Information processing device

Abstract

To reduce work hours for developing a program related to display control of an in-vehicle display and present information specific to the vehicle to a user.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquire a first program for causing a display unit to display specific information specific to an own vehicle, and a second program for causing the display unit to display common information common to the own vehicle and another vehicle; and a control unit for causing the display unit to display the display information generated based on the first program and the second program acquired by the acquisition unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle control device that achieves both updating of road data in response to changes over time and vehicle control specific to the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-181482 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology of Patent Document 1 includes a navigation device that performs route guidance based on map data as a vehicle control device. In recent years, it has become common to notify a user using an in-vehicle display, as in the case of the navigation device.

[0005] Here, in recent years, there has been an increasing need for in-vehicle display content, such as a desire for information specific to the vehicle that the user has purchased to be displayed on the in-vehicle display. Conventionally, display control of a specific in-vehicle display was performed based on one program, so that, for example, a program was developed individually for each vehicle model or specification, and information specific to each vehicle model or specification was displayed. As a result, conventionally, the number of program development man-hours became tight as the number of vehicle models or specifications increased, and it was sometimes difficult to display information specific to a vehicle on the in-vehicle display.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing device that can present vehicle-specific information to a user while reducing the man-hours required for developing a program related to display control of an in-vehicle display. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The information processing device of claim 1 includes an acquisition unit that acquires a first program for displaying specific information specific to the vehicle on a display unit and a second program for displaying common information common to the vehicle and another vehicle on the display unit, and a control unit that displays on the display unit display information generated based on the first program and the second program acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0008] In the information processing device according to claim 1, the acquisition unit acquires a first program and a second program. Then, the control unit causes the display unit to display display information generated based on the first program and the second program acquired by the acquisition unit. Here, the display information includes specific information specific to the vehicle generated based on the first program and common information common to the vehicle and other vehicles generated based on the second program. By using the second program common to the multiple vehicles to generate display information in the vehicle and other vehicles, the development man-hours for the program related to the display control of the in-vehicle display are reduced. Therefore, according to the information processing device, by generating display information based on the first program and the second program, it is possible to present information specific to the vehicle to the user while reducing the development man-hours for the program related to the display control of the in-vehicle display.

[0009] The information processing device of claim 2 is, in claim 1, characterized in that the unique information is first unique information indicating the appearance of the vehicle, and the control unit causes the display unit to display information regarding a driving assistance function of the vehicle as the display information.

[0010] In the information processing device according to claim 2, the unique information is first unique information indicating the appearance of the vehicle. The control unit then causes the display unit to display information related to the driving support function of the vehicle. As a result, according to the information processing device, when the driving support function is executed, the unique appearance of the vehicle is displayed while the information related to the driving support function is presented to the user.

[0011] The information processing device of claim 3 is, in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the unique information is first unique information indicating the appearance of the vehicle, and the control unit causes the display unit to display information regarding the energy flow of the vehicle as the display information.

[0012] In the information processing device according to claim 3, the unique information is first unique information indicating the appearance of the vehicle. The control unit then causes the display unit to display information related to the energy flow of the vehicle. This makes it possible for the information processing device to present the user with information related to the energy flow while showing the unique appearance of the vehicle.

[0013] The information processing device of claim 4 is, in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the unique information is second unique information indicating the appearance of the vehicle and the open / closed state of the doors, and the control unit causes the display unit to display information regarding the open / closed state of the doors of the vehicle as the display information.

[0014] In the information processing device according to claim 4, the unique information is second unique information indicating the appearance of the vehicle and the open / closed state of the door. The control unit then causes the display unit to display information regarding the open / closed state of the door of the vehicle. As a result, the information processing device can present the user with information regarding the open / closed state of the door while indicating the unique appearance of the vehicle and the open / closed state of the door.

[0015] The information processing device according to claim 5 is any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an update unit capable of updating at least one of the first program and the second program.

[0016] In the information processing device according to claim 5, the update unit can update at least one of the first program and the second program. As a result, according to the information processing device, when there is an update to a part specific to the host vehicle, the first program is updated, thereby reducing the time required to update the program of the host vehicle. Also, according to the information processing device, when there is an update to a part common to the host vehicle and another vehicle, the second program is updated, and the updated second program is provided to the other vehicle, thereby reducing the effort required to update the program of the other vehicle. Effect of the Invention

[0017] As described above, the information processing device according to the present disclosure can present vehicle-specific information to a user while reducing the man-hours required for developing a program related to display control of an in-vehicle display. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a storage unit; [Diagram 3] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of a control process. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a first explanatory diagram showing a specific example of display information. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a second explanatory diagram showing a specific example of display information. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a third explanatory diagram showing a specific example of display information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] The vehicle 10 according to this embodiment will be described below. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a vehicle 10. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 10 includes a meter ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 20. The meter ECU 20 is an example of an "information processing device".

[0020] The meter ECU 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 23, a storage unit 24, an in-vehicle communication I / F (Interface) 25, an input / output I / F 26, and a wireless communication I / F 27. The CPU 21, the ROM 22, the RAM 23, the storage unit 24, the in-vehicle communication I / F 25, the input / output I / F 26, and the wireless communication I / F 27 are connected to each other via an internal bus 28 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0021] The CPU 21 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 21 reads the programs from the ROM 22 or the storage unit 24, and executes the programs using the RAM 23 as a working area. The CPU 21 controls each of the above components and performs various calculation processes according to the programs recorded in the ROM 22 or the storage unit 24.

[0022] The ROM 22 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 23 serves as a working area for temporarily storing programs or data.

[0023] The storage unit 24 is configured with a storage device such as an embedded Multi Media Card (eMMC) or a Universal Flash Storage (UFS), and stores various programs and various data.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the storage unit 24. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 24 has two storage areas: an individual unit 24A and a standard unit 24B.

[0025] An individual program 50 is stored in the individual section 24A. The individual program 50 is a program dedicated to the vehicle itself for displaying unique information unique to the vehicle itself on a monitor 42 described later. In this embodiment, the vehicle itself is the vehicle 10. In this embodiment, the unique information includes first unique information indicating the appearance of the vehicle 10, and second unique information indicating the appearance of the vehicle 10 and the open / closed state of the doors. The appearance of the vehicle 10 includes the shape and body color of the vehicle 10. Specific examples of the first unique information and the second unique information will be described later. The individual program 50 is an example of a "first program."

[0026] The standard section 24B stores a standard program 52. The standard program 52 is a program for displaying common information common to the vehicle 10 and other vehicles on the monitor 42. In this embodiment, the other vehicles are vehicles of a different model from the vehicle 10, which is the host vehicle. Specific examples of the common information will be described later. The standard program 52 is an example of a "second program."

[0027] Returning to FIG. 1, the in-vehicle communication I / F 25 is an interface for connecting to another ECU 30. The interface uses a communication standard based on the CAN protocol. The in-vehicle communication I / F 25 is connected to an external bus 29. Although not shown in the figure, in addition to the ECU 30, a plurality of ECUs are provided for each function of the vehicle 10.

[0028] The input / output I / F 26 is an interface for communicating with an in-vehicle device 40 mounted on the vehicle 10 .

[0029] The in-vehicle devices 40 are various devices mounted on the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 includes a monitor 42 and a buzzer 44 as examples of the in-vehicle devices 40.

[0030] The monitor 42 is provided on the meter panel and is a liquid crystal monitor for displaying operation suggestions related to functions of the vehicle 10 and images related to explanations of the functions. The monitor 42 is an example of a "display unit". The buzzer 44 is provided on the meter panel and is a device for outputting a predetermined warning sound.

[0031] The wireless communication I / F 27 is a wireless communication module for communicating with an external device. The wireless communication module uses communication standards such as 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0032] The CPU 21 of the meter ECU 20 has, as functional components, an acquisition unit 21A, a generation unit 21B, a control unit 21C, and an update unit 21D. Each functional component is realized by the CPU 21 reading and executing at least one of the individual program 50 and the standard program 52 stored in the storage unit 24.

[0033] The acquisition unit 21A acquires various kinds of information. For example, the acquisition unit 21A acquires, as the various kinds of information, data input from the ECU 30 via the in-vehicle communication I / F 25, data input from a sensor group (not shown) serving as the in-vehicle device 40 via the input / output I / F 26, and the like.

[0034] Moreover, the acquisition unit 21A acquires the individual program 50 from the individual unit 24A, and acquires the standard program 52 from the standard unit 24B.

[0035] The generating unit 21B generates display information to be displayed on the monitor 42, based on the individual program 50 and the standard program 52 acquired by the acquiring unit 21A. A specific example of the display information will be described later.

[0036] The control unit 21C causes the monitor 42 to display the display information generated by the generation unit 21B. The update unit 21D updates the individual program 50 and the standard program 52. In this embodiment, the update unit 21D updates the individual program 50 and the standard program 52 to the latest programs using an Over The Air (OTA) technique.

[0037] Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of a control process in which the meter ECU 20 controls the display contents of the monitor 42. The control process is performed by the CPU 21 reading out the individual program 50 and the standard program 52 from the storage unit 24, and expanding and executing them in the RAM 23. As an example, the control process shown in Fig. 3 is periodically executed when an ignition switch (not shown) of the vehicle 10 is turned on.

[0038] 3, the CPU 21 determines whether or not a predetermined display condition is met. If the CPU 21 determines that the display condition is met (step S10: YES), the CPU 21 proceeds to step S11. On the other hand, if the CPU 21 determines that the display condition is not met (step S10: NO), the CPU 21 ends the control process.

[0039] In step S11, the CPU 21 acquires the individual program 50 from the individual part 24A, and acquires the standard program 52 from the standard part 24B. Then, the CPU 21 proceeds to step S12.

[0040] In step S12, the CPU 21 acquires various pieces of information from the ECU 30 and the sensors, etc. Then, the CPU 21 proceeds to step S13.

[0041] In step S13, the CPU 21 generates display information based on the individual program 50 and the standard program 52 acquired in step S11 and the various information acquired in step S12. Then, the CPU 21 proceeds to step S14.

[0042] In step S14, the CPU 21 outputs the display information generated in step S13 to the monitor 42. As a result, the display content indicated in the display information is displayed on the monitor 42. Then, the CPU 21 ends the control process.

[0043] Next, a display example displayed on the monitor 42 as a result of the control process shown in FIG. 3 being performed by the meter ECU 20 will be described.

[0044] Fig. 4 is a first explanatory diagram showing a specific example of display information. As an example, the display information shown in Fig. 4 is information related to an adaptive cruise control (ACC) function, which is a driving assistance function of the vehicle 10, and causes the vehicle 10 to follow a preceding vehicle. In Fig. 4, it is assumed that the vehicle 10 is executing the ACC function.

[0045] 4, a host vehicle icon 60 indicating the host vehicle 10, a preceding vehicle icon 62 indicating a preceding vehicle, and lane information 64 indicating the lanes on which the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle are traveling are displayed in the center of the monitor 42 as information related to the ACC function. In addition, the monitor 42 displays vehicle speed information 66 indicating the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 above the lane information 64, temperature information 68 indicating the outside temperature to the left of the lane information 64, and time information 70 indicating the time to the right of the lane information 64 as information related to the ACC function.

[0046] Here, among the display contents of the monitor 42 shown in Fig. 4, the host vehicle icon 60 is specific information. On the other hand, among the display contents of the monitor 42 shown in Fig. 4, the leading vehicle icon 62, lane information 64, vehicle speed information 66, temperature information 68, and time information 70 are common information.

[0047] Specifically, the design of the vehicle icon 60 shows the appearance of the vehicle 10 as seen from behind, and is generated based on the individual program 50. On the other hand, the designs of the leading vehicle icon 62, lane information 64, vehicle speed information 66, temperature information 68, and time information 70 are designs common to the vehicle 10 and other vehicles, and are generated based on the standard program 52 and various information.

[0048] Fig. 5 is a second explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the display information. As an example, the display information shown in Fig. 5 is information related to the energy flow of the vehicle 10. Specifically, Fig. 5 shows the state of energy transmission between the engine 72 and the motor 74, which are power sources constituting the vehicle 10, and the battery 76. Note that in Fig. 5, the vehicle 10 is a hybrid vehicle.

[0049] 5 displays a host vehicle icon 60 as information related to the energy flow. Additionally, the monitor 42 displays, superimposed on the host vehicle icon 60, an engine 72, a motor 74, a battery 76, a dashed line 78 indicating the flow of energy between the engine 72 and the motor 74, and a dashed line 80 indicating the flow of energy between the motor 74 and the battery 76 as information related to the energy flow.

[0050] Here, among the display contents of the monitor 42 shown in Fig. 5, the host vehicle icon 60 is specific information. On the other hand, among the display contents of the monitor 42 shown in Fig. 5, the engine 72, the motor 74, the battery 76, the dashed line 78, and the dashed line 80 are common information.

[0051] Specifically, the design of the host vehicle icon 60 shows the exterior of the vehicle 10 as seen from the left side, which is generated based on the individual program 50. Meanwhile, the designs of the engine 72, the motor 74, the battery 76, the dashed line 78, and the dashed line 80 are designs common to the vehicle 10 and other vehicles, which are generated based on the standard program 52 and various information.

[0052] Fig. 6 is a third explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the display information. As an example, the display information shown in Fig. 6 is information related to the open / closed state of the door of the vehicle 10. Specifically, Fig. 6 shows a state in which the driver's door of the vehicle 10 is open.

[0053] 6 displays a host vehicle icon 60 with the driver's door 60A open as information relating to the open / closed state of the doors on the monitor 42. Also, on the monitor 42, temperature information 68 is displayed to the left of the host vehicle icon 60, and time information 70 is displayed to the right of the host vehicle icon 60 as information relating to the open / closed state of the doors.

[0054] Here, among the display contents of the monitor 42 shown in Fig. 6, the vehicle icon 60 and the driver's door 60A are unique information. On the other hand, among the display contents of the monitor 42 shown in Fig. 6, the temperature information 68 and the time information 70 are common information. Note that since the unique information includes the number of doors, for example, when two doors of the vehicle 10 are open, a design showing the two doors being open is displayed on the monitor 42.

[0055] Specifically, the designs of the vehicle icon 60 and the driver's door 60A are generated based on the individual program 50 and various information, and show the appearance of the vehicle 10 with the driver's door open as seen from above. On the other hand, the designs of the temperature information 68 and the time information 70 are generated based on the standard program 52 and various information, and are common to the vehicle 10 and other vehicles.

[0056] As described above, in the meter ECU 20, the CPU 21 acquires the individual program 50, the standard program 52, and various information. Then, the CPU 21 displays display information generated based on the acquired individual program 50, the standard program 52, and various information on the monitor 42. Here, the display information includes specific information specific to the vehicle 10 generated based on the individual program 50, and common information common to the vehicle 10 and other vehicles generated based on the standard program 52. By using the standard program 52 common to the multiple vehicles to generate display information for the vehicle 10 and the multiple vehicles, the number of development steps for a program related to display control of the in-vehicle display is reduced. Therefore, according to the meter ECU 20, by generating display information based on the individual program 50 and the standard program 52, it is possible to present information specific to the vehicle 10 to a user while reducing the number of development steps for a program related to display control of the in-vehicle display.

[0057] In this embodiment, the unique information includes first unique information indicating the appearance of the vehicle 10. In the meter ECU 20, the CPU 21 generates display information based on an individual program 50 for displaying the first unique information on the monitor 42, a standard program 52, and various information. Then, the CPU 21 displays information related to the ACC function of the vehicle 10 on the monitor 42 as the generated display information (see FIG. 4). Thus, according to the meter ECU 20, when the ACC function is executed, it is possible to present the information related to the ACC function to the user while showing the appearance specific to the vehicle 10.

[0058] Furthermore, in the meter ECU 20, the CPU 21 generates display information based on the individual program 50 for displaying the first unique information on the monitor 42, the standard program 52, and various information. Then, the CPU 21 causes the monitor 42 to display information related to the energy flow of the vehicle 10 as the generated display information (see FIG. 5). Thus, the meter ECU 20 can present the information related to the energy flow to the user while showing the vehicle 10's unique appearance.

[0059] In the present embodiment, the unique information includes second unique information indicating the appearance of the vehicle 10 and the open / closed state of the doors. In the meter ECU 20, the CPU 21 generates display information based on the individual program 50 for displaying the second unique information on the monitor 42, the standard program 52, and various information. Then, the CPU 21 displays information relating to the open / closed state of the doors of the vehicle 10 on the monitor 42 as the generated display information (see FIG. 6). Thus, the meter ECU 20 can present the user with information relating to the open / closed state of the doors while indicating the unique appearance of the vehicle 10 and the open / closed state of the doors.

[0060] Furthermore, in the meter ECU 20, the CPU 21 can update at least one of the individual program 50 and the standard program 52. As a result, according to the meter ECU 20, when there is an update to a part specific to the vehicle 10, the individual program 50 is updated, thereby reducing the time required to update the program of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, according to the meter ECU 20, when there is an update to a part common to the vehicle 10 and other vehicles, the standard program 52 is updated, and the updated standard program 52 is provided to the other vehicles, thereby reducing the effort required to update the programs of the other vehicles.

[0061] (others) In the above embodiment, the storage unit 24 of the meter ECU 20 is provided with an individual unit 24A and a standard unit 24B, the individual program 50 is stored in the individual unit 24A, and the standard program 52 is stored in the standard unit 24B. However, this is not limiting, and the ECU in which the individual program 50 is stored may be different from the ECU in which the standard program 52 is stored. For example, the meter ECU 20 may be provided with an individual unit 24A, the individual program 50 may be stored in the individual unit 24A, and the ECU 30 may be provided with a standard unit 24B, and the standard program 52 may be stored in the standard unit 24B.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the design unique to the vehicle 10 generated based on the individual program 50 is the exterior of the vehicle 10 and the open / closed state of the doors, but is not limited thereto. For example, the unique design may be the design of an opening screen displayed on the monitor 42 when the ignition switch is turned on, or the design of a closing screen displayed on the monitor 42 when the ignition switch is turned off. The unique design may also be the background color of the lane information 64 indicating the lane in which the vehicle 10 is traveling in FIG. 4. In this case, the CPU 21 generates the background color with a color that is highly visible with respect to the vehicle body color of the vehicle icon 60 that reproduces and displays the exterior of the vehicle 10. As an example, the CPU 21 generates the background color with a color that has a contrast relationship between the background color and the vehicle body color in at least one of the brightness difference and the hue difference. The contrast relationship includes complementary color contrast, brightness contrast, color contrast, and the like.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the individual unit 24A may store, in addition to the individual program 50, at least one of a sound output program for outputting a distinctive sound specific to the vehicle 10 from the buzzer 44, and a light emission program for illuminating the monitor 42 with a light intensity specific to the vehicle 10.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the other vehicle is a vehicle of a different model from the host vehicle, vehicle 10, but is not limited to this. For example, the other vehicle may be a vehicle of the same model as vehicle 10 but with different specifications.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the information on the ACC function is shown in FIG. 4, but the information on the ACC function is not limited to the content shown in FIG. 4. For example, the information on the ACC function may be the content shown in FIG. 4 to which new information has been added, or may be the content shown in FIG. 4 to which some information has been deleted. Similarly, the information on the energy flow is shown in FIG. 5, but the information on the energy flow is not limited to the content shown in FIG. 5. For example, the information on the energy flow may be the content shown in FIG. 5 to which new information has been added, or may be the content shown in FIG. 5 to which some information has been deleted. Similarly, the information on the door opening / closing state is shown in FIG. 6, but the information on the door opening / closing state is not limited to the content shown in FIG. 6. For example, the information on the door opening / closing state may be the content shown in FIG. 6 to which new information has been added, or may be the content shown in FIG. 6 to which some information has been deleted.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the information on the driving assistance function of the vehicle 10 is the information on the ACC function, but is not limited to this. For example, the information on the driving assistance function of the vehicle 10 may be the information on the parking assistance function. This makes it possible to present the information on the parking assistance function to the user while showing the unique appearance of the vehicle 10 when the parking assistance function is executed.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the control process executed by the CPU 21 by reading the software (program) may be executed by various processors other than the CPU. In this case, examples of the processor include a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, and a dedicated electric circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) which is a processor having a circuit configuration designed exclusively for executing a specific process. The control process may be executed by one of these various processors, or may be executed by a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, a plurality of FPGAs, and a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). The hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the individual program 50 and the standard program 52 are stored (installed) in advance in the storage unit 24, but the present invention is not limited to this. The individual program 50 and the standard program 52 may be provided in a form recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. The individual program 50 and the standard program 52 may be downloaded from an external device via a network. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 10 Vehicle (own vehicle) 20 Meter ECU (information processing unit) 21A Acquisition Department 21C Control section 21D Update Department 42 Monitor (display) 50 Individual Program (1st Program) 52 Standard Program (2nd Program)

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires a first program for displaying specific information specific to the vehicle on a display unit and a second program for displaying common information common to the vehicle and another vehicle on the display unit; a control unit that causes the display unit to display display information generated based on the first program and the second program acquired by the acquisition unit; and An information processing device comprising:

2. the unique information is first unique information indicating an appearance of the host vehicle; The control unit causes the display unit to display information related to a driving assistance function of the host vehicle as the display information. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the unique information is first unique information indicating an appearance of the host vehicle; The control unit causes the display unit to display information regarding an energy flow of the host vehicle as the display information. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. the unique information is second unique information indicating an appearance of the host vehicle and an open / closed state of a door, The control unit causes the display unit to display information regarding an open / close state of a door of the host vehicle as the display information. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. an update unit capable of updating at least one of the first program and the second program; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

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