Position information acquisition device

Abstract

To provide a position information acquisition device capable of reducing a communication traffic volume.SOLUTION: A position information acquisition device comprises: a first acquisition unit that acquires position information and speed information for representing a position and a speed of a vehicle; a recording unit that records the position information and the speed information acquired by the first acquisition unit; a communication unit that communicates with a management server which manages the position information of the vehicle; and a control unit that performs transmission processing for transmitting the position information recorded in the recording unit from the communication unit to the management server. The control unit performs the transmission processing when the amount of change in speed represented by the speed information recorded in the recording unit is equal to or greater than a first threshold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a position information acquisition device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a travel history collection system including: vehicle detection means for detecting vehicle information including vehicle speed information of a vehicle; recording means for generating and recording a travel history of the vehicle based on the vehicle information from the vehicle detection means; transmission interval determination means for determining a transmission interval of the travel history from the travel history recorded by the recording means; and travel history transmission means for transmitting the travel history of the determined transmission interval to center means. The transmission interval determination means uses, as a start point of transmission interval determination, a point where the vehicle speed information included in the travel history first becomes below a threshold value, and uses, as an end point of the transmission interval determination, a point where the vehicle speed information becomes above the threshold value and the state of being above the threshold value continues for a predetermined period, to determine the transmission interval. The travel history transmission means transmits, to the center means, the travel history of the transmission interval from the start point to the end point of the determination when the transmission interval determination means determines the end point of the determination (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Since the conventional travel history collection system compares the vehicle speed with a threshold value, it transmits the travel history every time the vehicle speed becomes above the threshold value and exceeds a predetermined period. As a result, the frequency of transmitting the travel history increases and the communication volume becomes large.

[0005] Therefore, the objective is to provide a location information acquisition device that can reduce the amount of data transmitted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The location information acquisition device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first acquisition unit that acquires location information and speed information representing the location and speed of a vehicle, a recording unit that records the location information and speed information acquired by the first acquisition unit, a communication unit that communicates with a management server that manages the location information of the vehicle, and a control unit that performs a transmission process to cause the communication unit to transmit the location information recorded in the recording unit to the management server, wherein the control unit performs the transmission process when the amount of change in speed represented by the speed information recorded in the recording unit is equal to or greater than a first threshold. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This device can provide a location information acquisition device that can reduce the amount of data transmitted. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of a vehicle equipped with a location information acquisition device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the configuration of a location information acquisition device. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart illustrating the processes executed by the MCU's control unit. [Figure 4] This is a timing chart showing an example of the operation of a location information acquisition device. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the reduction in the number of uploads. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes embodiments to which the location information acquisition device of this disclosure is applied.

[0010] <Embodiment> Figure 1 shows an example of a vehicle 10 equipped with a location information acquisition device 100 according to an embodiment. The location information acquisition device 100 is mounted on the vehicle 10. The right side of Figure 1 shows a magnified view of the location information acquisition device 100.

[0011] The location information acquisition device 100 can communicate with the management server 30A of the cloud 30 via the public telephone network 20 and uploads location information representing the location of the vehicle 10 to the management server 30A. The cloud 30 is a computer implemented by one or more computer systems.

[0012] The management server 30A is a server (computer) that centrally manages location information transmitted from multiple location information acquisition devices 100 installed in multiple vehicles 10, and is a server that exists virtually within the cloud 30. The management server 30A and the multiple location information acquisition devices 100 installed in multiple vehicles 10 constitute the vehicle location information acquisition system 1. Here, we describe a configuration in which the management server 30A exists virtually within the cloud 30, but the management server 30A may also be a physically existing server.

[0013] The location information is associated with the identification information and time data of the location information acquisition device 100. The location information acquisition device 100 can be placed, for example, near the ceiling of the vehicle 10 for communication purposes.

[0014] By using the location information uploaded by the location information acquisition device 100 to the management server 30A, the driving history (operation history) of the vehicle 10 can be tracked. For example, by installing the location information acquisition device 100 in a rental car, taxi, or company car, and accessing the management server 30A in the cloud 30 with a PC (Personal Computer) or smartphone, the driving history and location of the vehicle 10 can be tracked on the PC or smartphone.

[0015] The location information acquisition device 100 reduces the number of uploads by performing transmission processing under predetermined conditions. In this way, the location information acquisition device 100 is able to reduce the amount of communication (number of communications or amount of data). Reducing the amount of communication reduces communication costs and allows the use of communication equipment with a small amount of data capacity, thus significantly reducing the cost of introducing the vehicle location information acquisition system 1. The details of the location information acquisition device 100, which is capable of reducing the amount of communication, will be described below.

[0016] <Configuration of location information acquisition device 100> Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of the location information acquisition device 100. The location information acquisition device 100 includes an RMC (Recommended Minimum Specific GNSS Data) acquisition unit 110, an acceleration sensor 120, a communication unit 130, an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) 140, and a power supply 150. The RMC acquisition unit 110 is an example of a first acquisition unit, and the MCU 140 is an example of a control unit. Here, we describe a configuration in which the location information acquisition device 100 includes the RMC acquisition unit 110 and the acceleration sensor 120, but the location information acquisition device 100 may also be configured to include only one of the RMC acquisition unit 110 or the acceleration sensor 120.

[0017] The RMC acquisition unit 110, as an example, uses GPS (Global Positioning System) as a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) to acquire GPS RMC data. The RMC data includes time, latitude, longitude, and speed. The latitude and longitude represent the position of the vehicle 10, and the speed represents the speed of the vehicle 10. Therefore, the current position and speed of the vehicle 10 can be obtained from the RMC data.

[0018] The acceleration sensor 120 is a sensor that detects the acceleration of the vehicle 10, and for example, a six-axis sensor can be used. The acceleration sensor 120 can detect a total of six-axis inertial forces, namely, the accelerations of three axes (front-back, left-right, up-down) generated in the vehicle 10 and the angular velocities of the same three axes. The acceleration sensor 120 detects the acceleration used when the acquisition unit 140A of the MCU 140 obtains the position and speed of the vehicle 10 by dead reckoning when the vehicle 10 cannot receive GPS signals, such as when it is inside a tunnel, underground, or indoors.

[0019] The communication unit 130 communicates with the cloud 30 through the public switched telephone network 20 as an example. The communication unit 130 uploads position information to the management server 30A of the cloud 30 through the public switched telephone network 20 as an example. The communication unit 130 is a communication device capable of 3G (Third Generation) communication as an example. Note that the communication unit 130 is not limited to 3G and may be 2G (Second Generation), 4G (Fourth Generation), etc. The communication unit 130 is controlled by the control unit 141 of the MCU 140 and uploads the position information to the management server 30A.

[0020] The MCU 140 includes an acquisition unit 140A, a control unit 141, and a memory 142. The acquisition unit 140A is an example of a second acquisition unit, and the memory 142 is an example of a recording unit. The MCU 140 is realized by a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an input / output interface, and an internal bus, etc.

[0021] The acquisition unit 140A and the control unit 141 show the functions (functions) of the program executed by the MCU 140 as functional blocks. Also, the memory 142 functionally represents the memory of the MCU 140.

[0022] The acquisition unit 140A acquires position information and speed information representing the position and speed of the vehicle 10 using autonomous navigation, based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 120. The acceleration sensor 120 is used when the vehicle 10 cannot receive GPS signals, so when the acquisition unit 140A acquires position information and speed information using acceleration, it uses the position and speed of the vehicle 10 included in the RMC data obtained from the GPS signal received immediately before.

[0023] The control unit 141 performs a transmission process to send the location information recorded in the memory 142 from the communication unit 130 to the cloud 30. The conditions under which the control unit 141 performs the transmission process will be described later using the flowchart in Figure 3.

[0024] Memory 142 stores programs and data used by the acquisition unit 140A and the control unit 141 when they execute processing, as well as data generated during processing. Memory 142 records position information and speed information acquired by the RMC acquisition unit 110. In addition, when position information and speed information are not acquired by the RMC acquisition unit 110, memory 142 records position information and speed information acquired by the acquisition unit 140A.

[0025] The power supply 150 is a power source that supplies power to the RMC acquisition unit 110, the acceleration sensor 120, the communication unit 130, and the MCU 140. The power supply 150 may be a power terminal connected to the vehicle 10's battery by a power cord, a primary battery or a secondary battery, or both a power terminal and a battery.

[0026] <Flowchart> Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the process executed by the control unit 141 of the MCU 140. As an example, the control unit 141 repeatedly executes the process shown in Figure 3 every second. In other words, the control cycle is 1 second.

[0027] The location information acquisition device 100 reduces the number of uploads of location information to the management server 30A in order to reduce the amount of communication (number of communications or amount of data). For example, when the vehicle 10 is traveling at a constant speed or when there is little change in speed, the location information can be estimated from the location information before and after the event without uploading the location information. Furthermore, to acquire the driving history, the driving history can be efficiently acquired by acquiring location information mainly when, for example, the vehicle turns at an intersection, slows down to enter a roadside facility, stops, or when sudden acceleration or braking occurs. Based on this idea, the location information acquisition device 100 narrows down the conditions for uploading location information. This will be explained below.

[0028] When the control unit 141 starts processing, it causes the RMC acquisition unit 110 to acquire RMC data and records (holds) the position information and speed information contained in the RMC data in the memory 142 (step S1). The position information and speed information contained in the acquired RMC data represent the current position and speed of the vehicle 10 (at the time the RMC acquisition unit 110 acquired the RMC data). The position and speed of the vehicle 10 are acquired every second.

[0029] The control unit 141 extracts the speed information from the position information and speed information stored in the memory 142 (step S2).

[0030] The control unit 141 determines whether it is the first process since the location information acquisition device 100 was started (step S3). The first process since the location information acquisition device 100 was started means that the power to the location information acquisition device 100 was turned on from a state where it was off, and it is the process of the first control cycle. The power to the location information acquisition device 100 is turned on when the ignition switch of the vehicle 10 is turned on or when the power is turned on.

[0031] When the control unit 141 determines that the position information acquisition device 100 has been activated and this is the first processing (S3: YES), it sets the current speed information held in memory 142 to zero (step S4). Since the vehicle has not yet started moving, the current speed is set to zero.

[0032] The control unit 141 performs the transmission process, uploads the current location information held in memory 142 from the communication unit 130 to the management server 30A of the cloud 30, updates the second threshold TH2, and stores the current speed as the speed at the time of upload (step S5).

[0033] To upload the current location information to the management server 30A, location information representing the vehicle 10's position at the time of upload is uploaded to the management server 30A. If the vehicle 10 has not yet started moving, location information representing the location where the vehicle 10 was parked will be uploaded.

[0034] Furthermore, the process of updating the second threshold TH2 is specifically the process by which the control unit 141 sets the second threshold TH2 to one of several values ​​according to the upload speed. In addition, the process of retaining the current speed as the upload speed is the process of retaining the speed at which the location information was uploaded to the management server 30A as the upload speed.

[0035] Here, the second threshold TH2 is a value used in step S8, described later, to determine whether the change in speed relative to the upload speed has become sufficiently large. To monitor the change in speed, since a larger change tends to occur as the vehicle speed 10 is higher, the second threshold TH2 is set to be larger as the upload speed (current speed) increases.

[0036] Here, as an example, there are four second threshold values ​​TH2 corresponding to the change in vehicle speed, depending on the vehicle speed at the time of the previous upload. One of these four values, corresponding to the vehicle speed at the time of the previous upload, is selected and used as the second threshold value TH2. Therefore, in step S5, in addition to the transmission process, the second threshold value TH2 is updated and the vehicle speed at the time of upload is retained.

[0037] If the vehicle speed at the time of upload is 0 km / h (0 knots / hour) or higher and less than 18.5 km / h (10 knots / hour), the second threshold TH2 is set to 5.6 km / h (3 knots / hour). If the vehicle speed at the time of upload is 18.5 km / h (10 knots / hour) or higher and less than 37.0 km / h (20 knots / hour), the second threshold TH2 is set to 9.3 km / h (5 knots / hour). If the vehicle speed at the time of upload is 37.0 km / h (20 knots / hour) or higher and less than 74.1 km / h (40 knots / hour), the second threshold TH2 is set to 13.0 km / h (7 knots / hour). If the vehicle speed at the time of upload is 74.1 km / h (40 knots / hour) or higher, the second threshold TH2 is set to 16.7 km / h (9 knots / hour).

[0038] Furthermore, if the flow proceeds from step S3 through step S4 to step S5, the vehicle speed is 0 km / h (0 knots / hour), so the second threshold TH2 is set to 5.6 km / h (3 knots / hour).

[0039] The unit of velocity (movement speed) included in the RMC data is knots per hour. Here, as an example, the second threshold TH2 is defined in knots per hour, and the conversion to km / h is shown as a value rounded to the first decimal place by rounding to the second decimal place. Note that the second threshold TH2 may also be defined as a velocity given in km / h, in which case a conversion process such as rounding to the second decimal place should be performed when converting to knots per hour. The same applies when setting the first threshold TH1, the first low speed V1, and the second low speed V2 to values ​​greater than zero.

[0040] When the control unit 141 finishes processing in step S5, it terminates the series of processes and repeats the flow from step S1.

[0041] In step S3, if the control unit 141 determines that the position information acquisition device 100 has not been activated and this is not the first time processing has occurred (S3:NO), it updates the current speed data held in memory 142 with the speed information extracted in step S2 (step S4). This process overwrites the speed information acquired one control cycle (one second ago) with the current speed information.

[0042] The control unit 141 determines whether the speed difference between the speed one control cycle ago and the current speed is greater than or equal to the first threshold TH1 (step S6). The speed difference determined in step S6 corresponds to the change in the vehicle's speed over one second from one second ago, and the first threshold TH1 is the threshold for determining sudden acceleration or sudden braking. The speed difference is also compared to the first threshold TH1 by taking its absolute value. The first threshold TH1 is a fixed value, for example, 11.1 km / h (6 knots / hour).

[0043] In step S6, if the control unit 141 determines that the speed difference between the speed one control cycle ago and the current speed is greater than or equal to the first threshold TH1 (S6: YES), it proceeds to step S5, performs a transmission process to upload the current location information from the communication unit 130 to the management server 30A of the cloud 30, updates the second threshold TH2, and retains the current speed as the speed at the time of upload (step S5). As a result, for example, location information when sudden braking or sudden acceleration occurs is uploaded.

[0044] In step S6, if the control unit 141 determines that the speed difference between the speed one control cycle ago and the current speed is not greater than or equal to the first threshold TH1 (S6: NO), it determines whether the speed represented by the current speed information is less than or equal to the first low speed V1 (step S7). The first low speed V1 is, for example, 5.6 km / h (3 knots / hour). Step S7 is a process to determine whether the vehicle 10 is moving at a very low speed equal to or less than the speed of a pedestrian, or whether it is stopped. In step S7, instead of determining whether it is less than or equal to the first low speed V1, it may be determined whether the speed is zero. In this case, it will be determined whether the vehicle 10 is stopped.

[0045] When the control unit 141 determines that the speed represented by the current speed information is less than or equal to the first low speed V1 (S7: YES), it proceeds to step S5, performs a transmission process to upload the current location information from the communication unit 130 to the management server 30A of the cloud 30, updates the second threshold TH2, and retains the current speed as the speed at the time of upload (step S5). As a result, the location information when the speed becomes less than or equal to the first low speed V1 is uploaded. For example, the location information when entering a road facility is uploaded.

[0046] Furthermore, in step S7, if the control unit 141 determines that the speed represented by the current speed information is not less than or equal to the first low speed V1 (S7: NO), it determines whether the speed difference between the speed represented by the speed information from the previous transmission process (the speed at the time of the previous upload) and the current speed represented by the speed information recorded in memory 142 is greater than or equal to the second threshold TH2 (step S8). The speed difference is taken as an absolute value and compared with the second threshold TH2.

[0047] Step S8 is a process that determines whether the change in vehicle speed relative to the vehicle speed at the time of uploading location information in the previous transmission process is greater than or equal to the second threshold TH2. If the change in vehicle speed relative to the vehicle speed at the time of the previous upload is less than the second threshold TH2, the idea is that no change has occurred in vehicle 10 that would necessitate uploading location information.

[0048] When the control unit 141 determines that the difference between the speed represented by the speed information at the time of the previous transmission and the current speed represented by the speed information recorded in memory 142 is greater than or equal to the second threshold TH2 (S8: YES), it proceeds to step S5, performs a transmission, uploads the current location information from the communication unit 130 to the management server 30A of the cloud 30, updates the second threshold TH2, and retains the current speed as the speed at the time of upload (step S5). As a result, location information is uploaded when the change in vehicle speed relative to the vehicle speed at the time of the previous upload is greater than or equal to the second threshold TH2. For example, location information when entering a highway is uploaded.

[0049] Furthermore, in step S8, if the control unit 141 determines that the difference between the speed represented by the speed information at the time of the previous transmission process and the current speed represented by the speed information recorded in the memory 142 is not greater than or equal to the second threshold TH2 (S8: NO), it determines whether the low-speed driving state at the second low speed V2 or less has continued for 3 seconds or more (step S9). The 3 seconds in the determination in step S9 is an example of a predetermined time.

[0050] The second low speed V2 is a fixed value, for example, 18.5 km / h (10 knots / hour). Step S9 is a process to determine whether the vehicle 10 is moving at a very low speed or is stopped. The second low speed V2 is, for example, higher than the first low speed V1. The first low speed V1 is used to determine whether the vehicle 10 is stopped or about to stop, while the second low speed V2 is used to upload location information when the vehicle is moving continuously at a low speed, for example, when moving within a parking lot.

[0051] When the control unit 141 determines that the vehicle has been traveling at a low speed of 3 seconds or less (S9: YES) or below the second low speed V2, it proceeds to step S5, performs a transmission process to upload the current location information from the communication unit 130 to the management server 30A of the cloud 30, updates the second threshold TH2, and retains the current speed as the speed at the time of upload (step S5). As a result, for example, location information while moving within a parking lot is uploaded.

[0052] Furthermore, if the control unit 141 determines that the low-speed driving state at the second low speed V2 or lower has not continued for 3 seconds or more (S9: NO), it terminates the series of processes (end). The control unit 141 repeatedly executes the processes from step S1.

[0053] The decisions made in steps S6 to S9 in Figure 3 are the upload conditions for uploading location information.

[0054] <Example of operation> Figure 4 is a timing chart showing an example of the operation of the location information acquisition device 100. In Figure 4, the horizontal axis represents time (s (seconds)), and the vertical axis represents the speed of the vehicle 10.

[0055] At times t=1(s) to 3(s), the vehicle speed is 20 km / h, but none of the upload conditions in steps S6 to S9 are met, so no upload takes place.

[0056] The speed increases from time t=4(s) to t=6(s), but since none of the upload conditions in steps S6 to S9 are met, the upload does not occur. The speed at time t=6(s) is 50 km / h.

[0057] When the speed decreases to 20 km / h at time t=7(s), the control unit 141 determines in step S6 that the speed difference (30 km / h) between the speed one control cycle ago (50 km / h) and the current speed (20 km / h) is greater than or equal to the first threshold TH1 (11.1 km / h) (S6: YES). Therefore, the control unit 141 proceeds to step S5, performs a transmission process to upload the current location information from the communication unit 130 to the management server 30A of the cloud 30, updates the second threshold TH2, and retains the current speed (20 km / h) as the speed at the time of upload (step S5). At this time, since the current speed is 20 km / h, the second threshold TH2 is set to 9.3 km / h.

[0058] From time t=8(s) to t=14(s), the change in speed relative to the speed at the time of the previous upload (t=7(s)) (20km / h) does not exceed the second threshold TH2 (9.3km / h), so no upload is performed.

[0059] At time t=15(s), the speed increases to 40km / h, and the change in speed compared to the speed at the time of the previous upload (t=7(s)) (20km / h) exceeds the second threshold TH2 (9.3km / h). Therefore, the control unit 141 determines YES in step S8 and proceeds to step S5. In step S5, the control unit 141 performs a transmission process to upload the current location information from the communication unit 130 to the management server 30A of the cloud 30, updates the second threshold TH2, and retains the current speed (40km / h) as the speed at the time of upload (step S5). As a result, the location information at the time (t=15(s)) when the change in vehicle speed compared to the vehicle speed at the time of the previous upload (t=7(s)) (20km / h) becomes greater than or equal to the second threshold TH2 is uploaded. In addition, the second threshold TH2 is updated to 13.0km / h corresponding to the current speed (40km / h).

[0060] <Reduced number of uploads> Figure 5 illustrates the reduction in the number of uploads. Figure 5(A) shows, for comparison, the locations where location information was uploaded to the management server 30A every second. It can be seen that location information is uploaded throughout the entire course when the user completes one lap clockwise from the starting position.

[0061] On the other hand, Figure 5(B) shows the locations on a map where location information was uploaded when the location information acquisition device 100 uploaded location information to the management server 30A. When the course is completed in a clockwise direction from the starting position, the number of locations where location information was uploaded is reduced, and it can be seen that uploads occurred only at points where the vehicle stopped at intersections or traffic lights. The number of uploads shown in Figure 5(B) is 3.8% of the number of uploads shown in Figure 5(A), representing a reduction of 96.2%.

[0062] <Effects> As described above, the control unit 141 performs a transmission process when the amount of change in speed represented by the current speed information recorded in memory 142 is equal to or greater than the first threshold TH1, or when the difference between the speed represented by the speed information at the time of the previous transmission process and the current speed represented by the speed information recorded in memory 142 is equal to or greater than the second threshold TH2. This reduces the number of transmissions and makes it possible to reduce the amount of communication (number of communications or amount of data).

[0063] Therefore, a location information acquisition device 100 that can reduce the amount of communication can be provided. The change in the current speed (compared to the speed one control cycle ago) reaches a certain speed mainly occurs when there is a sudden change in speed such as sudden braking or sudden acceleration, so location information at the time of the sudden change in speed can be selected and uploaded. In addition, the difference between the speed at the time of the previous transmission process and the current speed occurs when a gradual change in speed reaches a certain amount, so location information at the time of the gradual but certain change in speed can be selected and uploaded.

[0064] Furthermore, the control unit 141 performs transmission processing when the amount of change in speed represented by the speed information recorded in memory 142 is equal to or greater than the first threshold TH1, and when the difference between the speed represented by the speed information at the time of the previous transmission process and the current speed represented by the speed information recorded in memory 142 is equal to or greater than the second threshold TH2. In this way, the number of transmissions can be reduced more effectively, and the amount of communication (number of communications or amount of data) can be reduced more effectively depending on the two conditions.

[0065] Therefore, it is possible to provide a location information acquisition device 100 that can more effectively reduce the amount of data transmitted. In addition, it is possible to selectively upload location information obtained when a sudden change in speed occurs, and location information obtained when a gradual but certain change in speed occurs.

[0066] Furthermore, the second threshold TH2 has multiple values ​​depending on the current speed represented by the speed information recorded in memory 142, and the higher the current speed, the larger the value. Therefore, when the difference between the speed represented by the speed information at the time of the previous transmission and the current speed becomes greater than or equal to the second threshold TH2 corresponding to the current speed, location information can be uploaded. When determining whether a certain degree of speed change is occurring, even if gradual, it is more reliable to capture the desired event by increasing the amount of speed change as the speed increases. By using the second threshold TH2, which has a larger value as the current speed increases, it is possible to provide a location information acquisition device 100 that can more effectively reduce the amount of communication in accordance with the speed.

[0067] Furthermore, the control unit 141 performs transmission processing when the current speed represented by the speed information recorded in the memory 142 is zero or below a predetermined first low speed, so that location information can be uploaded when the vehicle 10 is stopped or when its speed is so low that it is almost stopped. Situations when the vehicle 10 is stopped or when its speed is so low that it is almost stopped include cases where the vehicle 10 has stopped at a facility along the road or has stopped at a red light. The location information of the vehicle 10 in such cases is likely to be useful data when acquiring driving history. Therefore, by selecting location information such as places where the vehicle 10 has stopped, it is possible to provide a location information acquisition device 100 that can more effectively reduce the amount of communication.

[0068] Furthermore, the control unit 141 performs a transmission process when the current speed, as represented by the speed information recorded in the memory 142, remains below a predetermined second low speed for a predetermined period of time or longer. This allows the vehicle 10 to upload location information when it is searching for a parking space in a facility's parking lot. This situation typically occurs just before the vehicle stops at a facility. In such cases, the location information of the vehicle 10 is likely to be useful data for acquiring driving history. Therefore, by selecting location information such as places where the vehicle 10 has stopped, a location information acquisition device 100 can be provided that can more effectively reduce the amount of communication.

[0069] Furthermore, the system includes an acceleration sensor 120 for detecting the acceleration of the vehicle 10, and an acquisition unit 140A for acquiring position information and speed information representing the position and speed of the vehicle 10 based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 120. The memory 142 records the position information and speed information acquired by the acquisition unit 140A when the RMC acquisition unit 110 does not acquire the position information and speed information. Therefore, even when GPS signals cannot be received, the position and speed of the vehicle 10 can be estimated by autonomous navigation. Consequently, even when GPS signals cannot be received, it is possible to provide a position information acquisition device 100 that can upload position information and reduce the amount of communication.

[0070] Furthermore, since the RMC acquisition unit 110 acquires position information and speed information from RMC data provided by the satellite positioning system, the position and speed of the vehicle 10 can be easily and reliably acquired. Therefore, a position information acquisition device 100 can be provided that can easily acquire position and speed from GPS signals and reduce the amount of communication.

[0071] Although an exemplary embodiment of a location information acquisition device of this disclosure has been described above, this disclosure is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible without departing from the scope of the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0072] 1. Vehicle Location Information Acquisition System 10 vehicles 20 Public Telecommunications Network 30 Cloud 30A Management Server 100 Location information acquisition device 110 RMC Acquisition Section (Example of the First Acquisition Section) 120 Accelerometer 130 Communications Department 140 MCU (Example of a control unit) 140A Acquisition Section (Example of the second acquisition section) 141 Control Unit 142 Memory (Example of a recording unit) 150 Power supply

Claims

1. A first acquisition unit that acquires position information and speed information representing a position and a speed of a vehicle; a recording unit that records the position information and the speed information acquired by the first acquisition unit; a communication unit that communicates with a management server that manages the position information of the vehicle; a control unit that performs a transmission process to transmit the location information recorded in the recording unit from the communication unit to the management server; Including, The control unit performs the transmission process when the amount of change in the speed represented by the speed information recorded in the recording unit is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

2. The control unit performs the transmission process when a difference between the speed represented by the speed information when the previous transmission process was performed and the current speed represented by the speed information recorded in the recording unit is equal to or greater than a second threshold value.

3. A first acquisition unit that acquires position information and speed information representing a position and a speed of a vehicle; a recording unit that records the position information and the speed information acquired by the first acquisition unit; a communication unit that communicates with a management server that manages the position information of the vehicle; a control unit that performs a transmission process to transmit the location information recorded in the recording unit from the communication unit to the management server; Including, The control unit performs the transmission process when the difference between the speed represented by the speed information when the previous transmission process was performed and the current speed represented by the speed information recorded in the recording unit is greater than or equal to a second threshold value.

4. The position information acquisition device according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit performs the transmission process when an amount of change in the speed represented by the speed information recorded in the recording unit is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

5. The position information acquisition device according to claim 2 , wherein the second threshold has a plurality of values ​​depending on the current speed represented by the speed information recorded in the recording unit, and the higher the current speed, the larger the value becomes.

6. The location information acquisition device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit performs the transmission process when the current speed represented by the speed information recorded in the recording unit is zero or is equal to or lower than a predetermined first low speed.

7. The control unit performs the transmission process when the current speed represented by the speed information recorded in the recording unit remains below a predetermined second low speed for a predetermined period of time or more.

8. an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration of the vehicle; a second acquisition unit that acquires position information and speed information representing a position and a speed of the vehicle based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor; Further comprising: The position information acquisition device according to claim 1 , wherein the recording unit records the position information and the speed information acquired by the second acquisition unit when the position information and the speed information are not acquired by the first acquisition unit.

9. The position information acquisition device according to claim 1 , wherein the first acquisition unit acquires the position information and the velocity information from a satellite positioning system.

10. An acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration of a vehicle; a second acquisition unit that acquires position information and speed information representing a position and a speed of the vehicle based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor; a recording unit that records the position information and the speed information acquired by the second acquisition unit; a communication unit that communicates with a management server that manages the position information of the vehicle; a control unit that performs a transmission process to transmit the location information recorded in the recording unit from the communication unit to the management server; Including, The control unit performs the transmission process when the amount of change in the speed represented by the speed information recorded in the recording unit is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

11. An acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration of a vehicle; a second acquisition unit that acquires position information and speed information representing a position and a speed of the vehicle based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor; a recording unit that records the position information and the speed information acquired by the second acquisition unit; a communication unit that communicates with a management server that manages the position information of the vehicle; a control unit that performs a transmission process to transmit the location information recorded in the recording unit from the communication unit to the management server; Including, The control unit performs the transmission process when the difference between the speed represented by the speed information when the previous transmission process was performed and the current speed represented by the speed information recorded in the recording unit is greater than or equal to a second threshold value.

12. A position information acquisition device described in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the velocity is an angular velocity.

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