Vehicle control device and vehicle control system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control system capable of making a hearing or viewing reservation of a broadcasting medium suitable for a future travel route of a vehicle without requiring a complicated procedure.SOLUTION: A vehicle broadcasting medium hearing device (vehicle control device) comprises: a passage time prediction section which predicts a passage time at each location along a travel route on the basis of a current time and a predetermined travel route when a vehicle travels along the travel route; a program menu generation section which generates a menu of programs available to hear or view at each location along the travel route; a reservation reception section which receives a selection of the program from the generated menu for making a hearing or viewing reservation; and a reservation implementation section which implements a reservation of the program received by the reservation reception section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device and a vehicle control system. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, content reproducing devices capable of programming listening to or viewing of broadcast media such as radio programs and television programs have been disclosed (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-217998 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Such content playback devices generally make reservations for listening to or viewing of preset broadcast media or broadcast media that can be received at the current location. Therefore, it is not possible to make reservations for listening to radio programs or viewing of television programs that are not preset. Therefore, when driving long distances, it is not possible to make reservations for viewing or viewing of broadcast media that are not usually seen or heard and that can be received at a remote location far from the current location.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control system that enable a user to make a reservation for listening to or viewing broadcast media that matches the vehicle's future driving route without going through complicated procedures. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vehicle control device of the present invention comprises a passing time prediction unit that predicts the passing time of each point on a driving route when traveling along the driving route based on the current position of the vehicle, the current time, and a predetermined driving route, a program guide generation unit that generates a program guide of programs that can be viewed or listened to at each point on the driving route, a reservation acceptance unit that accepts, from the program guide, a selection of a program to be reserved for viewing or listening, and a reservation execution unit that executes the reservation accepted by the reservation acceptance unit.

[0007] According to this configuration, it is possible to make a reservation for listening to or viewing broadcast media that matches the vehicle's future driving route without going through complicated procedures.

[0008] The vehicle control device according to the present invention further includes a reservation change receiving unit that requests a change to a reservation on condition that the reservation being executed by the reservation executing unit cannot be executed.

[0009] According to this configuration, listening or viewing reservations can be changed depending on the traffic conditions at the time.

[0010] The vehicle control system according to the present invention includes a vehicle control device mounted on the vehicle and a mobile terminal carried by a user of the vehicle. The mobile terminal includes a passing time prediction unit that predicts a passing time at each point on a travel route when the vehicle travels along the travel route based on a current position of the vehicle, a current time, and a preset travel route acquired from the vehicle control device, a program guide generation unit that generates a program guide of programs that can be viewed or listened to at each point on the travel route, a reservation acceptance unit that accepts a selection of a program to be reserved for viewing or listening from the program guide, and a reservation information output unit that outputs the reservation accepted by the reservation acceptance unit to the vehicle control device. The vehicle control device includes a reservation information acquisition unit that acquires a reservation from the mobile terminal, and a reservation execution unit that executes the reservation acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit.

[0011] According to this configuration, before getting on the vehicle, a reservation for listening to or viewing broadcast media that matches the vehicle's future travel route can be made from a location away from the vehicle without going through complicated procedures. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to listen to or view broadcast media suited to the future travel route of the vehicle without performing complicated procedures. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a vehicle broadcast media viewing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of a receiving station map. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of reservation data. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a program guide generated by the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A is a first diagram showing the contents of the listening reservation acceptance process. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a second diagram showing the contents of the listening reservation acceptance process. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the vehicle broadcast media viewing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of listening reservation acceptance processing performed by the vehicle broadcast media viewing device of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of listening reservation execution processing performed by the vehicle broadcast media viewing device of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the vehicle broadcast media viewing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the vehicle broadcast media viewing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing system of the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] (First embodiment) A hardware configuration of a vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving device according to the first embodiment.

[0016] (Schematic configuration of a vehicle media viewing device) The vehicular broadcast media receiving device 10a is mounted on a vehicle (not shown) and provides programs received by the broadcast media receiving device 18 to the vehicle occupants. The broadcast media is, for example, radio broadcasts (AM broadcasts, FM broadcasts) and television broadcasts. The vehicular broadcast media receiving device 10a is an example of a vehicular control device in the present disclosure.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle broadcast media viewing device 10a includes an ECU 12, a storage device 13, an input device 14, a display device 15, a speaker 16, a positioning device 17, and a broadcast media receiving device 18.

[0018] The ECU 12 is a processor having a computer configuration, and operates in accordance with a control program 131a stored in the storage device 13 to cause the vehicle broadcast media receiving device 10a to perform a predetermined operation.

[0019] The storage device 13 is a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage device 13 may also be a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory that retains stored information even when the power is turned off. The storage device 13 stores a control program 131a, a map database 132, a receiving station map 133, reservation data 134, and audio / video recording data 135.

[0020] The control program 131a is a program that runs on the ECU 12 and causes the vehicular broadcast media receiving device 10a to perform a predetermined operation.

[0021] The map database 132 is map data used to match the vehicle position measured by the positioning device 17 with the actual position on the road on which the vehicle is traveling. The map database 132 is divided into a number of meshes, and link data indicating road alignments and section distances, connection data indicating road connection states, and the like are stored in each mesh.

[0022] The receiving station map 133 is data that stores a list of broadcasting stations that can be received within each mesh obtained by dividing the map database 132 vertically and horizontally at a predetermined scale. The receiving station map 133 will be described in detail later (see FIG. 2A).

[0023] The reservation data 134 is data that stores the date and time of a reserved listening or viewing reservation and the channel. The reservation data 134 will be described in detail later (see FIG. 2B).

[0024] The sound and video data 135 is data that is sound or video recorded by the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving and viewing device 10a.

[0025] Although not shown in FIG. 1, the storage device 13 further stores program guides for all broadcasting stations.

[0026] The input device 14 is a device for inputting various operation information to the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10a. The input device 14 is, for example, a touch panel laminated on the display surface of the display device 15 or a physical switch installed in the vehicle.

[0027] The display device 15 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display installed in the vehicle. The display device 15 displays various operation screens and a program guide 30 (see FIG. 3) when operating the vehicular broadcast media viewing device 10a. The display device 15 also displays images of television broadcasts received by the broadcast media receiving device 18 and images of television broadcasts recorded by the vehicular broadcast media viewing device 10a.

[0028] The speaker 16 outputs the sound of radio broadcasts and television broadcasts received by the broadcast media receiving device 18. The speaker 16 also displays the sound of radio broadcasts and television broadcasts recorded by the vehicle broadcast media viewing device 10a.

[0029] The positioning device 17 measures the current position of the vehicle. More specifically, the positioning device 17 calculates the latitude and longitude indicating the current position of the vehicle by analyzing a GPS signal received by a GPS antenna (not shown).

[0030] The broadcast media receiving device 18 is a device that receives broadcast media information. The broadcast media is, for example, radio broadcast or television broadcast. The broadcast media receiving device 18 is, for example, a radio tuner or a television tuner.

[0031] (Data structure of receiving station map) The data structure of the receiving station map 133 will be described with reference to Fig. 2A. Fig. 2A is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the receiving station map.

[0032] The receiving station map 133 stores information on broadcasting stations that can be received in the area of ​​a mesh code, in association with a mesh code that is uniquely assigned to each mesh stored in the map database 132.

[0033] The broadcast station information includes a broadcast station name and a receiving frequency. Since multiple broadcast stations can generally be received within the same mesh code, multiple pairs of broadcast station names and receiving frequencies are stored in association with the mesh code. The broadcast station information may be further divided into radio broadcasts (AM broadcasts, FM broadcasts) and television broadcasts and stored.

[0034] (Data structure of reservation data) The data structure of the reservation data 134 will be described with reference to Fig. 2B. Fig. 2B is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the reservation data.

[0035] The reservation data 134 stores reservation information indicating the reservation contents in association with a reservation number that is assigned in the order in which the reservation is made.

[0036] The reservation information includes a start time, an end time, a broadcast station name, a receiving frequency, and a program name.

[0037] The reservation start time is the start time of the reservation.

[0038] The reservation end time is the end time of the reservation.

[0039] The broadcast station name is the name of the reserved broadcast station.

[0040] The reception frequency is the reception frequency of the reserved broadcast station.

[0041] The program name is the name of the reserved program.

[0042] Note that the reservation data 134 shown in FIG. 2B is an example, and information other than that shown in FIG. 2B may be stored.

[0043] (Program Guide Composition) The configuration of a program guide 30 generated by the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving device 10a will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a program guide generated by the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving device.

[0044] The program guide 30 is a list of programs that can be viewed or listened to at each point along a preset route when the vehicle travels from the current position. The program guide 30 is displayed on the display device 15, for example.

[0045] The program guide 30 includes time 31, broadcasting station name 32, receivable program name 34, and unreceivable program name 35.

[0046] The time 31 includes the current time, and at least the time required to arrive at the destination for which the route has been set is plotted along the vertical axis of the program guide 30. A current time marker 33 indicating the current time may be displayed. Although not shown in Fig. 3, an estimated arrival time marker indicating the estimated arrival time at the destination may be displayed.

[0047] The broadcast station name 32 is the name of a broadcast station that can be received when the vehicle travels from the current position to the destination along the set route. The vehicular broadcast media viewing device 10a lists the broadcast station names 32 by referring to the receiving station map 133 and referring to the names of broadcast stations that can be received in the mesh that includes the point that the vehicle passes through.

[0048] The receivable program name 34 is the name of a program that can be received at each point during the travel when the vehicle travels from the current position to the destination along the set route. The vehicular broadcast media receiving device 10a assumes that the vehicle travels at a preset average vehicle speed and calculates the passing time of each point on the set route. At that time, the average vehicle speed may be changed depending on the type of road along which the vehicle travels. For example, the average vehicle speed is assumed to be 30 km / h on general roads and 60 km / h on expressways. The vehicular broadcast media receiving device 10a then refers to the receiving station map 133, and determines the receivable program name 34 by referring to the name of a broadcast station that can be received in a mesh that includes the point through which the vehicle passes and the program guide of the broadcast station.

[0049] The unreceivable program names 35 are names of programs that cannot be received at each point during travel when the vehicle is driven from the current position to the destination along the set route. The unreceivable program names 35 are displayed in a different display format from the receivable program names 34. The vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10a determines the unreceivable program names 35 by referring to the receiving station map 133, the names of broadcast stations that can be received in the mesh that includes the point the vehicle passes through, and the program guide for those broadcast stations.

[0050] For example, the program guide 30 shown in Fig. 3 indicates that programs Aa and Ab broadcast by broadcast station A can be received from 14:00 to 16:00, and that programs Ac and Ad broadcast by broadcast station A cannot be received after 16:00.

[0051] In addition, the program guide 30 allows the broadcast station names 32 to be scrolled by tracing left and right along the rows of the broadcast station names 32 on the touch panel laminated on the surface of the display device 15. This makes it possible to view all the broadcast station names even when there are a large number of broadcast stations.

[0052] In addition, the program table 30 allows the user to scroll through the time by tracing up and down the time 31 column. This allows the user to view information for the time that the user wishes to check.

[0053] The program guide 30 may be configured so that the main menu screen can be switched between radio broadcasting (AM broadcasting, FM broadcasting) and television broadcasting.

[0054] Furthermore, if no route setting has been performed, the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10a generates a program guide 30 including the names of broadcast stations and programs that can be received at the current location. In this case, since the vehicle's travel route is unknown, it is assumed that programs of all broadcast stations that can be received at the current location can be received.

[0055] (Explanation of how to reserve a program) A method for reserving a program will be described with reference to Figures 4A and 4B. Figure 4A is a first diagram showing the contents of the listening reservation acceptance process. Figure 4B is a second diagram showing the contents of the listening reservation acceptance process.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 4A, the operator presses a receivable program name 34 that he or she wishes to reserve for viewing or listening from among receivable program names 34 displayed in the program guide 30.

[0057] When the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10a detects that the receivable program name 34 has been pressed, it pops up an operation menu 36 shown in FIG. 4B.

[0058] The operation menu 36 includes a button 37 for instructing a reservation for listening only, a button 38 for instructing a reservation for both listening and recording, and a button 39 for instructing a reservation for recording only.

[0059] When the in-vehicle broadcast media viewing device 10a detects that any one of the buttons 37, 38, and 39 has been pressed, it accepts a reservation with contents corresponding to the contents of the pressed button. Although not shown, the reservation result is displayed in a form corresponding to the accepted reservation contents in the column of the corresponding receivable program name 34 in the program guide 30. Specifically, information indicating either "viewing reservation," "viewing + recording reservation," or "recording reservation" is displayed superimposed on the column of the receivable program name 34. This allows the operator to confirm that the reservation has been completed and the contents of the reservation.

[0060] When the program to be viewed is a television program, button 37 is a button for instructing a reservation for viewing only. Button 38 is a button for instructing a reservation for both viewing and recording. And button 39 is a button for instructing a reservation for recording only. Even if a reservation for viewing has been made, the vehicular broadcast media viewing device 10a outputs only audio information so that the driver cannot watch a television program while driving. The only way to watch a television program while driving is on a rear seat display installed in the rear seat of the vehicle.

[0061] (Functional configuration of the vehicle broadcast media viewing device) The functional configuration of the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving device 10a of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving device of the first embodiment.

[0062] The ECU 12 provided in the vehicle broadcast media viewing device 10a reads and executes the control program 131a stored in the memory device 13 to realize, as functional units, a current position acquisition unit 121, a destination acquisition unit 122, a route search unit 123, a passing time prediction unit 124, a program guide generation unit 125, a reservation acceptance unit 126, a reservation execution unit 127, a reservation change acceptance unit 128, and a broadcast media information output unit 129 shown in FIG. 5.

[0063] The current position acquisition unit 121 acquires the current position of the vehicle. Specifically, the current position acquisition unit 121 acquires the current position of the vehicle by map matching the position information (latitude, longitude) measured by the positioning device 17 with the map database 132.

[0064] The destination acquisition unit 122 acquires the location information of the set destination.

[0065] The route search unit 123 searches for a route from the current position to the destination. The route search unit 123 performs route search using a route search algorithm used in widely used car navigation systems. Note that many route search algorithms have been proposed, and any of them may be used.

[0066] The passing time prediction unit 124 predicts the passing time of each point on a preset travel route when the vehicle travels along the preset travel route, based on the current position of the vehicle, the current time, and the preset travel route.

[0067] The program guide generating unit 125 generates a program guide 30 of programs that can be viewed or listened to at each point on the travel route. Using the receiving station map 133 and the program guides of all broadcasting stations, the program guide generating unit 125 generates the program guide 30 of programs that can be received at each point on the route when departing from the current position at the current time and traveling at a vehicle speed that is preset according to the road type.

[0068] The reservation acceptance unit 126 accepts the selection of a program for which a viewing reservation or listening reservation is to be made from the program guide 30. In addition, the reservation acceptance unit 126 stores the accepted reservation information in reservation data .

[0069] The reservation execution unit 127 executes the reservation that is accepted by the reservation acceptance unit 126 and registered in the reservation data 134. The reservation execution unit 127 also estimates the mesh to which the predicted arrival position of the vehicle at the reserved listening time belongs from the map database 132. Then, the reservation execution unit 127 refers to the receiving station map 133 to determine whether the reserved listening program can be received in the estimated mesh.

[0070] When it is determined that the user cannot reach a position where the reserved program can be received even at the reserved time due to, for example, road congestion, the reservation change acceptance unit 128 notifies the user that the reservation will not be made in time. The reservation change acceptance unit 128 also requests a change to the reservation data 134 on the condition that the reservation being made by the reservation executor 127 cannot be executed. The reservation data 134 can be changed, for example, by selecting "change reservation" or "delete reservation" from the main menu of the radio / television operation. It is also assumed that the reservation data 134 can be changed at any time.

[0071] The broadcast media information output unit 129 outputs the radio broadcast (AM broadcast, FM broadcast) or television broadcast received by the broadcast media receiving device 18 from the speaker 16 or the display device 15. Furthermore, when sound recording or video recording is set, the broadcast media information output unit 129 stores the radio broadcast (AM broadcast, FM broadcast) or television broadcast received by the broadcast media receiving device 18 in sound recording / video recording data 135.

[0072] (Flow of listening reservation acceptance process performed by the vehicle broadcast media viewing device) The flow of the listening reservation acceptance process performed by the vehicular broadcast media receiving device 10a will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the listening reservation acceptance process performed by the vehicular broadcast media receiving device of the first embodiment. Note that the following describes an example of accepting a reservation to listen to a radio broadcast. When making a reservation to watch a television broadcast, the vehicular broadcast media receiving device 10a also accepts the reservation by performing the same process as in Fig. 6.

[0073] The route search unit 123 sets a route from the current position to the destination based on the current position of the vehicle acquired by the current position acquisition unit 121 and the position of the destination acquired by the destination acquisition unit 122 (step S11).

[0074] The program guide generating unit 125 generates a program guide 30 that can be received at each point on the route when the vehicle moves on the route set in step S11 (step S12). In addition, the program guide generating unit 125 displays the generated program guide 30 on the display device 15.

[0075] The reservation acceptance unit 126 determines whether a reservation instruction has been made (step S13). If it is determined that a reservation instruction has been made (step S13: Yes), the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if it is determined that a reservation instruction has not been made (step S13: No), the vehicle broadcast media viewing device 10a ends the listening reservation acceptance process. Note that the reservation acceptance unit 126 determines that a reservation instruction has been made when any one of the buttons 37, 38, and 39 in the operation menu 36 shown in FIG. 4B is pressed in the program guide 30 displayed on the display device 15.

[0076] If it is determined in step S13 that a reservation instruction has been given, the reservation receiving unit 126 receives the reservation instruction (step S14). The reservation receiving unit 126 stores the received reservation information in the reservation data .

[0077] Next, the reservation acceptance unit 126 judges whether the reservation has been completed (step S15). If it is judged that the reservation has been completed (step S15: Yes), the vehicle broadcast media viewing device 10a ends the listening reservation acceptance process. On the other hand, if it is not judged that the reservation has been completed (step S15: No), the process returns to step S14.

[0078] (Flow of listening reservation execution process performed by the vehicle broadcast media viewing device) The flow of listening reservation execution processing performed by the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving device 10a will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of listening reservation execution processing performed by the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving device of the first embodiment.

[0079] After the reservation is completed by the listening reservation acceptance process shown in Fig. 6, the listening reservation execution process shown in Fig. 7 is started. Note that, here, the case of executing a reservation to listen to a radio broadcast will be described as an example. When executing a reservation to watch a television broadcast, the vehicular broadcast media receiving device 10a also executes the viewing reservation by carrying out the same process as in Fig. 7.

[0080] The current position acquisition unit 121 acquires the current position of the vehicle (step S21).

[0081] The reservation execution unit 127 estimates the arrival position of the vehicle at the reserved time of the listening reservation, and judges whether the reserved program can be received at the estimated position, in other words, whether the listening reservation reserved in the reservation data 134 will be completed in time (step S22). If it is judged that the listening reservation will be completed in time (step S22: Yes), the process proceeds to step S23. On the other hand, if it is not judged that the listening reservation will be completed in time (step S22: No), the process proceeds to step S25.

[0082] If it is determined in step S22 that the listening reservation can be completed in time, the reservation execution unit 127 determines whether the reservation time has arrived (step S23). If it is determined that the reservation time has arrived (step S23: Yes), the process proceeds to step S24. On the other hand, if it is not determined that the reservation time has arrived (step S23: No), the process returns to step S21. The reservation execution unit 127 determines whether the reservation time has arrived by comparing a timer provided in the ECU 12 with the reservation start time registered in the reservation data 134.

[0083] When it is determined in step S23 that the reserved time has arrived, the reservation execution unit 127 executes the reservation registered in the reservation data 134 (step S24). Specifically, if a reservation for "listening only" has been made, the reservation execution unit 127 causes the broadcast media information output unit 129 to receive the reserved radio broadcast and output the received information from the speaker 16. If a reservation for "recording only" has been made, the reservation execution unit 127 causes the broadcast media information output unit 129 to receive the reserved radio broadcast and store the received information in the recording and video data 135. If a reservation for "listening and recording" has been made, the reservation execution unit 127 causes the broadcast media information output unit 129 to receive the reserved radio broadcast and output the received information from the speaker 16 and store it in the recording and video data 135. Then, the process proceeds to step S29.

[0084] Returning to step S22, if it is determined in step S22 that the listening reservation will not be made in time, the reservation change accepting unit 128 displays, for example, on the display device 15, information notifying the user that the reservation will not be made in time (step S25). At this time, the reservation change accepting unit 128 causes the display device 15 to display a button for accepting the reservation change. Note that the notification that the reservation will not be made in time is given regardless of the vehicle's running state, but the reservation change is allowed only when the vehicle is stopped.

[0085] Next, the reservation change receiving unit 128 determines whether a reservation change request has been made (step S26). If it is determined that a reservation change request has been made (step S26: Yes), the process proceeds to step S27. On the other hand, if it is not determined that a reservation change request has been made (step S26: No), the process proceeds to step S28. Note that the reservation change receiving unit 128 determines that a reservation change request has been made when the button displayed in step S25 for accepting reservation changes has been pressed. On the other hand, the reservation change receiving unit 128 determines that no reservation change request has been made when the button displayed in step S25 for accepting reservation changes has not been pressed for a predetermined period of time.

[0086] If it is determined in step S26 that there is a reservation change request, the reservation change accepting section 128 causes the display device 15 to display the program guide 30 and accepts the change to the reservation data 134 (step S27). After that, the process proceeds to step S29.

[0087] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S26 that there is no reservation change request, the reservation change accepting unit 128 deletes (cancels) data that cannot be fulfilled in time from the reservation data 134 (step S28), and then proceeds to step S29.

[0088] Following steps S24, S27, and S28, the reservation execution unit 127 determines whether all listening reservations have been executed (step S29). If it is determined that all listening reservations have been executed (step S29: Yes), the vehicle broadcast media viewing device 10a ends the listening reservation execution process. On the other hand, if it is determined that all listening reservations have not been executed (step S29: No), the process returns to step S21.

[0089] (Effects of the first embodiment) As described above, the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10a (vehicle control device) of the first embodiment includes a passing time prediction unit 124 that predicts the passing time of each point on a travel route when the vehicle travels on the travel route based on the current position of the vehicle, the current time, and a preset travel route, a program guide generation unit 125 that generates a program guide 30 of programs that can be viewed or listened to at each point on the travel route, a reservation acceptance unit 126 that accepts the selection of a program to be reserved for viewing or listening from the generated program guide 30, and a reservation execution unit 127 that executes the reservation accepted by the reservation acceptance unit 126. Therefore, it is possible to make a reservation for listening or listening to broadcast media that matches the future travel route of the vehicle without performing complicated procedures. In addition, when traveling far away, it is possible to watch programs that cannot be usually viewed without performing complicated procedures.

[0090] Moreover, the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving device 10a (vehicle control device) of the first embodiment further includes a reservation change receiving unit 128 that requests a reservation change on condition that the reservation being executed by the reservation executing unit 127 cannot be executed. Therefore, the listening reservation or viewing reservation can be changed depending on the traffic conditions at that time.

[0091] Second Embodiment Next, a vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving system 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving system according to the second embodiment.

[0092] (Schematic configuration of a vehicle media viewing system) As shown in Fig. 8, the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing system 100 includes a vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10b and a mobile terminal 20 carried by a user. The vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing system 100 realizes the same functions as the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10a described in the first embodiment by cooperation between the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10b and the mobile terminal 20 carried by the user. The vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing system 100 is an example of a vehicle control system in the present disclosure.

[0093] The mobile terminal 20 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal owned by a user.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 8, the mobile terminal 20 includes a CPU 22, a storage device 23, an input device 24, a display device 25, and a communication interface 29.

[0095] The CPU 22 is a processor having the configuration of a computer. The CPU 22 operates in accordance with a control program 231 stored in the storage device 23, thereby causing the mobile terminal 20 to perform a predetermined operation.

[0096] The storage device 23 is a storage device such as an HDD or SSD. The storage device 23 may also be a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory that retains stored information even when the power is turned off. The storage device 23 stores a control program 231, a map database 232, a receiving station map 233, and reservation data 234.

[0097] The control program 231 is a program that runs on the CPU 22 and causes the mobile terminal 20 to perform a predetermined operation.

[0098] The map database 232 is a database that is divided into a number of meshes and stores, for each mesh, link data indicating road alignments and section distances, connection data indicating road connection states, etc. The mobile terminal 20 may store the map database 232 in the storage device 23, or may obtain the map database 232 when necessary by wirelessly communicating with an external server device or the like.

[0099] The receiving station map 233 is data that stores a list of broadcasting stations that can be received within each mesh stored in the map database 232. The mobile terminal 20 may store the receiving station map 233 in the storage device 23, or may obtain the receiving station map 233 when necessary by wirelessly communicating with an external server device or the like. The structure of the receiving station map 233 is the same as the structure of the above-mentioned receiving station map 133 (see FIG. 2A).

[0100] The reservation data 234 is data that stores information on a listening reservation or viewing reservation accepted by a process performed by the mobile terminal 20. The structure of the reservation data 234 is the same as the structure of the reservation data 134 described above (see FIG. 2B).

[0101] Although not shown in FIG. 8, the storage device 23 further stores program guides for all broadcasting stations.

[0102] The input device 24 is a device for inputting various types of operation information to the mobile terminal 20. The input device 14 is, for example, a touch panel laminated on the display surface of the display device 25.

[0103] The display device 25 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that is installed in the mobile terminal 20. The display device 25 displays various operation screens when operating the mobile terminal 20, a program guide 30, and the like.

[0104] The communication interface 29 is an interface for performing wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Hi (registered trademark) between the mobile terminal 20 and the in-vehicle broadcast media viewing device 10b. The communication interface 29 also allows wireless communication between the mobile terminal 20 and a server device not shown in FIG.

[0105] The vehicular broadcast media receiving device 10b has a configuration in which a communication adapter 19 is added to the vehicular broadcast media receiving device 10a shown in Fig. 1. The vehicular broadcast media receiving device 10b is an example of a vehicular control device in the present disclosure.

[0106] The communication adapter 19 is an interface for performing wireless communication between the vehicle broadcast media viewing device 10b and the mobile terminal 20, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Hi (registered trademark).

[0107] Moreover, the storage device 13 included in the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving device 10b stores a control program 131b instead of the control program 131a stored in the storage device 13 of the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving device 10a.

[0108] The map database 132 and the receiving station map 133 stored in the storage device 13 are the same data as the map database 232 and the receiving station map 233 stored in the storage device 23 of the mobile terminal 20. Different reference symbols are used to easily explain the operation of the vehicular broadcast media listening system 100.

[0109] (Functional configuration of the in-vehicle media viewing system) The functional configuration of the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving system of the second embodiment.

[0110] The CPU 22 of the mobile terminal 20 provided in the vehicle broadcast media viewing system 100 reads and executes the control program 231 stored in the storage device 23, thereby realizing, as functional units, a current position acquisition unit 221, a destination acquisition unit 222, a route search unit 223, a passing time prediction unit 224, a program guide generation unit 225, a reservation acceptance unit 226, and a reservation information output unit 227 shown in Figure 9.

[0111] The functions of the destination acquisition unit 222, route search unit 223, passage time prediction unit 224, program guide generation unit 225, and reservation reception unit 226 are the same as the functions of the same names provided in the vehicle broadcast media viewing device 10a described in the first embodiment (see Figure 5), so repeated explanation will be omitted.

[0112] The current position acquisition unit 221 acquires the current position of the vehicle from the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving device 10b.

[0113] The reservation information output unit 227 outputs the reservation data 234 accepted by the reservation accepting unit 226 to the vehicle broadcast media receiving device 10b.

[0114] The mobile terminal 20 differs from the first embodiment in that the functions of the vehicular broadcast media receiving device 10a described in the first embodiment that are realized by the vehicle's ECU 12 are realized inside the mobile terminal 20. Therefore, the user can schedule listening to or viewing of a program at a location away from the vehicle, for example, at home or while out.

[0115] The ECU 12 of the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10b provided in the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing system 100 reads and executes the control program 131b stored in the memory device 13, thereby realizing, as functional units, a current position output unit 141, a reservation information acquisition unit 142, a reservation execution unit 143, and a broadcast media information output unit 144 shown in Figure 9.

[0116] The functions of the reservation execution unit 143 and the broadcast media information output unit 144 are the same as the functions of the same names provided in the vehicle broadcast media viewing device 10a described in the first embodiment (see FIG. 5), so a repeated description will be omitted.

[0117] The current position output unit 141 acquires the current position of the vehicle, and outputs the acquired current position to the mobile terminal 20.

[0118] The reservation information acquisition unit 142 acquires the reservation data 234 from the mobile terminal 20 .

[0119] 9 is merely an example and is not limiting. For example, when it becomes necessary to change a reservation while the vehicle is traveling, the reservation data 134 may be changed by the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10b instead of the mobile terminal 20. Specifically, the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10b may have a function for changing the reservation data 134, similar to the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10a described in the first embodiment.

[0120] (Processing flow of the in-vehicle media viewing system) The flow of processing performed by the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the vehicle-mounted broadcast media receiving system of the second embodiment.

[0121] In the vehicular broadcast media receiving system 100, the mobile terminal 20 accepts a viewing reservation or a listening reservation. Then, the mobile terminal 20 outputs the generated reservation data 234 to the vehicular broadcast media receiving device 10b provided in the vehicle. The vehicular broadcast media receiving device 10b accepts the reservation data 234 from the mobile terminal 20 and executes the accepted viewing reservation or listening reservation.

[0122] First, the flow of the listening reservation acceptance process performed by the mobile terminal 20 will be described. Note that, here, the case of accepting a reservation to listen to a radio broadcast will be described as an example. When making a reservation to watch a television broadcast, the mobile terminal 20 also accepts the viewing reservation by performing the same process as in FIG. 10.

[0123] The current position acquisition unit 221 acquires the current position of the vehicle output by the current position output unit 141 (step S31).

[0124] The route search unit 223 sets a route from the current position to the destination based on the current position of the vehicle acquired in step S31 and the position of the destination acquired by the destination acquisition unit 222 (step S32).

[0125] The program guide generating unit 225 generates a program guide 30 that can be received at each point on the route when the vehicle moves on the route set in step S31 (step S33). In addition, the program guide generating unit 225 displays the generated program guide 30 on the display device 25 of the mobile terminal 20.

[0126] The reservation acceptance unit 226 determines whether or not a reservation instruction has been issued (step S34). If it is determined that a reservation instruction has been issued (step S34: Yes), the process proceeds to step S35. On the other hand, if it is not determined that a reservation instruction has been issued (step S34: No), the mobile terminal 20 ends the listening reservation acceptance process. Note that the reservation acceptance unit 226 determines that a reservation instruction has been issued when any one of the buttons 37, 38, and 39 in the operation menu 36 shown in FIG. 4B in the program guide 30 displayed on the display device 25 is pressed.

[0127] If it is determined in step S34 that a reservation instruction has been issued, the reservation receiving unit 226 receives the reservation instruction (step S35). The reservation receiving unit 226 stores the received reservation information in the reservation data 234.

[0128] Next, the reservation acceptance unit 226 judges whether the reservation has been completed (step S36). If it is judged that the reservation has been completed (step S36: Yes), the process proceeds to step S37. On the other hand, if it is not judged that the reservation has been completed (step S36: No), the process returns to step S35. The reservation acceptance unit 226 judges whether the reservation has been completed, for example, by pressing a "reservation completion button" (not shown) that is displayed superimposed on the program guide 30 at the same time as the pop-up of the operation menu 36.

[0129] When it is determined in step S36 that the reservation is completed, the reservation information output unit 227 transmits the generated reservation data 234 to the vehicle (step S37). Note that, although it is assumed here that the reservation data 234 is transmitted to the vehicle after the listening reservation is completed, a menu item "transmit reservation data" may be set in the operation menu, and the reservation data 234 may be transmitted to the vehicle when the menu item is selected. After executing step S37, the mobile terminal 20 ends the listening reservation acceptance process.

[0130] Next, a flow of listening reservation execution processing performed by the vehicle broadcast media viewing device 10b will be described.

[0131] The reservation information acquisition unit 142 acquires the reservation data 234 from the mobile terminal 20 (step S41). The reservation information acquisition unit 142 stores the acquired reservation data 234 in the storage device 13 as the reservation data .

[0132] The reservation execution unit 143 judges whether the reservation time has arrived (step S42). If it is judged that the reservation time has arrived (step S42: Yes), the process proceeds to step S43. On the other hand, if it is not judged that the reservation time has arrived (step S42: No), the process repeats the judgment of step S42. The reservation execution unit 143 judges whether the reservation time has arrived by comparing a timer provided in the ECU 12 with the reservation start time registered in the reservation data 134.

[0133] If it is determined in step S42 that the reservation time has arrived, the reservation execution unit 143 executes the reservation registered in the reservation data 134 (step S43). The method of executing the reservation is as described in step S24 of FIG.

[0134] Next, the reservation execution unit 143 judges whether all listening reservations have been executed (step S44). If it is judged that all listening reservations have been executed (step S44: Yes), the vehicle broadcast media receiving device 10b ends the listening reservation execution process. On the other hand, if it is not judged that all listening reservations have been executed (step S44: No), the process returns to step S42.

[0135] Although not described in the second embodiment, the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing system 100 may be provided with a function for changing a reservation when the reservation cannot be completed in time, similar to the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10a described in the first embodiment.

[0136] (Effects of the second embodiment) As described above, the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing system 100 (vehicle control system) of the second embodiment includes a vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10b (vehicle control device) mounted on a vehicle, and a mobile terminal 20 carried by a user of the vehicle. The mobile terminal 20 includes a passing time prediction unit 224 that predicts a passing time at each point on a driving route when the vehicle travels along the driving route based on a current time and a preset driving route, a program guide generation unit 225 that generates a program guide 30 of programs that can be viewed or listened to at each point on the driving route, a reservation acceptance unit 226 that accepts a selection of a program to be reserved for viewing or listening from the program guide 30, and a reservation information output unit 227 that outputs the reservation accepted by the reservation acceptance unit 226 to the vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10b. The vehicle-mounted broadcast media viewing device 10b includes a reservation information acquisition unit 142 that acquires a reservation from the mobile terminal 20, and a reservation execution unit 143 that executes the reservation acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit 142. Therefore, before getting on the vehicle, the user can make a reservation to listen to or watch broadcast media that matches the vehicle's future travel route from a location away from the vehicle without going through complicated procedures. Also, even if the user is in a location away from the vehicle, the user can make a reservation to listen to or watch broadcast media using the mobile terminal 20.

[0137] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above-mentioned embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. This new embodiment can be embodied in various other forms. In addition, various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. In addition, this embodiment is included in the scope and gist of the invention, and is included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0138] 10a, 10b Vehicle broadcast media viewing device (vehicle control device) 12 ECU 20 Mobile Devices 30 Program Schedule 100 Vehicle broadcast media viewing system (vehicle control system) 121,221 Current position acquisition part 122,222 Destination acquisition part 123,223 Route Search Unit 124,224 Passing time prediction section 125,225 Program table generator 126,226 Reservation Reception Department 127,143 Reservation Execution Department 128 Reservation Change Reception Department 129,144 Broadcast media information output section 133 Receiving Station Map 134 Reservation Data 141 Current position output section 142 Reservation Information Acquisition Department

Claims

1. a passing time prediction unit that predicts a passing time of each point on a travel route when the vehicle travels on the travel route based on a current position of the vehicle, a current time, and a predetermined travel route; a program guide generating unit that generates a program guide of programs that can be viewed or listened to at each point on the travel route; a reservation reception unit that receives a selection of a program to be reserved for viewing or listening from the program guide; A reservation execution unit that executes the reservation accepted by the reservation acceptance unit. Vehicle control device.

2. a reservation change receiving unit that requests a change to the reservation when the reservation being executed by the reservation executing unit cannot be executed, The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

3. A vehicle control system including a vehicle control device mounted in a vehicle and a mobile terminal carried by a user of the vehicle, The mobile terminal includes: a passing time prediction unit that predicts a passing time of each point on a travel route when the vehicle travels along the travel route based on a current position of the vehicle acquired from the vehicle control device, a current time, and a preset travel route; a program guide generating unit that generates a program guide of programs that can be viewed or listened to at each point on the travel route; a reservation reception unit that receives a selection of a program to be reserved for viewing or listening from the program guide; a reservation information output unit that outputs the reservation accepted by the reservation acceptance unit to the vehicle control device, The vehicle control device includes: a reservation information acquisition unit that acquires the reservation from the mobile terminal; a reservation execution unit that executes the reservation acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit, Vehicle control systems.

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