JP6970248B2 - Data management equipment, data management methods and programs - Google Patents

Description

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

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

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-054021

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

In such a case, when charging only the communication amount for the relay device using the mobile phone network as in the conventional mobile phone service, the quantity and communication of the communication device used by the user by connecting to the relay device. You were charged for using the relay device regardless of the traffic of the device. Therefore, there is a problem that the actual result of the user using the communication device is not easily reflected in the billing, and the user's satisfaction is lowered.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and is a data management device and data management capable of determining a billing amount when a communication service contractor uses a large number of communication devices to an appropriate amount. The purpose is to provide methods and programs.

The data management device of the first aspect of the present invention is a data management device that manages a plurality of data output by a plurality of communication devices that output data, and obtains the plurality of data output by the plurality of communication devices. Based on the storage unit that stores the contractor identification information of the contractor who has a contract for the relay device to be transmitted to the data management device to use the communication network, and the transmission status of the plurality of data in the relay device. , A billing amount determining unit that determines a billing amount for the contractor corresponding to the contractor identification information.

The billing amount determination unit may determine the billing amount based on the transmission data amount of the plurality of data of the relay device in a predetermined period.

The billing amount determination unit determines the billing amount based on the transmission data amount of one or more communication devices in which the transmission data amount within the predetermined period exceeds a predetermined value among the plurality of communication devices. You may.

The billing amount determination unit may determine the billing amount based on the number of transmission days or the number of transmissions of the plurality of data of the relay device in a predetermined period.

The billing amount determination unit may determine the billing amount based on the transmission time of the plurality of data of the relay device in a predetermined period.

The storage unit stores the contractor identification information, the device identification information of each of the plurality of communication devices, and the application identification information indicating an application that can be executed by each of the plurality of communication devices in association with each other, and stores the billing amount. The determination unit may determine the billing amount for each of the contractor identification information based on the transmission status of the plurality of data for each application by the plurality of communication devices within a predetermined period.

The billing amount determination unit sends response data to the confirmation data by the time when a predetermined time elapses after transmitting confirmation data for confirming the status to at least a part of the communication devices of the plurality of communication devices. The billing amount may be determined by excluding the communication device that does not come from the billing target.

The data management method of the second aspect of the present invention specifies the transmission status of the plurality of data in the relay device that is executed by the computer and transmits the plurality of data output by the plurality of communication devices that output the data to the computer. The amount to be charged to the contractor corresponding to the contractor identification information of the contractor who has a contract for the relay device to use the communication network is determined based on the step to be performed and the transmission status of the specified data. With steps.

The program of the third aspect of the present invention comprises a step of specifying to a computer the transmission status of the plurality of data in the relay device for transmitting the plurality of data output by the plurality of communication devices that output the data to the computer. Based on the specified transmission status of the data, the step of determining the charge amount to the contractor corresponding to the contractor identification information of the contractor who has a contract for the relay device to use the communication network. Let it run.

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

It is a figure which shows the structure of the data communication system which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the flow of data in a data communication system. It is a figure which shows the structure of a relay device. It is a figure which shows the structure of the data processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of the charge amount determination device. It is a figure which shows the example of the record stored in the contractor billing database. It is a figure which shows the example of the record stored in the acquirer billing database. It is a figure which shows an example of the acquirer charge database including the charge target data amount calculated based on the burden rate. It is a figure which shows the communication sequence in the charge amount determination system. It is a figure for demonstrating the process when the charge amount determination part determines the charge amount based on the application used by a data acquirer.

[Configuration of data communication system S]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a data communication system S according to an embodiment. The data communication system S includes a plurality of communication devices 1, a relay device 2, a data management device 3, and 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 data acquisition device 4 with packet data received from the relay device 2 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 composed of 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, and the data acquirer communicates on his / her own PC. The contents of the data transmitted by the device 1 can be viewed.

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

The communication device 1 is installed in a vending machine, a vehicle, an office, a factory, or the like, and packet data including various information that can be collected at the installed place is transmitted via a relay device 2 and a data processing device 30. The information collected by the communication device 1 is transmitted to the data acquisition device 4 accessible to the data acquirer who has a contract to acquire the information. When the communication device 1 is installed in a vending machine, for example, the communication device 1 collects information on temperature, remaining amount of change, inventory of goods, presence of people around, and the like, and a packet containing 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 a communication terminal such as a smartphone or tablet, and the length of one packet data is, for example, 100 bytes or less. be. The packet data transmitted by the communication device 1 includes a device ID which is identification information assigned to each communication device 1 and device data including the collected information.

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

The data processing device 30 collects packet data transmitted from a plurality of communication devices 1 via the relay device 2 and the communication network N1. The data processing device 30 stores the received packet data in a storage medium such as a hard disk, and generates 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). Information is transmitted to the data acquisition device 4. By doing so, the data acquirer who has obtained permission to acquire the data output by the communication device 1 from the contractor who has a contract for the relay device 2 to use the communication network N1 is the data acquisition device. It is possible to access the data processing device 30 and acquire the data and statistical information permitted by the contractor of the relay device 2 via the 4. The data processing device 30 has, for example, a PPM (Privacy Policy Manager) function, and can control which data acquisition device 4 can acquire the data output by the communication device 1.

Further, the data processing device 30 acquires the collected packet data or the acquirer identification information (hereinafter referred to as an acquirer ID) assigned to the data acquirer who acquires the statistical information generated based on the packet data, and the data acquisition. The date and time, the number of times, and the amount of packet data received from the relay device 2 in association with the device identification information (hereinafter referred to as device ID) assigned to each of the plurality of communication devices used by the person. Etc. are notified to the billing amount determination device 50. Further, the data processing device 30 uses the relay device 2 with the contractor identification information (hereinafter referred to as the contractor ID) assigned to the contractor who has a contract for the relay device 2 to use the communication network N1. The billing amount determination device 50 determines the date and time, the number of times, the number of times the packet data is received from the relay device 2, the amount of the received packet data, and the like in association with the device IDs of the plurality of communication devices that transmit the packet data to the data processing device 30. May be notified to.

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 to be acquired and the application ID of the application to the data processing device 30 in response to the request of the data acquirer, thereby transmitting the communication device to the data processing device 30. The data output by at least one of the plurality of applications in which 1 can be executed can be acquired from the data processing device 30. 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 determining device 50 determines the billing amount for the communication service for transmitting the packet data output by the communication device 1 from the relay device 2 to the data processing device 30. Further, the billing amount determining device 50 transmits the 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). , Data communication volume) is determined. The billing amount determination device 50 determines the billing amount for each data acquirer, for example, every predetermined unit period (for example, one month).

The billing amount determining device 50 also determines the billing amount for the contractor of the relay device 2. The billing amount determination device 50 is based on the amount of packet data transmitted by the communication device 1 that transmits packet data via the relay device 2 from the relay device 2 associated with the contractor to the data processing device 30. , Determine the amount charged to the contractor. The billing amount determining device 50 determines the billing amount for each contractor, for example, every predetermined unit period (for example, one month).

Here, when the communication device 1 is installed in the 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 entered into a contract with the communication carrier that manages the data processing device 30 and the billing amount determination device 50 to acquire the data output by the 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. Is associated and remembered. The billing amount determination device 50 determines the billing amount for each data acquirer based on the amount of data output by the device ID associated with the acquirer ID and the application corresponding to the application ID within a predetermined period.

The billing amount determining device 50 registers the determined billing amount in a database that manages the billing amount for the contractor and the data acquirer. By doing so, the communication carrier can charge according to the amount of information obtained from the communication device 1 by the data acquirer.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing 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 balance of change in the vending machine. The inventory management application 13 can transmit inventory information indicating the number of inventories of products sold by vending machines. The monitoring application 14 can transmit person detection information indicating the time when a person within a predetermined distance is detected from the vending machine.

The information transmitted by each application is allocated to the data acquisition device 4 registered in advance by the data processing device 30. 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 who provides the marketing information. The person detection information output by the monitoring application 14 is transmitted to the data acquisition device 4c.

In such a case, the charge amount determination device 50 determines the charge amount for the data acquirer of the data acquisition device 4a according to the data communication amount of the temperature information output by the temperature application 11. The billing amount determination device 50 determines the billing amount for the data acquirer of the data acquisition device 4b according to the data communication amount of the change information output by the change management application 12 and the inventory information output by the inventory management application 13. do. Further, the billing amount determining device 50 charges 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 place where the communication device 1 is installed is arbitrary, and may be installed in an automobile, for example. When the communication device 1 is installed in an automobile, the communication device 1 has gasoline remaining amount, battery remaining amount, running data (mileage, average speed, fuel consumption, number of sudden braking, etc.), position information, vehicle body defect information, etc. Can be transmitted to the data processing device 30.

[Configuration of relay device 2]
Subsequently, the configuration and operation of the relay device 2 and the charge amount determination device 50 will be described in detail.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the relay device 2. The relay device 2 has 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 the data transmitted by the communication device 1.
The control unit 22 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and stores data received via the device communication unit 21 in the storage unit 24. Further, the control unit 22 reads the data stored in the storage unit 24 at a predetermined timing, and sends the read data to the communication network N1 via the network communication unit 23. For example, the control unit 22 sends data to the communication network N1 when the traffic amount of the communication network N1 becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value.

The control unit 22 may determine the timing of transmitting the 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 accumulating it in the storage unit 24. Further, the control unit 22 stores the data having a low priority in the storage unit 24 so as not to transmit the data having a high priority at the same timing as the data having a high priority. The control unit 22 may not transmit low-priority data during the time zone notified in advance by the data management device 3. By doing so, the control unit 22 can quickly transmit the data to be transmitted without delay while suppressing the traffic amount of the communication network N1 from becoming too large. In the data communication system S, the communication band is preferentially allocated from the base station side of the communication network N1 to the relay device 2 that communicates with the communication device 1 that can execute the application that outputs high-priority data. You may. 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 the time set by the data acquirer received via the data processing device 30. The data acquirer can set, for example, a time for transmitting data to the relay device 2 for each communication device 1 or 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 zone in which the relay device 2 transmits data, the data acquirer by doing so. On the other hand, it is possible to motivate the data to be transmitted in a time zone in which the billing amount is small (for example, a time zone in which the communication network N1 is not congested).

The network communication unit 23 is a wireless communication interface for transmitting the 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 in accordance with, for example, an LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard.

The network communication unit 23 acquires data from the amount of data transmitted to the data processing device 30 based on the instruction of the control unit 22 by the time when a predetermined period elapses after the data is transmitted to the data processing device 30. The device 4 functions as a notification unit for notifying the data processing device 30 of the amount of unreceived data, which is the data for which a response indicating that the data has been normally received could not be received, as the amount of unreceived data. The unreceived data is communicated like a communication section from the relay device 2 to a core network such as PGW (Packet Data Network Gateway) or MME (Mobility Management Entity), or a communication section from the core network to the data processing device 30. This is data that the data processing device 30 could not receive because the communication failed due to the equipment of the carrier.

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

The information indicating whether the data communication is successful or unsuccessful, which the network communication unit 23 notifies the data processing device 30, is used when the billing amount determining device 50 determines the billing amount for the contractor and the data acquirer. .. The details of the process in which the billing amount determining device 50 determines the billing amount based on the success or failure of 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. Further, 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 the configuration of the data processing device 30. The data processing device 30 has a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33.

The communication unit 31 has a first communication unit 311 and 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 determining device 50. The second communication unit 312 is, for example, a LAN interface.
The third communication unit 313 has a communication interface for transmitting / receiving data to / 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, RAM, and a hard disk. The storage unit 32 stores the packet data transmitted by the plurality of communication devices 1 transmitted from the relay device 2 in association with the device ID of the communication device 1. Further, the storage unit 32 stores the device ID, the relay 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 includes an acquirer ID of a data acquirer who accesses the data processing device 30 via the data acquisition device 4, and a device ID of a communication device 1 and an application registered as a target for the data acquirer to acquire data. And the data provision database associated with the application ID is stored. The storage unit 32 may store a data provision database that manages data to be viewed by a plurality of data acquirers, and stores individual data provision databases created for each data acquirer. You may.

The control unit 33 is, for example, a CPU, and by executing a program stored in the storage unit 32, information based on packet data stored in association with the acquirer ID in response to a request from the data acquisition device 4. Is transmitted to the data acquisition device 4.

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

When the request receiving unit 332 receives the request from the data acquisition device 4, the communication control unit 331 refers to the data providing database stored in the storage unit 32 received via the communication network N1 and makes the request. The data transmitted by the indicated application is provided by transmitting it to the data acquisition device 4. In the data providing database, the acquirer ID corresponding to the data acquisition device 4 that has transmitted the data acquisition request and the device ID of the communication device to be provided with the data to the data acquisition device 4 of the acquirer ID are associated with each other. There is. In the data providing database, the application ID of the application for which data is provided may be further associated with the data acquisition device 4 of the acquirer ID.

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

Even if the communication control unit 331 sets a time for prohibiting data transmission by an application that can be executed by the communication device 1 from the relay device 2, a data transmission interval, a mode for transmitting the presence / 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 outputs the data output by the application corresponding to the application ID not 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 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 the data acquisition device 4 for acquiring the data does not exist, so that the traffic amount of the communication network N1 can be suppressed. ..

Further, the communication control unit 331 assigns the priority of transmitting the data received from the application to the communication network N1 to the relay device 2 for each application, and preferentially data the data received from the application having a high priority. 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 application having a low priority from being transmitted at the same time as the data received from the application having a high priority, so that the traffic amount of the communication network N1 can be prevented. Can be leveled.

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

When the data acquirer selects the communication device 1 and the application for which data is to be acquired from the list of the communication device 1 and the application displayed via the data acquisition device 4, the data acquisition device 4 selects the selected communication device 1 and the application. Information for identifying the application (for example, device ID and application ID), and a data acquisition request including an acquirer ID are transmitted to the data processing device 30. When the request receiving unit 332 receives 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, the device ID, and the application ID included in the data acquisition request, so that the data in the storage unit 32 is stored. Register in the provided database.

The request receiving unit 332 may receive a request from a plurality of data acquisition devices 4 to select the same application executed by the same communication device 1. The communication control unit 331 receives packet data via the communication network N1 when the request reception unit 332 receives a request from a plurality of data acquisition devices 4 to select the same application executed by the same communication device 1. 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 out the data stored in the storage unit 32 based on the instructions from the communication control unit 331 and the request reception unit 332. For example, when the storage control unit 333 receives the notification of the data acquisition request from the request reception unit 332, the storage unit 32 stores the device ID and the application ID in association with the acquirer ID included in the data acquisition request. Further, when the storage control unit 333 receives a notification from the communication control unit 331 that the packet data transmitted by the communication device 1 has been provided to the data acquisition device 4, the storage control unit 333 associates the device ID and the application ID with the acquirer ID. And store it in the storage unit 32.

[Configuration of billing amount determination device 50]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the billing amount determining device 50. The billing amount determining 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, RAM, and a hard disk. The storage unit 52 stores a program executed by the control unit 53. Further, the storage unit 52 has a contractor charge database 521 and an acquirer charge 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 to which the relay device 2 receives data are associated with each other. ing. In the contractor billing database 521, the application ID of the application in which the communication device 1 can be executed may be further associated.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of records stored in the contractor billing database 521. In FIG. 6A, the contractor ID, the relay device ID of the relay device 2 in which the contractor corresponding to the contractor ID has a contract with the communication carrier, and the communication device on which the relay device 2 can receive packet data. 1 device ID is associated with it. It can be seen that the contractor of the contractor ID 00001 has a contract for the relay device 2 that relays the data output by the communication device 1 whose device ID is 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 1005 or the like.

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

According to FIG. 6B, it can be seen that the number of days for which data is transmitted from the communication device 1 whose device ID is 1001 associated with the contractor whose contractor ID is 000001 is 30 days. The total number of communication occurrence days of all communication devices 1 registered by the contractor with the contractor ID of 000001 is 116 days, and the billing amount for this contractor is, for example, 116 days. The billing amount 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 records stored in the acquirer billing database 522. In the acquirer billing database 522, the acquirer ID corresponding to the data acquisition device 4, the device ID, the application ID, and the acquisition data which is the amount (number of bytes) of the data acquired by the data acquisition device 4 in one month. Associated with quantity. According to FIG. 7, the data acquirer having the acquirer ID S0001 outputs the data output by the application having the application ID a51 and the application having the application ID a52, which can be executed by the communication device 1 having the device ID 1001, and the device. It can be seen that the data output by the application whose ID is a51 and the application whose application ID is a52 can be acquired by the communication device 1 having the ID 1002.

Since the data acquirer having the acquirer ID of S0003, the application having the application ID of a51 that can be executed by the communication device 1 having the device ID of 1001, and the application having the application ID of a52 are associated with each other, a plurality of data acquisitions are performed. It can be seen that the person acquires the data output by the same application of the same communication device 1. The billing amount determination device 50 determines the billing amount for each acquirer ID with reference to the record shown in FIG. 7.

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

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

In the specific unit 532, for each contractor ID, the data processing device 30 receives packet data from the relay device 2 contracted by the contractor of the contractor ID for a predetermined unit period, and the relay device 2 communicates with the total number of days. The total time is specified, or the total amount of data received from the relay device 2 is specified. Further, in the specifying unit 532, the data processing device 30 relays the packet data output by the communication device 1 registered as the target for each data acquirer to acquire data in a predetermined unit period for each acquirer ID. 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 by each data acquirer as the target for acquiring the data.

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

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

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

Further, the charge amount determination unit 533 can charge the data acquirer at least a part of the communication charge required for transmitting the data from the communication device 1 to the data management device 3. In this case, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing 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 the combination of the device ID and the application ID associated with the acquirer ID in the acquirer charge database 522. The billing amount determination unit 533, for example, on the final day of the unit period for calculating the billing amount, determines the acquirer ID based on at least one of the number of device IDs associated with the acquirer ID and the number of application IDs. Determine the billing amount. By doing so, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the amount of data to be acquired when the data acquirer acquires only the data output by some applications that can be executed 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 associates the billing amount with the acquirer ID. The billing amount may be determined by multiplying the number of application IDs obtained by the unit usage price of the application. The billing amount determination unit 533 may determine the billing amount by adding up 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 is received from the application corresponding to the application ID associated with the acquirer ID and the received data capacity (number of bytes) within a predetermined period. You may. By doing so, the billing amount determination unit 533 can determine the billing amount according to the degree to which the data acquirer has benefited from using the communication network N1 and the communication network N2.

Further, the billing 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 is based on the priority of the application corresponding to the application ID associated with the acquirer ID. , The amount charged to the data acquirer may be determined. In this case, the charge amount determination unit 533 sets the charge amount for the number of times or the amount of data provided by the communication control unit 331 to the data acquisition device 4 to the data output from the application whose priority is set to be low. Make it higher than the charge amount for the data output from the set application. By doing so, since the number of applications set to the high priority by the data acquirer is not too large, it is possible to prevent the traffic amount of the communication network N1 and the communication network N2 from increasing too much.

The billing amount determination unit 533 tentatively determines the billing amount for the contractor, and then subtracts a part of the billing amount for the data acquirer from the provisional billing amount for the contractor to make the final billing amount for the contractor. You may decide the billing amount. When the total value of a part of the charge amount for a plurality of data acquirers is larger than the provisional charge amount for the contractor, the charge amount determination unit 533 subtracts the provisional charge amount from the total value. Determined as the amount to be paid to the contractor.

By doing so, the contractor is motivated to install the communication device 1 having an application capable of outputting the data that many data acquirers want to acquire in an appropriate place. Further, for the communication carrier, since the contractor installs many communication devices 1, the number of data acquirers who acquire the data output by the communication device 1 via the data processing device 30 increases, so that the data acquirer can be assigned. You can increase your billing amount and make a profit.

Further, when the data acquirer uses a specific application or a specific type of application (for example, an application recommended by the communication carrier), the billing amount determination unit 533 charges a predetermined amount from the flat rate. You may reduce the amount or increase the amount of data communication that can be used for a flat rate. Further, the billing amount determination unit 533 may reduce the billing amount when the number of communication devices 1 and the number of applications that one relay device 2 can communicate with is smaller than a predetermined number.

[Billing based on the success or failure of the 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 exceeds the predetermined value among the plurality of communication devices 1. You may. For example, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 6B, the number of communication occurrence days of the communication device 1 having the device ID of 1003 is 3 days, and there is almost no communication. In such a case, the communication device 1 having the device ID of 1003 may have failed. Therefore, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount based on 113 days, which is the data communication amount specified by excluding the number of communication occurrence days corresponding to the communication device 1. The charge amount determination unit 533 may be non-charged as long as the number of communication occurrence days is less than the predetermined number of days and the amount of data in each communication or the total amount of data in the plurality of generated communications is less than the predetermined amount.

The situation in which the number of communication occurrence days is abnormally short as described above is caused by, for example, a defect in the wireless communication channel between the relay device 2 and the communication network N1 or the communication line between the communication network N1 and the data processing device 30. It 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 acquires the contractor and data based on the data communication amount of one or more communication devices 1 in which the communication success rate within a predetermined period exceeds a predetermined value among the plurality of communication devices 1. The amount charged to the person may be determined.

For example, the billing amount determination unit 533 acquires from the relay device 2 the number of transmissions, which is the number of attempts to transmit packet data, in association with the device ID and the relay device ID when determining the billing amount. 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 contractor 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 billing 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 a predetermined value from the calculation of the billing amount.

By doing so, it is possible to prevent the data acquisition device 4 from being charged even though the scheduled device data cannot be collected, so that the contractor and the data acquirer are prevented from being dissatisfied. can. The billing amount determination unit 533 acquires the number of times the packet data transmission has failed from the relay device 2 after the relay device 2 is in a communicable state, and determines the number of times the packet data can be acquired and the number of times the packet data has failed. The communication success rate may be calculated based on. In the present specification, failure to transmit data means that the transmitted data did not reach the destination, and successful transmission of data means that the transmitted data arrived at the destination.

Further, the billing amount determination unit 533 transfers confirmation data for confirming the status to at least a part of the communication devices 1 (for example, the communication device 1 for which the data acquirer collects information) among the plurality of communication devices 1. The billing amount may be determined by excluding the communication device 1 from which the response data to the confirmation data is not sent by the time when the predetermined time elapses after the transmission and the confirmation data are transmitted. By doing so, the billing amount determination unit 533 can exclude the failed communication device 1 from the billing target, so that it is possible to prevent the contractor and the data acquirer from being dissatisfied.

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

The billing amount determination unit 533 is based on 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 that was not received by the data acquisition device 4. Then, the amount charged to the contractor may be determined. The billing amount determination unit 533 can use, for example, the amount of unreceived data notified from the relay device 2, but the unreceived data specified based on the presence or absence of a response from the data acquisition device 4 in the data processing device 30. You may use the quantity.

The billing amount determination unit 533 subtracts the amount corresponding to the amount of unreceived data from the standard billing amount corresponding to the amount of data transmitted by the network communication unit 23, thereby charging the contractor and the data acquirer. Determine at least one of them. By doing so, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the data acquisition device when the data transmitted by the relay device 2 has not reached the data acquisition device 4 and the transmitted data is not useful for the data acquirer. Since the data that does not reach 4 is not charged, it is possible to prevent the contractor and the data acquirer from being dissatisfied.

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

The billing amount determination unit 533 is a response from the data acquisition device 4 or a response between the data management device 3 and the data acquisition device 4 until a 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 reason why the response from the device provided in between could not be received. When data communication fails due to congestion or failure of the communication network N1 or the communication network N2, for example, the charge amount determination unit 533 subtracts the amount for the failed data from the standard charge amount. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the communication carrier from being charged to the user even though the communication fails due to the communication network N1 or the communication network N2 managed by the communication carrier. On the other hand, the reason why the relay device 2 could not receive the response from the data processing device 30 until a predetermined period elapses after the relay device 2 transmits the data to the data processing device 30 is caused by the billing amount determination unit 533. In the case of the data acquisition device 4, the billing amount is determined without subtracting the amount corresponding to the unreceived data amount from the standard billing amount. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the communication carrier from reducing the profit when the communication fails 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 association with the acquirer ID in the acquirer charge database 522. You may. The billing amount determination unit 533 changes the amount of unreceived data determined for each application from the standard billing amount based on the data transmitted from the communication device 1 and the application registered by the data acquirer as the target for acquiring the data. The billing amount is determined by subtracting the corresponding amount. For example, when the billing amount determination unit 533 fails to communicate data from an application having a high standard billing amount set to a higher priority by the user, the application having a lower standard billing amount set to a lower priority by the user fails to communicate. The amount to be subtracted is larger than when the communication of the data of is unsuccessful. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the dissatisfaction of the data acquirer when the data output by the highly important application cannot be received.

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

[Burden rate of data acquirer]
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, but the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount. The billing amount corresponding to the acquirer ID may be determined based on the amount of data and the burden rate which is the ratio of bearing the communication charge corresponding to the amount of data acquired by the data acquisition device 4.

The billing amount determination unit 533 determines the burden rate based on the number of users of the application indicated by the data acquisition request at the time when the request reception unit 332 receives the data acquisition request for acquiring the data from the data acquisition device 4, for example. It is decided and the decided burden rate is registered in the acquirer billing database 522. The billing amount determination unit 533 transmits the tentatively determined burden rate to the data acquisition device 4 via the data processing device 30, and then receives a notification from the data acquisition device 4 to approve the burden rate, provided that the charge amount determination unit 533 receives a notification to approve the burden rate. The burden rate may be enabled by registering it in the acquirer billing database 522.

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

In this way, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the burden rate of each data acquirer according to the number of data acquirers who acquire the data output by the application of the communication device 1, so that the data acquirer bears the burden. As the amount of data to be collected becomes smaller, the number of data acquirers who want to acquire data increases. As a result, a virtuous cycle is created in which the burden rate of each data acquirer becomes smaller, and there are merits for the communication carrier, the contractor, and the data acquirer.

The billing amount determination unit 533 may determine the billing amount based on the range of data acquirers who can acquire the data output by the application of the communication device 1. For example, the contractor of the relay device 2 can (1) acquire the data output from the communication device 1, (2) a mode in which the data acquirer approved by the contractor can acquire the data, and (3) the contract. A desired mode can be selected from any mode such as a mode that can be acquired only by a person. The data management device 3 may acquire the set mode via the contractor's data acquisition device 4, and the charge amount determination unit 533 may determine the charge amount by referring to the charge table corresponding to the mode. ..

Further, the data management device 3 is a data acquisition device 4 that transmits data from the communication device 1 at a time (for example, whether to transmit at 0:00 or 0:01), a data transmission interval, or data. When a request for setting the priority of the data is received, the charge per data amount may be displayed for each setting condition related to data transmission. By doing so, the data acquirer can grasp the charge for each setting condition related to data transmission by accessing the data acquisition device 4, so that the communication traffic suddenly increases at a specific time in the data communication system S. It becomes possible to avoid becoming.

[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.

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

When the control unit 33 receives the transmission data in the data processing device 30, the control unit 33 associates the received transmission data with the acquirer ID and registers the received transmission data in the storage unit 32 (S15). After that, when it is time to provide the 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 the data acquisition request from the data acquisition device 4. The control unit 33 may transmit data to the data acquisition device 4 at a timing set at a preset time.

Subsequently, the control unit 33 receives a notification to the effect that the data has been received from the data acquisition device 4 that has provided the data, and when the data provision is completed (YES in S18), the control unit 33 imposes that the data provision is completed. Notify the amount determination 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 provision has been completed and the information indicating the amount of the provided data. After that, the storage unit 32 notifies the communication device 1 that the data provision is completed via the relay device 2.

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, the billing amount is calculated for each contractor ID and acquirer ID.

[Application-based billing]
In the above description, an example is shown in which the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount for the contractor based on the number of communication occurrence days in the plurality of communication devices 1. The billing amount determination unit 533 may determine the billing amount for the contractor based on the number of communication occurrence days for each application for which the data acquisition device 4 has acquired 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 specific unit 532 specifies the data communication amount for each application by the plurality of communication devices 1 within a predetermined period, and the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount based on the data communication amount specified for each application. decide.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a process in which the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount for the contractor based on the application registered as the target for acquiring the data by the data acquirer. FIG. 10 is a record of the contractor billing database 521 showing the number of days for which the data output by the application for transmitting data via the relay device 2 of the contractor having the contractor ID of 000001 is provided to the data acquisition device 4. ..

In FIG. 10, the device ID, the application ID, and the number of communication occurrence days are associated with each other. FIG. 10 shows the device ID of the communication device 1 used by the data acquirer whose acquirer ID is 000001, and the application ID of the application used in each communication device 1.

In the example of FIG. 10, the number of days when the data output by the application whose application ID is 1 executed by the communication device 1 whose device ID is 1001 is transmitted is 30 days. Further, the number of days for 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 8 days. The billing amount determination unit 533 calculates and calculates the number of communication occurrence days used for calculating the billing amount for the data acquirer whose acquirer ID is 00001 as 199 days by adding the numbers in the communication occurrence days column in FIG. Determine the billing amount based on the number of days you have spent.

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

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

[Effect of data communication system S]
As described above, in the data communication system S, in the data communication system S, the relay device 2 of the contractor who has a contract with the communication carrier to use the communication network N1 has the specific unit 532, and the relay device 2 of the contractor outputs a plurality of data output by the plurality of communication devices 1. The data communication amount corresponding to the amount transmitted within a predetermined period is specified, and the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount to the contractor based on the data communication amount specified by the specific unit 532. By doing so, the data communication system S can determine the billing amount when the contractor of the communication service uses a large number of communication devices to an appropriate amount according to the amount of using the communication network N1. can.

(Modification 1)
[When communication device 1 moves]
In the above description, an example is shown in which the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 to be provided with data to the data acquisition device 4 are determined by the request from the data acquisition device 4. On the other hand, when the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 move, the communication control unit 331 data data based on the positions of the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 for which data is provided to the data acquisition device 4. The data acquisition device 4 to which the data is provided may be switched.

For example, it is assumed that the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 are mounted on the vehicle. Then, it is assumed that the data acquirer is a company that operates a gas station (hereinafter referred to as a gas station). A gas station has a need to acquire the remaining amount of gasoline of a vehicle within a predetermined range from the position of the gas station and send advertisement data to a vehicle having a remaining amount less than a predetermined amount.

In such a case, the communication control unit 331 acquires data to provide data based on the position of the communication device 1 at the time when the data output by the application is received or the time when the first communication unit 311 receives the data. Determine the device 4. 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 the 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. Select the data acquisition device 4 corresponding to the position information. Then, the communication control unit 331 provides the selected data acquisition device 4 with data indicating the remaining amount of gasoline as the data output by the application of the communication device 1.

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

Even if the communication control unit 331 provides 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 is registered for each application. good. For example, the communication control unit 331 transmits the data output by the application that outputs the remaining amount of gasoline to the data acquisition device 4 registered at the position within the first distance from the position of the communication device 1, and outputs the vehicle interior temperature. 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 the vehicle within the range suitable for the type of advertisement data that the data acquirer wants to distribute and in a state suitable for the distribution of the advertisement data. Will be possible.

In this way, when the data from the moving communication device 1 is provided to the data acquisition device 4, the billing amount determination unit 533 of the communication device 1 at the time when the first communication unit 311 receives the data output by the application. The billing amount may be determined in relation to the position or the time when the first communication unit 311 receives the data. For example, the billing amount determination unit 533 increases the billing amount as the position of the communication device 1 is closer to the position registered in association with the data acquisition device 4. Further, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines when the time when the first communication unit 311 receives the data is included in a time zone having a high priority (for example, a time zone in which the number of users of the gas station is small). The billing amount may be larger than when the data is received at other times.

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

Further, when the communication device 1 moves, there is a higher probability that the data transmitted by the communication device 1 does not reach the destination as compared with the case where the communication device 1 does not move. It is also possible not to perform the process of reducing the billing amount according to the failure. Further, the billing amount determination unit 533 may reduce the amount of the billing amount to be reduced according to the failure of data transmission when the communication device 1 moves, as compared with the case where the communication device 1 does not move. ..

Further, the communication device 1 may have a means for detecting its own speed (for example, an acceleration sensor), 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 a predetermined speed, the billing amount determination unit 533 may reduce the amount of the billing amount to be reduced according to the failure to transmit the data. Further, when the communication device 1 notifies the data management device 3 of its own position, and the billing amount determination unit 533 does not reach the transmission destination while the communication device 1 is in a place where radio waves do not reach. , It may be possible not to reduce the amount of data that failed to be transmitted.

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

The communication control unit 331 notifies, for example, a time zone having a high failure probability to 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 higher than a predetermined value. , Instruct the relay device 2 not to transmit data during a time period when the probability of failure is high. The communication control unit 331 instructs not to transmit the data output by the application having a high failure probability due to the relatively large amount of data contained in one packet data in the time zone with a high failure probability. May be good. By doing so, the data communication system S can reduce the probability of failure in transmission, and thus can increase the satisfaction of the contractor and the data acquirer.

(Modification 3)
[Basic amount and pay-as-you-go amount]
In the above description, the billing amount determination unit 533 has described an example of determining the billing amount based on the amount of data provided by the communication control unit 331 and the number of times of provision, but the billing amount is determined by another method. May be good. For example, the billing amount determination unit 533 sums a predetermined basic amount including a billing amount for transmission of a small size packet data and a metered amount corresponding to a data amount of packet data having a size larger than a predetermined amount. The billing amount may be determined by.

For example, the billing 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 on a pay-as-you-go basis. By doing so, the data acquirer who has 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. It becomes possible to receive a large amount of money from a data acquirer that imposes a heavy load on N2.

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. In particular, the specific embodiment of the distribution / integration of the device is not limited to the one shown above, and all or a part thereof may be in arbitrary units according to various additions or the like, or according to the functional load. It can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated.

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. Further, although the communication device 1 has been described as having a plurality of sensors, the communication device 1 and the plurality of sensors are separate bodies, and the communication device 1 receives the signals output by the plurality of sensors and receives the received signals. It may be transmitted to the relay device 2.
Further, in the above description, the data processing device 30 and the billing amount determining device 50 are described as physically different devices, but even if the data processing device 30 and the billing amount determining device 50 are integrated. good.

1 Communication device 2 Relay device 3 Data management device 4 Data acquisition device 21 Device communication unit 22 Control unit 23 Network communication unit 24 Storage unit 30 Data processing device 31 Communication unit 311 1st communication unit 312 2nd communication unit 313 3rd communication unit 32 Storage unit 33 Control unit 331 Communication control unit 332 Request reception unit 333 Storage control unit 50 Charge amount determination device 51 Communication unit 52 Storage unit 53 Control unit 521 Contractor charge database 522 Acquirer charge database 531 Data management unit 532 Specific unit 533 Billing amount determination department

Claims (8)

A data management device that manages multiple data output by multiple communication devices that output data.
The contractor identification information of the contractor who has a contract for the relay device that transmits the plurality of data output by the plurality of communication devices to the data management device to use the communication network, and each of the plurality of communication devices. A storage unit that stores the device identification information of the device in association with the application identification information indicating an application that can be executed by each of the plurality of communication devices.
For each contractor identification information, the amount charged to the contractor corresponding to the contractor identification information based on the transmission status of the plurality of data in the relay device for each application by the plurality of communication devices within a predetermined period. The billing amount determination unit that determines
Data management device with. The charge amount determining section based on the transmission data amount of the plurality of data of the relay device in the predetermined period, determines the charge amount,
The data management device according to claim 1. The billing amount determination unit determines the billing amount based on the transmission data amount of one or more communication devices in which the transmission data amount within the predetermined period exceeds a predetermined value among the plurality of communication devices. ,
The data management device according to claim 2. The charge amount determining section based on the plurality of transmission days or number of transmissions of data of the relay device in the predetermined period, determines the charge amount,
The data management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The charge amount determining section, on the basis of the said transmission time of a plurality of data relay apparatus in the predetermined time period, determining the charge amount,
The data management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The billing amount determination unit sends response data to the confirmation data by the time when a predetermined time elapses after transmitting confirmation data for confirming the status to at least a part of the communication devices of the plurality of communication devices. The billing amount is determined by excluding non-deliverable communication devices from the billing target.
The data management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. Computer runs,
A step of specifying the transmission status of the plurality of data for each application by the plurality of communication devices within a predetermined period in the relay device for transmitting the plurality of data output by the plurality of communication devices for outputting the data to the computer.
The contractor identification information of the contractor who has a contract for the relay device to use the communication network, the device identification information of each of the plurality of communication devices, and the application that can be executed by each of the plurality of communication devices are shown. By referring to the storage unit that stores the information in association with the application identification information, the data specified for each application corresponding to the application identification information associated with the contractor identification information for each contractor identification information. based on the transmission status, determining a billing amount for the contractor that corresponds to the contract identification information,
Data management method with. On the computer
A step of specifying the transmission status of the plurality of data for each application by the plurality of communication devices within a predetermined period in the relay device for transmitting the plurality of data output by the plurality of communication devices for outputting the data to the computer.
The contractor identification information of the contractor who has a contract for the relay device to use the communication network, the device identification information of each of the plurality of communication devices, and the application that can be executed by each of the plurality of communication devices are shown. By referring to the storage unit that stores the information in association with the application identification information, the data specified for each application corresponding to the application identification information associated with the contractor identification information for each contractor identification information. Based on the transmission status, the step of determining the charge amount for the contractor corresponding to the contractor identification information of the contractor who has a contract for the relay device to use the communication network, and
A program to execute.

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