Transmission instruction device and transmission instruction method

Abstract

We provide technology to reduce the communication load between vehicles and server equipment. [Solution] The server device 10 includes an acquisition unit that acquires usage information regarding the time the vehicle is used, a learning unit that learns from the usage information and outputs a usage pattern indicating the timing of vehicle use, a determination unit that determines the timing for transmitting the vehicle's vehicle data to a predetermined server device based on the usage pattern, and an instruction unit that instructs the vehicle to transmit the vehicle data at the determined transmission timing.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a technology in which a plurality of communication devices perform in-vehicle communication according to the Ethernet (registered trademark) standard.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a mobile terminal having a communication unit capable of communicating with a vehicle and a server. This mobile terminal includes a configuration synchronization processing unit that acquires information of an ECU mounted on a vehicle and transmits it to a server, and a first acquisition unit that acquires software distributed from the server, and transmits the software acquired by the first acquisition unit to the vehicle via the communication unit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Vehicles regularly transmit vehicle data to a server device. However, the number of vehicles capable of communicating with the server device is increasing, and the amount of vehicle data transmitted per vehicle tends to expand. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the communication load between the vehicle and the server device.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technology for suppressing the communication load between a vehicle and a server device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a transmission instruction device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires usage information relating to the time the vehicle is used; a learning unit that learns from the usage information and outputs a usage pattern indicating the timing of vehicle use; a determination unit that determines the timing for transmitting the vehicle's vehicle data to a predetermined server device based on the usage pattern; and an instruction unit that instructs the vehicle to transmit the vehicle data at the determined transmission timing.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a transmission instruction method. This method is a transmission instruction method in which each step is performed by a computer, and includes the steps of: acquiring usage information relating to the time the vehicle was used; learning from the usage information and outputting a usage pattern indicating the timing of vehicle use; determining a transmission timing for transmitting the vehicle's vehicle data to a predetermined server device based on the usage pattern; and instructing the vehicle to transmit the vehicle data at the determined transmission timing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, a technology can be provided to reduce the communication load between a vehicle and a server device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the basic configuration of the transmission instruction system in the embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the functional configuration of the transmission instruction system in the embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart of the transmission instruction processing performed by the server device in the embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart of the transmission process performed by the vehicle control device in the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Figure 1 shows the basic configuration of the transmission instruction system 1 of the embodiment. The transmission instruction system 1 comprises a server device 10, a first vehicle 12a, a second vehicle 12b, and a third vehicle 12c. The first vehicle 12a, the second vehicle 12b, and the third vehicle 12c (referred to as "vehicle 12" when not distinguished) can communicate wirelessly with the server device 10 via a network 14. Note that the number of vehicles 12 is not limited to three. Also, the server device 10 is not limited to one device.

[0011] The server device 10 is located remotely from the vehicles 12 and collects vehicle data from multiple vehicles 12, as well as instructing the multiple vehicles 12 on the timing to transmit the vehicle data. In other words, the server device 10 functions as a transmission instruction device that instructs the vehicles 12 on the transmission timing. Multiple server devices 10 may be provided. By having the server device 10 instruct multiple vehicles 12 on different transmission timings, it is possible to prevent large amounts of vehicle data from being transmitted at the same time and to distribute the communication load.

[0012] Figure 2 shows the functional configuration of the transmission instruction system 1 of the embodiment. Each function of the transmission instruction system 1 can be configured in hardware terms with circuit blocks, memory, and other LSIs, and in software terms with system software and application programs loaded into memory. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that each function of the transmission instruction system 1 can be implemented in various ways by hardware alone, software alone, or a combination thereof, and is not limited to any one of these. The vehicle 12 having the vehicle control device 16 may be capable of automatic driving.

[0013] The vehicle 12 includes a vehicle control device 16 and an on-board sensor 18. The on-board sensor 18 includes a driving state detection sensor that detects the driving state of the vehicle 12, and an object detection sensor that detects objects present in the vicinity of the vehicle 12.

[0014] The driving status detection sensor includes sensors capable of detecting the usage status of the vehicle 12, such as a sensor that detects the on / off state of the ignition switch, a sensor that indicates whether the vehicle 12 is in use, and a sensor that derives the location information of the vehicle 12. The on-board sensor 18 sends the detection results to the vehicle control device 16 via a predetermined on-board communication bus.

[0015] The vehicle control device 16 sends the detection results from the on-board sensors 18 as vehicle data to the server device 10. The vehicle control device 16 includes an acquisition unit 32, a storage unit 34, a transmission control unit 36, and a communication unit 38.

[0016] The acquisition unit 32 acquires the detection results from the on-board sensor 18 as vehicle data. The vehicle data includes information indicating the driving status of the vehicle 12, information indicating the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 12, and usage information regarding the time the vehicle 12 was used. The usage information includes the time from the start to the end of the use of the vehicle 12. The usage information is generated, for example, from information indicating the on / off status of the ignition switch. The vehicle data is time-stamped.

[0017] The storage unit 34 stores vehicle data acquired by the acquisition unit 32. The storage unit 34 may discard vehicle data transmitted to the server device 10 at a predetermined discard timing. The predetermined discard timing is met when a predetermined period has elapsed since detection or storage. The storage unit 34 stores vehicle data that has not been transmitted to the server device 10 without discarding it.

[0018] The transmission control unit 36 ​​causes the vehicle control device 16 to transmit the vehicle data stored in the storage unit 34 to the server device 10 according to the transmission timing received from the server device 10. If the transmission control unit 36 ​​has not received a transmission timing from the server device 10, it transmits the vehicle data at a predetermined timing, for example, a predetermined period, while the vehicle 12 is in use.

[0019] The communication unit 38 transmits vehicle data to the server device 10 according to the control of the transmission control unit 36, and receives instruction information for instructing the transmission timing from the server device 10. The vehicle data transmitted from the communication unit 38 is attached with a vehicle ID that can distinguish the vehicle 12.

[0020] The server device 10 includes a communication unit 20, an acquisition unit 22, a learning unit 24, a pattern holding unit 26, a determination unit 28, and an instruction unit 30. The communication unit 20 communicates with a plurality of vehicle control devices 16.

[0021] The acquisition unit 22 acquires vehicle data from a plurality of vehicle control devices 16. The vehicle data at least includes usage information regarding the time when the vehicle 12 is used. The server device 10 collects vehicle data distinguished by vehicle IDs.

[0022] The learning unit 24 learns based on the usage information of the vehicle 12 and outputs a usage pattern indicating the usage timing of the vehicle 12. The learning unit 24 outputs the usage patterns of the respective vehicles 12 based on the usage information of the plurality of vehicles 12. The usage information of the vehicle 12 indicates the boarding time to the alighting time of that vehicle 12 every day.

[0023] The learning unit 24 derives the usage pattern of the vehicle 12 using a machine learning method based on the usage information of the vehicle 12 and calendar information. The usage pattern indicates the timing of the estimated usage start and usage end by machine learning processing. For example, the learning unit 24 calculates the scores of the usage time and day of the week when the vehicle 12 is likely to travel based on the usage information of the vehicle 12, and outputs the usage time and day of the week with the highest score as the usage pattern of that vehicle 12. The usage time indicated in the usage pattern may be a time or a time zone. The calendar information includes information on the day of the week and holidays.

[0024] The pattern holding unit 26 stores usage patterns for each vehicle ID. The learning unit 24 learns the already stored usage patterns based on newly acquired vehicle 12 usage information and outputs new usage patterns, updating the usage patterns stored in the pattern holding unit 26 at predetermined intervals. This tracks the usage status of vehicle 12 and updates the latest usage patterns.

[0025] The determination unit 28 determines the transmission timing for sending vehicle data stored by the vehicle 12 to a predetermined server device 10, based on the usage pattern held in the pattern holding unit 26. The determination unit 28 determines that the vehicle data should be transmitted during the usage time of the vehicle 12 indicated in the usage pattern. The transmission timing may be a specific time, a time period, or a combination of multiple time periods.

[0026] The decision unit 28 determines the transmission timing for each vehicle 12. Based on the usage patterns of multiple vehicles 12, the decision unit 28 determines how to distribute the transmission timing for each vehicle 12. In order to optimally distribute the transmission timing of multiple vehicles 12, the decision unit 28 makes the transmission timing of each vehicle 12 as different as possible.

[0027] During peak hours such as rush hour when many vehicles 12 are in operation, the communication load increases. Therefore, the decision unit 28 sets transmission timings that avoid peak hours for vehicles 12 with usage patterns outside of peak hours. Vehicles 12 with usage frequency higher than a predetermined first frequency and with usage patterns outside of peak hours are instructed to accumulate vehicle data during peak hours and transmit the accumulated vehicle data outside of peak hours. Usage frequency is calculated based on usage time per week, days of the week used, number of uses, etc. The predetermined first frequency may be, for example, a usage pattern in which vehicle 12 is used 5 or more days a week. For vehicles 12 with usage frequency lower than a predetermined second frequency, the decision unit 28 determines the transmission timing to prioritize transmission even during rush hour. The predetermined second frequency may be lower than the predetermined first frequency and in which vehicle 12 is used 2 or less days a week.

[0028] The instruction unit 30 generates instruction information instructing the vehicle 12 to transmit vehicle data at the determined transmission timing, and causes the communication unit 20 to transmit the generated instruction information to the vehicle control device 16. As a result, the vehicle control device 16 can transmit vehicle data at the transmission timing determined by the server device 10.

[0029] Figure 3 is a flowchart of the transmission instruction processing performed by the server device 10 of the embodiment. The acquisition unit 22 acquires vehicle data including usage information from multiple vehicles 12 (S10). The learning unit 24 learns the usage pattern of each vehicle 12 by taking the usage information of the vehicle 12 as input and outputs the usage pattern (S12). The usage pattern is an estimate of the time that the vehicle 12 is used.

[0030] The determination unit 28 determines the transmission timing for each of the multiple vehicles 12 based on their usage patterns (S14). The determination unit 28 staggers and distributes the transmission timings of the multiple vehicles 12.

[0031] The instruction unit 30 generates instruction information indicating the transmission timing for each determined vehicle 12, and causes the communication unit 20 to transmit the instruction information to each of the multiple vehicles 12 (S16).

[0032] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the transmission process performed by the vehicle control device 16 of the embodiment. The acquisition unit 32 acquires usage information from the ignition switch (S20). The acquisition unit 32 acquires vehicle data from the on-board sensor 18 (S22). Note that the vehicle data may include usage information. Vehicle data is basically acquired when the on-board power is turned on. The acquired vehicle data is stored in the storage unit 34.

[0033] The transmission control unit 36 ​​determines whether it has received instruction information indicating the transmission timing for the vehicle 12 (S24). If there is no instruction information for the transmission timing (N in S24), the transmission control unit 36 ​​causes the communication unit 38 to send vehicle data, including usage information, to the server device 10 (S28).

[0034] If there is instruction information for the transmission timing (Y in S24), the transmission control unit 36 ​​determines whether the time or time period specified for the transmission timing has been reached (S26). The transmission control unit 36 ​​waits to transmit the vehicle data until the transmission timing is reached (N in S26), and when the transmission timing is reached (Y in S26), the communication unit 38 transmits the vehicle data (S28).

[0035] The transmission control unit 36 ​​may, regardless of the transmission timing, have the communication unit 38 transmit vehicle data if there is vehicle data in the storage unit 34 that has not been transmitted for a predetermined period of time or longer. This allows older vehicle data to be transmitted. The predetermined period may be, for example, several days, and may be set to 5 to 7 days.

[0036] The present disclosure has been explained above based on the examples described. The present disclosure is not limited to the examples described above, and various modifications such as design changes can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0037] In this embodiment, the server device 10 instructs the vehicle control device 16 on the transmission timing, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle control device 16 may include a learning unit 24, a pattern holding unit 26, a determination unit 28, and an instruction unit 30 to individually determine the transmission timing for each vehicle. In this embodiment, the determination unit 28 holds congestion information indicating the degree of congestion for each time period, and determines the transmission timing of vehicle data based on the congestion information and the usage pattern of the vehicle 12. In this way, the vehicle control device 16 functions as a transmission instruction device.

[0038] The usage information for vehicle 12 is not limited to being generated by the on / off information of the ignition switch. For example, the usage information may be generated based on driving information that shows the results of vehicle 12's travel. The driving information may include, for example, the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1 transmission instruction system, 10 server device, 12a first vehicle, 12b second vehicle, 12c third vehicle, 14 network, 16 vehicle control device, 18 on-board sensor, 20 communication unit, 22 acquisition unit, 24 learning unit, 26 pattern holding unit, 28 determination unit, 30 instruction unit, 32 acquisition unit, 34 storage unit, 36 transmission control unit, 38 communication unit.

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires usage information regarding the time spent using the vehicle, A learning unit that learns based on the aforementioned usage information and outputs a usage pattern indicating the timing of vehicle usage, A determination unit that determines the transmission timing for transmitting the vehicle data of the vehicle to a predetermined server device based on the usage pattern, A transmission instruction device comprising: an instruction unit that instructs the vehicle to transmit vehicle data at the determined transmission timing.

2. The transmission instruction device is a server device installed remotely from the vehicle, The acquisition unit acquires the usage information from each of the multiple vehicles, The learning unit outputs the usage pattern for each vehicle based on the usage information for each vehicle. The transmission instruction device according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination unit determines the transmission timing for each vehicle based on a plurality of usage patterns.

3. The transmission instruction device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the determination unit determines to distribute the transmission timing of the plurality of vehicles based on the usage patterns of the plurality of vehicles.

4. The transmission instruction device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the learning unit outputs a new usage pattern based on the newly acquired usage information.

5. A transmission instruction method in which each step is performed by a computer, Steps to obtain usage information regarding the time the vehicle was used, The steps include: learning based on the aforementioned usage information and outputting a usage pattern that indicates the timing of vehicle usage; The steps include determining the transmission timing for sending vehicle data of the vehicle to a predetermined server device based on the aforementioned usage pattern, A transmission instruction method comprising the step of instructing the vehicle to transmit vehicle data at the determined transmission timing.

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