Data collection system and data collection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11943687-B2
Application number	US-202016888097-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2020
Priority date	May 29, 2019
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

A data collection system includes a server device and at least one probe vehicle. The server device includes a storage unit configured to store a master map in which a necessity of data collection for each of a plurality of unit ranges included in a plurality of segments is represented by a binary value; and a server control unit configured to extract from the master map a segment corresponding to a position of the probe vehicle, and to transmit the segment to the probe vehicle as a partial map. The probe vehicle includes a data obtaining unit configured to obtain the data; and a vehicle control unit configured to identify a unit range requiring data collection based on the partial map received from the server device, and to transmit the data obtained in the unit range to the server device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A data collection system comprising:
a server device; and
at least one probe vehicle, wherein the server device collects data obtained by the at least one probe vehicle,
the server device comprising:
a memory that stores a master map which is divided into a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments having a corresponding segment ID and including a plurality of unit ranges, wherein a necessity of data collection for each of the plurality of unit ranges included in each of the plurality of segments is indicated by a binary value; and
a server controller with a server processor programmed to determine a segment where a respective probe vehicle among the at least one probe vehicle is located based on a segment ID transmitted from the respective probe vehicle, extract a partial map corresponding to the determined segment from the stored master map, and transmit the extracted partial map to the respective probe vehicle;

the respective probe vehicle comprising:
a sensor that obtains data about an external environment of the respective probe vehicle; and
a vehicle controller with a vehicle processor programmed to transmit a request for the partial map with the segment ID to the server device, to receive the partial map from the server device, to identify a unit range where data collection is needed in the partial map received from the server device, and to transmit data obtained in the identified unit range, to the server device,

wherein the server processor of the server controller is further programmed to:
update the stored master map according to a collection situation of data; and
when the master map is updated, assign a version number to a partial map included in the updated master map, and transmit both of the partial map and the version number to the respective probe vehicle.

2. The data collection system according to claim 1 , wherein
the binary value is either a true value or a false value;
the master map is a map that assigns the true value to each of unit ranges among the plurality of unit ranges where data collection is needed and assigns the false value to each of unit ranges among the plurality of unit ranges where data collection is not needed; and
the vehicle processor of the vehicle controller is programmed to, in cases where a certain unit range is assigned with the true value, transmit data obtained in the certain unit range, to the server device.

3. The data collection system according to claim 2 , wherein
the server processor of the server controller is further programmed to compress the partial map by a binary image compression method and transmit the compressed partial map to the respective probe vehicle.

4. The data collection system according to claim 1 , wherein
the server processor of the server controller is further programmed to compress the partial map by a binary image compression method and transmit the compressed partial map to the respective probe vehicle.

5. The data collection system according to claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle processor of the vehicle controller is further programmed to request the server device to transmit a partial map corresponding to a segment where the respective probe vehicle is located or will be located within a predetermined amount of time.

6. The data collection system according to claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle processor of the vehicle controller is further programmed to transmit a version number of a partial map held by the respective probe vehicle corresponding to a segment where the respective probe vehicle is located, to the server device; and
the server processor of the server controller is further programmed to determine, based on the version number transmitted from the vehicle processor of the vehicle controller, whether an update of the partial map held by the respective probe vehicle is necessary.

7. The data collection system according to claim 6 , wherein
the vehicle processor of the vehicle controller is further programmed to transmit the version number of the partial map held by the respective probe vehicle simultaneously with transmitting data obtained in an area included in the partial map held by the respective probe vehicle, to the server device.

8. The data collection system according to claim 1 , wherein
the server controller does not update the master map in real time and instead performs write-ahead logging in which, when an update to a respective segment in the master map occurs, content of the update is recorded in a log entry, and at a time at which a number of log entries has reached a fixed number, the log entries are reflected in the respective segment of the master map;
the log entry includes a log sequence number which is an integer value that is monotonously incremented each time an update occurs in the respective segment of the master table; and
the vehicle processor in the respective probe vehicle is further programmed to:
identify the segment ID to be sent to the server device along with the request for the partial map;
determine whether the partial map corresponding to the identified segment ID exists in the respective probe vehicle;
in response to determining that the partial map corresponding to the identified segment ID exists in the respective probe vehicle, transmit the request with both the identified segment ID and a log sequence number associated with the identified segment ID, to the server device; and
in response to determining that the partial map corresponding to the identified segment ID does not exist in the respective probe vehicle, transmit the request with only the identified segment ID, to the server device.

9. A data collection method to be performed by a data collection system which includes a server device and at least one probe vehicle,
wherein the server device collects data obtained by the at least one probe vehicle, the method comprising:
storing a master map which is divided into a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments having a corresponding segment ID and including a plurality of unit ranges, wherein a necessity of data collection for each of the plurality of unit ranges included in each of the plurality of segments is indicated by a binary value;
determining a segment where a respective probe vehicle among the at least one probe vehicle is located based on a segment ID transmitted from the respective probe vehicle, extracting a partial map corresponding to the determined segment from the stored master map, and transmitting the extracted partial map to the respective probe vehicle;
obtaining data by the respective probe vehicle; and
transmitting, by the respective probe vehicle, a request for the partial map with the segment ID to the server device, receiving the partial map from the server device, identifying a unit range where data collection is needed in the partial map received from the server device, and transmitting data obtained in the identified unit range, to the server device,

wherein the method further comprises:
updating the stored master map according to a collection situation of data; and
when the master mag is updated, assigning a version number to a partial map included in the updated master map, and transmitting both of the partial map and the version number to the respective probe vehicle.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Neyama Ryo
• Yoshioka Akira
• Koreishi Jun
• Yokoyama Akihisa

Classifications

• H04W4/44 Primary

  for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H] · CPC title

• G01C21/32

  Structuring or formatting of map data · CPC title

• G01C21/3841

  Data obtained from two or more sources, e.g. probe vehicles · CPC title