On-board device, control server, measurement data collection method and program

Abstract

The present invention optimizes the transmission of measured data from a measurement vehicle. This vehicle-mounted device is provided with: a measurement unit that can use a sensor to measure the conditions of the road surface on which a vehicle is traveling; a bandwidth evaluation unit that evaluates the bandwidth of the network to the server to which measured data of the road surface conditions is to be transmitted; an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measured data on the basis of a prescribed importance determination policy; a transmission unit that can transmit the measured data of the road surface conditions to the server; and a control unit that controls the transmission of the measured data to the server by the transmission unit, on the basis of the evaluation of the bandwidth of the network and the importance of the measured data.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device, a control server, a measurement data collection method, and program Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, in addition to a method using a dedicated road surface property measuring vehicle, a method of measuring and inspecting the road surface condition using a general vehicle has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a road surface condition estimating device capable of appropriately estimating the road surface condition. According to this document, the road surface condition estimating device is described as comprising an acquisition means for acquiring behavior information related to the behavior of the vehicle from the vehicle, a determination means for determining whether or not an abnormality condition is satisfied based on a specific behavior that is expected to be taken by the vehicle when the vehicle encounters a road surface abnormality, and an estimation means for estimating the road surface condition based on the determination result of the determination means.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a pavement management support system that can determine the priority of measures by considering the importance of the road as well as the deterioration of the pavement. According to the document, the pavement management support system sets an evaluation index for making a pavement repair plan for each section, and is described as having a deterioration degree determination means, an importance determination means, and an overall rating calculation means. Of these, the deterioration degree determination means determines a "deterioration degree score" indicating the deterioration degree of the pavement of the target section based on the MCI value, the importance determination means determines an "importance score" indicating the importance of the pavement of the target section based on two or more "evaluation items," and the overall rating calculation means calculates an "overall score" based on the deterioration degree score and the importance score. Here, MCI is an abbreviation for Maintenance Control Index, and is used as a pavement maintenance index. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-13537 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-36182 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The following analysis has been provided by the present inventor. In the method of Patent Document 1, a vehicle traveling on a road transmits measurement data to a device called a road surface condition estimation device. Therefore, depending on the network bandwidth situation, a problem occurs in that a large amount of transmitted measurement data puts a strain on the network bandwidth between the vehicle and the road surface condition estimation device.

[0006] In order to avoid the above-mentioned situation of overloading the network bandwidth, it is possible to select the measurement data to be transmitted based on some criteria. However, if the data is selected based on a uniform criterion, the transmission of the measurement data will be suppressed even when there is sufficient network bandwidth.

[0007] In this regard, Patent Document 2 merely discloses that an "overall rating" is calculated based on a "deterioration rating" indicating the degree of deterioration of the pavement in the target section and an "importance rating" indicating the importance of the pavement in the target section.

[0008] The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device, a control server, a measurement data collection method, and program The purpose is to provide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] According to a first aspect, there is provided an in-vehicle device comprising: a measurement unit capable of measuring the road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor; a bandwidth evaluation unit that evaluates the network bandwidth between a server to which measurement data of the road surface condition is sent; an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; a transmission unit that can send the measurement data to the server; and a control unit that controls the creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. More specifically, according to a first aspect of the present invention, A measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor; a bandwidth evaluation unit for evaluating a network bandwidth between a server and the server to which the measurement data of the road surface condition is transmitted; an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; A transmitting unit capable of transmitting the measurement data to the server; a control unit that controls the measurement unit to generate the measurement data or the transmission unit to transmit the measurement data to the server based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; An in-vehicle device comprising: the control unit determines a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and performs the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; When the network bandwidth is relatively low, the control unit determines the threshold to be a higher value than when the network bandwidth is relatively high, and creates or transmits measurement data having a higher importance than the determined threshold. Characterized by . According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, A measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor; a bandwidth evaluation unit for evaluating a network bandwidth between a server and the server to which the measurement data of the road surface condition is transmitted; an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; A transmitting unit capable of transmitting the measurement data to the server; a control unit that controls the measurement unit to generate the measurement data or the transmission unit to transmit the measurement data to the server based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; An in-vehicle device comprising: the control unit determines a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and performs the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; the control unit determines a correspondence relationship between the network bandwidth and a threshold value of the importance level based on at least one of an amount of measurement data to be transmitted based on the network bandwidth and the importance level of the measurement data and a performance value of communication quality at the time of transmitting the measurement data. Characterized by . According to the first and third aspects of the present invention, A measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor; a bandwidth evaluation unit for evaluating a network bandwidth between a server and the server to which the measurement data of the road surface condition is transmitted; an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; A transmitting unit capable of transmitting the measurement data to the server; a control unit that controls the measurement unit to generate the measurement data or the transmission unit to transmit the measurement data to the server based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; An in-vehicle device comprising: The importance calculation unit is Calculating a reliability indicating the certainty of the measurement data; Giving high importance to the measurement data with high reliability. Characterized by .

[0010] According to a second aspect, there is provided a control server comprising a vehicle having a measurement unit capable of measuring the road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit configured to calculate the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit configured to transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to the server, and a control unit, a bandwidth evaluation unit configured to evaluate the network bandwidth between the server to which the measurement data is to be transmitted, and a notification unit configured to notify the vehicle of the network bandwidth, and which causes the control unit of the vehicle to control the creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. More specifically, according to a second aspect of the present invention, a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; and a bandwidth evaluation unit that evaluates a network bandwidth between the vehicle and the server to which the measurement data is transmitted; a notification unit that notifies the vehicle of the network bandwidth, causing the control unit of the vehicle to control the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. A control server is provided. The control server includes: causing the control unit to determine a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and to perform the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; causing the control unit to determine, when the network bandwidth is relatively low, the threshold value to be higher than when the network bandwidth is relatively high, and to create or transmit measurement data having a higher importance than the determined threshold value. Characterized by . According to the second aspect of the present invention, a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; and a bandwidth evaluation unit that evaluates a network bandwidth between the vehicle and the server to which the measurement data is transmitted; a notification unit that notifies the vehicle of the network bandwidth, causing the control unit of the vehicle to control the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. A control server is provided. The control server includes: causing the control unit to determine a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and to perform the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; causing the control unit to determine a correspondence relationship between the network bandwidth and a threshold value of the importance level based on at least one of an amount of measurement data to be transmitted based on the network bandwidth and the importance level of the measurement data and a performance value of communication quality at the time of transmitting the measurement data. Characterized by . According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; and a bandwidth evaluation unit that evaluates a network bandwidth between the vehicle and the server to which the measurement data is transmitted; a notification unit that notifies the vehicle of the network bandwidth, causing the control unit of the vehicle to control the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. A control server is provided. In the control server, A high importance is given by the importance calculation unit to measurement data having a high reliability indicating the certainty of the measurement data calculated by the importance calculation unit. Characterized by .

[0011] According to a third aspect, there is provided a method for collecting measured data, in which an on-board device of a vehicle equipped with a measurement unit capable of measuring the road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor and a transmission unit capable of transmitting measured data of the road surface condition to the server evaluates a network bandwidth between the server and the measured data destination, calculates the importance of the measured data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, and controls creation of the measured data by the measurement unit or transmission of the measured data to the server by the transmission unit based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measured data. This method is linked to a specific machine, that is, the on-board device of the vehicle capable of measuring the road surface condition. More specifically, according to a third aspect of the present invention, An in-vehicle device of a vehicle includes a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, and a transmission unit capable of transmitting measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, Evaluating a network bandwidth between the server and the measurement data destination; Calculating the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; Controlling the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. A method for collecting measurement data is provided. the in-vehicle device determines a threshold value of the importance of the measured data based on the network bandwidth, and performs the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measured data; When the network bandwidth is relatively low, the vehicle-mounted device determines the threshold to be a higher value than when the network bandwidth is relatively high, and creates or transmits measurement data having a higher importance than the determined threshold. Characterized by . According to the third aspect of the present invention, An in-vehicle device of a vehicle includes a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, and a transmission unit capable of transmitting measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, Evaluating a network bandwidth between the server and the measurement data destination; Calculating the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; Controlling the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. A method for collecting measurement data is provided. the in-vehicle device determines a threshold value of the importance of the measured data based on the network bandwidth, and performs the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measured data; The in-vehicle device determines a correspondence relationship between the network bandwidth and a threshold value of the importance level based on at least one of an amount of measurement data to be transmitted based on the network bandwidth and the importance level of the measurement data and a communication quality at the time of transmitting the measurement data. Characterized by . According to a third aspect of the present invention, An in-vehicle device of a vehicle includes a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, and a transmission unit capable of transmitting measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, Evaluating a network bandwidth between the server and the measurement data destination; Calculating the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; Controlling the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. A method for collecting measurement data is provided. The in-vehicle device includes: Calculating a reliability indicating the certainty of the measurement data; Giving high importance to the measurement data with high reliability. Characterized by .

[0012] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a method for collecting measurement data, the method comprising: a control server having a communication unit capable of communicating with an on-board device of a vehicle, the control server including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to the server, and a control unit, the control server evaluating a network bandwidth between the server and the on-board device of the vehicle and notifying the on-board device of the vehicle of the network bandwidth, and causing the control unit of the vehicle to control the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. This method is tied to a specific machine, that is, a control server having a communication unit capable of communicating with the on-board device. More specifically, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a control server including a communication unit capable of communicating with an in-vehicle device of a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; Evaluating a network bandwidth between the server and the measurement data destination; notifying the in-vehicle device of the vehicle of the network bandwidth; causing the control unit of the vehicle to control the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. A method for collecting measurement data is provided. The control server includes: causing the control unit to determine a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and to perform the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; causing the control unit to determine, when the network bandwidth is relatively low, the threshold value to be higher than when the network bandwidth is relatively high, and to create or transmit measurement data having a higher importance than the determined threshold value. Characterized by . According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a control server including a communication unit capable of communicating with an in-vehicle device of a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; Evaluating a network bandwidth between the server and the measurement data destination; notifying the in-vehicle device of the vehicle of the network bandwidth; causing the control unit of the vehicle to control the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. A method for collecting measurement data is provided. The control server includes: causing the control unit to determine a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and to perform the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; causing the control unit to determine a correspondence relationship between the network bandwidth and a threshold value of the importance level based on at least one of an amount of measurement data to be transmitted based on the network bandwidth and the importance level of the measurement data and a performance value of communication quality at the time of transmitting the measurement data. It is characterized by: According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a control server including a communication unit capable of communicating with an in-vehicle device of a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; Evaluating a network bandwidth between the server and the measurement data destination; notifying the in-vehicle device of the vehicle of the network bandwidth; causing the control unit of the vehicle to control the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. A method for collecting measurement data is provided. In the measurement data collection method, A high importance is given by the importance calculation unit to measurement data having a high reliability indicating the certainty of the measurement data calculated by the importance calculation unit. Characterized by .

[0013] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer program (hereinafter, "program") for implementing each function of the above-mentioned in-vehicle device and control server. This program is input to the computer device from an input device or from the outside via a communication interface, stored in a storage device, and drives the processor according to a predetermined step or process. This program can also display the processing result, including an intermediate state, at each stage via a display device as necessary, or can communicate with the outside via the communication interface. For example, the computer device for this purpose typically includes a processor, a storage device, an input device, a communication interface, and a display device as necessary, which are connectable to each other via a bus. This program can also be recorded on a computer-readable (non-transitive) storage medium. More specifically, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, A vehicle-mounted device includes a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, and a transmission unit capable of transmitting measurement data of the road surface condition to a server. A process of evaluating a network bandwidth between a server to which the measurement data is transmitted; calculating the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; a process of controlling creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit or transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; A program for executing the above is provided. The program is executed by the in-vehicle device. determining a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and performing the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; determining, when the network bandwidth is relatively low, the threshold value to be higher than when the network bandwidth is relatively high, and creating or transmitting measurement data having a higher importance than the determined threshold value; To carry out Characterized by 。 According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, A vehicle-mounted device includes a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, and a transmission unit capable of transmitting measurement data of the road surface condition to a server. A process of evaluating a network bandwidth between a server to which the measurement data is transmitted; calculating the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; a process of controlling creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit or transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; A program for executing the above is provided. The program is configured to: determining a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and performing the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; determining a correspondence relationship between the network bandwidth and a threshold value of the importance level based on at least one of an amount of measurement data to be transmitted based on the network bandwidth and the importance level of the measurement data and a performance value of communication quality at the time of transmitting the measurement data; To carry out Characterized by 。 According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, A vehicle-mounted device includes a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, and a transmission unit capable of transmitting measurement data of the road surface condition to a server. A process of evaluating a network bandwidth between a server to which the measurement data is transmitted; calculating the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; a process of controlling creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit or transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; A program for executing the above is provided. The program is configured to: Calculating a reliability indicating the certainty of the measurement data; A process of assigning a high importance to the measurement data having a high reliability. To carry out Characterized by 。 According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a control server including a communication unit capable of communicating with an on-board device of a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; A process of evaluating a network bandwidth between a server to which the measurement data is transmitted; and notifying the in-vehicle device of the vehicle of the network bandwidth. A program is provided to the control unit of the vehicle to control the creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle, the measurement of the road surface conditions by the measurement unit of the vehicle, or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. The program includes: A process of causing the control unit to determine a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and to perform the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; a process of causing the control unit to determine, when the network bandwidth is relatively low, the threshold value to be higher than when the network bandwidth is relatively high, and to create or transmit measurement data having a higher importance than the determined threshold value; To carry out Characterized by 。 According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a control server including a communication unit capable of communicating with an on-board device of a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; A process of evaluating a network bandwidth between a server to which the measurement data is transmitted; and notifying the in-vehicle device of the vehicle of the network bandwidth. A program is provided to the control unit of the vehicle to control the creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle, the measurement of the road surface conditions by the measurement unit of the vehicle, or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. The program includes: A process of causing the control unit to determine a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and to perform the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; a process of causing the control unit to determine a correspondence relationship between the network bandwidth and a threshold value of the importance level based on at least one of an amount of measurement data to be transmitted based on the network bandwidth and the importance level of the measurement data and a communication quality at the time of transmitting the measurement data; To carry out Characterized by . According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a control server including a communication unit capable of communicating with an on-board device of a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; A process of evaluating a network bandwidth between a server to which the measurement data is transmitted; and notifying the in-vehicle device of the vehicle of the network bandwidth. A program is provided to the control unit of the vehicle to control the creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle, the measurement of the road surface conditions by the measurement unit of the vehicle, or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. In the program, A high importance is given by the importance calculation unit to measurement data having a high reliability indicating the certainty of the measurement data calculated by the importance calculation unit. Characterized by . Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the invention, it is possible to optimize the transmission of measurement data from a measurement vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a measurement vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a table referred to by a control unit of a measurement vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of a measurement vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a measurement vehicle and a road inspection server according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9]6 is a flowchart showing the operation of a measurement vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 13 is a diagram showing another example of a table referred to by the control unit of the measurement vehicle of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 11] 13 is a diagram showing another example of a table referred to by the control unit of the measurement vehicle of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a computer installed in a measurement vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] First, an overview of one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the reference numerals in the drawings are added to each element for convenience as an example to aid in understanding, and are not intended to limit the present invention to the illustrated embodiment. Also, the connection lines between blocks in the drawings and the like referred to in the following description include both bidirectional and unidirectional. A unidirectional arrow is a schematic representation of the flow of a main signal (data), and does not exclude bidirectionality. A program is executed via a computer device, which includes, for example, a processor, a storage device, an input device, a communication interface, and a display device as necessary. Also, this computer device is configured to be able to communicate with devices (including computers) inside or outside the device via the communication interface, regardless of whether it is wired or wireless. Also, although there are ports or interfaces at the connection points of input and output of each block in the drawing, they are not shown.

[0017] In one embodiment, the present invention can be realized by an in-vehicle device 20 including a measurement unit 21, a band evaluation unit 22, an importance calculation unit 23, a control unit 24, and a transmission unit 25, as shown in FIG.

[0018] More specifically, the measurement unit 21 is configured to be able to measure the condition of the road surface on which the vehicle is traveling, using a sensor.

[0019] The bandwidth evaluation unit 22 evaluates the network bandwidth between the server receiving the road surface condition measurement data. This "network bandwidth" can be evaluated, for example, by the "throughput" value indicating the amount of data that can be transmitted per unit time (effective transfer speed, for example, XX Mbps). For example, if the throughput value is higher than a predetermined threshold, the "network bandwidth" is evaluated as "high," and if the throughput value is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold, the "network bandwidth" is evaluated as "low."

[0020] The importance calculation unit 23 calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy. The predetermined importance determination policy is not particularly limited as long as it can calculate the importance of the measurement data. For example, the importance of the measurement data of the road surface condition of roads with high service demand levels, such as national roads and prefectural roads, may be set to "high", and the importance of the measurement data of the road surface condition of other roads may be set to "low".

[0021] The control unit 24 controls the creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit 21 or the transmission of the measurement data measured by the measurement unit 21 to the server based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. Specifically, the control unit 24 determines a threshold value for the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, compares the threshold value with the importance of the measurement data, and controls the creation or transmission of the measurement data. The transmission unit 25 is configured to be able to transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to the server.

[0022] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the in-vehicle device 20. Referring to FIG. 13, first, the in-vehicle device 20 evaluates the network bandwidth between the server to which the measurement data is to be transmitted (step S901). Next, the in-vehicle device 20 measures the road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor (step S902). Next, the in-vehicle device 20 calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy (step S903). Next, the in-vehicle device 20 determines whether the measurement data satisfies a predetermined transmission condition (step S904). If it is determined that the measurement data should be transmitted as a result of the determination, the in-vehicle device 20 transmits the measurement data to the server (step S905).

[0023] 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the control unit 24 in the above step S904. When the network bandwidth is "high", the control unit 24 determines to perform measurement and transmit data regardless of the importance of the measurement data, and controls the measurement unit 21 and the transmission unit 25. That is, the control unit 24 determines a threshold value for the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and compares the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data to determine whether or not the measurement data needs to be created or whether or not the measurement data needs to be transmitted to the server.

[0024] On the other hand, when the network bandwidth is evaluated to be lower than the predetermined threshold, the control unit 24 controls the transmission unit 25 to suppress the transmission of measurement data with low importance. That is, when the evaluated network bandwidth is a second evaluation value lower than the first evaluation value, the control unit 24 operates to suppress the transmission of measurement data whose importance is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold. Note that measurement data whose importance is higher than the predetermined threshold is subject to transmission to the server, similar to the case where the network bandwidth is high.

[0025] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to optimize the transmission of measurement data from the measurement vehicle, because the in-vehicle device 20 is configured to evaluate the importance of the measurement data and the network bandwidth, and dynamically control the transmission of the measurement data according to the evaluation results.

[0026] The function of the control unit 24 can also be realized by a method in which the control unit 24 changes a threshold value to be compared with the importance of the measurement data. In this case, the control unit 24 determines a threshold value to be compared with the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth. Then, the control unit 24 compares the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data, and controls the measurement unit 21 to create the measurement data or the measurement data measured by the measurement unit 21 to be transmitted to the server.

[0027] More specifically, when the network bandwidth is evaluated as relatively low, the control unit 24 changes the threshold value for comparison with the importance of the measurement data to a value higher than the threshold value when the network bandwidth is evaluated as relatively high.The control unit 24 then performs control to create or transmit measurement data with high importance by comparing with the changed high threshold value.

[0028] In the above description, the threshold for comparing with the importance of the measurement data is increased when the network bandwidth is evaluated relatively low, but the predetermined threshold may be controlled to be decreased when the network bandwidth is evaluated relatively high, so that more measurement data is transmitted when the evaluated network bandwidth is evaluated relatively high.

[0029] In addition, in the above explanation, it is assumed that the measurement data will be transmitted and the transmission of the measurement data is suppressed, but the control unit 24 can also be configured to transmit the measurement data only when conditions are met based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data.

[0030] [First embodiment] Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 3, a configuration is shown in which a road inspection server 100 and a measurement vehicle 200 equipped with an on-board device are connected via a network. Note that, although one measurement vehicle 200 is shown in the example of Fig. 3, a configuration in which multiple measurement vehicles 200 transmit measurement data to the road inspection server 100 may also be used.

[0031] The road inspection server 100 receives measurement data from the measurement vehicle 200 and inspects the road surface condition. For example, the road inspection server 100 calculates the crack rate, rutting amount, IRI (International Roughness Index), etc. of the road from the measurement data received from the measurement vehicle 200, and inspects the road based on these. Also, a measurement item called flatness can be set instead of the IRI. Also, a configuration can be adopted in which the MCI (Maintenance Control Index) is calculated using these measurement items and inspection is performed.

[0032] 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a measurement vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The measurement vehicle 200 includes, as on-board devices, a measurement unit 201, a band evaluation unit 202, an importance calculation unit 203, a control unit 204, and a transmission unit 205. These may be configured as an integrated unit, or may be distributed across multiple units.

[0033] The measurement unit 201 is connected to a camera 206 as a sensor, and creates measurement data of the road surface condition using the camera 206. The camera 206 may be an optical camera that captures images in the visible light range, an infrared camera, or a camera that uses millimeter waves. Also, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) may be used as a sensor.

[0034] The bandwidth evaluation unit 202 evaluates the bandwidth of the network used for transmitting measurement data between the measurement vehicle 200 and the road inspection server 100. Methods for evaluating the bandwidth of the network include a method for directly evaluating the throughput itself and a method for indirectly evaluating the throughput from other indicators. The former method for directly evaluating the throughput itself includes a method for measuring the throughput by exchanging measurement traffic with the equipment on the road inspection server 100 side, as well as various throughput measurement methods and throughput estimation methods. In addition, since the wireless section is often a bottleneck in evaluating the bandwidth of the network, the bandwidth of the wireless section may be estimated and treated as the bandwidth of the network between the measurement vehicle 200 and the road inspection server 100. Methods for indirectly estimating (evaluating) the throughput of a wireless communication network from other indicators include the following. - Wireless quality of wireless communication network (received power, desired signal to interference signal power ratio) - Frequency bandwidth of wireless communication network (10MHz width, 100MHz width, etc.) · Congestion level of wireless communication network (wireless resource usage rate, number of connected users, etc.) -Type of wireless communication network (LTE (Long Term Evolution), 5G, WiFi (registered trademark), etc.)

[0035] In addition to the above-mentioned indices, the network bandwidth may be evaluated using the time period or the load of the road inspection server. For example, if the evaluation value of the network bandwidth for each time period is obtained statistically, the statistically obtained evaluation value can be used as the evaluation value of the network bandwidth for the corresponding time period. Furthermore, if the load of the road inspection server is close to the evaluation value of the network bandwidth, the value obtained from the load of the road inspection server can be used as the evaluation value of the network bandwidth.

[0036] The network bandwidth evaluation value by the bandwidth evaluation unit 202 may be the measured or estimated throughput value, or a discrete or qualitative classification result regarding the throughput (e.g., a 5-point scale of 1 to 5, or a 3-point scale of high, medium, low, etc.).

[0037] The importance calculation unit 203 calculates the importance of the measurement data. The importance of the measurement data can be calculated by combining one or more of the following information: -Type of road to be measured For example, when road types are set for roads based on differences in service requirement levels or road managers, the importance can be set according to the road types. The location of the vehicle-mounted device can be identified by GPS (Global Positioning System) information or information from nearby roadside devices, and the road on which measurement is to be started can be identified based on the location information. · Reliability of measurement data For example, when data is measured under conditions that are not suitable for measurement, it can be said that the reliability of the data is reduced. The reliability of the measurement data can be obtained by quantifying the environment in which the data is measured using the degree to which the environment is suitable for measurement. For example, the image included in the measurement data is generally affected by the brightness of the shooting environment, the weather at the time of shooting, the shaking of the measurement vehicle, the vehicle speed, etc., and for example, when the shooting environment is dark, the image quality deteriorates. When data is measured under such conditions that the image quality deteriorates, the reliability of the measurement data decreases. The importance of such data with low reliability can be reduced. -Severity of road deterioration When a pothole or crack is found in an image of the road surface, emergency repairs are required for safety reasons, and the road administrator must also understand the size of the crack and determine whether repairs are necessary. The severity of such road deterioration can be calculated, for example, from the size of the deteriorated area shown in the image.

[0038] The transmitting unit 205 transmits the measurement data of the road surface condition created by the measuring unit 201 to the road inspection server 100. The measurement data transmitted by the transmitting unit 205 to the road inspection server 100 may include not only the measurement data selected for transmission based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data, but also the measurement data before and after the measurement data. In other words, the control unit 204 controls the measuring unit 201 or the transmitting unit 205 to create chronologically continuous measurement data including a certain measurement data, or to transmit the measurement data to the server. In this way, it is possible to facilitate the analysis in the road inspection server 100 of a specific abnormality mode, such as a crack over a certain length.

[0039] The control unit 204 controls the measurement of the road surface condition by the measurement unit or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit, based on the evaluated network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data.

[0040] For example, the control unit 204 may be configured to control the transmission of the measurement data to the server by referring to a table that defines a combination of the classified network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. Such a table may be created by classifying the network bandwidth and defining an importance threshold for each class. For example, when the network bandwidth is evaluated (classified) into three levels, high, medium, and low, and the importance of the measurement data is assigned in five levels, 5 to 1, in descending order of importance, the control unit 204 refers to the table shown in FIG. 5 to determine whether or not data transmission is necessary. In the example of FIG. 5, when the network bandwidth is "high", the control unit 204 transmits all measurement data of importance levels 1 to 5 to the road inspection server 100. In other words, when the network bandwidth is "high", the importance threshold is set to level 1. Alternatively, when the network bandwidth is "high", all measurement data of importance levels 1 to 5 are transmitted, so that the importance threshold may not be set. Similarly, when the network bandwidth is "medium", the control unit 204 transmits measurement data with importance levels 3 to 5 to the road inspection server 100. In other words, when the network bandwidth is "medium", the threshold of importance is set to level 3. Furthermore, when the network bandwidth is "low", the control unit 204 transmits measurement data with importance level 5 to the road inspection server 100. In other words, when the network bandwidth is "low", the threshold of importance is set to level 5. In this way, the control unit 204 performs an operation of limiting the measurement data to be transmitted to those with higher importance as the evaluation value of the network bandwidth becomes lower. Note that, in the example of FIG. 5, a combination of the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data that is a condition for transmitting the measurement data is defined, but as shown in FIG. 11, a table that defines a combination of the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data that is a condition for suppressing the transmission of the measurement data may be used. Similarly, it may be considered that the threshold of importance is set according to the network bandwidth in the table shown in FIG. 11.

[0041] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing the operation of the measurement vehicle of the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 6, the on-board device mounted on the measurement vehicle 200 first starts measuring the road surface condition at a predetermined timing such as arrival at the start point of a road designated in advance or a user's measurement start operation (step S001).

[0042] Next, the on-board device mounted on the measurement vehicle 200 calculates the importance of the measured data (step S002). Here, it is assumed that the on-board device calculates a score by combining the type of road to be measured, the reliability of the measured data, and the severity of road deterioration, and assigns a five-level importance from 5 to 1 in descending order of value.

[0043] Next, the on-board device installed in the measurement vehicle 200 evaluates the bandwidth of the network (step S003). Here, it is assumed that the on-board device obtains a score from the wireless quality (received power, desired signal to interference power ratio) of the wireless communication network, and evaluates the bandwidth of the network in three stages: high, medium, and low.

[0044] The on-board device mounted on the measurement vehicle 200 refers to the table shown in Fig. 5 to determine whether or not the measurement data should be transmitted (steps S004, S005). For example, if the importance of the measurement data is "3", the on-board device makes the following determination: If the network bandwidth evaluation is "high" or "medium", the on-board device determines that the measurement data should be transmitted. On the other hand, if the network bandwidth evaluation is "low", the on-board device determines that it is not necessary to transmit the measurement data.

[0045] On the other hand, if the importance of the measured data is "1", the in-vehicle device determines that the measured data should be transmitted only if the network bandwidth evaluation is "high". If the network bandwidth evaluation is "medium" or "low", the in-vehicle device determines that the measured data does not need to be transmitted. This is because the importance of the measured data is low.

[0046] Furthermore, when the importance of the measured data is "5", the in-vehicle device determines that the measured data should be transmitted in all cases where the network bandwidth evaluation is from "high" to "low". This is because the importance of the measured data is high.

[0047] If it is determined in step S005 that transmission is required, the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the measurement vehicle 200 transmits the measurement data of the road surface condition created by the measurement unit 201 to the road inspection server 100 (step S006). In the example of FIG. 6, the processes are performed in the order of steps S001, S002, and S003, but these processes can be appropriately interchanged as long as the importance of the measurement data is calculated after the measurement of the road surface condition. For example, steps S001 and S002 may be performed after the evaluation of the network bandwidth in step S003. In addition, after the measurement of the road surface condition, the evaluation of the network bandwidth in step S003 may be performed, and then the importance of the measurement data may be calculated. Of course, steps S001 and S002 and step S003 may be performed in parallel.

[0048] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to optimize the transmission of measurement data from the measurement vehicle 200. This is because a configuration is adopted that not only calculates the importance of the measurement data, but also evaluates the network bandwidth and determines whether or not it is necessary to transmit the measurement data based on both.

[0049] In FIG. 5, the relationship between the bandwidth evaluation value (including the range) and the importance threshold for transmission may be a fixed value, but may be changed based on the time period, the actual measured data volume, and communication quality (e.g., packet loss). For example, if it is known in advance from actual values ​​such as statistical data that the network will be congested at a specific time, the network bandwidth evaluation value (range) may be changed to a value higher than normal so as to suppress the transmission of the measurement data. If an actual value is obtained that the amount of data actually generated is small for the network bandwidth evaluation, the network bandwidth evaluation value (range) may be changed to a value lower than normal so as to increase the measurement data. If an actual value is obtained that the amount of data actually generated is large for the network bandwidth evaluation, the network bandwidth evaluation value (range) may be changed to a value higher than normal so as to decrease the measurement data. Furthermore, if a deterioration in communication quality is observed for some reason, the network bandwidth evaluation value (range) may be changed to a value higher than normal so as to suppress the transmission of the measurement data. Of course, if an event opposite to the above is confirmed, the network bandwidth evaluation threshold may be changed to a value lower than normal.

[0050] The threshold for determining the level of importance may be changed in accordance with the time period, the amount of data actually measured, the load of the road inspection server 100, and the like. For example, if it is known in advance from statistical data or the like that the network will be congested at a specific time, the threshold for determining the level of importance may be changed to a value higher than normal so as to suppress the transmission of the measurement data. Also, if a performance value indicating that the amount of data actually generated is small is obtained for the evaluation of the network bandwidth, the threshold for determining the level of importance may be changed to a value lower than normal so as to increase the measurement data. Also, if a performance value indicating that the amount of data actually generated is large is obtained for the evaluation of the network bandwidth, the threshold for determining the level of importance may be changed to a value higher than normal so as to reduce the measurement data. Similarly, if it is observed that the road inspection server 100 is in a high load state due to the processing of a large amount of measurement data, the threshold for determining the level of importance may be changed to a value higher than normal so as to suppress the transmission of the measurement data. Of course, if an event opposite to the above is confirmed, the threshold for determining the level of importance may also be changed to a value lower than normal.

[0051] Furthermore, when the above-mentioned increase or decrease in the actual measurement data or deterioration in communication quality occurs locally, the table itself applied to the corresponding area or section may be corrected without measuring the actual measurement data or communication quality. In this way, for example, the bandwidth evaluation value (including range) and the importance threshold value can be optimized based on the communication performance when traveling in the same place in the past.

[0052] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment in which the network bandwidth evaluation function is located on the road inspection server side will be described. Figures 7 and 8 are diagrams showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention. The difference in configuration from the first embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4 is that a bandwidth evaluation unit 101 is located in a road inspection server 100a and functions as a control server. Accordingly, the road inspection server 100a is provided with a bandwidth evaluation notification unit 102. The other configuration is almost the same as the first embodiment, so the following description will focus on the differences.

[0053] The bandwidth evaluation unit 101 evaluates the bandwidth of the network used for transmitting measurement data between the measurement vehicle 200a and the road inspection server 100a. The method of evaluating the bandwidth of the network can be the same as that in the first embodiment, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0054] The bandwidth evaluation notification unit 102 notifies the measurement vehicle 200a of evaluation information on the evaluated bandwidth of the network.

[0055] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 9 is a flow chart showing the operation of the measurement vehicle of the second embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, it is assumed that the measurement vehicle 200a receives network bandwidth evaluation information from the bandwidth evaluation notification unit 102 of the road inspection server 100a at a predetermined time interval, at a predetermined timing such as a request from the measurement vehicle, etc.

[0056] The difference from the operation of the measurement vehicle of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 6 is that the network bandwidth evaluation process in step S003 is omitted. The other operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the description will be omitted.

[0057] As described above, the present invention can also be realized in a configuration in which the network bandwidth evaluation function is located on the road inspection server 100a side. Note that, in the above embodiment, the road inspection server 100a is described as evaluating the network bandwidth, but a server other than the road inspection server 100a may be caused to evaluate the network bandwidth.

[0058] For example, in the above embodiment, the tables illustrated in FIG. 2, FIG. 5, and FIG. 11 are used to control the transmission of the measurement data, but the form of control of the transmission of the measurement data is not limited to the form illustrated in FIG. 2, FIG. 5, and FIG. 11. For example, even if the measurement data has a relatively low importance level, if it is observed a certain number of times in succession, it may have an important meaning in terms of road management. Similarly, even if the measurement data has a relatively low importance level, if it is observed at a certain frequency or more during a certain period, it may have an important meaning in terms of road management. In order to deal with the transmission of such measurement data, for example, a transmission condition may be added to the table as shown in FIG. 10. In the example of FIG. 10, "Level 2 three or more times in succession" and "Level 3, 4 two or more times in succession" are added as the transmission condition of the measurement data when the bandwidth of the evaluated network is "medium" or "low". In addition, instead of "consecutively", a transmission condition of a certain frequency or more during a predetermined period, such as "within the past n minutes", may be used. As a result, even if the network bandwidth is "medium", when measurement data with a level 2 importance level is observed three or more times in the past n minutes, it is possible to transmit measurement data from the measurement vehicle 200, 200a to the road inspection server 100, 100a. This can also be said to set the importance threshold to level 2 when measurement data with a level 2 importance level is observed three or more times in the past n minutes even if the network bandwidth is "medium". Similarly, even if the network bandwidth is "low", when measurement data with a level 3 or 4 importance level is observed two or more times, it is possible to transmit measurement data from the measurement vehicle 200, 200a to the road inspection server 100, 100a. It can also be said to set the importance threshold to level 3 when measurement data with a level 3 or 4 importance level is observed two or more times in the past n minutes even if the network bandwidth is "low". Note that the importance level, period, and number of times to be added to the transmission conditions can be set according to the abnormal mode of the road to be added to the report target to the road inspection server 100, 100a.

[0059] Although each embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and further modifications, substitutions, and adjustments can be made without departing from the basic technical idea of ​​the present invention. For example, the system configuration, the configuration of each element, and the data expression form shown in each drawing are examples to help understand the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations shown in these drawings.

[0060] In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the data transmission from the measurement vehicles 200, 200a is described as the object of control, but the measurement of data itself in the measurement vehicles 200, 200a may be the object of control. In this case, the control unit 204 of the measurement vehicles 200, 200a controls the creation of the measurement data based on the evaluated network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. This configuration also suppresses the creation and transmission of the measurement data, making it possible to optimize the transmission of the measurement data from the measurement vehicles 200, 200a.

[0061] The procedures shown in the first and second embodiments can be realized by a program that causes a computer (9000 in FIG. 12) functioning as an in-vehicle device or a road inspection server to realize the functions of these devices. Such a computer is exemplified by a configuration including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 9010, a communication interface 9020, a memory 9030, and an auxiliary storage device 9040 in FIG. 12. That is, the CPU 9010 in FIG. 12 executes a measurement data importance calculation program and a network bandwidth evaluation program, and performs update processing of each calculation parameter held in the auxiliary storage device 9040, etc.

[0062] In other words, each unit (processing means, functions) of each device shown in the first and second embodiments described above can be realized by a computer program that causes a processor installed in these devices to execute each of the above-mentioned processes using its hardware.

[0063] Finally, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be summarized. [First form] (See the above-mentioned in-vehicle device according to the first aspect.) [Second Form] The control unit of the above-mentioned in-vehicle device can be configured to determine a threshold value for the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and to perform the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data. [Third Form] The control unit of the above-mentioned in-vehicle device can be configured to, when the network bandwidth is relatively low, determine the threshold value to be a higher value than when the network bandwidth is relatively high, and create or transmit measurement data of higher importance than the determined threshold value. [Fourth Form] In the above-mentioned in-vehicle device, the bandwidth evaluation unit can classify the network bandwidth into a plurality of levels, and the control unit can be configured to control the transmission of the measurement data to the server by referring to a table that defines a threshold value for the importance of the measurement data for each level. [Fifth Form] The control unit of the above-mentioned in-vehicle device can be configured to determine the correspondence between the network bandwidth and the importance threshold based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data, and based on an actual value of at least one of the amount of measurement data to be transmitted and the communication quality at the time of transmitting the measurement data. [Sixth Form] The control unit of the above-mentioned in-vehicle device can be configured to control the creation of the measurement data or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmitting unit, so as to create temporally continuous measurement data including the measurement data to be transmitted based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data, and transmit the measurement data to the server. [7th form] The bandwidth evaluation unit of the above-mentioned in-vehicle device can be configured to evaluate the network bandwidth using at least one of the wireless quality of a wireless communication network included in the network, the frequency bandwidth of the wireless communication network, the congestion degree of the wireless communication network, the type of the wireless communication network, the time period, and the load of the server. [8th form] The importance calculation unit of the above-mentioned in-vehicle device may be configured to calculate a reliability indicating the likelihood of the measurement data, and to assign a high importance to measurement data having a high reliability. [9th form] The importance calculation unit of the above-mentioned in-vehicle device may be configured to calculate the reliability using a measurement environment of the measurement data. [10th form] The importance calculation unit of the above-mentioned in-vehicle device can be configured to calculate the severity of deterioration of the road surface condition from the measurement data, and to assign a high importance to measurement data indicating a high degree of seriousness of deterioration of the road surface condition. [11th form] The importance calculation unit of the above-mentioned in-vehicle device can be configured to identify the type of road from the location information where the measurement was performed, and to assign a high importance to measurement data measured on roads with high required quality standards determined by the type. [12th form] (See Control Server from the Second Perspective above) [13th form] (See the third aspect of measurement data collection method above.) [14th form] (See Programme for the Fourth Aspect above) The twelfth to fourteenth embodiments can be expanded to the second to eleventh embodiments in the same manner as the first embodiment.

[0064] The disclosures of the above patent documents are incorporated herein by reference and may be used as the basis or part of the present invention as necessary. Within the framework of the entire disclosure of the present invention (including the scope of claims), modifications and adjustments of the embodiments and examples are possible based on the basic technical ideas. Furthermore, within the framework of the disclosure of the present invention, various combinations or selections (including partial deletions) of various disclosed elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each embodiment or example, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible. In other words, the present invention naturally includes various modifications and corrections that a person skilled in the art would be able to make in accordance with the entire disclosure including the scope of claims and the technical ideas. In particular, with regard to the numerical ranges described in this document, any numerical value or small range included within the range should be interpreted as being specifically described even if not otherwise specified. Furthermore, the disclosures of the above cited documents may be used in part or in whole in combination with the disclosures of this document as part of the disclosure of the present invention in accordance with the spirit of the present invention as necessary, and are deemed to be included in the disclosures of this application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 20 Onboard equipment 21, 201 Measuring section 22, 101, 202 Bandwidth evaluation section 23, 203 Importance calculation part 24, 204 Control section 25, 205 Transmitter 100, 100a Road Inspection Server 102 Bandwidth evaluation notification unit 200, 200a measurement vehicle 206 Camera 9000 Computers 9010 CPU 9020 Communication Interface 9030 Memory 9040 Auxiliary storage device

Claims

1. A measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor; a bandwidth evaluation unit for evaluating a network bandwidth between a server and the server to which the measurement data of the road surface condition is transmitted; an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; A transmitting unit capable of transmitting the measurement data to the server; a control unit that controls the measurement unit to generate the measurement data or the transmission unit to transmit the measurement data to the server based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; In an in-vehicle device comprising: the control unit determines a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and performs the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; When the network bandwidth is relatively low, the control unit determines the threshold to be a higher value than when the network bandwidth is relatively high, and creates or transmits measurement data having a higher importance than the determined threshold. An in-vehicle device comprising:

2. A measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor; a bandwidth evaluation unit for evaluating a network bandwidth between a server and the server to which the measurement data of the road surface condition is transmitted; an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; A transmitting unit capable of transmitting the measurement data to the server; a control unit that controls the measurement unit to generate the measurement data or the transmission unit to transmit the measurement data to the server based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; In an in-vehicle device comprising: the control unit determines a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and performs the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; the control unit determines a correspondence relationship between the network bandwidth and a threshold value of the importance level based on at least one of an amount of measurement data to be transmitted based on the network bandwidth and the importance level of the measurement data and a performance value of communication quality at the time of transmitting the measurement data. An in-vehicle device comprising:

3. A measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor; a bandwidth evaluation unit for evaluating a network bandwidth between a server and the server to which the measurement data of the road surface condition is transmitted; an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; A transmitting unit capable of transmitting the measurement data to the server; a control unit that controls the measurement unit to generate the measurement data or the transmission unit to transmit the measurement data to the server based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; In an in-vehicle device comprising: The importance calculation unit is Calculating a reliability indicating the certainty of the measurement data; Giving high importance to the measurement data with high reliability. An in-vehicle device comprising:

4. a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; and a bandwidth evaluation unit that evaluates a network bandwidth between the vehicle and the server to which the measurement data is transmitted; a notification unit that notifies the vehicle of the network bandwidth, causing the control unit of the vehicle to control the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; In the control server, The control server includes: causing the control unit to determine a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and to perform the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; causing the control unit to determine, when the network bandwidth is relatively low, the threshold value to be higher than when the network bandwidth is relatively high, and to create or transmit measurement data having a higher importance than the determined threshold value. A control server comprising:

5. a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; and a bandwidth evaluation unit that evaluates a network bandwidth between the vehicle and the server to which the measurement data is transmitted; a notification unit that notifies the vehicle of the network bandwidth, causing the control unit of the vehicle to control the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; In the control server, The control server includes: causing the control unit to determine a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and to perform the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; causing the control unit to determine a correspondence relationship between the network bandwidth and a threshold value of the importance level based on at least one of an amount of measurement data to be transmitted based on the network bandwidth and the importance level of the measurement data and a performance value of communication quality at the time of transmitting the measurement data. A control server comprising:

6. a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; and a bandwidth evaluation unit that evaluates a network bandwidth between the vehicle and the server to which the measurement data is transmitted; a notification unit that notifies the vehicle of the network bandwidth, causing the control unit of the vehicle to control the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; In the control server, A high importance is given by the importance calculation unit to measurement data having a high reliability indicating the certainty of the measurement data calculated by the importance calculation unit. A control server comprising:

7. An in-vehicle device of a vehicle includes a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, and a transmission unit capable of transmitting measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, Evaluating a network bandwidth between the server and the measurement data destination; Calculating the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; Controlling the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. In the method of collecting measurement data, the in-vehicle device determines a threshold value of the importance of the measured data based on the network bandwidth, and performs the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measured data; When the network bandwidth is relatively low, the vehicle-mounted device determines the threshold to be a higher value than when the network bandwidth is relatively high, and creates or transmits measurement data having a higher importance than the determined threshold. A method for collecting measurement data, comprising:

8. An in-vehicle device of a vehicle includes a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, and a transmission unit capable of transmitting measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, Evaluating a network bandwidth between the server and the measurement data destination; Calculating the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; Controlling the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. In the method of collecting measurement data, the in-vehicle device determines a threshold value of the importance of the measured data based on the network bandwidth, and performs the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measured data; The in-vehicle device determines a correspondence relationship between the network bandwidth and a threshold value of the importance level based on at least one of an amount of measurement data to be transmitted based on the network bandwidth and the importance level of the measurement data and a communication quality at the time of transmitting the measurement data. A method for collecting measurement data, comprising:

9. An in-vehicle device of a vehicle includes a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, and a transmission unit capable of transmitting measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, Evaluating a network bandwidth between the server and the measurement data destination; Calculating the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; Controlling the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data. In the method of collecting measurement data, The in-vehicle device includes: Calculating a reliability indicating the certainty of the measurement data; Giving high importance to the measurement data with high reliability. A method for collecting measurement data, comprising:

10. a control server including a communication unit capable of communicating with an in-vehicle device of a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; Evaluating a network bandwidth between the server and the measurement data destination; notifying the in-vehicle device of the vehicle of the network bandwidth; causing the control unit of the vehicle to control the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; In the method of collecting measurement data, The control server includes: causing the control unit to determine a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and to perform the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; causing the control unit to determine, when the network bandwidth is relatively low, the threshold value to be higher than when the network bandwidth is relatively high, and to create or transmit measurement data having a higher importance than the determined threshold value. A method for collecting measurement data, comprising:

11. a control server including a communication unit capable of communicating with an in-vehicle device of a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; Evaluating a network bandwidth between the server and the measurement data destination; notifying the in-vehicle device of the vehicle of the network bandwidth; causing the control unit of the vehicle to control the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; In the method of collecting measurement data, The control server includes: causing the control unit to determine a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and to perform the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; causing the control unit to determine a correspondence relationship between the network bandwidth and a threshold value of the importance level based on at least one of an amount of measurement data to be transmitted based on the network bandwidth and the importance level of the measurement data and a performance value of communication quality at the time of transmitting the measurement data. A method for collecting measurement data, comprising:

12. a control server including a communication unit capable of communicating with an in-vehicle device of a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; Evaluating a network bandwidth between the server and the measurement data destination; notifying the in-vehicle device of the vehicle of the network bandwidth; causing the control unit of the vehicle to control the generation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle or the transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; In the method of collecting measurement data, A high importance is given by the importance calculation unit to measurement data having a high reliability indicating the certainty of the measurement data calculated by the importance calculation unit. A method for collecting measurement data, comprising:

13. A vehicle-mounted device includes a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, and a transmission unit capable of transmitting measurement data of the road surface condition to a server. A process of evaluating a network bandwidth between a server to which the measurement data is transmitted; calculating the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; a process of controlling creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit or transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; In a program that executes The program is executed by the in-vehicle device. determining a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and performing the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; determining, when the network bandwidth is relatively low, the threshold value to be higher than when the network bandwidth is relatively high, and creating or transmitting measurement data having a higher importance than the determined threshold value; To carry out A program characterized by.

14. A vehicle-mounted device includes a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, and a transmission unit capable of transmitting measurement data of the road surface condition to a server. A process of evaluating a network bandwidth between a server to which the measurement data is transmitted; calculating the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; a process of controlling creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit or transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; In a program that executes The program is configured to: determining a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and performing the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; determining a correspondence relationship between the network bandwidth and a threshold value of the importance level based on at least one of an amount of measurement data to be transmitted based on the network bandwidth and the importance level of the measurement data and a performance value of communication quality at the time of transmitting the measurement data; To carry out A program characterized by.

15. A vehicle-mounted device includes a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which the vehicle is traveling using a sensor, and a transmission unit capable of transmitting measurement data of the road surface condition to a server. A process of evaluating a network bandwidth between a server to which the measurement data is transmitted; calculating the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy; a process of controlling creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit or transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data; In a program that executes The program is configured to: Calculating a reliability indicating the certainty of the measurement data; A process of assigning a high importance to the measurement data having a high reliability. To carry out A program characterized by.

16. a control server including a communication unit capable of communicating with an on-board device of a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; A process of evaluating a network bandwidth between a server to which the measurement data is transmitted; and notifying the in-vehicle device of the vehicle of the network bandwidth. A program for causing the control unit of the vehicle to control creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle, measurement of the road surface condition by the measurement unit of the vehicle, or transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data, The program includes: A process of causing the control unit to determine a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and to perform the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; a process of causing the control unit to determine, when the network bandwidth is relatively low, the threshold value to be higher than when the network bandwidth is relatively high, and to create or transmit measurement data having a higher importance than the determined threshold value; To carry out A program characterized by.

17. a control server including a communication unit capable of communicating with an on-board device of a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; A process of evaluating a network bandwidth between a server to which the measurement data is transmitted; and notifying the in-vehicle device of the vehicle of the network bandwidth. A program for causing the control unit of the vehicle to control creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle, measurement of the road surface condition by the measurement unit of the vehicle, or transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data, The program includes: A process of causing the control unit to determine a threshold value of the importance of the measurement data based on the network bandwidth, and to perform the control by comparing the determined threshold value with the importance of the measurement data; a process of causing the control unit to determine a correspondence relationship between the network bandwidth and a threshold value of the importance based on at least one of an amount of measurement data to be transmitted based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data and a communication quality at the time of transmitting the measurement data; To carry out A program characterized by.

18. a control server including a communication unit capable of communicating with an on-board device of a vehicle including a measurement unit capable of measuring a road surface condition on which a vehicle is traveling using a sensor, an importance calculation unit that calculates the importance of the measurement data based on a predetermined importance determination policy, a transmission unit that can transmit the measurement data of the road surface condition to a server, and a control unit; A process of evaluating a network bandwidth between a server to which the measurement data is transmitted; and notifying the in-vehicle device of the vehicle of the network bandwidth. A program for causing the control unit of the vehicle to control creation of the measurement data by the measurement unit of the vehicle, measurement of the road surface condition by the measurement unit of the vehicle, or transmission of the measurement data to the server by the transmission unit of the vehicle based on the network bandwidth and the importance of the measurement data, A high importance is given by the importance calculation unit to measurement data having a high reliability indicating the certainty of the measurement data calculated by the importance calculation unit. A program characterized by.

Images