In-vehicle device

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle device which can suppress electricity consumption of a battery and inform a user of correct information.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle device comprises: a detection part which detects a user operation related to a vehicle during a period after passing a first prescribed time from the stop of a power source until a shutdown processing starts to turn off an electric power source of the on-vehicle device; an extension part which elongates, when the operation is detected, a second prescribed time indicating a period to perform monitoring of vehicle state of the vehicle from the stop of the power source in which the second prescribed time is longer than the first prescribed time; and a finish part which executes the shutdown processing after passing the second prescribed time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known an in-vehicle device that has a function of monitoring the state of the vehicle for a predetermined time even after the engine is stopped, and uploading information indicating the detected details to a server when it detects that the hazard lights have been left off, the doors have been locked, etc. This allows the user to receive a notification that the hazard lights have been left off, the doors have been locked, etc., via a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, even after the vehicle engine is stopped. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-205063 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if the in-vehicle device is to be operated after the engine is stopped, the in-vehicle device will be driven by a battery. Therefore, if the operating time of the in-vehicle device is long, the battery may easily run out. For this reason, the operating time of the in-vehicle device is limited to a predetermined time.

[0005] Therefore, if a state that requires continued monitoring of the vehicle occurs, such as the vehicle door being opened just before the end of the operation time, the predetermined time may elapse during the upload of information, and the operation of the in-vehicle device may end. In this case, the server may not be able to accurately grasp the vehicle's status, and the user may not receive a notification, or may receive a notification that does not reflect the latest information on the vehicle's status.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle device that can reduce battery power consumption and notify a user of correct information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The in-vehicle device of the present invention includes a detection unit that detects an operation related to the vehicle by a user during a period from when a power source of the vehicle is stopped to when a shutdown process for turning off a power source of the in-vehicle device is started after a first predetermined time has elapsed, an extension unit that, when the operation is detected, extends a second predetermined period that indicates a period for monitoring a vehicle state of the vehicle from when the power source is stopped, and that is longer than the first predetermined period, and a termination unit that executes the shutdown process after the second predetermined period has elapsed. a communication control unit that transmits information about the vehicle state to a notification server that notifies a user of the vehicle state when the detection unit detects the operation; and Equipped with. The communication control unit transmits information about the vehicle state when the power source is stopped to the notification server. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce battery power consumption and notify the user of correct information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing by the control device of the in-vehicle device when the vehicle state monitoring period is not extended according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing by the control device of the in-vehicle device when extending the vehicle state monitoring period according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by the control device of the in-vehicle device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] <Configuration of the in-vehicle device> A vehicle equipped with an on-board device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 1. The vehicle 1 has an on-board device 10, an engine switch 13, a hazard lamp switch 14, an interior lamp switch 15, a door lock switch 16, a seat belt fastening sensor 17, a seating sensor 18, a door opening / closing sensor 19, etc.

[0011] The in-vehicle device 10 monitors the state of the vehicle 1, and transmits information relating to the state of the vehicle 1 to the notification server 20. The configuration of the in-vehicle device 10 will be described later.

[0012] Based on the information received from the in-vehicle device 10, the notification server 20 sends a notification regarding the status of the vehicle 1 (for example, a notification that it has detected that the hazard lights have been turned off or the doors have been locked) to a mobile terminal (not shown) such as the user's smartphone.

[0013] The engine switch 13 is a switch for turning on / off an engine (not shown) which is a power source of the vehicle 1.

[0014] The hazard lamp switch 14 is a switch for turning on or off a hazard lamp (not shown).

[0015] The room lamp switch 15 is a switch for turning on or off a room lamp (not shown) of the vehicle 1.

[0016] The door lock switch 16 is a switch for locking or unlocking the doors (not shown) of the vehicle 1.

[0017] The seat belt fastening sensor 17 is a sensor that detects fastening or unfastening of a seat belt of each seat of the vehicle 1. The seat belt fastening sensor 17 can be realized by, for example, a contact sensor or the like.

[0018] The seating sensor 18 is a sensor that detects that a passenger is seated in each seat of the vehicle 1. The seating sensor 18 can be realized by, for example, a pressure sensor or the like.

[0019] The door opening / closing sensor 19 is a sensor that detects the opening and closing of each door of the vehicle 1. The door opening / closing sensor 19 can be realized by, for example, a contact sensor.

[0020] Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the in-vehicle device 10. The in-vehicle device 10 includes a control device 11 and a communication device 12.

[0021] The control device 11 comprehensively controls the in-vehicle device 10. The control device 11 is configured by, for example, a microcomputer. The control device 11 includes an information acquisition unit 111, an engine stop detection unit 112, a user operation detection unit 113, a determination unit 114, an extension unit 115, a termination unit 116, and a communication control unit 117.

[0022] The information acquisition unit 111 acquires information on the vehicle state (hereinafter also referred to as vehicle state information) that indicates the state of the vehicle 1 from the vehicle 1. For example, the information acquisition unit 111 acquires the vehicle state information from the start of the engine of the vehicle 1 to the stop of the engine. The information acquisition unit 111 also acquires the vehicle state information during a vehicle state monitoring period from the stop of the engine to the start of the shutdown process of the in-vehicle device 10.

[0023] Specifically, the information acquisition unit 111 acquires the state (ON or OFF) of the engine switch 13 in real time. The information acquisition unit 111 also acquires the state (on or off) of the hazard lamp switch 14 in real time. The information acquisition unit 111 also acquires the state (on or off) of the room lamp switch 15 in real time. The information acquisition unit 111 also acquires the state (locked or unlocked) of the door lock switch 16 in real time.

[0024] Further, the information acquiring unit 111 acquires in real time the sensing result of the seat belt fastening sensor 17. Further, for example, the information acquiring unit 111 acquires in real time the sensing result of the seating sensor 18. Further, for example, the information acquiring unit 111 acquires in real time the sensing result of the door opening / closing sensor 19.

[0025] Note that the above is an example of vehicle state information, and the vehicle state information is not limited thereto. For example, the state of the shift lever (parking, reverse, etc.), the state of the headlight (off or on), etc. may be acquired as the vehicle state information.

[0026] The engine stop detection unit 112 detects the stop of the engine of the vehicle 1 based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 111. For example, when the information acquisition unit 111 acquires information indicating that the engine switch 13 has been turned off, the engine stop detection unit 112 detects the stop of the engine of the vehicle 1.

[0027] The user operation detection unit 113 determines whether to extend the vehicle state monitoring period from after the elapse of the waiting period indicating that a predetermined time has elapsed since the engine stop of the vehicle 1 until the start of the shutdown process of the in-vehicle device 10, based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 111, and detects an operation related to the vehicle 1 by the user (hereinafter also referred to as a user operation) during the extension determination period. The waiting period is an example of the first predetermined period. Also, the vehicle state monitoring period is an example of the second predetermined period.

[0028] For example, when the information acquisition unit 111 acquires information indicating that the hazard lamp switch 14 has changed from the lit state to the off state during the extension determination period, the user operation detection unit 113 detects that there has been a user operation.

[0029] Similarly, when the information acquisition unit 111 acquires information indicating that the room lamp switch 15 has changed from the lit state to the off state, the user operation detection unit 113 detects that there has been a user operation.

[0030] Similarly, when the information acquisition unit 111 acquires information indicating that the door lock switch 16 has changed from the lit state to the off state, the user operation detection unit 113 detects that there has been a user operation.

[0031] Also, for example, when the information acquisition unit 111 acquires a sensing result indicating that the seat belt has been fastened or unfastened from the seat belt fastening sensor 17 during the extension determination period, the user operation detection unit 113 detects that a user operation has been performed.

[0032] Similarly, the user operation detection unit 113 detects that a user operation has been performed when the information acquisition unit 111 acquires a sensing result indicating that a passenger has sat down or stood up from the seating sensor 18. Although sitting down or standing up is not an operation, sitting down or standing up often leads to some kind of user operation, so in this embodiment, sitting down or standing up is also detected as a user operation.

[0033] Similarly, when the information acquisition unit 111 acquires a sensing result from the door opening / closing sensor 19 indicating that the door has been opened or closed, the user operation detection unit 113 detects that a user operation has been performed.

[0034] The determination unit 114 determines whether to extend the vehicle state monitoring period based on the detection result of the user operation detection unit 113. For example, when a user operation is detected by the user operation detection unit 113 during the extension determination period, the determination unit 114 determines to extend the vehicle state monitoring period. On the other hand, when a user operation is not detected by the user operation detection unit 113 during the extension determination period, the determination unit 114 determines not to extend the vehicle state monitoring period.

[0035] When the determination unit 114 determines that the vehicle state monitoring period should be extended, the extension unit 115 extends the vehicle state monitoring period for a certain period of time. In this embodiment, when the extension unit 115 extends the vehicle state monitoring period, the extension unit 115 does not extend the vehicle state monitoring period again even if a user operation is detected by the user operation detection unit 113 thereafter.

[0036] After the vehicle state monitoring period has elapsed, the termination unit 116 executes a shutdown process to terminate the operation of the in-vehicle device 10 and turn off the power.

[0037] The communication control unit 117 controls the communication device 12 to transmit and receive information to and from the notification server 20. For example, immediately after the engine stop detection unit 112 detects that the engine has stopped, the communication control unit 117 controls transmission (hereinafter also referred to as uploading) of the vehicle state information acquired by the information acquisition unit 111 to the notification server 20.

[0038] Furthermore, for example, when the information acquisition unit 111 acquires information indicating a change in the vehicle state (for example, information that the interior lamp switch 15 has changed from off to on) as vehicle state information during the vehicle state monitoring period, the communication control unit 117 uploads the vehicle state information at the time of acquiring the information to the notification server 20. This allows the notification server to grasp the latest vehicle state information of the vehicle 1.

[0039] In addition, by the extension unit 115 extending the vehicle state monitoring period as necessary, even if the information acquisition unit 111 acquires vehicle state information indicating that the vehicle state has changed just before the end of the vehicle state monitoring period, the communication control unit 117 can upload the information to the notification server 20 before shutting down the in-vehicle device 10.

[0040] Hereinafter, the processing of the control device 11, including the processing for extending the vehicle state monitoring period, will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG.

[0041] Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the processing of the control device 11 when the vehicle state monitoring period is not extended. As shown in Fig. 2, when the information acquisition unit 111 acquires information that the engine switch 13 has been turned OFF, the engine stop detection unit 112 detects that the engine has stopped (OFF). In Fig. 2, the time when the engine stop detection unit 112 detects that the engine has stopped is set as the base point (0 seconds).

[0042] After TN seconds (standby period) have elapsed since the engine stop detection unit 112 detected the engine stop, the user operation detection unit 113 starts a detection process of the user operation. During the period from TN seconds to T seconds (extension determination period), the determination unit 114 determines whether or not to extend the vehicle state monitoring period based on the detection result of the user operation.

[0043] Here, the reason for determining whether to extend the vehicle state monitoring period after the standby period has elapsed is that even if a user operation is performed during the standby period, it is considered possible to complete transmission of vehicle state information to the notification server 20 within the vehicle state monitoring period. This prevents unnecessary extension. Therefore, it is possible to suppress battery consumption due to processing performed by the in-vehicle device 10 after the engine is stopped.

[0044] 2, since no user operation is detected, the information acquisition unit 111 acquires vehicle state information for T seconds from engine stop detection, which is set as the vehicle state monitoring period, unless the vehicle state monitoring period is extended. In this case, the termination unit 116 executes a shutdown process of the in-vehicle device 10 T seconds after the engine stop detection unit 112 detects the engine stop.

[0045] Here, Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the processing of the control device 11 when the vehicle state monitoring period is not extended. As shown in Fig. 3, when the user operation detection unit 113 detects a user operation during the extension determination period, the determination unit 114 determines that the vehicle state monitoring period is to be extended. Next, the extension unit 115 performs processing to extend the vehicle state monitoring period by a fixed time (M seconds in the example of Fig. 3). As a result, in the example of Fig. 3, the vehicle state monitoring period becomes T+M seconds.

[0046] 3, when the vehicle state monitoring period is extended, the information acquisition unit 111 acquires vehicle state information for T+M seconds from engine stop detection. In this case, the termination unit 116 executes a shutdown process of the in-vehicle device 10 T+M seconds after the engine stop detection unit 112 detects the engine stop.

[0047] In this way, by extending the vehicle state monitoring period only if a user operation is performed within the extension determination period, unnecessary extension is avoided and a situation in which the in-vehicle device 10 is shut down while uploading vehicle state information can be prevented.

[0048] <Processing of on-board devices> Next, a process executed by the in-vehicle device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described below. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by the control device 11 of the in-vehicle device 10 according to the present embodiment.

[0049] First, the engine stop detection unit 112 detects engine stop based on the vehicle state information acquired by the information acquisition unit 111 (step S1). Specifically, when the information acquisition unit 111 acquires, as vehicle state information, information that the engine switch 13 has been turned off, the engine stop detection unit 112 detects engine stop.

[0050] Next, the information acquisition unit 111 acquires vehicle state information when the engine is stopped (step S2).

[0051] Specifically, the information acquisition unit 111 acquires, as vehicle state information, the states of the hazard lamp switch 14, the interior lamp switch 15, the door lock switch 16, the seat belt fastening sensor 17, the seating sensor 18, the door opening / closing sensor 19, and the like at the time when the engine stop detection unit 112 detects the stop of the engine. The information acquisition unit 111 continues the process of acquiring the vehicle state information until the shutdown process of the in-vehicle device 10 is started.

[0052] Next, the communication control unit 117 controls the communication device 12 to upload the vehicle state information at the time of engine stop acquired in step S2 to the notification server 2 (step S3). After the waiting period has elapsed since the engine stop was detected in step S1, the determination unit 114, in cooperation with the user operation detection unit 113, starts a determination process of whether or not to extend the vehicle state monitoring period (step S4).

[0053] Specifically, when the information acquisition unit 111 acquires information indicating that the vehicle state information has changed, the user operation detection unit 113 detects the user operation. Then, the determination unit 114 determines whether or not to extend the vehicle state monitoring period based on whether or not the user operation detection unit 113 has detected the user operation.

[0054] When the user operation detection unit 113 starts the detection process of the user operation, the determination unit 114 checks in real time whether or not the user operation has been detected by the user operation detection unit 113 (step S5). If the user operation has not been detected (step S5: No), the process proceeds to step S9.

[0055] On the other hand, if a user operation is detected (step S5: Yes), the extension unit 115 checks whether the vehicle state monitoring period has been extended (step S6). If the vehicle state monitoring period has already been extended (step S6: Yes), the process proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if the vehicle state monitoring period has not been extended (step S6: No), the extension unit 115 extends the vehicle state monitoring period for a certain period (step S7).

[0056] Next, the communication control unit 117 controls the communication device 12 to upload the vehicle state information at the time when the user operation was detected in step S5 to the notification server 2 (step S8). Next, the termination unit 116 checks whether the vehicle state monitoring period has elapsed (step S9). If the vehicle state monitoring period has not elapsed (step S9: No), the process proceeds to step S5.

[0057] On the other hand, if the vehicle state monitoring period has elapsed (step S9: Yes), the termination unit 116 executes a shutdown process of the in-vehicle device 10 (step S10) and terminates this process.

[0058] <Action and effect> As described above, the in-vehicle device 10 according to the present embodiment extends the vehicle monitoring period only when a user operation is detected within the extension determination period that starts after a predetermined time has elapsed after the engine of the vehicle 1 is stopped. Here, if a user operation is performed before the extension determination period starts, there is a high possibility that the upload process of the vehicle state information can be completed within the predetermined vehicle monitoring period. Therefore, if the vehicle monitoring period is extended based on a user operation before the extension determination period starts, it is considered that an unnecessary extension will be performed, and battery power will be unnecessarily consumed. In contrast, by extending the vehicle monitoring period only when a user operation is detected within the extension determination period, the vehicle monitoring period can be extended only when there is a possibility that the upload process of the vehicle state information cannot be completed within the predetermined vehicle monitoring period. Therefore, according to the in-vehicle device 10 according to the present embodiment, unnecessary extension of the vehicle monitoring period can be prevented, thereby suppressing battery power consumption. In addition, if there is a possibility that the upload process of the vehicle state information cannot be completed within the predetermined vehicle monitoring period, the vehicle monitoring period is extended, so that the possibility of failure in the upload process of the vehicle state information can be reduced. As a result, accurate vehicle state information of the vehicle 1 is stored in the notification server 20. That is, the in-car device 10 according to this embodiment can reduce battery power consumption and notify the user of correct information.

[0059] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be embodied in other forms.

[0060] <Variation 1> For example, in the above embodiment, the extension unit 115 has been described as not extending the vehicle state monitoring period again even if a user operation is detected thereafter after the extension unit 115 has extended the vehicle state monitoring period once. However, the extension unit 115 may extend the vehicle state monitoring period every time a user operation is detected. This can further reduce the possibility that the upload process of the vehicle state information cannot be completed. In other words, according to this modification, it is possible to notify the user of more reliable vehicle state information.

[0061] <Variation 2> Also, for example, the embodiment has been described in which the termination unit 116 does not execute the shutdown process of the in-vehicle device 10 until the vehicle state monitoring period has elapsed. However, when the information acquisition unit 111 acquires vehicle state information indicating that the door lock switch 16 has been locked, the termination unit 116 may execute the shutdown process of the in-vehicle device 10 before the vehicle state monitoring period has elapsed. Note that the operation of the user to lock the door lock switch 16 is one example of an operation that triggers the end of monitoring of the vehicle state.

[0062] This is because, once the doors are locked, it is considered that the user will not subsequently perform any operation related to the vehicle 1. According to this modification, when it is detected that the door lock switch 16 is in a locked state, the shutdown process of the in-vehicle device 10 is performed even before the vehicle state monitoring period has elapsed, so that it is possible to further reduce the power consumption of the battery.

[0063] In addition, various design modifications can be made to the above-described configuration within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1 vehicle 10 Onboard equipment 11 Control device 12. Communications Equipment 13 Engine switch 14 Hazard lamp switch 15 Room lamp switch 16 Door lock switch 17 Seat belt fastening sensor 18 Seat Sensor 19 Door opening / closing sensor 20 Notification Server 111 Information Acquisition Department 112 Engine stop detection unit 113 User operation detection unit 114 Judgment section 115 Extension 116 End 117 Communication Control Unit

Claims

1. a detection unit that detects an operation related to the vehicle by a user during a period from when a power source of the vehicle is stopped until a shutdown process of turning off a power source of an in-vehicle device is started after a first predetermined period has elapsed; an extension unit that, when the operation is detected, extends a second predetermined period that is longer than the first predetermined period and indicates a period for monitoring a vehicle state of the vehicle from the stop of the power source; a termination unit that executes the shutdown process after the second predetermined period has elapsed; a communication control unit that transmits information about the vehicle state to a notification server that notifies a user of the vehicle state when the detection unit detects the operation; and Equipped with The communication control unit transmits information regarding the vehicle state when the power source is stopped to the notification server. In-vehicle device.

2. The extension unit extends the second predetermined period by a certain time every time the detection unit detects the operation. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1 .

3. the termination unit executes the shutdown process when the detection unit detects an operation that triggers termination of monitoring of the vehicle state before the second predetermined period has elapsed. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1 or 2.

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