Vehicle information control device, in-vehicle system, and driver assistance function information transmission device

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle information control device, an in-vehicle system, and a driver assistance function information transmission device that can avoid situations in which driver assistance functions become unavailable despite the vehicle being in a driving state where their use is permitted. [Solution] The vehicle information control unit 3B of the vehicle information control device 3, which is connected to the vehicle ECU 2 and the in-vehicle display device 4, is equipped with a specific road information transmission unit 34. When the vehicle is in motion, provided that it is in TV mode, the specific road information transmission unit 34 transmits road type information (specific road information) to the vehicle ECU 2 to enable the use of the driving assistance function. Alternatively, when the vehicle is in motion, provided that predetermined conditions for transmitting specific road information are met, the specific road information transmission unit 34 transmits specific road information to the vehicle ECU 2. This allows the driving assistance function to be used continuously.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle information control device, an in-vehicle system, and a driving support function information transmitting device. In particular, the present invention relates to an improvement for effectively using a driving support function mounted on a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, vehicles equipped with a driving support function are known. Examples of this driving support function include a radar cruise control function for following a preceding vehicle, a lane change assist function for performing steering assist when changing lanes to an adjacent lane, and an advanced drive function for maintaining a vehicle-to-vehicle distance according to traffic conditions (such as during traffic jams). These driving support functions are designed to operate on the condition that the vehicle is traveling on a specific road such as a highway or an automobile-only road. That is, the driving support function operates on the condition that the vehicle position data is recognized and the recognized position is on the specific road.

[0003] Also, the driving support function is not limited to the above-mentioned ones (those that operate when traveling on a specific road). For example, there are also those that operate not only on specific roads but also on general roads and parking lots, such as a collision mitigation brake function, a misstart suppression function, a pedestrian accident reduction steering function, a road departure suppression function, a preceding vehicle start notification function, a sign recognition function, a parking support function, etc.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Incidentally, the aforementioned driver assistance functions require, among other things, that the various information input to the vehicle's ECU (such as road information and vehicle position information) is accurate, and that there are no malfunctions (for example, system errors within the in-vehicle navigation system) in the various devices that transmit and receive information with the vehicle's ECU. For this reason, if there is error information or mismatched information (where multiple pieces of information are inconsistent) in this input information, or if a malfunction occurs in any of the devices, the vehicle's ECU may disable the driver assistance functions as a result.

[0006] For example, if a TV canceller (a device for enabling TV viewing while the vehicle is in motion) as disclosed in Patent Document 2 is installed, the vehicle speed signal and GPS signal will be input to the in-vehicle navigation system. However, when driving in TV mode (a mode that enables TV viewing while the vehicle is in motion), the vehicle speed signal indicates that the vehicle is stopped, while the GPS signal indicates that the vehicle is in motion. An error may occur due to the mismatch between these vehicle speed signals and GPS signals, which may result in the driver assistance functions becoming unusable.

[0007] Furthermore, when this TV canceller is installed, the vehicle speed signal and GPS signal are controlled, which can cause the in-car navigation system to misinterpret the vehicle's position, resulting in the transmission of incorrect vehicle position information and incorrect road information to the vehicle's ECU (for example, road information indicating that the vehicle is driving on a general road is sent to the vehicle's ECU even though it is actually driving on the aforementioned specific road). This can lead to the disabling of driver assistance functions (driver assistance functions that become available when driving on a specific road). In addition, there are cases where driver assistance functions become available because road information indicating that the vehicle is driving on the aforementioned specific road is sent to the vehicle's ECU even though it is not actually driving on that road.

[0008] Furthermore, in-car navigation systems require regular map information updates, but if these updates are not performed, incorrect road information may be sent to the vehicle's ECU, rendering the driver assistance functions unusable. In particular, some recent in-car navigation systems are subscription-based, and in these cases, the navigation system becomes unusable unless the map information is updated. Therefore, if the map information is not updated, the driver assistance functions will also become unusable. Moreover, due to the transmission of incorrect road information to the vehicle's ECU, the driver assistance functions may be made available even in environments where they should not be usable.

[0009] Furthermore, in cases where road information cannot be accurately obtained due to GPS signal reception sensitivity, noise, or problems specific to the in-vehicle navigation system, driver assistance functions may be disabled or enabled.

[0010] Furthermore, the situations in which the driver assistance functions are disabled or enabled are not limited to those described above.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle information control device, an in-vehicle system, and a driver assistance function information transmission device that can avoid improper processing of the use / non-use of driver assistance functions (for example, avoiding situations in which driver assistance functions become unusable despite the environment or driving conditions allowing the use of driver assistance functions, and / or situations in which driver assistance functions become usable despite the environment or driving conditions not allowing the use of driver assistance functions). [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The present invention provides a solution for achieving the above objectives, which is based on a vehicle information control device provided in a system having a vehicle control device that switches the use of a vehicle's driver assistance function on or off based on the type of road the vehicle is traveling on as a switching condition. The vehicle information control device is configured to transmit information about the type of road, which enables the use of the driver assistance function, to the vehicle control device, provided that the vehicle is in at least television mode, which allows television viewing, while the vehicle is in motion.

[0013] This specific condition means that when the vehicle is in TV mode while driving, information about the type of road is transmitted to the vehicle control unit, which is a condition for enabling the use of the driver assistance functions. Therefore, the driver assistance functions can be used even in situations where errors due to being in TV mode may occur, or even when such errors have occurred.

[0014] Another solution involves a vehicle information control device provided in a system that has a vehicle control device that switches the use of the vehicle's driver assistance functions on or off based on the type of road the vehicle is traveling on. This vehicle information control device is characterized in that, while the vehicle is traveling, it transmits information about the type of road to the vehicle control device, on the condition that predetermined specific road information transmission conditions are met, in order to enable the driver assistance functions.

[0015] In this case, compared to constantly transmitting road type information to the vehicle control device, it is possible to optimize the period over which such information is transmitted and to suppress the unnecessary transmission of such information.

[0016] The following are some examples of the conditions for transmitting specific road information.

[0017] First, for an in-vehicle display device that can communicate with a vehicle information control device, the vehicle speed pulse signal and / or the vehicle speed signal on the in-vehicle network, as well as the GPS signal, are provided with the vehicle speed pulse signal and / or the vehicle speed signal on the in-vehicle network, respectively. The conditions for transmitting specific road information are defined as the occurrence of an error resulting from the vehicle speed pulse signal and / or the vehicle speed signal on the in-vehicle network being stopped and the GPS signal being moved.

[0018] According to this, if an error occurs due to a mismatch between the vehicle speed signal and the GPS signal, information about the type of road necessary to enable the driver assistance function will be transmitted to the vehicle control unit. This will prevent the driver assistance function from becoming unusable due to the aforementioned error, and will also allow for optimization of the period over which information about the type of road necessary to enable the driver assistance function is transmitted.

[0019] Furthermore, the conditions for transmitting specific road information may be set to acquire unique information that is obtained only when driving on a type of road on which the driving assistance function should be used.

[0020] When the types of roads on which driver assistance functions should be enabled are defined as expressways and motorways, the aforementioned specific information includes information such as that the vehicle has passed through an ETC (Electronic Toll Collections) gate (entrance gate, etc.) and that it has recognized a directional sign on the expressway. However, this is merely an example, and there is other types of specific information as well. By transmitting information about the type of road on which driver assistance functions should be enabled to the vehicle control unit when such specific information is acquired, the reliability of the determination that the driver assistance functions should be used can be greatly increased.

[0021] Furthermore, the conditions for transmitting specific road information may be defined as the vehicle traveling a predetermined distance at or above a predetermined speed, or the vehicle traveling for a predetermined time at or above a predetermined speed.

[0022] As described above, when the types of roads for which the driving support function should be used are expressways or motorways, when driving on this type of road, the vehicle has few opportunities to stop, and it will be in a situation where it travels a predetermined distance at a predetermined vehicle speed or higher, or travels for a predetermined time at a predetermined vehicle speed or higher. By setting this as a specific road information transmission condition and transmitting information on the type of road for enabling the driving support function to the vehicle control device, it is possible to highly obtain the reliability of the determination that it is a situation where the driving support function should be used.

[0023] Also, when the specific road information transmission condition is not satisfied, the information on the type of road for enabling the driving support function, which has been transmitted to the vehicle control device, may be controlled based on at least the information on the in-vehicle network.

[0024] For example, when the specific road information transmission condition is not satisfied, in view of the fact that it is no longer a situation where the driving support function is used, the transmission of the information on the type of road for enabling the driving support function is stopped, or the information on the type of road for making the driving support function unavailable is transmitted. Thereby, the transmission of the information on the type of road for enabling the driving support function can be controlled at an appropriate timing according to the situation.

[0025] As a situation where it is necessary to transmit the information on the type of road for making the driving support function unavailable, for example, when a TV canceler controls a vehicle speed signal, a GPS signal, etc. and transmits them to an in-vehicle display device, or when the map information of the in-vehicle display device is incorrect, although the driving support function is actually unavailable, incorrect vehicle position information or incorrect road information indicating that it is available may be transmitted. Also in this case, based on the information on the in-vehicle network, a signal for making the driving support function unavailable can be transmitted.

[0026] In addition, when a condition for displaying a message is satisfied because one or both of a vehicle speed pulse signal provided to an in-vehicle display device capable of communicating with a vehicle information control device and a vehicle speed signal on an in-vehicle network indicate a stop of the vehicle, and a GPS signal provided to the in-vehicle display device indicates travel of the vehicle, information for making the message non-display may be transmitted to the vehicle control device.

[0027] According to this specific matter, when the condition for displaying the message is satisfied, by transmitting information for making the message non-display to the vehicle control device, it is possible to avoid the message being displayed (for example, the message is displayed on the meter panel).

[0028] Further, the technical idea of the present invention does not necessarily require a vehicle information control device (a device for enabling television viewing during travel of the vehicle). Therefore, as a solution means for achieving the above object without necessarily requiring this vehicle information control device, the following configurations are listed.

[0029] Assume an in-vehicle system having a vehicle control device that switches the use / non-use of a driving support function of a vehicle. And this in-vehicle system is provided with a driving support function information transmission unit that transmits driving support function information for enabling the driving support function to the vehicle control device on condition that at least one of information output from in-vehicle devices and information related to the state of the in-vehicle devices includes error information or inaccurate information.

[0030] According to this invention specific matter, even when at least one of information output from in-vehicle devices and information related to the state of the in-vehicle devices includes error information or inaccurate information (even in a situation where a process of disabling the use of the driving support function is performed conventionally), the driving support function can be made usable by transmitting the driving support function information from the driving support function information transmission unit to the vehicle control device.

[0031] Furthermore, as an alternative solution that does not require a vehicle information control device, the system is based on an in-vehicle system having a vehicle control device that switches the use of the vehicle's driver assistance functions on and off. This in-vehicle system is characterized by having a driver assistance function information transmission unit that has the function of transmitting driver assistance function information to the vehicle control device in order to enable the driver assistance functions.

[0032] According to the features of this invention, regardless of whether the information output by the in-vehicle equipment and the information relating to the status of said in-vehicle equipment contain error information or inaccurate information, the driver assistance function can be made available by transmitting the driver assistance function information from the driver assistance function information transmission unit to the vehicle control unit.

[0033] Furthermore, as an alternative solution that does not require a vehicle information control device, the system is based on an in-vehicle system having a vehicle control device that switches the use of the vehicle's driver assistance functions on and off. This in-vehicle system is characterized by comprising: an information determination unit that determines whether or not to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle control device if the information output by each of the multiple in-vehicle devices and the information relating to the status of each of the multiple in-vehicle devices contain error information or inaccurate information relating to some of the in-vehicle devices, based on the information output by the other in-vehicle devices; and a driver assistance function information transmission unit that transmits the driver assistance function information to the vehicle control device when the information determination unit determines that it should transmit the driver assistance function information.

[0034] According to the features of this invention, even if error information or inaccurate information related to some in-vehicle devices is included, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not to enable the driver assistance function based on the information output by the other in-vehicle devices. Only when it is determined that the driver assistance function should be enabled, driver assistance function information to enable the driver assistance function is transmitted to the vehicle control unit, and only when it is determined that the driver assistance function should be disabled, driver assistance function information to disable the driver assistance function is transmitted to the vehicle control unit, thereby achieving high system reliability.

[0035] The following configuration can be given for transmitting driver assistance function information to a vehicle control device in order to disable this driver assistance function. In other words, it is assumed that there is an in-vehicle system having a vehicle control device that switches the use of the vehicle's driver assistance function on or off. This in-vehicle system is characterized in that it includes a driver assistance function information transmission unit that transmits information to the vehicle control device in order to disable the driver assistance function when the driver assistance function is enabled due to at least one of the information output by the in-vehicle device and the information relating to the status of the in-vehicle device being error information or inaccurate information, and the driver assistance function should be disabled.

[0036] This also contributes to achieving a high level of system reliability.

[0037] Furthermore, the present invention also falls within the scope of technical ideas for a driver assistance function information transmission device that includes at least the driver assistance function information transmission unit provided in the aforementioned in-vehicle system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0038] This invention makes it possible to avoid situations where the processing of using / not using the driver assistance function is performed improperly. For example, it makes it possible to avoid situations where the driver assistance function becomes unavailable even though the environment or driving conditions allow for its use, and thus the driver assistance function can be used. And / or, it makes it possible to avoid situations where the driver assistance function becomes available even though the environment or driving conditions do not allow for its use. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0039] [Figure 1] This block diagram shows the schematic configuration of the entire in-vehicle audio system, including the vehicle information control device, according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart illustrating the information processing procedure in the vehicle information control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This block diagram shows the schematic configuration of the entire in-vehicle audio system, including the vehicle information control device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart illustrating the information processing procedure in the vehicle information control device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 5] This block diagram shows the schematic configuration of the entire in-vehicle audio system, including the vehicle information control device, according to the third embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart illustrating the information processing procedure in the vehicle information control device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 7] This block diagram shows a first example in which a configuration enabling navigation during TV mode is applied to an in-car audio system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] This block diagram shows a second example in which a configuration enabling navigation during TV mode is applied to the in-car audio system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] This block diagram shows the schematic configuration of the entire in-vehicle audio system, including the vehicle information control device, according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 10]This block diagram shows the schematic configuration of the entire in-vehicle audio system, including the vehicle information control device, according to the sixth embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0040] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the description will be based on the case where the type of road on which the driver assistance function should be usable is a specific road such as an expressway or an expressway. Furthermore, this embodiment will describe the case in which CAN-BUS (Controller Area Network-BUS) communication is adopted as the form of in-vehicle communication. However, the form of in-vehicle communication is not limited to CAN-BUS communication; in-vehicle network signals such as AVC-LAN (Audio Visual Communication-Local Area Network) or LIN (Local Interconnect Network) may also be adopted.

[0041] -First Embodiment- First, the first embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the overall schematic configuration of the in-vehicle audio system 1 including the vehicle information control device 3 according to this embodiment. The in-vehicle audio system 1 is configured such that the vehicle ECU 2, the vehicle information control device 3, and the in-vehicle display device (also called a display audio) 4 are connected by signal lines. Figure 1 shows an excerpt of the in-vehicle audio system 1 including the vehicle information control device 3, specifically the configuration that enables viewing and operation of the in-vehicle display device 4 even while the vehicle is in motion, and the configuration of the feature parts of the present invention.

[0042] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle ECU 2, vehicle information control device 3, and in-vehicle display device 4 are connected as follows: The vehicle ECU 2 and the vehicle information control device 3 are connected by CAN signal lines L1 and L2, enabling the transmission or reception of signals from the vehicle ECU 2 to the vehicle information control device 3. The vehicle information control device 3 and the in-vehicle display device 4 are connected by CAN signal lines L3 and L4, enabling the transmission or reception of signals from the vehicle information control device 3 to the in-vehicle display device 4. Furthermore, the vehicle ECU 2 and the in-vehicle display device 4 are connected by signal line L5, enabling the vehicle ECU 2 to transmit other signals (signals other than vehicle speed) to the in-vehicle display device 4. Signal lines L2, L4, and L5 may be analog signal lines or digital signal lines.

[0043] (Vehicle ECU) The vehicle ECU2 is a computer that controls the vehicle. Generally, a single vehicle is equipped with multiple vehicle ECUs, and the vehicle ECU2 in Figure 1 corresponds to a collection of these multiple vehicle ECUs. The vehicle ECU2 includes a CAN signal transmission unit 21 and a vehicle speed signal transmission unit 22 as transmission units for various signals.

[0044] The CAN signal transmission unit 21 is connected to the vehicle information control device 3 via the CAN signal line L1, and is configured to transmit or receive various vehicle information from the vehicle ECU 2 to the vehicle information control device 3 as digital signals. Since various vehicle ECUs for controlling the vehicle are connected to the CAN-BUS, the communication data on the CAN-BUS contains all kinds of vehicle information. For example, it includes information such as the operating status of the various control devices installed in the vehicle.

[0045] The vehicle speed signal transmission unit 22 is configured to transmit a vehicle speed signal (vehicle speed pulse) from the vehicle ECU 2 to the vehicle information control device 3. The transmission path for this vehicle speed signal is signal line L2. Alternatively, the transmission path for this vehicle speed signal may use the CAN signal line L1, or both signal lines may be used in combination.

[0046] Furthermore, the vehicle ECU2 is connected to the driver assistance ECU7 via the CAN signal line L7. This driver assistance ECU7 is connected to a camera sensor, a radar sensor, and a setting control unit (not shown), and receives information about the vehicle's surroundings acquired by the camera sensor and radar sensor. When driver assistance is turned ON by operating the setting control unit, or when other conditions are met, the driver assistance ECU7 detects the vehicle's surroundings and provides driver assistance according to those conditions. Examples of this driver assistance include well-known radar cruise control, lane change assist, lane tracing assist, and road sign assist. The driver assistance provided by the driver assistance ECU7 is not limited to these, and various conventionally known driver assistance systems can be applied.

[0047] Furthermore, these driving assistance functions are designed to operate on the condition that the vehicle is traveling on a specific road, such as an expressway or motorway (corresponding to the use / non-use of the vehicle's driving assistance functions as a switching condition, at least based on the type of road the vehicle is traveling on). In other words, the vehicle's position data is recognized, and the driving assistance functions are activated on the condition that the recognized position is on the aforementioned specific road. Other conditions for using the driving assistance functions include the vehicle speed being above a predetermined value, and the length of the lane boundary line on the road (length in the direction along the extension of the road) being as defined for the aforementioned specific road.

[0048] (Vehicle Information Control System) The vehicle information control device 3 is a device that transmits or receives signals from the vehicle ECU 2 to the in-vehicle display device 4, in response to signals transmitted or received from the vehicle ECU 2, information necessary to satisfy the conditions for viewing and operating the in-vehicle display device 4 while driving (information in TV mode) and information for recognizing the position of the vehicle (information in normal mode (original state in which TV viewing is restricted while the vehicle is in motion)).

[0049] Furthermore, an LED switch 6 is connected to the vehicle information control device 3 by a signal line L6. The LED switch 6 is installed inside the vehicle and operated by the occupant, and is used to switch the mode of the in-vehicle audio system 1, which includes the vehicle information control device 3, between TV mode and normal mode. Alternatively, the TV mode and normal mode may be switched by operating the steering wheel switches instead of the LED switch 6.

[0050] The vehicle information control device 3 includes a TV canceller unit 3A and a vehicle information control unit 3B, which are functional units realized by a control program stored in a built-in storage medium such as ROM. The TV canceller unit 3A is a functional unit that transmits information to the in-vehicle display device 4 to satisfy the conditions necessary to enable viewing and operation of the in-vehicle display device 4 while driving in TV mode. The vehicle information control unit 3B is a functional unit that transmits information about the type of road (hereinafter sometimes referred to as specific road information) to the vehicle ECU2, provided that the vehicle is in TV mode, in order to enable the use of the driver assistance functions. Details of this transmitted information will be described later.

[0051] More specifically, the TV canceller unit 3A includes a signal transmission / reception unit 31 and a signal control unit 32 as functional units realized by the control program. On the other hand, the vehicle information control unit 3B includes an LED switch signal input / output unit 33 and a specific road information transmission unit 34 as functional units realized by the control program. The general functions of each of these units 31 to 34 will be described below.

[0052] The signal transmission / reception unit 31 receives various vehicle information transmitted from the CAN signal transmission unit 21 of the vehicle ECU 2 via the CAN signal line L1 and is also capable of receiving vehicle speed pulse information from the vehicle speed signal transmission unit 22 via the signal line L2. The signal transmission / reception unit 31 may also receive vehicle speed information via the CAN signal line L1. Furthermore, this signal transmission / reception unit 31 is capable of transmitting signals (such as vehicle speed signals) controlled by the signal control unit 32 to the in-vehicle display device 4 via the CAN signal line L3 or signal line L4.

[0053] When the mode of the in-vehicle audio system 1 is set to TV mode, the signal control unit 32 converts the signals received by the signal transmission / reception unit 31 from the vehicle ECU 2 (for example, a vehicle speed signal such as a vehicle speed pulse signal or a CAN-BUS signal, and a parking brake signal) into signals that enable viewing and operation on the in-vehicle display device 4 while driving. Specifically, the vehicle speed signal is converted into a signal indicating that the vehicle is stopped, and the parking brake signal is converted into a signal indicating that the parking brake is engaged (in a braking state). These signals are then transmitted from the signal transmission / reception unit 31 to the in-vehicle display device 4. Note that the parking brake signal is not limited to being received by the TV canceller unit 3A via CAN communication; it may also be received by the TV canceller unit 3A as an analog signal from a parking brake signal generator.

[0054] Furthermore, the signal control unit 32 has a function to transmit the vehicle speed signal (or the vehicle speed signal on the CAN-BUS) received from the vehicle speed signal transmission unit 22 via the signal transmission / reception unit 31 to the signal transmission / reception unit 31 without conversion when a request to switch from TV mode to normal mode occurs while driving in TV mode. In other words, in this case, the process of transmitting the vehicle speed signal to the in-vehicle display device 4 is performed (corresponding to the provision of either or both of the vehicle speed pulse signal and the vehicle speed signal on the in-vehicle network in this invention).

[0055] The LED switch signal input / output unit 33 receives operation information from the LED switch 6. For example, if the LED switch 6 is operated while the in-car audio system 1 is in normal mode, the LED switch signal is input to the LED switch signal input / output unit 33, switching it to TV mode. On the other hand, if the LED switch 6 is operated while the in-car audio system 1 is in TV mode, the LED switch signal is input to the LED switch signal input / output unit 33, switching it back to normal mode.

[0056] As mentioned above, when driving in TV mode, the vehicle speed signal (vehicle speed pulse signal or CAN-BUS signal) input to the in-vehicle display device 4 indicates that the vehicle is stopped, while the GPS signal indicates that the vehicle is moving. An error may occur due to this mismatch between the vehicle speed signal and the GPS signal. If this error occurs, the vehicle's position data on the CAN-BUS becomes inaccurate (the information on the type of road the vehicle is traveling on becomes inaccurate), which could lead to a situation where the driver assistance functions become unusable even when driving on certain roads such as highways or expressways (because the conditions for using the driver assistance functions are not met due to the inability to accurately recognize the vehicle's position data). If such an error occurs, the mode of the in-vehicle audio system 1 switches to GPS mode, in which the vehicle's position is recognized only by the GPS signal while driving.

[0057] This embodiment includes a specific road information transmission unit 34 to avoid a situation in which the driver assistance function becomes unusable despite driving on a specific road. This specific road information transmission unit 34 is a functional unit that, under the condition that the vehicle is in TV mode, transmits road information (specific road information) to the vehicle ECU2 to enable the driver assistance function. In other words, as mentioned above, when driving in TV mode, the vehicle speed signal indicates that the vehicle is stopped, while the GPS signal indicates that the vehicle is moving. The mismatch between these vehicle speed signals and GPS signals can cause the vehicle's position data on the CAN-BUS to become inaccurate (the information on the type of road the vehicle is traveling on becomes inaccurate), potentially leading to a situation in which the driver assistance function becomes unusable despite driving on a specific road such as an expressway or motorway. However, in this embodiment, under the condition that the vehicle is in TV mode, the specific road information transmission unit 34 transmits specific road information, that is, information indicating that the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a specific road such as an expressway or motorway, to the vehicle ECU2. The transmission path for specific road information from the specific road information transmission unit 34 to the vehicle ECU 2 may be either the CAN signal line L1 or the signal line L2. As a result, the vehicle ECU 2 recognizes that the road the vehicle is traveling on is a specific road on which the driver assistance function should be used, and if other conditions (such as the aforementioned vehicle speed conditions and the conditions for the length of the lane boundary lines on the road) are also met, it transmits information to the driver assistance ECU 7 to perform driver assistance. This ensures that the driver assistance function can continue to be used even in situations where errors may occur due to being in TV mode, or when such errors have occurred.

[0058] (In-vehicle display device) The in-vehicle display device 4 receives GPS information (vehicle position information) signals (GPS signals) acquired by a GPS antenna 8 that receives radio waves from artificial satellites (not shown). The in-vehicle display device 4 also includes a navigation unit 41, a display 42, a TV tuner 43, a vehicle speed signal receiver 44, and the like.

[0059] The navigation unit 41 has a known navigation function that allows the occupant to set a route to a destination by operating the in-vehicle display device 4. The display 42 displays map information of the set route and television images when watching television. The television tuner 43 is connected to a television antenna (not shown) and, according to the user's selection, selects the channel of the target broadcasting station from among multiple television broadcast waves received by the television antenna, and transmits image data indicating the broadcast content based on the selected television broadcast wave to the display 42. The vehicle speed signal receiving unit 44 is capable of receiving a vehicle speed pulse signal via the vehicle speed signal line L4. The vehicle speed signal receiving unit 44 may also receive a vehicle speed signal from the CAN signal line L3. Furthermore, the vehicle speed information input to this vehicle speed signal receiving unit 44 is not limited to signals from the vehicle information control device 3 described above, but may also be received from other devices.

[0060] (Information processing procedure) Next, the information processing procedure in the vehicle information control device 3 according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 2. This flowchart is repeated while the vehicle is in motion (while the vehicle speed is above a predetermined value).

[0061] First, in step ST1, it is determined whether the mode of the in-car audio system 1 is TV mode or not. This determination is made, for example, by detecting that the LED switch 6 has been operated when the mode of the in-car audio system 1 is normal mode (detecting that there has been a request to switch to TV mode).

[0062] If the mode of the in-vehicle audio system 1 is TV mode and YES is determined in step ST1, the process moves to step ST2, where the signal control unit 32 of the TV canceller unit 3A converts the signals received by the signal transmission / reception unit 31 from the vehicle ECU 2 (for example, a vehicle speed signal such as a vehicle speed pulse signal or CAN-BUS signal, and a parking brake signal) into signals that enable viewing and operation on the in-vehicle display device 4 while driving. Specifically, the vehicle speed signal is converted into a signal indicating that the vehicle is stopped, and the parking brake signal is converted into a signal indicating that the parking brake is engaged. These signals are then transmitted from the signal transmission / reception unit 31 to the in-vehicle display device 4.

[0063] In step ST3, information about the road that enables the driver assistance functions (specific road information) is sent to the vehicle ECU2. In other words, information is sent to the vehicle ECU2 indicating that the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a specific road, such as a highway or an expressway. This allows the driver assistance functions to continue to be used even in situations where errors caused by being in TV mode may occur, or when such errors have occurred.

[0064] On the other hand, if the mode of the in-vehicle audio system 1 is not TV mode and is determined to be NO in step ST1, the process moves to step ST4, and without performing any conversion of the vehicle speed signal by the signal control unit 32 of the TV canceller unit 3A (such as conversion to a signal indicating that the vehicle is stopped), a signal corresponding to the actual vehicle speed is transmitted from the signal transmission / reception unit 31 to the in-vehicle display device 4.

[0065] Then, in step ST5, if road information (specific road information) that enables the driver assistance functions has been sent to the vehicle ECU2, the transmission of this specific road information is stopped. In other words, since the vehicle is not in TV mode, the aforementioned error will not occur, and the situation will not lead to inaccurate vehicle position data on the CAN-BUS (a situation in which the driver assistance functions will not be disabled even when driving on specific roads such as expressways or highways), the transmission of the specific road information is stopped. The above operations are repeated.

[0066] (Effects of the embodiment) As explained above, in this embodiment, when the in-vehicle audio system 1 is in TV mode while the vehicle is in motion, road type information (specific road information) is transmitted to the vehicle ECU2 on the condition that the driver assistance functions are enabled. Therefore, the driver assistance functions can continue to be used even in situations where errors may occur due to being in TV mode, or when such errors have occurred.

[0067] -Second Embodiment- Next, a second embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the conditions for transmitting specific road information to the vehicle ECU2 differ from those of the first embodiment described above. The other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, so here we will mainly describe the differences from the first embodiment.

[0068] (In-car audio system configuration) Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating the overall schematic configuration of the in-vehicle audio system 1, including the vehicle information control device 3 according to this embodiment. In the in-vehicle audio system 1 according to this embodiment, the vehicle ECU 2, the vehicle information control device 3, and the in-vehicle display device 4 are connected by signal lines.

[0069] The configuration and operation of the vehicle ECU2 are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

[0070] The in-vehicle display device 4 includes the aforementioned navigation unit 41, display 42, TV tuner 43, and vehicle speed signal receiving unit 44, as well as an error information transmission unit 45. Furthermore, the vehicle information control unit 3B of the vehicle information control device 3 includes the aforementioned LED switch signal input / output unit 33 and specific road information transmission unit 34, as well as an error information receiving unit 35.

[0071] The error information transmission unit 45 has the function of outputting error information (error flag) on ​​the CAN-BAS when the aforementioned error (an error caused by a mismatch between the vehicle speed signal and the GPS signal in TV mode) occurs. In this situation where error information is output on the CAN-BAS, the road information on the CAN-BAS is inaccurate (inaccurate road information).

[0072] On the other hand, the error information receiving unit 35 has the function of receiving the error information when it is output on the CAN-BAS and outputting it to the specific road information transmitting unit 34. The specific road information transmitting unit 34 then transmits road information (specific road information) to the vehicle ECU2 in order to enable the driver assistance function, provided that this error information has been input. In other words, the specific road information transmitting unit 34 transmits specific road information to the vehicle ECU2, that is, information indicating that the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a specific road such as an expressway or an automobile road. As a result, the vehicle ECU2 recognizes that the road the vehicle is traveling on is a specific road on which the driver assistance function should be used, and if other conditions are also met, it transmits information to the driver assistance ECU7 to enable driver assistance. For this reason, the occurrence of the aforementioned error is the "specific road information transmission condition (a condition for transmitting information about the type of road to the vehicle ECU2 in order to enable the driver assistance function)" in this invention. This ensures that the driver assistance function can be used continuously even when an error occurs due to being in TV mode.

[0073] (Information processing procedure) Next, the information processing procedure in the vehicle information control device 3 according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 4. This flowchart is also repeated while the vehicle is in motion.

[0074] First, in step ST11, it is determined whether the error information receiving unit 35 has received error information. In other words, an error occurs due to a mismatch between the vehicle speed signal and the GPS signal, and this error information is output from the error information transmitting unit 45 onto the CAN-BAS, and it is determined whether the error information receiving unit 35 has received this error information.

[0075] If the error information receiving unit 35 has received error information and the determination in step ST11 is YES, the process moves to step ST12, where the inaccurate information (inaccurate road information) output from the in-vehicle display device 4 is rewritten with specific road information (information indicating that the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a specific road such as a highway or an expressway). Rewriting here includes the concept of overwriting. Then, in step ST13, this rewritten specific road information is transmitted to the vehicle ECU2. In other words, information indicating that the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a specific road such as a highway or an expressway is transmitted to the vehicle ECU2. As a result, even if the aforementioned error caused by being in TV mode occurs, the driver assistance function can continue to be used.

[0076] On the other hand, if the error information receiving unit 35 has not received any error information and a NO determination is made in step ST11, the process moves to step ST14, where the rewriting of road information (rewriting to specific road information) is stopped. In step ST15, if specific road information has been transmitted to the vehicle ECU2, the transmission of this specific road information is stopped. In other words, considering that no errors have occurred due to being in TV mode, and that the situation does not lead to inaccurate vehicle position data on the CAN-BUS (i.e., a situation where the driver assistance functions are not disabled despite driving on a specific road such as an expressway or motorway), the transmission of specific road information is stopped. The above operations are repeated.

[0077] (Effects of the embodiment) As described above, in this embodiment, when an error occurs due to a mismatch between the vehicle speed signal and the GPS signal, information about the type of road that enables the driver assistance function is transmitted to the vehicle ECU2. This makes it possible to prevent the driver assistance function from becoming unusable due to the aforementioned error, and to optimize the period for transmitting the information about the type of road that enables the driver assistance function.

[0078] (Other examples of conditions for transmitting specific road information) In this embodiment, the case in which an error caused by a mismatch between a vehicle speed signal and a GPS signal is a condition for transmitting specific road information was described. Other conditions for transmitting specific road information may include the acquisition of unique information that is only acquired when driving on a type of road where the driver assistance function should be used (such as an expressway or motorway). For example, this could include information that the vehicle has passed through an ETC gate (such as passage information output to the CAN-BAS from an ETC unit not shown) or information that a guide sign on an expressway has been recognized (information that the presence of a guide sign has been recognized based on forward image information acquired by a camera sensor). The unique information is not limited to these, and various types of information that are not acquired on general roads but are acquired only on expressways or motorways can be cited. This makes it possible to obtain a high level of reliability in determining when the driver assistance function should be used.

[0079] Furthermore, specific road information transmission conditions include the vehicle traveling a predetermined distance at or above a predetermined speed, and the vehicle traveling at or above a predetermined speed for a predetermined time. In other words, when driving on expressways or motorways, vehicles have few opportunities to stop, and situations arise where they travel a predetermined distance at or above a predetermined speed, or travel at or above a predetermined speed for a predetermined time. Therefore, by transmitting specific road information based on these conditions, the reliability of the judgment that a situation should be met for using the driver assistance function can be increased. An example of a specific road information transmission condition for traveling a predetermined distance at or above a predetermined speed is driving 1 km at 60 km / h. An example of a specific road information transmission condition for driving at or above a predetermined speed for a predetermined time is driving 3 minutes at 60 km / h. These values ​​are not limited to these and can be set as appropriate.

[0080] Furthermore, as an application, if the system does not acquire specific information that is only obtained when driving on a type of road where the driver assistance function should be used (such as expressways or motorways), or if it acquires specific information that is only obtained when driving on a type of road where the driver assistance function should not be used (such as general roads), it is also possible to transmit specific road information that disables the driver assistance function.

[0081] This allows the driver assistance functions to be disabled even if the TV canceller causes the vehicle speed information and GPS signals to be received, or if the vehicle position information (own position information) becomes inaccurate due to a problem with the in-vehicle display device, and the system mistakenly recognizes that the vehicle is driving on a type of road where driver assistance functions should be used (such as a highway or expressway) when it is actually driving on a type of road where they should not be used (such as a general road).

[0082] -Third Embodiment- Next, a third embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the information processing when the aforementioned error occurs differs from that of the second embodiment described above. The other configurations and operations are the same as those of the second embodiment, so here we will mainly describe the differences from the second embodiment.

[0083] (In-car audio system configuration) Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the overall schematic configuration of the in-vehicle audio system 1, including the vehicle information control device 3 according to this embodiment. In the in-vehicle audio system 1 according to this embodiment, the vehicle ECU 2, the vehicle information control device 3, and the in-vehicle display device 4 are connected by signal lines.

[0084] The configuration and operation of the vehicle ECU2 and the in-vehicle display device 4 are the same as those of the second embodiment described above.

[0085] In addition to the aforementioned LED switch signal input / output unit 33, specific road information transmission unit 34, and error information reception unit 35, the vehicle information control unit 3B of the vehicle information control device 3 includes an information rewriting signal transmission unit 36.

[0086] The information rewriting signal transmission unit 36 ​​has the function of rewriting the error information (information with error flag = "1") output by the error information transmission unit 45 on the CAN-BAS to normal information (information with error flag = "0") and transmitting it to the vehicle ECU2 when a message is displayed on the meter panel due to the aforementioned error while driving in TV mode. The transmission path for this rewritten information may be either the CAN signal line L1 or the signal line L2. As a result, the error information will no longer exist as information on the CAN-BAS, and no message will be displayed on the meter panel. This will prevent the occupant from feeling uncomfortable or anxious. In addition, the visibility of the meter panel can be maintained well.

[0087] The timing for rewriting the error information can be either before the message is displayed on the meter panel following the occurrence of the aforementioned error, or at the moment the message is displayed on the meter panel. In the former case, the message will not be displayed on the meter panel. In the latter case, the message will be displayed on the meter panel briefly, but then it will be removed shortly afterward.

[0088] Furthermore, since the error flag switching process takes some time, if a request to switch back to normal mode is made by the occupant operating the LED switch 6 before this switching process is complete, and that operation is enabled to switch back to normal mode, a message may be displayed. This is because error information remains inside the in-vehicle display device 4.

[0089] Therefore, in this embodiment, during the execution of this process, information is provided to the occupants indicating that a mode switch is in progress. Specifically, information is provided to the occupants indicating that a mode switch is in progress. For example, a signal is sent to the LED switch 6 to cause it to light up or to change the color of the LED, or a signal is sent to the display 42 of the in-vehicle display device 4 to cause an image indicating that a mode switch is in progress to be displayed on the display 42. In addition, audio information indicating that a mode switch is in progress may be provided by an in-vehicle speaker or the like.

[0090] (Information processing procedure) Next, the information processing procedure in the vehicle information control device 3 according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6. This flowchart is also repeated while the vehicle is in motion. Here, only the steps that differ from those in Figure 4 used to explain the information processing operation procedure in the second embodiment described above will be explained.

[0091] In step ST13, after the rewritten specific road information is sent to the vehicle ECU2, the process moves to step ST16, where the error information (error flag = "1") output on the CAN-BAS is rewritten to normal information (error flag = "0") and sent to the vehicle ECU2. As a result, the error information no longer exists as information on the CAN-BAS, and no message is displayed on the meter panel. Alternatively, a message may be displayed on the meter panel, but then the message display will be cleared shortly thereafter.

[0092] (Effects of the embodiment) As explained above, in this embodiment, in addition to the effects of each embodiment described above (the ability to continue using the driving assistance function even in situations where an error may occur or when such an error has occurred), even if an error occurs due to a mismatch between the vehicle speed signal and the GPS signal, information that hides the message is sent to the vehicle ECU2, thereby preventing the message from being displayed.

[0093] In this embodiment, when a message is displayed on the meter panel due to the aforementioned error while driving in TV mode, the information rewriting signal transmission unit 36 ​​rewrites the error information and transmits it to the vehicle ECU2. However, instead, the error flag (information with error flag = "1") generated in the vehicle ECU2 when the error information is transmitted to the vehicle ECU2 may be overwritten (overwritten internally in the vehicle ECU2) with normal information (information with error flag = "0") from the information rewriting signal transmission unit 36, thereby preventing the message from being displayed on the meter panel.

[0094] -Example of enabling navigation while in TV mode- Next, we will describe an example of enabling navigation during TV mode, in addition to the configuration of the embodiments described above. Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the first example, and Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the second example. These figures show the case where the configuration enabling navigation during TV mode is applied to the in-vehicle audio system 1 according to the first embodiment, but it can also be applied to the in-vehicle audio system 1 according to the second embodiment or the in-vehicle audio system 1 according to the third embodiment.

[0095] In the configuration shown in Figure 7, the vehicle speed pulse generator 5 is connected to the vehicle ECU 2 and the in-vehicle display device 4 by signal lines L8 and L9. The connection between the vehicle speed pulse generator 5 and the vehicle ECU 2 and the in-vehicle display device 4 may be via analog signal lines or via CAN signal lines (including various signal lines on the in-vehicle network). When in TV mode, the vehicle speed pulse generator 5 modulates the vehicle speed pulse to include a pulse waveform representing vehicle stop information and transmits this information to the in-vehicle display device 4. This enables viewing and operation of the in-vehicle display device 4 due to the inclusion of vehicle stop information (a pulse waveform representing vehicle stop information), and also enables navigation due to the inclusion of a pulse waveform representing vehicle driving information.

[0096] Here, we will briefly explain the signal processing that enables viewing and operation while the vehicle is in motion. The vehicle speed signal from the vehicle speed pulse generator 5 is generated as a vehicle speed pulse, and is generated as a modulated waveform in which pulse waveforms representing vehicle speed information and pulse waveforms representing vehicle stop information appear alternately. In normal mode, the vehicle speed signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle display device 4 without conversion or modulation. As a result, the in-vehicle display device 4 can update the position of the vehicle by using this vehicle speed signal, and the deviation of the vehicle's position recognized by the in-vehicle display device 4 from the actual position is suppressed, and sufficient accuracy in vehicle position recognition is obtained. Note that the pulse width and pulse period of the vehicle speed signal change according to the vehicle speed.

[0097] On the other hand, in TV mode, the vehicle speed signal is converted and modulated and transmitted to the in-vehicle display device 4. The modulated vehicle speed signal is generated as a modulated waveform in which pulse waveforms representing vehicle speed information and pulse waveforms representing vehicle stop information appear alternately. For example, the ratio of the duration of the pulse waveform representing vehicle speed information to the duration of the pulse waveform representing vehicle stop information is set to approximately 1:2. In this case, the frequency of the pulse waveform representing vehicle speed information is set to three times the frequency of the pulse waveform corresponding to the actual vehicle speed, thereby suppressing the deviation of the vehicle's position recognized by the in-vehicle display device 4 from its actual position. The above ratio is not limited to this. This modulation of the vehicle speed pulse enables television viewing and navigation while the vehicle is in motion. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the embodiment described above.

[0098] Figure 8 shows a configuration in which a vehicle speed pulse generation unit 37, which has the same function as the vehicle speed pulse generator 5, is built into the vehicle information control device 3. In this example, the vehicle information control device 3 is capable of transmitting vehicle speed pulses from the vehicle speed pulse generation unit 37 to the on-board display device 4. The other configurations and operations are the same as those of the embodiment described above.

[0099] The same effects as those of the embodiments described above can be achieved in the examples shown in Figures 7 and 8.

[0100] -Fourth Embodiment- Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. The embodiments described above describe the case in which the present invention is applied to an in-vehicle audio system 1 equipped with a vehicle information control device 3 (a device for enabling television viewing while the vehicle is in motion). The technical concept of the present invention does not necessarily require the vehicle information control device 3.

[0101] As mentioned above, in the past, if there was error information or mismatched information in the input information to the vehicle ECU2, or if a malfunction occurred in any of the devices, the vehicle ECU2 would sometimes disable the driver assistance functions as a result. These were not necessarily caused by the presence of the vehicle information control device 3. This embodiment was developed in view of this point. In other words, this embodiment applies the technical concept of the present invention to an in-vehicle audio system 1 that does not have a vehicle information control device 3.

[0102] Figure 9 is a block diagram illustrating the overall schematic configuration of the in-vehicle audio system 1 according to this embodiment. The in-vehicle audio system 1 according to this embodiment includes a driver assistance function information transmission device 9 (in place of the vehicle information control device 3) in addition to the vehicle ECU 2, in-vehicle display device 4, driver assistance ECU 7, and GPS antenna 8 of the above-described embodiments. This driver assistance function information transmission device 9 is connected to the vehicle ECU 2 by signal line L10 and to the in-vehicle display device 4 by signal line L11, and is capable of transmitting or receiving signals to and from the vehicle ECU 2 and the in-vehicle display device 4, respectively. Signal lines L10 and L11 may be analog signal lines or digital signal lines. Furthermore, the transmission or reception of signals between the vehicle ECU 2 and the driver assistance function information transmission device 9, and between the in-vehicle display device 4 and the driver assistance function information transmission device 9, may be possible using multiple signal lines.

[0103] The configurations of the vehicle ECU 2, in-vehicle display device 4, driver assistance ECU 7, and GPS antenna 8 are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, so their explanation is omitted here.

[0104] The driver assistance function information transmission device 9 includes a driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 as a functional unit realized by a control program stored in a built-in storage medium such as ROM. The function of this driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 is to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU2 so that the driver assistance function can be used, provided that the input information contains error information (for example, information about a system error inside the in-vehicle display device 4), mismatch information (for example, information that the vehicle speed signal and the GPS signal are mismatched), or information indicating that a malfunction has occurred in any of the devices. In other words, unlike the device (vehicle information control device 3) that enables television viewing while the vehicle is in motion, as described in the embodiments above, this driver assistance function information transmission device 9 is configured as a dedicated device for transmitting driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU2.

[0105] This allows the driver assistance functions to continue to be used even if there is error information or mismatch information in the input information to the vehicle ECU2, or if a malfunction occurs in any of the devices (even in situations where, conventionally, the driver assistance functions would be disabled).

[0106] Furthermore, the conditions under which the driver assistance function information transmission device 9 transmits driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU 2 are not limited to those mentioned above. Other conditions include cases where incorrect road information is output due to the map information of the in-vehicle display device 4 not being updated, or where road information cannot be accurately acquired due to poor reception sensitivity or noise of the GPS signal, or problems specific to the in-vehicle display device 4.

[0107] -Fifth Embodiment- Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. This embodiment also applies the technical concept of the present invention to an in-vehicle audio system 1 that does not include the vehicle information control device 3 described above.

[0108] In the fourth embodiment described above, driver assistance function information was transmitted to the vehicle ECU2 to enable the driver assistance function if error information or mismatch information was present in the input information, or if a malfunction occurred in any of the devices. In this embodiment, instead, the driver assistance function information transmission device 9 transmits driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU2 to enable the driver assistance function regardless of the presence or absence of such information (error information, mismatch information, malfunction information).

[0109] This also allows the driver assistance functions to continue to be used even if there is error information or mismatch information in the input information to the vehicle's ECU2, or if a malfunction occurs in any of the devices (even in situations where, conventionally, the driver assistance functions would be disabled).

[0110] -Sixth Embodiment- Next, a sixth embodiment will be described. This embodiment also applies the technical concept of the present invention to an in-vehicle audio system 1 that does not include the vehicle information control device 3 described above.

[0111] In this embodiment, when error information, mismatched information, or inaccurate information is present in the input information, the system uses other information (information from normally functioning equipment) to determine whether or not to enable the driver assistance function, and only transmits the driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU2 if it is determined that the driver assistance function should be enabled. For example, in situations where it is difficult to determine whether the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a specific road (such as a highway or expressway) or a general road due to a system error inside the in-vehicle display device 4, the system uses other information to make a determination, and if it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a specific road, it transmits the driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU2 (enabling the driver assistance function), while if it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a general road, it does not transmit the driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU2. Furthermore, if it is determined that the vehicle is driving on a public road, information to disable the driver assistance function may be transmitted to the vehicle ECU2 (in this invention, "information to disable the driver assistance function when it should be disabled in a situation where the driver assistance function is enabled due to error information or inaccurate information being included in at least one of the information output by the in-vehicle equipment and the information relating to the status of the in-vehicle equipment").

[0112] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing the overall schematic configuration of the in-vehicle audio system 1 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the difference from the fourth embodiment described above (see Figure 9) lies in the functional unit provided in the driver assistance function information transmission device 9.

[0113] Specifically, the driver assistance function information transmission device 9 includes an information determination unit 92 in addition to the aforementioned driver assistance function information transmission unit 91, as a functional unit realized by a control program stored in a built-in storage medium such as ROM.

[0114] The information determination unit 92 is a functional unit that determines whether or not to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU2 to enable driver assistance functions, based on information output by other in-vehicle devices, if the information contains error information or inaccurate information related to some in-vehicle devices. Specifically, the driver assistance function information transmission device 9 receives information from the drive recorder 100, GPS information from the GPS antenna 8, information from the ETC unit 110, information acquired by in-vehicle sensors (in-vehicle cameras, radar, lidar, sonar, etc.) 120, information from the ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) unit 130, information on the CAN-BUS 140, etc., in addition to information from the in-vehicle display device 4. Based on this information (information from devices that are functioning normally), it determines whether or not to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU2. The following describes the determination based on each piece of information and the operation of transmitting driver assistance function information. The operation of determining whether or not each device is functioning normally can be performed using well-known diagnostic methods.

[0115] The information handled by the in-vehicle display device 4 includes multiple pieces of information, such as road information and vehicle position information (own vehicle position information). In other words, multiple pieces of road information and vehicle position information are transmitted to the vehicle ECU 2. Even if one of these pieces of information is an error or inaccurate, the other pieces of information are likely to be accurate. Therefore, when the information determination unit 92 receives these multiple pieces of information, it extracts only the accurate information and, based on that, determines whether the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a specific road or a general road. Only if it determines that the vehicle is traveling on a specific road, it instructs the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU 2. This makes the driver assistance function available. However, if the information determination unit 92 determines, based on the accurate information handled by the in-vehicle display device 4, that the vehicle is traveling on a general road, it may instruct the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 not to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU 2. Alternatively, it may instruct the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to transmit information to the vehicle ECU 2 that disables the driver assistance function. Furthermore, one way to determine which of multiple pieces of information is inaccurate and which is accurate is to base the decision on various parameters, such as the reception status of each piece of information and its past history.

[0116] The information from the drive recorder 100 includes vehicle location information. Therefore, when the drive recorder 100 is functioning normally, the information determination unit 92 receives the vehicle location information from the drive recorder 100 and, based on that, determines whether the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a specific road or a general road. Only if it determines that the vehicle is traveling on a specific road, it instructs the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU 2. This makes the driver assistance function available. However, if the information determination unit 92 determines that the vehicle is traveling on a general road based on the information from the normally functioning drive recorder 100, it may instruct the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 not to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU 2. Alternatively, it may instruct the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to transmit information to the vehicle ECU 2 that disables the driver assistance function.

[0117] Furthermore, since the GPS information from the GPS antenna 8 is vehicle position information, in this case as well, if the GPS antenna 8 is functioning normally, the system will determine, based on the vehicle position information, whether the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a specific road or a general road. Only if it determines that the vehicle is traveling on a specific road, the system will instruct the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU 2. This will enable the driver assistance function to be used. The information determination unit 92 may also be configured to instruct the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 not to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU 2 if it determines, based on the GPS information from the functioning GPS antenna 8, that the vehicle is traveling on a general road. Alternatively, the system may be configured to instruct the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to transmit information to the vehicle ECU 2 that disables the driver assistance function.

[0118] The information from the ETC unit 110 includes information about passing through an ETC entrance gate and information about passing through an ETC exit gate. Therefore, when the information determination unit 92 receives information that the vehicle has passed through an ETC entrance gate, it determines that the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a specific road until it receives information that the vehicle has passed through an ETC exit gate. Only in this case, it instructs the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU 2. This makes the driver assistance function available. On the other hand, when the information determination unit 92 receives information that the vehicle has passed through an ETC exit gate, it may determine that the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a general road and instruct the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to stop transmitting driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU 2. Alternatively, it may instruct the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to transmit information to the vehicle ECU 2 that disables the driver assistance function. This disables the driver assistance function.

[0119] The information acquired by the on-board sensor 120 can recognize the lane width on the road, the type of lane (for example, the length of the lane boundary line mentioned above), the presence or absence of traffic lights, the presence or absence of pedestrians and cyclists, signs and markers, etc. Therefore, the information determination unit 92 receives the information from the on-board sensor 120 and, based on that, determines whether the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a specific road or a general road. Only if it determines that the vehicle is traveling on a specific road, it instructs the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU 2. This makes the driver assistance function available. However, if the information determination unit 92 determines that the vehicle is traveling on a general road based on information from the properly functioning on-board sensor 120, it may instruct the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 not to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU 2. Alternatively, it may instruct the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to transmit information to the vehicle ECU 2 that disables the driver assistance function.

[0120] The information from the ADAS unit 130 indicates whether or not any driver assistance functions are currently operating. In other words, it is information that allows the system to recognize whether or not some of the multiple driver assistance functions are operating. The information determination unit 92 receives the information from the ADAS unit 130, and if a driver assistance function that operates only on specific roads is operating, it determines that the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a specific road, and only in this case, it instructs the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU2. This makes the driver assistance functions (driver assistance functions that should be available when driving on specific roads) available for use. On the other hand, if the information from the ADAS unit 130 indicates that a driver assistance function that operates only on general roads is operating, it determines that the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a general road, and only in this case, it may instruct the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to stop transmitting driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU2. Furthermore, the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 may be instructed to transmit information to the vehicle ECU 2 to disable the driver assistance function (a driver assistance function that should be available when driving on a specific road). As a result, the driver assistance function (a driver assistance function that should be available when driving on a specific road) becomes unavailable.

[0121] The information on the CAN-BUS 140 includes information that is only acquired when driving on specific roads. Therefore, the information determination unit 92 receives information on the CAN-BUS 140, and if there is information that is only acquired on specific roads, it determines that the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a specific road, and only in this case, it instructs the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU 2. This makes the driver assistance functions (driver assistance functions that should be available when driving on specific roads) available. On the other hand, the information determination unit 92 receives information on the CAN-BUS 140, and if there is information that is only acquired on general roads, it determines that the road the vehicle is currently traveling on is a general road, and only in this case, it instructs the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to stop transmitting driver assistance function information to the vehicle ECU 2. It may also be configured to instruct the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 to transmit information to the vehicle ECU 2 that disables the driver assistance functions (driver assistance functions that should be available when driving on specific roads). This will disable driver assistance features (driver assistance features that should be available when driving on certain roads).

[0122] As explained above, in this embodiment, even if error information, inconsistent information, or inaccurate information exists, it is possible to determine whether or not to enable the driver assistance function by utilizing other information, and the driver assistance function can only be enabled if it is determined that it should be enabled. Furthermore, if it is determined that the driver assistance function should not be used, the driver assistance function can be disabled.

[0123] Furthermore, the aforementioned methods (means for determining whether or not to enable the driver assistance function by utilizing other information) may be combined to make a decision. This would significantly increase the reliability of the decision.

[0124] Furthermore, the configuration of this embodiment can be combined with some configurations of other embodiments. For example, the aforementioned information rewriting signal transmission unit 36 ​​may be provided in the driver assistance function information transmission device 9 so that messages on the meter panel are not displayed.

[0125] -Other Embodiments- Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and examples described above, and all modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the claims and equivalents thereof.

[0126] For example, the first to third embodiments and each of the above examples described a case in which the vehicle information control device 3 according to the present invention is applied to an in-vehicle audio system 1 that enables television viewing on the in-vehicle display device 4 because the in-vehicle display device 4 is equipped with a television tuner 43. The vehicle information control device 3 according to the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to an in-vehicle audio system 1 that is configured to allow viewing of video via an external input (external input using an interface such as HDMI®).

[0127] Furthermore, in the aforementioned fourth to sixth embodiments, a driver assistance function information transmission device 9 was provided, and the driver assistance function information transmission device 9 was equipped with a driver assistance function information transmission unit 91. In addition, in the aforementioned sixth embodiment, the driver assistance function information transmission device 9 was also equipped with an information determination unit 92. The present invention is not limited to these, and the driver assistance function information transmission unit 91 and the information determination unit 92 may be provided as functional units of other devices without providing a driver assistance function information transmission device 9. For example, they may be provided in the in-vehicle display device 4, in the vehicle ECU 2, or in other ECUs. [Industrial applicability]

[0128] The present invention is applicable to a vehicle control device, an in-vehicle system, and a driver assistance function information transmission device used in an in-vehicle audio system installed in a vehicle equipped with driver assistance functions. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0129] 1. In-car audio system 2. Vehicle ECU (Vehicle Control Unit) 3. Vehicle Information Control System 34. Special Road Information Dissemination Department 35 Error Information Receiving Unit 36 Information rewriting signal transmission unit 4 In-vehicle display device 45 Error Information Transmission Unit 7. Driver Assistance ECU 9. Driver assistance function information transmission device 91 Driver Assistance Function Information Transmission Unit 92 Information Judgment Department

Claims

1. In a vehicle information control device provided in a system having a vehicle control device that switches the use / disuse of the vehicle's driver assistance functions based on the type of road the vehicle is traveling on as a switching condition, A vehicle information control device is configured to transmit information about the type of road to the vehicle control device in order to enable the driving assistance function, provided that the vehicle is in at least a TV mode that allows television viewing while the vehicle is in motion.

2. In a vehicle information control device provided in a system having a vehicle control device that switches the use / disuse of the vehicle's driver assistance functions based on the type of road the vehicle is traveling on as a switching condition, A vehicle information control device is configured to transmit information about the type of road, which enables the use of the driving assistance function, to the vehicle control device when predetermined conditions for transmitting specific road information are met while the vehicle is in motion.

3. In the vehicle information control device according to claim 2, The in-vehicle display device, which can communicate with the vehicle information control device, is provided with either or both of the vehicle speed pulse signal and the vehicle speed signal on the in-vehicle network, as well as the GPS signal. The vehicle information control device is characterized in that the specific road information transmission condition is the occurrence of an error resulting from one or both of the provided vehicle speed pulse signal and the vehicle speed signal on the in-vehicle network indicating that the vehicle is stopped and the provided GPS signal indicating that the vehicle is moving.

4. In the vehicle information control device according to claim 2, The vehicle information control device is characterized in that the specified road information transmission condition is the acquisition of unique information that is acquired only when the vehicle is traveling on a type of road on which the driver assistance function should be used.

5. In the vehicle information control device according to claim 2, The vehicle information control device is characterized in that the conditions for transmitting specific road information are that the vehicle has traveled a predetermined distance at or above a predetermined speed, or that the vehicle has traveled for a predetermined time at or above a predetermined speed.

6. In a vehicle information control device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, A vehicle information control device characterized in that, when the specified road information transmission conditions are not met, it controls the road type information transmitted to the vehicle control device for enabling the driving assistance function, based at least on information on the in-vehicle network.

7. In a vehicle information control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A vehicle information control device characterized in that, when the conditions for displaying a message are met due to one or both of the vehicle speed pulse signal and the vehicle speed signal on the in-vehicle network provided to an in-vehicle display device that can communicate with the vehicle information control device indicating that the vehicle has stopped, and the GPS signal provided to the in-vehicle display device indicating that the vehicle is moving, the device transmits information to the vehicle information control device to hide the message.

8. In an in-vehicle system having a vehicle control device that switches between using and not using the vehicle's driver assistance functions, An in-vehicle system characterized by comprising a driver assistance function information transmission unit that transmits driver assistance function information to the vehicle control device for enabling the driver assistance function, on the condition that at least one of the information output by the in-vehicle device and the information relating to the status of the in-vehicle device contains error information or inaccurate information.

9. In an in-vehicle system having a vehicle control device that switches between using and not using the vehicle's driver assistance functions, An in-vehicle system characterized by comprising a driver assistance function information transmission unit having a function to transmit driver assistance function information for enabling the aforementioned driver assistance function to be used to the vehicle control device.

10. In an in-vehicle system having a vehicle control device that switches between using and not using the vehicle's driver assistance functions, An information determination unit determines whether or not to transmit driver assistance function information to the vehicle control device to enable the driver assistance function if the information output by each of the multiple in-vehicle devices and the information relating to the status of each of the multiple in-vehicle devices include error information or inaccurate information relating to some of the in-vehicle devices, based on the information output by the other in-vehicle devices. When the information determination unit determines that the driver assistance function information should be transmitted, the driver assistance function information transmission unit transmits the driver assistance function information to the vehicle control device, An in-vehicle system characterized by having the following features.

11. In an in-vehicle system having a vehicle control device that switches between using and not using the vehicle's driver assistance functions, An in-vehicle system characterized by comprising a driver assistance function information transmission unit that transmits information to the vehicle control device for disabling the driver assistance function when the driver assistance function is enabled due to at least one of the information output by the in-vehicle device and the information relating to the status of the in-vehicle device containing error information or inaccurate information, and when the driver assistance function should be disabled.

12. A driver assistance function information transmitting device characterized by having at least the driver assistance function information transmitting unit provided in the in-vehicle system according to any one of claims 8 to 11.

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