JP7630285B2 - Gateway device, control method, and control program - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a gateway device, a control method, and a control program.

The communication system includes a gateway device. The gateway device has a function of relaying data. For example, technology related to gateway devices has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-215222 A

Incidentally, there are cases where a gateway device and a management device are connected. The management device controls the gateway device. For example, the management device controls the state of the gateway device by sending a state transition change instruction to the gateway device. Note that the state of the gateway device is, for example, a power saving mode.
However, there is a problem in that the gateway device cannot perform a state transition unless it receives a state transition change instruction from the management device.

The purpose of this disclosure is to perform state transitions autonomously.

A gateway device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is provided. The gateway device relays data between a communication network and a terminal. The gateway device has a storage unit that stores communication network information, which is information about communication via the communication network, communication information, which is information about data relay and communication with the terminal, and power reception information, which is information about power supplied to the gateway device, and a control unit that generates at least one of information about a restriction on communication via the communication network, which is information about a function that can be restricted among functions possessed by the gateway device, information about a restriction on data relay and communication with the terminal, and information about a restriction on power supplied to the gateway device, as function restriction information based on the communication network information, the communication information, and the power reception information acquired from the storage unit, determines a state based on the function restriction information, and transitions the gateway device to the determined state. When the function restriction information includes two or more pieces of information, the control unit acquires priority information, adds a priority to each of the two or more pieces of information based on the priority information, and determines the state based on the function restriction information and the priority.

According to this disclosure, state transitions can be performed independently.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a communication system according to a first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating hardware included in a gateway device according to the first embodiment. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of the gateway device of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in a storage unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication network table according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a communication table according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a power reception table according to the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by the gateway device of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a function restriction table according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the functions of a gateway device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a gateway device-to-device communication network table according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a gateway device inter-device communication table according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a gateway device inter-device power receiving table according to the second embodiment. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by a gateway device according to the second embodiment.

The following describes an embodiment with reference to the drawings. The following embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications are possible within the scope of this disclosure.

Embodiment 1.
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a communication system according to embodiment 1. The communication system includes gateway devices 100_1 and 100_2, terminals 10_1, 10_2, and 10_3, and management devices 20_1 and 20_2.
The gateway devices 100_1 and 100_2 and the management device 20_1 communicate with each other via a communication network 30. For example, the communication network 30 is the Internet. The gateway device 100_1 communicates with the terminals 10_1 and 10_2. The gateway device 100_2 communicates with the terminal 10_3 and the management device 20_2.

The above-mentioned communication is wired communication or wireless communication. For example, wireless communication uses LTE (Long Term Evolution), 3G, etc. The communication may be communication using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The communication may also be communication via a USB (Universal Serial Bus).

Here, the gateway devices 100_1 and 100_2 are collectively referred to as the gateway device 100. The terminals 10_1, 10_2, and 10_3 are collectively referred to as the terminal 10. The management devices 20_1 and 20_2 are collectively referred to as the management device 20.
The gateway device 100 is a device that executes the control method. The gateway device 100 relays data between the terminal 10 and the communication network 30. The gateway device 100 can also relay data between the terminal 10, the management device 20, and the communication network 30.
The management device 20 does not transmit a state transition change instruction to the gateway device 100. Therefore, the management device 20 cannot control the state of the gateway device 100.

Here, a comparative example will be described.
2 is a diagram showing a comparative example. The communication system includes gateway devices 900_1, 900_2, 900_3, and 900_4, and management devices 910_1 and 910_2. The gateway devices 900_1, 900_2, 900_3, and 900_4 are collectively referred to as a gateway device 900. The management devices 910_1 and 910_2 are collectively referred to as a management device 910.
The management device 910 monitors the load status of the gateway device 900. For example, when the load status of the gateway device 900 is low, the management device 910 transmits a state transition change instruction to the power saving mode to the gateway device 900. As a result, the gateway device 900 transitions to the power saving mode.

However, if the management device 20 does not transmit a state transition change instruction, as in the communication system of Fig. 1, the gateway device cannot perform a state transition. Also, a small-scale network may not include a management device due to the high cost. In such a case, the gateway device cannot perform a state transition because it does not receive a state transition change instruction.
A case will be described in which the gateway device 100 independently performs state transition even when no state transition change instruction is received.

Next, the hardware of the gateway device 100 will be described.
3 is a diagram showing hardware included in the gateway device of embodiment 1. The gateway device 100 includes a processor 101, a volatile storage device 102, and a non-volatile storage device 103.

The processor 101 controls the entire gateway device 100. For example, the processor 101 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like. The processor 101 may be a multiprocessor. The gateway device 100 may also have a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be a single circuit or a composite circuit.

The volatile memory device 102 is the main memory device of the gateway device 100. For example, the volatile memory device 102 is a RAM (Random Access Memory). The non-volatile memory device 103 is the auxiliary memory device of the gateway device 100. For example, the non-volatile memory device 103 is a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive).

Next, the functions of the gateway device 100 will be described.
4 is a block diagram showing the functions of the gateway device according to embodiment 1. The gateway device 100 includes a storage unit 110, a communication network interface unit 120, a terminal interface unit 130, a monitoring unit 140, a power reception information collecting unit 150, and a control unit 160.

The memory unit 110 may be realized as a memory area reserved in the volatile memory device 102 or the non-volatile memory device 103.

A part or all of the communication network interface unit 120, the terminal interface unit 130, the monitoring unit 140, the power reception information collection unit 150, and the control unit 160 may be realized by a processing circuit. Also, a part or all of the communication network interface unit 120, the terminal interface unit 130, the monitoring unit 140, the power reception information collection unit 150, and the control unit 160 may be realized as a program module executed by the processor 101. For example, the program executed by the processor 101 is also called a control program. For example, the control program is recorded on a recording medium.

The memory unit 110 stores various information. Examples of information stored in the memory unit 110 are as follows:

5 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the storage unit according to the first embodiment. The storage unit 110 stores a communication network table 111, a communication table 112, and a power receiving table 113. The communication network table 111, the communication table 112, and the power receiving table 113 will be described in detail later.
In addition, since the information in the storage unit 110 is divided into three tables, accessibility is improved.

Returning to FIG. 4, the communication network interface unit 120 will be described.
The communication network interface unit 120 communicates with other devices via the communication network 30. The terminal interface unit 130 communicates with the terminal 10. The monitoring unit 140 monitors communications via the communication network 30. The monitoring unit 140 registers information related to the communications in the communication network table 111. An example of the communication network table 111 will now be shown.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a communication network table in embodiment 1. The communication network table 111 is stored in the memory unit 110. The communication network table 111 is also referred to as communication network information. The communication network table 111 shows information related to communication via the communication network 30. The communication network table 111 has items for communication speed, line type, and communication standard.

The communication speed field contains the communication speed of communication via the communication network 30. Note that the communication speed is obtained by measuring the communication speed between the gateway device 100 and a measurement server, for example.
In the item of line type, optical fiber, ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line), etc. are registered.
The communication standard item includes 1GBASE, 100MBASE, LTE, 3G, and the like.
The communication network table 111 may include items other than the above items.

The monitoring unit 140 monitors communication with the terminal 10. The monitoring unit 140 registers information related to the communication in the communication table 112. Here, an example of the communication table 112 is shown.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a communication table in embodiment 1. The communication table 112 is stored in the memory unit 110. The communication table 112 is also referred to as communication information. The communication table 112 has fields for the terminal name, the number of communications, the communication volume, and the communication standard.

In the "Terminal Name" field, the terminal name is registered. For example, when the gateway device 100 is the gateway device 100_1, the terminal A may be considered to be the terminal name of the terminal 10_1. Similarly, the terminal B may be considered to be the terminal name of the terminal 10_2.
In the field of the number of communications, the number of communications between the gateway device 100 and the terminal 10 is registered.

The communication volume item registers the volume of communication passing through the gateway device 100. In other words, the communication volume is the volume of communication between the terminal 10 and the communication network 30.
In the communication standard section, IEEE802.11a/11b/11g/11n/11ac, 1GBASE, 100MBASE, etc. are registered.
The communication table 112 may include items other than the above items.

In this way, the communication table 112 shows information regarding data relay and communication with the terminal 10. For example, information registered in the communication volume field may be considered as information regarding data relay. Information registered in the number of communications fields and the communication standard field may be considered as information regarding communication with the terminal 10.

The power receiving information collection unit 150 collects information regarding the power supplied to the gateway device 100. For example, the power receiving information collection unit 150 collects the information from the volatile storage device 102, the non-volatile storage device 103, or an external device (e.g., an external server). The power receiving information collection unit 150 registers the collected information in the power receiving table 113. Here, an example of the power receiving table 113 is shown.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a power receiving table in embodiment 1. The power receiving table 113 is stored in the memory unit 110. The power receiving table 113 is also referred to as power receiving information. The power receiving table 113 is information related to the power supplied to the gateway device 100. The power receiving table 113 has fields for power receiving type, allowable power, and minimum power.

In the power receiving type item, AC adapter, DC power supply, USB-PD (Universal Serial Bus Power Delivery), battery, etc. are registered.
In the allowable power item, the maximum power that various power supply devices can supply to the gateway device 100 and the maximum power that the gateway device 100 can receive are registered.

The minimum power item registers the minimum power required for the gateway device 100 to operate. The minimum power is determined by the processing operations of the communication network interface unit 120 and the terminal interface unit 130.
The power receiving table 113 may include items other than the above items.

In this manner, the communication network table 111, the communication table 112, and the power receiving table 113 are stored in the storage unit 110. The communication network table 111, the communication table 112, and the power receiving table 113 may be updated periodically.
The function of the control unit 160 will be described in detail later.

Next, the process executed by the gateway device 100 will be described with reference to a flowchart.
Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by the gateway device of the first embodiment. The process in Fig. 9 may be executed periodically, may be executed when the gateway device 100 is started, or may be executed when an event starts. Note that an event occurs when the number of terminals connected to the gateway device 100 is changed, when a restriction is imposed on the communication network interface unit 120 or the terminal interface unit 130, etc.

(Step S<b>11 ) The control unit 160 acquires the communication network table 111 , the communication table 112 , and the power receiving table 113 from the storage unit 110 .
(Step S12) The control unit 160 generates, as a function restriction table, information on functions that can be restricted among the functions of the gateway device 100, based on the communication network table 111, the communication table 112, and the power receiving table 113. Here, an example of the function restriction table is shown.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of a function restriction table in embodiment 1. The function restriction table 114 is also called function restriction information. For example, Figure 10 shows that it is possible to restrict the amount of communication between terminal A and terminal B.

The function restriction table 114 in FIG. 10 is an example. Therefore, various information is registered in the function restriction table 114. For example, if the communication standard in the communication network table 111 indicates a standard of 1 Gbps, the communication speed in the communication network table 111 indicates 100 Mbps or less. In such a case, the control unit 160 generates a function restriction table 114 indicating that the communication standard can be limited to the standard of 100 Mbps. Also, for example, the control unit 160 generates a function restriction table 114 indicating functions that can be restricted within the power indicated by the allowable power in the power receiving table 113.

When two or more pieces of information are included in the function restriction table 114, the control unit 160 may acquire priority information. For example, the control unit 160 acquires priority information from the storage unit 110 or an external device. The priority information indicates the correspondence between the two or more pieces of information and the priority. The priority information may be updated by the user. The control unit 160 assigns a priority to each of the two or more pieces of information based on the priority information.

(Step S13) The control unit 160 determines the state based on the function restriction table 114. That is, the control unit 160 determines what state the gateway device 100 should be transitioned to. Furthermore, if a priority is assigned to each of two or more pieces of information, the control unit 160 determines the state based on the function restriction table 114 and the priority. In this way, the control unit 160 can use the priority to select one piece of information from two or more pieces of information as information related to a function that can be restricted. Then, the control unit 160 determines the state based on the selected information.
(Step S14) The control unit 160 transitions the gateway device 100 to the determined state.

This allows the gateway device 100 to perform state transitions independently. In this way, the gateway device 100 transitions to the optimal state depending on the situation of the gateway device 100.

As described above, according to embodiment 1, the gateway device 100 can perform state transitions independently.

Embodiment 2.
Next, a description will be given of embodiment 2. In embodiment 2, differences from embodiment 1 will be mainly described. Furthermore, in embodiment 2, description of matters common to embodiment 1 will be omitted.

Figure 11 is a block diagram showing the functions of a gateway device according to the second embodiment. The components in Figure 11 that are the same as those in Figure 4 are given the same reference numerals as those in Figure 4. The gateway device 100a has a control unit 160a.

The control unit 160a acquires the external communication network table, the external communication table, and the external power receiving table generated by the other gateway device from the other gateway device. Here, for example, if the gateway device 100a is the gateway device 100_1, the other gateway device may be considered to be the gateway device 100_2. The number of other gateway devices may be two or more.

In addition, when multiple other gateway devices are present in the communication system, the control unit 160a may select a gateway device from which to obtain an external communication network table, etc., based on the number of relay devices present in the communication system or the communication speed between terminals.
When acquiring an external communication network table or the like from another gateway device, the control unit 160a may acquire the external communication network table or the like from the other gateway device by specifying an IP address or a MAC address.

Here, the external communication network table etc. will be explained.
The external communication network table is information regarding communications via the communication network 30 by other gateway devices that communicate via the communication network 30. The items in the external communication network table are the same as those in the communication network table 111. The external communication network table is also referred to as external communication network information.

The external communication table is information regarding data relay by other gateway devices and communication by other gateway devices with terminals subordinate to the other gateway devices. The items in the external communication table are the same as those in the communication table 112. The external communication table is also referred to as external communication information.

The external power receiving table is information about power supplied to other gateway devices. The items in the external power receiving table are the same as those in the power receiving table 113. The external power receiving table is also referred to as external power receiving information.

The control unit 160 a stores an external communication network table, an external communication table, and an external power receiving table in the storage unit 110 .
The control unit 160a generates a gateway device-to-device communication network table based on the external communication network table and the communication network table 111. An example of the gateway device-to-device communication network table is shown below.

12 is a diagram showing an example of a gateway device inter-device communication network table according to the embodiment 2. The gateway device inter-device communication network table 115 has items of gateway device name, communication speed, line type, and communication standard.
For example, the gateway device X shown in the gateway device inter-device communication network table 115 in Fig. 12 is the name of the gateway device 100_1. Also, for example, the gateway device Y shown in the gateway device inter-device communication network table 115 in Fig. 12 is the name of the gateway device 100_2.

For example, the contents of the communication network table 111 are registered in the record of the gateway device X. Also, for example, the contents of the external communication network table are registered in the record of the gateway device Y.
The gateway inter-device communication network table 115 is stored in the storage unit 110 .

The control unit 160a generates a gateway device-to-gateway device communication table based on the external communication table and the communication table 112. An example of the gateway device-to-gateway device communication table is shown below.

13 is a diagram showing an example of a gateway device inter-device communication table according to embodiment 2. The gateway device inter-device communication table 116 has items such as a gateway device name, a terminal name, a number of communications, a communication amount, and a communication standard.
For example, the contents of the communication table 112 are registered in the record of the gateway device X. Also, for example, the contents of the external communication table are registered in the record of the gateway device Y.
The gateway device inter-device communication table 116 is stored in the storage unit 110 .

The control unit 160a generates a gateway-device inter-power receiving table based on the external power receiving table and the power receiving table 113. An example of the gateway-device inter-power receiving table is shown below.

14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a gateway device inter-device power receiving table according to the embodiment 2. The gateway device inter-device power receiving table 117 has items of gateway device name, power receiving type, allowable power, and minimum power.
For example, the contents of the power receiving table 113 are registered in the record of the gateway device X. Also, for example, the contents of the external power receiving table are registered in the record of the gateway device Y.
The gateway device-to-device power receiving table 117 is stored in the storage unit 110 .

The gateway device inter-device communication network table 115, the gateway device inter-device communication table 116, and the gateway device inter-device power receiving table 117 may be generated by an external device. Then, the generated gateway device inter-device communication network table 115, the gateway device inter-device communication table 116, and the gateway device inter-device power receiving table 117 are transmitted to the gateway device 100a and stored in the storage unit 110.
Other functions of the control unit 160a will be described later.

Next, the process executed by the gateway device 100a will be described with reference to a flowchart.
Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by the gateway device of the embodiment 2. The process in Fig. 15 may be executed periodically, may be executed when the gateway device 100a is started, or may be executed when an event starts.

(Step S21) The control unit 160a acquires the gateway device-to-gateway device communication network table 115, the gateway device-to-gateway device communication table 116, and the gateway device-to-gateway device power receiving table 117 from the memory unit 110.

(Step S22) The control unit 160a generates a difference list based on the gateway device-to-gateway device communication network table 115, the gateway device-to-gateway device communication table 116, and the gateway device-to-gateway device power receiving table 117. In other words, the control unit 160a generates a difference list based on the communication network table 111, the communication table 112, the power receiving table 113, the external communication network table, the external communication table, and the external power receiving table.

An example of generating a difference list will be described. The control unit 160a compares the contents of the communication table 112 in the gateway device communication table 116 with the contents of the external communication table. The control unit 160a identifies an item with a difference. For example, the control unit 160a identifies the communication volume item. The control unit 160a generates a difference list including the contents of the communication volume item in the communication table 112 and the contents of the communication volume item in the external communication table.

(Step S23) Based on the difference list, the control unit 160a generates information about functions that can be restricted among the functions of the gateway device 100a as the function restriction table 114. For example, the control unit 160a extracts information that can be restricted (e.g., the communication volume of the gateway device 100a) from the multiple pieces of information registered in the difference list, and generates the extracted information as the function restriction table 114.

The control unit 160a may obtain priority information when two or more pieces of information are included in the function restriction table 114. The control unit 160a assigns a priority to each of the two or more pieces of information based on the priority information.

(Step S24) The control unit 160a determines the state based on the function restriction table 114. Furthermore, if a priority is assigned to each of two or more pieces of information, the control unit 160a determines the state based on the function restriction table 114 and the priority.
(Step S25) The control unit 160a transitions the gateway device 100a to the determined state.

This allows the gateway device 100a to perform state transitions independently. Therefore, according to embodiment 2, the gateway device 100a can perform state transitions independently.

The gateway device 100a may also transmit a function restriction table to the other gateway device. When transmitting the function restriction table 114, a dedicated communication path such as a VPN may be established between the gateway device 100a and the other gateway device. When the other gateway device receives the function restriction table 114, it may use the function restriction table 114 to transition the other gateway device (i.e., its own device). This allows the other gateway device to perform state transitions independently.

The features of each of the embodiments described above can be combined as appropriate.

10, 10_1, 10_2, 10_3 terminal, 20, 20_1, 20_2 management device, 30 communication network, 100, 100_1, 100_2, 100a gateway device, 101 processor, 102 volatile storage device, 103 non-volatile storage device, 110 storage unit, 111 communication network table, 112 communication table, 113 power receiving table, 114 function restriction table, 115 gateway device inter-communication network table, 116 gateway device inter-communication table, 117 gateway device inter-power receiving table, 120 communication network interface unit, 130 terminal interface unit, 140 monitoring unit, 150 power receiving information collection unit, 160, 160a control unit, 900, 900_1, 900_2, 900_3, 900_4 Gateway devices, 910, 910_1, 910_2 Management devices.

Claims (5)

A gateway device that relays data between a communication network and a terminal,
a storage unit that stores communication network information, which is information related to communication via the communication network, communication information, which is information related to data relay and communication with the terminal, and power receiving information, which is information related to power supplied to the gateway device;
a control unit that generates, based on the communication network information, the communication information, and the power reception information acquired from the storage unit, at least one of information on a restriction on communication via the communication network, which is information on a function that can be restricted among functions of the gateway device, information on a restriction on relaying data and communication with the terminal, and information on a restriction on power supplied to the gateway device, as function restriction information, determines a state based on the function restriction information, and transitions the gateway device to the determined state;
having
When the function restriction information includes two or more pieces of information, the control unit acquires priority information, assigns a priority to each of the two or more pieces of information based on the priority information, and determines the state based on the function restriction information and the priority.
Gateway device. A gateway device that relays data between a communication network and a terminal,
a storage unit that stores communication network information which is information regarding communication via the communication network, communication information which is information regarding relaying of data and communication with the terminal, and power receiving information which is information regarding power supplied to the gateway device, and further stores external communication network information which is information regarding communication via the communication network by another gateway device communicating via the communication network, external communication information which is information regarding relaying of data by the other gateway device and communication by the other gateway device with a terminal under the control of the other gateway device, and external power receiving information which is information regarding power supplied to the other gateway device;
a control unit that compares the communication network information acquired from the storage unit with the external communication network information to identify an item having a difference, generates a first list including items of the communication network information and items of the external communication network information, compares the communication information acquired from the storage unit with the external communication information to identify an item having a difference, generates a second list including items of the communication information and items of the external communication information, compares the received power information acquired from the storage unit with the external received power information to identify an item having a difference, and generates a third list including items of the received power information and items of the external received power information, and generates at least one of information on a function that can be restricted among functions possessed by the gateway device, information on a restriction on communication via the communication network, information on a restriction on relaying data and communication with the terminal, and information on a restriction on power supplied to the gateway device, as function restriction information based on the first list, the second list, and the third list, determines a state based on the function restriction information, and transitions the gateway device to the determined state;
A gateway device having the above configuration. When the function restriction information includes two or more pieces of information, the control unit acquires priority information, assigns a priority to each of the two or more pieces of information based on the priority information, and determines the state based on the function restriction information and the priority.
The gateway device according to claim 2 . A gateway device having a storage unit and relaying data between a communication network and a terminal,
generating, as function restriction information, at least one of information on restrictions on communication via the communication network, which is information on functions that can be restricted among functions possessed by the gateway device, information on restrictions on data relay and communication with the terminal, and information on restrictions on power supplied to the gateway device, based on communication network information, which is information on communication via the communication network stored in the storage unit, communication information, which is information on data relay and communication with the terminal, and power receiving information, which is information on power supplied to the gateway device;
When the function restriction information includes two or more pieces of information, priority information is obtained, and a priority is assigned to each of the two or more pieces of information based on the priority information, and a state is determined based on the function restriction information and the priority .
transitioning the gateway device to the determined state;
Control methods. A gateway device having a storage unit and relaying data between a communication network and a terminal,
generating, as function restriction information, at least one of information on restrictions on communication via the communication network, which is information on functions that can be restricted among functions possessed by the gateway device, information on restrictions on data relay and communication with the terminal, and information on restrictions on power supplied to the gateway device, based on communication network information, which is information on communication via the communication network stored in the storage unit, communication information, which is information on data relay and communication with the terminal, and power receiving information, which is information on power supplied to the gateway device;
When the function restriction information includes two or more pieces of information, priority information is obtained, and a priority is assigned to each of the two or more pieces of information based on the priority information, and a state is determined based on the function restriction information and the priority .
transitioning the gateway device to the determined state;
A control program that executes a process.

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