In-vehicle device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

A vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle and communicably connected to a relay device via a vehicle-mounted network, wherein the vehicle-mounted device includes a control unit that performs processing related to network setting information used by the relay device, the control unit acquires user information related to a user of the vehicle, outputs the acquired user information to an off-vehicle server provided outside the vehicle, acquires information of a user service that the user can use from the off-vehicle server, and outputs a network setting change instruction generated based on the acquired information of the user service to the relay device or a vehicle-mounted ECU.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to vehicle-mounted devices, information processing methods, and procedures.

[0002] This application claims priority based on Japanese Application No. 2021-076605, filed on April 28, 2021, and invokes all the contents of the aforementioned Japanese application. Background Technology

[0003] The vehicle is equipped with an onboard ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for controlling onboard equipment such as the powertrain system (engine control), body systems (air conditioning control), etc. The onboard ECU includes a processing unit such as an MPU, a rewritable non-volatile storage unit such as RAM, and a communication unit for communicating with other onboard ECUs. It controls the onboard equipment by reading and executing control programs stored in the storage unit. Furthermore, if the vehicle is equipped with a relay device with wireless communication capabilities, it can communicate with a program providing device connected to a network outside the vehicle via the relay device, downloading (receiving) the control program of the onboard ECU from the program providing device, and updating the control program of the onboard ECU (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Existing technical documents

[0005] Patent documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-97851 Summary of the Invention

[0007] One aspect of this disclosure involves an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and connected to a relay device via an in-vehicle network in a communicative manner. The in-vehicle device includes a control unit that performs processing related to network setting information used by the relay device. The control unit obtains user information related to the user of the vehicle, outputs the obtained user information to an external server located outside the vehicle, obtains information on the services that the user can use from the external server, and outputs a network setting change instruction generated based on the obtained service information to the relay device. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a vehicle-mounted system including the vehicle-mounted device according to Embodiment 1.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating the structure of an onboard device, etc.

[0010] Figure 3This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of using a service history table (using service history information).

[0011] Figure 4 This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of relay-related information, etc.

[0012] Figure 5 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a network configuration information table (communication path).

[0013] Figure 6 This is an explanatory diagram (timing diagram) illustrating one method of various processes performed by onboard devices, etc.

[0014] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit of an onboard device.

[0015] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit of a relay device.

[0016] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit of the external server.

[0017] Figure 10 This is an explanatory diagram (timing diagram) illustrating one method of processing performed by the vehicle-mounted device, etc., according to Embodiment 2.

[0018] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit of an onboard device.

[0019] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit of a relay device.

[0020] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit of the external server. Detailed Implementation

[0021] [The problem this disclosure aims to solve]

[0022] In the relay device of Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the processing of setting information used when relaying control is not taken into account.

[0023] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an in-vehicle device, etc., that can inherit the setting information of a relay device used in other vehicles.

[0024] [The Effects of This Disclosure]

[0025] According to one aspect of this disclosure, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle device, etc., that inherits the setting information of a relay device used in other vehicles.

[0026] [Description of embodiments of this disclosure]

[0027] First, embodiments of this disclosure will be described by way of example. Additionally, at least a portion of the embodiments described below may be combined in any way.

[0028] (1) In one aspect of this disclosure, the vehicle-mounted device is mounted on a vehicle and connected to a relay device in a communicable manner via a vehicle network. The vehicle-mounted device includes a control unit that performs processing related to network setting information used by the relay device. The control unit obtains user information related to the user of the vehicle, outputs the obtained user information to an external server located outside the vehicle, obtains information on the services that the user can use from the external server, and outputs a network setting change instruction generated based on the obtained service information to the relay device.

[0029] In this method, the control unit of the vehicle-mounted device obtains user information, for example, through a user approval operation performed by the user of the vehicle equipped with the device (the vehicle itself), and outputs the user information to an external server. The control unit of the vehicle-mounted device may also, when outputting user information to the external server, obtain information on services (service provision information) that the vehicle can provide to the user (service provision information) by referring to a designated storage area accessible by the storage unit of the vehicle-mounted device, and output this service provision information to the external server as well. The control unit of the vehicle-mounted device obtains information on the services that the user can utilize (service provision information) from the external server. The external server stores information on the services used by the user in other vehicles based on the user's utilization history (service provision history). This service provision information is used to ensure that the relay device of the vehicle to which the service is being transferred is inherited when the service is transferred between different vehicles. The control unit of the vehicle-mounted device outputs a network setting change instruction generated based on the obtained service provision information to the relay device, the vehicle ECU, or both the relay device and the vehicle ECU. The control unit of the vehicle-mounted device can also generate (initialize) network setting information for the vehicle based on the service identifier determined by the structure of the vehicle-mounted ECU, etc., and the type of service used. This generated network setting information reflects the information of the acquired service, thereby correcting the generated network setting information to the network setting information actually used. The control unit of the vehicle-mounted device uses the network setting information reflecting the service information to generate a network setting change instruction and outputs the instruction. Therefore, when there is a service that needs to be transferred between different vehicles, by using the network setting information reflecting the service information, the network setting information of the relay device used in other vehicles can be inherited. Thus, it is possible to transfer the use of services used in other vehicles from the vehicle equipped with this vehicle-mounted device (this vehicle).

[0030] (2) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit outputs information about the service obtained from the external server, and outputs a network setting change instruction generated based on the selected service to the relay device, subject to the user's selection in the output information about the service.

[0031] In this method, the service information obtained from the external server sometimes includes information related to multiple services, based on the user's history of using services in other vehicles. Even in such cases, the control unit can output the service information obtained from the external server, for example, in list form to a display device, and display each service separately, allowing the user to select any service. Based on the user's selection of more than one service, the control unit outputs network setting information (network setting information generated by the control unit) that has changed based on the selected service, or a network setting change instruction generated based on the inherited source network setting information corresponding to that service, to the relay device, thereby enabling the handover of the service corresponding to the user's selection.

[0032] (3) In one aspect of this disclosure, the vehicle-mounted device obtains inherited source network setting information from the external server. The inherited source network setting information is used to enable the relay device to inherit the service when using the service, and outputs a network setting change instruction generated based on the obtained service information and the inherited source network setting information to the relay device.

[0033] In this method, the control unit of the vehicle-mounted device obtains information about the services available to the user (service information) and the associated source network settings information from an external server. The external server stores information about services used by the user in other vehicles and the network settings information of the relay devices corresponding to those services (source network settings information) based on the user's usage history (service history). This source network settings information is used to ensure that the relay devices in the vehicles to which the services are transferred are inherited when transferring services between different vehicles. The control unit of the vehicle-mounted device outputs a network settings change instruction generated based on the source network settings information to the relay device, the vehicle-mounted ECU, or both. Therefore, when there are services that need to be transferred between different vehicles, by obtaining the source network settings information corresponding to those services, the network settings information of the relay devices used in other vehicles can be inherited. Thus, it is possible to transfer services used in other vehicles within the vehicle equipped with this vehicle-mounted device (this vehicle).

[0034] (4) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the inherited source network setting information includes information related to the communication path within the vehicle network determined according to the utilization service.

[0035] In this method, the inherited source network setting information includes information related to the communication path within the vehicle network determined by the service used, thus enabling the effective generation of network setting change instructions based on the information related to the communication path.

[0036] (5) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit obtains the converted inherited source network setting information obtained by the external server, and outputs the network setting change instruction generated based on the converted inherited source network setting information to the relay device.

[0037] In this method, the control unit of the on-board unit obtains the converted source network setting information obtained from the external server, and outputs a network setting change instruction generated based on the converted source network setting information to the relay device. Therefore, in a vehicle equipped with a relay device that applies the source network setting information and a vehicle equipped with a relay device that is the recipient of the inherited information (this vehicle), even if there are differences in the actuators, on-board ECUs, or communication paths, these differences can be absorbed by using the converted source network setting information obtained from the external server. Therefore, when transferring service between vehicles, even if there are differences in the communication paths or other aspects of these vehicles, the same service can be used in different vehicles.

[0038] (6) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit converts the acquired inherited source network setting information and outputs a network setting change instruction generated based on the converted inherited source network setting information to the relay device.

[0039] In this method, the control unit of the vehicle-mounted device determines whether it is necessary to convert the inherited source network setting information based on differences in actuators, vehicle-mounted ECUs, or communication paths installed in vehicles such as vehicles equipped with relay devices that apply the inherited source network setting information and vehicles equipped with relay devices that are the recipients of the inherited source network setting information (the vehicle itself). When differences exist in communication paths, the control unit of the vehicle-mounted device determines that conversion is necessary and converts the inherited source network setting information, thus enabling the handover of services between these vehicles and the use of the same service in different vehicles.

[0040] (7) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit obtains information on the utilization service applied to the vehicle, obtains network setting information corresponding to the applied utilization service from the relay device, associates the applied utilization service information and network setting information with the user information, and outputs it to the external server.

[0041] In this method, the control unit of the on-board unit associates information on services already applied in the vehicle (service information in use) and the network settings information corresponding to the service in use with the user information and outputs this association to an external server. This allows the external server to store information on services already applied in the vehicle and update information related to the user's service usage history (service history information). This updated service history information can be used by the user when transferring services between different vehicles, continuously improving user convenience.

[0042] (8) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit obtains information related to the communication status during the period of using the applied service from the relay device, associates the information related to the communication status, the information of the applied service, and the network setting information with the user information, and outputs it to the external server.

[0043] In this method, the control unit of the vehicle-mounted device also associates user information with information obtained from the relay device related to the communication status during the period when the applied service was used, and outputs it to the external server. Therefore, the communication status when the service was applied can also be saved by the external server.

[0044] (9) One aspect of the present disclosure involves a program that causes a computer mounted in a vehicle and connected to a relay device in a communicative manner via an in-vehicle network to perform the following processing: obtaining user information related to the user of the vehicle, outputting the obtained user information to an external server located outside the vehicle, obtaining from the external server information on the services that the user can use, and inheritance source network setting information for the relay device to inherit when using the services, and outputting a network setting change instruction generated based on the obtained inheritance source network setting information to the relay device.

[0045] In this method, a computer can be used as an onboard device that inherits the setting information of a relay device used in other vehicles.

[0046] (10) One aspect of the information processing method of this disclosure causes a computer mounted in a vehicle and connected to a relay device in a communicable manner via an in-vehicle network to perform the following processing: obtaining user information related to the user of the vehicle, outputting the obtained user information to an external server located outside the vehicle, obtaining from the external server information on the services that the user can use and inheritance source network setting information for the relay device to inherit when using the services, and outputting a network setting change instruction generated based on the obtained inheritance source network setting information to the relay device.

[0047] This approach provides an information processing method that allows a computer to inherit the setting information of a relay device used in other vehicles.

[0048] [Details of the embodiments disclosed herein]

[0049] Hereinafter, specific examples of vehicle-mounted devices 2 and the like according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, as shown in the claims, and is intended to include all modifications equivalent to and within the scope of the claims.

[0050] (Implementation Method 1)

[0051] The embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a vehicle system S including the vehicle-mounted device 2 according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating the structure of the vehicle-mounted device 2, etc. The vehicle-mounted system S includes an external communication device 1, a vehicle-mounted device 2, a relay device 3, and a vehicle-mounted ECU 4 mounted on the vehicle C. The vehicle-mounted device 2 is connected to an external server 100 connected to an external network N in a communicative manner via the external communication device 1.

[0052] The external server 100 is, for example, a computer such as a server connected to an external network N, such as the Internet or a public transportation network, and includes a control unit 102 based on a CPU, a storage unit 101, and a communication unit 103. The storage unit 101 is composed of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), or a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 101 stores network setting information for controlling relay devices 3, etc., mounted on the vehicle C. The communication unit 103 is, for example, a communication I / F corresponding to Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0053] An external server 100 is communicatively connected to multiple vehicles C via an external network N. By obtaining relay association information and service history information from these vehicles C, it aggregates the historical information of services used in each of the multiple vehicles C, as well as vehicle status information including network settings information used when using the service. The service history information and vehicle status information (network settings information) sent from each vehicle C, along with user information identifying the user of that vehicle C (the user of the service), are associated and sent from that vehicle C to the external server 100. Therefore, the external server 100 can reliably grasp the obtained service history information as the service history of each user. This service history information is used to convert the network settings information used in each vehicle C. That is, the network settings information used in each vehicle C is converted based on the same user's service history information. Thus, when the same user operates different vehicles C, the service history information of the services used in other vehicles C can be reflected in the network settings information of the vehicle C currently being operated, allowing the service to be inherited between different vehicles C. Thus, the storage device that functions as a storage medium for inheriting and utilizing service history information between different vehicles C is not limited to the external server 100, but can also be a portable terminal device such as a smartphone held by the user. The vehicle C can also be connected to the portable terminal device held by the user of the vehicle C in a communicative manner via the external communication device 1 described later, and can send and receive service history information, etc., with the portable terminal device.

[0054] The external server 100 sends aggregated service history information and vehicle status information (network configuration information) to each vehicle C. This service history information is distributed to the multiple vehicles C. Communication between the external server 100 and the vehicles C is performed after user authentication (login) based on the user information of that vehicle C. After the user of a vehicle C finishes using the service (logout), user authentication (login) based on that user's user information can be performed in other vehicles C. That is, the external server 100 can communicate only with the vehicle C where a specific user is using (logging in), and can also be restricted to prevent multiple logins by a specific user (multiple logins by the same user at the same time are prohibited). This allows the service determined by the user (the user of the service) of a vehicle C to be handed over between different vehicles C. When handing over any service between different vehicles C, the external server 100 changes the network configuration information if there are structural differences among these vehicles C. Therefore, even if there are structural differences between the source vehicle C and the target vehicle C, the service can still be transferred to the target vehicle C. Details regarding communication processing with the external server 100 and vehicle C will be described later. The external server 100 may also be an OTA (Over-The-Air) server that sends (distributes) control programs from the vehicle-mounted device 2, relay device 3, and vehicle-mounted ECU 4 installed in vehicle C to vehicle C, and updates various control programs applied in vehicle C.

[0055] Vehicle C is equipped with multiple on-board ECUs 4 for controlling external communication devices 1, on-board devices 2, relay devices 3, and various on-board equipment (sensors, actuators). External communication devices 1 and on-board devices 2 are connected communicatively, for example, via communication lines 51 (Ethernet cables) corresponding to communication protocols such as Ethernet. Multiple relay devices 3 are connected to on-board devices 2 via communication lines 51, thereby forming a cascaded on-board network 5. Multiple on-board ECUs 4 are connected communicatively to relay devices 3 via communication lines 51. The communication connection method in these on-board networks 5 is not limited to Ethernet; for example, it can also be a communication connection method based on a CAN bus corresponding to communication protocols such as CAN.

[0056] The external communication device 1 includes an external communication unit 11 and an internal communication unit 12. The internal communication unit 12 is, for example, an Ethernet PHY unit that corresponds to TCP / IP data packets transmitted via a communication line 51 using an Ethernet cable such as 100BASE-T1 or 1000BASE-T1. The external communication device 1 is connected to the vehicle-mounted device 2 in a communicative manner via the internal communication unit 12 and the communication line 51 such as the Ethernet cable.

[0057] The external communication unit 11 is a communication device used for wireless communication using mobile communication protocols such as 4G, 5G, and WiFi. It transmits and receives data with the external server 100 via the antenna 13 connected to the external communication unit 11. Communication between the external communication device 1 and the external server 100 is carried out, for example, via an external network N such as a public bus network or the Internet.

[0058] In this embodiment, the external communication device 1 is a device different from the vehicle-mounted device 2. These devices are connected in a communicative manner through the in-vehicle communication unit 12 or the like, but this is not a limitation. The external communication device 1 may also be built into the vehicle-mounted device 2 as a component of the vehicle-mounted device 2.

[0059] The vehicle-mounted device 2 includes a control unit 20, a storage unit 21, an input / output (I / O) unit 22, an in-vehicle communication unit 23, etc. The vehicle-mounted device 2 may be composed of a central control unit (controller) such as a Widmanstätten computer, or it may be an integrated ECU that controls the overall vehicle C. The vehicle-mounted device 2 may also monitor the vehicle's status (vehicle status) based on the usage scenario of the vehicle C, control the switching of the vehicle status, or control related to the usage services used in the vehicle C. Based on the switching of the vehicle status or usage services, the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs (sends) a network setting change instruction to the relay device 3, and performs control processing to change the network settings of the relay device 3. The vehicle-mounted device 2 may also be the relay device 3. For example, in the case where the vehicle network 5 has a cascaded topology, the uppermost relay device 3 may also function as the vehicle-mounted device 2 in this embodiment, performing control processing to change the network settings of other relay devices 3 connected to lower levels.

[0060] The control unit 20 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Microprocessor). The control unit 20 reads and executes various programs and data pre-stored in the storage unit 21, performing various control and arithmetic operations. The programs stored in the storage unit 21 can also store control programs read from a recording medium 211 that can be read from the vehicle-mounted device 2. Furthermore, the programs stored in the storage unit 21 can also be downloaded from an external computer (not shown) connected to a communication network (not shown) and stored in the storage unit 21.

[0061] The storage unit 21 is composed of volatile storage elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or non-volatile storage elements such as ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), or flash memory. The storage unit 21 stores network setting information corresponding to each relay device 3. Furthermore, the storage unit 21 stores (accumulates) relay association information obtained from each relay device 3. The relay association information obtained from the relay device 3 includes setting information stored in the device within the vehicle C from the network setting information used by the relay device 3, as well as information related to the communication status during the relay processing performed by the relay device 3 using the network setting information. This communication status-related information includes information such as communication traffic volume (measured value), buffer latency (measured value), and quality information (measured value). The device within the vehicle C that stores the network setting information is, for example, a device such as the vehicle-mounted device 2 or the relay device 3. However, in addition to this, the device storing the network setting information can also be used as long as it is located inside the vehicle C. The network setting information stored in the device inside the vehicle C refers to the network setting information that can be uniquely identified by the external server 100 in each relay device 3 of the vehicle C. For example, if the external server 100 can identify the network setting information set in the relay device 3 based on the Ver number indicating the version of the network setting information, then the Ver number may also be used.

[0062] The input / output I / F22 is, for example, a communication interface for serial communication. The vehicle-mounted device 2 is connected to the display device 6, such as a display, and the IG switch (not shown) for starting and stopping the vehicle C via the input / output I / F22 in a communicative manner.

[0063] The in-vehicle communication unit 23 uses an input / output interface (Ethernet PHY unit) that employs a communication protocol such as Ethernet. The control unit 20 communicates with the relay device 3, the on-vehicle ECU 4, or the external communication device 1 connected to the vehicle network 5 via the in-vehicle communication unit 23. Multiple in-vehicle communication units 23 are provided, and each in-vehicle communication unit 23 is connected to a communication line 51 that constitutes the vehicle network 5.

[0064] Like the vehicle-mounted device 2, the relay device 3 includes a control unit 30, a storage unit 31, and an in-vehicle communication unit 32. The structure of each functional unit is the same as that of the functional units in the vehicle-mounted device 2. The relay device 3 is, for example, an Ethernet switch (Ethernet Switch) that functions as a Layer 2 or Layer 3 switch. The storage unit 31 of the relay device 3 stores network setting information for relay control (switching control). The network setting information stored in the storage unit 31 of the relay device 3 is determined based on the network setting change instruction (network setting information) output (sent) from the vehicle-mounted device 2, and corresponds to the vehicle's usage scenario and other vehicle states. The detailed content of the network setting information will be described later.

[0065] The vehicle-mounted ECU 4, like the vehicle-mounted device 2 or the relay device 3, includes a control unit (not shown), a storage unit (not shown), and an in-vehicle communication unit (not shown), and is connected to any one of the relay devices 3. These vehicle-mounted ECUs 4 can also communicate with each other via the relay device 3, and thus communicate with the vehicle-mounted device 2. The vehicle-mounted ECU 4 can also obtain (receive) information related to the switching of vehicle status (usage scenario, etc.) from the vehicle-mounted device 2, or, similarly with the relay device 3, obtain network setting change instructions (network setting information), and correspond to the switching of the vehicle status (usage scenario, etc.).

[0066] Figure 3 This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of using a service history table (using service history information). Figure 4 This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of relay association information, etc. Multiple vehicles C that are communicatively connected to the external server 100 send historical service usage information (service usage history information) and relay association information, which are summarized by the external server 100, to the external server 100 and stored (saved) in the storage unit 101 of the external server 100 as a table in the form of a service usage history table.

[0067] The service history table is used as the management item (field) for this table, including user ID, usage date and time (historical), usage vehicle, usage service name, communication traffic volume, trunk association information, and NW configuration information. The user ID management item (field) stores the identification number (user ID) used to identify the user who used the service in vehicle C. The usage date and time (historical) management item (field) stores the date and time the user used the service.

[0068] The vehicle management field stores information related to the vehicle C (the vehicle used) that the user has used the service for. This information may include, for example, vehicle model information or Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

[0069] The management field for the service name stores the name or type of service used by the user. For example, a service might correspond to a usage scenario (use case) of vehicle C, such as autonomous driving or car sharing.

[0070] In the communication traffic management field, you can also store the communication traffic in vehicle C when the user uses the service, as well as a portion or total of the relay association information collected by the relay device 3 installed in vehicle C. The communication traffic includes two types: the communication traffic when the vehicle-mounted device 2 or relay device 3 sends data to other vehicle-mounted ECUs 4, and the communication traffic when the vehicle-mounted device 2 or relay device 3 receives data from other vehicle-mounted ECUs 4.

[0071] The relay association information management section (field) stores detailed information such as all data related to the relay association information of vehicle C when the user uses the service. This detailed relay association information is stored (saved) as object data in an XML file, or it can be... Figure 4 The management items (fields) shown in the example are defined as follows. These sub-management items include, for example, the communication traffic volume (measured value), buffer backlog (measured value), and quality information (measured value) for each port. The communication traffic volume (measured value) for each port stores the measured value of the communication traffic volume contained in the relay association information sent from vehicle C. This measured value of communication traffic volume includes the measured value of each in-vehicle communication unit 32 (each port) of each relay device 3. The buffer backlog (measured value) stores the measured value of the buffer backlog contained in the relay association information sent from vehicle C. This measured value of buffer backlog includes the measured value of each in-vehicle communication unit 32 of each relay device 3. The quality information (measured value) stores the measured value of the quality information contained in the relay association information sent from vehicle C. This measured value of quality information includes the measured value of each in-vehicle communication unit 32 of each relay device 3.

[0072] The NW configuration information stores network configuration information applied in the relay device 3 of vehicle C when a user uses the service. This network configuration information includes information related to the on-board ECU 4, such as the service-providing ECU and the service-requesting ECU, required for using the service, and information related to the communication path from the service-providing ECU to the service-requesting ECU. For example, it can be stored as object data in an XML file. The external server 100 can also update the service history table by continuously, periodically, or stably obtaining (receiving) historical information about the services used in multiple communicatively connected vehicles C. In addition to ARL (Address Resolution Logic table) information related to the communication path, the network configuration information may also include ACL (Access Control List) and QoS (Quality of Service).

[0073] Figure 5 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a network configuration information table (communication path). Network configuration information sent from multiple vehicles C that are communicatively connected to the external server 100 to the external server 100 and summarized by the external server 100, for example, expanding the information related to the communication path for each vehicle C (each model), is stored (saved) as a table in the storage unit 101 of the external server 100.

[0074] As the management item (field) of this table, the network configuration information table includes user ID, service name, ECU providing, ECU requesting, and the communication path (network configuration information) of each vehicle C, such as the communication path of vehicle CX, the communication path of vehicle CY, and the communication path of vehicle CZ.

[0075] The User ID management field stores the identification number (User ID) used to identify the user who used the service in vehicle C, and establishes an association (relationship) with the service history table. The Service Name field stores the name or type of the service used.

[0076] The ECU providing the service stores information such as the specifications and model number of the on-board ECU4 (service providing ECU) required when providing the service, which is stored in the same record. The ECU requesting the service stores information such as the specifications and model number of the on-board ECU4 (service request ECU) required when requesting the service, which is stored in the same record.

[0077] In the communication path management field of each vehicle C, information related to the communication path from the providing ECU to the requesting ECU in the vehicle network 5 when using the utilization service stored in the same record in each vehicle C is stored. For example, in the communication path management field of vehicle C(X), information related to the communication path corresponding to the utilization service that can be applied in vehicle C(X) is stored. In addition, from the perspective of a specific utilization service, for example, utilization service (A) requires ECU 41 and ECU 43 as the providing ECU and the requesting ECU, and vehicles C(X) and C(Y) that have ECU 41 and ECU 43 can apply utilization service (A). In vehicle C(Z), for example, due to insufficient bandwidth in the vehicle network 5, utilization service (A) cannot be applied. In addition, in utilization service (C), vehicle C(X) can apply, but vehicles C(Y) and C(Z) cannot apply it because they do not have both the providing ECU and the requesting ECU.

[0078] For each service, information related to whether it can be applied (handed over) is stored in a network configuration information table based on each vehicle C (model). Therefore, by referring to this network configuration information table, the external server 100 can effectively determine whether each service can be applied (whether it can be handed over) for each vehicle C (model).

[0079] In the communication path management field for each vehicle C, the communication path corresponding to the in-vehicle network 5 of each vehicle C is stored. Therefore, for example, when a service (A) used in vehicle C(X) is handed over to vehicle C(Y), based on the differences (differentiation) in the communication paths between these vehicles C, the external server 100 can convert the network configuration information of the source vehicle C(X) to generate the network configuration information of vehicle C(Y). In this case, the network configuration information of the source vehicle C(X) is equivalent to the inherited source network configuration information. The network configuration information of the object vehicle C(Y) is equivalent to the converted network configuration information.

[0080] Figure 6 This is an explanatory diagram (timing diagram) illustrating one method of processing performed by the vehicle-mounted device 2, etc. The timing diagram illustrated in this embodiment will be used to explain the association processing between the relay device 3 in each of the multiple vehicles C included in the vehicle-mounted system S and the vehicle-mounted device 2 with the external server 100. In this timing diagram, when the external server 100 communicates with vehicles C(X) and C(Y), it may not communicate with these vehicles C(X) and C(Y) simultaneously, but may instead communicate with any one of the vehicles C that has undergone user authentication (login), etc.

[0081] The relay device 3 and the vehicle ECU 4 perform relay processing and inter-service communication based on the network setting information applied to the relay device 3. The network setting information applied to the relay device 3 corresponds to the service used in the vehicle C, based on the network setting change instruction generated by the vehicle device 2 and output (sent) to the relay device 3.

[0082] The vehicle-mounted device 2 of vehicle C(X) detects the user's save request (storage request) (S1). For example, the vehicle-mounted device 2 of vehicle C(X) accepts the user's operation on the display device 6 with touch panel function and detects the save request (storage request) based on the operation.

[0083] The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(X) collects relay association information output from relay device 3 (S2). The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(X) requests the collection of relay association information from the relay devices 3 mounted on the vehicle, obtains the relay association information sent from these relay association information, and thereby collects the relay association information output from multiple relay devices 3.

[0084] The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(X) collects usage service information used in the vehicle (S3). For example, the on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(X) obtains usage service information (usage service information) determined based on the usage mode (usage scenario) of vehicle C, such as autonomous driving state or car-sharing state. This usage service information is stored, for example, in the storage unit 21 of the on-board unit 2.

[0085] The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(X) associates the collected information (relay association information, service information in use) with the user information and outputs it to the external server 100 (S4). The user information associated with the collected information (relay association information, service information in use) may include, for example, user ID used to identify the user and vehicle model information such as the vehicle model.

[0086] The external server 100 saves the information (relay association information, service information in use) and user information obtained (received) from the on-board unit 2 of the vehicle C(X) as service history information for each user (S5). Based on the information (relay association information, service information in use) and user information obtained from the vehicle C(X), the external server 100 updates, for example, the service history table and the network setting information table. As illustrated in this embodiment (the dashed line between S5 and S6), the user in the vehicle C(X) terminates (logs out) the service.

[0087] The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(Y) outputs the user information of vehicle C to the external server 100 (S6). The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(Y) is used, for example, in user authentication, to output the user ID as user information to the external server 100. In addition to the user ID, the user information may also include the model information of the vehicle C used by the user.

[0088] The external server 100 converts network configuration information based on whether service transfer is possible (S7). The external server 100 converts network configuration information based on whether service transfer is possible by referring to user information (user ID, vehicle model information, etc.) and the service transfer history information table and network configuration information table stored in the storage unit 101 of the external server 100. The network configuration information table stores information about the vehicle C that can be applied to each service (vehicle model information), therefore the external server 100 can determine whether service transfer is possible by referring to this network configuration information table.

[0089] The external server 100 outputs the service history of the on-board unit 2 that can be handed over to vehicle C(Y) and the converted network configuration information to the on-board unit 2 (S8). The network configuration information output (sent) from the external server 100 to the on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(Y) is equivalent to the inherited source network configuration information in vehicle C(Y).

[0090] The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(Y) outputs the service history to the display device 6 (S9). The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(Y) outputs the service history that can be handed over from the external server 100 to the display device 6, so that the service history that can be handed over is displayed on the display device 6, for example, in a list form.

[0091] The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(Y) detects an application request (loading request) utilizing the service (S10). For example, the on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(Y) accepts the user's operation on the display device 6 with touch panel function and detects the application request (loading request) based on the operation.

[0092] The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(Y) outputs a network setting change instruction (S11) based on network setting information corresponding to the service selected in the user's request. The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(Y) generates the network setting change instruction based on the network setting information corresponding to the selected service name (inherited source network setting information obtained from the external server 100). The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(Y) outputs (sends) the generated network setting change instruction to each relay device 3 and the on-board ECU 4.

[0093] The relay device 3 and the vehicle ECU 4, having received the network setting change instruction from the vehicle-mounted device 2, perform relay processing and inter-service communication corresponding to the switched vehicle state (service / scenario) based on the network setting information contained in the network setting change instruction. Thus, based on the inherited source network setting information obtained from the external server 100, the service corresponding to the inherited source network setting information can be transferred (inherited) to vehicle C (Y). Even if there are differences in the path structure of the inherited source vehicle C and the inherited target vehicle C, such as the in-vehicle network 5, since the inherited source network setting information is converted by the external server 100, these differences can be absorbed and applied (transferred) to the inherited target vehicle C.

[0094] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2. Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit 30 of the relay device 3. Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit 102 of the external server 100. The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 stably performs the following processing, for example, when the vehicle C is in a started state (IG switch on) or a stopped state (IG switch off). While the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 is performing the following processing, the relay device 3 and the external server 100 communicate with the vehicle-mounted device 2 and perform the following processing in conjunction with the processing of the vehicle-mounted device 2.

[0095] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 obtains user information of the vehicle C (S101). For example, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 obtains user information based on the result of user authentication performed by the user of the vehicle C. Alternatively, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 may output the application screen used for user authentication to the display device 6, and perform user authentication based on the content input by the user using the touch panel function on the display device 6. If the user authentication result is positive, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 may also determine and obtain user information based on the content input by the user. The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 may also perform initialization-related processing together with user authentication.

[0096] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs user information to the external server 100 (S102). For example, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 may output the user ID as user information to the external server 100 for user authentication (transmission / reception between the vehicle-mounted device 2 and the external server 100: A). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 may also include information related to the type of vehicle C (the vehicle itself) (vehicle model information) when outputting user information containing the user ID to the external server 100, and output it to the external server 100. In this case, the user information output (sent) to the external server 100 includes a user ID (user identification number) that uniquely identifies the user, and vehicle model information of the vehicle C used by the user. The user information may replace the vehicle model information, or it may include an identification number (VIN: Vehicle Identification Number) along with the vehicle model information.

[0097] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 obtains the service usage history and network setting information that can be transferred from the external server 100 (S103). The output of the service usage history and network setting information that can be transferred from the external server 100 to the vehicle-mounted device 2 (transmission and reception between the external server 100 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: B) is performed by G103 in the processing flow of the external server 100 described later. The network setting information obtained from the external server 100 is equivalent to the inherited source network setting information for the relay device 3 mounted in this vehicle (the vehicle C equipped with the vehicle-mounted device 2). That is, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 obtains the network setting information for the relay device 3 to inherit when using the service, together with the service usage history that can be transferred, as the inherited source network setting information.

[0098] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs the service history to the display device 6 (S104). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs the service history that can be transferred from the external server 100 to the display device 6, which displays the service history that can be transferred in a list format, for example. The list includes, for example, the name of the service used in the service history that can be transferred, a summary of the service used, and the date and time when the service was used.

[0099] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 accepts requests from the user of the vehicle C (S105). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 accepts user requests, for example, based on user operations using the touch panel function of the display device 6. These requests include requests related to the handover (loading) of services and requests related to saving (storing) services in use.

[0100] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 determines whether the received request is a service transfer (S106). If the user's request is a service transfer (S106: Yes), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs a network setting change instruction generated based on the network setting information corresponding to the service selected in the user's request (S1061). For example, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 accepts the selection of one or more service names from the list of service names (the history of services that can be transferred) displayed in the display device 6. The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 generates a network setting change instruction based on the network setting information corresponding to the selected service name (inherited source network setting information obtained from the external server 100). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs (sends) the generated network setting change instruction to the relay device 3 (transmission and reception between the relay device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: C).

[0101] If the user's request is not for the handover of a service (S106: No), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 determines whether the accepted request is for the saving of a service in use (S107). If the user's request is for the saving of a service in use (S107: Yes), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 requests the relay device 3 to collect relay association information (S108). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 requests the collection (acquisition) of relay association information from each relay device 3 (transmission and reception between relay device 3 and vehicle-mounted device 2: D).

[0102] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 obtains relay association information from the relay device 3 (S109) (transmission and reception between the relay device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: E). This relay association information may include, for example, network configuration information of the relay device 3 applied at the current time, error information such as data packet loss and buffer overflow of each in-vehicle communication unit 32 of the relay device 3, queue buffer backlog, communication traffic volume, number of retransmissions or congestion occurrences, and other communication quality information.

[0103] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 obtains information on services in use (information on services already applied) (S110). For example, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 obtains information on services in use (service in use information) determined based on the usage mode (usage scenario) of the vehicle C, such as autonomous driving state or car-sharing state. This service in use is a service already applied in the vehicle. This service in use information is stored, for example, in the storage unit 21 of the vehicle-mounted device 2, and the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 obtains the service in use information by referring to this information.

[0104] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs relay association information, service information in use, and user information to the external server 100 (S111). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs the acquired relay association information, service information in use, and user information to the external server 100 (transmission and reception between the external server 100 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: F).

[0105] If the user's request is not to save the service in use (service in use) (S107: No), after executing the processing of S1061 or S111, the control unit 20 of the vehicle device 2 performs a loop process in order to execute S105 again.

[0106] The control unit 30 of the relay device 3 determines whether a network setting change instruction (T101) has been received from the vehicle-mounted device 2. The output of the network setting change instruction from the vehicle-mounted device 2 to the relay device 3 (transmission and reception between the relay device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: C) is performed by the processing of S1061 in the vehicle-mounted device 2.

[0107] Upon receiving a network setting change instruction (T101: Yes), the control unit 30 of the relay device 3 changes the network settings (T102). Based on the network setting change instruction received (obtained) from the vehicle-mounted device 2, the control unit 30 of the relay device 3 changes the network setting information stored in the storage unit 31 of the relay device 3, for example, by overwriting the saved settings.

[0108] If no network configuration change instruction is received (T101: No), or after the execution of the process in T102, the control unit 30 of the relay device 3 determines whether a request for collection of relay association information has been received from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (T103). The output of the request for collection of relay association information from the vehicle-mounted device 2 to the relay device 3 (transmission and reception between the relay device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: D) is performed by the processing in S108 of the vehicle-mounted device 2.

[0109] Upon receiving a request (T103: Yes), the control unit 30 of the relay device 3 collects relay association information (T104). The control unit 30 of the relay device 3 collects, for example, relay log data stored in the storage unit 31 of the relay device 3, network setting information applied at the current time, and communication volume exceeding a threshold. This relay log data may also include, for example, communication quality information based on error information such as packet loss and buffer overflow in each in-vehicle communication unit 32 of the relay device 3, queue buffer backlog, communication traffic volume, and the number of retransmissions or congestion occurrences. When collecting this communication volume, the control unit 30 of the relay device 3 may also calculate statistical information based on the collected communication volume and include this statistical information in the communication volume.

[0110] The control unit 30 of the relay device 3 outputs the collected relay association information to the vehicle-mounted device 2 (T105). The control unit 30 of the relay device 3 outputs the relay association information collected based on the request from the vehicle-mounted device 2 to the vehicle-mounted device 2 (transmission and reception between the relay device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: E).

[0111] If no request is received (T103: No), or after the execution of the process in T105, the control unit 30 of the relay device 3 performs a loop process in order to execute the process in T101 again.

[0112] The control unit 102 of the external server 100 determines whether user information has been received from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (G101). The output of user information from the vehicle-mounted device 2 to the external server 100 (transmission and reception between the vehicle-mounted device 2 and the external server 100: A) is performed by the processing of S102 in the processing flow of the vehicle-mounted device 2.

[0113] Upon receiving user information from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (G101: Yes), the control unit 102 of the external server 100 converts network setting information based on whether service handover is possible (G102). The control unit 102 of the external server 100 converts the network setting information by referring to the user information (user ID, vehicle model information, etc.) obtained from the vehicle-mounted device 2, and the service history information table and network setting information table stored in the storage unit 101 of the external server 100. For example, the control unit 102 of the external server 100 refers to the network setting information table and, based on the vehicle model information included in the user information, extracts the service that vehicle C can use, determined by the vehicle model information.

[0114] The network configuration information table stores information about the vehicle C (vehicle model information) that can be applied to each service. Therefore, the control unit 102 of the external server 100 can extract the service that can be applied to the current vehicle C (this vehicle) by comparing the vehicle model information contained in the user information with the services previously used by the user. The control unit 102 of the external server 100 determines the network configuration information corresponding to the service that can be transferred as the source network configuration information, and converts the determined source network configuration information into information suitable for the vehicle C (this vehicle) that is the object of inheritance.

[0115] The conversion of inherited source network settings information can be performed, for example, based on the difference between the communication path in the vehicle network 5 of the inherited source vehicle C and the communication path in the vehicle network 5 of the inherited target vehicle C (this vehicle), and the communication path is converted accordingly. If the communication path in the vehicle network 5 of the inherited source vehicle C is the same as or interchangeable with the communication path in the vehicle network 5 of the inherited target vehicle C (this vehicle), the conversion of the inherited source network settings information is not required. In this case, the control unit 102 of the external server 100 can output to the vehicle device 2 without converting the inherited source network settings information. Services that cannot be applied in this vehicle C (this vehicle) (services that cannot be transferred) can be determined, for example, by the fact that the vehicle ECU 4 (service providing ECU, service request ECU) required for using the service is not installed in the vehicle C (this vehicle). By referring to network settings information tables, the control unit 102 of the external server 100 can effectively convert the inherited source network settings information to determine whether services can be transferred and, if so, when services can be transferred.

[0116] The control unit 102 of the external server 100 outputs the service history and converted network setting information that can be transferred to the vehicle-mounted device 2 (G103). The control unit 102 of the external server 100 outputs the service history and converted network setting information that can be transferred, namely the service that can be applied in the vehicle C where user information has been output, and the network setting information converted according to the communication path in the vehicle C for using the service (inherited from the source network setting information), to the vehicle-mounted device 2 of the vehicle C (transmission and reception between the external server 100 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: B).

[0117] If no user information is received from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (G101: No), or after processing G103, the control unit 102 of the external server 100 determines whether network setting information, service information in use, and user information have been received from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (G104). The output of service information in use, etc., from the vehicle-mounted device 2 to the external server 100 (transmission and reception between the vehicle-mounted device 2 and the external server 100: F) is performed by processing S111 in the processing flow of the vehicle-mounted device 2.

[0118] Upon receiving information such as "service in use" from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (G104: Yes), the control unit 102 of the external server 100 saves the information such as "service in use" received from the vehicle-mounted device 2 as service use history information (G105). The control unit 102 of the external server 100 obtains the relay association information, service in use information, and user information received from the vehicle-mounted device 2, stores the obtained information in the storage unit 101 of the external server 100, and updates the service use history table and network setting information table.

[0119] If no service information is received from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (G104: No), or after the processing of G105 is performed, the control unit 102 of the external server 100 performs loop processing in order to perform the processing of G101 again.

[0120] (Implementation Method 2)

[0121] Figure 10 This is an explanatory diagram (timing diagram) illustrating one method of processing of the vehicle-mounted device 2, etc., according to Embodiment 2. In the vehicle system S including the vehicle-mounted device 2, etc., according to Embodiment 2, the vehicle-mounted device 2 of the vehicle to be transferred performs changes to network setting information when transferring services between different vehicles C. The storage unit 21 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 stores a table (network setting information table) that is the same as the network setting information table stored in the storage unit 101 of the external server 100 of Embodiment 1. The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 converts the network setting information (inherited source network setting information) to be suitable for the vehicle by referring to the network setting information table stored in the storage unit of the device. The relay device 3 and the vehicle-mounted ECU 4, similar to Embodiment 1, perform relay processing and inter-service communication based on the network setting information applied to the relay device 3.

[0122] The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(X) detects the user's save request (storage request) (S21). The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(X) collects the relay association information output from the relay unit 3 (S22). The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(X) collects the service information in use within the vehicle (S23). The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(X) establishes an association between the collected information (relay association information, service information in use) and the user information and outputs it to the external server 100 (S24). The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(X) performs the processes S21 to S24 in the same manner as the processes S1 to S4 of Embodiment 1.

[0123] The external server 100 saves the information (relay association information, service information in use) and user information obtained (received) from the on-board unit 2 of the vehicle C(X) as service history information for each user (S25). The external server 100 performs the S25 process in the same way as the S5 process in Embodiment 1. As shown in the illustration of this embodiment (dashed line between S25 and S26), the user in the vehicle C(X) terminates (logs out) the service.

[0124] Vehicle C(Y)'s onboard unit 2 obtains the service history determined by the user information from the external server 100 (S26). Vehicle C(Y)'s onboard unit 2 obtains the user's service history determined by the user information and the network configuration information corresponding to these services from the external server 100. The network configuration information obtained from the external server 100 is equivalent to the inherited source network configuration information in vehicle C(Y). Vehicle C(Y)'s onboard unit 2 may also obtain only the user's service history (relay association information) determined by the user information. In this case, vehicle C(Y)'s onboard unit 2 may also generate (initialize) network configuration information for the vehicle based on the service identifier determined by the structure of the onboard ECU 4, etc., installed in the vehicle, and the type of service used.

[0125] The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(Y) outputs the service history to the display device 6 (S27). The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(Y) outputs the service history obtained from the external server 100 to the display device 6, so that the service history that can be handed over is displayed on the display device 6 in a list form, for example.

[0126] The vehicle-mounted device 2 of vehicle C(Y) detects an application request (loading request) using the service (S28). Similar to the processing S10 of Embodiment 1, the vehicle-mounted device 2 of vehicle C(Y) accepts, for example, the user's operation on the display device 6 with touch panel function, and detects the application request (loading request) based on the operation.

[0127] The vehicle-mounted device 2 of vehicle C(Y) converts network setting information based on whether a service can be transferred (S29). For example, the vehicle-mounted device 2 of vehicle C(Y) refers to a network setting information table stored in its storage unit 21, and further converts the network setting information based on the service history (relay association information) obtained from the external server 100. Alternatively, the vehicle-mounted device 2 may refer to the network setting information table, extract services usable in the vehicle based on the vehicle model information, and output only the extracted services (services usable in the vehicle) to the display device 6, thereby performing the processing described in S27. Thus, services unusable (untransferable) in the vehicle are not displayed on the display device 6, improving user convenience when selecting a desired service. Alternatively, the vehicle-mounted device 2 may display services that cannot be transferred (services that cannot be inherited) and services that can be transferred (services that can be inherited) in different ways on the display device 6. When the vehicle-mounted device 2 of vehicle C(Y) obtains network setting information (inherited source network setting information) from the external server 100, it converts the inherited source network setting information as described above. Alternatively, when the vehicle-mounted device 2 of vehicle C(Y) has created (initialized) network setting information for its own vehicle based on the service identifier obtained from the external server 100, according to the service history (relay association information) obtained from the external server 100, it can also convert the created network setting information.

[0128] The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(Y) outputs a network setting change instruction (S30) generated based on the converted network setting information. The on-board unit 2 of vehicle C(Y) converts the network setting information (inherited source network setting information obtained from the external server 100) corresponding to the selected service name, and generates a network setting change instruction based on the converted network setting information.

[0129] Even if there are differences in the path structure of the vehicle network 5 between the source vehicle C and the target vehicle C, the differences can be absorbed and applied (transferred) to the target vehicle C (this vehicle) because the source network setting information is converted by the vehicle device 2 of the target vehicle C (this vehicle).

[0130] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2. Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit 30 of the relay device 3. Figure 13This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit 102 of the external server 100. Similar to Embodiment 1, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 stably performs the following processing, for example, when the vehicle C is in a started state (IG switch on) or a stopped state (IG switch off). While the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 is performing the following processing, the relay device 3 and the external server 100 communicate with the vehicle-mounted device 2, and perform the following processing in conjunction with the processing of the vehicle-mounted device 2.

[0131] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 obtains the user information of the vehicle C (S201). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 performs the processing of S201 in the same way as S101 in Embodiment 1.

[0132] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs user information to the external server 100 (S202). For example, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs the user ID as user information to the external server 100 during user authentication (transmission / reception between the vehicle-mounted device 2 and the external server 100: A). By outputting the user information to the external server 100, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 requests the external server 100 to send (download) the user's service history determined by the user information (user ID).

[0133] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 obtains service history and other information from the external server 100 (S203). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 obtains the user's service history determined by user information and the network setting information corresponding to these services from the external server 100. The output of the service history and network setting information that can be transferred from the external server 100 to the vehicle-mounted device 2 (transmission and reception between the external server 100 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: B) is performed by processing G202 in the processing flow of the external server 100 described later. The service history obtained from the external server 100 may also include services that cannot be applied (cannot be transferred) in the vehicle C (the vehicle itself) equipped with the vehicle-mounted device 2. Furthermore, the network setting information obtained from the external server 100 differs from that in Embodiment 1; it is information that has not been converted by the external server 100, i.e., network setting information used in the source vehicle C. This network setting information is raw data converted by the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 in subsequent processing, equivalent to the source network setting information. The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 may also obtain only the user's service history (relay association information) determined by the user information. In this case, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 may also generate (initialize) network setting information for the vehicle based on the service identifier that determines the structure of the vehicle-mounted ECU 4, etc., installed in the vehicle and the type of service used.

[0134] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs the service history to the display device 6 (S204). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs the service history obtained from the external server 100 to the display device 6, which displays the service history that can be transferred, for example, in a list format. The list includes, for example, the name of the service used in the service history, a summary of the service used, and the date and time when the service was used.

[0135] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 accepts the request from the user of the vehicle C (S205). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 performs the processing in S205 in the same way as S105 in Embodiment 1.

[0136] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 determines whether the received request is a service transfer (S206). If the user's request is a service transfer (S206: Yes), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 converts network setting information based on whether service transfer is possible (S2061). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 converts the network setting information, for example, by referring to the network setting information table stored in the storage unit 21 of the vehicle-mounted device 2, or based on the service transfer history (relay association information) obtained from the external server 100. The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2, for example, refers to the network setting information table and extracts the service that can be used in the vehicle based on the vehicle model information. The network setting information table stores information about the vehicle C that can be applied to each service (vehicle model information). By comparing the vehicle model information with the services previously used by the user, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 can extract the service that can be applied in the current vehicle C (the vehicle itself) (the service that can be transferred). When the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 obtains network setting information (inherited source network setting information) from the external server 100, it converts the inherited source network setting information as described above. Alternatively, when the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 has created (initialized) network setting information for the vehicle based on the service identifier of the vehicle-mounted ECU 4 or similar components and the type of service used, it can convert the created network setting information based on the service history (relay association information) obtained from the external server 100.

[0137] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 determines the network setting information corresponding to the service that can be accessed as the source network setting information, and converts the determined source network setting information into a format suitable for the vehicle C (the vehicle itself) that is the recipient of the transmission. The conversion of the source network setting information can, for example, be based on the difference between the communication path in the vehicle network 5 of the source vehicle C and the communication path in the vehicle network 5 of the recipient vehicle C (the vehicle itself), and the conversion of the communication path is performed accordingly. If the communication path in the vehicle network 5 of the source vehicle C is the same as or interchangeable with the communication path in the vehicle network 5 of the recipient vehicle C (the vehicle itself), the conversion of the source network setting information is not required. In this case, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 can generate a network setting change instruction without converting the source network setting information.

[0138] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs a network setting change instruction (S2062) generated based on the network setting information converted in the processing of S2061. The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 performs the processing of S2062 in the same way as the processing of S1061 in Embodiment 1 (transmission and reception between relay device 3 and vehicle-mounted device 2: C).

[0139] If the user's request is not for the handover of a service (S206: No), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 determines whether the accepted request is for the saving of a service in use (S207). If the user's request is for the saving of a service in use (S207: Yes), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 requests the relay device 3 to collect relay association information (S208). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 requests the collection (acquisition) of relay association information from each relay device 3 (transmission and reception between relay device 3 and vehicle-mounted device 2: D).

[0140] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 obtains relay association information from the relay device 3 (S209) (transmission and reception between the relay device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: E). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 obtains service information in use (information on the services already used) (S210). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs the relay association information, service information in use, and user information to the external server 100 (S211). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 outputs the obtained relay association information, service information in use, and user information to the external server 100 (transmission and reception between the external server 100 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: F). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 performs the processing from S207 to S211 in the same manner as the processing from S107 to S111 in Embodiment 1.

[0141] If the user's request is not to save the service in use (service in use) (S207: No), after executing the processing of S2062 or S211, the control unit 20 of the vehicle device 2 performs a loop process in order to execute S205 again.

[0142] The control unit 30 of the relay device 3 determines whether a network setting change instruction has been received from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (T201). The output of the network setting change instruction from the vehicle-mounted device 2 to the relay device 3 (transmission and reception between the relay device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: C) is performed by the processing of S2062 in the vehicle-mounted device 2.

[0143] Upon receiving a network setting change instruction (T201: Yes), the control unit 30 of the relay device 3 changes the network settings (T202). If no network setting change instruction is received (T201: No), or after the execution of the process in T202, the control unit 30 of the relay device 3 determines whether a request to collect relay association information has been received from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (T203). The output of the request to collect relay association information from the vehicle-mounted device 2 to the relay device 3 (transmission / reception between the relay device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: D) is performed through the processing in S208 of the vehicle-mounted device 2.

[0144] Upon receiving a request (T203: Yes), the control unit 30 of the relay device 3 collects relay association information (T204). The control unit 30 of the relay device 3 outputs the collected relay association information to the vehicle-mounted device 2 (T205). The control unit 30 of the relay device 3 outputs the relay association information collected based on the request from the vehicle-mounted device 2 to the vehicle-mounted device 2 (transmission and reception between the relay device 3 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: E). If no request is received (T203: No), or after the execution of the process in T205, the control unit 30 of the relay device 3 performs a loop process in order to execute the process in T201 again. The control unit 30 of the relay device 3 performs the processes in T201 to T205 in the same way as T101 to T105 in Embodiment 1.

[0145] The control unit 102 of the external server 100 determines whether user information has been received from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (G201). The output of user information from the vehicle-mounted device 2 to the external server 100 (transmission and reception between the vehicle-mounted device 2 and the external server 100: A) is performed by the processing of S202 in the processing flow of the vehicle-mounted device 2.

[0146] Upon receiving user information from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (G201: Yes), the control unit 102 of the external server 100 outputs the service history and other information to the vehicle-mounted device 2 (G202). The control unit 102 of the external server 100 extracts the user's service history determined by the user information sent from the vehicle-mounted device 2 by referring to the service history table and the network setting information table. In the extracted service history, the control unit 102 of the external server 100 determines the network setting information corresponding to each service and outputs the network setting information together with the extracted service history to the vehicle-mounted device 2 (transmission and reception between the external server 100 and the vehicle-mounted device 2: B).

[0147] If no user information is received from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (G201: No), or after the processing in G202 is executed, the control unit 102 of the external server 100 determines whether network setting information, service information in use, and user information have been received from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (G203). The output of service information in use, etc., from the vehicle-mounted device 2 to the external server 100 (transmission and reception between the vehicle-mounted device 2 and the external server 100: F) is performed by the processing in S211 of the processing flow of the vehicle-mounted device 2.

[0148] Upon receiving information such as "service in use" from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (G203: Yes), the control unit 102 of the external server 100 saves the information such as "service in use" received from the vehicle-mounted device 2 as service history information (G204). The control unit 30 of the relay device 3 performs the G204 processing in the same way as G105 in Embodiment 1.

[0149] If no service information is received from the vehicle-mounted device 2 (G203: No), or after the processing of G204 is executed, the control unit 102 of the external server 100 performs loop processing in order to execute the processing of G201 again.

[0150] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is not defined by the foregoing, but by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications equivalent to and within the scope of the claims.

[0151] Label Explanation

[0152] S vehicle system

[0153] Vehicle C

[0154] N External Network

[0155] 100 off-vehicle servers

[0156] 101 Storage Department

[0157] 102 Control Department

[0158] 103 Ministry of Communications

[0159] 1. External communication device

[0160] 11 External Communication Department

[0161] 12. In-vehicle communication department

[0162] 13 antennas

[0163] 2. On-board unit (controller)

[0164] 20 Control Department

[0165] 21 Storage Department

[0166] 211 Recording media

[0167] 22 Input / Output I / F

[0168] 23. In-vehicle communication department

[0169] 3. Repeater (Ethernet Switch)

[0170] 30 Control Department

[0171] 31 Storage Department

[0172] 32. In-vehicle communication department

[0173] 4. Vehicle ECU

[0174] 5. In-vehicle network

[0175] 51 Communication Line

[0176] 6. Display device.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted device, mounted in a vehicle and communicatively connected to a relay device via a vehicle network, wherein, The vehicle-mounted device includes a control unit that performs processing related to network configuration information used by the relay device. The control unit obtains user information related to the user of the vehicle. The obtained user information is output to an external server located outside the vehicle. The information obtained from the external server includes details about the user's access to services used in other vehicles. The network configuration change instruction generated based on the obtained information from the service is output to the relay device. The system obtains the inherited source network configuration information from the external server. This inherited source network configuration information is used to enable the relay device to inherit the service when using the service. The network setting change instruction generated based on the obtained service utilization information and the inherited source network setting information is output to the relay device. The inherited source network configuration information includes information related to communication paths within the vehicular network determined based on the utilization service.

2. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, wherein, The control unit outputs the information about the service used, obtained from the external server. The user makes a selection based on the information provided in the output of the service. The network configuration change instruction generated based on the selected service is output to the relay device.

3. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein, The control unit obtains the converted inherited source network setting information obtained by the external server. The network setting change instruction generated based on the converted inherited source network setting information is output to the relay device.

4. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein, The control unit converts the acquired inheritance source network setting information. The network setting change instruction generated based on the converted inherited source network setting information is output to the relay device.

5. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein, The control unit obtains information about the utilization services already applied to the vehicle. Obtain network configuration information corresponding to the applied service from the relay device. The information on the applied services and network settings is associated with the user information and then output to the external server.

6. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 5, wherein, The control unit obtains information from the relay device related to the communication status during the period when the applied utilization service was used. The information related to the communication status, the information of the applied services, and the network settings are associated with the user information and output to the external server.

7. A computer program product comprising a computer program that causes a computer mounted in a vehicle and communicatively connected to a relay device via an in-vehicle network to perform the following processing: Obtain user information related to the user of the vehicle. The obtained user information is output to an external server located outside the vehicle. The information obtained from the external server includes details about the user's access to services used in other vehicles. The network configuration change instruction generated based on the obtained information from the service is output to the relay device. The system obtains the inherited source network configuration information from the external server. This inherited source network configuration information is used to enable the relay device to inherit the service when using the service. The network setting change instruction generated based on the obtained service utilization information and the inherited source network setting information is output to the relay device. The inherited source network configuration information includes information related to communication paths within the vehicular network determined based on the utilization service.

8. An information processing method that causes a computer mounted in a vehicle and communicatively connected to a relay device via an in-vehicle network to perform the following processing: Obtain user information related to the user of the vehicle. The obtained user information is output to an external server located outside the vehicle. The information obtained from the external server includes details about the user's access to services used in other vehicles. The network configuration change instruction generated based on the obtained information from the service is output to the relay device. The system obtains the inherited source network configuration information from the external server. This inherited source network configuration information is used to enable the relay device to inherit the service when using the service. The network setting change instruction generated based on the obtained service utilization information and the inherited source network setting information is output to the relay device. The inherited source network configuration information includes information related to communication paths within the vehicular network determined based on the utilization service.

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