Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

An information processing apparatus (10) includes an acquisition unit (11) that obtains information indicating communication quality of a first radio communication path and information indicating communication quality of a second radio communication path, and a control unit (12) that causes an application to perform communication in a radio communication path including the first radio communication path and the second radio communication path according to the application, the communication quality of the first radio communication path, and the communication quality of the second radio communication path.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a non-temporary computer-readable medium storing a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for switching and connecting a plurality of types of wireless networks for each application according to the communication quality requirement information of the application of a communication terminal device. According to Patent Document 1, it is possible to switch and connect a plurality of types of wireless networks for each application while reducing a large-scale function addition and load increase on the existing network side.

[0003] Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique in which a communication terminal selects a communication means to be assigned to an application from among a plurality of communication means according to the communication characteristics required by the application and the actual communication characteristics of the plurality of communication means. According to Patent Document 2, it becomes possible to perform communication control so as to improve the user experience.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in order to select a wireless communication path that satisfies the quality required by the application, for example, there may be cases where wireless communication resources of excessive quality are allocated to the application.

[0006] The purpose of this disclosure is, in view of the above-mentioned problems, to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a non-temporary computer-readable medium on which a program is stored, which can allocate appropriate wireless communication resources to an application. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, the information processing device includes an acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the communication quality of a first wireless communication path and information indicating the communication quality of a second wireless communication path, an application, and a control means for causing the application to perform communication on a wireless communication path including the first and second wireless communication paths, in accordance with the communication quality of the first and second wireless communication paths.

[0008] Furthermore, a second aspect of the present disclosure provides an information processing method that includes: a process for acquiring information indicating the communication quality of a first wireless communication path and information indicating the communication quality of a second wireless communication path; an application; and a process for causing the application to perform communication on a wireless communication path including the first and second wireless communication paths, in accordance with the communication quality of the first and second wireless communication paths.

[0009] Furthermore, in a third aspect relating to this disclosure, a non-temporary computer-readable medium is provided which stores a program that causes an information processing device to execute a process for acquiring information indicating the communication quality of a first wireless communication path and information indicating the communication quality of a second wireless communication path, an application, and a process for causing the application to perform communication on a wireless communication path including the first and second wireless communication paths, in accordance with the communication quality of the first and second wireless communication paths. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] From one perspective, it is possible to allocate appropriate wireless communication resources to the application. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the configuration of an information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example configuration of an information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing of the information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of data recorded in the requirements quality database according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of data recorded in the communication quality DB according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of data recorded in the virtual wireless communication path DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of data recorded in the allocation database according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The principles of this disclosure will be described with reference to several exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and should be understood as helping those skilled in the art to understand and implement this disclosure without implying any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosures described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below. In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] (Embodiment 1) <Structure> Referring to FIG. 1, the configuration of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the embodiment. The information processing apparatus 10 includes an acquisition unit 11 and a control unit 12. Each of these units may be realized by the cooperation of one or more programs installed in the information processing apparatus 10 and hardware such as the processor 101 and the memory 102 of the information processing apparatus 10.

[0014] The acquisition unit 11 acquires various types of information from the storage unit inside or outside the information processing apparatus 10 and the external device. The acquisition unit 11 acquires, for example, information indicating the communication quality of the first wireless communication path and information indicating the communication quality of the second wireless communication path. Each wireless communication path is a wireless communication path in which at least one of the radio access technology (RAT), the operator operating the base station 20, and the base station 20 is different. Therefore, each wireless communication path may include, for example, the fifth-generation mobile communication system (5G) provided by the mobile network operator (MNO) A and 5G provided by MNO B. Further, each wireless communication path may include, for example, 5G provided by MNO A, local 5G installed by a company or the like, and wireless LAN.

[0015] The control unit 12 performs various types of processing in the information processing apparatus 10. The control unit 12 causes the communication of the application to be executed over a wireless communication path including the first wireless communication path and the second wireless communication path, for example, according to the application, the communication quality of the first wireless communication path, and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path.

[0016] (Embodiment 2) Next, referring to FIG. 2, the configuration of the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment will be described. <System Configuration> FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 2, the information processing system 1 includes an information processing apparatus 10. The information processing system 1 also includes base stations 20A, 20B, and 20C (hereinafter, simply referred to as "base station 20" when there is no need to distinguish them). The information processing system 1 further includes terminals 30A and 30B (hereinafter, simply referred to as "terminal 30" when there is no need to distinguish them). The information processing system 1 also includes servers 40A and 40B (hereinafter, simply referred to as "server 40" when there is no need to distinguish them). The information processing system 1 also includes devices 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D (hereinafter, simply referred to as "device 50" when there is no need to distinguish them). Note that the numbers of the information processing apparatus 10, base station 20, terminal 30, server 40, and device 50 are not limited to the example in FIG. 2.

[0017] In the example of FIG. 2, the information processing apparatus 10, base station 20, and server 40 are connected so as to be able to communicate via a network N. The network N may include, for example, the Internet, a core network, a LAN (Local Area Network), etc. Also, the base station 20 and the terminal 30 are connected so as to be able to communicate using a RAT. Note that the radio access technology may include, for example, the 6th generation mobile communication system (6G, Beyond 5G), 5G, 4G, LTE (Long Term Evolution), wireless LAN, etc. Also, each base station 20 may be operated by different operators. Note that the operators may include, for example, mobile network operators (MNO, Mobile Network Operator), mobile virtual network operators (MVNO, Mobile Virtual Network Operator). Also, when the base station 20 uses local 5G or wireless LAN, the base station 20 may be operated by an operator other than a communication operator (for example, a company, a local government).

[0018] For example, the information processing device 10 assigns a virtual wireless communication path, including multiple wireless communication paths, to each application of the terminal 30, based on the communication quality required by each application of the terminal 30 and the communication quality of the multiple wireless communication paths available to the terminal 30.

[0019] Terminal 30 uses a virtual wireless communication path assigned to the information processing device 10 for each application to perform communication. Terminal 30 may be a mobile router that communicates with devices 50 (e.g., cameras, robots, computers, etc.) via cables such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) cables, wireless LAN, BLE (Bluetooth® Low Energy), etc., and connects to each base station 20 via multiple wireless access technologies. Alternatively, terminal 30 may be an embedded PC, smartphone, tablet, wearable device, etc.

[0020] Device 50 may be, for example, a camera, scanner, or sensor. It may also be an autonomous robot, vehicle, drone, airplane, etc.

[0021] Server 40 communicates with applications used by terminal 30 or device 50, for example, and provides various services to terminal 30 or device 50. Server 40 may also provide services that require low-latency communication. Services that require low-latency communication may include, for example, a service that controls robots and vehicles in factories and construction sites, or vehicles traveling on roads, in real time based on information measured by cameras, scanners, sensors, etc. In this case, server 40 may, for example, control device 50B, such as an autonomous robot, vehicle, drone, or airplane, via terminal 30A, based on video footage taken by device 50A, which is a camera, and transmitted from terminal 30A. Services that require low-latency communication may also include, for example, a digital twin that measures information in the real space using sensors, etc., and reproduces the real space in cyber (virtual) space based on the measured data.

[0022] When providing services that require low-latency communication, the server 40 may be located, for example, on the edge side (closer to the terminal 30, closer to the base station 20). In this case, the server 40 may be located on, for example, a multi-access edge computing (MEC) service provided by an MNO. Alternatively, the server 40 may be located on, for example, an edge cloud service provided by a partner company of the MNO. This reduces the end-to-end communication delay between the device 50 and the server 40, for example, when using wireless communication provided by the MNO as a RAT (e.g., public 5G, private 5G).

[0023] Furthermore, the server 40 may be installed in a site facility such as a factory and directly connected to a local 5G or wireless LAN base station by an optical cable or LAN cable. This reduces the end-to-end communication delay between the equipment 50 and the server 40, for example, when using wireless communication (e.g., local 5G and wireless LAN) operated by a company or local government as the RAT.

[0024] Furthermore, the server 40 may provide services that do not require low-latency communication. Services that do not require low-latency communication may include, for example, software updates and services for distributing recorded video content. In this case, the server 40 may, for example, distribute data for software updates for the terminal 30 or the device 50 connected to the terminal 30. The server 40 may also, for example, distribute content such as video to the terminal 30 or the device 50 connected to the terminal 30.

[0025] <Hardware Configuration> Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 10 and base station 20 according to the embodiment. In the following description, the information processing device 10 will be used as an example. Note that the hardware configuration of the base station 20 may be the same as the hardware configuration of the information processing device 10 in Figure 3.

[0026] In the example shown in Figure 3, the information processing device 10 (computer 100) includes a processor 101, memory 102, and a communication interface 103. These components may be connected by a bus or the like. The memory 102 stores at least a portion of the program 104. The communication interface 103 includes an interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0027] When program 104 is executed in cooperation with the processor 101 and memory 102, etc., the computer 100 performs at least some of the processing of embodiments of this disclosure. Memory 102 may be any type suitable for a local technology network. Memory 102 may, in non-limiting examples, be a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium. Memory 102 may also be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. Although only one memory 102 is shown for computer 100, computer 100 may have several physically different memory modules. Processor 101 may be any type. Processor 101 may include one or more general-purpose computers, dedicated computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and, in non-limiting examples, processors based on multicore processor architectures. Computer 100 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0028] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or in dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some embodiments may be implemented in hardware, while others may be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device.

[0029] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions contained in a program module, and is executed on a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the processes or methods of this disclosure. The program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a specific task or implement a specific abstract data type. The functionality of the program module may be combined or divided among the program module as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program module can be executed on a local or distributed device. On a distributed device, the program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0030] Program code for performing the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes are provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing device. When the program code is executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations in the flowchart and / or block diagrams it implements are performed. The program code may run entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, partially as a standalone software package, partially on a machine, partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0031] Programs can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-temporary computer-readable media. Non-temporary computer-readable media include various types of tangible recording media. Examples of non-temporary computer-readable media include magnetic recording media, magneto-optical recording media, optical disc media, and semiconductor memory. Magnetic recording media include, for example, flexible disks, magnetic tapes, and hard disk drives. Magneto-optical recording media include, for example, magneto-optical disks. Optical disc media include, for example, Blu-ray discs, CD (Compact Disc)-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R (Recordable), and CD-RW (ReWritable). Semiconductor memory includes, for example, mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, and RAM (random access memory). Programs may also be supplied to a computer using various types of temporary computer-readable media. Examples of temporary computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. Temporary computer-readable media can supply programs to a computer via wired communication channels such as electric wires and optical fibers, or via wireless communication channels.

[0032] <Processing> Referring to Figures 4 to 6, an example of the processing of the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment will be described. Figure 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing of the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of data recorded in the request quality DB (Data Base) 501 according to the embodiment. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of data recorded in the communication quality DB 601 according to the embodiment. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of data recorded in the virtual wireless communication path DB 701 according to the embodiment. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of data recorded in the allocation DB 801 according to the embodiment. Note that the following processing may be executed at multiple specific timings, such as periodically. This updates the allocation of virtual wireless communication paths periodically. Therefore, even if the communication quality of each wireless communication path changes over time depending on, for example, the location of each terminal 30, radio wave interference between multiple terminals 30, and the degree of congestion of the wireless communication path, appropriate wireless communication resources can be allocated to the application.

[0033] In step S101, terminal 30 sends a request to the information processing device 10 for the allocation of a virtual wireless communication path for each application that communicates using terminal 30. Here, the allocation request may include, for example, the identification information of terminal 30 (terminal ID) and the identification information of each application that communicates with server 40 using terminal 30 (application ID). The terminal ID may be, for example, the communication address of terminal 30 (e.g., IP address). The application ID may be, for example, the communication address of server 40 (e.g., IP address).

[0034] Next, the acquisition unit 11 of the information processing device 10 refers to the required quality DB 501 and acquires information indicating the communication quality required for each application used in the terminal 30 (step S102). In the example in Figure 5, the required quality DB 501 records the type, wireless communication direction, and required quality, associated with the terminal ID and application ID pair. The required quality DB 501 may be recorded in the internal storage device of the information processing device 10, or it may be recorded in an external DB server or the like.

[0035] The type refers to the type of communication for the application. The type may include, for example, "real-time," which requires low-latency communication, and "best-effort," which does not require low-latency communication. In the example in Figure 5, "real-time" is set for applications A1 and A2, which receive control commands for equipment 50 such as a robot or vehicle from the server 40. "Real-time" is also set for application B, which transmits video footage captured by equipment 50, such as a camera that takes pictures of the front of the robot or vehicle, to the server 40. "Best-effort" is also set for application C, which receives software update data for equipment 50 from the server 40.

[0036] The wireless communication direction is information indicating the direction of wireless communication between the base station 20 and the terminal 30. The wireless communication direction may include an uplink, where data is transmitted from the terminal 30 to the base station 20, and a downlink, where data is transmitted from the base station 20 to the terminal 30. In the example in Figure 5, downlinks are set for applications A1, A2, and C, and an uplink is set for application B. The information may also be managed in conjunction with (associated with) communication protocols such as TCP and UDP. For example, TCP (bidirectional), UDP (uplink direction), etc.

[0037] The required quality is the communication quality required for application communication. The required quality may include, for example, at least one of the following minimum values: the minimum value of bandwidth (data transfer rate, channel capacity), the minimum value of the average delay, and the standard deviation of the delay jitter (fluctuation). Note that the delay jitter may also be the difference from the average delay. In the example in Figure 5, for application A1, the minimum required bandwidth is 0.1 MBps, the minimum required average delay is 10 ms or less, and the standard deviation of the delay jitter is 5 ms or less. For application A2, the minimum required bandwidth is 0.08 MBps, the minimum required average delay is 12 ms or less, and the standard deviation of the delay jitter is 4 ms or less. For application B, the minimum required bandwidth is 2 MBps, and the minimum required average delay is 20 ms or less. Furthermore, for application C, a bandwidth of 10 Mbps is required, and the average delay and the standard deviation of the delay jitter are not specified.

[0038] The information in the Request Quality DB 501 may be pre-configured, for example, by an administrator (operator). Alternatively, the information in the Request Quality DB 501 may be recorded by the information processing device 10 based on the information contained in the requests sent from the terminal 30 by each application. In this case, each application may, for example, send information indicating the request quality from the terminal 30 to the information processing device 10 when performing a specific communication.

[0039] Next, the acquisition unit 11 of the information processing device 10 acquires information indicating the communication quality for the uplink and downlink of each wireless communication path at the terminal 30 and records it in the communication quality DB 601 (step S103). In the example in Figure 6, the communication quality DB 601 records the wireless communication direction and communication quality in association with a combination of terminal ID and wireless communication path ID. The communication quality DB 601 may be recorded in the internal storage device of the information processing device 10, or it may be recorded in an external DB server or the like. Communication quality is the communication quality of the wireless communication path. Communication quality may include at least one of the following: bandwidth, average value of delay, and standard deviation of delay jitter (fluctuation). In the example in Figure 6, wireless communication path A has a relatively large average value of bandwidth (capacity) and delay, and a relatively small standard deviation of delay jitter. Wireless communication path A may be, for example, a wireless communication path via en-gNB, which is a non-standalone (NSA) 5G base station 20. Non-standalone refers to a system configuration that combines, for example, a 4G / LTE core network (EPC, Evolved Packet Core) and a 5G base station (en-gNB). Wireless communication path B has a relatively large bandwidth (capacity) and a relatively large standard deviation of delay jitter, and a relatively small average value of delay. Wireless communication path B may be, for example, a wireless communication path that passes through a wireless LAN base station 20 (access point). Wireless communication path C has a relatively small bandwidth (capacity), an average value of delay, and a relatively small standard deviation of delay jitter. Wireless communication path C may be, for example, a wireless communication path that passes through a standalone local 5G base station 20. Furthermore, for RATs such as wireless LANs where the communication performance does not change significantly between uplink and downlink, the acquisition unit 11 of the information processing device 10 may record data without separating it into uplink and downlink (without separating it by wireless communication direction). The data recorded in the communication quality DB 601 in Figure 6 may be updated, for example, periodically for each terminal 30.

[0040] In step S103, the control unit 12 of the information processing device 10 may send a request to the terminal 30 to measure information indicating the communication quality (between the information processing device 10 and the terminal 30) for the uplink and downlink of each wireless communication path. The terminal 30 may then select one of the multiple wireless communication paths available to the terminal 30 as the wireless communication path to be measured, and send uplink training data to the information processing device 10, including the terminal ID and identification information of the wireless communication path to be measured (wireless communication path ID), using the wireless communication path to be measured. The information processing device 10 may then calculate communication quality information for the uplink, including bandwidth, average delay, and standard deviation of delay jitter, based on the received uplink training data. The information processing device 10 may then send (reply) the terminal ID and wireless communication path ID received from the terminal 30, and the calculated communication quality information to the terminal 30. This allows, for example, the communication quality of each wireless communication path to be measured through communication between the information processing device 10 and the terminal 30. Therefore, the processing for measuring the communication quality of each wireless communication path can be hidden from the server 40 and the equipment 50. Therefore, the developers of server 40 and device 50 do not need to be aware of or implement the various processes required to allocate appropriate wireless communication resources to the application.

[0041] Furthermore, the information processing device 10 may transmit downlink training data to the terminal 30. The terminal 30 may then calculate communication quality information for the downlink, including bandwidth, average delay, and standard deviation of delay jitter, based on the downlink training data received using the wireless communication path under measurement.

[0042] The terminal 30 may then select each wireless communication path that is available to the terminal 30 and whose communication quality has not yet been measured as the wireless communication path to be measured, and similarly acquire communication quality information for each wireless communication path in each direction. The terminal 30 may then transmit the terminal ID and the communication quality information for each combination of wireless communication path ID and wireless communication direction to the information processing device 10.

[0043] Furthermore, instead of measuring end-to-end communication quality, or in addition to measuring end-to-end communication quality, the information processing device 10 may also measure the communication quality of the wireless communication section between the base station 20 and the terminal 30. This reduces, for example, the increase in processing load on the core network and server 40 due to the transmission of training data for measuring communication quality. In addition, while the communication quality of the wireless communication section fluctuates relatively large depending on the location of each terminal 30 and the degree of congestion of communication by each terminal 30, the communication quality of the core network between the server 40 and the base station 20 is considered to fluctuate relatively little. Therefore, it is considered that end-to-end communication quality can be appropriately estimated based on the communication quality of the wireless communication section.

[0044] In this case, the information processing device 10 may pre-store a trained model that estimates (infers) the end-to-end communication quality (between the server 40 and the terminal 30) for each wireless communication path based on the communication quality of the wireless communication section (between the base station 20 and the terminal 30) for each wireless communication path. This trained model may be generated by the information processing device 10 or an external server, etc., using machine learning such as deep learning, with the previously measured communication quality of the wireless communication section for each wireless communication path as the explanatory variable and the end-to-end communication quality for each wireless communication path as the dependent variable.

[0045] The terminal 30 may send and receive training data with the base stations 20 of each wireless communication path and measure the communication quality information of each wireless communication section in each wireless communication path. At least one of the terminal 30 and the base stations 20 may notify the information processing device 10 of the terminal ID, the wireless communication path ID, and the communication quality information of each wireless communication section in each wireless communication path. The acquisition unit 11 of the information processing device 10 may estimate the communication quality of each wireless communication path based on the communication quality information of each wireless communication section in each wireless communication path and the trained model.

[0046] Next, the control unit 12 of the information processing device 10 determines the virtual wireless communication path to be assigned to each application that communicates with the server 40 for each terminal 30, and records it in the virtual wireless communication path DB 701 and the assignment DB 801 (step S104). Here, the control unit 12 of the information processing device 10 may determine the bandwidth limit setting value for each wireless communication path so that the expected communication quality is equal to or greater than the required quality (meets the required quality) for each application of type "real-time". In this case, the control unit 12 of the information processing device 10 may estimate the expected communication quality for each combination of bandwidth limit setting values ​​for each wireless communication path using, for example, AI. Furthermore, the control unit 12 of the information processing device 10 may assign to each application of type "real-time" the bandwidth of each wireless communication path that is not assigned to other applications. This reduces the chances of the communication quality falling below the required quality for each application of type "real-time".

[0047] Furthermore, the control unit 12 of the information processing device 10 may, after determining virtual wireless communication paths for all applications of type "real-time," determine virtual wireless communication paths for applications of type "best effort." In this case, the control unit 12 of the information processing device 10 may allocate the bandwidth of wireless communication paths that have not been allocated to any of the applications of type "real-time" to applications of type "best effort." In this case, the control unit 12 of the information processing device 10 may determine the upper limit setting for the bandwidth of each wireless communication path so that the expected communication quality does not exceed the required quality (meet the required quality) for applications of type "best effort."

[0048] In the example shown in Figure 7, the virtual wireless communication path DB 701 records the expected communication quality associated with pairs of virtual wireless communication path IDs and wireless communication directions. Additionally, the bandwidth limit setting is recorded associated with pairs of virtual wireless communication path IDs, wireless communication directions, and wireless communication path IDs. The virtual wireless communication path DB 701 may be stored in the internal storage device of the information processing device 10, or it may be stored in an external DB server or the like.

[0049] The virtual wireless communication path ID is the identification information for a virtual wireless communication path (virtual wireless communication path) that uses each of multiple wireless communication paths within a specific bandwidth. The expected communication quality is the expected value of the communication quality of the virtual wireless communication path. The expected communication quality may include at least one of the expected values ​​such as the expected bandwidth, the expected average delay, and the standard deviation of delay jitter (fluctuation). The bandwidth upper limit setting is the upper limit setting for the bandwidth used by the wireless communication path. In the example in Figure 7, virtual wireless communication path AA1 is a downlink path that uses bandwidths of AA11 and AA21 or less for wireless communication paths A and B, respectively. Also, virtual wireless communication path AA2 is a downlink path that uses bandwidths of AA21 and AA22 or less for wireless communication paths A and B, respectively. Also, virtual wireless communication path BA1 is a downlink path that uses bandwidths of BA11 and BA21 or less for wireless communication paths A and B, respectively.

[0050] In the example shown in Figure 8, the assignment DB 801 records virtual wireless communication path IDs associated with pairs of terminal IDs and application IDs. The assignment DB 801 may be stored in the internal storage device of the information processing device 10, or it may be stored in an external DB server or the like. In the example shown in Figure 8, it is recorded that application A1 of terminal A is assigned virtual wireless communication path AA1, application A2 of terminal A is assigned virtual wireless communication path AA2, and so on. It is also recorded that application A1 of terminal B is assigned virtual wireless communication path BA1, and so on. The data recorded in the virtual wireless communication path DB 701 in Figure 7 and the assignment DB 801 in Figure 8 may be updated at intervals such as periodic updates.

[0051] Next, the control unit 12 of the information processing device 10 transmits configuration information to the terminal 30, instructing the base station 20 and the terminal 30 to set virtual wireless communication paths to be assigned to each application of each terminal 30 (step S105). Here, the configuration information may include, for example, the terminal ID, the application ID of each application, the wireless communication path ID of each wireless communication path included in the virtual wireless communication path assigned to each application, and information on the setting value of the bandwidth limit for each wireless communication path.

[0052] Next, terminal 30 uses the virtual wireless communication path configured for each application of terminal 30 to perform communication for each application (step S106). Here, terminal 30 may, for example, transmit the uplink communication packets of the application using each wireless communication path based on the bandwidth limit setting for each wireless communication path assigned to the application. In the example of Figures 7 and 8, terminal A may transmit the uplink communication packets of application B, to which virtual wireless communication path B is assigned, using wireless communication path A at a ratio of B1 / (B1+B2) and using wireless communication path C at a ratio of B2 / (B1+B2). In this case, terminal A may use wireless communication path A and wireless communication path C in a round-robin manner at a ratio of, for example, B1 / (B1+B2):B2 / (B1+B2).

[0053] Furthermore, the base station 20 may, for example, transmit downlink communication packets for an application using each wireless communication path based on the bandwidth limit setting for each wireless communication path assigned to the application. In this case, the terminal 30 may transmit information indicating the bandwidth limit setting for each wireless communication path to each base station 20 of each wireless communication path. In the examples of Figures 7 and 8, the control unit 12 of the information processing device 10 may cause the base station 20 of wireless communication path A to transmit downlink communication packets for application A1, to which virtual wireless communication path AA1 is assigned, at a ratio of AA11 / (AA11+AA21) to terminal A, and at a ratio of AA21 / (AA11+AA21) to transmit from the base station 20 of wireless communication path B to terminal A. In this case, the control unit 12 of the information processing device 10 may, for example, use wireless communication path A and wireless communication path B in a round-robin manner at a ratio of AA11 / (AA11+AA21):AA21 / (AA11+AA21).

[0054] According to this disclosure, multiple wireless communication paths with different communication qualities are bundled and virtualized, and the appropriate wireless communication path is allocated based on the required quality for each application. This makes it possible to allocate appropriate wireless communication resources to application communications without, for example, individually constructing wireless communication paths tailored to the required quality for each application, or installing relay devices such as routers that support bandwidth reservation functions on the network N. Furthermore, for example, application developers can develop (implement) applications without having to be aware of processing according to the communication quality of each wireless communication path.

[0055] <Example of estimating communication quality based on location information of each terminal 30> The control unit 12 of the information processing device 10 may estimate the communication quality of each wireless communication path at each terminal 30 based on the location information of each terminal 30. This can reduce the processing load on terminals 30 and base stations 20, for example, by reducing the transmission and reception of training data for measuring communication quality.

[0056] In this case, terminal 30 may transmit its location information, determined using a satellite positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System), to the information processing device 10. Then, in step S103 of Figure 4, the control unit 12 of the information processing device 10 may use AI or the like to estimate the communication quality of each wireless communication path at each terminal 30 based on the received radio wave strength for each position of the base station 20 of each wireless communication path and the location information of each terminal 30. The information indicating the received radio wave strength for each position of the base station 20 of each wireless communication path may be measured in advance and set (registered) in the information processing device 10.

[0057] <Variation> The information processing device 10 may be implemented, for example, by cloud computing, which is composed of one or more computers. Alternatively, the information processing device 10 and the base station 20 may be configured as a single integrated device. Furthermore, the information processing device 10 and the terminal 30 may be configured as a single integrated device. Also, the information processing device 10 and a relay device such as a router or optical switch on the network N may be configured as a single integrated device. Such information processing devices 10 are also included as examples of the "information processing device" in this disclosure.

[0058] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0059] Some or all of the above embodiments may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following: (Note 1) An acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the communication quality of a first wireless communication path and information indicating the communication quality of a second wireless communication path, Control means for causing the application to perform communication on a wireless communication path including the first wireless communication path and the second wireless communication path, according to the application, the communication quality of the first wireless communication path, and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path. An information processing device having (Note 2) The first wireless communication path and the second wireless communication path differ in their wireless access technology, base station operator, and at least one of their base stations. The information processing device described in Appendix 1. (Note 3) The control means is Based on the requirements for the data transfer rate, mean delay, and delay jitter of the communication of the application, the communication quality of the first wireless communication path, and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path, the data transfer rate of the first wireless communication path and the data transfer rate of the second wireless communication path used in the communication of the application are determined. The information processing device described in Appendix 1 or 2. (Note 4) The aforementioned application includes a first application and a second application, The acquisition means is, Information indicating the communication quality of the third wireless communication path is obtained. The control means is The first application is made to perform communication within the first data transfer rate of the first wireless communication path and within the second data transfer rate of the second wireless communication path. The second application is made to perform communication within the third data transfer rate of the first wireless communication path and within the fourth data transfer rate of the third wireless communication path. An information processing device as described in any one of the items 1 to 3 of the appendix. (Note 5) The acquisition means is, Information indicating the communication quality of the first wireless communication path at the first terminal, information indicating the communication quality of the second wireless communication path at the first terminal, information indicating the communication quality of the first wireless communication path at the second terminal, and information indicating the communication quality of the second wireless communication path at the second terminal are obtained. The control means is The application used in the first terminal, the communication quality of the first wireless communication path in the first terminal, and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path in the first terminal are used to cause the application of the first terminal to communicate using a wireless communication path including the first wireless communication path and the second wireless communication path in the first terminal. The communication of the application used in the second terminal is performed on a wireless communication path including the first wireless communication path and the second wireless communication path, corresponding to the communication quality of the first wireless communication path in the second terminal and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path in the second terminal. An information processing device as described in any one of the items 1 to 4 of the appendix. (Note 6) The control means is Based on the type of communication of the application, the communication quality of the first wireless communication path, and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path, the data transfer rate of the first wireless communication path and the data transfer rate of the second wireless communication path to be assigned to the application are determined. An information processing device as described in any one of the items 1 to 5 of the appendix. (Note 7) The information indicating the communication quality of the first wireless communication path includes the location information of each terminal. The control means estimates the communication quality of the first wireless communication path based on the location information of each terminal and the received radio wave intensity at each location of the radio waves from the base station of the first wireless communication path. An information processing device as described in any one of the items 1 to 6 of the appendix. (Note 8) The acquisition means acquires information from the application indicating the required quality of communication for the application, The control means causes the application to perform communication on a wireless communication path including the first and second wireless communication paths, according to the required communication quality of the application, the communication quality of the first wireless communication path, and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path. An information processing device as described in any one of the items 1 to 7 of the appendix. (Note 9) A process for acquiring information indicating the communication quality of the first wireless communication path and information indicating the communication quality of the second wireless communication path. A process that causes the application to communicate on a wireless communication path including the first and second wireless communication paths, according to the communication quality of the first wireless communication path and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path, An information processing method that performs [this action]. (Note 10) In an information processing device, A process for acquiring information indicating the communication quality of the first wireless communication path and information indicating the communication quality of the second wireless communication path. A process that causes the application to communicate on a wireless communication path including the first and second wireless communication paths, according to the communication quality of the first wireless communication path and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path, A non-temporary, computer-readable medium containing a program that executes a program. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0060] 1. Information Processing System 10 Information Processing Devices 11 Acquisition Department 12 Control Unit 20 base station 30 devices 40 servers 50 equipment

Claims

1. Information indicating the communication quality of the first wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the terminal, Information indicating the communication quality of the second wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the terminal, An acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the communication quality of a third wireless communication path that communicates between the server and the terminal, The first application is transmitted to the terminal via a wireless communication path that uses both the first and second wireless communication paths, depending on the communication quality of the first wireless communication path and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path. Control means for causing the terminal to perform communication of the second application using a wireless communication path that combines the first and third wireless communication paths, according to the second application, the communication quality of the first wireless communication path, and the communication quality of the third wireless communication path. It has, The second wireless communication path is a wireless communication path different from the first wireless communication path. The third wireless communication path is a wireless communication path different from the first wireless communication path and the second wireless communication path. Information processing device.

2. Information indicating the communication quality of a first wireless communication path used for communication between a server and the first terminal, Information indicating the communication quality of the second wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the first terminal in the first terminal, Information indicating the communication quality of the first wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the second terminal, An acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the communication quality of the second wireless communication path that communicates between the server and the second terminal at the second terminal, The first application used in the first terminal, the communication quality of the first wireless communication path in the first terminal, and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path in the first terminal are used to perform communication of the first application of the first terminal on a wireless communication path including the first wireless communication path and the second wireless communication path in the first terminal. The device includes a control means for causing the first application used in the second terminal to communicate using a wireless communication path that includes the first wireless communication path and the second wireless communication path, depending on the communication quality of the first wireless communication path in the second terminal and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path in the second terminal. The second wireless communication path is a wireless communication path different from the first wireless communication path. Information processing device.

3. The control means is Based on the requirements for data transfer rate, average delay, and delay jitter of the communication of the first application, the communication quality of the first wireless communication path, and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path, the data transfer rate of the first wireless communication path and the data transfer rate of the second wireless communication path used in the communication of the first application are determined. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The control means is Based on the type of communication of the first application, the communication quality of the first wireless communication path, and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path, the data transfer rate of the first wireless communication path and the data transfer rate of the second wireless communication path to be assigned to the first application are determined. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The information indicating the communication quality of the first wireless communication path includes the location information of each terminal. The control means estimates the communication quality of the first wireless communication path based on the location information of each terminal and the received radio wave intensity at each location of the radio waves from the base station of the first wireless communication path. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The acquisition means acquires information from the first application indicating the required quality of communication for the first application. The control means causes the first application to perform communication using a wireless communication path that combines the first wireless communication path and the second wireless communication path, according to the required communication quality of the first application, the communication quality of the first wireless communication path, and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

7. Information indicating the communication quality of the first wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the terminal, Information indicating the communication quality of the second wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the terminal, A process for acquiring information indicating the communication quality of the third wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the terminal, The first application is transmitted to the terminal via a wireless communication path that uses both the first and second wireless communication paths, depending on the communication quality of the first wireless communication path and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path. A process to cause the terminal to execute communication of the second application using a wireless communication path that uses both the first and third wireless communication paths, depending on the second application, the communication quality of the first wireless communication path, and the communication quality of the third wireless communication path. Execute, The second wireless communication path is a wireless communication path different from the first wireless communication path. The third wireless communication path is a wireless communication path different from the first wireless communication path and the second wireless communication path. Information processing methods.

8. Information indicating the communication quality of a first wireless communication path used for communication between a server and the first terminal in the first terminal, Information indicating the communication quality of the second wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the first terminal in the first terminal, Information indicating the communication quality of the first wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the second terminal, A process for acquiring information indicating the communication quality of the second wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the second terminal at the second terminal, The communication of the application used in the first terminal is performed on a wireless communication path including the first wireless communication path and the second wireless communication path, according to the communication quality of the first wireless communication path in the first terminal and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path in the first terminal. A process for causing the application used in the second terminal to communicate on a wireless communication path including the first and second wireless communication paths, corresponding to the communication quality of the first wireless communication path in the second terminal and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path in the second terminal, Execute, The second wireless communication path is a wireless communication path different from the first wireless communication path. Information processing methods.

9. In an information processing device, Information indicating the communication quality of the first wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the terminal, A wireless communication path for communication between the server and the terminal, comprising information indicating the communication quality of a second wireless communication path different from the first wireless communication path, A wireless communication path for communication between the server and the terminal, comprising information indicating the communication quality of a third wireless communication path different from the first and second wireless communication paths, The process of obtaining, The first application is transmitted to the terminal via a wireless communication path that uses both the first and second wireless communication paths, depending on the communication quality of the first wireless communication path and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path. A process to cause the terminal to execute communication of the second application using a wireless communication path that uses both the first and third wireless communication paths, depending on the second application, the communication quality of the first wireless communication path, and the communication quality of the third wireless communication path. A program that executes the command.

10. In an information processing device, Information indicating the communication quality of the first wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the first terminal, Information indicating the communication quality of the second wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the first terminal in the first terminal, Information indicating the communication quality of the first wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the second terminal, A process for acquiring information indicating the communication quality of the second wireless communication path used for communication between the server and the second terminal at the second terminal, The communication of the application used in the first terminal is performed on a wireless communication path including the first wireless communication path and the second wireless communication path, according to the communication quality of the first wireless communication path in the first terminal and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path in the first terminal. A process for causing the application used in the second terminal to communicate on a wireless communication path including the first and second wireless communication paths, corresponding to the communication quality of the first wireless communication path in the second terminal and the communication quality of the second wireless communication path in the second terminal, Make it run, The second wireless communication path is a wireless communication path different from the first wireless communication path. program.

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