Information processing device and method

Abstract

To provide an information processing device capable of synchronizing execution timing of data processing each to be executed in a plurality of terminals.SOLUTION: An information processing device for controlling a plurality of terminals includes an acquisition part for respectively acquiring information about a cycle of data processing to be executed in each object terminal from object terminals being terminals existing in a prescribed area among a plurality of terminals, a determination part for determining a cycle of data transmission to be shared by the respective object terminals on the basis of information of the cycle of data processing of the respective object terminals acquired by the acquisition part, and a control part for controlling execution timing of data processing in each object terminal on the basis of the cycle of data transmission determined by the determination part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device that controls multiple terminals. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a frequency calibration system that can easily and inexpensively obtain the phase difference between a frequency generator of a master clock in a master station and a frequency generator of a clock to be calibrated in a slave station, and calibrate the oscillation frequency of the clock to be calibrated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-073678 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a cloud-based control system in which a terminal (slave station) such as a mobility device and an information processing device (master station) that functions as a control device provided on the cloud are connected via a network, the execution timing of data processing in the multiple terminals may differ. For this reason, in a cloud-based control system, when the information processing device controls the terminals, it is desirable not only to synchronize the time of the multiple terminals by calibrating the clock frequency of each terminal, but also to synchronize the execution timing of the data processing performed by each of the multiple terminals.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an information processing device and the like that can synchronize the execution timing of data processing performed by multiple terminals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the disclosed technology is an information processing device that controls a plurality of terminals, and includes: an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the periodicity of data processing executed at each target terminal from a target terminal that is a terminal among the plurality of terminals that is located in a predetermined area; a determination unit that determines the periodicity of data transmission to be shared by each target terminal based on the information regarding the periodicity of data processing at each target terminal acquired by the acquisition unit; and a control unit that controls the timing of execution of data processing at each target terminal based on the periodicity of data transmission determined by the determination unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the information processing device and the like disclosed above, it is possible to synchronize the execution timing of data processing performed by each of a plurality of terminals. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a digital twin system including an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 2] Flowchart of data transmission period synchronization process executed by information processing device [Figure 3] Control area image example [Figure 4] An example of data processing cycles for multiple devices [Figure 5A] Example of determining the data transmission cycle for multiple devices [Figure 5B] Example of determining the data transmission cycle for multiple devices [Figure 6A] An example of synchronizing the execution timing of data processing on multiple devices (cloud-based) [Figure 6B] An example of synchronizing the execution timing of data processing on multiple devices (local basis) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The information processing device of the present disclosure acquires the cycle of data processing executed at each of a plurality of terminals to be controlled, determines a data transmission cycle based on the plurality of data processing cycles, and suitably controls the execution timing of the data processing at the plurality of terminals based on the data transmission cycle. This control makes it possible to synchronize the execution timing of the data processing executed at each of the plurality of terminals. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] <Embodiment> [composition] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of the overall configuration of a digital twin system 10 including an information processing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The digital twin system 10 illustrated in Fig. 1 is a cloud-based control system, and is configured to include the information processing device 100 and multiple terminals 200. The information processing device 100 and the multiple terminals 200 are communicatively connected to each other directly or via a communication base station (not shown).

[0011] The information processing device 100 is configured to be able to communicate with multiple terminals 200. This information processing device 100 can provide a predetermined service to, for example, a specific terminal based on data including information on the status of the terminals acquired from each of the multiple terminals 200. Examples of the terminal 200 include mobility such as a vehicle and mobile devices such as a smartphone. If the terminal 200 is a vehicle, it can provide, for example, a traffic control service to a specific terminal based on vehicle data including information on the status of the vehicle acquired from the terminal 200. Examples of the information processing device 100 include a cloud server configured on a cloud.

[0012] The information processing device 100 includes a communication unit 110, an acquisition unit 120, a determination unit 130, a control unit 140, a communication quality map database (DB) 150, and a digital twin 160. The information processing device 100 is typically configured to include a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a readable and writable storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), an input / output interface, and the like, and realizes all or part of the functions executed by the communication unit 110, the acquisition unit 120, the determination unit 130, and the control unit 140 by the processor reading and executing a program stored in the memory.

[0013] The communication unit 110 is configured to communicate with multiple terminals 200. The communication unit 110 can receive terminal data from the multiple terminals 200, including information about the state of the terminal and data related to the generation of the communication quality map database 150 and the digital twin 160. When the terminal 200 is a vehicle, the communication unit 110 receives, as terminal data, data from the multiple terminals (vehicles) 200, including information about the state of the vehicle, such as the vehicle's position, speed, and traveling direction, data about communication quality related to the generation of the communication quality map database 150, data about the vehicle's surroundings related to the generation of the digital twin 160, and the cycle for processing that data. The communication unit 110 can also transmit (instruct) to all or some of the multiple terminals 200, information such as the cycle for transmitting terminal data from each terminal 200 to the information processing device 100 and the timing (synchronization trigger) for executing data processing in each terminal 200.

[0014] The acquisition unit 120 is configured to acquire, from among the terminal data received from each of the multiple terminals 200 by the communication unit 110, information regarding the cycle of data processing executed on each of the terminals 200 (hereinafter referred to as "target terminals 210") that reside in a predetermined control area. A control area is an area where an application (not shown) that provides a predetermined service to a specific terminal needs to keep track of information and data in order to provide the service. The acquisition unit 120 identifies the terminal 200 that is the target terminal 210 based on the control area, and acquires information about the data processing cycle from the identified target terminal 210. This control area will be described later. The application may be implemented in the information processing device 100, or may be implemented in an application server separate from the information processing device 100.

[0015] The determination unit 130 is configured to determine a single data transmission period to be shared by all target terminals 210, based on information relating to the data processing period of each target terminal 210 acquired by the acquisition unit 120. The data transmission period determined by the determination unit 130 is a period derived as an optimal solution taking into consideration the accuracy required by the application that provides the service based on multiple data processing periods. The determination unit 130 may determine the data transmission period by further considering information and data from the communication quality map database 150 and the digital twin 160. This data processing period will be described later.

[0016] The control unit 140 is configured to control the execution timing of data processing in each target terminal 210 based on the data transmission cycle determined by the determination unit 130. This control unit 140 controls the execution timing of data processing so that terminal data is transmitted from each target terminal 210 in synchronization with the data transmission cycle. Furthermore, the control unit 140 can determine whether to control the execution timing under the initiative of the information processing device 100 (cloud basis) or under the initiative of the target terminal 210 (local basis). The control by this control unit 140 will be described later.

[0017] The communication quality map database (DB) 150 is a configuration (storage unit) for storing / accumulating current and past communication quality information (such as current / past outages and delays) at various locations, including information and data related to communication quality received from multiple terminals 200 via the communication unit 110. Examples of information included in the data related to communication quality stored in this communication quality map database 150 include the measurement time of the data and information, GPS latitude / longitude, the name of the communication line service provider, cell ID (Identification) of the base station relaying the communication, received signal strength RSSI, reference signal received power RSRP, radio wave reception quality RSRQ, signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio RSSNR, effective speed (up / down average / peak throughput), communication delay time, and packet loss.

[0018] The digital twin 160 is a configuration (storage function unit) for recreating a virtual world (virtual space) time-synchronized with the real world (real space) on a cloud computer by updating and storing data related to the current and past device states acquired (collected) from multiple devices 200 in real time. The digital twin 160 can also generate future prediction data for the target device 210 from current and past data and information based on requests from applications. If the target device 210 is a vehicle, the digital twin 160 can generate a traffic digital twin that replicates all objects (moving and stationary) and traffic conditions on the roadway in locations (roads, parking lots, etc.) where multiple vehicles participating in the digital twin system 10 can travel. Examples of information included in the data stored in the digital twin 160 include vehicle information (such as VIN), information about other vehicle traffic (including bicycles, pedestrians, etc.), map information, time information (timestamps), location information (GPS latitude / longitude), and trajectory information (vehicle speed, direction, etc.).

[0019] The multiple terminals 200 are mobile devices such as vehicles or smartphones configured to be able to communicate with the information processing device 100. The terminals 200 can provide the information processing device 100 with terminal data including information about the terminal status and data related to the generation of the communication quality map database 150 and the digital twin 160 constructed in the information processing device 100. When the terminal 200 is a vehicle, the information about the terminal status includes the vehicle's position, vehicle speed, and vehicle traveling direction. When the terminal 200 is a vehicle, the data related to the generation of the digital twin 160 includes data related to objects other than the terminal 200, such as other vehicles, buildings, and pedestrians, which are present around the terminal 200. To acquire this information and data, various sensors and cameras (not shown) mounted on the terminal 200 can be used. Note that there is no particular limit on the number of terminals 200 that communicate with the information processing device 100.

[0020] [control] Next, control executed by the information processing device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with further reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5A, 5B, 6A, and 6B.

[0021] Fig. 2 is a flowchart of the data transmission period synchronization process executed by each component of the information processing device 100. The data transmission period synchronization process shown in Fig. 2 starts when a service provision request is made from one or more applications, and is repeatedly performed until there are no more service provision requests.

[0022] (Step S201) Acquisition unit 120 identifies target terminal 210 that is present in the control area based on the control area required to provide the service requested by the application. For example, if the service to be provided is traffic control within an intersection for terminal 200 that is a vehicle, target terminal 210 is identified as a control area, such as an area with a predetermined radius centered on the intersection. Also, for example, if the service to be provided is valet parking control in a parking lot for terminal 200 that is a vehicle, target terminal 210 is identified as a control area, such as a floor with a parking space and a parking row including that space.

[0023] An example of an image of a control area in a traffic control service within an intersection is shown in Figure 3. In the example of Figure 3, if the control area is an area (a circle indicated by a dashed line) with a radius r = 100 m from the center of the intersection, vehicles A, B, and C are identified as target terminals 210. Also, in the example of Figure 3, if the control area is an area (a circle indicated by a dashed line) with a radius r = 150 m from the center of the intersection, vehicles A, B, C, D, and E are identified as target terminals 210.

[0024] When the acquisition unit 120 identifies the target terminal 210 that is present in the control area, the process proceeds to step S202.

[0025] (Step S202) The acquisition unit 120 acquires information relating to the cycle of data processing executed by each target terminal 210 from the target terminals 210 present in the control area identified in step S201 above. Examples of data processing executed by the target terminal 210 that is a vehicle include detection of physical quantities related to the vehicle state using an on-board sensor or the like, and image capture of images around the vehicle using an on-board camera or the like, and examples of the cycle of such data processing include the sampling rate of the on-board sensor and the frame rate of the on-board camera. Furthermore, examples of data processing executed by the target terminal 210 that is not a vehicle include capture of images of a parking lot using a fixed surveillance camera or the like, and examples of the cycle of such data processing include the frame rate of the surveillance camera.

[0026] When the information relating to the cycle of data processing executed in each target terminal 210 is acquired by the acquisition unit 120, the process proceeds to step S203.

[0027] (Step S203) The determination unit 130 determines the data transmission period to be shared by each target terminal 210 based on the information regarding the data processing period executed on each target terminal 210 acquired in step S202 above. Specifically, the determination unit 130 determines one data transmission period based on multiple data processing periods on the multiple target terminals 210, information required to generate the digital twin 160, and the required accuracy of the service to be provided.

[0028] Fig. 4 is an image diagram of the cycles and execution timings of data processing performed individually in vehicle A, vehicle B, vehicle C, vehicle D, and vehicle E illustrated in Fig. 3. In the example of Fig. 4, vehicle A, vehicle B, vehicle C, vehicle D, and vehicle E each perform data processing at different start timings, with cycles of 50 ms, 75 ms, 100 ms, 150 ms, and 33 ms, respectively. In Fig. 4, for example, if the terminal data of vehicle A, vehicle B, vehicle C, and vehicle D among target terminals 210 is required for the provided service and the acquisition cycle of the requested terminal data is allowed up to 150 ms, then 50 ms (optimal solution), which is the minimum value of the multiple data processing cycles, is determined as the data transmission cycle, as shown in Fig. 5A. 4, for example, if the terminal data of vehicles A, B, C, and D among the target terminals 210 is required for the service provided and the acquisition period of the requested terminal data is allowed within the range of 150 ms to 300 ms, then 150 ms (optimal solution), which is the smallest data processing period within the range, is determined as the data transmission period, as shown in FIG. 5B. Note that if the allowed terminal data acquisition period is less than the least common multiple of the multiple data processing periods, then the greatest common divisor of the multiple data processing periods or the period of the smallest unit "1" is determined as the data transmission period.

[0029] Once the determination unit 130 has determined the data transmission cycle to be shared by each target terminal 210, the process proceeds to step S204.

[0030] (Step S204) The decision unit 130 determines whether the timing of data processing execution in each target terminal 210 should be controlled under the initiative of the information processing device 100 (cloud standard) or under the initiative of the target terminal 210 (local standard). Specifically, the decision unit 130 refers to the communication quality map database 150 and the digital twin 160, and determines whether the cloud standard or the local standard is to be used based on the possibility of communication between the terminals 200 not going through the information processing device 100 (whether vehicle-to-vehicle communication or vehicle-to-roadway communication is possible if the terminal 200 is a vehicle), the possibility of communication interruption or high delay occurring in communication between the information processing device 100 and the terminal 200, the degree of weighting of control over the target terminal 210, and the like.

[0031] Examples of cases in which control based on local standards is adopted include controls where real-time and synchronicity are desired, such as instructions for highly weighted control (such as emergency brake control) on the digital twin, or when communication quality in a control area (such as within an intersection) is low and there is a possibility of large errors in the timing control of data processing execution due to interruptions or high delays, provided that communication between multiple target terminals 210, including a target terminal 210 with a high weight that is to be used as the standard, and a target terminal 210 with this high weight that is to be used as the standard and a target terminal 210 that is to perform cooperative control with this highly weighted target terminal 210 or an infrastructure device, is possible without going through the information processing device 100.

[0032] If the determination unit 130 determines that the execution timing of data processing in each target terminal 210 is to be controlled based on the cloud standard (step S204, Yes), the process proceeds to step S205. On the other hand, if the determination unit 130 determines that the execution timing of data processing in each target terminal 210 is to be controlled based on the local standard (step S204, No), the process proceeds to step S206.

[0033] (Step S205) Based on the data transmission cycle determined by the determination unit 130 in step S203, the control unit 140 controls the execution timing of data processing in each target terminal 210 on a cloud basis. More specifically, the control unit 140 instructs all target terminals 210 on the data transmission cycle and the execution timing of data processing.

[0034] FIG. 6A is an image diagram showing an example in which the information processing device 100 synchronizes the execution timing of data processing of a plurality of target terminals 210 based on a cloud reference. In the example of FIG. 6A, for ease of explanation, the data processing cycle of all target terminals 210 (terminals F, G, and H) is set to 100 ms. After acquiring information about data processing from all target terminals 210, the information processing device 100 instructs all target terminals 210 on the data transmission cycle and execution timing of data processing determined based on this information. This instruction causes the start timing of data processing in all target terminals 210 (terminals F, G, and H) to coincide with the information processing device 100 as the reference (mutual deviations in processing are corrected). Thus, the information processing device 100 can synchronously receive the results of data processing completion from each target terminal 210.

[0035] When the control unit 140 controls the execution timing of data processing in each target terminal 210 based on the cloud standard, the process proceeds to step S207.

[0036] (Step S206) The control unit 140 controls the execution timing of data processing in each target terminal 210 on a local basis, based on the data transmission cycle determined by the determination unit 130 in step S203 above. More specifically, the control unit 140 instructs all target terminals 210 on the data transmission cycle, and instructs some target terminals 210 (second target terminals) on the execution timing of data processing. For the remaining target terminals 210 (first target terminals) for which the control unit 140 does not instruct the execution timing of data processing, the target terminal 210 desired to be the reference instructs the other target terminals 210 on the execution timing of data processing.

[0037] 6B is an image diagram showing an example in which a target terminal 210 to be used as a reference and the information processing device 100 synchronize the execution timing of data processing of a plurality of target terminals 210 based on a local reference. In the example of FIG. 6B, for ease of explanation, the data processing cycle of all target terminals 210 (terminals F, G, and H) is set to 100 ms. After acquiring information about data processing from all target terminals 210, the information processing device 100 instructs all target terminals 210 (terminals F, G, and H) on the data transmission cycle determined based on this information, and also instructs the target terminal 210 (terminal G) with which communication between the target terminals 210 is not possible, on the execution timing of the data processing. For the target terminals 210 (terminals F and H) with which communication between the terminals is possible, the target terminal 210 (terminal F) uses the execution timing synchronized with its own data processing execution to instruct the other target terminal 210 (terminal H). These instructions cause the start timing of data processing at all target terminals 210 (terminals F, G, and H) to coincide with terminal F as a reference (correcting any discrepancies in processing). Thus, the information processing device 100 can synchronously receive the results of data processing completion from each target terminal 210.

[0038] Furthermore, for the other target terminal 210 (terminal H), information is acquired from the reference target terminal 210 (terminal F), which serves as the basis for weighting and cooperative control, without going through the cloud (information processing device 100), so the physical distance is shorter and communication delay is smaller than when going through the information processing device 100, and it is possible to reduce errors in matching execution timing with the cloud reference. Note that for the target terminal 210 (terminal G), which is not capable of terminal-to-terminal communication to acquire information from the reference target terminal 210 (terminal F) via the cloud (information processing device 100), an execution timing error equivalent to that of the cloud reference can be expected.

[0039] When the control unit 140 controls the execution timing of data processing in each target terminal 210 on a local basis, the process proceeds to step S207.

[0040] (Step S207) The communication unit 110 receives, for each data processing cycle, terminal data including real-time results of data processing that has been completed in a synchronized state by all of the target terminals 210. When the communication unit 110 has synchronously received the terminal data of each target terminal 210, the process returns to step S201.

[0041] <Actions, effects, etc.> As described above, according to the information processing device 100 etc. according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cycle of data processing executed in each of the multiple target terminals 210 is acquired from the multiple target terminals 210, the cycle of data transmission to the information processing device 100 shared by the multiple target terminals 210 is determined based on the acquired data processing cycle etc., and the execution timing of data processing in the multiple target terminals 210 is suitably controlled based on the determined data transmission cycle etc. This control makes it possible to synchronize the execution timing of data processing executed respectively in the multiple target terminals 210.

[0042] The above describes one embodiment of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure can be understood as an information processing device, a method executed by an information processing device having a processor and a memory, a program for executing this method, a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing the program, and a system including an information processing device and a vehicle. [Industrial Applicability]

[0043] The information processing device and the like disclosed herein can be used in a cloud-based control system in which a plurality of terminals and a control device are connected via a network. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 10 Digital Twin System 100 Information processing device 110 Communications Department 120 Acquisition Department 130 Decision Section 140 Control Unit 150 Communication Quality Map Database 160 Digital Twin 200 devices 210 Target Devices

Claims

1. An information processing device that controls a plurality of terminals, an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a cycle of data processing executed in each of the target terminals, the target terminals being terminals present in a predetermined area among the plurality of terminals; a determination unit that determines a data transmission cycle to be shared by each of the target terminals based on information regarding the data processing cycle of each of the target terminals acquired by the acquisition unit; a control unit that controls execution timing of the data processing in each of the target terminals based on the data transmission period determined by the determination unit.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines the minimum cycle of the data processing of each of the target terminals as the cycle of the data transmission.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines the smallest cycle within a predetermined range of the cycles of the data processing of each of the target terminals as the cycle of the data transmission.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines, as the data transmission period, a period that is a greatest common denominator of the data processing periods of the target terminals or a period that is a minimum unit.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit instructs the execution timing of all of the data processing of the target terminal.

6. If two or more of the target terminals are first target terminals capable of communication between terminals, one of the first target terminals instructs the other first target terminals on the timing of executing the data processing; The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit instructs a second target terminal other than the first target terminal as to the timing of execution of the data processing.

7. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the data transmission period to be shared by each of the target terminals based on information regarding the data processing period of each of the target terminals, as well as a digital twin that is time-synchronized with real space in a virtual space formed based on information acquired from the multiple terminals, and information regarding communication quality in the specified area.

8. A method executed by a computer of an information processing device that controls multiple terminals, acquiring information on a cycle of data processing executed in each of the target terminals, the target terminals being terminals present in a predetermined area among the plurality of terminals; determining a data transmission cycle to be shared by each of the target terminals based on the acquired information on the data processing cycle of each of the target terminals; and controlling the execution timing of the data processing in each of the target terminals based on the determined period of the data transmission.

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