Control device and vehicle

Abstract

To improve safety regarding remote control of a vehicle's tailgate.SOLUTION: A control device is mounted on a vehicle having a remotely controllable tailgate. A control unit of the control device executes opening control of the tailgate when predetermined conditions are met when an opening control command for the tailgate is received from an external device. The predetermined conditions include that the driving of the power source of the vehicle is stopped, and that the tilt angle of the vehicle in the fore-aft direction with respect to the horizontal plane is equal to or smaller than a predetermined angle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to remote control of a vehicle tailgate. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system for remotely controlling the operation of a control object in a vehicle by a portable device operated by a user. In the system disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the state of the portable device transitions to a predetermined operation state in which the operation by the user is restricted while the control object is operating by remote control, a stop process is executed to stop the control object. Patent Document 1 also discloses that the control object includes the tailgate of the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-082969 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to improve safety regarding remote control of a vehicle tailgate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A control device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes: A control device installed in a vehicle having a remotely controllable tailgate, a control unit that executes an opening control of the tailgate when a predetermined condition is satisfied upon receiving an opening control command of the tailgate from an external device; The predetermined condition is: The driving of the power source of the vehicle is stopped, and the inclination angle of the vehicle in the front-rear direction with respect to the horizontal plane is equal to or smaller than a predetermined angle. Includes.

[0006] A vehicle according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes the control device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve safety regarding remote control of a vehicle tailgate. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a flow of information in a remote control system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a hardware configuration of a control device and various devices mounted on a vehicle according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state of a vehicle parked on a slope. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flow of information processing related to the opening control of the tailgate by remote control according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram for explaining a hardware configuration of a control device and various devices mounted on a vehicle according to a modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flow of information processing relating to the opening control of the tailgate by remote control according to the modified embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] In recent years, a technology for remotely controlling a target vehicle from a location away from the target vehicle has been developed. An example of remote control is control for opening and closing the tailgate of the vehicle. If the tailgate of the vehicle can be opened and closed by remote control, the user of the vehicle can use the vehicle as a place to store luggage, etc., even when the user is in a location away from the vehicle. However, since the tailgate is opened by an operation by a user in a location away from the vehicle, ensuring safety of the vehicle and its surroundings becomes an issue. The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such problems.

[0010] The control device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is a device mounted on a vehicle having a remotely controllable tailgate. When the tailgate of the vehicle is opened by remote control, the control device receives an opening control command for the tailgate transmitted from an external device. Here, the external device is a device installed outside the vehicle and capable of communicating with the vehicle via a network. For example, the external device receives an instruction to execute remote control transmitted from a user terminal operated by a user of the vehicle. In addition, the external device that has received the instruction to execute remote control transmits a control command for executing the instructed remote control to the control device of the vehicle.

[0011] When the control unit of the control device receives a tailgate opening control command from the external device, the control unit executes the tailgate opening control. At this time, the control unit executes the tailgate opening control if a predetermined condition related to the vehicle is satisfied. In other words, if the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the control unit does not execute the tailgate opening control even if the tailgate opening control command is received.

[0012] Here, the predetermined condition includes that the driving of the power source of the vehicle is stopped and the tilt angle of the vehicle in the front-rear direction with respect to the horizontal plane is equal to or smaller than a predetermined angle. The power source of the vehicle is, for example, an internal combustion engine or a motor. When the driving of the power source of the vehicle is stopped, the vehicle is stopped. In addition, the tilt angle of the vehicle in the front-rear direction with respect to the horizontal plane changes depending on the condition of the ground on which the vehicle is stopped, etc. In other words, when the vehicle is stopped on an inclined surface, the vehicle also tilts.

[0013] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent the tailgate from being opened by remote control while the vehicle is moving. Furthermore, if the tailgate is opened while the vehicle is parked with the vehicle tilted significantly in the fore-aft direction, there is a risk that baggage placed inside the vehicle will fall out of the vehicle. In response to this, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent the tailgate from being opened by remote control while the vehicle is tilted significantly in the fore-aft direction. This makes it possible to prevent baggage placed inside the vehicle from falling out of the vehicle when the tailgate is opened. Therefore, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve safety regarding the remote control of the tailgate of the vehicle.

[0014] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in the present embodiments are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise specified.

[0015] <Embodiment> (System Overview) 1 is a diagram showing the flow of information in a remote control system according to this embodiment. The remote control system 1 is a system for remotely controlling a vehicle 10. The remote control system 1 comprises a control device 100 mounted on the vehicle 10, a user terminal 200, and a management Includes a server 300.

[0016] The control device 100 controls various devices mounted on the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 is a vehicle that can be remotely controlled. The vehicle 10 is equipped with a tailgate 11 that can be opened and closed by remote control. In the vehicle 10, the tailgate 11 is controlled by the control device 100. The vehicle 10 is also equipped with various sensors for detecting the state of the vehicle 10. Detection values ​​of the various sensors are input to the control device 100.

[0017] The user terminal 200 is a terminal related to a user of the vehicle 10. In this embodiment, the user terminal 200 is owned by a user who is not in the vehicle 10. The user is, for example, the owner of the vehicle 10. The user may also be a driver of the vehicle 10 who has parked the vehicle 10 and disembarked from the vehicle 10. The management server 300 is a server device that remotely controls the vehicle 10. The management server 300 corresponds to an "external device" according to the present disclosure.

[0018] The control device 100, the user terminal 200, and the management server 300 are connected to each other via a network. Here, the network may be, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network) which is a public communication network such as the Internet, or a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone. The network may also include a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone, or a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0019] When a user attempts to execute remote control of the vehicle 10, an instruction to execute remote control is transmitted from the user terminal 200 to the management server 300 based on an input from the user. When the management server 300 receives the instruction to execute remote control from the user terminal 200, it transmits a control command for the remote control that has been instructed to be executed to the control device 100 of the vehicle 10. When the control device 100 receives the control command from the management server 300, it executes control of the device that is the target of the remote control.

[0020] For example, when the control device 100 receives a control command for controlling the opening and closing of the tailgate 11 from the management server 300, the control device 100 executes the opening and closing control of the tailgate 11. However, when the received control command is a command for controlling the opening of the tailgate 11, the control device 100 first determines whether or not a predetermined condition is met. Then, when the predetermined condition is met, the control device 100 executes the opening control of the tailgate 11. The details of the opening control of the tailgate 11 by remote control will be described later.

[0021] (Control device hardware configuration) FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the hardware configuration of the control device 100 and various devices mounted on the vehicle 10 according to the embodiment. The control device 100 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, an in-vehicle communication module 130, and a communication module 140. The control unit 110 has a function of performing arithmetic processing for controlling the control device 100. The control unit 110 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a main storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an auxiliary storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory). Incidentally, the CPU is an example of a processor resource. Also, the RAM and ROM are examples of memory resources. The control unit 110 can execute any information processing based on various programs and various data. However, some or all of the functions of the control unit 110 may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASIC and FPGA.

[0022] The storage unit 120 is configured by any storage device such as a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk drive, or a flash memory. The storage unit 120 may include a removable medium (portable recording medium). Here, the removable medium is, for example, a USB memory, an SD card, or the like. The storage unit 120 is a storage medium such as a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, or a Blu-ray disk. The storage unit 120 stores programs executed by the control unit 110 and various data used to execute the programs. The storage unit 120 also stores control data used to execute programs for remotely controlling the vehicle 10.

[0023] The in-vehicle communication module 130 is an interface for the control device 100 to communicate with other devices provided in the vehicle 10 using a predetermined in-vehicle communication standard. Examples of the predetermined in-vehicle communication standard include CAN (Controller Area Network), LIN (Local Interconnect Network), etc.

[0024] The vehicle 10 is provided with various devices such as a tailgate motor 12, a start switch 13, and an inclination angle sensor 14. The control device 100 communicates with the management server 300 via the in-vehicle communication module 130. The tailgate motor 12 is a motor for driving the tailgate 11 to open and close. The control device 100 executes the opening and closing control of the tailgate 11 by driving the tailgate motor 12. The start switch 13 is a switch for driving a power source (for example, an internal combustion engine, a motor, etc.) of the vehicle 10. When the start switch 13 is turned ON, the control device 100 drives the power source of the vehicle 10. Also, when the start switch 13 is turned OFF, the control device 100 stops driving the power source of the vehicle 10. The inclination angle sensor 14 is a sensor for detecting the inclination angle of the vehicle 10 in the front-rear direction with respect to a horizontal plane. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the state of the vehicle 10 parked on an inclined plane. 3, when the vehicle 10 is parked on an inclined surface such as an uphill slope, the vehicle 10 is inclined in the fore-and-aft direction. At this time, the inclination angle sensor 14 detects the inclination angle Va of the vehicle 10 in the fore-and-aft direction with respect to the horizontal plane. The detection value of the inclination angle sensor 14 is then input to the control device 100.

[0025] The communication module 140 is a communication interface for connecting the control device 100 to a network. The communication module 140 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication. The control device 100 communicates with the management server 300 via the communication module 140.

[0026] The management server 300 is also a computer that includes a control unit, a storage unit, and a communication module. The user terminal 200 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) The user terminal 200 includes a processor such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a main storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a communication interface for connecting the user terminal 200 to a network. Examples of the user terminal 200 include a smartphone, a tablet computer, a mobile computer, and a wearable computer.

[0027] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control device 100 does not necessarily have to be realized by a single physical configuration, and may be configured by a plurality of computers provided in the vehicle 10 and linked to each other.

[0028] (Information processing flow) Next, the flow of information processing executed by the control device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Here, it is assumed that a user who is in a location away from the vehicle 10 uses the vehicle 10 as a place to receive a parcel. In this case, the user attempts to open the tailgate 11 of the vehicle 10 by remote control so that the deliverer can place the parcel inside the vehicle. At this time, the control device 100 executes opening control of the tailgate 11 after confirming that a predetermined condition for ensuring safety is met in the vehicle 10.

[0029] 4 is a flow of information processing related to the remote control of opening the tailgate 11 according to this embodiment. This flow is executed by the control unit 110 when the control device 100 receives an open control command for the tailgate 11 from the management server 300.

[0030] In this flow, first, in S101, it is determined whether the start switch 13 of the vehicle 10 is OFF. That is, in S101, it is determined whether the driving of the power source of the vehicle 10 is stopped. If the determination in S101 is negative, that is, if the power source of the vehicle 10 is driving, the execution of this flow is temporarily terminated. In this case, the tailgate 11 of the vehicle 10 is not opened.

[0031] On the other hand, if the determination in S101 is positive, that is, if the driving of the power source of the vehicle 10 is stopped, the process of S102 is executed next. In S102, the inclination angle Va in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10 detected by the inclination angle sensor 14 is acquired. Next, in S103, it is determined whether or not the inclination angle Va of the vehicle 10 acquired in S102 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined angle Va0. Here, the predetermined angle Va0 is set as an angle within a range in which the movement of luggage placed inside the vehicle 10 due to the inclination of the vehicle 10 is suppressed. If the determination in S103 is negative, that is, if the inclination angle Va of the vehicle 10 is greater than the predetermined angle Va0, the execution of this flow is temporarily terminated. In this case, the tailgate 11 of the vehicle 10 is not opened, as in the case of a negative determination in S101.

[0032] On the other hand, if the determination in S103 is affirmative, the process proceeds to S104. In S104, the opening control of the tailgate 11 is executed. Specifically, the control unit 110 drives the tailgate motor 12 in the direction in which the tailgate 11 opens. After that, the execution of this flow is temporarily terminated.

[0033] According to the above flow, it is possible to prevent the tailgate 11 from being opened by remote control while the vehicle 10 is moving. Furthermore, it is also possible to prevent the tailgate 11 from being opened by remote control when the vehicle 10 is significantly tilted in the front-to-rear direction. This makes it possible to prevent baggage placed inside the vehicle from falling out of the vehicle when the tailgate 11 is opened. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to improve the safety regarding the remote control of the tailgate 11 of the vehicle 10.

[0034] It is considered that baggage placed inside the vehicle may fall out of the vehicle when the tailgate 11 is opened when the vehicle 10 is tilted backward as shown in Fig. 3. Therefore, in this embodiment, the predetermined angle Va0 may be set to an angle at which the vehicle 10 tilts backward. According to this, even if the vehicle 10 is tilted, the opening control of the tailgate 11 is executed as long as the direction of the tilt is toward the front of the vehicle 10.

[0035] (Modification) A modified example of this embodiment will be described below. In this modified example, the predetermined conditions for executing the opening control of the tailgate 11 by remote control are different from those in the above embodiment. Fig. 5 is a block diagram for explaining the hardware configuration of the control device 100 and various devices mounted on the vehicle 10 according to this modified example.

[0036] The configuration of the control device 100 according to this modification is the same as that of the above embodiment. However, in this modification, in the vehicle 10, the control device 100 communicates with a load sensor 15 and a parking brake sensor 16 in addition to the tailgate motor 12, the start switch 13, and the tilt angle sensor 14 via an in-vehicle communication module 130. The load sensor 15 is a sensor for detecting the tailgate The parking brake sensor 16 is a sensor that detects whether or not a parking brake is applied on the vehicle 10. The detection values ​​of these sensors are input to the control device 100.

[0037] Next, the flow of information processing executed by the control device 100 according to this modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flow of information processing related to the opening control of the tailgate 11 by remote control according to this modified example. This flow is also executed by the control unit 110 when the control device 100 receives an opening control command for the tailgate 11 from the management server 300, similar to the flow shown in Fig. 4. Note that the processing from S101 to S104 in this flow is similar to the processing in the steps with the same reference numbers in the flow shown in Fig. 4. Therefore, the description of the processing in these steps will be omitted.

[0038] In this flow, if an affirmative determination is made in S101, the process of S202 is then executed. In S202, it is determined whether or not the parking brake is applied in the vehicle 10 based on the detection value input from the parking brake sensor 16. If a negative determination is made in S202, that is, if the parking brake is not applied in the vehicle 10, execution of this flow is temporarily terminated. In this case, the tailgate 11 of the vehicle 10 is not opened. On the other hand, if an affirmative determination is made in S202, the process of S102 is then executed.

[0039] In addition, in this flow, if the determination in S103 is affirmative, the process of S204 is executed next. In S204, it is determined whether or not the load Lm applied to the tailgate motor 12 in the opening direction of the tailgate 11, which is detected by the load sensor 15, is equal to or less than a predetermined load Lm0. Here, if a load is applied to the tailgate 11 from the inside by a baggage placed inside the vehicle 10 contacting the tailgate 11, the baggage may fall out of the vehicle when the tailgate 11 is opened. Therefore, the predetermined load Lm0 is set as a threshold value that can determine that no load is applied to the tailgate 11 from inside the vehicle 10. When a load is applied to the tailgate 11 from inside the vehicle 10, the load Lm in the opening direction of the tailgate 11 applied to the tailgate motor 12 becomes large. Therefore, if the load Lm in the opening direction of the tailgate 11 applied to the tailgate motor 12 is equal to or less than the predetermined load Lm0, it can be determined that no load is applied to the tailgate 11 from inside the vehicle 10.

[0040] If a negative determination is made in S205, i.e., if a load is being applied to the tailgate 11 from inside the vehicle 10, execution of this flow is temporarily terminated. In this case, the tailgate 11 is not opened in the vehicle 10. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in S202, i.e., if no load is being applied to the tailgate 11 from inside the vehicle 10, the process of S104 is then executed. In other words, opening control of the tailgate 11 is executed.

[0041] According to the above flow, it is possible to prevent the tailgate 11 from being opened by remote control when the parking brake is not applied in the vehicle 10. Furthermore, it is also possible to prevent the tailgate 11 from being opened by remote control when a load is applied to the tailgate 11 from inside due to baggage placed inside the vehicle 10 coming into contact with the tailgate 11. This makes it possible to more highly prevent baggage placed inside the vehicle from falling out of the vehicle when the tailgate 11 is opened. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to further improve the safety regarding the remote control of the tailgate 11 of the vehicle 10.

[0042] <Other embodiments> The above embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. As long as it does not violate the law, they may be freely combined.

[0043] Furthermore, 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.

[0044] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program implementing 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 connectable to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions, such as, for example, a magnetic disk (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (e.g., a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, a Blu-ray disk, etc.), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, or an optical card. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1. Remote control system 10. Vehicle 11. Tailgate 12··Tailgate motor 13 Start switch 14. Inclination sensor 15 Load sensor 16··Parking brake sensor 100...Control device 110 Control unit 120...Storage section 130 In-vehicle communication module 140 Communication module 200 User terminal 300 Management Server

Claims

1. A control device installed in a vehicle having a remotely controllable tailgate, a control unit that executes an opening control of the tailgate when a predetermined condition is satisfied upon receiving an opening control command of the tailgate from an external device; The predetermined condition is: The driving of the power source of the vehicle is stopped, and the inclination angle of the vehicle in the front-rear direction with respect to the horizontal plane is equal to or smaller than a predetermined angle. A control device comprising:

2. The predetermined condition is: No load is being applied to the tailgate from inside the vehicle; Further comprising: The control device according to claim 1 .

3. a sensor for detecting a load applied to a motor for driving the tailgate to open and close is provided in the vehicle; The absence of a load on the tailgate from inside the vehicle means that the load on the motor in the opening direction of the tailgate detected by the sensor is equal to or less than a predetermined load. The control device according to claim 2.

4. The predetermined condition is: The parking brake is applied to the vehicle. Further comprising: The control device according to claim 1 .

5. A vehicle comprising the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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