Information processing device, moving object, and recording medium

Abstract

The invention provides an information processing apparatus, a mobile object, and a recording medium, which improve the reliability of content distribution or data collection by the mobile object using inter-device communication. The information processing device is provided with a control unit that executes transmission of the data block main body and the deletion order to the one or more first moving bodies such that the number of the first moving bodies serving as transmission destinations is larger as the deletion order is earlier for each of the one or more data blocks. The first mobile body transmits or receives one or more first data blocks among the one or more data blocks by using inter-device communication, transmits the received one or more first data blocks to another device, and deletes the one or more first data blocks in a deletion order according to the storage device margin.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to content distribution and data collection using inter-device communication. Background Art

[0002] The following technology is known: A plurality of distribution vehicles download a plurality of fragmented data obtained by dividing data content to be distributed through cellular communication or the like, and when a distribution vehicle meets a receiving vehicle that needs the content on the road, perform distribution using vehicle-to-vehicle communication (for example, Non-Patent Document 1). The receiving vehicle aggregates the fragmented data received from one or more distribution vehicles and performs decoding processing to restore the original data content. Prior Art Documents Non-Patent Documents

[0003] Non-Patent Document 1: Maheswaran Sathiamoorthy, Alexandros G. Dimakis, Bhaskar Krishnamachari, Fan Bai, "Distributed Storage Codes Reduce Latency in Vehicular Networks", IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, July 30, 2014, vol.13, no.9, pp.2016-2027 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] A problem of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing device, a moving body, and a recording medium that can improve the reliability of content distribution or data collection performed by a moving body using inter-device communication. Technical Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an information processing device,[[]] which includes a control unit that executes: for each of one or more data blocks, sending a data block main body and the deletion order to one or more first moving bodies in such a manner that the earlier the deletion order, the larger the number of first moving bodies serving as transmission destinations, the first moving body,[[]] sending or receiving one or more first data blocks among the one or more data blocks using inter-device communication,[[]] sending the received one or more first data blocks to other devices,[[]] deleting the one or more first data blocks in accordance with the deletion order according to the storage device margin.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a mobile body. It includes a control unit that executes: sending or receiving one or more first data blocks using inter-device communication; and sending the one or more first data blocks received from the source device to other devices. The control unit receives a data block body and a deletion order for each of the one or more first data blocks, and deletes the one or more first data blocks in accordance with the deletion order based on the storage device margin. The earlier the deletion order of the one or more first data blocks, the more mobile bodies it is sent to.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a recording medium. It records a program. This program causes a computer to execute: for each of one or more data blocks, sending the data block body and the deletion order to one or more first mobile bodies in such a manner that the earlier the deletion order, the more first mobile bodies are used as the destination. The first mobile body sends or receives one or more first data blocks among the one or more data blocks using inter-device communication, sends the received one or more first data blocks to other devices, and deletes the one or more first data blocks in accordance with the deletion order based on the storage device margin. Advantageous Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the reliability of content distribution or data collection performed by a mobile body using inter-device communication. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the content distribution system according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the distribution server and the distribution vehicle. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the distribution server. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the distribution vehicle. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the prediction result of the change in the storage device margin of the distribution vehicle. Figure 6 is an example of a flowchart of the processing of the distribution server. Figure 7 This is an example of a flowchart of a storage capacity curve generation process for a distribution vehicle. Figure 8 This is an example of a flowchart of a content management process for a distribution vehicle. Figure 9A This is an example of a diagram showing the order of content distribution processing in a content distribution system. Figure 9B This is an example of a diagram showing the order of content distribution processing in a content distribution system. Figure 10 This is an example of a diagram showing the system configuration of a data collection system according to the second embodiment. Figure 11 This is an example of a diagram showing the functional configuration of a source vehicle. Figure 12 This is an example of a diagram showing the functional configuration of a sink vehicle. Figure 13 This is an example of a flowchart of a transmission process in which a source vehicle transmits upload data. Figure 14A This is an example of a diagram showing the order of collection processing of upload data in a data collection system. Figure 14B This is an example of a diagram showing the order of collection processing of upload data in a data collection system. Detailed implementation manners

[0010] In a case where multiple distribution vehicles download data content through cellular communication or the like and perform distribution using vehicle-to-vehicle communication when meeting a receiving vehicle, the distribution vehicle stores the data content in a storage unit (storage, storage device). The data content is divided into fragment data according to size, for example. For a distribution vehicle with insufficient free capacity of the storage device, there is a case where it is impossible to store fragment data sufficient for restoring the original data content. As a result, the possibility that the receiving vehicle cannot complete the acquisition of fragment data sufficient for restoring the original data content through vehicle-to-vehicle communication with one distribution vehicle increases.

[0011] In addition, since the storage device of the distribution vehicle is also used by other application programs, there is a possibility that fragment data is deleted when the free capacity of the storage device decreases. Thus, in a case where it is impossible to obtain fragment data sufficient for restoring the original data content from the distribution vehicle, the receiving vehicle sometimes obtains missing fragment data from a server that stores the original data content through cellular communication. Hereinafter, the data content will be simply referred to as content.

[0012] In view of the above problems, in one solution of the present disclosure, data blocks are sent to one or more distribution vehicles in such a way that the shorter the time the data blocks are stored in the distribution vehicles, the more distribution vehicles store them. Thus, regardless of the length of time the data blocks are stored in the distribution vehicles, the distribution opportunities among the data blocks become more equal, and the reliability of content distribution to receiving vehicles can be improved.

[0013] More specifically, one solution of the present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus including a control unit that performs: for each of one or more data blocks, sending a data block main body and a deletion order to one or more first moving bodies in such a way that the earlier the deletion order, the more first moving bodies are used as the transmission destinations. The first moving body transmits or receives one or more first data blocks among the one or more data blocks by using device-to-device communication, sends the received one or more first data blocks to other devices, and deletes the one or more first data blocks in the deletion order according to the storage device margin.

[0014] The information processing apparatus is, for example, a server that controls a distribution vehicle and a receiving vehicle in a system that causes the distribution vehicle to distribute the content to the receiving vehicle by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, or an in-vehicle device mounted on a source vehicle in a system that causes a host vehicle to collect data generated by the source vehicle by vehicle-to-vehicle communication. However, the information processing apparatus is not limited thereto. For example, it may also be a computer mounted on a moving body other than a vehicle, and a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, and a PC (Personal Computer). The control unit is, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). However, the control unit is not limited to a processor. For example, it may also be a circuit such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC: Integrated Circuit), and a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device).

[0015] The moving body includes, for example, vehicles such as automobiles, two-wheeled vehicles, and rail vehicles, ships, and aircraft. In addition, the moving body may also include, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a PC, and a portable game console. The first moving body is, for example, a distribution vehicle that distributes content to a receiving vehicle, a host vehicle that collects data from a source vehicle, and the like.

[0016] The data block is, for example, the main body of the distributed content, fragment data of the distributed content, the data subject to be collected, or fragment data of the data to be collected, etc. In the distributed content, there is, for example, an update program that defines a procedure. Among the data to be collected, there is, for example, sensor data including the detection value of a sensor. In the sensor data, there is, for example, position information, speed information, and a captured image of a camera, etc. However, the distributed content, the data to be collected, and the sensor data are not limited to this.

[0017] The deletion order is, for example, the order of deletion from the storage device of the first moving body when the storage device margin of the first moving body is insufficient. The deletion order can be represented by, for example, a serial number, a rank, a priority, a precedence order, or the predicted time when the data block is stored in the moving body as the transmission destination. For example, in the case where there are two ranks of "early deletion order" and "late deletion order", the rank indicating the deletion order is information indicating any one of the ranks to which the data block is assigned. In addition, even when there is one data block, the deletion order is determined for the one data block.

[0018] Inter-device communication is, for example, vehicle-to-vehicle wireless LAN communication, DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communications), 5G sidechain communication, Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, and peer-to-peer (Ad-Hoc) mode WiFi communication, etc., which are communication methods that can communicate between terminals. However, the inter-device communication is not limited to this.

[0019] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the data block with an earlier deletion order is sent to more first moving bodies. Thus, although the data block with an earlier deletion order is stored in the multiple first moving bodies as the transmission destination for a shorter time, the chance of the first moving body storing the data block with an earlier deletion order meeting the device receiving the data block increases. For example, in a system where a distribution vehicle distributes the content to a receiving vehicle through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, since the data block with an earlier deletion order is sent to more distribution vehicles, the chance of the receiving vehicle meeting the distribution vehicle storing the data block with an earlier deletion order increases. Thus, the possibility that the receiving vehicle can obtain the data block before the data block with an earlier deletion order is deleted increases, and the reliability of distributing the content to the receiving vehicle can be improved. In addition, thereby, the time until the data blocks required to obtain the restored content are acquired can be shortened.

[0020] For example, in a system where a host vehicle collects the data generated by a source vehicle through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the data block with an earlier deletion order is sent from the source vehicle to more host vehicles. Thus, the possibility that the data block with an earlier deletion order has been uploaded to the data collection server before being deleted from the host vehicle increases, and the reliability of data collection increases.

[0021] In one aspect of the present disclosure, alternatively, the control unit may send each of one or more data blocks to the following number of first moving bodies such that the total value of the first time stored in one or more first moving bodies as the destinations is substantially the same among the data blocks with different deletion orders. In this case, the first time is a time that is shorter as the deletion order of the data block is earlier. For example, when the first time of data block A with an earlier deletion order is 30 minutes and the first time of data block B with a later deletion order is 5 hours, if the control unit sends data block B to M first moving bodies, then it sends data block A to 10×M first moving bodies. Thus, the total value of the first time stored in the first moving bodies as the destinations for both data block A and data block B is 5×M hours.

[0022] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, regardless of the deletion order (whether earlier or later), the opportunity to receive data from the first moving bodies storing the data blocks can be made substantially equal among the data blocks. For example, in a system where distribution vehicles distribute the content to receiving vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the possibility that the receiving vehicles have completed receiving the data blocks with earlier deletion orders before receiving the data blocks with later deletion orders can be increased. Thereby, the time until the receiving vehicles obtain the distributed content can be shortened.

[0023] In one aspect of the present disclosure, alternatively, for each of one or more data blocks, the control unit may estimate the first time in each of one or more first moving bodies based on the size and deletion order, and the predicted information on the change in the storage device margin of each of one or more first moving bodies. The predicted information on the change in the storage device margin may also be received from the first moving bodies. The change in the storage device margin is different for each first moving body. In one aspect of the present disclosure, since the first time can be predicted with higher accuracy, the number of first moving bodies as the destinations for the data blocks with earlier deletion orders can be made an appropriate value that conforms to the actual situation of deletion of the data blocks.

[0024] As another aspect, the present disclosure can be specified as a moving body including a control unit that performs: transmitting or receiving one or more first data blocks through device - to - device communication; and transmitting one or more first data blocks received from a transmission - source device to other devices. Alternatively, the control unit may receive a data - block main body and a deletion order for each of the one or more first data blocks, and delete the one or more first data blocks in the deletion order according to the storage - device margin. Alternatively, the earlier the deletion order of the one or more first data blocks, the more the data blocks are transmitted to other moving bodies. The moving body is, for example, a distribution vehicle in a system that distributes the content to a receiving vehicle through vehicle - to - vehicle communication, or an in - vehicle device mounted on a host vehicle in a system that collects data generated by a source vehicle through vehicle - to - vehicle communication. In another aspect of the present disclosure, since the moving body deletes data blocks in the deletion order, it is possible to suppress the situation where the data blocks occupy the storage - device capacity for a long time.

[0025] As another aspect, the present disclosure can be specified as a method for a computer to perform the processing executed by the above - mentioned information - processing device, a program for causing a computer to execute the method, and a non - transitory computer - readable recording medium storing the program.

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are merely examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

[0027] <First Embodiment> Figure 1 FIG. 1 is an example showing a system configuration of a content - distribution system 100 according to the first embodiment. The content - distribution system 100 is a system that enables some vehicles to distribute specified content to other vehicles through vehicle - to - vehicle communication. The content - distribution system 100 includes a distribution server 1, a distribution vehicle 2 that receives content from the distribution server 1 and distributes it to other vehicles through vehicle - to - vehicle communication, and a receiving vehicle 3 that receives content from the distribution vehicle 2 through vehicle - to - vehicle communication. In addition, there are multiple distribution vehicles 2 and receiving vehicles 3 included in the content - distribution system 100, and Figure 1 distribution vehicle 2A, distribution vehicle 2B, and receiving vehicle 3 are representatively shown. When not particularly distinguished, they are briefly referred to as distribution vehicle 2 and receiving vehicle 3. The distribution vehicle 2 and the receiving vehicle 3 are equipped with in - vehicle devices having a communication function. Hereinafter, the actual entity of the communication related to the distribution vehicle 2 and the receiving vehicle 3 is the in - vehicle device, and for convenience, the description is made with the distribution vehicle 2 or the receiving vehicle 3 as the entity.

[0028] The distribution server 1, the distribution vehicle 2, and the receiving vehicle 3 are connected to the network N1 and can communicate with each other via the network N1. The network N1 is, for example, a public network such as the Internet. The distribution vehicle 2 and the receiving vehicle 3 can be connected to the network N1 via a cellular network or a wireless LAN as an access network.

[0029] The distribution server 1 is a server that stores the initial data of the content to be distributed to the vehicle, selects the distribution vehicle 2, and sends the content to the distribution vehicle 2. The distribution server 1 divides the content into segment data and sends it to the distribution vehicle 2. The distribution vehicle 2 downloads the segment data from the distribution server 1 and stores it in the storage device of the in-vehicle device. When the distribution vehicle 2 meets the receiving vehicle 3 on the road, it sends the segment data to the receiving vehicle 3 using vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The distribution vehicle 2 itself may or may not be the destination of the content, that is, the receiving vehicle 3. The receiving vehicle 3 is a vehicle that is the destination of the content distribution. By having the receiving vehicle 3 obtain the content from the distribution vehicle 2 using vehicle-to-vehicle communication, it is possible to reduce the usage frequency band of cellular communication and reduce communication costs. In the first embodiment, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication can be, for example, any one of vehicle-to-vehicle wireless LAN communication, DSRC, or 5G sidechain communication.

[0030] First, the process of content distribution based on vehicle-to-vehicle communication will be described. The distribution server 1 stores the content C to be distributed. For example, the content C is divided into one or more segment data according to the data size. In Figure 1 this example, the content C is divided into segment data P1, P2, and P3. The distribution vehicle 2 is a vehicle that distributes the segment data to the receiving vehicle 3 using vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The distribution vehicle 2 is appointed by the distribution server 1. The distribution vehicle 2 obtains the segment data by downloading it from the distribution server 1 via cellular communication or wireless LAN communication.

[0031] The receiving vehicle 3 is a vehicle that is the destination of the content C distribution. The distribution server 1 sends a content acquisition instruction to the receiving vehicle 3. In addition, different contents can be distributed to multiple receiving vehicles 3 with a single content acquisition instruction.

[0032] When the receiving vehicle 3 meets any distribution vehicle 2 on the road, it performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the distribution vehicle 2. When the segment data specified by the content acquisition instruction is stored in the distribution vehicle 2 on the other side of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the receiving vehicle 3 requests and obtains the segment data it does not own from the distribution vehicle 2 via vehicle-to-vehicle communication. In Figure 1 this example, the receiving vehicle 3 first receives the segment data P1 and P3 from the distribution vehicle 2A, and then receives the segment data P2 from the distribution vehicle 2B.

[0033] The receiving vehicle 3 saves the acquired segment data to the storage device on the in-vehicle device. When the acquisition of the segment data P1, P2, and P3 is completed, the receiving vehicle 3 restores the content C using the segment data P1, P2, P3, and the decoding information included in the content acquisition instruction from the distribution server 1. When the decoding information includes a checksum, the receiving vehicle 3 can calculate the hash value of the decoding result and determine that the decoding result is consistent with the original content C by comparing it with the checksum.

[0034] In the first embodiment, (1) the distribution server 1 determines the deletion order of the segment data when the storage device margin in the distribution vehicle 2 is insufficient. This is to prevent the distributed content from occupying the storage device of the distribution vehicle 2 and interfering with the use of the storage device by other applications.

[0035] (2) For the segment data with an earlier deletion order, the distribution server 1 sends it to a larger number of distribution vehicles 2. At this time, the distribution server 1 sends the segment data to the distribution vehicle 2 together with the deletion order. For example, in Figure 1 , since the deletion order of the segment data P3 is earlier than that of the segment data P1 and P2, it is sent (downloaded) to both the distribution vehicle 2A and the distribution vehicle 2B. Thus, the receiving vehicle 3 can obtain the segment data P3 from both the distribution vehicle 2A and the distribution vehicle 2B, so the acquisition opportunity of the segment data P3 increases. As a result, even if the deletion order of the segment data P3 is early, that is, the segment data P3 is stored in the distribution vehicle 2 for a short time, it is possible to increase the possibility that the receiving vehicle 3 completes the acquisition of the segment data P3 before the segment data P3 is deleted. On the other hand, since the deletion orders of the segment data P1 and P2 are late and they are stored in the distribution vehicle 2 for a longer time than the segment data P3, the receiving vehicle 3 has a sufficient possibility of meeting the distribution vehicle 2A and the distribution vehicle 2B before the segment data P1 and P2 are deleted and obtaining the segment data P1 and P2 through vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0036] (3) When the storage device margin in the distribution vehicle 2 is insufficient, the distribution vehicle 2 deletes the segment data starting from the one with an earlier deletion order. Thus, it is possible to prevent the storage device capacity of the distribution vehicle 2 from being occupied by the distributed content. On the other hand, the segment data with a later deletion order is stored in the distribution vehicle 2 for a longer time. Therefore, even if a short-term cache for storing segment data for about 30 minutes to 1 hour and a long-term cache for storing segment data in units of several hours are not ensured in the storage device of the distribution vehicle 2, the storage device of the distribution vehicle 2 can be dynamically used as a short-term cache and a long-term cache.

[0037] The segment data is an example of "data block". The distribution vehicle 2 is an example of "the first moving body". The in-vehicle device mounted on the receiving vehicle 3 is an example of "other device". The vehicle-to-vehicle communication is an example of "communication between devices". The distribution server 1 is an example of "information processing device".

[0038] Figure 2 FIG. is an example showing the hardware configuration of the distribution server 1 and the distribution vehicle 2. The distribution server 1 can be configured using an information processing device (computer) such as a server machine. The distribution server 1 can also be an aggregate (cloud) of one or more than two computers. In addition, the distribution server 1 can also be a device having a circuit such as a dedicated FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) that executes corresponding processing.

[0039] The distribution server 1 includes a processor 101, a memory 102, an auxiliary storage device 103, and a communication unit 104 as its hardware configuration. The memory 102 and the auxiliary storage device 103 are recordable media readable by a computer. The processor 101, the auxiliary storage device 103, and the communication unit 104 are electrically connected via a bus.

[0040] The auxiliary storage device 103 stores various programs and data used by the processor 101 when executing each program. The auxiliary storage device 103 is, for example, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), a hard disk drive, or an SSD (Solid State Drive). Among the programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 103, there are, for example, an operating system (OS) and a control program of the content distribution system 100.

[0041] The memory 102 is a storage device that provides a storage area and a working area for loading the programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 to the processor 101, or serves as a buffer. The memory 102 includes, for example, semiconductor memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0042] The processor 101 loads the OS stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 and the control program of the content distribution system 100 into the memory 102 and executes them, thereby performing processing. The processor 101 is, for example, a CPU, GPU, or DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The processor 101 is not limited to one and may include multiple ones. The processor 101 is an example of the "control unit".

[0043] The communication unit 104 is, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card), an optical line interface, etc. In addition, the communication unit 104 is, for example, a wireless communication circuit connected to a wireless network such as a wireless LAN. In addition, the hardware configuration of the distribution server 1 is not limited to Figure 2 shown.

[0044] The distribution vehicle 2 is equipped with an in-vehicle device 20. The in-vehicle device 20 is, for example, a data communication device (Data Communication Module), a car navigation system, or a driving recorder, etc. In addition, the distribution vehicle 2 has a hardware configuration in addition to the in-vehicle device 20, but in Figure 2 this case, the in-vehicle device 20, which is a hardware component related to the processing of the content distribution system 100 among the hardware components of the distribution vehicle 2, is taken as an example for explanation. The in-vehicle device 20 includes a processor 201, a memory 202, an auxiliary storage device 203, and a wireless communication unit 204 as its hardware configuration. The processor 201, the memory 202, and the auxiliary storage device 203 are the same as the processor 101, the memory 102, and the auxiliary storage device 103. However, in the auxiliary storage device 203, in addition to the OS, etc., a control program for controlling the operation of the distribution vehicle 2 is also stored. In addition, the auxiliary storage device 203 is a "storage device" and is also used as a cache for storing segment data.

[0045] The wireless communication unit 204 is, for example, a wireless communication circuit corresponding to a mobile communication method such as 5G, 4G, or 6G, or a wireless communication method such as WiFi. In the first embodiment, the distribution vehicle 2 is connected to the network N1 through the wireless communication unit 204 and obtains segment data from the distribution server 1. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 205 is, for example, a wireless communication circuit corresponding to a vehicle-to-vehicle communication method such as vehicle-to-vehicle wireless LAN communication, DSRC, or 5G sidelink communication. In the first embodiment, the distribution vehicle 2 sends segment data to the receiving vehicle 3 through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 205. In addition, the hardware configuration of the in-vehicle device 20 is not limited to Figure 2 shown. In addition, the in-vehicle device mounted on the receiving vehicle 3 also has the same hardware configuration as the Figure 2 in-vehicle device 20 shown.

[0046] Figure 3 FIG. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the distribution server 1. The distribution server 1 includes a data block generation unit 11, a distribution control unit 12, and a content DB 13 as its functional configuration. The data block generation unit 11, the distribution control unit 12, and the content DB 13 are, for example, functional configuration elements achieved by the processor 101 of the distribution server 1 executing the control program of the content distribution system 100. However, it is not limited thereto, and the data block generation unit 11, the distribution control unit 12, and the content DB 13 may also be implemented by hardware configuration elements such as an FPGA respectively.

[0047] The content DB 13 stores the initial data of the distribution content. The content DB 13 is formed in the storage area of the auxiliary storage device 103. The data block generation unit 11 divides the content to generate segment data. The data block generation unit 11 can, for example, divide the content so that the segment data becomes a specified size to generate a plurality of segment data, or can also divide the content using encoding techniques such as an error correction code to generate a plurality of segment data. In the case of generating segment data using an error correction code, even if the receiving vehicle 3 cannot obtain all the segment data generated from the content, by obtaining a specified number of segment data, the original content can be restored. In addition, for example, in the case where the content is small, etc., the content may not be divided. In this case, the number of segment data is processed as = 1.

[0048] The distribution control unit 12 selects and appoints the distribution vehicle 2, sends an instruction to acquire the content to the receiving vehicle 3, determines the deletion order of the segment data when the storage device margin of the distribution vehicle 2 is insufficient ( Figure 1 of (1)), and selects the distribution vehicle 2 that becomes the destination of the segment data transmission ( Figure 1 of (2)).

[0049] The distribution control unit 12 selects the distribution vehicle 2 from among the vehicles managed by the content distribution system 100 according to a specified rule, for example. For example, according to the notification from an electric vehicle connected to a nearby WiFi access point during charging, the distribution control unit 12 appoints the electric vehicle as the distribution vehicle 2. Or, the distribution control unit 12 can also actively select a part of the vehicles in motion as the distribution vehicle 2. The distribution control unit 12 can also select in such a way that the density of the distribution vehicles 2 is geographically uniform to improve the efficiency of content distribution.

[0050] The distribution control unit 12 notifies the distribution vehicle 2, for example, of the notice of appointment as a distribution vehicle or pushes the segment data, thereby notifying it that it has been selected as a distribution vehicle. In the first embodiment, as a prerequisite, by sending the notice of appointment as a distribution vehicle, the distribution vehicle 2 is notified that it has been selected as a distribution vehicle. In addition, the distribution vehicle 2 can be reselected each time the content is distributed, or can be reselected, for example, at a regular cycle such as once a day. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the distribution vehicle 2 is reselected each time the content is distributed.

[0051] In the first embodiment, when the distribution vehicle 2 receives the notice of appointment as a distribution vehicle, it sends a storage capacity curve to the distribution server 1. The storage capacity curve is information related to the change in the remaining capacity of the storage device of the distribution vehicle 2. The details of the storage capacity curve will be described later.

[0052] The distribution control unit 12 determines the deletion order of the segment data in the case where the remaining capacity of the storage device of the distribution vehicle 2 is insufficient for each segment data generated by the data block generation unit 11 ( Figure 1 of (1)). The deletion order of the segment data can be, for example, two stages of morning and evening, or can be divided into three or more levels. Alternatively, the deletion order of the segment data can follow the priority of each segment data. It can be that the larger the priority, the earlier the deletion order, or the smaller the priority, the earlier the deletion order. The deletion order of the segment data is determined, for example, according to the type of content and the vehicle model of the vehicle as the destination. In addition, among the multiple segment data included in the same content, the deletion order can be the same or different. The deletion order can also be represented by any one of the information indicating the level to which the segment data is classified, the serial number indicating the deletion order, or the above-mentioned priority. Hereinafter, the deletion order of the segment data in the case where the remaining capacity of the storage device of the distribution vehicle 2 is insufficient will be simply referred to as the deletion order.

[0053] The distribution control unit 12 predicts the time when each segment data is stored in the storage device of the distribution vehicle 2 based on the storage capacity curve from the distribution vehicle 2, the deletion order of each segment data, and the data size, and determines the distribution vehicle 2 that becomes the destination of each segment data according to the predicted time ( Figure 1 of (2)). At this time, the distribution control unit 12 determines the distribution vehicle 2 that becomes the destination of each segment data in such a way that the segment data with an earlier deletion order is sent to more distribution vehicles 2. The details of the determination process of the distribution vehicle 2 as the destination of the segment data will be described later. The distribution control unit 12 sends the identification information of the segment data, the main body of the segment data, and the deletion order of the segment data to one or more distribution vehicles 2 determined as the destination of each segment data.

[0054] The distribution control unit 12 determines the receiving vehicle 3 according to the essence of the content to be distributed, and sends a content acquisition instruction to the receiving vehicle 3. The content acquisition instruction includes, for example, the identification information and decoding information of each segment data that is the acquisition target of the receiving vehicle 3. The decoding information is the information used to restore the original content C from the segment data. The decoding information is, for example, decoding parameters, a checksum for confirming the matching with the original content, etc. For example, when generating segment data by a loss correction code, the decoding parameters include the number of segment data required for restoring the original content. When receiving the content acquisition instruction, the receiving vehicle 3 starts the process of acquiring the segment data specified by the content acquisition instruction from the encountered distribution vehicle 2 using vehicle-to-vehicle communication. In addition, Figure 3 The functional configuration of the distribution server 1 shown is only an example, and the functional configuration of the distribution server 1 is not limited to Figure 3 the example shown.

[0055] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the distribution vehicle 2. The distribution vehicle 2 includes a curve generation unit 21, a content acquisition unit 22, a content distribution unit 23, and a content management unit 24 as functional configurations. The processing performed by these functional configuration elements is achieved, for example, by the processor 201 of the in-vehicle device 20 executing a specified program stored in the auxiliary storage device 203. However, it is not limited to this, and the curve generation unit 21, the content acquisition unit 22, the content distribution unit 23, and the content management unit 24 can also be implemented by hardware configuration elements such as FPGAs.

[0056] In the first embodiment, when the curve generation unit 21 receives the notification of the appointment of the distribution vehicle from the distribution server 1, it generates a storage capacity curve and sends it to the distribution server 1. The storage capacity curve is sent, for example, via cellular communication or wireless LAN communication. In the case of notifying the selected distribution vehicle by pushing segment data, the curve generation unit 21 can also generate a storage capacity curve when receiving the segment data and send it to the distribution server 1. The details of the process of generating the storage capacity curve will be described later.

[0057] In the first embodiment, the content acquisition unit 22 receives segment data from the distribution server 1. Together with the segment data, the identification information and deletion order of the segment data are also received. The content acquisition unit 22 stores the acquired segment data in the auxiliary storage device 203. It is also possible for the content acquisition unit 22 to send a request to the distribution server 1 to download and acquire the segment data. In this case, the distribution server 1 may also notify the distribution vehicle 2 determined as the transmission destination of the segment data of the download instruction and the segment data to be acquired. In the case where the appointment of the distribution vehicle is notified by pushing the segment data, the content acquisition unit 22 also receives the identification information and deletion order of the segment data together with the segment data, and stores them in the auxiliary storage device 203.

[0058] The content distribution unit 23 distributes segment data to the receiving vehicle 3. More specifically, when the content distribution unit 23 receives a request for a list of the saved segment data from the receiving vehicle 3 via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, it creates a list of the segment data saved in the auxiliary storage device 203 and sends it to the receiving vehicle 3. When receiving a request to acquire segment data from the receiving vehicle 3, the content distribution unit 23 reads from the auxiliary storage device 203 the segment data that matches the identification information of the segment data to be acquired by the receiving vehicle 3 received together with this request, and sends it to the receiving vehicle 3 via vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0059] The content management unit 24 manages the segment data saved in the auxiliary storage device 203. More specifically, when the remaining capacity of the auxiliary storage device 203 is less than the first threshold, the content management unit 24 deletes from the auxiliary storage device 203 the segment data with the earliest deletion order among the segment data saved in the auxiliary storage device 203. Hereinafter, the remaining capacity of the auxiliary storage device 203 is referred to as the storage device margin. The content management unit 24 may also delete the segment data with the earliest deletion order from the auxiliary storage device 203 until the storage device margin becomes equal to or greater than the second threshold. The second threshold is a value equal to or greater than the first threshold.

[0060] In addition, when there are multiple segment data with the earliest deletion order among the segment data saved in the auxiliary storage device 203, for example, the content management unit 24 may either delete all the segment data with the earliest deletion order from the auxiliary storage device 203, or delete the segment data with the earliest deletion order from the auxiliary storage device 203 until the storage device margin becomes equal to or greater than the second threshold. In addition, the functional configuration of the distribution vehicle 2 is not limited to Figure 4 the example shown.

[0061] (Generation process of storage capacity curve) In the first embodiment, when the curve generation unit 21 of the distribution vehicle 2 receives a notice of distribution vehicle appointment from the distribution server 1, it generates a storage capacity curve. The curve generation unit 21 analyzes the history of the storage device margin, predicts the change in the storage device margin within a specified future period, and generates a storage capacity curve including the prediction result. The history of the storage device margin is time-series data of the margin of the storage device. The prediction period of the storage device margin is arbitrarily set, for example, between 3 hours and 10 hours. In addition, when the distribution vehicle 2 is parked, the start point of the prediction period of the storage device margin can also be set to the moment when the distribution vehicle 2 starts moving next time.

[0062] Generally, it is assumed that the change in the storage device margin follows the pattern corresponding to the application running on the in-vehicle device 20. Taking the image collection application that saves the measurement data of in-vehicle sensors such as the image data of the in-vehicle camera to the storage device during driving and uploads it to the remote server at one time from the nearby WiFi access point during parking as an example, the change in the storage device margin is described. In this case, it is assumed that the storage device margin of the in-vehicle device 20 continuously decreases at a specified ratio from the time point when the vehicle system starts. When the in-vehicle device 20 is connected to the WiFi access point and the upload of the image data is completed, the uploaded image data is deleted from the storage device, and the storage device margin is restored.

[0063] In an actual in-vehicle device 20, since multiple applications share the storage device, the change pattern of the storage device margin is likely to be more complex. However, as long as the change in the storage device margin follows a reproducible pattern, it can be predicted. The curve generation unit 21 can also use a regression model or a machine learning model, etc. to predict the change in the storage device margin. The prediction method of the change in the storage device margin by the curve generation unit 21 is not limited to a specific method. The prediction result of the change in the storage device margin can be either a single predicted value or expressed in the form of a confidence interval or a probability distribution. The curve generation unit 21 creates a storage capacity curve based on the prediction result of the change in the storage device margin and sends it to the distribution server 1. In the storage capacity curve, in addition to the prediction result of the change in the storage device margin, the prediction period and the maximum capacity of the storage device, etc. can also be included.

[0064] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing an example of the prediction result of the change in the storage device margin of the distribution vehicle 2. Figure 5 In the shown graph, the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time, and the vertical axis represents the predicted value of the storage device margin. In Figure 5In the example shown, at time 0, the storage device margin is B0. After that, at the time point after time T1 has elapsed, the storage device margin decreases to B1 and then increases once, for example, because the storage area is released due to the end of the execution of some applications. After that, it is predicted that the storage device margin will turn to decrease again. The curve generation unit 21 of the distribution vehicle 2 creates, for example, a storage capacity curve including the prediction result of the change in the storage device margin as shown in Figure 5 and sends it to the distribution server 1. In addition, the prediction result of the change in the storage device margin included in the storage capacity curve can be a function or a Figure 5 chart as shown. The storage capacity curve is an example of "prediction information on the change in the storage device margin".

[0065] (Determination process for the destination of sending fragmented data) The distribution control unit 12 of the distribution server 1 determines the destination of sending the fragmented data based on the deletion order of the fragmented data and the duration of storage in the storage device of the distribution vehicle 2. In the first embodiment, the distribution control unit 12 predicts the duration of storage of the fragmented data in the storage device of the distribution vehicle 2 based on the storage capacity curve notified from the distribution vehicle 2, the size of the fragmented data, and the deletion order. Hereinafter, the predicted value of the duration of storage of the fragmented data in the storage device of the distribution vehicle 2 is referred to as the "expected life" of the fragmented data. Therefore, the distribution control unit 12 first obtains the expected life of each fragmented data in each distribution vehicle 2, and then determines the destination of sending each fragmented data based on the expected life of each fragmented data in each distribution vehicle 2.

[0066] The expected life can also be said to be the period from when the fragmented data is stored in the distribution vehicle 2 until it is deleted from the storage device. The distribution control unit 12 predicts that the fragmented data #X will be deleted from the storage device at the moment when the predicted value of the storage device margin in a future specified period first becomes lower than the total value of the sizes of the fragmented data #X and all fragmented data with a later deletion order than the fragmented data #X.

[0067] Taking the case of the example where the prediction result of the change in the storage device margin of the distribution vehicle 2 is as shown in Figure 5 as an example, an explanation will be given. There are fragmented data P10, P20, and P30. The deletion order of the fragmented data P10 is 1, and the data size is K1. The deletion order of the fragmented data P20 is 2, and the data size is K2. The deletion order of the fragmented data P30 is 3, and the data size is K3. In the Figure 5 example shown, the smaller the number, the earlier the deletion order.

[0068] In Figure 5In the prediction result of the change in the storage device margin shown, the moment when the storage device margin of the distribution vehicle 2 first becomes lower than the total value K1 + K2 + K3 of the sizes of the segment data P10 and the segment data P20 and P30 with a later deletion order than the segment data P10 is the time T10. Therefore, the expected life of the segment data P10 is T10. At Figure 5 In the prediction result of the change in the storage device margin shown, the moment when the storage device margin of the distribution vehicle 2 first becomes lower than the total value K2 + K3 of the sizes of the segment data P20 and the segment data P30 with a later deletion order than the segment data P20 is the time T20. Therefore, the expected life of the segment data P20 is T20. At Figure 5 In the prediction result of the change in the storage device margin shown, the moment when the storage device margin of the distribution vehicle 2 first becomes lower than the size K3 of the segment data P30 is the time T30. Therefore, the expected life of the segment data P30 is T30. In summary, the earlier the deletion order of the segment data, the shorter the expected life.

[0069] Next, the processing for determining the transmission destination of the segment data based on the expected life will be described. The distribution control unit 12 determines the distribution vehicle 2 that becomes the transmission destination of the segment data #X in such a way that the total value of the expected lives of the segment data #X in each of the distribution vehicles 2 as the transmission destination becomes equal to or higher than a specified threshold. For example, when the distribution vehicles 2 that are the transmission destinations of the segment data #X are set as V1, V2,..., Vm, the expected lives of the segment data #X in each of the distribution vehicles 2 are represented as E1, E2,..., Em. The distribution control unit 12 selects m distribution vehicles 2 that are the transmission destinations in such a way that the total value E = E1 + E2 +... + Em of the expected lives of the segment data in each of the distribution vehicles 2 as the transmission destination becomes equal to or higher than the threshold Eth. When the total value of the expected lives is less than the threshold Eth, the distribution control unit 12 increases the number m of the distribution vehicles 2 that are the transmission destinations. The distribution vehicles 2 included in the m vehicles can be randomly selected, or can be selected in such a way that the density of the distribution vehicles 2 that are the transmission destinations of the segment data #X is uniform within the area.

[0070] As can be seen, when determining the transmission destination of the segment data according to the expected lifetime, the shorter the expected lifetime of the segment data, the more distribution vehicles 2 are determined as the transmission destination of the segment data. The segment data with an earlier deletion order has a shorter expected lifetime. Therefore, when determining the transmission destination of the segment data according to the expected lifetime, the segment data with an earlier deletion order is transmitted to more distribution vehicles 2. In addition, the distribution vehicles 2 serving as the transmission destination are determined in such a way that the total value E of the expected lifetimes of any segment data in each of the distribution vehicles 2 serving as the transmission destination becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value Eth. Thus, regardless of the order of deletion, the distribution opportunities for each segment data within a specified period are substantially the same.

[0071] In addition, it may be that the distribution server 1 does not obtain the expected lifetime, but instead uses a constant value preset as the duration for which each segment data is stored in the distribution vehicle 2 to determine the transmission destination of the segment data. The constant value of the duration for which the segment data is stored in the distribution vehicle 2 may be a unified value independent of the segment data and the distribution vehicle 2, or may be different values corresponding to the type or data size of the segment data, or the specifications of the distribution vehicle 2, etc.

[0072] In the process of determining the transmission destination of the segment data based on the expected lifetime, it may also be that the distribution control unit 12 causes the threshold value Eth of the total value of the expected lifetimes of the segment data in each of the distribution vehicles 2 serving as the transmission destination to vary according to the priority of the content being distributed. For example, assume that the market share of vehicles of model A is relatively higher than that of vehicles of model B. In this case, the priority of the software update data for vehicles of model A can be set higher than that of the software update data for vehicles of model B. Regarding the segment data of the software update data for vehicles of model A, the threshold value Eth is set higher than that of model B. As a result, the software update data for vehicles of model A is transmitted to more distribution vehicles 2. Therefore, the distribution opportunity in vehicle-to-vehicle communication is more reliably ensured, and the distribution delay time is shortened. On the other hand, vehicles of model B with a lower priority may not be able to fully obtain the segment data required to obtain the software update data using vehicle-to-vehicle communication within a certain period, and may need to directly download the remaining segment data from the distribution server 1 using cellular communication, etc. However, since the number of vehicles of model B is less than that of model A, the impact on the communication cost is relatively small.

[0073] (Processing Flow) Figure 6 This is an example of the flowchart of the processing of the distribution server 1. Figure 6The processing shown starts when an event indicating the start of content distribution occurs. Examples of an event indicating the start of content distribution include an operation in which an instruction for content distribution is input by the administrator of the content distribution system 100, and a reserved time for the start of content distribution. However, the event indicating the start of content distribution is not limited to this. Figure 6 The execution subject of the processing shown is the processor 101 of the distribution server 1. However, for convenience, the description will be made with the functional components as the subject. Figure 6 The same applies to the following flowcharts.

[0074] In OP101, the distribution control unit 12 selects a plurality of distribution vehicles 2 and sends a notice of distribution vehicle appointment to the selected distribution vehicles 2. In OP102, the distribution control unit 12 receives storage capacity curves from each distribution vehicle 2. In OP103, the distribution control unit 12 obtains the segment data generated based on the content to be distributed from the data block generation unit 11 and determines the deletion order of the segment data. In OP104, the distribution control unit 12 obtains the expected lifetime in each distribution vehicle 2 for each segment data (refer to Figure 5 ). In OP105, the distribution control unit 12 determines the distribution vehicles 2 to be the destinations for sending for each segment data in such a way that the earlier the deletion order, the more distribution vehicles 2 it is sent to (refer to Figure 5 ). In OP106, the distribution control unit 12 sends each segment data to the distribution vehicles 2 determined as the destinations for sending in OP105. In OP107, the distribution control unit 12 sends a content acquisition instruction to the receiving vehicle 3. After that, Figure 6 the processing shown ends.

[0075] Figure 7 is an example of a flowchart of the storage capacity curve generation process of the distribution vehicle 2. In the first embodiment, Figure 7 the processing shown starts when the distribution vehicle 2 receives a notice of distribution vehicle appointment from the distribution server 1. In the case where it is notified that it has been selected as a distribution vehicle by pushing segment data, Figure 7 the processing shown starts, for example, when the segment data is received.

[0076] In OP201, the curve generation unit 21 analyzes the history of the storage device margin and predicts the change in the storage device margin. In OP202, the curve generation unit 21 creates a storage capacity curve including the prediction result of the change in the storage device margin. In OP203, the curve generation unit 21 sends the storage capacity curve to the distribution server 1. After that, Figure 7 the processing shown ends.

[0077] Figure 8 is an example of a flowchart of the content management process of the distribution vehicle 2. Figure 8The processing shown is repeatedly executed at a prescribed cycle during the operation of in-vehicle device 20. In OP301, content management unit 24 determines whether write data has been generated from the application installed in in-vehicle device 20. If write data has been generated from the application (OP301: Yes), the processing proceeds to OP302. If write data has not been generated from the application (OP301: No), Figure 8 the processing shown ends.

[0078] In OP302, content management unit 24 determines whether the storage device margin is equal to or greater than the first threshold. If the storage device margin is equal to or greater than the first threshold (OP302: Yes), Figure 8 the processing shown ends. If the storage device margin is less than the first threshold (OP302: No), the processing proceeds to OP303. In OP303, content management unit 24 deletes the segment data with the earliest deletion order from the storage device. Content management unit 24 deletes the segment data with the earliest deletion order from the storage device until the storage device margin becomes equal to or greater than the second threshold. After that, Figure 8 the processing shown ends.

[0079] Figure 9A and Figure 9B is a diagram showing an example of the order of content distribution processing in content distribution system 100. In addition, in Figure 9A and Figure 9B distribution vehicle 2A, distribution vehicle 2B, and receiving vehicle 3A represent distribution vehicle 2 and receiving vehicle 3 respectively for illustration.

[0080] In S11, distribution server 1 selects distribution vehicle 2A and distribution vehicle 2B as distribution vehicles from among the vehicles managed by content distribution system 100. In S12, distribution server 1 sends a notification of appointment as a distribution vehicle to distribution vehicle 2A and distribution vehicle 2B ( Figure 6 OP101). In S13, distribution vehicle 2A and distribution vehicle 2B receive the notification of appointment as a distribution vehicle from distribution server 1 and create a storage capacity curve ( Figure 7 OP201, OP202). In S14, distribution vehicle 2A and distribution vehicle 2B send the storage capacity curve to distribution server 1 ( Figure 7 OP203).

[0081] In S21, distribution server 1 generates segment data based on the content to be distributed, determines the deletion order ( Figure 6 OP103), for each segment data, obtains the expected lifetime in distribution vehicle 2A and distribution vehicle 2B based on the deletion order and data size ( Figure 6 OP104), and determines the transmission destination based on this expected lifetimeFigure 6 OP105). In Figure 9A and Figure 9B In the example shown, it is assumed that the distributed content is divided into segment data P5, P6, and P7. In addition, the deletion order is set to two stages of "early" and "late". It is assumed that the deletion order of segment data P5 is determined to be "early". It is assumed that the deletion orders of segment data P6 and P7 are determined to be "late". It is assumed that the distribution server 1 determines the destinations of segment data P5 to be distribution vehicles 2A and 2B, the destination of segment data P6 to be distribution vehicle 2A, and the destination of segment data P7 to be distribution vehicle 2B.

[0082] In S22, the distribution server 1 sends segment data P5, P6, and their respective deletion orders to the distribution vehicle 2A ( Figure 6 OP106). In S23, the distribution server 1 sends segment data P5, P7, and their respective deletion orders to the distribution vehicle 2B ( Figure 6 OP106). The distribution vehicles 2A and 2B store the segment data received from the distribution server 1 in the storage device. In S24, the distribution server 1 sends a content acquisition instruction to the receiving vehicle 3A ( Figure 6 OP107). In the content acquisition instruction, segment data P5, P6, and P7 are specified as the segment data to be acquired by the receiving vehicle 3A.

[0083] In Figure 9B In S31, the distribution vehicle 2A and the receiving vehicle 3A meet on the road. In S32, vehicle-to-vehicle communication is established between the distribution vehicle 2A and the receiving vehicle 3A. At this time, the receiving vehicle 3A requests a list of segment data stored in the distribution vehicle 2A, and for the segment data in the list that is specified by the content acquisition instruction received from the distribution server 1 in S24 and not stored, a acquisition request is sent to the distribution vehicle 2A. In the list of segment data stored in the distribution vehicle 2A, segment data P5 and P6 are included. In addition, since segment data P5 and P6 are the acquisition objects of the receiving vehicle 3A and the receiving vehicle 3A has not acquired them yet, the receiving vehicle 3A sends an acquisition request to the distribution vehicle 2A for segment data P5 and P6. In S33, the distribution vehicle 2A sends the requested segment data P5 and P6 to the receiving vehicle 3A through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The receiving vehicle 3A stores the received segment data P5 and P6 in the auxiliary storage device 203.

[0084] In S41, as time passes, in the distribution vehicles 2A and 2B, the storage device margin becomes less than the first threshold, and the segment data P5 with an early deletion order is deleted from the storage device. In addition, in Figure 9BIn this, for simplicity, the deletion of the segment data P5 in the distribution vehicle 2A and the distribution vehicle 2B is described together, but they each occur at independent times.

[0085] In S51, as time further elapses, the distribution vehicle 2B and the receiving vehicle 3A meet on the road. In S52, the distribution vehicle 2B and the receiving vehicle 3A establish vehicle-to-vehicle communication. At this time, the receiving vehicle 3A acquires a list of the segment data stored in the distribution vehicle 2B that contains the segment data P7, and for the segment data P7 in this list that is specified by the content acquisition instruction received from the distribution server 1 in S24 and has not been saved yet, sends an acquisition request to the distribution vehicle 2B. In S53, the distribution vehicle 2B sends the requested segment data P7 to the receiving vehicle 3A via vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The receiving vehicle 3A stores the received segment data P7 in the auxiliary storage device 203.

[0086] In S61, since the receiving vehicle 3A has collected the segment data P5, P6, and P7 required to restore the content, the original content is restored and acquired based on the segment data P5, P6, and P7. In addition, Figure 9A and Figure 9B The processing order shown is merely an example and can be changed as appropriate according to the embodiment.

[0087] <Effect of the First Embodiment> In the first embodiment, in the content distribution system based on vehicle-to-vehicle communication, among the segment data with earlier deletion order in the case of insufficient storage device margin, the more distribution vehicles 2 it is sent to. Thus, the distribution opportunity of the segment data with an earlier deletion order increases, and the possibility of completing the distribution to the receiving vehicle 3 before being deleted increases. For example, in Figure 9A and Figure 9B In the example shown, the segment data P5 with an earlier deletion order is sent and saved to both the distribution vehicle 2A and the distribution vehicle 2B. Thus, the receiving vehicle 3A can acquire the segment data P5 from the distribution vehicle 2A or the distribution vehicle 2B via vehicle-to-vehicle communication. In Figure 9B , the receiving vehicle 3A acquires the segment data P5 from the distribution vehicle 2A, but in the case of meeting the distribution vehicle 2B earlier, it can also acquire the segment data P5 from the distribution vehicle 2B. In addition, in Figure 9B In the example shown, even if the segment data P5 is deleted from both the distribution vehicle 2A and the distribution vehicle 2B due to insufficient storage device margin, the receiving vehicle 3A has already acquired the segment data P5 before that. Thus, it is possible to suppress the situation where the receiving vehicle 3A accidentally loses the segment data P5 from the distribution vehicle 2 via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and the time required to acquire the content can be shortened.

[0088] In addition, in the distribution vehicle 2, when the margin of the storage device is insufficient, it is possible to delete the segment data with an earlier deletion order from the storage device or overwrite it with data of other applications. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the situation where the storage device of the distribution vehicle 2 is occupied by segment data and affects the operation of other application programs. In addition, by deleting the segment data in the case of insufficient storage device margin in the order of deletion, it is possible to dynamically use the storage device as a short-term cache or a long-term cache in such a way that the storage area storing the segment data with an earlier deletion order becomes a short-term cache and the storage area storing the segment data with a later deletion order becomes a long-term cache.

[0089] <First Modification of the First Embodiment> In the first embodiment, the distribution server 1 determines the distribution vehicle 2 that is the destination of the segment data so that the total value of the expected lifetimes of the segment data in each of the distribution vehicles 2 as the transmission destinations exceeds a specified threshold. Instead, the distribution control unit 12 of the distribution server 1 may also determine whether to repeatedly transmit the segment data to other distribution vehicles 2 in addition to the distribution vehicle 2 based on whether the expected lifetime when the segment data is transmitted to a certain distribution vehicle 2 is above the threshold.

[0090] More specifically, when the expected lifetime when the segment data is transmitted to a certain distribution vehicle 2 is above the threshold, it is determined that the distribution control unit 12 transmits the segment data to the distribution vehicle 2 and does not repeatedly transmit it to other distribution vehicles 2. When the expected lifetime when the segment data is transmitted to a certain distribution vehicle 2 is less than the threshold, it is determined that the distribution control unit 12 transmits the segment data to the distribution vehicle 2 and also repeatedly transmits it to other distribution vehicles 2. As the expected lifetime of the segment data used in the above determination, the longest expected lifetime, the shortest expected lifetime, the average value, or the median value of the expected lifetimes of the segment data for each of the multiple distribution vehicles 2 can be used. In addition, when repeatedly transmitting the segment data, either a predetermined number of distribution vehicles 2 can be determined as the transmission destinations, or a variable number of distribution vehicles 2 can be determined as the transmission destinations according to the value of the expected lifetime used in the above determination.

[0091] In the case of determining whether to repeatedly send the segment data to the multiple distribution vehicles 2 based on whether the expected lifespan of the segment data is above the threshold as described above, the processing can be simplified and the processing load on the distribution server 1 can be reduced. Additionally, it can also be determined the number of distribution vehicles 2 as the transmission destination according to which range among the multiple ranges defined by the multiple thresholds the expected lifespan of the segment data belongs to. For example, if threshold A < threshold B, the number of transmission destinations of the segment data can be set in each range in such a way that it increases in the order of < the case where it is less than threshold A > the case where it is above threshold A and less than threshold B > the case where it is above threshold B.

[0092] In addition, instead of the distribution server 1 sending the segment data and the deletion order to the distribution vehicle 2 together, it can also be that the distribution server 1 sends the segment data and the expected lifespan of the segment data in the distribution vehicle 2 to the distribution vehicle 2 together. This is because the earlier the deletion order, the shorter the expected lifespan.

[0093] <Second Embodiment> Figure 10 FIG. 9 is an example showing the system configuration of the data collection system 500 according to the second embodiment. The data collection system 500 is a system that enables a host vehicle to collect data generated by a source vehicle through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. As an example of the data generated by the source vehicle, there is sensor data. Hereinafter, the data to be collected by the data collection system 500 generated by the source vehicle 70 will be referred to as upload data.

[0094] The data collection system 500 includes a source vehicle 70 that generates upload data, a host vehicle 60 that obtains the upload data from the source vehicle 70 using vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and a data collection server 50 that collects the upload data generated by the source vehicle 70 from the host vehicle 60. In addition, there are multiple host vehicles 60 and source vehicles 70 included in the data collection system 500, and Figure 10 host vehicle 60A, host vehicle 60B, and source vehicle 70 are representatively shown in FIG. 9. When not particularly distinguished, they are briefly referred to as host vehicle 60 and source vehicle 70. Hereinafter, the actual entity of the communication related to the host vehicle 60 and the source vehicle 70 is the in-vehicle device, and for convenience, the description is made with the host vehicle 60 or the source vehicle 70 as the main body.

[0095] The data collection server 50, the host vehicle 60, and the source vehicle 70 are connected to the network N2 and can communicate with each other via the network N2. The network N2 is, for example, a public network such as the Internet. The host vehicle 60 and the source vehicle 70 can be connected to the network N2 via a cellular network or a wireless LAN as an access network.

[0096] The data collection server 50 collects and analyzes the upload data generated by the source vehicle 70. For example, it grasps the road traffic conditions, generates digital maps, and learns machine learning models, etc. The source vehicle 70 temporarily stores the generated upload data in the storage device of the in-vehicle device, and when it meets the host vehicle 60, it uses vehicle-to-vehicle communication to send the stored upload data.

[0097] The host vehicle 60 temporarily stores the upload data received from one or more source vehicles 70 using vehicle-to-vehicle communication in the storage device of the in-vehicle device, and at a specified time, it uploads the temporarily stored upload data to the data collection server 50 at once through WiFi communication or cellular communication. The time when the host vehicle 60 uploads the upload data to the data collection server 50 at once is, for example, when the host vehicle 60 is connected to a WiFi access point during parking. In addition, the host vehicle 60 can also act as a source vehicle 70. The host vehicle 60 collects the upload data from the source vehicle 70 through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, aggregates the upload data, and uploads it to the data collection server 50 at once, thereby being able to suppress the communication cost related to data collection. When the host vehicle 60 uploads the upload data using WiFi communication, the communication cost related to data collection can be further suppressed. In the second embodiment, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication can be, for example, any one of vehicle-to-vehicle wireless LAN communication, DSRC, or 5G sidechain communication, etc.

[0098] First, the process of data collection based on vehicle-to-vehicle communication will be described. The data collection server 50 selects multiple host vehicles 60 and source vehicles 70 from the vehicles managed by the data collection system 500 according to a preset policy, etc. The data collection server 50 sends a notice of host vehicle appointment to the selected host vehicle 60 through WiFi communication or cellular communication, for example. The data collection server 50 sends a data collection instruction to the selected source vehicle 70. The data collection instruction includes, for example, the type of upload data generated by the source vehicle 70, the acquisition time, the acquisition frequency, a list of host vehicles, etc.

[0099] The source vehicle 70 generates and collects upload data according to the data collection instruction, and when it meets the designated host vehicle 60, it uses vehicle-to-vehicle communication to send the upload data to the host vehicle 60. The host vehicle 60 temporarily saves the upload data received from the source vehicle 70 in the storage device of the in-vehicle device, and for example, at the next moment when it is connected to a WiFi access point, it proxy-sends the temporarily saved upload data to the data collection server 50 via WiFi communication.

[0100] When the storage device margin of the destination vehicle 60 is insufficient, even if it meets the source vehicle 70 on the road and receives the uploaded data through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the received uploaded data will be overwritten by the data of other applications and cannot be continuously stored in the cache. In the second embodiment, by making use of the fact that in the first embodiment, the earlier the deletion order of the segment data, the more destination vehicles 2 it is sent to, for the uploaded data with an earlier deletion order, the source vehicle 70 sends it to more destination vehicles 60.

[0101] More specifically, as follows. (A) The source vehicle 70 determines the deletion order of the uploaded data when the storage device margin of the destination vehicle 60 is insufficient. (B) For the uploaded data with an earlier deletion order, the source vehicle 70 sends it to more destination vehicles 60. At this time, the source vehicle 70 sends the uploaded data and the deletion order to the destination vehicle 60 together. In the second embodiment, the source vehicle 70 obtains the storage capacity curve from the destination vehicle 60, predicts the change in the storage device margin of the destination vehicle 60 according to the storage capacity curve of the destination vehicle 60, and determines whether to continue sending the uploaded data to the destination vehicle 60 according to the expected lifetime of the uploaded data in the destination vehicle 60.

[0102] For example, in Figure 10 , the source vehicle 70 stores the uploaded data H1 and H2. Since the deletion order of the uploaded data H2 is earlier than that of the uploaded data H1, it is sent to the destination vehicle 60A and the destination vehicle 60B. Even if the uploaded data H2 is deleted in either the destination vehicle 60A or the destination vehicle 60B before being sent to the data collection server 50, it may be sent to the data collection server 50 through the other party. Therefore, the possibility of uploading the uploaded data H2 to the data collection server 50 can be increased. In addition, even if the data collection server 50 repeatedly receives the uploaded data H2 from both the destination vehicle 60A and the destination vehicle 60B, for example, as long as redundant data is deleted, etc., it will not cause any special impact on the processing of the data collection server 50.

[0103] (C) In the destination vehicle 60, when the storage device margin is insufficient, the uploaded data with an earlier deletion order is deleted first. Thus, the situation where the storage device capacity of the destination vehicle 60 is occupied by the uploaded data can be suppressed. On the other hand, the uploaded data with a later deletion order is stored in the destination vehicle 60 for a longer time. Therefore, in the second embodiment, even if it is impossible to ensure a short-term cache and a long-term cache in the storage device of the destination vehicle 60, the storage device of the destination vehicle 60 can be dynamically used as a short-term cache and a long-term cache.

[0104] The uploaded data is an example of a "data block". The destination vehicle 60 is an example of a "first moving body". The data collection server 50 is an example of an "other device". Vehicle-to-vehicle communication is an example of "device-to-device communication". The in-vehicle device mounted on the source vehicle 70 is an example of an "information processing device".

[0105] The hardware configuration of the data collection server 50 is the same as that of the distribution server 1 in the first embodiment. That is, the data collection server 50, for example, has a processor, a memory, an auxiliary storage device, and a communication unit as in the hardware configuration of the distribution server 1 shown Figure 2 in FIG. The hardware configurations of the host vehicle 60 and the source vehicle 70 are the same as those of the distribution vehicle 2 and the receiving vehicle 3 in the first embodiment. That is, the host vehicle 60 and the source vehicle 70 are equipped with in-vehicle devices. The in-vehicle device has a processor, a memory, an auxiliary storage device, a wireless communication unit, and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit as in the in-vehicle device 20 shown Figure 2 in FIG.

[0106] Figure 11 FIG. is an example showing the functional configuration of the source vehicle 70. The source vehicle 70 has a data block generation unit 71, an upload control unit 72, and an upload data storage unit 73 as its functional configuration. The data block generation unit 71, the upload control unit 72, and the upload data storage unit 73 are, for example, functional components achieved by the processor of the source vehicle 70 executing a prescribed program. However, it is not limited thereto, and the data block generation unit 71, the upload control unit 72, and the upload data storage unit 73 may also be implemented by hardware components such as an FPGA.

[0107] The upload data storage unit 73 stores the upload data. The upload data storage unit 73 is formed in the storage area of the auxiliary storage device of the source vehicle 70. When the data block generation unit 71 receives a data collection instruction from the data collection server 50, it starts generating the upload data. The data block generation unit 71, for example, obtains the detection value from the in-vehicle sensor, generates the upload data, and stores it in the upload data storage unit 73. In addition, in the second embodiment, it is assumed that the sensor data of the upload data is small and is directly uploaded without being divided. In the case where the upload data is large, the data block generation unit 71 may also divide the upload data to generate segment data.

[0108] The upload control unit 72 determines the deletion order of the upload data when the storage device margin of the host vehicle 60 is insufficient ( Figure 10 in (A) of FIG.), and determines whether to continue or stop sending the upload data to the host vehicle 60 ( Figure 10 in (B) of FIG.). The upload control unit 72 determines the deletion order of the upload data, for example, according to the type of the sensor data. Similar to the first embodiment, the deletion order can be divided into two stages of early and late, or can be divided into three or more levels, or can be represented by the priority of the upload data.

[0109] When the upload control unit 72 has established vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the host vehicle 60, it receives the storage capacity curve from the host vehicle 60. The storage capacity curve is the same as that in the first embodiment. The upload control unit 72 obtains the expected life in the host vehicle 60 for each upload data stored in the upload data storage unit 73 but for which the end of transmission has not yet been determined, based on the storage capacity curve of the host vehicle 60, the deletion order of the upload data, and the data size. The method for obtaining the expected life is the same as that in the first embodiment.

[0110] For each upload data, the upload control unit 72, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, determines whether to continue sending the upload data to the host vehicle 60 based on whether the total value of the expected lives in the host vehicle 60 as the transmission destination, including the previously transmitted transmission destinations, is equal to or greater than the threshold value Eth. More specifically, when the total value of the expected lives is less than the threshold value Eth, the upload control unit 72 determines to continue sending the upload data to the host vehicle 60. When the total value of the expected lives is equal to or greater than the threshold value Eth, the upload control unit 72 determines to stop sending the upload data to the host vehicle 60. Since the earlier the deletion order, the shorter the expected life, the upload data with an earlier deletion order is sent to more host vehicles 60.

[0111] Figure 12 FIG. is an example showing the functional configuration of the host vehicle 60. The host vehicle 60 includes a curve generation unit 61, an upload data reception unit 62, an upload unit 63, and an upload data management unit 64 as its functional configuration. The curve generation unit 61, the upload data reception unit 62, the upload unit 63, and the upload data management unit 64 are, for example, functional constituent elements achieved by a processor of the host vehicle 60 executing a prescribed program. However, this is not limited thereto, and the curve generation unit 61, the upload data reception unit 62, the upload unit 63, and the upload data management unit 64 may also be realized by hardware constituent elements such as an FPGA.

[0112] The curve generation unit 61, the upload data reception unit 62, the upload unit 63, and the upload data management unit 64 are activated when they receive a notice of host vehicle appointment from the data collection server 50. After establishing vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the source vehicle 70, the curve generation unit 61 generates a storage capacity curve and sends it to the source vehicle 70 via vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The method for creating the storage capacity curve is the same as that in the first embodiment. The processing of the curve generation unit 61 is, for example, the same as the Figure 7 curve generation processing shown.

[0113] The upload data receiving unit 62 receives upload data from the source vehicle 70 via vehicle-to-vehicle communication and stores it in the auxiliary storage device 65. The upload unit 63, when a specified event occurs, sends the upload data to the distribution server 1 via, for example, WiFi communication or cellular communication. Specified events include, for example, the host vehicle 60 connecting to a WiFi access point while in a parked state, reaching a specified time, or the total size of the upload data in the auxiliary storage device 65 becoming equal to or greater than a specified value. The upload unit 63 may also delete the upload data that has been uploaded to the distribution server 1 from the auxiliary storage device 65.

[0114] The upload data management unit 64 manages the upload data stored in the auxiliary storage device 65. More specifically, when the storage device margin is less than a third threshold, the upload data management unit 64 deletes the upload data with the earliest deletion order among the upload data stored in the auxiliary storage device 65 from the auxiliary storage device 65. The upload data management unit 64 may also delete the upload data with the earliest deletion order from the auxiliary storage device 65 until the storage device margin becomes equal to or greater than a fourth threshold. The fourth threshold is a value equal to or greater than the third threshold. The upload data management unit 64 deletes upload data from the auxiliary storage device 65 in the same manner as the content management unit 24 in the first embodiment deletes clip data from the auxiliary storage device 203 (for example Figure 8 ). In addition, the functional configuration of the host vehicle 60 is not limited to Figure 12 the example shown.

[0115] Figure 13 is an example of a flowchart of the transmission process for the source vehicle 70 to send upload data. Figure 13 The process shown, for example, starts when a data collection instruction is received from the distribution server 1 and is repeatedly executed at a specified cycle.

[0116] In OP401, the upload control unit 72 determines whether vehicle-to-vehicle communication has been established with the host vehicle 60. If vehicle-to-vehicle communication has been established with the host vehicle 60 (OP401: Yes), the process proceeds to OP402. If vehicle-to-vehicle communication has not been established with the host vehicle 60 (OP401: No), Figure 13 the process shown ends.

[0117] In OP402, the upload control unit 72 receives the storage capacity curve from the host vehicle 60 via vehicle-to-vehicle communication. In OP403, the upload control unit 72 determines the deletion order of the upload data in the upload data storage unit 73. In OP404, the upload control unit 72 sends, via vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the upload data in the upload data storage unit 73 for which the transmission has not ended to the host vehicle 60. In OP405, the upload control unit 72 obtains the expected lifespan in the host vehicle 60 for each upload data in the upload data storage unit 73.

[0118] The processing of OP406 and OP407 is performed for each piece of upload data (upload data not determined to have ended transmission) sent in OP404. In OP406, the upload control unit 72 determines whether the total value of the remaining lifetimes in the destination vehicle 60, which is the transmission destination of the upload data being targeted, and which has been sent previously, is equal to or greater than the threshold value Eth. If the total value of the remaining lifetimes is equal to or greater than the threshold value Eth (OP406: Yes), the process proceeds to OP407. In OP407, the upload control unit 72 determines that the transmission of the upload data being targeted has ended. If the total value of the remaining lifetimes is less than the threshold value Eth (OP406: No), the process of OP406 is executed for the next piece of upload data, or, if the processing of OP406 and OP407 has ended for all the upload data sent in OP404, Figure 13 the processing shown ends.

[0119] In the processing of OP406 and OP407, it is determined whether to continue or end the transmission of the upload data being targeted to the destination vehicle 60. Thus, the upload data with a shorter remaining lifetime, i.e., an earlier deletion order, is sent to a larger number of destination vehicles 60.

[0120] In addition, Figure 13 the processing of the source vehicle 70 shown is merely an example and can be changed as appropriate according to the implementation. For example, the deletion order of the upload data can also be determined when the upload data obtained before establishing vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the destination vehicle 60 is stored in the upload data storage unit 73.

[0121] Furthermore, in Figure 13 the example shown, after transmitting the upload data to the destination vehicle 60 using vehicle-to-vehicle communication, it is determined whether to continue or stop the transmission of each piece of upload data to the destination vehicle 60 (OP406, OP407). Without being limited to this, similar to OP406, the upload control unit 72 can also determine whether to send the upload data to the destination vehicle 60 with which vehicle-to-vehicle communication is currently established based on the total value of the remaining lifetimes in the destination vehicle 60 that has been sent previously as the transmission destination.

[0122] Figure 14A and Figure 14B are diagrams showing an example of the order of the collection process of the upload data in the data collection system 500. In addition, in Figure 14A and Figure 14B the destination vehicle 60A, the destination vehicle 60B, and the source vehicle 70A are shown representing the destination vehicle 60 and the source vehicle 70, respectively.

[0123] In S101, the data collection server 50 selects the host vehicles 60A and 60B as host vehicles from among the vehicles managed by the data collection system 500. For example, the data collection server 50 can obtain the connection history of connecting to the WiFi access point from each vehicle, and select the vehicle that can stably communicate with the WiFi access point repeatedly as the host vehicle. Vehicles that can stably communicate with the WiFi access point repeatedly are, for example, vehicles with a WiFi access point set around the residence garage and capable of WiFi communication during the parking period. In addition, the host vehicle can be selected from vehicles with a relatively large storage device margin in the in-vehicle device, or vehicles such as battery EVs or plug-in hybrid vehicles that are not very worried about power depletion during parking. In S102, the data collection server 50 sends a notice of appointing the host vehicle to the host vehicles 60A and 60B.

[0124] In S111, the data collection server 50 selects the source vehicle 70A as the source vehicle from among the vehicles managed by the data collection system 500. The data collection server 50 selects the source vehicle according to a pre-set policy. For example, according to the vehicle's location, vehicle type, sensor specifications, storage device margin, and past movement history, etc., the source vehicle is selected in such a way that the density of the source vehicles is uniform within the area. In S112, the data collection server 50 sends a data collection instruction to the source vehicle 70A. When the source vehicle 70A receives the data collection instruction from the data collection server 50, it starts the process of uploading data.

[0125] After that, as time passes, in S121, the source vehicle 70A and the host vehicle 60A meet on the road. In S122, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication ( Figure 13 OP401) is established between the source vehicle 70A and the host vehicle 60A. At this time, the source vehicle 70A and the host vehicle 60A recognize each other as the source vehicle and the host vehicle, and decide to exchange the uploaded data. In S123, the host vehicle 60A creates a storage capacity curve. In S124, the host vehicle 60A sends the storage capacity curve to the source vehicle 70A through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The source vehicle 70A receives the storage capacity curve from the host vehicle 60A ( Figure 13 OP402).

[0126] In S125, the source vehicle 70A determines the deletion order of the uploaded data ( Figure 13 OP403). In the Figure 14A and Figure 14B processing shown, the source vehicle 70A stores the uploaded data H5 and H6. In addition, the deletion order is set to two stages: "early" and "late". The deletion order of the uploaded data H5 is set to "early". The deletion order of the uploaded data H6 is set to "late". In S126, the source vehicle 70A sends the uploaded data H5 and H6 to the host vehicle 60A through vehicle-to-vehicle communication (Figure 13 The host vehicle 60A stores the received upload data H5 and H6 in the auxiliary storage device 65.

[0127] In S127, for each piece of upload data, the source vehicle 70A obtains the expected lifespan in the host vehicle 60A according to the storage capacity curve, deletion order, and data size of the host vehicle 60A ( Figure 13 OP405), and decides whether to continue or end the transmission to the host vehicle 60 based on the expected lifespan ( Figure 13 OP406). In S127, the source vehicle 70A determines that the transmission of the upload data H6 with a later deletion order ends. This is because the expected lifespan of the upload data H6 in the host vehicle 60A is longer than that of the upload data H5.

[0128] After that, as time passes further, in Figure 14B S131, the source vehicle 70A meets the host vehicle 60B on the road. In S132, the source vehicle 70A and the host vehicle 60B establish vehicle-to-vehicle communication ( Figure 13 OP401). In S133, the host vehicle 60B generates a storage capacity curve. In S134, the host vehicle 60B sends the storage capacity curve to the source vehicle 70A through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The source vehicle 70A receives the storage capacity curve from the host vehicle 60B ( Figure 13 OP402).

[0129] In S135, the source vehicle 70A determines the deletion order of the upload data ( Figure 13 OP403). In S136, the source vehicle 70A sends the upload data H5 to the host vehicle 60B through vehicle-to-vehicle communication ( Figure 13 OP404). Regarding the upload data H6, since it was determined in S127 that the transmission to the host vehicle 60 ends, it is not sent to the host vehicle 60B. The host vehicle 60B stores the received upload data H5 in the auxiliary storage device 65. After that, for the upload data H5, the source vehicle 70A obtains the expected lifespan in the host vehicle 60B according to the storage capacity curve, deletion order, and data size of the host vehicle 60B ( Figure 13 OP405), and decides whether to continue or end the transmission to the host vehicle 60 based on the expected lifespan ( Figure 13 OP406).

[0130] After that, in S151, the host vehicle 60A uploads the upload data H5 and H6 to the data collection server 50, for example, through WiFi communication. As time passes further, in S161, when the remaining capacity of the storage devices in the host vehicle 60A and the host vehicle 60B becomes less than the third threshold, the upload data H5 with an earlier deletion order is deleted from the storage device. In addition, in Figure 14BIn this case, for the sake of simplicity, the deletion of the uploaded data H5 in the host vehicle 60A and the host vehicle 60B is described together, but they each occur at independent times.

[0131] In the second embodiment, in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication-based data collection system, the earlier the deletion order of the uploaded data in the case of insufficient storage device margin, the more host vehicles 60 the data is sent to. Thus, the possibility of uploading the uploaded data with an earlier deletion order to the data collection server 50 can be increased. For example, in Figure 14A and Figure 14B In the example shown, the uploaded data H5 with an earlier deletion order is sent and saved to both the host vehicle 60A and the host vehicle 60B. In Figure 14B the host vehicle 60B deletes the uploaded data H5 before uploading it to the data collection server 50. However, since the host vehicle 60A has uploaded the uploaded data H5 to the data collection server 50 before deleting it, the data collection server 50 can obtain the uploaded data H5.

[0132] In addition, in the host vehicle 60, in the case of insufficient storage device margin, the uploaded data with an earlier deletion order can be deleted from the storage device, or overwritten with data of other applications. Thus, the situation where the storage device of the host vehicle 60 is occupied by the uploaded data and affects the operation of other application programs can be suppressed. In addition, similar to the distribution vehicle 2 in the first embodiment, the host vehicle 60 can also dynamically use the storage device as a short-term cache or a long-term cache.

[0133] <Modification Example of the Second Embodiment> In the second embodiment, the source vehicle 70 receives the storage capacity curve from the host vehicle 60 and determines whether to repeatedly send the uploaded data to multiple host vehicles 60 according to the storage capacity curve. Instead, it may also be that the data collection server 50 periodically receives the position information from the host vehicle 60 and the source vehicle 70, receives the storage capacity curve from the host vehicle 60, predicts the pairing of the host vehicle 60 and the source vehicle 70 that will meet according to the position information, determines the host vehicle 60 that is the destination of the uploaded data sent by the source vehicle 70 and the number thereof according to the storage capacity curve, and instructs the source vehicle 70 via a cellular network or the like.

[0134] <Other Embodiments> The above embodiments are merely examples, and the present disclosure can be appropriately modified within the scope not departing from its gist.

[0135] In the first embodiment, the distribution vehicle 2 generates a storage capacity curve, but the storage capacity curve may also be generated by the distribution server 1. When the distribution server 1 generates the storage capacity curve, for example, the distribution vehicle 2 may periodically notify the distribution server 1 of the remaining storage device capacity, and the distribution server 1 may generate the storage capacity curve in the same manner as in the first embodiment based on the history information of the remaining storage device capacity. In a modification of the second embodiment, the data collection server 50 may generate the storage capacity curve instead of the host vehicle 60.

[0136] The processes and technical means described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as there is no technical contradiction.

[0137] In addition, the processing performed by one device may also be shared and executed by multiple devices. Or, the processing performed by different devices may also be executed by one device. In a computer system, it is possible to flexibly change how each function is implemented using a specific hardware configuration (server configuration).

[0138] This disclosure can also be implemented by providing a computer program installed with the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer and having one or more processors of the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program can be provided to the computer via a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that can be connected to the system bus of the computer, or can be provided to the computer via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable recording media include, for example, any type of disk such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk drive (HDD), etc., optical discs such as CD-ROM, DVD discs, Blu-ray discs, etc., read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic cards, flash memories, optical cards, and any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. Reference Numeral Explanation

[0139] 1 Distribution Server 2 Distribution Vehicle 3 Receiving Vehicle 20 On-vehicle Device 50 Data Collection Server 60 Host Vehicle 70 Source Vehicle 100 Content Distribution System 101, 201 Processor 102, 202 Memory 103, 203 Auxiliary Storage Device 104 Communication Unit 204 Wireless Communication Unit 205 Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication Unit 500 Data Collection System

Claims

1. An information processing device, It has a control unit, The control unit executes: for each of the one or more data blocks, the data block body and the deletion order are transmitted to the one or more first mobile bodies in such a manner that the earlier the deletion order is, the more first mobile bodies are transmitted to; the first moving body, sending or receiving one or more first data blocks of the one or more data blocks by using inter-device communication, sending the received one or more first data blocks to other devices, The one or more first data blocks are deleted according to the deletion order according to the remaining capacity of the storage device.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit transmits each of the one or more data blocks to a number of first mobile bodies such that the total value of the first time stored in the one or more first mobile bodies as the transmission destinations is substantially the same between the data blocks having different deletion orders, The earlier the deletion order of the data blocks is, the shorter the first time is.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein: The control unit estimates the first time in each of the one or more first moving objects based on the size and the deletion order of each of the one or more data blocks and prediction information on changes in remaining storage capacity of each of the one or more first moving objects.

4. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein: The control unit receives the prediction information from the first moving object.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit further executes: determining the deletion order for each of the one or more data blocks.

6. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The information processing device is a server, The first mobile object transmits the one or more first data blocks received from the server to another mobile object as the other apparatus through the inter-device communication.

7. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The information processing device is a device mounted on a mobile body. the first moving body, receiving the one or more first data blocks from the information processing device through the inter-device communication, The one or more received first data blocks are sent to a predetermined server as the other device.

8. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein: The control unit, For each of the one or more data blocks, a first time for storing in the first mobile body is estimated based on the deletion order, size, and prediction information of a change in remaining capacity of a storage device of the first mobile body, The transmission of data blocks whose total value for the first time is less than a predetermined threshold is continued for one or more first mobile bodies as transmission destinations, and the transmission of data blocks whose total value for the first time is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold is stopped.

9. A mobile body, It has a control unit, The control unit performs: Sending or receiving one or more first data blocks using inter-device communication; and sending the one or more first data blocks received from the sending source device to other devices, The control unit, receiving, with respect to each of the one or more first data blocks, a data block body and a deletion order, According to the remaining capacity of the storage device, the one or more first data blocks are deleted in the deletion order, The earlier the deletion order of the one or more first data blocks is, the more mobile objects they are sent to.

10. The moving object according to claim 9, wherein: The control unit further performs: Predicting changes in the remaining capacity of the storage device based on historical information of the remaining capacity of the storage device; and sending prediction information including a prediction result of the remaining amount of the storage device to the sending source device, The one or more first data blocks are at least determined to be sent to the mobile object by the transmission source device based on the size, the deletion order and the prediction information.

11. The moving object according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: The sending source device is a server, The mobile object transmits the one or more first data blocks received from the server to another mobile object as the other apparatus through the inter-device communication.

12. The moving object according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: The transmission source device is a device mounted on a predetermined mobile body, The mobile body, receiving the one or more first data blocks from the transmission source device through the inter-device communication, The one or more received first data blocks are sent to a predetermined server as the other device.

13. A recording medium, Its recording procedures, The program is used to cause a computer to execute: for each of the one or more data blocks, the data block body and the deletion order are sent to one or more first mobile bodies in such a manner that the earlier the deletion order is, the more first mobile bodies are sent to; the first moving body, sending or receiving one or more first data blocks of the one or more data blocks by using inter-device communication, sending the received one or more first data blocks to other devices, The one or more first data blocks are deleted according to the deletion order according to the remaining capacity of the storage device.

14. The recording medium according to claim 13, wherein The program recorded therein causes the computer to: send each of the one or more data blocks to a number of first mobile bodies such that the total value of the first time stored in the one or more first mobile bodies as the sending destination is substantially the same between the data blocks having different deletion orders, The earlier the deletion order of the data blocks is, the shorter the first time is.

15. The recording medium according to claim 14, wherein The recorded program also includes causing the computer to: The first time in each of the one or more first moving bodies is estimated based on the size and the deletion order of each of the one or more data blocks and prediction information on changes in remaining storage capacity of each of the one or more first moving bodies.

16. The recording medium according to claim 15, wherein The recorded program also includes causing the computer to: The prediction information is received from the first mobile object.

17. The recording medium according to claim 13, wherein The recorded program also includes causing the computer to: The deletion order is determined with respect to each of the one or more data blocks.

18. The recording medium according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein: The computer is a server, The first mobile object transmits the one or more first data blocks received from the server to another mobile object as the other apparatus through the inter-device communication.

19. The recording medium according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein: The computer is a device mounted on a mobile body. the first moving body, receiving the one or more first data blocks from the computer through the inter-device communication, The one or more received first data blocks are sent to a predetermined server as the other device.

20. The recording medium according to claim 19, wherein Its recorded procedures enable the computer to: For each of the one or more data blocks, a first time for storing in the first mobile body is estimated based on the deletion order, size, and prediction information of a change in remaining capacity of a storage device of the first mobile body, The transmission of the data blocks for which the total value of the first time is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value with respect to one or more first mobile bodies as transmission destinations is stopped.

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