Information gathering device and information gathering system

Abstract

To provide an information collection device and an information collection system capable of reducing a load of processing when information is collected from a vehicle.SOLUTION: An information collection server 1 includes a storage unit 12 in which conditions for collecting vehicle data from a vehicle C is set, and a communication unit 13 that transmits and receives vehicle data transmitted from the vehicle C. Further, the information collecting server 1 includes a control unit 11 that, when the communication unit 13 receives a file transmission request, determines whether or not to permit vehicle-data transmission based on a vehicle-data file name included in the file transmission request and conditions stored in a conditions setting unit 12a. When the control unit 11 determines that transmission of the vehicle data is permitted, the communication unit 13 transmits a file reception request for permitting transmission of the vehicle data to the vehicle C, and information at least on the date and time and a point at which the vehicle data is acquired is added to the file name of the vehicle data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information collection apparatus and an information collection system that collect various types of information from vehicles.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, wireless communication units such as in-vehicle routers capable of collecting information generated in vehicles (vehicle information) and interworking with cloud servers and the like are increasingly installed. The vehicle information that can be collected by such wireless communication units covers a wide range, including for example vehicle CAN (Controller Area Network) data, in-vehicle sensor information, and information on terminals carried or worn by occupants.

[0003] The vehicle information as described above may reach an enormous volume, and if all vehicles equipped with a wireless communication unit upload the information as-is to a cloud server or the like, the load on the cloud server will become excessive.

[0004] To address the above problems, for example, the invention described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. Patent Document 1 describes that in a TCU (Telematics Control Unit) mounted on a vehicle, when it is determined that upload target data is already stored in a server storage unit, transmission of the upload target data is prohibited, and when it is determined that the upload target data is not stored in the server storage unit, the upload target data is transmitted.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In the invention described in Patent Document 1, a check is performed to determine whether the data has already been sent to the server, which may increase the server load. Furthermore, as the number of vehicles increases, the waiting time for the vehicles may increase due to the need to check whether the data has been sent.

[0007] Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide an information collection device and an information collection system that can reduce the processing load when collecting information from vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The invention made to solve the above problem includes a condition setting unit for setting conditions for collecting vehicle information from a vehicle, a first communication unit for sending and receiving information with the vehicle, and the first communication unit From the aforementioned vehicle The aforementioned vehicle information To request permission to send The information collection device comprises a control unit that, upon receiving collection request information, determines whether or not to permit the transmission of the vehicle information based on attribute information contained in the collection request information and the conditions, wherein the first communication unit transmits permission information to the vehicle permitting the transmission of the vehicle information if the control unit determines that it permits the transmission of the vehicle information, and the attribute information includes at least information on the date and time and location where the vehicle information was acquired. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, since the system determines whether to permit the transmission of vehicle information based on the collection request information from the vehicle and the conditions for collecting vehicle information, the processing load during collection can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of an information gathering system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows the functional configuration diagram of the information gathering server. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a functional configuration diagram of the in-vehicle device. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the information gathering server. [Figure 5] This is an example of the conditions for collecting vehicle information. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an information collection system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] The information gathering system 100 includes an information gathering server 1. The information gathering server 1 functions as an information gathering device, as will be described later. The information gathering server 1 can communicate with vehicle C via network N. Furthermore, the information gathering server 1 is not limited to being a single server as shown in the figure, but may be configured as a group of servers with each function distributed among them. Network N includes the internet, telephone networks, and other communication networks, and also includes base stations and access points.

[0013] In Figure 1, three vehicles, C1 to C3, are shown as Vehicle C, but at least one vehicle is sufficient. Vehicle C is equipped with an on-board device 2 that can communicate with the information collection server 1. The on-board device 2 can consist of, for example, an on-board router or a telematics control unit, which is a wireless communication unit that can communicate with the outside of the vehicle.

[0014] The information collection server 1 is composed of a well-known server computer. The information collection server 1 has conditions set for collecting vehicle data (vehicle information) from the in-vehicle device 2. The information collection server 1 receives vehicle data, etc., from the in-vehicle device 2. In addition, prior to receiving the vehicle data, the information collection server 1 determines whether to permit the transmission of the vehicle data based on the file transmission request (described later) sent from the in-vehicle device 2 and the conditions described above. If the information collection server 1 determines that it is permissible to transmit the vehicle data, it sends a file reception request (described later) to the in-vehicle device 2.

[0015] Figure 2 shows a functional configuration diagram of the information collection server 1. The information collection server 1 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13.

[0016] The control unit 11 is configured by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like. The control unit 11 executes various types of control by executing programs stored in the storage unit 12. When the communication unit 13 receives a file transmission request, the control unit 11 performs control such as determining whether to permit transmission of vehicle data based on the file name of the vehicle data included in the file transmission request and the aforementioned conditions. Details of the control will be described later.

[0017] The storage unit 12 is configured by a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk or a flash memory. The storage unit 12 has a condition setting unit 12a and a vehicle data storage unit 12b. The condition setting unit 12a stores (sets) conditions for collecting vehicle data from vehicles used for the aforementioned determination. The vehicle data storage unit 12b stores vehicle data that meets the conditions. In addition, the storage unit 12 stores data used for various processes such as programs executed by the control unit 11 in areas other than the condition setting unit 12a and the vehicle data storage unit 12b .

[0018] The communication unit 13 is configured by, for example, a network interface or the like. The communication unit 13 performs, for example, reception of vehicle data, file transmission requests and the like transmitted from vehicles, and transmission of the aforementioned file reception requests and the like.

[0019] Figure 3 shows a functional configuration diagram of the in-vehicle device 2. The in-vehicle device 2 includes an information acquisition unit 21, a control unit 22, and a communication unit 23.

[0020] The information acquisition unit 21 acquires various data of the vehicle in which the in-vehicle device 2 is installed. Examples of the data to be acquired include data acquired from sensors and the like provided in the vehicle, such as sudden braking data, vehicle speed data, vehicle vibration data, and vehicle sideslip data. Of course, the data is not limited to data acquired from sensors or the like, and may be data from a terminal carried by an occupant or the like. The information acquisition unit 21 has an interface with an in-vehicle network such as CAN, a communication circuit with an in-vehicle terminal, and the like, in order to acquire the data as described above.

[0021] The control unit 22 is configured by, for example, a CPU or the like. The control unit 22 executes various controls by, for example, executing a program stored therein. The control unit 22 performs an operation of transmitting the data acquired by the information acquisition unit 21 to the information collection server 1 as vehicle data, and the like.

[0022] The communication unit 23 is configured by a wireless communication device or the like. The communication unit 23 transmits the vehicle data generated by the control unit 22, a file transmission request, and the like, and receives a file reception request and the like transmitted from the information collection server 1.

[0023] Next, the operation of the information collection system 100 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4.

[0024] First, in the in-vehicle device 2, the information acquisition unit 21 collects vehicle data at a predetermined cycle (step S11). The predetermined cycle may be appropriately determined according to the type of data to be collected.

[0025] Next, the control unit 22 converts the vehicle data collected by the information acquisition unit 21 into a predetermined format to generate a file. The collected date and time, position information (point information), and the vehicle ID are added as attribute information to the file name generated at this time (step S12). That is, in the present embodiment, the date and time, the position information, and the vehicle ID are included as the attribute information.

[0026] The specified format can be JSON (JavaScript® Object Notation), etc. For location information, for example, latitude and longitude information can be used. The vehicle ID is an ID assigned to the vehicle on which the in-vehicle device 2 is installed, and is information that identifies the vehicle that transmits vehicle data. This vehicle ID may be set in advance in the in-vehicle device 2, for example, or the in-vehicle device 2 may obtain the vehicle identification number, etc., assigned to the vehicle.

[0027] Next, prior to transmitting the file (vehicle data) generated in step S22, the control unit 22 sends a file transmission request to the information collection server 1 (step S13). The file transmission request includes the file name of the file generated in step S22. In other words, the file transmission request becomes collection request information. Therefore, the communication unit 23 of the in-vehicle device 2 transmits collection request information for vehicle information.

[0028] In the information collection server 1, when the communication unit 13 receives a file transmission request, the control unit 11 starts comparing the file name included in the file transmission request with the conditions for collecting vehicle data stored in the condition setting unit 12a of the storage unit 12 (step S21).

[0029] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the location is a registered location, which is one of the conditions described above (step S22). A registered location is a location registered in the condition setting unit 12a as a location for collecting vehicle data, and is registered, for example, as latitude and longitude information. In other words, in step S22, the latitude and longitude information portion of the file name included in the file transmission request is compared with the latitude and longitude information of the location registered as a condition in the storage unit 12.

[0030] If, as a result of the verification in step S22, the control unit 11 determines that it is not a registered location (step S22; No), the file transmission request from the vehicle is rejected and the flowchart is terminated (step S23). In this case, vehicle data is not transmitted from the in-vehicle device 2. If the file transmission request is rejected, the information collection server 1 does not need to notify the in-vehicle device 2, in which case the communication load can be reduced. The file generated on the in-vehicle device 2 side can be discarded after a predetermined time has elapsed. Alternatively, if the file transmission request is rejected, the in-vehicle device 2 side may be notified that it has been rejected, in which case the file generated on the in-vehicle device 2 side at the time it receives the notification can be discarded.

[0031] If the control unit 11 determines that the location is a registered location based on the verification in step S22 (step S22; Yes), the control unit 11 checks the time of the previous data acquisition at that registered location (step S24). Next, the control unit 11 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed from the time of the previous data acquisition to the current time, which is the second condition (step S25). This predetermined time is set as the collection time interval in the condition setting unit 12a. In other words, the control unit 11 determines whether vehicle data has not been received for longer than the collection time interval at that location.

[0032] If, as a result of the verification in step S24, the control unit 11 determines that less than a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous data acquisition time (step S25; No), it rejects the file transmission request from the vehicle and terminates the flowchart (step S26). In this case as well, vehicle data is not transmitted from the in-vehicle device 2. The operation after rejecting the file transmission request is the same as in step S23.

[0033] If, as a result of the verification in step S24, the control unit 11 determines that a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the last data acquisition time (step S25; Yes), the control unit 11 instructs the communication unit 13 to send a file reception request to the vehicle in question (step S27). The file reception request is sent because the file name included in the file transmission request sent in step S13 matches the data collection conditions. In other words, the file reception request is permission information that authorizes the in-vehicle device 2 to transmit vehicle data.

[0034] In the in-vehicle device 2, when the communication unit 23 receives a file transmission request, the control unit 22 instructs the communication unit 23 to send vehicle data to the information collection server 1 (step S14). The vehicle data transmitted in step S14 is a file with a filename that has been authorized to be transmitted by the file transmission request.

[0035] When the information collection server 1 receives vehicle data from the in-vehicle device 2, the control unit 11 stores it in the vehicle data storage unit 12b of the storage unit 12 (step S28).

[0036] Here, an example of vehicle data collection using the flowchart described above will be explained with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of the case when vehicle C, traveling on road R1, transmits vehicle data at the intersection with road R2, which is a registration point. As shown in Figure 5, vehicle C approaches the intersection, which is a registration point. Then, the on-board device 2 installed in vehicle C sends a file transmission request to the information collection server 1 via base station B. The information collection server 1 (control unit 11) The system then determines whether the vehicle data collection cycle at the registered location (the time interval between the previous data acquisition time and the current time) is equal to or greater than a predetermined cycle (more than X seconds have elapsed). If it is equal to or greater than the predetermined cycle, a file reception request is sent to vehicle C.

[0037] When the onboard device 2 of vehicle C receives a file reception request, it sends a file containing vehicle data with the filename included in the file transmission request to the information collection server 1. The information collection server 1 stores the received file (vehicle data) in the vehicle data storage unit 12b.

[0038] The vehicle data stored on information collection server 1 can be used in the following ways, for example. First, by registering intersections as locations and collecting sudden braking data at short intervals, it is possible to analyze the sudden braking situation at each intersection. Second, by registering merging points on highways, etc., and collecting vehicle speed data at short intervals, it is possible to analyze the frequency of congestion at each merging point.

[0039] Thirdly, by registering locations on low-traffic paved roads at short intervals and collecting vehicle vibration data over long periods, it is possible to analyze the deterioration status of paved roads at low-traffic locations. Fourthly, by registering the locations of snow-melting equipment and collecting vehicle lateral slip data and vehicle speed data over short periods, it is possible to analyze the effectiveness of snow-melting equipment in snowy areas.

[0040] According to this embodiment, the information collection server 1 includes a storage unit 12 in which conditions for collecting vehicle data from vehicle C are set, and a communication unit 13 that receives vehicle data and file transmission requests transmitted from vehicle C. Furthermore, when the communication unit 13 receives a file transmission request, the information collection server 1 includes a control unit 11 that determines whether or not to permit the transmission of vehicle data based on the file name of the vehicle data included in the file transmission request and the conditions stored in the condition setting unit 12a. If the control unit 11 determines that the transmission of vehicle data is permitted, the communication unit 13 sends a file reception request to vehicle C permitting the transmission of vehicle data, and the file name of the vehicle data is accompanied by information such as the date and time and location where the vehicle data was acquired.

[0041] With the information collection server 1 configured as described above, it is possible to collect only the necessary vehicle data, rather than collecting all of it from vehicle C. Therefore, the processing load when collecting vehicle data from vehicle C can be reduced.

[0042] Furthermore, since file names are used as attribute information for vehicle data, it is possible to easily match them with the conditions by referring to the file names, thereby reducing the load on the condition matching process.

[0043] Furthermore, the storage unit 12 is configured with settings for locations to be used to collect vehicle data and the time interval for data collection at those locations, making it possible to collect data at the required locations and frequencies. Consequently, it becomes possible to thin out the vehicle data acquired by vehicle C and store it in the information collection server 1.

[0044] Furthermore, by setting conditions in the memory unit 12, it is easy to change or add locations, or change time intervals, allowing for dynamic and flexible condition changes. For example, it becomes easy to lengthen the time interval at night.

[0045] Furthermore, the control unit 11 determines that if the location included in the file name is a location set in the storage unit 12, and vehicle data has not been received for longer than the collection time interval at that location, it will permit the transmission of vehicle data. In this way, the control unit 11 determines that the location where vehicle data is needed is a location where vehicle data is needed. Vehicle data can be collected at the required frequency at specific points. Therefore, even if vehicle data is transmitted outside of designated locations or more frequently than necessary, it can be filtered out.

[0046] Furthermore, since the file name includes a vehicle ID to identify vehicle C, it becomes possible to understand which vehicle each vehicle data was collected from, and for example, it becomes possible to analyze the driving status of each vehicle.

[0047] Furthermore, the information collection system 100 has an on-board device 2 mounted on vehicle C, which includes a communication unit 23 that transmits at least file transmission requests and vehicle data to the information collection server 1 and receives file reception requests. When the on-board device 2 receives a file reception request, it transmits vehicle data from the communication unit 23. In this way, the vehicle data acquired in vehicle C can be transmitted to the information collection server 1 upon receipt of a file reception request, which is a response to a file transmission request. Therefore, only the vehicle data required by the information collection server 1 can be transmitted.

[0048] Note that attribute information is not limited to the file name. Using the file name makes it easier to identify vehicle data authorized for transmission, but it may also be located in a position that makes it easy to search for attribute information, such as the beginning or end of the vehicle data.

[0049] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. That is, those skilled in the art can implement the invention in various ways, without departing from the core principles, in accordance with prior art knowledge. Such modifications, as long as they still possess the configuration of the information gathering device and information gathering system of the present invention, are of course included within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0050] 1. Information gathering server (information gathering device) 11 Control Unit 12 Storage section 12a Condition setting section 13. Communications Department (1st Communications Department) 2 Onboard equipment 23 Communications Department (2nd Communications Department) 100 Information Gathering Systems C Vehicle

Claims

1. A condition setting unit in which conditions are set for collecting vehicle information from a vehicle, The vehicle and the first communication unit that transmit and receive information, The first communication unit, upon receiving collection request information from the vehicle for permission to transmit the vehicle information, includes a control unit that determines whether or not to permit the transmission of the vehicle information based on attribute information included in the collection request information and the conditions, If the first communication unit determines that the control unit permits the transmission of the vehicle information, it transmits permission information to the vehicle permitting the transmission of the vehicle information. The attribute information includes at least the date and location where the vehicle information was acquired. An information gathering device characterized by the following features.

2. The information collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the attribute information is the file name of the vehicle information.

3. The information collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the condition setting unit has set a location to be used for collecting vehicle information and a collection time interval at that location as the conditions.

4. The information collection device according to claim 3, characterized in that the control unit determines that the transmission of the vehicle information is permitted when the location included in the attribute information is a location set in the condition setting unit and the vehicle information has not been received for longer than the collection time interval at that location.

5. The information collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the attribute information includes information that identifies the vehicle.

6. An information collection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The vehicle includes an on-board device mounted on the vehicle, which is equipped with a second communication unit that transmits at least the collection request information and the vehicle information to the information collection device and receives the permission information from the information collection device, When the in-vehicle device receives the permission information, it transmits the vehicle information from the second communication unit. An information gathering system characterized by the following features.

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