Information processing device

Abstract

To reduce a load relating to conversion of a geodetic system.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to an information processing device which transmits to a server device data relating to traveling of a first vehicle. Sensor data are acquired using a sensor that the first vehicle comprises, location information of the first vehicle is acquired, a geodetic system of the location information is converted into a predetermined geodetic system, and the location information after the conversion is transmitted to the server device together with the sensor data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a system in which a center server collects probe information transmitted from a moving computer such as an in-vehicle terminal. In relation to this, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which the center server corrects the location information collected from the mobile terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-241517 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2003-057332 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure aims to reduce the burden associated with converting a geodetic system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is to An information processing device that transmits data related to the driving of a first vehicle to a server device, the information processing device having a control unit that executes the following operations: acquiring sensor data using a sensor possessed by the first vehicle, acquiring position information of the first vehicle, converting a geodetic system of the position information into a predetermined geodetic system, and transmitting the converted position information to the server device together with the sensor data.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method executed by the information processing device described above, a program for causing a computer to execute the method, or a computer-readable storage medium non-transiently storing the program. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the load associated with converting a geodetic system. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration of a vehicle system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a DCM and an ECU. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control unit of a DCM. [Figure 4] An example of vehicle data generated by DCM. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a center server. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart of a process executed by the DCM. [Figure 7] 13 shows an example of instruction data according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The number of vehicles equipped with data communication terminals is increasing. Also, systems are being developed in which a center server collects data acquired by vehicles (e.g., vehicle position information, speed, direction of travel, etc.) for the purpose of optimizing traffic flow and improving road safety.

[0010] Location information can be expressed in any of several different geodetic datums. It is a system for uniquely identifying a position in a given area. Examples of geodetic systems include the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84), the Japanese Geodetic System 2011 (JGD2011), and the North American Geodetic System (NAD83). If the geodetic system is different, the latitude and longitude values ​​may differ even for the same point. The in-vehicle terminal generates location information using one of these geodetic systems and transmits it to the center server.

[0011] In a system in which vehicles transmit position information to a center server, if the geodetic system is not standardized, it becomes necessary for the center server to convert the geodetic system. However, as the number of vehicles increases, there is a risk of erroneous judgments occurring and of failures occurring due to increased load.

[0012] To address this, the information processing device according to the present disclosure is a device that transmits data related to the traveling of a first vehicle to a server device. Specifically, the vehicle control device has a control unit that executes the following operations: acquiring sensor data using a sensor possessed by the first vehicle; acquiring position information of the first vehicle; converting the geodetic system of the position information into a predetermined geodetic system; and transmitting the converted position information together with the sensor data to the server device.

[0013] The sensor data is data related to the traveling of the first vehicle. The sensor data may represent the state of the first vehicle, such as the speed and the direction of travel. The sensor data may also be information related to the driving operation performed by the driver (e.g., the steering angle, the throttle opening, the brake pedal force, and the state of the turn signal). The sensor that acquires the sensor data may be a sensor that acquires a physical quantity, such as a speed sensor, or a sensor that outputs acquired information in a predetermined format, such as an image sensor.

[0014] The position information of the first vehicle is acquired in a geodetic system set in advance. The control unit converts the geodetic system of the acquired position information into a predetermined geodetic system used by the server device, and transmits the converted geodetic system together with the sensor data to the server device. The predetermined geodetic system may be, for example, a geodetic system designated by the server device. When a plurality of information processing devices having such a configuration transmit data to a server device, the server device becomes able to collect position information expressed in the same geodetic system.

[0015] Specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the hardware configuration, module configuration, functional configuration, and the like described in each embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the disclosure to only those.

[0016] First Embodiment An overview of a vehicle system according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The vehicle system according to this embodiment includes a vehicle 1 and a center server 100.

[0017] The vehicle 1 is a connected car having a communication function with an external network. The vehicle 1 includes a data communication module (DCM) 10 and a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs) 20.

[0018] The DCM 10 is a device that performs wireless communication with a network outside the vehicle (hereinafter, external network) via a network. The DCM 10 functions as a gateway for connecting components of the vehicle 1 (hereinafter, vehicle components) to the external network. For example, the DCM 10 transmits a signal to the ECU 20 of the vehicle 1 to connect to the external network. This allows a plurality of ECUs 20 mounted on the vehicle to communicate with devices on the external network (hereinafter, external devices, for example, the center server 100) via the DCM 10.

[0019] The ECU 20 is a plurality of electronic control modules (ECU) included in the vehicle 1. Examples of the plurality of ECUs included in the vehicle include an engine ECU, a body ECU, a powertrain ECU, and a hybrid ECU. Although a single ECU 20 is illustrated in the figure, a plurality of ECUs 20 may be installed in the vehicle.

[0020] The center server 100 is a server device that is placed on an external network and is capable of communicating with the vehicle 1. The center server 100 collects and accumulates data received from the vehicle 1, and provides various services by using the accumulated data. For example, the center server 100 can generate and provide real-time traffic information by collecting speed information and position information of multiple vehicles. Also, the center server 100 can generate three-dimensional road map data by collecting image data captured by an on-board camera and distance image data obtained by a distance sensor.

[0021] The components of the system will be explained in detail. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. The vehicle 1 includes a DCM 10 and a plurality of ECUs 20. These components are connected to each other by a CAN bus 30. The ECU 20 may be any one of a plurality of ECUs mounted on the vehicle 1. Note that other vehicle components may be connected to the CAN bus 30.

[0022] The DCM 10 is a hardware module that connects an in-vehicle network with a communication network (external network) external to the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, the DCM 10 is configured to be able to communicate with a mobile communication network by wireless communication. The mobile communication network is interconnected with a wide area network (e.g., the Internet), and this allows the DCM 10 to communicate with an external device on the wide area network.

[0023] The DCM10 is a computer that includes processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), main memory devices such as RAM and ROM, and EPROM and disk drives. The present invention may be configured as a computer having an auxiliary storage device such as a removable medium, however, some or all of the functions may be realized by a hardware circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

[0024] The DCM 10 according to this embodiment is configured to include an antenna 100, a communication module 110, a GPS antenna 120, a GPS module 130, a control unit 200, a storage unit 300, and a communication interface 400.

[0025] The antenna 100 is an antenna element that inputs and outputs wireless signals. In this embodiment, the antenna 100 is adapted for cellular communication (e.g., mobile communication such as 3G, LTE, and 5G). The antenna 100 may be configured to include multiple physical antennas. For example, when performing mobile communication using radio waves in a high frequency band such as microwaves and millimeter waves, multiple antennas may be distributed and arranged to stabilize the communication. The communication module 110 is a communication module for performing cellular communication.

[0026] The GPS antenna 120 is an antenna that receives positioning signals transmitted from positioning satellites (also called GNSS satellites). The GPS module 130 receives the signal from the GPS antenna 120 and , a module that calculates location information.

[0027] The control unit 200 is a calculation unit that executes a predetermined program to realize various functions of the DCM 10. The control unit 200 is realized by, for example, a CPU.

[0028] The control unit 200 executes a function of mediating communication between an external network and components (vehicle components) of the vehicle 1. For example, when a vehicle component needs to communicate with an external network, the control unit 200 relays data transmitted from the vehicle component to the external network. Also, the control unit 200 receives data transmitted from the external network and transfers the data to an appropriate vehicle component. For example, the DCM 10 receives a request (air conditioning request) to remotely operate the air conditioning of the vehicle 1 from an external device (for example, the center server 100), and transfers the air conditioning request to the ECU 20 that manages the car air conditioner.

[0029] Furthermore, the control unit 200 can execute functions unique to the device itself. For example, the CPU 200 is configured to be able to execute a monitoring function of a security system and a calling function, and can make a security report, an emergency report, etc. based on a trigger that occurs inside the vehicle. The DCM 10 also executes a function of acquiring data using sensors mounted on the vehicle 1 and periodically transmitting the acquired data to the center server 100.

[0030] The storage unit 300 is a memory device including a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The auxiliary storage device stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc., and by loading the programs stored therein into the main storage device and executing them, it is possible to realize various functions that meet a predetermined purpose, as described below.

[0031] The communication interface 400 is an interface unit for connecting the DCM 10 to an in-vehicle network. In this embodiment, a plurality of vehicle components including an electronic control unit (ECU 20) are connected to each other via a CAN bus 30. An example of a standard for the in-vehicle network is the Controller Area Network (CAN). If the in-vehicle network uses multiple standards, the communication interface 400 may have multiple interface devices that are compatible with the standards of the communication destinations. An example of a communication standard other than CAN is Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0032] Next, a description will be given of functions executed by the control unit 200. Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining functional modules possessed by the control unit 200. The illustrated functional modules can be realized by causing a CPU or the like to execute a program stored in a storage unit such as a ROM.

[0033] The data relay unit 201 relays data transmitted and received between vehicle components. For example, the data relay unit 201 receives a message sent by a first device connected to the vehicle network, and executes a process of transferring the message to a second device connected to the vehicle network as necessary. The first and second devices may be the ECU 20 or other vehicle components. Furthermore, when a message addressed to an external device is received from a vehicle component, the data relay unit 201 relays the message to the external network. Also, the data relay unit 201 receives data transmitted from the external network and transfers the data to an appropriate vehicle component.

[0034] When an emergency occurs in the vehicle 1, the emergency notification unit 202 notifies an operator outside the vehicle. An emergency call is made. An example of an abnormal situation is a traffic accident or a vehicle breakdown. When a predetermined trigger occurs, such as pressing a call button provided in the vehicle or deploying an airbag, the emergency call unit 202 starts a connection with an operator and enables a call between the vehicle occupant and the operator. When making an emergency call, the emergency call unit 202 may transmit vehicle position information to the operator. In this case, the emergency call unit 202 may acquire the position information from the GPS module 130.

[0035] The emergency notification unit 202 also performs security monitoring processing. For example, based on data received from the ECU 20 that manages the electronic lock of the vehicle, the emergency notification unit 202 detects that the vehicle has been unlocked without following a normal procedure, and transmits a security notification to a predetermined device. The security notification may include vehicle location information. In this case, the emergency notification unit 202 may obtain the location information from the GPS module 130. When it is determined that a problem has occurred in the security of the vehicle, the emergency notification unit 202 may obtain the location information and periodically transmit the obtained location information to a pre-specified external device.

[0036] The data transmission unit 203 acquires data relating to the traveling of the vehicle (hereinafter, vehicle data), and transmits the vehicle data to the center server 100 periodically. The vehicle data includes location information and sensor data. An example of the vehicle data is shown in FIG.

[0037] The vehicle ID is an identifier of the vehicle 1. The date and time information indicates the date and time when the vehicle data was acquired or generated. The position information is the position information of the vehicle 1 acquired by the GPS module 130. The position information of the host vehicle can be acquired from the GPS module 130.

[0038] The sensor data is data acquired by a sensor mounted on the vehicle 1. The sensor may be connected to the ECU 20 or may be connected to the CAN bus 30. The sensor data may represent, for example, the state of the vehicle 1, such as the speed or the direction of travel, or may represent the contents of the driving operation performed by the driver of the vehicle 1. The sensor data may also be data obtained by sensing the outside of the vehicle. For example, the sensor data may be image data obtained by capturing an image of the outside of the vehicle.

[0039] The ECU 20 is an electronic control unit that controls components of the vehicle 1. Although one ECU 20 is illustrated in this example, the vehicle 1 may include a plurality of ECUs 20. The plurality of ECUs 20 control components of different systems, such as an engine system, an electrical system, and a powertrain system. The ECU 20 has a function of generating a prescribed message and periodically transmitting and receiving the message via an in-vehicle network. The ECU 20 can also provide a remote service (e.g., a remote air conditioning service) by communicating with an external device via the DCM 10.

[0040] Like the DCM 10, the ECU 20 can be configured as a computer having a processor such as a CPU or GPU, a main storage device such as a RAM or ROM, and an auxiliary storage device such as an EPROM, a disk drive, or removable media.

[0041] The ECU 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23. The control unit 21 is a calculation unit (processor) that realizes various functions of the ECU 20 by executing a predetermined program. The storage unit 22 is a memory device including a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The communication unit 23 is a communication interface that connects the ECU 20 to the CAN bus 30 .

[0042] The sensor 40 is one or more sensor devices mounted on the vehicle 1 . The sensor 40 may be, for example, a sensor capable of sensing the state of the vehicle 1, such as a vehicle speed sensor or an acceleration sensor, or a sensor capable of sensing the driving operation by the driver, such as a steering sensor or a throttle sensor. Furthermore, the sensor 40 may be a sensor capable of sensing the outside of the vehicle 1, such as an image sensor or a range image sensor. The sensor 40 may be connected to the CAN bus 30 or to any ECU 20. In the former case, the DCM 10 can acquire the sensor data via an in-vehicle network. In the latter case, the ECU 20 can acquire the sensor data and transmit a message including the sensor data to the DCM 10.

[0043] The CAN bus 30 is an in-vehicle network based on the CAN (Controller Area Network) protocol. The CAN bus 30 is a communication bus that constitutes the in-vehicle network. Although one CAN bus 30 is illustrated in this example, the in-vehicle network may have multiple communication buses. Also, a gateway that connects these multiple communication buses to each other may be included. In this case, the DCM 10 may also function as the gateway. Also, a network such as Ethernet (registered trademark) may be used instead of the CAN bus.

[0044] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the center server 100 illustrated in FIG. The center server 100 is a server device that collects vehicle data from the vehicles 1. For example, the center server 100 periodically acquires vehicle data from a plurality of vehicles 1 and accumulates the vehicle data in a database. In addition, the center server 100 provides various services based on the vehicle data accumulated in the database.

[0045] The center server 100 can be configured as a general-purpose computer. That is, the center server 100 can be configured as a computer having a processor such as a CPU or GPU, a main storage device such as a RAM or ROM, and an auxiliary storage device such as an EPROM, a hard disk drive, or a removable medium. The auxiliary storage device stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc., and by executing the programs stored therein, various functions that match a predetermined purpose, as described below, can be realized. However, some or all of the functions may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASICs and FPGAs.

[0046] The center server 100 includes a control unit 101 , a storage unit 102 , and a communication unit 103 .

[0047] The control unit 101 is a unit that controls the center server 100. The control unit 101 is, for example, an information processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The information processing unit. The control unit 101 has, as a functional module, an information collection unit 1011. The functional module may be realized by causing a CPU to execute a program stored in a storage unit such as a ROM.

[0048] The information collection unit 1011 collects vehicle data transmitted from multiple vehicles 1 (DCM 10) and stores it in a database. The information collection unit 1011 may process the collected data. For example, the information collection unit 1011 may perform a process of anonymizing the data, a process of integrating multiple pieces of data, a process of calculating statistics based on multiple pieces of data, and the like.

[0049] The storage unit 102 is a means for storing information, and is configured with a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, or a flash memory. The storage unit 102 stores seed programs, data used by the programs, etc. The storage unit 102 also stores a database in which vehicle data collected by the information collection unit 1011 is stored.

[0050] The communication unit 103 is an interface for connecting the center server 100 to a network. The communication unit 103 can communicate with the vehicle 1 via, for example, the Internet or a mobile communication network.

[0051] Next, a description will be given of a vehicle data transmission process performed by the DCM 10. Fig. 6 is a flowchart of the process performed by the control unit 200 (data transmission unit 203). The process shown in the figure is periodically executed while the DCM 10 is in operation.

[0052] First, in step S11, it is determined whether a predetermined time has passed since the last time vehicle data was transmitted to the center server 100. The predetermined time may be a period for transmitting vehicle data from the vehicle 1 to the center server 100. If the predetermined period has not passed, the process returns to the initial state and waits. If the predetermined period has passed, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0053] In step S12, sensor data is acquired. For example, when the sensor 40 is connected to the ECU 20, the data transmission unit 203 receives a message transmitted by the ECU 20 that includes the sensor data. In step S13, location information is acquired. For example, the data transmission unit 203 acquires location information represented by latitude and longitude via the GPS module 130. The acquired location information is represented by a geodetic system set in advance. The geodetic system may differ depending on the country or region in which the vehicle is sold. For example, different geodetic systems may be used for vehicles destined for the United States and vehicles destined for China.

[0054] In step S14, the geodetic system of the position information acquired by the GPS module 130 is converted into a predetermined geodetic system. The same predetermined geodetic system may be used in all the vehicles 1 included in the system. For example, when the world geodetic system (WGS84) is used as the predetermined geodetic system and the GPS module 130 outputs position information in the Japanese geodetic system, the position information expressed in the Japanese geodetic system is converted into the world geodetic system.

[0055] In step S15, the position information obtained by converting the geodetic system is associated with the sensor data to generate vehicle data, and the vehicle data is transmitted to the center server 100. The transmitted vehicle data is received by the information collection unit 1011 and stored in a database.

[0056] As described above, the DCM 10 according to this embodiment converts the geodetic system of the location information included in the vehicle data into a predetermined geodetic system before transmitting the vehicle data to the center server 100. With this configuration, it is no longer necessary for the center server to convert the geodetic system, and it is possible to reduce the increase in load associated with an increase in the number of vehicles. Furthermore, when vehicles sold in different regions run in the same region, the geodetic systems are mixed, which may cause errors if the center server 100 performs the conversion. On the other hand, in the vehicle system according to this embodiment, the geodetic systems can be unified on the vehicle side, so it is possible to suppress such malfunctions.

[0057] (Modification of the first embodiment) The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention can be modified and implemented as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, in the first embodiment, a single center server 100 uses a single geodetic system, but if there are multiple center servers 100, each server may use a different geodetic system. It may be transmitted to the DCM 10.

[0058] The instruction data may be data describing the geodetic system used in the center server 100. Fig. 7(A) is an example of the instruction data. For example, the center server 100 may transmit such data when starting communication with the DCM 10, and the DCM 10 that has received the instruction data may convert the geodetic system according to the received instruction data until it receives new instruction data.

[0059] In order for the center server 100 to determine which geodetic system is used for the location information transmitted from the vehicle, an identifier of the geodetic system may be included in the vehicle data transmitted by the DCM 10, as shown in Fig. 4(B). This enables the center server 100 to determine whether the transmitted location information is expressed in a predetermined geodetic system.

[0060] The instruction data may be transmitted only when the geodetic system of the position information transmitted from the vehicle is incorrect. For example, if the center server 100 determines that the geodetic system is incorrect after the DCM 10 transmits the vehicle data in step S15, the center server 100 may generate instruction data and transmit it to the DCM 10.

[0061] For example, if the geodetic system used by the center server 100 is the World Geodetic System and the geodetic system of the location information transmitted from the vehicle is the Japanese Geodetic System, the center server 100 generates instruction data instructing conversion to the World Geodetic System and transmits it to the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 7B, the instruction data may further include an identifier of the vehicle receiving the instruction data, an identifier of the geodetic system used by the vehicle (the geodetic system before conversion), and the like.

[0062] The instruction data can be transmitted at any timing. For example, the center server 100 may transmit the instruction data each time the center server 100 and the DCM 10 communicate with each other. Furthermore, the center server 100 may include data (such as a conversion formula) required for converting the geodetic system in the instruction data.

[0063] In addition, in the description of the embodiment, an example was shown in which the DCM 10 mounted on the vehicle performs the geodetic system conversion, but the geodetic system conversion may be performed by an external device (e.g., a roadside device) that manages the transmission of vehicle data. In other words, the information processing device according to the present disclosure does not necessarily have to be an in-vehicle device. Such a configuration is also possible in a form in which vehicle data generated in multiple vehicles is collected and transmitted to a center server by an external device such as a roadside device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1. Vehicle 10··DCM 20···ECU 30...CAN bus 100... Antenna 110 Communication module 120 GPS antenna 130 GPS module 200...Control section 300...Storage section 400 Communication Interface

Claims

[Claim 1] An information processing device that transmits data related to a traveling of a first vehicle to a server device, acquiring sensor data using a sensor that detects a speed or acceleration of the first vehicle, a sensor that detects a driving operation of the first vehicle, or an image sensor that detects the outside of the first vehicle; acquiring location information of the first vehicle; converting the geodetic system of the location information into a predetermined geodetic system based on a conversion formula for converting the geodetic system of the location information received from the server device into the predetermined geodetic system; transmitting the converted position information to the server device in association with the sensor data; An information processing device having a control unit that executes the above.

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