# US 10,454,837 B2 · Data-flow control device and data-flow control method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,454,837 B2 - Document ID: US10454837B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/083,863 - Filed: 2017-01-10 - Published: 2019-01-31 - Granted: 2019-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-15 - Assignees: OMRON Corporation - Applicants: OMRON Corporation - Inventors: Tetsuji Yamato - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10454837B2 ## CPC - H04L 47/2483: involving identification of individual flows - G06F 16/00: Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor - G06F 16/90335: {Query processing} - G06Q 30/012: Providing warranty services - G06Q 30/014: Providing recall services for goods or products - G06Q 30/016: After-sales - G06Q 30/06: Buying, selling or leasing transactions - G06Q 50/00: Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism (healthcare informatics G16H) - G08G 1/0145: {for active traffic flow control} - H04L 47/00: Traffic control in data switching networks (arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received H04L1/00) - H04L 67/125: involving control of end-device applications over a network - H04L 67/303: Terminal profiles - H04M 11/00: Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems - H04W 4/00: Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor - H04W 4/38: for collecting sensor information - H04W 4/40: for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] - H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract This data-flow control device has: a device-side metadata acquisition means that acquires device-side metadata about each of a plurality of devices; an application-side metadata acquisition means that acquires application-side metadata about an application that uses data provided by a device; a storage means that stores each type of metadata; a matching means that extracts a combination of an application and a device that can provide data satisfying the specification required by the application; and a data-flow control means that generates a data flow control command specifying a device and an application. If there is an item in which a mismatch has occurred among the items in each type of metadata, the matching means acquires information indicating whether changing the item in which a mismatch has occurred is allowed, and, on the basis of the information, changes the item in which a mismatch has occurred. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A data-flow control device comprising: a memory; and at least one processor connected to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to perform operations comprising: acquiring device-side metadata including an item indicating a specification of data that can be provided by a device for each of a plurality of devices; acquiring application-side metadata including an item indicating a specification of data requested by an application that uses the data provided by the device; storing the device-side metadata and the application-side metadata in the memory; performing matching between the application-side metadata and the device-side metadata to extract a combination of an application and a device capable of providing the data satisfying the specification required by the application; and generating a data-flow control command specifying the extracted device and the extracted application, wherein a flag indicating changeability is associated with each of the matching target items included in the device-side metadata and the application-side metadata, and the processor is configured to perform operations such that performing matching comprises: extracting the combination based on whether matching target items are matched with each other among the items included in the device-side metadata and the application-side metadata; generating a device-side user inquiry and an application-side user inquiry whether to change the item in which the mismatch is generated when the item in which the mismatch is generated exists and the flags indicate that the item in which the mismatch is generated is changeable; and changing the item in which the mismatch is generated based on answers acquired in response to the device-side user inquiry and the application-side user inquiry. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The data-flow control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to perform operations such that performing matching further comprises not changing the item when a number of items in which the mismatch is generated is greater than a predetermined number. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The data-flow control device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises a sensor that outputs sensing data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The data-flow control device according to claim 2, wherein the device comprises a sensor that outputs sensing data. ### Claim 5 A data-flow control method, comprising: acquiring device-side metadata including an item indicating a specification of data that can be provided by a device for each of a plurality of devices; acquiring application-side metadata including an item indicating a specification of data requested by an application that uses the data provided by the device; storing the device-side metadata and the application-side metadata; performing matching between the application-side metadata and the device-side metadata to extract a combination of an application and a device capable of providing the data satisfying the specification required by the application; and generating a data-flow control command specifying the device and the application extracted in the matching, wherein a flag indicating changeability is associated with each of the matching target items included in the device-side metadata and the application-side metadata, and the matching comprises: extracting the combination based on whether matching target items are matched with each other among the items included in the device-side metadata and the application-side metadata; generating a device-side user inquiry and an application-side user inquiry whether to change the item in which the mismatch is generated when the item in which the mismatch is generated exists and the flags indicate that the item in which the mismatch is generated is changeable; and changing the item in which the mismatch is generated based on answers acquired in response to the device-side user inquiry and the application-side user inquiry, and the method is performed by a computer. ### Claim 6 A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program configured to cause a computer to perform operations comprising: acquiring device-side metadata including an item indicating a specification of data that can be provided by a device for each of a plurality of devices; acquiring application-side metadata including an item indicating a specification of data requested by an application that uses the data provided by the device; storing the device-side metadata and the application-side metadata; performing matching between the application-side metadata and the device-side metadata to extract a combination of an application and a device capable of providing the data satisfying the specification required by the application; and generating a data-flow control command specifying the device and the application extracted in the matching, wherein a flag indicating changeability is associated with each of the matching target items included in the device-side metadata and the application-side metadata, and the matching comprises: extracting the combination based on whether matching target items are matched with each other among the items included in the device-side metadata and the application-side metadata; generating a device-side user inquiry and an application-side user inquiry whether to change the item in which the mismatch is generated when the item in which the mismatch is generated exists and the flags indicate that the item in which the mismatch is generated is changeable; and changing the item in which the mismatch is generated based on answers acquired in response to the device-side user inquiry and the application-side user inquiry.