Control devices and systems

Abstract

We will improve the technology for remotely controlling the air conditioning system in vehicles. [Solution] The control device acquires temperature information indicating the outside temperature of the vehicle, acquires location information indicating the location of the vehicle, predicts the departure time when the user will board the vehicle and depart based on the location information, and determines, based on the temperature information, whether the outside temperature at the predicted departure time will deviate from a threshold by a predetermined value or more, and if it is determined that it will deviate, it sends suggestion information to the terminal device that proposes sending an instruction to the vehicle to control the vehicle's air conditioning system before the departure time.

Description

Technical Field

[0004] ,

[0006] , , , ,

[0005] , , , , , , ,

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device and a system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for remotely operating an air conditioner of a vehicle has been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a start request for operating the air conditioner is transmitted from a user's terminal to the vehicle via a server.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] It is troublesome for the user to send an instruction to operate the air conditioner each time. There is room for improvement in the technique for remotely operating the air conditioner of a vehicle.

[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the technique for remotely operating the air conditioner of a vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a control device including a communication unit that communicates with a vehicle and a terminal device, and a control unit, wherein the control unit acquires air temperature information indicating the outside air temperature of the vehicle and position information indicating the position of the vehicle, predicts a departure time when a user gets on the vehicle and departs based on the position information, Based on the temperature information, it is determined whether the outside temperature at the predicted departure time will deviate from the first threshold by a first predetermined value or more. If it is determined that it will deviate, proposal information is transmitted to the terminal device via the communication unit, suggesting that an instruction to control the vehicle's air conditioning system be sent to the vehicle before the departure time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the technology for remotely operating a vehicle's air conditioning system is improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the system's schematic configuration. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart showing how the system works. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below.

[0010] Referring to Figure 1, the configuration of System 1 according to this embodiment will be described. System 1 comprises a control device 10, a terminal device 20, and a vehicle 30. The control device 10, the terminal device 20, and the vehicle 30 can communicate with each other via a network 40.

[0011] The control device 10 is, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a PC (personal computer) or tablet, a server computer such as a cloud server, or a dedicated computer.

[0012] The terminal device 20 is any device used by the user. For example, a general-purpose electronic device such as a PC, smartphone, tablet, or wearable device, or a dedicated electronic device, can be used as the terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 includes a control unit that controls the operation of each part, a communication unit that communicates with external devices, an input / output unit, and a positioning unit that determines the location of the terminal device 20. The input / output unit includes, for example, a touch panel display.

[0013] Vehicle 30 has a function to raise or lower the temperature and humidity inside the vehicle 30 using an air conditioning system 36 in response to instructions from the terminal device 20. Vehicle 30 includes automobiles such as gasoline automobiles, electric automobiles (BEV; Battery Electric Vehicle), hybrid automobiles (HEV; Hybrid Electric Vehicle), plug-in hybrid automobiles (PHEV; Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or fuel cell automobiles (FCEV; Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle).

[0014] Network 40 includes the Internet, at least one WAN, at least one MAN, or a combination thereof. "WAN" is an abbreviation for wide area network. "MAN" is an abbreviation for metropolitan area network. Network 40 may also include at least one wireless network, at least one optical network, or a combination thereof. Wireless networks are, for example, ad hoc networks, cellular networks, wireless LANs, satellite communication networks, or terrestrial microwave networks. "LAN" is an abbreviation for local area network.

[0015] First, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and details will be described later. The control device 10 acquires temperature information indicating the outside temperature of the vehicle 30 and location information indicating the location of the vehicle 30. Based on the location information, the control device 10 predicts the departure time when the user will board the vehicle 30 and depart. Based on the temperature information, the control device 10 determines whether the outside temperature at the predicted departure time will deviate from a first threshold by a first predetermined value or more, and if it determines that it will deviate, it sends suggestion information to the terminal device 20 proposing to send an instruction to the vehicle 30 to control the air conditioning system 36 of the vehicle 30 before the departure time.

[0016] Vehicle 30 adjusts the interior temperature using the air conditioning system 36 before departure, in response to instructions from the terminal device 20. According to this embodiment, the timing when adjustment by the air conditioning system is necessary can be determined in advance, and the user can be proactively offered control of the air conditioning system. Since it is easy to send instructions to vehicle 30 when the proposed information is viewed, the user is saved the trouble of, for example, considering their own schedule in advance and setting a reservation for the air conditioning system in vehicle 30. Thus, the technology for remotely operating the vehicle's air conditioning system is improved.

[0017] Next, with reference to Figure 1, the configuration of each device will be described in detail. The control device 10 comprises a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13. The control unit 11 includes at least one processor. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. The control unit 11 controls each part of the control device 10 and executes processing related to the operation of the control device 10. The storage unit 12 includes at least one semiconductor memory, etc. The semiconductor memory is, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory). The storage unit 12 functions as, for example, a main memory or an auxiliary memory. The storage unit 12 stores data used for the operation of the control device 10 and data obtained by the operation of the control device 10. The communication unit 13 includes at least one external communication interface. The communication interface may be either a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface. In the case of wired communication, the communication interface is, for example, a LAN (local area network) or a USB (Universal Serial Bus). In the case of wireless communication, the communication interface is, for example, an interface compatible with mobile communication standards such as 5G, or an interface compatible with short-range wireless communication. The communication unit 13 receives data used for the operation of the control device 10 and transmits data obtained by the operation of the control device 10.

[0018] The vehicle 30 comprises a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, a positioning unit 34, a sensor unit 35, and an air conditioning unit 36. The control unit 31 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, at least one ECU (electronic control unit), or any combination thereof. The control unit 31 controls each part of the vehicle 30 and executes processes related to the operation of the vehicle 30. The storage unit 32 includes at least one semiconductor memory or the like. The storage unit 32 stores data used for the operation of the vehicle 30 and data obtained by the operation of the vehicle 30. The communication unit 33 includes at least one communication interface connected to the network 40. The positioning unit 34 includes a receiver compatible with a satellite positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System) or GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). The sensor unit 35 includes an outside temperature sensor for detecting the outside temperature, a humidity sensor for detecting the humidity outside the vehicle 30, an indoor temperature sensor for detecting the temperature inside the vehicle 30, and an indoor humidity sensor for detecting the humidity inside the vehicle 30. The sensor unit 35 outputs the detected information as sensor information to the control unit 31. The air conditioning unit 36 ​​has a cooling function and a heating function. The air conditioning unit 36 ​​may also have a humidifying function and a dehumidifying function.

[0019] The functions of the control device 10 are realized by executing a program according to the present embodiment with a processor corresponding to the control unit 11. That is, the functions of the control device 10 are realized by software. The program causes a computer to execute the operations of the control device 10, thereby making the computer function as the control device 10. That is, the computer functions as the control device 10 by executing the operations of the control device 10 according to the program. In the present embodiment, the program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes non-temporary computer-readable media, such as magnetic recording devices, semiconductor memories, and the like. Some or all of the functions of the control device 10 may be realized by a dedicated circuit corresponding to the control unit 11. That is, some or all of the functions of the control device 10 may be realized by hardware.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 2, the operation of the system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the control device 10 transmits and receives information to and from the vehicle 30 and the terminal device 20 via the communication unit 13 and the network 40. Hereinafter, the terminal device 20 transmits and receives information to and from the control device 10 and the vehicle 30 via the communication unit and the network 40. Hereinafter, the vehicle 30 transmits and receives information to and from the control device 10 and the terminal device 20 via the communication unit 33 and the network 40.

[0021] In S1, the control unit 31 of the vehicle 30 transmits to the control device 10 the temperature information indicating the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor of the vehicle 30 and the vehicle position information indicating the position of the vehicle 30. In S2, the control unit 11 of the control device 10 receives the temperature information and the vehicle position information from the vehicle 30. The control unit 11 may obtain the temperature information from a server device that provides weather information. When obtaining the temperature information from the server device, the control unit 11 may query the weather information of the region corresponding to the position of the vehicle 30 indicated by the vehicle position information to obtain the temperature information.

[0022] In S3, the control unit 11 predicts the departure time when the user will board the vehicle 30 and depart. Based on the vehicle location information, the control unit 11 may start predicting the departure time when the vehicle 30 has been stopped in the same location for a predetermined period of time or longer. The predetermined period may be set in advance and stored in the storage unit 12. Any method may be used to predict the departure time. For example, the control unit 11 may further receive terminal location information indicating the location of the terminal device 20 from the terminal device 20, and predict a departure time in the near future the closer the location information of the terminal device 20 is to the location of the vehicle 30. Based on the vehicle location information, the control unit 11 may determine whether the same departure time for the past vehicle 30 has occurred for a predetermined number of consecutive days or longer, and if it determines that it has occurred consecutively, it may predict the same departure time as the past departure time. The predetermined number of days may be, for example, 3 days, and may be set in advance and stored in the storage unit 12. The control unit 11 may determine that the departure times are the same if the time difference for past departure times falls within a predetermined range. The predetermined range may be, for example, 15 minutes. The control unit 11 may predict the departure time as the average, median, or mode of past departure times. The control unit 11 may acquire schedule information indicating the user's schedule and predict the departure time based on the schedule information. For example, the control unit 11 may predict the departure time as a predetermined time before the start time of the user's next appointment. The predetermined time is, for example, 30 minutes and may be set in advance and stored in the storage unit 12. For example, the control unit 11 may calculate the time required to travel between the location of the user's next appointment and the location where the vehicle 30 is parked by route searching and predict the departure time as the time calculated by that amount of time before the start time of the next appointment. The control unit 11 may acquire stay time information indicating the average stay time of the vehicle 30 at the location corresponding to the vehicle location information and predict the user's departure time based on the location information and stay time information. The location includes facilities with parking lots where the vehicle 30 is parked. The stay time information is information indicating a standard value for the stay time of a person for each location and may be set in advance and stored in the storage unit 12. The standard value is the average or median. The information regarding the length of stay may also include standard values ​​for each type of place of stay. These types include shopping centers, restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, etc.In this case, the control unit 11 may predict, at the time when the vehicle 30 arrives at the staying place, the departure time by adding the reference value of the staying time at the staying place as the departure time.

[0023] In S4, the control unit 11 determines, based on the temperature information, whether the outside air temperature at the predicted departure time deviates from the first threshold value by more than the first predetermined value. The first threshold value is, for example, 25°C, and the first predetermined value is, for example, 5°C. The first threshold value and the first predetermined value may be set in advance and stored in the storage unit 12. The control unit 11 may refer to the change information indicating the change tendency of the temperature by time zone and determine whether it deviates by more than the first predetermined value. The change information is, for example, information indicating how much the temperature changes for each time zone. The change information may be information by region. In this case, the control unit 11 refers to the change information of the region corresponding to the position indicated by the vehicle position information. The control unit 11 may receive information indicating the weather forecast from the server device that provides the weather data and determine whether the outside air temperature deviates from the first threshold value by more than the first predetermined value based on the information. If it is determined that it deviates, the operation of the control unit 11 proceeds to S5. If it is determined that it does not deviate, the operation of the system 1 ends.

[0024] In S5, the control unit 11 transmits to the terminal device 20 proposal information proposing to send an instruction for controlling the air conditioner of the vehicle 30 to the vehicle 30. The proposal information includes a proposal to operate the heating or cooling of the air conditioner so that the temperature inside the vehicle 30 becomes an appropriate temperature that is less than the first predetermined value from the first threshold value at the departure time. The control unit 11 may predict the required time for the temperature inside the vehicle 30 to reach the appropriate temperature by the air conditioner and transmit the proposal information to the terminal device 20 at a time advanced by the required time from the departure time. The control unit 11 may refer to the information in which the speed of increasing or decreasing the indoor temperature is associated with the outside air temperature and predict the required time based on the information and the temperature information. Based on the information, the control unit 11 may predict a longer required time for the increase in the indoor temperature as the outside air temperature is lower. Based on the information, the control unit 11 may predict a longer required time for the decrease in the indoor temperature as the outside air temperature is higher. The proposal information may include information on the departure time itself predicted in S3.

[0025] In S6, the terminal device 20 receives the suggestion information. In S7, the terminal device 20 outputs the suggestion information via the input / output unit. The terminal device 20 may also output an operation image that accepts user instructions for controlling the air conditioning unit 36 ​​along with the suggestion information. By performing an operation such as tapping the operation image, the user can easily input user instructions. This improves the convenience of the user when sending instructions to the vehicle 30 to control the air conditioning unit 36. The user instructions may include instructions to set a reservation so that the temperature inside the vehicle 30 is at an appropriate temperature at the predicted departure time.

[0026] In S8, the terminal device 20 receives a user instruction to control the air conditioning system 36 of the vehicle 30 and transmits an instruction to control the air conditioning system to the vehicle 30. In S9, the control unit 31 of the vehicle 30 receives the instruction from the terminal device 20 and controls the air conditioning system 36 according to the instruction. The control unit 31 operates the cooling or heating of the air conditioning system to raise or lower the temperature inside the vehicle 30. The control unit 31 may operate the cooling or heating of the air conditioning system so that the temperature inside the vehicle 30 is at an appropriate temperature at the predicted departure time. After that, the operation of system 1 ends.

[0027] As one variation, the control unit 11 may further acquire humidity information indicating the humidity outside the vehicle 30 and, based on the humidity information, further determine whether the humidity at the predicted user departure time will be more than or equal to a second predetermined value from the second threshold. The second threshold is, for example, 50%, and the second predetermined value is, for example, 10%. The second threshold and the second predetermined value may be set in advance and stored in the storage unit 12. The control unit 11 may receive the humidity information from the vehicle 30 or acquire it from a server device that provides weather information. If the control unit 11 determines that the humidity will be more than or equal to the second predetermined value, it transmits humidity adjustment suggestion information to the terminal device 20, suggesting that the vehicle 30 be instructed to control the air conditioning system 36 of the vehicle 30. The humidity adjustment suggestion information includes a suggestion to have the air conditioning system 36 perform its humidification or dehumidification function so that the humidity inside the vehicle 30 is at an appropriate humidity level, less than the second predetermined value from the second threshold at the departure time. If the control unit 11 determines that the humidity will not be more than or equal to the second predetermined value, it does not need to transmit the humidity adjustment suggestion information to the terminal device 20. The control unit 11, similar to the embodiment described above, may predict the time required for the humidity inside the vehicle 30 to reach a suitable humidity level, which is within a predetermined value from a threshold, using the air conditioning system 36, and may transmit humidity adjustment suggestion information to the terminal device 20 at a time calculated by the required time prior to the predicted departure time. Upon receiving the humidity adjustment suggestion information, the terminal device 20 outputs the humidity adjustment suggestion information via the input / output unit, and upon receiving a user instruction via the input / output unit, transmits an instruction to control the air conditioning system 36 to the vehicle 30. When an instruction is received from the terminal device 20, the control unit 31 of the vehicle 30 operates the air conditioning system 36. Specifically, the air conditioning system 36 may convert water supplied from a tank into steam and diffuse the steam with a fan to raise the humidity inside the vehicle 30 to a suitable humidity level. Alternatively, the air conditioning system 36 may operate a compressor, condense the water vapor with an evaporator, and circulate the dehumidified air with a fan to lower the humidity inside the vehicle 30 to a suitable humidity level.

[0028] While this disclosure has been described based on the drawings and embodiments, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may 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 included in each component or step can be rearranged in a logically consistent manner, and multiple components or steps can be combined into one or separated. For example, instead of the terminal device 20, the control device 10 may transmit instructions to the vehicle 30 for the control of the air conditioning system 36. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0029] 1: System, 10: Control device, 11: Control unit, 12: Memory unit, 13: Communication unit, 20: Terminal device, 30: Vehicle, 31: Control unit, 32: Memory unit, 33: Communication unit, 34: Positioning unit, 35: Sensor unit, 36: Air conditioning unit, 40: Network

Claims

1. A system comprising a control device, a terminal device, and a vehicle, The control device is The system receives temperature information indicating the outside temperature of the vehicle detected by the outside temperature sensor installed in the vehicle, and location information indicating the location of the vehicle, Based on the location information, the departure time when the user boards the vehicle and departs is predicted. Based on the temperature information, the terminal device is determined to determine whether the outside temperature at the predicted departure time deviates from a threshold by a predetermined value or more, and if it is determined that it does, it is determined to send suggestion information to the vehicle before the departure time, proposing to send an instruction to control the vehicle's air conditioning system. The aforementioned terminal device is The proposed information is received from the control device, and the proposed information is output to the user. Upon receiving a user instruction for the control of the air conditioning system, the system transmits an instruction for the control of the air conditioning system to the vehicle. The aforementioned vehicle is When an instruction to control the air conditioning system is received from the terminal device, the air conditioning system is controlled by: system.

2. A control device comprising a communication unit for communicating with vehicles and terminal devices, and a control unit, The control unit, Temperature information indicating the outside temperature of the vehicle and location information indicating the location of the vehicle are acquired. Based on the location information, the departure time when the user boards the vehicle and departs is predicted. Based on the temperature information, it is determined whether the outside temperature at the predicted departure time will deviate from a first threshold by a first predetermined value or more, and if it is determined that it will deviate, proposal information is transmitted to the terminal device via the communication unit, suggesting that an instruction to control the vehicle's air conditioning system be sent to the vehicle before the departure time. Control device.

3. A control device according to claim 2, The control unit predicts the time required for the temperature inside the vehicle to fall below the first threshold value by the air conditioning system based on the temperature information, and transmits the proposed information to the terminal device at a time calculated by the required time prior to the departure time.

4. A control device according to claim 2 or 3, The control unit further acquires humidity information indicating the humidity outside the vehicle, and based on the humidity information, determines whether the humidity at the departure time is more than or equal to a second predetermined value from a second threshold, and if it determines that it is, transmits the proposed information to the terminal device.

5. A control device according to claim 2 or 3, The control unit, We obtain information on the average length of stay for each location, Based on the location information and the length of stay information, predict the departure time. Control device.

Images