In-vehicle devices, vehicle systems, and in-vehicle device discovery systems

Abstract

This invention provides an in-vehicle device, a vehicle system, and an in-vehicle device retrieval system capable of locating in-vehicle devices removed from a vehicle. [Solution] The in-vehicle device 100 includes a terminal communication status detection means 170 for detecting the communication status with a vehicle system 200 installed in the vehicle, a terminal wireless communication means 160 capable of transmitting information to an unspecified vehicle system, and a terminal control means 110. When a communication interruption with the vehicle system 200 is detected, the terminal control means 110 creates distress information including information for identifying the in-vehicle device 200 and information indicating that the in-vehicle device has entered distress mode, and transmits the distress information to an unspecified vehicle system using the terminal wireless communication means 160.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle device, a vehicle system, and an in-vehicle device search system, and more particularly to an in-vehicle device, a vehicle system, and an in-vehicle device search system capable of searching for an in-vehicle device taken out of a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, individuals or corporations often owned vehicles individually. However, today, instead of individuals owning vehicles individually, car-sharing services in which vehicles are jointly used among members are widely used.

[0003] In a car-sharing service, the rental time of a vehicle can be set in short time units (e.g., 15-minute units), so it can be used at a lower cost than a rental car. Therefore, it can be easily used for minor errands such as picking up and dropping off family and friends or shopping, or for a relaxing drive for a mood change.

[0004] In a car-sharing service, equipment different from ordinary vehicles is often installed. For example, authentication devices for locking and unlocking the vehicle with a membership card or a smartphone (using an application), and in-vehicle devices (tablet terminals, etc.) for displaying information such as reservation status and usage time are installed.

[0005] Many of such special equipment (in-vehicle devices) used in car-sharing services have a communication function for communicating with the vehicle system (vehicle system), and it is possible to display information such as vehicle information using the communication function (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

[0007] Special equipment (in-vehicle devices) used in car-sharing services are installed after the fact on standard vehicles, and therefore there is a risk that they may be removed and taken away by users of the car-sharing service. However, as mentioned above, in-vehicle devices often have communication functions, so there is a need to use these communication functions with the vehicle's system to locate devices that have been taken away.

[0008] This disclosure is made in view of the above-mentioned requests and aims to provide an in-vehicle device, a vehicle system, and an in-vehicle device search system that can search for in-vehicle devices removed from a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the above problems, the in-vehicle device in the first embodiment is an in-vehicle device having a terminal communication status detection means for detecting the communication status with a vehicle system installed in a vehicle, a terminal wireless communication means capable of transmitting information to an unspecified vehicle system, and a terminal control means for controlling the terminal communication status detection means and the terminal wireless communication means, wherein the terminal control means, when the terminal communication status detection means detects a communication interruption with the vehicle system, creates distress information including information for identifying the in-vehicle device and information indicating that the in-vehicle device has entered distress mode, and transmits the distress information to the unspecified vehicle system using the terminal wireless communication means.

[0010] In a second embodiment of an in-vehicle device that may be dependent on the first embodiment, the terminal communication state detection means is a wired communication means that performs communication using a wired cable, and the terminal communication state detection means detects whether the communication state is communication interrupted based on whether the wired cable connected to the vehicle system is connected or not.

[0011] An in-vehicle device of a third embodiment, which may be dependent on the first or second embodiment, has terminal notification means for notifying the surrounding area of ​​the in-vehicle device, and the terminal control means may, when the terminal communication status detection means detects a communication interruption with the vehicle system, use the terminal notification means to notify that the in-vehicle device has entered the distress mode.

[0012] To solve the above problems, the vehicle system in the fourth embodiment is a vehicle system comprising: a vehicle wireless communication means capable of receiving the distress information transmitted by an in-vehicle device that may be subordinate to any of the first or third embodiments; a server communication means for communicating with a server; and a vehicle control means for controlling the vehicle wireless communication means and the server communication means, wherein the server pre-records information for identifying the in-vehicle device that has entered distress mode; the vehicle control means, upon receiving the distress information via the vehicle wireless communication means, obtains information for identifying the in-vehicle device that has entered distress mode from the distress information; uses the server communication means to query whether information matching the information for identifying the in-vehicle device obtained from the distress information is recorded in the server; and if information matching the information for identifying the in-vehicle device obtained from the distress information is recorded in the server, the vehicle's location information is recorded in association with the matching information.

[0013] A fifth embodiment of a vehicle system that may be dependent on the fourth embodiment includes a vehicle notification means for providing notification to the surrounding area of ​​the vehicle system, and the vehicle control means may use the vehicle notification means to provide information for returning the in-vehicle device that has entered distress mode when information matching the information for identifying the in-vehicle device obtained from the distress information is recorded in the server.

[0014] To solve the above problems, the in-vehicle device search system in the sixth embodiment is an in-vehicle device search system having an in-vehicle device that is communicatively connected to a first vehicle system installed in one vehicle, a second vehicle system installed in another vehicle, and a server that can communicate with the first vehicle system, wherein the in-vehicle device has a terminal communication state detection means for detecting the communication state with the first vehicle system, a terminal wireless communication means capable of transmitting information to the second vehicle system, and a terminal control means for controlling the terminal communication state detection means and the terminal wireless communication means. The terminal control means, when the terminal communication status detection means detects that communication with the first vehicle system has been interrupted, creates distress information including information for identifying the in-vehicle device and information indicating that the in-vehicle device has entered distress mode, transmits the distress information to the second vehicle system using the terminal wireless communication means, and the server, when communication between the first vehicle system and the in-vehicle device is interrupted, obtains and records information from the first vehicle system for identifying the in-vehicle device that has entered distress mode due to the interruption of communication.

[0015] In a seventh embodiment of an in-vehicle device search system that may be dependent on the sixth embodiment, the second vehicle system comprises a vehicle wireless communication means capable of receiving the distress information transmitted by the in-vehicle device, a server communication means for communicating with the server, and a vehicle control means for controlling the vehicle wireless communication means and the server communication means. The vehicle control means, upon receiving the distress information via the vehicle wireless communication means, acquires information from the distress information to identify the in-vehicle device that has entered distress mode, uses the server communication means to query whether information matching the information for identifying the in-vehicle device acquired from the distress information is recorded in the server, and if information matching the information for identifying the in-vehicle device acquired from the distress information is recorded in the server, it may cause the server to record the location information of the other vehicle in association with the matching information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the in-vehicle devices, vehicle systems, and in-vehicle device retrieval systems of this disclosure, it is possible to retrieve in-vehicle devices that have been removed from a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of an in-vehicle device discovery system. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of in-vehicle devices and vehicle systems. [Figure 3] This flowchart illustrates the process of executing distress mode in a terminal CPU. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart illustrating the process for confirming the distress status of an in-vehicle device in a vehicle's CPU. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] Hereinafter, an example of the in-vehicle device search system of the present disclosure will be shown and described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the in-vehicle device search system. The in-vehicle device search system 1 includes an in-vehicle device 100 (more specifically, a plurality of in-vehicle devices, hereinafter, as an example, in-vehicle device A 101 and in-vehicle device B 102), a vehicle system 200 (more specifically, a plurality of vehicle systems, hereinafter, as an example, vehicle system A (first vehicle system) 201 and vehicle system B (second vehicle system) 202), and a server 300.

[0019] The vehicle systems 200 (201, 202) are installed one by one for each vehicle 400 (vehicle A 401, vehicle B 402). Also, the in-vehicle devices 100 (101, 102) are installed one by one for each vehicle 400 (vehicle A 401, vehicle B 402). The vehicle systems 200 (201, 202) and the server 300 are communicably connected to each other via a network line N. The server 300 has a server recording unit 310 for recording information regarding the in-vehicle device 100.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle system 200. A general tablet terminal having a communication function is used as the in-vehicle device 100. The in-vehicle device 100 includes a terminal CPU (Central Processing Unit, terminal control means) 110, a terminal ROM (Read Only Memory) 120, a terminal RAM (Random Access Memory) 130, a terminal recording unit 140, a terminal input / output unit 150, a terminal wireless communication unit (terminal wireless communication means) 160, and a terminal wired communication unit (terminal communication state detection means) 170.

[0021] The terminal ROM 120 records programs (such as the emergency mode execution program and the program showing the content of the emergency mode execution process in FIG. 3) to be described later. The terminal RAM 130 is used as a work area for the processes performed by the terminal CPU 110. The terminal recording unit 140 records data and the like necessary for various processes executed in the in-vehicle device 100. As an example, character information and the like to be displayed on the display to be described later in the emergency mode are recorded. Further, the terminal recording unit 140 records "status information" indicating whether the vehicle system 200 is in the emergency mode or the normal mode. As will be described later, when the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle system 200 can communicate with each other via the terminal wired communication unit 170 or the like, information on the normal mode is recorded as "status information" (as an initial setting, information on the normal mode is recorded in the "status information").

[0022] The terminal recording unit 140 is generally composed of a hard disk, an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like. Note that the program (emergency mode execution program) to be described later is not necessarily limited to being recorded in the terminal ROM 120 and may be recorded in the terminal recording unit 140.

[0023] The terminal CPU 110 performs emergency mode execution processing based on the emergency mode execution program recorded in the terminal ROM 120 or the terminal recording unit 140. The emergency mode execution processing performed by the terminal CPU 110 will be described later.

[0024] The terminal input / output unit 150 includes an information input unit 152 used by a user of the in-vehicle device 100 to input necessary information, and an information output unit (terminal notification means, vehicle notification means) 154 that outputs information (video information, image information, text information, audio information, vibration information, etc.) that is recognized using the user's sight, hearing, and touch in accordance with the processing of the terminal CPU 110. In this embodiment, a general tablet terminal is used as the in-vehicle device 100, so the information input unit 152 would be a touch panel, a microphone, etc. Also, the information output unit 154 would be a display (liquid crystal display or organic EL display), a speaker, a vibration generating device, etc.

[0025] The terminal wired communication unit 170 is a communication device provided for the in-vehicle device 100 to communicate with the vehicle system 200 via a wired connection, and a wired communication device based on a general Ethernet standard is used as an example. However, the terminal wired communication unit 170 is not limited to a wired communication device based on an Ethernet standard, as long as it is configured to enable the in-vehicle device 100 to communicate with the vehicle system 200, and may also be a wired communication device based on a USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard, for example.

[0026] The vehicle system 200 uses the terminal wired communication unit 170 to send and receive relatively large amounts of data, such as video data and music data, with the in-vehicle device 100. The vehicle system 200 can also output vehicle information (vehicle information such as driving speed and engine speed) acquired from the vehicle ECU (not shown) installed in the vehicle 400 to the in-vehicle device 100 via the terminal wired communication unit 170, and display it on the display (information output unit 154).

[0027] Furthermore, the terminal CPU 110 of the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle CPU (Central Processing Unit, vehicle control means) 210 of the vehicle system 200, as described below, are capable of determining whether or not the in-vehicle device 100 has been removed from the vehicle 400 based on the communication status of the terminal wired communication unit 170.

[0028] The terminal wireless communication unit 160 is a wireless communication device provided for the in-vehicle device 100 to communicate wirelessly with the vehicle system 200. For example, wireless communication devices based on Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) standards, etc., can be used. In the in-vehicle device 100 according to this embodiment, the wake-up information (distress information) used to communicate with the vehicle system 200 via the terminal wireless communication unit 160 can include "information for identifying the in-vehicle device 100" and "information indicating whether or not the in-vehicle device 100 is in distress mode." Here, wake-up information means information that the in-vehicle device 100 transmits to unspecified vehicle systems 200 in the surrounding area to notify them of its presence before the in-vehicle device 100 becomes capable of bidirectional wireless communication with any of the vehicle systems 200. Details of the wake-up information will be described later.

[0029] The vehicle system 200 includes a vehicle CPU 210, a vehicle ROM (Read Only Memory) 220, a vehicle RAM (Random Access Memory) 230, a vehicle recording unit 240, a vehicle portable communication unit (server communication means) 250, a vehicle wireless communication unit 260, and a vehicle wired communication unit 270.

[0030] The vehicle ROM 220 stores a vehicle device distress confirmation program (a program showing the contents of the vehicle device distress confirmation process in Figure 4) for communicating with the server 300. The vehicle RAM 230 is used as a work area for the processing performed by the vehicle ROM 220. The vehicle recording unit 240 stores data necessary for various processes executed in the vehicle ROM 220, such as ID information and password information for accessing the server 300.

[0031] The vehicle recording unit 240 is composed of a general-purpose hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), etc. The aforementioned in-vehicle device distress confirmation program is not necessarily limited to being recorded in the vehicle ROM 220, but may also be recorded in the vehicle recording unit 240.

[0032] The vehicle CPU 210 performs a distress check process for the in-vehicle device 100 that has entered distress mode, based on the in-vehicle device distress check program recorded in the vehicle ROM 220 or the vehicle recording unit 240. The in-vehicle device distress check process performed by the vehicle CPU 210 will be described later.

[0033] The vehicle-mounted mobile communication unit 250 is a wireless communication device provided for the vehicle system 200 to communicate with the server 300. To enable communication with the server 300 even when the vehicle 400 on which the vehicle system 200 is installed is in motion, a wireless communication standard using a mobile network (for example, a standard based on the third-generation to fifth-generation mobile communication systems (so-called 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.)) is used. The vehicle-mounted mobile communication unit 250 is not limited to wireless communication devices using mobile networks, as long as it is configured to enable the vehicle system 200 to communicate with the server 300, it may also be a wireless communication device using a satellite network, for example.

[0034] The vehicle wired communication unit 270 is a wired communication device provided for the vehicle system 200 to communicate via a wired connection through the terminal wired communication unit 170 of the in-vehicle device 100. As already explained, a wired communication device based on a general Ethernet standard is used as an example. Furthermore, the vehicle wired communication unit 270 only needs to be configured to enable the vehicle system 200 to communicate through the terminal wired communication unit 170 of the in-vehicle device 100, so as mentioned above, it may be a wired communication device based on the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard, for example.

[0035] The vehicle wireless communication unit 260 is a wireless communication device provided for the vehicle system 200 to communicate wirelessly via the terminal wireless communication unit 160 of the in-vehicle device 100. Examples of wireless communication devices that can be used as the vehicle wireless communication unit 260 include those based on Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), etc. The vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system 200 acquires "information to identify the in-vehicle device 100" and "information indicating whether or not the in-vehicle device 100 is in distress mode" based on the wake-up information of the in-vehicle device 100 acquired via the vehicle wireless communication unit 260, in the stage before bidirectional communication becomes possible.

[0036] Here, we will elaborate on the wake-up information. For example, if a communication method based on the Wi-Fi standard is used as the wireless communication method between the terminal wireless communication unit 160 of the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle wireless communication unit 260 of the vehicle system 200, the MAC address (Media Access Control Address) of the terminal wireless communication unit 160 can be used as "information for identifying the in-vehicle device 100". When the in-vehicle device 100 communicates with the vehicle system 200 based on the Wi-Fi standard, the terminal CPU 110 of the in-vehicle device 100 sends an "authentication request" to the vehicle wireless communication unit 260 of the vehicle system 200, which functions as an access point, via the terminal wireless communication unit 160. This "authentication request" corresponds to the wake-up information.

[0037] The stage in which the terminal CPU 110 of the in-vehicle device 100 sends an "authentication request" using the terminal wireless communication unit 160 is a preliminary stage before bidirectional communication between the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle system 200 is realized. The vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system 200 can obtain the MAC address of the terminal wireless communication unit 160 by receiving the "authentication request". Furthermore, as already explained, the terminal CPU 110 of the in-vehicle device 100 can pre-record (add) "information indicating whether or not it is in distress mode" to the information in the "authentication request". Therefore, the vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system 200 can determine whether or not the in-vehicle device 100 is in distress mode by checking the relevant data (information) in the "authentication request". Note that in a communication method based on the Wi-Fi standard, it is also possible to use information other than the MAC address as "information to identify the in-vehicle device 100".

[0038] Furthermore, when the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication method based on the Bluetooth standard is used as the wireless communication method between the terminal wireless communication unit 160 of the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle wireless communication unit 260 of the vehicle system 200, the terminal CPU 110 of the in-vehicle device 100, which is a peripheral device, sends an advertisement (transmission of a packet via an advertisement channel) to the vehicle wireless communication unit 260 of the vehicle system 200, which is a central device, via the terminal wireless communication unit 160. The information transmitted by this advertisement corresponds to wake-up information.

[0039] In BLE communication, advertisements can include the name and attribute data of peripheral devices. Therefore, the name and attribute data of the in-vehicle device 100 can be included in the advertisement as "information to identify the in-vehicle device 100," and furthermore, "information indicating whether or not it is in distress mode" can be included in the advertisement.

[0040] The vehicle system 200, which corresponds to the central equipment, can receive advertisements via the vehicle wireless communication unit 260, and can therefore know what modes and types of peripheral devices (in-vehicle devices 100) are present in the surrounding area, even before bidirectional communication based on the Bluetooth standard is realized.

[0041] Furthermore, when a communication method based on the RFID standard is used as the wireless communication method between the terminal wireless communication unit 160 of the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle wireless communication unit 260 of the vehicle system 200, the vehicle wireless communication unit 260 of the vehicle system 200, which corresponds to an RFID reader / writer, transmits predetermined information via radio waves or a magnetic field, and the terminal wireless communication unit 160 of the in-vehicle device 100, which corresponds to an RF tag (having an RF tag), receives radio waves or a magnetic field from the vehicle wireless communication unit 260. Upon receiving the radio waves or magnetic field, the terminal wireless communication unit 160 generates power in its antenna (the antenna of the RF tag) through rectification (in the case of radio waves) or resonance (in the case of a magnetic field). Based on the generated power, the terminal wireless communication unit 160 sends back the information within the RF tag via radio waves or a magnetic field to the vehicle wireless communication unit 260 of the vehicle system 200. The information sent back in this way corresponds to wake-up information.

[0042] The vehicle radio communication unit 260 of the vehicle system 200 can acquire "information to identify the in-vehicle device 100" and "information indicating whether or not it is in distress mode" based on the information (wake-up information) returned via radio waves or magnetic fields. Furthermore, the stage at which the vehicle radio communication unit 260 of the vehicle system 200 acquires the returned information (wake-up information) corresponds to the state before bidirectional communication is realized.

[0043] Next, we will describe in more detail the processing of the terminal CPU 110 in the in-vehicle device 100, and more specifically, the distress mode execution process of the terminal CPU 110 in the in-vehicle device A101. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the distress mode execution process performed by the terminal CPU 110 of the in-vehicle device A101.

[0044] As a premise for the explanation of the process, it is assumed that, as shown in Figure 1, the in-vehicle device A101 is installed in vehicle A401, which is equipped with vehicle system A201, and that the terminal wired communication unit 170 of the in-vehicle device A101 and the vehicle wired communication unit 270 of vehicle system A201 are connected by a wired cable (LAN cable, etc.) 500. Similarly, it is assumed that the in-vehicle device B102 is installed in vehicle B402, which is equipped with vehicle system B202, and that the terminal wired communication unit 170 of the in-vehicle device B102 and the vehicle wired communication unit 270 of vehicle system B202 are connected by a wired cable 500.

[0045] The terminal CPU 110 of the in-vehicle device A101 determines whether the terminal wired communication unit 170 is connected to the vehicle system A201 via the wired cable 500 (more specifically, whether it is in a state where communication is possible) (S.01). If the terminal wired communication unit 170 is connected to the vehicle system A201 (Yes in S.01), it can be determined that the in-vehicle device A101 remains installed in the vehicle A401 and has not been taken out of the vehicle A401 (for example, has not been stolen). In this case, the terminal CPU 110 terminates the distress mode execution process and then repeatedly executes the distress mode execution process shown in Figure 3 at regular intervals.

[0046] If the terminal wired communication unit 170 is not connected to the vehicle system A201 (No in S.01), it can be determined that there is a high probability that the in-vehicle device A101 has been taken out of vehicle A401 (for example, stolen). In this case, the terminal CPU 110 sets the status information recorded in the terminal recording unit 140 to distress mode (S.02). Then, the terminal CPU 110 records information to identify the in-vehicle device A101 and information indicating that it is in distress mode in response to the wake-up information (creating wake-up information (distress information) that includes "information to identify the in-vehicle device A101" and "information indicating that it is in distress mode"), and outputs the wake-up information using the terminal wireless communication unit 160 (S.03).

[0047] Furthermore, if the wired communication unit 170 for the terminal is not connected to the vehicle system A201, The vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system A201 can also determine that it is not connected to the in-vehicle device A101 via the vehicle wired communication unit 270. In this case, the vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system A201 accesses the server 300 using the vehicle mobile communication unit 250 and transmits information to identify the in-vehicle device A101 that was connected until immediately before, and information that the in-vehicle device A101 has entered distress mode. The server 300, having received the information from the vehicle system A201, records the information to identify the in-vehicle device A101 and the information that the in-vehicle device A101 has entered distress mode in the server recording unit 310.

[0048] Next, the terminal CPU 110 of the in-vehicle device A101 operates the information output unit 154 to display text information such as "The in-vehicle device has entered distress mode. Please connect the in-vehicle device to the vehicle system." (warning display) (S.04), and further operates the information input unit 152 to disable the operation of the touch panel (to a state where input operations are not accepted) (S.05). In this way, by disabling input operations and displaying a warning on the display prompting the user to connect the in-vehicle device to the vehicle system (warning display), it is possible to inform those around the in-vehicle device A101 that the in-vehicle device A101 is not in a normal state (is in distress mode).

[0049] Subsequently, the terminal CPU 110 of the in-vehicle device A101 determines whether the terminal wired communication unit 170 is connected to the vehicle system A201 via the wired cable 500 (more specifically, whether it is in a state where communication is possible) (S.06). If the terminal wired communication unit 170 is connected to the vehicle system A201 (Yes in S.06), it can be determined that the in-vehicle device A101, which had been taken out, has returned to the vehicle A401.

[0050] The terminal CPU 110 sets the status information recorded in the terminal recording unit 140 to normal mode (S.07), stops the output of wake-up information by the terminal wireless communication unit 160 (S.08), ends the alarm display on the display (S.09), enables touch panel operation (to accept input operations) (S.10), and terminates the distress mode execution process. After that, the terminal CPU 110 of the in-vehicle device A101 repeatedly executes the distress mode execution process shown in Figure 3 at regular intervals.

[0051] If the terminal wired communication unit 170 is not connected to the vehicle system A201 (No in S.06), it can be determined that the in-vehicle device A101 remains removed from vehicle A401. In this case, the terminal CPU 110 of the in-vehicle device A101 moves the processing to S.04. By moving the processing to S.04 in this way, while the terminal wired communication unit 170 is not connected to the vehicle system A201 (while the status information corresponds to distress mode), the terminal CPU 110 repeatedly outputs wake-up information at regular intervals, which contains "information to identify the in-vehicle device A101" and "information indicating that it is in distress mode." By continuously outputting this wake-up information, it becomes possible to detect, via the vehicle wireless communication unit 260, that the in-vehicle device A101 is in distress mode in other unspecified vehicle systems 200 that are not expected to be connected to the in-vehicle device A101, such as the vehicle system B202 of another vehicle B.

[0052] Furthermore, when the in-vehicle device A101 is not connected to the vehicle system A201 via the terminal wired communication unit 170 (No in S.01, No in S.06), input operations on the in-vehicle device A101 can be disabled (S.05) and the display can show a warning (S.04). This significantly restricts the use of the in-vehicle device A101 if it is stolen or removed from vehicle A401. As a result, it becomes possible to guide the person who took the in-vehicle device A101 from vehicle A401 to a state where they have no choice but to return the in-vehicle device A101 to vehicle A401 and connect it to the vehicle system A201 as soon as possible. Moreover, by continuing to display a warning on the display, it is possible to inform third parties that the in-vehicle device A101 has been stolen or removed from vehicle A401, thereby increasing the likelihood of the removed in-vehicle device A101 being found.

[0053] Next, we will explain the processing (in-vehicle device distress confirmation processing) in the vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system B202 installed in vehicle B402. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the in-vehicle device distress confirmation processing executed in the vehicle CPU 210.

[0054] The vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system B202 uses the vehicle wireless communication unit 260 to determine whether or not wake-up information is received (S.11). If wake-up information is not received (No in S.11), the vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system B202 terminates the in-vehicle device distress confirmation process. On the other hand, if wake-up information is received (Yes in S.11), the vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system B202 determines whether or not the wake-up information corresponds to distress mode based on the "status information" recorded in the wake-up information (S.12).

[0055] If the wake-up information does not correspond to the distress mode (No in S.12), the vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system B202 terminates the in-vehicle device distress confirmation process. On the other hand, if the wake-up information corresponds to the distress mode (Yes in S.12), the vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system B202 acquires the "information for identifying the in-vehicle device 100" recorded in the wake-up information (S.13), and determines whether the acquired "information for identifying the in-vehicle device 100" is "information indicating the in-vehicle device B102" installed in vehicle B where the vehicle system B202 is installed (S.14).

[0056] If the "information for identifying the in-vehicle device 100" is "information indicating the in-vehicle device B102" (Yes in S.14), the vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system B202 terminates the in-vehicle device distress confirmation process. If the "information for identifying the in-vehicle device 100" is "information indicating the in-vehicle device B102", as explained in S.04 of Figure 3, a warning message "The in-vehicle device has entered distress mode. Please connect the in-vehicle device to the vehicle system." is displayed on the display of the in-vehicle device B102. Therefore, when a user riding in vehicle B402 connects the in-vehicle device B102 to the vehicle system B202 in accordance with the warning message (Yes in S.06 of Figure 3), the status information of the in-vehicle device B102 is set to normal mode (S.07), the output of wake-up information is stopped (S.08~S.10), and the in-vehicle device B102 returns to a normal operating state.

[0057] If the "information for identifying the in-vehicle device 100" is not the "information indicating the in-vehicle device B102" (No in S.14), the vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system B202 accesses the server 300 using the vehicle mobile communication unit 250 (S.15) and checks whether the "information for identifying the in-vehicle device" that has entered distress mode, recorded in the server recording unit 310 of the server 300, contains information that matches the "information for identifying the in-vehicle device 100" obtained from the wake-up information (S.16).

[0058] If no information matching the "information for identifying the in-vehicle device 100" obtained from the wake-up information is recorded in the server recording unit 310 (No in S.16), the vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system B202 determines that the in-vehicle device that received the wake-up information is not an in-vehicle device used and managed by the in-vehicle device search system 1, and terminates the in-vehicle device distress confirmation process.

[0059] On the other hand, if information matching the "information for identifying the in-vehicle device" obtained from the wake-up information is recorded in the server recording unit 310 (Yes in S.16), the vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system B202 obtains the current location information from the GPS device (not shown) installed in vehicle B402 (S.17), accesses the server 300 using the vehicle mobile communication unit 250 (S.18), and, in association with the "information for identifying the in-vehicle device" obtained from the wake-up information, has the server recording unit 310 record the acquired "location information" and the time that the location information was acquired (or the time that the server recording unit 310 was made to record the "location information") (S.19).

[0060] In this way, by recording "location information" and the time when that location information was acquired (recorded) in association with "information for identifying an in-vehicle device" that is in distress mode in the server recording unit 310 of the server 300, it becomes possible to continuously record the location information of the in-vehicle device A101 that was taken out of vehicle A401. Therefore, it becomes possible to locate the taken-out in-vehicle device A101 based on the recorded location information.

[0061] Subsequently, the vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system B202 performs a process to display the procedure for returning the in-vehicle device A101, which corresponds to the distress mode, on the display (vehicle notification means) of the in-vehicle device B102, which is connected via the vehicle wired communication unit 270 and the terminal wired communication unit 170 (S.20), and terminates the in-vehicle device distress confirmation process. The process of displaying the procedure for returning the in-vehicle device A101 may include, for example, displaying on the display a map of the nearest branch office of the company that operates and manages the in-vehicle device search system 1, as well as contact information such as a telephone number.

[0062] The in-vehicle devices, vehicle systems, and in-vehicle device search systems of this disclosure have been described in detail above, with the in-vehicle devices 100 (101, 102), vehicle systems 200 (201, 202), and in-vehicle device search system 1 as examples. However, the specific configurations, processing details, etc., of the in-vehicle devices, vehicle systems, and in-vehicle device search systems of this disclosure are not limited to those shown in the embodiments.

[0063] For example, the case where the determination of whether the in-vehicle device A101 has been removed from vehicle A401 is made by checking whether the terminal wired communication unit 170 of the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle wired communication unit 270 of the vehicle system 200 are connected by a wired cable 500 was described (S.1 in Figure 3). However, the determination of whether the in-vehicle device 100 has been removed from vehicle 400 is not limited to checking whether they are connected by a wired cable 500.

[0064] The in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle system 200, both installed in the same vehicle 400, can be connected not only by their respective wired communication means (terminal wired communication unit 170 and vehicle wired communication unit 270) but also by their respective wireless communication means (terminal wireless communication unit 160 and vehicle wireless communication unit 260). Therefore, while the in-vehicle device 100 is located inside the vehicle 400, by continuously connecting the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle system 200 using their respective wireless communication means (terminal wireless communication unit 160 and vehicle wireless communication unit 260), it is possible to determine whether the in-vehicle device 100 has been removed from the vehicle 400 based on whether or not the wireless communication via the wireless communication means has been disconnected.

[0065] When determining whether the in-vehicle device 100 has been removed from the vehicle 400 based on the wireless connection status between the terminal wireless communication unit 160 and the vehicle wireless communication unit 260, it is not necessary to use the terminal wired communication unit 170 and the vehicle wired communication unit 270 shown in Figure 2. In this case, it is also possible to remove the terminal wired communication unit 170 and the vehicle wired communication unit 270 from the configuration of the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle system 200.

[0066] Furthermore, while Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RFID standards, and other wireless communication methods were used as examples for the wireless communication methods of the terminal wireless communication unit 160 and the vehicle wireless communication unit 260, the wireless communication method is not limited to these methods. For example, other wireless communication methods such as ZigBee® may be used, and it is also possible to use UWB-IR (Ultra Wide Band - Impulse Radio).

[0067] Furthermore, using wake-up information as an example of the "distress information" in this disclosure, we have explained the process by which the vehicle CPU 210 of the vehicle system 200 acquires "information for identifying the in-vehicle device" and "information indicating that it is in distress mode" from the wake-up information, prior to the realization of bidirectional communication between the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle system 200 via their respective wireless communication means. However, it is sufficient for the vehicle CPU 210 to acquire "information for identifying the in-vehicle device that has entered distress mode" from the "distress information." Therefore, the timing at which the vehicle CPU 210 acquires the "distress information" (wake-up information) is not limited to "prior to the realization of bidirectional communication between their respective wireless communication means." For example, it is also possible for the vehicle CPU 210 to acquire "information for identifying the in-vehicle device" and "information indicating that it is in distress mode" based on the "distress information" (wake-up information) after bidirectional communication has been realized via their respective wireless communication means.

[0068] Furthermore, although only two of each in-vehicle device 100 (101, 102) and vehicle system 200 (201, 202) constituting the in-vehicle device search system 1 shown in the embodiment are shown in Figure 1 for convenience of explanation, the number of in-vehicle devices 100 and vehicle systems 200 is not particularly limited, and there may be one of each, or a configuration in which three or more of either or both are used. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0069] 1. In-vehicle device discovery system 100, 101, 102 ... In-vehicle device, In-vehicle device A, In-vehicle device B 110 ...Terminal CPU (Terminal control means) 120 ... ROM for terminals 130 … RAM for terminals 140 ... Terminal recording unit 150 ... Input / Output section for terminals 152 ... Information input section 154 ... Information output unit (notification means for terminals, notification means for vehicles) 160 ... Wireless communication unit for terminals (wireless communication means for terminals) 170 ... Wired communication unit for terminal (means for detecting the communication status of the terminal) 200 ... Vehicle systems (vehicle systems) 201... Vehicle System A (First Vehicle System) 202... Vehicle System B (Second Vehicle System, Vehicle System) 210 ... Vehicle CPU (vehicle control means) 220 ... Vehicle ROM 230 ... Vehicle RAM 240 ... Vehicle recording unit 250 ... Vehicle-mounted portable communication unit (communication means for servers) 260 ... Vehicle wireless communication unit (vehicle wireless communication means) 270 ...Wired communication unit for vehicles 300 ... Server 340 ... Server recording unit 400, 401, 402 ... Vehicle, Vehicle A, Vehicle B N...Network line

Claims

1. A terminal communication status detection means for detecting the communication status with a vehicle system installed in the vehicle, A wireless communication means for a terminal capable of transmitting information to an unspecified vehicle system, A terminal control means for controlling the terminal communication status detection means and the terminal wireless communication means. An in-vehicle device having, The aforementioned terminal control means is: When the terminal communication status detection means detects a communication interruption with the vehicle system, distress information is created, which includes information for identifying the in-vehicle device and information indicating that the in-vehicle device has entered distress mode. Using the aforementioned wireless communication means for the terminal, the distress information is transmitted to the aforementioned unspecified vehicle system. An in-vehicle device characterized by the following features.

2. The aforementioned terminal communication status detection means is a wired communication means that performs communication using a wired cable, The terminal communication status detection means detects whether the communication status is communication interrupted based on whether the wired cable connected to the vehicle system is connected or not. The in-vehicle device according to feature 1.

3. The terminal has notification means for providing notification to the surrounding area of ​​the in-vehicle device, The aforementioned terminal control means is: When the terminal communication status detection means detects a communication interruption with the vehicle system, the terminal notification means is used to notify that the in-vehicle device has entered the distress mode. The in-vehicle device according to feature 1.

4. A vehicle wireless communication means capable of receiving the distress information transmitted by the in-vehicle device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, A server communication means for communicating with the server, A vehicle control means that controls the vehicle wireless communication means and the server communication means. A vehicle system having, The server pre-records information for identifying the in-vehicle device that has entered the distress mode. The aforementioned vehicle control means is: When the distress information is received by the vehicle wireless communication means, Information is obtained from the aforementioned distress information to identify the in-vehicle device that has entered distress mode. Using the server communication means, the server is checked to see if information matching the information used to identify the in-vehicle device obtained from the distress information is recorded there. If information matching the information used to identify the in-vehicle device obtained from the distress information is recorded on the server, the server will record the vehicle's location information in association with the matching information. A vehicle system characterized by the following features.

5. The vehicle system has a vehicle notification means for providing notification to the surrounding area, The aforementioned vehicle control means is: If information matching the information used to identify the in-vehicle device obtained from the distress information is recorded on the server, the vehicle notification means will be used to notify the server of information for returning the in-vehicle device that has entered distress mode. The vehicle system according to feature 4.

6. An in-vehicle device that is communicatively connected to a first vehicle system installed in one vehicle, A second vehicle system to be installed in other vehicles, A server that can communicate with the aforementioned first vehicle system and An in-vehicle device search system having, The aforementioned in-vehicle device is A terminal communication status detection means for detecting the communication status with the first vehicle system, A wireless communication means for a terminal capable of transmitting information to the second vehicle system, A terminal control means for controlling the terminal communication status detection means and the terminal wireless communication means. Equipped with, The aforementioned terminal control means is: When the terminal communication status detection means detects a communication interruption with the first vehicle system, distress information is created, which includes information for identifying the in-vehicle device and information indicating that the in-vehicle device has entered distress mode. Using the aforementioned wireless communication means for the terminal, the distress information is transmitted to the second vehicle system. The server, when communication between the first vehicle system and the in-vehicle device is interrupted, acquires and records information from the first vehicle system to identify the in-vehicle device that has entered the distress mode due to the interruption of communication. An in-vehicle device search system characterized by the following.

7. The second vehicle system is A vehicle wireless communication means capable of receiving the distress information transmitted by the in-vehicle device, A server communication means for communicating with the aforementioned server, A vehicle control means that controls the vehicle wireless communication means and the server communication means. Equipped with, The aforementioned vehicle control means is: When the distress information is received by the vehicle wireless communication means, Information is obtained from the aforementioned distress information to identify the in-vehicle device that has entered distress mode. Using the server communication means, the server is checked to see if information matching the information used to identify the in-vehicle device obtained from the distress information is recorded there. If information matching the information used to identify the in-vehicle device obtained from the distress information is recorded on the server, the server will record the location information of the other vehicle in association with the matching information. The in-vehicle device search system according to feature 6.

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