Management device, management method, and management program

Abstract

To make it possible to reduce the possibility that a change will fail after a change operation of a device that allows key operations, so as to improve user convenience.SOLUTION: A management device includes a display control unit that causes a display unit to display device candidates that can communicate with a vehicle and that enable key operations of the vehicle when receiving an operation to change a device that enables key operations of the vehicle. The display control unit causes the display unit to display the candidates in a display mode that enables the change operation when a status of communication with a server corresponding to the candidate allows communication, and disables the change operation when the status of the communication does not allow the communication.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a management device, a management method, and a management program.

Background Art

[0002] Automobiles are widely popular as elements of mobility services, and it is assumed that various services such as carsharing will increase and spread. Along with this trend, the need for a wireless digital key system that eliminates the need for physical key transfer by using a smartphone as the key for an automobile is increasing.

[0003] As a technology related to a wireless digital key system, for example, there is Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle electronic key system including a portable device and an in-vehicle device, and performing unlocking of a vehicle door lock or the like when authentication of the portable device by the in-vehicle device is successful.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) has established standards related to vehicle electronic key systems. In the standards established by the CCC, an owner device, which is a device used by the owner of a vehicle, is defined.

[0006] Here, it is assumed that the digital key may change the owner device due to replacement or the like. In that case, for example, first, a deletion process of the registered owner device is performed, and then a process of registering candidates for a new owner device is performed. However, in a situation where a candidate for a new owner device cannot communicate with the server, the change operation cannot be completed, resulting in a decrease in convenience.

[0007] The present disclosure can reduce the possibility of a change operation failing after a change operation of a device capable of key operations, and can improve user convenience.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] When receiving a change operation of a device capable of key operations of a vehicle, the management device according to claim 1 includes a display control unit that can communicate with the vehicle and causes a display unit to display candidates for devices capable of key operations of the vehicle. The display control unit displays the candidates in a display mode that enables the change operation when the communication status with the server corresponding to the candidate is communicable, and disables the change operation when there is a communication failure. When the ignition of the vehicle is on, the display control unit causes all the candidate change operations to be displayed as disabled in the display mode.

[0009] According to the control device according to claim 1, a change operation is enabled in a situation where communication with the server corresponding to a candidate for a device is possible, and a display mode is adopted in which the change operation is disabled in a situation where communication is not possible. This can reduce the possibility of a change operation failing after a change operation of a device capable of key operations, and can improve user convenience.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the technology of the present disclosure, the possibility of a change operation failing after a change operation of a device capable of key operations can be reduced, and user convenience can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or equivalent components and parts are given the same reference numerals. Also, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and may be different from the actual ratios.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital key system for a vehicle according to the present embodiment. The digital key system shown in FIG. 1 includes an information processing terminal 10A, one or more information processing terminals 10B, a vehicle 20, and servers 30A and 30B. A management device 40 is mounted on the vehicle 20. Although omitted for convenience of explanation, the digital key system may include, as a configuration, an information processing terminal of a friend device, which is a device assumed to be used by a family member or friend of the owner of the vehicle 20.

[0014] The information processing terminal 10A is a terminal that stores a key (digital key) for unlocking the vehicle 20 or enabling driving, and is the owner device in the "Digital Key" standard formulated by CCC (hereinafter simply referred to as the owner device). The information processing terminal 10A can be a portable terminal such as a smartphone or a wearable device. The information processing terminal 10A communicates with the vehicle 20 using short-range wireless communication technologies such as BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy), NFC (Near Field Communication), and UWB (Ultra Wide Band, ultra-wideband wireless communication). The information processing terminal 10A can perform key operations on the vehicle 20 through these communications.

[0015] The information processing terminal 10B is a terminal that can be changed to an owner device and is a candidate for an owner device (hereinafter, the information processing terminal 10B may also be simply referred to as a "candidate"). The information processing terminal 10B can be a portable terminal such as a smartphone or a wearable device.

[0016] The information processing terminals 10A and 10B can be used as the digital key of the vehicle 20 by downloading and installing an application for functioning as the digital key of the vehicle 20 and sharing information related to the digital key with the vehicle 20.

[0017] The vehicle 20 performs short-range wireless communication with the information processing terminal 10A that functions as the digital key of the vehicle 20 by the above-mentioned various short-range wireless communication technologies, and executes processing related to the digital key. As processing related to the digital key, the vehicle 20 executes the locking and unlocking processes of the vehicle 20's doors. The vehicle 20 also executes a process of starting the engine or the motor based on a start request for the engine or the motor from the information processing terminal 10A that operates as the digital key of the vehicle 20.

[0018] When the vehicle 20 receives a start request for the engine from the information processing terminal 10A, it determines whether the information processing terminal 10A is present inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle 20. The reason for determining whether the information processing terminal 10A is present inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle 20 is to prevent the engine from starting when the information processing terminal 10A is outside the vehicle. The vehicle 20 determines whether the information processing terminal 10A is present inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle 20 by referring to the intensity of the radio wave emitted from the information processing terminal 10A and received by the antenna provided inside the passenger compartment.

[0019] The server 30A is a server that provides the information processing terminal 10A with information for the information processing terminal 10A to function as a digital key for the vehicle 20. The server 30A provides the information processing terminal 10A with information such as the digital key application and information related to the digital key as information for the information processing terminal 10A to function as a digital key for the vehicle 20 in response to a request from the information processing terminal 10A.

[0020] The server 30A can be provided for each manufacturer of the information processing terminal 10A, for example. If the manufacturers of the information processing terminals 10A are the same, information for functioning as a digital key may be provided from the same server.

[0021] The server 30B is a server that cooperates with the server 30A to provide the information processing terminal 10A and the vehicle 20 with information for the information processing terminal 10A to function as a digital key for the vehicle 20. The server 30B can be provided for each manufacturer of the vehicle 20. The server 30B provides the vehicle 20 with information related to the digital key and the like as information for the information processing terminal 10A to function as a digital key for the vehicle 20 in response to a request from the information processing terminal 10A, the vehicle 20, or even without a request from the information processing terminal 10A and the vehicle 20.

[0022] In addition, the management device 40 receives a request for a change operation from the owner. The change operation referred to here is a change operation of the owner device compliant with the "Digital Key" standard of CCC. The management device 40 transmits a request to change the owner device to the servers 30A and 30B in response to the request. When the servers 30A and 30B receive the change request, they communicate with the information processing terminal 10B which is a candidate for the owner device. The management device 40 displays the candidate information processing terminal 10B according to the communication status between the information processing terminal 10B and the server 30A. The display mode will be described later. The management device 40 displays the information processing terminal 10B as a candidate for the owner device and accepts the selection of the information processing terminal 10B to be changed to the owner device. The server 30B changes the selected information processing terminal 10B to the information processing terminal 10A which is the owner device.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a change operation of an owner device in a digital key system. The previous information processing terminal which was originally the owner device is referred to as the information processing terminal 10A1, and the information processing terminal which becomes the new owner device is referred to as the information processing terminal 10A2. The information processing terminal 10A2 is the terminal selected from the information processing terminals 10B. By the change operation, the server 30B newly issues a digital key for use as the owner device, and transmits the digital key from the server 30B to the information processing terminal 10A2. The information processing terminal 10A2 receives the digital key and becomes the owner device by performing the authentication process required in the "Digital Key" standard of CCC. For the information processing terminal 10A1, a process of making it a non-owner device is performed. In the process of making it a non-owner device, a digital key deletion signal is transmitted from the server 30B (or the server 30A) to the information processing terminal 10A1. The information processing terminal 10A1 that has received the deletion signal deletes the digital key and becomes a non-owner device. Thus, the change operation is completed.

[0024] The management device 40 is a device for managing the change operation of the information processing terminal 10B to the owner device. The functional configuration of the management device 40 will be described later.

[0025] Next, the hardware configuration of the management device 40 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the management device 40.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3, the management device 40 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage 14, an input unit 15, a display unit 16, and a communication interface (I / F) 17. Each component is connected to be communicable with each other via a bus 19.

[0027] The CPU 11 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 11 reads a program from the ROM 12 or the storage 14 and executes the program using the RAM 13 as a work area. The CPU 11 performs control of the above components and various arithmetic processes according to the program recorded in the ROM 12 or the storage 14. In this embodiment, a computer program for executing management processing is stored in the ROM 12 or the storage 14.

[0028] The ROM 12 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 13 temporarily stores a program or data as a work area. The storage 14 is composed of a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory, and stores various programs including an operating system and various data.

[0029] The input unit 15 includes a keyboard, buttons, etc. in a touch panel method and is used to perform various inputs.

[0030] The display unit 16 is, for example, a liquid crystal display and displays various information. The display unit 16 may adopt a touch panel method and function as the input unit 15.

[0031] The communication interface 17 is an interface for communicating with other devices such as the information processing terminal 10A, the server 30A, and the server 30B. For example, standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), BLE, NFC, and UWB are used.

[0032] Note that the information processing terminals 10A and 10B can have the same hardware configuration as the management device 40. A program related to the digital key of the vehicle 20 is stored in the information processing terminal 10A as the owner device.

[0033] When executing the above computer program, the management device 40 realizes various functions by using the above hardware resources. The functional configuration realized by the management device 40 will be described.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the management device 40. As shown in FIG. 4, the management device 40 includes a change control unit 200 and a display control unit 202 as functional configurations. Each functional configuration is realized by the CPU 11 reading and executing a computer program stored in the ROM 12 or the storage 14. Note that the function as the change control unit 200 may be provided in the server 30A or the server 30B.

[0035] The change control unit 200 receives a request for a change operation of the owner device from the input unit 15 and transmits a change request to the servers 30A and 30B. When the servers 30A and 30B receive the change request, they communicate with the information processing terminal 10B which is a candidate for the owner device.

[0036] In addition, the change control unit 200 accepts a change operation for a candidate of the owner device when the change operation is possible, and suspends the change operation when the candidate becomes unable to communicate with the server during the change. The change control unit 200 resumes the suspension when the candidate becomes communicable again.

[0037] The display control unit 202 can communicate with the management device 40 of the vehicle 20, and causes the information processing terminal 10B, which is a candidate for the owner device, to be displayed on the display unit 16. The display control unit 202 causes the candidates to be displayed in a display mode according to the communication status between the information processing terminal 10B and the server 30A. The display control unit 202 causes the candidates to be displayed in a display mode that enables a change operation when the communication status is communicable and disables the change operation when there is a communication failure. Note that an example of the server corresponding to the candidate is the server 30A. Further, the control of the display by the display control unit 202 is not limited to the display on the display unit 16 of the management device 40, and the candidates may be displayed on the display unit of a device other than the management device 40.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode according to the communication status. In the example of FIG. 5, there are information processing terminals 10B1 (B1), 10B2 (B2), and 10B3 (B3) that can communicate with the management device 40 of the vehicle 20. B1 to B3 are terminal names. The display control unit 202 causes an antenna indicating the communication strength for each terminal to be displayed as identification information (RW) of the communication status with the server 30A. The communication strength may be, for example, the degree of communication delay detected by the server 30A. In the example, two or more antennas are assumed to be communicable and one or less antennas are assumed to have a communication failure. Note that using an antenna as the identification information is an example, and it may be an explanation of the communication status or an icon indicating other communication strengths. The communication status of B1 shows that there are three antennas and communication is possible, the communication status of B2 shows that there are two antennas and communication is possible, and the communication status of B3 shows that there is one antenna and the communication status is a communication failure. In this case, since B1 and B2 are communicable, the display control unit 202 causes a "Change to Owner Device" button (Ta) that can be selected to be displayed, and since B3 has a communication failure, a "Change Not Allowed" icon (Tw) is displayed.

[0039] Note that the display mode in FIG. 5 above is assumed to be the case where the ignition of the vehicle 20 is off. When the ignition of the vehicle 20 is on, the display control unit 202 makes all candidate change operations in the display mode of the information processing terminal 10B in an unavailable state, that is, displays the "Unchangeable" icon (Tw). Note that the ignition status of the vehicle 20 may be obtained from the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) (not shown) of the vehicle 20. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the change operation of the owner device in a state where the vehicle 20 can run.

[0040] In addition, when the information processing terminal 10A, which is the owner device before the change, can communicate with the server 30A, the change control unit 200 may notify a request for a change operation and accept a selection of approval or disapproval. The notification of the request for the change operation is notified to the information processing terminal 10A when the "Change to Owner Device" button (Ta) is selected or when a request for the change operation is transmitted. The information processing terminal 10A is allowed to select "Approve" or "Deny" together with a display to the effect that, for example, "Do you permit the change of the owner device?". When the request for the change operation is approved, the change control unit 200 enables the change operation, and when the request for the change operation is denied, the change control unit 200 does not permit the change operation. When the request for the change operation is denied, the display control unit 202 makes a display that does not accept the change operation, together with a display to the effect that, for example, "The change has been denied for the current owner device".

[0041] (Flow of Control) The flow of the management process of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6. When the CPU 11 of the management device 40 receives a request for a change operation of the owner device from the input unit 15, it executes the following respective processes. This is the timing to accept the change operation of the owner device. Note that the case where the CPU 11 executes each process is described, but it is not limited thereto, and the following flowchart is realized by one or more processors reading and executing a program stored in one or more memories.

[0042] In step S10, the CPU 11 transmits a request for changing the owner device to the servers 30A and 30B.

[0043] In step S12, the CPU 11 acquires an information processing terminal 10B (hereinafter referred to as a candidate) that is a candidate for the owner device. The candidate is a terminal that can communicate with the management device 40 mounted on the vehicle 20.

[0044] In step S14, the CPU 11 acquires the communication status of the acquired candidate with the server 30A.

[0045] In step S16, the CPU 11 determines whether the ignition of the vehicle 20 is on. If the ignition is on, the process proceeds to step S18. If the ignition is not on, the process proceeds to step S20. Note that this step may be executed before step S12. In that case, if the ignition is on, steps S12 and S14 may be skipped.

[0046] In step S18, the CPU 11 determines that the change operations for all candidates are in a disabled state with respect to the display mode of the candidates.

[0047] In step S20, the CPU 11 determines a display mode according to the communication status between the information processing terminal 10B and the server 30A for each of the candidates. The display mode of the candidate enables a change operation when the communication status of the candidate allows communication, and disables the change operation when the communication status of the candidate is poor.

[0048] In step S22, the CPU 11 causes the display unit 16 to display each of the candidates according to the determined display mode.

[0049] In step S24, the CPU 11 accepts the selection of the terminal to be changed to the owner device among the candidates, completes the change operation, and ends the process.

[0050] According to the management device 40 of the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the possibility of a change operation failing after the change operation of the owner device, and improve the convenience for the user.

[0051] In addition, when the display control unit 202 receives a change operation of an owner device compliant with the "Digital Key" standard of the CCC (Car Connectivity Consortium), it may display candidates for a new owner device as candidates. Thereby, candidates can be displayed in consideration of the communication status in the change operation compliant with the standard.

[0052] In addition, when there are a plurality of device candidates, the display control unit 202 may display the communication status with the server for each candidate in the display mode. Thereby, the user can grasp the communication status, and the convenience for the user can be improved.

[0053] In addition, the change control unit 200 accepts a change operation when the change operation is possible for a candidate, and if the candidate cannot communicate with the server 30A during the change, the change operation is put on hold, and when communication becomes possible, the hold may be resumed. Thereby, even when a communication failure occurs during the change operation, the change operation can be resumed, so the user does not need to request the change operation again from the beginning, and the convenience for the user can be improved.

[0054] In addition, when the information processing terminal 10 which is the owner device before the change can communicate with the server 30A, the change control unit 200 may notify the request for the change operation and accept a selection of approval or disapproval. Thereby, since the change operation can be performed with the permission of the current owner device, it is possible to prevent the owner device from being accidentally changed.

[0055] Note that, in the above embodiment, the management process executed by the CPU by reading software (program) may be executed by various processors other than the CPU. Examples of the processor in this case include a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacturing, such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and a dedicated electric circuit, which is a processor having a circuit configuration dedicated to executing specific processes, such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Further, the management process may be executed by one of these various processors, or may be executed by a combination of two or more processors of the same type or different types (for example, a combination of a plurality of FPGAs, and a combination of a CPU and an FPGA, etc.). More specifically, the hardware structure of these various processors is an electric circuit formed by combining circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0056] Also, in the above embodiment, the mode in which the program for the management process is pre-stored (installed) in the ROM or the storage has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The program may be provided in a form recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. Further, the program may be in a form downloaded from an external device via a network.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0057] 10A, 10B Information processing terminal 20 Vehicle 30A, 30B Server 40 Management device

Claims

1. When receiving a change operation of a device capable of key operation of a vehicle, it includes a display control unit that can communicate with the vehicle and causes a display unit to display candidates for the device capable of key operation of the vehicle. The display control unit displays the candidates in a display mode in which the change operation is enabled when the communication status with the server corresponding to the candidate is communicable, and the change operation is disabled when there is a communication failure. The display control unit is a management device that, when the ignition of the vehicle is on, causes all the candidates to be displayed as disabled in the display mode.

2. When receiving a change operation of an owner device compliant with the CCC (Car Connectivity Consortium) standard, the display control unit causes a candidate for a new owner device to be displayed as the candidate, according to the management device of Claim 1.

3. When there are a plurality of candidates for the device, the display control unit displays the communication status with the server for each candidate in the display mode, according to the management device of Claim 1.

4. It further includes a change control unit. The change control unit accepts the change operation when the change operation is possible for the candidate, puts the change operation on hold when the candidate cannot communicate with the server during the change, and resumes the hold when communication becomes possible, according to the management device of Claim 1.

5. When the device before the change can communicate with the server, it notifies a request for the change operation and accepts a selection of approval or disapproval, according to the management device of Claim 1.

6. A processor When receiving a change operation of a device capable of key operation of a vehicle, it can communicate with the vehicle and causes candidates for the device capable of key operation of the vehicle to be displayed. For the candidates, the change operation is enabled when the communication status with the server corresponding to the candidate is communicable, and the candidates are displayed in a display mode in which the change operation is disabled when there is a communication failure. When the ignition of the vehicle is on, all the candidates are displayed as disabled in the display mode. A management method executed by a computer.

7. A processor When receiving a change operation of a device capable of key operation of a vehicle, it can communicate with the vehicle and causes candidates for the device capable of key operation of the vehicle to be displayed. Regarding the candidate, when the communication status with the server corresponding to the candidate is communicable, the change operation is enabled, and when there is poor communication, it is displayed in a display mode where the change operation is disabled. When the ignition of the vehicle is on, in the display mode, the change operations of all the candidates are displayed as disabled. A management program that causes a computer to execute a process.

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