Computer system, data output method, and computer program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9948751-B2
Application number	US-201414294191-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2014
Priority date	Aug 9, 2013
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A first apparatus inquires the second apparatus about whether a first data can be transmitted, in a case where the transmission is approved by the second apparatus, transmits the data to the second apparatus, and in a case where the transmission is not approved by the second apparatus, receives data from the second apparatus and outputs the data with its own data to a storage medium, and the second apparatus determines that a data is transmitted from the first apparatus on the basis of a condition pertaining to a second data communications channel, and upon having determined to approve the transmission from the first apparatus, receives the data from the first apparatus and transmits the data with its own data to a server via the second data communications channel, and upon having determined not to approve the transmission from the first apparatus, transmits its own data to the first apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer system, comprising:
a first apparatus and a second apparatus connected via a first data communications channel,
wherein the first apparatus is installed in a vehicle and includes a storage medium interface, a controller, and a first storage part,
wherein the controller: stores a first data, which is information relating to the operation of the first apparatus in the first storage part;
sends an inquiry to the second apparatus via the first data communications channel about whether the first data can be transmitted;
receives one of approved or not approved from the second apparatus about whether the first data can be transmitted;
in a case where the transmission has been approved by the second apparatus, transmits the first data to the second apparatus via the first data communications channel; and
in a case where the transmission has not been approved by the second apparatus, receives a second data from the second apparatus via the first data communications channel, and outputs the first data and the second data to a storage medium,
wherein the second apparatus is a portable communication device including a carrier network interface and a wireless land area network interface, at least one of which is connected to a second data communication channel that is connected to a server, and a controller, the controller:
stores the second data, which is information relating to the operation of the second apparatus, in a second storage part;
upon receiving an inquiry from the first apparatus via the first data communications channel about whether the first data can be transmitted,
determines whether the first data can be transmitted from the first apparatus based on one or more conditions, wherein a condition, of the one or more conditions, is whether a volume of communication, of the second data communication channel, that includes the first data and the second data during a first time period that includes a current time exceeds a threshold;
in the determination, upon having determined to approve the transmission of the first data from the first apparatus, receives the first data from the first apparatus via the first data communications channel, and transmits the first data and the second data to the server via the second data communications channel; and
in the determination, upon having determined to not approve the transmission of the first data from the first apparatus, transmits the second data to the first apparatus via the first data communications channel,
wherein, in the case where the transmission has not been approved, a computer transmits the first data and the second data from the storage medium to the server,
wherein the threshold is based on an upper limit of the volume of communications of the second data communications channel during the first time period,
wherein the volume of communication is a value calculated based on the volume of communications, that includes the first data and the second data, from the start of the first time period until the current time point, and
wherein the second apparatus, in a case where the volume of communication is greater than the threshold, determines, in the determination, not to approve the transmission of the first data from the first apparatus.

2. A computer system according to claim 1 , wherein the threshold is a value that is variably adjusted lower based on a remaining time period from the current time point to the end of the first time period.

3. A computer system according to claim 1 , wherein the first time period fluctuates, with the current time point being defined as the end of the period.

4. A computer system according to claim 3 , wherein the threshold is a value configured based on an average volume of communications for the second apparatus relative to the second data communications channel during a prescribed time period that is shorter than the first time period.

5. A computer system according to claim 1 , wherein the second data communications channel is managed by a telecommunications carrier,
the second apparatus is a communications apparatus used under a contract with the telecommunications carrier,
the one or more conditions includes a condition pertaining to the second data communications channel that is imposed on the communication apparatus on the basis of the contract with the telecommunications carrier,
the first data comprises information for analyzing a malfunction pertaining to the first apparatus, and
the second data comprises information for analyzing a malfunction in the operation of the communication apparatus.

6. A data output method in a computer system in which a first apparatus and a second apparatus are connected via a first data communications channel, the first apparatus is installed in a vehicle and includes a storage medium interface, a controller, and a first storage part, and the second apparatus is a portable communication device including a carrier network interface and a wireless land area network interface, at least one of which is connected to a second data communication channel that is connected to a server, and a controller,
the data output method comprising:
in the first apparatus:
storing a first data, which is information relating to the operation of the first apparatus,
sending an inquiry to the second apparatus via the first data communications channel about whether a first data stored in a first storage part can be transmitted;
receiving one of approved or not approved from the second apparatus about whether the first data can be transmitted;
in a case where transmission has been approved by the second apparatus, to transmit the first data to the second apparatus via the first data communications channel, and
in a case where transmission has not been approved by the second apparatus, to receive a second data from the second apparatus via the first data communications channel, and output the first data and the second data to a storage medium; and
in the second apparatus:
storing the second data, which is information relating to the operation of the second apparatus,
upon receiving an inquiry from the first apparatus via the first data communications channel about whether the first data can be transmitted,
determining whether the first data can be transmitted from the first apparatus based on one or more conditions, wherein a condition is whether a volume of communication, of a second data communications channel used by the second apparatus, that includes the first data and the second data during a first period of time that includes a current time exceeds a threshold;
in the determination, upon having determined to approve the transmission of the first data from the first apparatus, to receive the first data from the first apparatus via the first data communications channel, and transmit the first data and the second data to a server via the second data communications channel; and
in the determination, upon having determined not to approve the transmission of the first data from the first apparatus, to transmit the second data stored in a second storage part to the first apparatus via the first data communications channel,
wherein, in the case where the transmission has not been approved, a computer transmits the first data and the second data from the storage medium to the server,
wherein the threshold is based on an upper limit of the volume of communications of the second data communications channel during the first time period,
wherein the volume of communication is a value calculated based on the volume of communications, that includes the first data and the second data, from the start of the first time period until the current time point, and
wherein the second apparatus, in a case where the volume of communication is

Assignees

• Clarion Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tsuchida Gen
• Matsubara Daisuke
• Takano Hideki
• Sawajiri Haruhiko
• Nagai Yasushi
• Tsurusu Kyosuke

Classifications

• G06F11/00

  Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring (error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00) · CPC title

• H04L67/42 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06F11/3476 Primary

  Data logging (G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title