehicle's location, traveling speed, and travel distance in a wireless frame for Sidelink communication, with the L2ID as the sender and receiver (S915). Note that the processing in S914 and S915 is similar to the processing in S904 and S905. As with the vehicle 102 described above, the vehicle 103 has also completed the setup for Sidelink communication with another vehicle having a common L2ID at this point, but Sidelink communication cannot be performed unless the vehicle 103 comes within a predetermined distance from the other vehicle. Therefore, the vehicle 103 receives information as a subscriber in publish / subscribe communication. That is, the vehicle 103 receives information related to the topic to which the vehicle has subscribed from the server 101 (S916).

[0058] Thereafter, the vehicle 103 determines whether it can perform Sidelink communication based on whether it has approached sufficiently to be able to receive notification information via Sidelink communication from another vehicle (e.g., the vehicle 102) having a common L2ID (S917). If there is another vehicle with which it can perform Sidelink communication (YES in S917), the vehicle 103 performs Sidelink communication with that vehicle (S918). Thereafter, the vehicle 103 may no longer perform Sidelink communication with the vehicle 102 at the junction 107 because it has completed merging or because it has changed course before reaching the junction 107 and no longer intends to merge. In such a case, the vehicle 103 no longer needs to receive information distribution corresponding to the junction 107. Therefore, the vehicle 103 may use the message processing unit 601 and the communication unit 606 to send an unsubscribe request message for the topic related to the junction 107 to the server 101 (S919).

[0059] Then, by sending this message, the vehicle 103 ends the communication processing regarding the junction 107. Note that the vehicle 103 repeatedly executes the above-described processing of the vehicle 103 or the vehicle 102, such as a request to subscribe to a corresponding topic or a request to register a topic, depending on the travel route, and can appropriately send and receive information according to the situation in which the vehicle is placed.

[0060] In the above example, the vehicle 102 traveling in a lane where another lane merges operates as a publisher, and the vehicle 103 traveling in a lane where another lane merges operates as a subscriber. However, this is not limiting. For example, the vehicle 102 may be configured to operate as a subscriber, and the vehicle 103 may be configured to operate as a publisher. Furthermore, both the vehicle 102 and the vehicle 103 may operate as both a publisher and a subscriber. That is, the vehicle 102 may be configured to receive traffic road information for the vehicle 103, and the vehicle 103 may be configured to receive traffic road information for the vehicle 102. In this case, the topic name of the topic for which the vehicle 102 operates as a publisher and the topic name of the topic for which the vehicle 103 operates as a publisher may be the same or different.

[0061] In this embodiment, vehicle 102 and vehicle 103 can exchange traffic road information before they approach each other through publish / subscribe communication on a topic related to the junction 107. Furthermore, since vehicle 102 and vehicle 103 are traveling toward a common area (junction 107), it is expected that these vehicles will approach each other. For this reason, when these vehicles register for publish / subscribe communication, server 101 causes them to share an L2ID for sidelink communication. This makes it possible to use sidelink communication for exchanging control information that requires immediacy when vehicles approach each other.

[0062] Note that distribution of traffic and road information via publish / subscribe communication is an example, and such information does not necessarily have to be distributed. For example, only L2IDs may be distributed. In one example, a vehicle notifies a predetermined server of geographical areas (e.g., the above-mentioned junction 107) that the vehicle may pass through or approach while traveling, and acquires L2ID information related to each of the geographical areas. Then, when the vehicle approaches another vehicle, the vehicle can perform sidelink communication based on the L2ID information. Alternatively, instead of publishing and distributing information, a server may distribute information based on general traffic and road information or image information acquired from a surveillance camera, etc. In this case, a vehicle can receive information about its driving route or planned driving route, and can be assigned an L2ID when registering for the information distribution, thereby enabling sidelink communication with other nearby vehicles. In such a case, registered wireless communication devices can be registered regardless of whether they are publishers or subscribers. Furthermore, sidelink communication is merely one form of direct communication, and other forms of direct communication may be used. In this case, other parameters may be notified to the vehicle instead of the above-mentioned L2ID. That is, the server may register wireless communication devices involved in information distribution (distributing or receiving information) in association with identification information (topic name) corresponding to the information to be distributed, and may associate and retain parameters for direct communication, such as the L2ID, with the identification information. The server then provides the parameters associated with the identification information to the wireless communication devices registered in association with the identification information. This enables multiple wireless communication devices associated with the same identification information to communicate directly.

[0063] Furthermore, as described above, the above-described technique can be used for various purposes other than associating information distribution related to traffic information with direct communication. For example, for a wireless communication device receiving information distribution related to a common hobby, a server registers the wireless communication device in association with identification information related to the distributed information. At this time, the server provides the wireless communication device with parameters for direct communication associated with the identification information. Then, when the wireless communication device comes close to another device that has received the parameters, the wireless communication device can communicate directly with the other device. This allows users with a common hobby to communicate directly and exchange information when they come close to each other.

[0064] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program.The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0065] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 101: Server, 105: Base Station, 106: Wireless Communication Device, 401: Broker, 404: L2ID Management Unit, 601: Message Processing Unit

Claims

1. a registration means for registering a communication device that has requested distribution of information and a communication device that has requested receipt of the distributed information in association with identification information that identifies the topic of the distribution; a storage means for storing parameters for direct communication between a plurality of communication devices in association with the identification information; providing means for providing a first parameter stored in association with the first identification information to a first communication device that has requested distribution of information on a first topic corresponding to first identification information and to a second communication device that has requested reception of the information on the first topic corresponding to the first identification information; An information processing device comprising:

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the registration means registers a communication device operating as a publisher and a communication device operating as a subscriber in association with a topic name of information distributed by publish / subscribe type communication as the identification information.

3. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the direct communication is Sidelink communication in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and the parameter is a Layer 2 Identifier (L2ID).

4. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the parameters include an encryption key.

5. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a generating unit for generating the parameters.

6. An information processing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that when a communication device registered in association with the identification information requests the termination of distribution of information associated with the identification information or the termination of receiving the distributed information, the providing means notifies the communication device that the parameter associated with the identification information is invalid.

7. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the registration means cancels the registration of a communication device registered in association with the identification information when the communication device requests to end the distribution of information associated with the identification information or the reception of the distributed information.

8. the registration means deletes the identification information when, as a result of the cancellation, there is no longer a communication device registered in association with the identification information; 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said storage means deletes the parameters stored in association with the identification information when the identification information is deleted.

9. the registration means registers a communication device that distributes information associated with the identification information and a communication device that receives the distributed information, separately; the registration means deletes the identification information when, as a result of the cancellation, there is no longer a communication device that distributes information associated with the identification information; the storage means deletes the parameters stored in association with the identification information when the identification information is deleted; the providing means notifies a communication device that receives distribution of information associated with the deleted identification information that the parameter is invalid.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

10. A communication device, a notification means for notifying an information processing device of a request for information distribution or a request for receiving distributed information, the request being associated with identification information that identifies the topic of the distribution and for registering the communication device; receiving means for receiving parameters for direct communication with another device in response to the request, the parameters being associated with the identification information; a communication means for directly communicating with another communication device that has received the parameters and been registered in association with the identification information by the information processing device, using the parameters, to deliver or receive information on a topic corresponding to the identification information; A communication device comprising:

11. The distribution of information or receipt of distributed information is done through a publish / subscribe model of communication; 11. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein the identification information is a topic name of information distributed by the publish / subscribe type communication.

12. 12. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein the direct communication is a Sidelink communication in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and the parameter is a Layer 2 Identifier (L2ID).

13. 13. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein the parameters include an encryption key.

14. the notification means notifies the information processing device of a request for a communication device registered in association with the identification information to terminate distribution of information associated with the identification information or termination of reception of the distributed information; 14. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein the communication means, based on the notification of the termination request, does not perform direct communication using the received parameters.

15. the receiving means receives a notification that the parameter is invalid based on the request for termination; 15. The communication device according to claim 14, wherein said communication means, upon receipt of the invalidation notification, does not perform direct communication using the received parameters.

16. A control method executed by an information processing device, comprising: registering a communication device that has requested distribution of information and a communication device that has requested receipt of the distributed information in association with identification information that identifies the topic of the distribution; storing parameters for direct communication between a plurality of communication devices in association with the identification information; providing a first parameter stored in association with the first identification information to a first communication device that has requested distribution of information on a first topic corresponding to first identification information and to a second communication device that has requested reception of the information on the first topic corresponding to the first identification information; A control method comprising:

17. A control method performed by a communication device, comprising: notifying an information processing device of a request for information distribution or for receiving distributed information, the request being associated with identification information identifying a topic of the distribution and for the communication device to be registered; receiving parameters for directly communicating with another device in response to the request, the parameters being associated with the identification information; delivering or receiving information on a topic corresponding to the identification information by directly communicating with another communication device that has received the parameters and been registered in association with the identification information by the information processing device, using the parameters; A control method comprising:

18. A program for causing a computer to function as the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

19. A program for causing a computer to function as the communication device according to any one of claims 10 to 15.

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