JP6630809B2 - Data management device, data management method, and data communication system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a data management device that processes data received from a communication device, a data management method, and a data communication system.

  In the mobile phone service, a billing amount is determined for each communication terminal that is a contract unit of the service. Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for determining a billing amount for each SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) attached to a communication terminal that has subscribed to a service.

JP 2008-054021 A

  In recent years, communication devices having a sensor function are installed in various articles and places, data transmitted from the communication devices is collected in a server, and provided to users who use the collected data. In order to collect data transmitted from a communication device in a server, a relay device that collects data transmitted by the communication device and transmits the data to the server via a mobile phone network is used.

  If the contractor of the relay device is a corporation, a large number of communication devices may execute data communication via the relay device. In particular, when a communication device is used for the purpose of facility management or the like, data communication tends to concentrate in a specific time zone, and there is a concern that communication quality in that time zone may be reduced. When the subscriber performs data communication, it is not under the control of the communication carrier that manages the mobile phone network, so there is a problem that it is difficult to disperse the concentrated data communication volume led by the communication service provider. Was.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a technology capable of equalizing the amount of communication data when a communication service contractor uses a large number of communication devices.

  A first aspect of the present invention is a data management device that manages data transmitted and received via a communication network including a plurality of base stations, wherein each of the plurality of base stations includes a plurality of relay devices and the plurality of relay devices. It is a device that relays data communicated with the data management device. The data management device includes: relay device identification information for identifying each of a plurality of relay devices that communicate via each base station; and at least one relay device among the plurality of relay devices that communicate via each base station. A storage unit that associates and stores contractor identification information of a contractor who has contracted to use the communication network and device identification information of a communication device that receives data from the relay device; For each piece of information, a specifying unit that specifies a data communication amount communicated in a predetermined charging unit period between the relay device and the data management device associated with the contractor identification information, and the specifying unit specifies Charge amount determination for determining a charge amount for each of the device identification information to the contractor based on a magnitude of the data communication amount per unit time of the data communication amount And, with a.

  The specifying unit, for each of the device identification information, among the relay devices associated with the contractor identification information, the data communication volume that the relay device communicated in units of the relay device installed in a predetermined area It may be specified.

  The specifying unit, for each of the device identification information, in units of a base station serving as a communication path of the relay device associated with the contractor identification information, communicates with the associated relay device via the base station. The specified data traffic may be specified.

  The specifying unit may specify, for each of the device identification information, a data communication amount that the relay device has communicated in units of relay devices contracted by the contractor identification information.

  The charging amount determination unit may determine a charging amount for the contractor based on the data communication amount per unit time in a predetermined time zone among the data communication amounts specified by the specifying unit. Good.

  The charging amount determination unit may determine a charging amount for the contractor based on a maximum value of the data traffic per unit time of the data traffic specified by the specifying unit.

  The charging amount determination unit may determine a charging amount for the contractor based on whether or not a maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold.

  The charging amount determination unit determines the charging amount such that when the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold, the charging amount is higher when the maximum value of the data communication amount is larger than when the maximum value is smaller. May be.

  When the maximum value of the data communication amount does not exceed a predetermined communication amount threshold, the charging amount determination unit is configured to make the maximum value of the data communication amount lower than when the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold. The charge amount may be determined.

  The charging amount determination unit may determine the charging amount based on the number of times that the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold value in the charging unit period.

  A second aspect of the present invention is a data management method executed by a processor of a data management device that manages data transmitted and received via a communication network including a plurality of base stations, wherein each of the plurality of base stations Is a method of relaying data communicated between a plurality of relay devices and the data management device. The processor includes: relay device identification information for identifying each of a plurality of relay devices that communicate via each base station; and at least one relay device among the plurality of relay devices that communicate via each base station communicates with each other. A storage unit that stores the contractor identification information of a contractor having a contract for using the network and device identification information of a communication device from which the relay device receives data, in association with each other; Specifying, for each piece of identification information, a data communication amount communicated in a predetermined charging unit period between the relay device and the data management device associated with the contractor identification information; and Determining a billing amount for each of the device identification information to the contractor based on the magnitude of the data communication amount per unit time. To.

  A third aspect of the present invention is a data communication system including a communication network including a plurality of base stations, and a data management device that manages data transmitted and received via the communication network. Each of the plurality of base stations has a communication unit for performing data communication between a plurality of relay devices and the data management device, and the data management device includes a plurality of communication devices each of which communicates via a base station. Relay device identification information for specifying each of the relay devices, and a contractor with which at least one of the plurality of relay devices communicating via each base station has a contract to use the communication network. A storage unit that associates and stores the contractor identification information of the communication device and the device identification information of the communication device from which the relay device receives data, and for each of the device identification information, the relay unit that is associated with the contractor identification information. A specifying unit that specifies a data communication amount communicated between a device and the data management device in a predetermined charging unit period; and a unit time of the data communication amount specified by the specifying unit. Based on the size of the data traffic in per has a charge amount determining section for determining a charge amount of each of the device identification information for said subscriber.

  Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, there is an effect that a billing amount when a communication service contractor uses a large number of communication devices can be determined to an appropriate amount.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a data communication system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a data flow in a data communication system. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a relay device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a data processing device. It is a figure showing composition of a billing amount decision device. It is a figure showing an example of a record stored in a contractor billing database. It is a figure showing an example of a record stored in an acquirer billing database. It is a figure showing an example of an acquirer billing database containing the amount of data for billing calculated based on a burden rate. It is a figure showing the communication sequence in a billing amount determination system. FIG. 9 is a diagram for describing processing when a charge amount determination unit determines a charge amount based on an application used by a data acquirer. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a data communication system according to a modification of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a data structure of a communication path database that stores a base station, a relay device relayed by the base station, and an identifier for specifying a contractor of the relay device in association with each other. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a communication amount database in which a peak value and an average communication amount of the data communication amount in the charging unit period between the relay device and the data management device are totalized for each subscriber. It is a figure showing the data structure of the database which totaled the number of times that the relay device exceeded the peak value of the data traffic in the billing unit period for each subscriber. It is a figure which shows typically the data structure of the area | region database which stores the relationship between a base station and its installation area | region in correspondence.

[Configuration of Data Communication System S]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a data communication system S according to the embodiment. The data communication system S has a plurality of communication devices 1, a relay device 2, a data management device 3, and a data acquisition device 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 phone network and the Internet, and the relay device 2 transmits packet data to the data management device 3 using a mobile phone 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 packet data received from the relay device 2 to the data acquisition device 4 via a communication network N2 such as an optical communication line. The data management device 3 includes a data processing device 30 and a billing 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 acquirer who accesses packet data transmitted from the communication device 1 to the data management device 3. The content of the data transmitted by the device 1 can be viewed.

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

  The communication device 1 is installed in a vending machine, a vehicle, an office, a factory, or the like, and transmits packet data including various types of information that can be collected at the installed location through the relay device 2 and the data processing device 30. The information collected 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 the temperature, the remaining amount of change, the stock of merchandise, the presence of nearby people, and the like, and a packet including 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 voice and image packet data transmitted and received by communication terminals such as smartphones 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 collected information.

  The relay device 2 receives a plurality of packet data from a plurality of communication devices 1. The relay device 2 temporarily stores the received packet data and transmits the stored packet data to the data processing device 30 at a preset timing by sending the stored packet data to the communication network N1.

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

  Further, the data processing device 30 acquires acquirer identification information (hereinafter referred to as an acquirer ID) assigned to a data acquirer that acquires the collected packet data or statistical information generated based on the packet data, Associated with device identification information (hereinafter, referred to as device ID) assigned to each of a plurality of communication devices used by the user, the date and time when packet data was received from the relay device 2, and the amount of received packet data Is notified to the billing amount determination device 50. The data processing device 30 further transmits, via the relay device 2, contractor identification information (hereinafter referred to as “contractor ID”) assigned to a contractor with whom the relay device 2 has contracted to use the communication network N 1. In association with the device IDs of a plurality of communication devices transmitting packet data to the data processing device 30, the date and time of receiving packet data from the relay device 2, the number of times, the amount of received packet data, and the like are determined. May be notified.

  The data acquisition device 4 is a server that a data acquirer can access using a computer or a mobile terminal. The data acquisition device 4 transmits a data acquisition request including the device ID of the communication device 1 from which data is to be acquired and the application ID of the application to the data processing device 30 in response to a request from the data acquirer, and It becomes possible to acquire from the data processing device 30 data output by at least one of a plurality of applications that can be executed by the application 1. The data acquisition device 4 provides the data received from the data processing device 30 or the analysis result of the data to the data acquirer.

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

  The billing amount determination device 50 also determines the billing amount for the subscriber of the relay device 2. The charge amount determination device 50 is configured to transmit the packet data from the relay device 2 associated with the contractor to the data processing device 30 via the relay device 2 based on the amount of packet data transmitted by the communication device 1. , 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 vending machine management company, a beverage maker that manufactures vending machine products, a company that provides marketing information, and the like. . The data acquirer has concluded a contract with the communication carrier that manages the data processing device 30 and the billing amount determining device 50 to acquire data output by a desired application of the desired communication device 1. The billing 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 stored in association with each other. The charging amount determination device 50 determines a charging amount for each data acquirer based on the device ID associated with the acquirer ID and the amount of data output by the application corresponding to the application ID within a predetermined period.

  The billing amount determination device 50 registers the determined billing amount in a database that manages the billing amount for the contractor and the data acquirer. In this way, the communication carrier can charge the data acquirer according to the amount of information obtained from the communication device 1.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a data flow in the data communication system S. 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 a temperature application 11, a change management application 12, an inventory management application 13, and a 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 change balance of the vending machine. The stock management application 13 can transmit stock information indicating the number of stocks of commodities sold by vending machines. The monitoring application 14 can transmit person detection information indicating a time at which a person within a predetermined distance from the vending machine is detected.

  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 by the change management application 12 is transmitted to the data acquisition device 4b of the data acquirer who manages the product. The inventory information output by the inventory management application 13 is transmitted to the data acquisition device 4b and the data acquisition device 4c of the data acquirer providing the marketing information. The human detection information output by the monitoring application 14 is transmitted to the data acquisition device 4c.

  In such a case, the charging amount determination device 50 determines a charging amount for the data acquirer of the data acquisition device 4a according to the data communication amount of the temperature information output by the temperature application 11. The charge amount determination device 50 determines a 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. I do. In addition, the billing amount determination device 50 provides a billing amount to the data acquirer of the data acquisition device 4c according to the data communication amount of the inventory information output by the inventory management application 13 and the person detection information output by the monitoring application 14. To determine.

  The location where the communication device 1 is installed is arbitrary, and may be installed in, for example, an automobile. When the communication device 1 is installed in an automobile, the communication device 1 includes a gasoline remaining amount, a battery remaining amount, running data (running distance, average speed, fuel consumption and the number of times of sudden braking, etc.), position information, vehicle body malfunction information, and the like. To the data processing device 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 illustrating a 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. The control unit 22 reads out the data stored in the storage unit 24 at a predetermined timing, and sends out the read data to the communication network N1 via the network communication unit 23. The control unit 22 sends data to the communication network N1 when, for example, the traffic amount of the communication network N1 is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

  The control unit 22 may determine the timing of transmitting data based on the priority of the data received from the communication device 1. For example, the control unit 22 sends high-priority data to the communication network N1 without storing it in the storage unit 24. Further, 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 low-priority data in a time zone notified from the data management device 3 in advance. By doing so, 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, the base station side of the communication network N1 preferentially allocates a communication band to the relay device 2 that communicates with the communication device 1 that can execute an application that outputs data with high priority. May be. By doing so, the control unit 22 can transmit high-priority data at high speed.

  The control unit 22 may transmit the data received from the communication device 1 at a time set by the data acquirer and received via the data processing device 30. For example, the data acquirer can set a time at which the relay device 2 transmits data for each communication device 1 and each application. When the billing amount determination device 50 determines the billing amount based on the billing amount per unit data communication amount determined for each time period in which the relay device 2 transmits data, the data acquirer can be configured as described above. In contrast, it is possible to motivate the user to transmit data during a time period when the billing amount is small (for example, a time period when 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 obtains data from the amount of data transmitted to the data processing device 30 by a predetermined period after the data is transmitted to the data processing device 30, based on an instruction from the control unit 22. The device 4 functions as a notifying unit that notifies the data processing device 30 of the amount of unreceived data, which is data that could not receive a response indicating that data was normally received, as the amount of unreceived data. The unreceived data is transmitted in a communication section such as a communication section from the relay apparatus 2 to a core network such as a PGW (Packet Data Network Gateway) or an MME (Mobility Management Entity) or a communication section from the core network to the data processing apparatus 30. This is data that the data processing device 30 could not receive due to communication failure due to carrier equipment.

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

  The information that the network communication unit 23 notifies the data processing device 30 and indicates whether the data communication is successful or unsuccessful is used when the charging amount determination device 50 determines the charging amount for the contractor and the data acquirer. . The details of the process in which the charging amount determination device 50 determines the charging amount based on the success or failure of the data communication will be described later.

  The storage unit 24 has a storage medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a hard disk. The storage unit 24 stores a program executed by the control unit 22. The storage unit 24 stores the 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 a configuration of the data processing device 30. 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 terminal interface of a mobile phone network. The first communication unit 311 may have a LAN (Local Area Network) interface for connecting to a terminal device of a mobile phone network.

The second communication unit 312 has a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the billing amount 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 has a storage medium such as a ROM, a RAM, and a hard disk. The storage unit 32 stores the packet data transmitted from 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 device ID assigned to the relay device 2, and the contractor ID of the contractor of the relay device 2 in association with each other. Further, the storage unit 32 stores the acquirer ID of the data acquirer who accesses the data processing device 30 via the data acquisition device 4 and the device IDs of the communication device 1 and the application registered as the data acquirer by the data acquirer. And a data providing database in which the application ID and the application ID are associated. The storage unit 32 may store a data providing database that manages data to be viewed by a plurality of data acquirers, and stores individual data providing databases created for each data acquirer. You may.

  The control unit 33 is, for example, a CPU, and executes a program stored in the storage unit 32, in response to a request from the data acquisition device 4, based on the packet data stored in association with the acquirer ID. Is transmitted 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 the relay device 2 that can communicate with the communication device 1 that outputs data to be provided to the data acquisition device 4 of an APN (Access Point Name) that is an address of a gateway of the communication network N1. As a result, reception of data from the relay device 2 is started.

  When the request receiving unit 332 receives a request from the data acquisition device 4, the communication control unit 331 refers to the data providing database received in the communication unit N 3 and stored in the storage unit 32 and determines whether the request is received. The data transmitted by the indicated application is provided by transmitting the data to the data acquisition device 4. In the data providing database, the acquirer ID corresponding to the data acquisition device 4 that transmitted the data acquisition request is associated with the device ID of the communication device that provides data to the data acquisition device 4 of the acquirer ID. I have. In the data providing database, an application ID of an application for which data is to be provided to the data acquiring device 4 of the acquirer ID may be further associated.

  The communication control unit 331 extracts data output by the application associated with the acquirer ID in the data providing database from various data included in the packet data transmitted by the communication device 1, and extracts the extracted data. The data is 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 access from the data acquisition device 4 to which the data acquirer has logged in using his / her own acquirer ID. Make it available for viewing. When the communication control unit 331 provides the data to the data acquisition device 4, the communication control unit 331 associates the acquisition date with the data acquisition device 4, the device ID and the application ID of the application that transmitted the data, and provides the date and time of the provision. The amount of data is notified to the billing amount determination device 50.

  The communication control unit 331 also sets a time for prohibiting data transmission by the application executable by the communication device 1 from the relay device 2, a data transmission interval, a mode for transmitting the presence or absence of data received from the communication device 1, and the like. Good. For example, the communication control unit 331 transmits the data output by the 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 device 30 is transmitted.

  Further, the communication control unit 331 transmits, to the relay device 2 that relays the data transmitted by the communication device 1, the data output by the application corresponding to the application ID that is not stored in the storage unit 32 in association with the acquirer ID. A message for prohibiting transmission to the data processing device 30 is transmitted. By doing so, it is possible to prevent data from being transmitted from the relay device 2 even though there is no data acquisition device 4 for acquiring data, and thus it is possible to suppress the traffic volume of the communication network N1. .

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

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

  When the data acquirer selects a communication device 1 and an application for which data is to be acquired from the list of communication devices 1 and applications displayed through the data acquisition device 4, the data acquisition device 4 selects the selected communication device 1 and the application. It transmits to the data processing device 30 information for specifying the application (for example, device ID and application ID) and a data acquisition request including the acquirer ID. Upon receiving the data acquisition request from the data acquisition device 4, the request receiving unit 332 notifies the storage control unit 333 of the acquirer ID, device ID, and application ID included in the data acquisition request, and thereby stores the data in the storage unit 32. Register in the provision database.

  The request receiving unit 332 may receive a request from a plurality of data acquisition devices 4 for selecting the same application executed by the same communication device 1. The communication control unit 331, when the request receiving unit 332 receives a request for selecting the same application executed by the same communication device 1 from the plurality of data acquisition devices 4, receives the packet data received via the communication network N1. Among them, 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 to the storage unit 32 and 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 causes the storage unit 32 to store the device ID and the application ID in association with the acquirer ID included in the data acquisition request. Further, upon receiving 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. In the storage unit 32.

[Configuration of Charge Amount Determination Device 50]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of the billing amount determination device 50. 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 has a storage medium such as a ROM, a RAM, and a hard disk. The storage unit 52 stores a program executed by the control unit 53. The storage unit 52 has a contractor billing database 521 and an acquirer billing database 522. In the contractor billing database 521, the contractor ID assigned to the contractor of the relay device 2, the relay device ID of the relay device 2, and the device ID of the communication device 1 from which the relay device 2 receives data are associated. ing. In the contractor billing database 521, an application ID of an application executable by the communication device 1 may be further associated.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a record stored in the contractor billing database 521. In FIG. 6A, a contractor ID, a relay device ID of the relay device 2 with which the contractor corresponding to the contractor ID has contracted with a communication carrier, and a communication device capable of receiving packet data by the relay device 2 1 device ID. It can be seen that the contractor with the contractor ID00001 has contracted with the relay device 2 that relays data output by the communication device 1 having the device ID 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 1005, or the like.

  In FIG. 6B, for each contractor, the number of days of communication by the communication device 1 that transmits data via the relay device 2 contracted by the contractor, the amount of data communication received via the relay device 2, Is associated with. The number of communication occurrence days is the number of days when data is transmitted from the communication device 1 during one month, which is a unit period of charging. The data communication amount is the amount of data (for example, the number of bytes) received from the communication device 1 during the unit period.

  According to FIG. 6B, it can be seen that the number of days in which data is transmitted from the communication device 1 having the device ID 1001 and associated with the contractor having the contractor ID 00001 is 30 days. The total number of communication days of all communication devices 1 registered by the contractor with the contractor ID 00001 is 116 days, and the billing amount for this contractor is, for example, an amount corresponding to 116 days. The amount charged to 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 the packet data from the relay device 2.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a record stored in the acquirer charging database 522. In the acquirer charging database 522, the acquirer ID corresponding to the data acquisition device 4, the device ID, the application ID, and the acquired data indicating the amount of data (the number of bytes) acquired by the data acquisition device 4 in one month. Is associated with the quantity. According to FIG. 7, the data acquirer with the acquirer ID S0001 is the application that the communication device 1 with the device ID 1001 can execute, the application with the application ID a51, the data output by the application with the application ID a52, and the device. It can be understood that the data output from the application whose application ID is a51 and the application whose application ID is a52 that can be executed by the communication device 1 whose ID is 1002 can be obtained.

  Since the data acquirer whose acquirer ID is S0003, the application whose application ID is a51, and the application whose application ID is a52, which can be executed by the communication device 1 whose device ID is 1001, are associated with a plurality of data acquisitions. A user obtains data output by the same application of the same communication device 1. The billing amount determination device 50 determines a billing amount for each acquirer ID with reference to the record shown in FIG.

(Processing in billing amount 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, a specifying unit 532, and a billing amount determination unit 533 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 52.

  The data management unit 531 manages data in the acquirer accounting database 522. For example, when the communication device 1 and the application from which the data acquirer acquires data are changed from the data processing device 30, the data management unit 531 changes the device ID and the application ID associated with the acquirer ID. To update. When the data management unit 531 receives from the data processing device 30 a notification regarding the date and time at which data was provided to the data acquisition device 4 and the amount of data provided, the data management unit 531 updates the acquired data amount in the acquirer accounting database 522.

  The specifying unit 532 determines, for each contractor ID, in a predetermined unit period, the total number of days that the data processing device 30 has received the packet data from the relay device 2 with which the contractor of the contractor ID has contracted, The specified total time or the total amount of data received from the relay device 2 is specified. In addition, the specifying unit 532 relays, for each acquirer ID, the packet data output by the communication device 1 registered as a target 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 specifying unit 532 may further specify the amount of data output by the application of the communication device 1 selected as a data acquisition target by each data acquirer.

  For example, the specifying unit 532 refers to a record in the contractor billing database 521 shown in FIG. 6B to specify the number of communication occurrence days corresponding to each contractor, and determines the number of communication occurrence days for each device ID. Then, the total communication days are specified by calculating the sum of the communication days of a plurality of communication devices 1 whose device IDs are registered in association with each contractor. When the record of FIG. 6B also includes the communication time, the specifying unit 532 calculates the sum of the communication times of the plurality of communication devices 1 whose device IDs are registered in association with each contractor. Specifies the total communication time. When the record of FIG. 6B also includes the data traffic, the specifying unit 532 calculates the sum of the data traffic of the plurality of communication devices 1 whose device IDs are registered in association with each contractor. By doing so, the total data traffic is specified.

  Further, the specifying unit 532 refers to the record in the acquirer charging database 522 shown in FIG. 7 and calculates the total amount of data provided to the data acquiring device 4 of each data acquirer, thereby obtaining the data. The total data traffic for each user. For example, the specifying unit 532 specifies that the data communication amount corresponding to the data acquirer whose acquirer ID is S0001 is 3000 + 2000 + 5200 + 3400 = 13600 bytes.

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

  In addition, the charging amount determination unit 533 can also charge the data acquirer at least a part of the communication fee required for transmitting data from the communication device 1 to the data management device 3. In this case, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount 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 a combination of the device ID and the application ID associated with the acquirer ID in the acquirer charge database 522. For example, when the last day of the unit period for calculating the charge amount is reached, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines whether or not the charge amount is determined based on at least one of the number of device IDs and the number of application IDs associated with the acquirer ID. Determine the billing amount. By doing so, the billing amount determination unit 533 can reduce the amount of data to be acquired when the data acquirer acquires only data output by some applications executable by some communication devices 1. The billing amount can be determined accordingly.

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

  Further, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing 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 amount of received data (the number of bytes). May be. By doing in this way, the charging amount determination unit 533 can determine the charging amount according to the degree to which the data acquirer has gained using the communication network N1 and the communication network N2.

  Further, the charge amount determination unit 533 receives the 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. Alternatively, the charge amount for the data acquirer may be determined. In this case, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the number of times the communication control unit 331 has provided the data output from the application that is set to a high priority to the data acquisition device 4 or the billing amount for the data amount. Set higher than the billing amount for the data output from the set application. By doing so, the number of applications that the data acquirer sets to a high priority is not too large, so that it is possible to prevent the traffic volume of the communication network N1 and the communication network N2 from increasing too much.

  After temporarily determining the billing amount for the contractor, the billing amount determination unit 533 subtracts a part of the billing amount for the data acquirer from the temporary billing amount for the contractor, thereby obtaining the final billing amount for the contractor. The charge amount may be determined. When the sum of a part of the billing amounts for the plurality of data acquirers is larger than the provisional billing amount for the contractor, the billing amount determination unit 533 subtracts the provisional billing amount from the combined value. Determined as payment to contractor.

  By doing so, the contractor is 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. In addition, for a communication carrier, since the contractor installs a large number of communication devices 1, the number of data acquirers who acquire data output by the communication device 1 via the data processing device 30 increases. You can make more money by increasing your bill.

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

[Charge based on success or failure of communication network]
The billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount for the contractor based on the data communication amount of one or more communication devices 1 in which the data communication amount within the predetermined period of the plurality of communication devices 1 exceeds the predetermined value. May be. For example, in the case of the example illustrated in FIG. 6B, the communication device 1 having the device ID 1003 has three days of communication occurrence, and communication is hardly performed. In such a case, the communication device 1 with the device ID 1003 may have failed. Therefore, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount based on 113 days, which is the data traffic specified by excluding the communication occurrence days corresponding to the communication device 1. The billing amount determination unit 533 may set non-billing if the number of communication days is less than a predetermined number of days and the data amount in each communication or the total data amount in a plurality of generated communication is less than a predetermined amount.

  The situation in which the number of communication occurrence days is abnormally small as described above is caused by, for example, a failure in a wireless communication channel between the relay device 2 and the communication network N1 or a communication line between the communication network N1 and the data processing device 30. This may also occur when the device data output by the communication device 1 does not reach the data processing device 30. Therefore, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the contractor or the data acquisition based on the data traffic of one or more of the plurality of communication devices 1 whose communication success rate within a predetermined period exceeds a predetermined value. May be determined.

  For example, when determining the charging amount, the charging amount determination unit 533 acquires the number of transmissions, which is the number of times that packet data transmission was attempted, from the relay device 2 in association with the device ID and the relay device ID. Then, the billing amount determination unit 533 calculates the communication success rate by the ratio of the number of packet data actually received by the data processing device 30 and registered in the subscriber billing database 521 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 the predetermined value is added. That is, the charge amount determination unit 533 excludes the data communication amount corresponding to the communication device 1 whose communication success rate is equal to or less than the predetermined value from the calculation of the charge amount.

  By doing so, it is possible to prevent the data acquisition device 4 from being charged even though the scheduled device data has not been collected, thereby preventing the contractor and the data acquirer from being dissatisfied. it can. Note that the billing amount determination unit 533 obtains the number of packet data transmission failures from the relay device 2 after the relay device 2 becomes communicable, and determines the number of packet data acquisitions and the number of failures. , The communication success rate may be calculated. In this specification, a failure in data transmission indicates that the transmitted data has not reached the destination, and a successful data transmission indicates that the transmitted data has reached the destination.

  In addition, the billing amount determination unit 533 transmits confirmation data for confirming the status to at least some of the communication devices 1 (for example, the communication devices 1 from which the data acquirer collects information). The communication device 1 to which the response data to the confirmation data is not transmitted until a predetermined time elapses after the transmission and the transmission of the confirmation data may be excluded from the billing target and the billing amount may be determined. By doing so, the billing amount determination unit 533 can exclude the malfunctioning communication device 1 from the billing target, thereby preventing the subscriber and the data acquirer from being dissatisfied.

  As described above, when the billing amount determination unit 533 transmits the confirmation data for confirming the status of the communication device 1, the billing amount determination unit 533 confirms the confirmation by a predetermined time after the transmission of the confirmation data. For the communication device 1 to which no response data to the data has been sent, the charge amount excluding the period from the expiration date of the predetermined period to the immediately preceding communication occurrence date or the immediately preceding reception date of the response data is excluded from the charge. May be determined. By doing so, the billing amount determination unit 533 does not charge for a period during which the communication device 1 has not been operating, so that it is possible to prevent the contractor and the data acquirer from being dissatisfied.

  The charge amount determination unit 533 determines the amount of data transmitted by the network communication unit 23 and the amount of unreceived data, which is the amount of data transmitted by the relay device 2 and not received by the data acquisition device 4. Thus, the billing 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 amount of unreceived data specified in the data processing device 30 based on the response from the data acquisition device 4. 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, thereby obtaining the charge amount for the contractor and the charge amount for the data acquirer. Is determined. By doing in this way, the charging amount determination unit 533 determines whether the data transmitted by the relay device 2 has not reached the data acquisition device 4 and the transmitted data is not useful to the data acquirer. No charge is made for the data that has not arrived at 4, so that it is possible to prevent the contractor and the data acquirer from being dissatisfied.

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

  The billing amount determination unit 533 determines whether a response from the data acquisition device 4 or a communication between the data management device 3 and the data acquisition device 4 is performed before the predetermined period elapses after the relay device 2 transmits data to the data processing device 30. The billing amount may be determined based on the cause of failure to receive a response from an intervening device. For example, when data communication fails due to congestion or a failure in 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 so, it is possible to prevent the user from being charged even though the communication carrier has failed in communication due to the communication network N1 or N2 managed by the communication carrier. On the other hand, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines that the reason that the relay device 2 cannot receive a response from the data processing device 30 until a predetermined period has elapsed 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 so, it is possible to prevent a decrease in profit when the communication carrier fails to communicate 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. May be. The charge amount determination unit 533 calculates the amount of unreceived data from the reference charge amount based on the data transmitted from the communication device 1 and the application registered by the data acquirer as the data acquisition target, and the amount of unreceived data determined for each application. The charge amount is determined by subtracting the corresponding amount. For example, when data communication from an application having a higher reference charge set by the user and having a higher reference charge fails, the charge amount determiner 533 may start from an application having a lower reference charge set by the user and set to a lower priority. The amount to be subtracted is made larger than in the case where the data communication fails. In this manner, when data output by a highly important application cannot be received, dissatisfaction of a data acquirer can be reduced.

  Note that the billing amount determination unit 533 may exclude the data on whether the communication has failed or succeeded, transmitted from the relay device 2, from being charged. By doing so, the billing amount determination unit 533 does not charge for data not used by the data acquirer, so that it is possible to prevent the contractor and the data acquirer from being dissatisfied.

[Data Acquisition Burden]
In the above description, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount for the data acquirer based on the amount of acquired data provided to the data acquisition device 4. The charge amount corresponding to the acquirer ID may be determined based on the data amount and the burden ratio that is a ratio of paying the communication fee corresponding to the data amount acquired by the data acquisition device 4.

  The charge amount determination unit 533 determines the burden rate 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, for example. It is determined, and the determined burden rate is registered in the acquirer charging database 522. The charge amount determination unit 533 transmits the provisionally determined burden rate to the data acquisition apparatus 4 via the data processing apparatus 30, and then, on condition that the data acquisition apparatus 4 receives a notification that the burden rate is approved, The burden rate may be validated by registering it in the acquirer charging database 522.

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

  As described above, the charging amount determination unit 533 determines the burden rate of each data acquirer according to the number of data acquirers that acquire data output by the application of the communication device 1, so that the data acquirer bears the burden. Since the amount of the data to be obtained is reduced, the number of data acquirers who want to acquire data increases. As a result, a virtuous cycle in which the burden rate of each data acquirer is further reduced is created, and there are merits for the communication carrier, the contractor, and the data acquirer.

  Note that the billing amount determination unit 533 may determine the billing amount based on the range of data acquirers who can acquire data output by the application of the communication device 1. For example, the contractor of the relay device 2 can acquire data output from the communication device 1 in (1) a mode in which anyone can acquire the data, (2) a mode in which a data acquirer authorized by the contractor can acquire, and (3) a contract. A desired mode can be selected from any mode such as a mode that only the user can acquire. The data management device 3 acquires the set mode via the data acquisition device 4 of the contractor, and the billing amount determination unit 533 may determine the billing amount with reference to the fee table corresponding to the mode. .

  Further, the data management device 3 transmits, from the data acquisition device 4, the transmission time of the data from the communication device 1 (for example, whether to transmit at 0:00 or 0:01), the data transmission interval, or the data transmission interval. When a request for setting the priority or the like is received, a charge per data amount may be displayed for each setting condition regarding data transmission. By doing so, the data acquirer can access the data acquisition device 4 and know the fee for each set condition related to data transmission, so that communication traffic at the specific time in the data communication system S rapidly increases. Can be avoided.

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

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

  In the data processing device 30, when receiving the transmission data, the control unit 33 registers the received transmission data in the storage unit 32 in association with the acquirer ID (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 registered in the storage unit 32 to the data acquisition device 4 (S17). For example, the control unit 33 transmits data to the data acquisition device 4 in response to receiving a data acquisition request from the data acquisition device 4. The control unit 33 may transmit the data to the data acquisition device 4 at a timing that is set in advance.

  Subsequently, when receiving the notification that the data has been received from the data acquisition device 4 that has provided the data and completing the data provision (YES in S18), the control unit 33 imposes that the data provision has been completed. It notifies the amount determining device 50 (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 data has been provided and information indicating the amount of provided data. After that, the storage unit 32 notifies the communication device 1 via the relay device 2 that the provision of the data has been completed.

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

[Application based billing]
In the above description, the example in which the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount for the contractor based on the number of communication days in the plurality of communication devices 1 has been described. The charge amount determination unit 533 may determine the charge amount for the contractor based on the number of communication 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 specifying unit 532 specifies the data communication amount of each application by the plurality of communication devices 1 within a predetermined period, and the charging amount determining unit 533 determines the charging amount based on the data communication amount specified for each application. decide.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a process in which the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount for the contractor based on the application registered as a data acquisition target by the data acquirer. FIG. 10 is a record in the subscriber billing database 521 indicating the number of days that data output by an application that transmits data via the relay device 2 of the contractor with the contractor ID 00001 is provided to the data acquisition device 4. .

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

  In the example of FIG. 10, the number of days in which data output by the application whose application ID is 1 executed by the communication device 1 whose device ID is 1001 is 30 is transmitted. Further, the number of days in which the data output by the application whose application ID is 2 executed by the communication device 1 whose device ID is 1001 is transmitted is eight days. The charge amount determination unit 533 calculates the number of communication occurrence days used for calculating the charge amount for the data acquirer with the acquirer ID of 00001 as 199 days by adding the number in the communication occurrence day column in FIG. The billing amount is determined based on the number of days.

Note that, when the relay device 2 simultaneously transmits data output from a plurality of cached applications, the charging amount determination unit 533 apportions the data based on the number of applications included in the transmitted data. The charge may be applied to each of the plurality of applications, or the charge may be applied to one representative application among the plurality of applications.
When a plurality of communication services (for example, LTE, 5G, WiMAX (registered trademark), and satellite communication) are used, the charging amount determination unit 533 may change the charging amount depending on the communication service used.

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

[Effects of Data Communication System S]
As described above, in the data communication system S, the specifying unit 532 determines that the relay device 2 of the contractor who has contracted to use the communication network N1 with the communication carrier transmits the plurality of data output by the plurality of communication devices 1. The data communication amount corresponding to the amount transmitted within the predetermined period is specified, and the charging amount determination unit 533 determines the charging amount for the contractor based on the data communication amount specified by the specifying unit 532. By doing so, the data communication system S can determine the charging amount when the communication service contractor uses a large number of communication devices to an appropriate amount according to the amount of using the communication network N1. it can.

(Modification 1)
[When the communication device 1 moves]
In the above description, an example has been described in which the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 that provide data to the data acquisition device 4 are determined by a 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 that provide data to the data acquisition device 4. May be switched to the data acquisition device 4 to which the data is provided.

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

  In such a case, the communication control unit 331 performs the data acquisition that provides the 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 output 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 registered in association 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 gasoline remaining amount as data output by the application of the communication device 1.

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

  The communication control unit 331 may provide a plurality of data output by a plurality of applications executed by the communication device 1 to the data acquisition device 4 in which a position within a range different from the position of the communication device 1 for each application is registered. Good. For example, the communication control unit 331 transmits the data output by the application that outputs the gasoline remaining amount 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 temperature inside the vehicle. The data output by 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 so, the data acquirer distributes the advertisement data to vehicles within a range suitable for the type of advertisement data that the data acquirer wants to distribute, and in a state suitable for distribution of the advertisement data. It becomes possible.

  As described above, when the data from the moving communication device 1 is provided to the data acquisition device 4, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines whether or not the communication device 1 at the time when the first communication unit 311 receives the data output by the application. The charge amount may be determined in association with the position or the time at which 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 at which the first communication unit 311 receives the data is included in a high priority time zone (for example, a time zone in which the number of gas station users is small), the charging amount determination unit 533 determines that The billing amount may be larger than when data is received at other times.

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

  Also, when the communication device 1 moves, there is a higher probability that the data transmitted by the communication device 1 will not reach the destination, compared to when the communication device 1 does not move. The process of reducing the billing amount according to the failure may not be performed. In addition, when the communication device 1 moves, the billing amount determination unit 533 may reduce the amount by which the billing amount is reduced in response to the data transmission failure compared to when the communication device 1 does not move. .

  The communication device 1 may have a unit (for example, an acceleration sensor) for detecting its own speed, and the communication device 1 may notify the data management device 3 of its own speed. Then, when the notified speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, the charging amount determination unit 533 may reduce the amount by which the charging amount is reduced in accordance with the failure in data transmission. Further, the communication device 1 notifies the data management apparatus 3 of its own position, and the charging amount determination unit 533 determines that the data transmitted while the communication device 1 was in a place where radio waves could not reach the destination does not reach. Alternatively, the reduction of the data for which transmission failed may not be performed.

(Modification 2)
[Calculate statistical data on communication failures]
In the above description, an example is shown in which the billing amount is reduced when data transmission fails, but it is important for a communication carrier to reduce the probability of data transmission failure. Therefore, the storage unit 32 stores the time at which the unreceived data has occurred in association with the device ID, and the communication control unit 331 generates the unreceived data for each communication device 1 and each application based on the stored time. Statistical values may be calculated for easy-to-use time periods and the cause of the occurrence of unreceived data (communication network N1 or data acquisition device 4).

  The communication control unit 331, for example, notifies the relay device 2 connected to the communication device 1 in which the rate of data transmission failure within a predetermined time is equal to or more than a predetermined value, to a time zone with a high failure probability. , The relay device 2 is instructed not to transmit data during a time period when 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 included in one packet data in a time zone having a high probability of failure. Is also good. By doing so, the data communication system S can reduce the probability of transmission failure, so that the satisfaction level of the contractor and the data acquirer can be increased.

(Modification 3)
[Basic amount and additional amount]
In the above description, the example in which the charging amount determination unit 533 determines the charging amount based on the amount of data provided by the communication control unit 331 and the number of times of provision, but the charging amount is determined by another method. Is also good. For example, the charging amount determination unit 533 may add a predetermined basic amount including a charging amount for transmitting small-sized packet data and a usage amount corresponding to the data amount of the packet data having a size equal to or larger than the predetermined amount. May be used to determine the charge amount.

  For example, the charge amount determination unit 533 includes the cost for providing the data output from the sensor in the basic amount and adds the cost for providing the image output from the camera in a metered amount. By doing so, a data acquirer with a small load on the communication network N1 and the communication network N2 can easily use the service because the monthly billing amount does not change, and the communication carrier can use the communication network N1 and the communication network N2. It is possible to receive a lot of cost from a data acquirer that places a heavy load on N2.

(Modification 4)
[Charging based on the size of data traffic per unit time]
In the above description, mainly the case where the billing amount determination device 50 in the data management device 3 determines the billing amount for each subscriber of the relay device 2 based on the data communication amount communicated in a predetermined unit period. explained. On the other hand, the data management device 3 according to the fourth modification of the embodiment determines the billing amount for the subscriber based on “the size of the data traffic per unit time”.

  That is, the data management device 3 according to Modification 4 of the embodiment determines the charging amount according to “communication band occupancy” instead of “total amount of communication data”. For example, even if the total amount of data communication within the charging unit period of January is the same, the latter case is different between the case where data communication is distributed during the period of January and the case where data communication is concentrated in a short period of time. In this case, the network load is larger than in the former case. Therefore, the data management device 3 according to the fourth modification of the embodiment sets the latter to a higher billing amount than the former.

  Hereinafter, the data communication system S according to Modification 4 will be described in more detail, but portions overlapping with the data communication system S according to the above-described embodiment will be appropriately omitted or simplified.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a data communication system S according to Modification 4 of the embodiment. The communication network N1 is a communication network composed of a plurality of base stations B. In the example shown in FIG. 11, three base stations B of a first base station B1, a second base station B2, and a third base station B3 are connected. Although the case is illustrated, the number of base stations B configuring the communication network N1 may be more or less than three.

  Each of the plurality of base stations B relays data communicated between the plurality of relay devices 2 and the data management device 3. Each base station B has an antenna installed on the ground, a structure, or the like, and transmits and receives data to and from the relay device 2 including the antenna and located within a predetermined communicable area. For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 11, the first base station B1 relays data communicated between the data management device 3 and a relay device group including the relay devices 2a, 2b, and 2c. Similarly, the second base station B2 relays data communicated between the data management device 3 and a relay device group including the relay devices 2d, 2e, and 2f.

  Each relay device 2 relays packet data transmitted and received by one or a plurality of communication devices 1. For example, when the communication device 1 is installed in an office, a factory, or the like, the relay device 2 is installed in an area where communication with the communication device 1 is possible. In such a case, the contractor of each relay device 2 will likely be the same manager or corporation that is the owner of the office or factory. When the relay device 2 is installed in a specific area, data transmitted and received by the relay device 2 is relayed by a specific base station B that includes the relay device 2 within a communicable area.

  Here, when the communication device 1 is used to manage equipment in an office or a factory, the administrator of the relay device 2 tends to cause the relay device 2 to simultaneously transmit packet data at a predetermined timing. For example, the administrator sets the communication device 1 to transmit packet data including various types of information for the previous day to a specific management server at 00:00:00 every night. Even if the data communication volume transmitted by each communication device 1 is small, if the number of communication devices 1 relayed by the relay device 2 contracted by the contractor is large, the communication band of the relay device 2 and the The communication band of the base station B to be relayed may be squeezed, and the communication quality of the communication network N1 may be reduced. In particular, when different subscribers perform the same setting in the communication area of the same base station B, the communication concentration at a specific time becomes remarkable.

Therefore, the billing amount determination device 50 according to the fourth modification replaces, or in addition to, the total amount of data communication transmitted in a predetermined unit period, based on the amount of data communication per unit time. Determine the billing amount of the user. More specifically, the charging amount determination device 50 imposes a charge on the contractor even when the total amount of data communication transmitted in a predetermined unit period is small, but when the instantaneous data communication amount is large. Increase the amount of billing to be done. Thereby, it is possible to motivate the contractor of the relay device 2 to voluntarily level the communication volume.
Hereinafter, the configuration of the charging amount determination device 50 for realizing the above will be described more specifically.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically illustrating a data structure of a communication path database storing the base station B, the relay device 2 relayed by the base station B, and the identifier for specifying the subscriber of the relay device 2 in association with each other. is there. The communication route database includes a relay device ID for specifying each of the plurality of relay devices 2 communicating via each base station B, and the relay device 2 communicating via each base station B uses the communication network N1. Is stored in association with the contractor ID of the contractor making the contract. The communication route database is stored in the storage unit 52 in the billing amount determination device 50, and is referred to by the specifying unit 532.

  In FIG. 12, “base station ID” is an identifier assigned to each base station B in order to uniquely identify base station B. The example illustrated in FIG. 12 indicates that the base station B whose base station ID is specified by B00002 relays the communication of the relay device 2 whose relay device IDs are specified by 9004, 9005, and 9006, respectively. The contractor ID of the contractor of the relay device 2 specified by the relay device ID 9004 is 00004, and the contractor ID of the contractor of the relay device 2 specified by the relay device IDs 9005 and 9006 is: Both are 00005.

  Furthermore, the contractor specified by the contractor ID 00005 also contracts with the relay device 2 specified by the relay device ID 9007, and the data communication in the relay device 2 is specified by the base station ID B00003. This indicates that the packet is relayed to the base station B. The same applies to other data fields of the communication path database.

  When the relay device 2 is installed in a mobile body such as a vehicle, the base station B that relays the data communication of the relay device 2 changes with time. In this case, the relay management unit (not shown) in the billing amount determination device 50 determines the correspondence between the relay device ID and the base station ID for specifying the relay device 2 and the base station B to which the connection is established, respectively. It may be recorded in time series.

  The identification unit 532 refers to the communication path database and, for each contractor ID, performs data communication between the relay device 2 and the data management device 3 associated with the contractor ID during a predetermined charging unit period. Specify the quantity. Here, the specifying unit 532 determines the amount of data communicated from the relay device 2 to the data management device 3, that is, the so-called upstream data communication amount, and the amount of data communicated from the data management device 3 to the relay device 2. And at least one of a so-called downlink data communication amount.

  The charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount for the contractor based on the magnitude of the data traffic per unit time of the data traffic specified by the specifying unit 532. Specifically, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount for the subscriber based on the maximum value of the data traffic per unit time of the data traffic specified by the specifying unit 532, that is, the peak value of the data traffic. I do. More specifically, the billing amount determination unit 533 increases the billing amount for the subscriber when the peak value of the data communication amount is larger than when the peak value is small.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a communication amount database in which the peak value and the average communication amount of the data communication amount in the charging unit period between the relay device 2 and the data management device 3 are totalized for each subscriber. The communication volume database is stored in the storage unit 52 of the charging amount determination device 50 and is managed by the specifying unit 532.

  In the example of the traffic database shown in FIG. 13, the base station B whose base station ID is specified by B00002 indicates that the peak value of the data traffic in the charging unit period is 90 Mbps. Furthermore, the base station B whose base station ID is specified by B00002 relays the relay apparatus 2 whose relay apparatus IDs are specified by 9005 and 9006, respectively, and the peak value of the relay apparatus 2 whose relay apparatus ID is 9006 is It also shows that it is 90 Mbps.

  The specifying unit 532 updates the communication volume database for each charging unit period. When the communication amount database is updated, the charge amount determining unit 533 determines the charge amount for the contractor based on the peak value of the data communication amount.

  The charge amount determination unit 533 may determine the charge amount for the contractor based on whether or not the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold. Here, the “communication amount threshold value” is a charging amount determination threshold value that the charging amount determination unit 533 refers to when determining the charging amount based on the peak value of the data communication amount. When the peak value of the data communication amount of a certain contractor exceeds the communication amount threshold, the charge amount determining unit 533 increases the charge amount for the contractor more than the case where the peak value does not exceed the communication amount threshold.

  More specifically, when the peak value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold, the charging amount determination unit 533 determines the charging amount so that the larger the maximum value of the data communication amount becomes, the higher the amount becomes. May be. Alternatively, the billing amount determining unit 533 imposes that when the peak value of the data traffic does not exceed the predetermined traffic threshold, the maximum value of the data traffic becomes lower than when the peak value exceeds the predetermined traffic threshold. The amount may be determined.

  The charging amount determination unit 533 may further determine the charging amount based on the number of times that the peak value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold value in the charging unit period. That is, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount such that the larger the number of times that the peak value of the data traffic exceeds the predetermined traffic threshold in the billing unit period, the higher the billing amount.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a database in which the number of times that the peak value of the data traffic exceeds the traffic threshold in the charging unit period by the relay device 2 is counted for each subscriber. This database is stored in the storage unit 52 of the charging amount determination device 50, and is managed by the specifying unit 532. The charge amount determination unit 533 can determine the charge amount for each contractor by referring to this database.

  The example illustrated in FIG. 14 indicates that, at the base station B specified by the base station ID B00002, the peak value of the data traffic exceeds the traffic threshold three times in a certain charging unit period. Further, as a breakdown, the peak value of the data traffic of the relay device 2 specified by the relay device ID 9005 exceeds the communication threshold twice, and the data traffic of the relay device 2 specified by the relay device ID 9006 is Has exceeded the communication threshold once.

  The specific value of the traffic threshold value may be determined by the communication carrier that provides the service using the communication network N1 in consideration of the maximum value of the communication capacity of the base station B. This is a value corresponding to 30% of the maximum value of the communication capacity of B. The communication carrier may publish a specific value of the traffic threshold to each subscriber. This motivates the contractor to voluntarily level the amount of data communication. As a result, the load on the communication infrastructure can be reduced.

  As described above, the transmission time of the data set by each contractor in the communication device 1 tends to overlap, for example, after midnight at midnight. Therefore, the billing amount determining unit 533 determines the billing amount for the contractor based on the data communication amount per unit time in a predetermined time zone among the data communication amount specified by the specifying unit 532.

  Here, the “predetermined predetermined time zone” refers to a time set for detecting the peak value when the charging amount determination unit 533 determines the charging amount based on the peak value of the data communication amount. It is a belt. The specific range of the predetermined time zone may be determined in consideration of the data communication amount and the like in the base station B for each time zone. For example, from 23: 55: 0 to 0: 05: 0 10 minutes to seconds. The communication carrier may publish a predetermined time zone to each subscriber. Further, the contractor of the relay device 2 may be configured to be able to select a communication frequency and a time zone in which the relay device 2 performs communication.

  Further, the communication carrier may display a fee for each time zone in a selectable manner when the contractor of the relay device 2 selects a time zone for communication with the relay device 2. These can be realized by causing the data management device 3 to function as a web server so that a contractor of the relay device 2 can access the data management device 3 using a PC or the like. This provides motivation for the contractor to voluntarily communicate outside the time zone. As a result, it is possible to guide the contractor to perform data communication during a time period when the load on the communication infrastructure is light.

  As described with reference to FIG. 11, when the relay device 2 is installed in a specific area, data transmitted and received by the relay device 2 is relayed by a specific base station B that includes the relay device 2 within a service area. In such a case, if the subscriber of the relay device 2 makes settings so that each communication device 1 performs data communication concentrated in a specific time zone, the communication quality of the base station B in that time zone may be reduced. .

  Therefore, for each contractor ID, the specifying unit 532 performs, for each of the relay devices 2 associated with the contractor ID, the relay device 2 installed in a predetermined area as a unit, and performs the data communication performed by the relay device 2. Specify the sum of the quantities. Here, the “predetermined area” is an installation area of the base station B, which is a unit when the specifying unit 532 specifies the total sum of the data traffic.

FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically illustrating a data structure of an area database that stores the relation between the base station B and the installation area in association with each other. The regional database is stored in the storage unit 32 of the data processing device 30.
In the regional database, the “region ID” is an identifier assigned to each region to specify the region where the base station B is installed.

  The example of the area database shown in FIG. 15 indicates that three base stations B whose base station IDs are specified by B00001, B00002, and B00003 are installed in the area specified by the area ID of A0001. I have. Further, it indicates that only the base station B specified by the base station ID B00004 is installed in the area specified by the area ID A0002. The same applies to other data fields.

  The specifying unit 532 performs, for each subscriber ID, a data communication performed by the relay device 2 via the base station B in units of a base station B serving as a communication path of the relay device 2 associated with the subscriber ID. Specify the sum of the quantities. The billing amount determining unit 533 determines the billing amount for the contractor based on the peak value of the data communication amount collected by the specifying unit 532 on a per-base station basis. This can be expected to allow the contractor to operate voluntarily so that the peak value of the data communication volume is reduced, which can contribute to the leveling of the data communication volume of the base station B.

  The specifying unit 532 may specify, for each contractor ID, the amount of data communication with which the relay device 2 has communicated in units of the relay device 2 contracted by the contractor ID. The billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount for the contractor based on the peak value of the data traffic calculated by the specifying unit 532 on a “per relay device” basis.

  Here, the communication carrier causes the data management device 3 to function as a web server, the base station ID of each base station B, information on the relay device 2 under the base station B specified by the base station ID, and information on each base station. Information or the like regarding the transition of the data communication amount for each time zone in the station B or the relay device 2 may be provided in a form that can be viewed by each contractor. The communication carrier further causes the data management device 3 to provide a function of simulating a communication charge when the communication time zone or the timing is changed, based on the past statistical data for data communication for the contractor. May be. Accordingly, it is possible to guide the contractor to perform data communication during a time when the load on the communication infrastructure is light.

  As described above, the present invention has been described using the embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to the above embodiment. In particular, the specific embodiment of the distribution / integration of the apparatus is not limited to the above-described one, and all or a part of the apparatus may be arbitrarily added according to various additions or the like, or according to a functional load. It can be configured to be distributed or integrated functionally or physically.

For example, in the above description, the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 are described as physically different devices, but the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 may be integrated. 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 signals output by the plurality of sensors and transmits the received signals. It may be transmitted to the relay device 2.
Further, in the above description, the data processing device 30 and the charging amount determination device 50 are described as physically different devices, but the data processing device 30 and the charging amount determination device 50 may be integrated. Good.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 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 device 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 charging amount determination device 51 communication unit 52 storage unit 53 control unit 521 subscriber charging database 522 acquirer charging database 531 data management unit 532 specifying unit 533 Charge amount determination unit

Claims (12)

A data management device that manages data transmitted and received via a communication network including a plurality of base stations, wherein each of the plurality of base stations is communicated between a plurality of relay devices and the data management device. Relay data,
The data management device,
Relay device identification information for specifying each of the plurality of relay devices communicating via each base station, and at least one of the plurality of relay devices communicating via each base station uses the communication network A storage unit that stores the contractor identification information of the contractor who has made a contract for, and the device identification information of the communication device from which the relay device receives data, in association with each other;
For each of the device identification information, a specifying unit that specifies a data communication amount communicated in a predetermined charging unit period between the relay device and the data management device associated with the contractor identification information,
A billing amount determination unit that determines a billing amount for each of the device identification information with respect to the contractor, based on a magnitude of data communication amount per unit time of the data communication amount identified by the identifying unit;
A data management device having: The specifying unit, for each of the device identification information, among the relay devices associated with the contractor identification information, the data communication volume that the relay device communicated in units of the relay device installed in a predetermined area Identify,
The data management device according to claim 1. The specifying unit, for each of the device identification information, in units of a base station serving as a communication path of the relay device associated with the contractor identification information, communicates with the associated relay device via the base station. Identify the amount of data traffic
The data management device according to claim 1. The specifying unit, for each of the device identification information, for each relay device contracted by the contractor identification information, to specify the data traffic that the relay device communicated,
The data management device according to claim 1. The billing amount determination unit determines a billing amount for the contractor based on a data communication amount per unit time in a predetermined time zone among the data communication amounts specified by the specifying unit.
The data management device according to claim 1. The charging amount determining unit determines a charging amount for the contractor based on a maximum value of the data communication amount per unit time of the data communication amount specified by the specifying unit.
The data management device according to claim 1. The charging amount determination unit determines a charging amount for the contractor based on whether a maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold,
The data management device according to claim 6. The charging amount determination unit determines the charging amount such that when the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold, the charging amount is higher when the maximum value of the data communication amount is larger than when the maximum value is smaller. ,
The data management device according to claim 7. When the maximum value of the data communication amount does not exceed a predetermined communication amount threshold, the charging amount determination unit is configured to make the maximum value of the data communication amount lower than when the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold. Determine the billing amount,
The data management device according to claim 6. The charging amount determination unit determines the charging amount based on the number of times the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold value in the charging unit period,
The data management device according to claim 6. A data management method executed by a processor of a data management device that manages data transmitted and received through a communication network including a plurality of base stations, wherein each of the plurality of base stations includes a plurality of relay devices and the data. Relays data communicated with the management device,
The processor comprises:
Relay device identification information for specifying each of the plurality of relay devices communicating via each base station, and at least one of the plurality of relay devices communicating via each base station uses the communication network For each of the device identification information, refer to a storage unit that stores the contractor identification information of the contractor who has made a contract for, and the device identification information of the communication device from which the relay device receives data, in association with each other. Identifying the data traffic communicated during a predetermined charging unit period between the relay device associated with the contractor identification information and the data management device;
Based on the magnitude of the data communication amount per unit time of the specified data communication amount, determining a charging amount for each of the device identification information to the contractor,
Perform data management methods. A communication network composed of a plurality of base stations;
A data management device for managing data transmitted and received via the communication network,
A data communication system comprising:
Each of the plurality of base stations,
A communication unit for performing data communication between the plurality of relay devices and the data management device,
The data management device,
Relay device identification information for specifying each of the plurality of relay devices with which each base station communicates via communication, and at least one of the plurality of relay devices with which each base station communicates via the base station communicates with the communication network A storage unit that stores the contractor identification information of the contractor having a contract for use, and the device identification information of the communication device from which the relay device receives data, in association with each other;
For each of the device identification information, a specifying unit that specifies a data communication amount communicated in a predetermined charging unit period between the relay device and the data management device associated with the contractor identification information,
A billing amount determination unit that determines a billing amount for each of the device identification information with respect to the contractor, based on a magnitude of data communication amount per unit time of the data communication amount identified by the identifying unit;
A data communication system having:

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