DE102020211941A1 - System for transporting data - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a system (10) for transporting data between a donor unit (12) in a donor environment (14) and a receptor unit (16) in a receptor environment (18), a drone (28) for transporting data between a donor unit (12) in a donor environment (14) and a receptor unit (16) in a receptor environment (18) and a corresponding method.It is provided that preferably a drone (28) with a hard disk (32) and a connection option (30) for wired data transmission. The drone (28) flies from its base (16) to motor vehicles (12) parked on a parking deck. The drone (28) recognizes motor vehicles (12) that are willing to share data. Vehicle owners can, for example, receive discounts as a result. Once the drone (28) has arrived at a motor vehicle (12), the collected data are transmitted. If wired transmission is not possible, transmission with Bluetooth or WLAN is also conceivable. The drone (28) can particularly preferably equip the motor vehicles (12, 16) with updates and/or new functions. After successful transmission, the drone (28) flies to the next motor vehicle (12). This is repeated until either the battery power (34) is low or the hard drive (32) is full or no more vehicles (12) are available. The drone (28) then flies back to the base (16) and there all data from the hard disk (32) are transmitted by cable to an analysis system. The process can be repeated directly afterwards.

Description

The invention relates to a system for transporting data between a donor entity in a donor environment and a receptor entity in a receptor environment, a drone for transporting data between a donor entity in a donor environment and a receptor entity in a receptor environment, and a appropriate procedure.

Vehicle data is of great value for motor vehicle manufacturers in order to analyze user behavior, wear and tear, etc. and to constantly improve the use of motor vehicles for customers. One challenge here is the transmission of the data recorded and stored in the motor vehicle to a control center where the data is to be subjected to precise analysis. These enormous amounts of data would overload the current network infrastructure. Transmission with the well-known mobile radio standards, such as the 4G or 5G network, is insufficient or not possible at all. Particularly when high bandwidth is not available, it is sometimes impossible to transfer data quickly and securely enough.

From the disclosure document U.S. 2016/0332748 A1 systems and methods for docking an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a vehicle are described. The UAV may be able to distinguish an escort vehicle from other surrounding vehicles and vice versa. The UAV can take off and/or land on the vehicle. The UAV can be used to capture images and stream the images live to a display inside the vehicle. The vehicle can control the UAV. The UAV can communicate with the support vehicle during the flight. The disadvantage here is that the UAV is an extension of a vehicle. The UAV is not designed for different vehicles. In addition, only data exchange takes place here between the vehicle and the UAV; data transmission to a base station is not taught.

The object of the invention is now to provide a way of exchanging data quickly and securely between a first unit and a second unit. In particular, a robust possibility for data transmission that is independent of a mobile radio network is to be created.

• einer Donator-Einheit, die in der Donatorumgebung lokalisiert ist und auf der Daten enthalten sind, mit einer Donator-Kommunikationsschnittstelle zum Ausgeben der Daten;
• einer Rezeptor-Einheit, die in der Rezeptorumgebung lokalisiert ist, mit einer Rezeptor-Kommunikationsschnittstelle zum Empfangen der Daten, wobei
• das System dazu ausgebildet ist, eine Datenübertragungsstrecke zwischen der Donator-Einheit und der Rezeptor-Einheit auszubilden, wobei zumindest ein Teil der Datenübertragungsstrecke durch Koppeln der Kommunikationsschnittstellen und ein Teil der Datenübertragungsstrecke durch physisches Bewegen und/oder Transportieren eines Speichers zwischen der Donatorumgebung und der Rezeptorumgebung einrichtbar ist.

This problem is solved by a system for transporting data between a donor unit in a donor environment and a receptor unit in a receptor environment with:

• a donor entity located in the donor environment and on which data resides, having a donor communications interface for outputting the data;
• a receptor entity located in the receptor environment, having a receptor communication interface for receiving the data, wherein
• the system is designed to form a data transmission link between the donor unit and the receptor unit, at least part of the data transmission link being formed by coupling the communication interfaces and part of the data transmission link being formed by physically moving and/or transporting a memory between the donor environment and the receptor environment can be set up.

The above object is also achieved by a drone for transporting data between a donor unit in a donor environment and a receptor unit in a receptor environment with a transport communication interface and a transport memory on which data can be stored, the drone with a donor unit for receiving the data and the receptor unit for delivering the data can be coupled and the drone is designed to transport, in particular to fly, the transport memory between the donor environment and the receptor environment.

• - Ausbilden einer Datenübertragungsstrecke zwischen der Donator-Einheit und der Rezeptor-Einheit, wobei das Ausbilden der Datenübertragungsstrecke ein
• - Empfangen der Daten von einer Donator-Einheit und Transportieren eines Transportspeichers mit den empfangenen Daten zu der Rezeptorumgebung oder
• - ein autonomes Fahren eines Kraftfahrzeugs zu der Rezeptorumgebung umfasst.
• - Übermitteln der Daten von einer Donator-Einheit zu einer Rezeptor-Einheit mittels der Datenübertragungsstrecke.

The above object is finally achieved by a method for transporting data between a donor unit in a donor environment and a receptor unit in a receptor environment, comprising the steps:

• - forming a data transmission path between the donor unit and the receptor unit, the forming of the data transmission path a
• - receiving the data from a donor entity and transporting a transport memory with the received data to the receptor environment or
• - includes autonomous driving of a motor vehicle to the receptor environment.
• - Transmitting the data from a donor unit to a receptor unit by means of the data link.

By establishing at least part of the data transmission path by physically moving and/or transporting memory between the donor environment and the receptor environment, data transport can be independent from a cellular network. In particular, comparatively large amounts of data can be transmitted quickly in this way. The invention can preferably be used when there is a comparatively short distance between the donor environment and the receptor environment. For example, data from numerous motor vehicles can be “collected” by drones/robots during a parking process, for example when motor vehicles are parked on the parking decks in front of a plant or company during working hours. As a result, the data can be collected and transmitted conveniently and in particular without any restrictions for the customer. The physical movement or transport of a memory creates increased security in data transmission, since the data cannot be accessed via a network vulnerability or the like.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a data transport unit is provided with a transport communication interface and a transport memory on which data can be stored, the data transport unit being able to be coupled to the donor unit for receiving the data and the receptor unit for delivering the data and the data transport unit is designed to move and/or transport the transport memory between the donor environment and the receptor environment. As a result, the data transfer can be carried out quickly and easily. In particular, both the donor moiety and the receptor moiety need not be moved. The data transport unit can consequently be made smaller and more manoeuvrable. In particular, the donor unit only has to have an interface for the data transport unit and a memory for the data and can consequently be manufactured cost-effectively. The data transport unit is particularly preferably designed to be used with a plurality of donor units, in particular with differently designed donor units.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the donor unit is arranged in a motor vehicle and is preferably part of a motor vehicle and the data includes information relating to the motor vehicle. This allows vehicle data to be transferred conveniently, easily and quickly. In particular, the large amounts of data that arise here can be transmitted securely and reliably.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the receptor unit comprises a base station, in particular a base station in a factory of a motor vehicle manufacturer, in which the data can be stored for further analysis. This allows the data to be transferred directly to where it is needed for analysis. In particular, a lot of data from many different motor vehicles can be transmitted here in a short time.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the data transport unit comprises a drone, a moving robot and/or an autonomous vehicle, in particular with a robot arm. As a result, a data transport unit that is specially set up and matched to the data transport can be created. It goes without saying that the data transport unit comprises a drive, as in the case of the drone one or more propellers, a power supply and a control unit for controlling the data transport unit.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the data transport unit is designed to store data from a number of donor units until the transport memory is full and/or until an energy reserve in an energy memory falls below a predefined threshold value. This allows the speed of data transmission to be increased. In particular, the number of data transport units can be kept low. The system can be operated and created cost-effectively. In addition, fewer data transport units lead to a lower accident risk of the data transport units and a lower logistical and control effort.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that moving and/or transporting a storage device between the donor environment and the receptor environment includes an autonomous driving of a motor vehicle from the donor environment to the receptor environment. In this way, a system can be created that does not require additional data transport units. In other words, the autonomously driving vehicle can also be regarded as a data transport unit.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the data includes information for updating software in the motor vehicle, in particular a component of the motor vehicle, with a motor vehicle that has already been updated preferably being designed to update other motor vehicles. As a result, the system can not only be used to record relevant data for a vehicle manufacturer, updates can also be imported conveniently and efficiently. In particular, an update can be done with the utmost convenience for the customer, since the customer does not have to go to a workshop or have to drive something like that. It goes without saying that a type of update environment can also be defined, for example a parking lot where a customer parks his motor vehicle, in particular without a prior appointment, and picks it up again in an updated manner. An update between two motor vehicles can also be carried out afterwards on the road, for example peer2peer.

Further preferred configurations of the invention result from the remaining features mentioned in the dependent claims.

Unless stated otherwise in the individual case, the various embodiments of the invention mentioned in this application can advantageously be combined with one another.

A drone is preferably an unmanned vehicle, i.e. generally an unmanned vehicle that either operates independently or is controlled remotely. In particular, a multicopter is to be understood as a drone in the present case. This is an aircraft that uses four or more vertically downward-acting rotors or propellers arranged in one plane to generate lift and, by tilting the rotor plane, also propulsion. He is one of the helicopters and can take off and land vertically like these. Quadrocopters can fly increasingly complex maneuvers and be used for various special tasks.

• 1 eine schematische Darstellung einer Variante eines erfindungsgemäßen Systems;
• 2 eine schematische Darstellung einer weiteren Variante eines erfindungsgemäßen Systems;
• 3 eine schematische Darstellung einer weiteren Variante eines erfindungsgemäßen Systems mit einem Kraftfahrzeug und einer Basisstation;
• 4 eine schematische Darstellung einer weiteren Variante eines erfindungsgemäßen Systems mit einem Kraftfahrzeug, einer Drohne und einer Basisstation;
• 5 eine schematische Darstellung einer Variante eines erfindungsgemäßen Systems auf einem Werksparkplatz;
• 6 eine schematische Darstellung einer weiteren Variante eines erfindungsgemäßen Systems auf einem Parkplatz;
• 7 eine schematische Darstellung einer Variante eines erfindungsgemäßen Systems mit einer Datentransporteinheit in Form eines autonomen Fahrzeugs; und
• 8 schematisch die Schritte eines erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens.

The invention is explained below in exemplary embodiments with reference to the associated drawings. Show it:

• 1 a schematic representation of a variant of a system according to the invention;
• 2 a schematic representation of a further variant of a system according to the invention;
• 3 a schematic representation of a further variant of a system according to the invention with a motor vehicle and a base station;
• 4 a schematic representation of a further variant of a system according to the invention with a motor vehicle, a drone and a base station;
• 5 a schematic representation of a variant of a system according to the invention in a factory parking lot;
• 6 a schematic representation of a further variant of a system according to the invention in a parking lot;
• 7 a schematic representation of a variant of a system according to the invention with a data transport unit in the form of an autonomous vehicle; and
• 8th schematically shows the steps of a method according to the invention.

1 12 shows a schematic representation of a variant of a system 10 according to the invention. The system 10 comprises a donor unit 12 which is located in a donor environment 14 and a receptor unit 16 which is located in a receptor environment 18. A data transmission path 20 is shown schematically between the donor unit 12 and the receptor unit 16 .

The donor unit 12 includes a data store 22 which contains data transmitted from the donor unit 12 to the receptor unit 16 . Furthermore, the donor unit 12 has a donor communication interface 24 in order to be able to transmit the data from the data memory 22 .

The receptor unit 16 includes a receptor communication interface 26 for receiving the data.

The communication interfaces 24, 26 are preferably wired in order to enable fast and secure data exchange. It goes without saying that the communication interfaces 24, 26 have corresponding plug/socket combinations for this purpose, which are known in principle in the prior art.

Part of the data transmission path 20 can be overcome by physically moving and/or transporting a memory, in particular the data memory 22, between the donor environment 14 and the receptor environment 18. In the example shown, for example, the donor unit 12 can be moved along the Data transmission path 20 are moved and then connected by means of the communication interfaces 24, 26 to the receptor unit 16 to transmit the data. It is understood that the donor unit 12 can also receive data from the receptor unit 16, such as a software update. In particular, it is conceivable that a release for the software update only takes place when the data is transmitted.

In 2 a schematic representation of a further variant of a system 10 according to the invention is shown. The same reference numbers refer to the same features and will not be used explained again. The differences are discussed in more detail below.

In contrast to the in 1 In the variants shown, the system 10 comprises a data transport unit 28 with a transport communication interface 30, a transport storage device 32 and an energy storage device 34.

The data transport unit 28 is designed to transport the data to be transported along the data transmission path 20 by physically moving a memory filled with the data, in particular the transport memory 32 . For this purpose, the data transport unit 28 can be coupled to the donor communication interface 24 by means of the transport communication interface 30 and can receive the data from the donor unit 12 and store them in the transport memory 32 . The data transport unit 28 can then move along the data transmission path 20 to the receptor unit 16 and be coupled to the receptor communication interface 26 in order to transmit the data to the receptor unit 16 . In order to enable movement along the data transmission path 20, the data transport unit 28 has appropriate actuators such as motors and wheels and rotors and a control unit.

In 3 a further variant of a system 10 according to the invention is shown. The system 10 comprises a donor unit 12 in the form of a motor vehicle and a receptor unit 16 in the form of a base station. For reasons of clarity, the surroundings 14, 18 are not shown.

In the example shown, the donor communication interface 24 and the receptor communication interface 26 comprise a wireless communication unit. For example, data can be transmitted using Bluetooth, local Wifi or other wireless communication standards known in principle from the prior art. In order to transmit the data, the motor vehicle can drive autonomously to the base station and carry out a data transmission.

Furthermore, it is also conceivable for the base station to include a charging station for an electric vehicle and for data to be exchanged during a charging process. It goes without saying that a wired transmission can also be provided for this purpose instead of or in addition to the wireless communication unit.

In 4 is another variant of the system 10 according to the invention 3 shown. The system 10 additionally includes a data transport unit 28 in the form of a drone. The drone is designed to receive data from the motor vehicle and store it in the transport memory 32 . The drone then flies to the base station and transmits the data from the transport memory 32. Data transport consequently takes place at least in sections because the drone flies to the base station with the stored data. Wireless communication is preferably possible for this purpose between the motor vehicle and the drone and between the base station and the drone.

It goes without saying that wired communication is also possible in this case, in which the drone can dock with the motor vehicle and the base station. In particular, it can be provided that the drone can fill up its energy store 34 at the base station.

Furthermore, it is also conceivable that the drone initially stores the data from several motor vehicles, preferably until an energy reserve of the drone falls below a threshold value and/or the transport memory 32 is full. The predefined threshold value for the energy reserve can be determined in such a way that a safe return to the base station or a charging station for the drone is possible.

In the 5 until 7 further variants of systems 10 according to the invention are shown in parking lots.

The system 10 according to FIG 5 used on a campus, and particularly a parking lot, of an automobile manufacturer's plant. As already described above, a drone can be used to transport data and transport data from one or more motor vehicles to a receptor unit 16 in the form of the automobile manufacturer's plant.

A discount can be granted if the motor vehicle owner agrees to the transmission of the data. For example, a parking space in the first row can be offered if the motor vehicle owner is willing to have the data of his motor vehicle transmitted. In the example shown, data is transmitted to the drone by cable.

The system 10 according to FIG 6 includes a motor vehicle that can drive at least partially autonomously. In this case, the motor vehicle 10 can drive independently to a receptor unit 16 in the form of a base station and then transmit the data. As described above, the transmission can be wireless or wired.

It is also conceivable that the motor vehicle acts as a receptor unit 16 and receives a software update or a software update from the base station. In particular, it is then conceivable that the updated motor vehicle can update other motor vehicles. In this way, in particular, the amount of data to be transmitted by the base station can be kept small, since a number of motor vehicles can be updated with just one transmission from the base station.

The system 10 according to FIG 7 comprises a data transport unit 28 in the form of a drivable and independently moving floor unit, in particular an autonomous robot. The ground unit can be operated in a similar way to the drone, with the ground unit moving and the drone flying.

It goes without saying that a mixed form is also conceivable, depending on the application, ie a data transport unit 28 that moves both flying and driving and/or swimming.

In 8th The steps of a method according to the invention for transporting data between a donor unit 12 in a donor environment 14 and a receptor unit 16 in a receptor environment 18 are shown schematically.

In a first step S1, a data transmission path 20 is formed between the donor unit 12 and the receptor unit 16.

The formation of the data transmission path 20 can include receiving the data from the donor unit 12 and transporting a transport memory 32 with the received data to the receptor environment 18 in a step S1a.

Alternatively, the formation of the data transmission path 20 can include autonomous driving of a motor vehicle to the receptor environment 18 in a step S1b.

Finally, in a step S2, the data is transmitted from a donor unit 12 to the receptor unit 16 by means of the data transmission link 20.

• Eine Drohne ist mit einer Festplatte ausgestattet und einer Anschlussmöglichkeit für eine kabelgebundene Daten-Übertragung.
• Die Drohne fliegt von ihrer Basis zu auf einem Parkdeck parkenden Kraftfahrzeugen.
• Die Drohne erkennt Kraftfahrzeuge, die bereit sind Daten zu teilen. Fahrzeugbesitzer können dadurch zum Beispiel Vergünstigungen erhalten wie bessere Parkplätze oder mehr und/oder bessere connective Funktionen im Rahmen von Fahrerassistenz-Systemen. Ist die Drohne bei einem Kraftfahrzeug angekommen, werden die gesammelten Daten zum Beispiel seit der letzten Übertragung, zum Beispiel die letzten 24 Stunden kabelgebunden übertragen. Ist eine kabelgebundene Übertragung nicht möglich, ist auch eine Übertragung mit Bluetooth oder WLAN denkbar. Außerdem kann die Drohne die Kraftfahrzeuge mit Updates und/oder neuen Funktionen ausstatten.

The invention has been described in detail. It goes without saying that the configurations described in the individual embodiments can be combined with one another. In particular, at least one of the following embodiments can be created with the disclosed teaching:

• A drone is equipped with a hard drive and a connection option for wired data transmission.
• The drone flies from its base to motor vehicles parked on a parking deck.
• The drone recognizes motor vehicles that are willing to share data. Vehicle owners can, for example, receive benefits such as better parking spaces or more and/or better connective functions as part of driver assistance systems. Once the drone has arrived at a motor vehicle, the data collected is transmitted by cable, for example since the last transmission, for example the last 24 hours. If wired transmission is not possible, transmission with Bluetooth or WLAN is also conceivable. In addition, the drone can equip the motor vehicles with updates and/or new functions.

After successful transmission, the drone flies to the next motor vehicle. This is repeated until either the battery power is low or the hard disk is full or no more vehicles are available.

The drone then flies back to the base, where all the data is transferred from the hard drive to an analysis system using a cable. The process can be repeated directly afterwards.

In the case of some predefined motor vehicles, in particular those belonging to the group, all of the data can preferably be transmitted.

In the case of other motor vehicles, for example from manufacturers outside the group, partial transmission is conceivable, so that only predefined, released data can be transmitted. It is also conceivable that all data, which is encrypted, can be transferred and is subsequently transferred to the actual owner of the data.

Reference List

10

system

12

donor unit

14

donor environment

16

receptor unit

18

receptor environment

20

data link

22

data storage

24

Donor communication interface

26

receptor communication interface

28

data transport unit

30

transport communication interface

32

transport storage

34

energy storage

S1, S1a, S1b, S2

process steps

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• US 2016/0332748 A1 [0003]

Claims (10)

A system (10) for transporting data between a donor entity (12) in a donor environment (14) and a receptor entity (16) in a receptor environment (18), comprising: - a donor entity (12) residing in the donor environment (14) is located and on which data is contained, with a donor communication interface (24) for outputting the data; - A receptor unit (16), which is located in the receptor environment (18), with a receptor communication interface (26) for receiving the data, wherein - the system (10) is adapted to a data transmission link (20) between the donor unit (12) and the receptor unit (16), characterized in that at least a part of the data transmission path (20) by coupling the communication interfaces (24, 26) and a part of the data transmission path (20) by physical movement and / or transporting a reservoir between the donor environment (14) and the receptor environment (18). system (10) according to claim 1 , characterized by a data transport unit (28) with a transport communication interface (30) and a transport memory (32) on which data can be stored, the data transport unit (28) with the donor unit (12) for receiving the data and the receptor unit (16) can be coupled to deliver the data and the data transport unit (28) is designed to move and/or transport the transport memory (32) between the donor environment (14) and the receptor environment (18). System (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the donor unit (12) is arranged in a motor vehicle and is preferably part of a motor vehicle and the data comprises information relating to the motor vehicle. System (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the receptor unit (16) comprises a base station, in particular a base station in a factory of a motor vehicle manufacturer, in which the data can be stored for further analysis. System (10) according to one of claims 2 until 4 , characterized in that the data transport unit (28) comprises a drone, a moving robot and/or an autonomous vehicle, in particular with a robot arm. System (10) according to one of claims 2 until 5 , characterized in that the data transport unit (28) is designed to store data from a plurality of donor units (12) until the transport memory (32) is full and/or until an energy supply in an energy store (34) falls below a predefined one threshold falls. System (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that moving and/or transporting a storage device between the donor environment (14) and the receptor environment (18) requires an autonomous drive of a motor vehicle from the donor environment (14) to the receptor environment (18 ) includes. System (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the data includes information for updating software in the motor vehicle, in particular a component of the motor vehicle, an already updated motor vehicle preferably being designed to update other motor vehicles. Data transport unit (28), in particular drone for transporting data between a donor unit (12) in a donor environment (14) and a receptor unit (16) in a receptor environment (18) with a transport communication interface (30) and a transport - Memory (32) on which data can be stored, the drone being able to be coupled to a donor unit (12) for receiving the data and the receptor unit (16) for delivering the data and the drone for transport, in particular for flying , The transport memory (32) is formed between the donor environment (14) and the receptor environment (18). A method of transporting data between a donor entity (12) in a donor environment (14) and a receptor entity (16) in a receptor environment (18), comprising the steps of: Forming (S1) a data transmission link (20) between the donor unit (12) and the receptor unit (16), the forming of the data transmission link (20) - receiving (S1a) the data from a donor unit (12) and transporting a transport memory (32) with the received data to the receptor environment (18) or - includes an autonomous (S1b) driving a motor vehicle to the receptor environment (18). - Transmission (S2) of the data from a donor unit (12) to a receptor unit (16) by means of the data transmission path (20).

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