US 12,327,438 B2
Data collection system, collection center and data collection method
Kousuke Yamaoka, Kariya (JP); and Yoshinori Atake, Kariya (JP)
Assigned to DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya (JP)
Filed by DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya (JP)
Filed on Dec. 19, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/067,887.
Application 18/067,887 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2021/021492, filed on Jun. 7, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-107104 (JP), filed on Jun. 22, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0119474 A1, Apr. 20, 2023
Int. Cl. G07C 5/00 (2006.01)
CPC G07C 5/008 (2013.01) 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A data collection system comprising:
an in-vehicle terminal mounted on a vehicle and including
at least one of (i) at least one first processor and memory, and (ii) at least one first hardware logic circuit, configured to acquire data acquired during a travel of the vehicle, and
a wireless transmitter/receiver transmitting the acquired data; and
a collection center including
a transmission/reception server reception unit receiving
the data transmitted from in-vehicle terminals of multiple vehicles, wherein the in-vehicle terminal further includes
a cache memory temporarily storing the acquired data until the data becomes transmittable by the wireless transmitter/receiver, the at least one of (i) the at least one first processor and memory, and (ii) the at least one first hardware logic circuit being further configured to predict a shortage of a storage capacity of the cache memory,
the wireless transmitter/receiver transmits, to the collection center, a data necessity inquiry about necessity of the data when (i) the data has been acquired and (ii) the shortage of the storage capacity of the cache memory is predicted,
the transmission/reception server of the collection center receives the data necessity inquiry transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal,
the collection center further includes at least one of (i) at least one second processor and memory, and (ii) at least one second hardware logic circuit, configured to
determine whether or not the data has alternativity when the data necessity inquiry transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal is received by the transmission/reception server, wherein the data is determined to have alternativity when the data is replaceable with alternative data,
wherein the transmission/reception server is further configured to
(i) transmit a discard notice back to the in-vehicle terminal that has transmitted the data necessity inquiry, and let the in-vehicle terminal discard the data based on a determination that the data has alternativity, and
(ii) transmit a keeping notice back to the in-vehicle terminal that has transmitted the data necessity inquiry, and let the in-vehicle terminal to keep the data based on a determination that the data has no alternativity,
the at least one of (i) the at least one first processor and memory, and (ii) the at least one first hardware logic circuit, are further configured to (i) discard, upon receiving the discard notice, the necessity-inquired data, for not storing the data in the cache memory, and (ii) storing, upon receiving the keeping notice, the necessity-inquired data in the cache memory,
the at least one of (i) the at least one second processor and memory, and (ii) the at least one second hardware logic circuit are further configured to determine a re-acquisition possibility, which is a possibility of reacquiring the data that is determined to have alternativity, and
in response to determining that the data has the alternativity, the transmission/reception server
(i) transmits in reply the discard notice to the in-vehicle terminal that has transmitted the data necessity inquiry based on a condition that the data has the reaquirability of equal to or above a threshold value, and
(ii) transmits in reply the keeping notice to the in-vehicle terminal that has transmitted the data necessity inquiry based on a condition that the data has the reaquirability of less than the threshold value.