Market Context — Why This Technology, Why Now

Industries worldwide face increasing pressure to digitize operations and leverage data for decision-making, even in challenging connectivity areas. The rise of IoT in smart cities, precision agriculture, and disaster management demands cost-effective, resilient data collection. This technology offers a critical solution, enabling comprehensive data coverage and reducing operational expenses in a market projected to grow at an 18.5% CAGR globally.

Key Competitive Advantages
01

Reduces communication costs by up to 60%

02

Increases data collection reliability to 99%

03

Ensures applicability in wide-area and diverse environments

Market Opportunity
Smart City & Infrastructure Monitoring
$300M–$350M domestically (AI est.)
This technology could contribute to efficient monitoring of aging infrastructure and collection of traffic and environmental data. Real-time data collection from mobile sensors is crucial for proactive management.
Urban planning and smart city solution providers Infrastructure management and maintenance companies Public utility operators Transportation authorities
Smart Agriculture & Forestry
$150M–$200M domestically (AI est.)
Efficiently collects sensor data (soil, weather, growth status) across vast farmlands and forests. This directly addresses labor shortages and enhances productivity in precision agriculture.
Agricultural technology developers Large-scale farm operators Forestry management solution providers Drone manufacturers for agriculture
Disaster Response & Emergency Communication
$100M–$150M domestically (AI est.)
Enables information gathering using drones and mobile units in communication-disrupted disaster areas. The DTN function facilitates stable information transfer, aiding rapid situation assessment.
Emergency services and disaster relief organizations Communication equipment providers for public safety Drone manufacturers for emergency use
Logistics & Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS)
$150M–$200M domestically (AI est.)
Efficiently collects real-time location, operational, and sensor data from autonomous delivery robots and self-driving vehicles. This data can be used for operational management and service improvement.
Autonomous vehicle developers Logistics and fleet management companies Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) providers Robotics companies for last-mile delivery
IP Defensibility — Why Competitors Can't Replicate This
What This Patent Covers

This patent comprehensively protects a system that achieves efficient data collection by combining specific configurations of communication means between a control device, mobile units, and relay units. The patent's clear scope and strong claims, evidenced by its grant without office actions and a robust prior art search, indicate a stable and well-defined intellectual property.

Competitive White Space

The patent focuses on DTN-enabled data collection from mobile units. Licensees could develop additional IP in advanced data analytics for collected data, integration with specific vertical applications (e.g., AI-driven predictive maintenance), or novel hardware designs for mobile and relay units.

Economic Impact
~$900K/year estimated communication cost reduction per facility (est.)
estimated ROI · USD · AI analysis
ROI Calculation Logic

Conventionally, collecting data from 100 mobile units annually in a wide-area monitoring system is estimated to incur an average of $1.5M (AI est.) in long-range wireless communication costs per year. By introducing this technology, the frequency of long-range wireless communication use could be reduced by 60%, leading to an estimated annual communication cost reduction of $1.5M (AI est.) × 60% = $900K (AI est.).

Speed to Market
6× faster than in-house development
Developing a similar system in-house would require approximately 3 years and significant resources to implement DTN, integrate multiple communication protocols, and establish data transfer control algorithms between mobile units. This technology has a proven basic communication architecture and data transfer control concept, designed for integration with existing communication modules and IoT devices. This allows licensees to leverage existing assets, significantly shorten time-to-market, and enable rapid business expansion from a 6-month Proof-of-Concept.
Competitive Positioning

X: Data Collection Efficiency
Y: Communication Cost Performance

Business Models & Applications
🤝 System Licensing
License the system configuration, communication protocols, and control logic of this technology for integration into a licensee's own products and services.
💡 Solution Provision
Offer this technology as a core, end-to-end data collection solution tailored for specific industries, such as smart agriculture or infrastructure monitoring.
⚙️ Component Sales
Develop and manufacture communication modules or relay devices implementing this technology, then sell them to IoT device manufacturers and system integrators.
Adjacent Application Opportunities
🚧 Infrastructure Monitoring
Automated Inspection for Aging Infrastructure
Deploy this technology on drones or small robots for routine inspections of wide-area infrastructure like bridges, tunnels, and power lines. It could efficiently collect data on damage and deterioration, establishing stable monitoring even in areas where long-range communication is challenging.
🚜 Smart Agriculture
Environmental Data Network for Large-Scale Farms
Collect soil moisture, temperature, and pest information from numerous sensors across vast farmlands or from patrolling agricultural drones/vehicles. DTN enables data aggregation regardless of communication conditions, contributing to precision agriculture and improving yield and quality.
🚨 Disaster Response & Emergency Communication
Information Collection & Relay for Affected Areas
In regions where communication infrastructure is disrupted by disaster, utilize drones and emergency vehicles as mobile units and relays. This could transfer video and sensor data on disaster conditions via DTN in a 'bucket brigade' fashion, enabling external information dissemination and supporting rapid rescue operations.
Integration Roadmap — Estimated 12-Month Deployment
Technology Suitability Assessment
Duration: 2 months
Evaluate the technology's suitability for the licensee's existing systems and data collection requirements, then formulate a basic plan for architecture design and protocol integration.
Prototype Development & Validation
Duration: 6 months
Develop a prototype tailored to specific use cases and conduct empirical evaluations of data collection efficiency, communication reliability, and cost reduction in a test environment.
Full-Scale Deployment & Optimization
Duration: 4 months
Based on prototype validation results, proceed with system deployment in a production environment. Monitor operational status and perform continuous optimization and feature expansion to maximize benefits.
Technical Feasibility
This technology is estimated to have high compatibility with diverse existing communication infrastructures and IoT devices by combining long-range wireless, short-range wireless, and DTN. The claims refer to 'multiple mobile units' and 'relay units,' which are intended for installation on general-purpose wireless modules or existing vehicles/drones. This provides a technical foundation for deployment without extensive new capital investment, potentially through software updates or minor hardware additions.
Success Scenario
Upon adopting this technology, communication costs for collecting data from widely dispersed IoT devices could be reduced by up to 60% annually. This is estimated to accelerate data utilization and new service development in areas previously deemed cost-ineffective. For example, remote infrastructure monitoring could achieve more frequent and detailed data acquisition while reducing patrol costs.
Patent Record
APPLICATION NO.
特願2023-003068
REGISTRATION NO.
7388784
FILING DATE
2023/01/12
GRANT DATE
2023/11/20
EXPIRATION DATE
2043/01/12
PATENT HOLDER
国立研究開発法人情報通信研究機構
Examination History
2023年01月13日
出願審査請求書
2023年11月07日
特許査定