Method

Abstract

To improve a technology for connecting a terminal that has performed a route search and a vehicle.SOLUTION: A method is executed by a system 1 including a plurality of terminals 20 capable of performing short-range wireless communication and a vehicle 10. The method includes transmitting, by each of the terminals 20, a signal including identification information of the terminal itself and property information indicating whether or not the terminal has executed a route search to the vehicle 10, receiving the signal from each of the terminals 20 by the vehicle 10, connecting, based on the identification information, to the single terminal 20 that has executed the route search among the plurality of terminals 20, and receiving, from the single terminal 20, information related to the route search that has been executed in the single terminal 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a vehicle and a passenger's terminal device are connected by a short-range communication technology such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and the route information searched on the terminal device side is transmitted to the vehicle, and route guidance is performed on the vehicle side during the vehicle's travel. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that an information processing device connects to any one of a plurality of wireless terminals by short-range wireless communication according to the priority of each wireless terminal, and determines the priority according to the connection frequency with each wireless terminal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When there are a plurality of passengers in a vehicle, it is desirable to selectively connect to a terminal device among the terminal devices of each passenger that has already searched for route information. However, since whether or not the route information has been searched on the terminal device is independent of the connection frequency between the terminal device and the vehicle, in the conventional technology, the vehicle cannot selectively connect to the terminal device that has already searched for the route information. On the other hand, a method in which the passenger selects the terminal device to be connected from among a plurality of terminal devices is also conceivable, but it is impossible to immediately determine which of the plurality of terminal devices has already searched for the route information. Thus, there is room for improvement in the technology for connecting the terminal device that has performed route search and the vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The method according to the present disclosure is a method executed by a system including a plurality of terminal devices capable of short-range wireless communication and a vehicle. Each of the plurality of terminal devices transmits a signal including its own identification information and attribute information indicating whether it has executed route search to the vehicle. The vehicle receives the signal from each of the plurality of terminal devices and connects to one terminal device that has executed route search among the plurality of terminal devices based on the identification information. The method further includes receiving information regarding the route search executed by the one terminal device from the one terminal device.

Advantages of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the technology of connecting a terminal device that has performed route search and a vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the description of the present embodiment, the description of the same or corresponding parts will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a vehicle 10 and terminal devices 20. In FIG. 1, terminal devices 20A to 20N are illustrated, but the number of terminal devices 20 included in the system 1 is not limited. Each device is communicably connected to each other via a network 30 including, for example, the Internet.

[0010] The vehicle 10 is any type of automobile such as a gasoline vehicle, a diesel vehicle, a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), an HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or an FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle). The vehicle 10 may be movable by autonomous driving. The autonomous driving may include, for example, levels 1 to 5 defined by the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), but is not limited thereto and may be arbitrarily defined.

[0011] The terminal device 20 is held by a user. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a mobile device such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a tablet, or a PC. "PC" is an abbreviation for personal computer. Each of the terminal devices 20 is held by each of at least one user who rides in the vehicle 10. The terminal device 20 can execute route search. The route search may be executed by the user using a route search application installed in the terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 can transmit the route obtained by executing the route search to the vehicle 10 by short-range wireless communication. The short-range wireless communication includes communication according to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard. Without being limited thereto, the short-range wireless communication may be communication according to the NFC (Near Field Communication) standard.

[0012] Network 30 includes the Internet, at least one WAN, at least one MAN, or any combination thereof. "WAN" is an abbreviation for wide area network. "MAN" is an abbreviation for metropolitan area network. Network 40 may include at least one wireless network, at least one optical network, or any combination thereof. The wireless network is, for example, an ad hoc network, a cellular network, a wireless LAN, a satellite communication network, or a terrestrial microwave network. "LAN" is an abbreviation for local area network.

[0013] First, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and details will be described later. System 1 includes a plurality of terminal devices 20 capable of short-range wireless communication and a vehicle 10. Each of the plurality of terminal devices 20 transmits a signal including its own identification information and attribute information indicating whether it has executed route search to the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 receives signals from each of the plurality of terminal devices 20 and connects to one terminal device 20 that has executed route search among the plurality of terminal devices 20 based on the identification information. The vehicle 10 receives information regarding the route search executed in one terminal device 20 from the one terminal device 20.

[0014] According to this embodiment, since each of the terminal devices 20 notifies a signal including attribute data indicating whether it has executed route search before connecting to the vehicle 10, it is possible to automatically connect the terminal device 20 that has executed route search to the vehicle 10. Therefore, it is possible to improve the technology for connecting a terminal device that has performed route search to a vehicle.

[0015] Referring to FIG. 1, the configuration of the vehicle 10 according to this embodiment will be described. The vehicle 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, and an input / output unit 14.

[0016] The control unit 11 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, or any combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. "CPU" is an abbreviation for central processing unit. "GPU" is an abbreviation for graphics processing unit. The programmable circuit is, for example, an FPGA. "FPGA" is an abbreviation for field-programmable gate array. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an ASIC. "ASIC" is an abbreviation for application specific integrated circuit. The control unit 11 executes processing related to the operation of the vehicle 10 while controlling each part of the vehicle 10.

[0017] The storage unit 12 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or any combination thereof. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM, ROM, or flash memory. "RAM" is an abbreviation for random access memory. "ROM" is an abbreviation for read only memory. The RAM is, for example, an SRAM or DRAM. "SRAM" is an abbreviation for static random access memory. "DRAM" is an abbreviation for dynamic random access memory. The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. "EEPROM" is an abbreviation for electrically erasable programmable read only memory. The flash memory is, for example, an SSD. "SSD" is an abbreviation for solid-state drive. The magnetic memory is, for example, an HDD. "HDD" is an abbreviation for hard disk drive. The storage unit 12 functions as, for example, a main memory device, an auxiliary memory device, or a cache memory. Information used for the operation of the vehicle 10 and information obtained by the operation of the vehicle 10 are stored in the storage unit 12.

[0018] The communication unit 13 includes at least one communication interface. The communication interface is, for example, an interface corresponding to a mobile communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation) standard, or 5G (5th Generation) standard, an interface corresponding to short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), or a LAN interface. The communication unit 13 receives information used for the operation of the vehicle 10 and transmits information obtained by the operation of the vehicle 10.

[0019] The input / output unit 14 includes an input interface that detects an input by the user and sends the input information to the control unit 11. The input interface is, for example, a physical key, a capacitance key, a touch screen provided integrally with the panel display, or a microphone that receives voice input, but is not limited thereto, and may be any input unit. The input / output unit 14 includes an output interface that outputs information generated by the control unit 11 or read from the storage unit 12 to the user. The output interface is, for example, a panel display that outputs information as an image, or a speaker that outputs information as voice, but is not limited thereto, and may be any output unit. The input / output unit 14 can notify the user of the information acquired via the communication unit 13 by voice or screen display or the like. Instead of being provided in the vehicle 10, the input / output unit 14 may be connected to the vehicle 10 as an external output device.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 2, the configuration of the terminal device 20 according to the present embodiment will be described. The terminal device 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, and an input / output unit 24. The hardware configurations of the control unit 21, the storage unit 22, the communication unit 23, and the input / output unit 24 of the terminal device 20 may be the same as those of the control unit 11, the storage unit 12, the communication unit 13, and the input / output unit 14 of the vehicle 10, respectively. The description here is omitted.

[0021] The functions of the vehicle 10 or the terminal device 20 are realized by executing the program according to the present embodiment on a processor as the control unit 11 or the control unit 21. That is, the functions of the vehicle 10 or the terminal device 20 are realized by software. The program causes a computer to execute the operations of the vehicle 10 or the terminal device 20, thereby causing the computer to function as the vehicle 10 or the terminal device 20. That is, the computer functions as the vehicle 10 or the terminal device 20 by executing the operations of the vehicle 10 or the terminal device 20 according to the program.

[0022] The program can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The non-transitory computer-readable medium is, for example, a flash memory, a magnetic recording device, an optical disc, a magneto-optical recording medium, or a ROM. The distribution of the program is performed, for example, by selling, transferring, or lending a portable medium such as an SD card, a DVD, or a CD-ROM storing the program. "SD" is an abbreviation for Secure Digital. "DVD" is an abbreviation for digital versatile disc. "CD-ROM" is an abbreviation for compact disc read only memory. The program may be stored in the storage of a server and distributed by transferring the program from the server to another computer. The program may be provided as a program product.

[0023] A computer stores, for example, a program stored in a portable medium or a program transferred from a server in a main memory device once. Then, the computer reads the program stored in the main memory device with a processor and executes processing according to the read program with the processor. The computer may directly read a program from a portable medium and execute processing according to the program. The computer may sequentially execute processing according to the received program each time a program is transferred from a server to the computer. Processing may be executed by a so-called ASP type service that realizes functions only by execution instructions and result acquisition without transferring a program from a server to a computer. "ASP" is an abbreviation for application service provider. A program includes information for use in processing by an electronic computer and things conforming to the program. For example, data that is not a direct instruction to a computer but has a property of defining the processing of the computer corresponds to "things conforming to the program".

[0024] Some or all functions of the vehicle 10 or the terminal device 20 may be realized by a programmable circuit or a dedicated circuit as the control unit 11 or the control unit 21. That is, some or all functions of the vehicle 10 or the terminal device 20 may be realized by hardware.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 3, the operation of the system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. This operation corresponds to the method according to the present embodiment. Among the operations shown in FIG. 3, operations similar to those of the terminal device 20 are executed in each of the plurality of terminal devices 20 included in the system 1. In the following, it is assumed that communication between the vehicle 10 and an external device is performed via the communication unit 13 and the network 30. It is assumed that communication between the terminal device 20 and an external device is performed via the communication unit 23 and the network 30.

[0026] In S1 of FIG. 3, the control unit 21 of the terminal device 20 periodically transmits a signal containing its own identification information and attribute information indicating whether or not the device has already executed route search to the surroundings. That is, the control unit 21 broadcasts the signal. For example, the control unit 21 adopts the advertising method of Bluetooth (registered trademark) as the broadcast transmission, and broadcasts an advertising signal containing its own identification information and attribute information indicating whether or not the device has already executed route search. The control unit 21 may refer to the execution history of route search of the user of the route search application and generate attribute information indicating whether or not the route search has been executed.

[0027] In S2, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 receives signals from each of the plurality of terminal devices 20. In this example, the control unit 11 receives signals from the terminal devices 20A and 20B as the plurality of terminal devices 20.

[0028] In S3, the control unit 11 selects, based on the identification information, one terminal device 20 that has already executed route search among the plurality of terminal devices 20 as the target terminal device. In this example, it is assumed that the attribute information of the terminal device 20A indicates that the route search has been executed, and the attribute information of the terminal device 20B indicates that the route search has not been executed. In this case, the control unit 21 selects the terminal device 20A as the target terminal device.

[0029] When there are a plurality of terminal devices 20 indicating that the attribute information has already executed route search, the control unit 11 may select one terminal device 20 as the target terminal device by any method. For example, the control unit 11 may select the target terminal device according to the user's designation. Specifically, the control unit 11 first displays, via the input / output unit 14, terminal devices 20 indicating that the attribute information has already executed route search, using icons or the like. At this time, the control unit 11 may display all the terminal devices 20 that received the signal in S2, and may further display, in an emphasized manner, the terminal devices 20 indicating that the attribute information has already executed route search. The control unit 11 receives, via the input / output unit 14, the user's designation input for the displayed icon, and selects the terminal device 20 corresponding to the designated icon as the target terminal device. This is not limited thereto. For example, the control unit 11 may refer to information indicating the connection priority order, and select the terminal device 20 with the highest priority as the target terminal device. The said information may be set in advance by the user and stored in the storage unit 12.

[0030] In S4, a connection between the vehicle 10 and the terminal device 20 is established. Specifically, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 transmits a connection request to the terminal device 20 selected as the target terminal device in S3. The said connection request may include various parameters used for the connection. The control unit 21 of the terminal device 20 as the target terminal device responds to the said connection request, thereby establishing a connection between the vehicle 10 and the terminal device 20.

[0031] In S5, the control unit 21 of the terminal device 20 whose connection with the vehicle 10 was established in S4 transmits information regarding the executed route search to the vehicle 10. The information regarding the route search is information including the route to the destination designated by the user.

[0032] In S6, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 receives the information regarding the route search. The control unit 11 may output, via the input / output unit 14, the route included in the received information. The control unit 11 may control each part of the vehicle 10 so that the vehicle 10 can move to the destination through the route included in the received information. Thereafter, the operation of the system 1 ends.

[0033] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, two or more blocks described in the block diagram may be integrated, or one block may be divided. Instead of executing two or more steps described in the flowchart in chronological order according to the description, each step may be executed in parallel or in a different order according to the processing capabilities of the device that executes the steps, or as necessary. In addition, changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0034] 1 System 10 Vehicle 11 Control Unit 12 Storage Unit 13 Communication Unit 14 Input / Output Unit 20 Terminal Device 21 Control Unit 22 Storage Unit 23 Communication Unit 24 Input / Output Unit 30 Network

Claims

【Claim 1】 A method executed by a system including a plurality of terminal devices capable of short-range wireless communication and a vehicle, comprising: each of the plurality of terminal devices transmitting a signal including its own identification information and attribute information indicating whether the device has completed route search to the vehicle; the vehicle receiving the signal from each of the plurality of terminal devices and connecting to one terminal device that has completed route search among the plurality of terminal devices based on the identification information; receiving information regarding the route search executed in the one terminal device from the one terminal device. A method as described above. ​ ​

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