Data collection system

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a data collection system capable of collecting a large volume of data at low cost while maintaining wide-area and power-saving properties.　A data collection system 301 collects sensing data from a plurality of sensor terminals 30 present within a monitoring area 31, and is characterized by comprising: a base station 11 of a first radio communication scheme NW1 covering the monitoring area 31; a mobile body 12 incorporating an access point 14 of a second radio communication scheme NW2 which has a range narrower than the monitoring area 31 and a band wider than the first radio communication scheme NW1; and a control device 13 that uses the first radio communication scheme NW1 to control the activation state for each of the sensor terminals 30. Said system is also characterized in that: the sensor terminals 30 each include a function as a slave unit of the first radio communication scheme NW1 and a function as a slave unit of the second radio communication scheme NW2; and the sensor terminals are activated by the control device 13 and transmit the sensing data to the mobile body 12 using the second radio communication scheme NW2.

Description

Data Collection System

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a data collection system that collects sensing data from a plurality of sensor terminals.

[0002] In IoT, a large number of sensor terminals are deployed over a wide area to collect data. However, there is a limit to the power supply that can be installed in the sensor terminals. Therefore, it is necessary to collect sensing data from sensor terminals deployed over a wide area while maintaining the power saving of the sensors.

[0003] The use of LPWAs such as Sigfox and LoRaWAN is being considered as a method for uploading data while maintaining power efficiency. LPWAs can achieve wide-area coverage and low power consumption at low cost by providing a wide wireless communication area and limiting sleep mode and communication speed.

[0004] Furthermore, a method is being considered in which a Wi-Fi access point (AP) is fixedly installed near the sensor terminal, and sleep control using TWT (Target Wake Time) is used to improve the power saving of the sensor terminal (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). The AP and the sensor terminal negotiate the sleep time, making it possible to save power except when communication is required.

[0005] IEEE Standard for Information Technology-Telecommunications and Information Exchange between Systems Local and Metropolitan Area Networks-Specific RequirementsPart 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) SpecificationsAmendment 1: Enhancements for High Efficiency WLAN

[0006] However, as use cases that use video, such as surveillance, become more widespread, the amount of sensing data is increasing. This makes it difficult for non-broadband LPWA to efficiently collect information.

[0007] On the other hand, it is possible to collect large amounts of data while reducing power consumption by utilizing the sleep function of the TWT described in Non-Patent Document 1. However, TWT requires the continuous operation of a large number of fixed Wi-Fi APs for sensor terminals deployed over a wide area, which makes it difficult to reduce costs.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a data collection system that can collect large amounts of data at low cost while maintaining wide coverage and power saving.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the data collection system according to the present invention separates the wireless communication method that is responsible for the activation control of the sensor terminals from the wireless communication method that is responsible for collecting sensor data.

[0010] Specifically, the data collection system of the present invention is a data collection system that collects sensing data from a plurality of sensor terminals within a monitoring area, and comprises: a base station of a first wireless communication method that covers the monitoring area as a communication area; a mobile body that has a communication area narrower than the monitoring area and is equipped with an access point of a second wireless communication method that has a wider bandwidth than the first wireless communication method; and a control device that controls the startup state of each of the sensor terminals using the first wireless communication method, wherein the sensor terminals have functions as slave devices of the first wireless communication method and as slave devices of the second wireless communication method, are started up by the control device, and transmit the sensing data to the mobile body using the second wireless communication method.

[0011] Furthermore, a data collection method according to the present invention is a data collection method for collecting sensing data from a plurality of sensor terminals within a monitoring area, characterized by covering the monitoring area as a communication area from a base station using a first wireless communication method; setting a communication area that is narrower than the monitoring area, and installing an access point of a second wireless communication method that has a wider bandwidth than the first wireless communication method on a mobile body; controlling the startup state of each of the sensor terminals using the first wireless communication method with a control device; starting up the sensor terminals that have functions as slave devices for the first wireless communication method and the second wireless communication method with the control device; and transmitting the sensing data from the sensor terminals to the mobile body using the second wireless communication method.

[0012] Furthermore, the control device according to the present invention is a control device for a data collection system that comprises: a base station of a first wireless communication method that covers a monitoring area as its communication area; and a mobile body that has a communication area narrower than the monitoring area and is equipped with an access point of a second wireless communication method that has a wider bandwidth than the first wireless communication method, and that collects sensing data from a plurality of sensor terminals within the monitoring area, characterized in that the control device controls the startup state of each of the sensor terminals that have functions as slave units of the first wireless communication method and the second wireless communication method using the first wireless communication method, and causes the sensor terminals to transmit the sensing data to the mobile body using the second wireless communication method.

[0013] This data collection system uses multiple wireless communication methods. Specifically, it controls the activation of sensor terminals using LPWA, a narrowband wireless communication method that can communicate with sensor terminals over a wide area, and collects data using Wi-Fi, a wideband wireless communication method that has difficulty with long-distance communication. Since Wi-Fi only allows short-range communication, a Wi-Fi access point is installed in the mobile object, and the mobile object is moved within the area where the sensor terminals are located. When the mobile object approaches the sensor terminal, the control device activates the sensor terminal using LPWA and transmits the accumulated sensor data to the mobile object via Wi-Fi.

[0014] This configuration eliminates the need to install a large number of fixed Wi-Fi APs, making it possible to collect large amounts of sensor data, and also enables power savings through precise startup control using LPWA. Therefore, the present invention provides a data collection system that can collect large amounts of data at low cost while maintaining wide coverage and power savings.

[0015] The present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as the control device. The control device of the present invention can also be realized by a computer and a program, and the program can be recorded on a recording medium or provided over a network.

[0016] The above inventions can be combined as much as possible.

[0017] The present invention can provide a data collection system that can collect large amounts of data at low cost while maintaining wide coverage and power saving.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a data collection system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a data collection system according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a data collection system according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a table summarizing the advantages and disadvantages of acoustic communication and optical wireless communication. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data collection method according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a sensor position information database possessed by a control device according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a data collection method according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a sensor position information database possessed by a control device according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a data collection method according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a sensor position information database possessed by a control device according to the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a data collection system according to the present invention.

[0019] The following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be given with reference to the accompanying drawings. The preferred embodiments described below are examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments. In this specification and the drawings, components having the same reference numerals are intended to represent the same components.

[0020] 1 is a diagram illustrating a data collection system 301 according to this embodiment. The data collection system 301 is a data collection system that collects sensing data from a plurality of sensor terminals 30 within a monitoring area 31, and includes: a base station 11 of a first wireless communication method NW1 that covers the monitoring area 31 as a communication area; a mobile object 12 that has a communication area narrower than the monitoring area 31 and is equipped with an access point 14 of a second wireless communication method NW2 that has a broader bandwidth than the first wireless communication method NW1; and a control device 13 that controls the activation state of each sensor terminal 30 using the first wireless communication method NW1. The sensor terminal 30 has a function as a slave device of the first wireless communication method NW1 and a function as a slave device of the second wireless communication method NW2, is activated by the control device 13, and transmits the sensing data to the mobile object 12 using the second wireless communication method NW2.

[0021] A plurality of sensor terminals 30 are arranged in the monitoring area 31. The control device 13 stores the position information of each sensor terminal 30. The mobile body 12 departs from the mobile body base 16, travels a travel route that covers the monitoring area 31, and returns to the mobile body base 16. In this embodiment, the mobile body 12 is described as a drone. Note that the mobile body 12 is not limited to a drone. The mobile body 12 flies its travel route autonomously or by remote control by a pilot. The drone flies its travel route, collects sensing data from each sensor terminal 30, and returns to the mobile body base 16. After the drone returns to the base, the sensing data is uploaded to the database 17 via the local network 32.

[0022] In this embodiment, the first wireless communication system NW1 is described as LPWA, and the second wireless communication system NW2 is described as WiFi. However, the wireless communication systems are not limited to these. The base station 11 covers a monitoring area 31 as a communication area using the first wireless communication system NW1. The mobile object 12 is equipped with an access point (AP) 14 for the second wireless communication system NW2. The second wireless communication system NW2 has a communication area narrower than the monitoring area 31 and has a wider bandwidth than the first wireless communication system NW1.

[0023] The sensor terminal 30 functions as a slave device of the first wireless communication system NW1 and as a slave device of the second wireless communication system NW2. In each sensor terminal 30, the functional unit of the first wireless communication system NW1 is always activated, but the functional unit of the second wireless communication system NW2 is in a stopped (sleep) state. The control device 13 can control the activation state of each sensor terminal 30 using the first wireless communication system NW1.

[0024] The control device 13 also knows the position of the mobile object 12. For example, the control device 13 knows the position of the mobile object 12 by receiving information from a satellite positioning system (such as GPS) installed in the mobile object 12, information on a schedule of the route the mobile object 12 will take, or information on the operator's remote control operation via the local network 32. Alternatively, the mobile object 12 may function as a slave device of the first wireless communication method NW1, and the information may be notified to the control device 13 using the first wireless communication method NW1. The control device 13 compares the position of each sensor terminal 30 with the position of the mobile object 12, and detects a sensor terminal 30 that has entered the communication area of ​​the second wireless communication method NW2 from the mobile object 12.

[0025] Then, the control device 13 outputs an instruction to activate the functional unit of the second wireless communication system NW2 of the sensor terminal 30 via the first wireless communication system NW1 (step S01). The sensor terminal 30 that has activated the functional unit of the second wireless communication system NW2 transmits sensing data to the mobile object 12 using the second wireless communication system NW2 (step S02).

[0026] After completing the transmission of the sensing data, the sensor terminal 30 stops (sleep) the functional unit of the second wireless communication system NW2. The functional unit of the second wireless communication system NW2 is stopped when a certain time has elapsed after completing the transmission of the sensing data, when a stop instruction is received from the control device 13 via the first wireless communication system NW1, or when a stop instruction is received from the mobile object 12 via the second wireless communication system NW2.

[0027] In the above description, an example was given in which the functional units of the second wireless communication method NW2 of the sensor terminal 30 are activated under the condition "when the mobile object 12 approaches the sensor terminal 30." However, the following conditions may also be used. (Other Condition 1) To improve the communication quality of the second wireless communication method NW2, the control device 13 sets a limit on the number of sensor terminals 30 that are activated simultaneously. (Other Condition 2) The control device 13 is aware of the amount of data accumulated in each sensor terminal 30 via the first wireless communication method NW1, and selects the sensor terminal 30 to be activated based on this information. (Other Condition 3) The mobile object 12 has a limited amount of time during which it can move. The control device 13 selects a sensor terminal 30 that can collect sensing data within the time during which the mobile object 12 can move, and activates that sensor terminal 30.

[0028] 2 is a diagram illustrating a data collection system 302 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The data collection system 302 differs from the data collection system 301 in that the movement of the mobile object 12 is controlled by a third wireless communication method NW3 that is different from the first wireless communication method NW1 and the second wireless communication method NW2, and the sensing data received from the sensor terminal 30 is transferred by the third wireless communication method NW3.

[0029] In this embodiment, the third wireless communication system NW3 will be described as a mobile network. However, the third wireless communication system NW3 is not limited to this. In the data collection system 302, the movement of the mobile object 12 is performed via a mobile network 22. Specifically, a mobile object operation system 23 (a system that remotely controls the mobile object 12 and autonomously controls its movement) is connected to the mobile network 22. Multiple mobile base stations 21 are connected to the mobile network, and each of them forms a mobile area capable of communication via the third wireless communication system NW3. These mobile areas cover a monitoring area 31. The mobile object 12 is controlled to move from these mobile areas and moves along a movement route. In addition, the location information of the mobile object 12 is notified to the control device 13 from the mobile object 12 or from the mobile object operation system 23 via the third wireless communication system NW3.

[0030] In the data collection system 301 of the first embodiment, the sensing data of each sensor terminal 30 is uploaded to the database 17 via the local network 32 after the mobile object 12 returns to the mobile base station 16. On the other hand, in the data collection system 302, the sensing data of each sensor terminal 30 is uploaded to the database 17 via the third wireless communication system NW3 immediately after the mobile object 12 collects the sensing data. Therefore, the data collection system 302 can collect sensing data without being limited by the capacity of the storage device provided in the mobile object 12.

[0031] The startup control of the sensor terminal 30 in the data collection system 302 is the same as that in the data collection system 301 of the first embodiment.

[0032] 3 is a diagram illustrating a data collection system 303 according to this embodiment. The data collection system 303 differs from the data collection system 301 in FIG. 1 in that the mobile object 12 is an underwater drone that moves underwater, such as in the ocean, the first wireless communication method NW1 is acoustic communication, and the second wireless communication method NW2 is optical wireless communication.

[0033] Aerial drones can be controlled and communicated wirelessly using radio waves, and their location information can also be obtained using satellite positioning systems.However, when used underwater, the transmission characteristics of various physical media are significantly limited compared to air, and the satellite positioning system signals required for control use radio waves, which cannot reach underwater, making it difficult to obtain location information.

[0034] Therefore, the data collection system 303 uses acoustic communication and optical wireless communication instead of radio waves to collect sensor data from the sensor terminal 30 placed underwater using an underwater drone. Figure 4 is a table summarizing the advantages and disadvantages of acoustic communication and optical wireless communication. For this reason, the data collection system 303 uses acoustic communication for the first wireless communication method NW1, which needs to cover the monitoring area 31 as a communication area, and optical wireless communication for the second wireless communication method NW2, which requires a wider bandwidth than the first wireless communication method NW1 even though the communication area is narrower.

[0035] The data collection system 303 controls the activation of the sensor terminals 30 and collects sensor data from the sensor terminals 30 in the same manner as the data collection system 301 of the first embodiment.

[0036] 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the control device 13 when the activation of the functional unit of the second wireless communication method NW2 of the sensor terminal 30 is performed under the condition that "when the mobile object 12 approaches the sensor terminal 30" in the data collection systems (301 to 303) according to the first to third embodiments. The control device 13 stores the position information (sensor position information database) of the sensor terminal 30 as shown in FIG.

[0037] The control device 13 is periodically notified of the position information of the mobile unit 12 (step S11). For example, the control device 13 is notified of the latitude of the mobile unit 12, 35.720573334050826, and the longitude of the mobile unit 12, 139.56137310086345.

[0038] 6 for each piece of position information of the mobile object 12 that has been notified, and activates the functional units of the second wireless communication method NW2 of all the sensor terminals 30 that are included in the communication area of ​​the second wireless communication method NW2 (step S12). For example, the control device 13 activates the functional units of the second wireless communication method NW2 of the sensor terminals 30 that have sensor numbers #1 and #2 that are close to the notified latitude and longitude.

[0039] 6 for each piece of position information of the mobile object 12 that has been notified, and disables the functional units of the second wireless communication system NW2 of all sensor terminals 30 that are outside the communication area of ​​the second wireless communication system NW2 (step S13). For example, the control device 13 disables the functional units of the second wireless communication system NW2 of the sensor terminal 30 with sensor number #3 that is far from the notified latitude and longitude. Then, the process is repeated from step S11.

[0040] 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the control device 13 in the data collection systems (301 to 303) according to the first to third embodiments, when the activation of the functional units of the second wireless communication method NW2 of the sensor terminal 30 is performed under the condition that "when the mobile object 12 approaches the sensor terminal 30" and in descending order of the amount of data accumulated in the sensor terminal 30. The control device 13 stores the position information (sensor position information database) of the sensor terminal 30 as shown in FIG.

[0041] The control device 13 is periodically notified of the position information of the mobile unit 12 (step S21). For example, the control device 13 is notified of the latitude of the mobile unit 12, 35.720573334050826, and the longitude of the mobile unit 12, 139.56137310086345.

[0042] At the same time, the control device 13 estimates the amount of sensing data currently stored in the sensor terminal 30 from the amount of sensing data periodically generated by each sensor terminal and the amount of sensing data that has been transmitted to the mobile object 12 so far. Note that each sensor terminal 30 may notify the control device 13 of the amount of sensing data stored therein via the first wireless communication system NW1. The control device 13 records the amount of sensing data stored in the sensor terminal 30 in the sensor position information database of FIG. 8 .

[0043] The control device 13 refers to the sensor location information database for each piece of location information of the notified mobile object 12, and activates the functional unit of the second wireless communication method NW2 of the sensor terminal 30 that is included in the communication area of ​​the second wireless communication method NW2 and has the largest amount of accumulated data (step S22). For example, the control device 13 activates the functional unit of the second wireless communication method NW2 of the sensor terminal 30 that has the sensor number #2 that has the largest amount of accumulated data, among the sensor terminals 30 that have sensor numbers #1 and #2 that are close to the notified latitude and longitude.

[0044] The sensor terminal 30, whose functional unit of the second wireless communication system NW2 has been activated, transmits sensing data to the mobile object 12. Then, when the sensor terminal 30 completes the transmission of the sensing data, it notifies the control device 13 of the completion of data transmission (step S23).

[0045] The control device 13 stops the function unit of the second wireless communication system NW2 of the sensor terminal 30 (step S24), and then repeats the process from step S21.

[0046] The control device 13 may temporarily suspend the movement of the mobile object 12 while the sensor terminal 30 is transmitting the sensing data. Specifically, after step S22, the control device 13 instructs the mobile object 12 to temporarily suspend its movement. This instruction is sent directly to the mobile object 12 or to the mobile object operation system 23 via the first wireless communication method NW1 or the third wireless communication method NW3. Then, after step S23 or after the amount of accumulated data in the sensor terminal 30 becomes equal to or less than a threshold, the control device 13 instructs the mobile object 12 to resume its movement. This instruction is also sent directly to the mobile object 12 or to the mobile object operation system 23 via the first wireless communication method NW1 or the third wireless communication method NW3.

[0047] 9 is a diagram illustrating a method for optimizing the second wireless communication system NW2 when activating a functional unit of the second wireless communication system NW2 of the sensor terminal 30 in the embodiment 4. The control device 13 stores the position information (sensor position information database) of the sensor terminal 30 as shown in FIG.

[0048] Specifically, after step S12, the control device 13 refers to the sensor position information database and adjusts the wireless parameters of all sensor terminals 30 (hereinafter referred to as "target sensor terminals 30") that are within the communication area of ​​the second wireless communication system NW2 of the mobile object 12 (step S12a). For example, the control device 13 adjusts the wireless parameters (e.g., output, bandwidth, spreading factor, error correction rate, etc.) depending on the distance between the mobile object 12 and the target sensor terminal 30, etc. In Fig. 10, the error correction rate of the sensor terminal 30 with sensor number #1 is set to 1 / 2, and the error correction rate of the sensor terminal 30 with sensor number #2 is set to 3 / 4.

[0049] After step S12a, the control device 13 performs step S13.

[0050] Seventh Embodiment The control device 13 can be realized by a computer and a program, and the program can be recorded on a recording medium or provided via a network. Figure 11 shows a block diagram of a system 100. The system 100 includes a computer 105 connected to a network 135.

[0051] Network 135 is a data communications network. Network 135 may be a private or public network and may include any or all of the following: (a) a personal area network, e.g., covering a room; (b) a local area network, e.g., covering a building; (c) a campus area network, e.g., covering a campus; (d) a metropolitan area network, e.g., covering a city; (e) a wide area network, e.g., covering an area spanning city, region, or country boundaries; or (f) the Internet. Communications are conducted over network 135 by electronic and optical signals.

[0052] Computer 105 includes a processor 110 and a memory 115 connected to processor 110. Although computer 105 is depicted herein as a stand-alone device, it is not limited to such, but rather may be connected to other devices not shown in a distributed processing system.

[0053] Processor 110 is an electronic device made up of logic circuits that responds to and carries out instructions.

[0054] The memory 115 is a tangible computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is encoded. In this regard, the memory 115 stores data and instructions, i.e., program code, that can be read and executed by the processor 110 to control its operation. The memory 115 can be implemented as a random access memory (RAM), a hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), or a combination thereof. One component of the memory 115 is a program module 120.

[0055] The program modules 120 contain instructions for controlling the processor 110 to perform the processes described herein. Although operations are described herein as being performed by the computer 105 or a method or process or sub-process thereof, those operations are actually performed by the processor 110.

[0056] The term "module" is used herein to refer to a functional operation that may be embodied as either a stand-alone component or an integrated configuration of multiple subcomponents. Thus, program module 120 may be implemented as a single module or as multiple modules operating in cooperation with each other. Furthermore, although program module 120 is described herein as being installed in memory 115 and therefore implemented in software, it may be implemented in any of hardware (e.g., electronic circuitry), firmware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0057] While the program modules 120 are shown as already loaded into memory 115, they may also be configured to reside on storage device 140 for later loading into memory 115. Storage device 140 is a tangible, computer-readable storage medium that stores the program modules 120. Examples of storage device 140 include compact discs, magnetic tape, read-only memory, optical storage media, a memory unit consisting of a hard drive or multiple parallel hard drives, and a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive. Alternatively, storage device 140 may be random access memory or another type of electronic storage device located in a remote storage system (not shown) and connected to computer 105 via network 135.

[0058] System 100 further includes data source 150A and data source 150B, collectively referred to herein as data sources 150, that are communicatively connected to network 135. In practice, data sources 150 may include any number of data sources, i.e., one or more data sources. Data sources 150 may include unstructured data and may include social media.

[0059] The system 100 further includes a user device 130 operated by the user 101 and connected to the computer 105 via a network 135. The user device 130 includes an input device, such as a keyboard or a voice recognition subsystem, that allows the user 101 to communicate information and command selections to the processor 110. The user device 130 also includes an output device, such as a display device or a printer or a voice synthesizer. A cursor control, such as a mouse, trackball, or touch-sensitive screen, allows the user 101 to manipulate a cursor on the display device to communicate further information and command selections to the processor 110.

[0060] The processor 110 outputs the results 122 of the execution of the program modules 120 to the user device 130. Alternatively, the processor 110 can provide the output to a storage device 125, such as a database or memory, or via a network 135 to a remote device not shown.

[0061] For example, a program that performs the flowchart of Figure 5, Figure 7, or Figure 9 may be the program module 120. The system 100 can operate as the control device 13.

[0062] The terms "comprising" or "comprising" should be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components, but not excluding the presence of one or more other features, integers, steps or components or groups thereof. The terms "a" and "an" are indefinite articles and therefore do not exclude embodiments having a plurality thereof.

[0063] (Other Embodiments) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the components can be modified and embodied in the implementation stage without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0064] Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

[0065] (Effects of the Invention) The data collection system according to the present invention is capable of collecting large amounts of data at low cost while maintaining wide-area coverage and power saving. Furthermore, the sensor activation method of embodiment 5 can reduce the number of sensor terminals simultaneously connected to Wi-Fi, thereby suppressing wireless interference and enabling data reception to be completed quickly. Furthermore, the drone movement coordination method of embodiment 6 can stop the movement of the drone until data reception is completed, making it possible to reliably complete data reception before moving the drone.

[0066] [Note] The data collection system according to the present invention is as follows: [Configuration 1] A data collection system that collects sensing data from a plurality of sensor terminals within a monitoring area, comprising: a base station using a first wireless communication method that covers the monitoring area as its communication area; a mobile body that has a communication area narrower than the monitoring area and is equipped with an access point using a second wireless communication method that has a broader bandwidth than the first wireless communication method; and a control device that controls the activation state of each of the sensor terminals using the first wireless communication method, wherein the sensor terminals function as slave devices for the first wireless communication method and the second wireless communication method, are activated by the control device, and transmit the sensing data to the mobile body using the second wireless communication method. [Configuration 2] The data collection system according to Configuration 1, wherein the mobile body functions as a slave device for the first wireless communication method and notifies the control device of its own location information using the first wireless communication method, and the control device activates the sensor terminals that have come within the communication area of ​​the second wireless communication method due to movement of the mobile body. [Configuration 3] The data collection system according to Configuration 1, wherein the movement of the mobile object is controlled by a third wireless communication system different from the first wireless communication system and the second wireless communication system, and the sensor data received from the sensor terminal is transferred by the third wireless communication system. [Configuration 4] The data collection system according to Configuration 1, wherein the sensor terminal transitions to a sleep state after completing transmission of the sensor data.

[0067] 11: Base station 12: Mobile unit 13: Control device 14: Access point 16: Mobile base station 17: Database 21: Mobile base station 22: Mobile network 23: Mobile operation system 30: Sensor terminal 31: Monitoring area 32: Local network 100: System 101: User 105: Computer 110: Processor 115: Memory 120: Program module 122: Result 125: Storage device 130: User device 135: Network 140: Storage device 150: Data source 301-303: Data collection system

Claims

1. A data collection system that collects sensing data from a plurality of sensor terminals within a monitoring area, comprising: a base station of a first wireless communication method that covers the monitoring area as a communicable area; a mobile body that has an access point of a second wireless communication method that covers a range narrower than the monitoring area as a communicable area and is wider in bandwidth than the first wireless communication method; and a control device that controls the activation state for each of the sensor terminals using the first wireless communication method. The sensor terminal has functions as a slave unit of the first wireless communication method and as a slave unit of the second wireless communication method, is activated by the control device, and transmits the sensing data to the mobile body using the second wireless communication method. A data collection system characterized by the above.

2. A data collection method for collecting sensing data from a plurality of sensor terminals within a monitoring area, comprising: covering the monitoring area as a communicable area by a first wireless communication method from a base station; mounting an access point of a second wireless communication method, which has a range narrower than the monitoring area as a communicable area and is wider in bandwidth than the first wireless communication method, on a mobile body; controlling the activation state for each of the sensor terminals by a control device using the first wireless communication method; activating the sensor terminal, which has functions as a slave unit of the first wireless communication method and as a slave unit of the second wireless communication method, by the control device; and transmitting the sensing data from the sensor terminal to the mobile body using the second wireless communication method. A data collection method characterized by the above.

3. A control device for a data collection system that collects sensing data from a plurality of sensor terminals within a monitoring area, the data collection system comprising: a base station of a first wireless communication method that covers the monitoring area as a communicable area; and a mobile body that has an access point of a second wireless communication method that covers a range narrower than the monitoring area as a communicable area and is wider in bandwidth than the first wireless communication method. The control device controls the activation state for each of the sensor terminals having functions as a slave unit of the first wireless communication method and as a slave unit of the second wireless communication method using the first wireless communication method, and causes the sensing data to be transmitted from the sensor terminal to the mobile body using the second wireless communication method. A control device characterized by the above.

4. A program for causing a computer to function as the control device according to claim 3.

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