JP7658222B2 - Information collection device, information collection method, and computer program for collecting information - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information collection device, an information collection method, and a computer program for collecting information.

In recent years, in order to make people's lives more comfortable using information and communication technology, effective use of large amounts of data acquired by data acquisition devices has been considered. For example, Patent Document 1 describes the collection of sensor data acquired by in-vehicle sensors and sensor data acquired by infrastructure sensors such as surveillance cameras, and the use of the analysis results of this sensor data to provide driving assistance to the vehicle driver.

Patent Document 1 also describes how, in traffic conditions where there are many wireless communication terminals (such as vehicle-mounted sensors), in order to prevent a shortage of communication resources, communication of sensor data with a high level of urgency is prioritized according to the surrounding traffic conditions.

JP 2020-095504 A

However, in a given target area such as a smart city, not only traffic data but also other types of data are acquired. In this case, it is necessary not only to determine the priority of communication according to the traffic situation, but also to determine the priority among different types of data and select the data to be used.

In view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to appropriately select data to reduce data communication volume when different types of data are acquired in a specified target area.

The gist of this disclosure is as follows:

(1) An information collection device that collects information using a plurality of data acquisition devices that acquire different types of data in a specified target area, the information collection device comprising: a data receiving unit that receives data from each of the plurality of data acquisition devices; and a determination unit that determines whether or not it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication for information collection in the target area, and when the determination unit determines that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication, the data receiving unit preferentially receives data related to people over data related to moving objects among the data acquired by the plurality of data acquisition devices.

(2) The information collection device described in (1) above, in which the data receiving unit preferentially receives data acquired in a second area over data acquired in a first area among the data acquired by the multiple data acquisition devices, and the density of people in the second area is higher than the density of people in the first area.

(3) The information collection device according to (1) or (2) above, in which, when the determination unit determines that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication, the data receiving unit preferentially receives data relating to people having a specified attribute from among the data acquired by the multiple data acquisition devices, over data relating to people not having the specified attribute.

(4) The information collection device described in (3) above, in which the people having the specified attributes are at least one of people in a specified age group and people with physical disabilities.

(5) An information collection device according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the data relating to a person includes at least one of personal health data and personal safety data.

(6) A method for collecting information using a plurality of data acquisition devices that acquire different types of data in a specified target area, the method including: receiving data from each of the plurality of data acquisition devices; determining whether or not it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication for information collection in the target area; and, if it is determined that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication, receiving data related to people over data related to moving objects among the data acquired by the plurality of data acquisition devices.

(7) A computer program for collecting information using multiple data acquisition devices that acquire different types of data in a specified target area, the computer program for collecting information receiving data from each of the multiple data acquisition devices, determining whether or not it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication for information collection in the target area, and, if it is determined that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication, receiving data related to people over data related to moving objects among the data acquired by the multiple data acquisition devices.

According to the present invention, when different types of data are acquired in a specified target area, it is possible to appropriately select the data to be used to reduce the amount of data communication.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an information collecting system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the server in FIG. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the processor of the server. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control routine executed in the server in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control routine executed in the server in the second embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, similar components are given the same reference numbers.

First Embodiment
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an information collection system 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The information collection system 10 includes a server 1 and multiple data acquisition devices. The server 1 is an example of an information collection device that collects information using multiple data acquisition devices.

The multiple data acquisition devices are each placed within a specified target area and acquire data within the specified target area. The target area is an area surrounded by a predetermined boundary, and is, for example, a smart city, which is defined as "a sustainable city or district where management (planning, development, management, operation, etc.) is carried out while utilizing new technologies such as ICT to address various urban issues and achieve overall optimization."

The vehicle 2, drone 3, surveillance camera 4, mobile terminal 5, and wearable terminal 6 shown in FIG. 1 are examples of data acquisition devices. Each of these data acquisition devices can communicate with the server 1 via a wireless base station 7 such as a macrocell or small cell, and a communication network 8 such as the Internet network or a carrier network.

The vehicle 2 includes a communication module (e.g., a Data Communication Module (DCM)) capable of communicating with the wireless base station 7, and at least one sensor. The vehicle 2 travels within a predetermined target area and acquires data using the at least one sensor. The data acquired by the vehicle 2 is transmitted from the vehicle 2 to the server 1 via the wireless base station 7 and the communication network 8. The at least one sensor mounted on the vehicle 2 includes, for example, a sensor (e.g., a GNSS receiver, a vehicle speed sensor, an SOC sensor, etc.) that detects the state of the vehicle 2 (current position, vehicle speed, battery charge rate (SOC: State Of Charge), etc.), a sensor (e.g., an exterior camera, a lidar (LIDAR: Laser Imaging Detection And Ranging), a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor (sonar), etc.) that detects the situation around the vehicle 2, an in-vehicle camera that monitors the occupants of the vehicle 2 (e.g., the driver), etc.), and so on.

Vehicle 2 is, for example, a private car, a taxi, a bus, a truck, a personal mobility vehicle, etc. Note that vehicle 2 may be an autonomous vehicle in which some or all of the acceleration, steering, and deceleration (braking) of vehicle 2 are performed automatically.

The drone 3 is equipped with a communication module capable of communicating with the wireless base station 7, and at least one sensor. The drone 3 flies within a specified target area and acquires data using the at least one sensor. The data acquired by the drone 3 is transmitted from the drone 3 to the server 1 via the wireless base station 7 and the communication network 8. The at least one sensor includes, for example, a sensor (GNSS receiver, air pressure sensor, SOC sensor, etc.) that detects the state quantity of the drone 3 (current position, altitude, battery SOC, etc.), a sensor (camera, thermal camera, etc.) that detects the situation around the drone 3, etc.

The surveillance camera 4 is installed at a predetermined position within a predetermined target area, and captures the surroundings of the surveillance camera 4 to generate images. The surveillance camera 4 is equipped with a communication module capable of communicating with a wireless base station 7, and the images generated by the surveillance camera 4 are transmitted from the surveillance camera 4 to the server 1 via the wireless base station 7 and the communication network 8. The surveillance camera 4 may also be connected to the communication network 8 via a wired line, a Wi-Fi router, etc.

The mobile terminal 5 includes a communication module capable of communicating with the wireless base station 7, and at least one sensor. The mobile terminal 5 is owned by a user and acquires data using the at least one sensor. The data acquired by the mobile terminal 5 is transmitted from the mobile terminal 5 to the server 1 via the wireless base station 7 and the communication network 8. The at least one sensor includes, for example, a GNSS receiver that detects the position of the mobile terminal 5. The mobile terminal 5 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc.

The wearable terminal 6 includes a communication module capable of communicating with the wireless base station 7 and at least one sensor. The wearable terminal 6 is worn by the user and acquires data of the user using the at least one sensor. The data acquired by the wearable terminal 6 is transmitted from the wearable terminal 6 to the server 1 via the wireless base station 7 and the communication network 8. The at least one sensor includes, for example, a GNSS receiver that detects the current location of the user, and a sensor that detects the user's health data (vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and respiratory rate), blood oxygen concentration, electrocardiogram, blood glucose level, number of steps, calorie consumption, fatigue level, sleep state, etc.). The wearable terminal 6 is, for example, a watch-type terminal (smart watch), a wristband-type terminal, a clip-type terminal, a glasses-type terminal, etc. The wearable terminal 6 may communicate with the mobile terminal 5 by short-range wireless communication (Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), etc.) and be connected to the communication network 8 via the mobile terminal 5.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the server 1 in Figure 1. The server 1 includes a communication interface 11, a storage device 12, a memory 13, and a processor 14. The communication interface 11, the storage device 12, and the memory 13 are connected to the processor 14 via signal lines. The server 1 may further include input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an output device such as a display. The server 1 may also be composed of multiple computers.

The communication interface 11 has an interface circuit for connecting the server 1 to the communication network 8. The server 1 communicates with the outside of the server 1 (multiple data acquisition devices, etc.) via the communication network 8. The communication interface 11 is an example of a communication unit of the server 1.

The storage device 12 has, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SDD) or an optical recording medium and an access device for the same. The storage device 12 stores various data, for example, map information, information on the data acquisition device (identification information, location information, etc.), data acquired by the data acquisition device, computer programs for the processor 14 to execute various processes, etc. The storage device 12 is an example of a memory unit of the server 1.

The memory 13 has a non-volatile semiconductor memory (e.g., RAM). The memory 13 temporarily stores various data and the like that are used when various processes are executed by the processor 14, for example. The memory 13 is another example of a storage unit of the server 1.

The processor 14 has one or more CPUs and their peripheral circuits, and executes various processes. The processor 14 may further have other arithmetic circuits, such as a logical arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphics processing unit.

Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the processor 14 of the server 1. In this embodiment, the processor 14 has a data receiving unit 15, a data analysis unit 16, and a judgment unit 17. The data receiving unit 15, the data analysis unit 16, and the judgment unit 17 are functional modules that are realized by the processor 14 of the server 1 executing a computer program stored in the storage device 12 of the server 1. Note that each of these functional modules may be realized by a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 14.

The multiple data acquisition devices acquire different types of data, and the data receiving unit 15 receives data from each of the multiple data acquisition devices. In this embodiment, the data receiving unit 15 receives data from the vehicle 2, drone 3, surveillance camera 4, mobile terminal 5, and wearable terminal 6 via the communication interface 11.

The data analysis unit 16 analyzes the data received by the data receiving unit 15, i.e., the data acquired by the multiple data acquisition devices. For example, the data analysis unit 16 analyzes the data to create specified information (traffic information, disaster information, people flow information, weather information, health information, etc.), and transmits the specified information to residents, managers, etc. of the target area. This allows the data acquired in the target area to be used effectively, and increases the life satisfaction of people in the target area.

However, when a situation occurs in which the communication load is high in the target area, it becomes necessary to limit the amount of data communication for information collection. Therefore, the determination unit 17 determines whether or not it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication for information collection in the target area.

When it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication for information collection, it is necessary to reduce the amount of data transmitted from the multiple data acquisition devices to the server 1. In other words, it is necessary to determine the priority of the data acquired by the multiple data acquisition devices and select the data. Regarding data selection, in target areas such as smart cities where people live, the health and safety of people should be given the highest priority.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the determination unit 17 determines that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication for information collection, the data receiving unit 15 receives data related to people, among the data acquired by the multiple data acquisition devices, preferentially over data related to moving objects. This makes it possible to avoid preventing the acquisition of data related to people from being hindered when the amount of data communication is limited in the target area. Therefore, in this embodiment, when different types of data are acquired in a specified target area, it is possible to appropriately select the data to be used to reduce the amount of data communication.

The above-mentioned control flow will be described below with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control routine executed in the server 1 in the first embodiment. This control routine is repeatedly executed by the processor 14 of the server 1.

First, in step S101, the determination unit 17 determines whether or not it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication for information collection in a predetermined target area. For example, the determination unit 17 determines that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication when the amount of traffic to the server 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The determination unit 17 may also determine that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication when the free space of a storage unit (e.g., storage device 12) of the server 1 in which data acquired by the data acquisition device is stored is equal to or less than a predetermined value. The determination unit 17 may also determine that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication when the bandwidth usage rate of the network used for communication between the server 1 and the data acquisition device is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The determination unit 17 may also determine that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication when the communication speed of the network used for communication between the server 1 and the data acquisition device is equal to or less than a predetermined value. The determination unit 17 may also determine that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication when the CPU usage rate of the server 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

If it is determined in step S101 that there is no need to limit the amount of data communication, this control routine ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S101 that there is a need to limit the amount of data communication, this control routine proceeds to step S102.

In step S102, the data receiving unit 15 determines the priority of the data acquired by the multiple data acquisition devices. Specifically, the data receiving unit 15 assigns a higher priority to data related to people than to data related to moving objects.

Data relating to people is data indicating the condition of people, and includes, for example, images of the occupants of vehicle 2 acquired by vehicle 2, images of people acquired by drone 3, current location or body temperature, images of people acquired by surveillance camera 4, current location of people acquired by mobile terminal 5, current location or health data of people acquired by wearable terminal 6, etc. On the other hand, data relating to moving objects is data indicating the condition of moving objects, and includes, for example, state quantities of vehicle 2 or images of other vehicles acquired by vehicle 2, state quantities of drone 3 or images of vehicles acquired by drone 3, etc. Vehicle 2 and drone 3 are each an example of a moving object.

Next, in step S103, the data receiving unit 15 notifies the multiple data acquisition devices of the priority of data via the communication network 8 and the wireless base station 7. That is, the data receiving unit 15 instructs the multiple data acquisition devices to transmit data related to people to the server 1 with priority over data related to moving objects. As a result, for example, the data acquisition device that acquires data related to moving objects transmits data less frequently or stops transmitting data. Note that when a data acquisition device such as vehicle 2 acquires data related to moving objects (e.g., state quantities of vehicle 2) and data related to people (e.g., images of occupants of vehicle 2), the transmission frequency of data related to moving objects is made lower than the transmission frequency of data related to people, or transmission of data related to moving objects is stopped. After step S103, this control routine ends.

In addition, in step S103, the data receiving unit 15 may instruct only the data acquisition device that acquires data related to moving objects to reduce the data transmission frequency or stop transmitting data. In this case, the data transmission frequency is maintained in the data acquisition device that acquires data related to people.

In addition, the administrator of the target area may wish to acquire data on people with specific attributes. For this reason, in step S102, the data receiving unit 15 may prioritize data on people with a specific attribute among the data acquired by the multiple data acquisition devices over data on people without the specific attribute. In other words, the data receiving unit 15 may preferentially receive data on people with a specific attribute over data on people without the specific attribute among the data acquired by the multiple data acquisition devices. In this case, for example, the frequency with which data on people without the specific attribute is transmitted to the server 1 is lower than the frequency with which data on people with the specific attribute is transmitted to the server 1. This makes it possible to avoid interference with the acquisition of desired data when the amount of data communication is restricted.

A person having a certain attribute is, for example, a single person. Furthermore, data on people whose safety or health is likely to be threatened in their daily lives should be acquired preferentially over data on other people. For this reason, a person having a certain attribute may be one of a person of a certain age group (for example, young children (e.g., 6 years old or younger) and elderly people (e.g., 65 years old or older)) and physically disabled people. In these cases, the user's attributes are registered in advance by the user in a data acquisition device such as the mobile terminal 5 or the wearable terminal 6. Furthermore, a classifier such as a neural network model may be installed in the data acquisition device, and the attributes (particularly age) of people included in the data (e.g., images) acquired by the data acquisition device may be estimated by the classifier.

The data relating to people that is preferentially transmitted from the data acquisition device to the server 1 may be human health data and human safety data (e.g., images of the occupants of the vehicle 2 acquired by the vehicle 2, images of people acquired by the drone 3, images of people acquired by the surveillance camera 4, etc.). This makes it possible to prevent the acquisition of data directly related to people's health and safety from being hindered when the amount of data communication is restricted. In this case, for example, the frequency of transmission of data other than human health data and human safety data to the server 1 is reduced, or transmission of data other than human health data and human safety data to the server 1 is stopped. The data relating to people that is preferentially transmitted from the data acquisition device to the server 1 may be either human health data or human safety data.

Second Embodiment
The information collection system and information collection device according to the second embodiment are basically similar in configuration and control to those according to the first embodiment, except for the points described below. Therefore, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

Even in a situation where the amount of data communication for information collection is not limited, if data is frequently transmitted from a large number of data acquisition devices to the server 1, the amount of power consumption for communication increases. Also, in locations with few people, the demand for data acquisition is lower than in locations with many people.

For this reason, in the second embodiment, the data receiving unit 15 preferentially receives data acquired in the second area over data acquired in the first area among the data acquired by the multiple data acquisition devices. The density of people in the second area is higher than the density of people in the first area. This makes it possible to reduce power consumption for communication while preventing a shortage of data that is in high demand.

Figure 5 is a flowchart showing a control routine executed by the server 1 in the second embodiment. This control routine is repeatedly executed by the processor 14 of the server 1.

First, in step S201, the data receiving unit 15 determines whether there is an area where the human density is less than a predetermined value. For example, the data receiving unit 15 calculates the human density in a predetermined range based on the user's current position acquired by a data acquisition device such as the mobile terminal 5 or the wearable terminal 6. If it is determined in step S201 that there is an area where the human density is less than the predetermined value, this control routine proceeds to step S202.

In step S202, the data receiving unit 15 instructs the data acquisition device located in an area (first area) where the human density is less than a predetermined value to reduce the frequency of data transmission. As a result, the frequency of data transmission from the data acquisition device that received the instruction from the server 1 to the server 1 is reduced.

After step S202, the control routine proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S201 that there is no area where the human density is less than the predetermined value, the control routine skips step S202 and proceeds to step S203. Steps S203 to S205 are executed in the same manner as steps S101 to S103 in FIG. 4, and after step S205, the control routine ends.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims. For example, the data acquisition device may include an automatic ticket gate device, an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) system, a traffic light, etc.

Reference Signs List 1 Server 14 Processor 15 Data receiving unit 17 Determination unit 2 Vehicle 3 Drone 4 Surveillance camera 5 Mobile terminal 6 Wearable terminal

Claims (7)

An information collection device that collects information using a plurality of data acquisition devices that acquire different types of data in a predetermined target area,
a data receiving unit that receives data from each of the plurality of data acquisition devices;
a determination unit that determines whether or not it is necessary to limit a data communication amount for information collection in the target area;
When the determination unit determines that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication, the data receiving unit preferentially receives data related to a person among the data acquired by the plurality of data acquisition devices over data related to a moving body, which is a vehicle or a drone ;
The information collecting device, wherein the data relating to the person includes at least one of person health data and person safety data . The information collection device according to claim 1, wherein the data receiving unit preferentially receives data acquired in a second area over data acquired in a first area among the data acquired by the multiple data acquisition devices, and the density of people in the second area is higher than the density of people in the first area. The information collection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, when the determination unit determines that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication, the data receiving unit preferentially receives data relating to people having a specified attribute from among the data acquired by the multiple data acquisition devices, over data relating to people not having the specified attribute. An information collection device that collects information using a plurality of data acquisition devices that acquire different types of data in a predetermined target area,
a data receiving unit that receives data from each of the plurality of data acquisition devices;
a determination unit that determines whether or not it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication for information collection in the target area;
Equipped with
When the determination unit determines that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication, the data receiving unit preferentially receives data related to a person among the data acquired by the plurality of data acquisition devices over data related to a moving body, which is a vehicle or a drone;
When the determination unit determines that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication, the data receiving unit preferentially receives data relating to a person having a predetermined attribute over data relating to a person not having the predetermined attribute, among the data acquired by the plurality of data acquisition devices;
An information collecting device, wherein the people having the specified attributes are at least one of people in a specified age group and people with physical disabilities. The information collection device of claim 4 , wherein the data relating to people includes at least one of person health data and person safety data. 1. An information collection method for collecting information using a plurality of data acquisition devices that acquire different types of data in a predetermined target area, comprising:
receiving data from each of the plurality of data acquisition devices;
determining whether it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication for information collection in the target area;
When it is determined that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication, among the data acquired by the plurality of data acquisition devices, receiving data related to a person preferentially over data related to a moving body that is a vehicle or a drone ;
The method of collecting information, wherein the data relating to a person includes at least one of person health data and person safety data . 1. A computer program for collecting information using a plurality of data acquisition devices that acquire different types of data in a predetermined target area, comprising:
receiving data from each of the plurality of data acquisition devices;
determining whether it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication for information collection in the target area;
when it is determined that it is necessary to limit the amount of data communication, the computer executes receiving data relating to a person preferentially over data relating to a moving body, which is a vehicle or a drone, among the data acquired by the plurality of data acquisition devices ;
The computer program for collecting information, wherein the data about the person includes at least one of human health data and human safety data .

Images