Data management apparatus, data management program and data management system

• US 20110191392A1
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kameda, Nobuya, Satou, Yousuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,417,743 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/812
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

In an apparatus for managing data processed in a vehicle, from outside the vehicle, acquired is a management rule including at least one of information indicating types of data to be acquired by an external device placed outside the vehicle and information indicating an acquisition cycle at which the data should be acquired. At least one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle is set by making reference to the management rule in response to acquisition of the management rule. Data is acquired, which is according to at least of one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle. The acquired data is stored in a data recorder.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing data processed in a vehicle, comprising:

rule acquiring means for acquiring, from outside the vehicle, a management rule including at least one of information indicating a type of data to be acquired by an external device placed outside the vehicle and information indicating an acquisition cycle at which the data should be acquired;

rule setting means for setting, in the management apparatus, at least one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle by making reference to the management rule in response to acquisition by the rule acquiring means;

data acquiring means for acquiring data which is according to at least of one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle set by the setting means;

a data recorder; and

data storing means for storing in the data recorder the data acquired by data acquiring means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the apparatus is communicably connected to a gateway via a communication line, the gateway operating on changeable relay states,

the management rule includes the information indicating the type of data to be acquired, and

the rule setting means is adapted to set the type of data to be acquired, by making reference to the management rule,

the apparatus comprising relay state setting means for allowing the gateway to be set such that the gateway relays, from the external device, the data whose type is set by the rule setting means.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the management rule also includes the information indicating the acquisition cycle, and

the rule setting means is adapted to also set the acquisition cycle by making reference to the management rule;

the relay state setting means is adapted to allow the gateway to be set such that the gateway relays, from the external device, the data at the acquisition cycle set by the rule setting means, the data having the type set by the rule setting means.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the communication line is a dedicated communication line for data, wherein the dedicated communication line is connected to only the gateway.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the management rule further includes information indicating the number of data to be stored into the data recorder, the information indicating the number of data being associated with each of the data to be stored in the data recorder,

the data storing means include

means for determining whether or not the number of data to be stored in the data recorder is larger than a number decided by the information indicating the number of data, and

means for overwriting the new data to be stored, on the oldest data stored in the data recorder, in cases where it is determined that the number of data to be stored is larger than the number decided by the information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising

travel determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling at present;

and

inhibiting means for inhibiting the rule setting means from setting at least one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle when it is determined by the travel determining means that the vehicle is traveling at present.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, comprising

stop monitoring means for monitoring the vehicle has stopped moving after the inhibiting means inhibits the rule setting means from setting at least one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle;

and

resuming means for resuming the rule setting means by releasing setting of at least one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, comprising

a first set-up contents recorder and a second set-up contents recorder in both of which contents set by the rule setting means are stored;

set-up contents storing means for storing the contents set by the rule setting means, into the first set-up contents recorder; and

saving means for saving the contents stored in the first set-up contents recorder into the second set-up contents recorder before the set-up contents recording means sets up the contents into the first set-up contents recorder,

wherein the data storing means is adapted to i) store the data into the data recorder in accordance with the set-up contents stored in the second set-up contents recorder only during a designated period starting from a timing at which the management rule is acquired by the rule acquiring means to a timing at which the set-up contents is stored into the first set-up contents recorder by the set-up contents storing means and ii) store the data into the data recorder in accordance with the set-up contents stored in the first set-up contents recorder during periods other than the designated period.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising

transmission means for transmitting data to the external device when the external device requests the apparatus to transmit the data.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the management rule further includes information indicating the number of data to be stored into the data recorder, the information indicating the number of data being associated with each of the data to be stored in the data recorder,

the data storing means include

means for determining whether or not the number of data to be stored in the data recorder is larger than a number decided by the information indicating the number of data, and

means for overwriting the new data to be stored, on the oldest data stored in the data recorder, in cases where it is determined that the number of data to be stored is larger than the number decided by the information.

11. The apparatus of claim 2, comprising

travel determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling at present;

and

inhibiting means for inhibiting the rule setting means from setting at least one of-the type of data and the acquisition cycle when it is determined by the travel determining means that the vehicle is traveling at present.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, comprising

stop monitoring means for monitoring the vehicle has stopped moving after the inhibiting means inhibits the rule setting means from setting at least one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle;

and

resuming means for resuming the rule setting means by releasing setting of at least one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, comprising

a first set-up contents recorder and a second set-up contents recorder in both of which contents set by the rule setting means are stored;

set-up contents storing means for storing the contents set by the rule setting means, into the first set-up contents recorder; and

saving means for saving the contents stored in the first set-up contents recorder into the second set-up contents recorder before the set-up contents recording means sets up the contents into the first set-up contents recorder,

wherein the data storing means is adapted to i) store the data into the data recorder in accordance with the set-up contents stored in the second set-up contents recorder only during a designated period starting from a timing at which the management rule is acquired by the rule acquiring means to a timing at which the set-up contents is stored into the first set-up contents recorder by the set-up contents storing means and ii) store the data into the data recorder in accordance with the set-up contents stored in the first set-up contents recorder during periods other than the designated period.

14. The apparatus of claim 2, comprising

transmission means for transmitting data to the external device when the external device requests the apparatus to transmit the data.

15. A program implemented an apparatus for managing data processed in a vehicle, the program being readably stored in medium by a computer, wherein the program allows the computer to functionally work as:

rule acquiring means for acquiring, from outside the vehicle, a management rule including at least one of information indicating a type of data to be acquired by an external device placed outside the vehicle and information indicating an acquisition cycle at which the data should be acquired;

rule setting means for setting at least one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle by making reference to the management rule in response to acquisition by the rule acquiring means;

data acquiring means for acquiring data which is according to at least of one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle set by the setting means; and

data storing means for storing in a data recorder the data acquired by data acquiring means.

16. A system comprising a data management apparatus for managing data processed in a vehicle having an on-vehicle network and a gateway communicably connected to the data management apparatus via a communication line,

wherein the data management apparatus comprises:

rule acquiring means for acquiring, from outside the vehicle, a management rule including at least one of information indicating a type of data to be acquired by an external device placed outside the vehicle and information indicating an acquisition cycle at which the data should be acquired;

management data transmitting means for transmitting to the gateway management data indicating at least one of the information indicating the type of data to be acquired or the information indicating the acquisition cycle of the data;

data storing means for acquiring data from the gateway and storing the acquired data in a data recorder, and

wherein the gateway is communicably connected to the on-vehicle network, and

the gate way comprises;

means for acquiring the management data from the data management apparatus;

type/cycle setting means for setting at least one of the type of data to be acquired and the acquisition cycle of the data by making reference to the management data;

means for acquiring from the on-vehicle network the data whose type is set by the type/cycle setting means or acquiring from the on-vehicle network the data of a predetermined type at the cycle set by the type/cycle setting means; and

relay executing means for relaying the acquired data to the data management apparatus.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the gateway comprises

travel determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling at present;

and

inhibiting means for inhibiting the rule setting means from setting at least one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle when it is determined by the travel determining means that the vehicle is moving at present.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the gateway comprises:

a first set-up contents recorder and a second set-up contents recorder in both of which contents set by the rule setting means are stored;

set-up contents storing means for storing the contents set by the rule setting means, into the first set-up contents recorder; and

saving means for saving the contents stored in the first set-up contents recorder into the second set-up contents recorder before the set-up contents recording means sets up the contents into the first set-up contents recorder,

wherein the relay executing means is adapted to i) store the data into the data recorder in accordance with the set-up contents stored in the second set-up contents recorder only during a designated period starting from a timing at which the management data is acquired to a timing at which the set-up contents is stored into the first set-up contents recorder and ii) store the data into the data recorder in accordance with the set-up contents stored in the first set-up contents recorder during periods other than the designated period.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein

the gateway is composed of a plurality of gateways each being communicably connected to the data management apparatus and each comprising the type/cycle setting means and the relay executing means,

wherein the management data transmitting means is adapted to transmit the management data to the respective gateways, and

wherein each of the gateways comprises need determining means for determining whether or not the management data is needed by the gateway receiving the management data, by making comparison between a data list in which data to be processed by the gateway are previously recorded and data included in the management data, wherein the type/cycle setting means is adapted to set the type of the data or the acquisition cycle of the data only when it is determined that the management data is needed by the gateway receiving the management data.