JP2018036923A - Data management device, data management method, and data communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for leveling communication data amounts when a contractor of a communication service uses a plurality of communication devices.SOLUTION: In a data management device 3 which manages data to be transmitted/received via a communication network N1 constituted of a plurality of base stations B, a storage part stores relay device identification information for specifying each of a plurality of relay devices 2 which communicate via each base station B and contractor identification information of a contractor who has made a contract for using at least one relay device 2 among the plurality of relay devices 2 which communicate via each base station B in association, and a specification part specifies data communication amounts communicated between the relay device 2 and the data management device 3 for each contractor identification information, and a charge amount determination part determines charge amounts for the contractor on the basis of the size of the data communication amounts per unit time of the data communication amounts specified by the specification part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

  The present invention relates to a data management apparatus, a data management method, and a data communication system that process data received from a communication device.

  In the mobile phone service, a billing amount is determined for each communication terminal that is a service contract unit. 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.

JP 2008-054021 A

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

  When the contractor of the relay device is a corporation, a large number of communication devices may perform data communication via the relay device. In particular, when communication devices are used for the purpose of facility management or the like, data communication tends to be concentrated in a specific time zone, and there is a concern that the communication quality in that time zone will deteriorate. When a subscriber performs data communication, it is not under the control of the communication carrier that manages the mobile phone network, so there is a problem that it is difficult to distribute the concentrated data communication volume led by the communication service provider. It was.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of leveling communication data when a communication service contractor uses a large number of communication devices.

  A first aspect of the present invention is a data management device that manages data transmitted and received via a communication network composed of a plurality of base stations. Here, each of the plurality of base stations relays data communicated between the plurality of relay apparatuses and the data management apparatus. The data management device includes: relay device identification information for identifying each of a plurality of relay devices communicating via each base station; and at least one relay device among the plurality of relay devices communicating via each base station. A storage unit that associates and stores contractor identification information of a contractor who has contracted to use the communication network, and relay that is associated with the contractor identification information for each of the contractor identification information A specifying unit for specifying a data communication amount communicated between a device and the data management device in a predetermined charging unit period; and a magnitude of the data communication amount per unit time of the data communication amount specified by the specifying unit And a billing amount determination unit for determining a billing amount for the contractor.

  For each contractor identification information, the specifying unit is configured such that, among the relay devices associated with the contractor identification information, the data communication amount communicated by the relay device in units of relay devices installed in a predetermined area May be specified.

  For each of the contractor identification information, the specifying unit includes a base station that serves as a communication path of a relay apparatus associated with the contractor identification information as a unit, and the associated relay apparatus passes through the base station. You may specify the sum total of the data communication amount communicated.

  The specifying unit may specify, for each contractor identification information, a data communication amount communicated by the relay device in units of relay devices with which the contractor identification information is contracted.

  The charging amount determination unit may determine the charging amount for the contractor based on the data communication amount per unit time in a predetermined time period out of the data communication amount specified by the specifying unit. Good.

  The billing amount determination unit may determine a billing amount for the contractor based on a maximum value of the data communication amount per unit time of the data communication amount specified by the specifying unit.

  The billing amount determination unit may determine the billing amount for the contractor based on whether or not the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold.

  The charging amount determination unit determines the charging amount so that when the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold, the maximum value of the data communication amount is higher than when the maximum value is small. May be.

  The billing amount determination unit is configured such that when the maximum value of the data communication amount does not exceed a predetermined communication amount threshold, the charge amount determination unit is lower than when the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold. A charge amount may be determined.

  The billing amount determination unit may determine the billing amount based on the number of times that the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold during the billing unit period.

  The second aspect of the present invention is a data management method executed by a processor of a data management apparatus that manages data transmitted and received via a communication network composed of a plurality of base stations. Here, each of the plurality of base stations relays data communicated between the plurality of relay apparatuses and the data management apparatus. The processor includes: relay device identification information for specifying each of a plurality of relay devices communicating via each base station; and at least one relay device among the plurality of relay devices communicating via each base station Each contractor identification information is associated with the contractor identification information with reference to a storage unit that stores the contractor identification information of a contractor who has contracted to use the network in association with each other. Based on the step of identifying the data communication amount communicated between the relay device and the data management device in a predetermined charging unit period, and the size of the data communication amount per unit time of the identified data communication amount, Determining a billing amount for the contractor.

  A 3rd aspect of this invention is a data communication system provided with the communication network comprised from a some base station, and the data management apparatus which manages the data transmitted / received via the said communication network. Here, each of the plurality of base stations has a communication unit for performing data communication between the plurality of relay apparatuses and the data management apparatus. The data management device includes at least one relay among relay device identification information for identifying each of a plurality of relay devices with which each base station communicates via communication, and a plurality of relay devices with which each base station communicates via each base station A storage unit that associates and stores contractor identification information of a contractor who has a contract for using the communication network by the device, and each contractor identification information is associated with the contractor identification information. A specifying unit for specifying a data communication amount communicated between a relay device and the data management device in a predetermined charging unit period; and a data communication amount per unit time of the data communication amount specified by the specifying unit A billing amount determination unit that determines a billing amount for the contractor based on the size.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to determine an appropriate charge amount when a communication service contractor uses a large number of communication devices.

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 the data in a data communication system. It is a figure which shows the structure of a relay apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of a data processor. It is a figure which shows the structure of an accounting amount determination apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the record stored in the contractor accounting database. It is a figure which shows the example of the record stored in the acquirer accounting database. It is a figure which shows an example of the acquirer charging database containing the charging object data amount calculated based on the burden rate. It is a figure which shows the communication sequence in a charge amount determination system. It is a figure for demonstrating the process at the time of a charge amount determination part determining a charge amount based on the application which a data acquirer uses. It is a figure which shows the structure of the data communication system which concerns on the modification of embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the data structure of the communication path | route database which matches and memorize | stores the identifier for specifying the base station, the relay apparatus which a base station relays, and the contractor of a relay apparatus. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the communication amount database which totaled the peak value and average communication amount of the data communication amount in the charging unit period between a relay apparatus and a data management apparatus for every contractor. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the database which totaled the frequency | count that the relay apparatus peak value of the data traffic exceeded the traffic threshold in the accounting unit period for every contractor. It is a figure which shows typically the data structure of the area database which matches and stores the relationship between a base station and its installation area.

[Configuration of Data Communication System S]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a data communication system S according to the 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 the 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 the packet data received from the relay device 2 via the communication network N2 such as an optical communication line. The data management device 3 includes a data processing device 30 and a charge amount determination device 50. The data management device 3 is configured by 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 a single 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 with his own PC. The contents of data transmitted by the device 1 can be browsed.

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

  The communication device 1 is installed in a vending machine, a vehicle, an office, a factory, etc., and packet data including various kinds of information that can be collected at the installed location via the relay device 2 and the data processing device 30, It transmits to the data acquisition apparatus 4 which can be accessed by the data acquisition person who made the contract which acquires the information which the communication device 1 collected. When the communication device 1 is installed in, for example, a vending machine, the communication device 1 collects information on temperature, the remaining amount of change, the inventory of goods, the presence of surrounding people, and the like, and a packet including the collected information 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 in a communication terminal such as a smartphone or tablet, and the length of one packet data is, for example, 100 bytes or less. is there. The packet data transmitted by the communication device 1 includes a device ID that is identification information assigned to each communication device 1 and device data including the collected information.

  The relay apparatus 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 transfers the packet data to the data processing device 30 by sending the stored packet data to the communication network N1 at a preset timing.

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

  In addition, the data processing device 30 includes collected packet data or acquirer identification information (hereinafter referred to as an acquirer ID) assigned to a data acquirer that acquires statistical information generated based on the packet data, and data acquisition Associated with device identification information (hereinafter referred to as device ID) assigned to each of a plurality of communication devices used by a user, the date and time when the packet data was received from the relay apparatus 2, the number of times, and the amount of received packet data And the like are notified to the billing amount determination apparatus 50. The data processing device 30 further includes contractor identification information (hereinafter referred to as a contractor ID) assigned to a contractor who has a contract for the relay device 2 to use the communication network N1, and the relay device 2 through the relay device 2. The billing amount determination device 50 includes the date and time of reception of packet data from the relay device 2, the number of received packet data, and the like in association with the device IDs of a plurality of communication devices that transmit packet data to the data processing device 30. May be notified.

  The data acquisition device 4 is a server that can be accessed by a data acquirer using a computer or a portable terminal. In response to the request of the data acquirer, the data acquisition device 4 transmits a data acquisition request including the device ID of the communication device 1 that is the target of acquiring data and the application ID of the application to the data processing device 30, thereby Data output from at least one of a plurality of applications that can execute 1 can be acquired from the data processing device 30. The data acquisition device 4 provides the data acquirer with the data received from the data processing device 30 or the data analysis result.

  The billing amount determination device 50 determines a billing amount for a communication service in which packet data output from the communication device 1 is transmitted from the relay device 2 to the data processing device 30. In addition, the billing amount determination device 50 transmits the amount of packet data output from the application of the communication device 1 associated with the data acquirer (hereinafter referred to as the packet data) from the relay device 2 to the data processing device 30 associated with the data acquirer. The billing destination of the billing amount for the data communication amount) 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 determination device 50 also determines a 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 from the communication device 1 that transmits packet data via the relay device 2 from the relay device 2 to the data processing device 30 associated with the contractor. Determine the amount charged to the contractor. The billing amount determination 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 management company of the vending machine, a beverage manufacturer that manufactures products of the vending machine, a company that provides marketing information, or the like. . The data acquirer has signed a contract for acquiring data output by a desired application of the desired communication device 1 with the communication carrier that manages the data processing device 30 and the billing amount determining device 50. Billing amount determination apparatus 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. Are stored in association with each other. The billing amount determination device 50 determines the billing amount for each data acquirer based on the device ID associated with the acquirer ID and the amount of data output by the application corresponding to the application ID within a predetermined period.

  The billing amount determination device 50 registers the determined billing amount in the database that manages the billing amount for the contractor and the data acquirer. In this way, 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 change balance of the vending machine. The stock management application 13 can transmit stock information indicating the number of stocks of products sold by the vending machine. 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.

  Information transmitted by each application is allocated to the data acquisition device 4 registered in advance by the data processing device 30. In 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 that 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 billing amount determination device 50 determines the billing amount according to the data communication amount of the temperature information output from the temperature application 11 for the data acquirer of the data acquisition device 4a. The charge amount determination device 50 determines the charge 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. To do. Further, the billing amount determination apparatus 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 decide.

  In addition, 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 includes the remaining amount of gasoline, the remaining amount of battery, travel data (travel distance, average speed, fuel consumption, number of sudden brakes, etc.), position information, vehicle body defect information, etc. Can be transmitted to the data processing device 30.

[Configuration of Relay Device 2]
Next, the configuration and operation of the relay device 2 and the billing amount determination device 50 will be described in detail.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the relay device 2. The relay device 2 includes 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 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, when the traffic amount of the communication network N1 is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the control unit 22 sends data to the communication network N1.

  The control unit 22 may determine the timing for transmitting 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 in the storage unit 24. In addition, the control unit 22 causes the storage unit 24 to accumulate data having a low priority so as not to be transmitted at the same timing as data having a high priority. The control unit 22 may not transmit data with low priority during a time period notified in advance from the data management device 3. By doing in this way, the control part 22 can transmit the data which should be transmitted rapidly without delay, suppressing that the traffic amount of the communication network N1 becomes large too much. In the data communication system S, a 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 an application that outputs high priority data. May be. By doing in this way, the control part 22 becomes possible [transmitting data with high priority 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. For example, the data acquirer can set the time at which the relay device 2 transmits data for each communication device 1 and 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 can On the other hand, it can be motivated to transmit data in a time zone in which the charge 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 data received from the communication device 1 to the communication network N1. The network communication unit 23 can transmit / receive data to / from a base station of a mobile phone network in accordance with, for example, the LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard.

  Based on an instruction from the control unit 22, the network communication unit 23 acquires data from the amount of data transmitted to the data processing device 30 until a predetermined period elapses after data is transmitted to the data processing device 30. It functions as a notification unit that notifies the data processing device 30 of the amount of unreceived data, which is data for which a response indicating that data has been normally received from the device 4 has not been received. Unreceived data is communicated as in a communication section from the relay apparatus 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 apparatus 30. The data cannot be received by the data processing device 30 due to communication failure due to the equipment of the carrier.

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

  Information indicating whether the data communication has succeeded or failed, which is notified to the data processing device 30 by the network communication unit 23, is used when the billing amount determination device 50 determines the billing amount for the contractor and the data acquirer. . Details of the process in which the billing amount determination apparatus 50 determines the billing amount based on the success or failure of data communication will be described later.

  The storage unit 24 includes 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 illustrating a configuration of the data processing device 30. The data processing device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33.

  The communication unit 31 includes a first communication unit 311, 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 a terminal interface for a mobile phone network, for example. 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 / receiving data to / from the billing amount determination device 50. The second communication unit 312 is a LAN interface, for example.
The third communication unit 313 has a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and 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 includes a storage medium such as a ROM, a RAM, and a hard disk. The storage unit 32 stores the packet data transmitted from the plurality of communication devices 1 transmitted from the relay apparatus 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 the acquirer ID of the data acquirer who accesses the data processing device 30 via the data acquisition device 4, and the device IDs of the communication device 1 and the application registered as targets for data acquisition by the data acquirer. And a database for data provision associated with the application ID. The storage unit 32 may store a data providing database that manages data to be browsed by a plurality of data acquirers, and stores individual data providing databases created for each data acquirer. May be.

  The control unit 33 is, for example, a CPU, and executes information stored in the storage unit 32 to execute information stored in the 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 data transmission / reception between the relay device 2 and the data acquisition device 4. The communication control unit 331 notifies the APN (Access Point Name) that is the gateway address of the communication network N1 to the relay device 2 that can communicate with the communication device 1 that outputs data to be provided to the data acquisition device 4. Thus, reception of data from the relay device 2 is started.

  When the request reception unit 332 receives a request from the data acquisition device 4, the communication control unit 331 refers to the data provision database stored in the storage unit 32 and received via the communication network N 1. 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 transmitted the data acquisition request is associated with the device ID of the communication device that is to provide data to the data acquisition device 4 of the acquirer ID. Yes. In the data providing database, an application ID of an application to be provided with data may be further associated with the data acquisition device 4 having 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 types of data included in the packet data transmitted by the communication device 1, and extracts the extracted data. This 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 to which the data acquirer has logged in using its own acquirer ID. Make it available for viewing. When the communication control unit 331 provides the data to the data acquisition device 4, the communication control unit 331 provides the acquired date and time in association with the acquirer ID corresponding to the data acquisition device 4 of the provision destination, the device ID and application ID of the application that transmitted the data. The charge amount determination device 50 is notified of the amount of data.

  Even if the communication control unit 331 sets a time during which data transmission by an application executable by the communication device 1 from the relay device 2 is prohibited, 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 outputs 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.

  In addition, the communication control unit 331 outputs, to the relay device 2 that relays data transmitted from the communication device 1, data output by the application corresponding to the application ID that is not stored in the storage unit 32 in association with the acquirer ID. 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 there is no data acquisition device 4 for acquiring data, and thus it is possible to suppress the traffic volume of the communication network N1. .

  In addition, the communication control unit 331 assigns, to the relay device 2, a priority for transmitting data received from the application to the communication network N <b> 1 for each application, and preferentially receives data received from the application with a higher priority. The relay apparatus 2 may be instructed to transmit to the processing apparatus 30. In this way, the relay device 2 can prevent data received from an application with a low priority from being transmitted simultaneously with data received from an application with a high priority. Therefore, the traffic volume of the communication network N1 Can be leveled.

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

  When the data acquirer selects the communication device 1 and application from which data is to be acquired from the list of communication devices 1 and applications displayed via the data acquisition device 4, the data acquisition device 4 selects the selected communication device 1 and A data acquisition request including information (for example, device ID and application ID) for specifying an application and an acquirer ID is transmitted to the data processing device 30. When receiving a data acquisition request from the data acquisition device 4, the request reception unit 332 notifies the storage control unit 333 of the acquirer ID, device ID, and application ID included in the data acquisition request, thereby allowing the data in the storage unit 32 to be stored. Register in the database for provision.

  The request receiving unit 332 may receive a request for selecting the same application executed by the same communication device 1 from the plurality of data acquisition devices 4. The communication control unit 331 receives the packet data received via the communication network N1 when the request reception unit 332 receives a request for selecting the same application executed by the same communication device 1 from the plurality of data acquisition devices 4. 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 in the storage unit 32 or reads data stored in the storage unit 32 based on instructions from the communication control unit 331 and the request reception unit 332. For example, when the storage control unit 333 receives a data acquisition request notification from the request reception unit 332, the storage control unit 333 stores the device ID and the application ID in the storage unit 32 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 application ID with the acquirer ID. To be stored in the storage unit 32.

[Configuration of Billing Amount Determination Device 50]
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the billing amount determination apparatus 50. Billing amount determination apparatus 50 includes communication unit 51, storage unit 52, and 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 a LAN interface, for example.

(Billing database)
The storage unit 52 includes a storage medium such as a ROM, a RAM, and a hard disk. The storage unit 52 stores a program executed by the control unit 53. Further, the storage unit 52 includes a contractor charging database 521 and an acquirer charging database 522. In the contractor charging 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 from which the relay device 2 receives data are associated. ing. In the contractor charging database 521, an application ID of an application that can be executed by the communication device 1 may be further associated.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating 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 with which the contractor corresponding to the contractor ID makes a contract with the communication carrier, and the communication device that allows the relay device 2 to receive packet data. 1 device ID. It can be seen that the contractor with the contractor ID 00001 has contracted the relay apparatus 2 that relays the data output by the communication device 1 having the device IDs 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 1005 and the like.

  In FIG. 6B, for each contractor, the number of days of communication by the communication device 1 that transmits data via the relay apparatus 2 contracted by the contractor, and the amount of data communication received via the relay apparatus 2 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 for charging. The data communication amount is the amount of data (for example, the number of bytes) received from the communication device 1 within the unit period.

  According to FIG. 6B, it can be seen that the number of days in which data is transmitted from the communication device 1 whose device ID is 1001 associated with the contractor whose contractor ID is 00001 is 30 days. The total number of communication occurrence days of all communication devices 1 registered by the contractor with the contractor ID 00001 is 116 days, and the billing amount for this contractor is, for example, an amount corresponding to 116 days. The billing amount for 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 for receiving the packet data from the relay device 2.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of records stored in the acquirer billing database 522. In the acquirer billing database 522, the acquired data that is the acquirer ID corresponding to the data acquisition device 4, the device ID, the application ID, and the amount of data (number of bytes) acquired by the data acquisition device 4 in one month. Associated with the quantity. According to FIG. 7, the data acquirer whose acquirer ID is S0001 is the data output by the application whose application ID is a51 and the application whose application ID is a52 that can be executed by the communication device 1 whose device ID is 1001, and the device It can be seen that the data output by the application whose application ID is a51 and the application whose application ID is a52 that can be executed by the communication device 1 whose ID is 1002 can be acquired.

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

(Processing in charge amount determination apparatus 50)
Returning to FIG. 5, the controller 53 is, for example, a CPU. The control unit 53 functions as the data management unit 531, the specifying unit 532, and the billing amount determination unit 533 by executing the program stored in the storage unit 52.

  The data management unit 531 manages data in the acquirer charging database 522. For example, when the communication device 1 and the application from which the data acquirer acquires data are changed from the data processing device 30, the data management unit 531 changes the device ID and application ID associated with the acquirer ID. Update. The data management unit 531 updates the acquired data amount in the acquirer charging database 522 upon receiving a notification from the data processing device 30 regarding the date and time when data was provided to the data acquisition device 4 and the amount of data provided.

  For each contractor ID, the specifying unit 532 determines the total number of days that the data processing apparatus 30 has received packet data from the relay apparatus 2 with which the contractor with the contractor ID has contracted, and the relay apparatus 2 communicates in a predetermined unit period. The total amount of data received or the total amount of data received from the relay device 2 is specified. In addition, for each acquirer ID, the specifying unit 532 relays packet data output from the communication device 1 registered as a target from which each data acquirer acquires data in a predetermined unit period. The total number of days or 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 as a target for acquiring data by each data acquirer.

  For example, the identifying unit 532 refers to the record in the contractor billing database 521 shown in FIG. 6B to identify the number of communication occurrence days for each device ID in order to identify the communication occurrence days corresponding to each contractor. 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 whose device IDs are registered in association with each contractor. When the communication time is also included in the record of FIG. 6B, the specifying unit 532 calculates the sum of the communication times of the plurality of communication devices 1 in which the device ID is registered in association with each contractor. To specify the total communication time. When the data communication amount is also included in the record of FIG. 6B, the specifying unit 532 calculates the sum of the data communication amounts of the plurality of communication devices 1 whose device IDs are 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, thereby obtaining the data acquisition. The total amount of data communication is specified for each person. For example, the specifying unit 532 specifies that the data communication amount corresponding to the data acquirer whose acquirer ID is S0001 is 3000 + 2000 + 5200 + 3400 = 13600 bytes.

  The charging amount determination unit 533 determines the charging 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 specifying unit 532. For example, when the billing amount determination unit 533 reaches the last day of the unit period for calculating the billing amount, the billing amount determination unit 533 multiplies the data communication amount of the relay apparatus 2 with which the contractor is contracted, identified by the identifying unit 532, by multiplying the unit price. Determine the billing amount. The billing amount determination unit 533 transmits the billing amount in association with the contractor ID to a fee management server (not shown) that issues a bill to the contractor.

  In addition, the charge amount determination unit 533 can charge the data acquirer for at least a part of the communication fee required for data transmission from the communication device 1 to the data management device 3. In this case, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge 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. For example, when the billing amount determination unit 533 reaches the last day of the unit period for calculating the billing amount, based on at least one of the number of device IDs and the number of application IDs associated with the acquirer ID, Determine the billing amount. In this way, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the amount of data to be acquired when the data acquirer acquires only the data output by some applications executable 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 use of the communication device 1, and associates with the acquirer ID. The charge 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 unit prices determined for each combination of the device ID and the application ID.

  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). May be. In this way, the billing amount determination unit 533 can determine the billing amount according to the degree to which the data acquirer has benefited using the communication network N1 and the communication network N2.

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

  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, thereby finalizing the contractor. A charge amount may be determined. The charge amount determination unit 533, when the total value of some of the charge amounts for a plurality of data acquirers is larger than the temporary charge amount for the contractor, subtracts the temporary charge amount from the total value, Determined as payment to contractor.

  By doing so, the contractor is motivated to install the communication device 1 having an application capable of outputting data that many data acquirers want to acquire in an appropriate place. In addition, for communication carriers, the number of data acquirers who acquire data output from the communication device 1 via the data processing device 30 increases because the contractor installs many communication devices 1. The billing amount can be increased to increase profits.

  In addition, when the data acquirer uses a specific application or a specific type of application (for example, an application recommended to be used by a communication carrier), the charge amount determination unit 533 calculates a predetermined amount from the fixed amount charge. The amount may be reduced or the amount of data communication available for a flat rate may be increased. In addition, the billing amount determination unit 533 may reduce the billing amount when the number of communication devices 1 and the number of applications with which one relay device 2 can communicate are smaller than a predetermined number.

[Billing based on success or failure of 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 a predetermined period of the plurality of communication devices 1 exceeds a predetermined value. May be. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6B, the communication device 1 having a device ID of 1003 has a communication occurrence time of 3 days and hardly communicates. In such a case, there is a possibility that the communication device 1 with the device ID 1003 has failed. Accordingly, 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 days of communication occurrence corresponding to the communication device 1. Billing amount determination unit 533 may not charge if the number of communication occurrence days is less than a predetermined number of days and the amount of data in each communication or the total amount of data generated in a plurality of communications is less than the predetermined amount.

  The situation where the number of days of communication occurrence is abnormally small as described above is due to, for example, a failure 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. This can also occur when the device data output by the communication device 1 does not reach the data processing device 30. Accordingly, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the contractor and the data acquisition 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 charge amount for the person may be determined.

  For example, when determining the billing amount, the billing amount determination unit 533 acquires the number of transmissions that is the number of attempts to transmit packet data from the relay device 2 in association with the device ID and the relay device ID. 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 with respect to the number of transmissions acquired from the relay device 2. Then, only the data communication amount corresponding to the communication device 1 having a communication success rate larger than a predetermined value is added. That is, the billing amount determination unit 533 excludes the data communication amount corresponding to the communication device 1 having a communication success rate equal to or less than a predetermined value from the billing amount calculation.

  In this way, the data acquisition apparatus 4 can be prevented from being charged even though the scheduled device data cannot be collected, so that the contractor and the data acquirer can be prevented from being frustrated. it can. The billing amount determination unit 533 acquires the number of packet data transmission failures from the relay device 2 after the relay device 2 is in a communicable state, the number of packet data acquisitions and the number of failures. The communication success rate may be calculated based on the above. In this specification, data transmission failure means that the transmitted data has not arrived at the transmission destination, and data transmission success means that the transmitted data has arrived at the transmission destination.

  In addition, the billing amount determination unit 533 transmits confirmation data for confirming the status to at least some of the plurality of communication devices 1 (for example, the communication device 1 for which the data acquirer collects information). The communication device 1 that does not receive response data for the confirmation data until the predetermined time elapses after the transmission and the confirmation data is transmitted may be excluded from the object of billing to determine the billing amount. In this way, the billing amount determination unit 533 can exclude the communication device 1 that has failed from the billing target, so that the contractor and the data acquirer can be prevented from being dissatisfied.

  In this way, when the billing amount determination unit 533 transmits confirmation data for confirming the status of the communication device 1, the billing amount determination unit 533 confirms until a predetermined time elapses after the confirmation data is transmitted. For the communication device 1 to which no response data for data has been sent, the amount from the expiration date of the predetermined period to the date of the previous communication occurrence or the date of reception of the immediately previous response data is excluded from the charge object and charged May be determined. In this way, the billing amount determination unit 533 does not charge for a period during which the communication device 1 has not been operated, so that the contractor or the data acquirer can be prevented 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 that is the amount of data that has not been received by the data acquisition device 4 among the data transmitted by the relay device 2. Thus, the billing amount for the contractor may be determined. The charge 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. An amount may be used.

  The billing amount determination unit 533 subtracts the amount corresponding to the unreceived data amount from the reference billing amount corresponding to the amount of data transmitted by the network communication unit 23, thereby charging the contractor and the billing amount for the data acquirer. Determine at least one of In this way, the billing amount determination unit 533 allows 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 to the data acquirer. 4 is not charged for data that did not reach 4, the contractor and the data acquirer can be prevented from being dissatisfied.

  At this time, the charge amount determination unit 533 may determine the charge amount based further on the time when the data transmission failed 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 failed time. Specifically, the billing amount determination unit 533 includes the time when the network communication unit 23 transmitted data is included in another time zone when the time when the communication network N1 is congested is included. Compared to the case, the amount to be subtracted from the reference charge amount is reduced according to the amount of unreceived data. By doing so, it is possible to motivate the data acquirer to acquire data in a time zone when the communication network N1 is not congested.

  The billing amount determination unit 533 receives 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 charge amount may be determined based on the reason that the response from the device provided between them cannot be received. For example, when data communication fails due to congestion or failure of the communication network N1 or the communication network N2, the charge amount determination unit 533 subtracts the amount for the failed data from the reference charge amount. In this way, it is possible to prevent the communication carrier from being charged for the user despite the communication failure due to the communication network N1 or the communication network N2 managed by the communication carrier. On the other hand, the charge amount determination unit 533 is not able to receive a response from the data processing device 30 until a predetermined period has elapsed since the relay device 2 transmitted data to the data processing device 30. In the case of the data acquisition device 4, the charge amount is determined without subtracting the amount corresponding to the unreceived data amount from the reference charge amount. By doing in this way, when a communication carrier fails in communication resulting from the data acquisition apparatus 4, it can prevent that a profit reduces.

  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 the acquirer charge database 522 in association with the acquirer ID. May be. The billing amount determination unit 533 converts the reference billing amount based on the data transmitted from the communication device 1 and application registered by the data acquirer to acquire data into the unreceived data amount determined for each application. The billing amount is determined by subtracting the corresponding amount. For example, in the case where data communication from an application with a high reference charging amount set by a user with a high priority fails, the charging amount determination unit 533 starts from an application with a low reference charging amount set by a user with a low priority. The amount to be subtracted is made larger than when data communication fails. 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 data regarding whether the communication has failed or succeeded transmitted from the relay device 2 from the billing target. By doing so, the billing amount determination unit 533 does not charge for data that is not used by the data acquirer, and thus can prevent the contractor and the data acquirer from being dissatisfied.

[Data acquisition rate]
In the above description, the charging amount determination unit 533 determines the charging amount for the data acquirer based on the acquired data amount provided to the data acquisition device 4, but the charging amount determination unit 533 The charge amount corresponding to the acquirer ID may be determined based on the data amount and a burden rate that is a proportion of the communication fee corresponding to the amount of data acquired by the data acquisition device 4.

  For example, 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 when the request reception unit 332 receives a data acquisition request for acquiring data from the data acquisition device 4. The determined burden rate is registered in the acquirer charging database 522. The charge amount determination unit 533 transmits the provisionally 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. The burden rate may be validated by registering it in the acquirer charging database 522.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the acquirer charging database 522 including the charging 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 data of the data acquisition device 4 of the data acquirer whose acquirer ID is S0001 and data of the data acquirer whose acquirer ID is S0003. To the acquisition device 4. In this case, since the two data acquirers have acquired data output by the application with the application ID a51, each of the data acquirer with the acquirer ID S0001 and the data acquirer with the acquirer ID S0003. The burden rate is 50%. The chargeable data amount is 1500 bytes obtained by multiplying the acquired data amount by the burden rate.

  As described above, the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the burden rate of each data acquirer according to the number of data acquirers that acquire the data output by the application of the communication device 1, so that the data acquirer bears the burden. The amount of data to be acquired becomes smaller, so the number of data acquirers who want to acquire data increases. As a result, a virtuous cycle in which the burden rate of each data acquirer is further reduced is generated, and merits are generated 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 data output by the application of the communication device 1. For example, the contractor of the relay device 2 can acquire data output from the communication device 1 in (1) a mode in which anyone can acquire data, (2) a mode in which a data acquirer who has been approved by the contractor can acquire, (3) contract A desired mode can be selected from any mode such as a mode that only a person can acquire. 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 with reference to a charge table corresponding to the mode. .

  In addition, the data management device 3 transmits the data transmission time from the communication device 1 from the data acquisition device 4 (for example, transmission at 0:00 or 0:01), data transmission interval, or data When a request for setting the priority or the like is received, a charge per data amount may be displayed for each setting condition regarding data transmission. In this way, 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 receiving the transmission data, the relay device 2 accumulates the received transmission data in the storage unit 24 (S13). The relay device 2 transmits the transmission data read from the storage unit 24 to the data processing device 30 when the preset transmission time is reached (YES in S14).

  In the data processing device 30, when receiving the transmission data, the control unit 33 registers the received transmission data in the storage unit 32 in association with the acquirer ID (S15). Thereafter, when it is time to provide data to the data acquisition device 4 (YES in S16), the control unit 33 provides the data acquisition device 4 with data registered in the storage unit 32 (S17). For example, the control unit 33 transmits data to the data acquisition device 4 in response to receiving a 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 when a preset time is reached.

  Subsequently, when the control unit 33 receives a notification that the data has been received from the data acquisition device 4 that has provided the data and completes the provision of the data (YES in S18), the control unit 33 determines that the provision of the data has been completed. The amount determining device 50 is notified (S19). At that time, the control unit 33 notifies the charge amount determination device 50 of the acquirer ID corresponding to the data acquisition device 4 for which the provision of data has been completed and information indicating the amount of data provided. Thereafter, the storage unit 32 notifies the communication device 1 through the relay device 2 that the provision of data has been completed.

  The billing amount determination apparatus 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, a charge amount is calculated for each contractor ID and acquirer ID.

[Billing based on application]
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 charge amount determination unit 533 may determine the charge amount for the contractor based on the number of communication occurrence days for each application for which the data acquisition device 4 acquires 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 specifying unit 532 specifies the data communication amount for each application by the plurality of communication devices 1 within a predetermined period, and the charging amount determination unit 533 determines the charging amount based on the data communication amount specified for each application. decide.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining processing when the charge amount determination unit 533 determines a charge amount for a contractor based on an application registered as a data acquisition target by the data acquirer. FIG. 10 is a record of the contractor billing database 521 indicating the number of days that data output by the application that transmits data via the relay apparatus 2 of the contractor with the contractor ID 00001 is provided to the data acquisition apparatus 4. .

  In FIG. 10, the device ID, the application ID, and the number of days of communication 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 00001 and the application ID of the application used in each communication device 1.

  In the example of FIG. 10, the number of days that the data output by the application with the application ID 1 executed by the communication device 1 with the device ID 1001 is transmitted is 30 days. In addition, the number of days that data output by the application with the application ID 2 executed by the communication device 1 with the device ID 1001 is transmitted is 8 days. The charge amount determination unit 533 calculates the communication occurrence days used for calculating the charge amount for the data acquirer with the acquirer ID 00001 as 199 days by adding the numbers in the communication occurrence days column in FIG. The billing amount is determined based on the number of days.

In addition, when the relay apparatus 2 transmits data output from a plurality of cached applications at the same time, the billing amount determination unit 533 apportions 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 a plurality of communication services (for example, LTE, 5G, WiMAX (registered trademark), satellite communication) are used, the charging amount determination unit 533 may change the charging amount according to the communication service used.

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

[Effects of data communication system S]
As described above, in the data communication system S, the relay unit 2 of the contractor who has contracted the communication unit and the communication network N1 with the specifying unit 532 receives the plurality of data output from 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 for the contractor based on the data communication amount specified by the specification unit 532. By doing so, the data communication system S can determine the charge amount when the contractor of the communication service uses a large number of communication devices to an appropriate amount according to the amount using the communication network N1. it can.

(Modification 1)
[When the communication device 1 moves]
In the above description, an example in which the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 that are targets of providing data to the data acquisition device 4 are determined by a request from the data acquisition device 4 has been described. On the other hand, when the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 move, the communication control unit 331 performs data based on the positions of the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 that are targets of providing data to the data acquisition device 4. The data acquisition device 4 that provides the data may be switched.

  For example, it is assumed that the communication device 1 and the relay device 2 are mounted on a vehicle. The data acquirer is assumed to be a company that operates a gas station (hereinafter referred to as a gas station). The 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 to transmit advertisement data to a vehicle having a remaining amount less than the predetermined amount.

  In such a case, the communication control unit 331 obtains data that provides data based on the position of the communication device 1 when the data output by the application is received or the time when the first communication unit 311 receives the data. The device 4 is determined. And the 3rd communication part 313 provides the data which the application output with respect to the data acquisition apparatus 4 which the communication control part 331 determined.

  For example, the storage unit 32 stores 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. The data acquisition device 4 corresponding to the position information is selected. And the communication control part 331 provides the data which show the gasoline remaining amount as the data which the application of the communication device 1 output with respect to the selected data acquisition apparatus 4. FIG.

  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 converts the received advertisement data into the first communication unit 311, the communication network N1, and the relay device. 2 is transmitted to the communication device 1 that has received the data indicating the remaining amount of gasoline. The communication device 1 is linked with the car navigation system of the vehicle, and displays the received advertisement data on a display of the car navigation system or a communication terminal such as a smartphone of a user registered in advance.

  The communication control unit 331 may provide a plurality of data output by a plurality of applications executed by the communication device 1 to the data acquisition apparatus 4 in which positions within a range different from the position of the communication device 1 for each application are registered. 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 a position within the first distance from the position of the communication device 1 and outputs the in-vehicle 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 vehicles in a 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. It becomes possible.

  As described above, when providing data from the moving communication device 1 to the data acquisition device 4, the charge amount determination unit 533 receives the data output from the application by the first communication unit 311 when the first communication unit 311 receives the data. The charge amount may be determined in association with the position or the time when the first communication unit 311 receives the data. For example, the charge amount determination unit 533 increases the charge amount as the position of the communication device 1 is closer to the position registered in association with the data acquisition device 4. In addition, the billing amount determination unit 533 includes the time when the first communication unit 311 receives the data included in a time zone with a high priority (for example, a time zone with a small number of gas station users). The charge amount may be increased as compared with the case where data is received at other times.

  When providing data from the moving communication device 1 to the data acquisition device 4 via a 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. A charge amount may be determined.

  Also, when the communication device 1 moves, there is a higher probability that the data transmitted by the communication device 1 will not reach the destination compared to when the communication device 1 does not move. The process of reducing the billing amount according to the failure may not be performed. In addition, when the communication device 1 moves, the charge amount determination unit 533 may reduce the amount by which the charge amount is reduced according to the failure of data transmission compared to the case where the communication device 1 does not move. .

  Further, the communication device 1 may have a means (for example, an acceleration sensor) for detecting its own speed, and the communication device 1 may notify the data management apparatus 3 of its own speed. Then, the billing amount determination unit 533 may reduce the amount by which the billing amount is reduced when the notified speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed in response to the failure of data transmission. Further, the communication device 1 notifies the data management device 3 of its own position, and the charge amount determination unit 533 determines that the data transmitted while the communication device 1 was in a place where radio waves did not reach did not reach the transmission destination. The reduction for the data that failed to be transmitted may not be performed.

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

  For example, the communication control unit 331 notifies the relay apparatus 2 connected to the communication device 1 whose rate of failure to transmit data within a predetermined time is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, for a time zone with a high failure probability. The relay apparatus 2 is instructed not to transmit data in a time zone where the failure probability is high. The communication control unit 331 instructs that data output from an application with a high failure probability due to a relatively large amount of data included in one packet data not to be transmitted in a time zone with a high failure probability. Also good. By doing in this way, since the data communication system S can reduce the probability of transmission failure, the satisfaction of the contractor and the data acquirer can be increased.

(Modification 3)
[Basic amount and additional amount]
In the above description, an example has been described in which the billing amount determination unit 533 determines 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. Also good. For example, the billing amount determination unit 533 adds a predetermined basic amount including a billing amount for transmission of small-sized packet data and a metered amount corresponding to the data amount of packet data having a size larger than a predetermined amount. The charge 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 the provision of the image output from the camera. In this way, a data acquirer with a small load on the communication network N1 and the communication network N2 can easily use the service because the monthly charge amount does not fluctuate, and the communication carrier can communicate with the communication network N1 and the communication network. It is possible to receive a large amount of money from a data acquirer who places a heavy load on N2.

(Modification 4)
[Billing based on the amount of data communication per unit time]
In the above description, the charge amount determining device 50 in the data management device 3 mainly determines the charge amount for each contractor of the relay device 2 based on the data communication amount communicated in a predetermined unit period. explained. On the other hand, the data management apparatus 3 according to the fourth modification of the embodiment determines the billing amount for the contractor based on “the amount of data communication per unit time”.

  That is, the data management apparatus 3 according to the fourth modification of the embodiment determines the billing amount according to “communication bandwidth occupancy”, not “total amount of communication data”. For example, even in the case where the total amount of data communication within the billing unit period in January is the same, the latter is used in the case where data communication is distributed over the period of January and the case where data communication is concentrated in a short period of time. The network load is greater than the former. Therefore, the data management device 3 according to the fourth modification of the embodiment sets the latter to a higher charge amount than the former.

  Hereinafter, the data communication system S according to the modified example 4 will be described in more detail. However, portions overlapping with the data communication system S according to the above-described embodiment will be appropriately omitted or simplified.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the data communication system S according to the fourth modification of the embodiment. The communication network N1 is a communication network composed of a plurality of base stations B. In the example shown in FIG. 11, three base stations B including a first base station B1, a second base station B2, and a third base station B3 are included. Although the case where it includes is illustrated, the number of base stations B constituting the communication network N1 may be more or less than three.

  Each of the plurality of base stations B relays data communicated between the plurality of relay apparatuses 2 and the data management apparatus 3. Each base station B includes an antenna installed on the ground or a structure, and transmits / receives data to / from the relay apparatus 2 existing within a predetermined communicable area including the antenna. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 11, the first base station B1 relays data communicated between the relay device group including the relay device 2a, the relay device 2b, and the relay device 2c, and the data management device 3. Similarly, the second base station B2 relays data communicated between the data management device 3 and the relay device group including the relay device 2d, the relay device 2e, and the relay device 2f.

  Each relay device 2 relays packet data transmitted and received by one or a plurality of communication devices 1. For example, when the communication device 1 is installed in an office or factory, the relay device 2 is installed in an area where the communication device 1 can communicate. In such a case, the contractor of each relay apparatus 2 will often be the same manager or corporation that is the owner of the office or factory. When the relay device 2 is deferred in a specific area, data transmitted and received by the relay device 2 is relayed by a specific base station B including the relay device 2 within a communicable area.

  Here, when the communication device 1 is used for managing devices such as offices and factories, the administrator of the relay device 2 tends to simultaneously transmit packet data to the relay device 2 at a predetermined timing. For example, the administrator sets the communication device 1 to transmit packet data including various types of information for the previous day to the specific management server at 00: 00: 00: 00 every day at midnight. Even if the amount of data communication transmitted by each communication device 1 is small, if the number of communication devices 1 relayed by the relay device 2 with which the contractor is contracted is large, the communication band of the relay device 2 and the relay device 2 are set. The communication band of the base station B to be relayed may be compressed, and the communication quality of the communication network N1 may be degraded. In particular, when different subscribers make the same setting within the communication area of the same base station B, the concentration of communication at a specific time becomes significant.

Accordingly, the billing amount determination apparatus 50 according to the modified example 4 makes a contract based on the amount of data communication per unit time instead of or in addition to the total amount of data communication communicated during a predetermined unit period. Determine the billing amount. More specifically, the billing amount determination apparatus 50 charges the contractor when the instantaneous data communication amount is large even when the total amount of data communication performed during a predetermined unit period is small. Increase the amount of billing. Thereby, it can be motivated that the contractor of the relay device 2 voluntarily equalizes the traffic.
Hereinafter, the configuration of the billing amount determination apparatus 50 for realizing the above will be described more specifically.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing the data structure of the communication path database that stores the base station B, the relay device 2 that the base station B relays, and the identifier for specifying the contractor of the relay device 2 in association with each other. is there. The communication path database includes a relay device ID for specifying each of a plurality of relay devices 2 communicating via each base station B, and a relay device 2 communicating via each base station B uses the communication network N1. Are stored in association with each other. The communication path database is stored in the storage unit 52 in the billing amount determination device 50 and is referred to by the specifying unit 532.

  In FIG. 12, “base station ID” is an identifier assigned to each base station B in order to uniquely identify the base station B. In the example illustrated in FIG. 12, the base station B identified by the base station ID B00002 relays the communication of the relay device 2 identified by the relay device IDs 9004, 9005, and 9006, respectively. Further, the contractor ID of the contractor of the relay apparatus 2 identified by the relay apparatus ID 9004 is 00004, and the contractor ID of the contractor of the relay apparatus 2 identified by the relay apparatus IDs 9005 and 9006 is Both indicate 00005.

  Further, the contractor identified by the contractor ID “00005” also contracts the relay device 2 identified by the relay device ID 9007, and the data communication in this relay device 2 is identified by the base station ID “B00003”. It is shown that it is relayed to the base station B. The same applies to the other data fields of the communication path database.

  When the relay device 2 is installed in a moving body such as a vehicle, the base station B that relays data communication of the relay device 2 changes with time. In this case, a relay management unit (not shown) in the billing amount determination device 50 determines the correspondence between the relay device ID and the base station ID for specifying the relay device 2 and the base station B with which the connection is established, You may record in time series.

  The specifying unit 532 refers to the communication path database, and for each contractor ID, the data communication communicated between the relay apparatus 2 and the data management apparatus 3 associated with the contractor ID during a predetermined charging unit period. Specify the amount. Here, the specifying unit 532 includes the amount of data communicated from the relay device 2 toward the data management device 3, that is, the so-called uplink data communication amount, and the amount of data communicated from the data management device 3 toward the relay device 2. In other words, at least one of the so-called downlink data communication volume is specified.

  The billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount for the contractor based on the data communication amount per unit time of the data communication amount specified by the specifying unit 532. Specifically, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount for the contractor based on the maximum value of the data communication amount per unit time of the data communication amount specified by the specifying unit 532, that is, the peak value of the data communication amount. To do. More specifically, the billing amount determination unit 533 increases the billing amount for the contractor when the peak value of the data communication amount is large than when it is small.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a communication amount database in which the peak value and the average communication amount of data communication amount between the relay device 2 and the data management device 3 are tabulated for each contractor. The communication amount database is stored in the storage unit 52 of the billing amount determination apparatus 50 and is managed by the specifying unit 532.

  In the example of the communication volume database illustrated in FIG. 13, the base station B identified by the base station ID B00002 indicates that the peak value of the data communication volume in the charging unit period is 90 Mbps. Further, the base station B identified by the base station ID B00002 relays the relay device 2 identified by the relay device ID 9005 and 9006, and the peak value of the relay device 2 whose relay device ID is 9006 is It also shows that it is 90 Mbps.

  The specifying unit 532 updates the communication amount database for each charging unit period. The billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount for the contractor based on the peak value of the data communication amount when the communication amount database is updated.

  The billing amount determination unit 533 may determine the billing amount for the contractor based on whether the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold. Here, the “communication amount threshold” is a charging amount determination threshold that the charging amount determination unit 533 refers to when determining the charging amount based on the peak value of the data communication amount. The charge amount determination unit 533 increases the charge amount for a subscriber when the peak value of the data communication amount of a certain contractor exceeds the communication amount threshold than when the peak value is not exceeded.

  More specifically, when the peak value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold, the charging amount determination unit 533 determines the charging amount so that the larger the maximum value of the data communication amount is, the higher the amount is. May be. Alternatively, the billing amount determination unit 533 imposes such that when the peak value of the data communication amount does not exceed the predetermined communication amount threshold value, the charge amount determining unit 533 is lower than when the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds the predetermined communication amount threshold value. The amount of money may be determined.

  The billing amount determination unit 533 may further determine the billing amount based on the number of times that the peak value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold during the charging unit period. That is, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount so that the higher the number of times the peak value of the data communication amount exceeds the predetermined communication amount threshold in the charging unit period, the higher the amount.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a database in which the number of times the peak value of the data communication amount exceeds the communication amount threshold value for each contractor in the charging unit period by the relay apparatus 2 is illustrated. This database is stored in the storage unit 52 of the billing amount determining apparatus 50 and is managed by the specifying unit 532. The billing amount determination unit 533 can determine the billing amount for each contractor by referring to this database.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 14, in the base station B identified by the base station ID B00002, the peak value of the data communication amount exceeds the communication amount threshold value three times during a certain charging unit period. As a breakdown, the peak value of the data communication amount of the relay device 2 identified by the relay device ID 9005 exceeds the communication threshold twice, and the data communication amount of the relay device 2 identified by the relay device ID 9006 This indicates that the peak value exceeds the communication threshold value once.

  The specific value of the traffic threshold may be determined by a communication carrier that provides a service using the communication network N1 in consideration of the maximum value of the communication capacity of the base station B. This is a value corresponding to 30% of the maximum value of the communication capacity of B. The communication carrier may announce a specific value of the traffic threshold to each contractor. This motivates the contractor to level the data traffic voluntarily. As a result, the load on the communication infrastructure can be reduced.

  As described above, the transmission time of data set by each contractor in the communication device 1 tends to overlap, for example, after midnight. Accordingly, the billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount for the contractor based on the data communication amount per unit time in a predetermined time period out of the data communication amount specified by the specifying unit 532.

  Here, the “predetermined predetermined time period” refers to the time set for detecting the peak value when the charge amount determination unit 533 determines the charge amount based on the peak value of the data communication amount. It is a belt. The specific range of the predetermined time zone determined in advance may be determined in consideration of the amount of data communication for each time zone in the base station B, for example, from 23: 55: 0 to 0: 5: 0 10 minutes to the second. The communication carrier may announce a predetermined time period determined in advance to each contractor. In addition, the contractor of the relay device 2 may be able to select the communication frequency and time zone with which the relay device 2 performs communication.

  Furthermore, the communication carrier may display the charge for each time zone in a manner that allows selection of the time zone when the contractor of the relay device 2 selects the time zone for the relay device 2 to communicate. These can be realized by making the data management device 3 function as a web server so that the contractor of the relay device 2 can access the data management device 3 using a PC or the like. Thereby, it becomes a motivation for a contractor to voluntarily communicate while avoiding the time zone. As a result, the contractor can be guided to perform data communication in a time zone when the load of the communication infrastructure is light.

  As described with reference to FIG. 11, when the relay device 2 is deferred in a specific area, data transmitted and received by the relay device 2 is relayed by a specific base station B including the relay device 2 within a communicable area. In such a case, if the subscriber of the relay device 2 is set to concentrate data in a specific time zone and cause each communication device 1 to perform data communication, the communication quality of the base station B in that time zone may be degraded. .

  Therefore, for each contractor ID, the specifying unit 532 performs data communication performed by the relay device 2 in units of the relay device 2 installed in a predetermined area among the relay devices 2 associated with the contractor ID. Specify the sum of quantities. Here, the “predetermined area” is an area where the base station B is set as a unit when the specifying unit 532 specifies the total amount of data communication.

FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically showing a data structure of an area database that stores the relationship between the base station B and the installation area in association with each other. The regional database is stored in the storage unit 32 of the data processing device 30.
In the area database, “area ID” is an identifier assigned to each area in order to specify the installation area of the base station B.

  The example of the area database shown in FIG. 15 indicates that three base stations B identified by base station IDs B00001, B00002 and B00003 are installed in the area identified by area ID A0001. Yes. Further, it is shown that only the base station B identified by the base station ID B00004 is installed in the area identified by the area ID A0002. The same applies to other data fields.

  For each contractor ID, the specifying unit 532 uses the base station B serving as a communication path of the relay device 2 associated with the contractor ID as a unit for data communication that the relay device 2 communicates via the base station B. Specify the sum of quantities. The billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount for the contractor based on the peak value of the data communication amount that the specifying unit 532 sums up in “base station units”. As a result, it can be expected that the contractor voluntarily operates so that the peak value of the data communication amount becomes low, which can contribute to the leveling of the data communication amount of the base station B.

  The identifying unit 532 may identify, for each contractor ID, the data communication amount communicated by the relay device 2 in units of the relay device 2 contracted by the contractor ID. The billing amount determination unit 533 determines the billing amount for the contractor based on the peak value of the data communication amount aggregated by the specifying unit 532 “per relay device unit”.

  Here, the communication carrier causes the data management device 3 to function as a web server, and the base station ID of each base station B, information on the relay device 2 under the base station B specified by the base station ID, Information regarding the transition of the data communication amount for each time zone in the station B or the relay device 2 may be provided in a manner that can be viewed by each contractor. The communication carrier further provides the data management device 3 with a communication fee simulation function for each contractor when the communication time zone or timing is changed based on the statistical data for past data communication related to the contractor. May be. As a result, the contractor can be guided to perform data communication in a time zone where the load of the communication infrastructure is light.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above embodiment. In particular, the specific embodiments of the distribution / integration of the devices are not limited to those illustrated above, and all or a part thereof may be added in arbitrary units according to various additions or according to functional loads. It can be configured 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. In addition, the communication device 1 has been described as having a plurality of sensors. However, the communication device 1 and the plurality of sensors are separate, and the communication device 1 receives signals output from the plurality of sensors, and receives the received signals. You may transmit to the relay apparatus 2.
In the above description, the data processing device 30 and the billing amount determination device 50 are described as physically different devices. However, even if the data processing device 30 and the billing amount determination device 50 are integrated, they are integrated. Good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Communication device 2 Relay apparatus 3 Data management apparatus 4 Data acquisition apparatus 21 Device communication part 22 Control part 23 Network communication part 24 Storage part 30 Data processing apparatus 31 Communication part 311 1st communication part 312 2nd communication part 313 3rd communication part 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 charging database 522 acquirer charging database 531 data management unit 532 identification unit 533 Billing amount determination section

Claims (12)

A data management device for managing data transmitted and received via a communication network composed of a plurality of base stations, each of the plurality of base stations being communicated between a plurality of relay devices and the data management device. Relay data,
The data management device includes:
Relay device identification information for identifying each of a plurality of relay devices that communicate with each base station, and at least one relay device among the plurality of relay devices that communicate with each base station uses the communication network A storage unit that associates and stores contractor identification information of a contractor who has contracted for
For each of the contractor identification information, a specifying unit that specifies a data communication amount communicated in a predetermined charging unit period between the relay device associated with the contractor identification information and the data management device;
A billing amount determining unit that determines a billing amount for the contractor based on a data communication amount per unit time of the data communication amount identified by the identifying unit;
A data management device. For each contractor identification information, the specifying unit is configured such that, among the relay devices associated with the contractor identification information, the data communication amount communicated by the relay device in units of relay devices installed in a predetermined area Specify the sum of
The data management apparatus according to claim 1. For each of the contractor identification information, the specifying unit includes a base station that serves as a communication path of a relay apparatus associated with the contractor identification information as a unit, and the associated relay apparatus passes through the base station. Identify the total amount of data communication
The data management apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The specifying unit specifies, for each contractor identification information, a data communication amount communicated by the relay device in units of relay devices with which the contractor identification information is contracted.
The data management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The charging amount determination unit determines the charging amount for the contractor based on the data communication amount per unit time in a predetermined time period among the data communication amount specified by the specifying unit.
The data management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The charging amount determination unit determines a charging amount for the contractor based on a maximum value of the data communication amount per unit time of the data communication amount specified by the specifying unit;
The data management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The billing amount determination unit determines the billing amount for the contractor based on whether the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold;
The data management apparatus according to claim 6. The charging amount determination unit determines the charging amount so that when the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold value, the maximum value of the data communication amount is larger than when the maximum value of the data communication amount is large. ,
The data management apparatus according to claim 7. The billing amount determination unit is configured such that when the maximum value of the data communication amount does not exceed a predetermined communication amount threshold, the charge amount determination unit is lower than when the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold. Determine billing amount,
The data management device according to any one of claims 6 to 8. The billing amount determination unit determines the billing amount based on the number of times the maximum value of the data communication amount exceeds a predetermined communication amount threshold in the billing unit period.
The data management apparatus according to claim 6. A data management method executed by a processor of a data management apparatus that manages data transmitted and received via a communication network composed of a plurality of base stations, wherein each of the plurality of base stations includes a plurality of relay apparatuses and the data Relay data communicated with the management device,
The processor is
Relay device identification information for identifying each of a plurality of relay devices that communicate with each base station, and at least one relay device among the plurality of relay devices that communicate with each base station uses the communication network And a storage unit that associates and stores the contractor identification information of the contractor who is making a contract for the contract, and for each of the contractor identification information, the relay device associated with the contractor identification information and the Identifying the amount of data communication communicated with the data management device during a predetermined charging unit period;
Determining a billing amount for the contractor based on the amount of the data communication amount per unit time of the identified data communication amount;
Data management method to execute. A communication network composed of a plurality of base stations;
A data management device for managing data transmitted and received via the communication network;
A data communication system comprising:
Each of the plurality of base stations
A communication unit for performing data communication between a plurality of relay devices and the data management device;
The data management device includes:
Relay device identification information for identifying each of a plurality of relay devices with which each base station communicates via communication, and at least one relay device among the plurality of relay devices that communicate with each base station via the communication network A storage unit that stores and associates the contractor identification information of the contractor who is contracted to use,
For each of the contractor identification information, a specifying unit that specifies a data communication amount communicated in a predetermined charging unit period between the relay device associated with the contractor identification information and the data management device;
A billing amount determining unit that determines a billing amount for the contractor based on a data communication amount per unit time of the data communication amount identified by the identifying unit;
A data communication system.

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