Method for processing data in a vehicle

1 . A method for processing data in a vehicle, comprising the following steps:

a) receiving, by a processor of the vehicle, raw data generated by sensors of the vehicle;

b) assigning, by the processor, to each datum of the received raw data, a respective value for development and/or further development and/or serial operation of: vehicles and/or components of the vehicle, wherein the respective values are expressed as costs and wherein the assigning is performed using a cost function that, for each datum, characterizes the respective datum with respect to each of a plurality of predefined usability characteristics and that outputs, based on the characterizations, the respective single overall value assigned to the respective datum, wherein the usability characteristics include a technical relevancy characteristic that is assigned to the respective datum and that defines a predefined technical use for which the respective datum is relevant and/or a degree of relevance of the respective datum for the predefined technical use, a time characteristic of the respective datum, and/or a deviation from expectation characteristic of the respective datum;

c) dividing, by the processor, the received raw data into different handling methodologies according to differences between the respective costs assigned to different respective data of the received raw data, with a first one or more of the received raw data, due to being assigned respective costs that are within a first value range, being allocated to be handled according to a first of the handling methodologies, a second one or more of the received raw data, due to being assigned respective costs that are within a second value range that is lower than the first value range, being allocated to be handled according to a second of the handling methodologies, a third one or more of the received raw data, due to being assigned respective costs that are within a third value range that is lower than the first and second value ranges, being allocated to be handled according to a third of the handling methodologies, and a fourth one or more of the received raw data, due to being assigned respective costs that are within a fourth value range that is lower than the first, second, and third value ranges, being allocated to be handled according to a fourth of the handling methodologies, wherein:

the first handling methodology is to perform a wireless transmission to a vehicle-external location with any most immediately available one of wireless transmission modalities with which the vehicle is configured;

the second handling methodology is to perform a wireless transmission to the vehicle-external location with any most immediately available one of only a subset of the wireless transmission modalities with which the vehicle is configured;

the third handling methodology is to perform, at least during an immediate defined time period, an initial local storage in a local data storage of the vehicle without wireless transmission; and

the fourth handling methodology is to be discarded without being transmitted;

d) performing, by the processor, the transmissions, local storage, and discarding according to the division of step c);

e) performing, by the processor, an autonomous driving control of the vehicle; and

f) upon running out of storage space in the local data storage for a newly obtained datum, overwriting, by the processor, one or more of the received raw data previously stored in the local data storage, so that the autonomous driving control of the vehicle is not prematurely ended due to the local data storage being full, wherein the transmissions to the vehicle-external location provide data to an evaluation based on which a restriction previously placed on the autonomous driving control of the vehicle is removed.

2 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a development vehicle or a series-production vehicle.

3 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein in step b), the data are assessed with respect to their financial value for the development, and/or the further development, and/or the serial operation.

4 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the cost function is modified over time to differently value, over time, respective costs of one or more of the received raw data based on observations regarding utility of the respective raw data.

5 . A non-transitory machine-readable memory medium on which is stored a computer program for processing data in a vehicle, the computer program, when executed by a computer of the vehicle, causing the computer to perform the following steps:

a) receiving, by the computer, raw data generated by sensors of the vehicle;

b) assigning, by the computer, to each datum of the received raw data, a respective value for development and/or further development and/or serial operation of: vehicles and/or components of the vehicle, wherein the respective values are expressed as costs and wherein the assigning is performed using a cost function that, for each datum, characterizes the respective datum with respect to each of a plurality of predefined usability characteristics and that outputs, based on the characterizations, the respective single overall value assigned to the respective datum, wherein the usability characteristics include a technical relevancy characteristic that is assigned to the respective datum and that defines a predefined technical use for which the respective datum is relevant and/or a degree of relevance of the respective datum for the predefined technical use, a time characteristic of the respective datum, and/or a deviation from expectation characteristic of the respective datum;

c) dividing, by the computer, the received raw data into different handling methodologies according to differences between the respective costs assigned to different respective data of the received raw data, with a first one or more of the received raw data, due to being assigned respective costs that are within a first value range, being allocated to be handled according to a first of the handling methodologies, a second one or more of the received raw data, due to being assigned respective costs that are within a second value range that is lower than the first value range, being allocated to be handled according to a second of the handling methodologies, a third one or more of the received raw data, due to being assigned respective costs that are within a third value range that is lower than the first and second value ranges, being allocated to be handled according to a third of the handling methodologies, and a fourth one or more of the received raw data, due to being assigned respective costs that are within a fourth value range that is lower than the first, second, and third value ranges, being allocated to be handled according to a fourth of the handling methodologies, wherein:

the first handling methodology is to perform a wireless transmission to a vehicle-external location with any most immediately available one of wireless transmission modalities with which the vehicle is configured;

the second handling methodology is to perform a wireless transmission to the vehicle-external location with any most immediately available one of only a subset of the wireless transmission modalities with which the vehicle is configured;

the third handling methodology is to perform, at least during an immediate defined time period, an initial local storage in a local data storage of the vehicle without wireless transmission; and

the fourth handling methodology is to be discarded without being transmitted;

d) performing, by the computer, the transmissions, local storage, and discarding according to the division of step c);

e) performing, by the computer, an autonomous driving control of the vehicle; and

f) upon running out of storage space in the local data storage for a newly obtained datum, overwriting, by the computer, one or more of the received raw data previously stored in the local data storage, so that the autonomous driving control of the vehicle is not prematurely ended due to the local data storage being full, wherein the transmissions to the vehicle-external location provide data to an evaluation based on which a restriction previously placed on the autonomous driving control of the vehicle is removed.

6 . A control unit of a vehicle, the control unit comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to:

a) receive raw data generated by sensors of the vehicle;

b) assign to each datum of the received raw data, a respective value for development and/or further development and/or serial operation of: vehicles and/or components of the vehicle, wherein the respective values are expressed as costs and wherein the assigning is performed using a cost function that, for each datum, characterizes the respective datum with respect to each of a plurality of predefined usability characteristics and that outputs, based on the characterizations, the respective single overall value assigned to the respective datum, wherein the usability characteristics include a technical relevancy characteristic that is assigned to the respective datum and that defines a predefined technical use for which the respective datum is relevant and/or a degree of relevance of the respective datum for the predefined technical use, a time characteristic of the respective datum, and/or a deviation from expectation characteristic of the respective datum;

c) divide the received raw data into different handling methodologies according to differences between the respective costs assigned to different respective data of the received raw data, with a first one or more of the received raw data, due to being assigned respective costs that are within a first value range, being allocated to be handled according to a first of the handling methodologies, a second one or more of the received raw data, due to being assigned respective costs that are within a second value range that is lower than the first value range, being allocated to be handled according to a second of the handling methodologies, a third one or more of the received raw data, due to being assigned respective costs that are within a third value range that is lower than the first and second value ranges, being allocated to be handled according to a third of the handling methodologies, and a fourth one or more of the received raw data, due to being assigned respective costs that are within a fourth value range that is lower than the first, second, and third value ranges, being allocated to be handled according to a fourth of the handling methodologies, wherein:

the first handling methodology is to perform a wireless transmission to a vehicle-external location with any most immediately available one of wireless transmission modalities with which the vehicle is configured;

the second handling methodology is to perform a wireless transmission to the vehicle-external location with any most immediately available one of only a subset of the wireless transmission modalities with which the vehicle is configured;

the third handling methodology is to perform, at least during an immediate defined time period, an initial local storage in a local data storage of the vehicle without wireless transmission; and

the fourth handling methodology is to be discarded without being transmitted;

d) perform the transmissions, local storage, and deleting according to the division of step c);

e) perform an autonomous driving control of the vehicle; and

f) upon running out of storage space in the local data storage for a newly obtained datum, overwrite one or more of the received raw data previously stored in the local data storage, so that the autonomous driving control of the vehicle is not prematurely ended due to the local data storage being full, wherein the transmissions to the vehicle-external location provide data to an evaluation based on which a restriction previously placed on the autonomous driving control of the vehicle is removed.

7 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the assigning of the respective values expressed as costs is adapted, over time, based on observed utility of previously transmitted raw data for performing the evaluation.