On-vehicle terminal and information processing method

Abstract

To enable a determination of an acceptance of a user related to an acquisition of information by turning on a tethering.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle terminal that can use a first route that is mounted onto a vehicle and transmits information via a cellular network to a communication device of a business operator and a second route that transmits information to the communication device of the business operator via a network other than the cellular network, includes a control part that executes an operation in the case where a user accepts an acquisition of the information by the business operator, in response to a determination result that a tethering is ON.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle terminal and an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are electronic devices, or tethering terminals, that can selectively connect to a plurality of wireless communication networks using different communication methods (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-185984 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure aims to provide an in-vehicle terminal and an information processing method thereof that can suitably determine whether a user has consented to the acquisition of information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is an in-vehicle terminal mounted in a vehicle, which can use a first route of transmitting information to an operator's communication device via a cellular network and a second route of transmitting the information to the operator's communication device via a network other than the cellular network using tethering of a user's terminal of the vehicle, and which includes a control unit that determines that the tethering is on, indicating that the user has consented to the operator's acquisition of the information, and executes predetermined processing based on the consent.

[0006] Other aspects of the present disclosure include an information processing method for the above-mentioned in-vehicle terminal, a program for causing a computer to operate as the above-mentioned in-vehicle terminal, a recording medium on which the program is recorded, and the like. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to preferably determine whether a user has consented to the acquisition of information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a DCM. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3A illustrates an example of the configuration of a communication device, and FIG. 3B illustrates an example of the configuration of a smart device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the DCM. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation in the communication system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Business operators (e.g., vehicle manufacturers, sales companies, rental companies, etc.) of vehicles equipped with communication functions, such as connected cars and autonomous vehicles, may wish to collect data related to the vehicles (e.g., data related to the driving of the vehicles, data related to vehicle communications, etc.) For this reason, it is considered that the communication devices (communication facilities) of the business operators will receive, via a network, predetermined data (IoT data) transmitted from the on-board terminals mounted on the vehicles.

[0010] A network (called a communication carrier network) of a mobile communication operator (MNO: communication carrier) with which a user of the vehicle has a contract can be used as a network connecting the in-vehicle terminal and the communication device. However, in addition to the above-mentioned communication carrier network, access to the communication device can be via a communication carrier network of another communication carrier and the Internet, or via a wireless LAN and the Internet using tethering. If the user can select an access network to be used to access the communication device from multiple access networks, data related to the vehicle can be transmitted to the communication device under conditions favorable to the user, making it easier to obtain the user's cooperation in collecting data related to the vehicle. On the other hand, it becomes possible for the operator to collect more data.

[0011] Whether or not the communication device can acquire data from the in-vehicle terminal (such as storing and storing data in a specified location) can be determined by a contract between the vehicle user and the business operator. However, it is preferable that data acquisition is performed appropriately (reliably) in accordance with the user's will (with or without consent). The following embodiment describes a communication system that can solve the above problems.

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a DCM (Data Communication Module) 10, which is an example of an in-vehicle terminal mounted in a vehicle, and a communication device 20. The in-vehicle terminal may be an information processing device other than the DCM. The in-vehicle terminal may be a stationary type or a portable type.

[0013] The DCM 10 can collect vehicle data (one example of information or data) from in-vehicle devices (e.g., a car navigation device, a drive recorder, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), etc.). The vehicle data can include information about the vehicle (data about the driving of the vehicle, such as the position, the vehicle speed, etc.). The vehicle data can also include data about communication of the vehicle (in-vehicle terminal). The information (data) to be acquired by the communication device 20 may be other than vehicle data. Data (user data) transmitted from the DCM 10 can be sent to a predetermined communication partner (e.g., server 51 or server 52) via the communication device 20. However, the destination of the data may be the communication device 20.

[0014] The communication carrier network 2 with which the vehicle user has a contract is used as a default network used by the DCM 10 for communication with the communication device 20. The communication carrier network may be a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) network or a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) network. The communication carrier network 2 has a wireless access network (base station) and a core network. When the communication carrier network 2 is used, the communication device 10 forms part of the core network of the communication carrier network 2. Authentication information stored in a first Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) 105 possessed by the DCM 10 is used to authenticate the DCM 10 in the communication carrier network 2. The communication carrier network 2 may be a 4G (LTE) network, a 5G network, or a 6G network.

[0015] The user can also use the wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) 4 as an access network by tethering using a tethering device 13 (an example of a user terminal). The tethering may be Wi-Fi tethering, Bluetooth (registered trademark) tethering, or USB (Universal Serial Bus) tethering. When the wireless LAN 4 is used as the access network, the route from the DCM 10 to the communication device 20 passes through the Internet 1. In this way, the user can access the communication device 20 using at least one of the route (second route) via the wireless LAN 4 and the Internet 1, in addition to the route (first route) via the communication carrier network 2. The communication carrier network 2 is an example of a cellular network. The wireless LAN 4 and the Internet 1 are examples of networks other than a cellular network.

[0016] The communication device 20 can be configured by one computer or a set (cloud) of two or more computers. The communication device 20 has a gateway (GW) 21 connected to the Internet 1. The GW 21 is a gateway that accommodates non-3GPP (registered trademark) wireless access (Untrusted Non-3GPP (registered trademark) IP Access) such as the Internet. For example, if the communication device 20 is compatible with LTE (4G), it is an ePDG (Evolved Packet Data Gateway), if it is compatible with 5G, it is an N3IWF (non-3GPP (registered trademark) Interworking Function), and if it is compatible with 3G, it is a PDG. The GW 21 can convert the signal format received from the Internet 1 into a format compatible with the core network of the communication carrier network 2 used in the communication device 20. The Internet 1 has inferior communication reliability (security) compared to the communication carrier network 2 (3GPP (registered trademark) wireless access). Therefore, when the DCM 10 communicates with the communication device 20 using the second route by tethering, a logical tunnel is established between the DCM 10 and the GW 21. The tunnel is, for example, an IPsec tunnel established by the IPsec tunnel mode. However, the tunnel may be something other than an IPsec tunnel.

[0017] The communication device 20 includes an authentication unit 22 and a routing unit 23. After the tunnel is established, the authentication unit 22 receives authentication information sent from the DCM 10 through the tunnel via the GW 21, and authenticates the DCM 10 (user). In this embodiment, authentication information for authentication in the communication carrier network 2 stored in the first SIM 105 is used as the authentication information. However, the authentication information may be stored in a secure storage area of ​​the DCM 10 other than the first SIM 105. When the communication device 20 operates as a part of the LTE (4G) core network, the authentication unit 22 operates as an HSS (Home Subscriber Server) that performs authentication processing. However, the authentication unit 22 may operate as a combination of an HSS and an AAA (Authentication Authorization Accounting). When the communication device 20 operates as a part of a 5G core network, the authentication unit 21 operates as an AUSF (Authentication Server Function), that is, a network function that authenticates the subscriber / UE (DCM10) against the subscriber information stored in UDM (Unified Data Management). For example, EPA-AKA is applied as an authentication method. However, the authentication method may be other than this.

[0018] When the DCM 10 accesses the communication device 20 using an access network (access line) other than the communication carrier network 2, the authentication information used is the same as the authentication information used for the communication carrier network 2. In this embodiment, the authentication information used is the authentication information for the communication carrier network 2 stored in the first SIM 105.

[0019] The routing unit 23 sets and determines a route to a destination (communication partner: for example, server 51 or server 52) of user data from the DCM 10. A communication path (session) is established between the routing unit 23 and the DCM 10. When the communication device 20 operates as a part of an LTE (4G) core network, the routing unit 23 operates as a PGW (Packet data network Gateway). When the communication device 20 operates as a part of a 5G core network, the routing unit 23 operates as a UPF (User Plane Function).

[0020] When DCM 10 communicates with server 51 or server 52, data addressed to server 51 or server 52 is always routed through a tunnel by routing unit 23 to reach communication device 20, and is then transmitted to server 51 or server 52 via routing unit 23. Data addressed to DCM 10 and transmitted from server 51 or server 52 is always transferred via the tunnel via communication device 20.

[0021] A route (first route) between the DCM 10 and the communication device 20 via the communication carrier network 2 In a state where communication is being performed using the first route, a communication path (second route) using tethering between the DCM 10 and the GW 21 may be established. That is, the first route and the second route may be used in parallel. In the communication device 20, for example, it is possible to determine whether tethering is on or off based on whether a tunnel is established or not in the GW 21.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the DCM 10. The DCM 10 includes a CPU 101, a memory 102, an auxiliary storage device 103, a wireless communication unit 104, and a SIM 105, which are connected to each other via a bus. The auxiliary storage device 103 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an EEPROM, or the like. The auxiliary storage device 103 stores, for example, an operating system (OS) and a plurality of types of application programs (apps). The apps include programs for implementing various functions such as a communication control program. The memory 102 includes, for example, a semiconductor memory such as a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). The memory 102 and the auxiliary storage device 103 (collectively referred to as a storage device) are each an example of a computer-readable recording medium.

[0023] The wireless communication unit 104 includes DCE (Data Circuit terminating Equipment) and communicates with an external device according to a wireless communication method such as a cellular network (LTE, 4G, 5G, or 6G, etc.), Bluetooth (registered trademark), wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11 series, including Wi-Fi), etc. The external device is a base station in the case of the communication carrier network 2, an access point in the case of wireless LAN 4 (Wi-Fi), and a communication device compatible with Bluetooth (registered trademark) in the case of Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0024] The SIM 105 is an eUICC. The SIM 105 is a SIM for the communication carrier network 2, and may be a chip type or a card type. If the SIM is a card type, the DCM 10 includes a SIM slot, a SIM card reader, and the like.

[0025] The DCM 10 also includes a USB connector 107, an input device 108, and a display 109. A USB dongle 13B can be connected to the USB connector 107. A smart device 13A can also be connected to the USB connector 107 via a USB cable. The USB dongle 13B and the smart device 13A are examples of the tethering device 13. The smart device 13A is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like.

[0026] The input device 108 is a button, a key, a touch panel, etc., and is used for inputting and setting information, etc. The display 109 is used for displaying information. The input device 108 may be a user interface displayed on the display 109.

[0027] The CPU 101 executes various programs stored in the storage device to perform various processes related to the operation of the DCM 10 (data collection, reception of collected data, data transmission / reception, tethering on / off determination, etc.) The CPU 101 is an example of a control unit, a controller, or a processor.

[0028] Fig. 3 shows a configuration example of the communication device 20, and Fig. 3B shows a configuration example of the smart device 13A. In Fig. 3A, the communication device 20 includes, as an example, a processor 31, a storage device 32, a communication interface (communication IF) 33, an input device 34, and a display 35, which are interconnected via a bus 36.

[0029] The storage device 32 stores various programs and data. The processor 31 is an example of a control unit, and is a CPU, a DSP, a GPU, or a combination of these. The processor 31 executes a program stored in the storage device 32 and performs various processes such as calculations or processing using data stored in the storage device 32. By executing the program, the communication device 20 operates as a device equipped with the GW 21, the authentication unit 22, and the routing unit 23. The processor 31 corresponds to a control unit that performs processes as the GW 21, the authentication unit 22, and the routing unit 23. The communication IF 33 includes a communication interface circuit with the communication carrier network 2 and a communication interface circuit with the Internet 1, and performs transmission and reception of signals related to communication, format (protocol) conversion, etc. The input device 34 is a button, key, touch panel, etc. used for inputting and setting information. The display 35 is used to display information.

[0030] 3B, the smart device 13A has, as an example, a processor 131, a storage device 132, an input device 134, and a display 135, which are interconnected via a bus 136. Although these have different performance and types, they have similar functions to the processor 31, the storage device 32, the input device 34, and the display 35. The wireless communication interface (wireless communication IF) 133 includes a communication interface circuit that enables wireless access to each of a communication carrier network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), and wireless LAN (Wi-Fi). The processor 131 can perform various processes by executing a program stored in the storage device 132.

[0031] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the DCM 10. In step S01, the CPU 101 of the DCM 10 detects that the ignition switch of the vehicle is turned on (the vehicle starts) using, for example, a signal transmitted from an in-vehicle device.

[0032] In step S02, the CPU 101 performs a tethering on / off determination. For example, as an on / off determination, the CPU 101 determines whether the tethering device 13 is in a connected state. For example, the CPU 101 can determine whether the tethering device 13 is in a connected state based on whether the USB dongle 13B or the smart device 13A electrically connected to the USB connector 107 can be detected. Alternatively, the CPU 101 may determine whether the tethering device 13 is in a connected state based on whether the smart device 13A paired for tethering by a Bluetooth (registered trademark) connection or a Wi-Fi connection can be detected. The connected state includes an electrical connected state and a wireless connected state. If the tethering device 13 is determined to be in a connected state (the tethering device 13 is detected), the process proceeds to step S03, and if not, the process proceeds to step S04.

[0033] In step S03, CPU 101 executes processing when tethering is on, that is, when the user agrees to the acquisition of predetermined information such as vehicle data on the communication device 20 side. For example, CPU 101 establishes a communication path with communication device 20 via at least one of the first route and the second route, and transmits vehicle data. In contrast, when the process proceeds to step S04, CPU 101 executes processing when tethering is off, that is, when the user does not agree to the acquisition of information such as vehicle data.

[0034] For example, the CPU 101 can perform a process of establishing at least one of the first route and the second route, but not transmitting the information to be acquired (such as vehicle data). Alternatively, the CPU 101 can establish a route to the communication device 20 and transmit the information to be acquired, but transmit to the communication device 20 information to the effect that acquisition of the information to be acquired at the communication device 20 side is prohibited. In this case, the communication device 20 stores information in the storage device 32 of the communication device 20, stops transmission of the information to be acquired from the routing unit 23 to the communication partner (server 51 or server 52), prohibits storage of information received by the server 51 or server 52, or the like.

[0035] Note that the tethering on / off determination in step S02 may be a determination of whether an IPsec tunnel associated with tethering has been established (whether an establishment procedure has been executed) instead of the above-mentioned connection determination. Also, the communication device 20 may determine whether an IPsec tunnel has been established or whether an establishment procedure has been executed, and the tethering on / off may be determined based on whether the DCM 10 has received the determination result. Also, the communication device 20 may determine that tethering is on based on the reception of the data to be acquired by the GW 21.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the communication system. The example of the operation in FIG. 5 shows a processing example different from the processing example shown in FIG. 4. In the DCM 10, the CPU 101 detects that the ignition switch of the vehicle is turned on (FIG. 5). <1> ), and when it is determined that tethering is on (Fig. 5 <2> ), and the establishment of a communication path on the first route (Fig. 5 <3> ) and the establishment of a communication path on the second route using tethering (Figure 5 <4> The CPU 101 of the DCM 10 determines whether to transmit the vehicle data via at least one of the first and second routes (either one is acceptable) in accordance with settings made in advance (see FIG. 5). <5> ).

[0037] The vehicle data to be acquired is transmitted to the communication device 20 via, for example, the second route (FIG. 5 <6> ), and is transferred to the server 51, which is the communication partner of the DCM, via the routing unit 23 (FIG. 5 <7> The communication device 20 and the server 51 acquire (store, etc.) the vehicle data on the assumption that there is a consent from the user (FIG. 5 <8> and Figure 5 <9> However, the vehicle data may be acquired from either the communication device 20 or the server 51. Furthermore, the trigger for determining whether the tethering is on or off may be something other than the detection of the ignition switch being on.

[0038] The communication system according to the embodiment includes an in-vehicle terminal (DCM10) mounted on a vehicle. The DCM10 can use a first route and a second route for data transmission to the communication device 20. The DCM10 then performs a tethering on / off determination, and executes an operation for when the user consents to the acquisition of information by the carrier, depending on the determination result that the tethering is on. The tethering on / off determination can appropriately determine consent to data acquisition.

[0039] When the CPU 101 (control unit) detects a tethering device (tethering device 13), it can determine that tethering is on. For this reason, for example, the user can leave the USB dongle 13B inserted in the USB connector 107, and when the user does not consent, he or she can remove the USB dongle 13B from the USB connector 107. With such a simple method, the user can reliably indicate his or her intention of consent or non-consent.

[0040] Moreover, by determining whether tethering is on or off when the ignition switch is turned on, whether or not vehicle data can be acquired is determined each time the user drives the vehicle. This allows the user to select the driving mode in which acquisition is permitted. Note that the determination whether tethering is on or off may be performed other than when the ignition switch is detected to be on (for example, when tethering is set up by inserting the USB dongle 13B into the USB connector 107 or by pairing with the smart device 13A while the vehicle is in operation), so that the user can indicate his or her consent to data acquisition at a desired timing.

[0041] Note that "acquisition" of data may include storage (recording) and use of data (use within the business, provision to a third party, etc.). Non-acquisition of data may include the in-vehicle terminal not transmitting data, the communication device 20 not requesting the in-vehicle terminal to transmit data, the communication device 20 etc. not storing data, storing but not using data, etc.

[0042] In addition, the connection status between the DCM 10 and the tethering device 13 is displayed on the display of the DCM 10. The display 109 or 135 of the smart device 13A may display a message prompting the user to input whether or not he or she agrees to the data acquisition, and the user may be asked to input the consent.

[0043] The processes and means described in the present disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs. In addition, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed. The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program that implements the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors of the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that can be connected to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk, such as a magnetic disk (floppy disk, hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD disk, Blu-ray disk, etc.), a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 Internet, 2 communication carrier network, 4 wireless LAN, 10 DCM, 13 tethering device, 20 communication device, 101 CPU

Claims

1. An on-board terminal mounted in a vehicle, the on-board terminal being capable of using a first route for transmitting information to a communication device of a carrier via a cellular network and a second route for transmitting the information to the communication device of the carrier via a network other than the cellular network by using tethering of a terminal of a user of the vehicle, a control unit that executes an operation in a case where the user agrees to the acquisition of the information by the service provider according to a determination result that the tethering is on. An in-vehicle terminal including:

2. The control unit determines that the tethering is on when the control unit detects the tethering device. The vehicle-mounted terminal according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit determines whether the tethering is on or off when an ignition switch of the vehicle is turned on. The vehicle-mounted terminal according to claim 1 .

4. The information includes data regarding the vehicle. The vehicle-mounted terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The method includes: an on-board terminal mounted on a vehicle, the on-board terminal being capable of using a first route for transmitting information to a communication device of a carrier via a cellular network and a second route for transmitting the information to the communication device of the carrier via a network other than the cellular network using tethering of a terminal of a user of the vehicle, when the on-board terminal determines that the tethering is on, executing an operation in which the user has consented to acquisition of the information by the carrier. An information processing method for an in-vehicle terminal.

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