Vehicle remote control method, information processing device, and vehicle remote control system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle remote control method that enables a user to quickly confirm results of a vehicle's operation in response to the user's operation instruction.SOLUTION: A vehicle remote control method is executed by a server 20 that remotely controls a target device mounted on a vehicle 40 in response to an operation instruction from a user terminal 60. The vehicle remote control method includes calculating a success rate, which is the probability that the operation of the target device will be successful, when the operation instruction is received from the user terminal 60, and causing the user terminal 60 to display information indicating the success rate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle remote control method, an information processing device, and a vehicle remote control system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a remote control system that remotely controls specific drive units such as a vehicle locking mechanism and an air conditioner using a remote signal from a mobile terminal. In this remote control system, when a remote signal sent from a user's mobile terminal is invalidated, a notification that the remote signal has been invalidated is sent to the mobile terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-063650 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional systems, the results of operations performed in response to user operation instructions are transmitted to a mobile terminal, but there is a problem in that it takes a long time for the mobile terminal to receive the results of operations performed in response to the user operation instructions.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle remote control method, an information processing device, and a vehicle remote control system that enable the results of a vehicle's operation in response to a user's operation instructions to be confirmed in a short period of time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A vehicle remote control method according to one aspect of the present invention is executed by an information processing device that remotely controls a target device mounted on a vehicle in response to an operation instruction from a user terminal. The vehicle remote control method includes, when an operation instruction is received from the user terminal, calculating a success rate, which is a probability that an operation of the target device will be successful, and causing the user terminal to display information indicating the success rate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to quickly check the results of vehicle operation in response to a user's operation instruction. In addition, it is possible to allow the user to check the success rate of the user's operation instruction. This allows for information display that is easy for the user to understand. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle remote control system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a sequence chart showing the operation of the vehicle remote control system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the display device of the user terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display form of vehicle response information when the success rate is low. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a sequence chart showing the operation of the vehicle remote control system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a sequence chart showing the operation of the vehicle remote control system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows an example of a display related to unlocking a door. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0010] (First embodiment) The configuration of a vehicle remote control system 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The vehicle remote control system 10 according to the present embodiment is a system that remotely controls a vehicle 40 in response to an operation instruction from a user.

[0011] The vehicle remote control system 10 is mainly composed of a server 20, a vehicle 40, and a user terminal 60. The server 20, the vehicle 40, and the user terminal 60 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a network 30. The network 30 may be, for example, the Internet. The network 30 may use a mobile communication function such as 4G / LTE or 5G.

[0012] The server 20 is interposed between the vehicle 40 and the user terminal 60, and issues various instructions to the vehicle 40 and the user terminal 60. The server 20 includes a control device 21, a communication device 22, and a storage device 23.

[0013] The control device 21 is composed of a microcomputer (controller) mainly consisting of a CPU, memory, and input / output interface. The CPU reads various computer programs stored in the memory and executes various instructions contained in the programs. By executing the programs, the CPU realizes one or more functions of the control device 21.

[0014] The control device 21 performs a simulation process to simulate the success or failure of the operation of a target device mounted on the vehicle 40, based on communication with the vehicle 40. When the control device 21 receives an operation instruction for the target device from the user terminal 60, the control device 21 transmits the operation instruction to the vehicle 40. Furthermore, when the control device 21 receives an operation instruction for the target device from the user terminal 60, the control device 21 transmits the result of the simulation process to the user terminal. This transmission of the result of the simulation process is performed before receiving an operation completion notification, which will be described later, from the vehicle 40.

[0015] The communication device 22 communicates with the vehicle 40 or the user terminal 60. The communication device 22 is controlled by the control device 21, and receives predetermined data from the vehicle 40 and the user terminal 60, and transmits predetermined data to the vehicle 40 and the user terminal 60. The communication device 22 can also acquire road traffic data including road traffic information by communicating with an external device (not shown) via the network 30. For example, the communication device 22 may be a device equipped with a mobile communication function such as 4G / LTE or 5G, or may be a device equipped with a Wi-Fi communication function.

[0016] The storage device 23 is a storage device that stores various data required for remotely controlling the vehicle 40. The storage device 23 has a vehicle DB (vehicle database) (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle DB 23").

[0017] The vehicle DB 23 is a database that stores the state of the vehicle 40. The state of the vehicle 40 is periodically transmitted from the vehicle 40, and each time the state of the vehicle 40 is acquired, the content is reflected in the vehicle DB 23. The information stored in the vehicle DB 23 is used by the control device 21 to virtually manage the state of the vehicle 40. For example, the control device 21 has a model (vehicle state model) that virtually reproduces the vehicle 40, and the information stored in the vehicle DB 23 is reflected in this vehicle state model.

[0018] Vehicle 40 is a vehicle used by a user. In the example shown in Fig. 1, one vehicle 40 is shown, but this is not limiting. In this embodiment, vehicle 40 is an electric vehicle that drives the wheels only with an electric motor, but it may also be an engine vehicle that drives the wheels only with an engine, or a hybrid vehicle that drives the wheels with an engine and an electric motor.

[0019] The vehicle 40 includes a control device 41 , a control device 42 , a communication device 43 , and a state detection unit 44 .

[0020] The control device 41 is configured as a microcomputer (controller) mainly consisting of a CPU, memory, and input / output interface. The CPU reads various computer programs stored in the memory and executes various commands contained in the programs. By executing the programs, the CPU realizes multiple functions of the control device 41.

[0021] The control device 41 collects the status of the vehicle 40 using the status detection unit 44 and transmits the collected status of the vehicle 40 to the server 20. The control device 41 periodically collects and transmits the status of the vehicle 40. Furthermore, when the control device 41 receives an operation instruction transmitted from the server 20, it operates a target device corresponding to the operation instruction. The control device 41 determines whether the target device has operated in accordance with the operation instruction, and transmits an operation completion notification including this determination result to the server 20. That is, the control device 41 transmits the operation completion notification to the server 20 in response to the operation instruction.

[0022] The control devices 42 include various devices mounted on the vehicle 40. For example, the control devices 42 include devices that control the motion state of the vehicle 40, such as a steering actuator, an accelerator opening actuator, a brake control actuator, and a shift actuator. In addition to these, the control devices 42 also include devices such as a door lock device, a horn, a GPS device, an air conditioning device, a power window device, a vehicle lamp, a battery system, and an ignition switch (also called a start switch). Of the control devices 42, the control devices 42 that are remotely operated by the user terminal 60 are referred to as target devices.

[0023] The communication device 43 communicates with the server 20. The communication device 43 is controlled by the control device 41, and receives predetermined data from the server 20 and transmits predetermined data to the server 20. For example, the communication device 43 may be a device having a mobile communication function such as 4G / LTE or 5G, or may be a device having a short-range wireless communication function such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

[0024] The state detection unit 44 is a unit that detects the state of the vehicle 40, and includes various sensors mounted on the vehicle 40.

[0025] The user terminal 60 is a device used by the user of the vehicle 40, and is a device with a communication function such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wearable device, or an in-vehicle virtual personal assistant (VPA). The user terminal 60 transmits operation instructions for the vehicle 40 to the server 20 and displays information transmitted from the server 20. The user terminal 60 includes a control device 61, an input device 62, a display device 63, and a communication device 64.

[0026] The control device 61 is configured as a microcomputer (controller) mainly composed of a CPU, memory, and input / output interface. A computer program (application) is installed in the memory to cause the information terminal to function as the user terminal 60 in the vehicle remote control system 10. By executing the computer program, the control device 61 realizes one or more functions of the user terminal 60.

[0027] The control device 61 receives operation instructions for the target device based on user operations on the input device 62. The control device 61 transmits the operation instructions for the target device to the server 20. The control device 61 receives a notification from the server 20 regarding the operation instructions. The control device 61 controls the display device 63 to display the information notified from the server 20.

[0028] The input device 62 is a device for a user to perform input operations. The display device 63 is controlled by the control device 61 and displays necessary information. For example, the input device 62 can be a touch panel that allows the user to perform input operations according to information displayed on the display device 63.

[0029] The communication device 64 communicates with the server 20. The communication device 64 is controlled by the control device 61, and receives predetermined data from the server 20 and transmits predetermined data to the server 20. For example, the communication device 64 may be a device having a mobile communication function such as 4G / LTE or 5G, or may be a device having a short-range wireless communication function such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

[0030] 2, a remote control process executed in the vehicle remote control system 10 according to this embodiment will be described. In the following description, a door lock device will be exemplified as a target device, and door locking will be exemplified as a remote control of the vehicle 40.

[0031] First, the control device 41 of the vehicle 40 detects the state of the vehicle 40 using the state detection unit 44 (S10). The control device 41 transmits a vehicle state notification including the detected state of the vehicle 40 to the server 20. Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 2, the detection of the state of the vehicle 40 and the transmission of the vehicle state notification are performed periodically.

[0032] When the server 20 receives the vehicle state notification, the control device 21 of the server 20 stores the state of the vehicle 40 included in the vehicle state notification in the vehicle DB 23. The state of the vehicle 40 stored in the vehicle DB 23 is reflected in the vehicle state model. The control device 21 simulates the success or failure of the locking operation of the door lock device based on the vehicle state notification received from the vehicle 40, specifically the vehicle state model (S12). Specifically, the control device 21 determines whether or not the permission conditions for locking the door lock device are met. The permission conditions include predetermined conditions such as (1) no key is present in the vehicle, (2) the door is closed, and (3) the ignition switch is off. The control device 21 references the vehicle state model and determines whether or not the permission conditions are met. If the permission conditions are met, the control device 21 determines that the locking operation is successful as the result of the simulation process. On the other hand, if the permission conditions are not met, the control device 21 determines that the locking operation is unsuccessful as the result of the simulation process. In this way, in the process of step S12, the success or failure of the locking operation is confirmed in a simulated manner on the server 20 by using the vehicle state model. Note that the control device 21 may perform the above process based on the state of the vehicle 40 stored in the vehicle DB 23 without using the vehicle state model.

[0033] The user issues an instruction to lock the door by operating the input device 62 of the user terminal 60. The control device 61 of the user terminal 60 transmits a door lock instruction (operation instruction) to the server 20 to cause the door lock device to perform a locking operation (S13).

[0034] Upon receiving the door lock instruction, the control device 21 of the server 20 transmits the door lock instruction to the vehicle 40 (S14). If the result of the simulation process in step S12 is successful, the control device 21 calculates the success rate (S15). The simulation process in step S12 is performed at the timing of receiving a vehicle state notification periodically transmitted from the vehicle 40. As time passes after the simulation process in step S12 is performed, there is a possibility that a discrepancy occurs between the state of the vehicle 40 when the vehicle state notification is sent to the server 20 and the current state of the vehicle 40. The possibility of this discrepancy increases the longer the elapsed time since the simulation process was performed. In other words, even if the result of the simulation process in step S12 is successful, if the state of the vehicle 40 changes thereafter, it may become impossible to lock the door lock device. Therefore, the control device 21 calculates the success rate as a measure of the reliability over time of the successful result of the simulation process. The success rate is calculated to be 100% when the simulation process is performed, and the longer the time that has elapsed since the simulation process, the lower the success rate. The control device 61 also holds a threshold value for distinguishing between high and low success rates. The threshold value is, for example, 50%. The control device 61 determines that the success rate is high if the calculated success rate is higher than the threshold value, and determines that the success rate is low if the calculated success rate is equal to or lower than the threshold value.

[0035] The control device 21 transmits a door lock simulation completion notification to the user terminal 60 (S16). The door lock simulation completion notification is a notification indicating that the simulated locking operation has been completed, and includes the result of the simulation process (success or failure). If the result of the simulation process is successful, the door lock simulation completion notification also includes the success rate.

[0036] When receiving the door lock simulation completion notification from the server 20, the control device 61 of the user terminal 60 controls the display device 63 to display information based on the door lock simulation completion notification (S17). In other words, the door lock simulation completion notification is a notification for causing the user terminal 60 to display predetermined information.

[0037] 3, by executing a predetermined application on the user terminal 60, various information required for remotely controlling the vehicle 40 is displayed on a display screen 70 of the display device 63. The information displayed on the display screen 70 includes a vehicle image 71, location information 72, battery information 74, device information 75, etc.

[0038] The vehicle image 71 is an image of the vehicle 40 used by the user and is configured, for example, with the same type of image as the vehicle 40 used by the user. The location information 72 is information indicating the location of the vehicle 40 and includes a map of the area around the vehicle 40 and a location icon 73 indicating the location of the vehicle 40 on the map. The battery information 74 is information indicating the status of the battery system equipped in the vehicle 40 and includes information such as the current SOC and cruising range. The device information 75 is information indicating the control devices installed in the vehicle 40 and includes a charging icon 76 indicating the charging status, a key icon 77 for performing door locking and door unlocking operations, and an air conditioning icon 78 for performing air conditioning operation. The charging icon 76 indicates three charging statuses depending on the display format of the icon: (1) the charging plug is not connected, (2) the charging plug is connected but charging is not occurring, or (3) charging. The user can remotely lock the vehicle 40's doors by tapping the key icon 77 while the doors are unlocked. Furthermore, when the door of the vehicle 40 is locked, the user can tap the lock icon 77 to remotely unlock the door. The door lock instruction in step S13 described above is transmitted from the user terminal 60 when the user taps the lock icon 77. When the air conditioning icon 78 is tapped by the user while the air conditioning device is off, the user can remotely start the air conditioning device. When the air conditioning icon 78 is tapped by the user while the air conditioning device is on, the user can remotely stop the air conditioning device. Note that the above information displayed on the display screen 70 is an example, and other information may be included.

[0039] When receiving the door lock simulation completion notification from the server 20, the control device 61 of the user terminal 60 displays user notification information 80 indicating the contents of the door lock simulation completion notification on the display screen 70 (S17). If the door lock simulation completion notification is successful, the control device 61 displays user notification information 80 indicating that the locking operation was successful on the display screen 70. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the control device 61 pops up user notification information 80 including a message such as "The car doors have been locked." On the other hand, if the door lock simulation completion notification is unsuccessful, the control device 61 displays user notification information 80 indicating that the locking operation was not successful on the display screen 70.

[0040] When displaying user notification information 80 indicating that the locking operation was successful on the display screen 70, the control device 61 may also display information indicating the success rate. For example, the control device 61 may display the user notification information 80 indicating that the locking operation was successful when the success rate is high, and may not display the user notification information 80 when the success rate is low. The control device 61 may also change the display format of the user notification information 80 depending on the success rate. For example, when the success rate is high, the control device 61 displays the user notification information 80 in a normal format as shown in FIG. 3. On the other hand, when the success rate is low, the control device 61 displays the user notification information 80 in a format different from the normal format. For example, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the control device 61 displays the user notification information 80 in a lighter font density than the normal display. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the control device 61 displays the user notification information 80 by periodically flashing it. However, the display format shown in FIG. 4 is merely an example and is not limiting. The form different from the normal form is not limited to differences in the color shading, lighting, or blinking of the characters, but may also be a difference in the color, size, or font of the characters. Furthermore, it is not limited to differences in the form of the characters, but may also be a difference in the color, size, or design of the background image behind the characters. Furthermore, the user notification information 80 may include the calculated success rate itself.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 2, upon receiving a door lock instruction from the server 20, the control device 41 of the vehicle 40 causes the door lock device to perform a locking operation (S18). If the permission conditions for locking the door lock device are met and the locking operation is completed normally, the control device 41 determines that the locking operation is successful. On the other hand, if the permission conditions are not met, or if the permission conditions are met but the locking operation is not completed normally, the control device 41 determines that the locking operation has failed. The control device 41 transmits a door lock completion notification including the locking operation result to the server 20 (S20). The locking operation result corresponds to the operation result in response to the door lock instruction in the actual vehicle 40.

[0042] When receiving the door lock completion notification from the vehicle 40, the control device 21 of the server 20 determines whether the result of the simulation process in step S12 matches the actual lock operation result in step S18 (S20). The control device 21 transmits a door lock completion notification including the result of the match determination to the user terminal 60. That is, the door lock completion notification transmitted to the user terminal 60 includes the actual lock operation result and information on whether the result of the simulation process matches or does not match (error) the actual lock operation result.

[0043] When receiving the door locking completion notification from the server 20, the control device 61 of the user terminal 60 performs the following processing. Specifically, if the result of the simulation process matches the result of the actual locking operation, the control device 61 maintains the user notification information 80 displayed in step S17. However, even if the result of the simulation process and the result of the actual locking operation are both successful, if the success rate is low, the control device 61 may display the user notification information 80 in a form different from the normal display in step S17. In this case, the control device 61 updates the user notification information 80 to the normal display at the timing when the door locking completion notification is received.

[0044] On the other hand, if the result of the simulation process does not match the result of the actual locking operation (error), the control device 61 updates the display (S22). That is, the control device 61 updates the content of the user notification information 80 so that it matches the result of the actual locking operation.

[0045] As described above, in the vehicle remote control method according to this embodiment, when the control device 21 of the server 20 receives a door lock instruction from the user terminal 60, it transmits the door lock instruction to the vehicle 40 and also transmits the result of the simulation process to the user terminal 60. According to this method, the success or failure of the door lock operation is confirmed in a simulated manner by performing the simulation process, so that the result of the simulation process can be transmitted to the user terminal 60 when the door lock instruction is received. Therefore, the success or failure of the door lock operation can be transmitted to the user terminal 60 without delay. This allows the user to quickly confirm the operation result of the vehicle 40 in response to the door lock instruction.

[0046] Furthermore, according to the vehicle remote control method of the present embodiment, it is possible to simulate whether the door locking operation has been successful or not based on the vehicle state notification received from the vehicle 40. This allows the server 20 to simulate whether the door locking operation has been successful or not.

[0047] In the vehicle remote control method of this embodiment, the control device 21 of the server 20 receives an operation completion notification from the vehicle 40 in response to a door lock instruction, and determines whether the content of the operation completion notification matches the result of the simulation process. This method makes it possible to confirm whether the locking operation has been completed in the actual vehicle 40 as determined by the result of the simulation process. This ensures the reliability of the result of the simulation process.

[0048] In the vehicle remote control method of this embodiment, if the content of the operation completion notification does not match the result of the simulation process, the control device 21 of the server 20 sends an error regarding the result of the simulation process to the user terminal. This method makes it possible for the user to recognize that the result of the simulation process differs from the success or failure of the locking operation in the actual vehicle 40. This allows the user to correctly recognize the status of the remote control in the actual vehicle 40.

[0049] Furthermore, in the vehicle remote control method according to this embodiment, when the control device 21 of the server 20 receives a door lock instruction from the user terminal 60, the control device 21 transmits the door lock instruction to the vehicle 40, calculates a success rate, which is the probability that the door lock operation will be successful, and causes the user terminal 60 to display information indicating the success rate. This method allows the vehicle user to recognize the success rate of the door lock operation. This allows the vehicle user to quickly recognize the operation result of the vehicle 40 in response to the door lock instruction, while also being able to recognize the success rate at that time. This allows for a display that is easy for the user to understand.

[0050] In the vehicle remote control method according to this embodiment, when the success rate is higher than a threshold, the control device 21 of the server 20 causes the user terminal 60 to display user notification information 80 indicating that the door lock operation has been successful, and when the success rate is equal to or lower than the threshold, causes the user terminal 60 to hide the user notification information 80. This method allows the user to recognize whether the success rate is high or low depending on whether the user notification information 80 is displayed or not.

[0051] In the vehicle remote control method according to this embodiment, when the success rate is higher than a threshold, the control device 21 of the server 20 causes the user terminal 60 to display user notification information 80 indicating that the door lock operation was successful in a normal form (first form), and when the success rate is equal to or lower than the threshold, causes the user terminal 60 to display the user notification information 80 in a form different from the first form. This method allows the user to recognize whether the success rate is high or low depending on the display form of the user notification information 80.

[0052] In the vehicle remote control method according to this embodiment, the control device 21 of the server 20 performs a simulation process to simulate the success or failure of the door lock operation based on communication with the vehicle 40, and calculates the success rate based on the elapsed time from when the simulation process was performed until an operation instruction is received. If time has passed since the simulation process of step S12 was performed, there is a possibility that a discrepancy has occurred between the state of the vehicle 40 when the vehicle state notification was sent to the server 20 and the current state of the vehicle 40. The possibility of this discrepancy increases the longer the elapsed time since the simulation process was performed. Therefore, the success rate can be calculated with high accuracy by taking into account the elapsed time from when the simulation process was performed until an operation instruction is received.

[0053] In the above-described embodiment, the locking of doors (locking operation of a door locking device) has been described using the vehicle remote control system 10. The vehicle remote control system 10 can also be applied to unlocking doors (unlocking operation of a door locking device). The vehicle remote control system 10 is not limited to locking and unlocking doors, but may also be applied to the operation of various control devices, such as sounding a horn, turning on vehicle lights, measuring location information, starting and stopping an air conditioner, and charging a battery system.

[0054] (Second embodiment) The vehicle remote control system 10 according to the second embodiment will be described below. The vehicle remote control system 10 according to the second embodiment differs from the vehicle remote control system 10 according to the first embodiment in the flow of remote control processing. The remote control processing for the vehicle remote control system 10 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 5.

[0055] First, the control device 21 of the server 20 transmits a door lock simulation instruction to the vehicle 40 (S30). The door lock simulation instruction is an instruction to execute a simulated lock operation, which will be described later. The door lock simulation instruction is transmitted periodically.

[0056] When receiving the door lock simulation instruction from the server 20, the control device 41 of the vehicle 40 simulates the locking operation of the door lock device without actually locking the door lock device of the vehicle 40 (S31: Simulated locking operation). Specifically, the control device 41 determines whether or not the permission conditions for locking the door lock device are met. If the permission conditions are met, the control device 41 determines that the simulated locking operation is successful. On the other hand, if the permission conditions are not met, the control device 41 determines that the simulated locking operation is unsuccessful. Then, the control device 41 transmits a door lock simulation completion notification to the server 20 (S32). The door lock simulation completion notification includes the result (success or failure) of the simulated locking operation.

[0057] When the control device 41 receives the door lock simulation completion notification from the vehicle 40, the control device 41 simulates whether the locking operation of the door lock device has been successful or not based on the door lock simulation completion notification (S33). If the simulated locking operation is successful, the control device 41 determines the result of the simulation process as a success. If the simulated locking operation is unsuccessful, the control device 41 determines the result of the simulation process as a failure.

[0058] The processing in steps S34 to S43 is the same as the processing in steps S13 to S22 in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0059] As described above, in the vehicle remote control method according to this embodiment, the simulation process includes transmitting a door lock simulation instruction to vehicle 40, receiving a door lock simulation completion notification transmitted from vehicle 40 in response to the door lock simulation instruction, and simulating whether the door lock operation will be successful based on the door lock simulation completion notification. According to this method, by receiving the door lock simulation completion notification from vehicle 40, it is possible to simulate whether the door lock operation will be successful based on the notification from the actual vehicle 40. This allows the results of the simulation process to be identified with high reliability.

[0060] In the vehicle remote control method according to this embodiment, the vehicle 40 simulates whether the door lock operation will succeed or fail in response to the door lock simulation instruction. The door lock simulation completion notice includes information indicating whether the door lock operation will succeed or fail. This configuration makes it possible to reliably identify the success or failure of the door lock operation as the door lock simulation completion notice.

[0061] (Third embodiment) The vehicle remote control system 10 according to the third embodiment will be described below. The vehicle remote control system 10 according to the third embodiment differs from the vehicle remote control systems 10 according to the first and second embodiments in the flow of the remote control process. The remote control process executed in the vehicle remote control system 10 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 6.

[0062] First, the control device 41 of the vehicle 40 detects the state of the vehicle 40 using the state detection unit 44 (S50). The control device 41 transmits a vehicle state notification including the detected state of the vehicle 40 to the server 20 (S51). The detection of the state of the vehicle 40 and the transmission of the vehicle state notification are performed periodically.

[0063] Next, the control device 21 of the server 20 transmits a door lock simulation instruction to the vehicle 40 (S52). The door lock simulation instruction is an instruction to execute a simulated lock operation, as in the second embodiment. The door lock simulation instruction is transmitted periodically.

[0064] When receiving the door lock simulation instruction from the server 20, the control device 41 of the vehicle 40 simulates the locking operation of the door lock device without actually locking the door lock device of the vehicle 40 (S53: Simulated locking operation). Specifically, the control device 41 determines whether or not the permission conditions for locking the door lock device are met. If the permission conditions are met, the control device 41 determines that the simulated locking operation is successful. On the other hand, if the permission conditions are not met, the control device 41 determines that the simulated locking operation is unsuccessful. Then, the control device 41 transmits a door lock simulation completion notification to the server 20 (S54). The door lock simulation completion notification includes the result (success or failure) of the simulated locking operation.

[0065] The vehicle state notification received by the server 20 is stored in the vehicle DB 23 by the control device 21 of the server 20. The information stored in the vehicle DB 23 is reflected in the vehicle state model. The control device 21 refers to the vehicle state model or the door lock simulation completion notification to simulate the success or failure of the locking operation (S55). Specifically, the control device 21 performs the simulation processes described in step S12 of the first embodiment and step S33 of the second embodiment. If the locking operation is successful in either of the simulation processes, the control device 21 determines the result of the simulation process as successful. If the locking operation is unsuccessful in both of the simulation processes, the control device 21 determines the result of the simulation process as unsuccessful. Note that depending on the state of communication with the vehicle 40 and the type of sensor included in the state detection unit 44, it may be impossible to execute one of the simulation processes. In this case, the control device 21 may simulate the success or failure of the locking operation of the door lock device based on the result of the executed simulation process (S55).

[0066] The processing in steps S56 to S65 is the same as the processing in steps S13 to S22 in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0067] As described above, in the vehicle remote control method according to this embodiment, the control device 21 of the server 20 simulates the success or failure of the operation of the target device based on the vehicle state notification and the door lock simulation completion notification. Because there are various types of vehicles 40, the vehicle state notification may not cover all of the vehicle 40's states. In this case, the success or failure of the door lock operation cannot be simulated based on the vehicle 40's state alone. Even if such a situation does not occur, the door lock simulation completion notification may not be received depending on the communication state with the vehicle 40. Therefore, by using two notifications, the opportunity to obtain the results of the simulation process can be increased. This allows the success or failure of the door lock operation to be transmitted to the user terminal 60 without delay. Therefore, the user can quickly confirm the operation results of the vehicle 40 in response to the door lock command.

[0068] (Fourth embodiment) The vehicle remote control system 10 according to the fourth embodiment will be described below. The vehicle remote control system 10 according to the fourth embodiment differs from the vehicle remote control systems 10 according to the first to third embodiments in the display method of the user terminal 60 when a door lock simulation completion notification is received.

[0069] 3, when the door lock simulation completion notification is received, user notification information 80 is displayed on the display device 63 of the user terminal 60. At this time, the control device 61 of the user terminal 60 may perform additional processing as described below in response to the door lock simulation completion notification. For example, the control device 61 of the user terminal 60 may switch the form of the lock icon 77 along with displaying the user notification information 80. For example, the control device 61 may change the lock icon 77 from a locked state to an unlocked state, or from an unlocked state to a locked state, depending on the result of the simulation processing.

[0070] In the actual vehicle 40, control is performed to turn on the hazard lights in response to the success of the locking and unlocking operations. For example, the hazard lights are turned on once when the locking operation is successful, and the hazard lights are turned on twice when the unlocking operation is successful. Therefore, when the control device 61 receives a door lock simulation completion notification, the control device 61 may turn on the hazard lights 71a of the vehicle image 71 in response to the display of the user notification information 80. In this case, it is preferable that the control device 61 turn on the hazard lights 71a of the vehicle image 71 in accordance with the number of times the hazard lights of the actual vehicle 40 are turned on. It is preferable that the lighting mode of the hazard lights 71a of the vehicle image 71 be the same as the lighting mode of the hazard lights of the actual vehicle 40. For example, if the hazard lights of the actual vehicle 40 are sequentially turned on in the vehicle width direction, it is preferable that the hazard lights 71a of the vehicle image 71 be turned on in the same manner.

[0071] Furthermore, the control device 61 may activate a vibration function provided in the user terminal 60 in conjunction with lighting up the hazard lights 71a of the vehicle image 71. In this case, it is preferable that the control device 61 activates the vibration function in accordance with the number of times the hazard lights of the actual vehicle 40 are turned on.

[0072] Furthermore, in the actual vehicle 40, control is performed to output a predetermined operation sound in conjunction with the success of the locking operation and the unlocking operation. The control device 61 may also activate a speaker provided in the user terminal 60 in conjunction with turning on the hazard lights 71a of the vehicle image 71. The sound output from the speaker may be a sound that simulates an operation sound output from the actual vehicle 40, or a sound that simulates the operation sound of the door lock device.

[0073] Since the vehicle image 71 displayed on the display screen 70 is small in size, the hazard lights 71a of the vehicle image 71 are also displayed small. This tendency also appears depending on the design of the hazard lights of the vehicle 40. Therefore, when the lighting state of the hazard lights of the actual vehicle 40 is faithfully reproduced, it may be difficult to see the lighting of the hazard lights 71a of the vehicle image 71. Therefore, when the hazard lights 71a of the vehicle image 71 are turned on, the color intensity, lighting speed, etc. may be adjustable.

[0074] Furthermore, all of the above-described additional processes may be performed, or only a process selected from a plurality of processes may be performed in accordance with a setting operation by the user.

[0075] As shown in Fig. 1, an information processing device 20 including a communication device 22 capable of communicating with a user terminal 60 and a vehicle 40, and a control device 21 (controller) also constitutes a part of this embodiment. In this information processing device 20, the control device (controller) 21 executes the vehicle remote control method described above. This information processing device 20 can transmit the success or failure of the door lock operation to the user terminal 60 without delay. This allows the user to quickly check the operation result of the vehicle 40 in response to the door lock command.

[0076] Furthermore, the vehicle remote control system 10, which remotely controls a target device mounted on a vehicle 40 in response to an operation instruction from a user terminal 60, transmits the operation instruction to the vehicle, calculates a success rate, which is the probability that the operation of the target device will be successful, and displays information indicating the success rate on the user terminal. This system allows the vehicle user to recognize the success rate of the door lock operation. This allows the vehicle user to quickly recognize the operation result of the vehicle 40 in response to the door lock instruction, while also being able to recognize the success rate at that time. This allows for a display that is easy for the user to understand. Note that in the above-described embodiment, the server 20 performs the processing independently, but the functions of the server 20 may also be executed by the user terminal 60. In this case, the vehicle remote control system 10 may be configured by the vehicle 40 and the user terminal 60.

[0077] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the descriptions and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood to limit the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operating techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 10. Vehicle remote control system 20 Server (information processing device) 21 Control device 22 Communication equipment 23 Vehicle Database (Vehicle DB) 40 vehicles 41 Control device 42 Control equipment 43 Communication equipment 44 Status detection unit 60 User terminals 61 Control device 62 Input Devices 63 Display device 64 Communication Equipment

Claims

1. A vehicle remote control method executed by an information processing device that remotely controls a target device mounted on a vehicle in response to an operation instruction from a user terminal, comprising: When the operation instruction is received from the user terminal, the operation instruction is transmitted to the vehicle, and a success rate is calculated, which is a probability that the operation of the target device will be successful. causing the user terminal to display information indicating the success rate.

2. If the success rate is higher than a preset threshold, displaying user notification information on the user terminal indicating that the operation of the target device has been successful, If the success rate is equal to or less than the threshold, the user terminal is caused to not display the user notification information. The method for remotely controlling a vehicle according to claim 1.

3. If the success rate is higher than a preset threshold, displaying user notification information in a first form on the user terminal to the effect that the operation of the target device has been successful, If the success rate is equal to or less than the threshold, displaying the user notification information in a format different from the first format on the user terminal. The method for remotely controlling a vehicle according to claim 1.

4. performing a simulation process to confirm whether the operation of the target device is successful or not based on communication with the vehicle; calculating the success rate based on the elapsed time from when the simulation process was performed until when the operation instruction was received; The vehicle remote control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. An information processing device that remotely controls a target device mounted on a vehicle in response to an operation instruction from a user terminal, a communication device capable of communicating with the user terminal and the vehicle; a controller; The controller When the operation instruction is received from the user terminal, the operation instruction is transmitted to the vehicle, and a success rate is calculated, which is a probability that the operation of the target device will be successful. causing the user terminal to display information indicating the success rate; Information processing device.

6. A remote operation system that remotely operates a target device mounted on a vehicle in response to an operation instruction from a user terminal, transmitting the operation instruction to the vehicle and calculating a success rate, which is the probability that the operation of the target device will be successful; displaying information indicating the success rate on the user terminal; Vehicle remote control system.

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