Onboard apparatus

Abstract

To prevent drainage to a place overlapping a point where another vehicle has drained.SOLUTION: An onboard apparatus is mounted in a vehicle and includes a communication unit, positioning unit, and control unit. The communication unit can acquire first drainage position information representing one or more first drainage positions at which one or more vehicles other than the vehicle have drained. The positioning unit can acquire or generate current position information representing the current position of the vehicle, and the control unit determines a place far away from the one or more first drainage positions as a second drainage position, at which the vehicle drains, on the basis of the first drainage position information and current position information. The control unit can transmit the second drainage position information, which represents a second drainage position, to outside of the vehicle via the communication unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle device. [Background technology]

[0002] Fuel cell vehicles run using electricity generated using hydrogen gas and oxygen in the air. During this reaction, water (hereinafter referred to as "produced water") is produced as a by-product as the hydrogen gas reacts with the oxygen. Fuel cell vehicles must discharge the produced water that is generated and stored as the vehicle travels at some location. However, when the outside temperature is low, the discharged produced water may freeze on the road. If produced water is discharged from a fuel cell vehicle at a location where the vehicle brakes and / or starts, such as an intersection, there is a concern that the produced water may freeze on the road. For this reason, Patent Document 1 proposes acquiring stop position information that indicates the stop position where the vehicle will stop in accordance with traffic rules, and controlling the system so that the produced water is not discharged when the current position of the fuel cell vehicle is in close proximity to the stop position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-43021 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] On the other hand, even if the location is not a specific one such as an intersection, if multiple fuel cell vehicles discharge generated water in overlapping locations when the outside temperature is low, the discharged generated water may accumulate on the road surface and freeze. If the road surface freezes, there is a risk that the tires of vehicles traveling on the road may slip, leading to an accident. For this reason, it is preferable that the locations where fuel cell vehicles discharge generated water are dispersed.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an in-vehicle device that can prevent water from being discharged in a location that overlaps with a location where another vehicle has discharged water. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An on-board device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an on-board device mounted on a vehicle, and includes: a communication unit configured to acquire first drain position information indicating one or more first drain positions where one or more other vehicles other than the vehicle have drained water; a positioning unit configured to acquire or generate current location information indicating the current location of the vehicle; and a control unit that determines, based on the first drain position information and the current location information, a location away from the one or more first drain positions as a second drain position where the vehicle will drain water, and the control unit is configured to transmit second drain position information indicating the second drain position to the outside of the vehicle via the communication unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle device that can prevent water from being discharged at a location that overlaps with a location where another vehicle has discharged water. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a drainage system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the in-vehicle device shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings used in the following description are schematic. The dimensions, ratios, arrangements, etc. in the drawings do not correspond to the actual ones.

[0010] (Overall system configuration) As shown in FIG. 1, a drainage system 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes at least one vehicle 10 and a central server 50.

[0011] The vehicle 10 is a vehicle that generates water while traveling. The vehicle 10 includes, but is not limited to, a fuel cell vehicle (FCV). The vehicle 10 may include a hydrogen engine vehicle that uses hydrogen itself as fuel for its internal combustion engine, a vehicle that uses ammonia as fuel, and the like. The vehicle 10 may be driven by a driver. The operation of the vehicle 10 may be automated at any level. For example, the level of automation is any of levels 1 to 5 in the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) classification.

[0012] The central server 50 is an information processing device, i.e., a computer, capable of communicating with the vehicle 10 via a network 40. The network 40 may be any communication network including a mobile communication network, the Internet, etc. The central server 50 is configured to be able to acquire weather information from a weather information server 60 that provides weather information such as weather and temperature. Communication between the central server 50 and the weather information server 60 may also be performed via the network 40.

[0013] The central server 50 and the weather information server 60 may be a dedicated computer configured to function as a server, a general-purpose computer, a cloud computing system, or the like.

[0014] (Vehicle configuration) The vehicle 10 includes an on-board device 11, one or more cameras 12, a fuel cell system 13, and a traction motor 14.

[0015] The in-vehicle device 11 collects information from external systems such as a central server 50 and a camera 12, and controls the drainage of water generated in the fuel cell system 13. The in-vehicle device 11 includes a communication unit 21, a memory unit 22, a control unit 23, a positioning unit 24, a display unit 25, and an input unit 26.

[0016] The communication unit 21 may be configured to include at least one communication module connectable to the network 40. For example, the communication module is a module compatible with mobile communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), and / or 5G (5th Generation). The communication unit 21 is configured to be able to acquire, from the central server 50, first drainage position information indicating one or more first drainage positions where one or more vehicles other than the vehicle 10 have drained water. The drainage position is not limited to a single point on the road, but may be an area on the road along which the vehicle moving to drain water.

[0017] The storage unit 22 may be configured to include at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memory may be, for example, a random access memory (RAM) or a read-only memory (ROM). The RAM may be, for example, a static random access memory (SRAM) or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The ROM may be, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). The storage unit 22 may function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 22 stores data used in the operation of the in-vehicle device 11, data obtained by the operation of the in-vehicle device 11, and programs for operating the in-vehicle device 11. The storage unit 22 may store map information of the area in which the vehicle 10 travels. The map information may include information such as intersections and stop positions.

[0018] The control unit 23 may be configured to include at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination of these. The processor may be a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit may be, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 23 may execute processes related to the operation of the in-vehicle device 11 while controlling each part of the in-vehicle device 11.

[0019] The control unit 23 can determine a second drainage position, which is a drainage position where the vehicle 10 will drain water, based on the image information acquired from the camera 12, the first drainage position information acquired from the central server 50, and the current position information of the vehicle 10. The current position information is acquired or generated by the positioning unit 24, which will be described later. The control unit 23 can analyze the image information acquired from the camera 12 and exclude locations that are not suitable for drainage from the second drainage position. The control unit 23 can determine a location away from the first drainage position as the second drainage position based on the first drainage position information and the current position information. After draining water at the second drainage position, the control unit 23 is configured to be able to transmit second drainage position information indicating the second drainage position to the central server 50 via the communication unit 21.

[0020] The positioning unit 24 can acquire or generate current position information indicating the current position of the vehicle 10. The positioning unit 24 can be configured to include a receiving module compatible with the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). GNSS includes, for example, the Global Positioning System (GPS), GLONASS, and Galileo. In addition to the receiving module compatible with the GNSS, the positioning unit 24 can include various detection devices such as a direction sensor, a steering angle sensor, and a distance sensor. For example, in a location where it is impossible to acquire the current position using the GNSS receiving module, the positioning unit 24 can estimate the current position by dead reckoning using both a direction sensor and a distance sensor.

[0021] The display unit 25 includes, for example, a display and can display any information. The display may be an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or the like. The display unit 25 may be provided in the in-vehicle device 11, or may be connected to the in-vehicle device 11 as an external output device.

[0022] The input unit 26 includes an input interface capable of receiving input from a user on board the vehicle 10. The input interface may be a physical key, a capacitance key, a pointing device, a touch screen integrated with the display of the display unit 25, a microphone, or the like. The input unit 26 may be provided in the in-vehicle device 11, or may be connected to the in-vehicle device 11 as an external input device.

[0023] The camera 12 includes an optical system including a lens and an imaging element. The camera 12 detects visible light and / or infrared light propagating from multiple object points and generates an image. The camera 12 is disposed at a predetermined position on the vehicle 10. For example, the camera 12 can be disposed near the rearview mirror inside the vehicle. In this case, the imaging device images the area in front of the vehicle 10 through the windshield. The camera 12 may further include a rear camera that images the area behind the vehicle 10 and / or a side camera that images the area to the side of the vehicle 10.

[0024] The fuel cell system 13 includes a fuel cell 31, a tank 32 that temporarily stores water produced by the fuel cell 31, a drain pipe 34 that drains the water from the tank 32, and a valve 33 provided on the drain pipe 34. The fuel cell system 13 further includes a hydrogen tank, and flow paths that supply hydrogen gas and air to each cell of the fuel cell 31.

[0025] The fuel cell 31 generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen gas and oxygen in the air. The fuel cell 31 has a stack structure in which multiple flat plate-shaped cells are stacked. The fuel cell 31 supplies power to the traction motor 14 of the vehicle 10. The traction motor 14 uses the power generated by the fuel cell system 13 to rotate the drive wheels of the vehicle.

[0026] The drain pipe 34 is a flow path connecting the tank 32 with the outside of the vehicle 10. By closing the valve 33, the produced water generated in the fuel cell 31 is stored in the tank 32. The tank 32 may be equipped with a sensor that detects the amount of produced water in the tank 32. The amount of produced water in the tank 32 is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 11. By opening the valve 33, the produced water stored in the tank 32 is drained to the outside of the vehicle 10 through the drain pipe 34. The valve 33 is configured to be electrically openable and closable in response to a signal from the in-vehicle device 11. It is not essential that the tank 32 be equipped with a sensor. The fuel cell system 13 or the control unit 23 may estimate the amount of produced water from the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell system 13 and / or the amount of hydrogen gas used.

[0027] (Central Server) Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the central server 50. As shown in FIG.

[0028] The communication unit 51 may be configured to include at least one communication module connectable to the network 40. For example, the communication module is a module compatible with standards such as a wired LAN (Local Area Network) or a wireless LAN. The communication unit 51 may be connected to the network 40 via the wired LAN or wireless LAN by the communication module.

[0029] The storage unit 52 may be configured to include at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of these, similar to the storage unit 22 of the in-vehicle device 11. The storage unit 52 may function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 52 stores data used in the operation of the central server 50 and data obtained by the operation of the central server 50.

[0030] The control unit 53 may be configured to include at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination of these, similar to the control unit 23 of the in-vehicle device 11. The control unit 53 may execute processes related to the operation of the central server 50 while controlling each unit of the central server 50.

[0031] The control unit 53 collects second drainage location information indicating drainage locations and drainage volumes from multiple vehicles, including the vehicle 10. The control unit 53 stores the information on each drainage location in the memory unit 52. The control unit 53 also acquires weather information, including weather and temperature information, from the weather information server 60. The weather information may include current information and forecast information for the next several hours. The control unit 53 determines the risk of freezing for each drainage location based on the weather information and the location and drainage volume of each drainage location stored in the memory unit 52. The control unit 53 can aggregate information on drainage locations with a high risk of freezing and transmit it to the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 51 as first drainage location information. The control unit 53 may delete the information on each drainage location stored in the memory unit 52 a predetermined time after acquiring the information. The predetermined time is the time it is expected that the drained water will be absorbed by the ground or will disappear due to evaporation, etc. The predetermined time may be set to a different time depending on the weather conditions acquired from the weather server 60.

[0032] (Drainage control method) The drainage control of generated water by the control unit 23 of the in-vehicle device 11 will be described below with reference to FIG. 2. The control unit 23 repeatedly executes the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 while the vehicle 10 is running or stopped. For example, the control unit 23 may execute the process of FIG. 2 at regular time intervals. The control unit 23 can execute the drainage control procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2 according to a program. Such a program can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, a hard disk, RAM, ROM, flash memory, CD-ROM, optical storage device, magnetic storage device, etc.

[0033] As described above, the vehicle 10 generates water while traveling and stores the generated water in the tank 32. The amount of generated water stored in the tank 32 gradually increases while the vehicle 10 is traveling. While the vehicle 10 is traveling or stopped, the control unit 23 acquires the amount of generated water stored in the tank 32 from a sensor provided in the tank 32 of the fuel cell system 13 and determines whether the generated water in the tank 32 needs to be drained (S10). For example, the control unit 23 may determine that the generated water needs to be drained when the amount of generated water in the tank 32 exceeds a predetermined threshold. If it is determined in S10 that the generated water needs to be drained (S10: Yes), the control unit 23 proceeds to the next step S11. If it is determined in S10 that the generated water does not need to be drained (S10: No), the control unit 23 ends the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 2.

[0034] When it is determined in S10 that the generated water needs to be drained (S10: Yes), the control unit 23 acquires drainage position information of other vehicles other than the vehicle 10 that are in the vicinity of the current position of the vehicle 10 from the central server 50 via the communication unit 21 (S11). The drainage positions of the other vehicles are first drainage positions. Information indicating the drainage positions of one or more other vehicles is first drainage position information. The first drainage position information includes position information of the points where one or more other vehicles have drained water. The first drainage position information may include information on the amount of water drained by the other vehicles at the first drainage position.

[0035] Next, the control unit 23 acquires current position information and a surrounding image (S12). The control unit 23 acquires the current position information from the positioning unit 24. The control unit 23 acquires the surrounding image from the camera 12. The control unit 23 can recognize buildings such as houses, bus stops, etc. from the image acquired from the camera 12 by image recognition processing. The control unit 23 can recognize the current position of the vehicle 10 on the map by using the map information stored in the memory unit 22 and the current position information acquired from the positioning unit 24.

[0036] Based on the information acquired in S11 and S12, the control unit 23 determines whether the location where the vehicle 10 is traveling is a location where drainage is possible (S13). When the vehicle 10 is traveling on a road, the control unit 23 may determine whether or not drainage is possible within an area from the current location up to a distance ahead corresponding to the vehicle's speed in the forward direction of travel. For example, the control unit 23 may determine that drainage is not possible when the vehicle 10 is located in front of a building such as a house or a bus stop, etc., based on image recognition. Furthermore, when the control unit 23 determines from the current location information and map information that the vehicle 10 is located at or approaching an intersection, it may determine that the generated water within the intersection is not possible to drain. This is because if the road freezes in these locations, there is a risk that a traveling vehicle will slip.

[0037] Furthermore, when the vehicle 10 is located at or approaching the drainage location of another vehicle obtained from the central server 50, the control unit 23 may determine that water cannot be discharged at the drainage location of the other vehicle. This is because if water is discharged at a location that overlaps with the drainage location of another vehicle, the water will accumulate at that location and is likely to freeze.

[0038] When the control unit 23 determines that the location where the vehicle is currently traveling is not a location where water can be discharged (S13: No), the control unit 23 does not discharge water at the location where the vehicle is currently traveling and returns to step S11. The control unit 23 repeats S11 to S13 until the location where the vehicle is currently traveling becomes a location where water can be discharged. Note that, when the control unit 23 has acquired discharge location information of other vehicles over a relatively wide geographical range in S11, if the control unit 23 determines that the location where the vehicle is currently traveling is not a location where water can be discharged (S13: No), the control unit 23 may return to S12 and repeat S12 and S13.

[0039] When the control unit 23 determines that the location where the vehicle 10 is currently traveling is a location where drainage is possible (S13: Yes), it determines the location where the vehicle 10 is currently traveling as the drainage location. The drainage location is a location away from the drainage locations where other vehicles have drained water. The control unit 23 performs drainage at the determined drainage location (S14). The control unit 23 sends a signal to the fuel cell system 13 to open the valve 33. When the valve 33 opens, the produced water stored in the tank 32 is drained outside the vehicle 10 through the drain pipe 34.

[0040] In step S14, before executing the drainage, the control unit 23 may display a message on the display unit 25 requesting permission to drain the water at the determined drainage position. The control unit 23 may execute the drainage only when the user on board the vehicle 10 operates the input unit 26 to permit the drainage. In this way, the user can check the surroundings and decide whether or not to drain the water.

[0041] After performing the drainage, the control unit 23 transmits information about the drainage location and drainage volume where the vehicle 10 has drained water to the central server 50 via the communication unit 21 (S15). This allows the central server 50 to collect drainage location information from many vehicles including the vehicle 10. The drainage location where the vehicle 10 has drained water is the second drainage location. The information about the location and drainage volume of the second drainage location is second drainage location information.

[0042] As described above, this embodiment can prevent water from being discharged in undesirable locations such as in front of houses or at intersections, and can also prevent water from being discharged in locations that overlap with locations where other vehicles have discharged water. This reduces the risk of tires of the vehicle 10 slipping on the road when the road surface is frozen and the temperature is low.

[0043] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and many variations and modifications are possible. For example, the functions included in each means, step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to cause logical contradictions, and multiple means or steps can be combined into one or divided. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1. Drainage system 10 vehicles 11 Onboard equipment 12 Camera 13 Fuel Cell System 14. Drive motor 21 Communications Department 22 Memory section 23 Control Unit 24 Positioning unit 25 Display section 26 Input section 31 Fuel Cell 32 Tank 33 Valve 34 Drain pipe 40 Network 50 Central Server 51 Communications Department 52 Storage section 53 Control Unit 60 Weather Information Server

Claims

[Claim 1] An in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, a communication unit configured to acquire first drainage position information indicating one or more first drainage positions where one or more other vehicles different from the vehicle have drained water; a positioning unit configured to acquire or generate current position information indicating a current position of the vehicle; a control unit that determines a location away from the one or more first drainage locations as a second drainage location where the vehicle will drain water, based on the first drainage location information and the current location information; The control unit is configured to be able to transmit second drain position information indicating the second drain position to an outside of the vehicle via the communication unit. In-vehicle device.

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