server

Abstract

To provide a server capable of suppressing deterioration of vehicle maintenance efficiency at a first maintenance place and a second maintenance place.SOLUTION: An operation management center 100 includes a communication unit 103 (server-side communication unit) that communicates with each of a plurality of vehicles 10a, a dealer 30 (first maintenance place), and an ADK maintenance center 40 (second maintenance place). The operation management center 100 also includes a processor 101 (server-side control unit) that controls the communication unit 103 so that status information about the status of each of the plurality of vehicles 10a is acquired. The processor 101 determines the assignment of maintenance of the vehicles 10a in at least one of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40 based on the status information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a server. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, a service providing system described in JP 2020-107074 A (Patent Document 1) delivers second key information, which is different from the first key information delivered to the user terminal, to a service provider terminal when a vehicle maintenance request is received from a user. The service provider can drive the vehicle using its own service provider terminal to which the second key information has been delivered. The service provider drives the vehicle to a maintenance facility to perform maintenance work, and after the maintenance is completed, drives the vehicle back to its original parking position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-107074 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As described above, the service providing system described in the above Patent Document 1 distributes second key information that enables the service provider to drive the vehicle to the service provider terminal when a request for vehicle maintenance is received from a user. However, the above Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration that there are multiple locations (first maintenance site and second maintenance site) where vehicle maintenance is performed. In this case, the user needs to select at which of the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site the maintenance will be performed based on the vehicle's condition (abnormal state). For this reason, due to some factor (for example, a difference in the popularity of the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site), the selection of users may be concentrated at one of the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site, which may result in a deterioration in the efficiency of maintenance at the one site. Therefore, it is desired to suppress the deterioration of the efficiency of vehicle maintenance at the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a server that can suppress a deterioration in the efficiency of vehicle maintenance at a first maintenance site and a second maintenance site. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A server according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a server that manages each of a plurality of vehicles, and includes a server-side communication unit that communicates with each of the plurality of vehicles, a first maintenance facility and a second maintenance facility that perform maintenance on the plurality of vehicles, and a server-side control unit that controls the server-side communication unit so that status information regarding the status of each of the plurality of vehicles is obtained, each of the plurality of vehicles includes a vehicle body, an on-board control device that performs at least one of driving assistance control and automatic driving control of the vehicle body and is attached to the vehicle body, and a vehicle-side communication unit that communicates with the server-side communication unit, the first maintenance facility is capable of performing maintenance of the vehicle body, and the second maintenance facility is capable of performing maintenance of the on-board control device, and the server-side control unit determines an allocation of vehicle maintenance at at least one of the first maintenance facility and the second maintenance facility based on the above status information.

[0007] In the server according to the above aspect, as described above, the server-side control unit determines the allocation of vehicle maintenance to at least one of the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site based on the vehicle condition information. This causes the server-side control unit to automatically determine the maintenance site. As a result, since the maintenance site is not selected by the user, it is possible to prevent selection from concentrating on either the first maintenance site or the second maintenance site due to some factor (for example, a difference in name recognition between the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site). This makes it possible to prevent the efficiency of vehicle maintenance at the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site from deteriorating.

[0008] In the server according to the above aspect, preferably, the server-side communication unit is capable of acquiring first schedule information of the first maintenance site and second schedule information of the second maintenance site, and the server-side control unit determines a schedule for vehicle maintenance at at least one of the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site based on the above state information and at least one of the first schedule information and the second schedule information. With this configuration, since the maintenance schedule is determined by the server-side communication unit, the user does not need to determine the maintenance schedule (determine the maintenance time). As a result, the user's work can be further reduced.

[0009] In this case, the status information preferably includes abnormality information about the vehicle, and the server-side control unit determines the length of time for vehicle maintenance at at least one of the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site according to the type of abnormality of the vehicle based on the abnormality information. With this configuration, the length of time for maintenance can be appropriately set for each type of maintenance according to the type of abnormality. As a result, maintenance can be more reliably completed within the scheduled time.

[0010] In the server in which the server-side control unit determines the length of time for maintenance, the server-side control unit preferably determines the time period for vehicle maintenance at at least one of the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site based on the type of abnormality and at least one of the first schedule information and the second schedule information. With this configuration, the user does not need to determine the time period for maintenance, which further reduces the user's effort.

[0011] In the server in which the server-side control unit determines the length of time for maintenance, preferably, the status information includes information indicating that a part in the vehicle needs to be replaced, and the type of abnormality includes the type of part that needs to be replaced, and the server-side control unit determines the length of time for vehicle maintenance according to the type of part. Here, the time required for maintenance differs depending on the type of part. For example, maintenance of important parts in a vehicle requires a relatively long time. Therefore, by determining the length of time for maintenance according to the type of part, it is possible to easily prevent the time required for maintenance from being longer than the scheduled maintenance time.

[0012] In the server in which the server-side control unit determines the length of time for maintenance, preferably, the status information includes information indicating that a part in the vehicle needs to be replaced, and the type of abnormality includes the location in the vehicle of the part that needs to be replaced, and the server-side control unit determines the length of time for vehicle maintenance according to the location. Here, the time required for maintenance differs depending on the location of the part. For example, maintenance of a part that is located near an important part in the vehicle requires a relatively long time. Therefore, by determining the length of time for maintenance according to the location of the part, it is possible to more easily prevent the time required for maintenance from being longer than the scheduled maintenance time.

[0013] In the server in which the server-side control unit determines the maintenance schedule, preferably, the status information includes information regarding the status of the on-board control device, the first maintenance site includes a first vehicle dealership that is unable to perform controlled maintenance of the on-board control device but is able to replace parts of the on-board control device, and the second maintenance site includes a first maintenance center that is able to perform controlled maintenance of the on-board control device and replace parts of the on-board control device, and the server-side control unit determines the maintenance schedule for the on-board control device at the first dealership and the first maintenance center based on the status information including information regarding the status of the on-board control device and at least one of the first schedule information and the second schedule information. Here, by the server-side control unit determining the maintenance schedule for the on-board control device, it is possible to effectively prevent the first dealership (or the first maintenance center) from being selected intensively as a maintenance destination, compared to a case in which the maintenance destination is determined by the user.

[0014] In this case, preferably, the status information includes information indicating that a part in the on-board control device needs to be replaced, the first schedule information includes information indicating whether or not the part can be replaced based on the stock of parts at the first dealer, and the server-side control unit determines to replace the part at the first dealer when it determines based on the first schedule information that the stock of parts is not insufficient at the first dealer, and determines to replace the part at the first maintenance center when it determines based on the first schedule information that the stock of parts is insufficient at the first dealer. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the first dealer that is insufficient in stock of parts from being selected as a maintenance destination. It is also possible to prevent the first maintenance center from being selected as a maintenance destination even when the stock of parts is not insufficient at the first dealer.

[0015] In the server in which the state information includes information on the state of the on-board control device, preferably, the on-board control device can be removed at the first dealership, the state information includes information indicating a control abnormality in the on-board control device, and the first schedule information includes information on the congestion state at the first dealership, and when the server-side control unit determines that the first dealership is not congested based on the first schedule information, the server-side control unit decides to remove the on-board control device from the vehicle at the first dealership and to perform control maintenance of the removed on-board control device at the first maintenance center, and when the server-side control unit determines that the first dealership is congested based on the first schedule information, the server-side control unit decides to perform control maintenance of the on-board control device at the first maintenance center without removing the on-board control device from the vehicle at the first dealership. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent a congested first dealership from being selected as a maintenance destination. It is also possible to prevent the first maintenance center from being selected as a maintenance destination even when the first dealership is not congested.

[0016] In the server according to the above aspect, preferably, the status information includes information regarding the status of the on-board control device and information regarding the status of the vehicle body, the first maintenance site includes a second vehicle dealer capable of performing maintenance of the vehicle body, the second maintenance site includes a second maintenance center capable of performing controlled maintenance of the on-board control device, and when the server-side control unit determines that the vehicle body is abnormal based on the status information, it decides to perform maintenance of the vehicle body at the second dealer. With this configuration, when the vehicle body is abnormal, the second dealer capable of performing maintenance of the vehicle body can be selected as the maintenance destination.

[0017] In this case, preferably, when the server-side control unit determines based on the status information that the onboard control device is abnormal and that the vehicle body is abnormal but the vehicle can be driven, it decides to perform maintenance on the vehicle at the second dealership. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the second maintenance center from being selected as a maintenance destination for a vehicle that has an abnormality in the onboard control device and an abnormality in the vehicle body but can be driven.

[0018] In the server according to the above aspect, preferably, the status information includes information on the status of the on-board control device and information on the status of the vehicle body, and the server-side communication unit acquires information on the status of the vehicle body directly from each of the multiple vehicles, and acquires information on the status of the on-board control device of each of the multiple vehicles via a management server that communicates with each of the multiple vehicles. With this configuration, the server-side communication unit can acquire information on the status of the vehicle body and information on the status of the on-board control device from separate communication partners (the vehicle and the management server). As a result, even if communication with one of the vehicle and the management server is interrupted, information (information on the status of the vehicle body or the on-board control device) can be acquired from the other of the vehicle and the management server.

[0019] In the server according to the above aspect, the status information preferably includes a maintenance request signal requesting maintenance of an abnormal portion of the vehicle, and the server-side control unit controls the server-side communication unit to acquire the maintenance request signal from each of the multiple vehicles. With this configuration, it is possible to easily determine the allocation of vehicle maintenance at least at one of the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site based on the acquired maintenance request signal. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress a decrease in efficiency of vehicle maintenance at the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a MaaS system including a fleet management center according to one embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an ADK. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing maintenance that can be performed by dealers and ADK maintenance centers. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between an abnormal state of a vehicle and a time (time period) for maintenance. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the importance of parts of a vehicle (ADK) and the maintenance time. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the distance between the LIDAR and various parts and the maintenance time. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a control sequence of a traffic management center, etc. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing the flow of the traffic management center after step S10 (branch A in FIG. 7). [Figure 9] 8 is a flow diagram showing the flow after step S20 (branch B in FIG. 7) of the traffic management center. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and their description will not be repeated.

[0023] 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a MaaS (Mobility as a Service) system in which a traffic management center 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is used. The traffic management center 100 is a server that manages a plurality of vehicles 10. The traffic management center 100 is an example of the "server" of the present disclosure.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 1, the MaaS system includes a vehicle 10, an ADK (Autonomous Driving Kit) management server 20, an operation management center 100, a server 31 of a dealer 30, and a server 41 of an ADK maintenance center 40. The vehicle 10 includes an ADK 11. The ADK management server 20 (20a, 20b described below) is an example of a "management server" in the present disclosure. The dealer 30 is an example of a "first maintenance site," a "first dealer," and a "second dealer" in the present disclosure. The ADK maintenance center 40 is an example of a "second maintenance site," a "first maintenance center," and a "second maintenance center" in the present disclosure. The ADK 11 (11a, 11b described below) is an example of an "on-board control device" in the present disclosure.

[0025] The multiple vehicles 10 include multiple vehicles 10a and multiple vehicles 10b. The ADK 11 includes an ADK 11a and an ADK 11b. The vehicle 10a (10b) includes an ADK 11a (11b), a vehicle body 12, a vehicle control interface 13, and a DCM (Data Communication Module) 14. The vehicle body 12 includes a vehicle platform (hereinafter referred to as "VP (Vehicle Platform)") 12a. Note that the vehicle 10a and the vehicle 10b may have different configurations in the parts other than the ADK 11a (11b). The DCM 14 is an example of a "vehicle side communication unit" in the present disclosure.

[0026] In the following description, when the term "vehicle 10" is used, it refers to matters common to vehicles 10a and 10b. In the following description, when the term "ADK11" is used, it refers to matters common to ADK11a and ADK11b.

[0027] The ADK 11 performs driving assistance control and automatic driving control of the vehicle body 12. The ADK 11 is attached to the vehicle body 12. Specifically, the ADK 11 is attached to the roof top of the vehicle body 12, or the like.

[0028] The vehicle control interface 13 can communicate with the ADK 11 via a CAN (Controller Area Network) or the like. The vehicle control interface 13 receives various commands from the ADK 11 by executing a predetermined API (Application Program Interface) defined for each signal to be communicated. The vehicle control interface 13 also outputs the state of the vehicle main body 12 to the ADK 11.

[0029] When the vehicle control interface 13 receives a command from the ADK 11, it outputs a control command corresponding to the command to the VP 12a. In addition, the vehicle control interface 13 acquires various information of the vehicle main body 12 from the VP 12a and outputs the state of the vehicle main body 12 to the ADK 11.

[0030] The VP 12a includes various systems and various sensors for controlling the vehicle body 12. The VP 12a executes various vehicle controls in accordance with commands instructed from the ADK 11 through the vehicle control interface 13. That is, the VP 12a executes various vehicle controls in accordance with commands from the ADK 11, thereby performing automatic driving and driving assistance of the vehicle 10.

[0031] The ADK 11 creates a driving plan for the vehicle 10. The ADK 11 outputs various control requests for driving the vehicle 10 according to the driving plan to the VP 12a according to an API defined for each control request. The ADK 11 also receives various signals indicating the vehicle state (state of the VP 12a) from the VP 12a according to an API defined for each signal. The ADK 11 then reflects the vehicle state in the driving plan. The ADK 11 transmits the driving plan, driving information, etc. to the ADK management server 20. The ADK 11 can also be removed from the VP 12a.

[0032] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the ADK 11. As shown in Fig. 2, the ADK 11 includes two control modules 110, a LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) 111, a camera 112, and a sensor 113. One of the two control modules 110 is a redundant (spare) module. Each of the LIDAR 111, the camera 112, and the sensor 113 is an example of a "component" in the present disclosure.

[0033] The LIDAR 111 measures the distance and direction of an object by emitting, for example, an infrared pulse laser light and detecting the reflected light of the laser light from the object. Note that a millimeter wave radar may be provided instead of (or in addition to) the LIDAR 111. The control module 110 controls the traveling of the vehicle 10 based on the distance and direction measured by the LIDAR 111.

[0034] The camera 112 is provided to capture an image outside the vehicle. The control module 110 grasps the position where the vehicle 10 is traveling based on the degree of coincidence between the image captured by the camera 112 and the image corresponding to each point stored in advance, and controls the traveling of the vehicle 10.

[0035] The sensor 113 includes an attitude sensor that detects the attitude, behavior, or position of the vehicle, etc. Note that the sensor 113 may include other types of sensors.

[0036] 1 executes driving control in the automatic driving mode in response to a control request from the ADK 11. When the ADK 11 is removed, the VP 12a can also execute driving control in the manual mode (driving control according to the driver's operation).

[0037] The user of the vehicle 10 is typically an individual user, but is not limited to this. The user may be a business that provides an autonomous driving service using the vehicle 10 (such as a taxi business, a rental car business, a car sharing business, or a ride sharing service business).

[0038] The ADK management server 20 is a server operated by the manufacturer of the ADK 11. The ADK management server 20 includes an ADK management server 20a and an ADK management server 20b. The ADK management server 20a and the ADK management server 20b are operated by different manufacturers.

[0039] The ADK management server 20a can communicate with each ADK 11a of the multiple vehicles 10a. The ADK management server 20b can communicate with each ADK 11b of the multiple vehicles 10b. In the following description, when the term "ADK management server 20" is simply mentioned, this refers to matters common to both the ADK management server 20a and the ADK management server 20b. The ADK management server 20 collects information on the status (abnormal status) of the ADK 11 from the ADK 11.

[0040] The traffic management center 100 includes a processor 101, a storage device 102, and a communication unit 103. The processor 101 performs predetermined information processing. The storage device 102 is configured to be able to store various types of information. In addition to the programs executed by the processor 101, the storage device 102 stores information used in the programs (e.g., maps, formulas, and various parameters). The communication unit 103 includes various communication I / Fs. The processor 101 and the communication unit 103 are examples of a "server-side control unit" and a "server-side communication unit" of the present disclosure, respectively.

[0041] The communication unit 103 communicates with the DCM 14 of each of the multiple vehicles 10 and each of the ADK management servers 20 (20a, 20b). The communication unit 103 also communicates with each of the dealers 30 and the ADK maintenance centers 40. Specifically, the communication unit 103 communicates with each of the servers 31 that manage the dealers 30 and the server 41 that manages the ADK maintenance center 40.

[0042] The server 31 manages the schedule of the dealer 30, etc. The server 41 manages the schedule of the ADK maintenance center 40, etc. The communication unit 103 is capable of acquiring schedule information of the dealer 30 from the server 31, and is also capable of acquiring schedule information of the ADK maintenance center 40 from the server 41. The schedule information of the dealer 30 and the schedule information of the ADK maintenance center 40 are examples of the "first schedule information" and "second schedule information" of the present disclosure, respectively.

[0043] 1, for simplicity, only one each of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40 is illustrated, but there may be a plurality of each of the dealers 30 and the ADK maintenance centers 40. One server 31 (server 41) may be provided for each of the plurality of dealers 30 (ADK maintenance centers 40), or one server 31 (server 41) may be provided for the plurality of dealers 30 (ADK maintenance centers 40).

[0044] Each of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40 performs maintenance on a plurality of vehicles 10. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, maintenance of the vehicle body 12 can be performed at the dealer 30. Also, parts of the ADK 11 can be replaced at the dealer 30. Note that controlled maintenance of the ADK 11 is not possible at the dealer 30. Also, the ADK 11 can be removed at the dealer 30.

[0045] Furthermore, maintenance of the ADK 11 can be performed at the ADK maintenance center 40. Specifically, controlled maintenance of the ADK 11 can be performed at the ADK maintenance center 40. Furthermore, parts of the ADK 11 can be replaced at the ADK maintenance center 40. However, maintenance of the vehicle body 12 cannot be performed at the ADK maintenance center 40.

[0046] The traffic management center 100 is configured to manage information on a plurality of registered vehicles 10 (hereinafter also referred to as "vehicle information"), information on each registered user (hereinafter also referred to as "user information"), and information on each registered ADK (hereinafter also referred to as "vehicle information"). The user information, vehicle information, and ADK information are stored in the storage device 102, distinguished by identification information (ID).

[0047] The traffic management center 100 controls the communication unit 103 so that status information relating to the status of each of the multiple vehicles 10 is acquired. Specifically, the communication unit 103 of the traffic management center 100 acquires information relating to the status of the vehicle body 12 (VP12a) directly from each of the multiple vehicles 10 (DCM14). Hereinafter, this information is also referred to as "vehicle body status information." The traffic management center 100 stores the vehicle body status information acquired from the multiple vehicles 10 in the storage device 102. Note that the communication unit 103 may indirectly acquire the vehicle body status information from each of the multiple vehicles 10 via the ADK management server 20.

[0048] Furthermore, the communication unit 103 of the traffic management center 100 acquires information regarding the status of each of the ADKs 11 of the multiple vehicles 10 via the ADK management server 20, which communicates with each of the multiple vehicles 10. Hereinafter, this information is also referred to as "ADK status information." The traffic management center 100 stores the ADK status information acquired from the multiple vehicles 10 in the storage device 102. Note that the communication unit 103 may acquire the ADK status information directly from each of the multiple vehicles 10 (ADKs 11).

[0049] The status information (vehicle body status information and ADK status information) also includes a maintenance request signal requesting maintenance of an abnormal portion of the vehicle 10 (ADK 11 and vehicle body 12). Therefore, the processor 101 controls the communication unit 103 so that the maintenance request signal is acquired from each of the multiple vehicles 10.

[0050] Furthermore, the communication unit 103 of the operation management center 100 transmits the acquired status information (vehicle body status information and ADK status information) to at least one of the server 31 of the dealer 30 and the server 41 of the ADK maintenance center 40. The communication unit 103 transmits the above status information to the server 31 of the dealer 30, thereby acquiring schedule information of the dealer 30 from the server 31. The communication unit 103 also transmits the above status information to the server 41 of the ADK maintenance center 40, thereby acquiring schedule information of the ADK maintenance center 40 from the server 41.

[0051] Here, in the conventional system, the user must select (consider the maintenance schedule) whether to have the maintenance performed at the first maintenance facility (dealer) or the second maintenance facility (ADK maintenance center). For this reason, some factor (for example, a difference in name recognition between the first maintenance facility and the second maintenance facility) may cause users to concentrate their selections on one of the first maintenance facility and the second maintenance facility, resulting in a deterioration in the efficiency of maintenance at that one facility. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent the efficiency of vehicle maintenance at the first maintenance facility and the second maintenance facility from deteriorating.

[0052] Therefore, in this embodiment, the processor 101 determines the allocation of maintenance of the vehicle 10 in at least one of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40 based on the above-mentioned status information (maintenance request signal). Specifically, the processor 101 determines a maintenance destination (maintenance execution location) for performing maintenance corresponding to the status (abnormal status) of at least one of the ADK 11 and the vehicle main body 12 detected based on the above-mentioned status information.

[0053] For example, when the status information includes information indicating an abnormality in the vehicle body 12, the maintenance is assigned to a dealer 30 capable of performing maintenance on the vehicle body 12. When the status information includes information indicating an abnormality in the control of the ADK 11, the maintenance is assigned to an ADK maintenance center 40 capable of performing control maintenance on the ADK 11. When the status information includes both information indicating an abnormality in the vehicle body 12 and information indicating an abnormality in the control of the ADK 11, the maintenance is assigned to both the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40.

[0054] Furthermore, the processor 101 determines a schedule for maintenance of the vehicle 10 at at least one of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40 based on the above-mentioned status information and at least one of the schedule information of the dealer 30 and the schedule information of the ADK maintenance center 40. The processor 101 determines to perform maintenance during a time period when maintenance can be performed at a maintenance location corresponding to an abnormality of the vehicle 10 detected based on the above-mentioned status information. The processor 101 may control the communication unit 103 so that a reservation for maintenance is made during the above-mentioned time period at at least one of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40.

[0055] Here, the status information includes abnormality information in the vehicle 10. In this case, the processor 101 determines the length of time for maintenance of the vehicle 10 in at least one of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40, depending on the type of abnormality of the vehicle 10 based on the abnormality information.

[0056] For example, processor 101 determines the importance of maintenance based on the abnormality details of ADK 11. As shown in FIG. 4, when two control modules 110 (see FIG. 2) of ADK 11 are both abnormal, processor 101 determines that the importance of maintenance is high. When one of two control modules 110 of ADK 11 is abnormal, processor 101 determines that the importance of maintenance is medium. When an image of camera 112 (see FIG. 2) is distorted, there is a high possibility that the abnormality can be eliminated by simply wiping the lens of camera 112. Therefore, in this case, processor 101 determines that the importance of maintenance is low. Note that the above-mentioned example of determining the importance is merely an example and is not limited thereto.

[0057] The importance of the maintenance may be determined by the server 31 of the dealer 30 and the server 41 of the ADK maintenance center 40. In this case, the server 31 (41) transmits information on the importance to the fleet management center 100 together with schedule information.

[0058] Then, the processor 101 determines the length of the maintenance time based on the determined importance of the maintenance. When the importance of the maintenance is high, medium, and low, the processor 101 determines the maintenance time to be long (e.g., 5 hours), medium (e.g., 3 hours), and short (e.g., 1 hour), respectively. Note that in the above example, the importance of the maintenance (maintenance time) is divided into three stages, but this is not limiting. The importance of the maintenance (maintenance time) may be divided into two stages, or four or more stages.

[0059] Furthermore, the processor 101 determines a time period for maintenance of the vehicle 10 at at least one of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40 based on the type of abnormality and at least one of the schedule information of the dealer 30 and the schedule information of the ADK maintenance center 40. Specifically, the processor 101 determines a time period for performing maintenance based on the time period for maintenance determined based on the importance of the maintenance and the time periods when maintenance is available (free reservation times) at each of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40.

[0060] For example, if two control modules 110 are abnormal, the processor 101 determines the time period during which maintenance will be performed to be the time period during which the long-term maintenance is possible (e.g., 12:00 to 17:00) at the ADK maintenance center 40, which is capable of performing controlled maintenance of the ADK 11. Also, if one control module 110 is abnormal, the processor 101 determines the time period during which maintenance will be performed to be the time period during which the medium-term maintenance is possible (e.g., 15:00 to 18:00) at the ADK maintenance center 40.

[0061] Furthermore, if the image from the camera 112 is distorted, the processor 101 determines the time period during which the above-mentioned short maintenance can be performed at the dealer 30 or the ADK maintenance center 40 (for example, 10:00 to 11:00 at the dealer 30) as the time period during which maintenance will be performed.

[0062] When there are multiple time periods during which maintenance can be performed, the processor 101 may select the earliest time period among them, or may select a time period based on the travel schedule of the vehicle 10. When maintenance can be performed at both the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40, the processor 101 may select the time period based on the congestion status of each of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40.

[0063] The above examples of the maintenance times (time periods) are merely examples and are not limited to these. In addition, for abnormalities in the vehicle body 12, the maintenance times (time periods) may be determined based on the type of abnormality (importance of maintenance) in the same manner as above.

[0064] Moreover, it is assumed that the status information includes information indicating the need for replacement of a part in the vehicle 10. In this case, the type of abnormality includes the type of the part that requires replacement.

[0065] Here, in this embodiment, the processor 101 determines the length of time for maintenance of the vehicle 10 according to the type of the part that requires replacement. Specifically, importance is set individually for each part. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, importance is set in the order of LIDAR 111, camera 112, and sensor 113. The processor 101 may set a longer work time (maintenance time) for replacing a part with a higher importance. Note that, although the above example shows the parts of the ADK 11, the maintenance time may be determined similarly for the parts of the vehicle body 12.

[0066] The type of abnormality may also include the location of the part requiring replacement in the vehicle 10. In this case, the processor 101 may determine the length of time for maintenance of the vehicle 10 according to the location. For example, as shown in Fig. 6, the processor 101 may set the maintenance time required for replacing a part that is relatively close to the LIDAR 111 to be relatively long.

[0067] 2, since the distance L1 between the camera 112 and the LIDAR 111 is smaller than the distance L2 between the sensor 113 and the LIDAR 111, the replacement time (maintenance time) of the camera 112 may be set longer than the replacement time (maintenance time) of the sensor 113. Note that, although the above has been given as an example of the parts of the ADK 11, similar control may also be performed on the parts of the vehicle body 12.

[0068] Furthermore, even between components of the same type, the maintenance time may be made different depending on the distance from the LIDAR 111. Note that the storage device 102 may store information on the distance between each component and the LIDAR 111. Also, a part other than the LIDAR 111 may be used as the standard for the distance.

[0069] Then, the processor 101 determines a time period for performing maintenance based on the length of the maintenance time determined for each part and the schedule information of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40.

[0070] The processor 101 may determine the time period for maintenance by considering both the importance preset for each of the above-mentioned components and the distance to the LIDAR 111. The processor 101 may determine the time period for maintenance by considering only one of the importance preset for each of the above-mentioned components and the distance to the LIDAR 111.

[0071] (Schedule Decision Sequence Control) Next, sequence control of maintenance schedule determination by the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0072] 7, first, in step S1, the ADK 11 of the vehicle 10 transmits ADK status information to the ADK management server 20. Then, in step S2, the ADK management server 20 transmits the ADK status information acquired in step S1 to the communication unit 103 of the traffic management center 100. Then, in step S3, the vehicle 10 transmits vehicle body status information to the communication unit 103 of the traffic management center 100 via the DCM 14 (see FIG. 1). Note that steps S1 and S3 may be performed in any order, or may be performed at the same timing.

[0073] Next, in step S4, the communication unit 103 of the operation management center 100 transmits at least one of the ADK status information and the vehicle body status information acquired in steps S2 and S3 to the dealer 30 (server 31). In step S5, the dealer 30 (server 31) transmits the schedule information of the dealer 30 to the communication unit 103 of the operation management center 100 based on the status information acquired in step S4.

[0074] Furthermore, in step S6, the communication unit 103 of the traffic management center 100 transmits at least one of the ADK status information and vehicle body status information acquired in steps S2 and S3 to the ADK maintenance center 40 (server 41). In step S7, the ADK maintenance center 40 (server 41) transmits schedule information of the ADK maintenance center 40 to the communication unit 103 of the traffic management center 100, based on the status information acquired in step S6. Note that the order of steps S4 and S5 and steps S6 and S7 may be different, or steps may be performed at the same time.

[0075] Next, in step S8, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) judges whether or not there is an abnormality in the vehicle body 12 based on the status information (ADK status information and vehicle body status information) acquired in steps S2 and S3. If it is judged that there is no abnormality in the vehicle body 12 because the status information does not include information indicating an abnormality in the vehicle body 12 (No in S8), the process proceeds to step S10 (see FIG. 8) (branch A). If it is judged that there is an abnormality in the vehicle body 12 because the status information includes information indicating an abnormality in the vehicle body 12 (Yes in S8), the process proceeds to step S20 (see FIG. 9) (branch B). Note that in step S8, the judgment of an abnormality in the ADK 11 (steps S10 and S21 described below) may be performed before the judgment of an abnormality in the vehicle body 12.

[0076] 8, in step S10, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the ADK 11. If it is determined that there is an abnormality in the ADK 11 because the status information includes information indicating an abnormality in the ADK 11 (Yes in S10), the process proceeds to step S11. If it is determined that there is no abnormality in the ADK 11 because the status information does not include information indicating an abnormality in the ADK 11 (No in S10), the process ends.

[0077] Next, in step S11, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) determines whether or not control maintenance of the ADK11 (for example, maintenance of the control module 110 (see FIG. 2)) is required. If it is determined that control maintenance of the ADK11 is required because the status information includes information indicating a control abnormality of the ADK11 (Yes in S11), the process proceeds to step S12. If it is determined that control maintenance of the ADK11 is not required because the status information does not include information indicating a control abnormality of the ADK11 (No in S11), the process proceeds to step S13. Note that when the process proceeds to step S13, the status information includes information indicating that replacement of a part in the ADK11 is required.

[0078] Here, the schedule information of the dealer 30 acquired in step S5 includes information on the congestion state at the dealer 30. In step S12, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) judges whether the dealer 30 is congested or not based on the schedule information of the dealer 30 (information on the congestion state). If it is judged (determined) that the dealer 30 is congested (Yes in S12), the process proceeds to step S14. If it is judged (determined) that the dealer 30 is not congested (No in S12), the process proceeds to step S15. The processor 101 may judge that the dealer 30 is congested if the maintenance reservations at the dealer 30 are full within a predetermined period (for example, within 7 days from the time of the judgment).

[0079] In addition, when there are multiple dealers 30 that can handle maintenance of the vehicle 10, a dealer 30 being busy means that all of the multiple dealers 30 are busy and therefore maintenance cannot be performed at any of the dealers 30.

[0080] In step S14, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) decides to perform controlled maintenance of the ADK 11 at the ADK maintenance center 40, without removing the ADK 11 from the vehicle 10 (vehicle body 12) at the dealer 30. That is, the processor 101 decides to perform maintenance of the vehicle 10 with the ADK 11 attached to the vehicle body 12 at the ADK maintenance center 40.

[0081] Furthermore, in step S15, the operation management center 100 (processor 101) decides to remove the ADK 11 from the vehicle 10 (vehicle body 12) at the dealer 30 and to perform controlled maintenance of the removed ADK 11 at the ADK maintenance center 40. In this case, the ADK 11 removed at the dealer 30 may be mailed to the ADK maintenance center 40 by the dealer 30.

[0082] In addition, the schedule information of the dealer 30 acquired in step S5 includes information indicating whether or not it is possible to replace parts using the inventory of parts of the ADK 11 at the dealer 30. In step S13, the operation management center 100 (processor 101) determines whether or not the inventory of parts of the dealer 30 is insufficient based on the schedule information (inventory status) of the dealer 30. If it is determined (determined) that the inventory of parts of the ADK 11 at the dealer 30 is not insufficient (No in S13), the process proceeds to step S16. If it is determined (determined) that the inventory of parts of the ADK 11 at the dealer 30 is insufficient (Yes in S13), the process proceeds to step S17. Note that the processor 101 may determine that the inventory of parts of the dealer 30 is insufficient when the inventory of parts at the dealer 30 is a predetermined number (for example, 0 to 4) or less.

[0083] In addition, when there are multiple dealers 30 that can handle maintenance of the vehicle 10, a dealer 30 having a shortage of parts in stock means that maintenance is not possible at any of the multiple dealers 30 due to a shortage of parts in stock at all of the multiple dealers 30.

[0084] In step S16, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) determines that maintenance (replacement of parts of the ADK 11) will be performed at the dealer 30.

[0085] Furthermore, in step S17, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) determines to perform maintenance (replacement of parts of the ADK 11) at the ADK maintenance center 40. In this case, the processor 101 determines to perform maintenance at the ADK maintenance center 40 on the vehicle 10 with the ADK 11 attached to the vehicle body 12.

[0086] Then, in step S18 following each of steps S14 to S17, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) determines a maintenance schedule for the vehicle 10. Specifically, the processor 101 determines a maintenance schedule for the vehicle 10 based on the above-mentioned state information, the schedule information of the dealer 30 acquired in step S5, and the schedule information of the ADK maintenance center 40 acquired in step S7. The method of determining the schedule has been described in detail above, and therefore will not be repeated.

[0087] In step S15, maintenance (removal of the ADK 11 and controlled maintenance of the ADK 11) is performed at each of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40. In this case, a reservation for maintenance may be made at each of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40. Specifically, the processor 101 may determine a schedule such that removal of the ADK 11 is performed at the dealer 30 from 10:00 to 11:00, and controlled maintenance of the ADK 11 is performed at the ADK maintenance center 40 from 12:00 to 17:00.

[0088] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, in step S20, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) determines whether the vehicle 10 can travel. For example, the processor 101 determines whether the vehicle 10 can travel based on at least one of the ADK status information and the vehicle body status information. If it is determined that the vehicle 10 can travel (Yes in S20), the process proceeds to step S21. If it is determined that the vehicle cannot travel (No in S20), the process proceeds to step S22. Note that if it is determined that the vehicle cannot travel (No in S20), the processor 101 may control the communication unit 103 to arrange for a tow truck or the like to transport the vehicle 10.

[0089] Next, in step S21, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the ADK 11. If it is determined that there is an abnormality in the ADK 11 because the status information includes information indicating an abnormality in the ADK 11 (Yes in S21), the process proceeds to step S23. If it is determined that there is no abnormality in the ADK 11 because the status information does not include information indicating an abnormality in the ADK 11 (No in S21), the process proceeds to step S22.

[0090] In step S22, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) determines that maintenance of the vehicle body 12 is to be performed at the dealer 30. If it is determined in step S20 that the vehicle 10 is not capable of traveling (No in S20), the processor 101 may determine that maintenance of the vehicle 10 is to be performed at a vehicle repair shop (not shown).

[0091] In step S23, the operation management center 100 (processor 101) determines whether or not control maintenance of the ADK11 is required. If it is determined that control maintenance of the ADK11 is required because the status information includes information indicating a control abnormality of the ADK11 (Yes in S23), the process proceeds to step S24. If it is determined that control maintenance of the ADK11 is not required because the status information does not include information indicating a control abnormality of the ADK11 (No in S23), the process proceeds to step S25. Note that when the process proceeds to step S25, the status information includes information indicating that replacement of parts in the ADK11 is required.

[0092] In step S24, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) determines whether the dealer 30 is busy based on the schedule information of the dealer 30. If it is determined (judged) that the dealer 30 is busy (Yes in S24), the process proceeds to step S26. If it is determined (judged) that the dealer 30 is not busy (No in S24), the process proceeds to step S27.

[0093] In step S26, the operation management center 100 (processor 101) determines to perform maintenance of the vehicle body 12 at the dealer 30 and to perform controlled maintenance of the ADK 11 at the ADK maintenance center 40. Specifically, the processor 101 determines to perform controlled maintenance of the ADK 11 at the ADK maintenance center 40 without removing the ADK 11 from the vehicle 10 (vehicle body 12) at the dealer 30. In this case, the processor 101 may request the dealer 30 to prioritize maintenance of the vehicle body 12 over maintenance of other vehicles 10 (for example, maintenance with a relatively low urgency).

[0094] Also, in step S27, the operation management center 100 (processor 101) determines that maintenance of the vehicle body 12 will be performed at the dealer 30. Furthermore, the processor 101 determines that the ADK 11 will be removed from the vehicle 10 (vehicle body 12) at the dealer 30, and that controlled maintenance of the removed ADK 11 will be performed at the ADK maintenance center 40. In this case, the ADK 11 removed at the dealer 30 may be mailed to the ADK maintenance center 40 by the dealer 30.

[0095] Furthermore, in step S25, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) determines whether or not there is a shortage of ADK11 parts at the dealer 30 based on the schedule information (inventory status) of the dealer 30. If it is determined (judged) that there is no shortage of ADK11 parts in inventory at the dealer 30 (No in S25), the process proceeds to step S28. If it is determined (judged) that there is a shortage of ADK11 parts in inventory at the dealer 30 (Yes in S25), the process proceeds to step S29. The processor 101 may also judge the inventory status within a predetermined period (for example, within three days from the time of judgment).

[0096] In step S28, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) determines that the dealer 30 will perform maintenance on the vehicle body 12 and replace parts of the ADK 11.

[0097] Furthermore, in step S29, the operation management center 100 (processor 101) determines that maintenance of the vehicle body 12 will be performed at the dealer 30, and that parts of the ADK 11 will be replaced at the ADK maintenance center 40. In this case, the processor 101 determines that maintenance of the vehicle 10 with the ADK 11 attached to the vehicle body 12 will be performed at the ADK maintenance center 40.

[0098] Then, in step S30 following step S22 and each of steps S26 to S29, the fleet management center 100 (processor 101) determines a maintenance schedule for the vehicle 10. Specifically, the processor 101 determines a maintenance schedule for the vehicle 10 based on the above-mentioned state information, the schedule information of the dealer 30 acquired in step S5, and the schedule information of the ADK maintenance center 40 acquired in step S7. The method of determining the schedule has been described in detail above, and therefore will not be repeated.

[0099] As described above, in this embodiment, the processor 101 determines the allocation of maintenance of the vehicle 10 to at least one of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40 based on the condition information of the vehicle 10. In this way, the maintenance destination is determined by the processor 101. As a result, the user does not need to select a maintenance destination, which reduces the user's effort. In addition, since the maintenance destination is determined by the processor 101 based on the condition of the vehicle 10, appropriate maintenance according to the condition of the vehicle 10 can be reliably performed at the maintenance destination. As a result, the condition (abnormal condition) of the vehicle 10 can be quickly improved.

[0100] In addition, in this embodiment, the processor 101 determines a maintenance schedule for the vehicle 10 at at least one of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40 based on the above-mentioned status information, the schedule information of the dealer 30, and the schedule information of the ADK maintenance center 40.

[0101] This allows the processor 101 to determine a schedule for the maintenance of the vehicle 10 based on both the schedule information of the dealer 30 and the schedule information of the ADK maintenance center 40. As a result, for example, when the vehicle 10 is in a state where maintenance can be performed at both the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40, it can be determined that the maintenance will be performed at the maintenance location where the maintenance can be performed earlier. Furthermore, when the vehicle 10 requires maintenance at both the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40, the processor 101 can create an appropriate schedule based on the schedules of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40. For example, the time between maintenance at each of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40 can be adjusted to be an appropriate length. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the time periods during which the above-mentioned maintenance is performed from overlapping with each other.

[0102] In the above embodiment, the processor 101 determines the maintenance schedule based on at least one of the schedule information of the dealer 30 and the schedule information of the ADK maintenance center 40, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The processor 101 may determine the allocation of maintenance in at least one of the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40 not based on the schedule information (based only on the status information of the vehicle 10).

[0103] In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the maintenance schedule is determined based on the congestion and inventory status of the dealer 30, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The processor 101 may determine the maintenance schedule based on the congestion and inventory status of the ADK maintenance center 40.

[0104] In addition, in the above embodiment, the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40 are given as examples of maintenance sites for the vehicle 10, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Maintenance may also be performed at a site other than the dealer 30 and the ADK maintenance center 40 (for example, a vehicle repair shop, etc.).

[0105] In the above embodiment, the operation management center 100 (processor 101) determines maintenance based on both the schedule of the dealer 30 and the schedule of the ADK maintenance center 40, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The processor 101 may determine maintenance based on either the schedule of the dealer 30 or the schedule of the ADK maintenance center 40. For example, when the processor 101 determines that maintenance is not required for either the dealer 30 or the ADK maintenance center 40 based on the acquired status information, it is not necessary to acquire schedule information for the one of the above where maintenance is not required.

[0106] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the ADK (on-board control device) that performs driving assistance control and automatic driving control is mounted on the vehicle 10, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The vehicle 10 may be mounted with an on-board control device that performs one of driving assistance control and automatic driving control.

[0107] The configurations described in the above embodiment and the various modified examples may be implemented in any combination.

[0108] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the description of the embodiments described above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0109] 10, 10a, 10b vehicle, 11, 11a, 11b ADK (on-board control device), 12 vehicle body, 14 DCM (vehicle side communication unit), 20, 20a, 20b ADK management server (management server), 30 dealer (first maintenance site) (first sales store) (second sales store), 40 ADK maintenance center (second maintenance site) (first maintenance center) (second maintenance center), 100 operation management center (server), 101 processor (server side control unit), 103 communication unit (server side communication unit), 111 LIDAR (component), 112 camera (component), 113 sensor (component).

Claims

1. A server that manages each of a plurality of vehicles, a server-side communication unit that communicates with each of the plurality of vehicles and with a first maintenance site and a second maintenance site that perform maintenance on the plurality of vehicles; a server-side control unit that controls the server-side communication unit so that status information regarding each of the plurality of vehicles is acquired; Each of the plurality of vehicles includes: A vehicle body, An on-board control device that performs at least one of driving assistance control and automatic driving control of the vehicle body and is attached to the vehicle body; a vehicle-side communication unit that communicates with the server-side communication unit, The first maintenance site is capable of performing maintenance on the vehicle body, The second maintenance site is capable of performing maintenance of the on-board control device, the server-side control unit determines an allocation of maintenance of the vehicle in at least one of the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site based on the status information; The state information includes information regarding a state of the mounted control device and information regarding a state of the vehicle body, The first maintenance site includes a first dealership of the vehicle capable of performing maintenance on the vehicle body, The second maintenance site includes a first maintenance center capable of performing controlled maintenance of the on-board control device, When the server-side control unit determines that the vehicle body is abnormal based on the status information, it determines to perform maintenance on the vehicle body at the first dealership.

2. the server-side communication unit is capable of acquiring first schedule information of the first maintenance site and second schedule information of the second maintenance site; The server according to claim 1, wherein the server-side control unit determines a schedule for maintenance of the vehicle at at least one of the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site based on the status information and at least one of the first schedule information and the second schedule information.

3. The status information includes abnormality information in the vehicle, The server according to claim 2 , wherein the server-side control unit determines the length of time for maintenance of the vehicle at at least one of the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site depending on the type of abnormality of the vehicle based on the abnormality information.

4. The server according to claim 3, wherein the server-side control unit determines a time period for maintenance of the vehicle at at least one of the first maintenance site and the second maintenance site based on the type of abnormality and at least one of the first schedule information and the second schedule information.

5. the status information includes information indicating that a part in the vehicle needs to be replaced, The type of abnormality includes a type of the part that requires replacement, The server according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the server-side control unit determines a length of time for maintenance of the vehicle depending on a type of the part.

6. the status information includes information indicating that a part in the vehicle needs to be replaced; The type of the abnormality includes a location of the part requiring replacement on the vehicle, The server according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the server-side control unit determines a length of time for maintenance of the vehicle depending on the placement location.

7. The status information includes information regarding a status of the on-board control device, the first maintenance site includes a second dealer of the vehicle that is unable to perform controllable maintenance of the on-board control device but is able to replace parts of the on-board control device; the second maintenance site includes a second maintenance center capable of performing controlled maintenance of the on-board control device and replacing parts of the on-board control device; A server as described in any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the server-side control unit determines a schedule for maintenance of the mounted control device at the second dealership and the second maintenance center based on the status information including information regarding the status of the mounted control device and at least one of the first schedule information and the second schedule information.

8. the status information includes information indicating that a part in the on-board control device needs to be replaced, the first schedule information includes information indicating whether or not the replacement of the part can be performed based on an inventory of the part at the second dealership, The server-side control unit determining, when it is determined based on the first schedule information that the second dealer has a sufficient stock of the part, to replace the part at the second dealer; 8. The server according to claim 7, wherein when it is determined based on the first schedule information that the second dealer has a shortage of the part in stock, it determines to replace the part at the second maintenance center.

9. The on-board control device may be further removed at the second dealership; The status information includes information indicating a control abnormality of the on-board control device, The first schedule information includes information regarding a congestion state at the second store, The server-side control unit When it is determined that the second dealership is not busy based on the first schedule information, it is determined that the second dealership will remove the on-board control device from the vehicle and that the second maintenance center will perform controlled maintenance of the on-board control device that has been removed; The server according to claim 7 or 8, which, when it is determined that the second dealership is busy based on the first schedule information, decides to perform controlled maintenance of the on-board control device at the second maintenance center without removing the on-board control device from the vehicle at the second dealership.

10. A server according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the server-side control unit determines, based on the status information, that the on-board control device is abnormal and that the vehicle body is abnormal but the vehicle is capable of being driven, and then decides to perform maintenance on the vehicle at the first dealership.

11. The state information includes information regarding a state of the mounted control device and information regarding a state of the vehicle body, A server as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the server-side communication unit obtains information regarding the status of the vehicle body directly from each of the plurality of vehicles, and obtains information regarding the status of the on-board control device of each of the plurality of vehicles via a management server that communicates with each of the plurality of vehicles.

12. the status information includes a maintenance request signal that requests maintenance of an abnormal portion of the vehicle, The server according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the server-side control unit controls the server-side communication unit so that the maintenance request signal is acquired from each of the plurality of vehicles.

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