Vehicle-mounted devices and vehicle tracking systems

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle machine and a vehicle tracking system capable of detecting detachment of an on-vehicle machine.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle machine 1 is configured such that a housing body 100 houses therein a sensor module 13 that detects a motion of an on-vehicle device, an autonomous navigation device 14 that calculates a self-vehicle position by using the sensor module 13, a control unit 16, and a mobile communication device 12. Within the housing body 100, the sensor module 13 is fastened to the housing body 100 and a fixed frame 301 integrated with a vehicle body by an inner volt 102 penetrating a substrate 103, on which the sensor module 13 is mounted, and a lower surface of the housing body 100. When the housing body 100 is detached from the fixed frame 301, fixation of the sensor module 13 to the housing body 100 is also released. If occurrence of an abnormality in the detection value of the sensor module 13 is detected, the control unit 16 notifies a VTS server 2 of the detachment of the on-vehicle machine 1 via mobile communication .SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle tracking system for tracking and managing the location of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Known vehicle tracking systems that track and manage vehicle positions include an onboard device installed in each vehicle and a server that tracks and manages the position of each vehicle, in which the onboard device transmits position information indicating the vehicle's position determined by satellite using a GPS receiver to the server via a mobile communications network, and the server tracks and manages the position of each vehicle based on the position information transmitted from each vehicle (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-91511 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2011-221671 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the actual operation of a vehicle tracking system equipped with an on-board unit mounted in each vehicle as described above and a server for tracking and managing the location of each vehicle, there are cases where the on-board unit of each vehicle is stolen, where the driver does not want his / her location to be tracked and managed and so removes the on-board unit from the vehicle without permission, or where the removed on-board unit is installed in another vehicle in order to conceal the fact that it has been removed.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to detect the removal of an on-board device in a vehicle tracking system that includes an on-board device that is installed in each vehicle and measures the position of the vehicle, and a server that collects the positions of each vehicle from the on-board device and tracks and manages them. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an on-board device that is mounted on an automobile and notifies the outside of the position of the mounted automobile by mobile communication, the device comprising: a sensor that detects motion; an autonomous navigation means that calculates the position of the automobile by autonomous navigation using the sensor; a mobile communication device that performs the mobile communication; a detection means that detects removal of the on-board device from the automobile and notifies the outside of the position via the mobile communication; a housing that is fixed to the body of the automobile and that contains at least the sensor; and a linked fixation release mechanism that fixes the sensor to the housing when the housing is fixed to the body and releases the fixation of the sensor to the housing in conjunction with an operation to release the fixation of the housing to the body. Here, the detection means detects the removal of the on-board device from the automobile when it detects a predetermined motion that is set as a motion that does not occur due to the running of the automobile.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an on-board device that is mounted on an automobile and notifies the outside of the position of the mounted automobile by mobile communication, the on-board device comprising: a sensor that detects motion; an autonomous navigation means that calculates the position of the automobile by autonomous navigation using the sensor; a satellite positioning means that measures the position of the automobile by satellite positioning; a mobile communication device that performs the mobile communication; a detection means that detects removal of the on-board device from the automobile and notifies the outside of the automobile via the mobile communication; a housing that is fixed to the body of the automobile and that contains at least the sensor; and a linked fixation release mechanism that fixes the sensor to the housing when the housing is fixed to the body and releases the fixation of the sensor to the housing in conjunction with an operation to release the fixation of the housing to the body. Here, the detection means detects the removal of the on-board device from the automobile when the position of the automobile calculated by the autonomous navigation means and the position of the automobile measured by the satellite positioning means deviate by a predetermined level or more.

[0008] Here, in the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted device, the interlocking fixation / release mechanism may be a bolt that penetrates the sensor or the part on which the sensor is mounted and the fixing surface of the housing to the vehicle body, fixing the sensor to the housing and fixing the housing to the vehicle body.

[0009] The present invention also provides a vehicle tracking system including the above-mentioned on-board device and a server, in which the on-board device mounted in each vehicle transmits the position of the vehicle to the server by mobile communication, and the detection means of the on-board device mounted in each vehicle notifies the server of the removal of the on-board device from the vehicle via the mobile communication.

[0010] According to the above-described vehicle-mounted device and vehicle tracking system, when the housing of the vehicle-mounted device is released from the vehicle, the sensor provided for autonomous navigation is also released from the housing. When the sensor is released from the housing, the sensor detects an abnormal detection value, and this is used to detect the removal of the vehicle-mounted device from the vehicle. Therefore, the removal of the vehicle-mounted device from the vehicle can be correctly detected using the sensor provided for autonomous navigation, without providing a special means dedicated to detecting the removal of the vehicle-mounted device from the vehicle. Effect of the Invention

[0011] As described above, according to the present invention, in a vehicle tracking system that includes an on-board unit mounted in each vehicle to measure the position of the vehicle, and a server that collects the positions of each vehicle from the on-board unit and tracks and manages them, it is possible to detect the removal of an on-board unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle tracking system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle device according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram showing a structure of an in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4]11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of another structure of the vehicle-mounted device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the vehicle-mounted device according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle tracking system (VTS) according to this embodiment includes an on-board device 1 mounted in each vehicle, and a VTS server 2. The vehicle-mounted device 1 of each vehicle has a function of satellite positioning the vehicle's position using a positioning satellite 3, and also has a function of communicating with the VTS server 2 via a mobile communication network 4. FIG. 2 shows the configuration of such an in-vehicle device 1. As shown in the figure, the vehicle-mounted device 1 includes a GNSS receiver 11 that uses a positioning satellite 3 to satellite-locate the position of the vehicle, a mobile communication device 12 that communicates via a mobile communication network 4, a sensor module 13, an autonomous navigation device 14, an external interface 15 that communicates with the outside via wired or wireless communication, and a control unit 16.

[0014] The sensor module 13 is a device that integrates sensors such as a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a direction sensor, and an air pressure sensor that detect various conditions such as the state of motion of the vehicle. Here, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is fixed to the vehicle with bolts or the like in a position such as the space behind the meter panel of the meter cluster or on the dashboard. When the vehicle-mounted device 1 is fixed to the vehicle, each sensor of the sensor module 13 is calibrated by an operator via an external interface 15 so as to output a correct measurement value that represents the state of the vehicle.

[0015] Next, the autonomous navigation device 14 calculates the position of the vehicle by autonomous navigation from each state of the vehicle detected by each sensor of the sensor module 13. Here, the position of the vehicle calculated by the autonomous navigation device 14 is calibrated by referring to the position of the vehicle measured by satellite when the GNSS receiver 11 is performing satellite positioning well.

[0016] When the GNSS receiver 11 is able to perform satellite positioning properly, the control unit 16 transmits the position of the vehicle determined by the GNSS receiver 11 to the VTS server 2 via mobile communication using the mobile communication device 12, and when the GNSS receiver 11 is not able to perform satellite positioning properly, the control unit 16 transmits the position of the vehicle calculated by the autonomous navigation device 14 to the VTS server 2 via mobile communication using the mobile communication device 12.

[0017] The VTS server 2 then tracks and manages the positions of each vehicle received from the vehicle-mounted device 1 of each vehicle. Next, FIG. 3a shows the external appearance of the vehicle-mounted device 1 in a state where it is fixed to a vehicle, and FIG. 3b1 shows a cross-sectional structure of the vehicle-mounted device 1 along the cross section indicated by the dotted line SL in FIG. 3a. As shown in the figure, the vehicle-mounted device 1 has a housing 100 that houses each of the components of the vehicle-mounted device 1 shown in Figure 2, and is structured so that when the housing 100 is released from its fixation to the body of the automobile, the sensor module 13 is also released from its fixation to the housing 100.

[0018] That is, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is fixed to the vehicle body by screwing an external bolt 101 that passes through a flange provided on the lower part of the housing 100 and an internal bolt 102 inside the housing 100 into a fixed frame 301, which is a fixing bracket fixed to the vehicle body or the vehicle body.

[0019] The internal bolt 102 penetrates through the board 103 carrying the sensor module 13 and the underside of the housing 100 inside the housing 100, and is screwed into the fixed frame 301, and the sensor module 13 is fixed to the housing 100 and the fixed frame 301 by the internal bolt 102.

[0020] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3b2, when the internal bolts 102 are removed to remove the housing 100 from the vehicle body, the sensor module 13 is also released from its attachment to the housing 100, and the sensor module 13 becomes movable inside the housing 100 in response to an external force.

[0021] It should be noted that the inner bolt 102 can be accessed from outside the housing 100 by removing the cap 104 that covers the hole in the top surface of the housing 100, as shown in FIG. 3b1. Here, the structure using the internal bolt 102 shown in Figures 3a and b1 is just one example, and other structures may be used to release the fixation of the sensor module 13 to the housing 100 when the fixation of the housing 100 to the vehicle body is released.

[0022] That is, for example, other structures such as the structure shown in FIG. 4a or the structure shown in FIG. 4b1 may be used. Here, the structure in Figure 4a is one in which member 105 to which sensor module 13 is fixed is extended up to above the external flange of housing 100 and fixed to housing 100 and fixed frame 301 with external bolts 101; when external bolts 101 are removed to remove housing 100 from the vehicle body, the sensor module 13 is released from its fixation to housing 100, and sensor module 13 becomes movable inside housing 100.

[0023] In addition, the structure shown in FIG. 4b1 is one in which the member 106 to which the sensor module 13 is fixed is extended to a position covering the head of the external bolt 101 outside the housing 100, and a wedge-shaped anchor 1061 fixed to the member 106 inside the housing 100 is pressed into a socket 1001 fixed to the housing 100 to fix the sensor module 13 to the housing 100.

[0024] According to this structure, as shown in Fig. 4b2, when the member 106 is pushed into the housing 100 to expose the head of the external bolt 101 in order to remove the housing 100 from the fixing frame 301, the anchor 1061 comes out of the socket 1001, the fixing of the sensor module 13 to the housing 100 is released, and the sensor module 13 becomes movable inside the housing 100. In addition, by forming the anchor 1061 so that the anchor 1061 is deformed or destroyed at this time, it is also possible to make it impossible to re-fix the sensor module 13 to the housing 100 without repairs such as part replacement.

[0025] Next, returning to FIG. 2, the control unit 16 performs a monitoring process for monitoring removal of the vehicle-mounted device 1 from the vehicle body. In the monitoring process, the control unit 16 monitors the occurrence of abnormalities in the position of the vehicle calculated by the autonomous navigation device 14 due to the sensor module 13 becoming movable inside the housing 100 due to the removal of the vehicle-mounted unit 1 from the vehicle body (removal from the fixed frame 301 of the housing 100), and the occurrence of abnormalities in the detection values ​​of each sensor of the sensor module 13.If an abnormality is detected, it detects the removal of the vehicle-mounted unit 1 and performs a process of notifying the VTS server 2 of the removal of the vehicle-mounted unit 1 via mobile communication using the mobile communication device 12.

[0026] An abnormality in the vehicle's position calculated by the autonomous navigation device 14 that is monitored during the monitoring process may include, for example, detecting a deviation of the vehicle's position calculated by the autonomous navigation device 14 from the vehicle's position determined by satellite positioning using the GNSS receiver 11.

[0027] When satellite positioning is performed well, as shown in Fig. 5a1, the position of the vehicle measured by the GNSS receiver 11 indicated by a black circle and the position of the vehicle calculated by the autonomous navigation device 14 indicated by a white circle are almost the same, but if the sensor module 13 that is movable within the housing 100 moves within the housing 100 due to an external force such as gravity applied when the sensor module 13 is removed or an external force applied thereafter, the detection values ​​of the sensors of the sensor module 13 no longer correctly represent the movement of the vehicle due to the movement or the invalidation of the calibration of each sensor of the sensor module 13 caused by the movement, and as shown in Fig. 5a2, the position of the vehicle calculated by the autonomous navigation device 14 deviates from the position of the vehicle measured by the GNSS receiver 11. Note that such a deviation will continue to occur in the same way even if the removed vehicle-mounted device 1 is transferred to another vehicle, due to the invalidation of the calibration, etc.

[0028] Therefore, by detecting such a deviation, it is possible to detect the occurrence of removal of the vehicle-mounted device 1. Furthermore, as abnormalities in the detection values ​​of the sensors of the sensor module 13 that are monitored in the monitoring process, detection values ​​of the sensors that indicate movements that do not occur during normal vehicle driving are monitored.

[0029] That is, for example, sensor detection values ​​indicating movement of the vehicle only in approximately straight sideways directions as shown in Figure 5b1, repeated movement of the vehicle only in approximately straight upward and straight downward directions as shown in Figure 5b2, or rotational movements about yaw angle, roll angle, and pitch angle that the vehicle cannot perform while driving are detected as abnormal sensor detection values.

[0030] When the sensor module 13, which has become movable within the housing 100, moves within the housing 100 due to an external force applied when removing the sensor module 13 or an external force applied thereafter, the sensor of the sensor module 13 detects a detection value representing a movement that does not appear when the vehicle-mounted device 1 is fixed to the vehicle and that does not occur during normal vehicle driving, due to the movement and the invalidation of the calibration of each sensor of the sensor module 13 caused by the movement.

[0031] Therefore, by detecting a detection value of the sensor that indicates an abnormal movement that cannot be considered as the movement of an automobile, it is possible to detect the occurrence of removal of the vehicle-mounted device 1. Next, returning to Figure 1, when the VTS server 2 receives a notification of the removal of the vehicle-mounted unit 1 from the control unit 16 of the vehicle-mounted unit 1 via mobile communications, it reports to the operator of the VTS server 2 the occurrence of the removal of the vehicle-mounted unit 1 and information about the vehicle-mounted unit 1, such as the vehicle in which the vehicle-mounted unit 1 was removed and the driver of the vehicle.

[0032] The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. As described above, according to this embodiment, the sensor module 13 provided in the vehicle-mounted device 1 for autonomous navigation can be used to correctly detect the removal of the vehicle-mounted device 1 from the body of the automobile. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1...vehicle-mounted device, 2...VTS server, 3...positioning satellite, 4...mobile communication network, 11...GNSS receiver, 12...mobile communication device, 13...sensor module, 14...autonomous navigation device, 15...external interface, 16...control unit, 100...housing, 101...external bolt, 102...internal bolt, 103...board, 104...cap, 301...fixing frame.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle device that is mounted on an automobile and notifies an outside party of the location of the automobile via mobile communication, A sensor for detecting motion; an autonomous navigation means for calculating a position of the vehicle by autonomous navigation using the sensor; A mobile communication device for performing the mobile communication; a detection means for detecting the removal of the vehicle-mounted device from the vehicle and notifying an outside via the mobile communication; a housing that houses at least the sensor and is fixed to a body of the automobile; a linkage release mechanism that fixes the sensor to the housing when the housing is fixed to the vehicle body and releases the fixation of the sensor to the housing in linkage with an operation of releasing the fixation of the housing to the vehicle body, The vehicle-mounted device is characterized in that the detection means detects removal of the vehicle-mounted device from the vehicle when the sensor detects a predetermined movement that is set as a movement that does not occur when the vehicle is moving.

2. An in-vehicle device that is mounted on an automobile and notifies an outside party of the location of the automobile via mobile communication, A sensor for detecting motion; an autonomous navigation means for calculating a position of the vehicle by autonomous navigation using the sensor; A satellite positioning means for measuring the position of the vehicle by satellite positioning; A mobile communication device for performing the mobile communication; a detection means for detecting the removal of the vehicle-mounted device from the vehicle and notifying an outside via the mobile communication; a housing that houses at least the sensor and is fixed to a body of the automobile; a linkage release mechanism that fixes the sensor to the housing when the housing is fixed to the vehicle body and releases the fixation of the sensor to the housing in linkage with an operation of releasing the fixation of the housing to the vehicle body, the sensor is calibrated to detect correct motion of the vehicle with the housing fixed relative to the vehicle body and the sensor fixed to the housing; The detection means detects the removal of the vehicle-mounted device from the vehicle when the sensor is released from its housing, causing the calibration to be invalidated, and the position of the vehicle calculated by the autonomous navigation means and the position of the vehicle determined by the satellite positioning means deviate by a predetermined level or more.

3. 3. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, The vehicle-mounted device is characterized in that the interlocking fixation / release mechanism is a bolt that penetrates the sensor or a part on which the sensor is mounted and the fixing surface of the housing to the vehicle body, fixing the sensor to the housing and fixing the housing to the vehicle body.

4. A vehicle tracking system comprising an on-board device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, each of which is mounted on a plurality of automobiles, and a server, An on-board device mounted on each vehicle transmits the position of the vehicle to the server via mobile communication; A vehicle tracking system, characterized in that the detection means of an on-board unit mounted in each automobile notifies the server via the mobile communication of the removal of the on-board unit from the automobile.

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