Data collection system

Abstract

A data collection system 100 according to the present disclosure collects, via a mobile base station 20, data from IoT terminals 10 arranged in a distributed manner. The IoT terminals 10 each comprise: an IoT terminal body 11 that performs sensing of an external environment and transmits data acquired by the sensing; and a data transmission unit 12 that receives and holds the data acquired by the IoT terminal body 11 by the sensing and transmits the data to the outside in response to a request from the mobile base station 20 during sleep of the IoT terminal body 11.

Description

Data collection system

[0001] This disclosure relates to a technique for collecting data with low power consumption by sensors in an IoT system.

[0002] In the development of various IoT-related technologies in recent years, the proposition of how to efficiently obtain various sensing information from the outside world with less cost has become a very big issue. Specifically, in the conventional IoT data sensing method, it is necessary to install a base station for sensing, and it is difficult to deploy sensors widely and dispersedly from the perspective of cost. On the other hand, although LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) wireless technology and the like are also becoming more popular, there are cases where radio waves are blocked in environments with poor visibility such as mountains and forests, and it is difficult to cover a wide area only with radio waves.

[0003] In contrast, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a mobile node (mobile base station) moves in a sensing area and directly collects data from each sensor. However, in such a method, when the mobile node is not nearby, waste occurs in the standby power of the IoT terminal.

[0004] Therefore, as disclosed in Non-Patent Document 2, a technique has been proposed in which a receiver that has received a wake-up packet activates a communication interface from sleep and allows communication only at a desired timing. However, in such a method, it is necessary for the IoT terminal to have a special antenna and a communication interface for receiving wake-up packet radio waves, and since the entire terminal wakes up from sleep, it has been difficult to achieve sufficient cost reduction and power saving. Furthermore, it takes time from when the entire terminal wakes up from sleep until the data transfer is completed, and the residence time of the mobile base station has increased.

[0005] Wataru Seino, Tomoki Yoshihisa, Takahiro Hara, and Shojiro Nishio, "A method for reducing communication volume by predictive value distribution in sensor data collection using mobile nodes," Proceedings of the Multimedia, Distributed Coordination and Mobile Symposium 2011, pp. 1175-1182, 2011. Elena Loptez-Aguilera, et al. "IEEE 802.11-Enabled Wake-Up Radio: Use Cases and Applications," Sensors 2020, 20, 66, Dec. 2019.

[0006] Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a data collection system that can reduce power consumption and the dwell time of mobile base stations.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the data collection system and method disclosed herein employ a technique that separates the timing of sensing by the IoT terminal itself from the timing of data collection by the mobile base station.

[0008] Specifically, the data collection system disclosed herein is a data collection system that collects data from distributed IoT terminals via a mobile base station, wherein the IoT terminal comprises an IoT terminal body that senses the external environment and transmits the data acquired by the sensing, and a data transmission unit that receives and holds the data acquired by the IoT terminal body by the sensing and transmits the data to the outside in response to a request from the mobile base station when the IoT terminal body is in sleep mode.

[0009] Furthermore, the IoT terminal itself may summarize the data acquired by sensing and convert it into metadata, write the metadata to the data transmission unit, and the data transmission unit may, in response to a data request signal from the mobile base station, read the data held in the data holding unit and transmit it to the outside.

[0010] Furthermore, the data transmission unit may, in response to the data request signal from the mobile base station via backscatter communication, read the data from the data holding unit, and transmit the data to the mobile base station as a response signal.

[0011] More specifically, the data collection method disclosed herein is a data processing method performed by a data collection system that collects data from distributed IoT terminals via a mobile base station, wherein the IoT terminal body of the IoT terminal is used to sense the external environment and transmit the data acquired by the sensing, and the data transmission unit of the IoT terminal is used to receive and hold the data acquired by the IoT terminal body by the sensing and to transmit the data to the outside in response to a request from the mobile base station when the IoT terminal body is in sleep mode.

[0012] The apparatus 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 via a network. The program of this disclosure is a program that causes a computer to realize each function of the apparatus of this disclosure, and is a program that causes a computer to execute each procedure of the method performed by the apparatus of this disclosure.

[0013] Furthermore, the above disclosures can be combined as much as possible.

[0014] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a data collection system that enables power saving and reduces the dwell time of mobile base stations.

[0015] This diagram illustrates an overview of the data collection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This diagram illustrates the configuration of the data collection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This diagram illustrates how the data writing processing unit of an IoT terminal extracts necessary information as metadata and sends it to the interface unit. This diagram illustrates how the data writing processing unit of an IoT terminal extracts multiple pieces of necessary information as multiple pieces of metadata and sends them to the interface unit. This diagram illustrates the configuration of the data collection system according to a second embodiment. This diagram illustrates the configuration of the data collection system according to a third embodiment. This is a sequence diagram illustrating the processing procedure of the data collection system.

[0016] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown below. These examples are illustrative, and this disclosure can be implemented in various modified and improved forms based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. In this specification and in the drawings, components with the same reference numerals refer to the same components.

[0017] [First Embodiment] A data collection system 100 according to the first embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, the data collection system 100 consists of distributed IoT terminals 10 and a mobile base station 20 for collecting data. The mobile base station 20 travels around to acquire data from each of the distributed IoT terminals 10.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2, the IoT terminal 10 comprises an IoT terminal body 11 and a data transmission unit 12. The IoT terminal body 11 includes a sensor data processing unit 11A, a data writing processing unit 11B, a basic software unit 11C, and a data storage unit 11D. The IoT terminal 10 is also provided with a sensor unit 13 and an interface unit 14. The IoT terminal body 11 summarizes the data acquired by sensing, converts it into metadata, and writes the metadata to the data transmission unit 12.

[0020] In this embodiment, in the IoT terminal 10 of the IoT data collection system, the data transmission unit 12 having a storage area for sensing data is separated from the IoT terminal body 11, thereby providing an interface that allows sensing data to be read from the outside without consuming power from the IoT terminal body 11. This suppresses the power consumption of the IoT terminal 10 while enabling immediate data transfer in response to the proximity of the mobile base station 20.

[0021] Specifically, the data collection system 100 in this embodiment is a data collection system 100 that collects data from distributed IoT terminals 10 via a mobile base station 20, wherein the IoT terminal 10 comprises an IoT terminal body 11 that senses the external environment and transmits the data acquired by the sensing, and a data transmission unit 12 that receives and holds the data acquired by the IoT terminal body 11 by sensing and transmits the data to the outside in response to a request from the mobile base station 20 when the IoT terminal body 11 is in sleep mode.

[0022] The sensor unit 13 is, for example, a temperature sensor, a camera, etc., and is configured to sense environmental information from the physical environment to be sensed. The sensor unit 13 sends the acquired environmental information to the sensor data processing unit 11A. The sensor data processing unit 11A processes the acquired environmental information and stores it in the data storage unit 11D. The data storage unit 11D is, for example, memory or storage. The basic software unit 11C controls the IoT terminal main unit 11.

[0023] The data writing processing unit 11B extracts necessary information as metadata (summarized data) from the data stored in the data storage unit 11D and sends it to the interface unit 14. For example, as shown in Figure 3, when the data writing processing unit 11B detects a specific target object (wildlife, person, vehicle, flying object, etc.) from the most recent time-series image data captured by the surveillance camera, it extracts information (metadata) related to the detected target object and sends it to the interface unit 14.

[0024] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the data writing processing unit 11B may also associate other metadata with the metadata of the target object and send it to the interface unit 14. Examples of such metadata include time, terminal identifier, location, and weather information at that time. The interface unit 14 then transmits the metadata to the data sending unit 12.

[0025] The data transmission unit 12 comprises a communication interface unit 12A, a data storage unit 12B, and a data processing unit 12C. In response to a data request signal from the mobile base station 20, the data transmission unit 12 reads the data stored in the data storage unit 12B and transmits it to the outside.

[0026] The data processing unit 12C receives metadata from the interface unit 14 and performs data processing. The processed metadata is sent to the data holding unit 12B.

[0027] The data storage unit 12B stores (holds) the processed metadata. The communication interface unit 12A reads the metadata from the data storage unit 12B based on a data request signal from the mobile base station 20 and transmits the metadata to the mobile base station 20.

[0028] The mobile base station 20 includes a signal generating unit 21 and an information reading unit 22. The signal generating unit 21 transmits a data request signal to the data transmission unit 12. The information reading unit 22 reads metadata from the communication interface unit 14.

[0029] As described above, in this embodiment, the data transmission unit 12, which includes a data storage unit 12B for storing metadata, is independent of the IoT terminal body 11. Therefore, sensing data can be read from an external source without consuming power to the IoT terminal body 11. In other words, in this embodiment, sensing data can be collected from the mobile base station 20 without waking the entire IoT terminal 10 from sleep mode.

[0030] In this embodiment, the timing of sensing at the IoT terminal 10 and the timing of data collection at the mobile base station 20 are made independent. As a result, the IoT terminal 11 only needs to be activated at the timing of sensing, and there is no need to activate the IoT terminal 11 for communication, thus enabling power saving. In addition, since there is no need to activate the IoT terminal 11 during data collection, the dwell time of the mobile base station 20 can be reduced.

[0031] [Second Embodiment] A data collection system 101 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figure 5. The data collection system 101 according to the second embodiment includes an IoT terminal 30 instead of an IoT terminal 10, and a mobile base station 40 instead of a mobile base station 20. The IoT terminal 30 includes a data transmission unit 31 instead of a data transmission unit 11. The mobile base station 40 includes a power supply radio wave transmission unit 41 instead of a signal transmission unit 21.

[0032] In the data acquisition system 101 of the second embodiment, data is exchanged between the mobile base station 40 and the data transmission unit 31 using backscatter communication. Backscatter communication is a communication method that uses the reflection of radio waves. Specifically, it is a communication method that enables information communication from an IoT terminal to a mobile base station by having the IoT terminal transmit information when it reflects the radio waves transmitted by the mobile base station.

[0033] In other words, the data transmission unit 31 reads data from the data holding unit 11B in response to a data request signal from the mobile base station 40 via backscatter communication, and transmits the data to the outside as a response signal to the mobile base station 40.

[0034] Specifically, in this embodiment, the power supply radio wave emission unit 41 transmits a data request signal. In response, the communication interface unit 31A of the data transmission unit 31 returns a response signal (reflection) carrying the data. The communication interface unit 31A may be, for example, an RF (Radio Frequency) switch or the like.

[0035] The backscatter communication in this embodiment can operate at a power consumption of several tens of microwatts. In other words, it can operate with significantly less power than Bluetooth (registered trademark: several tens of milliwatts) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark: several hundred milliwatts).

[0036] [Third Embodiment] A data collection system 102 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figure 6. The data collection system 102 according to the third embodiment includes an IoT terminal 50 instead of an IoT terminal 10, and a mobile base station 60 instead of a mobile base station 20. The IoT terminal 50 includes a display device unit 51 instead of a data transmission unit 12. The display device unit 51 is provided with a data holding unit 51A instead of a data holding unit 12B, and does not have a communication interface unit. The mobile base station 60 includes an illumination unit 61 and an information reading unit 62.

[0037] The data storage unit 51A of the display device unit 51 is configured to convert the stored metadata into an externally recognizable format and display it. For example, the data storage unit 51A converts the metadata into a QR code (registered trademark), a barcode, a predetermined color, predetermined characters, etc., and displays it.

[0038] The information reading unit 62 of the mobile base station 60 recognizes and reads the data displayed by the data holding unit 51A. The information reading unit 62 is, for example, a camera, a QR code (registered trademark) reader, a barcode reader, etc.

[0039] The lighting unit 61 of the mobile base station 60 is configured to illuminate the data storage unit 51A when the information reading unit 62 cannot recognize the contents displayed by the data storage unit 51A, such as when the external environment is dark.

[0040] Furthermore, the display device unit 51 may be an LED display unit, a DIP switch, a rotating display panel, or the like, in addition to electronic paper.

[0041] [Sequence] The processing procedure of the data acquisition system will be explained with reference to Figure 7. Note that Figure 7 is based on the configuration of the data acquisition system 101 shown in Figure 5.

[0042] In step S1, the sensor unit 13 senses the external physical environment to obtain environmental information. The sensor unit 13 sends the obtained environmental information to the sensor data processing unit 11A.

[0043] In step S2, the sensor data processing unit 11A processes the obtained environmental information and stores it in the data storage unit 11D.

[0044] In step S3, the data writing processing unit 11B extracts predetermined metadata from the data storage unit 11D.

[0045] In step S4, the data writing processing unit 11B further extracts by adding additional metadata as necessary.

[0046] In step S5, the data writing processing unit 11B sends the extracted metadata to the interface unit 14.

[0047] In step S6, the interface unit 14 transmits (writes) the metadata to the data processing unit 31C.

[0048] In step S7, the data processing unit 31C reads and processes the received metadata. The data processing unit 31C sends the processed metadata to the data holding unit 31B.

[0049] In step S8, the metadata from the data processing unit 31C is stored (held).

[0050] In step S9, the power supply radio wave emission unit 41 transmits a data request signal to the IoT terminal 10.

[0051] In step S10, the communication interface unit 31A that has received the data request signal transmits the metadata corresponding to the data request signal on the response signal.

[0052] In step S11, the information reading unit 42 receives the response signal from the communication interface unit 31A.

[0053] The data collection system of the present disclosure can be applied to the information and communication industry.

[0054] 10, 30, 40: IoT terminal 11: IoT terminal main unit 11A: Sensor data processing unit 11B: Data writing processing unit 11C: Basic software unit 11D: Data storage unit 12, 31: Data transmission unit 12A, 31A: Communication interface unit 12B: Data holding unit 12C: Data processing unit 13: Sensor unit 14: Interface unit 20, 40, 60: Mobile base station 21: Signal emission unit 22, 62: Information reading unit 51: Display device unit 51A: Data holding unit 61: Lighting unit 100, 101, 102: Data acquisition system

Claims

1. A data collection system for collecting data from distributed IoT terminals via a mobile base station, wherein the IoT terminal comprises an IoT terminal body that senses the external environment and transmits the data acquired by the sensing, and a data transmission unit that receives and holds the data acquired by the IoT terminal body by the sensing and transmits the data to the outside in response to a request from the mobile base station when the IoT terminal body is in sleep mode, and is a data processing system.

2. The data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the IoT terminal body summarizes the data acquired by sensing and converts it into metadata, writes the metadata to the data transmission unit, and the data transmission unit reads the data held in the data holding unit provided in the data transmission unit and transmits it to the outside in response to a data request signal from the mobile base station.

3. The data processing system according to claim 2, wherein the data transmission unit reads the data from the data holding unit in response to the data request signal from the mobile base station via backscatter communication, and transmits the data to the outside as a response signal to the mobile base station.

4. A data processing method performed by a data collection system that collects data from distributed IoT terminals via a mobile base station, comprising: using the IoT terminal body of the IoT terminal to sense the external environment and transmit the data acquired by the sensing; and using the data transmission unit of the IoT terminal to receive and hold the data acquired by the IoT terminal body by the sensing, and transmitting the data to the outside in response to a request from the mobile base station when the IoT terminal body is in sleep mode.

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