WO2022038734A1 - Communication system, communication method, controller device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

The objective of the present disclosure is to perform congestion control without impairing the operability required for an application such as a cloud game.　The present disclosure provides a communication system which controls application traffic, and which sets a target feedback delay time corresponding to the type of application and executes traffic control to satisfy the target feedback delay time.

Description

Communication system, communication method, controller device and program

This disclosure relates to delay control of traffic from an application server to a terminal.

With the sophistication of games, the performance requirements for PCs (personal computers) are increasing, and the spread of 5G (5th Generation) has begun and the quality of communication networks has improved. Cloud gaming, which is placed on a server and has only operations and screen drawing functions on the terminals used by users, is becoming widespread.

However, unlike ordinary online games, cloud games need to send and receive video traffic, so there is a problem that operability will deteriorate unless stable communication quality is provided. In particular, if the feedback time from the operation to the reflection of the operation result on the video becomes long, the user's operation experience will be extremely deteriorated, so the cloud game server sends the video traffic, and the user terminal sends it. It is necessary to reduce the video transmission delay, which is the time required to receive and draw on the screen.

On the other hand, the operability required for cloud gaming differs depending on the game and situation. For example, when an individual plays a game that requires high operability, such as an action game, it is necessary to minimize the video transmission delay. On the other hand, in the case of a game such as a card game in which operability is not so required, the video transmission delay may be increased. Further, in the case of a competitive game, it is necessary not only to improve the operability but also to control the video transmission delay to make the feedback time fair.

Non-Patent Document 1 focuses on a video codec and congestion control as a method for reducing the video transmission delay. In Non-Patent Document 1, the time required for decoding is shortened by not using the GOP (Group Of Pictures) function that reduces the amount of data by combining and encoding a plurality of frames generally used in a video codec. , The video transmission delay is reduced. Further, in Non-Patent Document 1, BBR (Bottleneck Bandwidth) that controls the rate due to jitter is not used as the congestion control algorithm of TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), but the rate is controlled due to packet loss. By using and Round-trip development time), the throughput is stabilized and the video transmission delay is reduced.

However, in the conventional technology, the video transmission delay is only moved to be as small as possible, and control is not performed according to the type and situation of each game. In such cases, the communication network between them is a particular problem. Since the bandwidth of the communication network is finite, the bandwidth overflows as the number of users increases. At that time, all users are affected by the influence, and the operation feeling is deteriorated.

Google STADIA, https: // www. pcgamesn. com / stadia / google-game-streaming-technology-latency-quality

It is an object of the present invention to perform congestion control without impairing the operability required for applications such as cloud games.

The communication system of the present disclosure is
A communication system that controls application traffic
A target feedback delay time is set according to the type of application, and traffic control is executed so as to satisfy the target feedback delay time.

The communication method of this disclosure is
A communication method executed by a controller device that controls application traffic.
The controller device sets a target feedback delay time according to the type of application, and executes traffic control so as to satisfy the target feedback delay time.

The controller device of the present disclosure is
Keep the target feedback delay time according to the type of application,
When the target feedback delay time is inquired from the traffic control function, the target feedback delay time is set according to the type of the inquired application, and the traffic control function is controlled so as to satisfy the target feedback delay time. To execute.

The program of the present disclosure is a program for realizing a computer as each functional unit provided in the communication device according to the present disclosure, and for causing the computer to execute each step provided in the communication method executed by the communication device according to the present disclosure. It is a program.

According to the present disclosure, congestion control can be performed without impairing the operability required for applications such as cloud games.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline of this disclosure. An example of the system configuration of the present disclosure is shown. An example of terminal configuration is shown. A configuration example of a cloud game server is shown. An example of the round-trip delay information table is shown. An example of the game attribute information table is shown. A configuration example of the controller device is shown. An example of the round-trip delay information DB is shown. An example of the game attribute information DB is shown. An example of the cloud gaming quality control policy table is shown. A configuration example of the delay control shaping function is shown. It is a figure explaining the token supply function update processing flow performed by the token supply function calculation part. It is a figure explaining the token supply processing flow for each communication flow performed by the token supply part. An example of the flow in which the cloud game server acquires the round-trip delay is shown. An example of the flow in which the controller device collects game attribute information is shown. An example of the flow in which the loud game server collects round-trip delay information is shown. An example of the flow in which the delay control shaping function changes the shaping setting value is shown.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown below. Examples of these implementations are merely examples, and the present disclosure can be implemented in various modified and improved forms based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. In addition, the components having the same reference numerals in the present specification and the drawings shall indicate the same components.

(Outline of the invention)
FIG. 1 shows an outline of the present disclosure. In the present disclosure, in a method of controlling traffic of an application, a target feedback delay time is set according to the type of application, and traffic control is executed so as to satisfy the target feedback delay time. For example, in the communication for the cloud game server 94 to provide the game application to the terminal 93, when the game application is an action game and the target feedback time of the action game is 16 ms, if RTT = 5 ms, the delay control shaping of 11 ms. To execute.

By preparing the network bandwidth so as to exceed the total traffic after traffic control, congestion control can be performed within the target feedback time so as to avoid packet collision. Therefore, congestion control can be performed without impairing the operability required for applications such as cloud games. Hereinafter, as an example of the present disclosure, an example in which traffic control is delay control shaping will be described.

(Embodiment Example 1)
FIG. 2 shows an example of the system configuration according to the present embodiment. In the system according to the present disclosure, in the communication system in which the cloud game server 94 and the terminal 93 are connected by the network 92, the delay control shaping function 91 is connected between the network 92 and the cloud game server 94. The delay control shaping function 91 is connected to the controller device 95. The delay control shaping function 91 performs feedback delay control based on the type and situation of the application based on the setting of the controller device 95. In this disclosure, an application may be referred to as an "app". Hereinafter, a case where the application is a cloud game will be described.

FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the terminal. The terminal 93 includes a communication IF (Interface) 31, a client application 32, and a round-trip delay measurement request / response unit 33.
The communication IF (Interface) 31 communicates with the cloud game server 94.
The client application 32 executes the game content provided by the cloud game server 94.
The round-trip delay measurement request response unit 33 sends back the round-trip delay measurement packet transmitted from the cloud game server 94 to the cloud game server 94.

FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of a cloud game server. The cloud game server 94 includes a communication IF 41, a server application 42, a round-trip delay measurement request unit 43, a round-trip delay information table 44, a round-trip delay information transmission unit 45, a game attribute information table 46, and a game attribute information transmission unit 47.

The communication IF 41 communicates with the terminal 93 and the controller device 95.
The server application 42 provides game content to the terminal 93.
The round-trip delay measurement request unit 43 transmits the round-trip delay measurement packet to the terminal 93.
The round-trip delay information table 44 stores the round-trip delay time with each terminal 93.
The round-trip delay information transmission unit 45 reads the round-trip delay information described in the round-trip delay information table 44 and transmits the round-trip delay information packet to the controller device 95.
The game attribute information table 46 stores game attribute information indicating the attributes of the game content.
The game attribute information transmission unit 47 reads the game attribute information from the game attribute information table 46 and transmits it to the controller device 95 as a game attribute information packet.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the round-trip delay information table. The round-trip delay information table stores the round-trip delay time measured by each cloud game server 94 # 1 to 94 # 3. For example, the cloud game server 94 # 1 stores the round-trip delay time TR_1 with the terminal 93 # 1, the cloud game server 94 # 2 stores the round-trip delay time TR_2 with the terminal 93 # 2, and the cloud game server 94 The round-trip delay times TR_3 and TR_4 with the terminals 93 # 3 and 93 # 4 are stored in # 3.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the game attribute information table. The game attribute information table stores attribute information of game contents provided by each cloud game server 94 # 1 to 94 # 3. For example, the game attribute of the cloud game server 94 # 1 is an action game, the game attribute of the cloud game server 94 # 2 is a card game, and the game attribute of the cloud game server 94 # 3 is a competitive action game. The game attributes are not limited to these, and examples thereof include shooting games, simulation games, racing games, adventure games, role-playing games, puzzle games, music games, and competitive games.

FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of the controller device. The controller device 95 includes a game attribute information receiving unit 52, a game attribute information DB 53, a round-trip delay information receiving unit 54, a round-trip delay information DB 55, a cloud game quality control policy table 56, and a delay control shaping setting value changing unit 57.
The game attribute information receiving unit 52 registers the game attribute information described in the game attribute information packet in the game attribute information DB 53.
The game attribute information DB 53 stores the attribute information of the game content provided by each cloud game server 94.
The round-trip delay information receiving unit 54 registers the round-trip delay information described in the round-trip delay information packet in the round-trip delay information DB 55.
The round-trip delay information DB 55 stores the round-trip delay information of each cloud game server 94.
The cloud gaming quality control policy table 56 stores the target feedback delay time corresponding to the game attribute.
The delay control shaping setting value change unit 57 calculates the delay control shaping setting value, and transmits the delay control shaping setting value change packet to the delay control shaping function 91.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the round-trip delay information DB. The round-trip delay information of each terminal 93 # 1 to 93 # 4 is stored in association with the identification information (IDS_1 to IDS_3) of the cloud game server 94.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the game attribute information DB. For example, the game attribute of the game IDG_1 provided by the cloud game server 94 # 1 is an action game, the game attribute of the game IDG_1 provided by the cloud game server 94 # 2 is a card game, and the cloud game server 94 # 3 is provided. The game attribute of the game IDG_3 to be played is a competitive action game.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the cloud game quality control policy table. The cloud gaming quality control policy table defines the target feedback delay time for each game attribute. For example, the target feedback delay time TO_1 of an action game is shorter than the target feedback delay time TO_1 of a card game. Further, the target feedback delay time TO_3 of the competitive action game is a constant TO_3 on the opponent terminals 93 # 3 and 93 # 4.

FIG. 11 shows a configuration example of the delay control shaping function. The delay control shaping function 91 includes communication IFs 11 and 12, metering unit 13, input packet amount recording memory 14, token supply function calculation unit 15, delay parameter setting unit 16, delay parameter table 17, token supply function memory 18, and token supply. A unit 19 and a shaping unit 20 are provided. The shaping unit 20 includes a cue 21, a token bucket 22, and a transmission determination function unit 23.
The communication IF 11 communicates with the terminal 93 and the controller device 95.
The metering unit 13 measures the amount of data of the input packet received from the cloud game server 94, and stores the input packet in the queue 21.
The input packet amount recording memory 14 records the data amount of the input packet.
The token supply function calculation unit 15 calculates the token supply function so that the maximum delay fluctuation of the input packet becomes Jmax.
The delay parameter setting unit 16 sets the allowable delay fluctuation value described in the delay control shaping setting value change packet and the maximum delay fluctuation Jmax of the delay control shaping in the delay parameter table 17.
The delay parameter table 17 stores the maximum delay fluctuation Jmax for each terminal 93 and each cloud game server 94.
The token supply function memory 18 stores the token supply function calculated by the token supply function calculation unit 15.
The token supply unit 19 supplies tokens to the shaping unit 20 according to the token supply function stored in the token supply function memory 18.
The shaping unit 20 delays the input packet stored in the queue 21 according to the supplied token, and transmits the input packet to the terminal 93.

FIG. 12 shows a token supply function Ts (t) update processing flow (S150) for each communication flow executed by the token supply function calculation unit 15. The token supply amount control function is a token supply period calculated by the amount of input packets in one predetermined period and a token calculated by the amount of input packets in a predetermined period after one predetermined period. When the later supply period overlaps, the amount of tokens calculated by the amount of packets input in 1 predetermined period in the period in which 1 supply period and the later supply period overlap is input in the later predetermined period. Add the amount of tokens calculated by the amount of packets.

This update process is executed every token supply function update cycle. The current processing execution time is t_now, the current token supply function is now_Ts (t), the total amount of bytes notified from the metering unit 13 from the previous processing execution time to the current processing execution time is Bm, and the token supply cycle is Tc. The token supply function update cycle is Tu, the token supply function reflection cycle is Tr, the request delay time of the target communication flow is Dd, and the delay time of the communication path of the target communication flow calculated using the delay parameter table 17 is Dr (). Step S151).

Da, which is a delay time that can be added while satisfying the required delay, is calculated by the following equation (step S152).
Da = Dd-Dr-Tu-Tr

The token supply function add_Ts (t) to be added in the current processing execution is calculated by the following equation (step S153).
(1) When t is t_now + Tr <t ≦ t_now + Tr + Da add_Ts (t) = (Bm / Da) × Tc
(2) In the case of t other than the above, add_Ts (t) = 0

When add_Ts (t) is a decimal number, normalization such as rounding up or rounding down is performed so that the total value of add_Ts (t) becomes equal to Bm (step S154). The token supply function new_Ts (t) to be updated as Ts (t) in the current processing execution is calculated by the following equation (step S155).
new_Ts (t) = now_Ts (t) + added_Ts (t)

The token supply function memory 18 is updated with new_Ts (t) as a new Ts (t) after t = t_now + Tr, and is set in the token supply unit 19 (step S156).

FIG. 13 shows a token supply processing flow (S160) for each communication flow executed by the token supply unit 19. This update process is executed every token supply cycle. The processing execution time is t_now (step S161). A token of the amount of the value of Ts (t) at t = t_now is supplied to the shaping unit 20 of the communication flow (step S162).

FIG. 14 shows an example of a flow in which the cloud game server 94 acquires a round-trip delay.
The round-trip delay measurement request unit 43 of the cloud game server 94 transmits a round-trip delay measurement packet to the terminal 93 (S111). Here, for the round-trip delay measurement packet, a command used for confirming network communication such as Ping can be used.
When the terminal 93 receives the round-trip delay measurement packet, it forwards it to the round-trip delay measurement request response unit 33 (S112). Upon receiving the round-trip delay measurement packet, the round-trip delay measurement request response unit 33 immediately sends the round-trip delay measurement packet back to the cloud gaming server 94 (S113).
When the cloud game server 94 receives the returned round-trip delay measurement packet, it measures the time taken from transmission to reception as the round-trip delay time, and records the round-trip delay time and the terminal ID in the round-trip delay information table 44. (S114).
The flow start trigger may be executed once when the cloud game is started, or may be executed periodically.

FIG. 15 shows an example of a flow in which the controller device 95 collects game attribute information.
The game attribute information transmission unit 47 reads the game attribute information from the game attribute information table 46 and transmits it to the controller device 95 as a game attribute information packet (S121).
When the controller device 95 receives the game attribute information packet, it forwards it to the game attribute information receiving unit 52 (S122). The game attribute information receiving unit 52 registers the game attribute information described in the game attribute information packet in the game attribute information DB 53 (S123).
The flow start trigger may be executed once when the cloud game is started, or may be executed periodically.

FIG. 16 shows an example of a flow in which the cloud game server 94 collects round-trip delay information.
The round-trip delay information transmission unit 45 reads the round-trip delay information described in the round-trip delay information table 44 and transmits the round-trip delay information packet to the controller device 95 (S131).
When the controller device 95 receives the round-trip delay information packet, it forwards it to the round-trip delay information receiving unit 54 (S132). The round-trip delay information receiving unit 54 registers the round-trip delay information described in the round-trip delay information packet in the round-trip delay information DB 55 (S133).
The flow start trigger may be executed once when the cloud game is started, or may be executed periodically.

FIG. 17 shows an example of a flow in which the delay control shaping function 91 changes the shaping setting value. The delay control shaping setting value changing unit 57 of the controller device 95 reads the game attribute information from the game attribute information DB 53 (S141). The delay control shaping setting value changing unit 57 reads the target feedback delay time regarding the game attribute described in the game attribute information from the cloud game quality control policy table 56 (S142). The delay control shaping setting value changing unit 57 reads the round-trip delay information regarding the terminal ID and the cloud game server ID described in the game attribute information from the round-trip delay information DB (S143). The delay control shaping setting value changing unit 57 calculates a value obtained by subtracting the round-trip delay information from the target feedback delay time as an allowable delay fluctuation value (S144). The delay control shaping setting value changing unit 57 transmits the calculated allowable delay fluctuation value to the delay control shaping function 91 corresponding to the cloud game server ID as a delay control shaping setting value change packet (S145).
When the delay control shaping function 91 receives the delay control shaping setting value change packet, it forwards it to the delay parameter setting unit 16 (S146). The delay parameter setting unit 16 sets the allowable delay fluctuation value described in the delay control shaping setting value change packet as the maximum delay fluctuation Jmax of the delay control shaping (S147).
The flow start opportunity may be executed once when the cloud game is started, or may be executed periodically.

When the delay control shaping function 91 receives a packet from the cloud game server 94, it transfers the packet to the metering unit 13.
The token supply function memory 18 stores the token supply function calculated by the token supply function calculation unit 15.
The metering unit 13 measures the data amount of the packet and records it in the input packet amount recording memory. Further, the metering unit 13 stores the packet received from the cloud game server 94 in the queue 21.
The token supply function calculation unit 15 refers to the delay parameter table 17 and calculates the token supply function so that the maximum delay fluctuation of the input packet becomes Jmax.
The token supply unit 19 supplies tokens to the shaping unit 20 according to the token supply function stored in the token supply function memory 18.
The transmission determination function unit 23 delays the input packet stored in the queue 21 according to the supplied token, and transmits the input packet to the terminal 93.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the target feedback delay time is set according to the attributes of the game content, and the delay control shaping process is executed so as to satisfy the target feedback delay time. In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the cloud game server 94 provides the game content to the terminal 93 is shown, but it can be applied not only to the game content but also to any application. Therefore, the present disclosure can perform congestion control without impairing the operability required for applications such as cloud games.

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 network.

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

11, 12, 31, 41, 51: Communication IF
13: Metering unit 14: Input packet amount recording memory 15: Token supply function calculation unit 16: Delay parameter setting unit 17: Delay parameter table 18: Token supply function memory 19: Token supply unit 20: Shaping unit 21: Queue 22: Token bucket 23: Transmission determination function unit 32: Client application 42: Server application 43: Round trip delay measurement request unit 44: Round trip delay information table 45: Round trip delay information transmission unit 46: Game attribute information table 47: Game attribute information transmission unit 52 : Game attribute information receiver 53: Game attribute information DB
54: Round-trip delay information receiver 55: Round-trip delay information DB
56: Cloud game quality control policy table 57: Delay control shaping setting value change unit 91: Delay control shaping function 92: Network 93: Terminal 94: Cloud game server 95: Controller device

Claims (7)

A communication system that controls application traffic
A target feedback delay time is set according to the type of application, and traffic control is executed so as to satisfy the target feedback delay time.
Communications system. The application is provided to a plurality of terminals and is provided.
The target feedback delay time equal to the plurality of terminals is set.
The communication system according to claim 1. The application is a game
The target feedback delay time is set according to the attributes of the game.
The communication system according to claim 1 or 2. The server that provides the application to the terminal and
With a controller that sets the target feedback delay time,
A delay control shaping function that is connected between the server and the terminal and executes delay control shaping processing, and
The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A communication method executed by a controller device that controls application traffic.
The controller device sets a target feedback delay time according to the type of application and executes traffic control so as to satisfy the target feedback delay time.
Communication method. Keep the target feedback delay time according to the type of application,
When the target feedback delay time is inquired from the traffic control function, the target feedback delay time is set according to the type of the inquired application, and the traffic control function is controlled so as to satisfy the target feedback delay time. To execute,
Controller device. A program for realizing a computer as each functional unit provided in the controller device according to claim 6.

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