JP2008217612A - Sensor data control system and sensor data control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily provide sensor data used in applications to various applications regardless of the kind of applications by accumulating sensor devices from two or more kinds of sensor devices. <P>SOLUTION: A sensor device information management part 32 holds a sensor device identifier and a data format identifier of each sensor device. A data format information management part 31 retains storage table names and storage formats of the data format identifier, data format information and sensor data. A sensor data processing part 13 reads data format identifier contained in sensor data acquired from a sensor device 7, analyzes the sensor data according to the data format information corresponding to the data format identifier, and stores the result in a sensor data storage table retained by a sensor data management part 21. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sensor data control system and a sensor data control method for accumulating data obtained from many different types of sensors arranged on a network and providing them as usable data for various application programs.

In a technical field called sensor networks, middleware that collects and accumulates information obtained from a large number of sensors installed on the network and provides sensor data accumulated in multiple applications using sensor data is being researched and developed. Yes. Non-patent documents 1 and 2 are listed as examples of the research and development.
There are various types of sensor devices, and not only the sensing target such as temperature and humidity is different, but also the communication protocol and data format may be different even if the sensing target is the same. Some conventional middleware has a technology for concealing differences in communication protocols and data formats and abstracting sensor devices in order to handle sensor data having various differences in a unified manner.
Further, conventional middleware has a function of managing static information related to a sensor device such as a sensor type and searching for a corresponding sensor device when an application designates static information.

Tasaka, Kawakita, et al. “Proposal of a framework for collecting and managing real-space information on the Internet”, IPSJ Research Report, 2003-UBI-2 (9), November 18, 2003 Shinobu Saito, Narufumi Takahashi “Proposal of Sensor Platform Using Three-Layer Method”, Proc. 3F-1

However, as described above, the data format of the sensor device differs depending on the type. Many types of sensor devices will be commercially available in the future, and various sensor devices are used according to the application. In order to introduce a new type of sensor device, the sensor device installer must perform the abstraction work every time the sensor device is introduced. In the conventional technique, the abstraction work is complicated, and it is necessary to perform programming, description of setting information in a complex XML (Extensible Markup Language) format, database operation using SQL, and the like.
In addition, many sensor devices are downsized and simplified in order to reduce costs, and the power source is poor. Therefore, there are many breakdowns and battery exhaustion, and the sensor device is renewed frequently. On the other hand, even if the sensor device itself is the same type of sensor, since the characteristics of the sensing elements are different, it is necessary to perform a correction operation called calibration in order to use the sensor. Therefore, in a sensor network in which a large number of sensor devices are installed, renewal work including calibration is very complicated and costly.

  In addition, when a plurality of application programs (hereinafter simply referred to as “applications”) use information obtained from the same sensor device, the sensor data desired by each application is not necessarily in the same unit or has the same meaning. It is never a thing. In the conventional technique, it has been necessary to abstract the data of the sensor device according to the application or to correct the sensor device data for each application.

  Conventionally, a sensor device is searched by specifying static sensor device information such as sensor type and position, and sensor data output by the sensor device is acquired from a database, or the sensor device outputs The form of acquiring data in real time has been taken. Therefore, an application that wants to know the presence or absence of a person at a specific location at a specific time searches for the sensor device as a static information by designating the sensor device installed at that location, and the sensor device. Only the sensor data obtained from was used. However, if there is a notebook personal computer with a human sensor that happens to be brought to the location at that time, the sensor should be usable. As described above, there is a problem that it is not possible to search for all corresponding sensor devices based on dynamic information, in particular, a condition that the device exists in a certain place for a certain time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, accumulates sensor data from a plurality of types of sensor devices, and does not depend on the type of application for various applications, but sensor data used in the application. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sensor data control system and a sensor data control method that can easily provide the sensor data.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention is a sensor data control system for accumulating sensor data acquired from a sensor device and providing the sensor data to an application, wherein the sensor data of the sensor device is stored in a table. Sensor data holding means for storing and holding data, data format identifier, data format information, data format identifier holding means for holding the storage table name and storage format, and acquiring sensor data from the sensor device Sensor data acquisition means, and a data format identifier included in the sensor data acquired by the sensor data acquisition means are read out, and data format information, storage table name and storage format corresponding to the data format identifier are read out from the data format identifier. Acquired from the holding means, and according to the acquired data format The storage means for analyzing the acquired sensor data and storing it in the storage table of the storage table name, and the sensor data stored in the storage table based on the transmission request of the sensor data requested from the application And providing means for providing to the application.
The holding of the identifier or the like here means storing various information.

The present invention further includes sensor device information holding means for holding a sensor device identifier and a data format identifier of the sensor device, wherein the providing means receives the sensor device identifier requested from the application, and the sensor A data format identifier associated with a device identifier is read with reference to the sensor device information holding unit, and sensor data stored in a storage table having a storage table name corresponding to the read data format identifier is provided to the application. It is characterized by that.
The present invention further includes a logical sensor device information holding unit that holds a logical sensor device identifier, sensor device information that associates the logical sensor device, and a data conversion method by the logical sensor device, and the providing unit includes: Referring to the logical sensor device information holding means, obtain sensor data from a storage table of a sensor device identifier associated with the logical sensor device requested by the application and a storage table name associated with the sensor device identifier. The data is converted by the data conversion method by the logic sensor device and provided to the application.
The present invention is further characterized by further comprising position information holding means for holding position information of the logic sensor device.
According to the present invention, the sensor data is corrected in accordance with the calibration information held in the calibration information holding means and stored in the storage table.

The present invention also relates to a sensor data control method for accumulating sensor data acquired from a sensor device and providing the sensor data to an application, wherein the sensor device identifier of the sensor device and a data format identifier are retained. A first step of holding, a second step of holding a logical sensor device, sensor device information associating the logical sensor device, and a data conversion method by the logical sensor device, and a table storing sensor data of the sensor device A third step of storing and holding the data format, a fourth step of holding the data format identifier, data format information, the storage table name and the storage format, and a sensor for obtaining sensor data from the sensor device By the fifth step of data and the fifth step A data format identifier included in the obtained sensor data is read, data format information corresponding to the data format identifier, a storage table name, and a storage format are acquired, and the acquired sensor data is analyzed according to the acquired data format. And a sixth step of storing in the storage table of the storage table name.
Further, sensor data is acquired from a storage table of a sensor device identifier associated with the logical sensor device requested by the application and a storage table name associated with the sensor device identifier, and data conversion by the logical sensor device is performed. The method further comprises a seventh step of performing data conversion by the method and providing the data to the application.

In the present invention, the definition of the data format is defined by an easy-to-understand regular expression. In the prior art, the calibration process performed on the application side is performed on the acquired sensor data and transmitted to the application.
In addition, when searching for sensor data required by an application, it is possible to specify not only the type of sensor device but also the location of the sensor device, the acquisition time of sensor data, and the like.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily introduce a new sensor device or update a sensor device, which has been complicated in the past, and to reliably accumulate the sensor data and provide it to various applications. At this time, it is possible to provide sensor data including calibration processing unique to the sensor device, data conversion processing by the logical sensor device, and position information of the logical sensor device to the application.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a sensor data control system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description and the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are given to components having substantially the same functional configuration, and redundant description is omitted.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the sensor data storage side of the sensor data control system according to the present embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the sensor data use side of the sensor data control system according to the present embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor data storage side of the sensor data control system includes a web server 11, a sensor data processing unit 13, a sensor data storage database 15, and a sensor meta information storage database 17, as shown in FIG. The sensor data use side includes a sensor data storage database 15, a sensor meta information storage database 17, and a query processing unit 19.

  In FIG. 1, a sensor device 7 is a sensor device newly installed in the sensor network. The terminal 9 is used by the installer 8 of the sensor device 7 and is connected to the Web server 11 so as to be communicable. The sensor device 7 can transmit and receive sensor data to and from the sensor data processing unit 13 via a network.

  The Web server 11 receives input of the data format, device information, definition, and the like regarding the sensor device 7 from the terminal 9 and stores them in the sensor data storage database 15 and the sensor meta information storage database 17. The sensor data processing unit 13 receives sensor data from the sensor device 7, performs necessary analysis processing, and stores it in the sensor data storage database 15 and the sensor meta information storage database 17.

  The sensor data storage database 15 has a sensor data management unit 21. The sensor meta information storage database 17 includes a data format information management unit 31 and a sensor device information management unit 32. Information stored in each of the sensor device management unit 21, the data format information management unit 31, and the sensor device information management unit 32 will be described later.

  The query processing unit 19 shown in FIG. 2 searches the sensor data storage database 15 and the sensor meta information storage database 17 in accordance with a search designation request from the application (application program) 41, acquires necessary sensor data, Send to application 41.

The Web server 11, the sensor data processing unit 13, and the query processing unit 19 each have a control unit configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The CPU calls a program stored in the ROM or the like to a work memory area on the RAM and executes it, thereby realizing various processes described later.
The Web server 11, the sensor data processing unit 13, and the query processing unit 19 may be configured by a plurality of server computers or a single server computer.

Next, sensor data storage and use of a new sensor device by the sensor data control system will be described. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of data acquisition processing from the new sensor device 7.
The Web server 11 accepts input of sensor device information of the sensor device 7 by the installer 8 of the new sensor device 7 from the terminal 9 (step S1101), and the Web server 11 receives the sensor device identifier and the data format identifier from the sensor device. The information is stored in the information management unit 32 (step S1102).

  When receiving a registration request for the new sensor device 7 from the terminal 9, the Web server 11 displays a sensor device information setting screen on the terminal 9. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the sensor device information setting screen. The sensor device identifier 50 is identification information (such as an ID) for identifying the newly installed sensor device 7. In the explanation column, the installation location of the sensor device 7 is described. The data format identifier 51 indicates the type of data acquired by the sensor device 7. For example, if the sensor device 7 is a temperature sensor, it is “Temp”, and if the data format identifier 51 “Temp” is new, These are defined as shown in steps S1103 to S1105.

  The sensor device information thus defined is stored in the sensor device information management unit 32 of the sensor meta information storage database 17. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of sensor device information held in the sensor device information management unit 32. For example, information input on the screen shown in FIG. 4 is held as sensor device information shown in FIG.

  The Web server 11 accepts input of new data format information from the terminal 9 (step S1103), and the Web server 11 creates a sensor data storage table and stores it in the sensor data storage database 15 (step S1104). . Further, the Web server 11 stores the sensor data format identifier, the data format information thereof, the correspondence information of the storage destination table name, etc. in the sensor meta information storage database 17 (step S1105).

When receiving a registration request for a new data format identifier from the terminal 9, the Web server 11 displays a sensor data format registration screen shown in FIG.
For example, when a temperature sensor is newly installed, “Temp” is input as the data format identifier 51, the temperature sensor is described as an explanation, and the data format 53 for “Temp” is defined. The data format 53 can be described by a regular expression. In the data format 53, a regular expression can be extended to define not only a character string but also a binary format, for example, a pattern such as “16-bit integer”.

As will be described later, when sensor data is input from the sensor device, the sensor data processing unit 13 acquires a character string (data) matching the regular expression described in the data format 53 from the sensor data, and sensor data The data is output to a storage table and stored in the sensor data management unit 21.
The storage format 55 defines the storage method in the database, that is, the column name and data type of the storage destination, and is for defining the format of the sensor storage table.

In FIG. 6, data having a data format identifier 51 of “Temp” has a data format 53 “([az] +) ([0-9]) ([0-9:] +) ([0-9.] +) ”And the storage format 55 are defined as follows.
First, one or more alphabets “a” to “z” follow, which means “form identifier”. Next, one space is entered, and then a number from “0” to “9” is entered, which means “identifier of sensor device 7”. Next, there is a space, followed by a letter consisting of “number” or “:”, which means “sensor data acquisition time”. Next, there is a space, followed by a letter consisting of “number” or “.”, Which means “temperature data”.

In FIG. 6, when the “Register” button is selected, the sensor data format identifier, the data format information thereof, the correspondence information of the storage destination table name, etc. are stored in the sensor meta information storage database 17, and the sensor data storage table is stored in the sensor data storage table. It is stored in the data storage database 15.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of data format information stored in the data format information management unit 31 included in the sensor meta information storage database 17. 60, 61, 63, 65, 67 entered on the sensor data format registration screen shown in FIG. 6 are the 70, 71, 73, 75, 77 of the data format information shown in FIG. Corresponding to the part.

As described above, the device information for the new type of sensor device 7 and the data format information of the sensor data are registered in the database. After the registration work, the installer 8 of the sensor device 7 installs the sensor device 7 at a predetermined location and connects to the network (step S1106).
Next, a process for accumulating sensor data acquired by the database 7 will be described. When the sensor device 7 acquires sensor data (step S1107), the sensor data is transmitted to the sensor data processing unit 13 (step S1108).

  The sensor data processing unit 13 acquires data format information corresponding to the data format identifier of the received sensor data, a storage destination table name, and the like (step S1109). In this system, it is necessary to arrange the sensor data format identifier at a fixed position in the sensor data from the sensor device. If it is not the head, it is necessary to align all the sensor data accumulated in the system, or to perform sensor data analysis processing that recognizes that the sensor data has a sensor data format identifier. For example, in the case of arranging at the head, “Temp” is described at the head of the sensor data transmitted by the sensor device 7, and the system first reads the sensor data identifier “Temp” at the head of the sensor data. Thus, it is possible to acquire the data format information, the storage destination table name, and the like corresponding thereto.

  Next, the sensor data received from the sensor device 7 is analyzed based on the data format information acquired in step S1109, and the sensor data management unit 21 of the sensor data storage database 15 is associated with the sensor data storage table. (Step S1110). The sensor data processing unit 13 matches the input sensor data with a regular expression described in the data format 53, extracts data elements included in the sensor data, and stores them in the database.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of sensor data stored in the sensor data management unit 21. The sensor data shown in FIG. 8 is temperature data stored and stored in the storage format shown in FIG. 6 with data having a data format identifier “Temp” among data acquired from a plurality of sensor devices. In the data shown in FIG. 8, 81 is a data format identifier (in this case, “Temp”) stored in the 61 storage format shown in FIG. 3, and 83 is stored in the 63 storage format shown in FIG. 85 is the data acquisition time stored in the 65-part storage format shown in FIG. 3, and 87 parts is the temperature sensor data stored in the 67-part storage format shown in FIG. is there.

  As described above, even when the new sensor device 7 is connected to the network, the sensor data format of the new sensor device 7 is registered, and the sensor data of the new sensor device 7 is accumulated by registering it in the database. It becomes possible.

Next, the operation until the application 41 uses the accumulated sensor data in the sensor data control system will be described with reference to FIG.
First, when the application 41 searches for information on the target sensor data format identifier or information on the data format of the target sensor device, the application 41 uses the query processing unit 19 to search for the target sensor data format identifier or the target sensor device identifier. , The query processing unit 19 acquires information on the specified sensor data format identifier or sensor device identifier from the data format information management unit 31 and transmits it to the application 41.

Further, when the application 41 wants to acquire sensor data by specifying a data acquisition period for a target sensor data format or target sensor device, the query processing unit 19 uses the sensor data format identifier or sensor device identifier specified by the application 41. Is acquired from the data format information management unit 31, sensor data for a specified period is acquired from the sensor data management unit 21, and is transmitted to the application 41.
For example, when the application 41 searches for “temperature sensor 001 installed in room 2 on the second floor”, the sensor device identifier 50 “2Froom3Temp001” can be acquired from the sensor device information registered in FIG. If the measurement time of the desired sensor data is designated, the application 41 can obtain target sensor data.

In the present embodiment, the database for storing sensor data is one of the sensor data storage databases 15. However, the storage destination database may be sorted according to the data format or sensor device format and accumulated in a plurality of databases. .
In this case, the storage location database information management unit for managing the storage location information is provided in the sensor meta information storage database 17 to store the storage location database information (IP address, account information, table name, etc.) for each data format or sensor device format. When the sensor data processing unit 13 stores the sensor data, the sensor data may be stored in the correct storage destination with reference to the information in the storage destination database information management unit. In addition, regarding the data in the same data format and the same sensor device format, the storage destination database may be changed depending on the period. In this case, the storage destination database information management unit may store the storage destination database information for each period. The query processing unit 19 can acquire the sensor data by specifying the database in which the target sensor data is stored based on the information stored in the storage destination database information management unit.
By managing with a plurality of databases as described above, it is possible to efficiently perform database duplication, expansion, switching work, and the like. The storage database information may be input and managed by the sensor data control system administrator.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the sensor data storage side of the sensor data control system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the function of managing the description of the calibration process is added to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, that is, the function of accumulating data after performing the calibration process on the sensor data. Other than that, the operation is the same as in the first embodiment.

The sensor device installer 108 inputs a calibration method for the sensor device 107 from the terminal 109 to the Web server 111, and the Web server 111 receives the input and stores the calibration information in the calibration information management unit 133. To do.
The calibration information is input using the screens shown in FIGS. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a calibration information registration screen. The device identifier list of the sensor devices registered on the sensor data format registration screen shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the left side of the screen shown in FIG. 10, and the sensor device installer 108 selects the sensor device for which calibration processing is to be set from the list. When the selection button is pressed, information on the selected sensor device is displayed on the right side of the screen.

  The storage format display section shown in FIG. 10 is provided with calibration setting buttons 150-1, 150-2, 150-3, and 150-4. By selecting these buttons, calibration processing relating to each data element is performed. Setting is possible. For example, when the sensor device installer 108 selects the calibration setting button 150-4, the screen shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the terminal 109.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the calibration setting screen. In the setting screen shown in FIG. 11, in the calibration method setting column 151, for example, the sensor description acquired by the sensor device 107 is set as “X” and a calibration description is set. When the sensor device installer 108 selects the registration button, the Web server 111 accepts data input and is registered as calibration information in the calibration information management unit 133 of the sensor meta information storage database 117. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of calibration information held by the calibration information management unit 133.

  In FIG. 9, when sensor data is transmitted from the sensor device 107, the sensor data processing unit 113 acquires calibration information from the calibration information management unit 133 based on the device identifier in the received sensor data, and Calibration processing is performed on the data and stored in the sensor data management unit 121.

  As described above, since the management and processing of calibration is performed in the sensor data processing unit 113, it is not necessary to perform calibration processing individually on the application side, and even if the sensor device is renewed, the change processing on the application side This is convenient.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the sensor data storage side of the sensor data control system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 13 is obtained by adding a function relating to a logic sensor device to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 or the second embodiment shown in FIG. 9, and otherwise the first embodiment or the second embodiment. The operation is the same as that of the embodiment.
Hereinafter, functions related to the logic sensor device will be described.

A logical sensor device is a conceptual device that abstracts a physical sensor device. Therefore, it is necessary to associate the logical sensor device with the actual sensor device, and it is necessary to register settings such as which item of the sensor data of the actual sensor device the logical sensor device is applied to.
The registration of the logical sensor device is performed by the sensor device installer 208 from the terminal 209 to the Web server 211. When the Web server 211 receives a registration request for a logical sensor device, the Web server 211 displays a logical sensor device information registration screen on the terminal 209. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a logical sensor device information registration screen.

  In the screen shown in FIG. 14, the sensor device installer 208 inputs the logical sensor device identifier to be registered in the input field of the logical sensor device identifier 251. In the screen shown in FIG. 14, for example, a logical sensor device “temperature sensor that outputs in Fahrenheit in the second floor, room 2” is set. The device identifier list of the sensor devices registered on the sensor data format registration screen shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the left side of the screen shown in FIG. 14, and the sensor device installer 208 selects an actual sensor device associated with this logical sensor device from the list. When the selection button is pressed, the data format information of the selected sensor device is displayed on the right side of the screen.

  The sensor device installer 208 selects data associated with the logical sensor device from the displayed data. Here, logical sensor devices are associated with the data “data acquisition time” and “temperature sensor data” indicated in the association input fields 257-1 and 257-2. Since the temperature sensor data acquired by the sensor device having the physical entity selected on the screen shown in FIG. 14 is output by “Celsius”, it is necessary to convert the data in order to correspond to the logical sensor device. Therefore, when the sensor device installer 208 selects the data conversion setting button 253, the screen transitions to the screen shown in FIG.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data conversion setting screen. In the setting screen shown in FIG. 15, in the data conversion method setting field 261, for example, the temperature data actually acquired by the sensor device is “X”, and a data conversion formula for “converting X from Celsius to Fahrenheit” is described. Is done. When the sensor device installer 208 selects the setting button, the Web server 211 temporarily receives data input and displays the screen shown in FIG. 14 on the terminal 209 again. Further, the sensor device installer 208 inputs a period in the input field 255 of the association period for associating the logical sensor device.

When the input is completed and the sensor device installer 208 selects the registration button, the Web server 211 accepts the data input and registers it as logical sensor device information in the logical sensor device information management unit 234 of the sensor meta information storage database 217. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of logical sensor device information held by the logical sensor device information management unit 234.
Note that, with respect to the temperature data set in FIG. 14, some applications may wish to use the temperature data as “Celsius”. In this case, a logical sensor device that outputs in Celsius can be defined and can be associated with the same sensor device.

  Further, when checking the association between the logical sensor device and the actual sensor device, or changing the association associated with the renewal of the sensor device, etc., it is performed using the screen shown in FIG. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a logic sensor device support history information reference screen. When the logical sensor device identifier to be referred to the association with the sensor device is selected from the logical sensor device identifiers shown on the left side of the screen shown in FIG. 17 and the selection button is pressed, the selected logical sensor device association history is displayed on the right side of the screen. Is displayed. For example, the logical sensor device selected in FIG. 17 is associated with the sensor device identifier “2From2Temp003” from 0:00 on April 1, 2000 to 13:00 on August 13, 2001, and thereafter, the sensor device identifier “2From2Temp004”. ".

  When one piece of correspondence history information is selected on the screen shown in FIG. 17 and the detailed reference button is selected, the screen when the correspondence history information is set (FIG. 14) is displayed, and the detailed information can be confirmed. is there. When the history addition button is selected, a screen in which the right device identifier is not displayed on the screen shown in FIG. 14 is displayed, and a new association can be additionally set.

  FIG. 18 is a block configuration diagram of the data use side of the sensor data control system having the logical sensor device function. The application 241 requests the query processing unit 219 to acquire a list of logical sensor device information registered in the logical sensor device information management unit 234, and outputs necessary sensor data from the acquired list of logical sensor devices. The logical sensor device to be selected is selected and transmitted to the query processing 219. The query processing unit 219 acquires the sensor device identifier associated with the selected logical sensor device and its storage destination table, acquires the sensor data from the sensor data storage database 215, and performs FIG. The data conversion set on the screen is performed and transmitted to the application 241.

  Further, when the application 241 selects a logical sensor device that outputs necessary sensor data from the acquired list of logical sensor devices, specifies the data acquisition period, and transmits the selected data to the query processing 219, the query processing unit 219 The logical sensor device information management unit 234 refers to the association history information of the selected logical sensor device, examines the corresponding sensor device identifier in the specified period, acquires its storage destination table, and obtains the storage destination table from the sensor data storage database 215. Sensor data for a specified period is acquired, the data conversion set on the screen of FIG. 15 is performed on the sensor data, and the sensor data is transmitted to the application 241.

As described above, by setting a logical sensor device, it is possible to perform analysis processing on sensor data, and it is possible to make one sensor data compatible with various applications.
Even if the sensor device is renewed on the way, it is only necessary to change the association, and the application only needs to use the same logical device, so there is no need to change the application.
In addition, the sensor data conversion of the sensor device is performed, the sensor data of the logic device is stored in the database, and the stored data is received when there is a query requesting sensor data for the same logic sensor device during the same period again. By using, it is possible to eliminate the necessity of performing the data conversion process many times.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 19 is a block diagram of the sensor data storage side of the sensor data control system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 19 is obtained by adding the position information management function of the logical sensor device to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 13, and otherwise operates in the same manner as the third embodiment. is there. As shown in FIG. 19, the system according to the fourth embodiment is provided with a location information storage database 314 having a location information management unit 345 for storing location information of logic sensor devices.
In the fourth embodiment, it is possible to set whether the logical sensor device is a fixed device fixedly installed at a certain position or a moving device that moves.
The logical sensor device position information management function will be described below.

Here, the position indicates coordinates in some coordinate system. The coordinate system is defined by the origin and the coordinate axis. Various coordinate systems can be considered, such as 2D or 3D, or the orthogonal coordinate system or polar coordinate system, and the axis scale is meter or centimeter. The position where the sensor device is installed can be expressed in various expressions.
In addition, since what kind of coordinate system position is required varies depending on the application, it is necessary to define various coordinate systems so as to be compatible with various applications.

Next, position information setting when the logic sensor device is a fixed device that measures an event at a specific position will be described.
When the position information setter makes a coordinate system registration request from the terminal 209 to the Web server 211, the Web server 211 displays a map registration screen on the terminal 209. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a map registration screen. The position information setter inputs “second floor” in the map (coordinate system) ID input field 351 and inputs the description in the description field. Next, coordinate axes are defined in the coordinate definition fields 352-1 and 352-2 as the definition of the coordinate system. If there are two or more coordinate axes, the coordinate definition column can be additionally displayed by selecting the item addition button.

  Thus, when the input regarding the coordinate system is completed and the registration button is selected, the Web server 211 creates a table for storing the position information based on the registered data, and stores it in the position information management unit 345. FIG. 21 shows an example of position information held in the position information management unit 345. As shown in FIG. 21, the table includes, as items, a logical sensor device name 363, a position information acquisition time 365, an X coordinate of the position information, and a Y coordinate 367, and data is acquired for each.

  Next, the position information setter sets the position of the logical sensor device that is a fixed device. The position setting is performed on the logical sensor device information registration screen shown in FIG. FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a logical sensor device information registration screen. When the position information setting person selects the position information setting button 371 on the screen shown in FIG. 22, the Web server 211 displays the screen shown in FIG. 23 on the terminal 209.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of the position information setting screen. In the position information setting screen shown in FIG. 23, the position information setter designates “second floor” as the map (coordinate system) ID, and the coordinate values in the map, in this case “X = 34”, “Y = When “34” is input and the setting button is selected, the input position information is temporarily stored, and the screen returns to the screen shown in FIG. When the registration button is selected on the screen shown in FIG. 22, the Web server 211 stores the logical sensor device information in the logical sensor device information management unit 234, and the logical sensor device ID (position information of the logical sensor device) Identifier), map ID, and registration time are stored in the map ID table created in advance.

Next, setting of position information of the logical sensor device when the logical sensor device is a moving device will be described. The mobile device is, for example, a temperature sensor that measures the ambient temperature installed in a portable notebook computer.
In the case of a mobile device, as in the case of a fixed device, a coordinate system is defined on the map (coordinate system) registration screen shown in FIG. 20, a table corresponding to the map shown in FIG. Stored in the unit 345.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram of the sensor data use side of the sensor data control system according to the fourth embodiment. In FIG. 24, an application 341-1 is a positioning application, and uses the application 341-1 to track position information of a movement sensor that moves momentarily. The application 341-1 acquires sensor data necessary for specifying the position of the target mobile device, for example, GPS (Global Positioning System) data, from the sensor data management unit 231 via the query processing unit 319. The acquisition procedure at this time is the same as that of the application 241 in the third embodiment. Based on the acquired sensor data, position information of the mobile device is calculated (procedure 1).
Further, if the positioning application 341-1 can directly receive the position information signal emitted from the GPS sensor attached to the mobile device, the above-described data acquisition is not necessary, and the position information of the mobile device can be obtained.

After calculating the position information of the mobile device, the application 341-1 transmits a position information setting request regarding the logical sensor device to the query processing unit 319. The query processing unit 319 stores the position information in the table of the position information management unit 345 (procedure 2).
The application 341-1 periodically repeats the procedure 1 and procedure 2 described above, thereby calculating the current position of the logical sensor device and registering it in the position information management unit 345.

Next, a case where the application 341-2 uses the position information of the sensor device will be described.
The application 341-2 designates a time and a position range (map ID and coordinate range), and transmits a request to search for a logical sensor device existing at the designated position to the query processing unit 319 at the designated time. To do.
The query processing unit 319 searches the position information storage database 314, and from the table corresponding to the specified map ID, the logical sensor device ID (identifier) of the logical sensor device existing in the specified coordinate range for the specified time. ) List.

  The query processing unit 319 acquires meta information (such as explanation) regarding the logical sensor device from the logical sensor device information management unit 234 for each logical sensor device in the acquired list, and based on the meta information, the necessary information is obtained. A logical sensor device that acquires sensor data is selected, sensor data of the logical sensor device is acquired, and is transmitted to the application 341-2. The acquisition procedure at this time is the same as that of the application 241 in the third embodiment. Here, in determining which logical sensor device information to acquire, information (for example, sensor type) serving as a determination criterion is input to the query processing unit 319 from the application 341-2.

In this way, the application 341-2 can acquire necessary sensor data from a sensor device that exists at a certain place for a certain time.
Here, a case where time and position are managed as dynamic information has been described as an example, but dynamic information is not limited to this.

Next, the fourth embodiment will be described with a specific example.
FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a living environment of the resident P. The living environment of the resident P is a house 511 and a garden 513, and P freely moves through the indoor 523 and the garden 513 of the house 511. There are trees 515 in the garden 513. FIG. 26 is a view of the living environment shown in FIG. 25 as viewed from above. Here, Mr. P has a movement sensor device 531. In addition, reader sensor devices 541-1, 541-2, 541-3, and 541-4 are provided in indoor areas (for example, rooms) 523-1, 523-2, 523-3, 523-4, and 523-4. The reader sensor device 541-5 is installed on the tree 515.

  FIG. 27 is a block configuration diagram on the accumulation side of the sensor device control system applied to the living environment of the resident P. As shown in FIG. 27, the reader sensor devices 541-1, 541-2, 541-3, 541-4, and 541-5 are communicably connected to the sensor data processing unit 213, and are wirelessly connected to the movement sensor 531. The sensor data to be transmitted is received and transmitted to the sensor data processing unit 213.

  FIG. 28 is a diagram showing the definition of the movement sensor 531. The movement sensor 531 has a sensor device ID (identifier) of (001), and is a composite sensor composed of a GPS sensor and an air temperature sensor. The logical sensor device ID (identifier) of the GPS sensor is “Mr. P logical GPS sensor device”, and the logical sensor device ID (identifier) of the temperature sensor is “Mr. P logical temperature sensor device”.

FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating the definition of each reader sensor 541. The sensor device ID of the reader sensor 541 is (101), the logical sensor device ID is “logical reader 2 sensor device”, and the position information is (x1, y1) in the xy coordinate system shown in FIG. The other reader sensors 541-2 to 541-5 are also defined as shown in FIG.
Information such as the measurement target and association of each logical sensor device is set on the setting screen shown in FIG. 14 and held in the logical sensor device information management unit 234.
26 is also set on the setting screen of FIG. 20, and the position coordinates of each reader sensor are set on the screen shown in FIG. 23 and stored in the position information storage DB 314. Stored.

FIG. 30 is a block diagram of the application and the use side of the system.
The positioning application A measures the position of the sensor device using a GPS sensor, and measures latitude and longitude. As preparation for operating the positioning application A, the administrator of the positioning application registers a map used in the positioning application A in this system in advance. Two map IDs are defined: “Earth Range Map”, and “Latitude” and “Longitude” as coordinate names. The positioning application A periodically obtains sensor data from the Mr. P logic GPS sensor device, and uses this sensor data from the information of time, latitude, and longitude stored in the sensor data to obtain the Mr. P logic GPS sensor at that time. The device position is registered in the position information management unit 345-1. Furthermore, the positioning application A finds the Mr. P logical temperature sensor device as the logical sensor device having the same measurement object as the Mr. P logical GPS sensor device from the information in the logical sensor device information management unit, and this logical sensor device also has the same position. Registered in the location information management unit 345-1.

  The positioning application B is an application that measures the position of the sensor device in the room. As described above, the xy coordinate system shown in FIG. 26 is defined by “P Mr. indoor map” as the map ID and “x” and “y” as the coordinate names, and the position information management unit 345-2 has a map. A table corresponding to the ID is stored. Definitions relating to the movement sensor 531 and the reader sensors 541-1 to 541-5 are as shown in FIGS. At this time, the positioning application B periodically acquires sensor data from all the logical reader sensor devices from the logical reader 1 sensor device to the logical reader 5 sensor device, and the time stored in the sensor data and the sensor device ID And the position at the time of the logical sensor device corresponding to the sensor device ID is obtained from the received radio wave intensity and registered in the position information management unit 345-2. Sensor data from the movement sensor 531 is transmitted wirelessly and received by each reader sensor 541-1 to 541-5, but the received radio wave intensity changes according to the distance between the movement sensor 531 and each reader sensor. The positioning application B can estimate which reader sensor the movement sensor 531 is near from the received radio wave intensity. In the simplest case, it may be approximated that the movement sensor 531 exists at the position of the reader sensor having the strongest received radio wave intensity.

  Application R is an air temperature observation application for examining the temperature distribution on a global scale. When the user inputs a latitude and longitude range and time, the temperature in that coordinate range at that time can be acquired. This application R searches for the temperature sensor device that exists in the specified coordinate range at the specified time input by the user using the “global range map”, and acquires the sensor data. If Mr. P is in the garden at that time, positioning can be performed using GPS data, so the temperature sensor data output by the Mr. P logic temperature sensor device can be used as the temperature of the place.

  The application S is an air conditioning management application for Mr. P's house, and is an application for controlling the air conditioner so that the temperature of the room in which Mr. P is present is an appropriate temperature. The application S periodically checks the position of the Mr. P logical temperature sensor device using the “Mr. P Mr. indoor map”. If it is in the house and the position information at the current time can be acquired and the value of the sensor data from the Mr. P logic temperature sensor device is too high or too low, the air conditioner is operated and controlled. Here, it is assumed that the application S is preliminarily set with information on the correspondence between the position in the “P Mr. indoor map” and each room, and the control method of the air conditioner installed in the writing room.

  As described above, in this embodiment, it is possible to install a plurality of positioning applications, define different maps (coordinate systems) for each, and register the position information of the logical sensor device in the map It is. On the other hand, various applications that use position information can search for logical sensor devices that exist in a certain coordinate range at a certain time by using an appropriate map.

  In the application R, when it is desired to acquire the indoor temperature, the positioning application C is operated. The positioning application C has the same positioning method as the positioning application B, but has data conversion for converting the coordinates in the “P Mr. House's indoor map” into latitude and longitude, so that it can measure the latitude and longitude of the logical sensor device. Is possible. The positioning application C registers the positioning result in the position information management unit A.

  As a method of realizing the positioning application C, the positioning application C self-confidence does not perform the same positioning process as the positioning application B, but can use the result of positioning by the positioning application B. That is, the positioning application B performs positioning, acquires the position information stored in the position information management unit 345-2, performs conversion processing to latitude and longitude, and then stores the information in the position information management unit 345-1. is there. In this case, the positioning application C includes a module that acquires position information from the position information management unit 345-2, a conversion processing module, and a module that registers the position information of the conversion result in the position information management unit 345-1.

In this way, in this system, it is possible to add a new positioning application as necessary, and delete a positioning application that is no longer necessary.
In addition, when it is desired to acquire the indoor temperature by the application R, in addition to the method of adding the positioning application C, a method of dynamically performing matching between coordinates on the system side is also possible. For example, when searching the position information of the “global earth range map”, the position information of the “P family indoor map” is also searched simultaneously.

  As an implementation method, when searching for the position information of the “global earth range map”, the position information of the “P family house map” is also searched at the same time, and the corresponding relationship of coordinates, that is, from latitude and longitude to xy coordinates. The conversion rule is registered in the system, and when the search request to the “global range map” is requested, the system sets the designated coordinate range in latitude and longitude based on the registered information. It is converted into xy coordinates in the “Ujiie indoor map”, and the position information of the “P Ujiie indoor map” is simultaneously retrieved using the converted coordinate range. In this system, a setting screen for registering such information and a module for performing the search as described above based on the registration information at the time of position information search may be added.

In this system, it is possible to add or delete a positioning application that uses a coordinate system having a one-dimensional or three-dimensional axis as a coordinate system.
It is also possible to introduce a positioning application for positioning a conceptual position, for example, a position such as “No. 1 Building 2F A Conference Room” or “Musashino City, Tokyo”, instead of a position using a coordinate system.

  As an implementation method, for example, on the map registration screen, a map having only one coordinate axis of the type “text” is defined, and the position is expressed using the description of the directory structure in Unix (registered trademark). Is possible. For example, “No. 1 Building / 2nd Floor / A Conference Room” is a description.

  FIG. 31 is a diagram showing another description method of the data format on the sensor data format registration screen shown in FIG. The data format shown in FIG. 31 is “(% F) (% S) (% YYYY% MM% DD% HH% MI% SS% MSC) (% Num)”. Here, “% F” indicates a data format identifier, and “% S” indicates a sensor device identifier. As time information, “% YYYY” is “year of the year”, “% MM” is “month”, “% DD” is “day”, “% HH” is “hour”, “% MI”. Means “minutes”, “% SS” means “seconds”, “% MSC” means “milliseconds”, and “% Num” means a numerical value. Compared with the description by the regular expression in the first embodiment, the usability can be further improved by using the expression thus simplified.

  The preferred embodiments of the sensor device control system according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea disclosed in the present application, and these naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

Block diagram of the sensor device storage side of the sensor device control system according to the present embodiment Block diagram of sensor device use side of sensor device control system according to the present embodiment Sequence diagram showing the flow of sensor device storage processing The figure which shows an example of a sensor device information setting screen The figure which shows an example of sensor device information Figure showing an example of the sensor data format registration screen The figure which shows an example of sensor device format information The figure which shows an example of the sensor data accumulate | stored in the sensor data management part 21 Block diagram of the sensor device storage side of the sensor device control system according to the second embodiment The figure which shows an example of a calibration information setting screen The figure which shows an example of a calibration setting screen The figure which shows an example of calibration information Block diagram of the sensor device storage side of the sensor device control system according to the third embodiment The figure which shows an example of a logic sensor device information registration screen The figure which shows an example of the data conversion setting screen The figure which shows an example of logic sensor device information The figure which shows an example of a logic sensor device corresponding history information reference screen Block diagram of the sensor device use side of the sensor device control system according to the third embodiment Block diagram of the sensor device storage side of the sensor device control system according to the fourth embodiment Figure showing an example of the map registration screen The figure which shows an example of the table corresponding to a map The figure which shows an example of a logic sensor device information registration screen The figure which shows an example of a positional information setting screen Block diagram of the sensor device use side of the sensor device control system according to the fourth embodiment Figure showing Mr. P's living environment View of Mr. P's living environment from above Block diagram of the sensor device storage side of the sensor device control system applied to the case shown in FIG. The figure which shows the definition of the movement sensor 531 The figure which shows the definition of the reader sensor 541 Block diagram of sensor device usage side of sensor device control system connected to each application Diagram showing another description method of data format

Explanation of symbols

11 ......... Web server 13 ......... Sensor data processing unit 15 ......... Sensor data storage database 17 ......... Sensor meta information storage database 19 ......... Query processing unit 41 ......... Application

Claims (8)

A sensor data control system for accumulating sensor data acquired from a sensor device and providing the sensor data to an application,
Sensor data holding means for storing and storing sensor data of the sensor device in a storage table;
Data format identifier holding means for holding the data format identifier, data format information, the storage table name and the storage format;
Sensor data acquisition means for acquiring sensor data from the sensor device;
Read the data format identifier included in the sensor data acquired by the sensor data acquisition means, acquire the data format information, storage table name and storage format corresponding to the data format identifier from the data format identifier holding means, According to the acquired data format, storage means for analyzing the acquired sensor data and storing it in the storage table of the storage table name;
Providing means for providing the application with sensor data stored in the storage table based on a request to send sensor data requested by the application;
A sensor data control system comprising: Sensor device information holding means for holding a sensor device identifier of the sensor device and a data format identifier;
The providing means receives a sensor device identifier requested from the application, reads a data format identifier associated with the sensor device identifier with reference to the sensor device information holding means, and corresponds to the read data format identifier. 2. The sensor data control system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor data stored in the storage table having the storage table name is provided to the application. Logical sensor device information holding means for holding a logical sensor device identifier, sensor device information for associating the logical sensor device, and a data conversion method by the logical sensor device;
The providing means refers to the logical sensor device information holding means, and stores a sensor device identifier associated with the logical sensor device requested by the application and a storage table name associated with the sensor device identifier. 2. The sensor data control system according to claim 1, wherein sensor data is acquired from the data, subjected to data conversion by a data conversion method by the logical sensor device, and provided to an application.   4. The sensor data control system according to claim 3, further comprising position information holding means for holding position information of the logic sensor device.   5. The sensor data control system according to claim 4, wherein the position information of the logical sensor device is a position coordinate expressed in one or more coordinate systems. Calibration information holding means for holding calibration information for the sensor device identifier and sensor data of the sensor device;
4. The sensor data control system according to claim 2, wherein the storage unit performs a correction process on the sensor data in accordance with the calibration information and stores the correction data in the storage table. 5. A sensor data control method for accumulating sensor data acquired from a sensor device and providing the sensor data to an application,
A first step of holding a sensor device identifier of the sensor device and a data format identifier;
A second step of holding a logical sensor device, sensor device information for associating the logical sensor device, and a data conversion method by the logical sensor device;
A third step of storing and holding sensor data of the sensor device in a storage table;
A fourth step of holding the data format identifier, data format information, the storage table name and the storage format;
A sensor data fifth step of acquiring sensor data from the sensor device;
A data format identifier included in the sensor data acquired by the fifth step is read, data format information, a storage table name, and a storage format corresponding to the data format identifier are acquired, and the acquisition is performed according to the acquired data format A sixth step of analyzing the stored sensor data and storing in the storage table of the storage table name;
A sensor data control method comprising:   According to the data conversion method by the logical sensor device, sensor data is acquired from a storage table of a sensor device identifier associated with the logical sensor device requested by the application and a storage table name associated with the sensor device identifier. 8. The sensor data control method according to claim 7, further comprising a seventh step of performing data conversion and providing the data to an application.

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