Information collection system and information collection method

Abstract

To efficiently collect information related to a mobile body such as a vehicle by reducing a communication volume with the mobile body.SOLUTION: An information collection system 1 includes: a communication control section 11 for performing communication with a plurality of mobile bodies 50; an object function setting section 12 for setting one of functions set in the mobile bodies 50 as an object function to acquire information; an object use condition setting section 13 for setting an object use condition being the use condition of the mobile body 50 where a frequency to actuate the object function is assumed to be the highest; an object mobile body extraction section 14 for extracting the object mobile body 50 being the mobile body 50 having the object function and also being used under the object use condition among the mobile bodies 50; and a monitor information acquisition section 15 for acquiring monitor information related to the actuation of the object function through reception from the object mobile body 50 by performing communication with the object mobile body 50 through the communication control section 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information collecting system and an information collecting method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a system that receives and collects various information transmitted from a large number of vehicles (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration that determines whether or not there is an abnormality in a program used in a vehicle's control device, and when the determination result is abnormal, transmits a diagnostic result indicating the abnormality to the system, and when the determination result is normal, transmits nothing, thereby reducing the amount of transmitted information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-91234 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As in the system of the background art, various information related to the vehicles can be collected by communicating with the vehicles, but the type and amount of information that can be collected from each vehicle differs depending on the usage status of each vehicle. Therefore, if vehicles that can communicate are randomly selected and information is collected from the vehicles, there is a disadvantage that unnecessary communication may be performed with vehicles from which necessary information cannot be obtained, reducing the efficiency of information collection. The present application has been made in consideration of the above background, and aims to provide an information collection system and an information collection method that can efficiently collect information regarding moving objects such as vehicles by reducing the amount of communication with the moving objects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A first aspect for achieving the above-mentioned object is an information collection system comprising: a communication control unit that communicates with a plurality of mobile bodies; a target function setting unit that sets one of the functions provided in the mobile bodies as a target function for acquiring information; a target use condition setting unit that sets target use conditions, which are usage conditions for the mobile bodies under which the target function is assumed to be activated frequently; a target mobile body extraction unit that extracts a target mobile body from the plurality of mobile bodies, which is a mobile body that has the target function and is used under the target use conditions; and a monitor information acquisition unit that receives and acquires monitor information regarding the operation of the target function from the target mobile body by communicating with the target mobile body via the communication control unit.

[0006] In the above information collection system, the communication control unit may communicate with a terminal device that transmits collection request information for the monitor information, and the target function setting unit may be configured to set, as the target function, a function designated as a target for information collection by the collection request information received and acquired from the terminal device by communicating with the terminal device via the communication control unit.

[0007] In the above information collection system, the monitor information may include detection information from a sensor provided on the mobile object for detecting an operating status of the target function.

[0008] In the above-mentioned information collection system, the target use condition setting unit may be configured to set the target use condition as being that the mobile body is used in a specified area, or that the mobile body is used within a specified period of time.

[0009] In the above-mentioned information collection system, the target usage condition setting unit may be configured to set, when the target function is a remote control function of the mobile body, the target usage condition to be that the mobile body is used in a cold region, or that the mobile body is used during the winter or summer period.

[0010] A second aspect for achieving the above object is an information collection method executed by a computer, comprising: a communication control step of communicating with a plurality of mobile bodies; a target function setting step of setting one of the functions provided in the mobile bodies as a target function for acquiring information; a target use condition setting step of setting target use conditions which are usage conditions of the mobile bodies under which the target function is assumed to be activated frequently; a target mobile body extraction step of extracting a target mobile body from the plurality of mobile bodies which is a mobile body that has the target function and is used under the target use conditions; and a monitor information acquisition step of receiving and acquiring monitor information regarding the operation of the target function from the target mobile body by communicating with the target mobile body via the communication control step. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the above information collection system, information about the mobile object can be collected efficiently by suppressing the amount of communication with the mobile object. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of an information collection system and a manner in which information is collected from vehicles by the information collection system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the vehicle registration database. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the use condition map. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the monitor information collection process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] [1. How information is collected from vehicles by the information collection system] With reference to Figs. 1 to 3, a description will be given of an aspect of information collection from a plurality of vehicles 50 executed by the information collection system 1 of this embodiment. The vehicles 50 correspond to moving bodies in this disclosure. The information collection system 1 communicates, via a communication network 200, among the plurality of vehicles 50, a mobile terminal 60 used by a user U of the vehicles 50, and a terminal device 100 used by a requester R who requests the collection and provision of information from the vehicles 50. The mobile terminal 60 is, for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, or the like. The terminal device 100 may be a mobile terminal or a fixed terminal such as a personal computer.

[0014] Each vehicle 50 is equipped with an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 51 that controls the operation of the vehicle 50, an air conditioner (air conditioner) 52, a battery 53, various sensors 54, a camera 55 that captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle 50, a communication unit 56, and a display 57 such as a touch panel. The sensors 54 include various sensors for detecting the state of the vehicle 50, such as a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensor that detects the current position of the vehicle 50, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, an interior temperature sensor, a battery sensor, and an operation sensor that detects the operation of actuators provided in the vehicle 50.

[0015] The ECU 51 communicates with the information collection system 1 via the communication network 200 using the communication unit 56, and also communicates with a mobile terminal 60 used by a user U of the vehicle 50 and a mobile key 61 (smart key, FOB key, etc.).

[0016] The ECU 51 receives remote operation information transmitted from the mobile terminal 60 or the portable key 61 via the communication unit 56, and thereby receives instructions for starting the engine (remote engine start) provided in the vehicle 50 and for conditioning the interior of the vehicle using the air conditioner 52, and executes control of a remote operation function for starting the engine and operating the air conditioner 52. Furthermore, the ECU 51 executes control of a driving assistance function for assisting the user U in driving the vehicle 50, based on the situation around the vehicle 50 recognized from an image captured by the camera 55. The driving assistance function is, for example, a collision mitigation brake, ACC (adaptive cruise control), lane departure prevention (lane keep assist), false start prevention, headlight support, parking assistance, etc.

[0017] The information collection system 1 is a computer system including a processor 10, a memory 20, a communication unit 30, etc. The memory 20 stores a program 21 for controlling the information collection system 1, a vehicle registration DB (database) 22, a monitor information DB 23, and a usage condition map 24.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle registration DB22 records vehicle registration information Cri for each vehicle 50, including a vehicle code (Cc-001, Cc-002, ...), user information (Ui-001, Ui-002, ...), vehicle function information (Cf-001, Cf-002, ...), and vehicle usage condition information (Cu-001, Cu-002, ...).

[0019] The vehicle code is identification information uniquely assigned to each vehicle 50. The user information includes the registration ID (identification), name, address, contact information (telephone number, communication address of mobile terminal, etc.) of the user of each vehicle. The vehicle function information is information related to functions (the above-mentioned remote control function, driving assistance function, etc.) equipped in each vehicle 50.

[0020] The vehicle use condition information is information related to the use conditions of each vehicle 50. The use conditions are the region where the vehicle 50 is used (cold region, warm region, etc.), information on roads on which the vehicle 50 frequently travels (frequency of travel on vehicle-only roads, frequency of travel on roads in urban areas, frequency of travel on mountain roads, etc.), etc. Information on the region where the vehicle 50 is used and the roads on which the vehicle 50 has traveled is detected by a GNSS sensor of the vehicle 50, recognized based on position information of the vehicle 50 transmitted from the vehicle 50, and recorded in the vehicle registration DB 22, or recorded in the vehicle registration DB 22 based on information provided by a user U of the vehicle 50.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 3, the use condition map 24 is an example of a map in which each function provided in the vehicle 50 is associated with a use condition under which each function is assumed to be activated frequently. In Fig. 3, the function of remote engine start is associated with a cold region, which is a region where instructions such as starting a drive source such as an engine by remote engine start and starting the operation of the air conditioner 52 linked to the start of the drive source are assumed to be issued frequently, and a summer period and a winter period, which are periods when the instructions are assumed to be issued frequently. Similarly, the function of air conditioning in the vehicle compartment is associated with the use conditions of a cold region, a summer period, and a winter period. In addition, the function of lane departure prevention is associated with a use condition of a high frequency of driving on expressways.

[0022] The information collection system 1 receives the collection request information Mir transmitted from the terminal device 100 in response to the operation of the requester R, thereby accepting a request for providing monitor information related to the operation of a target function, which is any function provided in the vehicle 50. Then, the information collection system 1 refers to the usage condition map 24 and sets the usage condition associated with the target function specified by the collection request information Mir in the usage condition map 24 as the target usage condition, which is the extraction condition for the vehicle 50 from which monitor information is to be obtained.

[0023] When the target use conditions are a usage area or the like recorded in the vehicle registration DB 22, the information collection system 1 refers to the vehicle registration DB 22 and extracts a vehicle 50 (hereinafter referred to as a target vehicle 50) that has the target function and is used under the target use conditions. When the target use conditions are a predetermined period such as the winter period, the information collection system 1 extracts, as the target vehicle 50, a vehicle 50 that has the target function and is used during the predetermined period.

[0024] The information collection system 1 transmits transmission request information Cmr to the target vehicles 50 extracted in this manner, requesting them to transmit monitor information Cmi related to the operation of the target function. The monitor information Cmi includes the date and time when the target function was operated, the time when the target function was operated, and the detection information of the sensor 54 when the target function was operated. For example, if the target function is a driving assistance function, the monitor information Cmi includes information such as the speed, acceleration, and position (driving point) of the target vehicle 50 detected by the sensor when the driving assistance function was operated.

[0025] The information collection system 1 receives and acquires the monitor information Cmi transmitted from the target vehicle 50 in response to receiving the transmission request information Cmr, and stores the monitor information Cmi in the monitor information DB 23. The information collection system 1 transmits monitor report information Mor, which is an organized version of the monitor information Cmi acquired from the target vehicle 50, to the terminal device 100 of the requester R.

[0026] In this way, by communicating and acquiring monitor information Cmi only with target vehicles 50 that satisfy the target usage conditions in which the target function is expected to be activated frequently, communication with vehicles 50 in which the target function is activated infrequently can be avoided, and the monitor information Cmi can be collected efficiently.

[0027] [2. Information collection system configuration] Referring to Figure 1, the processor 10 of the information collection system 1 functions as a communication control unit 11, a target function setting unit 12, a target usage condition setting unit 13, a target moving object extraction unit 14, and a monitor information acquisition unit 15 by reading and executing a program 21 stored in a memory 20.

[0028] The processing executed by the communication control unit 11 corresponds to a communication control step in the information collecting method of the present disclosure, and the processing executed by the target function setting unit 12 corresponds to a target function setting step in the information collecting method of the present disclosure. The processing executed by the target use condition setting unit 13 corresponds to a target use condition setting step in the information collecting method of the present disclosure, and the processing executed by the target moving object extraction unit 14 corresponds to a target moving object extraction step in the information collecting method of the present disclosure. The processing executed by the monitor information acquisition unit 15 corresponds to a monitor information acquisition step in the information collecting method of the present disclosure.

[0029] The communication control unit 11 controls communication by the communication unit 30 via the communication network 200 with a plurality of vehicles 50 registered in the vehicle registration DB 22, a terminal device 100 used by a requester R of the provision of monitor information Cmi, and a mobile terminal 60 used by a user U of the vehicle 50. Communication between the information collection system 1 described below and the vehicles 50 and the terminal device 100 is performed via the communication unit 30 and the communication control unit 11.

[0030] The target function setting unit 12 receives collection request information Mir transmitted from the terminal device 100 and accepts a request to provide monitor information related to the operation of functions provided in the vehicle 50. The target function setting unit 12 sets, as a target function, a function designated as a target of an information collection request by the collection request information Mir.

[0031] The target use condition setting unit 13 refers to the use condition map 24 and sets the use conditions associated with the target function as target use conditions for extracting the vehicles 50 that acquire the monitor information Cmi related to the operation of the target function. The target moving body extraction unit 14 refers to the vehicle registration DB 22 and extracts, as target vehicles 50, the vehicles 50 that have the target function and are used under the target use conditions from among the vehicles 50 registered in the vehicle registration DB 22.

[0032] The monitor information acquisition unit 15 transmits, to the target vehicle 50, transmission request information Cmr requesting the target vehicle 50 to transmit monitor information Cmi related to the operation of the target function, and receives and acquires the monitor information Cmi transmitted from the vehicle 50. The monitor information acquisition unit 15 generates monitor report information Mor by organizing the monitor information Cmi acquired from the target vehicle 50, and transmits the monitor report information Mor to the terminal device 100.

[0033] [3. Collecting monitor information] A series of steps of the process of collecting the monitor information Cmi related to the operation of the target functions of the vehicle 50, which is executed by the information collection system 1, will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0034] 4, the target function setting unit 12 advances the process to step S2 when it receives collection request information Mir transmitted from the terminal device 100. In step S2, the target function setting unit 12 sets the functions that are targets of information collection, specified by the collection request information Mir, as target functions.

[0035] In the next step S3, the target use condition setting unit 13 refers to the use condition map 24 and sets the use conditions associated with the target function as target use conditions for extracting monitor information related to the operation of the target function. In the following step S4, the target moving object extraction unit 14 refers to the vehicle registration DB 22 and extracts target vehicles 50 that have the target function and are used under the target use conditions from among the vehicles 50 registered in the vehicle registration DB 22.

[0036] In the next step S5, the monitor information acquisition unit 15 transmits, to the target vehicle 50, transmission request information Cmr requesting the target vehicle 50 to transmit monitor information related to the operation of the target function, and receives and acquires the monitor information Cmi transmitted from the target vehicle 50. In the following step S6, the monitor information acquisition unit 15 organizes the multiple pieces of acquired monitor information Cmi to generate monitor report information Mor indicating the operation status of the target function.

[0037] In the next step S7, the monitor information acquisition unit 15 transmits the monitor report information Mor to the terminal device 100 of the requester R. The requester R can view the monitor report information Mor through the terminal device 100 and perform analysis of the operating status of the target function, etc.

[0038] [4. Other embodiments] In the above embodiment, a vehicle is shown as the moving body of the present disclosure, but the moving body of the present disclosure may be any moving body having a target function from which information on the operating status is collected, and may also be an aircraft, a ship, etc.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the use conditions for extracting a specific vehicle from which monitor information is to be obtained are exemplified in Fig. 4 as the area in which the vehicle is used, the period in which the vehicle is used, and the frequency of use on a vehicle-only road. In another embodiment, for example, when the target function is the erroneous start prevention function, the use condition may be set as the fact that the user of the vehicle is an elderly person.

[0040] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the functional configuration of the information collection system 1 divided according to the main processing contents in order to facilitate understanding of the invention of the present disclosure, and the configuration of the information collection system 1 may be divided in other ways. Furthermore, the processing of each component may be executed by one hardware unit or by multiple hardware units. Furthermore, the processing of each component shown in FIG. 4 may be executed by one program or by multiple programs.

[0041] [5. Configuration supported by the above embodiment] The above embodiment is a specific example of the following configuration.

[0042] (Configuration 1) An information collection system comprising: a communication control unit that communicates with a plurality of mobile bodies; a target function setting unit that sets one of the functions provided in the mobile bodies as a target function for acquiring information; a usage condition setting unit that sets usage conditions for the mobile bodies under which the target function is assumed to be activated frequently; a target mobile body extraction unit that extracts a target mobile body from the plurality of mobile bodies, the target mobile body being a mobile body that has the target function and is used under the usage conditions; and a monitor information acquisition unit that receives and acquires monitor information regarding the operation of the target function from the target mobile body by communicating with the target mobile body via the communication control unit. According to the information collection system of configuration 1, by extracting a target moving object that is being used under usage conditions in which the target function is expected to be activated frequently, and obtaining monitor information regarding the operation of the target function from the target moving object, it is possible to efficiently collect information regarding the moving object while reducing the amount of communication with the moving object.

[0043] (Configuration 2) The information collection system described in Configuration 1, wherein the communication control unit communicates with a terminal device that transmits collection request information for the monitor information, and the target function setting unit sets, as the target function, a function designated as a target for information collection by the collection request information received and acquired from the terminal device by communicating with the terminal device via the communication control unit. According to the information collection system of configuration 2, a requester of information can specify, by the collection request information, a function from which monitor information is to be collected, from among a plurality of functions provided in the mobile object.

[0044] (Configuration 3) The information collecting system according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the monitor information includes detection information of a sensor provided on the moving object for detecting an operating status of the target function. According to the information collection system of configuration 3, it is possible to collect sensor detection information that can be utilized for analyzing the operating status of a target function, etc.

[0045] (Configuration 4) An information collection system according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the usage condition setting unit sets, as the usage condition, that the mobile body is used in a specified area or that the mobile body is used within a specified period of time. According to the information collection system of configuration 4, for example, it is possible to set usage conditions under which the target function is activated frequently based on differences in usage environments between regions such as cold regions and warm regions, and differences in temperature between seasons.

[0046] (Configuration 5) An information providing system as described in Configuration 4, wherein the usage condition setting unit sets, when the target function is a remote control function of the mobile object, the usage condition to be that the mobile object is used in a cold region, or that the mobile object is used during the winter or summer period. According to the information collection system of configuration 5, the remote control function can be used to set the conditions of use as follows: use in cold climates where operations such as starting the operation of an air conditioning device installed in a mobile object are expected to be performed frequently; use during winter periods where operations such as starting heating using an air conditioning device are expected to be performed frequently; or use during summer periods where operations such as starting cooling using an air conditioning device are expected to be performed frequently.

[0047] (Configuration 6) An information collection method executed by a computer, comprising: a communication control step of communicating with a plurality of mobile bodies; a target function setting step of setting one of the functions provided in the mobile bodies as a target function from which information is to be obtained; a usage condition setting step of setting usage conditions for the mobile bodies under which the target function is assumed to be activated frequently; a target mobile body extraction step of extracting a target mobile body from the plurality of mobile bodies, the target mobile body being a mobile body that has the target function and is used under the usage conditions; and a monitor information acquisition step of receiving and acquiring monitor information regarding the operation of the target function from the target mobile body by communicating with the target mobile body via the communication control step. By executing the information gathering method of configuration 6 by a computer, the same effects as those of the information system of configuration 1 can be obtained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1...information collection system, 10...processor, 11...communication control unit, 12...target function setting unit, 13...usage condition setting unit, 14...usage condition setting unit, 15...monitor information acquisition unit, 20...memory, 21...program, 22...vehicle registration DB, 23...monitor information DB, 24...usage condition map, 30...communication unit, 50...vehicle (mobile body), 51...ECU, 52...air conditioning unit, 53...battery, 54...sensor, 55...camera, 56...communication unit, 57...display, 60...(user's) mobile terminal, 61...mobile key, 100...(requester's) terminal device, 200...communication network, R...requester, U...user.

Claims

1. A communication control unit that performs communication with a plurality of mobile objects; a target function setting unit that sets any one of the functions provided in the moving object as a target function for acquiring information; a target use condition setting unit that sets a target use condition, which is a use condition of the moving object under which the target function is expected to be activated frequently; a target moving object extraction unit that extracts a target moving object, which is a moving object that has the target function and is used under the target usage conditions, from the plurality of moving objects; a monitor information acquisition unit that receives and acquires monitor information related to the operation of the target function from the target mobile object by communicating with the target mobile object via the communication control unit; An information gathering system comprising:

2. The communication control unit communicates with a terminal device that transmits the collection request information for the monitor information, The target function setting unit sets, as the target function, a function designated as a target of information collection by the collection request information received and acquired from the terminal device by communicating with the terminal device via the communication control unit. The information gathering system according to claim 1 .

3. The monitor information includes detection information of a sensor provided in the mobile object for detecting the operating status of the target function.

3. The information collecting system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The target use condition setting unit sets, as the target use condition, that the mobile object is used in a predetermined area or that the mobile object is used within a predetermined period of time.

3. The information collecting system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. When the target function is a remote control function of the moving object, the target use condition setting unit sets, as the target use condition, that the moving object is used in a cold region or that the moving object is used during a winter period or a summer period.

5. The information gathering system according to claim 4.

6. 1. A computer-implemented method for collecting information, comprising: A communication control step of performing communication between a plurality of mobile objects; a target function setting step of setting any one of the functions provided in the moving object as a target function for acquiring information; a target use condition setting step of setting a target use condition which is a use condition of the moving object under which the target function is expected to be activated frequently; a target moving object extraction step of extracting a target moving object, which is a moving object having the target function and being used under the target usage condition, from the plurality of moving objects; a monitor information acquisition step of receiving and acquiring monitor information related to the operation of the target function from the target mobile object by communicating with the target mobile object through the communication control step; An information collection method comprising:

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