JP2018148321A - Network system and program module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To return a response to a request message from a target device to the target device in a time corresponding to a required processing speed even if the number of target devices using a control program on the service cloud increases. Provides a network system and a program module. SOLUTION: In the present invention, a control server having a control program composed of a control module for each control unit in a target device to be controlled, which is arranged on a cloud, and the target device outputs a control request and makes a request. It is equipped with an edge that supplies the response corresponding to the above to the target device, and a plurality of relay routers provided on a tree structure between the control server and each edge, which connects the control server and the edge as an aggregation network. The control modules that control the target device, which are copied from the control server, are distributed to the relay router that sends the request from the target device to the control server. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a network system and a program module.

  Conventionally, a robot control system provided in the cloud has been used to supply hardware and software resources such as calculation and storage to a robot with low calculation capacity and storage capacity, and operate as a high-function robot. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). The robot control system is, for example, a ROS (Robot Operating System) on the cloud. At this time, after transmitting a request message from the robot to the robot control system on the cloud, the robot control system performs arithmetic processing corresponding to the request. Then, the robot control system transmits the calculation result as a response message to the robot.

  However, as the number of robots using the robot control system increases, the traffic to the server on the cloud increases, and there is a communication delay between the robot and the robot control system. For this reason, a response may be required at a high speed depending on the process, but with the configuration of Patent Document 1, the robot control system cannot handle a high-speed process for the robot. For example, when the control target of the robot control system is an autonomous driving vehicle, it is necessary to return a response message at high speed (in real time) to a request message for brake control processing.

  For this reason, it is conceivable to use an aggregation network (see, for example, Patent Document 2) that can efficiently connect a line with a robot to a server that provides a service such as a robot control system on the cloud. By copying the robot control system to the edge of the aggregation network, communication delay is eliminated and a response message can be returned from the edge at high speed in response to a request message from the robot. Here, the edge is, for example, a server or a router arranged at the end of the tree structure of the aggregation network.

Special table 2013-536095 gazette JP 2011-188263 A

However, when many robots use the same edge, calculation and storage resources (resources) at the edge are limited, and it is not possible to respond to all requests. For example, when the control target of the robot control system is an autonomous driving vehicle, the number of vehicles using the edge is not one, and the robot control system program corresponding to the robot for each vehicle type is used as the edge. It is necessary to copy and memorize it.
For this reason, as the number of robots increases, the program of the robot control system corresponding to all the robots to be used cannot be copied to the edge, and the arithmetic processing in the request message cannot be performed.
Also, once the program is copied to the edge, even if the robot moves and no longer uses the program at that edge, an unnecessary program remains at the edge, and network resources cannot be used efficiently.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and even if the number of target devices (robots) using a control program (such as a robot control system) on the service cloud increases, a request message from the target device. In contrast, a network system and a program module that can return a response to a target device in a time corresponding to a required processing speed are provided.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the network system of the present invention has a control program that is arranged on the cloud and includes a control module for each control unit in the target device to be controlled. The control server, the target device outputting a request for control, and supplying the response corresponding to the request to the target device; connecting the control server and the edge as an aggregation network; and the control server, A plurality of relay routers provided on a tree structure between each of the edges, the relay router that transmits a request from the target device to the control server, copied from the control server, The control modules for controlling the target device are distributedly arranged.

  The network system according to the present invention is characterized in that each of the control modules is arranged in the relay router at a position corresponding to a time for returning the response to the target device.

  The network system according to the present invention is characterized in that each of the control modules is arranged in a relay router closer to the control server as the time for returning the response to the target device is shorter.

  The network system according to the present invention is characterized in that each of the control modules is arranged in a relay router at a position corresponding to the frequency of the request required per predetermined time.

  The network system according to the present invention is characterized in that each of the control modules is arranged in a relay router closer to the control server as the frequency of the request requested per predetermined time is smaller.

  In the network system of the present invention, when each of the control modules moves from a relay router in which the control module is located to a relay router closer to the control server, at least the access distance from the edge and the target sharing the edge It moves to a predetermined relay router based on the number of connected devices and the cost of the relay router to be arranged.

  In the network system of the present invention, in the plurality of relay routers connected in a tree structure in the aggregation network, one relay router of the relay router is closer to the edge in the tree structure and has the control module. When a request is supplied from two downstream relay routers that are not connected, if the one relay router itself does not have the control module, the control unit is downstream from the one relay router in the tree structure, and the control The request is output to three relay routers having modules.

  The program module of the present invention is a program module for each control unit in a target device to be controlled, which constitutes a control program stored in a control server arranged on the cloud, and the control server and the target device are controlled by the control server. The target is output from a relay router at a predetermined arrangement position between a plurality of relay routers provided on a tree structure between each of the edges that output a request and supply a response corresponding to the request to the target device. It moves autonomously to the relay router at an arrangement position determined in response to a request related to control of the target device transmitted from the device to the control server.

  According to the present invention, even if the number of target devices (robots) that use a control program (such as a robot control system) on the service cloud increases, the request message from the target device can be handled at the required processing speed. It is possible to provide a network system and a program module that can return a response to a target device in time.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the network system in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the concept of a structure of the network system of this embodiment in FIG. It is a conceptual diagram explaining arrangement | positioning of the control module to the node server of the aggregation network in this embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram explaining the autonomous movement of the control module between the relay routers of the network system by 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the table which shows a response | compatibility with the position of the relay router which arrange | positions a control module, and the control module to arrange | position. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of the movement of the control module between the relay routers of the network system by 2nd Embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of movement of a control module with respect to a relay router when the control module exists in a control server in the network system according to the second embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the operation example of the process which the control module of step S9 in the flowchart of FIG. 6 moves upstream. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of processing in which the control module in step S7 in the flowchart in FIG. 6 and step S17 in the flowchart in FIG. 7 moves downstream. It is a flowchart explaining the operation example of the process of 3rd Embodiment in FIG.6 S9 in which a control module moves upstream. In 3rd Embodiment, it is a conceptual diagram explaining the process which a control module moves upstream according to the cost C. FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the operation example of the process of 3rd Embodiment in step S7 of FIG. 6 where a control module moves downstream. In 3rd Embodiment, it is a conceptual diagram explaining the process which a control module moves downstream according to the cost C. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of the movement of the control module between the relay routers of the network system by 4th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of the movement of the control module between the relay routers of the network system by 5th Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows operation | movement of the network system in the 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the effect at the time of setting the node server with which the relay router was equipped as the proxy server of the node server of own binary tree.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a network system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the aggregation network 3 is used as a network for connecting each of the target devices 1 to be controlled to the cloud router 2_1 of the service cloud 2 (a configuration in which a plurality of routers are centrally arranged). The cloud router 2_1 finally connects the path from the target device 1 formed by switching by the aggregation network 3 to the control server 2_2. In the present embodiment, the control server 2_2 in the service cloud 2 provides a robot control service for each of the target devices 1. In addition, the aggregation network 3 has a tree structure, and has a cloud router 2_1 as a root, and relay nodes (relay routers 3_1_1, 3_2_1, ... 3_2_m, 3_3_1, ... 3_3_n, 3_4_1, 3_4_p, and so on at each node. ... 3_4_q, ... 3_4_r) are arranged. Hereinafter, when the relay routers are collectively referred to as a relay router 3R. In the present embodiment, the relay router 3R includes the edge routers 3_4_1, 3_4_p, ..., 3_4_q, ..., 3_4_r in the aggregation network 3 as relay routers 3_4_1, 3_4_p, ..., 3_4_q, ..., 3_4_r. ing.

  Here, for example, a ROS (Robot Operating System) package that is a robot control framework is installed in the control server 2_2 as a control program for controlling the robot. This ROS package is a package including a library for creating a robot application, hardware abstraction, a device driver, and the like. And it is comprised from the process module (program module) modularized by the control unit of each part of the robot. In the present embodiment, this process module (hereinafter referred to as a control module) is a service part that processes a job (job, ie, process) of a processing unit. For example, as a distributed agent, autonomously on a plurality of other servers. It is possible to operate. In this embodiment, the robot control operation of the network system will be described using the Pub / Sub model for inter-process communication between the control module and the target device in the ROS package. The control module has a function of performing predetermined processing on a control request (message from publish: request message) and returning a response (message from the subscribe: response message) indicating a control command.

That is, the target device 1 transmits a request message (query) packet destined for the control server 2_2 to the service cloud 2 via the aggregation network 3 in order to request control. Since the destination of the request message is the control server 2_2, the cloud router 2_1 transfers the request message to the control server 2_2.
The control server 2_2 transfers a request message to the control module corresponding to the requested control, and the control module creates a control command for controlling the target device 1 based on the sensor data included in the request message. Then, the control server 2_2 transmits a response message including the control command generated by the control module using the transmission source of the request message as a transmission destination.

In general, by using the aggregation network 3, as a cloud-centric configuration, traffic due to request messages requesting robot control commands from all target devices is collected in the service cloud 2.
However, depending on the type of control of the target device, there is a control that needs to be processed at high speed (short time) with high real-time performance (characteristic that estimates the time required to respond to the request when a request is given) When a message is transmitted / received to / from the control server 2_2 in the service cloud 2, there is no time for a response message to be returned to the request message. For this reason, there is a configuration in which an ROS package is copied (copied) to an edge server at the edge of the aggregation network 3 and placed on a server to which a target device that requests a control command is connected.

On the other hand, different ROS packages are required for each type of target device. However, the edge server has a limited storage capacity, and when the number of types of target devices increases, ROS packages corresponding to the number of types cannot be arranged. .
For this reason, the network system in the present embodiment uses the fact that the ROS package is composed of a plurality of control modules for each process, and as shown in FIG. 1, each control module is connected to each relay router (or relay server). It is set as the structure which distributes to. For this reason, each of the relay routers 3 </ b> R is provided with a node server (for example, a blade server) 5, and the control module is activated in the node server 5. Accordingly, each of the node servers 5 performs a process of generating a control command based on a request message request from each target device 1 in accordance with a process of generating a control command of the control module, and sends the generated control command to the response message. To the corresponding target device 1.
In the following description, the description of the node server 5 in the relay router 3R may be omitted from the description flow, and the control module may be arranged in the relay router 3R.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the concept of the configuration of the network system of the present embodiment in FIG. In FIG. 2, for simplicity of explanation, the tree structure of the aggregation network 3 is arranged in each relay router 3R as a first-stage relay router 3_2_1,..., 3_2_m, and a second-stage relay router 3_3_1,. 3_3_n. Therefore, the second-stage relay routers 3_3_1,..., 3_3_n are edge routers. In FIG. 2, for example, a video recorder 1_1 and an automobile (automatic driving specification) 1_2 are connected to the relay router 3_3_1 as the target device 1, and a PV (Photovoltaic) system 1_3 as the target device 1 is connected to the relay router 3_2_n. An NW (network) robot 1_4 is connected.
Further, each of the relay routers 3_2_1,..., 3_2_m is provided with a node server 5_2_1. Further, each of the relay routers 3_3_1,..., 3_3_n is provided with a node server 5_3_1.

  As for the arrangement of the control modules for each of the node servers 5 described above, the one that requires real-time performance is arranged in a relay router closer to the edge of the aggregation network 3. That is, the control module that requires real-time property is arranged in each of the node servers 5_3_1,..., 5_3_n provided in each of the relay routers 3_3_1 to 3_3_n that are the edges of the tree structure. Control modules that do not require real-time performance are arranged only in the ROS package of the control server 2_2. Control modules that require a certain level of real-time performance other than those described above are arranged in each of the node servers 5_2_1,..., 5_2_n provided in each of the relay routers 3_2_1 to 3_2_n.

  For example, in the automobile 1_2 having an automatic driving specification, a brake operation is an example of control that requires real-time performance. The request message attached with the sensor information that the brake operation unit of the automobile 1_2 has detected an obstacle is sent to the aggregation module via the relay router 3_3_1 that is an edge router with the control module corresponding to the brake control in the type of the automobile as the destination. 3 is transmitted. Here, a control module for brake control is arranged in the node server 5_3_1. Therefore, when the control module of the node server 5_3_1 receives a quest message for requesting a control command for brake control, if it detects that it is a request message for itself, it generates a control command based on the sensor information and sends it to the response message. This control command is attached and returned to the automobile 1_2.

As a result, the vehicle 1_1 can be obtained at a higher speed than when a response to a control command that requires real-time performance such as brake control is arranged in the control server 2_2 or the first-stage relay router 3_2_1.
In addition, examples of the control that does not require real time include route search of a car navigation system and guidance display on a screen. The route search and the image processing also take a processing time. Like the node server 5, when the computing capacity of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) is significantly lower than that of the control server 2_2, the processing time in the node server 5 is reduced to the control server 2_2. In comparison, it becomes longer and the real-time property is reduced. For this reason, it is necessary to place the node server 5 in consideration of the load of the arithmetic processing.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the arrangement of control modules in the node server of the aggregation network in the present embodiment.
FIG. 3A shows a case where a server is arranged in a router in a general network. In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 3A, it is necessary to search for a control module that performs arithmetic processing requested by the request message transmitted from the automobile 1_2 by flatting. In the flatting, a request message packet is transmitted to all the routers constituting the network. For this reason, network traffic increases and the load on the network increases.

  FIG. 3B shows the arrangement of the node server 5 in the relay router 3R in the aggregation network 3 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3B, in the case of the aggregation network 3, on the route from the edge to which the automobile 1_2 is connected to the route, the relay router 3_s_1 at the stage to the relay router 3_s-1_1, s-1 stage at the s-1 stage. A request message and a response message are transmitted / received to / from the automobile 1_2 to the second-stage relay router 3_s-2_1 via each of the relay routers 3R in the nodes on the route determined in the tree structure. A request message packet is forwarded via a relay router on the path from the edge in the tree structure toward the route (service cloud 2). Similarly, a response message transmitted from the node server 5 or the control server 2_2 in any relay router 3R is also transferred to the automobile 1_2 through the same route as the request message.

  For this reason, in the tree structure of the aggregation network 3, a control module is arranged in each of the node servers 5 provided in the relay router 3R at an appropriate position, corresponding to the real-time nature of the process. For example, in the aggregation network 3, the control server 2_2 writes a control module to the node server 5 of each relay router 3R. For example, when the ROS package for a certain robot is installed, the control server 2_2 copies each of the process control modules in the ROS package to each node server 5 of the relay router 3R in advance. It is arranged in the node server 5 of the relay router 3R in the hierarchical node corresponding to the real time property of the process.

  As described above, a network system that performs large-scale robot control is connected with a large amount of each of various types of target devices that perform robot control such as an automobile with an automatic operation specification. At this time, by placing the control module corresponding to each type of target device at an appropriate node on the route from the edge to the route, the request message sends the relay router to the upstream relay node toward the route. Are transferred sequentially.

For this reason, according to the present embodiment, each control module is directed in the route direction without notifying the target device 1 of information indicating which relay server 3R is located in each node server 5 respectively. By sequentially searching for relay routers on the route, it is possible to search for a control module that is the destination of a request message without increasing the request message due to unnecessary search time or flatting.
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, any one of the relay servers 3R on the route of the request message from the target device 1 to the control server 2_2 in the aggregation network 3 without accessing the control server 2_2 existing in the service cloud 2. In addition, since the control module corresponding to the control of the target device that requires real-time property is arranged corresponding to the required response time, the control command can be received at an appropriate time for performing the control.

<Second Embodiment>
A network system according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the network system in the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Hereinafter, operations different from those of the first embodiment will be described.
The control module in the second embodiment functions as a distributed agent, in addition to the function of generating a control command for the target device 1, the function of autonomously moving between the relay routers 3 </ b> R in the aggregation network, and copying itself to other intermediate Each has a function of installing in the router 3R and a function of deleting itself from the relay router 3R that has been arranged. It also has a timer function for obtaining time information from the clock of the arranged node server 5, detecting the elapsed time, and a function for counting the number of accesses. As a result, the control module according to the present embodiment determines its own necessity based on the frequency with which the request message is transferred to itself, that is, the frequency with which the control message is accessed, and relays the position according to the necessity in the aggregation network 3. The placement position is autonomously changed by moving between the relay routers to the router.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating autonomous movement of the control module between relay routers in the network system according to the second embodiment.
The aggregation network 3 has, for example, a relay router 3_3_1 to which the automobile 1_2_1 is connected, a relay router 3_3_2 to which the automobile 1_2_s is connected, a relay router 3_2_1 immediately above the relay routers 3_3_1 and 3_3_2, and a relay router 3_2_1. It is composed of a relay router 3_1_1 immediately above. The root of the tree structure in the aggregation network 3 is the service cloud 2, and the service cloud 2 includes a control server 2_2.

A relay router 3_3_1, a relay router 3_2_1, and a relay router 3_1_1 are arranged at each node on the route to the route of the automobile 1_2_1. In addition, a relay router 3__2, a relay router 3_2_1, and a relay router 3_1_1 are arranged in each node on the route with respect to the route of the automobile 1_2_s.
The relay router 3__1 is provided with a node server 5_3_1, the relay router 3_2_1 is provided with a node server 5_2_1, and the relay router 3_1_1 is provided with a node server 5_1_1. Further, the node server 5_3_n2 is provided in the relay router 3_3_2.
Therefore, each of the control modules M that perform control in the automobile 1_2_1 is arranged in any of the node servers 5_3_1, 5_2_1, 5_1_1, and the control server 2_2.

  Here, the control server 2_2 has control modules M for all processes in the control program. The control program M in the control server 2_2 is copied but not deleted. Therefore, the control module M corresponding to the control of the automobile 1_2_1 moves autonomously between the node servers 5_3_1, 5_2_1, and 5_1_1 according to its own needs or is deleted. Each of the node servers 5 provided in the relay router 3R decreases in processing capacity (CPU computing speed, memory capacity, etc.) as it approaches the edge from the root in the tree structure. In consideration of the transfer time in the relay router 3R, the response time until the target device 1 transmits a request message and receives a response message as a response is determined by the control module M that performs a corresponding process from the target device 1. The shorter the distance to the arranged node server 5, the shorter.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a table indicating the correspondence between the position of the relay router 3R in which the control module M is arranged and the control module M to be arranged. In the table of FIG. 5, an arrangement position, a response time, a total multiple effect, and an application are shown as items. In addition, a response time, a statistical multiple effect, and an application are shown as the arrangement position and the characteristics of the control module corresponding to the arrangement position.
As the arrangement position, in the tree structure of the aggregation network 3, there are a service cloud of a route, an upstream relay router, a downstream relay router, and an edge router. Corresponding to FIG. 4, in the message transmission / reception route between the target device 1_1 and the service cloud 2, the service cloud is the service cloud 2, the upstream relay router is the relay router 3_1_1, and the downstream relay router is the relay router 3_2_1. The edge router is the relay router 3_3_1. Here, the edge router is a router arranged at the edge of the aggregation network 2. In addition, the arrangement position of the control module may include a terminal (server) connected to the relay router 3_3_1 that is an edge router.

  In the table of FIG. 5, the response time is closer to the downstream side of the tree structure of the aggregation network 2, that is, the closer to the router or terminal at the edge to which the target device 1 is connected, the closer the distance between the control program and the target device 1 is. Therefore, the message transmission / reception time (request message / response message) at the response time is shorter than when the relay router is arranged on the upstream side. Here, the response time includes the processing time of the node server 5 provided in each relay router. The processing time of each node server 5 and the transmission / reception time of the message between the target device 1 and the control module The value obtained by adding. Since the message transmission / reception time is relatively longer than the control processing time, the distance is greatly reflected in the response time.

  The statistical multiplexing effect indicates the frequency of access (control module use efficiency) of each control module arranged in the relay router. In the aggregation network 3, the closer to the upstream side of the tree structure (closer to the service cloud 2), the more request messages from the target device 1 pass through compared to the downstream side, and thus the number of received request messages increases. As a result, the number of processes of the target device 1 per control module increases, and resources can be used efficiently. Therefore, the statistical multiplexing effect becomes larger toward the upstream side in the tree structure of the aggregation network 3.

  The application indicates the characteristics of the process (Job) for controlling the target device of the control module arranged at the arrangement position. As already described, in the aggregation network 3, since the response time becomes shorter as it becomes closer to the edge in the tree structure, the process is used for real-time control, that is, the process whose response time is defined in advance in a short time. It is necessary to arrange a control module used for control. On the other hand, since the response time becomes longer toward the upstream side closer to the root of the tree structure (service cloud 2), the processing does not need to be performed in a short time, and processing that increases resource efficiency, such as O & M (Operation and Maintanance) and images. It is necessary to arrange a control module for processing using large-scale data such as processing.

The operation of autonomous movement of the control module M between the relay routers R of the network system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation example of movement of the control module M between relay routers in the network system according to the second embodiment.
Step S1: The control module M starts after moving to a node server 5_2_1 of a predetermined relay router, for example, the relay router 3_2- 1_1.
Then, after acquiring time information from the clock of the node server 5_2_1, the control module M activates its own timer and starts counting the timer.

  Step S2: The control module M enters a standby state until the count time of the timer reaches a predetermined time Δt (detection cycle). Then, when the counting time exceeds the predetermined time Δt, the control module M advances the process to step S3.

Step S3: The control module M detects whether or not a request message corresponding to the control module M has been transmitted within a predetermined time Δt, that is, whether or not the control module M has accessed the automobile 1_2_1.
At this time, if the control module M is accessed within the predetermined time Δt, the control module M resets the timer and then proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, if the control module M is not accessed within the predetermined time Δt, the control module M advances the process to step S8.

  Step S4: The control module M performs a predetermined calculation corresponding to the process based on data such as sensor information from the automobile 1_2_1 in the request message, and generates a control command for controlling the automobile 1_2_1. At this time, the control module M adds the time from the start of calculation until the end of generation of the control command, and the time required for the round trip of the message between the relay router 3_2_1 in which the control module M is located and the target vehicle 1_2_1. To obtain the response time.

Step S5: The control module M determines whether or not the response time exceeds a set time set in advance for its own process. At this time, if the response time exceeds the set time, the control module M advances the process to step S7. On the other hand, if the response time does not exceed the preset time, the control module M advances the process to step S6.
Here, the set time indicates the time limit in real time required for the process of generating the control command of the control module. That is, when the response time is not satisfied, the control module M moves to the relay router 3R located closer to the target device 1 (the edge of the aggregation network 3) than the present time in order to satisfy the response time for the target device 1. Judge that it is necessary.

  Step S6: The control module M determines whether or not the number of accesses to itself (access count) is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value. At this time, if the number of accesses to the control module M is equal to or greater than the preset threshold value, the process proceeds to step S7. If the number of accesses to the control module M is less than the preset threshold value, the control module M advances the process to step S2.

  Step S7: The control module M moves itself to the relay router 3_3_1 downstream from the currently arranged relay router 3_2_1 (details will be described later). Here, the downstream relay router 3R means that in each of the relay routers 3R in the tree structure of the aggregation network 3, it is in a direction further away from the route (a direction closer to the edge) when viewed from the currently installed relay router 3R. A certain relay router 3R is shown. That is, moving to the downstream relay router 3R is a process of shortening the response time from when the request message is transmitted until the response message is received. Further, when the frequency of access of the control module M is high, the use efficiency of the control module M as a resource can be improved by arranging the control module M in the downstream relay router 3_3_1.

  Step S8: The control module M determines whether or not the counting time of the timer has exceeded a predetermined time set in advance. At this time, the control module M advances the process to step S9 when the count time of the timer exceeds a predetermined time set in advance. On the other hand, if the counting time of the timer is equal to or less than a predetermined time set in advance, the control module M advances the process to step S2.

  Step S9: The control module M moves itself to the relay router 3_1_1 upstream of the currently arranged relay router 3_2_1 (details will be described later). Here, the upstream relay router refers to a relay router in a direction closer to the route (a direction away from the edge) as viewed from the currently arranged relay router in the relay router in the tree structure of the aggregation network 3. ing. In other words, moving to the upstream relay router is a process of extending the response time from when the request message is transmitted until the response message is received. When there is no access from the target apparatus 1 during a predetermined time, the use efficiency of the node server 5_2_1 as a resource can be improved by arranging it in the upstream relay router 3_1_1.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of movement of the control module with respect to the relay router 3R when the control module exists in the control server 2_2 in the network system according to the second embodiment.
Step S11: After obtaining the time information from the clock of the control server 2_2, the control module M activates its own timer and starts counting the timer.
Then, when the count time of the timer exceeds the predetermined time Δt (detection cycle), the control module M advances the process to step S12.

Step S12: The control module M detects whether or not a request message corresponding to the control module M has been transmitted within a predetermined time Δt, that is, whether or not the control module M has accessed the automobile 1_2_1.
At this time, if the control module M is accessed within the predetermined time Δt, the control module M resets the timer and then proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, if the control module M has not been accessed within the predetermined time Δt, the control module M advances the process to step S11.

  Step S13: The control module M performs a predetermined calculation based on sensor information from the automobile 1_2_1 in the request message, and generates a control command for controlling the automobile 1_2_1. At this time, the control module M adds the time from the start of calculation until the end of generation of the control command, and the time required for the round trip of the message between the control server 2_2 in which the control module M is located and the target vehicle 1_2_1. To obtain the response time.

  Step S14: The control module M determines whether or not the response time exceeds a set time set in advance for the process. At this time, if the response time has already exceeded the set time described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6, the control module M advances the process to step S16. On the other hand, if the response time does not exceed the preset set time, the control module M advances the process to step S15.

  Step S15: The control module M determines whether or not the number of accesses to itself is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value. At this time, if the number of accesses to the control module M is equal to or greater than a preset threshold, the process proceeds to step S16. If the number of accesses to the control module M is less than a preset threshold, the process proceeds to step S11.

Step S16: The control module M generates a control module M ′ that performs processing for similar control by copying itself in the control server 2_2.
Then, the control module M advances the processing to step S17 in order to place the generated control module M ′ in the node server 5_1_1 of the downstream relay server 3_1_1.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of processing in which the control module M in step S9 in the flowchart of FIG. 6 moves to the upstream relay router 3R.
Step S91: The control module M determines whether or not an access has been made within N seconds from another vehicle 1_2_s of the same type other than the vehicle 1_2_1 that has received the request message, that is, whether or not a request message has been received. At this time, if the control module M is accessed within N seconds from another automobile 1_2_s, the process proceeds to step S92. On the other hand, if the control module M has not been accessed within N seconds from another automobile 1_2_s, the process proceeds to step S94.

  Step S92: When the control module M moves to the adjacent relay router (directly above relay router) 3_1_1 upstream of the relay router 3_2_1 currently arranged in the tree structure of the aggregation network 3, N seconds that are all users Whether or not all response times in each of the same type of automobiles 1_2_1 to 1_2_s accessed within the period are equal to or less than the response time required for controlling the same type of processes of the cars 1_2_1 to 1_2_s (represented as 1_2 when unified) ( Whether or not the required response time is satisfied is determined. At this time, the control module M calculates | requires each response time of all the motor vehicles 1_2 which accessed self within N second as a simulation. Then, if the response times of all the same type of automobile 1_2 accessed within N seconds satisfy the response times necessary for controlling the corresponding process, the control module M advances the process to step S94. On the other hand, the control module M advances the process to step S93 when the response times of all of the same type of automobile 1_2 accessed within N seconds do not satisfy the response time required for the corresponding control.

  Step S93: The control module M does not move its own arrangement and returns to step S2 of the flowchart shown in FIG. That is, when the control module M moves to the upstream relay router 3_1_1 on the message transmission / reception route of the automobile 1_2_1, the control module M does not satisfy the response time required for control for each of the automobiles 1_2 accessing itself. The process control of the automobile 1_2 is delayed, and the response time set in the process cannot be satisfied. For this reason, the control module M does not move from the relay router 3_2_1 currently arranged in which the response time required for each control of the automobile 1_2 is satisfied.

  Step S94: The control module M checks whether the relay router 3_1_1 in the node immediately above the relay router 3_2_1 has the same control module as itself by accessing the relay router 3_1_1 immediately above. When the same control module M ″ as itself is arranged in the relay router 3_1_1 immediately above, the control module M is the same as the other type in which the car 1_2_1 accessing itself at the present time is accessing the control module M ″. It is determined that each car 1_2 can be shared.

  Then, in the case where the control module M ″ is arranged in the relay router 3_1_1 immediately above the relay router 3_2_1 so that the vehicle 1_2_1 can be shared with each of the other similar vehicles 1_2. Then, the process proceeds to step S98. On the other hand, if the control module M ″ that is the same as the control module M ″ is not arranged in the relay router 3_1_1 directly above and the vehicle 1_2_1 cannot be shared with each of the other similar vehicles 1_2, Advances to step S95.

  Step S95: The control module M determines whether or not the relay router 3_1_1 in the node immediately above the relay router 3_2_1 has a memory capacity occupied when it moves, that is, a resource that it can move to the relay router immediately above. It is determined whether or not there is. At this time, if there is a resource to which the control module can move in the relay router 3_1_1 directly above, the control module advances the predetermined process to step S99. On the other hand, the control module M advances the predetermined process to step S <b> 96 when the relay router 3 </ b> _ <b> 1 </ b> _ <b> 1 that can move to the control module M does not exist.

  Step S96: The control module M checks whether or not there is another movable control module M ″ in the relay router 3_1_1 in the node immediately above the relay router 3_2_1. At this time, the control module M requests each of all the control modules M ″ arranged in the relay router 3_1_1 immediately above to check whether or not each control module M ″ can be moved in order. . This order may be, for example, a randomly selected order, or may be an order in which the time arranged in the relay router 3_1_1 is early. Each of the control modules M ″ confirms whether or not the response time of the target device 1 to be accessed is satisfied when the control module M ″ moves by performing the processing from step S94 to step S96 to determine whether or not there is a relay router as a movement destination. . Then, the control module M ″ notifies the control module M whether or not it can move.

  At this time, the control module M determines whether or not there is a control module M ″ that can be moved to the relay router 3_1_1 immediately above the relay router 3_2_1 based on the presence or absence of a notification message indicating that the control module M ″ can be moved. To do. As a result, when there is a control module M ″ that can be moved to the relay router 3_1_1 immediately above, the control module M advances the process to step S97. On the other hand, if there is no movable control module M ″ in the relay router 3_1_1 immediately above, the control module M returns to step S2 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 without moving itself.

  Step S97: The control module M outputs a message instructing movement to the control module M ″ that has been notified that movement is possible. Then, the control module M ″ moves to the control server 2_2 to which the control module M ″ can move, that is, deletes itself of the relay router 3_1_1, and generates resources for the control module M to move to the relay router 3_1_1. As a result, the control module M secures resources for moving itself to the relay router 3_1_1 immediately above the relay router 3_2_1.

  Step S98: After finishing the process, the control module M deletes itself in the relay router 3_2_1 located at the present time.

  Step S99: The control module M moves itself to the relay router 3_1_1 immediately above the relay router 3_2_1. That is, the control module M creates a control module M ′, which is a copy of itself, in the relay router 3_1_1 immediately above. Then, after finishing the processing, the control module M deletes itself in the relay router 3_2_1 located at the present time.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the process in which the control module in step S7 in the flowchart in FIG. 6 and step S17 in the flowchart in FIG. 7 moves downstream.
Step S71: The control module M determines whether or not the control module M has been accessed within N seconds from another vehicle 1_2 of the same type other than the vehicle 1_2_1 that has received the request message. At this time, if the control module M is accessed within N seconds from another automobile 1_2, the process proceeds to step S78. On the other hand, if the control module M has not been accessed from the other automobile 1_2 within N seconds, the process proceeds to step S72.

  Step S72: The control module M has a resource that it can move in the relay router 3_3_1 in the node immediately below the relay router 3_2_1 currently arranged on the message transmission / reception route between the automobile 1_2_1 and the control server 2_2. It is determined whether or not. At this time, if there is a resource to which the control module can move in the direct relay router 3_3_1, the control module advances the predetermined process to step S75. On the other hand, the control module M advances the process to step S73 when there is no resource to which the control module M can move in the direct relay router 3_3_1.

  Step S73: The control module M checks whether or not there is another movable control module M ″ in the relay router 3_3_1 in the node immediately below. At this time, the control module M requests each of all the control modules M ″ arranged in the direct relay router 3_3_1 to confirm whether or not each control module M ″ can be moved in order. . Each of the control modules M ″ confirms whether the response time of the target device 1 to be accessed is satisfied when it moves, or whether or not there is a relay router as a movement destination by performing the processing of steps S72 and S73. . Then, the control module M ″ notifies the control module M whether or not it can move.

  At this time, the control module M determines the presence / absence of the control module M ″ that can be moved to the relay router 3_3_1 directly below, based on the presence / absence of a notification message indicating that the control module M ″ can be moved. As a result, when there is a control module M ″ that can be moved to the relay router 3_3_1 immediately below, the control module M advances the process to step S74. On the other hand, when there is no movable control module M ″ in the relay router 3_3_1 directly below, the control module M advances the process to step S2 in FIG. 6 because no resource is secured in the relay router 3_3_1 directly below.

  Step S74: The control module M outputs a message instructing movement to the control module M ″ that has been notified that movement is possible. Then, for example, the control module M ″ moves to the relay router 3_2_1 to which the control module M ″ can move, and generates a resource for the control module M to move in the relay router 3__1 immediately below. As a result, the control module M secures a resource for moving itself to the relay router 3_3_1 immediately below.

Step S75: Then, the control module M performs a process of moving itself to the relay router 3_3_1 immediately below. That is, the control module M creates a control module M ′, which is a copy of itself, in the relay router 3_3_1 immediately below.
Step S76: Then, after finishing the processing, the control module M deletes itself in the relay router 3_2_1 located at the present time.

  Step S77: The control module M has a resource that it can move in the relay router 3_3_1 in the node immediately below the relay router 3_2_1 that is currently located on the message transmission / reception route between the automobile 1_2_1 and the control server 2_2. It is determined whether or not. At this time, if there is a resource that can be moved by the relay module 3_3_1 directly below, the control module advances the process to step S80. On the other hand, the control module M advances the predetermined process to step S78 when there is no resource to which the control module M can move in the direct relay router 3_3_1.

  Step S78: The control module M checks whether or not there is another movable control module M ″ in the relay router 3_3_1 in the node immediately below. At this time, the control module M requests each of all the control modules M ″ arranged in the direct relay router 3_3_1 to confirm whether or not each control module M ″ can be moved in order. . Each of the control modules M ″ confirms whether the response time of the target device 1 to be accessed is satisfied when it moves, or whether or not there is a relay router as a movement destination by performing the processes of steps S77 and S78. . Then, the control module M ″ notifies the control module M whether or not it can move.

  At this time, the control module M determines the presence / absence of the movable control module M ″ in the relay router 3_3_1 immediately below, based on the presence / absence of a notification message indicating that the movement is possible from the control module M ″. As a result, when there is a control module M ″ that can be moved in the relay router 3_3_1 directly below, the control module M advances the process to step S79. On the other hand, if there is no movable control module M ″ in the relay router 3_3_1 directly below, the control module M advances the process to step S81.

  Step S79: The control module M outputs a message instructing movement to the control module M ″ that has been notified that movement is possible. Then, for example, the control module M ″ moves to the relay router 3_2_1 to which the control module M ″ can move, and generates a resource for the control module M to move in the relay router 3__1 immediately below. As a result, the control module M secures a resource for moving itself to the relay router 3_3_1 immediately below.

Step S80: Then, the control module M performs a process of copying itself to the relay router 3_3_1 immediately below. At this time, the control module M creates a control module M ′, which is a copy of itself, in the relay router 3_3_1 immediately below.
And the control module M complete | finishes a process, without deleting itself in the relay router 3_2_1 currently located.

  Step S81: The control module M does not move and copy its own arrangement in the relay router 3_2_1, and returns to step S2 of the flowchart shown in FIG. That is, since the control module M cannot move to the downstream relay router 3_2_1 on the message transmission / reception route, it does not move from the currently arranged relay router 3_2_1.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a real-time property is provided to any of the relay servers 3R on the route of the request message from the target device to the control server 2_2 without accessing the control server 2_2 existing in the service cloud 2. Since the control module corresponding to the control of the target device requiring the control is arranged, the control command can be received at an appropriate time for performing the control.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the control module autonomously moves between the relay routers 3R on the route in the aggregation network 3 in response to the response time required for each control in the target device, and each response Since it is arranged in the relay router 3R at a position satisfying the time, the response time corresponding to the process control process in each of the target apparatuses 1 can be satisfied.

<Third Embodiment>
A network system according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the network system in the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Hereinafter, operations different from those of the first embodiment will be described.
As in the second embodiment, the control module in the third embodiment functions as a distributed agent, in addition to the function of generating a control command for the target device, autonomously moving between the relay routers 3R in the aggregation network 3 , A function of copying itself and installing it in another intermediate router 3R, and a function of deleting itself.

In the present embodiment, when the control module moves between the relay routers 3R on the predetermined route in the aggregation network 3, it is better that the control module is located in the current relay router, or the control module moves to another relay router. The resource cost C determines whether it is better. For the calculation of the cost C, the following equation (1) is used. In equation (1), the costs of all target devices 1 that use the control module to be moved are added to calculate the cost C of the control module M.
C = Σ (α · D + β · (E / (n × ρ)) + γ · F) (1)

  In the above equation (1), D is the access cost, which is the distance from the target device 1 to the relay router 3R in which the control module is arranged, and increases as the distance increases and decreases as the distance decreases. α is a coefficient by which the access cost D is multiplied.

  E is the processing cost, which is the size of the program (for example, the occupied memory capacity). n is the number of target devices 1 using the control module to be evaluated, and ρ is a utilization rate. Since the cost decreases as the number of shared target devices 1 increases, the processing cost B is divided by the result of multiplying the number of target devices 1 by the utilization rate ρ of the target devices 1. Here, the usage rate ρ is multiplied with the target device 1 in consideration of the usage frequency of the control module. β is a coefficient by which the processing cost E is multiplied.

F is a node usage cost, which is a cost (for example, a calculation speed of the node server) required when the relay router 3R in the node in the tree structure of the aggregation network 3 performs the calculation process. The cost F decreases as the calculation speed increases, while the cost F increases as the calculation speed decreases. Therefore, the calculation speed of the node server decreases as the edge of the tree structure is approached, and the cost F increases as the edge approaches the edge. γ is a coefficient by which the processing cost F is multiplied.
Each of the coefficients α, β, and γ is adjusted to an appropriate value corresponding to the determination of the movement of the control module M by performing an experiment or simulation for moving the control module between relay nodes and calculating the cost C. .

The operation of moving the control module M between the relay routers is the same as the flowchart shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the process of moving the control module to the upstream relay router and the process of moving to the downstream relay router in the flowchart of FIG. 6 using the cost C calculated in (1) in the fourth embodiment will be described.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the processing of the third embodiment in step S9 of FIG. 6 in which the control module moves upstream.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a process in which the control module M moves to the upstream relay router 3R according to the cost C in the third embodiment. FIG. 11A shows an initial state where the control module M exists in the relay router 3_e_1 as a state before the control module moves. In the tree structure of the aggregation network 3, the relay router 3_d_1 is arranged at a node immediately above the relay router 3_e_1. In addition, relay routers 3_f_1 and 3_f_2 are arranged at nodes immediately below the relay router 3_e_1. The automobile 1A is connected to the relay router 3_f_1, and the automobile 1B is connected to the relay router 3_f_2. FIG. 11B is a diagram illustrating a state where the control module M has moved from the relay router 3_f_1 to the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above. FIG. 11C illustrates a state where the control module M is deleted from the relay router 3_e_1.
Hereinafter, the operation of autonomously moving the control module between relay routers in the network system according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. In the following description, the control module M that performs autonomous movement is disposed in the relay router 3_e_1.

  Step S101: The control module M determines whether or not an access has been made within N seconds from another vehicle 1B of the same type other than the vehicle 1A that transmitted the request message, that is, whether or not a request message has been received. . At this time, if the control module M is accessed from another vehicle 1B within N seconds, the process proceeds to step S102. On the other hand, if the control module M has not been accessed from the other automobile 1B within N seconds, the process proceeds to step S107.

  Step S102: The control module M deletes itself from the current relay router 3_e_1 by deleting the cost C0 (the cost in the state of FIG. 11A) in the relay router 3_e_1 currently arranged and the current relay router 3_e_1. The cost C1 (the cost in the state of FIG. 11B) when moved and the control program in the upstream (including the control server 2_2) upstream of the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above itself is deleted from the current relay router 3_e_1 Calculation with the cost C2 (cost in the state shown in FIG. 11C) is performed using the above equation (1).

  Step S103: The control module M determines whether or not the calculated cost C0 is less than the cost C1. At this time, if the cost C0 is less than the cost C1, the control module M does not need to move itself, and the process proceeds to step S2 in FIG. On the other hand, when the cost C0 is equal to or higher than the cost C1, the control module M advances the process to step S104 because the cost is lowered when the control module M is moved.

  Step S104: The control module M determines whether or not the calculated cost C1 is less than the cost C2. At this time, if the cost C1 is less than the cost C2, the control module M advances the process to step S105. On the other hand, if the cost C1 is equal to or higher than the cost C2, the control module M advances the process to step S106.

  Step S105: As described above, the cost C decreases as the control module M deletes itself from the current relay router 3_e_1 and moves to the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above. For this reason, the control module M arranges the control module M ′, which is a copy of itself, in the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above. Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, the control module M deletes itself from the current relay router 3_e_1 and ends the process.

  Step S106: As described above, the control module M deletes itself from the current relay router 3_e_1 and uses the control module M arranged in the relay router 3R further upstream of the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above. However, the cost C decreases. Therefore, the control module M deletes itself from the current relay router 3_e_1, as shown in FIG. 11C, and ends the process.

Step S107: The control module M checks whether the relay router 3_d_1 in the node immediately above the relay router 3_e_1 has the same control module as itself by accessing the relay router immediately above. When the same control module M as the control module M is arranged in the relay router 3_d_1 directly above, the control module M of the same kind of other car 1 that is currently accessing the control module M is accessed by the car 1A that accesses the control module M. It is determined that each can be shared.
The control module M is processed when the same control module M as itself is arranged in the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above the relay router 3_2_1, and the automobile 1A can be shared with each of the other automobiles 1 of the same type. Advances to step S111. On the other hand, if the control module M is not located in the relay router 3_d_1 directly above, and the vehicle 1A cannot be shared with each of the other similar vehicles 1B, the control module M performs a process step. Proceed to S108.

  Step S108: The control module M determines whether or not the relay router 3_d_1 in the node immediately above the relay router 3_e_1 has a memory capacity occupied when it moves, that is, the resource to which the control module M can move is directly above the relay router 3_d_1. It is determined whether or not there is. At this time, if there is a resource to which the control module can move in the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above, the control module advances the predetermined process to step S112. On the other hand, when the relay router 3_d_1 directly above does not have a resource to which the control module M can move, the control module M advances the predetermined process to step S109.

  Step S109: The control module M checks whether there is another movable control module M ″ in the relay router 3_d_1 in the node immediately above the relay router 3_e_1. At this time, the control module M requests each of all the control modules M ″ arranged in the relay router 3_d_1 directly above to check whether or not each control module M ″ can be moved in order. . Each of the control modules M ″ confirms whether or not the response time of the target device 1 to be accessed is satisfied when the control module M ″ moves by performing the processing from step S107 to S109 as to whether or not there is a relay router as the destination. . Then, the control module M ″ notifies the control module M whether or not it can move.

  At this time, the control module M determines the presence / absence of the movable control module M ″ in the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above, based on the presence / absence of a notification message indicating that the movement is possible from the control module M ″. Accordingly, when there is a control module M ″ that can be moved in the relay router 3_d_1 directly above, the control module M advances the process to step S110. On the other hand, if there is no movable control module M ″ in the relay router 3R immediately above, the control module M returns to step S2 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 without moving itself.

  Step S110: The control module M outputs a message instructing movement to the control module M ″ that has been notified that movement is possible. Then, the control module M ″ moves to the relay router 3R to which the node immediately above or directly below can move, and generates resources for the control module M to move in the relay router 3_d_1. As a result, the control module M secures a resource for moving itself to the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above the relay router 3_e_1.

  Step S111: After finishing the processing, the control module M deletes itself in the relay router 3_e_1 located at the present time.

  Step S112: The control module M moves itself to the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above the relay router 3_2_1. That is, the control module M creates a control module M ′, which is a copy of itself, in the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above. Then, after finishing the processing, the control module M deletes itself in the relay router 3_e_1 that is currently located.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the processing of the third embodiment in step S7 of FIG. 6 in which the control module moves downstream.
FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a process in which the control module moves downstream according to the cost C in the third embodiment. FIG. 13A shows an initial state where the control module M exists in the relay router 3_e_1 before the control module is moved, as in FIG. 11A. A relay router 3_d_1 is arranged at a node immediately above the relay router 3_e_1. In addition, relay routers 3_f_1 and 3_f_2 are arranged at nodes immediately below the relay router 3_e_1. The automobile 1A is connected to the relay router 3_f_1, and the automobile 1B is connected to the relay router 3_f_2. FIG. 13B is a diagram illustrating a state where the control module N has moved from the relay router 3_f_1 to the relay router 3_f_1 to which the automobile 1A directly below is connected. FIG. 13C shows a state in which the control module M of the relay router 3_e_1 is copied as a control module M ′ to each of the relay routers 3_f_1 and 3_f_2 directly below, and the control module M is deleted from the relay router 3_e_1. It is.
Hereinafter, the operation of autonomous movement of the control module between relay routers in the network system according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

  Step S201: The control module M determines whether the control module M has been accessed within N seconds from another vehicle 1B of the same type other than the vehicle 1A that has received the request message, that is, whether the request message has been received. Judgment is made. At this time, if the control module M is accessed within N seconds from another vehicle 1B, the process proceeds to step S202. On the other hand, if the control module M has not been accessed from the other automobile 1B within N seconds, the process proceeds to step S207.

  Step S202: The control module M deletes itself from the current relay router 3_e_1 by deleting the cost C0 (cost in the state of FIG. 13A) in the relay router 3_e_1 currently arranged and the current relay router 3_e_1. Cost C3 when moving (cost in the state of FIG. 13B) and cost C4 when deleting itself from the current relay router 3_e_1 and copying itself to each of the relay routers 3_f_1 and 3_f_2 directly below (FIG. 13B) 13 (c) is calculated using the above equation (1).

  Step S203: The control module M determines whether or not the calculated cost C0 is less than the cost C3. At this time, if the cost C0 is less than the cost C3, the control module M does not need to move itself, and the process proceeds to step S2 in FIG. On the other hand, when the cost C0 is equal to or higher than the cost C3, the control module M advances the process to step S204 because the cost is reduced when the control module M is moved.

  Step S204: The control module M determines whether or not the calculated cost C3 is less than the cost C4. At this time, if the cost C3 is less than the cost C4, the control module M advances the process to step S205. On the other hand, if the cost C3 is equal to or higher than the cost C4, the control module M advances the process to step S206.

  Step S205: As described above, the cost C decreases when the control module M deletes itself from the current relay router 3_e_1 and moves to the relay router 3_f_1 immediately below. For this reason, the control module M arranges the control module M ′, which is a copy of itself, in the relay router 3_f_1 immediately below. Then, as shown in FIG. 13B, the control module M deletes itself from the current relay router 3_e_1 after completing the processing.

  Step S206: As described above, the cost C of the control module M decreases when the control module M is deleted from the current relay router 3_e_1 and the control module M 'is disposed in each of the relay routers 3_f_1 and 3_f_2 immediately below. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 13C, the control module M copies itself as the control module M ′ to each of the relay routers 3_f_1 and 3_f_2 directly below, and after completing the processing, Delete itself.

  Step S207: The control module M has a resource that it can move in the relay router 3_f_1 in the node immediately below the relay router 3_e_1 that is currently located on the message transmission / reception route between the automobile 1A and the control server 2_2. It is determined whether or not. At this time, if the resource that can be moved by the control module is in the relay router 3_f_1 directly below, the control module advances the predetermined process to step S210. On the other hand, the control module M advances the process to step S208 when there is no resource to which the control module M can move in the directly below relay router 3_f_1.

  Step S208: The control module M checks whether or not there is another movable control module M ″ in the relay router 3_f_1 in the node immediately below. At this time, the control module M requests each of all the control modules M ″ arranged in the relay router 3_f_1 immediately above to check whether or not each control module M ″ can be moved in order. . Each of the control modules M ″ confirms whether the response time of the target device 1 to be accessed is satisfied when it moves, or whether or not there is a relay router as a movement destination by performing the processing of steps S207 and S208. . Then, the control module M ″ notifies the control module M whether or not it can move.

  At this time, the control module M determines the presence / absence of the control module M ″ that can be moved in the relay router 3_f_1 immediately below, based on the presence / absence of a notification message indicating that the control module M ″ can be moved. As a result, when there is a control module M ″ that can be moved in the relay router 3_f_1 directly below, the control module M advances the process to step S209. On the other hand, if there is no control module M ″ that can be moved in the relay router 3_f_1 directly below, the control module M advances the processing to step S2 in FIG. 6 because no resource is secured in the relay router 3_f_1 directly below.

  Step S209: The control module M outputs a message instructing movement to the control module M ″ that has been notified that movement is possible. Then, for example, the control module M ″ moves to the relay router 3_e_1 to which the control module M ″ can move, and generates a resource for the control module M to move to the relay router 3_f_1 immediately below. As a result, the control module M secures a resource for moving itself to the relay router 3_f_1 immediately below.

Step S210: Then, the control module M performs a process of moving itself to the relay router 3_f_1 immediately above. That is, the control module M creates a control module M ′, which is a copy of itself, in the relay router 3_f_1 immediately above.
Step S211: After completing the processing, the control module M deletes itself in the relay router 3_e_1 located at the present time.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a real-time property is provided to any of the relay servers 3R on the route of the request message from the target device to the control server 2_2 without accessing the control server 2_2 existing in the service cloud 2. Since the control module corresponding to the control of the target device requiring the control is arranged, the control command can be received at an appropriate time for performing the control.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, when the relay router currently arranged is not moved, when the control module is moved to another relay router, the relay module is deleted from the relay router currently arranged and other relay routers are moved. When using the control module located in the network, the cost is calculated when copying to another relay router, etc., and when the target device connected to the edge uses the control module, the relay router in the tree structure of the aggregation network For each of the control modules, each of the control modules can autonomously move to the location where the use efficiency is most efficient. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, each of the control modules is used in real time according to the connection or disconnection behavior of the target device 1 at the edge for each relay router in the tree structure of the aggregation network. Since the control module is arranged in a good relay router, the target device connected to the edge can always use the control program with high use efficiency.

<Fourth Embodiment>
A network system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the network system in the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Hereinafter, operations different from those of the first embodiment will be described.
As in the second embodiment, the control module in the fourth embodiment functions as a distributed agent, in addition to the function to generate control commands for the target device, autonomously moving between relay routers in the aggregation network, itself Each of which has a function of copying and installing it in another intermediate router, and a function of deleting itself.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an operation example of movement of the control module between relay routers in the network system according to the fourth embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation of autonomously moving the control module between relay routers in the network system according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 11. In the following description, the control module M that performs autonomous movement is disposed in the relay router 3_e_1. The relay router 3_e_1 is arranged on a route between the tree-structured route and the automobile 1A as the target device 1.

Step S301: The control module M is activated after moving to the relay router 3_e_1 currently arranged.
Then, the control module M acquires time information from the clock of the node server 5 provided in the relay router 3_e_1, and then starts its timer and starts counting the timer.

  Step S302: When the counting time of the timer exceeds the predetermined time Δt (detection cycle), the control module M advances the process to step S303.

Step S303: The control module M detects whether or not a request message corresponding to itself has been transmitted within a predetermined time Δt, that is, whether or not the control module M has accessed the automobile 1A.
At this time, if the control module M is accessed within the predetermined time Δt, the control module M resets the timer, and then proceeds to step S304. On the other hand, if the control module M is not accessed within the predetermined time Δt, the process proceeds to step S307.

  Step S304: Based on the sensor information from the automobile 1A in the request message, the control module M performs a predetermined calculation corresponding to the process to generate a control command for controlling the automobile 1A. At this time, the control module M adds the time from the start of calculation to the end of generation of the control command, and the time required for the round trip of the message between the relay router 3_e_1 in which the control module M is located and the automobile 1A. Ask for.

Step S305: The control module M determines whether or not the response time exceeds a preset time. At this time, if the response time exceeds the set time, the control module M advances the process to step S311. On the other hand, if the response time does not exceed the preset set time, the control module M advances the process to step S306.
Here, when the response time is not satisfied, the control module M for the automobile 1A determines that it is necessary to move to the relay router 3_f_1 that is closer to the current position in order to satisfy the response time.

  Step S306: The control module M determines whether or not the number of accesses to itself from the automobile 1A is greater than or equal to a preset threshold value. At this time, if the number of accesses to the control module M is equal to or greater than the preset threshold value, the control module M advances the process to step S311. The control module M advances the process to step S302 when the number of accesses to the self from the automobile 1A is less than the preset threshold value.

  Step S307: The control module M determines whether or not it has been accessed within N seconds from another vehicle 1B of the same type other than the vehicle 1A that has received the request message, that is, whether or not a request message has been received. At this time, if the control module M is accessed from another vehicle 1B within N seconds, the process proceeds to step S302. On the other hand, if the control module M has not been accessed from the other automobile 1B within N seconds, the process proceeds to step S308.

Step S308: The control module M confirms whether or not the relay router 3_d_1 in the node immediately above has the same control module as itself by accessing the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above. When the same control module M ″ as itself is arranged in the relay router 3_d_1 directly above, the control module M has another similar type in which the automobile 1A accessing itself currently accesses the control module M ″. It is determined that each car 1 can be shared.
At this time, the control module M performs processing when the same control module M ″ as itself is arranged in the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above, and the vehicle 1A can be shared with each of the other similar vehicles 1. Proceed to step S309. On the other hand, if the control module M ″ that is the same as the control module M ″ is not arranged in the relay router 3_d_1 directly above and the vehicle 1A cannot be shared with each of the other similar vehicles 1, Advances to step S310.

Step S309: The control module M moves itself to the relay router 3_d_1 directly above. That is, the control module M creates a control module M ′, which is a copy of itself, in the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above. Then, after finishing the processing, the control module M deletes itself in the relay router 3_e_1 that is currently located.
Step S310: After finishing the processing, the control module M deletes itself in the relay router 3_e_1 located at the present time after finishing the processing.

Step S311: The control module M '' can be shared by the vehicle 1A and each of the other similar types of vehicles 1 by the same process as in step S308 described above, with the control module M '' arranged in the relay router 3_f_1. It is determined whether or not there is.
At this time, the control module M performs processing when the same control module M ″ as itself is arranged in the relay router 3_f_1 directly below, and the automobile 1A can be shared with each other automobile 1 of the same type. Proceed to step S312. On the other hand, if the control module M ″ that is the same as the control module M ″ is not arranged in the relay router 3_f_1 directly below and the automobile 1A cannot be shared with each other automobile 1 of the same type, Advances to step S313.

Step S312: The control module M performs a process of copying itself to the relay router 1_f_1 immediately below. At this time, the control module M creates a control module M ′, which is a copy of itself, in the relay router 33_f_1 immediately below.
Then, the control module M ends the process without deleting itself in the relay router 3_e_1 because the other automobile 1 of the same type uses itself in the relay router 3_e_1 where the vehicle is currently located.

  Step S313: The control module M moves itself to the relay router 3_f_1 directly below. That is, the control module M creates a control module M ′, which is a copy of itself, in the relay router 3_e_1 immediately below. Then, after finishing the processing, the control module M deletes itself in the relay router 3_e_1 that is currently located.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a real-time property is provided to any of the relay servers 3R on the route of the request message from the target device to the control server 2_2 without accessing the control server 2_2 existing in the service cloud 2. Since the control module corresponding to the control of the target device requiring the control is arranged, the control command can be received at an appropriate time for performing the control.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the control module autonomously moves between the relay routers 3R on the route in response to the response time required for each control in the target device or the frequency of access from the target device. Since the relay router 3R is located at a position corresponding to the access frequency and satisfies the response time, the response time corresponding to each control process in the target device having a high access frequency can be further shortened. it can.

<Fifth Embodiment>
A network system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the network system in the fifth embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Hereinafter, operations different from those of the first embodiment will be described.
As in the second embodiment, the control module in the fifth embodiment autonomously moves between the relay routers 3R in the aggregation network 3 in addition to the function of generating a control command for the target device 1 as a distributed agent. It has a function, a function of copying itself and installing it in another intermediate router, and a function of deleting itself.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of movement of the control module M between relay routers in the network system according to the fifth embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation of the autonomous upstream movement of the control module M between the relay routers in the network system according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 11. In the following description, as in the fourth embodiment, the control module M that performs autonomous movement is disposed in the relay router 3_e_1. Further, the relay router 3_e_1 is arranged on the route between the route and the edge to which the automobile 1A as the target device 1 is connected in the tree structure of the aggregation network 3.

Step S401: The control module M is activated after moving to the relay router 3_e_1 currently arranged.
Then, the control module M acquires time information from the clock of the node server 5 provided in the relay router 3_e_1, and then starts its timer and starts counting the timer.

  Step S402: The control module M stands by until the count time of the timer reaches a predetermined time Δt (detection cycle). Then, when the count time of the timer exceeds the predetermined time Δt, the control module M advances the process to step S403.

Step S403: The control module M detects whether or not a request message corresponding to the control module M has been transmitted within the predetermined time Δt, that is, whether or not the control module M has accessed the automobile 1A.
At this time, if the control module M is accessed within the predetermined time Δt, the control module M resets the timer, and then proceeds to step S404. On the other hand, if the control module M is not accessed within the predetermined time Δt, the control module M advances the process to step S407.

  Step S404: The control module M performs a predetermined calculation corresponding to the process based on the sensor information from the automobile 1A in the request message and generates a control command for controlling the automobile 1A. At this time, the control module M adds the time from the start of calculation to the end of generation of the control command, and the time required for the round trip of the message between the relay router 3_e_1 in which the control module M is located and the automobile 1A. Ask for.

Step S405: The control module M determines whether or not the response time exceeds a preset set time. At this time, if the response time exceeds the set time, the control module M advances the process to step S411. On the other hand, if the response time does not exceed the preset set time, the control module M advances the process to step S406.
Here, when the response time is not satisfied, the control module M determines that it is necessary to move to the relay router 3_f_1 that is closer to the current position in order to satisfy the response time for the automobile 1A.

  Step S406: The control module M determines whether or not the number of accesses to the vehicle 1A from itself is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value. At this time, if the number of accesses to the control module M is greater than or equal to the preset threshold value, the process proceeds to step S411. The control module M advances the process to step S402 when the number of accesses to the self from the automobile 1A is less than the preset threshold value.

  Step S407: The control module M determines whether it has been accessed within N seconds from another vehicle 1B of the same type other than the vehicle 1A that has received the request message, that is, whether the request message has been received. At this time, if the control module M is accessed within N seconds from another automobile 1B, the process proceeds to step S402. On the other hand, if the control module M has not been accessed from the other automobile 1B within N seconds, the process proceeds to step S408.

Step S408: The control module M deletes itself from the current relay router 3_e_1 and moves to the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above (cost in the state of FIG. 11B) and the current relay router 3_e_1. The calculation of the cost C2 (cost in the state of FIG. 11C) when using the control program upstream (including the control server 2_2) upstream from the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above is deleted and the above (1) Each is done using an equation.
Then, the control module M determines whether or not the calculated cost C1 is less than the cost C2. At this time, if the cost C1 is less than the cost C2, the control module M advances the process to step S409. On the other hand, if the cost C1 is equal to or higher than the cost C2, the control module M advances the process to step S410.

Step S409: The control module M moves itself to the relay router 3R_d_1 immediately above. That is, the control module M creates a control module M ′, which is a copy of itself, in the relay router 3_d_1 immediately above. Then, after finishing the processing, the control module M deletes itself in the relay router 3_e_1 that is currently located.
Step S410: After finishing the processing, the control module M deletes itself in the relay router 3_e_1 located at the present time after finishing the processing.

Step S411: The control module M deletes itself from the relay router 3_e_1 currently arranged and moves to the relay router 3_f_1 immediately below, and the current cost C3 (cost in the state of FIG. 13B) and the current Calculation of the cost C4 (cost in the state of FIG. 13C) when deleting itself from the relay router 3_e_1 and copying itself to each of the relay routers 3_f_1 and 3_f_2 directly below is performed using the above equation (1). To do each.
Then, the control module M determines whether or not the calculated cost C3 is less than the cost C4. At this time, if the cost C3 is less than the cost C4, the control module M advances the process to step S412. On the other hand, if the cost C3 is equal to or higher than the cost C4, the control module M advances the process to step S413.

  Step S412: As described above, the cost C decreases when the control module M deletes itself from the current relay router 3_e_1 and moves to the relay router 3_f_1 immediately below. For this reason, the control module M arranges the control module M ′, which is a copy of itself, in the relay router 3_f_1 immediately below. Then, as shown in FIG. 13B, the control module M deletes itself from the current relay router 3_e_1 and ends the process.

  Step S413: As described above, the control module M deletes itself from the current relay router 3_e_1 and arranges the control module M 'in each of the relay routers 3_f_1 and 3_f_2 directly below, the cost C decreases. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 13C, the control module M copies itself as the control module M ′ to each of the relay routers 3_f_1 and 3_f_2 directly below, deletes itself from the current relay router 3_e_1, and performs processing. Exit.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, real-time communication is performed on one of the relay servers 3R on the route of the request message from the target device to the control server 2_2 without accessing the control server 2_2 existing in the service cloud 2. Since the control module corresponding to the control of the target device that needs to be controlled is arranged, the control command can be received at an appropriate time for performing the control.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, when moving a control module to another relay router, when deleting a current relay router from a relay router and using a control module placed on another relay router, When the target device connected to the edge uses a control module when calculating the cost of copying to a relay router, etc., for each relay router in the tree structure of the aggregation network, its own efficient location Each of the control modules can be moved autonomously. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, each of the control modules is used efficiently in real time according to the connection or disconnection behavior of the target device at the edge for each relay router in the tree structure of the aggregation network. Since the control module is arranged in the relay router, the target device connected to the edge can always use the control program with high use efficiency.

<Sixth Embodiment>
A network system according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the network system in the sixth embodiment is the same as that of any of the first to fifth embodiments already described. Hereinafter, operations different from those of the first to fifth embodiments will be described. FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram showing the operation of the network system in the sixth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 16, the present embodiment is configured on the assumption that the tree structure in the aggregation network is a complete binary tree.
In the tree structure of the aggregation network 3, there are relay routers 3_d_1, 3_e_1, and 3_f_1 on the message path from the automobile 1A to the center cloud 2 as a route. As the binary tree having the relay router 3_e_1 as a node, there are each of the relay routers 3_f_1 and 3_f_2.
The relay router 3_f_1 is connected to the automobile 1A, and the relay router 3_f_2 is connected to the self-propelled vehicle 1B. The automobile 1A and the automobile 1B are the same vehicle type, and each of the control modules in the control program can be shared.

In FIG. 16, the control module M that performs a certain control process G is arranged in the node server 5_f_2 of the relay router 1_f_2, and the control module M that performs the control process G is not arranged in the node server 5_f_1 of the relay router 1_f_1. .
In this embodiment, each of the node servers 5 connected to each of the relay routers 3R is a node connected to another relay router 3R (including an edge router as already described) downstream from itself. It operates as a proxy server for the server 5.
That is, the node server 5_e_1 provided in the relay router 3_e_1 operates as a proxy server between the node server 5_f_1 provided in the relay router 3_f_1 and the node server 5_f_2 provided in the relay router 3_f_2.

  The node server 5_e_1 determines that the request message from the automobile 1A transferred from the relay router 3_f_1 is the control module M. Then, when the control module M is not arranged in the node server 5_e_1, the node server 5_e_1 checks whether or not the control module M is arranged in the target node server 5_f_2 that operates as a proxy server. Here, the node server 5_e_1 transfers a request message for requesting control of the control module M to the relay router 3_f_2 via the relay router 3_e_1.

  Thereby, the node server 5_f_2 receives the request message from the automobile 1A and generates a control command by the control module M. Then, the node server 5_f_2 transmits the generated control command as a response message to the node server 5_e_1 that is a proxy server. The node server 5_e_1 transmits the received response message to the relay router 3_f_1 via the relay router 3_e_1. The node server 5_f_1 transmits the response message received via the relay router 3_f_1 to the automobile 1A.

  With the configuration described above, according to the present embodiment, when the number of target devices 1 to which the same control module connected to each edge is connected is biased (up to 5 times), target devices connected to all edges It is possible to reduce the required block rate of 1. Here, the supply block rate indicates a probability that when all the target devices 1 connected to the edge transmit a request message to the same control module, the request message is transmitted to the center cloud 2 of the route. ing.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an effect when the node server provided in the relay router is the proxy server of the node server of its own binary tree. In FIG. 17, the horizontal axis indicates the number of connections of the target device 1 connected to all nodes of the aggregation network, and the vertical axis indicates the requested block rate corresponding to the number of connections of the target device 1. A dotted line indicates a curve of a requested block rate when the node server provided in the relay router does not have a proxy server function. A solid line indicates a curve of a requested block rate when a node server provided in the relay router has a proxy server function. As can be seen from FIG. 16, by providing a proxy function for the node server, the request block rate of the request message from the target device 1 can be reduced.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes design and the like within a scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Target apparatus 1_1 ... Video recorder 1_2,1_2_1,1_2_s, 1A, 1B ... Automobile 1_3 ... PB system 1_4 ... NW robot 2 ... Service cloud 2_1 ... Cloud router 2_2 ... Control server 3 ... Aggregation network 3_1_1,3_2_1,3_2_m, 3_3_1 , 3_3_n, 3_4_1, 3_4_p, 3_4_q, 3_4_r, 3_d_1, 3_e_1, 3_f_1, 3_f_2, 3_s-1, 3_s-1_1, 3_s-1_2, 3_s-2_1, 3R ... relay routers 5, 5_1_1, 5_2_1, 5_2_5_1, 5_2_5_5 , 5_2_m ... relay server M ... control module

Claims (8)

A control server having a control program arranged on the cloud and configured by a control module for each control unit in the target device to be controlled;
The target device outputs a control request, and an edge that supplies a response corresponding to the request to the target device;
A plurality of relay routers provided on a tree structure between the control server and each of the edges, connecting the control server and the edge as an aggregation network,
The network system, wherein the control modules that are copied from the control server and control the target device are distributed to the relay router that transmits a request from the target device to the control server. The network system according to claim 1, wherein each of the control modules is arranged in the relay router at a position corresponding to a time for returning the response to the target device.   The network system according to claim 2, wherein each of the control modules is arranged in a relay router closer to the control server as the time for returning the response to the target device is shorter. The network system according to claim 1, wherein each of the control modules is arranged in a relay router at a position corresponding to the frequency of the request requested per predetermined time.   The network system according to claim 4, wherein each of the control modules is arranged in a relay router closer to the control server as the frequency of the request requested per predetermined time is lower. When each of the control modules moves from a relay router that is located to a relay router that is closer to the control server, at least the access distance from the edge, the number of connections of the target devices that share the edge, and the arrangement The network system according to claim 1, wherein the network system moves to a predetermined relay router based on each of the costs of the relay router. In the plurality of relay routers connected in a tree structure in the aggregation network,
When a request is supplied from one downstream relay router that is closer to the edge in the tree structure and does not have the control module to one relay router, the one relay router itself When the control module is not provided, the request is output to three relay routers that are downstream from the one relay router in the tree structure and include the control module. The network system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. It is a program module for each control unit in the target device to be controlled, which constitutes a control program stored in a control server arranged on the cloud,
Between the plurality of relay routers provided on the tree structure between the control server and the target device that outputs a control request, and each of the edges that supply a response corresponding to the request to the target device. Autonomously moving from the relay router at the arrangement position to the relay router at the arrangement position determined in response to a request related to control of the target apparatus transmitted from the target apparatus to the control server. Feature program module.

Images