Information processing system, control device, and information processing method

Abstract

To provide an information processing system and control device capable of determining appropriate candidate routes based on tire regulation information.SOLUTION: An information processing system 1 includes: a tire identification information acquisition part 110 that acquires tire identification information for a tire 50 mounted on a vehicle 10; a candidate route determination part 250; and a notification part 160. The candidate route determination part 250 determines a candidate route based on tire category information based on the tire identification information, destination information, tire regulation information, and chain mounting location information. The notification part 160 gives the candidate route determined by the candidate route determination part 250.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system, a control device, and an information processing method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, car navigation systems are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a car navigation system that performs a search based on destination data, own vehicle position data, and road map data to obtain a driving route. Patent Document 1 also discloses using weather information.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] According to the system of Patent Document 1, it is possible to give a warning in advance that wearing a chain is necessary. However, the system of Patent Document 1 has not been able to determine an appropriate driving route based on weather information.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system and a control device capable of determining an appropriate candidate route based on tire regulation information.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing system includes a tire identification information acquisition unit that acquires tire identification information of a tire mounted on a vehicle, a candidate route determination unit, and a notification unit. The candidate route determination unit determines a candidate route based on tire category information based on the tire identification information, destination information, tire regulation information, and chain mounting location information. The notification unit notifies the candidate route determined by the candidate route determination unit.

[0007] A control device includes a tire identification information acquisition unit that acquires tire identification information, a destination information acquisition unit that acquires destination information, a transmission unit that transmits the tire identification information and the destination information to a server, a reception unit, and a notification unit. The reception unit receives information on a candidate route determined by the server based on tire category information based on the tire identification information, the destination information, tire regulation information, and chain mounting location information. The notification unit notifies the candidate route received by the reception unit.

[0008] An information processing method for determining a candidate route of a vehicle includes a step of acquiring tire identification information of a tire mounted on the vehicle, a step of determining a candidate route based on tire category information based on the acquired tire identification information, destination information, tire regulation information, and chain mounting location information, and a step of notifying the determined candidate route.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing system and a control device capable of determining an appropriate candidate route based on tire regulation information.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an overview of the information processing system 1 of the present embodiment.

[0012] The information processing system 1 is, for example, a system for performing automatic driving control of the vehicle 10. The information processing system 1 includes a vehicle control device 100 and a server 200 as control units. The server 200 is connected to the vehicle control device 100 via a network 300.

[0013] In the present embodiment, the vehicle control device 100 is provided inside the vehicle 10.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, for example, four tires 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D are mounted on the vehicle 10. RFID tags 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D as identification information holding media are provided on the four tires 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D, respectively. RFID readers 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D as readers for reading the information held by the RFID tags 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D are arranged on the vehicle 10.

[0015] The RFID readers 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D are arranged at positions closer than a predetermined distance from the tires 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D to be read, respectively, taking into account the communication range of the RFID tags. On the other hand, the RFID readers 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D are arranged at positions farther than a predetermined distance from the tires that are not the reading targets. For example, it is preferable that the RFID reader 20A is arranged at a position where it can communicate with the RFID tag 60A of the tire 50A and cannot communicate with the RFID tags 60B, 60C, and 60D of the tires 50B, 50C, and 50D. Thereby, the possibility of erroneously reading the information of the RFID tags of the tires that are not the reading targets can be reduced.

[0016] The vehicle 10 can be equipped with various types of tires. For example, as the tires 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D, winter tires such as studless tires and summer tires such as normal tires to be mounted during normal times can be mounted.

[0017] Chains 80 can be mounted on the tires 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D, respectively. The chain 80 is provided with an RFID tag 90 as an identification information holding medium.

[0018] The RFID readers 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D can read the information held in the RFID tags 90 of the chains 80 mounted on the tires 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D to be read, respectively.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the vehicle control device 100 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the server 200 of the present embodiment.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle control device 100 as a control device includes a tire identification information acquisition unit 110, a chain identification information acquisition unit 115, a current location information acquisition unit 120, a destination information acquisition unit 130, a transmission unit 140, a reception unit 150, a notification unit 160, a route determination unit 170, an automatic driving control unit 180, and a first storage unit 190.

[0021] The tire identification information acquisition unit 110 acquires tire identification information. More specifically, the tire identification information acquisition unit 110 acquires the tire identification information held in the RFID tags 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D of the tires 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D, respectively, read by the RFID readers 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D.

[0022] The chain identification information acquisition unit 115 acquires chain identification information. More specifically, when the chain 80 is attached to the tires 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D, the chain identification information acquisition unit 115 acquires the chain identification information held in the RFID tag 90 provided on the chain 80, read by the RFID readers 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D, respectively.

[0023] Note that as the tire identification information acquisition unit 110 and the chain identification information acquisition unit 115, an identification information acquisition unit that centrally acquires the identification information read by the RFID reader may be used. In this case, in subsequent processing in the control unit, the read identification information may be separated into tire identification information and chain identification information.

[0024] The current location information acquisition unit 120 acquires the current location information of the vehicle 10. For example, the current location information acquisition unit 120 receives a GPS signal from a GPS satellite and acquires the current location of the vehicle 10 in the map data based on the GPS signal.

[0025] The destination information acquisition unit 130 acquires destination information. The destination information acquisition unit acquires destination information based on, for example, information indicating a destination input by a user such as a driver.

[0026] The transmission unit 140 transmits the tire identification information acquired by the tire identification information acquisition unit 110, the chain identification information acquired by the chain identification information acquisition unit 115, the current location information acquired by the current location information acquisition unit 120, and the destination information acquired by the destination information acquisition unit 130 to the server 200 via the network 300.

[0027] The receiving unit 150 receives candidate route information transmitted from the server 200 described later via the network 300.

[0028] In addition, when information such as map data stored in the server 200 is updated, the receiving unit 150 may receive the updated information such as map data. In this case, the information such as map data stored in the vehicle control device 100 is replaced with the updated information such as map data. The updated information such as map data may be used for subsequent automatic driving control and car navigation systems.

[0029] The notification unit 160 has a function as a candidate route notification unit, and notifies the user of the candidate route based on the received candidate route information. For example, the notification unit 160 sends a notification asking the user whether to adopt the candidate route as the final driving route. In this case, the user makes an instruction input to indicate whether to adopt it as the final driving route in response to this inquiry.

[0030] In addition, the notification unit 160 may have a function of notifying the user of various information such as information related to automatic driving control and information related to tires. The notification unit may send a notification using voice or an image.

[0031] The route determination unit 170 determines the final driving route used for control such as automatic driving control. For example, the route determination unit 170 determines the candidate route based on the received candidate route information as the final driving route based on the instruction input by the user.

[0032] The automatic driving control unit 180 performs automatic driving control of the vehicle 10 based on the received candidate route information. For example, the automatic driving control unit 180 performs automatic driving control of the vehicle 10 using the information of the final driving route determined by the route determination unit 170 based on the candidate route information.

[0033] The first memory unit 190 stores information for performing automatic driving control. For example, it may store information such as map data for performing automatic driving control.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3, the server 200 includes a server-side receiving unit 210, a tire category information acquisition unit 220, a chain mounting determination unit 230, a chain mounting location information acquisition unit 240, a candidate route determination unit 250, a server-side transmission unit 260, and a second memory unit 270.

[0035] The server-side receiving unit 210 receives the information transmitted from the transmission unit 140 of the vehicle control device, that is, the tire identification information, the chain identification information, the current location information, and the destination information.

[0036] In addition, the server-side receiving unit 210 acquires tire regulation information from the outside. Here, the tire regulation information includes tire regulation section information indicating that there is a section where summer tires cannot be driven, and for example, includes winter tire regulation information, chain regulation information, weather information such as snow accumulation information, road surface freezing information, etc. These information may be information distributed from, for example, the Japan Road Traffic Information Center (JARTIC: registered trademark), etc.

[0037] In addition, when there is an update of map data, etc. due to road construction, etc., the server-side receiving unit 210 may acquire the updated information from the outside. Similarly, when there is an update such as an addition or reduction of the chain mounting location due to construction, etc., the server-side receiving unit 210 may acquire the updated information from the outside. The map data and chain mounting location information stored in the second memory unit 270 described later are rewritten by the updated information.

[0038] The tire category information acquisition unit 220 acquires tire category information based on the received tire identification information. The tire category information is information indicating the category of the tire, for example, information such as "winter tire" or "summer tire". For example, when it is determined that the type of tire based on the received tire identification information is a studless tire, the tire category information is acquired as "winter tire". For example, when it is determined that the type of tire based on the received tire identification information is a normal tire, the tire category information is acquired as "summer tire".

[0039] The tire identification information may directly include tire category information such as "winter tire" or "summer tire". Alternatively, the tire identification information may be identification information associated with the tire category information. For example, the tire identification information may be a serial number associated with the tire category information. A database that associates tire identification information such as a serial number with tire category information may be stored in the second storage unit 270 described later. In this case, the tire category information acquisition unit 220 acquires the tire category information based on the tire identification information by collating the received tire identification information such as a serial number with the information in the database. Note that the database may include information such as a product number and the tire manufacturing date associated with the tire identification information.

[0040] Note that the tire category information may be stored in the user memory of the RFID tag as the tire identification information. In this case, since the tire identification information directly includes the tire category information, the tire category information acquisition unit 220 can acquire the tire category information based on the tire identification information without performing a collation operation with the information in the database. Note that information such as a product number and the tire manufacturing date may be stored in the user memory of the RFID tag.

[0041] The chain mounting determination unit 230 determines the mounting state of the chain 80 on the tire. More specifically, based on the identification information received by the server-side receiving unit, the chain mounting determination unit 230 determines whether each of the RFID readers 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D has acquired the chain identification information of the RFID tag 90 provided on the chain 80. When the chain mounting determination unit 230 determines that the RFID reader has acquired the chain identification information, it determines that the chain 80 is mounted on the tire at the position corresponding to the RFID reader that has acquired the chain identification information. For example, when it is determined that the RFID readers 20A and 20B have acquired the chain identification information, it is determined that the chain 80 is mounted on the tires 50A and 50B. Note that by collating with the database regarding the identification information stored in the second storage unit 270 described later, it may be determined whether the identification information acquired by the RFID reader is tire identification information related to the tire or chain identification information related to the chain.

[0042] The chain mounting location information acquisition unit 240 acquires chain mounting location information from, for example, the second storage unit 270 described later. Note that the chain mounting location may include locations where chain mounting work is possible, such as gas stations and stores, in addition to the chain attachment / detachment location.

[0043] The candidate route determination unit 250 determines a candidate route that is a candidate for the driving route on which the vehicle 10 travels, based on the tire category information based on the tire identification information, the destination information, the tire regulation information, and the chain mounting location information. For example, when there is a tire regulation section in the candidate route set based on the destination information and it is determined that the tire mounted on the vehicle 10 is not a winter tire, the candidate route determination unit 250 changes the candidate route to a route passing through the chain mounting location. The details of the candidate route determination process for determining this candidate route will be described later.

[0044] The server-side transmission unit 260 transmits, via the network 300, the tire category information based on the tire identification information, the destination information, the tire regulation information, and the candidate route information determined based on the chain mounting location information, to the vehicle control device 100.

[0045] The second storage unit 270 stores various types of information. For example, a database associating the tire identification information with the tire category information and the like is stored. Also, the second storage unit 270 stores map data, the chain mounting location information, and the like.

[0046] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an outline of an example of the automatic driving control performed by the information processing system 1 of the present embodiment.

[0047] Consider the case where the information processing system 1 acquires the starting point S as the current location information of the vehicle 10 and acquires the information indicating the destination G as the destination information. In this case, for example, an initial candidate route R0 is set based on the shortest distance information on the road R in the map data. Here, when tire regulation information is obtained and it is determined that there is a tire regulation section TR in the initial candidate route R0, the candidate route determination unit 250 determines whether the tire mounted on the vehicle 10 is a winter tire. Then, when the candidate route determination unit 250 determines that the tire mounted on the vehicle 10 is not a winter tire, the candidate route is changed from the initial candidate route R0 to a modified candidate route R1 passing through the chain mounting location P. The notification unit 160 may notify the user of the modified candidate route R1 determined by the candidate route determination unit 250. Thereafter, when, for example, an instruction signal permitting the adoption of the modified candidate route R1 is input by the user, the route determination unit 170 determines the modified candidate route R1 as the final driving route. The automatic driving control unit 180 performs automatic driving control of the vehicle 10 based on the modified candidate route R1 determined as the driving route by the candidate route determination unit 250. On the other hand, when the candidate route determination unit 250 determines that the tire mounted on the vehicle 10 is a winter tire, the initial candidate route R0 is determined as the candidate route as it is. The notification unit 160 may notify the user of the initial candidate route R0. Thereafter, when, for example, an instruction signal permitting the adoption of the initial candidate route R0 is input by the user, the route determination unit 170 determines the initial candidate route R0 as the final driving route. The automatic driving control unit 180 performs automatic driving control of the vehicle 10 based on the initial candidate route R0 determined as the driving route by the candidate route determination unit 250.

[0048] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the main processing flow of the information processing system 1 of the present embodiment.

[0049] In step S11, the tire identification information acquisition unit 110 performs a tire identification information acquisition process for acquiring tire identification information. For example, the tire identification information acquisition unit 110 acquires the tire identification information held in the RFID tags 60A, 60B, 60C, 60D of the tires 50A, 50B, 50C, 50D read by the RFID readers 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D as reading devices.

[0050] In step S12, the candidate route determination unit 250 performs a candidate route determination process for determining a candidate route based on the tire category information based on the tire identification information, the destination information, the tire regulation information, and the chain mounting location information. For example, the candidate route determination unit 250 determines a candidate route based on the tire category information based on the tire identification information acquired by the tire identification information acquisition unit 110, the destination information acquired based on the information input by the user, the tire regulation information acquired from the outside, and the chain mounting location information acquired by the chain mounting location information acquisition unit.

[0051] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of details of the processing flow of the information processing system 1 of the present embodiment.

[0052] In step S21, the destination information acquisition unit 130 acquires destination information based on information indicating the destination input by the user.

[0053] In step S22, the candidate route determination unit 250 sets an initial candidate route based on the current position information of the vehicle 10 acquired by the current position information acquisition unit 120 and the destination information acquired by the destination information acquisition unit 130.

[0054] In step S23, the tire identification information acquisition unit 110 acquires tire identification information. More specifically, the tire identification information acquisition unit 110 acquires the tire identification information held in the RFID tags 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D of the tires 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D respectively read by the RFID readers 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D as reading devices. The process of this step S23 corresponds to the tire identification information acquisition process in step S11 of the flowchart in FIG. 5.

[0055] In step S24, the tire category information acquisition unit 220 acquires tire category information based on the tire identification information acquired by the tire identification information acquisition unit 110.

[0056] In step S25, the chain mounting determination unit 230 determines whether a chain is mounted on the tire.

[0057] In step S26, the server-side reception unit 210 acquires tire regulation information from the outside.

[0058] In step S27, the chain mounting location information acquisition unit 240 acquires chain mounting location information.

[0059] In this way, the information processing system 1 acquires various types of information necessary for the candidate route determination unit 250 to perform candidate route determination processing for determining a candidate route after step S31. Note that the execution order of steps S21 to S27 is not limited to this order. For example, after determining the initial candidate route and acquiring tire regulation information, tire category information may be acquired. In this case, if it is determined that there is no tire regulation section in the initial candidate route, subsequent processing can also be omitted. Also, after acquiring the tire category information, the initial candidate route may be determined. In this case, if it is determined that the tires mounted on the vehicle 10 are winter tires, subsequent processing can also be omitted. Note that the steps of S21 to S27 may be incorporated into the steps of the candidate route determination processing after step S31. That is, the steps of S21 to S27 may be executed at an appropriate timing during the candidate route determination processing after step S31. Note that the processing from step S31 to step S32 and from step S31 to step S37 corresponds to the candidate route determination processing in step S12 of the flowchart in FIG. 5. For example, step S22 may also be considered as included in the candidate route determination processing in step S12 of the flowchart in FIG. 5.

[0060] In step S31, the candidate route determination unit 250 determines whether there is a tire regulation section on the initial candidate route.

[0061] In step S31, if it is determined that there is no tire regulation section on the initial candidate route, the process proceeds to step S32, and the candidate route determination unit 250 determines the initial candidate route as the candidate route as it is. Thereby, the candidate route determination processing ends.

[0062] In step S31, if it is determined that there is a tire regulation section on the initial candidate route, in step S33, based on the tire category information, it is determined whether the tires mounted on the vehicle 10 are winter tires.

[0063] In step S33, when it is determined that the tires mounted on the vehicle 10 are winter tires, in step S32, the candidate route determination unit 250 determines the initial candidate route as the candidate route as it is. Thereby, the candidate route determination process ends.

[0064] In step S33, when it is determined that the tires mounted on the vehicle 10 are not winter tires, in step S34, the chain mounting determination unit 230 determines whether or not the chain 80 is mounted on the tires.

[0065] In step S34, when it is determined that the chain 80 is mounted on the tires, the process proceeds to step S32, and the candidate route determination unit 250 determines the initial candidate route as the candidate route as it is. Thereby, the candidate route determination process ends.

[0066] In step S34, when it is determined that the chain 80 is not mounted on the tires, in step S35, the candidate route determination unit 250 determines whether or not there is a chain mounting location on the initial candidate route.

[0067] In step S35, when it is determined that there is a chain mounting location on the initial candidate route, the process proceeds to step S32, and the candidate route determination unit 250 determines the initial candidate route as the candidate route as it is. Thereby, the candidate route determination process ends.

[0068] In step S35, when it is determined that there is no chain mounting location on the initial candidate route, in step S36, the candidate route determination unit 250 searches for a chain mounting location near the initial candidate route. Then, in step S37, the candidate route determination unit 250 determines the candidate route as a modified candidate route that passes through the chain mounting / detaching location from the initial candidate route as the candidate route. That is, the candidate route is changed from the initial candidate route to a modified candidate route that passes through the chain mounting location. Thereby, the candidate route determination process ends.

[0069] In step S41, the notification unit 160 notifies the user of the candidate route based on the candidate route information determined by the candidate route determination unit 250. For example, the notification unit 160 sends a notification to inquire of the user whether to adopt the candidate route as the final driving route. In this case, the user makes an instruction input to indicate whether to adopt it as the final driving route in response to this inquiry.

[0070] In step S42, the route determination unit 170 determines, for example, based on the instruction input by the user, to set the candidate route as the final driving route. Thereafter, for example, the automatic driving control unit 180 may perform automatic driving control of the vehicle 10 using the information on the driving route determined by the route determination unit 170.

[0071] With the above configuration, an appropriate candidate route can be determined based on tire regulation information and the like. For example, by grasping the installation of winter tires on the vehicle 10 and the installation state of chains on the tires, it is possible to guide the vehicle to the chain installation location as needed in response to tire regulation sections.

[0072] Note that the processing by these information processing systems 1 may be started before driving or during driving. For example, the processing by these information processing systems 1 may be started when information indicating the destination is input by the user. Alternatively, it may be started triggered by the start of the engine of the vehicle 10. For example, when the engine of the vehicle 10 is started, the tire identification information acquisition unit 110 may acquire the information of the RFID tag, and then, in response to the subsequent user input, the destination information acquisition unit 130 may acquire the destination information.

[0073] Note that the acquisition of tire identification information is not limited to that by an RFID reader. For example, the tire identification information acquisition unit 110 may acquire information manually input by the user as tire identification information. In this case, for example, the user inputs information for identifying the tire into a mobile terminal such as a smartphone. The tire identification information acquisition unit 110 acquires the information input into the mobile terminal as tire identification information. This acquisition operation is performed when the tire is replaced, and the input tire identification information may be registered in the information processing system 1. In this case, the registered tire identification information is stored in the storage unit of the information processing system 1 and is read out when performing the candidate route determination process of the present embodiment. Note that the tire identification information acquisition unit 110 may acquire information obtained by optical reading means as tire identification information. For example, the tire identification information acquisition unit 110 may acquire, as tire identification information, image information of the tire captured by a camera provided at a gate through which the vehicle 10 passes or a vehicle-side camera provided on the vehicle 10. For example, the tire identification information acquisition unit 110 may acquire, as tire identification information, image information of the tire photographed by the user using the camera of the smartphone. These cameras may photograph, for example, the markings on the surface of the tire. The tire identification information acquisition unit 110 can acquire the image information obtained by such photographing as tire identification information for identifying the tire.

[0074] Note that the acquisition of chain identification information is not limited to that by an RFID reader. For example, the chain identification information acquisition unit 115 may acquire information manually input by a user as the chain identification information. In this case, for example, the user inputs information for identifying a chain into a mobile terminal such as a smartphone. The chain identification information acquisition unit 115 acquires the information input into the mobile terminal as the chain identification information. This acquisition operation is performed when the chain is attached or detached, and the input chain identification information may be registered in the information processing system 1. In this case, the registered chain identification information is stored in the storage unit of the information processing system 1 and read out when performing the candidate route determination process of the present embodiment. Note that the chain identification information acquisition unit 115 may acquire information obtained by optical reading means as the chain identification information. For example, the chain identification information acquisition unit 115 may acquire, as the chain identification information, image information of a tire photographed by a camera provided at a gate through which the vehicle 10 passes or a vehicle-side camera provided on the vehicle 10. For example, the chain identification information acquisition unit 115 may acquire, as the chain identification information, image information of a chain photographed by a user using a camera of a smartphone. These cameras may photograph, for example, the side surface of the tire. The chain identification information acquisition unit 115 can acquire the image information obtained by such photographing as the chain identification information for identifying the attachment state of the chain 80 to the tire.

[0075] In addition, in the present embodiment, the tire identification information acquisition unit 110 acquires tire identification information for each of the four tires mounted on the vehicle 10. Therefore, the candidate route determination unit 250 may perform candidate route determination processing based on the number information of tires of a predetermined category in addition to the category information of the tires. For example, when it is determined that three or more of the four tires mounted on the vehicle 10 are winter tires, the candidate route determination unit 250 may determine in step S31 of the flowchart in FIG. 6 that the vehicle 10 is equipped with winter tires. In this case, even if there is a tire restriction section in the initial candidate route, the candidate route determination unit 250 may determine the initial candidate route as the candidate route as it is. In addition, the notification unit 160 may notify the user to that effect when it is determined that only three of the four tires are winter tires.

[0076] The candidate route determination unit 250 may perform candidate route determination processing based on the arrangement position information of tires of a predetermined category in addition to the category information of the tires. For example, when two of the four tires mounted on the vehicle 10 that are drive wheels are winter tires, the candidate route determination unit 250 may determine in step S31 of the flowchart in FIG. 6 that the vehicle 10 is equipped with winter tires. In this case, even if there is a tire restriction section in the initial candidate route, the candidate route determination unit 250 may determine the initial candidate route as the candidate route as it is. For example, when the vehicle 10 is a front-wheel drive vehicle and it is determined based on the tire identification information acquired by the RFID reader 20A and the RFID reader 20B that the tires 50A and 50B are winter tires, the candidate route determination unit 250 may determine in step S31 of the flowchart in FIG. 6 that the vehicle 10 is equipped with winter tires. In addition, the notification unit 160 may notify the user to that effect when it is determined that only the drive wheels are winter tires.

[0077] The candidate route determination unit 250 may perform candidate route determination processing based on the chain mounting position information. That is, the determination result of the chain mounting determination unit 230 may include the chain mounting position information. For example, when chains are mounted on two of the four tires mounted on the vehicle 10, which are the drive wheels, the chain mounting determination unit 230 may determine in step S33 of the flowchart in FIG. 6 that a chain is mounted on the tire. In this case, even if there is a tire restricted section in the initial candidate route, the candidate route determination unit 250 determines the initial candidate route as the candidate route as it is. For example, when the vehicle 10 is a front-wheel drive vehicle and it is determined based on the identification information acquired by the RFID reader 20A and the RFID reader 20B that the chains 80 are mounted on the tires 50A and 50B, the chain mounting determination unit 230 may determine in step S33 of the flowchart in FIG. 6 that a chain is mounted on the tire. Note that the notification unit 160 may notify the user to that effect when it is determined that chains are mounted only on the drive wheels.

[0078] In addition to the tire category information, the candidate route determination unit 250 may perform candidate route determination processing based on the elapsed time since tire manufacture. For example, even if the tire mounted on the vehicle 10 is a winter tire, if five or more years have elapsed since manufacture, it is determined that this tire cannot pass through the tire restricted section, and the candidate route is changed from the initial candidate route to a modified candidate route passing through the chain mounting location. Further, the notification unit 160 may perform notification. Note that even when the elapsed time since manufacture is three or more years and less than five years, the notification unit 160 may perform notification.

[0079] In addition, when the tire wear detection means for detecting tire wear is provided, in addition to the tire category information, the candidate route determination process may be performed based on the tire wear amount. For example, even if the tire mounted on the vehicle 10 is a winter tire, if the tire wear amount is equal to or more than a predetermined value, it is determined that the tire regulated section cannot be passed, and the candidate route is changed from the initial candidate route to a modified candidate route passing through the chain mounting location. Further, the notification unit 160 may perform notification.

[0080] As shown in the present embodiment, it is preferable that RFID readers 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D are respectively arranged corresponding to the tires 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D mounted on the vehicle 10, and the tire identification information acquisition unit 110 separately acquires the identification information of the tires 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D. That is, it is preferable that the same number of RFID readers as the number of tires mounted on the vehicle 10 are arranged corresponding to each tire mounted on the vehicle 10. However, the identification information of all the tires mounted on the vehicle 10 may be acquired by a common RFID reader.

[0081] The candidate route information based on the candidate route determined by the candidate route determination unit 250 exhibits a high effect by being used for the automatic driving control of the vehicle 10. For example, when driving automatically, by using the information processing system of the present embodiment, problems such as being stuck on a snowy road are less likely to occur. Therefore, it also contributes to the solution of traffic problems that occur when automatic driving becomes widespread. However, the candidate route information based on the candidate route determined by the candidate route determination unit 250 may be used for a car navigation system or the like. This also contributes to the solution of traffic problems.

[0082] The vehicle control device 100 and the server 200 as the control unit are configured by a plurality of functional blocks as described above, but each functional block does not necessarily have to be physically separated, and one CPU may realize the functions of a plurality of functional blocks.

[0083] Note that, in this embodiment, some of the functional blocks provided in the vehicle control device 100 may be provided in the server 200. For example, some of the processes of the automatic driving control unit 180 may be executed by the server 200. Also, in this embodiment, some of the functional blocks provided in the server 200 may be provided in the vehicle control device 100. For example, functional blocks such as the candidate route determination unit 250 may be provided in the vehicle control device 100. Note that some information may be managed by a smartphone. That is, some of the functions of the control unit may be executed by the smartphone.

[0084] Note that the storage unit is composed of a recording medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or a removable memory card. Examples of the recording medium include non-transitory tangible media. Note that the control unit is configured to include an arithmetic processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). Various functions of the control unit are realized, for example, by executing a program (application) stored in the storage unit. The program (application) may be provided via a network, or may be provided by being recorded on a computer readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read only memory) or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc). Note that each function of the control unit may be realized by the cooperation of hardware and software, or may be realized by hardware (electronic circuit) only.

[0085] Note that the tire regulation information includes a plurality of types of tire regulation information that can be clearly distinguished and identified, and subsequent processing may be executed according to the identified type of tire regulation information.

[0086] For example, the tire regulation information may include chain regulation section information indicating a driving section (chain regulation section) where chain installation is mandatory regardless of the type of tire, and winter tire regulation section information indicating a driving section (winter tire regulation section) where chain installation is not mandatory if it is a winter tire. Note that when the type of tire is a summer tire, chain installation is also mandatory in the winter tire regulation section.

[0087] FIG. 7 is a modified example of the flowchart of FIG. 6, and is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the information processing system 1 when the tire regulation information includes chain regulation section information and winter tire regulation section information.

[0088] Steps S21 to S30 in the flowchart of FIG. 7 are the same as steps S21 to S30 in the flowchart of FIG. 6.

[0089] In step S31, the candidate route determination unit 250 determines whether there is a tire regulation section on the initial candidate route.

[0090] In step S31, if it is determined that there is no tire regulation section on the initial candidate route, the process proceeds to step S32, and the candidate route determination unit 250 determines the initial candidate route as the candidate route as it is. Thereby, the candidate route determination process ends.

[0091] In step S31, if it is determined that there is a tire regulation section on the initial candidate route, in step S31A, it is determined whether the tire regulation section is a winter tire regulation section.

[0092] In step S31A, if it is determined that the tire regulation section is a winter tire regulation section, the process proceeds to step S33. The processes from step S33 onwards are the same as the processes from step S33 onwards in the flowchart of FIG. 6, and thus the description is omitted.

[0093] In step S31A, when it is determined that the tire regulation section is not a winter tire regulation section, in step S31B, it is determined whether the tire regulation section is a chain regulation section.

[0094] In step S31B, when it is determined that the tire regulation section is not a chain regulation section, in step S31C, the notification unit 160 notifies the user that the tire regulation section is neither a winter tire regulation section nor a chain regulation section.

[0095] In step S31B, when it is determined that the tire regulation section is a chain regulation section, in step S54, the chain mounting determination unit 230 determines whether the chain 80 is mounted on the tire.

[0096] In step S54, when it is determined that the chain 80 is mounted on the tire, the process proceeds to step S32, and the candidate route determination unit 250 determines the initial candidate route as the candidate route as it is. Thereby, the candidate route determination process ends.

[0097] In step S54, when it is determined that the chain 80 is not mounted on the tire, in step S55, the candidate route determination unit 250 determines whether there is a chain mounting location on the initial candidate route.

[0098] In step S55, when it is determined that there is a chain mounting location on the initial candidate route, the process proceeds to step S32, and the candidate route determination unit 250 determines the initial candidate route as the candidate route as it is. Thereby, the candidate route determination process ends.

[0099] In step S55, if it is determined that there is no chain mounting location on the initial candidate route, in step S56, the candidate route determination unit 250 searches for a chain mounting location near the initial candidate route. Thereafter, in step S57, the candidate route determination unit 250 determines the candidate route as a modified candidate route that passes through the chain attachment / detachment location from the initial candidate route. That is, the candidate route is changed from the initial candidate route to a modified candidate route that passes through the chain mounting location. Thereby, the candidate route determination process ends.

[0100] Steps S41 to S42 of the flowchart in FIG. 7 are the same as steps S41 to S42 of the flowchart in FIG. 6.

[0101] Thus, the tire regulation information may include chain regulation section information indicating a driving section where chain mounting is mandatory regardless of the type of tire, and winter tire regulation section information indicating a driving section where chain mounting is not mandatory if the tire is a winter tire. The candidate route determination unit 250 identifies the type of tire regulation information. Specifically, the candidate route determination unit 250 identifies the winter tire regulation section information and the chain regulation section information. Then, when it is determined that there is a winter tire regulation section in the candidate route set based on the destination information, the tire mounted on the vehicle 10 is not a winter tire, and the chain is not mounted on the tire mounted on the vehicle 10, the candidate route may be changed to a route passing through the chain mounting location. And when it is determined that there is a chain regulation section in the candidate route set based on the destination information and the chain is not mounted on the tire mounted on the vehicle 10, the candidate route may be changed to a route passing through the chain mounting location. Also with the above configuration, an appropriate candidate route can be determined based on tire regulation information and the like. For example, by grasping the mounting of winter tires on the vehicle 10 and the mounting state of the chain on the tires, it is possible to appropriately guide to the chain mounting location corresponding to the type of tire regulation information and the type of tire mounted on the vehicle.

[0102] According to the information processing system of the present embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

[0103] (1) The information processing system 1 of the present embodiment includes a tire identification information acquisition unit 110 that acquires tire identification information of tires 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D mounted on the vehicle 10, a candidate route determination unit 250, and a notification unit 160. The candidate route determination unit 250 determines a candidate route based on the tire category information based on the tire identification information, the destination information, the tire regulation information, and the chain mounting location information, and the notification unit 160 notifies the candidate route determined by the candidate route determination unit 250. Thereby, an appropriate candidate route can be determined and notified based on the tire regulation information and the like.

[0104] (2) When the candidate route determination unit 250 of the information processing system 1 of the present embodiment determines that there is a tire regulation section in the candidate route set based on the destination information and the tires mounted on the vehicle 10 are not winter tires, the candidate route is changed to a route passing through the chain mounting location. Thereby, an appropriate candidate route can be determined based on the tire regulation information and the like.

[0105] (3) The candidate route determination unit 250 of the information processing system 1 of the present embodiment further determines a candidate route based on the number information of tires of a predetermined category. Thereby, an appropriate candidate route can be determined based on the tire regulation information and the like.

[0106] (4) The candidate route determination unit 250 of the information processing system 1 of the present embodiment further determines a candidate route based on the arrangement position information of tires of a predetermined category. Thereby, an appropriate candidate route can be determined based on the tire regulation information and the like.

[0107] (5) The information processing system 1 of this embodiment further includes a chain mounting determination unit 230 that determines the mounting state of the chain 80 on the tire, and the candidate route determination unit 250 further determines a candidate route based on the determination result of the chain mounting determination unit 230. Thereby, an appropriate candidate route can be determined based on tire regulation information and the like.

[0108] (6) In the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, the determination result of the chain mounting determination unit 230 includes chain mounting position information. Thereby, an appropriate candidate route can be determined based on tire regulation information and the like.

[0109] (7) In the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, the tire regulation information includes chain regulation section information indicating a driving section where chain mounting is essential regardless of the type of tire, and winter tire regulation section information indicating a driving section where chain mounting is not essential if it is a winter tire. Thereby, it is possible to appropriately guide to the chain mounting location according to the type of tire regulation information.

[0110] (8) When the candidate route determination unit 250 of the information processing system 1 of this embodiment determines that there is a chain regulation section in the candidate route set based on the destination information and the chain is not mounted on the tires mounted on the vehicle, the candidate route is changed to a route passing through the chain mounting location. Thereby, it is possible to appropriately guide to the chain mounting location corresponding to the type of tire regulation information, the information on the type of tires mounted on the vehicle, and the information on whether the chain is mounted or not.

[0111] (9) The tire identification information acquisition unit 110 of the information processing system 1 of this embodiment acquires the information of the RFID tags 60A, 60B, 60C, 60D provided on the tires 50A, 50B, 50C, 50D. Thereby, an appropriate candidate route can be determined more simply based on tire regulation information and the like.

[0112] (10) The tire identification information acquisition unit 110 of the information processing system 1 of the present embodiment acquires the information of the RFID tags 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D when the engine of the vehicle 10 is started. Thereby, an appropriate candidate route can be determined based on tire regulation information and the like at an appropriate timing.

[0113] (11) The information processing system 1 of the present embodiment further includes an automatic driving control unit 180, and the automatic driving control unit 180 performs automatic driving control based on the candidate route determined by the candidate route determination unit 250. As a result, problems such as being stuck on a snowy road are less likely to occur. Therefore, it also contributes to the solution of traffic problems that occur when autonomous driving becomes widespread.

[0114] (12) The control device 100 of the present embodiment includes a tire identification information acquisition unit 110 that acquires tire identification information, a destination information acquisition unit 130 that acquires destination information, a transmission unit 140 that transmits the tire identification information and the destination information to the server 200, a reception unit 150, and a notification unit 160. The reception unit 150 receives the tire category information based on the tire identification information, the destination information, the tire regulation information, and the information of the candidate route determined based on the chain mounting location information from the server 200, and the notification unit 160 notifies the candidate route received by the reception unit 150. Thereby, an appropriate candidate route can be determined and notified based on tire regulation information and the like at an appropriate timing.

[0115] (13) The information processing method of the present embodiment is an information processing method for determining a candidate route of the vehicle 10, and includes a step of acquiring tire identification information of the tires mounted on the vehicle 10, a step of determining a candidate route based on the tire category information, the destination information, the tire regulation information, and the chain mounting location information based on the acquired tire identification information, and a step of notifying the determined candidate route. Thereby, an appropriate candidate route can be determined and notified based on tire regulation information and the like at an appropriate timing.

[0116] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, etc. may be made within the scope that can achieve the object of the present invention, and they are included in the scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0117] 1 Information processing system 10 Vehicle 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D RFID reader 50A, 50B, 50C, 50D Tire 60A, 60B, 60C, 60D RFID tag 100 Vehicle control device (control device) 110 Tire identification information acquisition unit 115 Chain identification information acquisition unit 120 Current location information acquisition unit 130 Destination information acquisition unit 140 Transmission unit 150 Reception unit 160 Notification unit 170 Route determination unit 180 Automatic driving control unit 190 First storage unit 200 Server 210 Server-side reception unit 220 Tire category information acquisition unit 230 Chain mounting determination unit 240 Chain mounting location information acquisition unit 250 Candidate route determination unit 260 Server-side transmission unit 270 Second storage unit

Claims

1. A tire identification information acquisition unit that acquires tire identification information of a tire mounted on a vehicle, A candidate route determination unit that determines a candidate route based on the tire category information based on the tire identification information, the elapsed time since tire manufacture, the destination information, the tire regulation information, and the chain mounting location information. When there is a tire regulation section in the candidate route set based on the destination information and it is determined that the tire mounted on the vehicle is not a winter tire, the candidate route determination unit that changes the candidate route to a route passing through the chain mounting location, A notification unit that notifies the candidate route determined by the candidate route determination unit, and The candidate route determination unit changes the candidate route to a route passing through the chain mounting location even if the tire mounted on the vehicle is a winter tire, provided that a predetermined period of time has elapsed since manufacture. An information processing system.

2. The candidate route determination unit further determines that the vehicle is equipped with winter tires when it is determined that 3 or more of the 4 tires mounted on the vehicle are winter tires based on the number information of tires of a predetermined category, and determines the candidate route. The information processing system according to claim 1.

3. The candidate route determination unit further determines that the vehicle is equipped with winter tires when 2 of the driving wheels of the 4 tires mounted on the vehicle are winter tires based on the arrangement position information of tires of a predetermined category, and determines the candidate route. The information processing system according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. Further comprising a chain mounting determination unit that determines the mounting state of the chain on the tire, When the candidate route determination unit further determines that there is a chain restriction section in the candidate route set based on the destination information and the chain is not attached to the tires mounted on the vehicle, based on the determination result of the chain attachment determination unit, the candidate route is changed to a route passing through the chain attachment location. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The determination result of the chain attachment determination unit includes chain attachment position information. The chain attachment determination unit determines that the chain is attached to the tires when the chain is attached to two of the four tires of the vehicle that are drive wheels, based on the chain attachment position information. The information processing system according to claim 4.

6. The tire restriction information includes chain restriction section information indicating a driving section that requires chain attachment regardless of the type of tire, and winter tire restriction section information indicating a driving section that does not require chain attachment if the tire is a winter tire. The candidate route determination unit Identifies winter tire restriction section information and chain restriction section information. When it is determined that there is a winter tire restriction section in the candidate route set based on the destination information, the tires mounted on the vehicle are not winter tires, and the chain is not attached to the tires mounted on the vehicle, the candidate route is changed to a route passing through the chain attachment location. When it is determined that there is a chain restriction section in the candidate route set based on the destination information and the chain is not attached to the tires mounted on the vehicle, the candidate route is changed to a route passing through the chain attachment location. The information processing system according to claim 4 or claim 5.

7. The tire identification information acquisition unit acquires information of an RFID tag provided on the tire. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The information processing system according to claim 7, wherein the tire identification information acquisition unit acquires the information of the RFID tag when the engine of the vehicle is started.

9. Further comprising an automatic driving control unit, The automatic driving control unit performs automatic driving control based on the candidate route determined by the candidate route determination unit, and the information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A control device, A tire identification information acquisition unit that acquires tire identification information, A destination information acquisition unit that acquires destination information, A transmission unit that transmits the tire identification information and the destination information to a server, A reception unit, And a notification unit, The reception unit receives the tire category information based on the tire identification information, the elapsed time since tire manufacturing, the destination information, the tire regulation information, and the information of the candidate route determined based on the chain mounting location information from the server, The notification unit notifies the candidate route received by the reception unit, When there is a tire regulation section in the candidate route set based on the destination information and it is determined that the tire mounted on the vehicle is not a winter tire, the candidate route is changed to a route passing through the chain mounting location. Further, even if the tire mounted on the vehicle is a winter tire, if a predetermined period or more has elapsed since manufacturing, the route is changed to a route passing through the chain mounting location. A control device.

11. An information processing method for an information processing system including a tire identification information acquisition unit, a candidate route determination unit, and a notification unit to determine a candidate route of a vehicle, A step in which the tire identification information acquisition unit acquires tire identification information of a tire mounted on a vehicle, A step of determining a candidate route by the candidate route determination unit based on the tire category information based on the acquired tire identification information, the elapsed time since tire manufacture, the destination information, the tire regulation information, and the chain mounting location information. When there is a tire regulation section in the candidate route set based on the destination information and it is determined that the tire mounted on the vehicle is not a winter tire, a step of determining a candidate route that changes the candidate route to a route passing through the chain mounting location. A step of the notification unit notifying the determined candidate route, and The step of determining the candidate route is an information processing method of changing the candidate route to a route passing through the chain mounting location when the tire mounted on the vehicle is a winter tire but has passed a predetermined period or more since manufacture.

Images