In-vehicle device and method of operating the in-vehicle device

Abstract

This enables improved efficiency in power supply within vehicle monitoring systems. [Solution] An in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle has a control unit that generates information to supply power from the vehicle's battery to a system for monitoring the inside of the vehicle when predetermined conditions are met regarding either or both of the changes in the vehicle's position and / or time between the start and stop of the vehicle's engine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle device and an operation method of the in-vehicle device.

Background Art

[0002] During driving or parking, technologies have been proposed to take measures not only against accidents during driving but also against events around the vehicle by photographing the vehicle. Further, Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a system for monitoring the interior of a vehicle in order to prevent forgetting or confining children or the like inside the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] A monitoring system for a parked vehicle operates by receiving power from a battery mounted on the vehicle while the engine is stopped. On the other hand, it is required to suppress the consumption of the battery. Therefore, there is room for more efficient power supply to the monitoring system.

[0005] Hereinafter, an in-vehicle device and the like that enable improvement in the efficiency of power supply in a vehicle monitoring system will be disclosed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The in-vehicle device in the present disclosure is an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, and when a predetermined condition is satisfied for either or both of the change in the position and the time of the vehicle from the start to the stop of the engine of the vehicle, it has a control unit that generates information for causing a system for monitoring the interior of the vehicle to supply power from a battery in the vehicle.

[0007] A method for operating an in-vehicle device in another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for operating an in-vehicle device mounted in a vehicle, which includes generating information to cause a system for monitoring the inside of the vehicle to supply power from a battery in the vehicle when predetermined conditions are met with respect to either or both of the change in the position of the vehicle and / or the time between the start and stop of the engine of the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The in-vehicle devices described in this disclosure enable improved efficiency in power supply for vehicle monitoring systems. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information provision system. [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle device. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation procedure for an in-vehicle device. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation procedure for an in-vehicle device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of an information provision system in one embodiment. The information provision system 1 has one or more server devices 10, terminal devices 12, and an in-vehicle device 13 mounted on a vehicle 15, all of which are connected to each other via a network 11 so as to be able to communicate information. The server device 10 is, for example, a server computer belonging to a cloud computing system or other computing system and functioning as a server that implements various functions. The terminal device 12 is an information processing terminal that exchanges various information with the server device 10, and is, for example, a personal computer, a tablet terminal device, etc. The vehicle 15 is a bus vehicle that transports passengers such as infants and children, and is configured to charge the battery of the battery device 17 while the engine is running, and is an internal combustion engine vehicle, a hybrid vehicle (HEV; Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV; Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), etc. The in-vehicle device 13 is a computer having communication functions and information processing functions, and is connected to the in-vehicle monitoring system 16 and the battery device 17 so as to be able to communicate, and controls the operation of the monitoring system 16 and the battery device 17. The monitoring system 16 includes one or more cameras 14 positioned to capture images inside the vehicle, and a control circuit for them, and operates on power supplied from the battery device 17. The battery device 17 includes a battery such as a lithium-ion battery capable of supplying power to various mechanisms of the vehicle 15 and the monitoring system 16, and a control circuit for controlling its charging and discharging. The network 11 includes, for example, a mobile communication network, the internet, an ad hoc network, a LAN (Local Area Network), a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), or other networks, or any combination thereof.

[0012] Information provision system 1 assists in providing information to supervisors, guardians, etc., to prevent passengers from being left behind or trapped in vehicle 15. When vehicle 15 has finished dropping off or picking up passengers and parked in a designated parking area such as a garage (hereinafter referred to as a waiting area), the monitoring system 16, under the control of the onboard device 13, uses a camera 14 to capture images of the interior of the vehicle, and the onboard device 13 acquires the captured images from the camera 14 and sends them to the server device 10 via the network 11. The server device 10 sends the captured images to terminal devices 12 for supervisors at the monitoring center, supervisors of infants and children, guardians, etc. This allows supervisors, etc., to understand the situation inside the vehicle 15 and sense the likelihood of passengers being left behind or trapped. In parked vehicle 15, the monitoring system 16 operates by receiving power from the battery device 17, but at this time the engine of vehicle 15 is likely to be stopped, so if the battery is heavily depleted, there is a risk of battery failure. In this embodiment, the in-vehicle device 13 controls the power supply from the battery device 17 to be more efficient, thereby reducing the risk of battery failure.

[0013] The on-board device 13 of this embodiment is installed in a vehicle 15 used for transporting passengers. When predetermined conditions (hereinafter referred to as power supply conditions) are met regarding either or both of the change in the position and / or time of the vehicle 15 from the start to the stop of the vehicle 15's engine, the on-board device 13 generates information to supply power from the vehicle 15's battery to a monitoring system 16 for monitoring the inside of the vehicle 15 after the engine has stopped. Here, the power supply conditions are conditions that indicate a certain degree of probability or higher that the vehicle 15 has finished transporting passengers and parked at a waiting point, and these will be specifically described later. By operating the monitoring system 16 with power supplied from the on-board battery or the built-in battery of the on-board device 13 when the power supply conditions are met, it is possible to avoid unnecessarily operating the monitoring system 16 in situations where it is not necessary to operate it, such as during temporary parking outside of a waiting point, and to prevent unnecessary battery drain. Therefore, it becomes possible to improve the efficiency of power supply to the vehicle 15's monitoring system 16.

[0014] Figure 2 shows an example configuration of the in-vehicle device 13. The in-vehicle device 13 includes a communication unit 131, a storage unit 132, a control unit 133, a positioning unit 134, an input unit 135, an output unit 136, and a detection unit 137. These may be configured as a single control device, or as two or more control devices, or as a control device and other devices such as a communication device. The control device includes, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The communication device includes, for example, a DCM (Data Communication Module). Each unit is connected to each other or to the equipment of the vehicle 15 via an in-vehicle network compliant with standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network). The in-vehicle device 13 may also include some equipment equivalent to that of the terminal device 12. The in-vehicle device 13 operates by receiving power from a built-in battery or a battery device 17.

[0015] The communication unit 131 includes modules that support mobile communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation), and modules that support in-vehicle LANs such as CAN. The in-vehicle device 13 is connected to the network 11 via the communication unit 131 through a nearby router device or a mobile communication base station, and communicates information with other devices via the network 11, or communicates information with the monitoring system 16 and the battery device 17 via the in-vehicle LAN.

[0016] The storage unit 132 includes one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of these. Semiconductor memories are, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory). RAM is, for example, SRAM (Static RAM) or DRAM (Dynamic RAM). ROM is, for example, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM). The storage unit 132 functions, for example, as a main memory, auxiliary memory, or cache memory. The storage unit 132 stores information used in the operation of the control unit 133 and information obtained through the operation of the control unit 133.

[0017] The control unit 133 includes one or more processors, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processors are general-purpose processors such as CPUs (Central Processing Units) or dedicated processors such as GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) specialized for specific processing. The dedicated circuits are, for example, FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) or ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits). The control unit 133 controls each part of the in-vehicle device 13 and performs information processing related to the operation of the in-vehicle device 13.

[0018] The functions of the control unit 133 are realized by executing a control / processing program on the processor included in the control unit 133. The control / processing program is a program that causes the computer to execute the processing steps included in the operation of the control unit 133, thereby realizing the functions corresponding to the processing of those steps. In other words, the control / processing program is a program that causes the computer to function as the control unit 133. Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the control unit 133 may be realized by dedicated circuits included in the control unit 133.

[0019] The positioning unit 134 includes one or more GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers. GNSS includes, for example, at least any one of GPS (Global Positioning System), QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System), BeiDou, GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and Galileo. The positioning unit 134 sends the positioning result to the control unit 133, and the control unit 133 obtains the position information of the in-vehicle device 13.

[0020] The input unit 135 includes one or more input interfaces. The input interface is, for example, a microphone that accepts voice input, a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, a touch screen provided integrally with a display, and the like. The input unit 135 accepts an operation of inputting information used for the operation of the control unit 133 and sends the input information to the control unit 133.

[0021] The output unit 136 includes one or more output interfaces. The output interface is, for example, a speaker or a display. The display is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The output unit 136 outputs the information obtained by the operation of the control unit 133.

[0022] The detection unit 137 is an interface with one or more sensors that detect the state of each part of the vehicle 15, or has one or more sensors. The sensors include sensors that detect the on / off of the accessory power supply of the vehicle 15, the start / stop of the engine, etc., and a vehicle speed sensor. The detection unit 137 sends various information obtained by the sensors to the control unit 133.

[0023] FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are flowchart diagrams for explaining the operation procedure of the in-vehicle device 13 in the present embodiment. Each step in FIGS. 3 and 4 is a step of information processing executed by the control unit 133.

[0024] The procedure shown in Figure 3 is executed at arbitrary intervals, for example, tens of microseconds to several seconds, when the accessory power of the vehicle 15 is turned on and the control unit 133 detects that the engine has started.

[0025] In S300, the control unit 133 acquires the current position and current time of the vehicle 15. The control unit 133 acquires the current position from the positioning unit 134. The control unit 133 also acquires the current time, for example, from the clock function of the processor.

[0026] In S301, the control unit 133 determines whether or not the pick-up / drop-off service has started. In a later step, the control unit 133 determines whether the pick-up / drop-off service has started according to the conditions. If the start of the pick-up / drop-off service has already been determined since the start of the procedure in Figure 3, it determines that the pick-up / drop-off service has started (Yes) and proceeds to step S305. If the start of the pick-up / drop-off service has not yet been determined, it determines that the pick-up / drop-off service has not started (No) and proceeds to step S302.

[0027] In S302, the control unit 133 determines whether the vehicle 15 is located at a distance greater than or equal to a reference distance from the waiting point. The control unit 133 uses the current location and map information to compare the distance from the waiting point on the map to the current location with an arbitrary reference distance. The reference distance is an arbitrary distance at which it is estimated that the vehicle 15 is moving, for example, several tens of meters to several hundred meters. If the control unit 133 determines that the vehicle is at a distance greater than or equal to the reference distance (Yes), it proceeds to step S303; if it determines that the vehicle is not at a distance greater than or equal to the reference distance (No), it terminates one processing cycle as shown in Figure 3.

[0028] In S303, the control unit 133 determines whether the scheduled pick-up / drop-off time has arrived. The scheduled pick-up / drop-off time is stored in the storage unit 132 in advance. If the control unit 133 determines that the current time has reached the scheduled pick-up / drop-off time (Yes), it proceeds to step S304. If it determines that the scheduled pick-up / drop-off time has not reached (No), it terminates one processing cycle as shown in Figure 3.

[0029] In S304, the control unit 133 determines whether to start the shuttle service. The determination result is stored in the storage unit 132. Then, the control unit 133 completes one processing cycle as shown in Figure 3.

[0030] If it is determined in S301 that the pick-up / drop-off has started, in step S305 the control unit 133 determines whether the pick-up / drop-off has finished or not. The control unit 133 determines the end of the pick-up / drop-off procedure in a later step, but if it has already determined the end of the pick-up / drop-off procedure since the start of the procedure in Figure 3, it determines that the pick-up / drop-off has finished (Yes) and proceeds to step S309. If it has not yet determined the end of the pick-up / drop-off procedure, that is, after the pick-up / drop-off has started but while the pick-up / drop-off is still continuing, it determines that the pick-up / drop-off has not finished (No) and proceeds to step S306.

[0031] In S306, the control unit 133 determines whether the vehicle 15 is located at or below a reference distance from the waiting point. The control unit 133 uses the current position and map information to compare the distance from the waiting point on the map to the current position with an arbitrary reference distance. The reference distance is an arbitrary distance at which it is estimated that the vehicle 15 has returned, for example, several tens of meters to several hundred meters. This reference distance may be the same as the reference distance used in step S302, or it may be a different value. If the control unit 133 determines that the vehicle is approaching the waiting point to or below the reference distance (Yes), it proceeds to step S307; if it determines that the vehicle is not approaching to or below the reference distance (No), it terminates one processing cycle as shown in Figure 3. Note that the waiting point used for determination in step S306 may be the same as the waiting point used for determination in step S302, or it may be a different point.

[0032] In S307, the control unit 133 determines whether the scheduled end time for pick-up and drop-off has arrived. The scheduled end time for pick-up and drop-off is stored in the storage unit 132 in advance. If the control unit 133 determines that the current time has reached the scheduled end time for pick-up and drop-off (Yes), it proceeds to step S308. If it determines that the scheduled end time for pick-up and drop-off has not been reached (No), it terminates one processing cycle as shown in Figure 3.

[0033] In S308, the control unit 133 determines that the pick-up / drop-off process is complete. The determination result is stored in the storage unit 132. Then, the control unit 133 completes one processing cycle as shown in Figure 3.

[0034] The power supply conditions are met when it is determined in S301 that the pick-up / drop-off service has ended. The power supply conditions are that the pick-up / drop-off service has started and has ended. The condition after the pick-up / drop-off service has started is met when the vehicle 15 has moved more than a standard distance from the waiting point and the scheduled pick-up / drop-off time has arrived. The condition after the pick-up / drop-off service has ended is met when, after the condition after the pick-up / drop-off service has started, the vehicle 15 has returned to a distance of or less from the waiting point and the scheduled pick-up / drop-off time has arrived. In the modified version, the condition after the pick-up / drop-off service has started may be met when the vehicle 15 has moved more than a standard distance from the waiting point or the scheduled pick-up / drop-off time has arrived. In the modified version, the condition after the pick-up / drop-off service has started may be met when, after the condition after the pick-up / drop-off service has started, the vehicle 15 has returned to a distance of or less from the waiting point or the scheduled pick-up / drop-off time has arrived. Furthermore, the condition after the pick-up / drop-off service has started in this embodiment may be combined with the condition after the pick-up / drop-off service has ended in the modified version, or the condition after the pick-up / drop-off service has started in the modified version may be combined with the condition after the pick-up / drop-off service has ended in this embodiment.

[0035] In S309, the control unit 133 decides whether to supply power from the battery device 17 to the monitoring system 16. The decision is stored in the memory unit 132. Then, the control unit 133 completes one processing cycle as shown in Figure 3.

[0036] As the procedure shown in Figure 3 is executed periodically, the conditions after the start of the pick-up and drop-off service and the conditions after the end of the pick-up and drop-off service are sequentially met in accordance with the movement of vehicle 15 and the passage of time.

[0037] The procedure shown in Figure 4 is executed by the control unit 133 when it detects that the engine of the vehicle 15 has been stopped and the accessory power supply has been cut off.

[0038] In step S40, the control unit 133 determines whether or not the power supply from the battery device 17 to the monitoring system 16 has been decided. If it has been decided (Yes), the control unit 133 proceeds to step S41 and outputs a power supply instruction to the battery device 17. Upon receiving this, the battery device 17 begins discharging to the monitoring system 16. On the other hand, if it has not been decided (No), the control unit 133 terminates the procedure shown in Figure 4.

[0039] In a modified example, the control unit 133 may, instead of sending a power supply instruction to the battery device 17, or in addition to doing so, perform control to supply power from the built-in battery of the on-board device 13 to the monitoring system 16.

[0040] According to the procedure described above, when the power supply conditions are met, the monitoring system 16 can be operated by power supplied from the vehicle battery or the built-in battery of the vehicle device 13, thereby preventing unnecessary battery drain. This makes it possible to improve the efficiency of power supply in the vehicle's monitoring system 16.

[0041] In the modified version, the control unit 133 takes into account the transportation schedule information and changes the scheduled start time of transportation in step S303 and the scheduled end time of transportation in step S307. The transportation schedule is information that identifies the date and time when transportation will be carried out, and includes information such as the day of the week, time of day, and long holidays. The transportation schedule information is stored in the storage unit 132 in advance. The transportation schedule information may also be set in the in-vehicle device 13 by the user inputting it into the in-vehicle device 13 or by the user setting it in the in-vehicle device 13 via the server device 10 using the terminal device 12. For example, the control unit 133 refers to the transportation schedule information, determines whether there is a transportation schedule for the day, and if there is a transportation schedule, determines the scheduled start time and end time of transportation for that day. According to this modified version, the power supply conditions can be determined more precisely, and the power supply in the vehicle 15 monitoring system 16 can be controlled more reliably.

[0042] As described above, embodiments have been explained based on various drawings and examples, but it should be noted that those skilled in the art will find it easy to make various modifications and alterations based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions, etc., included in each means, each step, etc., can be rearranged in a logically consistent manner, and multiple means, steps, etc., can be combined into one or divided. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 1. Information Provision System 10 Server devices 11 Network 12 Terminal devices 13 Vehicle Equipment 14 Cameras 15 vehicles 16. Monitoring System 17 Battery device 131 Communications Department 132 Storage section 133 Control Unit 134 Positioning Unit 135 Input section 136 Output section 137 Detection unit

Claims

1. An in-vehicle device installed in a vehicle, The control unit has an output to a system for monitoring the inside of the vehicle, which outputs information to supply power from the battery inside the vehicle to the system, when predetermined conditions are met regarding either or both of the change in the position of the vehicle and / or the time between the start and stop of the engine of the vehicle, thereby supplying power to the battery inside the vehicle. In-vehicle device.

2. An in-vehicle device installed in a vehicle, The control unit has a mechanism that generates information to cause a system for monitoring the inside of the vehicle to supply power from the battery inside the vehicle when predetermined conditions are met regarding either or both of the change in the position of the vehicle and / or the time between the start and stop of the vehicle's engine. In-vehicle device.

3. In claim 2, The predetermined conditions are that when the engine is started, the vehicle is at or above a predetermined distance from the first point, and that the scheduled start time for passenger pick-up and drop-off has arrived, or both. In-vehicle device.

4. In claim 2, The aforementioned predetermined conditions further include either or both of the following: when the engine is stopped, the vehicle's position is less than a reference distance from the second point, and the scheduled end time for passenger pick-up / drop-off has arrived. In-vehicle device.

5. In claim 1, The control unit determines the time conditions taking into account the passenger pick-up and drop-off schedule. In-vehicle device.

6. In claim 5, The control unit sets the pick-up / drop-off schedule based on the input information. In-vehicle device.

7. In claim 1, The battery includes the built-in battery of the in-vehicle device. In-vehicle device.

8. A method for operating an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, The system generates information to cause a system for monitoring the inside of the vehicle to supply power from the battery inside the vehicle when predetermined conditions are met regarding either or both of the changes in the vehicle's position and / or time between the start and stop of the vehicle's engine. How the in-vehicle device operates.

9. In claim 8, The predetermined conditions are that when the engine is started, the vehicle is at or above a predetermined distance from the first point, and that the scheduled start time for passenger pick-up and drop-off has arrived, or both. How the in-vehicle device operates.

10. In claim 9, The aforementioned predetermined conditions further include either or both of the following: when the engine is stopped, the vehicle's position is less than a reference distance from the second point, and the scheduled end time for passenger pick-up / drop-off has arrived. How the in-vehicle device operates.

11. In claim 8, The conditions for the aforementioned time are determined taking into account the passenger pick-up and drop-off schedule. How the in-vehicle device operates.

12. In claim 11, The transportation schedule is set based on the information entered. How the in-vehicle device operates.

13. In claim 8, The battery includes the built-in battery of the in-vehicle device. How the in-vehicle device operates.

Images