Communication control system

Abstract

[Problem] To suppress delay and jitter in communication data even when a change occurs in a wireless environment due to movement of a communication device. [Solution] This communication control system comprising: a communication resource estimation unit 14 for estimating a required communication resource required for newly demanded communication; a congestion prediction unit 15 for predicting whether or not a demanded communication resource demanded for the newly demanded communication falls within the required communication resource estimated by the communication resource estimation unit 14; and a communication control unit 11 that accepts the newly demanded communication when the congestion prediction unit 15 predicts that the demanded communication resource falls within the required communication resource, and rejects the newly demanded communication when the demanded communication resource exceeds the required communication resource.

Description

Communication Control System

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication control system suitable for remotely controlling avatars that perform various actions in a virtual space and robots that perform various actions in a real space.

[0002] In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for remote control of avatars that perform various actions, such as traveling and shopping, in virtual spaces, and robots that perform various actions, such as operating heavy machinery and performing surgery, in remote locations in real space. However, due to unstable communication quality for such remote control, the expected remote control cannot often be realized. One possible cause of this is so-called congestion, which is the concentration of access on Internet or telephone lines. When congestion occurs, communication speeds decrease and even the communication system itself can go down, which is a harmful effect. Therefore, various studies have been attempted to prevent this as much as possible.

[0003] Various methods for controlling such congestion have been proposed and implemented in the past, but most of these methods were intended to avoid congestion collapse on Internet lines. For this reason, no technology has yet been proposed to avoid the occurrence of congestion on Internet lines or to avoid delays and jitters in communication data. In recent years, L4S (Low Latency, Low Loss, and Scalable throughput) has been proposed and is beginning to be implemented as a method for avoiding delays and jitters in communication data on the Internet (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0004] In this L4S, after detecting the occurrence of congestion on the communication path, the amount of communication data flowing into the communication path is reduced, and the amount of data queuing in the communication devices on the communication path is kept low, thereby achieving low latency and low jitter.

[0005] However, since communication path congestion itself cannot be avoided, there is a problem that delays and jitters in communication data occur to a certain extent. In particular, in wireless access communication lines, changes in the wireless environment due to the movement of communication devices such as the above-mentioned avatars and robots are likely to cause delays and jitters in communication data. For this reason, in cases where such avatars, robots, etc. are remotely controlled, there has been a long-awaited need for technology that can avoid communication path congestion and suppress delays and jitters in communication data, especially when changes in the wireless environment occur due to the movement of the communication devices installed in them.

[0006] RFC 9332 - Dual-Queue Coupled Active Queue Management (AQM) for Low Latency, Low Loss, and Scalable Throughput (L4S)

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been devised in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a communication control system that can avoid congestion on communication paths when remotely controlling avatars, robots, etc., and can suppress delays and jitters in communication data, especially when the wireless environment changes due to the movement of the communication devices installed in these devices.

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventors have invented a communication control system that predicts whether the requested communication resources required for newly requested communication will fit within the required communication resources estimated by the communication resource estimation means, and accepts the newly requested communication if it is predicted that the requested communication resources will fit within the required communication resources, and rejects the newly requested communication otherwise.

[0009] A communication control system according to a first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a communication resource estimation means for estimating required communication resources required for newly requested communication, a congestion prediction means for predicting whether the required communication resources required for the newly requested communication will fit within the required communication resources estimated by the communication resource estimation means, and a communication control means for accepting the newly requested communication if the congestion prediction means predicts that the required communication resources will fit within the required communication resources, and rejecting the newly requested communication if the requested communication resources are predicted to exceed the required communication resources.

[0010] A communication control system according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the communication resource estimation means, when the newly requested communication is wireless communication, estimates the required communication resources based on one or more of the location information of the communication target and the time zone of the communication.

[0011] A communication control system according to a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the second aspect, the communication resource estimation means uses a data set consisting of one or more of location information and communication time periods of communication targets and required communication resources as learning data, and when one or more of location information and communication time periods of communication targets are input, estimates the required communication resources via the learning data.

[0012] A communication control system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, when the newly requested communication is wired communication, the communication resource estimation means estimates the required communication resources based on one or more of the number of retransmissions of the line used in the wired communication, data loss, communication delay amount, jitter, traffic volume, and communication throughput.

[0013] A communication control system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the fourth aspect, wherein the communication resource estimation means uses a data set consisting of one or more of the number of retransmissions, data loss, communication delay, jitter, traffic volume, and communication throughput of the line used in the wired communication, and the required communication resources, as learning data, and when one or more of the number of retransmissions, data loss, communication delay, jitter, traffic volume, and communication throughput are input, estimates the required communication resources via the learning data.

[0014] The communication control system of the sixth invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the communication control means expels the communication request when the congestion prediction means predicts that the requested communication resources will exceed the required communication resources and when the communication has already started.

[0015] According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, in managing communication resources, if a communication request lacks the communication resources necessary to achieve a desired communication quality, the communication request is rejected in the first place, and communication resources are not allocated. This makes it possible to encourage the communication requester to use a different communication line. By not forcibly allocating more communication resources than necessary to a communication request lacking the necessary communication resources, it becomes possible to accommodate more communication requests than necessary.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an access point provided in a communication control system to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of an access point. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of a mobile body. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication sequence between a terminal operated by an operator and a mobile body when wireless communication is performed. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of allocation of communication resources to each communication request. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the distance from the access point as the center and the required communication resources. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for accepting or rejecting each communication request. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of processing operations when communication has already started. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an estimation model for estimating required communication resources via training data. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another estimation model for estimating required communication resources via training data.

[0017] An embodiment of a communication control system to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] 1 is a block diagram showing an access point 1 provided in a communication control system 10 to which the present invention is applied. In the communication control system 10, the access point 1 communicates with a mobile object 2, such as a drone, ship, or robot that operates in real space, or an avatar that operates in virtual space, via wired or wireless communication. The system may also include a terminal 3 operated by an operator who operates the mobile object 2. When wireless communication is performed, a wireless access network 5 is formed with the access point 1 at its center.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the access point 1 includes, in addition to a communication control unit 11, a receiving unit 12 that receives signals transmitted from one or more mobile objects 2, a transmitting unit 13 that transmits signals to each terminal 3, a communication resource estimation unit 14 that estimates the communication resources required for newly requested communication, and a congestion prediction unit 15 that predicts congestion.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the moving body 2 includes an MPU (Micro Processor Unit) 21, a GPS (Global Positioning System) 22, an obstacle detection sensor 23, a wireless communication unit 24, a wired communication unit 25, and a driving device 26, all of which are connected to the MPU 21.

[0021] The communication control unit 11 controls communication between the wireless communication unit 24 and the wired communication unit 25 in the mobile object 2. Specifically, the communication control unit 11 controls the allocation of communication resources required for short- to long-distance wireless communication with the wireless communication unit 24. The communication control unit 11 also controls the allocation of communication resources required for wired communication with the wired communication unit 25.

[0022] Under the control of the communication control unit 11, the receiving unit 12 receives signals sent from the mobile object 2 based on each communication standard.

[0023] Under the control of the communication control unit 11, the transmitting unit 13 converts the signal to be sent to the mobile object 2 into a wireless signal based on the wireless communication standard and transmits it, and converts it into a wired signal based on the wired communication standard and transmits it.

[0024] The communication resource estimation unit 14 first identifies whether a new communication request, i.e., a communication request, has been received via the receiving unit 12. If the communication resource estimation unit 14 identifies that a communication request has been received, it estimates the communication resources required for the requested communication. The communication resources indicate various communication capabilities such as communication volume, delay amount, and transmission capacity.

[0025] The communication resource estimation unit 14 estimates the required communication resources using different estimation methods depending on whether the communication request is for wireless communication or wired communication. If the received communication request is for wireless communication, the required communication resources are estimated based on one or more of location information of the communication target and the time period of communication. If the received communication request is for wired communication, the required communication resources are estimated based on one or more of the number of retransmissions, data loss, communication delay amount, jitter, traffic volume, and communication throughput of the line used for the wired communication.

[0026] The congestion prediction unit 15 acquires information about the required communication resources estimated by the communication resource estimation unit 14. The congestion prediction unit 15 also acquires the required communication resources required for newly requested communication via a communication request. The congestion prediction unit 15 then performs congestion prediction by comparing the required communication resources with the required communication resources. Details of congestion prediction will be described later. The congestion prediction unit 15 notifies the communication control unit 11 of the result of this congestion prediction. The communication control unit 11 controls various communications, including the allocation of communication resources, based on the notified result of congestion prediction.

[0027] The MPU 21 is a so-called central control unit for controlling each component within the moving body 2. The GPS 22, obstacle detection sensor 23, wireless communication unit 24, wired communication unit 25, and drive unit 26, all of which are connected to the MPU 21, operate under the control of the MPU 21. Programs and the like required for controlling the moving body 2 are stored in memories connected to the MPU 21.

[0028] The GPS 22 has a function of calculating the position, distance, time, etc. to determine the current position of the mobile object 2. The GPS 22 transmits current position information relating to the determined current position of the mobile object 2 to the MPU 21.

[0029] The obstacle detection sensor 23 is composed of, for example, a laser radar (lidar) or a camera sensor, and if it is a lidar, it emits a laser and measures the distance to surrounding obstacles by observing the delay in the reflected light and transmits the distance to the MPU 21.

[0030] The wireless communication unit 24 performs short- to long-distance wireless communication with the access point 1. The wireless communication unit 24 converts information sent from the MPU 21 into a wireless signal based on a wireless communication standard and transmits it. The wireless communication unit 24 also converts the received wireless signal into an electrical signal and sends it to the MPU 21. Note that in the case of a mobile object 2 that performs only wired communication without performing wireless communication, the configuration of the wireless communication unit 24 itself may be omitted.

[0031] The wired communication unit 25 performs wired communication with the access point 1 via a line. The wired communication unit 25 converts information sent from the MPU 21 into a wired signal based on the wired communication standard and transmits it. The wired communication unit 25 also sends the wired signal received via the line to the MPU 21. Note that in the case of a mobile object 2 that performs only wireless communication without performing wired communication, the configuration of the wired communication unit 25 itself may be omitted.

[0032] For example, in the case where the moving body 2 is a robot that moves by driving wheels, the driving device 26 is configured as a motor for driving the wheels (not shown). For example, in the case where the moving body 2 is an unmanned aerial vehicle such as a drone, the driving device 26 is configured as a motor for driving a turning propeller (not shown). The driving device 26 receives instructions from the MPU 21 regarding the specific start and stop of movement as well as the direction of movement. The driving device 26 moves the moving body 2 by driving the motor in response to instructions from the MPU 21.

[0033] When the movable device 26 is an avatar that operates in a virtual space, the configuration of this movable device 26 is embodied as a computer program.

[0034] The mobile station 2 may also be provided with configurations similar to the communication control unit 11, communication resource estimation unit 14, and congestion prediction unit 15 that should originally be implemented in the access point 1. This allows the mobile station 2 to also have functions such as communication resource estimation, congestion prediction, and communication control.

[0035] The terminal 3 has a user interface that allows an operator to visually check information and perform various operations. The terminal 3 may be embodied as a terminal device that is capable of wireless or wired communication with the access point 1, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a wearable terminal, or a personal computer (PC).

[0036] Next, the operation of the communication control system 10 to which the present invention is applied will be described.

[0037] 4 shows an example of a communication sequence in wireless communication between a terminal 3 operated by an operator and a mobile unit 2. For example, operator A transmits and receives data to and from a mobile unit 2a via a wireless access network 5 centered around an access point 1, using his / her own terminal 3a.

[0038] 4, for example, mobile unit 2a transmits a video stream consisting of video data that it has captured as communication request A-1 to terminal 3a via the wireless access network 5, and then mobile unit 2a transmits feedback on the operation result previously sent by operator A as communication request A-2 to terminal 3a. Furthermore, operator A transmits control data required for remote control of mobile unit 2a via terminal 3a as new communication request A-3 via the wireless access network 5.

[0039] 4, mobile unit 2b transmits a video stream consisting of video data it has captured as communication request B-1 to terminal 3b via the wireless access network 5, and then mobile unit 2b transmits feedback on the operation result previously sent by operator B as communication request B-2 to terminal 3b. Operator B also transmits control data required for remote control of mobile unit 2b via terminal 3b as new communication request B-3 via the wireless access network 5.

[0040] 4, mobile unit 2c transmits a communication request C-1 to terminal 3c as feedback on the operation result previously transmitted by operator C. Operator C also transmits a new communication request C-2, via terminal 3c, to mobile unit 2c via wireless access network 5, containing control data required for remote control.

[0041] That is, in the wireless access network 5, the mobile units 2a to 2c and the terminals 3a to 3c of the operators A to C each perform wireless communication and use communication resources as appropriate. The allocation of such communication resources is managed and allocated based on the communication resource estimation unit 14, congestion prediction unit 15, and communication control unit 11 in the access point 1 described above. Specifically, the amount of communication resources required to transmit a desired communication volume is allocated according to the reception quality estimated from the transmission environment.

[0042] Fig. 5 shows an example of the allocation of communication resources to the above-mentioned communication requests A to C. In Fig. 5, the upper part shows an example of the allocation of communication resources to a communication request from mobile unit 2 to terminal 3, and the lower part shows an example of the allocation of communication resources to a communication request from terminal 3 to mobile unit 2. In both cases, the communication resources are indicated by the length of communication time. In other words, more communication resources are allocated to a communication request with a longer duration, and fewer communication resources are allocated to a communication request with a shorter duration.

[0043] Each time a new communication request is received, the communication resource estimation unit 14 in the access point 1 estimates the necessary communication resources required for communication to be executed in response to that communication request. In this case, in the case of wireless communication, the communication resource estimation unit 14 may estimate that the necessary communication resources will be greater in an area farther away from the access point 1 as shown in Fig. 6. Similarly, the communication resource estimation unit 14 can estimate that the necessary communication resources will be fewer as the distance to the access point 1 becomes closer. The communication resource estimation unit 14 may also estimate the necessary communication resources according to other factors such as the strength of interference.

[0044] The communication control unit 11 allocates communication resources to the communication of each communication request based on the necessary communication resources estimated by the communication resource estimation unit 14. At this time, as shown in Fig. 5, the communication resource estimation unit 14 may allocate more communication resources to communication requests A-1 and B-1 that require more necessary communication resources, and allocate less communication resources to communication requests A-2, B-2, C-1, etc. that can be communicated with fewer necessary communication resources.

[0045] In the present invention, each communication request may be accepted or rejected based on the processing flow described below.

[0046] 7, in step S11, the access point 1 accepts a new communication request from the terminal 3 or the mobile object 2. After the communication request itself is received by the receiver 12 in the access point 1, the communication resource estimation unit 14 estimates the necessary communication resources required for communication of the communication request.

[0047] Next, the process proceeds to step S12, where the congestion prediction unit 15 acquires the requested communication resources required in the received new communication request. The requested communication resources are described in the packet data constituting the communication request, and the congestion prediction unit 15 may acquire the requested communication resources by reading the packet data. The congestion prediction unit 15 predicts whether the acquired requested communication resources will fit within the necessary communication resources estimated by the communication resource estimation unit 14 in step S11.

[0048] As a result, if the requested communication resources exceed the required communication resources and do not fit within the required communication resources, it is determined that congestion has occurred, and the process proceeds to step S13. If the requested communication resources are equal to or less than the required communication resources and fit within the required communication resources, it is determined that congestion has not occurred, and the process proceeds to step S14.

[0049] If the process proceeds to step S13, the communication request is rejected, that is, the communication request is not accepted because congestion has occurred.

[0050] On the other hand, if the process proceeds to step S14, the communication request is accepted since no congestion has occurred.

[0051] That is, in managing communication resources, if a communication request lacks the communication resources necessary to achieve a desired communication quality, the communication request is rejected in the first place and no communication resources are allocated to that communication requester. This makes it possible to encourage the communication requester to use a different communication line. By not forcibly allocating more communication resources than necessary to a communication request lacking the necessary communication resources, it becomes possible to accommodate more communication requests than necessary.

[0052] 8 shows the processing operation when communication has already started. In step S21, the status of communication that has already started is first identified. For example, in the case of wired communication, this identification of the communication status involves detecting data such as the number of retransmissions on the line used, data loss, communication delay, jitter, traffic volume, and communication throughput.

[0053] Next, the process proceeds to step S22, where the communication resource estimation unit 14 estimates the necessary communication resources required for the communication of the currently ongoing communication request.

[0054] Next, the process proceeds to step S23, where the congestion prediction unit 15 redoes the estimation in accordance with the change in the estimation factor, since the required communication resources for the current communication request have already been obtained. The congestion prediction unit 15 predicts whether the required communication resources will fit within the necessary communication resources estimated by the communication resource estimation unit 14 in step S22.

[0055] As a result, if the requested communication resources exceed the required communication resources and do not fit within the required communication resources, it is determined that congestion has occurred, and the process proceeds to step S24. If the requested communication resources are equal to or less than the required communication resources and fit within the required communication resources, it is determined that congestion has not occurred, and communication continues as is.

[0056] When the process proceeds to step S24, congestion occurs and communication requests that are already being executed are expelled. The expulsion of communication requests here includes the suspension of communication.

[0057] In such a case, by not forcibly allocating more communication resources than necessary to a communication request for which the necessary communication resources are insufficient, it is possible to allocate more communication resources to other communication requests.

[0058] In the present invention, when the newly requested communication is wireless communication, the communication resource estimation unit 14 may estimate the required communication resources based on one or more of the location information of the terminal 3 or mobile device 2 as the communication target and the time zone of the communication. In particular, in the case of wireless communication, the required communication resources vary depending on the distance the communication target is located from the access point 1 and the status of obstacles at that location, so location information may be used as an explanatory variable. Furthermore, in the case of wireless communication, the required communication resources also vary depending on the communication time, so this may also be used as an explanatory variable. Incidentally, any arithmetic formula may be used to calculate the required communication resources as the objective variable using the location information and the time zone as explanatory variables, and any weighting may be applied between the location information and the time zone. However, it is assumed that the model estimates the required communication resources based on one or more of the location information and the time zone of the communication.

[0059] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which communication resource estimation, congestion prediction, and communication control are all performed in the access point 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and each of these processing operations may be performed on the mobile unit 2 side. In such a case, it is assumed that the mobile unit 2 has configurations similar to the communication control unit 11, communication resource estimation unit 14, and congestion prediction unit 15 that should originally be implemented in the access point 1.

[0060] 9, a data set consisting of one or more of location information of communication targets and communication time periods, and required communication resources may be used as training data, and when one or more of location information of communication targets and communication time periods are input, an estimation model may be used to estimate the required communication resources via the training data. In this way, by constructing training data in advance, the artificial intelligence can estimate the required communication resources with high accuracy.

[0061] The determination using such a model can also be applied to a communication request for which communication has already started, as shown in FIG.

[0062] In the present invention, when the newly requested communication is wired communication, the communication resource estimation unit 14 may estimate the required communication resources based on one or more of the number of retransmissions, data loss, communication delay, jitter, traffic volume, and communication throughput of the line used in the wired communication. Incidentally, the number of retransmissions, data loss, communication delay, jitter, traffic volume, and communication throughput of the line used are used as explanatory variables, and any arithmetic expression may be used to calculate the required communication resources as the objective variable, and any weighting may be assigned between the explanatory variables, but it is assumed that the model estimates the required communication resources based on one or more of the above-mentioned explanatory variables.

[0063] The explanatory variables used in wired communication may also be used as appropriate when estimating the required communication resources in wireless communication.

[0064] 10, a data set consisting of one or more of the number of retransmissions of the line to be used, data loss, communication delay amount, jitter, traffic volume, and communication throughput, and the required communication resources may be used as training data, and an estimation model may be used to estimate the required communication resources via the training data when one or more of the location information of the communication target and the time period of communication are input. In this way, by constructing training data in advance, the artificial intelligence can estimate the required communication resources with high accuracy.

[0065] In this way, the present invention can achieve the desired throughput, low delay, and low jitter by preventing communication data from flowing into a communication path beyond its allowable capacity. In particular, in wireless communication, it is possible to dynamically change the allowable capacity of a communication path by taking into account the communication distance and the amount of interference.

[0066] In particular, according to the present invention, when performing real-time remote control while viewing high-resolution video captured by the mobile object 2 as the investigation target via the terminal 3 or while receiving feedback on the results of one's own operation, stable video transmission is possible by maintaining the desired throughput. In addition, maintaining the desired low latency and low jitter enables a natural remote control experience.

[0067] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 access point 2 mobile object 3 terminal 5 wireless access network 10 communication control system 11 communication control unit 12 receiving unit 13 transmitting unit 14 communication resource estimation unit 15 congestion prediction unit 21 MPU 22 GPS 23 obstacle detection sensor 24 wireless communication unit 25 wired communication unit 26 driving equipment

Claims

1. A communication control system comprising: communication resource estimation means for estimating required communication resources required for newly requested communication; congestion prediction means for predicting whether the required communication resources required for the newly requested communication will fit within the required communication resources estimated by the communication resource estimation means; and communication control means for accepting the newly requested communication if the congestion prediction means predicts that the required communication resources will fit within the required communication resources, and for rejecting the newly requested communication if the requested communication resources are predicted to exceed the required communication resources.

2. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein the communication resource estimation means, when the newly requested communication is wireless communication, estimates the required communication resources based on at least one of the location information of the communication target and the time period of the communication.

3. The communication control system according to claim 2, wherein the communication resource estimation means uses a data set consisting of one or more of the location information of the communication target and the time period of communication, and the required communication resources, as learning data, and when one or more of the location information of the communication target and the time period of communication are input, estimates the required communication resources via the learning data.

4. The communication control system according to claim 1, wherein the communication resource estimation means, when the newly requested communication is a wired communication, estimates the required communication resources based on one or more of the number of retransmissions of the line used in the wired communication, data loss, communication delay amount, jitter, traffic volume, and communication throughput.

5. The communication control system according to claim 4, wherein the communication resource estimation means uses a data set consisting of one or more of the number of retransmissions, data loss, communication delay, jitter, traffic volume, and communication throughput of the line used in the wired communication, and the required communication resources, as learning data, and when one or more of the number of retransmissions, data loss, communication delay, jitter, traffic volume, and communication throughput are input, estimates the required communication resources via the learning data.

6. A communication control system according to claim 1, wherein said communication control means expels a communication request when said congestion prediction means predicts that said requested communication resources will exceed said necessary communication resources and said communication has already started.

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