Etc on-board device, analysis program for etc on-board device and analyzer

Abstract

To provide an ETC on-board device which can easily and quickly identify a cause place of an operation defect.SOLUTION: An ETC on-board device can communicate with an on-vehicle device including a head unit of a car navigation system. The ETC on-board device stores internal log data L1 including a communication content with a toll gate in a memory. The ETC on-board device preferentially stores external log data L2 which is the communication content with the on-vehicle device in the memory even if the internal log data L1 is stored, when the communication with the on-vehicle device occurs. The ETC on-board device stores the external log data L2 in a format different from that of the internal log data L1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ETC vehicle-mounted unit, and an analysis program and analysis device for an ETC vehicle-mounted unit for analyzing log data stored in the ETC vehicle-mounted unit. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) system has been introduced and spread to automatically collect tolls at toll gates on expressways, parking lots, etc. In this ETC system, an ETC on-board unit installed in a vehicle communicates with the vehicle and toll gates to acquire vehicle information and collect tolls. Conventionally, this ETC on-board unit records communication with toll gates and errors within the ETC on-board unit as log data, and when a malfunction occurs in the ETC on-board unit, the log data can be analyzed to identify the cause of the malfunction (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0003] On the other hand, although ETC on-board units can function independently, in many cases they are linked to other on-board units (for example, the head unit of a car navigation system) to enhance their convenience. If a malfunction occurs while the ETC unit is working in conjunction with other on-board units, it has been necessary to analyze the log data recorded in each on-board unit in order to identify which on-board unit caused the malfunction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-310147 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, analyzing the log data from each vehicle-mounted device requires a lot of time and effort. In particular, vehicle-mounted devices that are frequently connected to other vehicle-mounted devices (such as the head unit of a car navigation system) have huge amounts of log data, which requires a lot of time and effort to analyze.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an ETC vehicle-mounted unit, an analysis program for an ETC vehicle-mounted unit, and an analysis device that enable easy and quick identification of the cause of a malfunction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 is an ETC vehicle-mounted unit capable of communicating with a vehicle-mounted device including a head unit of a car navigation system, which stores internal communication information including the content of communication with a toll gate in a memory, and when communication with the vehicle-mounted device occurs, stores external communication information, which is the content of communication with the vehicle-mounted device, preferentially in the memory even while the internal communication information is being stored, and stores the external communication information in a format different from that of the internal communication information.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is an analysis program for an ETC vehicle unit for analyzing information stored in the memory of the ETC vehicle unit described in claim 1, characterized in that it causes a computer to function as an analysis means that divides the information into internal communication information and external communication information based on a format, and analyzes the divided internal communication information and external communication information in chronological order.

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is an analysis device for an ETC on-board unit for analyzing information stored in the memory of the ETC on-board unit described in claim 1, characterized in that it is equipped with an analysis means for dividing the information into the internal communication information and the external communication information based on a format, and analyzing the divided internal communication information and the external communication information in chronological order. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the invention described in claim 1, not only the internal communication information including the contents of communication with the toll gate, but also the external communication information communicated with the vehicle mounted device such as the head unit of the car navigation system is stored in the ETC on-board device. Therefore, it is possible to easily and quickly identify the cause of the malfunction by analyzing and checking only the information stored in the ETC on-board device. Moreover, since the external communication information is stored preferentially (by interrupting) even if the internal communication information is being stored, it is possible to analyze the internal communication information and the external communication information in chronological order and identify the cause properly and quickly. Furthermore, since the external communication information is stored in a format different from that of the internal communication information, it is possible to appropriately and automatically identify and separate the external communication information and the internal communication information and identify the cause properly and quickly. In this way, it is possible to easily, quickly, and appropriately identify the cause of the malfunction.

[0011] According to the inventions described in claims 2 and 3, the information stored in the memory of the ETC vehicle-mounted device is automatically divided into internal communication information and external communication information based on the format, and the internal communication information and the external communication information are automatically analyzed in chronological order. In other words, whether a malfunction is related to the internal communication information or the external communication information is clearly separated and analyzed in chronological order, making it possible to easily, quickly, and appropriately identify the cause. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration relating to storage of log data of an ETC vehicle-mounted device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2A is a diagram showing a log file stored in the memory of the ETC vehicle-mounted device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a divided file and an analysis result file by the ETC vehicle-mounted device analysis program according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing an analysis program for an ETC vehicle-mounted device according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiment.

[0014] 1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration relating to storage of log data L in an ETC in-vehicle unit 1 according to this embodiment. This ETC in-vehicle unit 1 is an in-vehicle unit that is mounted on a vehicle in an ETC system and is capable of communicating with a toll gate G, as well as with vehicle-mounted devices (in-vehicle units other than the ETC in-vehicle unit 1) including a head unit H of a car navigation system. Here, the ETC in-vehicle unit 1 has the same basic configuration as a ready-made / existing ETC in-vehicle unit, but differs in configuration for storing log data L such as communication contents and error information, and therefore this characteristic configuration will be mainly described below.

[0015] The ETC vehicle-mounted device 1 mainly comprises a communication unit 2, a storage task 3, a memory 4, and a central processing unit 5 that controls these components.

[0016] The communication unit 2 is an interface for communicating with the inside and outside of the ETC vehicle-mounted device 1, and is provided with an interface corresponding to the communication partner. Here, the communication partners include the outside of the vehicle, such as a toll gate G, the inside of the ETC vehicle-mounted device 1, and other vehicle-mounted devices other than the ETC vehicle-mounted device 1, such as a head unit H of a car navigation system.

[0017] The storage task 3 is a task program for storing log data L such as communication contents and error information in the memory 4. In other words, the storage task 3 stores communication contents with the outside of the vehicle such as the toll gate G and error information of the ETC on-board unit 1 in the memory 4 as internal log data (internal communication information) L1, and stores communication contents with on-board devices (on-board devices other than the ETC on-board unit 1) such as the head unit H in the memory 4 as external log data (external communication information) L2.

[0018] At this time, the external log data L2 is stored preferentially (by interrupting) the internal log data L1. Therefore, when communication with a vehicle mounted device such as the head unit H occurs, as shown in Fig. 2(a), even if the internal log data L1 is being stored, the external log data L2 is stored preferentially in the memory 4. As a result, for each log data L, the internal log data L1 and the external log data L2 are stored in real time in the order in which the operations and information occurred, that is, in chronological order.

[0019] Furthermore, when storing in memory 4, the external log data L2 is stored in a format different from that of the internal log data L1, so that the internal log data L1 and the external log data L2 can be easily and reliably distinguished from each other. For example, in this embodiment, the external log data L2 is stored as data starting with "(u" and ending with the time of the RTC (Real Time Clock). A collection of such log data L is stored in chronological order as a log file.

[0020] With the ETC on-board unit 1 configured as described above, not only the internal log data L1 such as the contents of communication with the toll gate G and error information of the ETC on-board unit 1, but also the external log data L2 of communication with other on-board units other than the ETC on-board unit 1, such as the head unit H, are stored in the ETC on-board unit 1. Therefore, when a malfunction related to the ETC system occurs, it is possible to easily and quickly determine whether the cause of the malfunction is in the ETC on-board unit 1 or in another on-board unit other than the ETC on-board unit 1 by simply analyzing and checking only the information and log data L stored in the ETC on-board unit 1.

[0021] Moreover, even if the internal log data L1 is being stored, the external log data L2 is stored preferentially (interrupts), so that the internal log data L1 and the external log data L2 can be analyzed in chronological order to identify the cause of the problem appropriately and in a short time. In other words, the order in which the operations occurred is accurately recorded, making it easier to analyze the failure.

[0022] Furthermore, since the external log data L2 is stored in a format different from that of the internal log data L1, the internal log data L1 and the external log data L2 can be properly and automatically identified and divided, and the cause can be properly and quickly identified. In other words, since the internal log data L1 and the external log data L2 have different formats, they can be automatically divided using an analysis tool (program or device), and the information log data L can be analyzed efficiently and properly.

[0023] In this way, it is possible to easily, quickly, and accurately identify the cause of the malfunction.

[0024] Next, an analysis program for an ETC vehicle-mounted device according to this embodiment will be described. This analysis program for an ETC vehicle-mounted device is a program for analyzing the information log data L stored in the memory 4 of the ETC vehicle-mounted device 1 when an operation malfunction related to the ETC system occurs. That is, by installing the analysis program for an ETC vehicle-mounted device in a general-purpose computer and inputting the log data L (log file) in the memory 4, the computer functions as an analysis task (analysis means) as follows.

[0025] First, as shown in Fig. 3, each log data L is divided into internal log data L1 and external log data L2 based on the data format (step S1, division step). That is, for each log data L shown in Fig. 2(a), the external log data L2 that starts with "(u" and ends with the RTC time is extracted from the log data L. Then, as shown in Fig. 2(b), the log data L from which the external log data L2 has been extracted is set as internal divided log data LD1, and the extracted external log data L2 is set as external divided log data LD2. Note that the log data L without the external log data L2 is set as internal log data L1 as it is. The internal divided log data LD1 and the external divided log data LD2 thus divided are arranged in chronological order and stored as divided files.

[0026] Next, the divided internal log data L1 and external log data L2 are analyzed in chronological order (step S2, analysis step). That is, the internal divided log data LD1 and the external divided log data LD2 of the divided files shown in Fig. 2(b) are analyzed in chronological order and arrangement order, respectively, to identify whether the cause of the malfunction is in the ETC on-board device 1 or in another on-board device other than the ETC on-board device 1 (vehicle mounted device such as the head unit H). This analysis is performed according to a predetermined algorithm.

[0027] Specifically, it is analyzed whether the internal divided log data LD1 or the external divided log data LD2 contains error information, and if so, the location related to the error information is determined to be the cause. Also, if request information (information requesting a reply) is sent from the ETC vehicle-mounted device 1 to a vehicle-mounted device such as the head unit H, but reply information (information responding to the request information) is not sent from the vehicle-mounted device such as the head unit H to the ETC vehicle-mounted device 1, the vehicle-mounted device is determined to be the cause. Similarly, if request information is sent from a vehicle-mounted device such as the head unit H to the ETC vehicle-mounted device 1, but reply information is not sent from the ETC vehicle-mounted device 1 to the head unit H, the ETC vehicle-mounted device 1 is determined to be the cause.

[0028] Then, the analysis results (analysis result data RD) for each of the internal divided log data LD1 and the external divided log data LD2 are stored as an analysis result file in chronological order corresponding to each of the divided log data LD1, LD2, as shown in FIG. 2(c) (step S3).

[0029] According to such an analysis program for an ETC vehicle-mounted device, the log data L (log file) stored in the memory 4 of the ETC vehicle-mounted device 1 is automatically divided into internal divided log data LD1 and external divided log data LD2 based on the format, and the internal divided log data LD1 and the external divided log data LD2 are automatically analyzed in chronological order. In other words, since the analysis clearly distinguishes whether the malfunction is related to the internal log data L1 or the external log data L2, it becomes possible to easily, quickly, and appropriately identify the cause of the malfunction.

[0030] In this embodiment, the ETC vehicle-mounted device analysis program is installed in a general-purpose computer, but the ETC vehicle-mounted device analysis program may be provided with the above-mentioned analysis task. That is, the ETC vehicle-mounted device analysis program may be configured to divide the log data L (log file) in the memory 4 into internal divided log data LD1 and external divided log data LD2 based on the format, and to analyze the internal divided log data LD1 and the external divided log data LD2 in chronological order to identify the cause of the malfunction.

[0031] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the specific configuration is not limited to the above embodiment, and even if there are design changes and the like within the scope of the gist of the present invention, they are included in the present invention.

[0032] 1 ETC on-board device 3 Memory task 4. Memory G Toll Gate H Head unit of car navigation system (vehicle mounted device) L Log data (information stored in the memory of the ETC on-board unit) L1 Internal log data (internal communication information) L2 External log data (external communication information) LD1 Internal division log data LD2 External split log data RD analysis result data

Claims

1. An ETC vehicle-mounted device capable of communicating with a vehicle-mounted device including a head unit of a car navigation system, storing internal communication information including the contents of communication with a toll gate in a memory, and when communication with the vehicle-mounted device occurs, storing external communication information, which is the contents of communication with the vehicle-mounted device, in the memory with priority even while the internal communication information is being stored, and storing the external communication information in a format different from that of the internal communication information; An ETC vehicle-mounted device characterized by:

2. 2. An analysis program for an ETC vehicle-mounted device for analyzing information stored in a memory of the ETC vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, comprising: an analysis means for dividing the information into the internal communication information and the external communication information based on a format, and analyzing the divided internal communication information and the external communication information in a time series; 4. An analysis program for an ETC vehicle-mounted device, comprising:

3. 2. An analyzer for an ETC vehicle-mounted device for analyzing information stored in a memory of the ETC vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, comprising: an analysis means for dividing the information into the internal communication information and the external communication information based on a format, and analyzing the divided internal communication information and the divided external communication information in a time series; 1. An analysis device for an ETC vehicle-mounted device, comprising:

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