Control device, control method, and program

Abstract

A control device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is connected, via a communication network, to a mobile terminal that is provided with at least a GNSS receiver, wherein the control device has a control unit configured to control a resource usable by the mobile terminal in accordance with the reception state of a GNSS signal in the GNSS receiver provided to the mobile terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device, a control method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the methods for acquiring position information have diversified and advanced, and there is a demand for acquiring position information suitable for the environment and requirements. For example, in addition to the positioning calculation method using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals, there are various positioning calculation methods that do not use GNSS signals, such as dead reckoning and image positioning. Also, as positioning calculation methods using GNSS signals, there are not only relatively low-precision methods such as code positioning, but also high-precision methods such as RTK (Real Time Kinematic) positioning.

[0003] Regarding the positioning of position information, an architecture (cloud GNSS positioning architecture) has been proposed in which positioning calculation is performed not on the mobile terminal side that receives GNSS signals, but on the edge / cloud (Non-Patent Document 1). In this cloud GNSS positioning architecture, the mobile terminal transmits observation data of GNSS signals to the edge / cloud, and the position information of the mobile terminal is calculated by positioning on the edge / cloud from this observation data.

[0004] On the other hand, in view of the diversification of the methods for acquiring position information, in the architecture proposed in Non-Patent Document 1, it is also expected that the position information of the mobile terminal is calculated by positioning methods that do not use GNSS signals as well as positioning calculation methods that use GNSS signals on the edge / cloud. Also, even when calculating position information by a positioning calculation method using GNSS signals, it is expected to use sensor information such as images acquired by the mobile terminal as auxiliary or additional information for more accurate positioning.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] Makoto Yoshida, Takato Kirihara, Shunichi Tsuboi, Tsuyoshi Toyono, Ken Kuwahara, "High-Value Location Information Service through GNSS and Network Integration", NTT Technical Journal, 2019.4 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, if many mobile devices transmit sensor information such as images to the edge / cloud, there is a risk that communication resources such as bandwidth and server resources on the edge / cloud will become strained.

[0007] This disclosure is made in view of the above points and aims to provide a technology that streamlines resource utilization associated with the acquisition of location information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a control device connected via a communication network to a mobile terminal equipped with at least a GNSS receiver, and includes a control unit configured to control the resources available to the mobile terminal according to the reception status of GNSS signals in the GNSS receiver of the mobile terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] Technology is provided to streamline resource utilization associated with acquiring location information. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the overall configuration of the communication control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the functional configuration of a mobile terminal according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the functional configuration of the control server according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows an example of location information data storage processing according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart (part 1) showing an example of the network control process according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart (part 2) showing an example of the network control processing according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The following describes one embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, we assume that the resources are mainly communication resources such as communication bandwidth, and we will describe a communication control system 1 that optimizes the use of communication resources associated with acquiring location information. However, this is just one example, and the resources associated with acquiring location information are not limited to communication resources. For example, the embodiment described below can also be applied to edge / cloud server resources in a cloud GNSS architecture (for example, various hardware resources such as CPU (Central Processing Unit) resources, GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) resources, and memory resources).

[0012] In the following, positioning calculations using GNSS signals will be referred to as GNSS positioning. Examples of GNSS positioning include code positioning and RTK positioning. Code positioning is classified as standalone positioning, while RTK positioning is classified as relative positioning. Relative positioning determines position information from the relative positional relationship between two points, and therefore requires the existence of a reference station whose position information is known. On the other hand, positioning calculations that do not use GNSS signals will be referred to as non-GNSS positioning. Examples of non-GNSS positioning include dead reckoning and image positioning. In addition to these, auxiliary or additional processing to improve the accuracy of GNSS positioning (e.g., matching with high-resolution maps, estimation of position information using 3D or 4D spatial information) will also be referred to as non-GNSS positioning.

[0013] <Example of overall configuration of communication control system 1> Figure 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of the communication control system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the communication control system 1 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of mobile terminals 10, a control server 20, a location information database 30, and a network information database 40. Each mobile terminal 10 and the control server 20 are connected to each other via a communication network 50, which includes, for example, the Internet. The control server 20, the location information database 30, and the network information database 40 are located in an edge / cloud environment E, which is a system environment that exists at the edge or on the cloud for each mobile terminal 10.

[0014] Mobile terminals 10 are various types of terminals mounted on or carried by a moving object (e.g., automobiles, construction machinery, agricultural machinery, drones, people, animals, etc.). Examples of mobile terminals 10 include on-board devices mounted on vehicles such as automobiles, construction machinery, and agricultural machinery; devices mounted on drones; wearable devices and sensing devices attached to people or animals; and smartphones and tablet terminals carried by people.

[0015] The mobile terminal 10 is equipped with at least a GNSS receiver and is capable of receiving signals (GNSS signals) from GNSS satellites. The mobile terminal 10 also transmits the received GNSS signals to the control server 20 as observation data (which may also be called raw data).

[0016] Here, the mobile terminal 10 is equipped with various sensors (including imaging devices such as cameras) in addition to the GNSS receiver, depending on its type, and transmits sensor information acquired or measured by these sensors to the control server 20. This sensor information is used for non-GNSS positioning. Examples of sensors include cameras, accelerometers (including 3-axis accelerometers), gyroscopes (including 3-axis gyroscopes), and inertial measurement units (IMUs). The types of sensors equipped in the mobile terminal 10 may vary depending on the type of mobile terminal 10.

[0017] Note that the mobile terminal 10 may have a function (terminal-side positioning calculation function) of positioning its own position information from the received GNSS signal. However, in this embodiment, the mobile terminal 10 does not necessarily have to have the terminal-side positioning calculation function. For this reason, for example, it may be a situation where a certain mobile terminal 10 has the terminal-side positioning calculation function, but another certain mobile terminal 10 does not have the terminal-side positioning calculation function, or it may be a situation where all mobile terminals 10 have (or do not have) the terminal-side positioning calculation function.

[0018] The control server 20 is a general-purpose server or the like that positions the position information of the mobile terminal 10 using the observation data and sensor information received from the mobile terminal 10, and controls the resources available to the mobile terminal 10 in response to the occurrence of a certain specific event. Here, although the details of the specific event will be described later, in this embodiment, mainly, an event in which the position information of the mobile terminal 10 cannot be GNSS-positioned is assumed. In other words, mainly, an event in which the mobile terminal 10 cannot receive a GNSS signal due to reasons such as being in a shielding space such as inside a tunnel or indoors (or a situation where the reception of the GNSS signal is unstable) is assumed. Also, as for the control of resources, mainly, when the position information of the mobile terminal 10 cannot be GNSS-positioned, the communication resources available to the mobile terminal 10 are increased or the priority is raised, while when the position information of the mobile terminal 10 can be GNSS-positioned, the communication resources available to the mobile terminal 10 are decreased or the priority is lowered. Thereby, for example, when GNSS positioning is possible, it is possible to suppress the shortage of communication resources caused by the transmission of high-rate or large-capacity sensor information from the mobile terminal 10. On the other hand, for example, when GNSS positioning is not possible, non-GNSS positioning can be performed based on the sensor information transmitted from the mobile terminal 10, and the position information of the mobile terminal 10 can be positioned.

[0019] In addition to positioning and resource control of the mobile terminal 10's location information, the control server 20 may also perform various processes using that location information (for example, application processing to provide some kind of service to the mobile terminal 10). Furthermore, the control server 20 may also perform control of various functions of the mobile terminal 10 (for example, starting or stopping sensors such as cameras, or remote control of other functions). In particular, the control of various functions of the mobile terminal 10 may include real-time control (that is, control that enables the starting, execution, stopping, etc., of some function in real time).

[0020] The location information database 30 is a database server that stores data (hereinafter also referred to as location information data) including the location information measured by the control server 20 (and, when the mobile terminal 10 has a terminal-side positioning calculation function, the location information measured by the mobile terminal 10). Here, the location information data is stored in the location information database 30 in the form of, for example, (terminal ID, time, location information, calculation source). The terminal ID is identification information for identifying the mobile terminal 10. The time is information indicating the date and time when the location information was measured. The calculation source is information representing the type of information used for measuring the location information. Hereinafter, as an example, it is assumed that the calculation source can be set to any one of GNSS-based, IMU-based, image recognition-based, NW information-based, and composite ones. GNSS-based means that the location information was measured using GNSS signals (that is, the location information was measured by GNSS positioning). IMU-based means that the location information was measured using sensor information (acceleration, angular velocity) obtained from an inertial measurement device (hereinafter, this positioning method is also referred to as IMU positioning). Image recognition-based means that the location information was measured using an image obtained from an imaging device such as a camera (that is, the location information was measured by image positioning). NW information-based means that the location information was measured using information (for example, radio wave intensity, beacon, etc.) obtained from the wireless communication used by the mobile terminal 10 (hereinafter, this positioning method is also referred to as NW information positioning). Composite means that the location information was measured using two or more non-GNSS positionings (IMU positioning, image positioning, NW information positioning). In addition, for high-precision GNSS positioning, when non-GNSS positioning is performed supplementally or additionally in addition to GNSS positioning, it is assumed that "GNSS-based" is set as the calculation source.

[0021] Furthermore, image positioning may include not only the estimation of location information by matching with high-resolution maps and the estimation of location information using 3D or 4D spatial information, but also, for example, the estimation of location information by detecting white lines on roads using image recognition technology and matching with lane information, the estimation of location information by matching with high-resolution video, and the estimation of location information by detecting objects using sensors such as lasers and matching with high-resolution maps (including dynamic maps, etc.).

[0022] The NW information database 40 is a database server that stores first NW information data, which includes the NW information of the mobile terminal 10, and second NW information data, which includes the NW of NW equipment (e.g., wireless base stations, access points, etc.). Here, the NW information database 40 stores first NW information data in the format (terminal ID, NW information). NW information refers to information such as the network route, priority, and network quality information (e.g., bandwidth, delay, jitter, etc.) used by the mobile terminal 10 identified by its terminal ID. Also, second NW information data is stored in the format (NW equipment ID, usage status). NW equipment ID is identification information that identifies the NW equipment. Usage status refers to information that represents the usage status of the NW equipment identified by its NW equipment ID (e.g., bandwidth utilization rate of the NW equipment, number of mobile terminals 10 connected using the NW equipment, number of available connections indicating how many more connections are possible, etc.). The second network information data may include, for example, information indicating the terminal ID of a mobile terminal 10 that can use the network equipment identified by the network equipment ID.

[0023] The overall configuration of the communication control system 1 shown in Figure 1 is an example and is not limited to it. For example, the edge / cloud environment E may contain various servers, devices, and equipment in addition to the control server 20, location information database 30, and network information database 40. For example, there may be an application server that executes the application processing described above, or there may be a base station database that stores data including information about base stations (for example, the range of locations where that base station is the nearest base station).

[0024] <Example of functional configuration of mobile terminal 10 and control server 20> The following describes an example of the functional configuration of the mobile terminal 10 and the control server 20 according to this embodiment.

[0025] ≪Mobile terminal 10≫ Figure 2 shows an example of the functional configuration of the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment has a GNSS signal receiving unit 101, a sensor information acquisition unit 102, and a communication unit 103. The mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment may also have a terminal-side positioning calculation unit 104. Each of these functional units is realized, for example, by one or more programs installed in the mobile terminal 10 and a computing device such as a CPU that executes processing according to those programs, a GNSS receiver, various sensors, an interface device for connecting to a communication network 50, etc.

[0026] The GNSS signal receiving unit 101 receives GNSS signals from GNSS satellites. The sensor information acquisition unit 102 acquires sensor information from various sensors. The communication unit 103 transmits the GNSS signals received by the GNSS signal receiving unit 101 to the control server 20, and also transmits the sensor information acquired by the sensor information acquisition unit 102 to the control server 20. When transmitting GNSS signals and sensor information, the communication unit 103 also transmits its own terminal ID, for example, to the control server 20. The terminal-side positioning calculation unit 104 uses the GNSS signals received by the GNSS signal receiving unit 101 to determine position information by GNSS positioning.

[0027] The GNSS signal receiving unit 101 receives GNSS signals at a predetermined signal reception cycle. However, depending on the conditions of the mobile terminal 10 (for example, being in a shielded space such as a tunnel or indoors), it may not be possible to receive GNSS signals. Similarly, the sensor information acquisition unit 102 acquires sensor information from the relevant sensor at a predetermined sensing cycle.

[0028] ≪Control Server 20≫ Figure 3 shows an example of the functional configuration of the control server 20 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the control server 20 according to this embodiment has a communication unit 201, a server-side positioning calculation unit 202, and a control unit 203. Each of these functional units is realized, for example, by one or more programs installed on the control server 20, a computing device such as a CPU that executes processing according to those programs, and an interface device for connecting to the communication network 50.

[0029] The communication unit 201 receives GNSS signals and sensor information from the mobile terminal 10. The server-side positioning calculation unit 202 uses at least one of the GNSS signals and sensor information received by the communication unit 201 to determine the location information of the mobile terminal 10 that transmitted the GNSS signals and sensor information. The control unit 203 controls the communication resources available to the mobile terminal 10 when a specific event occurs (for example, a situation where GNSS signals cannot be received (or where GNSS signal reception is unstable)).

[0030] <Location information data storage process> The process of storing location data in the location database will be explained below with reference to Figure 4. Steps S101 to S103 below are repeated each time at least one of the GNSS signal and sensor information is transmitted from each mobile terminal 10.

[0031] The communication unit 201 of the control server 20 receives at least one of the GNSS signal and sensor information (i.e., the GNSS signal or sensor information or both) and the terminal ID (step S101).

[0032] Next, the server-side positioning calculation unit 202 of the control server 20 determines the location information of the mobile terminal 10 identified by the terminal ID using the GNSS signal, sensor information, or both (step S102). In this case, if only the GNSS signal is received in step S101, the server-side positioning calculation unit 202 determines the location information of the mobile terminal 10 by GNSS positioning. If only the sensor information is received in step S101, the server-side positioning calculation unit 202 determines the location information of the mobile terminal 10 by non-GNSS positioning. If both the GNSS signal and sensor information are received in step S101, the server-side positioning calculation unit 202 may perform only GNSS positioning, or it may perform auxiliary or additional non-GNSS positioning using the sensor information in addition to GNSS positioning to perform high-precision GNSS positioning.

[0033] Then, the server-side positioning calculation unit 202 of the control server 20 stores location information data (terminal ID, time, location information, calculation source), which includes the terminal ID, the time the positioning was performed in step S102 above, the location information which is the positioning result, and the calculation source, in the location information database 30 (step S103). Here, the calculation source is set to "GNSS-based" if GNSS positioning was performed in step S102 above (or if non-GNSS positioning was performed in addition to that as an auxiliary or supplementary measure), "IMU-based" if IMU positioning was performed, "image recognition-based" if image positioning was performed, "NW information-based" if NW information positioning was performed, and "composite" if two or more non-GNSS positioning (IMU positioning, image positioning, NW information positioning) were performed.

[0034] In the above example, the case where the server-side positioning calculation unit 202 of the control server 20 measures the position information of the mobile terminal 10 has been described. However, the position information may be measured by the terminal-side positioning calculation unit 104. In this case, the position information measured by the terminal-side positioning calculation unit 104 is transmitted from the mobile terminal 10 to the control server 20, and the control server 20 stores the position information data including this position information in the position information database 30. At this time, since the position information is measured using the GNSS signal, the calculation source is "GNSS-based".

[0035] <NW Control Process (Part 1)> Hereinafter, the process of controlling the communication resources available to the mobile terminal 10 in which a certain specific event has occurred when a certain specific event occurs will be described while referring to FIG. 5. Note that the following steps S201 to S204 are repeatedly executed at every predetermined time width.

[0036] The control unit 203 of the control server 20 determines whether or not a certain specific event has occurred to a certain mobile terminal 10 from the position information data stored in the position information database 30 (step S201). For example, when the control unit 203 detects any one of the following (1-1) to (1-3), it determines that the specific event has occurred to the mobile terminal 10 with the terminal ID included in the detected position information data.

[0037] (1-1) When position information data whose calculation source is other than "GNSS-based" is newly stored in the position information database 30.

[0038] In this case, it is considered that the mobile terminal 10 with the terminal ID included in the position information data is in a situation where the GNSS signal cannot be received.

[0039] (1-2) When position information data with blanks for time and position information is newly stored in the position information database 30.

[0040] Similarly, in this case, it is thought that the mobile terminal 10 with the terminal ID included in the location information data is unable to receive GNSS signals. Furthermore, in this case, it is thought that not only is location information not determined, but sensor information cannot be acquired or transmitted, and not GNSS signals cannot be received. Note that in (2), it is assumed that location information data is stored in the location information database 30 at predetermined intervals, regardless of whether location information has been determined or not.

[0041] (1-3) If the time and location information of a certain mobile terminal 10 is not updated at a predetermined update frequency.

[0042] In this case, it is thought that the mobile terminal 10 is in a situation where it cannot receive GNSS signals (or where the reception of GNSS signals is unstable).

[0043] Note that (1-1) to (1-3) above are all examples and are not limited to these. The control unit 203 can determine by any method that an event has occurred in which a mobile terminal 10 is unable to receive a GNSS signal (or is unable to receive a GNSS signal). For example, suppose the mobile terminal 10 has a terminal-side positioning calculation unit 104, and the control server 20 receives location information from the mobile terminal 10 at predetermined time intervals. In this case, if no location information is sent from the mobile terminal 10 even after the time interval has elapsed, the control unit 203 of the control server 20 may determine that an event has occurred in which the mobile terminal 10 is unable to receive a GNSS signal (or is unable to receive a GNSS signal).

[0044] If it is determined that no specific event has occurred in step S201 (NO in step S201), the control unit 203 of the control server 20 terminates processing. On the other hand, if it is determined that no specific event has occurred in step S201 (YES in step S201), the control unit 203 of the control server 20 obtains the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 10 where the event occurred from the location information data detected in step S201 (step S202).

[0045] Next, the control unit 203 of the control server 20 obtains first NW information data, which includes the terminal ID obtained in step S202 above, from the NW information database 40 (step S203).

[0046] Then, the control unit 203 of the control server 20 uses the NW information contained in the first NW information data acquired in step S203 to control the mobile terminal 10 to increase its communication resources (step S204). For example, the control unit 203 performs one or more of the following (A) to (D). Note that the control of communication resources can be achieved by known methods.

[0047] (A) Change the network path of the mobile terminal 10 to a path with better network quality (for example, a wider bandwidth path, a path with less jitter and latency, etc.).

[0048] In this case, the control unit 203 may, for example, refer to the usage status of the second network information data and change the network path of the mobile terminal 10 so that it passes through network equipment with low bandwidth utilization and low number of connections. This is because it is possible to improve the network quality of the mobile terminal 10.

[0049] (B) Increase the bandwidth of the mobile terminal 10.

[0050] In this case, for example, the control unit 203 may determine the increased bandwidth by a predetermined method and allocate the determined bandwidth to the mobile terminal 10. As a result, similar to (A) above, the network quality of the mobile terminal 10 can be improved.

[0051] (C) Raise the priority of the mobile terminal 10.

[0052] In this case, for example, the control unit 203 may determine the raised priority by a predetermined method and allocate the determined priority to the mobile terminal 10. As a result, similar to (A) and (B) above, the network quality of the mobile terminal 10 can be improved.

[0053] Note that when the communication resources of a certain mobile terminal 10 are increased by the above step S204, the NW information in the first NW information data including the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 10 is also updated.

[0054] As described above, the control server 20 according to the present embodiment can increase the communication resources of the mobile terminal 10 in a situation where the GNSS signal cannot be received (or the reception of the GNSS signal is unstable). As a result, the mobile terminal 10 can transmit sensor information to the control server 20 in real time, or transmit high-rate or high-precision sensor information. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform high-precision non-GNSS positioning on the control server 20 side, and it becomes possible to obtain high-precision position information even when GNSS positioning is not possible.

[0055] <NW Control Process (Part 2)> Hereinafter, a process of controlling the available communication resources of the mobile terminal 10 when the occurrence of a certain specific event is resolved will be described with reference to FIG. 6. Note that the following steps S301 to step S302 are repeatedly executed at every predetermined time width.

[0056] The control unit 203 of the control server 20 determines whether a particular event has been resolved in a mobile terminal 10 where a specific event occurred, based on the location information data stored in the location information database 30 (step S301). For example, if the control unit 203 detects any of the following (2-1) to (2-3) in relation to a mobile terminal 10 where a particular event occurred, it determines that the specific event that occurred in that mobile terminal 10 has been resolved.

[0057] (2-1) When it is determined that a specific event has occurred based on (1-1) above, the location information data containing the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 10 is stored in the location information database 30 with a calculation source of "GNSS-based".

[0058] (2-2) When it is determined that a specific event has occurred based on (1-2) above, the location information data containing the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 10, with time and location information set, is stored in the location information database 30.

[0059] (2-3) When it is determined that a specific event has occurred based on (1-3) above, the time and location information update frequency for the location information data including the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 10 reaches a predetermined update frequency.

[0060] In all of the above cases (2-1) to (2-3), it is assumed that the mobile terminal 10 is in a state where it can receive GNSS signals (or where GNSS signal reception is stable).

[0061] Note that (2-1) to (2-3) above are all examples and are not limited to these. The control unit 203 can determine by any method that the situation in which GNSS signals cannot be received (or the situation in which GNSS signal reception is unstable) has been resolved. For example, suppose that the mobile terminal 10 has a terminal-side positioning calculation unit 104, and the control server 20 receives location information from the mobile terminal 10 at predetermined time intervals. In this case, when location information is transmitted from the mobile terminal 10, the control unit 203 of the control server 20 may determine that the situation in which GNSS signals cannot be received (or the situation in which GNSS signal reception is unstable) has been resolved.

[0062] If it is not determined in step S301 that the specific issue has been resolved (NO in step S301), the control unit 203 of the control server 20 terminates processing. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S301 that the specific issue has been resolved with respect to a certain mobile terminal 10 (YES in step S301), the control unit 203 of the control server 20 controls the communication resources of that mobile terminal 10 to return them to the level before the specific issue occurred (step S302). In other words, the control unit 203 controls the communication resources of that mobile terminal 10 to return them to the communication resources before the increase. However, this is just an example and is not limited to this. The control unit 203 of the control server 20 may perform any control other than returning to the level before the specific issue occurred, as long as it reduces the communication resources of the mobile terminal 10 after the specific issue has been resolved. For example, it may perform controls such as changing the network to a route with lower network quality, reducing the bandwidth, or lowering the priority. In addition to these, it may also perform controls such as switching to a best-effort type line.

[0063] Furthermore, if the communication resources of a certain mobile terminal 10 are reduced by step S302 described above, the network information in the first network information data, which includes the terminal ID of that mobile terminal 10, is also updated.

[0064] As described above, the control server 20 according to this embodiment reduces the communication resources of a mobile terminal 10 when it is in a state where it can receive GNSS signals (or when the reception of GNSS signals is stable). This makes it possible to suppress the transmission of real-time, high-rate, or high-precision sensor information from the mobile terminal 10, thereby preventing congestion of the communication network 50. Generally, since GNSS signals are low-capacity data compared to sensor information, even if communication resources are reduced, it does not affect GNSS positioning on the control server 20 side (or the effect is negligible).

[0065] <Variation> • Variation 1 In the above embodiment, the communication resources of the mobile terminal 10 were controlled depending on whether or not it was possible to receive a GNSS signal. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and for example, server resources on the control server 20 side (CPU resources, GPU resources, memory resources, etc.) may be controlled together with (or instead of) the communication resources.

[0066] In other words, for example, for a mobile terminal 10 that is unable to receive a GNSS signal (or is unable to receive a GNSS signal), the server resources available to that mobile terminal 10 may be increased, while for mobile terminals 10 that are not in such a situation, the server resources may be reduced. This is because, generally, non-GNSS positioning (especially image positioning, etc.) requires a relatively large amount of server resources.

[0067] • Variation 2 In the above embodiment, the communication resources of the mobile terminal 10 were controlled depending on whether or not it was possible to receive a GNSS signal. In addition to this, other functions provided by the mobile terminal 10 may also be performed.

[0068] For example, suppose the mobile terminal 10 is equipped with a camera (for example, a wearable device with a camera). In this case, if the GNSS signal cannot be received (or the GNSS signal reception is unstable), the camera may be activated. On the other hand, if the GNSS signal can be received (or the GNSS signal reception is stable), the camera may be deactivated.

[0069] As a result, sensor information (such as images captured by a camera) is transmitted from the mobile terminal 10 to the control server 20 only when GNSS signals cannot be received (or when GNSS signal reception is unstable), and non-GNSS positioning can be performed using that sensor information. Therefore, when GNSS signals can be received (or when GNSS signal reception is stable), the communication resources of the mobile terminal 10 and the server resources can be reduced.

[0070] <Summary> As described above, the control server 20 according to this embodiment dynamically controls the resources available to the mobile terminal 10, which is connected via the communication network 50, depending on whether the mobile terminal 10 is able to stably receive GNSS signals. This makes it possible to achieve efficient resource utilization throughout the entire system. For this reason, it is possible to prevent, for example, a decline in service quality due to insufficient resources.

[0071] <Specific examples of achieving efficient resource utilization across the entire system> In the above embodiment, without assuming any specific scenario, we described a case where the resources available to the mobile terminal 10 are dynamically controlled depending on whether or not the mobile terminal 10 is in a situation where it can stably receive GNSS signals. On the other hand, various types of resource control are possible depending on the type and category of the mobile terminal 10, the type and category of resources, and what perspectives (e.g., economy, convenience) are emphasized. For example, if various types of mobile terminals 10 such as drones and automobiles are mixed together, it is possible to control resources within a mobile terminal 10 of the drone type, or to control resources across different types of mobile terminals 10. Furthermore, the content of such control can also be varied.

[0072] Therefore, in the following, we will explain specific examples of the resource control described above, assuming two perspectives: the perspective of the provider of network / server resources and the perspective of the user of network / server resources.

[0073] (1) From the perspective of the NW / server resource provider One possible approach is to control resources in a way that minimizes resource costs and operational costs while meeting the user's requirements for network / server resources (for example, the resource requirements necessary for providing the user's services). This is a perspective that prioritizes economic efficiency.

[0074] Furthermore, resource control itself incurs costs. Therefore, decisions regarding whether or not to perform resource control each time a situation arises where GNSS signals cannot be received, and to what extent resources should be allocated, will be made on an appropriate basis, taking into account acceptable costs.

[0075] (2) User perspective on network / server resources One approach is to control resources so that resource costs and operational costs are minimized while meeting the requirements for achieving the purpose of using network / server resources (e.g., resource requirements necessary for providing services). This, too, is a perspective that prioritizes economic efficiency.

[0076] For example, one example of such resource control is to minimize the use of pay-as-you-go resources and prioritize the use of fixed-rate resources. Another example is to minimize the use of over-specified and high-cost resources and prioritize the use of only low-cost resources that meet the above requirements.

[0077] In addition to the above, the following is also conceivable: There exists a flat-rate network (assuming it can accommodate up to two drones) and a pay-as-you-go network, and both networks meet the resource requirements necessary for service provision. In this case, if one of the two drones using the flat-rate network changes its route for some reason (e.g., coverage issues), a resource control measure could be implemented to switch one of the drones using the pay-as-you-go network to use the flat-rate network.

[0078] The above example assumes a drone as the mobile terminal 10 and shows resource control that enables efficient resource utilization across multiple drones. However, this can be similarly applied to multiple types of mobile terminals 10. That is, for example, if there are various types of mobile terminals 10 such as automobiles, drones, construction machinery, agricultural machinery, etc., resource control can be performed to enable efficient resource utilization across all of these mobile terminals 10. Furthermore, in general, resource control can be performed to enable efficient resource utilization across various mobile terminals 10 that span various types, categories, users, etc.

[0079] It goes without saying that (1) and (2) above are just examples. Many other resource control methods can be considered depending on various specific situations or circumstances.

[0080] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments specifically disclosed above, and various modifications, changes, and combinations with known technologies are possible without departing from the scope of the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0081] 1. Communication control system 10 Mobile terminals 20 Control Servers 30 Location Information Database 40 NW Information Database 50 Communication Networks 101 GNSS signal receiving unit 102 Sensor Information Acquisition Unit 103 Communications Department 104 Terminal-side positioning calculation unit 201 Communications Department 202 Server-side positioning calculation unit 203 Control Unit E Edge / Cloud Environment

Claims

1. A control device connected via a communication network to a mobile terminal equipped with at least a GNSS receiver, A control unit is configured to determine in real time the reception status of the GNSS signal in the GNSS receiver of the mobile terminal, and if it is determined that the GNSS receiver cannot receive the GNSS signal, to change the network path used by the mobile terminal to a network path with better network quality, and to control the activation of sensor equipment including the imaging device of the mobile terminal. A control device having

2. A receiving unit configured to receive at least one of the GNSS signal received by the GNSS receiver of the mobile terminal and sensor information acquired by the sensor equipment of the mobile terminal, The system includes a positioning unit configured to determine the location information of the mobile terminal using at least one of the GNSS signal and the sensor information, The control unit, The control device according to claim 1, configured such that the positioning unit determines whether or not the position information was determined from the GNSS signal, and whether or not the GNSS receiver in the mobile terminal was able to receive the GNSS signal.

3. The control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the network quality includes at least one of the bandwidth and priority of the network path used by the mobile terminal.

4. A control device connected via a communication network to a mobile terminal equipped with at least a GNSS receiver, A control procedure that determines in real time the reception status of the GNSS signal in the GNSS receiver of the mobile terminal, and if it is determined that the GNSS receiver cannot receive the GNSS signal, changes the network path used by the mobile terminal to a network path with better network quality, and controls the activation of sensor equipment including the imaging device of the mobile terminal. A control method for executing this.

5. A control device connected via a communication network to a mobile terminal equipped with at least a GNSS receiver, A control procedure that determines in real time the reception status of the GNSS signal in the GNSS receiver of the mobile terminal, and if it is determined that the GNSS receiver cannot receive the GNSS signal, changes the network path used by the mobile terminal to a network path with better network quality, and controls the activation of sensor equipment including the imaging device of the mobile terminal. A program that executes the command.

Images