WO2025052757A1 - Data collection device and data collection method - Google Patents

Abstract

This data collection device, which is mounted in a vehicle capable of communicating with a server via a communication device and which collects data acquired in the vehicle, includes: a data collection trigger execution unit that determines data to be collected, among data acquired by the vehicle, on the basis of a predetermined trigger condition; a collected data storage unit that stores the data determined by the data collection trigger execution unit and the trigger condition under which the data was acquired in a storage device as newly collected data; a storage priority acquisition unit that acquires a storage priority for each trigger condition determined in the server; and a data selection unit that selects the data to be stored in the storage device in accordance with the storage priority acquired from the server.

Description

Data collection device and data collection method Incorporation by Reference

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-145898, filed on September 8, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to a data collection device.

In recent years, in order to improve the performance of autonomous driving functions, it is expected that data collected by equipping vehicles with data collection devices and using actual vehicles will be utilized. The data collection device collects vehicle control data, operation data, video data, etc. in the event of an accident or breakdown. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technology that sends a request to send specified data to vehicles that meet the collection conditions for the target data. This is effective in terms of data collection efficiency, as it does not simply collect all data obtained by the vehicle, but instead uses different data collection requirements for each vehicle.

The following prior art is included as background technology in this technical field. Patent Document 1 (JP 2020-038407 A) describes a data collection device that includes a reception unit, a selection unit, a sorting request transmission unit, and a transmission request transmission unit, and the reception unit receives a collection request including collection conditions for target data to be collected. The selection unit selects a vehicle that satisfies the collection conditions received by the reception unit. The sorting request transmission unit transmits a sorting request for a data type specified by the collection conditions to an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle selected by the selection unit. The transmission request transmission unit transmits a transmission request for data selected based on the sorting request.

According to Patent Document 1, the data collection device transmits a transmission request for data selected based on the data type specified by the collection conditions to an on-board device installed in a vehicle selected by a selection unit. The on-board device has a storage unit that stores actual data (target data) of a collection target type that satisfies the collection conditions. However, if there is no free space in the storage unit, the stored data must be discarded, which poses a problem of discarding newly collected data that has high collection value. Therefore, the challenge is to store data according to the storage priority of the collected data.

The present invention was made to solve the problem of a data collection device storing data according to storage priority, and aims to provide a data collection device that can reduce server communication traffic while querying the server about the priority of stored data.

A representative example of the invention disclosed in this application is as follows. That is, a data collection device is mounted on a vehicle capable of communicating with a server via a communication device, and collects data acquired by the vehicle, and is characterized by comprising a data collection trigger execution unit that determines which data to collect from the data acquired by the vehicle based on a predetermined trigger condition, a collected data storage unit that stores the data determined by the data collection trigger execution unit and the trigger condition under which the data was acquired as new collected data in a storage device, a storage priority acquisition unit that acquires the storage priority for each of the trigger conditions determined by the server, and a data selection unit that selects data to be stored in the storage device according to the storage priority acquired from the server.

According to one aspect of the present invention, data with a high storage priority can be reliably stored. Problems, configurations, and advantages other than those described above will become clear from the description of the following embodiment.

1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a data collection system according to a first embodiment; 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a connection between a data collection device according to a first embodiment and a control device connected via a network; 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a data collection trigger executing unit according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of newly collected data according to the first embodiment; 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a collected data storage unit according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 illustrates an example of the configuration of an inquiry instruction according to the first embodiment; FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a configuration of a trigger execution history according to the first embodiment; 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a data selection unit according to the first embodiment; 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a data selection unit according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of stored data according to the first embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a data collection device according to a second embodiment. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of an urgent data transmission unit according to the second embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a data selection unit according to the third embodiment. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a data reduction amount determination unit according to the third embodiment. FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a configuration of a data discard amount instruction according to the third embodiment; 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a data discarding unit according to the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of data to be saved according to the third embodiment; 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a data storage unit according to the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a data collection device according to a fourth embodiment. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a priority acquisition timing determination unit according to the fourth embodiment.

First Example
A data collection system 3 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the data collection system 3 of the first embodiment.

The data collection system 3 includes a data collection device 1 and a server 2. The data collection device 1 is a control device provided in a vehicle that collects sensor data acquired by an on-board sensor and vehicle data indicating the operation of the vehicle, and includes a data collection trigger execution unit 101, new collected data 102, a collected data storage unit 103, an acquisition instruction 104, a trigger execution history 105, a storage priority acquisition unit 106, a data selection unit 107, and stored data 108.

The data collection trigger execution unit 101 collects necessary data according to a trigger. The trigger defines the conditions for acquiring data obtained from the vehicle. The process executed by the data collection trigger execution unit 101 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The newly collected data 102 is sensor data acquired by an on-board sensor and vehicle data indicating the operation of the vehicle, and is temporarily stored in the storage device of the data collection device 1. An example of the configuration of the newly collected data 102 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The collected data storage unit 103 stores the newly collected data 102 in the stored data 108. The process executed by the collected data storage unit 103 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. The acquisition instruction 104 is a message including the presence or absence of an inquiry instruction. An example of the configuration of the acquisition instruction 104 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The trigger execution history 105 is a history of triggers for data collection, and the data of the trigger execution history 105 indicates what data the vehicle can collect. An example of the configuration of the trigger execution history 105 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The storage priority acquisition unit 106 acquires the storage priority of the data from the server 2. The process executed by the storage priority acquisition unit 106 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The data selection unit 107 selects the stored data 108 according to an instruction from the server 2. The process executed by the data selection unit 107 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The stored data 108 is collected sensor data and vehicle data, and the data selected by the data selection unit 107 according to an instruction from the server 2 is left. An example of the configuration of the stored data 108 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. The stored data 108 is held in the on-board storage while the vehicle is traveling (while connected to a low-speed mobile data communication line), but is transferred to the server 2 when the vehicle is connected to a high-speed communication line (e.g., wireless LAN). The on-board storage in which the stored data 108 is held is a storage area provided in a part of the storage device of the data collection device 1 described later.

The data collection device 1 is implemented as one function of an electronic control device mounted on a vehicle. The electronic control device in which the data collection device 1 is implemented is a control device having an arithmetic unit, a storage device, and a communication interface. The arithmetic unit is a processor (e.g., a microcomputer) that executes a program stored in the storage device. The arithmetic unit operates as a functional unit that provides various functions by executing a specific program. The storage device includes a non-volatile storage area and a volatile storage area that the arithmetic unit can access. The non-volatile storage area includes a program area that stores the program executed by the arithmetic unit, and a data area that temporarily stores data used by the arithmetic unit when executing a program. The volatile storage area stores data used by the arithmetic unit when executing a program. The communication interface connects to other electronic control devices and sensors (LiDAR, radar, camera, etc.) via a network such as CAN or Ethernet.

Server 2 dynamically determines the data storage priority by statistically processing data that can be collected from multiple vehicles, and collects the necessary data at the required frequency.

Server 2 is a computer system consisting of a computer having a processor (CPU), memory, auxiliary storage device, communication interface, input interface, and output interface.

The processor is a computing device that executes programs stored in memory. The processor executes various programs to realize the functions of each processing unit of the server 2. Note that some of the processing performed by the processor by executing the programs may be executed by another computing device (e.g., hardware such as an ASIC or FPGA).

Memory includes ROM, which is a non-volatile storage element, and RAM, which is a volatile storage element. ROM stores unchanging programs (e.g., BIOS). RAM is a high-speed, volatile storage element such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and temporarily stores programs executed by the processor and data used when executing programs.

The auxiliary storage device is, for example, a large-capacity, non-volatile storage device such as a magnetic storage device (HDD) or flash memory (SSD). The auxiliary storage device also stores data used by the processor when executing a program, and the program executed by the processor. In other words, the program is read from the auxiliary storage device, loaded into memory, and executed by the processor to realize each function of the server 2.

The communication interface is a network interface device that controls communications with other devices according to a specified protocol.

The input interface is an interface that receives input from a user, such as a keyboard or mouse. For example, the input interface receives input of a file in which cost data is recorded and stored in an auxiliary storage device. The input interface may also provide a GUI and receive input of cost data from a user.

An output interface is an interface that outputs the results of a program execution in a format that is visible to the user, such as a display device or a printer. For example, the output interface outputs the results of a program execution. The output interface may also be a data output port that outputs the results of a program execution in a format that is visible to the user.

In addition, a terminal connected to the computer via a network may provide the input interface and output interface.

The programs executed by the processor are provided to the computer via removable media (CD-ROM, flash memory, etc.) or a network, and are stored in a non-volatile auxiliary storage device, which is a non-transient storage medium. For this reason, it is preferable for the server 2 to have an interface for reading data from removable media.

Server 2 is a computer system that is configured on one physical computer, or on multiple computers that are configured logically or physically, and may operate on a virtual computer constructed on multiple physical computer resources. For example, each functional unit may operate on a separate physical or logical computer, or multiple functional units may be combined to operate on a single physical or logical computer.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a connection between the data collection device 1 of the first embodiment and a control device connected via a network.

The data collection device 1 is connected to a gateway 4, a camera control device 5, a radar control device 6, and a sonar control device 7 via an in-vehicle network. The gateway 4 transmits vehicle data such as vehicle speed to the data collection device 1. The camera control device 5 transmits image data collected by the camera sensor to the data collection device 1. The radar control device 6 transmits sensor data collected by the radar sensor to the data collection device 1. The sonar control device 7 transmits sensor data collected by the sonar sensor to the data collection device 1.

The data collection device 1 collects this vehicle data and sensor data, and stores data that it determines needs to be collected in on-board storage as saved data 108. As shown in the figure, in the vehicle, multiple control devices 5-7 and a gateway 4 are connected via a network, and data collection is achieved by communicating sensor data, vehicle data, etc. between the devices. These network communications are performed at periodic or aperiodic times (for example, at specified time intervals, or when a specified event is detected).

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the data collection trigger execution unit 101 in the first embodiment.

The data collection trigger execution unit 101 determines which data to collect from the sensor data acquired from the camera control unit 5, radar control unit 6, sonar control unit 7, etc. For example, the data collection trigger execution unit 101 limits the collected data from the sensor data acquired from various sensors in step S10102 according to a trigger, outputs the collected data in step S10103, and outputs the trigger execution history in step S10104. Note that this embodiment is not limited to sensor data acquired from the camera control unit 5, radar control unit 6, sonar control unit 7, etc., and data acquired from other sensors can also be collected.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of newly collected data 102 in the first embodiment.

Newly collected data 102 includes ID information of the executed trigger, the main body of the newly collected data that was newly collected, the time the trigger was executed, and the amount of collected data. The sensor data includes data acquired from various sensors such as camera sensors, radar sensors, and other sensors. The amount of collected data is the time when the sensor data was collected, and includes a specified time before and after the timing of the trigger execution.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the collected data storage unit 103 in the first embodiment.

The collected data storage unit 103 stores the newly collected data 102 collected by the data collection trigger execution unit 101 in the vehicle storage as stored data 108. For example, the collected data storage unit 103 acquires the newly collected data 102 in step S10302, compares the free space in the vehicle storage with a predetermined threshold in step S10303, and if there is sufficient free space in the vehicle storage, stores the newly collected data 102 in the storage in step S10304, and if there is not sufficient free space in the storage, outputs a message in step S10305 indicating that an instruction to inquire about the storage priority of the collected data is on. Note that while the storage priority is being inquired, the process of storing the newly collected data 102 in the vehicle storage is put on hold.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of an acquisition instruction 104 in the first embodiment.

The inquiry instruction information is a message that includes on information, which means that an inquiry instruction is present, or off information, which means that an inquiry instruction is not present.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the configuration of the trigger execution history 105 in the first embodiment.

The trigger execution history 105 includes a trigger history and an execution history as execution history information of the data collection trigger execution unit 101. For example, in trigger history (1), it is recorded that the type of trigger executed (trigger ID) is 1, and the trigger with trigger ID = 1 was executed at the dates and times 2023.02.14 13:32 and 2023.02.26 16:54.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the storage priority acquisition unit 106 in the first embodiment.

The storage priority acquisition unit 106 uses the acquisition instruction 104 output by the collected data storage unit 103 and the trigger execution history 105 output by the data collection trigger execution unit 101 to inquire of and acquire the storage priority of the target data from the server 2. For example, the storage priority acquisition unit 106 checks the acquisition instruction 104 in step S10602, and acquires the trigger execution history 105 in step S10603 if the acquisition instruction 104 is on. Then, in step S10604, the acquired trigger execution history 105 is sent to the server 2 to inquire of the server 2 about the storage priority of the target data. Furthermore, if the acquisition instruction 104 is off, the storage priority acquisition unit 106 does not inquire of the server 2. The acquired trigger execution history 105 makes it possible to know the time when the data was collected, the number of records of the collected data, and the most recently collected data.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the data selection unit 107 in the first embodiment.

The data selection unit 107 selects data to be stored in the in-vehicle storage based on the storage priority information of the data acquired from the server 2. The storage priority of the acquired data may be determined by the system or a developer based on the trigger execution history 105 collected by the server 2 from each vehicle. For example, the data selection unit 107 acquires the storage priority of the data from the server 2 in step S10702. The acquired storage priority can be used to rank the storage priorities by data type. The data selection unit 107 then acquires newly collected data 102 in step S10703, and acquires stored data 108 in step S10704. Then, in step S10705, the data selection unit 107 checks whether there is stored data 108 with a lower priority than the newly collected data 102, and if there is stored data 108 with a lower priority than the newly collected data 102, in step S10706, the data selection unit 107 discards the stored data 108 with a lower priority and saves the newly collected data 102, and if there is no stored data 108 with a lower priority than the newly collected data 102, in step S10707, the data selection unit 107 discards the newly collected data 102.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the configuration of stored data 108 in the first embodiment.

Saved data 108 includes the type of execution trigger (trigger ID), newly collected data (sensor data), the trigger execution time, and the amount of collected data. For example, saved data (1) includes 30 seconds of sensor data 1 (camera sensor data) collected by trigger ID: 1 executed at time 2023.02.14.13:32. Saved data (2) includes 20 seconds of sensor data 1 (camera sensor data) and sensor data 2 (radar sensor data) collected by trigger ID: 2 executed at time 2023.02.22.12:04. Saved data (3) includes 20 seconds of sensor data 1 (camera sensor data), sensor data 2 (radar sensor data), and sensor data 3 (sonar sensor data) collected by trigger ID: 3 executed at time 2023.02.07.18:20.

As described above, the data collection device of the first embodiment stores data based on the storage priority acquired by the storage priority acquisition unit 106 based on a data storage priority inquiry instruction output by the collected data storage unit 103. Therefore, even if there is not enough free space in the on-board storage capacity for storing data collected by the vehicle, data with a high storage priority can be reliably stored in the on-board storage, and the amount of mobile data communication can be reduced. In addition, the trigger execution history is sent to the server at any timing depending on the amount of usage of the on-board storage, and the priority of the stored data is inquired, so that data to be stored can be selected according to the situation of the server 2 while reducing the amount of mobile data communication.

Second Example Urgent Data Transmission A data collection device and a data collection system 3 according to a second example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG.

The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that collected data that urgently needs to be sent to the server 2 is sent directly to the server 2 without being stored in the vehicle storage. In the second embodiment, when the collection of new collected data 102 shown in the first embodiment is highly urgent, the data is sent immediately and reliably to the server 2 without determining whether it can be stored in the vehicle storage. Note that the same configurations and procedures as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and their explanations are omitted.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the data collection device 1 of the second embodiment.

The data collection device 1 of the second embodiment has an urgent data transmission unit 109 in addition to the components of the data collection device 1 of the first embodiment. The urgent data transmission unit 109 determines whether the collected data requires urgent data transmission. The process executed by the urgent data transmission unit 109 will be described with reference to FIG. 12.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the emergency data transmission unit 109 in the second embodiment.

The urgent data transmission unit 109 transmits the newly collected data 102 to the server 2 depending on the urgency of transmitting the newly collected data 102 to the server 2. For example, the urgent data transmission unit 109 acquires the newly collected data 102 at a predetermined timing (for example, when a predetermined event is detected, or at a predetermined time interval) in step S10902. Then, in step S10903, it refers to the emergency information attached to the collected data to determine whether there is an urgency in transmitting the data, and if there is an urgency in transmitting the data, in step S10904, it transmits the newly collected data 102 to the server 2. Note that the urgency of transmitting the data in step S10903 may be determined to be urgency if the ID of the execution trigger of the newly collected data 102 is an ID that is determined to be urgent.

As described above, the data collection device 1 of the second embodiment has an emergency data transmission unit 109, so when there is a high urgency in collecting newly collected data 102, the newly collected data 102 can be sent immediately and reliably to the server 2, and an emergency occurring in the vehicle can be immediately notified to the server 2.

Third Embodiment Discarding and Compressing Collected Data A data collection device and a data collection method according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the data selection unit 107 does not discard all data with a low storage priority, but predicts the number of trigger executions until server transmission begins, and suppresses the amount of discarded data. In the third embodiment, the number of scenarios (vehicle driving scenes to be collected by one trigger) that can be collected is increased by discarding only a portion of the data or compressing the data. Note that the same components and procedures as in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and their explanations are omitted.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the detailed configuration of the data selection unit 107 in the third embodiment of the present invention.

In the third embodiment, the data selection unit 107 selects stored data 108 in accordance with instructions from the server 2, as in the first embodiment. In addition to the data input in the first embodiment, the data selection unit 107 receives the trigger execution history 105 and route information 110. The route information 110 includes current time information, current vehicle position information (latitude, longitude), passing points (latitude, longitude), and destination (latitude, longitude).

The data selection unit 107 in the third embodiment also includes a data reduction amount determination unit 112, a data reduction amount instruction 113, a data amount reduction unit 115, data to be saved 118, and a data saving unit 119.

The data reduction amount determination unit 112 determines the amount of data reduction depending on the predicted number of triggers. The process executed by the data reduction amount determination unit 112 will be described with reference to FIG. 14. The data reduction amount instruction 113 is a message including an instruction for the amount of reduction of collected data. An example of the configuration of the data reduction amount instruction 113 will be described with reference to FIG. 15. The data amount reduction unit 115 reduces the amount of data based on the data reduction amount instruction 113. The process executed by the data amount reduction unit 115 will be described with reference to FIG. 16. The data to be saved 118 is data saved in the saved data 108. The data to be saved 118 will be described with reference to FIG. 17. The data saving unit 119 writes the data to be saved 118 to storage as the saved data 108. The process executed by the data saving unit 119 will be described with reference to FIG. 18.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the data reduction amount determination unit 112 in the third embodiment.

The data reduction amount determination unit 112 predicts the number of triggers that will be executed before the collected data starts being sent to the server 2, and determines the amount of data reduction according to the predicted number of triggers. For example, the data reduction amount determination unit 112 acquires the trigger execution history in step S11204. Then, in step S11205, it calculates the execution frequency from the acquired trigger history and estimates the remaining driving time of the vehicle and the remaining number of trigger executions, which is the number of trigger executions that will be executed during the remaining driving time. Then, in steps S11206 and S11207, it determines the amount of data reduction and the amount of data compression based on the difference between the free space of the storage where the saved data 108 is written and the value obtained by multiplying the estimated number of triggers by the amount of data collected in one time, and in steps S11208 and S11209, it outputs the determined amount of data discarded and the amount of data compressed.

FIG. 15 shows an example of the configuration of the data reduction amount instruction 113 in the third embodiment.

The data reduction amount instruction 113 includes an instruction for the amount of reduction of collected data. For example, the data reduction amount instruction 113 includes a reduction instruction (on or off) and the amount of data reduction.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the data amount reduction unit 115 in the third embodiment of the present invention.

The data amount reduction unit 115 reduces the data amount based on the data reduction amount instruction 113 output by the data reduction amount determination unit 112. The data amount reduction may be data compression or data discarding. It is preferable to minimize the amount of data to be discarded. For example, the data amount reduction unit 115 acquires the storage priority from the server 2 in step S11502, acquires the newly collected data 102 in step S11503, acquires the stored data in step S11504, acquires the data reduction amount instruction 113 in step S11505, reduces the data amount by compressing or discarding a portion of the data (15 seconds) in step S11506, and outputs the data after the discarding process in step S11507. Note that when reducing the data amount of the portion of the data in step S11506, the data amount of the newly collected data 102 may be reduced first, the data amount of the stored data may be reduced, or the data amount of both the newly collected data 102 and the stored data may be reduced.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of data to be saved 118 in the third embodiment of the present invention.

For example, the data to be saved 118 includes an execution trigger type, a sensor data type, a trigger execution time, a collected data amount, and a frame rate. The collected data amount may be displayed by time.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the data storage unit 119 in the third embodiment of the present invention.

For example, the data storage unit 119 acquires the data 118 to be saved in step S11902, and writes the data 118 to be saved to storage in step S11903.

As described above, the data collection device 1 of the third embodiment reduces the amount of data collected per trigger by deleting and/or compressing the minimum amount of data required in response to instructions from the data reduction amount determination unit 112, and can increase the number of triggers without increasing storage capacity, thereby increasing the number of scenarios that can be collected.

Fourth Embodiment Determining Server Inquiry Timing A data collection device and a data collection system 3 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. FIG.

The fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that, instead of the collected data storage unit 103 outputting the acquisition instruction 104, the priority acquisition timing determination unit 120 outputs the acquisition instruction 104. In the fourth embodiment, the priority acquisition timing of the stored data 108 is adjusted, thereby reducing the amount of server communication. Note that the same configurations and procedures as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and their explanations are omitted.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a data collection device 1 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

The data collection device 1 of the fourth embodiment has, in addition to the components of the data collection device 1 of the first embodiment, a priority acquisition timing determination unit 120 and route information 110. The route information 110 may be acquired from any device, such as the gateway 4 or the server 2.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the priority acquisition timing determination unit 120 in the fourth embodiment.

The priority acquisition timing determination unit 120 determines an arbitrary timing for inquiring of the data storage priority of the server 2. For example, the priority acquisition timing determination unit 120 acquires the stored data 108 in step S12002, checks the free space of the in-vehicle storage in step S12003, determines whether the free space of the in-vehicle storage is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold in step S12004, and if the free space of the in-vehicle storage is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, outputs an inquiry instruction in the on state in step S12010.

On the other hand, if the free space in the on-board storage is not below the predetermined threshold, the trigger execution frequency is obtained in step S12005, and route information 110 for the vehicle is obtained in step S12006. In step S12008, it is determined whether there is a possibility that the free space in the storage will be insufficient due to additional data collection while the vehicle is traveling in an area where communication is difficult by comparing the estimated time period when the vehicle will approach an area where communication is difficult with the estimated time period when storage will be insufficient. If a shortage of free space in the storage is expected, an inquiry instruction is output in the on state in step S12010.

On the other hand, if a shortage of free storage space is not expected, in step S12009 it is determined whether the trigger execution frequency is greater than a predetermined threshold, and if the trigger execution frequency is greater than the predetermined threshold, an inquiry instruction is output in the on state in step S12010. On the other hand, if the trigger execution frequency is the same as or less than the predetermined threshold, an inquiry instruction is output in the off state in step S12011.

As described above, the data collection device 1 of the fourth embodiment estimates the amount of data to be stored in the future and acquires the storage priority at an appropriate time by using the priority acquisition timing determination unit 120 that determines the timing to inquire the server 2 about the priority of the stored data 108.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various modified examples and equivalent configurations within the spirit of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to having all of the configurations described. Furthermore, part of the configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, the configuration of another embodiment may be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, part of the configuration of each embodiment may be added, deleted, or replaced with other configurations.

Furthermore, each of the configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. described above may be realized in part or in whole in hardware, for example by designing them as integrated circuits, or may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function.

Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function can be stored in a storage device such as a memory, hard disk, or SSD (Solid State Drive), or in a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

Furthermore, the control lines and information lines shown are those considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily represent all control lines and information lines necessary for implementation. In reality, it is safe to assume that almost all components are interconnected.

Claims (8)

A data collection device that is mounted on a vehicle capable of communicating with a server via a communication device and collects data acquired in the vehicle,
a data collection trigger execution unit that determines which data to collect from among the data acquired by the vehicle based on a predetermined trigger condition;
a collected data storage unit that stores the data determined by the data collection trigger execution unit and the trigger condition under which the data was obtained in a storage device as new collected data;
a storage priority acquisition unit that acquires a storage priority for each of the trigger conditions determined in the server;
a data selection unit that selects data to be stored in the storage device according to a storage priority acquired from the server. 2. The data collection device of claim 1,
The data collection device is characterized in that the storage priority acquisition unit transmits the execution history of the trigger conditions stored in the storage device to the server, and acquires the storage priority for each of the trigger conditions determined by the server in response to the execution history. 2. The data collection device of claim 1,
The data selection unit is
Acquire the newly collected data and the stored data stored in the storage device;
A data collection device comprising: a data collection unit that discards or compresses at least one of the newly collected data and the stored data according to the storage priority. 2. The data collection device of claim 1,
The data collection device further comprises an urgent data transmission unit that determines a degree of urgency for collecting the newly collected data, and transmits the newly collected data to the server based on the determined degree of urgency. 2. The data collection device of claim 1,
a data reduction amount determination unit that estimates a number of times the trigger condition occurs within a predetermined time, and determines a reduction amount of data to be stored in the storage device in accordance with the estimated number of times the trigger condition occurs;
The data collection device according to claim 1, wherein the data selection unit discards or compresses at least one of the newly collected data and the data to be stored based on the reduction amount determined by the data reduction amount determination unit. 2. The data collection device of claim 1,
The data collection device, wherein the storage priority acquisition unit acquires the storage priority when an amount of the newly collected data exceeds a free space of the storage device. 2. The data collection device of claim 1,
The data collection device further comprises a timing determination unit that determines a timing when the storage priority acquisition unit acquires the storage priority from the server based on free space in the storage device. 1. A data collection method in which a data collection device collects data acquired in a vehicle capable of communicating with a server via a communication device, the method comprising:
The data collection device includes a computing device that executes a predetermined computation process and a storage device that is accessible by the computing device;
a data collection trigger execution step for determining which data to collect from among the data acquired by the vehicle based on a predetermined trigger condition;
a collected data storage step of storing the data determined by the data collection trigger execution unit and the trigger condition under which the data was obtained in a storage device as new collected data;
a storage priority acquisition step of acquiring a storage priority for each of the trigger conditions determined in the server;
and a data selection step of selecting data to be stored in the storage device according to the storage priority acquired from the server.

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