On-board communication device, communication management server, program, communication management system, and communication management method

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle communication device, a communication management server, a program, a communication management system, and a communication management method, capable of saving power consumption as compared with a case that all communication modules are in a stand-by state while a state capable of performing remote start-up is maintained.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle communication device includes: a communication part including a plurality of communication modules corresponding to a plurality of mutually different communication channels; and a power control part for determining at least one start-up channel used for remote start-up from a communication management server based on each communication state for each of the plurality of communication channels when a vehicle is stopped, causing a part of communication modules to be in a stand-by state in which only a request signal from the communication management server is receivable while maintaining supplying power from a power supply to the part of communication modules corresponding to the start-up channel, and causing the rest of communication modules to be in a stopped state by cutting off power supply from the power supply to the rest of communication modules.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle communication device, a communication management server, a program, a communication management system, and a communication management method. [Background technology]

[0002] Various devices are known to have a power saving mode that stops some functions to reduce power consumption. Also known is a technology for returning from the power saving mode by remote control. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which, in an information processing device having a plurality of communication interfaces, identification information of each communication interface is stored so that the device can return from the power saving state regardless of which communication interface a startup packet is received through, and the device returns from the power saving state if the identification information included in the startup packet matches the stored identification information regardless of which communication interface the startup packet is received through. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2011 / 048658 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when the above technology is applied to an in-vehicle communication device, the following problems arise. First, when using a cellular communication line, the line condition varies depending on the area and time of day, so remote activation may not be possible depending on the parking location. Also, if the system switches to power-saving mode while power is still being supplied to multiple communication modules, power consumption increases, raising concerns about the vehicle's battery running out.

[0005] The object of the present disclosure is to provide an in-vehicle communication device, a communication management server, a communication management system, and a program that can reduce power consumption compared to when all communication modules are in standby mode while maintaining a state that can be remotely started. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The in-vehicle communication device disclosed herein comprises a communication unit including a plurality of communication modules corresponding to a plurality of different communication lines, and a power supply control unit that, when the vehicle is stopped, determines at least one start-up line to be used for remote start-up from a communication management server based on the communication status of each of the plurality of communication lines, and places some of the communication modules corresponding to the start-up lines in a standby state in which they can receive only request signals from the communication management server while maintaining the supply of power from a power source to the some of the communication modules corresponding to the start-up lines, and cuts off the supply of power from the power source to the remaining communication modules to place the remaining communication modules in a stopped state.

[0007] The communication management server of the present disclosure is a communication management server that manages an in-vehicle communication device comprising: a communication unit including a plurality of communication modules corresponding to a plurality of different communication lines; and a power supply control unit that, when the vehicle is stopped, determines at least one start-up line to be used for remote start-up from the communication management server based on the communication status of each of the plurality of communication lines, and ... maintains the supply of power from a power source to some of the communication modules corresponding to the start-up lines while putting the some of the communication modules in a standby state in which they can receive only request signals from the communication management server, and cuts off the supply of power from the power source to the remaining communication modules to put the remaining communication modules in a stopped state, and comprises a notification unit that notifies the in-vehicle communication device of a communication line among the plurality of communication lines whose communication status is more stable than the other communication lines as a candidate start-up line, and a remote start-up unit that starts the in-vehicle communication device by sending a start-up request via the start-up line.

[0008] The communication management system disclosed herein comprises an in-vehicle communication device having a communication unit including a plurality of communication modules corresponding to a plurality of different communication lines, and a power supply control unit that, when the vehicle is stopped, determines at least one start-up line to be used for remote start-up from a communication management server based on the communication status of each of the plurality of communication lines, and while maintaining the supply of power from a power source to some of the communication modules corresponding to the start-up lines, puts the some of the communication modules in a standby state in which they can receive only request signals from the communication management server, and cuts off the supply of power from the power source to the remaining communication modules to put the remaining communication modules in a stopped state; and a communication management server capable of communicating with the in-vehicle communication device via a network, the communication management server having a notification unit that notifies the in-vehicle communication device of a communication line among the plurality of communication lines whose communication status is more stable than other communication lines as a candidate start-up line, and a remote start-up unit that starts the in-vehicle communication device by sending a start-up request via the start-up line.

[0009] In the communication management method disclosed herein, a communication management server capable of communicating with the in-vehicle communication device via a network notifies the in-vehicle communication device of a communication line among the multiple communication lines that has a higher communication state stability than the other communication lines, and when the vehicle is stopped, the in-vehicle communication device determines at least one start-up line to be used for remote startup from the communication management server based on the notified communication line whose stability is higher than the other communication lines, and places some of the communication modules corresponding to the start-up lines in a standby state in which they can receive only request signals from the communication management server while maintaining the supply of power from a power source to the remaining communication modules corresponding to the start-up lines, and cuts off the supply of power from the power source to the remaining communication modules to place the remaining communication modules in a stopped state, and the communication management server starts the in-vehicle communication device by sending a start-up request via the start-up line. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a communication management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an electrical configuration of an in-vehicle communication device; [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an electrical configuration of a communication management server; [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a state transition diagram of the communication module. [Diagram 5] 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of each unit of a communication management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an outline of a processing procedure of a communication management system according to the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of an outline of a processing procedure of the communication management system according to the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a table for managing individual data collected from a vehicle. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of statistical data acquired from a database. [Figure 10] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a "standby state transition process" executed by the in-vehicle communication device. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a response process executed by the in-vehicle communication device when a trigger is received. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a "start-up process." [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of "line change processing." [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the procedure of the "line change process." [Figure 15] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for a response process executed by the communication management server when a trigger is received. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a "standby state transition support process." [Figure 17] 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a line activation registration table. [Figure 18] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a "remote activation process." [Figure 19] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a "communication status monitoring process" executed by the communication management server. [Figure 20] 1 is a graph showing how communication conditions change. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a communication management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 22] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of each unit of a communication management system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 23] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a “standby state transition process” according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 24] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a communication management system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 25] FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of each unit of a communication management system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 26] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a “standby state transition process” according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 27] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a “remote activation process” according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] [First embodiment] First, a communication management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0013] <Communication Management System> 1, the communication management system of the present disclosure includes an in-vehicle communication device 10 mounted on a vehicle, a communication management server 20 installed in a management center, a database (hereinafter abbreviated as "DB") 30 connected to the communication management server 20, and a terminal device 40 used by a user D. The vehicle may be an autonomously driven vehicle, or may be a general vehicle driven by the user D.

[0014] The in-vehicle communication device 10 and the terminal device 40 are connected to a network 50, which is a public network such as the Internet, via a wireless base station 52. The in-vehicle communication device 10 communicates wirelessly with a communication management server 20 connected to the network 50. The communication management server 20 and the DB 30 are connected by a LAN or the like, and communicate with each other by wire or wirelessly.

[0015] The communication management system disclosed herein is a system in which an in-vehicle communication device 10 that has transitioned to a power saving mode is remotely started from a communication management server 20. The communication management server 20 is a server that manages a plurality of in-vehicle communication devices 10, and manages each in-vehicle communication device 10 even after the in-vehicle communication device 10 has transitioned to the power saving mode, and maintains each in-vehicle communication device 10 in a state in which it can be remotely started.

[0016] Although one each of the in-vehicle communication device 10, the communication management server 20, the DB 30, and the terminal device 40 is illustrated, the number of each device is not limited to the illustrated example. From the viewpoint of constructing the DB 30, it is assumed that there are a plurality of vehicles, i.e., a plurality of the in-vehicle communication devices 10. Also, a plurality of the communication management servers 20, the DB 30, and the terminal devices 40 may be arranged.

[0017] The locations where the communication management server 20 and the DB 30 are installed are also merely examples, and they may be located on a cloud, for example. Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may be omitted. In this embodiment, an application program for remote startup is stored in the terminal device 40, and the communication management server 20 makes a startup request to the in-vehicle communication device 10 based on a startup instruction from the terminal device 40, but the communication management server 20 may decide for itself whether or not to make a startup request.

[0018] (Electrical configuration of each device) Here, an example of the electrical configuration of the in-vehicle communication device 10 will be described. 2, the in-vehicle communication device 10 is an electronic control unit (ECU) or the like, and includes an information processing unit 12, which is a computer, a communication unit 14, various sensors 16, and a storage unit 18. The information processing unit 12 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 12A, a read only memory (ROM) 12B, a random access memory (RAM) 12C, a non-volatile memory 12D, and an input / output unit (I / O) 12E, and these units are connected to each other by a bus 12F. The communication unit 14, the various sensors 16, and the storage unit 18 are connected to an I / O 120E.

[0019] The CPU 12A reads out a program from the storage unit 18 and executes the program using the RAM 12C as a working area. The CPU 12A controls each unit connected to the I / O 12E and performs various arithmetic processing according to the program stored in the storage unit 18.

[0020] The various sensors 16 may include, in addition to a GPS (Global Positioning System) device that acquires the current position of the vehicle, an on-board camera that captures images of the vehicle's surroundings such as the front and sides of the vehicle, a millimeter wave radar or LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging / Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) that detects obstacles around the vehicle, a microphone that collects sounds around the vehicle, etc. In this disclosure, the GPS device is mainly used, and therefore will be referred to as the GPS device 16 below.

[0021] The communication unit 14 is a communication interface for communicating with the outside (for example, the communication management server 20). For communication with the outside, for example, standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and wide-area wireless communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G, and 5G are used. The communication unit 14 is also made up of a plurality of communication modules 151 to 15, each of which can be controlled independently. n The communication modules 151 to 15 n The communication modules 151 to 15 are provided corresponding to each of the available communication carriers, and each of them uses a different communication line. n When there is no need to distinguish between them, they will be collectively referred to as communication module 15.

[0022] The storage unit 18 is an external storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Various programs and various data are stored in the storage unit 18. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 18 stores various programs 60 and various data 62 for executing a "standby state transition process", a "startup process", and a "line change process" which will be described later.

[0023] When mounted on a general vehicle, the in-vehicle communication device 10 may include various user interfaces, which are so-called HMIs (Human Machine Interfaces). When mounted on an autonomous vehicle, the in-vehicle communication device 10 may further include a vehicle control unit for controlling each mechanism of the vehicle to realize autonomous driving or remote control.

[0024] Next, an example of the electrical configuration of the communication management server 20 will be described. 3, the communication management server 20 includes an information processing unit 22, a communication unit 24, and a storage unit 26. The information processing unit 22, which is a server computer, includes a CPU 22A, a ROM 22B, a RAM 22C, a non-volatile memory 22D, and an input / output unit (I / O) 22E, and these units are connected to each other by a bus 22F. The communication unit 24 and the storage unit 26 are connected to the I / O 22E.

[0025] The information processing unit 22 and the communication unit 24 have the same configuration as those of the in-vehicle communication device 10, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted. The memory unit 26 is an external storage device such as an HDD. The memory unit 26 stores various programs 64 for executing the "standby state transition support process", "remote activation process", and "communication state monitoring process" described below, and various data 66 such as an activation line registration table.

[0026] It should be noted that a description of the electrical configuration of the terminal device 40 will be omitted. The terminal device 40 has the same configuration as the communication management server 20, except that it has an operation display unit as a user interface.

[0027] (System Functionality) Next, the functional configuration of the system will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0028] First, the state transition of the communication module 15 will be described. As shown in Fig. 4, each communication module 15 has three states: a remote activation standby state (hereinafter referred to as a "standby state"), an activated state, and a stopped state. The communication module 15 is controlled by the information processing unit 12, and when a standby instruction signal is input, it transitions from the activated state to the standby state, and when a start instruction signal is input, it transitions from the standby state to the activated state. Furthermore, the communication module 15 goes into the stopped state when the power is turned off, and goes into the activated state when the power is turned on.

[0029] The remote activation standby state is a state in which the communication module 15 waits to receive an activation request from the communication management server 20 and enter an activated state. In the standby state, the power of the communication module 15 is on, but data communication cannot be performed because the communication module 15 is in a power saving mode. The activated state is a state in which data communication is possible and the power is on. The stopped state is a state in which the power is off and data communication cannot be performed.

[0030] Next, the functional configuration of the system will be described with reference to FIG. The in-vehicle communication device 10 includes a communication state detection unit 70 and a power supply control unit 72. The communication state detection unit 70 and the power supply control unit 72 are realized by the in-vehicle communication device 10 executing various programs, which will be described later.

[0031] The communication state detection unit 70 detects the communication states of the multiple communication lines used by the communication unit 14. Specifically, the communication state detection unit 70 acquires one of the parameters representing the communication state, such as radio wave intensity measured by the communication unit 14, from the communication unit 14. The parameter representing the communication state will be described later. The communication state detection unit 70 also acquires current vehicle position information from the GPS device 16. The power supply control unit 72 controls switching of the states of the multiple communication modules 15 of the communication unit 14, and controls the supply of power to the multiple communication modules 15.

[0032] In the power saving mode, the power supply control unit 72 places some of the communication modules 15 corresponding to the communication line used for remote startup (hereinafter referred to as the "start-up line") in a standby state, and places the remaining communication modules 15 in a stopped state. Multiple startup lines may be used for remote startup, in which case multiple communication modules 15 corresponding to the multiple startup lines are placed in a standby state. The power supply control unit 72 notifies the communication management server 20 of the startup line.

[0033] The communication management server 20 includes an information collection unit 74, an activation line candidate notification unit 76, a remote activation unit 78, and a communication status monitoring unit 80. The information collection unit 74, the activation line candidate notification unit 76, the remote activation unit 78, and the communication status monitoring unit 80 are each realized by executing various programs described later on the communication management server 20 side.

[0034] The information collection unit 74 collects information on the communication state at each parking spot from each of the multiple in-vehicle communication devices 10 (hereinafter referred to as "communication state information") and stores it in the DB 30. The activation line candidate notification unit 76 selects activation line candidates by referring to the information in the DB 30. Multiple activation line candidates may be selected. The activation line candidate notification unit 76 notifies the in-vehicle communication device 10 of the selected activation line candidates.

[0035] The communication state information includes the values ​​of parameters representing the communication state. The parameters representing the communication state include radio wave strength, congestion state, throughput, latency, etc. In this embodiment, the stability of the communication line is determined using any one of the listed parameters as an index. The congestion state represents the degree of congestion, the throughput represents the amount of data that can be transmitted per unit time, and the latency represents the delay time. For example, when the congestion state or latency is used as an index, the stability of the communication line represents the speed of communication.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 8, individual data collected from the in-vehicle communication device 10, i.e., the parking position and time, and the communication status of all available communication lines (e.g., the radio wave strength of each of the communication lines A, B, and C), are stored in DB30, for example, in the form of a table. As a large amount of data is stored in DB30, the stored data can be used as statistical data. For example, as shown in Fig. 9, representative values ​​(e.g., average, maximum, minimum, etc.) for each time period of a parameter indicating the communication status for a specific area can be obtained from DB30.

[0037] The example shown in FIG. 9 shows a predicted change in radio wave strength over 24 hours in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Communication line A has low radio wave strength in the morning and the communication state is unstable, but in the afternoon the radio wave strength increases and the communication state becomes stable. In this way, the communication state of each communication line fluctuates due to, for example, the congestion status of the base station, but the trend of the fluctuation can be predicted from statistical data. Even if a temporary communication failure occurs, the data from the area where the communication failure occurred can be accumulated, making it possible to grasp the trend of fluctuation in the communication state until recovery in real time.

[0038] The remote activation unit 78 remotely activates each communication module of the in-vehicle communication device 10 via the notified activation line in response to an activation instruction from the terminal device 40. If there are multiple activation lines, each communication module is remotely activated via at least one of the activation lines. The communication status monitoring unit 80 monitors the communication status of the activation line notified by the in-vehicle communication device 10 by referring to information in the DB 30. If the communication status of the notified activation line is likely to deteriorate, the remote activation unit 78 requests the in-vehicle communication device 10 to change the activation line.

[0039] Next, an outline of the process flow will be explained in chronological order with reference to a sequence diagram. 6, the process of the communication management system of the present disclosure starts when the in-vehicle communication device 10 stops moving due to parking the vehicle (S1). First, in the in-vehicle communication device 10, the communication status detection unit 70 detects the communication status of multiple communication lines from the communication unit 14 and acquires the current position information of the vehicle from the GPS device 16 (S2). The acquired communication status information and position information are transmitted to the communication management server 20 (S3).

[0040] In the communication management server 20, the information collecting unit 74 associates the communication status information and the location information with the time and stores them in the DB 30 (S4). The activation line candidate notifying unit 76 identifies the area where the vehicle is parked from the location information, and refers to the DB 30 to obtain information on communication lines with good communication conditions, i.e., communication lines with higher stability than other communication lines, from the identified area and time period, and transmits the information to the in-vehicle communication device 10 (S5). The activation line candidates are notified to the in-vehicle communication device 10.

[0041] In the in-vehicle communication device 10, the power supply control unit 72 determines the notified activation line candidate, i.e., the communication line with higher stability than the other communication lines, as the activation line, and places the communication module corresponding to the activation line in a standby state with the power on (S6). The power supply control unit 72 notifies the communication management server 20 which communication line it will wait for remote activation on (S7). The communication management server 20 also notifies the terminal device 40 which communication line it will wait for remote activation on (S8). The power supply control unit 72 turns off the power supply of the remaining communication modules to put them in a stopped state (S9). The in-vehicle communication device 10 then transitions to a power saving mode and waits to be remotely activated by the communication management server 20.

[0042] A startup instruction is transmitted from the terminal device 40 to the communication management server 20 (S10). In the communication management server 20, when the remote startup unit 78 receives the startup instruction from the terminal device 40, it transmits a startup request to the in-vehicle communication device 10 via the startup line (S11). In the in-vehicle communication device 10, the power supply control unit 72 activates all communication modules (S12) and transmits a remote startup completion notification to the communication management server 20 (S13). The communication management server 20 also notifies the terminal device 40 of the remote startup completion (S14).

[0043] Furthermore, when the communication state of the active line deteriorates, the communication management server 20 requests the in-vehicle communication device 10 to change the active line. The flow of processing in this case will be described with reference to FIG.

[0044] 7, in the communication management server 20, the communication status monitoring unit 80 periodically checks whether the communication status of the activation line of each of the in-vehicle communication devices 10 that has been notified of the activation line has deteriorated by referring to information in the DB 30 (S20). If the communication status of the activation line is likely to deteriorate in the future, the remote activation unit 78 transmits a line change request to the in-vehicle communication device 10 via the activation line, requesting a change of the activation line (S21). Note that, here, all communication modules are remotely activated, as will be described next.

[0045] In the in-vehicle communication device 10, the power supply control unit 72 activates all communication modules in response to the line change request (S22) and transmits a preparation completion notification to the communication management server 20 (S23). That is, the in-vehicle communication device 10 is remotely activated once at the discretion of the management center. In the communication management server 20, the activation line candidate notification unit 76 refers to the DB 30, acquires information on communication lines with high stability, and transmits the information to the in-vehicle communication device 10 (S24). The new activation line candidates are notified to the in-vehicle communication device 10.

[0046] In the in-vehicle communication device 10, the power supply control unit 72 determines the notified activation line candidate, i.e., the communication line with the highest stability, as the activation line, and places the communication module corresponding to the activation line in a standby state with the power on (S25). The power supply control unit 72 turns off the power of the remaining communication modules to a stopped state (S26). The power supply control unit 72 notifies the communication management server 20 which communication line to wait for remote activation on (S27). The communication management server 20 also notifies the terminal device 40 which communication line to wait for remote activation on (S28). The in-vehicle communication device 10 then transitions to the power saving mode again, and waits to be remotely activated by the communication management server 20.

[0047] <Processing on the in-vehicle communication device side> Next, various programs executed on the vehicle-mounted communication device side will be described.

[0048] (Waiting state transition process) First, a program for executing the "standby state transition process" will be described with reference to Fig. 10. This program is executed by the CPU 12A of the in-vehicle communication device 10, and is started when the in-vehicle communication device 10 stops moving.

[0049] First, in step S100, the CPU 12A acquires the communication states of all communication lines. Next, in step S102, the CPU 12A determines whether or not there is a line available for communication with the communication management server 20. If there is a line available for communication, the process proceeds to step S104, and if there is no line available for communication, the process proceeds to step S122. Next, in step S104, the CPU 12A attempts to acquire position information of the vehicle from the GPS device 16.

[0050] If there is no available line for communication, in step S122, an instruction to change the parking location is issued, and the process returns to step S100. If there is no connected communication line, such as when all carriers are out of range, communication with the communication management server 20 cannot be performed. For this reason, a warning is issued to the driver in a general vehicle, and an instruction to change the parking location is issued to the vehicle control unit in an autonomous vehicle.

[0051] Next, in step S106, the CPU 12A determines whether or not the location information has been acquired from the GPS device 16. If the location information has been acquired, the process proceeds to step S108, and if the location information has not been acquired, the process proceeds to step S124. Next, in step S108, the CPU 12A controls the communication unit 14 to transmit the communication status information and the location information to the communication management server 20.

[0052] Next, in step S110, the CPU 12A repeatedly determines whether or not a reply has been received from the communication management server 20 until a reply is received. There are cases where the communication management server 20 cannot select a starting line candidate because data for the parking area does not exist in the DB 30. In this case, the communication management server 20 notifies the user that a starting line candidate cannot be selected.

[0053] Next, in step S112, the CPU 12A determines whether or not the activation line candidate has been acquired from the communication management server 20. If the activation line candidate has been acquired, the process proceeds to step S114, and if the activation line candidate has not been acquired from the communication management server 20, the process proceeds to step S124.

[0054] If the activation line candidates are acquired, the CPU 12A determines the candidate communication line as the activation line in step S114. On the other hand, if the location information cannot be acquired or if the activation line candidates cannot be acquired, the CPU 12A determines the communication line with the best communication state as the activation line in step S124, with reference to the communication states of all the communication lines acquired in step S100.

[0055] Next, in step S116, the CPU 12A puts the communication module corresponding to the activated line into a standby state, and then in step S118 notifies the communication management server 20 of the activated line, and then in step S120 puts the remaining communication modules into a stopped state, thereby ending the routine.

[0056] (Startup process and line change process) Next, a program for executing the "start-up process" and a program for executing the "line change process" will be described. These programs are started by receiving a trigger signal. As shown in FIG. 11, when the CPU 12A of the in-vehicle communication device 10 receives a trigger signal, it determines in step S200 whether a remote start request has been received. If a remote start request has been received, the process proceeds to step S202, where the "start-up process" is executed. On the other hand, if a remote start request has not been received, what has been received is a line change request, so the process proceeds to step S204, where the "start-up line change process" is executed.

[0057] The procedure of the "start-up process" will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step S210, the CPU 12A activates all communication modules in response to a start-up request. In the following step S212, the CPU 12A controls the communication unit 14 to transmit a remote start-up completion notification to the communication management server 20, and ends the routine.

[0058] The procedure of the "line change process" will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step S220, the CPU 12A activates all communication modules in response to a line change request. Next, in step S222, the CPU 12A acquires the communication status of all communication lines. Next, in step S224, the CPU 12A controls the communication unit 14 to transmit communication status information and a preparation completion notification to the communication management server 20.

[0059] Next, in step S226, CPU 12A acquires new activation line candidates from communication management server 20. Next, in step S228, CPU 12A determines the new activation line candidate communication line as the new activation line, sets the communication module corresponding to the new activation line to a standby state, and in the following step S230, sets the remaining communication modules to a stopped state. Next, in step S232, CPU 12A notifies communication management server 20 of the new activation line, and ends the routine.

[0060] In the example shown in Fig. 13, the in-vehicle communication device 10 acquires the communication status of all communication lines even when changing the line, and transmits the communication status information to the communication management server 20, but this is to enrich the DB 30. The communication management server 20 may specify the communication line to be changed to in advance and request the line change. The procedure of the line change process in this case is shown in Fig. 14.

[0061] In the example shown in Fig. 14, first, in step S240, CPU 12A acquires the communication line to be changed to. Next, in step S242, CPU 12A puts the communication module in standby state into a stopped state. Next, in step S244, CPU 12A puts the communication module corresponding to the communication line to be changed to a standby state. Next, in step S246, CPU 12A notifies communication management server 20 of the new active line and ends the routine.

[0062] <Processing on the communication management server side> Next, various programs executed on the communication management server 20 side will be described. First, a program for executing the "standby state transition support processing" and a program for executing the "remote startup processing" will be described. These programs are started by receiving a trigger signal. As shown in FIG. 15, when the CPU 22A of the communication management server 20 receives a trigger signal, it determines in step S300 whether communication state information (and position information) has been received, and if communication state information has been received, it executes the "standby state transition support processing" in step S302. On the other hand, if communication state information has not been received, what has been received is a startup instruction from the terminal device 40, and therefore the CPU 22A executes the "remote startup processing" in step S304.

[0063] (Waiting state transition support process) The procedure of the "standby state transition support process" will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step S310, when the CPU 22A receives the communication status information and the location information, the CPU 22A associates the communication status information and the location information with the time and stores them in the DB 30. Next, in step S312, the CPU 22A refers to the DB 30 and selects activation line candidates from the area and time period corresponding to the location information. Next, in step S314, the CPU 22A controls the communication unit 24 to notify the in-vehicle communication device 10 of the selected activation line candidates. Next, in step S316, the CPU 22A determines whether or not an activation line notification has been received from the in-vehicle communication device 10, and if an activation line notification has been received, in step S318, the CPU 22A associates the received activation line with the vehicle and registers it, and ends the routine.

[0064] Each vehicle is equipped with one in-vehicle communication device 10. Therefore, the in-vehicle communication device 10 can be identified by the vehicle's identification information. The memory unit 26 of the communication management server 20 stores, for example, an activation line registration table. As shown in FIG. 17, the activation line registration table stores the relationship between the vehicle's identification information (e.g., vehicle ID), the parking position, and the standby line in the form of a table. When an activation line notification is received, a new relationship is added to this activation line registration table. Conversely, when the in-vehicle communication device 10 is remotely activated, there is no longer a need to manage the activation line, so the corresponding relationship is deleted from the table.

[0065] (Remote startup process) The procedure of the "remote activation process" will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step S320, the CPU 22A controls the communication unit 24 to transmit a startup request to the in-vehicle communication device 10 via the startup line in response to a startup instruction from the terminal device 40. Next, in step S322, the CPU 22A determines whether or not a startup completion notification has been received from the in-vehicle communication device 10, and if a startup completion notification has been received, in step S324, the CPU 22A controls the communication unit 24 to transmit the startup completion notification to the terminal device 40, and ends the routine.

[0066] (Communication status monitoring process) Next, a program for executing the "communication status monitoring process" will be described with reference to Fig. 19. This program is executed periodically by the CPU 22A of the communication management server 20.

[0067] First, in step S400, the CPU 22A selects one of the target vehicles from the activation line registration table. As described above, the in-vehicle communication devices 10 correspond one-to-one to the vehicles. Next, in step S402, the CPU 22A predicts the communication state of the activation line after a predetermined time (e.g., one hour) has elapsed in the parking area of ​​the vehicle. Next, in step S404, the CPU 22A determines whether communication with the communication management server 20 is possible through the activation line. If communication through the activation line is not possible, the process proceeds to step S406. On the other hand, if communication through the activation line is possible, there is no need to change the activation line, so the process proceeds to step S418.

[0068] Here, a method for determining whether communication is possible through the activation line will be described with reference to Fig. 20. In the illustrated example, there are three types of communication lines, A, B, and C, and the indicator representing the communication state is radio wave strength. The radio wave strength of each communication line varies over time, and communication is not possible when the radio wave strength is below a threshold. For example, assume that there is a vehicle whose activation line is communication line B. Looking at the time a predetermined time after the present time, the radio wave strength of communication line B will be below the threshold, and communication with the communication management server 20 will not be possible through communication line B.

[0069] Next, in step S406, the CPU 22A controls the communication unit 24 to transmit a line change request to the in-vehicle communication device 10. Next, in step S408, the CPU 22A determines whether or not a preparation completion notification has been received, and if a preparation completion notification has been received, in step S410, the CPU 22A refers to the DB 30 to select a new activation line candidate, i.e., a communication line to be changed to, and in the subsequent step S412, notifies the in-vehicle communication device 10 of the new activation line candidate.

[0070] Next, in step S414, the CPU 22A determines whether or not an activation line notification has been received from the in-vehicle communication device 10, and if an activation line notification has been received, in step S416, the CPU 22A registers the received activation line in association with the vehicle. For example, the activation line column in the activation line registration table shown in FIG. 17 is updated. Next, in step S418, the CPU 22A determines whether or not there is a next vehicle, and if there is, returns to step S400, and if there is not, ends the routine. In this way, the communication state of the activation line is checked one by one for each vehicle whose activation line it manages.

[0071] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the in-vehicle communication device puts some communication modules corresponding to communication lines with good communication conditions into a standby state and transitions to a power-saving mode, so that it can maintain a state in which it can be remotely activated. In addition, since the other communication modules are put into a stopped state, it is possible to reduce power consumption compared to the case in which all communication modules are put into a standby state.

[0072] According to the first embodiment, communication status information from each parked vehicle is stored in a database, so that statistical data on the communication status of each communication line for each area and each time period can be obtained. Furthermore, the communication management server can use the information in the database to select a communication line that has a good communication status in a specific area and at a specific time, either now or after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0073] According to the first embodiment, the communication management server is notified of the activation line from the in-vehicle communication device, so that the communication management server can reliably remotely activate the in-vehicle communication device via the activation line. Furthermore, the communication management server periodically checks the communication state of the activation line notified from the in-vehicle communication device, and requests the in-vehicle communication device to change the activation line when the communication state of the activation line deteriorates, so that the remote activation possible state can be maintained regardless of the fluctuation of the communication state of each communication line.

[0074] [Second embodiment] 21, the communication management system according to the second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment except that the DB 30 is placed on the network 50 and can be directly accessed from the in-vehicle communication device 10, so the same components are given the same reference numerals and their explanations are omitted, and only the differences are explained. In this case, the DB 30 may be a database server or a file server, or may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage).

[0075] Next, the functional configuration of the system will be described with reference to FIG. The in-vehicle communication device 10 includes a communication state detection unit 70 and a power supply control unit 72. The communication management server 20 includes a remote start-up unit 78 and a communication state monitoring unit 80. The functions of the remote start-up unit 78 and the communication state monitoring unit 80 are similar to those in the first embodiment.

[0076] The communication status detection unit 70 acquires the communication status of multiple communication lines and the current position information of the vehicle. The communication status detection unit 70 also stores the position information and communication status information in the DB 30. The power supply control unit 72 attempts to acquire activation line candidates by referring to the information in the DB 30, and determines the activation line. In the power saving mode, the power supply control unit 72 puts some of the communication modules 15 corresponding to the activation lines into a standby state, and puts the remaining communication modules 15 into a stopped state. Then, the power supply control unit 72 notifies the communication management server 20 of the activation line.

[0077] Next, the procedure of the "standby state transition process" executed on the in-vehicle communication device 10 side will be described with reference to Fig. 23. The procedure shown in Fig. 23 is the same as that in Fig. 10 except that steps S108 and S110 are replaced with steps S508 and S510, and only steps S508 and S510 will be described. In step S508, the CPU 12A controls the communication unit 14 to transmit communication state information and location information to the DB 30. Next, in step S510, the CPU 12A directly accesses the DB 30 and acquires active line candidates from the area and time period according to the location information.

[0078] According to the second embodiment, in addition to being able to obtain the same effects as the first embodiment, the in-vehicle communication device can directly access the database to obtain activation line candidates, so that the in-vehicle communication device can transition to the power-saving mode without waiting for a response from the communication management server.

[0079] [Third embodiment] The communication management system according to the third embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, except that a dedicated DB 32 is placed on the vehicle side in addition to DB 30, as shown in FIG. 24. Therefore, the same components are given the same reference numerals and their explanations are omitted, and only the differences are explained.

[0080] Next, the functional configuration of the system will be described with reference to FIG. The in-vehicle communication device 10 includes a dedicated DB 32. The dedicated DB 32 may be disposed outside the information processing unit 22, and may be stored in the storage unit 18, which is an external storage device, for example. The dedicated DB 32 stores communication state information and location information acquired by the vehicle during parking in association with a time period. When communication with the communication management server 20 is temporarily not possible, the power supply control unit 72 of the in-vehicle communication device 10 refers to the information in the dedicated DB 32 to select a candidate line for activation.

[0081] In the power saving mode, the power supply control unit 72 sets some of the communication modules 15 corresponding to the communication lines that are candidates for activation lines to a standby state, and sets the remaining communication modules 15 to a stopped state. When communication with the in-vehicle communication device 10 is restored, the remote activation unit 78 of the communication management server 20 remotely activates each communication module of the in-vehicle communication device 10 via all communication lines.

[0082] Next, the procedure of the "standby state transition process" executed on the in-vehicle communication device 10 side will be described with reference to Fig. 26. First, in step S600, the CPU 12A acquires the communication status of all communication lines. Next, in step S602, the CPU 12A judges whether or not there is a line available for communication. If there is a line available for communication, the process proceeds to step S604, and if there is no line available for communication, in step S616, an instruction to change the parking location is issued and the process returns to step S600. Next, in step S604, the CPU 12A acquires position information of the vehicle from the GPS device 16.

[0083] Next, in step S606, the CPU 12A stores the communication status information and the location information in the dedicated DB 32. Next, in step S608, the CPU 12A refers to the dedicated DB 32 and selects an activation line candidate from the area and time period corresponding to the location information. Next, in step S610, the CPU 12A determines the activation line candidate communication line as the activation line. Next, in step S612, the CPU 12A puts the communication module corresponding to the activation line into a standby state, and in the following step S614, puts the remaining communication modules into a stopped state, and ends the routine.

[0084] Next, the procedure of the "remote activation process" executed on the communication management server 20 side will be described with reference to Fig. 27. First, in step S700, the CPU 22A controls the communication unit 24 to transmit an activation request to the in-vehicle communication device 10 via all communication lines in response to an activation instruction from the terminal device 40. Next, in step S702, the CPU 22A determines whether or not an activation completion notification has been received from the in-vehicle communication device 10, and if an activation completion notification has been received, in step S704, the CPU 22A controls the communication unit 24 to transmit the activation completion notification to the terminal device 40, and ends the routine.

[0085] According to the third embodiment, in addition to being able to obtain the same effect as the first embodiment when communication is possible, even in a situation where communication with the outside cannot be performed, it is possible to determine the activation line and transition to the power saving mode by referring to a dedicated database provided in the vehicle and selecting activation line candidates. Also, although it is unclear on the communication management server side which communication line is the activation line, it is possible to activate the in-vehicle communication device by sending an activation request to the in-vehicle communication device via all communication lines.

[0086] [Variations] Although exemplary embodiments of the in-vehicle communication device, the communication management server, the program, the communication management system, and the communication management method have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the scope of the embodiments. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the modifications or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0087] For example, the above-described embodiments can be implemented in appropriate combination.

[0088] In addition, in the above embodiments, the case where there are multiple activation lines has been described, but when there are multiple activation lines, the multiple activation lines may be prioritized. For example, the communication management server may select the communication line with the most stable communication state from the communication state history in the database and transmit the activation request to the in-vehicle communication device. Alternatively, the communication management server may select the communication line with the fastest communication speed and transmit the activation request to the in-vehicle communication device.

[0089] In addition, in each of the above embodiments, examples have been described in which information on startup line candidates, i.e., communication lines with high stability, is obtained via a communication management server or directly from DB30, but this information can also be obtained from other companies via vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V) or a mesh communication network.

[0090] In addition, for example, the flow of the process of the program described in the above embodiment is also an example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the order of the processes may be changed within the scope of the gist. In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where the process according to the embodiment is realized by a software configuration using a computer by executing the program is described, but this is not limited to this. For example, the process may be realized by a hardware configuration or a combination of a hardware configuration and a software configuration.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the software (program) read and executed by the CPU may be executed by various processors other than the CPU. Examples of the processor in this case include a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, and a dedicated electric circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) that is a processor having a circuit configuration designed exclusively for executing a specific process.

[0092] Furthermore, each of the above programs may be executed by one of these various processors, or may be executed by a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, a plurality of FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA, etc.) Furthermore, the hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0093] In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the program is pre-stored (installed) in the storage unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. The program may be provided in a form stored in a non-transitory storage medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, or a semiconductor memory. In addition, each of the above programs may be downloaded from an external device via a network. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 10 In-vehicle communication device, 14 Communication unit, 15 Communication module, 16 GPS device, 20 Communication management server, 30 Database (DB), 32 Dedicated DB, 40 Terminal device, 50 Network, 52 Wireless base station, 70 Communication status detection unit, 72 Power supply control unit, 74 Information collection unit, 76 Start line candidate notification unit, 78 Remote start unit, 80 Communication status monitoring unit

Claims

1. A communication unit (14) including a plurality of communication modules (15) corresponding to a plurality of different communication lines; a power supply control unit (72) which, when the vehicle is stopped, determines at least one start-up line to be used for remote start-up from a communication management server (20) based on the communication state of each of the plurality of communication lines, and places some of the communication modules corresponding to the start-up lines in a standby state capable of receiving only a request signal from the communication management server while maintaining the supply of power from a power supply to the some of the communication modules corresponding to the start-up lines, and cuts off the supply of power from the power supply to the remaining communication modules to place the remaining communication modules in a stopped state; An in-vehicle communication device (10) comprising:

2. The vehicle-mounted communication device according to claim 1 , wherein a stability of the communication state of the activation line is higher than a stability of the communication state of the other communication lines of the plurality of communication lines.

3. The stability of the communication state is determined based on a parameter representing the communication state, The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 2 , wherein the parameter representing the communication state is any one of radio wave intensity, congestion state, throughput, and latency.

4. The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the power supply control unit notifies the communication management server of the activation line in advance.

5. The in-vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the power supply control unit supplies power from the power source to each of the plurality of communication modules in response to a startup request received from the communication management server via the startup line, thereby placing all of the communication modules in an activated state capable of data communication.

6. The in-vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the power supply control unit changes the startup line in response to a line change request for changing the startup line received from the communication management server via the startup line, puts the communication module corresponding to the changed startup line into a standby state, and puts the remaining communication modules into a stopped state.

7. The in-vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the power supply control unit determines the activation line based on information acquired from outside, the information presenting as an activation line candidate a communication line among the plurality of communication lines that has a higher stability of communication state than other communication lines.

8. The in-vehicle communication device of claim 7, wherein information on the candidate activation lines is obtained via the communication management server or directly from an external database (30, 32) that stores information representing the communication status of the multiple communication lines for each area and time period.

9. A detection unit (70) for detecting a communication state of the plurality of communication lines by the communication unit, The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the power supply control unit determines the activation line based on a communication state detected by the detection unit.

10. The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 9 , wherein the power supply control unit, when unable to acquire information on activation line candidates from an external source, determines the activation line based on a communication state detected by the detection unit.

11. The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 9, wherein the detection unit acquires location information of the vehicle along with the communication status, and stores the acquired communication status information and location information in an external database that stores information representing the communication status of the multiple communication lines for each area and time period, via or directly from the communication management server.

12. the power supply control unit supplies power to each of the plurality of communication modules in response to a line change request received from the communication management server to activate each communication module; The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 11 , wherein the detection unit detects the communication states of the plurality of communication lines again and stores the detected communication state information in the external database.

13. A communication management server (20) for managing an in-vehicle communication device, comprising: a communication unit including a plurality of communication modules corresponding to a plurality of mutually different communication lines; and a power supply control unit that, when the vehicle is stopped, determines at least one start-up line to be used for remote start-up from the communication management server based on the communication states of each of the plurality of communication lines, and places some of the communication modules corresponding to the start-up lines in a standby state capable of receiving only a request signal from the communication management server while maintaining the supply of power from a power source to the some of the communication modules corresponding to the start-up lines, and cuts off the supply of power from the power source to the remaining communication modules to place the remaining communication modules in a stopped state, a notification unit (76) that notifies the in-vehicle communication device of a communication line among the plurality of communication lines, the communication line having a higher stability of the communication state than other communication lines, as a candidate for a start-up line; a remote activation unit (78) that activates the in-vehicle communication device by transmitting an activation request via the activation line; A communication management server comprising:

14. The stability of the communication state is determined based on a parameter representing the communication state, The communication management server according to claim 13 , wherein the parameter indicating the communication state is any one of radio wave strength, congestion state, throughput, and latency.

15. The communication management server according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the notification unit selects the candidate activation line based on the vehicle's location information and parking time by referring to an external database that stores information representing the communication status of the multiple communication lines for each area and time period.

16. The communication management server according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the remote start-up unit stores the start-up line notified from the in-vehicle communication device in a memory unit, and obtains information about the start-up line from the memory unit at the time of start-up.

17. A monitoring unit (80) for monitoring the communication state of the activation line is further provided, A communication management server as described in any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the remote startup unit sends a line change request via the startup line to request a change of the startup line when the communication status of the startup line deteriorates after a predetermined time has elapsed since the monitoring result of the monitoring unit.

18. The communication management server of claim 17, wherein the monitoring unit predicts a deterioration in the communication status of the activation line based on information representing the communication status of the multiple communication lines after a predetermined time has elapsed in a parking area in an external database that stores information representing the communication status of the multiple communication lines for each area and time period.

19. 19. The communication management server according to claim 17, wherein said remote activation unit transmits said line change request when a parameter indicating a communication state of said activated line drops below a predetermined threshold value.

20. The communication management server according to any one of claims 13 to 19, further comprising an information collection unit (74) that collects communication status information and location information from the in-vehicle communication device and stores the information in an external database that stores information representing the communication status of the multiple communication lines for each area and time period.

21. A program executed by an in-vehicle device having a communication unit including a plurality of communication modules corresponding to a plurality of different communication lines, Computer, A program for functioning as a power supply control unit that determines at least one start-up line to be used for remote start-up from a communication management server based on the communication status of each of the multiple communication lines when the vehicle is stopped, and that maintains the supply of power from a power source to some of the communication modules corresponding to the start-up lines while putting the some of the communication modules into a standby state in which they can receive only request signals from the communication management server, and cuts off the supply of power from the power source to the remaining communication modules to put the remaining communication modules into a stopped state.

22. a power supply control unit that, when a vehicle is stopped, determines at least one activation line to be used for remote activation from a communication management server based on a communication state of each of the plurality of communication lines, and sets some of the communication modules corresponding to the activation lines to a standby state capable of receiving only a request signal from the communication management server while maintaining the supply of power from a power source to the some of the communication modules corresponding to the activation lines, and cuts off the supply of power from the power source to the remaining communication modules to set the remaining communication modules to a stopped state, Computer, a notification unit that notifies the in-vehicle communication device of a communication line among the plurality of communication lines, the communication line having a higher stability of the communication state than other communication lines, as a candidate for a start-up line; a remote activation unit that activates the in-vehicle communication device by transmitting an activation request via the activation line; A program to function as a

23. an in-vehicle communication device including: a communication unit including a plurality of communication modules corresponding to a plurality of mutually different communication lines; and a power supply control unit that, when the vehicle is stopped, determines at least one start-up line to be used for remote start-up from a communication management server based on the communication states of each of the plurality of communication lines, and places some of the communication modules corresponding to the start-up lines in a standby state capable of receiving only a request signal from the communication management server while maintaining the supply of power from a power source to the some of the communication modules corresponding to the start-up lines, and cuts off the supply of power from the power source to the remaining communication modules to place the remaining communication modules in a stopped state; a communication management server capable of communicating with the in-vehicle communication device via a network, the communication management server including: a notification unit that notifies the in-vehicle communication device of a communication line among the plurality of communication lines, the communication line having a higher stability of the communication state than other communication lines, as a candidate for a startup line; and a remote startup unit that starts up the in-vehicle communication device by transmitting a startup request via the startup line; A communications management system equipped with:

24. The communication management system according to claim 23, further comprising an external database communicatively connected to at least one of the communication management server and the in-vehicle communication device, the external database storing information representing the communication status of the plurality of communication lines for each area and for each time period.

25. a communication management server capable of communicating with the in-vehicle communication device via a network notifies the in-vehicle communication device of a communication line having a higher stability of communication state than other communication lines among the plurality of communication lines, the communication management server being capable of communicating with the in-vehicle communication device via a network, the communication line being notified of the stability of communication state of the plurality of communication lines, When the vehicle is stopped, the in-vehicle communication device determines at least one start-up line to be used for remote start-up from the communication management server based on the communication line notified to have a higher stability than the other communication lines, and places some of the communication modules corresponding to the start-up lines in a standby state capable of receiving only a request signal from the communication management server while maintaining the supply of power from a power source to the some of the communication modules, and cuts off the supply of power from the power source to the remaining communication modules to place the remaining communication modules in a stopped state. the communication management server activates the in-vehicle communication device by transmitting an activation request via the activation line; Communication management methods.

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