Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

The present invention determines an appropriate communication path via a plurality of satellites by using a satellite constellation. Provided is an information processing device comprising: a reception unit that receives information indicating a satellite with which a first terminal can communicate, and information indicating a satellite with which a second terminal can communicate; a determination unit that determines a communication path between the first terminal and the second terminal on the basis of the communication quality of each of a plurality of communication paths through which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via a plurality of satellites; and a transmission unit that transmits information based on the communication path determined by the determination unit.

Description

Information processing device, information processing method, and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 discloses a satellite constellation device that can prevent momentary interruptions in communications. In this device, valid links between multiple satellites at a predetermined time from the present time are predicted based on the orbits of the multiple satellites. Then, before the currently valid links between the multiple satellites are disconnected at the predetermined time, switching of the destination of communication data transmitted and received by the satellites is controlled so that communication is performed using the predicted valid links.

[0003] JP 2024-077836 A

[0004] However, Patent Document 1 does not consider, for example, the problems that arise when a grid mesh is used.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can determine an appropriate communication path via multiple satellites using a satellite constellation.

[0006] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, an information processing device is provided that has a receiving unit that receives information indicating satellites with which a first terminal can communicate and information indicating satellites with which a second terminal can communicate, a determining unit that determines a communication route between the first terminal and the second terminal based on the communication quality of each of multiple communication routes over which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via multiple satellites, and a transmitting unit that transmits information based on the communication route determined by the determining unit.

[0007] In addition, a second aspect of the present disclosure provides an information processing method that receives information indicating satellites with which a first terminal can communicate and information indicating satellites with which a second terminal can communicate, determines a communication path between the first terminal and the second terminal based on the communication quality of each of multiple communication paths through which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via multiple satellites, and transmits information based on the determined communication path.

[0008] In addition, a third aspect of the present disclosure provides a program that causes a computer to execute a process of receiving information indicating satellites with which a first terminal can communicate and information indicating satellites with which a second terminal can communicate, determining a communication route between the first terminal and the second terminal based on the communication quality of each of multiple communication routes through which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via multiple satellites, and transmitting information based on the determined communication route.

[0009] According to one aspect, a satellite constellation can be used to determine an appropriate communication path through multiple satellites.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a satellite constellation system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of an information processing device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a communicable satellite DB (database) according to the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a user terminal DB according to the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a communication quality DB according to the present disclosure.

[0011] The principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are set forth for illustrative purposes only, to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure, without implying any limitation on the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0012] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that each drawing is merely an example for describing one or more embodiments. Each drawing is not related to only one particular embodiment, but may also be related to one or more other embodiments. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing can be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings to create, for example, an embodiment not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing are necessarily required to describe an exemplary embodiment, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any drawing may be changed as appropriate.

[0014] (First Embodiment) <Configuration> The configuration of an information processing device 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment. The information processing device 10 has a receiving unit 11, a determining unit 12, and a transmitting unit 13. Each of these units may be realized by cooperation between one or more programs installed in the information processing device 10 and hardware such as a processor and memory of the information processing device 10.

[0015] The receiver 11 receives information indicating satellites with which the first terminal can communicate and information indicating satellites with which the second terminal can communicate. The determiner 12 determines a communication path between the first terminal and the second terminal based on the communication quality of each of multiple communication paths through which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via multiple satellites. The transmitter 13 transmits information based on the communication path determined by the determiner 12. This makes it possible to determine an appropriate communication path via multiple satellites using a satellite constellation.

[0016] (Embodiment 2) <System Configuration> Next, the configuration of a satellite constellation system 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the satellite constellation system 1 according to an embodiment. In the example of FIG. 2, the satellite constellation system 1 includes an information processing device 10 and user terminals 20-1, 20-2, ..., 20-M (M is an integer of 2 or greater). Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the user terminals 20-1 to 20-M, they will also be referred to simply as "user terminals 20" as appropriate. Furthermore, the satellite constellation system 1 includes satellites 30-1, 30-2, ..., 30-N (N is an integer of 2 or greater). Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the satellites 30-1 to 30-N, they will also be referred to simply as "satellites 30" as appropriate.

[0017] The information processing device 10 is, for example, a device such as a server, a cloud server, or a computer. The information processing device 10 controls, for example, the establishment of communication paths between each user terminal 20. The information processing device 10 may be mounted on, for example, a satellite 30. Alternatively, the information processing device 10 may be provided on the ground, for example, and communicate with the satellite 30 via an antenna of a base station or the like. Alternatively, the information processing device 10 may communicate with the user terminal 20 via a network such as the Internet.

[0018] The information processing device 10 may, for example, connect the satellites 30 in a grid mesh (lattice) pattern. The information processing device 10 may, for example, connect satellites traveling in the same direction between orbital planes. This reduces communication interruptions caused by the satellites 30 moving in relatively different directions, even when connecting satellites 30 in intersecting orbits for a relatively long period of time. The information processing device 10 may also, for example, connect satellites traveling in different directions between orbital planes.

[0019] The user terminal 20 is, for example, a terminal carried by a user, which is capable of wireless communication with the satellite 30 either via a base station or directly without a base station. The user terminal 20 may be, for example, a smartphone. The user terminal 20 may also be, for example, a portable tethering terminal that connects to other terminals. The user terminal 20 may also be, for example, a terminal mounted on a moving object such as a ship, an aircraft, a vehicle, a robot, a drone, or a flying car.

[0020] The satellites 30 may be, for example, artificial satellites capable of wireless communication with the user terminal 20 and other satellites 30. Each satellite 30 may orbit the Earth at a different position in each orbital plane.

[0021] <Hardware Configuration> Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment. In the example of Fig. 3, the information processing device 10 (computer 100) includes a processor 101, a memory 102, and a communication interface 103. These components may be connected via a bus or the like. The memory 102 stores at least a part of a program 104. The communication interface 103 includes an interface required for communication with other network elements.

[0022] When the program 104 is executed by the processor 101, memory 102, and other components in cooperation with each other, the computer 100 performs at least some of the processing of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The memory 102 may be of any type. As a non-limiting example, the memory 102 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The 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 in the computer 100, several physically different memory modules may be present in the computer 100. The processor 101 may be of any type. The processor 101 may include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and, as a non-limiting example, a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The computer 100 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0023] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device.

[0024] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, that execute on a target real or virtual processor or device to perform the processes or methods of the present disclosure. Program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided among program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0025] The program code for executing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus. When the program code is executed by the processor or controller, the functions / acts in the flowcharts and / or implementing block diagrams are performed. The program code may be executed entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0026] The program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible recording media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media, magneto-optical recording media, optical disk 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 disk 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, solid-state drives, mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, and RAM (Random Access Memory). The program may also be supplied to a computer by various types of temporary computer-readable media. Examples of temporary computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The temporary computer-readable medium can supply the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire or an optical fiber, or via a wireless communication path.

[0027] <Processing> Next, an example of processing of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a communication-capable satellite DB (database) 501 according to the embodiment. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a user terminal DB 601 according to the embodiment. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a communication quality DB 701 according to the embodiment.

[0028] 4 may be executed, for example, when the user terminal 20-1, which is the connection source, transmits a connection request specifying the user terminal 20-2 as the connection destination in response to a user operation. Furthermore, the process of FIG. 4 may be executed, for example, when at least one of the user terminals 20-1 and 20-2 performs a handover when the user terminals 20-1 and 20-2 are communicating via multiple satellites 30. In this case, the user terminal 20 may request a handover when the received radio wave strength from the satellite 30 to which it is connected is equal to or lower than a threshold.

[0029] 4 at regular intervals, for example, when the user terminal 20-1 and the user terminal 20-2 are communicating via multiple satellites 30. Furthermore, the information processing device 10 may execute the process of FIG. 4 when the communication quality measured between the user terminals 20 (end-to-end) is equal to or lower than a threshold value, for example, when the user terminal 20-1 and the user terminal 20-2 are communicating via multiple satellites 30. In this case, the receiving unit 11 may receive information indicating the communication quality measured between the user terminals 20 directly from the user terminal 20 or via the satellite 30 at regular intervals, for example.

[0030] In step S101, the receiving unit 11 receives information indicating one or more satellites 30 with which the user terminal 20-1 can communicate and information indicating one or more satellites 30 with which the user terminal 20-2 can communicate. Here, the receiving unit 11 may receive the information indicating each satellite 30 with which the user terminal 20 can communicate from the user terminal 20 wirelessly directly, via another satellite 30, or via a terrestrial network.

[0031] The information indicating each satellite 30 may include, for example, identification information of each satellite 30. The information indicating each satellite 30 may also include, for example, current location information of the user terminal 20. In this case, the determination unit 12 may, for example, refer to the communicable satellite DB 501 in Fig. 5 and estimate each satellite 30 that can be connected to from the location of the user terminal 20 at the current time.

[0032] 5, the communicable satellite DB 501 registers the satellite ID of each communicable satellite 30 in association with a combination of time (time zone) and location (area, region, location range). The satellite ID is identification information for the satellite 30. Note that the information in the communicable satellite DB 501 may be recorded in advance by an administrator (operator) or the like in an internal or external storage device of the information processing device 10.

[0033] The information indicating each satellite 30 may also include, for example, identification information (user terminal ID) of the user terminal 20. In this case, the determination unit 12 may, for example, refer to the user terminal DB 601 in Fig. 6 to acquire location information of the user terminal 20. Then, the determination unit 12 may, for example, refer to the communicable satellite DB 501 in Fig. 5 described above to estimate each satellite 30 that can be connected to from the location of the user terminal 20 at the current time.

[0034] In the example of Figure 6, location information and contract information are recorded in the user terminal DB 601 in association with a user terminal ID. The location information is location information of the user terminal 20. The contract information is information relating to a contract between the user of the user terminal 20 and the operator of the satellite constellation system 1. Note that the information in the user terminal DB 601 may be recorded in advance in a storage device inside or outside the information processing device 10 by an administrator (operator) or the like. Furthermore, the location information of the user terminal 20 in the user terminal DB 601 may be updated by the user terminal 20, for example, periodically.

[0035] Next, the determination unit 12 identifies multiple communication paths that allow the user terminal 20-1 and the user terminal 20-2 to connect via multiple satellites 30 (step S102). Here, the determination unit 12 may, for example, refer to the communication quality DB 701 of FIG. 7 to identify each communication path from the user terminal 20-1 to the user terminal 20-2. In the example of FIG. 7, the communication quality DB 701 records the communication quality of a section (link) in association with a combination of time (time zone), a transfer source satellite ID, and a transfer destination satellite ID. The transfer source satellite ID is the satellite ID of the transfer source satellite 30. The transfer destination satellite ID is the satellite ID of the transfer destination satellite 30. The communication quality of a section is the communication quality in the section from the transfer source satellite 30 to the transfer destination satellite 30. The communication quality may include index values ​​such as delay, bandwidth (available bandwidth), jitter, and error rate. Furthermore, the determination unit 12 may, for example, include the number of satellites 30 (number of hops) included in the communication path in the communication quality.

[0036] The information in the communication quality DB 701 may be recorded in advance by an administrator (operator) or the like in a storage device inside or outside the information processing device 10. Furthermore, the information on the communication quality of the section in the communication quality DB 701 may be updated, for example, periodically based on the measurement results of the communication quality between the satellites 30.

[0037] The determination unit 12 may determine a communication path that allows communication via multiple satellites 30 in a grid mesh in a satellite constellation. In this case, the determination unit 12 may connect links between satellites 30 orbiting the Earth on the same orbital plane and links between satellites 30 orbiting the Earth on adjacent and nearby orbital planes as links in the grid mesh. In this case, the communication quality DB 701 may set a combination of a transfer source satellite ID and a transfer destination satellite ID for each link in the grid mesh for each time. Note that in this case, the time (time zone) is not required in the communication quality DB 701, and the communication quality of a section may be recorded in association with a combination of a transfer source satellite ID and a transfer destination satellite ID.

[0038] The determination unit 12 may also determine a communication path that allows communication via multiple satellites 30 in a grid mesh in a satellite constellation and multiple satellites 30 whose orbital planes intersect with each other. In this case, the determination unit 12 may connect each link of the grid mesh with a link between each satellite 30 that exists nearby and whose orbital planes intersect with each other. In this case, the communication quality DB 701 may set a combination of a transfer source satellite ID and a transfer destination satellite ID for each link of the grid mesh and a link between each satellite 30 that exists nearby and whose orbital planes intersect with each other and that can be connected at each time.

[0039] For example, if the determination unit 12 can connect each link recorded in the communication quality DB 701 from each satellite 30 with which the user terminal 20-1 can communicate to each satellite 30 with which the user terminal 20-2 can communicate, the determination unit 12 may identify the route connecting each of the links as the communication route.

[0040] The determination unit 12 may determine the satellite 30 to which the user terminal 20 will connect based on the position information of the user terminal 20 and the moving direction of each satellite 30. This may reduce the number of times the user terminal 20 hands over to another satellite 30, even if communication continues for a relatively long time after a communication path is established. In this case, the determination unit 12 may, for example, preferentially select, from among the satellites 30, a satellite 30 that is approaching the position of the user terminal 20, and connect it to the user terminal 20.

[0041] Next, the determination unit 12 estimates the communication quality of each identified communication path (step S103). Here, the determination unit 12 may, for example, calculate the sum of the delays of each link included in a specific communication path as the delay value of the specific communication path. Furthermore, the determination unit 12 may, for example, calculate the minimum bandwidth of each link included in the specific communication path as the bandwidth value of the specific communication path.

[0042] The determiner 12 may also calculate the jitter value of a specific communication path based on the jitter of each link included in the specific communication path. The determiner 12 may also calculate the error rate of the specific communication path based on the error rate of each link included in the specific communication path.

[0043] Next, the determination unit 12 determines a communication path between the user terminal 20-1 and the user terminal 20-2 based on the estimated communication quality of each communication path (step S104). Here, the determination unit 12 may select, for example, the communication path with the highest communication quality from among the communication paths.

[0044] Furthermore, the determination unit 12 may select a communication path based on, for example, the estimated communication quality of each communication path and the communication quality corresponding to at least one of the user terminal 20-1 and the user terminal 20-2. This makes it possible to provide, for example, a communication path that is more suitable for the user.

[0045] In this case, the determination unit 12 may determine the communication quality according to the user terminal 20, for example, based on the contract information of the user terminal 20 recorded in the user terminal DB 601. In this case, the determination unit 12 may allocate a communication path of higher quality to the user terminal 20 of a user who has signed a more expensive contract, for example.

[0046] Furthermore, the determination unit 12 may determine the priority of indices such as delay, bandwidth, jitter, and error rate according to the purpose of use of the user terminal 20. Then, the determination unit 12 may select, for example, the communication path having the highest value of the highest priority index from among the communication paths. Furthermore, the determination unit 12 may select, for example, the communication path having the highest score according to the priority (for example, a value obtained by multiplying each index by a priority weighting coefficient) from among the communication paths.

[0047] Next, the transmitter 13 transmits information for setting (establishing) the communication path determined by the determiner 12 (step S105). Here, the transmitter 13 may transmit to the user terminal 20-1, for example, a list of transfer source satellites 30 and transfer destination satellites 30 arranged in the order of the links included in the communication path. Then, the user terminal 20-1 and each satellite 30 included in the list may transfer the list to the next destination satellite 30 when connecting a link to the next destination satellite 30.

[0048] Furthermore, the transmitter 13 may transmit a list of the transfer source satellite 30 and the transfer destination satellite 30, arranged in the order of the links included in the communication path, directly to the satellite 30 to which the user terminal 20-1 is connected, without going through the user terminal 20-1. In this case, the list may include identification information of the user terminal 20-1.

[0049] The transmitter 13 may transmit to the user terminal 20-1 information indicating a plurality of communication paths through which the user terminal 20-1 and the user terminal 20-2 can communicate via a plurality of satellites 30, and information indicating the communication quality of each of the plurality of communication paths. As a result, for example, when the communication quality of the first communication path selected by the information processing device 10 is actually below a threshold, the user terminal 20-1 can switch to the second communication path having the next highest communication quality automatically or in response to a user's consent operation.

[0050] <Modifications> The information processing device 10 may be a device contained in a single housing, but the information processing device 10 of the present disclosure is not limited to this. Each unit of the information processing device 10 may be realized, for example, by cloud computing configured with one or more computers. Furthermore, the information processing device 10 and the user terminal 20 or the satellite 30 may be housed in the same housing and configured as an integrated information processing device. Furthermore, at least some of the processing of each functional unit of the information processing device 10 may be performed by the user terminal 20. Such information processing devices 10 are also included as examples of the "information processing device" of the present disclosure.

[0051] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0052] Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes. Note that some or all of the elements (e.g., configurations and functions) described in each supplementary note that is dependent on supplementary note 1 may also be dependent on independent supplementary notes in other categories in a similar dependency relationship. Some or all of the elements described in any supplementary note may be applied to various hardware, software, recording means for recording software, systems, and methods. (Supplementary note 1) An information processing device having: a receiving unit that receives information indicating satellites with which a first terminal can communicate and information indicating satellites with which a second terminal can communicate; a determining unit that determines a communication route between the first terminal and the second terminal based on communication quality of each of a plurality of communication routes through which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via a plurality of satellites; and a transmitting unit that transmits information based on the communication route determined by the determining unit. (Supplementary Note 2) The information processing device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the receiving unit receives information indicating a plurality of satellites with which the first terminal can communicate and information indicating a plurality of satellites with which a second terminal can communicate, and the determination unit determines a first satellite to which the first terminal is connected and a second satellite to which the second terminal is connected. (Supplementary Note 3) The information processing device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the determination unit determines the communication path based on communication quality of each of a plurality of communication paths through which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via a plurality of satellites and a communication quality according to the first terminal. (Supplementary Note 4) The information processing device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the information indicating the satellites with which the first terminal can communicate includes position information of the first terminal. (Supplementary Note 5) The information processing device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the information indicating the satellites with which the first terminal can communicate includes identification information of the first terminal. (Supplementary Note 6) The information processing device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the determination unit determines a communication path through which communication is possible via a plurality of satellites in a grid mesh in a satellite constellation. (Supplementary Note 7) The information processing device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the determination unit determines the first satellite to which the first terminal is connected based on position information of the first terminal and a moving direction of each satellite.(Supplementary Note 8) The information processing device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the transmitter transmits to the first terminal information indicating a plurality of communication routes over which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via a plurality of satellites, and information indicating the communication quality of each of the plurality of communication routes. (Supplementary Note 9) An information processing method comprising: receiving information indicating satellites over which the first terminal can communicate and information indicating satellites over which the second terminal can communicate, determining a communication route between the first terminal and the second terminal based on the communication quality of each of the plurality of communication routes over which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via a plurality of satellites, and transmitting information based on the determined communication route. (Supplementary Note 10) A program that causes a computer to execute a process of receiving information indicating satellites over which the first terminal can communicate and information indicating satellites over which the second terminal can communicate, determining a communication route between the first terminal and the second terminal based on the communication quality of each of the plurality of communication routes over which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via a plurality of satellites, and transmitting information based on the determined communication route.

[0053] Some or all of the elements (e.g., configurations and functions) described in Supplementary Notes 2 to 8 that are dependent on Supplementary Note 1 may also be dependent on Supplementary Notes 9 and 10 in the same dependency relationship as Supplementary Notes 2 to 8. Some or all of the elements described in any Supplementary Note may be applied to various hardware, software, recording means for recording software, systems, and methods.

[0054] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the invention.

[0055] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-153755, filed September 6, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0056] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 satellite constellation system 10 information processing device 11 receiving unit 12 determining unit 13 transmitting unit 20 user terminal 30 satellite

Claims

1. An information processing device having: a receiving unit that receives information indicating satellites with which a first terminal can communicate and information indicating satellites with which a second terminal can communicate; a determining unit that determines a communication route between the first terminal and the second terminal based on the communication quality of each of multiple communication routes over which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via multiple satellites; and a transmitting unit that transmits information based on the communication route determined by the determining unit.

2. The information processing device described in claim 1, wherein the receiving unit receives information indicating a plurality of satellites with which the first terminal can communicate and information indicating a plurality of satellites with which the second terminal can communicate, and the determining unit determines the first satellite to which the first terminal is connected and the second satellite to which the second terminal is connected.

3. An information processing device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the determination unit determines the communication path based on the communication quality of each of multiple communication paths through which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via multiple satellites and the communication quality corresponding to the first terminal.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information indicating satellites with which the first terminal can communicate includes location information of the first terminal.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information indicating the satellites with which the first terminal can communicate includes identification information of the first terminal.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the determination unit determines a communication path that allows communication via a plurality of satellites in a grid mesh in a satellite constellation.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the determination unit determines the first satellite to which the first terminal will connect based on the position information of the first terminal and the direction of movement of each satellite.

8. An information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transmitting unit transmits to the first terminal information indicating multiple communication paths through which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via multiple satellites, and information indicating the communication quality of each of the multiple communication paths.

9. An information processing method comprising: receiving information indicating satellites with which a first terminal can communicate and information indicating satellites with which a second terminal can communicate; determining a communication route between the first terminal and the second terminal based on the communication quality of each of multiple communication routes through which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via multiple satellites; and transmitting information based on the determined communication route.

10. An information processing method as described in claim 9, wherein, in the receiving step, information indicating a plurality of satellites with which the first terminal can communicate and information indicating a plurality of satellites with which the second terminal can communicate are received, and, in the determining step, a first satellite to which the first terminal is connected and a second satellite to which the second terminal is connected are determined.

11. An information processing method as described in claim 9 or 10, wherein the communication route is determined based on the communication quality of each of multiple communication routes through which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via multiple satellites and the communication quality corresponding to the first terminal.

12. The information processing method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the information indicating satellites with which the first terminal can communicate includes location information of the first terminal.

13. The information processing method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the information indicating the satellites with which the first terminal can communicate includes identification information of the first terminal.

14. An information processing method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the determination includes determining a communication path that can be communicated via a plurality of satellites in a grid mesh in a satellite constellation.

15. An information processing method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the determination includes determining the first satellite to which the first terminal is connected based on the position information of the first terminal and the direction of movement of each satellite.

16. An information processing method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein in the transmission, information indicating multiple communication paths through which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via multiple satellites and information indicating the communication quality of each of the multiple communication paths are transmitted to the first terminal.

17. A program that causes a computer to execute the following process: receive information indicating satellites with which a first terminal can communicate and information indicating satellites with which a second terminal can communicate; determine a communication route between the first terminal and the second terminal based on the communication quality of each of multiple communication routes over multiple satellites through which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate; and transmit information based on the determined communication route.

18. The program described in claim 17, wherein, in the receiving step, information indicating a plurality of satellites with which the first terminal can communicate and information indicating a plurality of satellites with which the second terminal can communicate are received, and the determination unit determines the first satellite to which the first terminal is connected and the second satellite to which the second terminal is connected.

19. The program according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the determination of the communication route is based on the communication quality of each of multiple communication routes through which the first terminal and the second terminal can communicate via multiple satellites, and the communication quality according to the first terminal.

20. The program according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the information indicating satellites with which the first terminal can communicate includes location information of the first terminal.

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