JP7704286B2 - System, method and program for collecting data - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to communication control for data collection.

As user terminals, sensors, and in-vehicle systems continue to develop, the number of sensors and the amount of data generated by each sensor are increasing dramatically. When collecting this data, traditional communication methods can cause a bottleneck in the communication processing on the receiving side.

RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) is being considered as a high-speed data transfer method. With RDMA, data is transferred from the memory of a local computer to the memory of a different remote computer via DMA (direct data transfer between peripheral devices and main memory (RAM) without going through the CPU). Because RDMA does not require CPU processing for data transfer, it is possible to avoid the bottleneck on the receiving side.

A remote transfer technology using this RDMA has been proposed (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). However, Non-Patent Document 1 states that in order to transfer data using RDMA in a wide-area communication network, it is necessary to set a communication path for each flow in advance. Therefore, when collecting data from multiple data sources, a large amount of network resources is required.

"One person, one wavelength" for ultra-low latency at 100Gbps without TCP/IP, Nikkei Electronics, March 2021, pp. 40-47

The present disclosure aims to provide a system that does not require large amounts of network resources even when collecting data from multiple data sources.

The disclosed system and method include:
A system for collecting data from multiple data sources into a server and a method executed by the system, comprising:
The plurality of data sources:
Obtain rules that determine sending policies from an external source,
determining a transmission policy according to a data transfer requirement of the own device based on the rule;
The data is transmitted autonomously based on the transmission policy.

The present disclosure provides a data source device for transmitting data to a server and a method performed by the data source device, comprising:
The data source device is
Obtain rules that determine sending policies from an external source,
determining a transmission policy according to a data transfer requirement of the own device based on the rule;
The data is transmitted autonomously based on the transmission policy.

The controller, data source, and other devices of the present disclosure can also be realized by a computer and a program, and the program can be recorded on a recording medium or provided through a communication network. The program of the present disclosure is a program for realizing a computer as each functional unit of the device of the present disclosure, and is a program for causing a computer to execute each step of the method executed by the device of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure provides a system that does not require large amounts of network resources even when collecting data from multiple data sources.

1 illustrates an example system configuration of the present disclosure. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a communication network. An example of a server configuration is shown. An example of a data source configuration is shown below. An example of information stored in a requirements table of each data source is shown below. 2 shows an example of the configuration of a transmission controller. 13 is an example of a transmission policy determination sequence in the present disclosure. 13 shows an example of an operation of a transmission policy decision function. 13 illustrates an example of information stored in a transmission policy table. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a path management controller. 13 shows an example of a path setting location table. 13 shows an example of transmission of sensing data from a data source B to a server. 13 shows an example of sending sensing data from a data source A to a server. 13 shows an example of sending sensing data from a data source C to a server. An example of an Attribute ID area is shown below. 1 shows an example of a sequence for creating and releasing a communication path. 1 shows an example of a sequence for creating and releasing a communication path.

Below, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown below. These implementation examples are merely illustrative, and the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Note that components with the same reference numerals in this specification and drawings are considered to be identical to each other.

Figure 1 shows an example system configuration of the present disclosure. The system of the present disclosure comprises multiple data sources 10, a transmission control controller 20, a path management controller 30, and a server 40. The multiple data sources 10, the transmission control controller 20, the path management controller 30, and the server 40 are connected via a communication network 80. The data source 10 is a terminal that has sensing data from the user side. The server 40 is a terminal that collects data from the data sources.

In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the transmission control controller 20 and the path management controller 30 are arranged separately, but these controllers may be provided in a common device, or may be composed of multiple devices arranged in a distributed manner. The device of the present invention can also be realized by a computer and a program, and the program can be recorded on a recording medium or provided through a communication network.

Figure 2 shows an example configuration of a communication network 80. The communication network 80 is composed of multiple network devices 81. In this embodiment, the network devices 81 used between the data source 10 and the server 40 are determined in advance. For example, the data source 10A and the server 40 are connected by network devices 81A and 81B, the data source 10B and the server 40 are connected by network devices 81A and 81C, and the data source 10C and the server 40 are connected by network devices 81D and 81E.

When each of network devices 81A-81E receives data addressed to server 40 from data sources 10A-10C, it knows which network device to transfer the data to. Therefore, even if data sources 10A-10C do not know which network device 81 to use, if they specify server 40 and transmit data, the data will be sent to server 40. As a result, the present disclosure is capable of transferring data losslessly and at a high bandwidth when a communication path is generated.

In this disclosure, in order to realize data transfer by RDMA, a method is proposed in which a lossless, broadband communication path is assigned to a necessary data source 10 at the necessary timing. In the system of this disclosure, when data to be transmitted to the server 40 occurs, each of the multiple data sources 10 generates a communication path using a network device 81 defined for the respective device at the transmission timing defined by the transmission policy of the respective device. This allows each data source 10 to autonomously transmit sensing data to the server 40 based on the transmission policy of the respective device.

The transmission policy can be exemplified as follows.
First transmission policy: A communication path is generated immediately after data is generated, data is transferred, and the communication path is released immediately after the data transfer is completed.
Second transmission policy: After a certain amount of data has accumulated, a communication path is generated and data transfer is performed, and the communication path is immediately released after the data transfer is completed.
Third transmission policy: A communication path is generated immediately after data is generated, data is transferred, and the communication path is maintained for a certain period of time even after the data transfer is completed.
Fourth transmission policy: A communication path is generated and data is transferred after a certain amount of data has accumulated, and the communication path is maintained for a certain period of time even after the data transfer is completed.

Here, when the transmission control controller 20 distributes the transmission policies of each data source 10, when the transmission policy decision flow that defines the rules for deciding the transmission policy is changed, each data source 10 will simultaneously receive the transmission policy from the transmission control controller 20. At this time, access from the data sources 10 to the transmission control controller 20 will be concentrated, the load on the transmission control controller 20 will be high, and it may become impossible to distribute the transmission policy or it may take a long time to distribute it.

Therefore, in the system disclosed herein, the transmission control controller 20 distributes a transmission policy decision flow. Each data source 10 determines a transmission policy that matches the data transfer requirements of its own device according to the transmission policy decision flow. This allows each data source 10 to obtain a transmission policy that matches the data transfer requirements of its own device.

Each data source 10 notifies the path management controller 30 of a request to connect or release a communication path in accordance with the transmission policy, and controls the timing of creating or releasing a communication path. In this way, this embodiment controls the trade-off between the immediacy of data transmission and the reduction in the time the communication path is in use. This is explained in detail below.

(First embodiment)
3 shows an example of the configuration of the server 40. The server 40 includes a data receiving function 41, a memory 42, and an application 43.
The data receiving function 41 receives the sensing data from each data source 10 .
The memory 42 stores the sensing data from the sensor 50 .
The application 43 collects sensing data from the sensor 50. The application 43 is any application that collects any sensing data detected or generated by a user terminal, a sensor, an in-vehicle system, or the like.

Figure 4 shows an example configuration of the data source 10. The data source 10 includes a transmission policy determination function 12, a data transmission timing control function 13, a communication path setting function 14, a data transmission function 15, a communication path release function 16, a generated data storage function 17, a requirements table 18, and a transmission policy table 19.

The generated data storage function 17 stores the sensing data from the sensor 50 .
The transmission policy decision function 12 receives a transmission policy decision flow from the transmission controller 20 , reads data transfer requirements from the requirement table 18 , decides a transmission policy according to the read data transfer requirements, and stores it in the transmission policy table 19 .
The data transmission timing control function 13 controls the communication path setting function 14 , the data transmission function 15 and the communication path release function 16 in accordance with a transmission policy table 19 .
The communication path setting function 14 sends a communication path connection request to the path management controller 30 .
The data transmission function 15 transmits the sensing data stored in the generated data storage function 17 to the server 40 .
The communications path releasing function 16 sends a communications path release request to the path management controller 30 .
The requirements table 18 stores the data transfer requirements for each data source 10 .
The transmission policy table 19 stores the policy for transmitting the sensing data from the data source 10 to the server 40 .

Figure 5 shows an example of information stored in the requirements table 18 for each data source. In the requirements table, the allowable delay time, data generation frequency, and data generation volume of each data source 10 are stored as data transfer requirements, linked to the application. The allowable delay time is the allowable delay time from when data is generated until it reaches the server. The data generation volume is the amount of data generated at one time in the sensor 50.

Figure 6 shows an example configuration of the transmission control controller 20. The transmission control controller 20 has a transmission policy decision flow generation function 26 and a transmission policy decision flow distribution function 23.

Figure 7 shows an example of a flow for determining a transmission policy. The transmission policy decision flow generation function 26 generates a transmission policy decision flow (S101). The transmission policy decision flow distribution function 23 distributes it to each data source 10 (S102). Each data source 10 receives the transmission policy decision flow transmitted from the transmission control controller 20. The data source 10 refers to the requirements table 18 provided in its own device, and determines the transmission policy of its own device according to the received transmission policy decision flow (S103).

FIG. 8 shows an example of the operation of the transmission policy decision function 12 provided in each data source 10. As shown in FIG.
When the transmission policy determination function 12 acquires the data transfer requirements (S11), it determines the requirements for the allowable delay time (S12). If the allowable delay time requirement is 100 ms or less (Yes in S12), it determines a method of generating a communication path immediately after data generation and transmitting the data (S13). On the other hand, if the allowable delay time requirement is more than 100 ms (No in S12), it determines a method of accumulating a certain amount of sensing data and transmitting the data (S14).
Next, the transmission policy determination function 12 judges the data generation frequency (S15). If the data generation frequency is 4 times/s or less (Yes in S15), a method is determined in which the communication path is immediately released after the data transmission (S16). On the other hand, if the data generation frequency is more than 4 times/s (No in S15), a method is determined in which the communication path is released after waiting for a certain period of time after the data transmission is completed (S17).

For example, in the case of the data transfer requirements shown in FIG. 5, the transmission policy decision function 22 makes the decision as follows.
Data source A:
Since the allowable delay time is set to 1000 ms and the data occurrence frequency is set to four times, the transmission controller 20 determines the second transmission policy as the transmission policy.
・Data source B:
Since the allowable delay time is set to 200 ms and the data occurrence frequency is set to 10 times, the transmission controller 20 determines the transmission policy to be the fourth transmission policy.
Data source C:
Since the allowable delay time is set to 100 ms and the data occurrence frequency is set to 5 times, the transmission controller 20 determines the third transmission policy as the transmission policy.
As a result, the transmission policies shown in FIG.

Here, the data transfer requirements may include application information. In this case, in steps S12 and S15, the transmission policy determination function 12 sets the threshold value taking into account the requirements included in the application information.

Once the data source 10 has determined the transmission policy, it stores it in the transmission policy table 19. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the transmission policy appropriate for each data source 10 is stored in the transmission policy table 19 of each data source 10.

Figure 10 shows an example configuration of the path management controller 30. The path management controller 30 has a path setting request receiving function 31, a path setting function 32, and a path setting location table 33.

The path setting request receiving function 31 receives a communication path connection request or release request from each data source 10 .
The path setting function 32 creates or releases a communication path in response to a request from each data source 10 to connect or release the communication path.
The path setting location table 33 manages setting information (creation/release) of communication paths from each data source 10 to the server 40 .

Figure 11 shows an example of the path setting location table 33. The path setting location table 33 stores information on the network devices 81 that transfer sensing data from each data source 10. For example, in the case of data source 10A, the information on the network device 81 includes identification information of network devices 81A and 81B that connect data source 10A to server 40, and setting information (generation/release) of communication paths in network devices 81A and 81B.

12 shows an example of the transmission of sensor data from the data source 10B to the server 40. The data source 10B transmits the sensor data in accordance with the fourth transmission policy.
The data source 10B accumulates sensing data generated by the sensor 50, and when the data reaches 20 MB, it transmits a communication path connection request to the path management controller 30 (S201).
When the path management controller 30 receives the communication path connection request, it sets the communication path between the network devices 81A and 81C and creates the communication path (S202). When the communication path creation is complete, the path management controller 30 sends a communication path creation completion notification to the data source 10B (S203).
When the data source 10B receives the communication path creation completion notification, it transmits sensing data to the server 40 (S204-1 and S204-2). Then, for 50 ms, it waits for the transmission of a communication path release request. If sensing data is generated during that time, it transmits the sensing data each time (S204-3).
When 50 ms has elapsed since the last data transmission (step S204-3), the data source 10B transmits a communication path release request to the path management controller 30 (S205).
When the path management controller 30 receives the communication path release request, it releases the communication paths of the network devices 81A and 81C, and transmits a communication path release completion notification to the data source 10B to the effect that the communication path release has been completed (S206).

13 shows an example of transmission of sensor data from the data source 10A to the server 40. The data source 10A transmits the sensor data in accordance with the second transmission policy.
The data source 10A accumulates sensing data generated by the sensor 50, and when the data reaches 15 MB, it transmits a communication path connection request to the path management controller 30 (S301).
When the path management controller 30 receives the communication path connection request, it creates a communication path from the network device 81E to the server 40 (S302). When the communication path creation is complete, the path management controller 30 sends a communication path creation completion notification to the data source 10A (S303).
Then, when the data source 10A receives a communication path creation completion notification (S303), it collectively transmits the accumulated sensing data to the server 40 (S304-1, S304-2, S304-3). After that, the data source 10A immediately transmits a communication path release request to the path management controller 30 (S305).

14 shows an example of transmission of sensor data from the data source 10C to the server 40. The data source 10C transmits the sensor data in accordance with the third transmission policy.
When data is generated by the sensor 50, the data source 10C transmits a communication path connection request to the path management controller 30 (S401).
When the data source 10C receives the communication path creation completion notification (S403), it transmits sensing data to the server 40 (S404-1) and waits for the next 20 ms for transmission of a communication path release request. If sensing data is generated during that time, it transmits the sensing data each time (S404-2, S404-3).
When 20 ms has elapsed since the last data transmission (step S404-3), the data source 10C transmits a communication path release request to the path management controller 30 (S405).

12 to 14, in this embodiment, communication paths are allocated in a time-sharing manner at the required timing, thereby preventing the depletion of network resources and realizing RDMA communication with a large number of data sources. Since communication paths are allocated to the data source 10 that wishes to transmit sensing data only for the period required, the utilization rate of communication paths can be improved and network resources can be reduced.

As described above, in the present disclosure, the transmission control controller 20 distributes the transmission policy determination flow, and each data source 10 determines a transmission policy that matches the data transfer requirements of its own device according to the transmission policy determination flow. As a result, each data source 10 can obtain a transmission policy that matches the data transfer requirements of its own device according to the transmission policy determination flow.

In the present disclosure, the transmission policy decision flow is distributed to the data source 10, so even if there is a change in the transmission policy decision flow, access is not concentrated on the transmission control controller 20. Therefore, the present disclosure can reduce the load caused by access concentration on the transmission control controller 20.

Each data source 10 determines a transmission policy and generates a communication path for each data source 10 according to the transmission policy, so that the communication paths can be allocated in a time-sharing manner at the required timing. Therefore, the present disclosure can reduce the communication path usage time from each data source 10 to the server 40, facilitate the reuse of communication paths, and reduce the number of communication paths required for the entire communication network 80, in response to the trade-off between the immediacy of data transmission and the reduction in the communication path usage time.

Second Embodiment
The system of this embodiment does not include the path management controller 30 shown in Fig. 1. In this embodiment, the data source 10 directly sends a communication path connection request to the network devices 81A to 81E. By reflecting the settings received by the network devices 81A to 81E, it is possible to eliminate the effort required to generate a communication path. As a result, this embodiment can set up a communication path in a shorter time.

In this embodiment, the communication path setting function 14 transmits a connection request to the network device 81 to generate a communication path with the server 40. The communication path release function 16 transmits a release request to the network device 81 to release the communication path with the server 40.

When sensing data is generated, data source 10 sends a communication path connection request to network device 81. Device 81 that receives the request reflects the settings. For example, when data source 10A sends sensing data, data source 10A sends a communication path connection request to network device 81B. Network device 81B then creates a communication path with data source 10A.

A connection destination of the communication path of the sensing data is set in advance in each network device 81 set in the transmission route of the sensing data. As a result, in the present disclosure, predetermined network devices 81B and 81A connecting between the data source 10A and the server 40 generate a communication path between the data source 10A and the server 40. The communication path can use any means capable of transmitting the sensing data, and may be a virtual one such as a VLAN, or a physical one such as an optical path.

The communication path connection request can use data in any format that can be read by the network device 81. For example, the Attribute ID field in the header of an RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) packet can be used.

Figure 15 shows an example of the Attribute ID area. When using RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) v2 used in the UDP (User Datagram Protocol) protocol, the network device 81 can identify the negotiation based on the description of the Attribute ID field in the MAD Header. The MAD Header is stored in the DATH Header in the Base Transport Header.

Negotiations include, for example, ConnectRequest, which requests an RDMA connection, ConnectReply, which indicates an RDMA connection response, ReadyToUse, which indicates that the device is available for use, DisconnectRequest, which requests an RDMA release, and DisconnectReply, which indicates an RDMA release response. The value of Attribute ID is determined for each negotiation. For example, if Attribute ID is 0x0010, this can be used as a trigger for path generation in network device 81B.

Figure 16 shows an example of a sequence for creating and releasing a communication path. When using RDMA, the data source 10A generates a communication path to the server 40, triggered by a ConnectRequest. At this time, the network device 81B transfers the ConnectRequest to the next network device 81A. After completing the creation of the communication path, the network device 81A also transfers the ConnectRequest to the server 40. The server 40 uses the created communication path to send a ConnectReply to the data source 10A. When the data source 10A receives a ConnectReply from the server 40, it sends a ReadyToUse to the server 40. This enables RDMA communication from the data source 10A to the server 40.

The process for releasing a communication path is similar to that for creating a communication path. Specifically, data source 10A uses a Disconnect Request as a trigger to release the communication path to server 40. At this time, when network device 81B has completed releasing the communication path, it transfers the Disconnect Request to network device 81A. The same is true for network device 81A. When server 40 receives the Disconnect Request, it sends a DisconnectReply to data source 10A.

In network devices 81B and 81A, the timing for transferring the ConnectRequest is, for example, after the creation of the communication path is completed. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, network devices 81B and 81A may transfer the ConnectRequest without waiting for the creation of the communication path to be completed.

Figure 17 shows an example of a sequence for generating and releasing a communication path. In this example, the network devices 81B and 81A transfer the ConnectRequest without waiting for the completion of the generation of the communication path. In this case, the network devices 81B and 81A have a function of sending a path setting completion notification to the data source 10A, which is the sender of the ConnectRequest. In this disclosure, since the transmission route of the sensing data is predetermined, the data source 10A can confirm that the setting of the communication path has been completed in all the network devices 81B and 81A on the transmission route by counting the number of path setting completion notifications sent from the network devices 81B and 81A. Once this confirmation is made, the data source 10A sends ReadyToUse to the server 40. This enables RDMA communication from the data source 10A to the server 40.

When releasing the communication path, the data source 10A sends a Disconnect Request to the server 40. The server 40 releases the communication path and sends a Disconnect Reply to the data source 10A. Because the communication path is released in the server 40, the communication path is also released in the network devices 81A and 81B.

This embodiment realizes a lossless and broadband communication network 80 with a communication path, and enables RDMA communication with a large number of data sources without requiring a large amount of network resources. Furthermore, this disclosure can prevent data loss in the communication network 80, thereby realizing reliable data transfer using RDMA.

(Effects of the present disclosure)
Therefore, the present disclosure can realize a lossless and wideband communication network 80 with a communication path, and can enable RDMA communication with a large number of data sources without requiring a large amount of network resources. Furthermore, the present disclosure can prevent data loss in the communication network 80, and can realize reliable data transfer using RDMA.

In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the data collected by server 40 is sensing data, but this disclosure is applicable to any data that requires collection, such as user terminals, sensors, and in-vehicle systems.

In addition, while the above embodiment shows an example of setting a lossless and broadband communication path between the data source 10 and the server 40, a data transfer path for which quality is not guaranteed may also be set as the communication path.

This disclosure can be applied to the information and communications industry.

10, 10A, 10B, 10C: Data source 20: Transmission control controller 30: Path management controller 40: Server 50: Sensor 12: Transmission policy decision function 13: Data transmission timing control function 14: Communication path setting function 15: Data transmission function 16: Communication path release function 17: Generated data storage function 18: Requirement table 19: Transmission policy table 21: Requirement reception function 22: Transmission policy decision function 23: Transmission policy decision flow distribution function 24: Transmission policy decision flow 31: Path setting request reception function 32: Path setting function 33: Path setting location table 41: Data reception function 42: Memory 43: Application 80: Communication network 81A, 81B, 81C, 81D, 81E: Network equipment

Claims (7)

In a system that collects data from multiple data sources into a server,
The plurality of data sources:
Obtain rules that determine sending policies from an external source,
determining a transmission policy according to a data transfer requirement of the own device based on the rule;
autonomously transmitting data based on the transmission policy;
1. A system comprising:
The transmission policy is:
A communication path is created immediately after data is generated, data is transferred, and the communication path is released immediately after the data transfer is completed.
A system that generates a communication path and transfers data after a certain amount of data has been accumulated, and releases the communication path immediately after the data transfer is completed; and
A system that creates a communication path immediately after data is generated, transfers the data, and continues to hold the communication path for a certain period of time after the data transfer is complete.
A system that generates a communication path and transfers data after a certain amount of data has been accumulated, and continues to hold the communication path for a certain period of time even after the data transfer is complete.
Including, the system . The data transfer requirements include an allowable delay time and a data generation frequency,
The transmission policy is determined based on an allowable delay time and a data generation frequency.
The system of claim 1 . a controller for determining and distributing the rules to the plurality of data sources;
3. A system according to claim 1 or 2 . A method performed by a system for collecting data from multiple data sources into a server, comprising:
The data source:
Obtain rules that determine sending policies from an external source,
determining a transmission policy according to a data transfer requirement of the own device based on the rule;
autonomously transmitting data based on the transmission policy;
1. A method comprising:
The transmission policy is:
A communication path is created immediately after data is generated, data is transferred, and the communication path is released immediately after the data transfer is completed.
A system that generates a communication path and transfers data after a certain amount of data has been accumulated, and releases the communication path immediately after the data transfer is completed; and
A system that creates a communication path immediately after data is generated, transfers the data, and continues to hold the communication path for a certain period of time after the data transfer is complete.
A system that generates a communication path and transfers data after a certain amount of data has been accumulated, and continues to hold the communication path for a certain period of time even after the data transfer is complete.
A method comprising : Obtain rules that determine sending policies from an external source,
determining a transmission policy according to a data transfer requirement of the own device based on the rule;
autonomously transmitting data based on the transmission policy;
1. A data source device , comprising:
The transmission policy is:
A communication path is created immediately after data is generated, data is transferred, and the communication path is released immediately after the data transfer is completed.
A system that generates a communication path and transfers data after a certain amount of data has been accumulated, and releases the communication path immediately after the data transfer is completed; and
A system that creates a communication path immediately after data is generated, transfers the data, and continues to hold the communication path for a certain period of time after the data transfer is complete.
A system that generates a communication path and transfers data after a certain amount of data has been accumulated, and continues to hold the communication path for a certain period of time even after the data transfer is complete.
A data source device comprising : 1. A method performed by a data source device for transmitting data to a server, comprising:
The data source device,
Obtain rules that determine sending policies from an external source,
determining a transmission policy according to a data transfer requirement of the own device based on the rule;
autonomously transmitting data based on the transmission policy;
1. A method comprising:
The transmission policy is:
A communication path is created immediately after data is generated, data is transferred, and the communication path is released immediately after the data transfer is completed.
A system that generates a communication path and transfers data after a certain amount of data has been accumulated, and releases the communication path immediately after the data transfer is completed; and
A system that creates a communication path immediately after data is generated, transfers the data, and continues to hold the communication path for a certain period of time after the data transfer is complete.
A system that generates a communication path and transfers data after a certain amount of data has been accumulated, and continues to hold the communication path for a certain period of time even after the data transfer is complete.
A method comprising : A program for causing a computer to function as the data source in the system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .

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