JP2018092565A - Cloud relay device, cloud connection processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily develop an application on an edge-side device using a cloud service, and to flexibly use various cloud services from the application. In a cloud relay device, data is generated between a cloud connection processing unit that can be connected to a cloud service device, a user interface unit corresponding to the cloud connection processing unit, and the cloud connection processing unit and the user interface unit. It is equipped with a relay unit that relays the data. [Selection diagram] Fig. 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an edge-side device that uses a cloud service.

  Due to the low cost of hardware, a good computing environment can be obtained on the order of tens of thousands of yen. This makes it possible to create a mini-cloud environment, for example, by placing a small computer box at each store in the retail industry.

  In retail stores, factories, and the like, for example, there are many cases in which monitoring applications are arranged at respective bases (edges), and it is not preferable to arrange them in a data center (cloud). This is for quick processing, communication charge reduction, and the like.

  For this reason, necessary applications (things with high real-time properties such as monitoring apps) are deployed in the mini cloud environment on the edge side, and only the data that is sufficient for statistical analysis etc. is filtered and transferred to the cloud side, Attention has come to focus on solutions that have roles appropriate for the cloud and the edge, such as performing AI analysis in batches and making use of them for kaizen management policies and capital investment plans. This is recently called fog computing.

  In addition, application functions such as statistical analysis processing on the cloud side are not created entirely with full scratches, but speedy and low-cost solution construction is gaining attention through multi-cloud platform cooperation that links with existing SaaS services. Yes.

  In addition, by combining with the recently attracted SD-WAN, a VPN between the edge and the cloud can be quickly constructed by ZTP (Zero Touch Provisioning). This makes it easy to build a platform that connects the cloud and the edge at low cost. By combining edge computing solutions with this SD-WAN technology, integration and management across all layers from the low layer to the application layer can be performed with high mobility.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-103094

  However, in the conventional technology in edge computing such as fog computing described above, it is necessary to develop an application by individually coding the integration of the cooperation part with the cloud platform in the device on the edge side. For example, a technique of developing an application by incorporating an individual application program interface (API) or SDK (Software Development Kit) for platform cooperation is mainly used.

  In the above method, since the platform cooperation part and the original function of the application are integrated, it is difficult to customize the application after application, reuse the function, change or add the platform to another platform, and the like. In addition, in edge computing, it is necessary to incorporate platform functions with awareness of online and offline operations. It takes a lot of work.

  That is, in the prior art, development of an application to be used takes a lot of time in an edge-side device that uses a cloud service, and various cloud services cannot be flexibly used from the application.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and in an edge-side device that uses a cloud service, an application can be developed more easily than before, and various cloud services can be flexibly used from the application. It aims at providing the technology to do.

According to the disclosed technology, a cloud connection processing unit connectable to a cloud service device;
A user interface unit corresponding to the cloud connection processing unit;
There is provided a cloud relay device comprising: a relay unit that relays data between the cloud connection processing unit and the user interface unit.

  According to the disclosed technology, a technology is provided that enables an application on an edge side that uses a cloud service to be more easily developed than before, and that various cloud services can be flexibly used from the application.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a communication system in an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a cloud relay device 100. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a cloud relay device 100. FIG. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the connector module 111, the proxy module 115, and the application 130. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing processing according to online / offline executed by the proxy module 115; 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a cloud relay device 100. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of a construction method of the cloud relay device 100. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of an automatic discovery method for a device 400. FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment (this embodiment) of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the embodiment to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the following embodiment.

(Overall system configuration)
FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration diagram of a communication system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system according to the present embodiment includes a cloud service device 200 that provides various cloud services (also referred to as a cloud platform), and a cloud relay device 100 that is an edge-side device. Have. In FIG. 1, three cloud service devices 200 and three cloud relay devices 100 are shown, but these numbers are merely examples, and each may be a number other than three.

  The cloud service device 200 and the cloud relay device 100 can be connected via the network 300. The network 300 is the Internet, for example. The network 300 may be a network including a wireless network (eg, wireless LAN, mobile communication network) and the Internet, or may be another network.

  For example, one or more devices 400 are connected to the cloud relay apparatus 100 wirelessly or by wire. The device 400 is, for example, a sensor or a camera. The cloud relay apparatus 100 is physically a computer, and each function of the cloud relay apparatus 100 is realized by executing software (program) on the computer.

  The fog computing described above is performed by the communication system shown in FIG. For example, the cloud relay apparatus 100 can perform real-time monitoring of data collected from the device 400 and make a determination not to use the cloud service (for example, alarm output when the threshold is exceeded). Further, for example, filtered data (data exceeding the threshold) is transmitted from the cloud relay device 100 to a specific cloud service device 200, and the cloud service device 200 performs an analysis based on, for example, historical data (big data), The analysis result is notified to the cloud relay device 100.

(Basic configuration and basic operation of the cloud relay device 100)
The basic configuration and basic operation of the cloud relay device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the cloud service device 200A provides a cloud service such as analysis of sensor data, and the cloud service device 200B provides a cloud service related to a map such as displaying an object on a map, The cloud service device 200C provides cloud services such as video communication.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the cloud relay device 100 includes a process component 110, a message hub 120, and an application 130. Each of these functional units executes processing when the software module is executed on the cloud relay device 100 (computer).

  The cloud relay device 100 includes a process component for each cloud service as the process component 110. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, a metrics component 110A connected to the cloud service device 200A, a map component 110B connected to the cloud service device 200B, and a video component 110C connected to the cloud service device 200C are provided.

  Each process component is provided as a Docker (registered trademark) component, for example. However, providing the process component as a Docker (registered trademark) component is merely an example, and the process component may be provided using other software technologies.

  For example, the application 130 collects data from the device 400, makes a local real-time determination, and transmits a specific data (or all data) to the process component 110 via the message hub 120. Have. The application 130 includes a UI (User Interface) component corresponding to each function provided by the process component 110. The UI component mainly has UI-related functions such as data display and user operation input. However, the UI component may include functions such as data collection, real-time determination, and data transmission.

  Specifically, the application 130 includes a UI component 132A corresponding to the metrics component 110A, a UI component 132B corresponding to the map component 110B, and a UI component 132C corresponding to the video component 110C. The application 130 may include one UI component, and the one UI component may provide a UI function of a plurality of process components.

  FIG. 2 shows that a screen 150 is displayed on the display unit of the cloud relay device 100 or on a display device connected to the cloud relay device 100. In the example of FIG. 2, the sensor component graph indicated by A is displayed by the UI component 132A corresponding to the metrics component 110A, the map information indicated by B is displayed by the UI component 132B corresponding to the map component 110B, and the video component A video call screen is displayed by the UI component 132C corresponding to 110C.

  The screen A is a screen that displays data provided by the cloud service (data analysis or the like) of the cloud service device 200A. The UI component 132A can also display the real-time data that does not go through the cloud service as the screen A.

  Screen B is a screen that displays data provided by the cloud service (location information provision, etc.) of the cloud service device 200B, and screen C is data provided by the cloud service (video call, etc.) of the cloud service device 200C. Is a screen for displaying.

  The application 130 and each process component (110A, 110B, 110C) cooperate with each other via the message hub 120. The message hub 120 is, for example, a functional unit that implements MQTT (Message Queueing Telemetry Transport) as a communication protocol. MQTT uses Publish / Subscribe type communication. In the Publish / Subscribe type, the message transmission side is divided into a publisher and the message reception side is divided into subscribers, and the message hub 120 which is an MQTT broker relays the message.

  In this way, by using the Publish / Subscribe type message hub 120, loose coupling between the application 130 and each process component is ensured, and function expansion and customization of the application by plug and play are facilitated. . In addition, reusability is ensured.

  The basic operation of the cloud relay device 100 is as follows.

  First, the process component 110 connects to the cloud service device 200. The process component 110 transmits the received data received from the cloud service device 200 to the message hub 120, the message hub 120 transmits the received data to the UI component 132, and the UI component 132 performs display processing of the received data. .

  Further, the message hub 120 receives transmission data from the UI component 132 and transmits the transmission data to the process component 110, and the process component 110 transmits the transmission data to the cloud service apparatus 200.

  With the above configuration, the application 130 does not need to include a function for processing connection with a cloud service. Therefore, the application 130 can be easily developed, and the application 130 can flexibly use various cloud services.

(Detailed configuration of the cloud relay device 100)
3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating the configuration of the cloud relay device 100 in more detail. FIG. 3 shows an example in which one process component 110 is provided as an example. Even when a plurality of process components are provided as in the example of FIG. 2, each process component has the configuration shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

<About Process Component 110>
As shown in FIG. 3, the process component 110 includes a connector module 111, a proxy module 115, and a database 119. Note that the database 119 may be provided inside the proxy module 115.

  The connector module 111 is connected to the cloud service device 200. The connector module 111 includes, for example, an authentication unit 112 and a connection management unit 113 as shown in FIG.

  For example, the connection management unit 113 connects to the cloud service device 200 at predetermined time intervals based on the setting. At the timing of connection, the connection management unit 113 maintains the connection only for a predetermined time from the start of connection or for the time from the start of connection until all the data stored in the database 119 is uploaded. When the time elapses, the connection with the cloud service device 200 is disconnected. Note that this connection operation is an example, and other connection operations can be performed by setting the connection management unit 113 or the like. Further, the connection management unit 113 notifies the proxy module 115 of the connection state (connected, disconnected, etc.) with the cloud service device 200.

  The authentication unit 112 is a functional unit that obtains connection permission from the cloud service device 200 by transmitting an ID / password to the cloud service device 200 at the time of connection.

  The proxy module 115 illustrated in FIG. 3 is connected to the message hub 120, receives data (for example, processing request) transmitted from the application 130 from the message hub 120, and performs processing of transmitting the data to the connector module 111. . In addition, the proxy module 115 performs processing for receiving data (eg, data obtained by a cloud service) from the connector module 111 and transmitting the data to the message hub 120.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, the proxy module 115 includes a data conversion unit 116 and a data relay unit 117. The data relay unit 117 receives data from the message hub 120 and performs relay processing for transmitting the data to the connector module 111 and relay processing for receiving data from the connector module 111 and transmitting the data to the message hub 120. Do. When performing the relay processing, the data conversion unit 116 performs the conversion if the message format, the header, or the like needs to be converted.

  The proxy module 115 also performs processing according to online / offline. This processing is executed by the data relay unit 117, for example. An example of this processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S <b> 101, the proxy module 115 receives data from the application 130 via the message hub 120.

  In step S <b> 102, the proxy module 115 determines whether the connector module 111 is currently connected to the cloud service apparatus 200 (online) based on the connection state information notified from the connector module 111.

  If it is determined in step S102 that it is online (Yes in step S102), the process proceeds to step S103, and the proxy module 115 transmits the data received from the application 130 via the message hub 120 to the connector module 111. At the same time, when data is stored in the database 119, the data is also transmitted to the connector module 111. The connector module 111 transmits the data received from the proxy module 115 to the cloud service device 200.

  If it is determined in step S102 that it is not online (in the case of No in step S102), the process proceeds to step S104, and the proxy module 115 stores the data received from the application 130 via the message hub 120 in the database 119. Thereafter, the proxy module 115 makes a determination in step S102, for example, at a predetermined time interval. When the determination in step S102 becomes Yes, the proxy module 115 proceeds to step S103, and transfers the data stored in the database 119 to the connector module 111. Send to. In the case where there is no data from the application 130 and the process proceeds to step S104, data storage in the database 119 is not performed.

<About the message hub 120>
As already described, the message hub 120 shown in FIG. 3 relays data (messages) using a Publish / Subscribe type protocol. Specifically, the message hub 120 receives data transmitted from the application 130 toward the cloud service side. A topic is specified in the data. The designation of the topic may be performed by the UI component 132, or may be performed by a function unit inside the application 130 other than the UI component 132. The message hub 120 sends the data to the destination process component 110 that subscribes to the topic data. For example, in the example of FIG. 2, if the topic is “map service”, the message is transmitted to the map component 110B.

  The message hub 120 shown in FIG. 3 receives data from the process component 110. A topic is specified in the data. The topic is specified by the proxy module 115, for example. The topic is a topic corresponding to a cloud service to which the connector module 111 is connected. Then, for example, the message hub 120 transmits the data to the UI component 132 that subscribes the data of the topic. The UI component 132 is a UI component corresponding to a cloud service to which the connector module 111 is connected, for example.

  The format of data exchanged between the process component 110 and the application 130 is, for example, a text format (JSON format). Regarding the data in the text format, the internal format may not be specified except for the minimum information (transaction_id and the like). As a minimum internal format specification, for example, there is a common API (Application Program Interface) related to authentication. However, other internal formats may not be specified.

<About application 130>
The application 130 illustrated in FIG. 3 includes, for example, a device data processing unit 131 and a UI component 132 as illustrated in FIG. The device data processing unit 131 performs data collection from the device 400, real-time analysis of collected data, transmission of collected data to the message hub 120, and the like.

  The UI component 132 performs processing for displaying data received from the message hub 120, operation input processing by the user, transmission of operation input data (eg, request for processing) to the message hub 120, and the like. In the present embodiment, the UI component 132 is provided for each process component. However, one UI component 132 may be provided for a plurality of process components.

  Further, the UI component 132 may include not only a display function and an operation input function but also a function of collecting data from the device 400, real-time analysis, transmitting collected data to the message hub 120, and the like.

  The application developer basically develops the application 130 by embedding the UI component 132 in the screen of the application 130. Thereby, the application 130 which can use the cloud service via the process component 110 is realized. When customizing the application 130, it is also possible to code using an individual API.

(Hardware configuration)
The cloud relay apparatus 100 can be realized, for example, by causing a computer to execute a program describing the processing content described in the present embodiment. In other words, the functions of the cloud relay device 100 are executed by executing a program corresponding to the processing executed by the cloud relay device 100 using hardware resources such as a CPU, a memory, and a hard disk built in the computer. It is possible to realize. The above-mentioned program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium (portable memory or the like), stored, or distributed. It is also possible to provide the program through a network such as the Internet or electronic mail.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example when the cloud relay device 100 is realized by a computer. The computer shown in FIG. 6 includes a drive device 500, an auxiliary storage device 502, a memory device 503, a CPU 504, an interface device 505, a display device 506, an input device 507, and the like, which are mutually connected by a bus.

  A program for realizing the processing in the computer is provided by a recording medium 501 such as a CD-ROM or a memory card, for example. When the recording medium 501 storing the program is set in the drive device 500, the program is installed from the recording medium 501 to the auxiliary storage device 502 via the drive device 500. However, it is not always necessary to install the program from the recording medium 501, and the program may be downloaded from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 502 stores the installed program and also stores necessary files and data.

  The memory device 503 reads the program from the auxiliary storage device 502 and stores it when there is an instruction to start the program. The CPU 504 (processor) realizes functions related to the computer according to a program stored in the memory device 503. The interface device 505 is used as an interface for connecting to a network. The interface device 505 includes a communication function with the device 400 and a communication function with the cloud service device 20.

  A display device 506 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) or the like by a program. The input device 507 includes a keyboard and mouse, buttons, a touch panel, and the like, and is used to input various operation instructions. Note that the cloud relay device 100 may not include the display device 506 and / or the input device 507.

(Other)
In order to realize the cloud relay device 100 as described above on the edge side, it is necessary to perform software installation, setting, and operation management on a computer. In order to perform these efficiently, in this embodiment, as an example, a ZTP mechanism is implemented by utilizing a Docker-based deployment system and linking with an automatic setting method such as etcd or anible. .

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, an application and each component are transmitted to the cloud relay apparatus 100 from a predetermined controller 600 that implements a Docker-based deployment system (step S201). Then, the application and each component are set by an assist or the like (step S202). Subsequent maintenance operations can be performed using, for example, a cloud service of Fogthorn (registered trademark).

  For each device 400 such as a sensor, for example, the IP address of each device 400 is searched for via the serial interface, and then individual settings are performed. In the present embodiment, automatic setting is also possible by using the Discovery function and the setting function based on standard technologies (eg, UPnP, TDL in W3C, etc.).

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the cloud relay apparatus 100 receives the signal (including the IP address) transmitted from the device 400 in response to the inquiry by broadcast, thereby knowing the presence and the IP address of the device 400 (steps). S301). Then, the cloud relay apparatus 100 performs setting (for example, topic setting) for the device 400 (step S302).

(Summary of embodiment)
According to the present embodiment, a cloud connection processing unit connectable to a cloud service device, a user interface unit corresponding to the cloud connection processing unit, and data between the cloud connection processing unit and the user interface unit There is provided a cloud relay device including a relay unit that performs relay.

  The process component 110 in the embodiment is an example of a cloud connection processing unit, the UI component 132 is an example of a user interface unit, and the message hub 120 is an example of a relay unit.

  The cloud connection processing unit is connected to the cloud service device, transmits / receives data to / from the cloud service device, and transmits data received from the relay unit to the connection unit. It is good also as providing the proxy part which transmits the data received from the said relay part.

  The connector module 111 in the embodiment is an example of a connection unit, and the proxy module 115 is an example of a proxy unit.

  The proxy unit holds data received from the relay unit when the connection unit is not connected to the cloud service device, and holds the data when the connection unit is connected to the cloud service device. Data may be transmitted to the connection unit.

  The relay unit may receive data designating a topic and transmit the data to a destination that subscribes to the topic.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, a cloud connection processing method executed by a cloud relay device including a cloud connection processing unit, a relay unit, and a user interface unit, wherein the cloud connection processing unit is connected to a cloud service device. A step of transmitting the received data received from the cloud service device to the relay unit, and the relay unit transmitting the received data to the user interface unit, and a user interface unit And a step of displaying the received data. A cloud connection processing method is provided.

  In the cloud connection processing method, the relay unit receives transmission data from the user interface unit and transmits the transmission data to the cloud connection processing unit, and the cloud connection processing unit transmits the transmission data. And transmitting to the cloud service device.

  With the technology according to the present embodiment, an application on an edge side that uses a cloud service can be developed more easily than before, and various cloud services can be flexibly used from the application.

  Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. Is possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Cloud relay apparatus 200 Cloud service apparatus 300 Network 400 Device 600 Controller 110 Process component 110A Metric component 110B Map component 110C Video component 120 Message hub 130 Application 111 Connector module 112 Authentication part 113 Connection management part 115 Proxy module 116 Data conversion part 117 Data Relay unit 119 Database 131 Device data processing unit 132 UI component 500 Drive device 501 Recording medium 502 Auxiliary storage device 503 Memory device 504 CPU
505 Interface device 506 Display device 507 Input device

Claims (7)

A cloud connection processing unit connectable with a cloud service device;
A user interface unit corresponding to the cloud connection processing unit;
A cloud relay device comprising: a relay unit that relays data between the cloud connection processing unit and the user interface unit. The cloud connection processing unit
A connection unit that connects to the cloud service device and transmits and receives data to and from the cloud service device;
The cloud relay device according to claim 1, further comprising: a proxy unit that transmits data received from the relay unit to the connection unit and transmits data received from the connection unit to the relay unit. The proxy unit is
When the connection unit is not connected to the cloud service device, the data received from the relay unit is retained, and when the connection unit is connected to the cloud service device, the retained data is retained in the connection unit. The cloud relay device according to claim 2, wherein the cloud relay device is transmitted to the cloud relay device. The cloud relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the relay unit receives data specifying a topic and transmits the data to a destination that subscribes to the topic. A cloud connection processing method executed by a cloud relay apparatus including a cloud connection processing unit, a relay unit, and a user interface unit,
The cloud connection processing unit connecting to a cloud service device;
The cloud connection processing unit transmitting the received data received from the cloud service device to the relay unit;
A step of transmitting the received data to the user interface unit, and a step of displaying the received data by the user interface unit. The relay unit receiving transmission data from the user interface unit and transmitting the transmission data to the cloud connection processing unit;
The cloud connection processing method according to claim 5, further comprising: the cloud connection processing unit transmitting the transmission data to the cloud service device.   The program for functioning a computer as each part in the cloud relay apparatus of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4.

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