JP2019083528A - Data management apparatus and data management method - Google Patents

Abstract

To charge an acquirer of data transmitted via a communication network.SOLUTION: In a data communication system S, a data management device includes: a storage unit that associates device identification information of each of a plurality of communication devices with acquirer identification information of a data acquirer who acquires a plurality of device data output by a plurality of communication devices and stores the device identification information and the acquirer identification information; a communication unit that provides device data corresponding to the device identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the acquirer identification information from among the plurality of device data received, to a data acquisition device used by the data acquirer corresponding to the acquirer identification information; and a charge amount determination unit that determines the charge amount for the data acquirer who has been provided with the device data on the basis of the amount of device data acquired by the data acquisition device and a burden ratio which is the rate at which the data acquisition device bears the communication charge corresponding to the amount of device data acquired by the data acquisition device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a data management apparatus and data management method for processing data received from a communication device.

  In the mobile telephone service, the charge amount is determined for each communication terminal which is a contract unit of the service. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for determining a charge amount for each SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) attached to a communication terminal that has contracted for a service.

JP, 2008-0504021, A

  In recent years, communication devices having a sensor function are installed in various articles and places, and data transmitted from the communication devices are collected in a server and provided to people who use the collected data. In order to collect data transmitted from a communication device to a server, a relay apparatus is used that collects data transmitted by a plurality of communication devices and transmits the data to the server via a communication line. In such a case, conventionally, a fee for using the communication line has been charged to a contractor who has made a contract for using the communication line to use the relay apparatus. However, when the contractor does not use the collected data, there is a problem that the contractor is charged even though the communication line is not used.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a data management apparatus and data management method capable of charging an acquirer of data transmitted through a communication network. .

  A data management apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a data management apparatus that manages data output by a plurality of communication devices that output data, and includes device identification information of each of the plurality of communication devices, and the plurality of the plurality of communication devices. A storage unit that associates and stores acquirer identification information of a data acquirer that acquires a plurality of device data output by the communication device, and receives the plurality of device data via a communication network, and receives the plurality of received device data The device data corresponding to the device identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the acquirer identification information is provided to a data acquisition apparatus used by the data acquirer corresponding to the acquirer identification information. A communication unit, an amount of the device data acquired by the data acquisition device, and the device data acquired by the data acquisition device Based communication charge corresponding to the amount of the a is burden rate a rate to bear, having a charge amount determining section for determining a charge amount for the data acquirer that were provided in the device data.

  The charge amount determination unit may determine the charge amount based further on the range of the data acquirer capable of receiving the provision of the device data.

  The charge amount determination unit refers to the rate table corresponding to a plurality of modes in which the range of the data acquirer capable of receiving the provision of the device data is different, to the mode selected by the data acquirer. The corresponding charge amount may be determined.

  A data acquisition request including the device identification information of the communication device for which the device data is to be acquired is received from the data acquisition device, and the device identification information included in the data acquisition request corresponds to the data acquisition device The information processing apparatus may further include a request receiving unit that causes the storage unit to store in association with the acquirer identification information.

  The request receiving unit receives a request for selecting the same communication device from a plurality of data acquisition devices, and the communication unit is configured such that the request reception unit receives the data acquisition request from the plurality of data acquisition devices In this case, the data transmitted by the communication device indicated by the data acquisition request, which is received through the communication network, may be provided to the plurality of data acquisition devices.

  The charge amount determination unit may determine the burden ratio based on the number of data acquisition devices that acquire the device data output by the same communication device.

  The billing amount determining unit may make the burden ratio effective on condition that the notification of approval of the burden ratio is received from the data management device after transmitting the burden ratio to the data acquisition device. .

  For the relay device that relays the device data transmitted by the communication device, the device management data corresponding to the device identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the acquirer identification information is transmitted to the data management device You may further have a communication control part which permits transmitting.

  The communication control unit corresponds to the device identification information that is not stored in the storage unit in association with the acquirer identification information for a relay device that relays the device data transmitted by the communication device. May be prohibited from being sent to the data management device.

  The charge amount determination unit subtracts at least a portion of the charge amount corresponding to the acquirer identification information from the charge amount determined based on the amount of the device data received by the communication unit from the relay device. Thereby, the charge amount for the contractor who has contracted to use the communication network by the relay device may be determined.

  The communication unit transmits the received device data to the data acquisition device determined based on the position of the communication device at the time of receiving the device data output by the communication device or the time when the device data is received. May be provided.

  The charge amount determination unit may determine the charge amount in association with a position of the communication device at the time of receiving the device data output by the communication device or a time when the device data is received.

  A data management method according to a second aspect of the present invention is a data management method for managing data output by a plurality of communication devices that output data, and communicates a plurality of device data output by the plurality of communication devices. A step of receiving via a network, and corresponding to device identification information stored in a storage unit in association with acquirer identification information of a data acquirer who acquires the plurality of device data among the plurality of received device data; Providing device data output by the communication device to a data acquisition apparatus used by a data acquirer corresponding to the acquirer identification information, an amount of the device data acquired by the data acquisition apparatus, and the data acquisition apparatus Based on the ratio of burdening communication charges corresponding to the amount of the acquired device data. A determining a billing amount for the data acquirer that were provided in the data.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to charge an acquirer of data transmitted via a communication network.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the data communication system which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flow of the data in a data communication system typically. It is a figure which shows the structure of a relay apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of a data processor. It is a figure which shows the structure of charge amount determination apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the record stored in the contractor billing database. It is a figure which shows the example of the record stored in the acquirer charge database. It is a figure which shows an example of the acquirer charge database containing the amount of charge object data calculated based on a burden rate. It is a figure which shows the communication sequence in charge amount determination system. It is a figure for demonstrating the process at the time of a charge amount determination part determining a charge amount based on the application which a data acquisition person uses.

[Configuration of data communication system S]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a data communication system S according to an embodiment. The data communication system S includes a plurality of communication devices 1, a relay device 2, a data management device 3, and data acquisition devices 4 (4a, 4b, 4c). The relay device 2 can transmit packet data, which is device data received from a plurality of communication devices 1, to the data management device 3 via the communication network N1. The communication network N1 includes a mobile telephone network and the Internet, and the relay device 2 transmits packet data to the data management device 3 using a mobile telephone line.

  The data management device 3 is, for example, a server managed by a communication carrier that provides a service using the communication network N1. The data management device 3 provides the data acquisition device 4 with packet data received from the relay device 2 via the communication network N2 such as an optical communication line. The data management device 3 has a data processing device 30 and a charge amount determination device 50. The data management device 3 is configured by one or more servers, and the data processing device 30 and the billing amount determination device 50 may be configured by different servers, or may be configured by one server.

  The data acquisition device 4 is a computer that can access the data processing device 30. The data acquisition device 4 is, for example, a PC (Personal Computer) used by a data acquisition person accessing packet data transmitted from the communication device 1 to the data management device 3. The data acquisition person communicates with his / her PC. The contents of the data transmitted by the device 1 can be viewed.

  The communication device 1 includes, for example, a sensor, and transmits data based on the output signal of the sensor to the relay device 2. The communication device 1 transmits / receives data to / from the relay device 2 through a wireless communication channel suitable for relatively short distance communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like.

  The communication device 1 is installed in a vending machine, a vehicle, an office, a factory or the like, and packet data including various types of information that can be collected at the installed place is transmitted via the relay device 2 and the data processing device 30. The information acquired by the communication device 1 is transmitted to the data acquisition device 4 accessible by the data acquirer who has made a contract to acquire the information. When the communication device 1 is installed in, for example, a vending machine, the communication device 1 collects information on temperature, remaining amount of change, inventory of goods, presence of surrounding people, etc., and includes the collected information The data is transmitted to the relay device 2.

  The capacity of packet data transmitted by the communication device 1 is smaller than the capacity of packet data of voice and image transmitted and received in communication terminals such as smart phones and tablets, and the length of one packet data is, for example, 100 bytes or less is there. The packet data transmitted by the communication device 1 includes a device ID which is identification information assigned to each communication device 1 and device data including the collected information.

  The relay device 2 receives a plurality of packet data from the plurality of communication devices 1. The relay device 2 temporarily accumulates the received packet data, and transfers the accumulated packet data to the data processing device 30 by transmitting the accumulated packet data to the communication network N1 at a preset timing.

  The data processing device 30 collects packet data transmitted from a plurality of communication devices 1 via the relay device 2 and the communication network N1. The data processing device 30 stores the received packet data in a storage medium such as a hard disk, and generates the packet data itself or based on the packet data in response to a request from the data acquisition device 4 (4a, 4b, 4c). The information is sent to the data acquisition device 4. By doing this, the data acquirer who has obtained permission to acquire the data output by the communication device 1 from the contractor with whom the relay device 2 makes a contract to use the communication network N1 is the data acquisition device The data processor 30 can be accessed via the interface 4 to obtain data and statistical information permitted by the subscriber of the relay device 2. The data processing apparatus 30 has, for example, a PPM (Privacy Policy Manager) function, and can control which data acquisition apparatus 4 can acquire data output from the communication device 1.

  In addition, the data processing apparatus 30 acquires the acquired packet data or acquirer identification information (hereinafter, referred to as acquirer ID) assigned to a data acquirer who acquires statistical information generated based on the packet data. Date and time of reception of packet data from relay device 2 and the number of received packet data in association with device identification information (hereinafter referred to as device ID) assigned to each of a plurality of communication devices used by a person Etc. to the charge amount determination device 50. Data processing apparatus 30 further includes contractor identification information (hereinafter, referred to as contractor ID) assigned to a contractor with whom relay apparatus 2 has a contract for using communication network N 1, and relay apparatus 2. Time, the number of times the packet data is received from the relay device 2, the number of received packet data, and the like in association with the device IDs of the plurality of communication devices that transmit the packet data to the data processing device 30 You may notify

  The data acquisition device 4 is a server to which a data acquirer can access using a computer or a portable terminal. The data acquisition device 4 transmits the data acquisition request including the device ID of the communication device 1 for which data is to be acquired and the application ID of the application to the data processing device 30 in response to the request of the data acquisition person, Data output by at least one of a plurality of executable applications of 1 can be acquired from the data processing apparatus 30. The data acquisition device 4 provides the data acquirer with the data or the analysis result of the data received from the data processing device 30.

  The billing amount determination device 50 determines the billing amount for the communication service that transmits the packet data output from the communication device 1 from the relay device 2 to the data processing device 30. In addition, the billing amount determination device 50 transmits the amount of packet data output from the application of the communication device 1 associated with the data acquirer from the relay device 2 associated with the data , The amount of data communication) is determined. The charge determination device 50 determines the charge for each data acquirer, for example, every predetermined unit period (for example, one month).

  Further, the charge amount determination device 50 also determines the charge amount for the subscriber of the relay device 2. Based on the amount of transmitted packet data transmitted by communication device 1 transmitting packet data from relay apparatus 2 associated with the contractor to data processing apparatus 30 via relay apparatus 2, charging amount determination apparatus 50 , Determine the amount charged to the contractor. The charge amount determination device 50 determines the charge amount for each contractor, for example, for each predetermined unit period (for example, one month).

  Here, when the communication device 1 is installed in a vending machine, the data acquirer is, for example, a management company of the vending machine, a beverage maker that manufactures goods of the vending machine, a company that provides marketing information, etc. . The data acquirer concludes a contract for acquiring data output from a desired application of a desired communication device 1 with a communication carrier that manages the data processing device 30 and the billing amount determination device 50. The charge amount determination device 50 includes an acquirer ID of each data acquirer, a device ID of one or more communication devices 1 selected by each data acquirer, and an application ID of one or more applications selected by each data acquirer. Are associated and stored. The charge amount determination device 50 determines the charge amount for each data acquirer based on the amount of data output from the application corresponding to the device ID and application ID associated with the acquirer ID within a predetermined period.

  The billing amount determination device 50 registers the determined billing amount in a database that manages billing amounts for the contractor and the data acquirer. By doing this, the communication carrier can be charged according to the amount of information acquired by the data acquirer from the communication device 1.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the flow of data in the data communication system S. As shown in FIG. One communication device 1 can execute a plurality of applications corresponding to a plurality of types of information. The communication device 1 shown in FIG. 2 is installed in a vending machine, and can execute the temperature application 11, the change management application 12, the inventory management application 13, and the monitoring application 14.

  The temperature application 11 can transmit temperature information indicating the internal temperature of the vending machine. The change management application 12 can transmit change information indicating the balance of change of the vending machine. The stock management application 13 can transmit stock information indicating the number of stocks of products sold by the vending machine. The monitoring application 14 can transmit person detection information indicating a time when a person within a predetermined distance from the vending machine is detected.

  The information transmitted by each application is allocated by the data processing device 30 to the data acquisition device 4 registered in advance. In the case of the example shown in FIG. 2, the temperature information output by the temperature application 11 is transmitted to the data acquisition device 4a of the data acquirer who maintains the vending machine. The change information output from the change management application 12 is transmitted to the data acquisition device 4b of the data acquirer who manages the product. Inventory information output by the inventory management application 13 is transmitted to the data acquisition device 4 b and the data acquisition device 4 c of the data acquirer who provides the marketing information. The person detection information output by the monitoring application 14 is transmitted to the data acquisition device 4c.

  In such a case, the charge amount determination device 50 determines the charge amount for the data acquirer of the data acquisition device 4 a according to the data communication amount of the temperature information output by the temperature application 11. The charge amount determination device 50 determines the charge amount for the data acquirer of the data acquisition device 4b according to the data communication amount of the change information output by the change management application 12 and the inventory information output by the inventory management application 13 Do. Further, for the data acquisition person of the data acquisition device 4c, the billing amount determination device 50 charges the billing amount according to the data communication amount of the stock information output by the inventory management application 13 and the human detection information output by the monitoring application 14. Decide.

  In addition, the place where the communication device 1 is installed is arbitrary, for example, may be installed in a motor vehicle. When the communication device 1 is installed in a car, the communication device 1 may be, for example, remaining amount of gasoline, remaining amount of battery, traveling data (travel distance, average speed, fuel consumption, number of sudden braking, etc.), position information, malfunction information of vehicle body, etc. Can be sent to the data processor 30.

[Configuration of Relay Device 2]
Subsequently, the configurations and operations of the relay device 2 and the charge amount determination device 50 will be described in detail.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the relay device 2. The relay device 2 includes a device communication unit 21, a control unit 22, a network communication unit 23, and a storage unit 24.

The device communication unit 21 is a wireless communication interface for receiving data transmitted by the communication device 1.
The control unit 22 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and stores data received via the device communication unit 21 in the storage unit 24. Further, the control unit 22 reads out the data stored in the storage unit 24 at a predetermined timing, and sends the read out data to the communication network N1 via the network communication unit 23. For example, the control unit 22 sends data to the communication network N1 when the traffic volume of the communication network N1 becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold.

  The control unit 22 may determine the timing of transmitting data based on the priority of data received from the communication device 1. For example, the control unit 22 sends data with high priority to the communication network N1 without storing the data in the storage unit 24. In addition, the control unit 22 stores the low priority data in the storage unit 24 so as not to be transmitted at the same timing as the high priority data. The control unit 22 may not transmit data with low priority during the time zone notified in advance from the data management device 3. By doing this, the control unit 22 can transmit data to be transmitted promptly without delay, while suppressing the traffic volume of the communication network N1 from becoming too large. In the data communication system S, a communication band is preferentially allocated from the base station side of the communication network N1 to the relay device 2 that communicates with the communication device 1 capable of executing an application that outputs data with high priority. May be By doing this, the control unit 22 can transmit data with high priority at high speed.

  The control unit 22 may transmit the data received from the communication device 1 at the time set by the data acquirer, which is received through the data processing device 30. The data acquirer can set, for example, the time to transmit data to the relay device 2 for each communication device 1 or application. When the charge amount determination device 50 determines the charge amount based on the charge amount per unit data communication amount determined for each time zone in which the relay device 2 transmits data, the data acquirer can be configured in this manner. Alternatively, it may be motivated to send data in a time zone where the billing amount is small (eg, a time zone in which the communication network N1 is not congested).

  The network communication unit 23 is a wireless communication interface for transmitting data received from the communication device 1 to the communication network N1. The network communication unit 23 can transmit and receive data to and from a base station of a mobile phone network, for example, in accordance with the LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard.

  The network communication unit 23 acquires data from the amount of data transmitted to the data processing device 30 based on the instruction from the control unit 22 until the predetermined period elapses after the data is transmitted to the data processing device 30. It functions as a notification unit that notifies the data processing device 30 of the amount of unreceived data, which is data from which no response indicating normal reception of data can not be received, from the device 4 as the amount of unreceived data. The unreceived data is communicated as in the communication section from the relay apparatus 2 to the core network such as PGW (Packet Data Network Gateway) or MME (Mobility Management Entity), or the communication section from the core network to the data processing apparatus 30, etc. This is data that the data processing device 30 could not receive because communication failed due to the facilities of the carrier.

  The network communication unit 23 notifies the data processing device 30 of the time at which the data processing device 30 has transmitted the data for which the response from the data acquisition device 4 could not be received. When the network communication unit 23 receives a response from the data acquisition device 4 by the time the predetermined period elapses after transmitting data to the data processing device 30, the data processing device 30 is notified that data transmission has succeeded. It may be notified. At this time, the network communication unit 23 may notify whether it was successful at the time of the first transmission or was successful after resending.

  The information notified by the network communication unit 23 to the data processing apparatus 30 and indicating whether the data communication succeeded or failed is used when the charge amount determination device 50 determines the charge amount for the contractor and the data acquirer . The details of the process of determining the charge amount based on the success or failure of the data communication will be described later.

  The storage unit 24 includes storage media such as a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a hard disk. The storage unit 24 stores a program to be executed by the control unit 22. The storage unit 24 stores data received from the communication device 1 in association with the device ID of the communication device 1 and the date and time received from the communication device 1 based on the control of the control unit 22.

[Configuration of Data Processing Device 30]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the data processing device 30. As shown in FIG. The data processing device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33.

  The communication unit 31 includes a first communication unit 311, a second communication unit 312, and a third communication unit 313. The first communication unit 311 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the relay device 2 via the communication network N1, and has, for example, a termination interface of a mobile telephone network. The first communication unit 311 may have a LAN (Local Area Network) interface for connecting to a terminal device of the mobile telephone network.

The second communication unit 312 has a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the charge determination device 50. The second communication unit 312 is, for example, a LAN interface.
The third communication unit 313 has a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the data acquisition device 4 via the communication network N2. The third communication unit 313 is, for example, a LAN interface.

  The storage unit 32 includes storage media such as a ROM, a RAM, and a hard disk. The storage unit 32 stores the packet data transmitted by the plurality of communication devices 1 transmitted from the relay device 2 in association with the device ID of the communication device 1. Further, the storage unit 32 stores the device ID, the relay apparatus ID assigned to the relay apparatus 2, and the contractor ID of the contractor of the relay apparatus 2 in association with each other. Furthermore, the storage unit 32 is an acquirer ID of a data acquirer who accesses the data processing apparatus 30 via the data acquisition device 4 and a device ID of the communication device 1 and the application registered as an object for the data acquirer to acquire data. And a database for data provision associated with the application ID. The storage unit 32 may store a data provision database that manages data to be viewed by a plurality of data acquirers, and stores individual data provision databases created for each data acquirer. May be

  The control unit 33 is, for example, a CPU, and executes a program stored in the storage unit 32 to respond to a request from the data acquisition device 4 according to packet data stored in association with the acquirer ID. Are sent to the data acquisition device 4.

The control unit 33 includes a communication control unit 331, a request receiving unit 332, and a storage control unit 333.
The communication control unit 331 controls transmission and reception of data between the relay device 2 and the data acquisition device 4. The communication control unit 331 notifies an APN (Access Point Name), which is an address of a gateway of the communication network N1, to the relay device 2 capable of communicating with the communication device 1 that outputs data to be provided to the data acquisition device 4. Thus, reception of data from the relay apparatus 2 is started.

  When the request reception unit 332 receives a request from the data acquisition device 4, the communication control unit 331 refers to the data provision database stored in the storage unit 32 received via the communication network N1 to request the request. The data transmitted by the application shown is provided by transmitting it to the data acquisition device 4. In the data providing database, an acquirer ID corresponding to the data acquisition device 4 that has transmitted the data acquisition request is associated with a device ID of a communication device to be provided data to the data acquisition device 4 of the acquirer ID There is. In the data providing database, application IDs of applications to be provided with data to the data acquisition device 4 of the acquirer ID may be further associated.

  The communication control unit 331 extracts data output from an application associated with the acquirer ID in the data providing database among the various data included in the packet data transmitted by the communication device 1 and extracts the extracted data, Provided to the data acquirer corresponding to the acquirer ID. The communication control unit 331 provides data to the data acquisition device 4 in response to an access from the data acquisition device 4 to which the data acquirer logs in using his / her acquirer ID, for example. Make it available for viewing. When the communication control unit 331 provides data to the data acquisition device 4, the communication control unit 331 provides the provision date and time in association with the acquirer ID corresponding to the data acquisition device 4 of the provision destination, the device ID of the application that transmitted the data, and the application ID. The amount of data is notified to the charge amount determination device 50.

  The communication control unit 331 sets a time for prohibiting data transmission from an application executable by the communication device 1 from the relay device 2, a data transmission interval, and a mode for transmitting the presence or absence of data received from the communication device 1. Good. For example, the communication control unit 331 outputs data output by an application corresponding to the application ID stored in the storage unit 32 in association with the acquirer ID to the relay device 2 that relays the data transmitted by the communication device 1. A message for permitting transmission to the data processing apparatus 30 is transmitted.

  Further, the communication control unit 331 outputs data output by an application corresponding to an application ID that is not stored in the storage unit 32 in association with the acquirer ID to the relay device 2 that relays data transmitted by the communication device 1. A message for prohibiting transmission to the data processing device 30 is transmitted. By doing this, it is possible to prevent the data from being transmitted from the relay device 2 despite the absence of the data acquisition device 4 that acquires data, so it is possible to suppress the traffic volume of the communication network N1. .

  Further, the communication control unit 331 assigns, to each application, a priority for transmitting data received from an application to the communication network N1 with respect to the relay device 2, and preferentially receives data received from an application with a high priority. The relay device 2 may be instructed to transmit to the processing device 30. By doing this, it is possible to prevent the relay apparatus 2 from simultaneously transmitting data received from an application with low priority and data received from an application with high priority, so that the traffic volume of the communication network N1 Can be leveled.

  The request receiving unit 332 receives, from the data acquisition device 4, a request to select the communication device 1 and application for which data is to be acquired. Specifically, the request receiving unit 332 transmits a list of the communication device 1 and the application for which the data processing device 30 collects data to the data acquisition device 4 via the second communication unit 312.

  When the data acquirer selects the communication device 1 and the application for which data acquisition is desired from the list of the communication device 1 and the application displayed via the data acquisition device 4, the data acquisition device 4 selects the selected communication device 1 and the selected communication device 1 A data acquisition request including information for specifying an application (for example, a device ID and an application ID) and an acquirer ID is transmitted to the data processing apparatus 30. When the request reception unit 332 receives a data acquisition request from the data acquisition device 4, the request reception unit 332 notifies the storage control unit 333 of the acquirer ID, the device ID, and the application ID included in the data acquisition request. Register in the offer database.

  The request receiving unit 332 may receive a request for selecting the same application executed by the same communication device 1 from the plurality of data acquisition devices 4. The communication control unit 331 receives packet data received via the communication network N1 when the request receiving unit 332 receives a request for selecting the same application to be executed by the same communication device 1 from the plurality of data acquisition devices 4 Among the above, the packet data transmitted by the application indicated by the request is provided to the plurality of data acquisition devices 4.

  The storage control unit 333 writes data in the storage unit 32 or reads data stored in the storage unit 32 based on instructions from the communication control unit 331 and the request reception unit 332. For example, when receiving the notification of the data acquisition request from the request receiving unit 332, the storage control unit 333 stores the device ID and the application ID in the storage unit 32 in association with the acquirer ID included in the data acquisition request. Further, when the storage control unit 333 receives a notification from the communication control unit 331 that the packet data transmitted by the communication device 1 has been provided to the data acquisition device 4, the storage control unit 333 associates the device ID and the application ID with the acquirer ID. Are stored in the storage unit 32.

[Configuration of Charge Determination Device 50]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the billing amount determination device 50. As shown in FIG. The billing amount determination device 50 includes a communication unit 51, a storage unit 52, and a control unit 53.
The communication unit 51 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the data processing device 30, and has, for example, a LAN interface.

(Billing database)
The storage unit 52 includes storage media such as a ROM, a RAM, and a hard disk. The storage unit 52 stores a program to be executed by the control unit 53. The storage unit 52 also has a contractor charging database 521 and an acquirer charging database 522. In the contractor charging database 521, the contractor ID assigned to the contractor of the relay apparatus 2, the relay apparatus ID of the relay apparatus 2, and the device ID of the communication device 1 with which the relay apparatus 2 receives data are associated. ing. In the contractor charging database 521, application IDs of applications that can be executed by the communication device 1 may be further associated.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of records stored in the contractor charging database 521. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 6A, the contractor ID, the relay apparatus ID of the relay apparatus 2 with which the contractor corresponding to the contractor ID has contracted with the communication carrier, and the communication device in which the relay apparatus 2 can receive packet data A device ID of 1 is associated. It can be seen that the contractor of the contractor ID 00001 contracts the relay apparatus 2 that relays data output by the communication device 1 having a device ID of 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 1005, and so on.

  In FIG. 6 (b), the number of days of occurrence of communication by the communication device 1 transmitting data via the relay device 2 contracted by the contractor for each contractor, and the amount of data communication received via the relay device 2 Is associated. The communication occurrence day is the number of days on which data was transmitted from the communication device 1 during one month which is a unit period of charging. The amount of data communication is the amount of data (for example, the number of bytes) received from the communication device 1 within a unit period.

  According to FIG. 6B, it can be seen that the number of days for which data has been transmitted from the communication device 1 with the device ID of 1001 associated with the subscriber with the subscriber ID of 00001 is 30 days. The total of the communication generation days of all the communication devices 1 registered by the contractor whose contractor ID is 00001 is 116 days, and the charge amount for this contractor is, for example, an amount equivalent to 116 days. The charge for the contractor may be determined according to the total amount of data received from the relay device 2 within the unit period or the total communication time required to receive packet data from the relay device 2.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of records stored in the acquirer charging database 522. As shown in FIG. In the acquirer charging database 522, acquired data which is an acquirer ID corresponding to the data acquisition device 4, a device ID, an application ID, and an amount (number of bytes) of data acquired by the data acquisition device 4 in one month. An amount is associated with it. According to FIG. 7, the data acquirer whose acquirer ID is S0001 is the application whose application ID is a51 that can be executed by the communication device 1 whose device ID is 1001, the data output by the application whose application ID is a52, and the device It can be seen that the application having an application ID of a51 that can be executed by the communication device 1 with an ID of 1002 and the data output from the application having an application ID of a52 can be acquired.

  Multiple data acquisition is performed because the data acquirer whose acquirer ID is S0003, the application whose application ID is a51 that can be executed by the communication device 1 whose device ID is 1001, and the application whose application ID is a52 are associated with each other. It can be seen that a person obtains data output by the same application of the same communication device 1. The charge amount determination device 50 determines the charge amount for each acquirer ID with reference to the record shown in FIG.

(Processing in Charge Determination Device 50)
Returning to FIG. 5, the control unit 53 is, for example, a CPU. The control unit 53 functions as a data management unit 531, an identification unit 532, and a charge amount determination unit 533 by executing the programs stored in the storage unit 52.

  The data management unit 531 manages data in the acquirer charging database 522. For example, when the data management unit 531 changes the communication device 1 and the application for which the data acquirer acquires data from the data processing apparatus 30, the device ID and the application ID associated with the acquirer ID Update The data management unit 531 updates the amount of acquired data in the acquirer charging database 522 when receiving notification from the data processing device 30 on the date and time of providing data to the data acquisition device 4 and the amount of provided data.

  The identifying unit 532 communicates, for each contractor ID, the total number of days that the data processing apparatus 30 has received packet data from the relay apparatus 2 contracted by the contractor of the contractor ID in a predetermined unit period, and the relay apparatus 2 communicates. The total time that has been received or the total amount of data received from the relay device 2 is specified. In addition, the identification unit 532 relays, for each acquirer ID, packet data output from the communication device 1 registered as an object from which each data acquirer acquires data in a predetermined unit period. The total number of days or total time received from the device 2 or the total amount of data received from the relay device 2 is specified. The identifying unit 532 may further identify the amount of data output by the application of the communication device 1 selected as a target for which each data acquirer acquires data.

  For example, the identifying unit 532 refers to the record in the contractor billing database 521 shown in FIG. 6B in order to specify the communication occurrence days corresponding to each contractor, and sets the communication occurrence days for each device ID. Based on the total number of communication days, the total number of communication days is specified by calculating the total of the communication occurrence days of the plurality of communication devices 1 in which the device ID is registered in association with each contractor. When communication time is also included in the record of FIG. 6B, the specifying unit 532 calculates the total of communication times of a plurality of communication devices 1 in which device IDs are registered in association with each contractor. To identify the total communication time. When the data communication amount is also included in the record of FIG. 6B, the specifying unit 532 calculates the total of the data communication amounts of the plurality of communication devices 1 in which the device ID is registered in association with each contractor. In order to identify the total amount of data communication.

  In addition, the identification unit 532 refers to the records in the acquirer charging database 522 illustrated in FIG. 7 and calculates the sum of the amount of data provided to the data acquisition device 4 of each data acquirer, thereby acquiring data. Specify the total amount of data communication for each person. For example, the identifying unit 532 identifies that the data communication amount corresponding to the data acquirer whose acquirer ID is S0001 is 3000 + 2000 + 5200 + 3400 = 13,600 bytes.

  The charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount for each contractor based on the total number of communication occurrence days, total communication time, or total data communication amount for each contractor specified by the identification unit 532. For example, at the final day of the unit period for calculating the charge amount, the charge amount determination unit 533 multiplies the unit price by the data communication amount of the relay apparatus 2 contracted by the contractor specified by the identification unit 532. Determine the charge amount. The charge amount determination unit 533 transmits the charge amount to the charge management server (not shown) that issues a bill to the contractor in association with the contractor ID.

  In addition, the charge amount determination unit 533 can also charge the data acquirer at least a part of the communication fee required for the transmission of data from the communication device 1 to the data management device 3. In this case, the charge determination unit 533 determines the charge for the data acquirer based on the type and amount of data provided to the data acquirer. Specifically, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount for the acquirer ID based on the combination of the device ID and the application ID associated with the acquirer ID in the acquirer charge database 522. For example, when the charge amount determination unit 533 reaches the final day of the unit period for calculating the charge amount, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the acquirer ID based on at least one of the number of device IDs and the number of application IDs associated with the acquirer ID. Determine the charge amount. By doing this, when the data acquirer acquires only the data output by the partial application that can be executed by the partial communication device 1, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the amount of data to be acquired. The charge amount can be determined accordingly.

  Specifically, the charge amount determination unit 533 may determine the charge amount by multiplying the number of device IDs associated with the acquirer ID by the unit price of use of the communication device 1, and the charge amount is associated with the acquirer ID The charge amount may be determined by multiplying the used application ID by the number of application IDs used. The charge amount determination unit 533 may determine the charge amount by adding up the unit prices determined for each combination of the device ID and the application ID.

  Further, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount based on the number of times data has been received within a predetermined period from the application corresponding to the application ID associated with the acquirer ID, and the received data capacity (number of bytes). May be By doing this, the charge amount determination unit 533 can determine the charge amount according to the degree to which the data acquirer has benefited using the communication network N1 and the communication network N2.

  Further, the charge amount determination unit 533 receives notification of the priority of the application notified to the relay device 2 from the communication control unit 331, and based on the priority of the application corresponding to the application ID associated with the acquirer ID. The charge amount for the data acquirer may be determined. In this case, the charge amount determination unit 533 lowers the number of times that the communication control unit 331 provides the data acquisition device 4 with data output from an application set to a high priority, or the charge amount for the data amount has a low priority. Set higher than the charge for the data output from the set application. By doing this, it is possible to prevent the traffic volumes of the communication network N1 and the communication network N2 from excessively increasing because the number of applications set to high priority by the data acquirer is not increased too much.

  After provisionally determining the charge amount for the contractor, the charge amount determination unit 533 subtracts a part of the charge amount for the data acquirer from the provisional charge amount for the contractor to obtain the final result for the contractor. The charge amount may be determined. If the sum of the partial charges of the plurality of data acquirers is larger than the provisional charge for the contractor, the charge determination unit 533 determines an amount obtained by subtracting the provisional charge from the total, Determined as the amount paid to the contractor.

  By doing so, the contractor will be motivated to install the communication device 1 having an application that can output data that many data acquirers want to acquire at an appropriate place. Further, for the communication carrier, the contractor installs a large number of communication devices 1 to increase the number of data acquirers who acquire data output from the communication devices 1 via the data processing apparatus 30. Charges can be increased to generate more revenue.

  In addition, when the data acquirer uses a specific application or a specific type of application (for example, an application whose use is recommended by a communication carrier), the charge amount determination unit 533 calculates a predetermined amount from the flat rate. It may be reduced, or the amount of data communication available at a flat rate may be increased. Further, the charge amount determination unit 533 may reduce the charge amount when the number of communication devices 1 with which one relay device 2 can communicate and the number of applications are smaller than a predetermined number.

[Billing based on success or failure of communication network]
Charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount for the contractor based on the data communication amount of one or more communication devices 1 in which the data communication amount within a predetermined period of time among the plurality of communication devices 1 exceeds a predetermined value. You may For example, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 6B, the number of days of communication occurrence of the communication device 1 with the device ID 1003 is 3 days, and communication is hardly performed. In such a case, there is a possibility that the communication device 1 with the device ID 1003 has failed. Therefore, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount based on 113 days which is the data communication amount specified by excluding the number of days of communication occurrence corresponding to the communication device 1. If the number of days of communication occurrence is less than a predetermined number of days and the total amount of data in the respective communications or the plurality of generated communications is less than the predetermined amount, the billing amount determination unit 533 may not charge.

  The situation where the number of days of communication occurrence is abnormally short as described above may be caused, for example, by a failure in the wireless communication channel between the relay device 2 and the communication network N1 or the communication line between the communication network N1 and the data processing device 30. This may also occur when device data output by the communication device 1 does not reach the data processing device 30. Therefore, the charge amount determination unit 533 acquires a contractor or data based on the data communication amount of one or more communication devices 1 in which the communication success rate in a predetermined period exceeds a predetermined value among the plurality of communication devices 1 You may decide the charge amount for the person.

  For example, when determining the charge amount, the charge amount determination unit 533 associates the number of transmissions, which is the number of attempts to transmit packet data, with the device ID and the relay device ID, and acquires it from the relay device 2. Then, the charge amount determination unit 533 calculates the communication success rate based on the ratio of the number of packet data actually received by the data processing apparatus 30 and registered in the contractor charging database 521 with respect to the number of transmissions acquired from the relay device 2 Then, only the data communication amount corresponding to the communication device 1 whose communication success rate is larger than a predetermined value is added. That is, the charge determination unit 533 excludes the amount of data communication corresponding to the communication device 1 whose communication success rate is less than or equal to a predetermined value from the calculation of the charge.

  By doing this, it is possible to prevent the data acquisition device 4 from being charged even though it can not collect the planned device data, so that the contractor and the data acquirer are prevented from dissatisfaction. it can. The charge amount determination unit 533 acquires, from the relay device 2, the number of times of failure of transmission of packet data after the relay device 2 becomes ready to communicate, and the number of times of acquisition of packet data and the number of times of failure. The communication success rate may be calculated based on In the present specification, the failure to transmit data means that the transmitted data did not reach the destination, and the successful transmission of data means that the transmitted data has reached the destination.

  In addition, the billing amount determination unit 533 checks confirmation data for confirming the status of at least a part of the plurality of communication devices 1 (for example, the communication device 1 from which the data acquirer collects information). The communication device 1 may be determined by excluding the communication device 1 for which the response data to the confirmation data has not been sent before the predetermined time has elapsed after the transmission of the confirmation data. By doing this, the charge amount determination unit 533 can exclude the malfunctioning communication device 1 from the targets of charging, so that it is possible to prevent the contractor and the data acquirer from dissatisfaction.

  As described above, when the charge amount determination unit 533 transmits confirmation data for confirming the status of the communication device 1, the charge amount determination unit 533 performs confirmation before transmitting a predetermined time after the confirmation data is transmitted. For the communication device 1 to which no response data for data has been sent, the charge amount excludes the period from the expiration date of the predetermined period to the date of the immediately preceding communication occurrence date or the date of the immediately preceding response data. You may decide By doing this, since the charge amount determination unit 533 does not charge for the period in which the communication device 1 was not operating, it is possible to prevent the contractor or the data acquirer from dissatisfaction.

  Charge amount determination unit 533 is based on the amount of data transmitted by network communication unit 23 and the amount of unreceived data, which is the amount of data not received by data acquisition device 4 among the data transmitted by relay device 2. The charge amount for the contractor may be determined. The charge amount determination unit 533 can use, for example, the amount of unreceived data notified from the relay device 2, but the unreceived data specified based on the presence or absence of the response from the data acquisition device 4 in the data processing device 30. An amount may be used.

  The charge amount determination unit 533 subtracts the amount corresponding to the amount of unreceived data from the reference charge amount corresponding to the amount of data transmitted by the network communication unit 23 to calculate the charge amount for the contractor and the charge amount for the data acquirer Determine at least one of the By doing this, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines that the data transmitted by the relay device 2 has not arrived at the data acquisition device 4 and the data acquired is not useful for the data acquirer. No charges will be made for data that did not arrive at 4, so it is possible to prevent contractors and data acquirers from dissatisfaction.

  At this time, the charge amount determination unit 533 may determine the charge amount further based on the time when transmission of data failed, which is notified from the network communication unit 23 of the relay device 2. For example, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount based on the congestion degree of the communication network N1 at the time of failure. Specifically, when the time when the network communication unit 23 transmits data is included in the time zone in which the communication network N1 is congested, the charge amount determination unit 533 is included in the other time zones. Compared to the case, the amount to be subtracted from the reference charge amount is reduced according to the unreceived data amount. By doing this, it is possible to motivate the data acquirer to acquire data in a time zone in which the communication network N1 is not congested.

  Charge amount determination unit 533 transmits a response from data acquisition device 4 or a data management device 3 and data acquisition device 4 before a predetermined period elapses after relay device 2 transmits data to data processing device 30. The charge amount may be determined based on the cause of failure to receive a response from the device provided between. For example, when communication of data fails due to congestion or failure of the communication network N1 or the communication network N2, the charge amount determination unit 533 subtracts the amount for the failed data from the reference charge amount. By doing this, it is possible to prevent the communication carrier from being charged by the user despite the communication failure due to the communication network N1 or the communication network N2 managed by the communication carrier. On the other hand, the charge amount determination unit 533 causes the relay device 2 to fail to receive a response from the data processing device 30 until a predetermined period elapses after transmitting data to the data processing device 30. In the case of the data acquisition device 4, the charge amount is determined without subtracting the amount corresponding to the amount of unreceived data from the reference charge amount. By doing this, it is possible to prevent the loss of revenue when the communication carrier fails in communication due to the data acquisition device 4.

  The charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount for the data acquirer based on the amount of unreceived data in the data transmitted by the application corresponding to the application ID stored in the acquirer charge database 522 in association with the acquirer ID. You may Charge amount determination unit 533 determines the amount of unreceived data determined for each application based on the reference charge amount based on the data transmitted from communication device 1 and the application registered as the data acquirer's data acquisition target. Determine the billing amount by subtracting the corresponding amount. For example, when the charge amount determination unit 533 fails to communicate data from an application with a high standard charge amount set to a high priority by the user, an application with a low standard charge amount set by the user with a low priority is used. The amount to be subtracted is larger than in the case of failure to communicate data. By doing this, it is possible to alleviate the dissatisfaction of the data acquirer when data output by an application of high importance can not be received.

  Note that the charge amount determination unit 533 may exclude the data transmitted from the relay device 2 regarding whether the communication has failed or succeeded from the object of charging. By doing this, since the charge amount determination unit 533 does not charge for the data not used by the data acquirer, it is possible to prevent the contractor and the data acquirer from dissatisfaction.

[Load rate of data acquirer]
In the above description, although the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount for the data acquirer based on the acquired data amount provided to the data acquisition device 4, the charge amount determination unit 533 acquires The billing amount corresponding to the acquirer ID may be determined based on the amount of data and the burden rate that is the rate at which the data acquisition device 4 bears the communication fee corresponding to the amount of data acquired.

  For example, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the burden ratio based on the number of users of the application indicated by the data acquisition request when the request reception unit 332 receives a data acquisition request for acquiring data from the data acquisition device 4. The determined and determined burden ratio is registered in the acquirer charging database 522. The charge amount determination unit 533 transmits the provisionally determined load rate to the data acquisition device 4 via the data processing device 30, and then receives notification of approval of the load rate from the data acquisition device 4, as a condition. The burden ratio may be validated by registering it in the acquirer charging database 522.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the acquirer charging database 522 including the amount of charging target data calculated based on the burden ratio. Data output by an application with an application ID of a51 executed by the communication device 1 with a device ID of 1001 is data of the data acquisition device 4 of a data acquirer with an acquirer ID of S0001 and data of a data acquirer with an acquirer ID of S0003. It has been sent to the acquisition device 4. In this case, since two data acquirers acquire data output by the application with application ID a51, the acquirer ID of S0001 is a data acquirer, and the acquirer ID of a data acquirer of S0003 is each. The burden rate is 50%. The amount of data to be charged is 1500 bytes obtained by multiplying the amount of acquired data by the burden rate.

  As described above, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the burden ratio of each data acquirer according to the number of data acquirers who acquire the data output from the application of the communication device 1, thereby the data acquirer is burdened. Because the amount of money to do is small, the data acquisition person who wants to acquire data increases. As a result, a virtuous cycle in which the burden ratio of each data acquirer is further reduced is created, and the communication carrier, the contractor, and the data acquirer all benefit.

  In addition, the charge amount determination unit 533 may determine the charge amount based on the range of the data acquisition person who can acquire the data output from the application of the communication device 1. For example, the subscriber of the relay device 2 can (1) a mode in which anyone can obtain the data output from the communication device 1, (2) a mode in which a data acquirer who has received the approval of the subscriber can obtain (3) a contract A desired mode can be selected from any mode such as a mode which can be acquired only by a person. The data management device 3 may acquire the set mode via the data acquisition device 4 of the contractor, and the charge amount determination unit 533 may determine the charge amount with reference to the charge table corresponding to the mode. .

  In addition, the data management device 3 transmits the data transmission time from the communication device 1 from the data acquisition device 4 (for example, does it transmit at 0:00 or 0:01), a data transmission interval, or data When receiving a request for setting the priority and the like, the charge per data amount may be displayed for each setting condition related to data transmission. By doing this, since the data acquirer can grasp the charge for each setting condition related to data transmission by accessing the data acquisition device 4, the communication traffic in the data communication system S becomes sharply large at a specific time. It is possible to avoid being

[Communication sequence]
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a communication sequence in the data communication system S.
First, when it is time to transmit collected information (YES in S11), the communication device 1 generates transmission data (S12), and transmits transmission data to the relay apparatus 2.

  When receiving the transmission data, the relay device 2 stores the received transmission data in the storage unit 24 (S13). The relay device 2 transmits the transmission data read from the storage unit 24 to the data processing device 30 when the preset transmission time is reached (YES in S14).

  In the data processing device 30, when the transmission data is received, the control unit 33 associates the received transmission data with the acquirer ID and registers the transmission data in the storage unit 32 (S15). Thereafter, when it is time to provide data to the data acquisition device 4 (YES in S16), the control unit 33 provides the data acquisition device 4 with the data registered in the storage unit 32 (S17). For example, in response to receiving the data acquisition request from the data acquisition device 4, the control unit 33 transmits data to the data acquisition device 4. The control unit 33 may transmit data to the data acquisition device 4 at the timing when the preset time has come.

  Subsequently, control unit 33 receives a notification that data has been received from data acquisition device 4 that provided the data, and when the data provision is completed (YES in S18), the provision of data is completed. The amount determination device 50 is notified (S19). At that time, the control unit 33 notifies the billing amount determination device 50 of the acquirer ID corresponding to the data acquisition device 4 for which the provision of data has been completed, and information indicating the amount of the provided data. Thereafter, the storage unit 32 notifies the communication device 1 via the relay device 2 that the provision of data has been completed.

  The charge amount determination device 50 registers information indicating the notified data amount in the contractor charging database 521 and the acquirer charging database 522. Then, the billing amount is calculated for each of the contractor ID and the acquirer ID at a predetermined timing.

Application Based Billing
In the above description, an example has been shown in which the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount for the contractor based on the number of days of communication occurrence in the plurality of communication devices 1. The charge amount determination unit 533 may determine the charge amount for the contractor based on the number of communication occurrence days for each application for which the data acquisition device 4 is acquiring data.

  In this case, the storage unit 52 stores the contractor ID, the device ID, and the application ID in association with each other. Then, the identification unit 532 identifies the data communication amount for each application by the plurality of communication devices 1 within the predetermined period, and the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount based on the data communication amount specified for each application. decide.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing processing when the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount for the contractor based on the application registered as a data acquirer's data acquisition target. FIG. 10 is a record of the contractor charging database 521 indicating the number of days for which the data acquired by the application that transmits data via the relay device 2 of the contractor whose contractor ID is 00001 is provided to the data acquisition device 4 .

  In FIG. 10, the device ID, the application ID, and the number of days of communication occurrence are associated. FIG. 10 shows the device ID of the communication device 1 used by the data acquirer whose acquirer ID is 00001 and the application ID of the application used in each communication device 1.

  In the example of FIG. 10, the number of days for which the data output by the application with application ID 1 executed by the communication device 1 with the device ID 1001 is transmitted is 30 days. Further, the number of days for which the data output by the application with application ID 2 executed by the communication device 1 with the device ID 1001 is transmitted is eight days. The billing amount determination unit 533 calculates the number of days of communication occurrence to be used for calculating the billing amount for the data acquirer whose acquirer ID is 00001 by adding the numbers in the communication occurrence days column in FIG. Determine the charge amount based on the number of days taken.

When the relay device 2 simultaneously transmits data output from a plurality of cached applications, the charge amount determination unit 533 divides the amount based on the number of applications included in the transmitted data. Each of the plurality of applications may be charged, or one representative application among the plurality of applications may be charged.
Further, when using a plurality of communication services (for example, LTE, 5G, WiMAX (registered trademark), satellite communication), the charge amount determination unit 533 may change the charge amount according to the used communication service.

  Further, the billing amount determination unit 533 may determine the billing amount based only on the application that is capable of transmitting data among the applications that can be executed by the communication device 1 and that is in the active state.

[Effect by data communication system S]
As described above, in the data communication system S, in the acquirer charging database 522, the acquirer ID of the data acquirer acquiring data to be output by the communication device 1 and the data acquirer registered as a target for acquiring data The device ID of the communication device 1 and the application ID of the application are associated with each other. Then, among the plurality of packet data received by the data processing device 30 from the relay device 2, the charge amount determination unit 533 provides the packet data output from the application of the communication device 1 registered in association with the acquirer ID. Determine the charge amount for the data acquirer received. By doing this, the communication carrier that provides the communication network N1 used by the relay device 2 for data transmission is not only for the subscriber of the relay device 2, but also for the data acquirer who receives a profit by acquiring data. You can even charge for it.

(Modification 1)
[When communication device 1 moves]
In the above description, the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 to be provided data to the data acquisition device 4 have been described as an example determined based on the request from the data acquisition device 4. On the other hand, when the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 move, the communication control unit 331 determines the data based on the positions of the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 to be provided data to the data acquisition device 4. May be switched.

  For example, it is assumed that the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 are mounted on a vehicle. The data acquirer is assumed to be a company operating a gas station (hereinafter referred to as a gas station). A gas station has a need to acquire the remaining amount of gasoline of vehicles within a predetermined range from the position of the gas station and to transmit advertisement data to vehicles whose remaining amount is smaller than a predetermined amount.

  In such a case, the communication control unit 331 acquires data to provide data based on the position of the communication device 1 at the time of receiving the data output by the application or the time at which the first communication unit 311 receives the data. The device 4 is determined. Then, the third communication unit 313 provides the data acquired by the application to the data acquisition device 4 determined by the communication control unit 331.

  For example, the storage unit 32 stores position information associated with the data acquisition device 4 and the communication control unit 331 indicates a position within a predetermined range from the position of the vehicle on which the communication device 1 is mounted. The data acquisition device 4 corresponding to the position information is selected. Then, the communication control unit 331 provides the selected data acquisition device 4 with data indicating the remaining amount of gasoline as data output by the application of the communication device 1.

  When the communication control unit 331 receives the advertisement data from the data acquisition device 4 that has received the provided data via the third communication unit 313, the received advertisement data is transmitted to the first communication unit 311, the communication network N1, and the relay device. The data indicating the remaining amount of gasoline is transmitted to the communication device 1 that has received the data via 2. The communication device 1 is interlocked with a car navigation system of a vehicle, and displays received advertisement data on a display of the car navigation system or on a communication terminal such as a smartphone of a user registered in advance.

  Even if the communication control unit 331 provides a plurality of data output from a plurality of applications executed by the communication device 1 to the data acquisition device 4 in which a position within a different range is registered for each application from the position of the communication device 1. Good. For example, the communication control unit 331 transmits the data output by the application that outputs the remaining amount of gasoline to the data acquisition device 4 registered at a position within the first distance from the position of the communication device 1, and outputs the in-vehicle temperature The data output from the application is transmitted to the data acquisition device 4 registered at a position within a second distance shorter than the first distance from the position of the communication device 1. By doing this, the data acquirer distributes the advertisement data to a vehicle within a range suitable for the type of advertisement data that the data acquirer wants to distribute and that is suitable for distribution of the advertisement data. It becomes possible.

  As described above, when providing data from the moving communication device 1 to the data acquisition device 4, the billing amount determining unit 533 is configured to receive the data output from the application at the time when the first communication unit 311 receives the data. The billing amount may be determined in association with the position or the time when the first communication unit 311 receives the data. For example, the charge amount determination unit 533 increases the charge amount as the position of the communication device 1 is closer to the position registered in association with the data acquisition device 4. In addition, when the time when the first communication unit 311 receives the data is included in a time slot having a high priority (for example, a time slot in which the number of users of the gas station is small), the charge amount determination unit 533 The billing amount may be larger than when the data is received at other times.

  When the data from the moving communication device 1 is provided to the data acquisition device 4 via the plurality of mobile phone base stations of the communication network N1, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the number of base stations used. The charge amount may be determined.

  In addition, when the communication device 1 moves, there is a high probability that the data transmitted by the communication device 1 does not reach the transmission destination as compared with the case where the communication device 1 does not move. It is also possible not to perform processing to reduce the charge amount according to the failure. In addition, when the communication device 1 moves, the charge amount determination unit 533 may reduce the amount by which the charge amount is reduced in response to failure in data transmission as compared to the case where the communication device 1 does not move. .

  Further, the communication device 1 may have a unit (for example, an acceleration sensor) for detecting its own velocity, and the communication device 1 may notify the data management device 3 of its own velocity. Then, if the notified rate is equal to or higher than the predetermined rate, the charge amount determination unit 533 may reduce the amount of reduction of the charge amount in response to the failure of data transmission. Furthermore, when the communication device 1 notifies its own position to the data management device 3 and the charge amount determination unit 533 does not reach the transmission destination, the data transmitted while the communication device 1 was in the place where the radio wave does not reach. It is also possible not to make a reduction for the data that failed to be sent.

(Modification 2)
[Calculate statistical data of communication failure]
In the above description, although an example is shown in which the charge amount is reduced when data transmission fails, it is important for the communication carrier to reduce the probability of data transmission failure. Therefore, the storage unit 32 stores the time when the unreceived data is generated in association with the device ID, and the communication control unit 331 generates the unreceived data for each of the communication device 1 and the application based on the stored time. You may calculate the statistical value regarding the easy time slot | zone, and the generation cause (the communication network N1 or the data acquisition device 4?) Of the unreceived data.

  The communication control unit 331, for example, notifies the relay device 2 connected to the communication device 1 whose rate of failure of data transmission within a predetermined time is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, with a high failure probability time zone. And instructs the relay device 2 not to transmit data in a time slot where the failure probability is high. The communication control unit 331 instructs not to transmit data output by an application having a high probability of failure due to a relatively large amount of data contained in one packet data, etc., in a time slot having a high probability of failure. It is also good. By doing this, the data communication system S can reduce the probability of transmission failure, and therefore can improve the degree of satisfaction of the contractor and the data acquirer.

(Modification 3)
[Basic amount and amount added amount]
In the above description, although the charge amount determination unit 533 has described an example in which the charge amount is determined based on the amount of data provided by the communication control unit 331 and the number of times of provision, the charge amount is determined by another method. It is also good. For example, the charging amount determination unit 533 adds the predetermined basic amount including the charging amount for transmission of packet data of a small size and the amount corresponding to the data amount of packet data of a size larger than a predetermined amount. The charge amount may be determined by

  For example, the charge determination unit 533 includes the cost for the provision of the data output from the sensor in the basic amount, and adds the amount for the cost for the provision of the image output from the camera on a pay-per-use basis. By doing this, the data acquirer who gives a small load to the communication network N1 and the communication network N2 can easily use the service because the monthly charge does not change, and the communication carrier can be a network N1 and a communication network. It becomes possible to receive a lot of expenses from the data acquirer who places a large load on N2.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be added to the above embodiment. In particular, the specific embodiment of the distribution and integration of the devices is not limited to the one illustrated above, and all or part of the specific embodiments according to various additions or the like or according to the functional load, in arbitrary units. It can be configured to be distributed or integrated functionally or physically.

For example, in the above description, although the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 are described as physically different devices, the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 may be integrated. Also, although the communication device 1 has been described as having a plurality of sensors, the communication device 1 and the plurality of sensors are separate bodies, and the communication device 1 receives the signals output by the plurality of sensors and receives the received signals. It may be transmitted to the relay device 2.
In the above description, although the data processing device 30 and the charge amount determination device 50 are physically different devices, even if the data processing device 30 and the charge amount determination device 50 are integrated. Good.

1 communication device 2 relay device 3 data management device 4 data acquisition device 21 device communication unit 22 control unit 23 network communication unit 24 storage unit 30 data processing unit 31 communication unit 311 first communication unit 312 second communication unit 313 third communication unit 32 storage unit 33 control unit 331 communication control unit 332 request reception unit 333 storage control unit 50 charge amount determination device 51 communication unit 52 storage unit 53 control unit 521 contractor accounting database 522 acquirer accounting database 531 data management unit 532 identification unit 533 Charge amount determination unit

Claims (13)

A data management apparatus that manages data output by a plurality of communication devices that output data, the data management apparatus comprising:
A storage unit that associates and stores device identification information of each of the plurality of communication devices and acquirer identification information of a data acquirer who acquires a plurality of device data output from the plurality of communication devices;
The device data corresponding to the device identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the acquirer identification information among the received plurality of device data received via the communication network, A communication unit provided to a data acquisition device used by the data acquirer corresponding to acquirer identification information;
The provision of the device data is performed based on the amount of the device data acquired by the data acquisition device and a burden ratio that is a ratio of the communication fee corresponding to the amount of the device data acquired by the data acquisition device. A charge amount determination unit that determines a charge amount for the received data acquirer;
Data management device having: The charge amount determination unit determines the charge amount based further on the range of the data acquirer capable of receiving the provision of the device data.
The data management device according to claim 1. The charge amount determination unit refers to the rate table corresponding to a plurality of modes in which the range of the data acquirer capable of receiving the provision of the device data is different, to the mode selected by the data acquirer. Determine the corresponding charge amount,
The data management device according to claim 2. A data acquisition request including the device identification information of the communication device for which the device data is to be acquired is received from the data acquisition device, and the device identification information included in the data acquisition request corresponds to the data acquisition device And a request receiving unit for storing in the storage unit in association with the acquirer identification information.
The data management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The request receiving unit receives a request to select the same communication device from the plurality of data acquisition devices.
The communication unit receives, when the request receiving unit receives the data acquisition request from the plurality of data acquisition devices, data transmitted by the communication device indicated by the data acquisition request, received via the communication network. Providing the plurality of data acquisition devices
The data management device according to claim 4. The charge amount determination unit determines the burden ratio based on the number of the data acquisition devices that acquire the device data output by the same communication device.
The data management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The billing amount determination unit validates the burden ratio on the condition that a notification of approving the burden ratio is received from the data management device after transmitting the burden ratio to the data acquisition device.
The data management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. For the relay device that relays the device data transmitted by the communication device, the device management data corresponding to the device identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the acquirer identification information is transmitted to the data management device It further has a communication control unit that permits transmission
The data management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The communication control unit corresponds to the device identification information that is not stored in the storage unit in association with the acquirer identification information for a relay device that relays the device data transmitted by the communication device. Prohibiting sending to the data management device,
The data management device according to claim 8. The charge amount determination unit subtracts at least a portion of the charge amount corresponding to the acquirer identification information from the charge amount determined based on the amount of the device data received by the communication unit from the relay device. Thus, the relay device determines the charge amount for the contractor who has contracted to use the communication network,
The data management device according to claim 8 or 9. The communication unit transmits the received device data to the data acquisition device determined based on the position of the communication device at the time of receiving the device data output by the communication device or the time when the device data is received. provide,
The data management device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. The charge amount determination unit determines the charge amount in association with the position of the communication device at the time of receiving the device data output by the communication device or the time when the device data is received.
The data management device according to any one of claims 1 to 11. A data management method for managing data output by a plurality of communication devices that output data, comprising:
Receiving, via a communication network, a plurality of device data output by the plurality of communication devices;
Device data output from a communication device corresponding to device identification information stored in the storage unit in association with acquirer identification information of a data acquirer who acquires the plurality of device data among the plurality of received device data, Providing to a data acquisition device used by a data acquirer corresponding to the acquirer identification information;
The provision of the device data is performed based on the amount of the device data acquired by the data acquisition device and a burden ratio that is a ratio of the communication fee corresponding to the amount of the device data acquired by the data acquisition device. Determining a charge amount for the received data acquirer;
Data management method having.

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