Data flow control order generating apparatus and sensor managing apparatus

• US 10,121,381 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Hisano, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US14/373,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20140372561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,077 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/087 Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

There is used a data flow control order generating apparatus that includes: a sensor side metadata acquisition unit acquiring sensor side metadata as information related to a sensor that outputs sensing data; an application side metadata acquisition unit acquiring application side metadata as information related to an application that provides a service by using the sensing data; a matching unit performing matching between the sensor side metadata and the application side metadata to extract the sensor capable of providing the sensing data that satisfies the request of the application; and an instruction unit transmitting a data flow control order that identifies the sensor extracted by the matching unit and the application to a sensor managing apparatus that manages the sensor.

Claims

1. A data flow control order generating apparatus comprising a hardware processor, the hardware processor comprising:

a sensor side metadata acquisition unit acquiring sensor side metadata as information related to a sensor that outputs data;

an application side metadata acquisition unit acquiring application side metadata comprising information related to an application that provides a service by using the data, the information including attribute information of a required sensor and conditions related to the data required by the application;

a matching unit performing matching between the sensor side metadata and the application side metadata to extract data that identifies a sensor that satisfies a request of the application; and

an instruction unit transmitting;

a data flow control order that identifies the data extracted by the matching unit; and

an address of the application,

wherein the data flow control order includes an instruction to a sensor managing apparatus that manages the identified sensor,

wherein the data flow control order generating apparatus circulates the data identified by the data flow control order between data providers and data users, and

wherein the sensor side metadata and the conditions of the application side metadata include a condition regarding compensation for use of the data output by the sensor.

2. The data flow control order generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensor side metadata acquisition unit acquires the sensor side metadata from a database in which the sensor side metadata is stored;

the application side metadata acquisition unit acquires the application side metadata from a database in which the application side metadata is stored; and

the matching unit receives a notice of an event occurrence detected based on data from the sensor managing apparatus, and then performs the matching.

3. The data flow control order generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensor side metadata acquisition unit acquires the sensor side metadata from a database in which the sensor side metadata is stored;

the application side metadata acquisition unit acquires the application side metadata from a database in which the application side metadata is stored; and

the matching unit receives notice of an event occurrence that requires data from the application, and then performs the matching.

4. The data flow control order generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensor side metadata acquisition unit receives the sensor side metadata transmitted in conjunction with an event occurrence detected based on data from the sensor managing apparatus;

the application side metadata acquisition unit acquires the application side metadata from a database in which the application side metadata is stored; and

the matching unit performs the matching when the sensor side metadata acquisition unit receives the sensor side metadata.

5. The data flow control order generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensor side metadata acquisition unit acquires the sensor side metadata from a database in which the sensor side metadata is stored;

the application side metadata acquisition unit receives the application side metadata transmitted in conjunction with an event occurrence that requires the data output by the sensor from the application; and

the matching unit performs the matching when the application side metadata acquisition unit receives the application side metadata.

6. A data flow control order generating apparatus comprising a hardware processor, the hardware processor comprising:

a data metadata acquisition unit acquiring metadata of data as information related to sensing data obtained by a sensor and stored in a database on a network;

an application side metadata acquisition unit acquiring application side metadata comprising information related to an application that provides a service by using the stored sensing data, the information including attribute information of a required sensor and conditions related to the sensing data required by the application;

a matching unit performing matching between the metadata of the data and the application side metadata to extract data that identifies the stored sensing data that satisfies a request of the application; and

an instruction unit transmitting;

a data flow control order that identifies the data extracted by the matching unit; and

an address of the application,

wherein the data flow control order includes an instruction to the database on the network,

wherein the data flow control order generating apparatus circulates the data identified by the data flow control order between data providers and data users, and

wherein the metadata of the data and the conditions of the application side metadata include a condition regarding compensation for use of the data obtained by the sensor.

7. A sensor managing apparatus that manages a sensor by using sensor side metadata as information related to the sensor that outputs data, the apparatus comprising a hardware processor, the hardware processor comprising:

an order reception unit receiving a data flow control order, from a data flow control order generating apparatus, that includes an instruction for transmitting the data, the data flow control order identifying a first sensor extracted as a sensor that satisfies a request of an application by the data flow control order generating apparatus matching between application side metadata comprising information related to the application that provides a service by using the data, the information including attribute information of a required sensor and conditions related to the data required by the application and the sensor side metadata, and wherein the data flow control order also identifies an address of the application; and

a transmission unit transmitting the data from the first sensor to the application on a basis of a predetermined packet system via a network,

wherein the sensor managing apparatus circulates the data between data providers and data users, and

wherein the sensor side metadata and the conditions of the application side metadata include a condition regarding compensation for use of the data.

8. The sensor managing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the hardware processor further comprises:

a detection unit monitoring data to detect an event occurrence,

wherein the transmission unit notifies the data flow control order generating apparatus of the event occurrence; and

the data flow control order is transmitted from the data flow control order generating apparatus notified of the event occurrence.

9. The sensor managing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the hardware processor further comprises:

a detection unit monitoring data to detect an event occurrence,

wherein the transmission unit transmits the sensor side metadata to the data flow control order generating apparatus in conjunction with the event occurrence, and

the data flow control order is transmitted from the data flow control order generating apparatus to which the metadata is transmitted.

10. A data flow control order generating program stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium causing an information processing apparatus to execute:

a sensor side metadata acquisition step of acquiring sensor side metadata as information related to a sensor that outputs data;

an application side metadata acquisition step of acquiring application side metadata comprising information related to an application that provides a service by using the data, the information including attribute information of a required sensor and conditions related to the data required by the application;

a matching step of performing matching between the sensor side metadata and the application side metadata to extract data that identifies a sensor that satisfies a request of the application; and

an instruction unit transmitting;

a data flow control order that identifies the data extracted during the matching step; and

an address of the application,

wherein the data flow control order includes an instruction to a sensor managing apparatus that manages the sensor,

wherein the data flow control order generating program includes instructions for circulating the data identified by the data flow control order between data providers and data users, and

wherein the sensor side metadata and the conditions of the application side metadata include a condition regarding compensation for use of the data output by the sensor.

11. A program stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium in an information processing apparatus of a sensor managing apparatus that manages a sensor by using sensor side metadata as information related to the sensor that outputs data, the program causing the information processing apparatus to execute:

an order reception step of receiving a data flow control order, from a data flow control order generating apparatus, that includes an instruction for transmitting the data, the data flow control order identifying a sensor extracted as a sensor that satisfies a request of an application by the data flow control order generating apparatus matching between application side metadata comprising information related to the application that provides a service by using the data, the information related to the application including attribute information of a required sensor and conditions related to the data required by the application and the sensor side metadata, and wherein the data flow control order also identifies an address of the application; and

a transmission step of transmitting the data from the extracted sensor to the application on a basis of a predetermined packet system via a network,

wherein the program includes instructions for circulating the data between data providers and data users, and

wherein the sensor side metadata and the conditions of the application side metadata include a condition regarding compensation for use of the data.

12. A control order data stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium read by an information processing apparatus that manages a sensor outputting data, the control order data comprising:

information identifying an address of an application that requires the data by using information identifying the application;

information identifying a sensor extracted as a sensor that satisfies a request of the application by using information related to the sensor; and

order information instructing transmission of the data, the order information identifying the extracted sensor and the application,

wherein the information processing apparatus uses the control order data circulating the data between data providers and data users,

wherein the information identifying the application and the information identifying the extracted sensor are obtained by a data flow control order generating apparatus matching between sensor side metadata as information related to the extracted sensor and application side metadata comprising information related to the application, the information related to the application including attribute information of a required sensor and conditions related to the data required by the application, and

wherein the information related to the extracted sensor and the conditions of the application include a condition regarding compensation for use of the data.