System, in-vehicle device, and program

Abstract

To provide a control system capable of surely storing information usable in a model in a storage medium in respective on-vehicle devices having a different model, an on-vehicle device and a program.SOLUTION: A control system determines whether model information of an on-vehicle device is stored in an SD card in the case that the SD card to be used by the on-vehicle device is inserted into a card slot. In the case that the model information is stored in the SD card, a display part is displayed on a selection screen 271. In the case that a user inputs a check in a checkbox area 274 and that an item of information stored in the SD card is selected, the control system acquires information usable by an on-vehicle device specified by the model information stored in the SD card from a server and stores the information in the SD card. In the case that the SD card is inserted into the on-vehicle device, the on-vehicle device notifies a driver of the information on the basis of the information stored in the SD card.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control system, an in-vehicle device, and a program for storing information about a target object in a storage medium used in the in-vehicle device. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known an in-vehicle device that identifies position information between a target object and the vehicle and notifies the driver of information related to the identified positional relationship. An example of the in-vehicle device is a radar detector. An example of the target object is a device that measures the vehicle speed. Target objects are often installed in dangerous locations where traffic accidents are likely to occur. Therefore, the in-vehicle device can encourage the driver to drive safely in locations where traffic accidents are likely to occur, for example, by notifying the driver of the approach to the target object. In this way, notifying the driver of the positional relationship between the target object and the vehicle contributes to the driver's safe driving.

[0003] In an in-vehicle device, the freshness and accuracy of the target's location information are important factors. In other words, if the target's location information is old, the driver may be notified at a location where the target has already been removed, or a newly installed target may not be notified because there is no location information for that location, resulting in reduced reliability. Therefore, in a typical in-vehicle device, the target's location information can be updated even after purchase.

[0004] A conventional method for updating the location information of a target object is as follows. The location information of a target object is stored in an external non-volatile memory such as an SD card. The in-vehicle device refers to the location information stored in the set external non-volatile memory and notifies the driver. When updating the location information, the driver removes the external non-volatile memory from the in-vehicle device and sets it in an information terminal such as a PC. The information terminal can update the location information stored in the external non-volatile memory to the latest information.

[0005] Patent Document 1 also discloses a technique for receiving position information wirelessly transmitted from another in-vehicle device and storing it in a memory, thereby acquiring new position information updated in the other in-vehicle device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-266057 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the device described in Patent Document 1, a communication device is newly required for wireless communication between the in-vehicle devices, so a method of updating the location information by an information terminal is usually adopted. Here, the format and contents of the location information stored in the external non-volatile memory must correspond to the type of the in-vehicle device. This is because the format and contents of the location information stored in the external non-volatile memory differ depending on the type of the in-vehicle device. If the location information corresponding to a different type of in-vehicle device is stored in the external non-volatile memory, the in-vehicle device cannot use the location information and cannot notify the driver. For this reason, when updating the location information via an information terminal, it is necessary to specify the type of the in-vehicle device for which the external non-volatile memory is used to the information terminal. However, since the driver usually does not recognize the type of the in-vehicle device being used, there is a problem that it is troublesome to have to take the trouble to check the type of the in-vehicle device when updating the location information.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a control system, an in-vehicle device, and a program that can reliably store, in a storage medium, information that can be used in each model of in-vehicle device of a different type. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The control system according to the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it reads type information of an in-vehicle device that is pre-stored on a storage medium that stores information on the target used by the in-vehicle device to issue an alert to the driver based on the positional relationship between the target and the vehicle, and obtains information on the target corresponding to the read type information of the in-vehicle device and stores it on the storage medium.

[0010] According to the first aspect, the user can store information about the target object usable in the in-vehicle device in a storage medium without performing a designation operation on the control system for the information about the target object usable in the in-vehicle device. The in-vehicle device can reliably execute an alert regarding the target object by referring to the storage medium in which the information about the target object is stored. For example, the information about the target object may include location information about the target object. By including location information in the information about the target object, the in-vehicle device can issue an alert based on the positional relationship with the vehicle. The user does not need to recognize in advance the type information of the in-vehicle device as the type of information about the target object usable in the in-vehicle device, so the information about the target object stored in the storage medium can be updated quickly and easily.

[0011] In the first aspect, the vehicle-mounted device may be provided with an in-vehicle device that writes the type information of the in-vehicle device to the recording medium when the type information of the in-vehicle device is not stored on the storage medium. When a general-purpose storage medium is used, the type information of the in-vehicle device is not usually stored in the storage medium, so the user needs to store the type information of the in-vehicle device to be used in the storage medium. When the storage work of the type information of the in-vehicle device is performed manually, the user needs to check what type of the in-vehicle device is, which is troublesome. In addition, if the type information of the in-vehicle device is incorrectly stored in the storage medium, the in-vehicle device cannot normally notify the driver. In contrast, in the present invention, the in-vehicle device directly stores the type information of the in-vehicle device in the storage medium, so the type information of the in-vehicle device is accurately and reliably stored. Therefore, the control system can reliably store information of the target object that can be used in the in-vehicle device in the storage medium. The in-vehicle device can reliably execute the notification to the driver by referring to the storage medium.

[0012] In the first aspect, the type information of the in-vehicle device may be the type of information of the target object usable by the in-vehicle device. Even in-vehicle devices with the same hardware, the information of the target object usable may differ. For example, this may be the case when the versions of the firmware that drives the in-vehicle device are different. Here, by using the type of information of the target object usable by the in-vehicle device as the identification information of the in-vehicle device to be stored in the storage medium, even if the information of the target object usable by in-vehicle devices with the same hardware is different, the information of the target object usable by each in-vehicle device can be reliably stored in the storage medium. Therefore, the in-vehicle device can reliably execute the notification to the driver by referring to the storage medium.

[0013] In the first aspect, difference information, which is information of a part that differs between the information of the target object corresponding to the type information of the in-vehicle device read from the storage medium and the information of the target object that has already been acquired, may be acquired and stored in the storage medium. For example, the amount of information of the target object may be large, such as when the information of the target object includes location information, type information of the target object, and an image showing the appearance of the target object. In response to this, the control system stores the difference information in the storage medium, so that the amount of information stored in the storage medium can be reduced. Therefore, the time required to store information in the storage medium can be shortened.

[0014] In the first aspect, it is preferable to obtain difference information between the information of the target object in a specified area among the information of the target object corresponding to the type information of the in-vehicle device and the information of the target object in a specified area among the information of the target object already obtained, and store it in the storage medium. The control system narrows down the information of the target object based on the position of the target object and stores it in the storage medium. For example, when information about public enforcement is stored in the storage medium, if information about public enforcement carried out in an area including the location where the vehicle is located and an area including the location via which the vehicle passes before heading to the destination is stored in the storage medium, it is possible to notify the driver of the public enforcement information according to the vehicle position. Therefore, in the control system, only the difference information of the information of the target object corresponding to the specified area as described above is stored in the storage medium. This allows the control system to further reduce the amount of information stored in the storage medium.

[0015] In the first aspect, when the storage medium stores history information in which the vehicle's travel position and travel time are associated with each other, the history information stored in the storage medium may be acquired and deleted from the storage medium, thereby preventing a shortage of storage capacity when the storage medium is used repeatedly in the vehicle-mounted device.

[0016] In the first aspect, it is preferable to perform control so that the places that the vehicle has passed through are displayed in order on a map displayed on a display means based on the travel position and the travel time of the history information. Since the user can check the route of the roads that the vehicle has actually traveled in chronological order, the user can recognize his / her own travel history more intuitively.

[0017] In the first aspect, when the position of the target object and the driving position approach each other, it is preferable to perform control to display an image of the target object and the driving speed of the vehicle at the driving position. By displaying the image of the target object and the driving speed, the control system can enhance the user's sense of realism. Therefore, the user can visually check the driving history with a feeling as if he or she were in the actual place.

[0018] In a first aspect, a first storage means is provided for storing the acquired information of the target object, and the position of the target object is determined based on the information of the target object stored in the first storage means that was updated at a time that was earlier than the travel time of the history information and closest to the travel time, and control is performed to display an image showing the target object. When the image showing the target object is displayed, information on the target object that was installed at the time the vehicle traveled is referenced. This makes it possible to display on the map an image showing the target object that was actually installed at the time the vehicle was traveling.

[0019] In the first aspect, when at least one of registration information, which is information about the target object registered by the user, and invalid information, which instructs the user to invalidate a notification based on the information about the target object, is stored in the storage medium, at least one of the registration information and the invalid information stored in the storage medium may be acquired. The control system can effectively utilize the acquired registration information and invalid information. For example, based on the acquired registration information and invalid information, a video in which an image for identifying the target object is arranged on a map may be displayed on the display and the user may confirm the video. This allows the user to easily view the registration information and invalid information.

[0020] In the first aspect, when the detection information related to the information detected in at least one of the following cases is stored in the storage medium: when the in-vehicle device detects the target object based on radio waves output from the target object, when the in-vehicle device detects the target object in a location where the target object is not actually installed, or when the in-vehicle device acquires vehicle status information, the detection information stored in the storage medium may be acquired. The control system can effectively utilize the acquired detection information or time information. For example, when a target object or a malfunction is detected as the detection information, a video in which an image for identifying the target object or the malfunction is arranged on a map may be displayed on the display. This allows the user to easily view the detection information.

[0021] In the first aspect, the information acquired from the storage medium is classified for each user and stored in the second storage means, and when storing information in the storage medium, the user who uses the storage medium is identified based on the information for identifying the user stored in the storage medium, and the information corresponding to the identified user is read from the second storage means and stored in the storage medium. This allows the user to repeatedly use information unique to himself / herself in the in-vehicle device. For example, when a common in-vehicle device is used jointly by multiple people, each user may own a storage medium in which information for identifying himself / herself is stored. This causes information unique to each user to be stored in the storage medium, so that the in-vehicle device can operate based on the information unique to each user.

[0022] In the first aspect, when the storage medium is used in the in-vehicle device, the storage medium stores certification information that certifies that the storage medium has been used in the in-vehicle device, and the target information is stored in the storage medium only when the certification information is stored in the storage medium. This makes it possible to prevent target information from being stored in a storage medium that is not actually used by the in-vehicle device. Therefore, the security of the target information can be improved, and high-value-added information such as paid information can be provided only to the storage medium that is actually used by the in-vehicle device.

[0023] In the first aspect, the certification information is information indicating that the vehicle has traveled, and may include at least one of a travel location and a travel time. If the travel location and the travel time are stored as certification information, the storage medium is actually being used by the in-vehicle device. In this way, by using the travel location and the travel time as certification information, it is possible to easily confirm that the storage medium is being used by the in-vehicle device. In addition, the travel location and the travel time can be utilized as information indicating the travel history of the vehicle.

[0024] In the first aspect, the control system controls the storage of setting information indicating various settings during operation of the in-vehicle device in the storage medium, and the in-vehicle device performs various settings during operation based on the setting information stored in the storage medium, thereby allowing various settings during operation of the in-vehicle device to be changed via the control system.

[0025] In a first aspect, a user who uses the storage medium is identified by information for identifying the user stored in the storage medium, and the setting information corresponding to the identified user is selected based on a third storage means in which the setting information is stored for each user, and stored in the storage medium.

[0026] Since the setting information is classified for each user, the in-vehicle device can be operated with the settings of each user by using a storage medium in which setting information specific to each user is stored. For example, when a common in-vehicle device is used jointly by multiple users, each user should have a storage medium in which information for identifying the user is stored. This allows the user to always operate the in-vehicle device with the desired setting conditions without having to input the setting conditions when using the in-vehicle device.

[0027] In the first aspect, the setting information corresponding to a user different from the user stored in the storage medium may be read from the third storage means and stored in the storage medium. Since the information obtained from the storage medium can be stored in a storage medium in which another user ID is stored, the information stored in the storage medium can be shared between users.

[0028] In the first aspect, the setting information stored in the third storage means may be stored in a server connected via a network, and when the setting information stored in the third storage means cannot be obtained, the setting information may be obtained from the server and stored in the storage medium. In this way, even if the third storage means breaks down and it becomes impossible to obtain the setting information from the third storage means, the setting information can be restored by inquiring of the server. This can eliminate the need for the user to reconfigure the in-vehicle device.

[0029] In a first aspect, when the setting information is organized hierarchically, the setting information required for operating the in-vehicle device in a manner desired by the user may be identified by guiding the user's operation of the control system in a hierarchical order, and the identified setting information may be stored in the storage medium. In this way, the user can reliably identify the setting information required for operating the in-vehicle device in the desired manner by performing input operations hierarchically in accordance with the guidance.

[0030] In a first aspect, when an inquiry is received regarding various settings during operation of the in-vehicle device, a screen for changing the setting information of the in-vehicle device corresponding to the inquiry is displayed on a display means, and the setting information entered by the user while the screen is displayed is stored in the storage medium.

[0031] Since the user can specify the setting information by making an inquiry to the control system, the user can operate the in-vehicle device in the desired operating method even if he / she does not have detailed knowledge about the in-vehicle device. Since the display means displays a screen for directly changing the setting information, the user can save the trouble of repeatedly performing input operations to transition between screens and specify the setting information. Therefore, the user can quickly specify the desired setting information and store it in the storage medium, thereby enabling the in-vehicle device to operate in the desired operating method.

[0032] In a first aspect, the information stored in the storage medium is classified into information that the control system can acquire and information that the control system cannot acquire, and it is preferable that only the information that the control system can acquire is acquired and the information that the control system cannot acquire is not acquired.

[0033] For example, it is desirable that history information including the vehicle's driving position and driving time not be imported into the control system in order to protect the user's privacy. On the other hand, it is preferable that registration information and invalid information be imported into the control system because the latest target information can be obtained by sharing the information with multiple people. In this case, it is preferable that history information cannot be acquired, and registration information and invalid information can be acquired. This makes it possible to have the control system import only registration information and invalid information. In this way, it is possible to prevent all information stored in the storage medium from being imported into the control system.

[0034] In the first aspect, of the acquired information on the target objects, information on the target objects within a main moving range of the vehicle may be stored in the storage medium.

[0035] When the moving range of the vehicle is specified to a certain extent, if the information of the target object corresponding to the moving range of the vehicle is stored in the storage medium, the in-vehicle device can notify the driver without any problem. Therefore, by storing only the information of the target object corresponding to the moving range of the vehicle in the storage medium, the control system can reliably cause the in-vehicle device to notify the driver and at the same time reduce the amount of information stored in the storage medium.

[0036] In the first aspect, when an image captured by a camera installed in the vehicle at a predetermined time is stored in the storage medium, the image stored in the storage medium may be acquired, so that the image can be provided to a user in the control system.

[0037] In the first aspect, the advertising information and the position information are stored in the storage medium in association with each other, and the in-vehicle device controls to display the advertising information stored in the storage medium when the vehicle approaches a position indicated by the position information stored in the storage medium. This allows the driver to recognize advertising information related to facilities, etc., near the vehicle. In this way, the in-vehicle device not only notifies the driver about the target object, but also provides additional information based on the vehicle position to the driver, thereby enabling the driver to obtain various information while driving.

[0038] In the first aspect, it is preferable to control the display means to display an image introducing an in-vehicle device other than the in-vehicle device in which the storage medium is used when a predetermined period of use of the in-vehicle device has elapsed, so that the control system can notify the user when it is time to replace the in-vehicle device and urge the user to purchase a new in-vehicle device.

[0039] In the first aspect, when an operation for instructing to register information on the target object is received from a user, the received information on the target object may be stored in the storage medium, whereby the user can easily set information on the target object by inputting the information on the target object using the control system and storing it in the storage medium.

[0040] In the first aspect, it is preferable to provide a display means having a larger display area than the display means provided in the in-vehicle device. In many cases, the display provided in the in-vehicle device cannot be made large due to restrictions on the size of the entire in-vehicle device. Therefore, the user cannot comfortably view or edit various information managed in the in-vehicle device. In response to this, the control system of the present invention provides, for example, a larger display with better visibility than the display means provided in the in-vehicle device, thereby enabling the user to comfortably view and edit various information.

[0041] For example, by displaying the history information acquired from the storage medium on the display means, the user can comfortably view the driving history. Also, for example, by displaying on the display means an image in which an image for identifying a target object is arranged on a map based on the registration information and invalid information acquired from the storage medium, the user can easily view the registration information and invalid information. Also, for example, the user can easily change the setting information while visually checking the display means, so that the in-vehicle device can easily operate under the desired setting conditions. Also, for example, the user can easily register information on the target object by using the display means. For example, a map may be displayed on the display means, and the user may select a specific point on the map. This may allow the information on the target object to be registered. In this case, it is preferable to allow the type of the target object to be registered as well.

[0042] The in-vehicle device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the in-vehicle device provided in the control system according to the first aspect, and is characterized in that, when the type information of the in-vehicle device is not stored in the storage medium, the type information of the in-vehicle device itself is written onto the storage medium, thereby achieving the same effect as the first aspect.

[0043] A program according to the third aspect of the present invention can cause a computer to realize each function of the control system according to the first aspect.

[0044] Specifically, the above-mentioned aspects may be configured as follows, for example: A control system according to a first aspect includes a detection means for detecting a storage medium used by an in-vehicle device that issues a notification to a driver based on a positional relationship between a target object and the vehicle, a first acquisition means for acquiring type information of the in-vehicle device when type information of the in-vehicle device is stored in the storage medium detected by the detection means, and a first control means for acquiring information of the target object specified by the type information of the in-vehicle device acquired by the first acquisition means and storing the information in the storage medium.

[0045] In a first aspect, when the storage medium in which type information of the in-vehicle device is not stored is used for the first time by the in-vehicle device, the in-vehicle device stores the type information of the in-vehicle device in the storage medium, and the first acquisition means acquires the type information of the in-vehicle device stored in the storage medium by the in-vehicle device.

[0046] In the first aspect, the type information of the in-vehicle device may be a type of information of a target object that can be used in the in-vehicle device.

[0047] In a first aspect, the first control means acquires difference information, which is information on the part that differs between the information of the target object corresponding to the type information of the in-vehicle device acquired by the first acquisition means and information of the target object that has already been acquired, and stores the difference information in the storage medium.

[0048] In a first aspect, the first control means acquires differential information between the information of the target object within a specified area among the information of the target object corresponding to the type information of the in-vehicle device acquired by the first acquisition means, and the information of the target object within a specified area among the information of the target object that has already been acquired, and stores the differential information in the storage medium.

[0049] In a first aspect, the storage medium stores historical information in which the vehicle's driving position and driving time are associated, and the first acquisition means acquires the historical information stored in the storage medium and deletes the historical information from the storage medium.

[0050] In a first aspect, it is preferable to include a first display control means for displaying places that the vehicle has passed through in sequence on a map displayed on a display means, based on the traveling position and the traveling time of the historical information acquired by the first acquisition means.

[0051] In a first aspect, when the position of the target object and the driving position approach each other, the first display control means may display an image showing the target object and the driving speed of the vehicle at the driving position.

[0052] In a first aspect, a first storage means is provided for storing the acquired information of the target object, and the first display control means determines the position of the target object and displays an image showing the target object based on information of the target object stored in the first storage means that is updated before the driving time of the historical information and at a time closest to the driving time.

[0053] In a first aspect, the storage medium stores at least one of registration information, which is information about the target registered by a user, and invalidation information, which instructs the user to invalidate notifications based on the information about the target, and the first acquisition means acquires at least one of the registration information and the invalidation information stored in the storage medium.

[0054] In a first aspect, the storage medium stores detection information regarding information detected in at least one of the following cases: when the in-vehicle device detects the target target based on radio waves output from the target target, when the in-vehicle device detects the target target at a location where the target target is not actually installed, or when the in-vehicle device acquires vehicle status information, and the first acquisition means acquires the detection information stored in the storage medium.

[0055] In a first aspect, the information obtained from the storage medium is classified by user and stored in a second storage means, and when storing information in the storage medium, the first control means identifies the user using the storage medium based on information for identifying the user stored in the storage medium, and reads out the information corresponding to the identified user from the second storage means and stores it in the storage medium.

[0056] In a first aspect, when the storage medium is used in the vehicle-mounted device, certification information proving that the storage medium has been used in the vehicle-mounted device is stored in the storage medium, and the first control means stores information of the target object in the storage medium only if the certification information is stored in the storage medium.

[0057] In a first aspect, the certification information is information indicating that the vehicle has traveled, and may include at least one of a travel location and a travel time.

[0058] In a first aspect, a second control means is provided for storing setting information indicating various settings during operation of the in-vehicle device in the storage medium, and the in-vehicle device performs various settings during operation based on the setting information stored in the storage medium.

[0059] In a first aspect, the second control means identifies a user using the storage medium by information for identifying the user stored in the storage medium, and selects the setting information corresponding to the identified user based on a third storage means in which the setting information is stored for each user, and stores the setting information in the storage medium.

[0060] In the first aspect, it is preferable to include a third control means for reading out the setting information corresponding to a user different from the user stored in the storage medium from the third storage means and storing the setting information in the storage medium.

[0061] In a first aspect, a fourth control means is provided for storing the setting information stored in the third storage means in a server connected via a network, and when the third control means is unable to obtain the setting information stored in the third storage means, the third control means may obtain the setting information from the server and store it in the storage medium.

[0062] In a first aspect, when the setting information is hierarchically organized, the system is provided with an identification means for identifying the setting information required to operate the in-vehicle device in a manner desired by the user by guiding the user's operations on the control system in a hierarchical order, and the third control means stores the setting information identified by the identification means in the storage medium.

[0063] In a first aspect, a second display control means is provided for, when an inquiry is received regarding various settings during operation of the in-vehicle device, displaying on a display means a screen for directly changing to the setting information of the in-vehicle device corresponding to the inquiry, and the third control means stores in the storage medium the setting information input by the user while the screen is displayed by the second display control means.

[0064] In a first aspect, the information stored in the storage medium is classified into information that can be acquired by the control system and information that cannot be acquired, and the first acquisition means acquires only the information that can be acquired and does not acquire the information that cannot be acquired.

[0065] In the first aspect, the first control means may store, in the storage medium, information on the target objects that are within a main movement range of the vehicle, among the acquired information on the target objects.

[0066] In a first aspect, the storage medium stores images taken at specified times by a camera installed in the vehicle, and the first acquisition means acquires the images stored in the storage medium.

[0067] In the first aspect, a fourth control means is provided for acquiring advertising information and location information in association with each other and storing them in the storage medium, and the in-vehicle device displays the advertising information stored in the storage medium when the vehicle approaches a position indicated by the location information stored in the storage medium.

[0068] In the first aspect, it is preferable to provide a third display control means for displaying on a display means an image introducing another in-vehicle device other than the in-vehicle device in which the storage medium detected by the detection means is used, when the usage period of the in-vehicle device has elapsed after a predetermined period of time.

[0069] In a first aspect, when the first control means receives an operation from a user instructing registration of the target information, the first control means may store the received target information in the storage medium. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0070] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a system 1 including a control system 2. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the electrical configuration of an in-vehicle device 4. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a schematic diagram showing information stored in an SD card 5. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing history information 53. [Diagram 5] 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a control system 2. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a goal-related table 251. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a user ID correspondence table 252. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a miscellaneous table 253. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing a first main process of control. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a first main process of control, which is a continuation of FIG. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart showing a history reading process. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing a first storage process. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing a read process. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart showing a second storage process. [Figure 15]13 is a flowchart showing a third storage process. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a selection screen 271. [Figure 17] 13 is a flowchart showing a second main process of control. [Figure 18] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of setting information 61. FIG. [Figure 19] 13 is a schematic diagram showing a screen transition 65. FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an input screen 66. [Figure 21] 13 is a schematic diagram showing a notification screen 67. FIG. [Figure 22] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a simulation image 300. [Diagram 23] 4 is a flowchart showing an in-vehicle main process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0071] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. These drawings are used to explain technical features that may be adopted by the present invention. The configuration of the device, flowcharts of various processes, etc. described are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0072] With reference to FIG. 1, an overview of a system 1 including a control system 2 will be described. The system 1 includes a control system 2, a server 3, and an in-vehicle device 4. The control system 2 and the server 3 are connected via a network 6. The control system 2 can acquire information from the server 3 via the network 6, and store the acquired information in an SD card 5 used in the in-vehicle device 4. The in-vehicle device 4 is mounted on an automobile or a motorcycle. The in-vehicle device 4 can notify the driver of information based on the information stored in the SD card 5. For example, a well-known PC can be used as the control system 2. For example, a well-known radar detector can be used as the in-vehicle device 4. The network 6 is, for example, the well-known Internet.

[0073] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration. For example, the control system 2 and the in-vehicle device 4 may be integrated. That is, the in-vehicle device may directly connect to the network 6 to obtain information from the server. Also, for example, the in-vehicle device 4 does not have to be mounted on the automobile or motorcycle, and may be directly carried by the user.

[0074] The electrical configuration of the in-vehicle device 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The in-vehicle device 4 is provided with a control unit 41 for main control, which is composed of a microcomputer having a CPU 42, an EEPROM 43, a RAM 44, etc. Also connected to the control unit 41 are a GPS receiver (GPS module) 45 for receiving radio waves from GPS satellites, a microwave receiver (microwave receiving module) 46 for receiving microwaves from a radar for measuring speed, a wireless receiver (wireless receiving module) 47 for receiving UHF radio waves for communication of traffic control, a display unit 48 composed of a color liquid crystal for displaying various information and warning screens, a touch panel 49 provided on the surface of the display unit 48, a lamp 50 for flashing or lighting to notify, a speaker 51 for issuing a warning sound, a card reader 52 into which the SD card 5 is inserted, and an OBD connector 53 for collecting OBD information of the vehicle.

[0075] The control unit 41 executes a predetermined process based on information input from the various input devices (GPS receiver 45, microwave receiver 46, wireless receiver 47, touch panel 49, card reader 52) and outputs a predetermined warning message using output devices (display unit 48, lamp 50, speaker 51). Note that the basic configuration of these can basically be the same as that of the conventional device.

[0076] The functions of the in-vehicle device 4 of this embodiment are stored in the EEPROM 43 of the control unit 41 as firmware to be executed by the CPU 42 provided in the control unit 41, and are realized by the CPU 42 executing this. The firmware stored in the EEPROM 43 can be updated by new firmware stored in the SD card 5. Functions realized by the computer using the firmware of the control unit 41 include a standby screen display function, a radar scope display function, a GPS warning function, a radar wave warning function, and a wireless warning function.

[0077] The standby screen display function is a function that displays the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the vehicle detected by the GPS receiver 45. The radar scope display function is a function that searches for targets within a predetermined range (for example, within about 1 km) from the current position detected by the GPS receiver 45 based on the position information stored in the SD card 5, and displays on the display unit 48 the relative positional relationship between the vehicle position and the target position.

[0078] The control unit 41 executes processes for implementing various functions, such as a GPS warning function, a radar wave warning function, and a wireless warning function, in response to an event that has occurred while the standby screen display function or the radar scope display function is being executed.

[0079] The GPS warning function is a function that, while the standby screen display function or radarscope display function is being executed, calculates the distance between the target object's position (latitude and longitude) stored in the SD card 5 and its current position (latitude and longitude) detected by the GPS receiver 45, and when the calculated distance reaches a specified approach warning distance, reads out the photograph or schematic diagram data stored in the SD card 5 and displays it on the display unit 48, and also reads out the audio data stored in the SD card 5 and outputs an approach warning sound from the speaker 51, thereby issuing an approach warning.

[0080] Such targets include fixed speed measuring devices (including speed measuring devices that emit radar waves (microwaves) like radar and speed measuring devices that do not emit radar waves like loop coils), speed limit switching points, enforcement areas, checkpoints, parking monitoring areas, N systems, traffic monitoring systems, intersection monitoring points, signal ignoring prevention systems, police stations, accident-prone areas, areas with high rates of vehicle theft, sharp / continuous curves (expressways), branching / merging points (expressways), advance ETC lane guidance (expressways), service areas (expressways), parking areas (expressways), parking areas (expressways), highway oases (expressways), smart interchanges (expressways), and within PAs / SAs. These landmarks include gas stations (expressways), tunnels (expressways), highway radio receiving areas (expressways), prefectural border notices, roadside stations, and viewpoint parking lots. The latitude and longitude information indicating the location of these landmarks, information indicating the type of landmark, schematic diagram or photograph data to be displayed on display unit 48, and audio data of the sound to be output from speaker 51 are associated with each other and managed by a landmark association table 251 (see FIG. 6) stored in SD card 5.

[0081] For example, when the standby screen display function or radar scope function is being executed, if the distance between the target loop coil and the vehicle becomes any of the approach warning distances stored in the SD card 5, which are 2 km, 1 km, or 500 m, a schematic diagram or photographic data of the target loop coil is read from the SD card 5 and displayed on the display unit 48, and an approach alert is issued by reading the audio data stored in the SD card 5 and outputting an audio warning from the speaker 51.

[0082] The radar wave warning function is an alarm function that displays an alarm screen on the display unit 48 and outputs an alarm sound from the speaker 51 when the microwave receiver 46 detects a signal corresponding to microwaves in a frequency band emitted from a speed measuring device (a speed measuring device that emits radar waves, such as a mobile radar).

[0083] The wireless alarm function is a function that issues an alarm when a wireless signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle or the like is received by the wireless receiver 47 so as not to interfere with the vehicle's travel, etc. The wireless alarm function scans the frequencies of police radio, car location radio, digital radio, special small radio, police station radio, police telephone, police activity radio, tow truck radio, helicopter radio, fire helicopter radio, fire radio, emergency radio, highway radio, security radio, etc., and when a wireless signal is received at a scanned frequency, a schematic diagram indicating that a wireless signal corresponding to the frequency stored in the SD card 5 for each wireless type is received is displayed on the display unit 48 as an alarm screen, and audio data stored in the SD card 5 for each wireless type is read out and an alarm sound indicating the wireless type is output from the speaker 51.

[0084] The information stored in the SD card 5 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 3 and 4. As shown in Figure 3, the SD card 5 stores (1) user ID, (2) type information, (3) goal-related information, (4) registration-related information, (5) OBD information, (6) other information, (7) history information, (8) setting information, and (9) use start time information. The in-vehicle device 4 executes a GPS warning function, a radar wave warning function, and a wireless warning function based on the information stored in the SD card 5. Each piece of information will be described in detail below.

[0085] (1) The user ID is identification information for identifying the user who uses the SD card 5. When the user inserts the SD card 5 into the in-car device 4 and uses the in-car device 4 for the first time, the user inputs the user ID (for example, "ichiro" or "hanako") into the in-car device 4. The in-car device 4 stores the input user ID in the SD card 5. This allows the user to use the SD card 5 for his or her own personal use. The user ID may be stored in the SD card 5 by the control system 2 when the SD card 5 is inserted in the card reader 29 (see FIG. 5) of the control system 2.

[0086] (2) The type information is identification information for identifying the type of the in-vehicle device 4 in which the SD card 5 is used. The type information includes the model number of the in-vehicle device 4 (e.g., "XXX-1") and the version of the firmware that drives the in-vehicle device 4 (e.g., "Ver.1"). For this reason, even if the model number of the in-vehicle device 4 is the same, different type information is assigned if the firmware that drives the in-vehicle device 4 is different. For example, "XXX-1 (Ver.1)" is stored in the SD card 5 as the type information. This type information indicates the type of information, such as goal-related information, that can be used in the in-vehicle device 4.

[0087] There are two methods for storing the type information in the SD card 5. In the first method, the manufacturer stores the type information when the SD card 5 is shipped. When the SD card 5 is enclosed in advance with the in-vehicle device 4, the manufacturer stores the type information corresponding to the enclosed in-vehicle device 4 in advance in the SD card 5. In the second method, the in-vehicle device 4 stores the type information in the SD card 5. When a general-purpose SD card is purchased and used, the in-vehicle device 4 stores the type information in the SD card 5 when the SD card 5 is inserted into the in-vehicle device 4 for the first time. In addition, when the firmware that drives the in-vehicle device 4 is updated, the type information is also new. In this case, the in-vehicle device 4 overwrites and updates the type information stored in the inserted SD card 5 with the new type information. The type information is defined in the firmware that drives the in-vehicle device 4. Therefore, when the model number of the in-vehicle device 4 and the version of the firmware that drives the in-vehicle device 4 are different, the type information stored in the SD card 5 is also different.

[0088] The firmware of the in-vehicle device 4 is stored in the server 3 and is updated as necessary. The control system 2 downloads the firmware from the server 3 and stores it in the SD card 5. The in-vehicle device 4 reads out the firmware stored in the SD card 5 and stores it in the EEPROM 43. The control unit 41 (see FIG. 3) of the in-vehicle device 4 operates based on the firmware stored in the EEPROM 43. When the type information stored in the SD card 5 differs from the type information defined in the firmware, the in-vehicle device 4 overwrites and updates the type information stored in the SD card 5 with the type information defined in the firmware.

[0089] Although details will be described later, the various information that the in-vehicle device 4 acquires from the server 3 via the SD card 5 differs depending on the type information of the in-vehicle device 4. This is because the various information that can be processed differs depending on the firmware. The server 3 provides firmware to the in-vehicle device 4 as necessary, while managing the various information that can be processed by each firmware for each type information, and provides it to the in-vehicle device 4 via the control system 2. The control system 2 determines the various information that can be processed when the in-vehicle device 4 in which the SD card 5 is used is driven based on the firmware, based on the type information stored in the SD card 5, and stores the appropriate various information in the SD card 5. For this reason, the in-vehicle device 4 stores type information corresponding to its own model number and firmware in the SD card 5, so that the various information that can be processed is reliably stored in the SD card 5.

[0090] As described above, the type information is stored in advance in the SD card 5, or is automatically stored in the SD card 5 by the in-car device 4. Therefore, the user does not need to check the type information corresponding to the in-car device 4 and manually store the type information in the SD card 5.

[0091] (3) Target-related information is information related to a target object to be notified to the driver. Target-related information includes GPS information, image information, and enforcement information. GPS information is information that corresponds information indicating the type of target object with latitude and longitude indicating the location of the target object. Image information is information that corresponds information indicating the type of target object with a schematic diagram or photograph showing the target object. Enforcement information is information that corresponds the content of public enforcement announced by each prefectural police station with the location and date and time at which the public enforcement will be carried out.

[0092] The in-vehicle device 4 obtains the distance between the current position of the vehicle and the target object by referring to the position information of the vehicle detected by the GPS receiver 45 and the GPS information stored in the SD card 5. When the obtained distance reaches a predetermined approach warning distance, the in-vehicle device 4 refers to the image information corresponding to the type information of the target object associated with the position of the target object, and identifies a schematic diagram or photo corresponding to the approaching target object. The in-vehicle device 4 notifies the driver that the vehicle has approached the target object by displaying the identified schematic diagram or photo on the display unit 48 (see FIG. 2). The in-vehicle device 4 also determines whether the vehicle has entered a place where public enforcement is being carried out by referring to the enforcement information stored in the SD card 5. When the vehicle has entered a place where public enforcement is being carried out, the in-vehicle device 4 displays the details of the public enforcement on the display unit 48. In this way, the in-vehicle device 4 notifies the driver that public enforcement is being carried out near the vehicle.

[0093] (4) The registration-related information includes registration information, invalid information, detection information, and false detection information. The registration information is information in which information indicating the type of target object registered by the user is associated with latitude and longitude indicating the location of the target object. For example, the user inputs locations where mobile speed cameras often appear or locations where new speed cameras have been installed into the vehicle-mounted device 4 via the touch panel 49. The vehicle-mounted device 4 stores the input information as registration information in the SD card 5. When a vehicle approaches a location indicated by the registration information, the vehicle-mounted device 4 realizes a GPS warning function by displaying a screen on the display unit 48 notifying the user that a vehicle has approached the registered location and outputting an alarm sound from the speaker 51.

[0094] The invalid information is latitude and longitude information indicating a position where notification by the in-vehicle device 4 is invalid. For example, the user inputs, via the touch panel 49, to the in-vehicle device 4, a location where the in-vehicle device 4 will issue a warning using the radar wave warning function even if no target object, such as an automatic door, is installed. The in-vehicle device 4 stores the input information in the SD card 5 as invalid information. The in-vehicle device 4 does not issue a warning to the driver using the GPS warning function or the radar wave warning function even if the vehicle approaches the position indicated by the invalid information, if another target object is installed nearby, or if the microwave receiver 46 detects microwaves.

[0095] The detection information is information that correlates information indicating the type of speed measuring device detected by the in-vehicle device 4 by receiving microwaves, latitude and longitude indicating the detection location, and the detection time. For example, when the in-vehicle device 4 detects microwaves of a frequency output from a mobile speed camera, it correlates the information indicating the type of mobile speed camera, the latitude and longitude indicating the detection location, and the detection time, and stores them as detection information in the SD card 5. When a vehicle approaches a location indicated by the detection information, the in-vehicle device 4 realizes a GPS warning function by displaying a screen on the display unit 48 notifying the user that the vehicle is approaching a location where a target was previously detected, and outputting an alarm sound from the speaker 51.

[0096] The false detection information is information indicating the latitude and longitude of the location that is stored when the in-vehicle device 4 detects microwaves but the target object is not actually set. The false detection information is associated with the latitude and longitude indicating the location where the in-vehicle device 4 made the false alarm and the time when the false alarm was made. For example, when the user determines that the target object is not actually set even when the in-vehicle device 4 detects microwaves and makes an alarm, the user inputs a erroneous detection to the in-vehicle device 4 via the touch panel 49. The in-vehicle device 4 stores the input information as false detection information in the SD card 5. When the vehicle approaches the location indicated by the false detection information, the in-vehicle device 4 does not notify the driver using the GPS warning function and the radar wave warning function even if the target object is set nearby.

[0097] The registration information, invalid information, detection information, and erroneous detection information may be input by a user via the control system 2. The control system 2 may store the input registration information, invalid information, detection information, and erroneous detection information in an SD card 5 inserted in a card reader 29 (see FIG. 5).

[0098] (5) OBD (On-board diagnostics) information includes vehicle status information, more specifically, engine control information. The OBD information is acquired by the in-vehicle device 4 at a predetermined cycle when a dedicated connector provided on the vehicle is connected to the OBD connector 53 (see FIG. 2). The in-vehicle device 4 associates the acquired OBD information with an acquisition time and stores the information in the SD card 5. Based on the acquired OBD information, the in-vehicle device 4 can specify engine speed, engine load factor, throttle opening, fuel flow rate, cumulative fuel consumption, instantaneous fuel consumption, average fuel consumption, general road average fuel consumption, expressway average fuel consumption, lifetime fuel consumption, lifetime fuel consumption, water temperature, speed, and rotation speed. The in-vehicle device 4 can also display various information specified based on the OBD information on the display unit 48 while the standby screen is being displayed on the display unit 48.

[0099] (6) Other information includes standby image / audio information, store advertisement image information, and sales advertisement image information. The other information is stored in the SD card 5 by the control system 2.

[0100] The standby image / audio information is information on images displayed on display unit 48 by the standby screen display function, and audio output from speaker 51. A plurality of pieces of standby image / audio information may be stored in SD card 5. The user may be allowed to select, via touch panel 49, the image and audio to be actually used from the plurality of pieces of standby image / audio information.

[0101] The store advertising image information is information in which the latitude and longitude indicating the location of a specific store are associated with an image for advertising the specific store. When the vehicle approaches the specific store, the in-vehicle device 4 displays an image for advertising the specific store on the display unit 48. This makes it possible to advertise the store to drivers of vehicles passing near the store. Note that the store advertising image information is not limited to information on images for advertising a store. For example, it may be an image for advertising a tourist attraction or an event held at an event venue.

[0102] The sales advertisement image information is information of an image for introducing a new in-vehicle device 4 to the driver. When the in-vehicle device 4 has been in use for a predetermined period of time, the in-vehicle device 4 displays the sales advertisement image on the display unit 48. The period of use is calculated as described in (9) below. This enables the in-vehicle device 4 to encourage the driver to purchase a new in-vehicle device 4. The sales advertisement image is not limited to an image for introducing the new in-vehicle device 4 to the driver. For example, it may be an image for introducing accessories of the in-vehicle device 4 to the driver. It may also be an image for explaining convenient ways to use the in-vehicle device 4.

[0103] (7) The history information is information in which latitude and longitude indicating the traveling position of the vehicle are associated with the traveling time. The in-vehicle device 4 associates the traveling time with the latitude and longitude indicating the position of the vehicle detected by the GPS receiver 45, and stores the information in the SD card 5 at a predetermined cycle. FIG. 4 shows the history information 53 stored in the SD card 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the latitude and longitude indicating the position of the vehicle are stored in chronological order in association with the traveling time. The in-vehicle device 4 acquires the traveling time, latitude, and longitude at one-second intervals, and stores the information in the SD card 5 as the history information 53. The history information 53 stored in the SD card 5 is read by the control system 2 through a process described later. The control system 2 can execute a so-called traveling simulation in which the movement of the vehicle is displayed on a map in chronological order based on the read history information 53 (see FIG. 22). Details will be described later.

[0104] (8) The setting information is information for specifying the operating conditions of the in-vehicle device 4. The setting information includes a plurality of setting items. For example, setting items related to warning settings include display switching distance (fixed standby screen, 500 m, 1000 m, fixed radar screen), radar warning sound (electronic sound, voice, quiet voice, melody 1 to 3, melody rotation), reception sensitivity mode (city, extra, super extra, AAC / ASS, AAC / SE), wireless warning (voice warning, demodulation, OFF), road selection (general road, high speed, all, auto), positioning announcement (ON / OFF), speed camera location guide (ON / OFF), and display format (nose up, heading up). The setting items included in the setting information are changed on the in-vehicle device 4 via the touch panel 49. The in-vehicle device 4 stores the contents of the changed setting items as setting information in the SD card 5.

[0105] In the above description, the setting information can also be input by the user via the control system 2. The control system 2 stores the input setting information in the SD card 5 inserted into the card reader 29 (see FIG. 5) (see FIG. 17, described later).

[0106] (9) The usage start time information is information indicating when the in-vehicle device 4 started to be used. The usage start time information is stored by the in-vehicle device 4 when the SD card 5 is used by the in-vehicle device 4 for the first time. When the SD card 5 is used for the first time, the in-vehicle device 4 stores the date and time of use in the SD card 5 as usage start time information. The in-vehicle device 4 can determine whether the SD card 5 was used by the in-vehicle device 4 for the first time by determining whether usage start time information is stored in the inserted SD card 5. The usage start time information is used when calculating the usage period of the in-vehicle device 4 when the control system 2 and the in-vehicle device 4 determine whether to display a sales advertisement image.

[0107] The electrical configuration of the control system 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The control system 2 is provided with a control unit 21 that performs main control. The control unit 21 is composed of a CPU 22, an EEPROM 23, a RAM 24, etc. Connected to the control unit 21 are a hard disk drive (HDD) 25 in which information to be stored in the SD card 5 and programs executed by the CPU 22 are stored, a communicator 26 for communicating with the server 3 via the network 6, a display unit 27 composed of a color liquid crystal display, an input unit 28 composed of a keyboard and a mouse, and a card reader 29 into which the SD card 5 is inserted.

[0108] The following describes information stored in the HDD 25. A goal-related table 251 (see FIG. 6), a user ID correspondence table 252 (see FIG. 7), and a miscellaneous table 253 (see FIG. 8) are stored in the HDD 25. Each piece of information will be described in detail below.

[0109] The goal-related table 251 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. In the goal-related table 251, goal-related information acquired by the control system 2 from the server 3 via the network 6 is stored for each type of information. Each piece of goal-related information is associated with an update date and time indicating the date and time when the goal-related information was updated in the server 3.

[0110] For example, in FIG. 6, "Ver.1-1" (updated on January 5, 2011), "Ver.1-2" (updated on March 15, 2011), and "Ver.1-3" (updated on May 15, 2011) are stored as GPS information corresponding to the category information "XXX-1 (Ver.1)". Therefore, three pieces of GPS information corresponding to the category information "XXX-1 (Ver.1)" have been created in the past and made public in the server 3. On the other hand, "Ver.1-1" (updated on January 1, 2011), "Ver.1-2" (updated on March 1, 2011), "Ver.1-3" (updated on May 1, 2011), and "Ver.1-4" (updated on July 1, 2011) are stored as enforcement information corresponding to the category information "XXX-1 (Ver.1)". This means that four pieces of enforcement information corresponding to the type information "XXX-1 (Ver.1)" have been created in the past and made public on the server 3. Public enforcement information tends to be frequently announced by prefectural police stations, so it is updated more frequently than other information. Also, in FIG. 6, target-related information corresponding to two pieces of type information ("XXX-1 (Ver.1)" and "XXX-1 (Ver.2)") is stored.

[0111] The user ID correspondence table 252 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In the user ID correspondence table 252, information (type information, registration related information (registration information, invalid information, detection information, erroneous detection information), OBD information, history information, setting information) read by the control system 2 from the SD card 5 is stored for each user ID. For example, in Fig. 7, information read from the SD card 5 with the user ID "ichiro" and information read from the SD card 5 with the user ID "hanako" are stored in association with the respective user IDs.

[0112] The other table 253 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In the other table 253, other information (wallpaper image / audio information, store advertisement image information, and sales advertisement image information) acquired by the control system 2 from the server 3 via the network 6 is stored for each type of information. Each piece of other information is associated with an update date and time indicating the date and time when the other information was updated in the server 3.

[0113] 9 to 16, a first control main process executed in the control unit 21 of the control system 2 will be described. In the first control main process, a process is executed to store target-related information, registration-related information, other information, and setting information as necessary in the SD card 5 inserted in the card reader 29 (see FIG. 5). The first control main process starts when the control unit 21 executes a program stored in the HDD 25.

[0114] When the first main control process is started, first, the control unit 21 determines whether or not an SD card 5 is inserted in the card reader 29 (see FIG. 5) (S11). If the SD card 5 is not inserted in the card reader 29 (S11: NO), the process returns to S11. If the SD card 5 is inserted in the card reader 29 (S11: YES), the control unit 21 determines whether or not type information is stored in the SD card 5 (S13). If the type information is not stored in the SD card 5 (S13: NO), the goal-related information corresponding to the type information cannot be identified, and so the process returns to S11.

[0115] If type information is stored in the SD card 5 (S13: YES), the control unit 21 judges whether history information is stored in the SD card 5 (S15). If no history information is stored in the SD card 5 (S15: NO), the inserted SD card 5 may not have actually been used in the in-car device 4. This is because if the SD card 5 has been used even once in the in-car device 4, history information is stored in the SD card 5. Therefore, if no history information is stored in the SD card 5, the subsequent processing is not performed and the processing returns to S11 in order to prevent goal-related information and the like from being stored in an SD card 5 that is not actually being used.

[0116] In this way, the control system 2 prevents goal-related information, etc. from being stored in an SD card 5 that is not actually used by the in-vehicle device 4. This allows the control system 2 to increase the security of the goal-related information, etc. For example, the control system 2 can provide goal-related information with high added value, such as paid information, only to the SD card 5 that is actually used by the in-vehicle device 4. This prevents the goal-related information from being leaked and misused.

[0117] Furthermore, the control system 2 determines whether the SD card 5 is actually being used in the in-vehicle device 4 based on whether history information is stored in the SD card 5. This makes it easy to confirm that the SD card 5 is being used by the in-vehicle device 4. Furthermore, the history information can be used not only as the vehicle's driving history but also to determine whether the SD card 5 is actually being used in the in-vehicle device 4, which is efficient because it does not require adding separate information to prove that the SD card 5 is being used in the in-vehicle device 4.

[0118] In the present invention, for example, when paid goal-related information is stored only in a specific SD card 5, other certification information may be used to determine whether or not to store the goal-related information in the SD card 5. For example, when a well-known encryption key is stored in the SD card 5 as certification information, it may be determined that storage of the goal-related information in the SD card 5 is permitted.

[0119] When it is determined in S15 that the history information is stored in the SD card 5 (S15: YES), the control unit 21 executes a process of reading out the history information stored in the SD card 5 (history reading process (see FIG. 11)) (S17). The history reading process will be described with reference to FIG. 11. The control unit 21 reads out the user ID from the SD card 5 (S61). Next, the control unit 21 reads out the history information from the SD card 5 (S63). The control unit 21 associates the history information with the user ID and stores it in the user ID correspondence table 252 (see FIG. 7) of the HDD 25 (S65). After storing the history information in the user ID correspondence table 252, the control unit 21 deletes the history information from the SD card 5 (S67). The history reading process ends, and the process returns to the first control main process (FIG. 9).

[0120] The control system 2 reads out the history information from the SD card 5 and stores it in the HDD 25, thereby enabling the user to display the history information on the display unit 27 (see FIG. 5) and edit the history information via the input unit 28 (see FIG. 5). The display unit 48 and touch panel 49 (see FIG. 2) provided in the in-vehicle device 4 are smaller than the display unit 27 and input unit 28 of the control system 2, and therefore the user cannot comfortably view or edit the history information using the in-vehicle device 4. In contrast, the control system 2 stores the history information in the HDD 25, enabling the user to view the history information via the display unit 27, which has better visibility than the in-vehicle device 4, and edit the history information via the input unit 28, which has better operability. This allows the user to comfortably view and edit the history information.

[0121] Furthermore, the history information stored in the SD card 5 is deleted after being read out by the control system 2. This makes it possible to prevent the storage capacity of the SD card 5 from running short due to accumulation of history information when the SD card 5 is used repeatedly in the in-vehicle device 4.

[0122] After the history read process (S17, see FIG. 11) is completed, as shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 21 reads the type information stored in the SD card 5 (S19). The control unit 21 starts an application for storing information in the SD card 5 (S21). Next, the control unit 21 displays on the display unit 27 a selection screen for selecting information to be stored in the SD card 5.

[0123] A selection screen 271 displayed on the display unit 27 will be described with reference to FIG. 16. The selection screen 271 is provided with an area 272 for displaying the type information and user ID stored in the SD card 5, an area 273 for displaying the sales advertisement image, and a check box area 274 for selecting information to be stored in the SD card 5. The check box area 274 is provided with check boxes for selecting the target-related information (GPS information, image information, and control information), the registration-related information (registration and invalid information, detection and erroneous detection information), the setting information, other information (standby screen and audio information, store advertisement information, and sales advertisement information), and whether or not to share. The user specifies the information that he or she wishes to store in the SD card 5 by checking the check box, and selects the OK button. This causes the specified information to be stored in the SD card 5 by a process described later. When the user specifies the control information among the target-related information, the user also selects one or more specific regions from a list box that specifies the region. This specifies the implementation region of the public control information. When the user specifies sharing, the user also selects one or more specific users from a list box that specifies the users. This allows a user to store information corresponding to other users on his / her own SD card 5.

[0124] 9, the control unit 21 acquires usage start time information stored in the SD card 5 (S23). Based on the acquired usage start time information, the control unit 21 calculates the usage period of the in-vehicle device 4 in which the SD card 5 is used. The control unit 21 determines whether the calculated usage period has passed a predetermined period (e.g., three months) (S25). If the calculated usage period is less than the predetermined period (S25: NO), the usage period of the in-vehicle device 4 is still short, and the process proceeds to S29.

[0125] On the other hand, if the calculated usage period has passed the predetermined period (S25: YES), the vehicle-mounted device 4 has been used for a long time. The control unit 21 acquires the sales advertisement image information corresponding to the type information read out in S19 and having the latest update date and time from the server 3 via the network 6. The server 3 creates sales advertisement information advertising a new model of the vehicle-mounted device 4 at a period shorter than the predetermined period, and updates the sales advertisement information. The control unit 21 stores the acquired sales advertisement image information in the miscellaneous table 253 (see FIG. 8) of the HDD 25. The control unit 21 selects image data of the sales advertisement from the sales advertisement image information acquired from the server 3. The control unit 21 displays the image data of the selected sales advertisement in the area 273 of the selection screen 271 (see FIG. 16) displayed on the display unit 27 (S27). The sales advertisement image includes information on new products such as a new in-vehicle device 4 different from the in-vehicle device 4 of the specified type information, and images for advertising products and services related to the in-vehicle device 4, such as optional products for the in-vehicle device 4 specified by the type information. The sales advertisement image also includes a list of functions of the in-vehicle device 4 to be advertised. This allows the control system 2 to notify the user when it is time to replace the in-vehicle device 4 and encourage the user to purchase a new in-vehicle device 4. The process proceeds to S29.

[0126] It is assumed that the user checks the checkbox and selects the OK button via the selection screen 271 (see FIG. 16) displayed on the display unit 27. The control unit 21 identifies the information item designated by the user (S29). The control unit 21 executes a process of storing the information of the identified item in the SD card 5 as follows.

[0127] As shown in Fig. 10, when the user checks any of the items of the goal-related information and other information and selects the OK button (S31: YES), a process (first storage process, see Fig. 12) is executed to store the information of the specified item of the goal-related information and other information in the SD card 5 (S33). After the first storage process is completed, the process proceeds to S35. On the other hand, when the user has not specified any item of the goal-related information or other information (S31: NO), the process proceeds to S35.

[0128] The first storage process will be described with reference to FIG. 12. Note that the following description will be made on the assumption that the image information of the goal-related information is designated by the user as the information to be stored in the SD card 5. However, the same process is performed even when information other than the image information is designated from the goal-related information and other information. The control unit 21 acquires the image information corresponding to the type information read in S19 (see FIG. 9) and having the latest update date and time via the network 6 by inquiring of the server 3 (S71). The control unit 21 compares the update date and time of the image information stored in the SD card 5 with the update date and time of the image information acquired in S71. If the update date and time of the image information acquired in S71 is newer than the update date and time of the image information stored in the SD card 5, the image information has been recently updated in the server 3 (S73: YES). In this case, the control unit 21 associates the type information and the update date and time with the image information acquired in S71, and stores them in the goal-related table 251 (see FIG. 6) of the HDD 25 (S75). The control unit 21 calculates difference information, which is information on a portion that differs between the latest image information stored in the HDD 25 and the image information stored in the SD card 5 (S77). The control unit 21 stores the calculated difference information in a temporary area of ​​the SD card 5 (S79). The process proceeds to S81.

[0129] The in-vehicle device 4 reconstructs the image information with the most recent update date and time from the image information already stored in the SD card 5 and the difference information stored in the temporary area by the control system 2. The control unit 21 stores the reconstructed image information in the SD card 5 as regular image information. The in-vehicle device 4 becomes capable of reading and using the image information stored in the SD card 5.

[0130] As described above, the control system 2 updates the information stored in the SD card 5 by calculating the difference information and storing it in the SD card 5. For example, as described above, when image information is specified as the target-related information, the amount of image information stored in the SD card 5 is large because the amount of image information data is generally large. Therefore, if the image information is stored in the SD card 5 as it is, it may take a long time to store it. When multiple pieces of information are specified by the user, the amount of information data becomes even larger, so the time required for storage becomes even longer. In contrast, the control system 2 stores the difference information in the SD card 5, so the amount of information stored in the SD card 5 can be suppressed. Therefore, the control system 2 can reduce the time required to store information in the SD card 5.

[0131] Furthermore, the control system 2 acquires information corresponding to the same type information from the server 3 and stores it in the SD card 5, thereby enabling the in-vehicle device 4 to reliably refer to the information stored in the SD card 5. Here, the type information includes information indicating the model of the in-vehicle device 4 (e.g., "XXX-1") and information indicating the firmware version (e.g., "Ver.1"), so that even if in-vehicle devices 4 of the same model are driven based on different firmware, it is possible to reliably acquire information usable by each in-vehicle device 4 from the server 3 and store it in the SD card 5. Therefore, the in-vehicle device 4 can reliably execute notification to the driver by referring to the SD card 5.

[0132] In addition, when the user specifies the traffic enforcement information among the target-related information, the region is also selected in the selection screen 271 (see FIG. 16). When the control unit 21 obtains traffic enforcement information from the server 3 in S71, the control unit 21 specifies and obtains the traffic enforcement information of the region specified by the user. The control unit 21 calculates the difference information between the traffic enforcement information of the specified region and the traffic enforcement information of the specified region stored in the SD card 5, and stores it in a temporary area of ​​the SD card 5. In this way, the control system 2 can narrow down the traffic enforcement information by the specified region and store it in the SD card 5. This allows the control system 2 to further reduce the amount of information stored in the SD card 5. It is sufficient for the driver to be notified of information regarding public traffic enforcement to be carried out in the region including the current position of the vehicle and the region via which the vehicle passes on the way to the destination. Therefore, if the traffic enforcement information of these regions is stored in the SD card 5, the in-vehicle device 4 can reliably notify the driver of the traffic enforcement information required by the driver.

[0133] On the other hand, if the update date and time of the image information stored in the SD card 5 is the same as the update date and time of the image information acquired in S71, the image information stored in the SD card 5 is the latest and has not been updated in the server 3 (S73: NO). In this case, there is no need to store image information in the SD card 5, so the process proceeds to S81.

[0134] In S81, it is determined whether or not all items designated by the user via the selection screen 271 (see FIG. 16) have been processed (S81). If there are items remaining that have not been processed (S81: NO), the process returns to S71. On the other hand, if all items of the goal-related information and other information designated by the user have been processed (S81: YES), the first storage process ends, and the process returns to the control first main process (see FIG. 10).

[0135] In S35 of FIG. 10, it is determined whether the user has checked the item of the registration related information and selected the OK button via the selection screen 271 (see FIG. 16) displayed on the display unit 27 (S35). If the user has not checked any item of the registration related information (S35: NO), the control unit 21 determines whether the registration related information and OBD information are stored in the SD card 5 (S39). If the registration related information and OBD information are stored in the SD card 5 (S39: YES), the control unit 21 executes a process of reading the registration related information and OBD information from the SD card 5 (read process, see FIG. 13) (S41). After the process is completed, the process proceeds to S43. The details of the read process will be described later. On the other hand, if the registration related information and OBD information are not stored in the SD card 5 (S39: NO), the process proceeds to S43.

[0136] On the other hand, if it is determined in S35 that the user has specified any of the items of the registration related information (S35: YES), a process (second storage process, see FIG. 14) is executed to store the information of the specified item in the SD card 5 (S37). After the process ends, the process proceeds to S43. The second storage process will be described in detail later.

[0137] The read process will be described with reference to Fig. 13. The control unit 21 reads the user ID stored in the SD card 5 (S91). The control unit 21 reads the registration related information (registration information, invalid information, detection information, and erroneous detection information) and OBD information stored in the SD card 5 (S93). Since the detection information, erroneous detection information, and OBD information are associated with a time, the associated time is also read. The control unit 21 associates the registration related information and OBD information (including the time) with the user ID and stores them in the user ID correspondence table 252 (see Fig. 7) of the HDD 25 (S95). The read process ends, and the process returns to the first control main process (see Fig. 10).

[0138] By executing the above processes, the control system 2 can effectively utilize the acquired registration-related information (registration information, invalid information, detection information, and false detection information). For example, the control system 2 may arrange an image for identifying the type of the registered target on a map based on the acquired registration-related information and display it on the display unit 27. The control system 2 is provided with a display unit 27 that is larger than the in-vehicle device 4, so that the user can easily recognize the registration-related information displayed on the display unit 27.

[0139] Furthermore, the control system 2 can effectively utilize the OBD information. For example, the control system 2 may display the OBD information on the display unit 27 while changing the OBD information in sequence based on the time associated with the OBD information. This allows the user to easily view and recognize the OBD information since the OBD information is displayed on the display unit 27, which is larger than the display unit 48 provided on the in-vehicle device 4.

[0140] The second storage process will be described with reference to Fig. 14. The control unit 21 reads out the user ID stored in the SD card 5 (S101). The control unit 21 acquires registration-related information corresponding to the user ID read out in S101 from the information stored in the user ID correspondence table 252 (see Fig. 7) (S103). The control unit 21 stores the acquired registration-related information in the SD card 5 (S105). The second storage process ends, and the process returns to the first main control process (see Fig. 10).

[0141] By executing the above process, the user can operate the in-vehicle device 4 using the registration-related information unique to that user. For example, when a plurality of people share a common in-vehicle device 4, each user may have an SD card 5 in which a user ID for identifying the user is stored. In this way, the registration-related information unique to each user is stored in the SD card 5, and the in-vehicle device 4 can be operated based on the registration-related information unique to each user.

[0142] In S43 of FIG. 10, it is determined whether the user checks the setting information and selects the OK button via the selection screen 271 (see FIG. 16) displayed on the display unit 27 (S43). If the user does not specify the setting information (S43: NO), the control unit 21 determines whether the setting information is stored in the SD card 5 (S45). If the setting information is not stored in the SD card 5 (S45: NO), the process proceeds to S53. If the setting information is stored in the SD card 5 (S45: YES), the control unit 21 executes a process of reading the setting information (read process, see FIG. 13) (S47). As shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 21 reads the user ID stored in the SD card 5 (S91). The control unit 21 reads the setting information stored in the SD card 5 (S93). The control unit 21 associates the setting information with the user ID and stores it in the user ID correspondence table 252 (see FIG. 7) of the HDD 25 (S95). The read process ends, and the process returns to the first main control process (see FIG. 10). As shown in FIG. 10, when the read process ends, the control unit 21 associates the user ID with the setting contents, and transmits them to the server 3 via the network 6 (S49). The server 3 associates the received user ID and setting information, and stores them in the database.

[0143] On the other hand, if the user has specified the setting information (S43: YES), a process of storing the setting information in the SD card 5 (third storage process, see FIG. 15) is executed (S51).

[0144] The third storage process will be described with reference to Fig. 15. The control unit 21 reads out the user ID stored in the SD card 5 (S111). Next, from among the setting information stored in the user ID correspondence table 252 (see Fig. 7) in the HDD 25, the control unit 21 selects setting information corresponding to the user ID read out in S111 (S113). Note that the user ID correspondence table 252 stores setting information previously read out from the SD card 5 or setting information directly input by the user to the control system 2 via the input unit 28 (second main control process (see Fig. 17, described later)).

[0145] The control unit 21 judges whether the reading of the setting information stored in the user ID correspondence table 252 has been successful (S115). If the reading of the setting information has been successful (S115: YES), the read setting information is stored in the SD card 5 (S119). The in-vehicle device 4 can be driven based on the setting information by reading and using the setting information stored in the SD card 5. The third storage process ends, and the process returns to the first control main process (see FIG. 10).

[0146] As described above, in the control system 2, the setting information is stored in the user ID correspondence table 252 in association with the user ID, so that by storing in the SD card 5 the setting information corresponding to the user ID stored in the SD card 5, the in-vehicle device 4 can be operated under the setting conditions for each user. For example, when a common in-vehicle device 4 is used jointly by a plurality of people, each user may have an SD card 5 in which a user ID for identifying the user is stored. This allows the user to always operate the in-vehicle device 4 with the desired settings, without having to input the operation of the operation settings every time the in-vehicle device 4 is used.

[0147] On the other hand, if the read of the setting information stored in the user ID correspondence table 252 fails (S115: NO), the control unit 21 notifies the server 3 of the user ID, thereby acquiring the setting information corresponding to the user ID from the server 3 (S117). Note that the control system 2 has a function of transferring the input setting information to the server 3 when the setting information is read from the SD card 5 or when the user directly inputs the setting information to the control system 2 (see FIG. 10 and FIG. 17, described later). For this reason, the setting information is stored in the server 3 in association with the user ID. In response to an inquiry from the control system 2, the server 3 can transmit the setting information corresponding to the notified user ID to the control system 2. The control system 2 acquires the setting information from the server 3 and stores it in the SD card 5 (S119). The third storage process is ended, and the process returns to the first control main process (see FIG. 10).

[0148] As described above, even if the control system 2 is unable to obtain the setting information from the user ID correspondence table 252 due to a failure of the HDD 25 or the like, the control system 2 can reliably store the setting information in the SD card 5 by inquiring of the server 3. This can save the user the trouble of having to reconfigure the in-vehicle device 4 when the HDD 25 fails.

[0149] In S53 of Fig. 10, it is determined whether the user has specified sharing via the selection screen 271 (see Fig. 16) displayed on the display unit 27 (S53). If it is determined that the user has not specified sharing (S53: NO), the process returns to S11 (see Fig. 9). On the other hand, if it is determined that the user has specified sharing (S53: YES), the control unit 21 executes a third storage process (Fig. 15) in order to store in the SD card 5 the setting information corresponding to the user selected at the same time as the user specified sharing on the selection screen 271 (S55).

[0150] As shown in FIG. 15, in the third storage process, the control unit 21 acquires the user ID of the user selected at the same time as the user designates sharing (S111). The control unit 21 acquires setting information corresponding to the acquired user ID from the user ID correspondence table 252 in the HDD 25 (S113). If the acquisition of the setting information is successful (S115: YES), the control unit 21 stores the acquired setting information in the SD card 5 (S119). The third storage process ends, and the process returns to the first main process (see FIG. 10). As shown in FIG. 10, after the third storage process (S55) ends, the process returns to S11 (see FIG. 9).

[0151] As described above, the control system 2 can store, in the SD card 5, setting information corresponding to a user ID different from the user ID stored in the SD card 5. This allows a user to operate the in-vehicle device 4 using setting information used by another user as is.

[0152] In the above description, an example has been given in which the setting information corresponding to a specified user ID is stored in the SD card 5, so that the setting information used in the in-vehicle device 4 of a specific user is shared by other users, but the information to be shared is not limited to the setting information. In the control system 2, other information stored in the user ID correspondence table 252, for example, registration-related information, may be shared by other users.

[0153] As described above, by the control system 2 executing the first control process, the user can store the goal-related information usable in the in-vehicle device 4 in the SD card 5 without performing any designation operation on the control system 2. The in-vehicle device 4 can reliably execute notification of the goal target by referring to the SD card 5 in which the goal-related information is stored. Since the user does not need to recognize in advance information for identifying information usable in the in-vehicle device 4, such as the type information of the in-vehicle device 4, the user can quickly and easily update the goal-related information stored in the SD card 5.

[0154] 17 to 21, the second control main process executed in the control unit 21 of the control system 2 will be described. In the second control main process, a process is executed to acquire setting information of the in-vehicle device 4 input by the user via the input unit 28, and store the information in the user ID correspondence table 252 (see FIG. 7) of the HDD 25. The setting information stored in the user ID correspondence table 252 is stored in the SD card 5 inserted in the card reader 29 (see FIG. 5) of the control system 2 by the above-mentioned first control main process. When the user inputs an instruction to start inputting setting information, the control unit 21 executes a program stored in the HDD 25, thereby starting the second control main process.

[0155] When the second main control process is started, first, control unit 21 displays a screen for inputting a user ID on display unit 27 (see FIG. 5) and prompts the user to input the user ID. When the user inputs the user ID via input unit 28 (see FIG. 5), control unit 21 acquires the input user ID (S121). Next, control unit 21 displays a screen on display unit 27 that allows the user to select a method for inputting setting information. There are three methods for inputting setting information as follows. When inputting setting information, the user selects one of the methods and performs the input operation. (1) A method of hierarchically guiding a user through operations to identify the setting information item desired by the user and change the setting contents, etc. (2) A method in which the optimal setting information item is identified in response to a user's question based on an FAQ format, and the setting content is changed, etc. (3) A method in which the user sequentially displays the setting information items desired by the user and changes the setting contents, etc. (conventional method)

[0156] FIG. 18 shows the setting information 61 of the in-vehicle device 4. As described above, the setting information 61 includes a large number of items, and each item is organized hierarchically. In a conventional method for changing the setting content of a desired item via the in-vehicle device 4, the touch panel 49 is usually operated to scroll through each item until the desired item is displayed on the display unit 48. After the desired item is displayed on the display unit 48, the setting content of the item displayed on the display unit 48 is changed. Therefore, in the conventional method, not only does it take time to display the desired item on the display unit 48, but the desired item is easily overlooked. In addition, since there are a large number of items in the setting information, the user may not know which item to change in order to drive the in-vehicle device 4 in the desired manner.

[0157] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 17, when it is detected that the user has performed an input operation to select the method (1) (S123: YES), the control unit 21 sequentially displays items included in the setting information 61 hierarchically (S125), thereby efficiently changing the setting items in a short time. The HDD 25 of the control system 2 stores the setting information 61 of the in-vehicle device 4 for each type information. The control unit 21 may acquire the setting information 61 corresponding to each of the in-vehicle devices 4 having different type information from the server 3 in advance, and store the information in the HDD 25 in association with the type information. When the control unit 21 starts the second main process of the control, the control unit 21 may read the type information stored in the SD card 5 inserted in the card reader 29, request the server 3 for the corresponding setting information 61, thereby acquiring the setting information 61 from the server 3, and storing the information in the HDD 25. The control unit 21 displays the items included in the setting information based on the setting information 61 stored in the HDD 25 as described above. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to a screen transition 65 in FIG. 19. 19, first, the control unit 21 displays a "Settings" button 62 on the display unit 27. If the control unit 21 detects that the user has selected the "Settings" button 62, the control unit 21 displays the "Radar", "GPS", and "Radio" buttons, which correspond to items in a lower hierarchy than "Settings", on the display unit 27. If the control unit 21 subsequently detects that the user has selected the "Radar" button 63, the control unit 21 displays the "I Cancel", "I Cancel Sound", and "Opposite Cancel" buttons, which correspond to items in a lower hierarchy than "Radar".

[0158] "I Cancel" is a function that automatically registers GPS location information when passing through a place that generates a false alarm due to an automatic door, etc., and cancels the radar warning if a radio wave is received when passing through the area for the second time or later. "I Cancel Sound" is a function that outputs a voice saying "Cancelling" during I Cancel. "Opposite Cancel" is a function that cancels a radar wave reception warning in the opposite lane of the new H system and the radar speed camera point registered in the GPS information. If the control unit 21 subsequently detects that the user has selected the "Opposite Cancel" button 64, it displays the "ON" and "OFF" buttons that correspond to the settings for "Opposite Cancel". By detecting the user's selection of either the "ON" or "OFF" button, the opposite cancel function is switched ON / OFF.

[0159] As shown in Fig. 17, the control unit 21 acquires the setting information item and setting contents selected by the user (S127). The control unit 21 associates the acquired setting information item and setting contents with the user ID acquired in S121, and stores them as setting information in the user ID correspondence table 252 (see Fig. 7) in the HDD 25 (S131). The control unit 21 associates the user ID with the setting information item and setting contents, and transmits them to the server 3 via the network 6 (S161). The server 3 associates the received user ID, item, and setting contents, and stores them in the database. The second control main process ends.

[0160] By carrying out the above-mentioned processing, the user can perform input operations hierarchically by following the guidance, and can easily identify the setting information items required to drive the in-vehicle device 4 in a desired manner and change the setting contents. Therefore, the user can quickly and efficiently change the driving method of the in-vehicle device 4.

[0161] On the other hand, when it is detected that the user has performed an input operation to select the method (2) (S123: NO, S133: YES), the control unit 21 identifies the item of the setting information in response to the user's inquiry and accepts the change of the setting content. In this way, even if the user does not know how to change the setting item to drive the in-vehicle device 4 in the desired driving method, the user can change the setting content of the optimal item. In the HDD 25 of the control system 2, information on a character string that prompts the user to change the setting information is stored in association with a related keyword for each piece of setting information. The control unit 21 prompts the user to change the setting information by selecting a character string corresponding to a keyword input by the user and displaying it on the display unit 27. When there are multiple character strings corresponding to the keyword input by the user, all the multiple character strings are displayed on the display unit 27. When the user inputs multiple keywords, the control unit 21 selects a character string to which all the keywords are associated and displays it on the display unit 27. It is preferable that the control unit 21 obtains in advance from the server 3 a combination of character strings and keywords corresponding to each of the in-vehicle devices 4 having different type information, and stores them in the HDD 25 in association with the type information. Furthermore, when the control unit 21 starts the second main process, it is preferable that the control unit 21 reads out the type information stored in the SD card 5 inserted in the card reader 29, and requests the server 3 for a corresponding combination of character strings and keywords, thereby acquiring the character strings and keywords from the server 3 and storing them in the HDD 25. Based on the character strings and keywords stored in the HDD 25 as described above, the control unit 21 performs display control as follows.

[0162] The following description will be given with reference to Fig. 20 and Fig. 21. As shown in Fig. 20, the control unit 21 displays an input screen 66 on the display unit 27 that allows a keyword to be input (S135, see Fig. 17). Here, it is assumed that the user inputs the keyword "opposite lane speed camera cancel" via the input unit 28 and selects the OK button. The control unit 21 acquires the input keyword (S137, see Fig. 17).

[0163] Next, the control unit 21 reads out a character string including the input keyword from the HDD 25. As shown in FIG. 21, the control system 2 displays a notification screen 67 on the display unit 27, which notifies the user of the character string "Radar ⇒ Turn on Opposition Cancellation". This prompts the user to set the item "opposition cancel function" of the setting information to "ON" (S139, see FIG. 17). It is assumed that the user agrees and selects the OK button. The control unit 21 specifies "opposition cancel function" as the item of the setting information, and specifies "ON" as the setting content (S141). The control unit 21 stores the specified item and setting content of the setting information in the user ID correspondence table 252 of the HDD 25 as setting information in association with the user ID acquired in S121 (S145). The control unit 21 associates the user ID with the item and setting content, and transmits the user ID to the server 3 via the network 6 (S161). The server 3 associates the received user ID, item, and setting content and stores them in a database. The second main process of control ends.

[0164] As described above, the user uses a keyword to make an inquiry to the control system 2, and the control system 2 can identify the setting information items and setting contents desired by the user. Therefore, even if the user does not have detailed knowledge about the in-vehicle device 4, the setting contents of the identified items are stored in the SD card 5, and the in-vehicle device 4 is driven in the driving method desired by the user.

[0165] The display unit 27 displays information about the item of setting information that is optimal for the content of the inquiry using the keyword, and the user can directly change the corresponding item by selecting the OK button. This saves the user the trouble of repeatedly performing input operations to switch screens and specify the item to be changed. Therefore, the user can drive the in-vehicle device 4 in the desired driving method by quickly specifying the desired item.

[0166] When the user performs an input operation to select the method (2), the control unit 21 may perform the following process instead of S135 to S145 described above. A web system for realizing a FAQ search system is provided on a server on the Internet (which may be the server 3, for example). The user uses the control system 2 to launch a browser and access the FAQ search page. The user inputs a keyword or the like on the search page. The server generates setting information in which the setting information items and contents for driving the in-vehicle device 4 are associated with each other according to the search result corresponding to the keyword. The setting information is displayed on the browser so that it can be downloaded. The user selects the setting information, and the control system 2 downloads the setting information. The control unit 21 stores the setting information items and contents included in the downloaded setting information in the user ID correspondence table 252 of the HDD 25 in association with the user ID. At the same time, the downloaded setting information items and contents may be stored in the SD card 5.

[0167] On the other hand, when it is detected that the user has performed an input operation to select the method (3) (S133: NO), the display unit 27 sequentially displays each item of the setting information 61 (see FIG. 18) in response to the user's input operation via the input unit 28 (S147). It is assumed that the user has performed an input operation to change the setting content of the displayed item. The control unit 21 acquires the input setting content (S149). The control unit 21 associates the item and setting content of the acquired setting information with the user ID acquired in S121, and stores them as setting information in the user ID correspondence table 252 of the HDD 25 (S151). The control unit 21 associates the user ID with the item and setting content, and transmits them to the server 3 via the network 6 (S161). The server 3 associates the received user ID, item, and setting content, and stores them in the database. The second main process of the control ends.

[0168] As described above, the user can input the setting information of the in-vehicle device 4 by directly operating the control system 2. The display unit 48 and the touch panel 49 provided in the in-vehicle device 4 cannot be made large due to the constraints of the overall size of the in-vehicle device 4. Therefore, the user cannot easily change the setting via the in-vehicle device 4. In contrast, the control system 2 is provided with an input unit 28 with superior operability and a display unit 27 with superior visibility compared to the in-vehicle device 4. Therefore, the user can easily change the setting. The in-vehicle device 4 operates based on the setting information stored in the SD card 5. Therefore, the control system 2 can change the driving conditions of the in-vehicle device 4 by storing the input setting information in the SD card 5. The user can easily drive the in-vehicle device 4 under the desired driving conditions.

[0169] The driving simulation function of the control system 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 22. It is assumed that the control system 2 detects that an instruction to start a driving simulation has been input by a user via the input unit 28 together with a user ID. The control system 2 reads out history information corresponding to the input user ID from the user ID correspondence table 252 (see FIG. 7). Based on the read history information, the control system 2 displays a simulation image 300 shown in FIG. 22 on the display unit 27 and starts the driving simulation. When an instruction to start a driving simulation is input by a user, the control unit 21 may transmit a request signal to the server 3 to obtain from the server 3 a map image 301 of the surroundings of an area specified by the latitude and longitude indicating the vehicle's driving position from the history information, and store the map image 301 in the HDD 25. The control unit 21 may create a simulation image 300 including the map image 301 stored in the HDD 25, and display the map image 301 on the display unit 27.

[0170] As shown in FIG. 22, the simulation image 300 includes a map image 301 of the surroundings of an area specified by the latitude and longitude indicating the vehicle's traveling position from the history information. Also, a mark 302 indicating that the vehicle has passed is displayed at the point indicated by the latitude and longitude. The mark 302 is displayed on the map image 301 in order of the traveling time included in the history information. This allows the user to check the route of the roads that the vehicle has actually traveled in chronological order, and therefore the user can recognize his / her own traveling history more intuitively. Also, the display unit 27 provided in the control system 2 is larger and has better visibility than the display unit 48 provided in the in-vehicle device 4, so that the user can comfortably view the traveling history.

[0171] The control system 2 also reads out OBD information corresponding to the input user ID from the user ID correspondence table 252 in the HDD 25. The control system 2 refers to the OBD information detected at the vehicle's travel time among the read OBD information, and identifies the vehicle's travel speed. The identified travel speed is displayed as a speed display 305, superimposed on the map image 301.

[0172] Furthermore, the control system 2 reads out GPS information stored in the target-related table 251 (see FIG. 6) that is updated before the travel time included in the history information and closest to the travel time. Based on the read GPS information and the latitude and longitude included in the history information, the control system 2 judges whether the distance between the vehicle and the target object has reached the approach warning distance. If the distance between the vehicle and the target object has reached the approach warning distance, the control system 2 reads out image information 304 corresponding to the approaching target object from the target-related table 251 and displays it superimposed on the map image 301. As described above, the control system 2 can display an image showing the target object that was actually installed on the road at the time the vehicle traveled superimposed on the map image 301. Furthermore, the control system 2 can display the travel speed together with the image of the target object superimposed on the map image 301. These allow the user to experience a highly realistic travel simulation, and thus the user can visually confirm the travel history with a sense of being at the location.

[0173] In the above description, the driving speed is always displayed superimposed on the map image 301, but the driving speed may be displayed only when the image information 304 corresponding to the target object is displayed superimposed on the map image 301.

[0174] 23, the in-vehicle main processing executed in the control unit 41 of the in-vehicle device 4 will be described. In the in-vehicle main processing, a driving process is executed based on the information stored in the SD card 5. When the vehicle starts traveling, the in-vehicle main processing starts by the control unit 41 executing a program stored in the EEPROM 43.

[0175] When the in-vehicle main process is started, the control unit 41 first judges whether or not the SD card 5 is inserted in the card reader 52 (see FIG. 2) (S181). If the SD card 5 is not inserted in the card reader 52 (S181: NO), the in-vehicle device 4 cannot be driven, and the process returns to S181. If the SD card 5 is inserted in the card reader 52 (S181: YES), the control unit 41 judges whether or not type information is stored in the SD card 5 (S183). If type information is not stored in the SD card 5 (S183: NO), the SD card 5 inserted in the card reader 52 is used for the first time, and there is a possibility that information required for notifying the driver is not stored. The control unit 41 stores type information of the in-vehicle device 4 in the SD card (S185). The in-vehicle main process ends. By inserting the SD card 5 storing the type information into the card reader 29 (see FIG. 5) of the control system 2, the necessary information is stored in the SD card 5 (first main control process, see FIGS. 9 and 10).

[0176] For example, when a general-purpose SD card 5 is used for the first time, the type information of the in-vehicle device 4 is not stored in the SD card 5. In order to store necessary information in the SD card 5 by using the control system 2, the type information of the in-vehicle device 4 needs to be stored in the SD card 5. Here, when the user manually stores the type information of the in-vehicle device 4 in the SD card 5, the user needs to confirm what type the in-vehicle device 4 is, which is troublesome. In addition, when the wrong type information of the in-vehicle device 4 is stored in the SD card 5, the in-vehicle device 4 cannot perform a notification process for the driver. In contrast, when the type information is not stored in the SD card 5, the in-vehicle device 4 can store its own type information in the SD card 5. This allows the type information of the in-vehicle device 4 to be accurately and reliably stored in the SD card 5. Therefore, the control system 2 can reliably store information usable in the in-vehicle device 4 in the SD card 5. The in-vehicle device 4 can reliably perform a notification to the driver by referring to the SD card 5.

[0177] When the type information stored in the SD card 5 is different from its own type information, the in-vehicle device 4 does not overwrite and store its own type information in the SD card 5. This makes it possible to prevent the information stored in the SD card 5 from being rewritten based on new type information.

[0178] On the other hand, if type information is stored in the SD card 5 (S183: YES), the control unit 41 judges whether setting information is stored in the SD card 5 (S187). If setting information is stored in the SD card 5 (S187: YES), the control unit 41 reads out the setting information stored in the SD card 5 and sets it in the in-vehicle device 4 (S189). This enables the in-vehicle device 4 to operate based on the setting information stored in the SD card 5. The process proceeds to S191. On the other hand, if setting information is not stored in the SD card 5 (S187: NO), the control unit 41 reads out default setting information from the EEPROM 43 and sets it in the in-vehicle device 4. The process proceeds to S191.

[0179] The control unit 41 judges whether the user has input an instruction to start notifying the driver via the touch panel 49 (see FIG. 2) (S191). If the user has not input an instruction to start notifying the driver (S191: NO), the process returns to S191. On the other hand, if the user has input an instruction to start notifying the driver (S191: YES), the control unit 41 first acquires the use start time information stored in the SD card 5. The control unit 41 calculates the use period of the in-vehicle device 4 from the acquired use start time information and the current date and time. The control unit 41 judges whether the calculated use period is equal to or longer than a predetermined period (S193). If the calculated use period is equal to or longer than a predetermined period (S193: YES), the control unit 41 selects the sales advertisement image information with the most recent update date and time from among the other information stored in the SD card, and reads out the image data of the sales advertisement. The control unit 41 displays the read image data of the sales advertisement on the display unit 48 (S195). The process proceeds to S197. On the other hand, if the calculated usage period is less than the predetermined period (S193: NO), the process proceeds to S197.

[0180] The control unit 41 starts to notify the driver based on the target-related information, the registration-related information, and other information stored in the SD card 5 (S197). Specifically, the control unit 41 realizes the above-mentioned standby screen display function, the radar scope display function, the GPS warning function, the radar wave warning function, and the wireless warning function. At the same time, the control unit 41 starts the storage process of the history information in the SD card 5 (S199). The control unit 41 selects the store advertisement image information with the most recent update date and time from among the other information stored in the SD card 5. The control unit 41 judges whether the distance between the predetermined store and the vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined distance based on the position of the predetermined store and the position of the vehicle (S201). If the distance between the predetermined store and the vehicle is equal to or more than the predetermined distance (S201: NO), the process proceeds to S205. On the other hand, if the distance between the predetermined store and the vehicle is equal to or less than the predetermined distance (S201: YES), the control unit 41 reads out the image data of the store advertisement from the selected store advertisement image information. The control unit 41 displays the read image data of the store advertisement on the display unit 48 (S203). The process proceeds to S205. By carrying out the above display control, the driver can recognize advertisement information related to facilities near the vehicle. The in-vehicle device 4 not only notifies the driver about the target object, but also provides additional information based on the vehicle position, thereby enabling the driver to obtain various information while driving.

[0181] The control unit 41 determines whether or not the driver has input an instruction to end the notification process for the target object via the touch panel 49 (S205). If the driver has not input an instruction to end the notification process for the target object (S205: NO), the process returns to S199. On the other hand, if the driver has input an instruction to end the notification process for the target object via the touch panel 49 (S205: YES), the in-vehicle main process ends.

[0182] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. When the SD card 5 is inserted into the card reader 29, the control system 2 executes a process of reading out the history information and the registration-related information from the SD card 5. For example, the history information and the registration-related information stored in the SD card 5 may be classified into information that the control system 2 can read and information that the control system 2 cannot read. For example, the SD card 5 may be provided with a folder that stores information that the control system 2 can read and a folder that stores information that the control system 2 cannot read. The control system 2 may read out only the readable information from the SD card 5 and store it in the HDD 25.

[0183] For example, it is desirable that history information including the vehicle's traveling position and traveling time not be read by the control system 2 in order to protect the user's privacy. On the other hand, it is preferable that registration-related information be imported into the control system 2, since the latest information on the target object can be obtained by sharing the information with multiple people. In this case, it is preferable to store the history information in a folder that stores unreadable information, and store the registration information and invalid information in a folder that stores readable information. This makes it possible to have the control system 2 import only the registration-related information. In this way, it is possible to prevent all information stored in the SD card 5 from being imported into the control system 2.

[0184] When the control system 2 stores goal-related information in the SD card 5, the goal-related information with the most recent update date and time among the goal-related table 251 (see FIG. 6) is stored in the SD card 5. For example, the control system 2 may store, among the goal-related information, only goal-related information of goal targets within the main movement range of the vehicle in which the in-vehicle device 4 in which the SD card 5 is used is mounted in the SD card 5. Specifically, the following procedure may be performed. The in-vehicle device 4 identifies the main movement range of the vehicle (e.g. prefectures, cities, towns, villages, etc.) based on the history information and stores it in the SD card 5. The control system 2 reads out the main movement range of the vehicle from the SD card 5 inserted in the card reader 29. The control system 2 selects the goal-related information included within the main movement range read from the SD card 5 from the goal-related information stored in the goal-related table 251, and stores it in the SD card 5 as difference information.

[0185] As a result, when the vehicle's movement range is specified to a certain extent, the in-vehicle device 4 can issue a notification to the driver without any problems by storing the target-related information corresponding to the vehicle's movement range in the SD card 5. Therefore, by storing only the target-related information corresponding to the vehicle's movement range in the SD card 5, the control system 2 can reliably cause the in-vehicle device 4 to notify the driver, and at the same time, can further reduce the amount of information stored in the SD card 5.

[0186] Images taken by a camera (e.g., a drive recorder) attached to the vehicle may be stored in the SD card 5 by the in-vehicle device 4. For example, the camera may take an image when an accident occurs and store it in the SD card 5. The control system 2 may read and acquire the image taken by the camera from the SD card 5 inserted in the card reader 29. For example, the control system 2 may display the acquired image on the display unit 27. This allows the control system 2 to allow the user to view the image in a good state.

[0187] The control system 2 may display images for identifying registered targets and their positions, areas where notifications are disabled, positions where new targets have been detected, and positions where targets have been erroneously detected, on the display unit 27, superimposed on a map, based on the registration information, invalidation information, detection information, and erroneous detection information acquired from the SD card 5, for the user to confirm. The control system 2 is provided with a display unit 27 that is larger than the in-vehicle device 4, so that the user can easily view the registration information, etc.

[0188] The control system 2 may receive an operation to register goal-related information from the user via the input unit 28. In this case, the control system 2 stores the received goal-related information in the goal-related table 251 in the HDD 25, and at the same time, when an instruction to store the information in the SD card 5 is received, may store the received goal-related information in the SD card 5. The control system 3 is provided with an input unit 28 that is easier to operate and a display unit 27 that is easier to see than the in-vehicle device 4, so that the user can easily register goal-related information.

[0189] In the above description, information related to the target object to be notified to the driver is stored as target-related information in the target-related table 251. The target object may be an object or may not be an object. For example, the target object may be a place without a specific object, such as a public enforcement area.

[0190] The HDD 25 or the like that stores the goal-related table 251 corresponds to the "first storage means" of the present invention. The HDD 25 or the like that stores the user ID-related table 252 corresponds to the "second storage means" and "third storage means" of the present invention. The HDD 25 or the like that stores the other table 253 corresponds to the "fourth storage means" of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0191] 2. Control System 3 Server 4 Onboard equipment 5. SD card 21 Control section 27 Display section 29 Card Reader 41 Control section 48 Display section 52 Card Reader 251 Goal related tables 252 User ID correspondence table 253 Other Tables

Claims

1. A control system and an on-board device mounted in a vehicle, The control system includes: a first function of displaying a screen for selecting information to be stored in a storage medium that stores information acquired by the in-vehicle device; the first function includes displaying an advertisement image on the selection screen when it is determined that a usage period indicating the length of time that has elapsed since the start of use of the in-vehicle device has elapsed a predetermined period; The in-vehicle device includes: a second function of displaying a screen according to a positional relationship between the vehicle and the target object based on information about the target object stored in the storage medium; The second function is When it is determined that the period of use of the in-vehicle device has elapsed a predetermined period of time, a sales advertisement is displayed, and then an advertisement image is displayed on a screen according to the positional relationship, and when the distance between a predetermined store and the vehicle becomes a predetermined distance, the advertisement image is displayed based on image data of a store advertisement of the predetermined store. system.

2. A control system in the system of claim 1.

3. An in-vehicle device in the system according to claim 1.

4. A program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the control system according to claim 2.

5. A program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the in-vehicle device according to claim 3.

Images