Data management apparatus, data management program and data management system

• US 8,417,743 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kameda, Nobuya, Satou, Yousuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi, Yuk Ting
• Application Number:
  US12/931,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20110191392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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, the apparatus comprising:

a processor including;

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

a rule setting unit setting, in the 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 unit;

a data acquiring unit acquiring data which is according to at least of one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle set by the rule setting unit;

a data recorder;

a data storing unit for storing in the data recorder the data acquired by data acquiring unit;

a travel determining unit determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling at present;

an inhibiting unit inhibiting the rule setting unit from setting at least one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle when the travel determining unit determines that the vehicle is traveling at present;

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

a resuming unit resuming the rule setting unit by releasing the inhibition of the setting of at least one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising

a transmission unit transmitting data to the external device when the external device requests the apparatus to transmit the data.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, 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 unit is configured to set the type of data to be acquired, by making reference to the management rule,

the apparatus further comprising a relay state setting unit 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 unit.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, 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 unit includes

a determining unit 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

an overwriting unit 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.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein

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

the rule setting unit is configured to also set the acquisition cycle by making reference to the management rule,

the relay state setting unit is configured 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 unit, the data having the type set by the rule setting unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the communication line is a dedicated communication line for data, wherein the dedicated communication line is connected to only the gateway.

7. 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 unit includes

a determining unit 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

an overwriting unit 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.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising

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

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

a saving unit 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 unit sets up the contents into the first set-up contents recorder,

wherein the data storing unit is configured 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 unit to a timing at which the set-up contents is stored into the first set-up contents recorder by the set-up contents storing unit 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, further comprising

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

a set-up contents storing unit storing the contents set by the rule setting unit, into the first set-up contents recorder; and

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

wherein the data storing unit is configured 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 unit to a timing at which the set-up contents is stored into the first set-up contents recorder by the set-up contents storing unit 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.

10. 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:

a processing unit including;

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

a management data transmitting unit transmitting to the gateway management data indicating at least one of the information indicating the type of data acquired or the information indicating the acquisition cycle of the data;

a data storing unit 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 gateway comprises;

an acquiring unit acquiring the management data from the data management apparatus;

a type and cycle setting unit 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;

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

a relay executing unit relaying the acquired data to the data management apparatus;

a travel determining unit determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling at present;

an inhibiting unit inhibiting the rule setting unit from setting at least one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle when the travel determining unit determines that the vehicle is traveling at present;

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

a resuming unit resuming the rule setting unit by releasing the inhibition of the setting of at least one of the type of data and the acquisition cycle.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the gateway further comprises:

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

a set-up contents storing unit storing the contents set by the rule setting unit, into the first set-up contents recorder; and

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

wherein the relay executing unit is configured 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.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein

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

wherein the management data transmitting unit is configured to transmit the management data to the respective gateways, and

wherein each of the gateways comprises a need determining unit 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 and cycle setting unit is configured 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.