In-vehicle device, in-vehicle system, server computer, control method, and computer program

Abstract

The vehicle-mounted device is mounted on a vehicle, and includes: a real-time requirement degree determination unit that determines a real-time requirement degree related to reception data received from outside of the vehicle; an elapsed time calculation unit that calculates an elapsed time, which is the time from the generation of the original data of the received data to the reception of the received data by the in-vehicle device; an estimated time calculation unit that calculates an estimated time that is the time from the reception of the received data to the start of the use of the received data; and an availability determination unit that determines the availability of the received data on the basis of a real-time requirement degree, the elapsed time, and the estimated time, the real-time requirement degree indicating the permissible degree of the delay time from the generation of the original data to the use of the received data, the received data being added with time information for specifying the time at which the original data is generated, and the estimated time being greater than the real-time requirement degree. The elapsed time calculation unit calculates the elapsed time on the basis of the reception time of the reception data and the time information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle device, an in-vehicle system, a server computer, a control method, and a computer program. This application claims priority based on Japanese application No. 2022-097693 filed on June 17, 2022, and all the contents described in the Japanese application are cited. Background Art

[0002] Low-latency communication environments such as 4G (fourth-generation mobile communication system) and 5G (fifth-generation mobile communication system) are becoming more and more popular. In addition, the installation of various electronic devices in automobiles and automatic motorcycles (hereinafter referred to as vehicles) is progressing. Along with this, a system has been proposed in which a vehicle-mounted device and a server computer installed in the vehicle coordinate to assist the driving of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as coordinated driving). In coordinated driving, in addition to the previous non-real-time information (for example, statistical information such as congestion information), real-time information (for example, dynamic information related to dynamic objects detected by sensors) is also utilized. Since various data with different real-time properties are utilized, appropriate data processing corresponding to the real-time property becomes important.

[0003] The following patent document 1 discloses a transmission system capable of transmitting real-time data well. The transmission system includes a transmission server. The transmission server includes a non-real-time data filtering unit. The non-real-time data filtering unit filters (i.e. deletes) the non-real-time data contained in the received data. Specifically, the date and time information (i.e., the date and time of creation) of the message contained in the received data is compared with the system date and time of the transmission server. If there is a deviation of more than a specified threshold between them, the message is not transmitted but deleted.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-165675 Summary of the invention

[0007] A vehicle-mounted device involved in a certain aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle-mounted device installed in a vehicle, which includes: a real-time requirement determination unit, which determines the real-time requirement related to reception data received from the outside of the vehicle; an elapsed time calculation unit, which calculates the elapsed time, which is the time from the generation of original data of the reception data to the reception of the reception data by the vehicle-mounted device; an estimated time calculation unit, which calculates the estimated time, which is the time from the receipt of the reception data to the start of the use of the reception data; and an availability determination unit, which determines the availability of the reception data based on the real-time requirement, the elapsed time and the estimated time, the real-time requirement represents the allowable degree of delay time from the generation of the original data to the use of the reception data, and the reception data is attached with time information for determining the time when the original data is generated, and the elapsed time calculation unit calculates the elapsed time based on the reception time and the time information of the reception data. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram showing a usage mode of the vehicle-mounted system involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 A block diagram of the hardware structure of the vehicle system is shown.

[0010] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 2 The block diagram of the hardware structure of the vehicle gateway is shown.

[0011] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 1 A block diagram of the hardware structure of the server is shown.

[0012] Figure 5 It is a block diagram showing the software structure of the in-vehicle system and the server.

[0013] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing the timing of processing from the generation of raw data to the use of raw data as driving assistance information in the vehicle.

[0014] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the server.

[0015] Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the functional structure of the in-vehicle gateway.

[0016] Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the in-vehicle gateway.

[0017] Fig.10 This is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a server according to a modification example.

[0018] Fig.11 It is shown by Fig.10 A schematic diagram of information provision performed by a server is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] [Problems to be Solved by the Present Disclosure]

[0020] The transmission system disclosed in Patent Document 1 ensures the real-time performance of the transmitted data by deleting non-real-time data. However, the amount of data wasted to ensure the real-time performance also increases. Therefore, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, in a situation where data with different real-time performances are mixed and communicated, the data communicated for coordinated driving cannot be effectively utilized without waste.

[0021] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an in-vehicle device, an in-vehicle system, a server computer, a control method, and a computer program that can effectively utilize data in a situation where data with different real-time characteristics are communicated in a mixed manner.

[0022] [Effects of the present disclosure]

[0023] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle device, an in-vehicle system, a server computer, a control method, and a computer program that can effectively utilize data in a situation where data with different real-time characteristics are communicated in a mixed manner.

[0024] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure]

[0025] The contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure are listed and described. At least a part of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined.

[0026] (1) A vehicle-mounted device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a real-time requirement determination unit for determining a real-time requirement related to reception data received from outside the vehicle; an elapsed time calculation unit for calculating an elapsed time, which is a time from the generation of raw data of the reception data to the reception of the reception data by the vehicle-mounted device; an estimated time calculation unit for calculating an estimated time, which is a time from the reception of the reception data to the start of use of the reception data; and an availability determination unit for determining the availability of the reception data based on the real-time requirement, the elapsed time, and the estimated time, the real-time requirement indicating a tolerance of a delay time from the generation of the raw data to the use of the reception data, the reception data being attached with time information for determining the time when the raw data was generated, and the elapsed time calculation unit for calculating the elapsed time based on the reception time of the reception data and the time information. Thus, the vehicle-mounted device can effectively use the received data (e.g., driving assistance information).

[0027] (2) In the above (1), if the total value of the elapsed time and the estimated time does not meet the real-time requirement, the availability determination unit can determine that the received data cannot be used, and the vehicle-mounted device can further include a data conversion unit, which receives the determination by the availability determination unit that the received data cannot be used and converts the received data into low-requirement data having a real-time requirement lower than the real-time requirement of the received data. When the data conversion unit cannot generate the low-requirement data, the received data can be discarded. As a result, the vehicle-mounted device can more effectively use the received data (such as driving assistance information). In addition, since the data that cannot be effectively used is discarded, it is possible to suppress the waste of storing unused data.

[0028] (3) In the above (1) or (2), the received data may be supplemented with service identification information for identifying a service utilizing the received data, and the real-time requirement determination unit may determine the real-time requirement based on the service identification information. This makes it possible to easily determine the real-time requirement.

[0029] (4) In the above (1) or (2), the real-time requirement determination unit determines the real-time requirement based on at least one of the type of received data and the service using the received data. This makes it possible to determine the real-time requirement with high accuracy.

[0030] (5) In the above (4), the categories may include dynamic information, prediction information, and statistical information, and the services may include driving assistance including control of the vehicle's driving speed, driving planning including control of the vehicle's driving lane, and path selection for controlling the vehicle's planned driving path. Thus, the vehicle's driving can be controlled safely and with high precision.

[0031] (6) In any of the above (1) to (5), the received data can be used by an electronic control unit mounted on the vehicle, and the estimated time calculation unit can calculate the estimated time by adding the transmission delay, the waiting time, and the specified time, wherein the transmission delay is the time required to transmit the received data to the electronic control unit, the waiting time is the time until the vehicle reaches a location where the received data is used, and the specified time can be the time obtained by adding the processing time of the real-time requirement determination unit, the processing time of the elapsed time calculation unit, and the processing time of the availability determination unit. As a result, the vehicle-mounted device can further effectively use the received data (e.g., driving assistance information).

[0032] (7) The in-vehicle system according to the second aspect of the present disclosure is an in-vehicle system installed in a vehicle, comprising: an in-vehicle device according to any one of (1) to (6) above; a communication unit for receiving received data; and an electronic control unit for receiving transmission of received data determined by the in-vehicle device to be usable. Thus, the in-vehicle system can effectively use the received data (e.g., driving assistance information).

[0033] (8) The server computer involved in the third aspect of the present disclosure includes: a communication unit that receives sensor data from the outside; an analysis unit that analyzes the sensor data and generates first driving assistance information; and a vehicle determination unit that determines a first vehicle that can reach the location where the sensor data is generated within a first allowable delay corresponding to a first real-time requirement, the first real-time requirement corresponding to the first driving assistance information, and the communication unit also sends the first driving assistance information to the vehicle-mounted device of the first vehicle. As a result, the server computer can send the driving assistance information only to vehicles that can effectively use the driving assistance information, and can suppress futile transmission to vehicles that cannot use the driving assistance information. In the vehicle, the received data (driving assistance information) can be quickly transmitted to the application object service (for example, the terminal ECU (Electric Control Unit)) without determining whether the received data (driving assistance information) can be effectively used.

[0034] (9) In the above (8), the server computer may further include a data conversion unit that generates second driving assistance information corresponding to a second real-time requirement degree that is a decrease from the first real-time requirement degree based on the first driving assistance information, the vehicle identification unit further identifies a second vehicle that can reach the generation location within a second allowable delay corresponding to the second real-time requirement degree, and the communication unit further transmits the second driving assistance information to an on-board device of the second vehicle. Thus, more vehicles can effectively use the driving assistance information.

[0035] (10) A fourth aspect of the present disclosure relates to a control method for a vehicle-mounted system including a vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle, the method comprising: a real-time requirement determination step, wherein the vehicle-mounted device determines the real-time requirement related to reception data received from outside the vehicle; an elapsed time calculation step, wherein the vehicle-mounted device calculates the elapsed time, which is the time from the generation of the original data of the reception data to the reception of the reception data by the vehicle-mounted device; an estimated time calculation step, wherein the vehicle-mounted device calculates the estimated time, which is the time from the reception of the reception data to the start of the use of the reception data; and an availability determination step, wherein the vehicle-mounted device determines the availability of the reception data based on the real-time requirement, the elapsed time, and the estimated time, wherein the real-time requirement indicates the allowable degree of delay time from the generation of the original data to the use of the reception data, and the reception data is attached with time information for determining the time when the original data is generated, and the elapsed time calculation step includes a step of the vehicle-mounted device calculating the elapsed time based on the reception time of the reception data and the time information. Thus, the vehicle-mounted device can effectively use the received data (for example, driving assistance information).

[0036] (11) The computer program according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure enables a computer mounted on a vehicle to implement: a real-time requirement determination function for determining the real-time requirement related to received data received from outside the vehicle; an elapsed time calculation function for calculating the elapsed time, which is the time from the generation of the original data of the received data to the reception of the received data; an estimated time calculation function for calculating the estimated time, which is the time from the reception of the received data to the start of the use of the received data; and an availability determination function for determining the availability of the received data based on the real-time requirement, the elapsed time, and the estimated time, wherein the real-time requirement indicates the allowable degree of delay time from the generation of the original data to the use of the received data, and the received data is attached with time information for determining the time when the original data was generated, and the elapsed time calculation function includes a function for calculating the elapsed time based on the reception time and the time information of the received data. As a result, the vehicle-mounted device can effectively use the received data (for example, driving assistance information).

[0037] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure]

[0038] In the following embodiments, the same components are marked with the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated.

[0039] (Overall structure)

[0040] Reference Figure 1 The vehicle-mounted system 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is mounted on a vehicle 102. The vehicle-mounted system 100 receives data for coordinating driving (i.e., driving assistance information) from a server 116, which is a server computer. The server 116 sends mixed data of different real-time characteristics. The communication between the vehicle-mounted system 100 and the server 116 is performed via a base station 108.

[0041] The base station 108 provides, for example, mobile communication services based on 4G lines and 5G lines. The base station 108 is connected to the network 114. The vehicle-mounted system 100 mounted on the vehicle 102 has a communication function based on the communication specifications (4G lines and 5G lines, etc.) provided by the base station 108. It should be noted that the communication between the vehicle-mounted system 100 and the server 116 may also be direct communication without passing through the base station 108.

[0042] The infrastructure sensor 104 is a device that is fixedly installed on a road (including an intersection) and its surroundings (hereinafter, also referred to as a roadside) and has the function of acquiring information on the roadside. The infrastructure sensor 104 is, for example, an image sensor (a digital surveillance camera, etc.), a radar (a millimeter wave radar, etc.), or a laser sensor (LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)). The infrastructure sensor 104 has a communication function to communicate with the base station 108, and transmits the acquired sensor data to the server 116 via the base station 108 and the network 114.

[0043] Figure 1 The pedestrian 900, vehicle 102, and other vehicles 112 shown are detection targets of the infrastructure sensor 104. As described later, the vehicle 102 is equipped with a sensor. The other vehicles 112 are vehicles equipped with an onboard system and a sensor similar to the vehicle 102. The pedestrian 900 is also a detection target of the sensors installed in the vehicle 102 and other vehicles 112.

[0044] The sensor data acquired by the sensors mounted on the vehicle 102 and other vehicles 112 are transmitted to the server 116 via the base station 108 and the network 114. The server 116 analyzes the sensor data received from the infrastructure sensor 104, the vehicle 102 and other vehicles 112, and stores the analysis results as dynamic information. The server 116 transmits the dynamic information as driving assistance information to the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle.

[0045] Dynamic information is information related to dynamic objects detected by sensors (infrastructure sensors and vehicle-mounted sensors). Dynamic objects are not limited to moving objects (people and vehicles, etc.), but also include objects that have the function of moving but are stationary. Dynamic information can include information about the dynamic object itself (hereinafter referred to as attributes) and information related to the displacement of the dynamic object (position, moving speed, moving direction and time, etc.). Dynamic information is used as driving assistance information for the autonomous driving of this vehicle, and is also used in the determination of the recommended path described later.

[0046] Attributes include at least simple attributes (hereinafter referred to as simple attributes). Attributes may also include detailed attributes (hereinafter referred to as detailed attributes). Simple attributes are used to roughly classify dynamic objects, such as people, bicycles, two-wheeled motor vehicles and cars. Detailed attributes are used to classify dynamic objects in detail, including the state of dynamic objects. For example, if the simple attribute is "people", its detailed attributes include children, adults and the elderly, etc., and can further include the so-called playing with mobile phones while walking (the state of looking at smart phones while walking) and signal ignoring, etc. For example, if the simple attribute is "car", its detailed attributes include, for example, general cars and large cars, and can further include buses, taxis, emergency vehicles (ambulances and fire trucks) and distracted driving, etc. It should be noted that simple attributes and detailed attributes are not limited to these and can include any attributes. The time information in the information related to the displacement of the dynamic object is, for example, the generation time of the position information, the moving speed information and the moving direction information.

[0047] exist Figure 1 1 base station 108, 1 infrastructure sensor 104, 2 vehicles 102 equipped with vehicle-mounted systems, and another vehicle 112 are shown. However, this is just an example. Usually, multiple base stations are installed, and vehicle-mounted systems are installed in multiple vehicles. There may also be vehicles without vehicle-mounted systems. Vehicles without vehicle-mounted systems are detected as dynamic objects.

[0048] (Hardware structure of vehicle-mounted system)

[0049] Reference Figure 2 , shows an example of the hardware structure of the vehicle-mounted system 100 mounted on the vehicle 102. The vehicle-mounted system 100 includes a communication unit 120, a vehicle-mounted gateway 122, a sensor 124, an automatic driving ECU 126, an ECU 128, a prompt unit 130, and a bus 132. It should be noted that the vehicle-mounted system 100 includes a plurality of ECUs in addition to the automatic driving ECU 126. Figure 2 ECU 128 is shown as a representative thereof.

[0050] The communication unit 120 performs wireless communication with an external device of the vehicle 102 (for example, communication with the infrastructure sensor 104 or the like via the base station 108). The communication unit 120 includes an IC (Integrated Circuit) for performing modulation and multiplexing used in wireless communication, an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves of a predetermined frequency, and an RF (Radio Frequency) circuit. The communication unit 120 also has a communication function with a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) such as a GPS (Global Positioning System). The communication unit 120 may also have a communication function such as Wi-Fi.

[0051] The vehicle-mounted gateway 122, as a vehicle-mounted device, plays the role of connecting the communication function (specifically, communication specifications) with the outside of the vehicle and the communication function (communication specifications) inside the vehicle (communication protocol conversion, etc.). The autonomous driving ECU 126 can communicate with external devices via the vehicle-mounted gateway 122 and the communication unit 120. The vehicle-mounted gateway 122, for example, obtains dynamic information from the information received from the outside via the communication unit 120, generates driving assistance information, and updates it. The driving assistance information is transmitted to the autonomous driving ECU 126. The bus 132 has the communication function inside the vehicle. The communication (data exchange) between the vehicle-mounted gateway 122, the sensor 124, the autonomous driving ECU 126 and the ECU 128 is carried out via the bus 132. For the bus 132, for example, CAN (Controller Area Network) is used.

[0052] The sensor 124 is mounted on the vehicle 102, and includes sensors for obtaining information outside the vehicle 102 (video imaging devices (for example, digital cameras (CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) cameras and CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) cameras)), laser sensors (LiDAR), etc.) and sensors for obtaining information about the vehicle itself (acceleration sensors and load sensors, etc.). The sensor 124 obtains information within the detection range (if it is a camera, it is the imaging range) and outputs it as sensor data. If it is a digital camera, digital image data is output. The detection signal (analog or digital) of the sensor 124 is output as digital data to the bus 132 via the I / F unit (not shown), and is sent to the vehicle gateway 122 and the autonomous driving ECU 126, etc.

[0053] The autonomous driving ECU 126 controls the driving of the vehicle 102. For example, the autonomous driving ECU 126 obtains sensor data, analyzes it to understand the situation around the vehicle, and controls the mechanisms related to autonomous driving (engine, transmission, steering wheel, brakes, etc.). The autonomous driving ECU 126 uses the driving assistance information obtained from the vehicle gateway 122 for autonomous driving.

[0054] The presenting unit 130 is a device for presenting information, and is an image display device such as a liquid crystal display. The presenting unit 130 may also include an audio device. The presenting unit 130 displays a road map, etc., and presents driving assistance information such as a driving route to a destination and route guidance information superimposed thereon.

[0055] (Hardware structure of vehicle gateway)

[0056] Reference Figure 3 The in-vehicle gateway 122 includes a control unit 140 and a memory 142. The control unit 140 is configured to include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to control the memory 142. The memory 142 is, for example, a rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory, which stores a computer program (hereinafter referred to as a program) executed by the control unit 140. The memory 142 provides a working area for the program executed by the control unit 140. The control unit 140 obtains the data of the processing object directly from the communication unit 120 and obtains it from outside the communication unit 120 via the bus 132. The control unit 140 appropriately stores the data received from the communication unit 120 and the data received via the bus 132 in the memory 142. The control unit 140 stores the processing results in the memory 142 and outputs them to the bus 132.

[0057] (Server hardware structure)

[0058] Reference Figure 4 The server 116 includes a control unit 160 for controlling each part, a memory 162 for storing data, a communication unit 164 for communicating, and a bus 166 for exchanging data between each part. The control unit 160 is configured to include a CPU, and realizes the functions described below by controlling each part. The memory 162 includes a rewritable semiconductor non-volatile memory and a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk drive. The communication unit 164 receives sensor data uploaded from infrastructure sensors 104 and the like arranged on the road via the base station 108. The data received by the communication unit 164 is transmitted to the memory 162 and stored. As a result, the server 116 can generate traffic information (for example, accidents, congestion, road control and statistical information) and dynamic information, etc., and send them to the vehicle-mounted system 100 of the vehicle 102.

[0059] Reference Figure 5, showing the software structure used to implement the functions in the server 116 and the vehicle-mounted system 100.

[0060] (Server software structure)

[0061] The software (i.e., program) in the server 116 is composed of three layers: an upper layer, a middle layer, and a lower layer. In the upper layer, multiple applications (i.e., programs) are shown that generate data for services used in the vehicle (such as automatic driving control and provision of driving assistance information). These applications are executed by the control unit 160 of the server 116, and the generated data is classified according to the time from the occurrence of certain phenomena (events) to the provision of information. That is, three applications are executed to respectively perform real-time data generation, quasi-real-time data generation, and non-real-time data generation. The so-called real-time, quasi-real-time, and non-real-time, for example, mean that the event can be effectively used for certain services within hundreds of milliseconds, hundreds of milliseconds to 10 seconds, and 10 seconds to tens of minutes from the occurrence of the event.

[0062] Real-time data generation is the process of generating dynamic information. As mentioned above, dynamic information is information related to each dynamic object, that is, information including the position, movement direction, speed and attributes of traffic participants (pedestrians and vehicles, etc.) on the road. Quasi-real-time data generation is, for example, the process of generating prediction information. Prediction information is the predicted value of the traffic participant after t seconds determined by dynamic information (that is, dynamic information after t seconds). Non-real-time data generation is, for example, the process of generating statistical information. Statistical information is information such as the number of traffic participants and the moving speed (average speed, etc.). By sending this data to the vehicle, the driving of the vehicle can be controlled safely and with high precision. It should be noted that the generated data may also be data other than dynamic information, prediction information and statistical information.

[0063] The middle layer is composed of an intermediary processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a server intermediary processing unit) that performs intermediary processing between the upper layer (each application) and the lower layer (communication unit). The server intermediary processing unit is executed by the control unit 160 of the server 116. The server intermediary processing unit determines the application that can be appropriately used by the vehicle (specifically, the vehicle-mounted system) at the destination of each information generated in the upper layer, and periodically sends (for example, broadcasts) to the vehicle. Since there will be a delay time due to the transmission and processing in the vehicle, the data (i.e., information) generated by the upper layer application may also be a structure that changes the way it is used in the vehicle according to its type (i.e., used by different applications).

[0064] The lower layer communication unit consists of Figure 4 The communication unit 164 shown in the figure is composed of a device driver (software) for operating it. The server intermediate processing unit uses the device driver to operate the communication unit 164. Figure 1 The base station 108 , infrastructure sensor 104 , and vehicle system 100 (specifically, communication unit 120 ) of vehicle 102 are shown communicating.

[0065] (Software structure of vehicle-mounted system)

[0066] The software structure of the vehicle-mounted system 100 is composed of three layers: an upper layer, a middle layer, and a lower layer. In the upper layer, application programs implemented by a plurality of ECUs (hardware) are shown as first to third ECUs. Figure 5 The first ECU to the third ECU (application) shown are, for example, Figure 2 The sensor 124 control application, the automatic driving ECU 126 application, the motor control application, or a combination thereof are shown.

[0067] The upper layer applications are used to implement services such as driving assistance, driving planning, and route selection. Driving assistance is a service that updates information related to the vehicle's speed (including acceleration) and uses the information to control automatic driving. Driving planning is a service that updates information related to the vehicle's driving lane and uses the information to control automatic driving. Route selection is a service that updates information related to the vehicle's driving route and automatically controls driving based on the information. As described above, these applications are executed in collaboration with the automatic driving ECU 126 and ECU 128. Through these applications, the driving of the vehicle can be controlled safely and with high precision. It should be noted that the upper layer applications can also be used to implement services other than driving assistance, driving planning, and route selection.

[0068] The middle layer is composed of an intermediary processing unit (hereinafter referred to as an on-board intermediary processing unit) that performs intermediary processing between the first to third ECUs (applications) of the upper layer and the lower layer (communication unit). The on-board intermediary processing unit is composed of an on-board gateway memory 142. As described later, the on-board intermediary processing unit performs processing to provide data received from the server 116 to the application of the upper layer as is or after appropriate conversion.

[0069] The lower layer communication unit consists of Figure 2 The communication unit 120 shown is composed of a device driver for operating the communication unit 120. The vehicle-mounted intermediate processing unit operates the communication unit 120 using the device driver, and communicates with the server 116 (specifically, the communication unit 164).

[0070] exist Figure 6 In the description and by Figure 5 The following is an overview of a series of processes performed by the structure shown, from the collection of data (e.g., sensor data) from the server 116 to the use in the vehicle-mounted system 100. Figure 6 In the figure, the horizontal axis represents time, and the downward arrows represent the timing of events. Figure 6 Used to show the before and after of events. The scale of the time axis is not constant, and the length in the direction of the time axis is not proportional to time.

[0071] At time T0, data is generated. That is, the infrastructure sensor 104 or the vehicle-mounted sensor starts generating sensor data (e.g., video data). At time T1, sensor data collection starts. That is, the infrastructure sensor 104 or the vehicle-mounted sensor sends sensor data (e.g., video data) to the server 116, and the server 116 stores the received data in the memory 162. At time T2, data collection is completed. That is, the data generated at time T0 is sent to the server 116 and stored in the memory 162. The period from time T0 to time T2 is referred to as the collection time.

[0072] At time T3, the server 116 starts parsing the received data, and completes the parsing at time T4. The parsing result is stored in the memory 162. The period from time T2 to time T4 is called the parsing time. At time T4, the server 116 reads the parsing result from the memory 162, starts publishing (e.g., broadcasting) to the vehicle, and completes the publishing at time T6. The period from time T4 to time T6 is called the publishing time. During the publishing time, for example, the vehicle-mounted system 100 receives the published data.

[0073] The period from time T0 to time T6 is called elapsed time. Elapsed time = collection time + analysis time + release time. The difference between time T0 and time T1, the difference between time T2 and time T3, and the difference between time T4 and time T5 indicate that there is a slight gap after the previous process is completed until the next process is executed. These differences may also be 0. That is, the next process may be started at the same time (including substantially the same time) as the completion of the previous process.

[0074] After the release is completed at time T6, at time T7, the vehicle-mounted system 100 performs the data life management described below on the received data. Data life management is the following process: determine whether the received data can be effectively used, and if it cannot be effectively used, perform appropriate processing as described below. At time T8, the data life management is completed. The period from time T6 to time T8 is called the data life management time. Thereafter, at time T9, the process of transmitting the received data to the ECU that uses the data (hereinafter referred to as the terminal ECU) begins. Thereafter, at time T10, the transmission is completed. The period from time T8 to time T10 is called the transmission delay.

[0075] Even if the data transmission is completed at time T10, it usually takes time until the data is used by the terminal ECU. For example, when the terminal ECU uses the transmitted data for driving control, it uses the transmitted data when the vehicle 102 approaches the location where the data that is the basis of the data (i.e., the data received from the server 116) is generated. Therefore, during the time required for the vehicle 102 to reach the vicinity of the location where the data is generated, the terminal ECU does not use the transmitted data but keeps it (for example, storing it in a memory) and waits for the data to be used. At time T11, the terminal ECU starts to use the transmitted data. The period from time T10 to time T11 is called the waiting time.

[0076] The period from time T6 to time T11 is called the estimated time. Estimated time = data life management time + transmission delay + waiting time. As described above, the difference between time T6 and T7, and the difference between time T8 and T9 indicate that there is a slight gap after the previous process is completed until the next process is executed. These differences can also be 0.

[0077] (Server Action)

[0078] Reference Figure 7 , the operation of the server 116, namely, the collection, analysis and distribution of data to the vehicle is explained. Figure 7 The processing shown is done by Figure 4 The control unit 160 of the server 116 shown is implemented by reading a predetermined program from the memory 162 and executing the program. Figure 7 The processing shown is similar to Figure 5 The upper layer and the middle layer software shown correspond to each other, and a plurality of programs are executed in parallel. That is, the control unit 160 reads a plurality of programs from the memory 162 and executes them by multitasking.

[0079] In step 300, the control unit 160 collects data (sensor data, etc.) sent from the infrastructure sensor 104, the vehicle 102, the other vehicles 112, etc. After that, the control moves to step 302. Specifically, the control unit 160 receives data using the communication unit 164 and stores the received data in the memory 162. At this time, the received data (e.g., sensor data) is stored with time information attached. If the received sensor data is attached with information on the time when the sensor data is generated (i.e., the time when the sensor is detected), the control unit 160 attaches the time when the sensor data is generated as the time information. If the sensor data is not attached with the time when it is generated, the control unit 160 attaches the time when the communication unit 164 receives the data as the time information.

[0080] In step 302, the control unit 160 reads and analyzes the data collected in step 300 from the memory 162, and stores the analysis result in the memory 162. Figure 5 The upper layer applications shown are executed in parallel. Therefore, the same data may be analyzed by different applications. Then, the control moves to step 304.

[0081] In step 304, the control unit 160 reads the analysis result of step 302 from the memory 162, adds information that identifies the application of the vehicle that sends the analysis result, and sends it as driving assistance information (for example, broadcast). After that, the control moves to step 306. The analysis result is, for example, dynamic information, prediction information, and statistical information. As described above, for the analysis result, depending on its type, the application (i.e., service) that can be appropriately used in the vehicle to which it is sent is different. Therefore, the control unit 160 determines the application in the vehicle that delivers the information according to the type of the analysis result read from the memory 162, adds its identification information (i.e., service identification information), and sends the analysis result. The application in the vehicle is used to implement services such as driving assistance, driving planning, and route selection. When sending to a specific vehicle, as service identification information, for example, the address (MAC address or IP address) of the ECU of the sending destination and the destination port number can be used. When sending by broadcasting, as service identification information, for example, the destination port number can be used. It should be noted that a unique ID pre-agreed between the server 116 and the vehicle-mounted system 100 can also be used.

[0082] In step 306, the control unit 160 determines whether an instruction to terminate is received. The instruction to terminate is performed by operating, for example, a keyboard or mouse operation unit (not shown) provided in the server 116. If it is determined to be terminated, this program ends. Otherwise, the control returns to step 300 and the above-mentioned process is repeated.

[0083] (Functional structure of vehicle gateway)

[0084] Reference Figure 8 , the function of the vehicle-mounted gateway 122 will be described. The vehicle-mounted system 100 obtains driving assistance information such as dynamic information from the server 116 .

[0085] The vehicle-mounted gateway 122 includes a storage unit 200, a real-time requirement determination unit 202, an elapsed time calculation unit 204, an estimated time calculation unit 206, an availability determination unit 208, a data conversion unit 210, and an output unit 212. The storage unit 200 is composed of Figure 3 The other functions described below are implemented by the control unit 140. Figure 5Corresponding to the structure shown, the real-time requirement determination unit 202, the elapsed time calculation unit 204, the estimated time calculation unit 206, the availability determination unit 208 and the data conversion unit 210 are functions of the vehicle-mounted intermediate processing unit of the middle layer. The storage unit 200 stores the analysis results (such as dynamic information, prediction information and statistical information) and road map information. The road map information is, for example, pre-stored static information. The analysis result is data received by the communication unit 120 from the server 116. It should be noted that the analysis results are not stored in a classified manner. The real-time requirement determination unit 202, the elapsed time calculation unit 204, the estimated time calculation unit 206 and the availability determination unit 208 read the same data (analysis result) from the storage unit 200 and use it as the object of processing.

[0086] The real-time requirement determination unit 202 reads the data (specifically, any one of the dynamic information, the prediction information, and the statistical information) stored in the storage unit 200, and determines the real-time requirement of the data. The storage unit 200 outputs the determined real-time requirement to the availability determination unit 208. The real-time requirement indicates the degree of delay (hereinafter referred to as the allowable delay) allowed from the generation (or acquisition) of the data (i.e., the sensor data, etc.) that is the basis of the data to the appropriate use in the vehicle. The real-time requirement is defined, for example, as shown in Table 1.

[0087]

[0088] The real-time requirement can also be agreed upon in advance between the server 116 and the vehicle-mounted system 100. Since the driving assistance information (analysis result) can be sent from the server 116 with a predetermined ID indicating the real-time requirement, the real-time requirement determination unit 202 can determine the real-time requirement based on the ID. Thus, the real-time requirement can be determined with high accuracy. For example, as shown in Table 2, the real-time requirement A to C are determined according to the type of data.

[0089]

[0090] In addition, the real-time requirement determination unit 202 can also determine the real-time requirement based on the application object service (i.e., the application program that delivers the received data) of the data received from the server 116. The application object service that receives the data can be determined by the destination port number. In this way, the real-time requirement can be easily determined. In addition, the real-time requirement determination unit 202 (i.e., the vehicle-mounted intermediate processing unit) can also observe the update cycle of the application object service (i.e., the operation cycle of the processing unit (including software and hardware) in the vehicle-mounted system 100 and the server 116 associated with the application object service, etc.) to determine the real-time requirement. For example, as shown in Table 3, the real-time requirements A to C are determined based on the application object service.

[0091]

[0092] It should be noted that, when the application object service takes multiple types of data as processing objects, even if the application object service can be determined, the real-time requirement cannot be determined. In such a case, the real-time requirement determination unit 202 may analyze the data received from the server 116 (for example, the data format and data structure), determine the type of data, and determine the real-time requirement.

[0093] In addition, the real-time requirement determination unit 202 may determine the real-time requirement based on the data type and application target service determined as described above. For example, as shown in Table 4, the real-time requirement A to C are determined based on the combination of the data type and application target service.

[0094]

[0095] The elapsed time calculation unit 204 calculates the elapsed time associated with the analysis result data (specifically, dynamic information, prediction information, and statistical information) stored in the storage unit 200. The storage unit 200 outputs the calculated elapsed time to the availability determination unit 208. As described above, the elapsed time is generated from the data ( Figure 6 The time T0 shown in the figure is reached when the server 116 completes the publishing of the parsing result data ( Figure 6 For example, if the time T0 is added to the analysis result data when the analysis result data is sent from the server 116 and published, the vehicle-mounted system 100 can calculate the passing information as the difference between the reception time of the data and the time T0 added to the received data. It should be noted that the information of the time T0 can be added to the sensor data by the device of the transmission source of the sensor data such as the infrastructure sensor 104 and sent to the server 116.

[0096] The estimated time calculation unit 206 calculates the estimated time associated with the analysis result data (specifically, dynamic information, prediction information, and statistical information) stored in the storage unit 200. The storage unit 200 outputs the calculated estimated time to the availability determination unit 208. As described above, the estimated time is the time from when the vehicle-mounted system 100 completes receiving the analysis result data from the server 116 ( Figure 6 From the time T6 shown in the figure to the start of utilization ( Figure 6 If it is time T11, the estimated time is a certain time, but after the vehicle-mounted system 100 has just received data from the server 116 ( Figure 6 Therefore, the in-vehicle system 100 (in-vehicle gateway 122) calculates, that is, estimates, the estimated time within the data life management time.

[0097] The estimated time includes data life management time, transmission delay and waiting time. Among them, the transmission delay is the time required to read the data of the transmission object from the storage unit 200 and transmit it to the terminal ECU via the bus 132, which can be calculated using the size of the transmission object data and the current state of the bus 132 (idle state and transmission speed). The waiting time is the time required for the vehicle 102 to reach the location (included in the analysis result data) where the analysis result data is used from the current position. The location where the analysis result data is used can be determined, for example, based on the position information of the dynamic object contained in the dynamic information. Therefore, the distance from the current position of the vehicle 102 to the location where the analysis result data is used can be calculated, and the calculated distance can be divided by the speed of the vehicle 102 (for example, the current speed or the average speed during the past specified period) to calculate the waiting time.

[0098] The data life management time includes the time required for the vehicle gateway 122 to calculate the transmission delay and waiting time and the time required for the vehicle gateway 122 to determine whether the vehicle system 100 can effectively utilize the received data processing (function of the availability determination unit 208) as described later. These times can be predicted in advance based on the processing performance of the vehicle gateway 122, the number of processing steps, the processing time of each step, etc. Therefore, a specified value (i.e., a specified time) is used for the data life management time. That is, the estimated time is calculated by estimated time = transmission delay + waiting time + specified time. In addition, a statistical value calculated based on a set of processing times obtained by executing the corresponding processing multiple times (for example, actual measured values ​​of past processing) can also be used as the data life management time. As a statistical value, for example, the mean value, the median, or a value determined based on CDF (Cumulative Distribution Function) can be used. It should be noted that statistical values ​​can also be used for transmission delays.

[0099] The availability determination unit 208 determines whether the data received from the server 116 (i.e., the analysis result) can be effectively utilized. That is, the availability determination unit 208 uses the real-time requirement degree input from the real-time requirement degree determination unit 202 (specifically, the allowable delay td), the elapsed time tp input from the infrastructure sensor 104, and the estimated time tf input from the estimated time calculation unit 206 to determine whether tp + tf < td. That is, it determines whether it is possible to start using the data before the allowable delay for effectively using the data has elapsed. When it is determined that tp + tf < td, the availability determination unit 208 outputs the target data together with the information of the end ECU that determines the transmission destination to the output unit 212. The output unit 212 transmits the input data to the target ECU (end ECU). If it is not tp + tf < td (i.e., tp + tf ≥ td), the availability determination unit 208 outputs the target data and the real-time requirement degree to the data conversion unit 210.

[0100] The data conversion unit 210 reduces the input real-time requirement degree by one level, transforms the input data in accordance with the reduced real-time requirement degree, and outputs the transformed data together with the information of the end ECU that determines the transmission destination to the output unit 212. For example, if it is dynamic information (real-time requirement degree = A), prediction information (real-time requirement degree = B) is generated. If it is prediction information (real-time requirement degree = B), statistical information (real-time requirement degree = C) is generated. At this time, the data conversion unit 210 may also appropriately change the end ECU of the transmission destination of the transformed data according to the reduced real-time requirement degree. The output unit 212 transmits the input data to the target ECU (end ECU). When the input real-time requirement degree is at the lowest level and cannot be further reduced, the data conversion unit 210 discards the target data.

[0101] Through the above, the vehicle-mounted system 100 can effectively utilize the data received from the server 116 (i.e., the analysis result) for the driving control (such as autonomous driving control, etc.) of the own vehicle (i.e., the vehicle 102) and the presentation of driving assistance information (such as route guidance).

[0102] When the vehicle-mounted system 100 cannot directly utilize the received data, it also transforms the data into utilizable data and utilizes it. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the data transmission from the server 116 and the data reception by the vehicle-mounted system 100 from being in vain. In addition, since the data that cannot be effectively utilized is discarded, it is possible to prevent the storage of unused data from being in vain.

[0103] As described above, the received data is utilized by the ECU mounted on the vehicle 102. The estimated time calculation unit 206 (refer to Figure 8) can calculate the estimated time by adding the transmission delay, the waiting time, and the prescribed time. The transmission delay is the time required to transmit the received data to the ECU, and the waiting time is the time from the completion of the transmission of the received data to the arrival of the vehicle at the location where the received data is used. The prescribed time means the time obtained by adding the processing time of the real-time requirement determination unit 202, the processing time of the elapsed time calculation unit 204, and the processing time of the availability determination unit 208. As a result, the vehicle gateway 122 can further effectively use the received data (such as driving assistance information).

[0104] (Action of the vehicle gateway)

[0105] Reference Fig. 9 Regarding the operation of the vehicle gateway 122, refer to Figure 8 The functions shown are explained below. Fig. 9 The processing shown is performed by the control unit 140 (see Figure 3 ) is implemented by reading the specified program from the memory 142 and executing it.

[0106] Reference Fig. 9 In step 400 , the control unit 140 determines whether data (ie, driving assistance information) has been received from the server 116 . If it is determined that data has been received, the control proceeds to step 402 . Otherwise, the control proceeds to step 418 .

[0107] In step 402, the control unit 140 determines the real-time requirement for the data received in step 400. That is, the control unit 140 determines the real-time requirement for the data received in step 400. Figure 8 The real-time requirement determination unit 202 shown in the figure determines the real-time requirement based on at least one of the application target service and the type of data as described above. Thereafter, the control proceeds to step 404 .

[0108] In step 404, the control unit 140 calculates the elapsed time for the received data. Figure 8 The elapsed time calculation unit 204 shown calculates the time from the generation of the raw data to the reception of the data generated based on the raw data as described above, and uses it as the elapsed time. Thereafter, the control proceeds to step 406.

[0109] In step 406, the control unit 140 calculates an estimated time for the received data. Figure 8 The estimated time calculation unit 206 shown calculates the time from receiving the data to starting to use it as described above, and uses it as the estimated time. Thereafter, the control proceeds to step 408.

[0110] In step 408, the control unit 140 determines whether the data received in step 400 can be effectively utilized in the present vehicle. That is, as described above for the availability determination unit 208 shown in Figure 8 , the control unit 140 uses the real-time requirement level (specifically, the allowable delay td), the elapsed time tp, and the estimated time tf determined in steps 402 to 406 to determine whether tp + tf < td. If it is determined that tp + tf < td, the control proceeds to step 410. Otherwise, the control proceeds to step 412.

[0111] In step 410, the control unit 140 transmits the data to be transmitted to the end ECU that executes the application object service for the data. The data to be transmitted is the received data in step 400 or the data transformed in step 416 described later. After that, the control proceeds to step 418.

[0112] If the determination result in step 408 is no (i.e., tp + tf ≥ td), then in step 412, the control unit 140 determines whether the real-time requirement level determined in step 402 is the lowest level. For example, in the case specified as shown in Table 1, it is determined whether the real-time requirement level is C. If it is determined that it is the lowest level, the control proceeds to step 414. Otherwise, the control proceeds to step 416.

[0113] In step 414, the control unit 140 discards the received data in step 400. That is, since the received data cannot be effectively utilized, the control unit 140 discards it without storing it in the memory 142. After that, the control proceeds to step 418.

[0114] In step 416, the control unit 140 transforms the received data in step 406. That is, as described above for the data transformation unit 210 shown in Figure 8 , the control unit 140 reduces the real-time requirement level of the received data by one level and transforms the received data in accordance with the reduced real-time requirement level. After that, the control proceeds to step 410.

[0115] In step 418, the control unit 140 determines whether an end instruction has been received. The end instruction is given, for example, by turning off the start button of the vehicle 102. If it is determined that it is the end, this program ends. Otherwise, the control returns to step 400 and the above processing is repeated.

[0116] Through the above, the vehicle-mounted system 100 can effectively use the data received from the server 116 for driving control of the vehicle (e.g., automatic driving control) and prompting of driving assistance information (e.g., route guidance), etc. In the case where the vehicle-mounted system 100 cannot use the received data as it is, it also converts it into usable data and uses it. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the data transmission from the server 116 and the data reception of the vehicle-mounted system 100 from being in vain.

[0117] In the above, the case where the control is transferred to step 410 after step 416 is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. After step 416, the control may be transferred to step 408 instead of step 410. That is, it is also possible to determine whether the data after the real-time requirement degree is changed can be effectively used in the vehicle. For example, if the allowable delay is not satisfied when the real-time requirement degree is reduced by one level from A to B and the data is changed, it is necessary to further reduce the real-time requirement degree by one level from B to C and change the data.

[0118] (Variation Example)

[0119] In the above description, the vehicle system 100 mounted on the vehicle 102 determines whether the driving assistance information received from the server 116 can be effectively used, but the present invention is not limited to this. In a modified example, the server determines a vehicle that can effectively use the driving assistance information before sending the driving assistance information and sends it to the vehicle.

[0120] The server involved in the modification Figure 4 The server 116 shown in the figure is similarly configured. Figure 4 Reference numerals. Fig.10 , the functions of server 116 are explained. Fig.10 The storage unit 500 shown consists of Figure 4 The other functions described below are implemented by the control unit 160.

[0121] The storage unit 500 stores sensor data received from the infrastructure sensor 104 and the like via the communication unit. The road map information is, for example, static information stored in advance. The storage unit 500 also stores analysis results of the analysis unit 502 described later.

[0122] The analysis unit 502 reads the sensor data stored in the storage unit 500, performs analysis, and stores the result (ie, analysis result) in the storage unit 500. As the analysis result, for example, dynamic information, prediction information, and statistical information are stored.

[0123] The vehicle determination unit 504 determines the vehicle to send the analysis result, outputs the analysis result to the communication unit 164, and sends it to the determined vehicle. The vehicle determination unit 504 determines the vehicle located in a specified area (rectangular or circular, etc.) centered on the location where the sensor data that is the basis of the analysis result is generated as the vehicle to send the analysis result. That is, the vehicle determination unit 504 sends the analysis result to the vehicle that meets the real-time requirement of the analysis result, that is, the vehicle that can reach the location where the sensor data is generated within the allowable delay. For example, the specified area can be determined by referring to the road map stored in the storage unit 500, and the value (i.e., distance) obtained by multiplying the speed of the vehicle around the location where the sensor data is generated and the allowable delay (e.g., upper limit value) of the analysis result as the distance from the location where the sensor data is generated to the outer edge of the specified area. For the speed of the vehicle, for example, the legal speed or the average value of the observed vehicle speed can be used. The distance from the location where the sensor data is generated to the outer edge of the specified area can be a straight-line distance or a distance along the road. It should be noted that in order to determine the vehicle-mounted device of the vehicle existing in the specified area, for example, a command to send the location information of the vehicle can be broadcast. The vehicle that sent the analysis result can be identified using the location information sent back from the vehicle.

[0124] It should be noted that, in order to determine the location where the sensor data is generated, the location coordinates where the sensor data is detected may be added to the sensor data sent by the infrastructure sensor 104 and the like and sent to the server 116. In addition, for fixed sensors such as the infrastructure sensor 104, if their locations are pre-registered in the storage unit 500, information that determines the source of transmission may be added to the sensor data and sent. For example, if the storage unit 500 stores a table that associates MAC addresses with location coordinates, the MAC address of the source of transmission included in the transmission data packet containing the sensor data may be used to determine the source of transmission, thereby determining the location where the sensor data is generated.

[0125] The data conversion unit 506 reduces the real-time requirement of the analysis result (for example, dynamic information) and converts the analysis result into data corresponding to the reduced real-time requirement. For example, when dynamic information (real-time requirement = A) is generated as the analysis result and the data conversion unit 506 reduces the real-time requirement by one level, prediction information (real-time requirement = B) is generated from the dynamic information. Regarding the prediction information (real-time requirement = B), statistical information (real-time requirement = C) is generated based on the prediction information. The data generated when the real-time requirement is reduced is input to the vehicle determination unit 504. The vehicle determination unit 504 uses the allowable delay corresponding to the input data (data generated when the real-time requirement is reduced) to determine the vehicle that sends the data in the same way as above, and outputs the data to the communication unit. That is, the data generated when the real-time requirement is reduced is sent to the vehicle-mounted device of the vehicle located in the newly determined specified area.

[0126] For example, Fig.11 As shown, the range of sending the analysis results can be determined according to the type of data of the analysis results. Fig.11 , the driving direction of each vehicle is indicated by an arrow. The server 116 sends dynamic information (real-time requirement = A) to the vehicles 102a and 102b located in the area delimited by the thick solid line boundary 180 centered on the data generation location 902. The server 116 sends prediction information (real-time requirement = B) to the vehicles 102c to 102f located in the area delimited by the boundary 180 and the thick solid line boundary 182. The server 116 sends statistical information (real-time requirement = C) to the vehicles located in the area other than the boundary 180. It should be noted that, for the vehicles 102a and 102b, prediction information and statistical information may also be sent in addition to the dynamic information. For the vehicles 102c to 102f, statistical information may also be sent in addition to the prediction information.

[0127] As a result, the server 116 can send the driving assistance information only to vehicles that can effectively use the driving assistance information, and can suppress the futile transmission to vehicles that cannot effectively use the driving assistance information. In the vehicle, the received data can be quickly transmitted to the application object service (i.e., the terminal ECU) without determining whether the received driving assistance information can be effectively used. Therefore, the load on the vehicle gateway 122 of the vehicle system 100 is reduced.

[0128] By reducing the real-time requirement of the analysis result (eg, dynamic information) and converting the analysis result into data corresponding to the reduced real-time requirement and transmitting the data to the vehicle, more vehicles can effectively use the driving assistance information.

[0129] It should be noted that each process (function) of the above-mentioned embodiment can also be implemented by a processing circuit (Circuitry) including one or more processors. The above-mentioned processing circuit can also be composed of an integrated circuit that combines one or more memories, various analog circuits and various digital circuits in addition to the above-mentioned one or more processors. The above-mentioned one or more memories store programs (commands) that enable the above-mentioned one or more processors to perform the above-mentioned processes. The above-mentioned one or more processors can perform the above-mentioned processes according to the above-mentioned programs read from the above-mentioned one or more memories, or according to the logic circuits pre-designed to perform the above-mentioned processes. The above-mentioned processor can also be a CPU, GPU (Graphics Processing Unit: Graphics Processing Unit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor: Digital Signal Processor), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array: Field Programmable Gate Array) and ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit: Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and other various processors suitable for computer control. It should be noted that it is also possible that the above-mentioned multiple processors separated physically cooperate with each other to perform the above-mentioned processes. For example, the processors mounted on physically separate computers may execute the above-mentioned processes in cooperation with each other via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or the Internet.

[0130] The present disclosure is described above by describing the embodiments, but the above embodiments are illustrative, and the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. The scope of the present disclosure is indicated by each claim of the claims with reference to the detailed description of the invention, and includes all changes within the meaning and scope equivalent to the words described herein.

[0131] Description of Reference Numerals

[0132] 100 Car Systems

[0133] 102 Vehicles

[0134] 104 Infrastructure Sensors

[0135] 108 Base Stations

[0136] 112 Other vehicles

[0137] 114 Network

[0138] 116 Server

[0139] 120, 164 Ministry of Communications

[0140] 122 Vehicle Gateway

[0141] 124 Sensors

[0142] 126 Autonomous Driving ECU

[0143] 128 ECU

[0144] 130 Tips Department

[0145] 132, 166 bus

[0146] 140, 160 Control Unit

[0147] 142, 162 Memory

[0148] 180, 182 Boundary

[0149] 200, 500 Storage

[0150] 202 Real-time requirement determination unit

[0151] 204 Elapsed time calculation unit

[0152] 206 Estimated time calculation unit

[0153] 208 Availability Assessment Department

[0154] 210, 506 Data conversion unit

[0155] 212 Output

[0156] Steps 300, 302, 304, 306, 400, 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412, 414, 416, 418

[0157] 502 Analysis Department

[0158] 504 Vehicle Identification Department

[0159] 900 pedestrians

[0160] 902 spawn location.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted device is a vehicle-mounted device mounted on a vehicle, wherein: have: a real-time requirement determination unit that determines a real-time requirement related to reception data received from outside the vehicle; an elapsed time calculation unit that calculates an elapsed time, the elapsed time being the time from when the original data of the received data is generated to when the received data is received by the vehicle-mounted device; An estimated time calculation unit calculates an estimated time, the estimated time being a time from when the received data is received to when the use of the received data starts; and an availability determination unit that determines availability of the received data based on the real-time requirement, the elapsed time, and the estimated time, The real-time requirement indicates the tolerance of the delay time from the generation of the original data to the use of the received data. The received data is added with time information for determining the time when the original data was generated. The elapsed time calculation unit calculates the elapsed time based on the reception time of the received data and the time information.

2. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, If the total value of the elapsed time and the estimated time does not satisfy the real-time requirement, the availability determination unit determines that the received data cannot be used, The vehicle-mounted device further includes a data conversion unit that receives the determination by the availability determination unit that the received data is unusable and converts the received data into low-demand data having a lower real-time requirement than the received data. When the data converter cannot generate the low-requirement data, the received data is discarded.

3. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1 or 2, The received data is supplemented with service identification information for identifying a service utilizing the received data, The real-time requirement degree determination unit determines the real-time requirement degree based on the service identification information.

4. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1 or 2, The real-time requirement degree determination unit determines the real-time requirement degree based on at least one of a type of the received data and a service using the received data.

5. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 4, The categories include dynamic information, forecast information and statistical information. The service includes driving assistance including control of a driving speed of the vehicle, driving planning including control of a driving lane of the vehicle, and route selection for controlling a planned driving route of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle-mounted device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The received data is used by an electronic control unit mounted on the vehicle, The estimated time calculation unit calculates the estimated time by adding a transmission delay, which is a time required to transmit the received data to the electronic control unit, a waiting time, which is a time until the vehicle reaches a position where the received data is used, and a predetermined time. The predetermined time means a time obtained by summing up the processing time of the real time requirement determination unit, the processing time of the elapsed time calculation unit, and the processing time of the availability determination unit.

7. A vehicle-mounted system is a vehicle-mounted system mounted on a vehicle, wherein: Include: The vehicle-mounted device according to any one of claims 1 to 6; a communication unit, receiving the received data; and The electronic control unit receives the transmission of the received data determined to be usable by the in-vehicle device.

8. A server computer comprising: A communication unit, receiving sensor data from the outside; an analyzing unit, which analyzes the sensor data to generate first driving assistance information; and a vehicle identifying unit that identifies a first vehicle that can reach a location where the sensor data is generated within a first allowable delay corresponding to a first real-time requirement level, the first real-time requirement level corresponding to the first driving assistance information, The communication unit further transmits the first driving assistance information to an on-vehicle device of the first vehicle.

9. The server computer according to claim 8, The server computer further includes a data conversion unit configured to generate, based on the first driving assistance information, second driving assistance information corresponding to a second real-time requirement degree obtained by reducing the first real-time requirement degree. The vehicle identification unit further identifies a second vehicle that can reach the generation location within a second allowable delay corresponding to the second real-time requirement level. The communication unit further transmits the second driving assistance information to an on-vehicle device of the second vehicle.

10. A control method is a control method of an on-vehicle system including an on-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, wherein: include: a real-time requirement determination step, in which the vehicle-mounted device determines the real-time requirement associated with the received data received from outside the vehicle; An elapsed time calculation step, in which the vehicle-mounted device calculates an elapsed time, the elapsed time being the time from when the original data of the received data is generated to when the received data is received by the vehicle-mounted device; an estimated time calculation step, wherein the vehicle-mounted device calculates an estimated time, wherein the estimated time is the time from when the received data is received to when the use of the received data starts; and an availability determination step, wherein the vehicle-mounted device determines availability of the received data based on the real-time requirement, the elapsed time, and the estimated time, The real-time requirement indicates the tolerance of the delay time from the generation of the original data to the use of the received data. The received data is added with time information for determining the time when the original data was generated. The elapsed time calculation step includes a step in which the vehicle-mounted device calculates the elapsed time based on the reception time of the received data and the time information.

11. A computer program that enables a computer installed in a vehicle to: a real-time requirement determination function for determining a real-time requirement associated with reception data received from outside the vehicle; An elapsed time calculation function for calculating an elapsed time, the elapsed time being the time from the generation of the original data of the received data to the reception of the received data; an estimated time calculation function for calculating an estimated time, the estimated time being the time from when the received data is received to when the use of the received data starts; and an availability determination function for determining availability of the received data based on the real-time requirement, the elapsed time, and the estimated time, The real-time requirement indicates the tolerance of the delay time from the generation of the original data to the use of the received data. The received data is added with time information for determining the time when the original data was generated. The elapsed time calculation function includes a function of calculating the elapsed time based on a reception time of the received data and the time information.

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