In-vehicle device setting device, in-vehicle device setting method, and program

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle apparatus setting device, an on-vehicle apparatus setting method, and a program, which can suitably perform setting and control of an on-vehicle apparatus for each user by an operating system and an application.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle apparatus setting device includes: a storage section which stores on-vehicle apparatus information indicating the presence or absence of mounting of a plurality of on-vehicle apparatuses mounted in at least a vehicle and user setting information in which setting of the on-vehicle apparatus desired by a user of the vehicle is shown for each user; an apparatus discrimination section which discriminates whether the on-vehicle apparatus included in the on-vehicle apparatus information is a mounted apparatus mounted in the vehicle or a non-mounted apparatus which is not mounted in the vehicle; and a setting section which performs the setting of the on-vehicle apparatus shown in the user setting information on the basis of the on-vehicle apparatus information. The apparatus discrimination section updates the on-vehicle apparatus information on the basis of a discrimination result of the mounted apparatus and the non-mounted apparatus. The setting section performs the setting shown by the user setting information on a selected user on the on-vehicle apparatus that the on-vehicle apparatus information indicates the mounted apparatus.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device setting device, an in-vehicle device setting method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been disclosed a technique for configuring settings for operating various in-vehicle devices for each vehicle user (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Furthermore, in recent years, for example, in conjunction with a wireless communication type portable key such as a smart key, the settings of the in-vehicle devices are also configured to suit the user carrying the portable key. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-152073 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, there has been a trend toward standardizing the operating systems (OSs) and applications that control in-vehicle devices installed in vehicles, so that the same operating systems and applications can be used across multiple vehicles. However, the in-vehicle devices installed vary from vehicle to vehicle (model). Furthermore, even within the same model, the in-vehicle devices installed may differ depending on the vehicle's class (grade). For this reason, the standardized operating system and applications must determine the types of in-vehicle devices installed in the vehicle and which in-vehicle devices they can control, and then configure and control the specified in-vehicle devices. For this reason, it may take time for the operating system and applications to configure and operate each in-vehicle device after receiving a user command to control the in-vehicle device. This may not necessarily improve the user's convenience in operating the in-vehicle devices.

[0005] The present invention has been made based on the above-mentioned recognition, and one of its objects is to provide an in-vehicle device setting device, an in-vehicle device setting method, and a program that enable in-vehicle devices to be set and controlled appropriately for each user using an operating system and applications. In other words, the present invention aims to improve convenience by setting and controlling in-vehicle devices according to the user. This will ultimately further improve traffic safety and contribute to the development of sustainable transportation systems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The in-vehicle device setting device, the in-vehicle device setting method, and the program according to the present invention employ the following configuration. (1): An in-vehicle device setting device according to one aspect of the present invention is an in-vehicle device setting device that performs settings for operating each of a plurality of in-vehicle devices mounted on a vehicle, and includes a storage unit that stores in-vehicle device information indicating at least whether the in-vehicle devices are mounted or not, and user setting information indicating, for each user, setting information related to settings of the in-vehicle devices desired by the user of the vehicle, and a storage unit that stores the in-vehicle devices included in the in-vehicle device information indicating whether the in-vehicle devices are mounted on the vehicle or not. An in-vehicle equipment setting device includes an equipment discrimination unit that determines whether the in-vehicle equipment is an uninstalled equipment, and a setting unit that configures the in-vehicle equipment according to the configuration information indicated in the user configuration information based on the in-vehicle equipment information, wherein the equipment discrimination unit updates the installed / uninstalled information included in the in-vehicle equipment information based on the discrimination result between the installed equipment and the uninstalled equipment, and the configuration unit configures the in-vehicle equipment for which the installed / uninstalled information included in the in-vehicle equipment information indicates that it is an installed equipment, according to the configuration information indicated in the user configuration information of the selected user.

[0007] (2): In the above aspect (1), the in-vehicle equipment setting device further includes a communication unit that communicates with the in-vehicle equipment, and the equipment determination unit determines that the in-vehicle equipment with which communication is established in the communication unit is the in-vehicle equipment.

[0008] (3): In the above aspect (2), the device determination unit determines that the on-board device, for which communication with the communication unit has been interrupted, is a communication-interrupted device that is an on-board device but is unable to communicate, and updates the on-board device information by associating the on-board presence / absence information of the on-board device determined to be the communication-interrupted device with communication status information indicating that communication has been interrupted.

[0009] (4): In the aspect (3) above, the in-vehicle equipment setting device further includes a voice operation unit that operates at least one of the in-vehicle equipment in response to a voice uttered by the user, and a notification unit that notifies the user of the status of the operation for the in-vehicle equipment, and the voice operation unit performs an operation in response to the voice when the user utters an operation for the in-vehicle equipment whose installed / uninstalled information included in the in-vehicle equipment information indicates that the in-vehicle equipment is the installed equipment, and causes the notification unit to issue the notification indicating that the in-vehicle equipment cannot be operated when the user utters an operation for the in-vehicle equipment whose installed / uninstalled information included in the in-vehicle equipment information indicates that the in-vehicle equipment is the uninstalled equipment or the communication-interrupted equipment.

[0010] (5): In one embodiment of the present invention, an in-vehicle equipment setting method is an in-vehicle equipment setting method in which a computer of an in-vehicle equipment setting device that performs settings to operate each of a plurality of in-vehicle equipment installed in a vehicle determines whether the in-vehicle equipment included in in-vehicle equipment information stored in a memory unit, which indicates at least installation presence information indicating whether the in-vehicle equipment is installed, is an installed equipment that is an in-vehicle equipment installed in the vehicle, or an uninstalled equipment that is an in-vehicle equipment that is not installed in the vehicle, updates the installation presence information included in the in-vehicle equipment information based on the determination result of the installed equipment and the uninstalled equipment, and performs settings for the in-vehicle equipment that the installation presence information included in the in-vehicle equipment information indicates is an installed equipment, based on the setting information indicated in the user setting information of a selected user from the user setting information stored in the memory unit, which indicates the setting information regarding the settings of the in-vehicle equipment desired by the user of the vehicle and is indicated for each user.

[0011] (6): A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer of an in-vehicle device setting device that performs settings to operate each of a plurality of in-vehicle devices installed in a vehicle to determine whether the in-vehicle device included in in-vehicle device information stored in a memory unit and indicating at least installation / non-installation information indicating whether the in-vehicle device is installed is an installed device that is an in-vehicle device that is installed in the vehicle, or an uninstalled device that is an in-vehicle device that is not installed in the vehicle, updates the installation / non-installation information included in the in-vehicle device information based on the determination result of the installed device and the uninstalled device, and causes the computer to perform settings indicated by the setting information indicated in the user setting information of a selected user from the user setting information stored in the memory unit, which indicates for each user the setting information regarding the settings of the in-vehicle device desired by the user of the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the above aspects (1) to (6), it is possible to provide an in-vehicle device setting device, an in-vehicle device setting method, and a program that can suitably set in-vehicle devices for each user using an application. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration and a usage environment of an in-vehicle device setting device according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a flow of a process for updating in-vehicle device information in the in-vehicle device setting device of the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of in-vehicle device information updated by the in-vehicle device setting device of the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of another process flow for updating in-vehicle device information in the in-vehicle device setting device of the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of in-vehicle device information updated by the in-vehicle device setting device of the embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of an in-vehicle device setting device, an in-vehicle device setting method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration and usage environment of an in-vehicle device setting device according to an embodiment. The in-vehicle device setting device 100 is a device that sets and controls various in-vehicle devices 200 mounted on a vehicle M. FIG. 1 illustrates, as examples of the in-vehicle devices 200, a power window 201, a sunroof 202, a sunshade 203, an interior light 204, a map light 205, an air conditioning system 206, a memory seat 207, a seat heater / cooler 208, a door lock 209, a meter device 210, a head-up display (HUD) 211, a driving mode setting device 212, and a driving assistance device 213. The in-vehicle devices 200 mounted on the vehicle M are not limited to the in-vehicle devices 200 illustrated in FIG. 1 . In other words, the in-vehicle devices 200 may include other in-vehicle devices in addition to the above-described in-vehicle devices 200. In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between one or more individual in-vehicle devices shown in the in-vehicle device 200 in FIG. 1, they will simply be referred to as "in-vehicle device 200."

[0016] The power windows 201, for example, the opening and closing operations of the window glass arranged on the driver's seat side, passenger seat side, and the left and right rear seats of the vehicle M, are set and controlled by the in-vehicle device setting device 100. The sunroof 202, for example, the opening and closing operations of the glass or iron plate of an opening arranged in the ceiling part of the passenger compartment of the vehicle M, are set and controlled by the in-vehicle device setting device 100. The sunshade 203, for example, the opening and closing operations of a shading part that blocks sunlight entering through the rear window glass of the vehicle M and the left and right rear seat window glass, are set and controlled by the in-vehicle device setting device 100. The interior lights 204 and the map lights 205, for example, the on / off and brightness when on of the lighting devices in the passenger compartment of the vehicle M, are each set and controlled by the in-vehicle device setting device 100. In the air conditioning system 206, for example, the temperature and air volume of an air conditioning device such as an air conditioner are set and controlled by the in-vehicle device setting device 100. In the memory seat 207, for example, the position of the driver's seat, such as the position and height of the seat surface and the angle of the backrest, is set and controlled by the in-vehicle device setting device 100 so that the position (so-called seat position) desired by the user when driving the vehicle M is achieved. In the seat heater / cooler 208, for example, the temperature adjustment function of the driver's seat (which may also include the passenger's seat and rear seats) is set and controlled by the in-vehicle device setting device 100. In the door lock 209, for example, the operation of a security function that is activated when the user gets out of and leaves the vehicle M is set and controlled by the in-vehicle device setting device 100. The display items of the meter device 210 and the HUD 211 are set and controlled by the in-vehicle device setting device 100 so that, for example, information desired by the user is displayed. The driving mode setting device 212 is set and controlled by the in-vehicle device setting device 100 so that the driving mode desired by the user when driving the vehicle M, such as a normal driving mode, a sports driving mode, or a comfort driving mode, is set. The driving assistance device 213 is set and controlled by the in-vehicle device setting device 100 so that, for example, an automatic driving mode or a driving assistance mode is set to the driving mode desired by the user.

[0017] The in-vehicle device setting device 100 executes an operating system (OS) and applications common to multiple vehicles, which are acquired by communicating with a server device S via a network NW, to set up and control each of the in-vehicle devices 200. The network NW includes, for example, some or all of the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a public line, a telephone line, a wireless base station, etc. A plurality of server devices S are connected to the network NW, and the in-vehicle device setting device 100 may acquire an application instructed by a user of the vehicle M from any of the server devices S via the network NW and execute the application.

[0018] The in-vehicle device setting device 100 sets and controls each in-vehicle device 200 in response to a user's operation of the operation device 300. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the operation device 300 includes an operation button 302 and a microphone 304. The operation button 302 is, for example, a button or switch arranged in proximity to each in-vehicle device 200, and operates the in-vehicle device 200 when operated (for example, pressed) by the user. The operation button 302 outputs information indicating the state of the user's operation to the in-vehicle device setting device 100. The microphone 304 is, for example, a sound collecting device arranged at an arbitrary position in the forward direction when the user is driving, and collects sound emitted within the vehicle cabin, and operates the in-vehicle device 200 when the user speaks. A plurality of microphones 304 may be arranged, for example, at different positions within the vehicle cabin of the vehicle M. The microphone 304 outputs information representing the collected voice of the user or the voice in the cabin of the vehicle M to the in-vehicle device setting device 100. In the following description, it is assumed that the microphone 304 outputs information representing the voice uttered by the user to the in-vehicle device setting device 100.

[0019] The in-vehicle device setting device 100 notifies the user of information related to the setting and control of the in-vehicle device 200 via the notification device 400. FIG. 1 shows an example of the notification device 400 equipped with a display 402 and a speaker 404. The display 402 includes a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) located in a center console near the center of the vehicle M in the vehicle width direction or on top of the dashboard, and visually notifies the user of information related to the setting and control of the in-vehicle device 200 by displaying a notification image output by the in-vehicle device setting device 100. The display 402 is configured as, for example, a touch panel, and also displays an operation image that accepts an operation equivalent to an operation on the operation button 302. The speaker 404 is, for example, a sound generating device such as a buzzer or speaker, and notifies the user of information related to the setting and control of the in-vehicle device 200 by sound by generating audio information such as an audio signal or audio data output by the in-vehicle device setting device 100.

[0020] [Configuration of in-vehicle device setting device] The in-vehicle device setting device 100 includes, for example, a storage unit 110, a communication unit 120, a device determination unit 130, a setting unit 140, and an operation unit 150. The operation unit 150 includes, for example, a voice operation unit 152 and a notification unit 154.

[0021] The device identification unit 130, the setting unit 140, and the operation unit 150 each include, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage device (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium) that stores a program (software), and the functions of each component are realized by the processor executing the program. Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. Some or all of the functions of these components may be realized by a dedicated LSI. Here, the program (software) may be stored in advance in a storage device (storage device with a non-transitory storage medium) such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), a semiconductor memory element such as a flash memory, or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) provided in the in-vehicle device setting device 100, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and the storage medium may be installed in the storage device provided in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 by being attached to a drive device provided in the in-vehicle device setting device 100. The program (software) may be downloaded from another computer device via a network and installed in the storage device provided in the in-vehicle device setting device 100, or may be stored when the storage device is in a standalone state, such as before being installed in the vehicle M, and installed in the storage device provided in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 by attaching the storage device to the vehicle M.

[0022] In the following description, it is assumed that the device determination unit 130, the setting unit 140, and the operation unit 150 are configured to execute an operating system and applications common to a plurality of vehicles including the vehicle M, thereby configuring and controlling each of the in-vehicle devices 200 equipped in the vehicle M. In the following description, it is assumed that the operating system and applications common to a plurality of vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "in-vehicle device applications") acquired from the server device S via the network NW are stored in the storage device when it is in a standalone state, and that this storage device is installed in the vehicle M. In other words, it is assumed that the in-vehicle device application does not confirm what kind of in-vehicle device 200 is installed in the vehicle M, which in-vehicle devices it is capable of controlling, etc.

[0023] The storage unit 110 stores, for example, in-vehicle device information 112 and user setting information 114. The in-vehicle device information 112 is information (list) representing in-vehicle devices that can be set or controlled by an in-vehicle device application. The in-vehicle device information 112 includes information representing various in-vehicle devices including the in-vehicle devices 200 installed in the vehicle M. In other words, the in-vehicle device information 112 is information in which all in-vehicle devices that can be set or controlled by an in-vehicle device application are associated with information representing whether or not the device is installed in the vehicle M (hereinafter referred to as "installation presence information"). In the initial state of the in-vehicle device information 112, only a list of in-vehicle devices is stored, and installation presence information is not stored. The user setting information 114 is information that includes information regarding settings desired by the user for each in-vehicle device 200 installed in the vehicle M (hereinafter referred to as "setting information"). The user setting information 114 is stored in the storage unit 110, for example, when a user registers himself / herself in the in-vehicle equipment setting device 100 as a user who will use the vehicle M. When multiple users who will use the vehicle M are registered, the user setting information 114 stores setting information for each user.

[0024] The communication unit 120 communicates with the server device S via the network NW and with each of the in-vehicle devices 200 provided in the vehicle M. The communication unit 120 includes a communication interface such as a network card for communicating with the server device S via the network NW, and a communication interface for communicating with each of the in-vehicle devices 200 provided in the vehicle M, such as a multiplex communication line such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, a serial communication line, or a wireless communication network. In the following description, it is assumed that the communication unit 120 communicates with the in-vehicle devices 200 via CAN communication.

[0025] The device determination unit 130 determines the in-vehicle device 200 mounted on the vehicle M based on the state of CAN communication between the communication unit 120 and the in-vehicle device 200. More specifically, when CAN communication with the in-vehicle device 200 is established in the communication unit 120, the device determination unit 130 determines that the in-vehicle device 200 communicating with the communication unit 120 through this CAN communication is the in-vehicle device 200 mounted on the vehicle M (hereinafter referred to as the "mounted device"). In other words, the device determination unit 130 determines that the in-vehicle device that is included in the list of the in-vehicle device information 112 but is not performing CAN communication with the communication unit 120 is the in-vehicle device that is not mounted on the vehicle M (hereinafter referred to as the "unmounted device"). The device determination unit 130 updates the in-vehicle device information 112 stored in the storage unit 110 with the determination result as mounting presence / absence information. That is, the device determining unit 130 stores in the on-board device information 112 on-board presence / absence information indicating whether the device is on-board or not.

[0026] Incidentally, for example, when the in-vehicle device 200 breaks down, the broken in-vehicle device 200 can be considered equivalent to an unmounted device. In this case, when the device determination unit 130 determines that the in-vehicle device 200 has become an unmounted device due to the breakdown, it updates the in-vehicle device information 112 stored in the storage unit 110 with this determination result as mounting presence / absence information.

[0027] Furthermore, for example, it is conceivable that, even though CAN communication has been established once, the CAN communication between the communication unit 120 and the in-vehicle device 200 may subsequently be interrupted due to some cause (including a malfunction). In this case, the device determination unit 130 does not determine the in-vehicle device 200 for which CAN communication has been interrupted as an unmounted device, but determines it as an in-vehicle device 200 for which CAN communication has been interrupted (hereinafter referred to as a "communication-disrupted device"). When the device determination unit 130 determines that any of the in-vehicle devices 200 that it determined to be an mounted device has become a communication-disrupted device, it updates the in-vehicle device information 112 stored in the storage unit 110 with this determination result as communication status information. In other words, the device determination unit 130 stores communication status information indicating whether the device is a communication-enabled device or a communication-disrupted device in the in-vehicle device information 112.

[0028] The setting unit 140 sets the in-vehicle devices 200 based on the in-vehicle device information 112 stored in the storage unit 110. More specifically, the setting unit 140 sets each in-vehicle device 200 that is indicated as an in-vehicle device in the installation presence / absence information included in the in-vehicle device information 112. Here, the setting value that the setting unit 140 initially sets for each in-vehicle device 200 is an initial value. The setting of the initial value in the setting unit 140 is performed when the in-vehicle device setting device 100 is started for the first time or when a user of the vehicle M is not registered. On the other hand, when the user setting information 114 is stored in the storage unit 110, the setting unit 140 sets each in-vehicle device 200 to a setting value indicated in the setting information included in the user setting information 114 of the user currently riding in the vehicle M. The user currently riding in the vehicle M may be, for example, a user associated with a wireless communication portable key such as a smart key, or may be a user selected from multiple users displayed on the display 402 (users previously registered in the in-vehicle device setting device 100). Here, when multiple users are displayed on the display 402 to prompt the user to make a selection, if a user who does not normally use the vehicle M, such as a "guest user," is selected, the setting unit 140 may set the initial values ​​for each in-vehicle device 200, or may not change the setting values ​​from those of the user who was using the vehicle M immediately before.

[0029] When a user operates the operation device 300 to instruct an operation on one of the in-vehicle devices 200, the operation unit 150 causes the in-vehicle device 200 to perform the operation instructed by the user. For example, the operation unit 150 causes the corresponding in-vehicle device 200 to operate in response to the user's operation of the operation button 302. The operation unit 150 notifies the status of the operation on the in-vehicle device 200 by the user.

[0030] When the user gives a voice instruction to operate any of the in-vehicle devices 200, the voice operation unit 152 causes the in-vehicle device 200 to perform the operation instructed by the user. The voice operation unit 152 accepts an operation by the user's voice for at least one in-vehicle device 200, and controls the operation of the in-vehicle device 200 for which the operation has been accepted. More specifically, the voice operation unit 152 acquires the user's speech picked up by the microphone 304, and recognizes the in-vehicle device 200 specified by the user and an instruction to operate the in-vehicle device 200 from the content of the speech. The recognition of the content of the instruction to the in-vehicle device 200 by the voice operation unit 152 may be performed, for example, by a voice recognition function (not shown) provided in the voice operation unit 152, or by a voice recognition function (not shown) provided in the server device S. When the instruction content is recognized by a voice recognition function (not shown) included in the server device S, the voice operation unit 152 causes the communication unit 120 to transmit data of the user's voice collected by the microphone 304 to the server device S via the network NW, and the communication unit 120 receives data of the recognition result (instruction content) transmitted from the server device S via the network NW and outputs it to the voice operation unit 152. These voice recognition functions (not shown) may be configured to perform voice processing including recognizing the user's voice collected by the microphone 304 and determining the operation represented by the recognized voice, to obtain the result (instruction content). Part or all of the voice recognition function (not shown) may be realized by AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology. The voice operation unit 152 controls the operation of the target in-vehicle device 200 according to the recognized instruction content.

[0031] At this time, the voice operation unit 152 performs an operation on each of the in-vehicle devices 200 that are indicated as being in-vehicle devices in the installation presence information included in the in-vehicle device information 112. At this time, the voice operation unit 152 outputs information indicating that an instruction to operate the in-vehicle device has been given to the notification unit 154. However, when the user operates the in-vehicle devices 200 by voice, it is conceivable that the instruction to operate an in-vehicle device 200 may be given to an in-vehicle device that is not installed in the vehicle M, an in-vehicle device 200 that has malfunctioned, or an in-vehicle device 200 for which CAN communication has been interrupted. In this case, the voice operation unit 152 outputs information indicating that the operation of the instructed in-vehicle device 200 (including an in-vehicle device that is not installed in the vehicle M) cannot be accepted to the notification unit 154. More specifically, if the user's voice instruction is directed to an in-vehicle device 200 that is indicated as an unmounted device or a device with communication interruption in the installation / non-installation information included in the in-vehicle device information 112, the voice operation unit 152 outputs information indicating that an operation instruction has been given to the unmounted device or the device with communication interruption to the notification unit 154.

[0032] The notification unit 154 notifies the user of the operation state of the in-vehicle device 200 corresponding to the instruction given by the user to the operation device 300, based on the information indicating that an instruction to operate the in-vehicle device 200 has been given, output by the voice operation unit 152. More specifically, when the operation given by the user using the operation button 302 or the microphone 304 is for the in-vehicle device, the notification unit 154 notifies the user of the operation state of the instructed in-vehicle device 200 by displaying a notification image indicating the operation state of the in-vehicle device on the display 402 or by making the speaker 404 emit audio information indicating the operation state of the in-vehicle device. On the other hand, when the operation instructed by the user using the operation button 302 or microphone 304 is directed to an unequipped device or a device with communication interruption, the notification unit 154 notifies the user that the operation cannot be accepted because the instruction was given to an inoperable in-vehicle device 200, by displaying on the display 402 a notification image indicating that the operation of the instructed in-vehicle device 200 cannot be performed (the operation is impossible) or by making the speaker 404 emit audio information indicating that the operation of the instructed in-vehicle device 200 is impossible. This allows the user to visually and / or audibly recognize the status of the operation on the instructed in-vehicle device 200.

[0033] [Example of a process for updating in-vehicle device information in an in-vehicle device setting device] Next, an example of the flow of processing in which the in-vehicle device setting device 100 updates the in-vehicle device information 112 will be described.

[0034] Fig. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of a process for updating the in-vehicle device information 112 in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the embodiment. In Fig. 2, a memory seat 207, a sunroof 202, and a meter device 210 are mounted on a vehicle M as in-vehicle devices 200, and an example of operations on the vehicle M, the operation (processing) of the in-vehicle device setting device 100, and the exchange of information (data) through CAN communication between the respective components is shown.

[0035] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the in-vehicle device information 112 updated by the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the embodiment. Each of Fig. 3(a) to Fig. 3(d) shows an example of the in-vehicle device information 112 at each stage of the processing of the in-vehicle device setting device 100 shown in Fig. 2. In the following explanation, the processing of the in-vehicle device setting device 100 shown in Fig. 2 will be explained with appropriate reference to each example of the in-vehicle device information 112 shown in Fig. 3.

[0036] In the following description, it is assumed that a common, general-purpose in-vehicle device application is stored in the storage device (which may also serve as the storage unit 110, for example) of the in-vehicle device setting device 100 when it is in a standalone state before being installed in the vehicle M. In other words, it is assumed that the in-vehicle device application has not yet confirmed the in-vehicle device 200 to be set or controlled in the initial state of the in-vehicle device setting device 100.

[0037] When the in-vehicle device setting device 100 is started, it first executes an in-vehicle device application stored in the storage device. As a result, the in-vehicle device setting device 100 stores in the storage unit 110 in the initial state in-vehicle device information 112 as shown in (a) of FIG. 3 (step S100). The process of storing the in-vehicle device information 112 in the initial state in the storage unit 110 in step S100 is performed when the in-vehicle device application is executed for the first time in the in-vehicle device setting device 100. In other words, the process of step S100 is not performed when the in-vehicle device application is executed in subsequent processes (each process described below). (a) of FIG. 3 shows an example of the in-vehicle device information 112 in the initial state, which lists in-vehicle devices such as the memory sheet 207, the sunroof 202, the air conditioning system 206, and the meter device 210 that can be set and controlled by the in-vehicle device application. 3(a), the in-vehicle device information 112 in the initial state is such that the installation presence information is "not installed" for all the in-vehicle devices, and the communication state information is "no communication (no CAN communication)" for all the in-vehicle devices. Here, in FIG. 1, the air conditioning system 206 is installed in the vehicle M as an in-vehicle device, but in the process of updating the in-vehicle device information 112 in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, it is assumed that the temperature setting in the air conditioning system 206 is a dial type, for example, and the temperature inside the vehicle cannot be set by a value (that is, the in-vehicle device application does not have the functions necessary for setting and controlling).

[0038] "Installed" in each of the on-vehicle device information 112 shown in Fig. 3 is an example of information representing an "installed device," and "Not installed" is an example of information representing an "uninstalled device." "Communication present" in each of the on-vehicle device information 112 shown in Fig. 3 is an example of information representing that CAN communication has not been interrupted, and "No communication" is an example of information representing that CAN communication has been interrupted.

[0039] Thereafter, for example, a user who gets into the vehicle M turns an ignition switch (which may be an ignition key) (not shown) to an on state (IG_ON) (step S110). As a result, each component of the electrical system (electrical component system) of the vehicle M, including the in-vehicle device 200, is activated, and CAN communication is initiated (established) between each in-vehicle device 200 and the communication unit 120. FIG. 2 shows a case in which CAN communication is performed between the communication unit 120 and the memory sheet 207 (step S122), between the communication unit 120 and the sunroof 202 (step S124), and between the communication unit 120 and the meter device 210 (step S126). Each in-vehicle device 200 may transmit, for example, information indicating that it is installed in the vehicle M to the communication unit 120 via CAN communication.

[0040] The device determination unit 130 determines whether all of the on-vehicle devices included in the list of the on-vehicle device information 112 are on-vehicle devices or not on-vehicle devices based on the state of CAN communication between the communication unit 120 and the on-vehicle devices 200, and updates the on-vehicle device information 112 based on the determination result (step S130). Fig. 3(b) shows an example of the on-vehicle device information 112 in which the on-vehicle presence information and the communication state information have been updated from the initial state on-vehicle device information 112 shown in Fig. 3(a). More specifically, in the updated on-vehicle device information 112 shown in Fig. 3(b), the on-vehicle presence information corresponding to the memory sheet 207 with which CAN communication was performed in step S122, the sunroof 202 with which CAN communication was performed in step S124, and the meter device 210 with which CAN communication was performed in step S126 has been updated to "on-vehicle" and the communication state information has been updated to "communication (CAN communication performed)."

[0041] Thereafter, when the user currently riding in the vehicle M operates the operation device 300 to instruct the operation of each in-vehicle device 200 and registers this user, the in-vehicle device setting device 100 stores user setting information 114, including setting information for each in-vehicle device 200, in the storage unit 110. User registration and storage of the user setting information 114 in the storage unit 110 may be performed by the setting unit 140. The method of user registration in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 or the setting unit 140, the method of storing the user setting information 114, and the configuration of the user setting information 114 including the setting information may be equivalent to existing registration methods, storage methods, and configurations of the user setting information 114. Therefore, detailed descriptions of the method of user registration in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 or the setting unit 140, the method of storing the user setting information 114, and the configuration of the user setting information 114 will be omitted.

[0042] Thereafter, while the ignition switch (not shown) is in the on state, CAN communication between the communication unit 120 and each of the in-vehicle devices 200 continues to be performed periodically at predetermined time intervals. In the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 2, for example, it is assumed that the state of CAN communication changes while the vehicle M is traveling. FIG. 2 illustrates a case where CAN communication between the communication unit 120 and the memory sheet 207 is performed normally (step S142), but CAN communication between the communication unit 120 and the sunroof 202 (step S144) and CAN communication between the communication unit 120 and the meter device 210 (step S146) become abnormal. More specifically, the case is illustrated where, in step S144, the sunroof 202 transmits information indicating that it is not installed in the vehicle M, and, in step S146, the CAN communication between the meter device 210 and the communication unit 120 is interrupted.

[0043] The device determination unit 130 determines the state of each on-vehicle device 200 based on the state of CAN communication between the communication unit 120 and each on-vehicle device 200, and updates the on-vehicle device information 112 stored in the storage unit 110 (step S150). FIG. 3C shows an example of the on-vehicle device information 112 in which the on-vehicle device information 112 shown in FIG. 3B has been updated based on the state of CAN communication to include the on-vehicle presence information and the communication state information. More specifically, the updated on-vehicle device information 112 shown in FIG. 3C shows an example of the on-vehicle device information 112 in which the on-vehicle presence information corresponding to the sunroof 202, for which information indicating that the sunroof 202 is not installed in the vehicle M was transmitted in step S144, has been updated to "not installed." This is because the device determination unit 130 determines that the sunroof 202 has malfunctioned and become equivalent to an uninstalled device, due to the transmission of information from the sunroof 202 indicating that the sunroof 202 is not installed in the vehicle M. 3(c) shows an example of the updated in-vehicle device information 112 in which the communication status information corresponding to the meter device 210 with which CAN communication was interrupted in step S146 has been updated to "no communication." This is because, although the CAN communication between the meter device 210 and the communication unit 120 was interrupted, the meter device 210 did not transmit information indicating that it is not mounted on the vehicle M, and therefore the device determination unit 130 determined that the device is not an unmounted device due to, for example, a malfunction, but rather a communication-interrupted device with which CAN communication was temporarily interrupted.

[0044] 3C, the user may operate the operation device 300 to issue an instruction to change the operation of the in-vehicle device 200. In this case, if an instruction is issued for the memory seat 207 whose installation presence information is "installed" and whose communication status information is "connected," the operation unit 150 changes the current position (seat position) of the memory seat 207 to a position according to the instruction from the user. On the other hand, if an instruction is issued for the sunroof 202 whose installation presence information has been updated to "not installed" or the meter device 210 whose communication status information has been updated to "no communication," the operation unit 150 notifies the user that the sunroof 202 or the meter device 210 cannot be operated by causing the notification unit 154 to display a notification image on the display 402 or to emit audio information from the speaker 404.

[0045] Thereafter, for example, when the vehicle M arrives at the destination, the user in the vehicle turns an ignition switch (not shown) (which may be an ignition key) to the off state (IG_OFF) (step S160). This terminates the operation of each component of the electrical system (electrical component system) of the vehicle M, including the in-vehicle devices 200, and terminates the CAN communication (including the interrupted CAN communication) that had been established between each in-vehicle device 200 and the communication unit 120. As a result, the device determination unit 130 determines each in-vehicle device 200 as a communication-disconnected device for which CAN communication has been interrupted.

[0046] The device determination unit 130 determines the state of each on-vehicle device 200 based on the state of CAN communication between the communication unit 120 and each on-vehicle device 200, and updates and retains the on-vehicle device information 112 stored in the storage unit 110 (step S170). Fig. 3(d) shows an example of the on-vehicle device information 112 in which the on-vehicle device presence / absence information and the communication state information have been updated based on the state of CAN communication in the on-vehicle device information 112 shown in Fig. 3(c) when an ignition switch (not shown) is turned off. More specifically, in the updated on-vehicle device information 112 shown in Fig. 3(d), the communication state information corresponding to all on-vehicle devices 200 has been updated to "no communication" because the ignition switch (not shown) has been turned off in step S160, and the communication state information is maintained at the state shown in Fig. 3(c). This is because CAN communication between the communication unit 120 and all of the in-vehicle devices 200 has been interrupted, but the device determination unit 130 has determined that all of the in-vehicle devices 200 have become communication-interrupted devices in which CAN communication has been temporarily interrupted.

[0047] Thereafter, when an ignition switch (which may be an ignition key) (not shown) is turned on (IG_ON) by a user in the vehicle M, the in-vehicle device setting device 100 periodically repeats the processes of steps S110 to S150, and when the ignition switch (which may be an ignition key) (not shown) is turned off (IG_OFF), the in-vehicle device setting device 100 performs the process of step S170 again. Therefore, the device determination unit 130 updates the installation presence information and communication state information of the in-vehicle device information 112 held therein and shown in (d) of FIG. 3 based on the state of CAN communication between the communication unit 120 and the in-vehicle device 200.

[0048] According to this processing flow, the in-vehicle device setting device 100 stores the initial in-vehicle device information 112 in the storage unit 110 when an in-vehicle device application is executed for the first time, and thereafter updates the in-vehicle device information 112 based on the state of CAN communication periodically performed between the communication unit 120 and each in-vehicle device 200. As a result, the in-vehicle device application executed in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 can set and control each in-vehicle device 200 after confirming what in-vehicle devices 200 are installed in the vehicle M and which in-vehicle devices are controllable. In other words, when a user instructs an operation of an in-vehicle device 200, the in-vehicle device application can set and control the in-vehicle device 200 without having to confirm each time whether the in-vehicle device 200 can be set or controlled. This is effective for the user (improves convenience) because the user can operate the in-vehicle device 200 more quickly and preferably.

[0049] [Another example of the process of updating in-vehicle device information in the in-vehicle device setting device] 2 and 3, the process of updating the in-vehicle device information 112 in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 has been described with reference to a case in which the device determination unit 130 updates the installation presence information and communication status information included in the in-vehicle device information 112 based on the state of CAN communication between the communication unit 120 and the in-vehicle device 200. Here, some in-vehicle devices 200 are capable of setting and controlling multiple functions. For this reason, the in-vehicle device information 112 may include information indicating what items (hereinafter referred to as "setting items") can be set or controlled in each in-vehicle device (which may be the vehicle M itself) in addition to, or instead of, information (list) indicating in-vehicle devices that can be set or controlled by an in-vehicle device application, installation presence information indicating whether the in-vehicle device is installed in the vehicle M, and communication status information indicating whether the in-vehicle device can be operated based on the state of CAN communication. An example of the flow of the process of updating the in-vehicle device information 112 by the in-vehicle device setting device 100 in this case will be described below.

[0050] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of another process flow for updating the in-vehicle device information 112 in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the embodiment. The sequence diagram shown in FIG. 4 shows an example of a process flow in which, in CAN communication between the device determination unit 130 and the in-vehicle device 200, the device determination unit 130 requests information on setting items from the in-vehicle device 200, and the in-vehicle device 200 responds with information on the setting items in response to the request from the device determination unit 130, thereby updating the in-vehicle device information 112. FIG. 4 shows an example of a meter device 210 mounted on a vehicle M as the in-vehicle device 200, and shows an example of operations on the vehicle M, operations (processing) of the in-vehicle device setting device 100, and information (data) exchanges between the respective components via CAN communication. In the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 4, the same step numbers are assigned to processes similar to those in the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 2.

[0051] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of the in-vehicle device information 112 updated by the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the embodiment. FIG. 5 shows an example of the in-vehicle device information 112 including information (list) indicating setting items that can be set or controlled by the in-vehicle device application, instead of the in-vehicle device information that is information (list) indicating in-vehicle devices that can be set or controlled by the in-vehicle device application. In the following description, in order to distinguish the in-vehicle device information 112 shown in FIG. 3 from the in-vehicle device information 112 shown in FIG. 5, the in-vehicle device information 112 shown in FIG. 5 will be referred to as "in-vehicle device information 112a." Each of (a) and (b) of FIG. 5 shows an example of the in-vehicle device information 112a at each stage of the processing of the in-vehicle device setting device 100 shown in FIG. 4. In the following description, the processing of the in-vehicle device setting device 100 shown in FIG. 4 will be described with appropriate reference to each example of the in-vehicle device information 112a shown in FIG. 5.

[0052] In the following description, in order to distinguish between an in-vehicle device application that sets or controls each in-vehicle device 200 using the in-vehicle device information 112 as shown in Fig. 3 and an in-vehicle device application that sets or controls setting items in each in-vehicle device 200 using the in-vehicle device information 112a as shown in Fig. 5, an in-vehicle device application that uses the in-vehicle device information 112a will be referred to as "in-vehicle device application a." In the following description, it is assumed that a common, general-purpose in-vehicle device application a is stored in a storage device (which may also serve as the storage unit 110, for example) included in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 when it is in a standalone state before being installed in the vehicle M. In other words, it is assumed that the in-vehicle device application a has not yet confirmed setting items in the in-vehicle devices 200 that it is to set or control in the initial state of the in-vehicle device setting device 100.

[0053] When the in-vehicle device setting device 100 is started, it first executes the in-vehicle device application a stored in the storage device. As a result, the in-vehicle device setting device 100 stores the in-vehicle device information 112a in the initial state in the storage unit 110 as shown in Fig. 5(a) (step S200). The process of storing the in-vehicle device information 112a in the initial state in the storage unit 110 in step S200 is also performed when the in-vehicle device application a is executed for the first time in the in-vehicle device setting device 100. In other words, the process of step S200 is not performed when the in-vehicle device application a is executed in subsequent processes (respective processes described below). Fig. 5(a) shows an example of the in-vehicle device information 112a in the initial state, which shows a list of setting items A to N that the in-vehicle device application a can set or control as information on setting items. 5(a), in the in-vehicle device information 112a in the initial state, the installation presence information is "not installed" for all setting items, and the communication state information is "no communication (no CAN communication)" for all setting items. In the in-vehicle device information 112a, "installed" indicates that an in-vehicle device 200 capable of setting or controlling the corresponding setting item is installed, and "not installed" indicates that an in-vehicle device capable of setting or controlling the corresponding setting item is not installed. In the in-vehicle device information 112a, "communication available" indicates that the corresponding setting item can be set or controlled (i.e., user operation is possible), and "no communication" indicates that the corresponding setting item cannot be set or controlled (i.e., user operation is not possible).

[0054] "Installed" in each of the in-vehicle device information 112a shown in Fig. 5 is an example of information representing an "installed device," and "Not installed" is an example of information representing an "uninstalled device." "Communication present" in each of the in-vehicle device information 112a shown in Fig. 5 is an example of information representing that CAN communication has not been interrupted, and "No communication" is an example of information representing that CAN communication has been interrupted.

[0055] Thereafter, for example, an ignition switch (not shown) (which may be an ignition key) is turned on (IG_ON) by a user who gets into the vehicle M (step S110). As a result, each component of the electrical system (electrical component system) including the in-vehicle device 200 provided in the vehicle M is started, and CAN communication is started (established) between each in-vehicle device 200 and the communication unit 120.

[0056] The device determination unit 130 causes the communication unit 120 to transmit CAN communication (item request) requesting transmission of information on the setting items to each of the in-vehicle devices 200 (step S220). As a result, each of the in-vehicle devices 200 transmits CAN communication (item response) replying with information on the setting items in response to the received CAN communication (item request). FIG. 4 illustrates a case in which the meter device 210 transmits CAN communication (item response) replying with information on setting item A (step S222), transmits CAN communication (item response) replying with information on setting item B (step S224), and transmits CAN communication (item response) replying with information on setting item N (step S226). Each of the in-vehicle devices 200 may transmit CAN communication (item response) replying with information on a plurality of setting items, for example. The communication unit 120 receives the CAN communication (item response) transmitted from each of the in-vehicle devices 200 in response to the transmitted CAN communication (item request), and outputs the received information on the setting items to the device determination unit 130.

[0057] The device determination unit 130 determines whether all setting items included in the list of the in-vehicle device information 112a are installed or not, that is, whether an in-vehicle device 200 that can set or control the setting items is installed, based on the information on the setting items output by the communication unit 120, and updates the in-vehicle device information 112a based on the determination result (step S230). Figure 5(b) shows an example of the in-vehicle device information 112a in which the installation presence information and communication state information have been updated from the in-vehicle device information 112a in the initial state shown in Figure 5(a). More specifically, in the updated in-vehicle equipment information 112a shown in (b) of Figure 5, the information on whether or not the vehicle is equipped corresponding to the information on setting item A sent in the CAN communication (item response) of step S222, the information on setting item B sent in the CAN communication (item response) of step S224, and the information on setting item N sent in the CAN communication (item response) of step S226 has been updated to "equipped," and the communication status information has been updated to "communication present (CAN communication present)." This shows an example of in-vehicle equipment information 112a.

[0058] Thereafter, in the same manner as the processing of the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle equipment setting device 100 receives instructions for the operation of each in-vehicle equipment 200 through operation of the operation device 300 by the user currently riding in the vehicle M, and when this user is registered, stores user setting information 114 including setting information for each in-vehicle equipment 200 in the memory unit 110.

[0059] Thereafter, while the ignition switch (not shown) is in the on state, the device determination unit 130 periodically transmits CAN communication (item request) to the communication unit 120 at predetermined time intervals, and updates the in-vehicle device information 112a stored in the storage unit 110 based on the information on the setting items output by the communication unit 120. At this time, in the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 4, as in the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 2, for example, a change in the state of CAN communication while the vehicle M is traveling may cause a failure to respond with information on the setting items or a disruption of CAN communication. In this case, the device determination unit 130 updates the installation presence information corresponding to the setting items for which no information response is received to "not installed," and updates the communication status information corresponding to the setting items for which no information response is received due to the disruption of CAN communication to "no communication," i.e., communication-disrupted device. The processing of the device determination unit 130 in this case can be easily understood as long as it is equivalent to the processing of steps S142 to S150 in the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, detailed description of the process of updating the in-vehicle device information 112a in the device determination unit 130 in this case, an example of the updated in-vehicle device information 112a, etc. will be omitted. Furthermore, notifications when the user operates a setting item that can be set or controlled by the in-vehicle device application a, or when the user operates a setting item that cannot be set or controlled by the in-vehicle device application a, can be easily thought of as long as they are equivalent to the notifications in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 described using Figures 2 and 3. Therefore, detailed description of notifications to the user in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 will also be omitted.

[0060] Thereafter, for example, when the vehicle M arrives at the destination, the ignition switch (which may be an ignition key) (not shown) is turned off (IG_OFF) by the user in the vehicle M (step S160). This terminates the operation of each component of the electrical system (electrical component system) including the in-vehicle devices 200 provided in the vehicle M, and terminates the CAN communication (including the interrupted CAN communication) established between each in-vehicle device 200 and the communication unit 120. As a result, the device determination unit 130 determines each setting item as, for example, a communication-disconnected device in which CAN communication has been temporarily interrupted, even though the device has not become an unmounted device due to a malfunction. Then, based on this determination result, the device determination unit 130 updates and retains the in-vehicle device information 112a stored in the storage unit 110 (step S270). Here, the in-vehicle device information 112a that the device determination unit 130 stores in the process of step S270 is the one in which the communication status information corresponding to all setting items has been updated to "no communication" because the ignition switch (not shown) was turned off in step S260, and the communication status information is maintained in the previous state. In this case, the in-vehicle device information 112a can be easily thought of as being equivalent to the in-vehicle device information 112 shown in Figure 3(d). Therefore, a detailed description of an example of the updated (stored) in-vehicle device information 112a in this case will be omitted.

[0061] Thereafter, when an ignition switch (which may be an ignition key) (not shown) is turned on (IG_ON) by a user in the vehicle M, the in-vehicle device setting device 100 periodically repeats the processes of steps S210 to S230, and when the ignition switch (which may be an ignition key) (not shown) is turned off (IG_OFF), the in-vehicle device setting device 100 performs the process of step S270 again. Therefore, based on the information on the setting items output by the communication unit 120, the device determination unit 130 updates the installation presence information and communication state information for the held in-vehicle device information 112a.

[0062] According to this process flow, the in-vehicle device setting device 100 stores the initial in-vehicle device information 112a in the storage unit 110 when the in-vehicle device application a is executed for the first time. Thereafter, the in-vehicle device setting device 100 transmits CAN communication (item request) via the communication unit 120 and updates the in-vehicle device information 112a based on the information on the setting items indicated in the received CAN communication (item response). As a result, the in-vehicle device application a executed in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 can set or control each setting item after confirming what setting items are available in the vehicle M and the in-vehicle device 200 and which setting items can be set or controlled. In other words, when the user instructs the in-vehicle device application a to operate a setting item, the in-vehicle device application a can set or control the setting item without having to confirm each time whether the instructed setting item can be set or controlled. This is beneficial for the user (improves convenience) because it allows the user to operate the setting items of the vehicle M and the in-vehicle device 200 more quickly and conveniently.

[0063] As described above, the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the embodiment executes a general-purpose in-vehicle device application that is standardized so that the same application can be used in a plurality of vehicles, and stores the initial in-vehicle device information 112 in the storage unit 110. Then, in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the embodiment, the device determination unit 130 updates the in-vehicle device information 112 (more specifically, the installation presence information and communication state information included in the in-vehicle device information 112) stored in the storage unit 110 based on the state of CAN communication between the communication unit 120 and the in-vehicle devices 200 (including requests and responses for information on setting items). More specifically, the device determination unit 130 determines, based on the state of CAN communication, whether each in-vehicle device is an in-vehicle device 200 installed in the vehicle M (installed device), an in-vehicle device not installed in the vehicle M (uninstalled device), or an in-vehicle device 200 with which CAN communication has been interrupted (communication-interrupted device), and updates the in-vehicle device information 112. Moreover, in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the embodiment, if CAN communication with an in-vehicle device 200 is once established and then interrupted for some reason (including a malfunction), the device determination unit 130 does not determine this in-vehicle device 200 as an unmounted device, but determines it as a communication-interrupted device, and updates the in-vehicle device information 112. This allows the in-vehicle device application running in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the embodiment to set and control each in-vehicle device 200 in a state where it has been confirmed what in-vehicle devices 200 are mounted on the vehicle M and which in-vehicle devices are controllable.

[0064] Furthermore, according to the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the embodiment, the operation unit 150 (more specifically, the notification unit 154) notifies the user of the operation status of the in-vehicle device 200 corresponding to the instruction given by the user, by the notification device 400 (that is, the display 402 and the speaker 404). Moreover, in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the embodiment, when the instruction given by the user is for an uninstalled device or a device with which communication has been interrupted, the device determination unit 130 notifies the user by the notification device 400 that the instructed operation of the in-vehicle device 200 cannot be performed (the operation is impossible). This allows the user of the vehicle M equipped with the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the embodiment to visually and / or audibly recognize the operation status of the instructed in-vehicle device 200 and that the instructed operation is impossible.

[0065] As a result, even if the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the embodiment is configured to execute a general-purpose in-vehicle device application, it improves the convenience of the user of the vehicle M equipped with the in-vehicle device setting device 100 to operate the in-vehicle device 200, and the general-purpose in-vehicle device application can suitably set and control the in-vehicle device 200 for each user (tailored to the user). As a result, in the vehicle M equipped with the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the embodiment, the user can concentrate on driving the vehicle M, and the vehicle M can continue to travel more safely.

[0066] In the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the above-described embodiment, the device determination unit 130 determines that an in-vehicle device 200 with which CAN communication has been interrupted is a communication-disrupted device, rather than an unmounted device. However, it is conceivable that a cause of an in-vehicle device 200 with which CAN communication has once been established becoming a communication-disrupted device may be a cause other than the malfunction described in the embodiment. For example, even when an in-vehicle device 200 is removed, the in-vehicle device 200 before removal becomes a communication-disrupted device. In consideration of such a case, the in-vehicle device setting device 100 may be configured to change (update) an in-vehicle device 200 that is identified as a communication-disrupted device in the in-vehicle device information 112 to its initial value state (i.e., a state in which the installation presence information is "not installed" and the communication status information is "no communication"), for example, by a manual operation by the user. In this case, the in-vehicle device setting device 100 may be configured to initialize not only the installation presence information and communication status information of the in-vehicle device 200 that has been identified as a communication-disconnected device in the in-vehicle device information 112, but also the in-vehicle device information 112 itself to an initial value state (i.e., reset to the initial state). When initializing the in-vehicle device information 112, the in-vehicle device setting device 100 executes the in-vehicle device application and performs once the process of step S100 in the sequence diagram shown in Fig. 2 or the process of step S200 in the sequence diagram shown in Fig. 4. The method of initializing the in-vehicle device information 112 in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 is easy to think of, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0067] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which a common, general-purpose in-vehicle device application is stored in a storage device (which may, for example, also serve as the storage unit 110) included in the in-vehicle device setting device 100 when the in-vehicle device is in a standalone state before being installed in the vehicle M. However, this is merely an example, and the in-vehicle device application may be, for example, an in-vehicle device that is later downloaded by a user from a server device S or another computer device via the network NW. In this case, when the downloaded in-vehicle device application is executed for the first time (first time) in the in-vehicle device setting device 100, processing equivalent to that in the above-described embodiment may be performed. Therefore, a detailed description of the processing when the in-vehicle device setting device 100 executes a later downloaded in-vehicle device application will be omitted.

[0068] According to the in-vehicle device setting device 100 of the embodiment described above, the in-vehicle device setting device 100 performs settings for operating each of the multiple in-vehicle devices 200 mounted on the vehicle M, and includes a storage unit 110 that stores in-vehicle device information 112 indicating at least mounting presence information indicating whether the in-vehicle devices 200 are mounted or not, and user setting information 114 indicating, for each user, setting information related to settings of the in-vehicle devices 200 desired by the user of the vehicle M, a device determination unit 130 that determines whether the in-vehicle devices 200 included in the in-vehicle device information 112 are mounted devices that are in-vehicle devices 200 mounted on the vehicle M, or unmounted devices that are in-vehicle devices not mounted on the vehicle M, and a device determination unit 130 that determines whether the in-vehicle devices 200 included in the in-vehicle device information 112 are mounted devices that are in-vehicle devices 200 mounted on the vehicle M, or unmounted devices that are in-vehicle devices not mounted on the vehicle M. and a setting unit 140 that sets the in-vehicle device 200 according to the setting information indicated in the user setting information 114 based on the in-vehicle device information 112, the device determination unit 130 updates the on-vehicle presence / absence information included in the in-vehicle device information 112 based on the determination result of the on-vehicle device and the non-on-vehicle device, and the setting unit 140 performs the setting indicated by the setting information indicated in the user setting information 114 of the selected user for the in-vehicle device 200 indicated as an on-vehicle device by the on-vehicle presence / absence information included in the in-vehicle device information 112, thereby enabling the in-vehicle device 200 to be suitably set and controlled for each user by an operating system or an application (general-purpose in-vehicle device application). As a result, in a vehicle M equipped with the in-vehicle device setting device 100, the convenience of the user's operation of the in-vehicle device 200 is improved, allowing the user to concentrate on driving the vehicle M and continue driving the vehicle M more safely.

[0069] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows. An in-vehicle device setting device that performs settings for operating each of a plurality of in-vehicle devices mounted in a vehicle, a hardware processor; a storage device that stores a program, The hardware processor reads and executes the program stored in the storage device, determining whether the on-board device included in the on-board device information stored in the storage unit and indicating at least on-board presence / absence information indicating whether the on-board device is installed is an on-board device that is installed in the vehicle, or an un-installed device that is an on-board device that is not installed in the vehicle; updating the on-board presence / absence information included in the on-board device information based on the determination result of the on-board device and the non-on-board device; For the in-vehicle device whose on-board presence / absence information included in the in-vehicle device information indicates that the in-vehicle device is the in-vehicle device, setting is performed according to the setting information indicated in the user setting information of the selected user among the user setting information related to the setting of the in-vehicle device desired by the user of the vehicle, which is stored in the storage unit and indicated for each user. The in-vehicle device setting device is configured as follows.

[0070] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 100...In-vehicle device setting device 110...Storage section 112...In-vehicle equipment information 114 User settings information 120···Communications Department 130...Device identification section 140 Setting section 150...Operation unit 152 Voice control unit 154... Notification Department 200...In-vehicle equipment 201 Power window 202···Sunroof 203···Sunshade 204...Interior light 205···Map Light 206···Air Conditioning System 207···Memory seat 208···Seat heater / cooler 209 Door Lock 210 Meter device 211 Head-up display (HUD) 212 Operation mode setting device 213 Driving assistance device 300...Operating device 302 Operation button 304...Mike 400...Notification device 402···Display 404···Speaker M...Vehicle NW...Network S...Server device

Claims

1. An in-vehicle device setting device that performs settings for operating each of a plurality of in-vehicle devices mounted on a vehicle, a storage unit that stores in-vehicle device information that indicates at least installation presence information indicating whether or not the in-vehicle device is installed and that is common to a plurality of vehicles, and user setting information that indicates, for each user of the vehicle, setting information related to settings of the in-vehicle device desired by the user of the vehicle; a device determination unit that determines whether the on-board device included in the on-board device information is an on-board device that is installed in the vehicle or an uninstalled device that is not installed in the vehicle; a setting unit that sets the in-vehicle device according to the setting information indicated in the user setting information based on the in-vehicle device information; Equipped with the device determination unit updates the on-board presence / absence information included in the on-board device information based on a determination result of the on-board device and the non-on-board device; the setting unit performs settings indicated by the setting information indicated in the user setting information of the selected user on the in-vehicle device whose in-vehicle device presence / absence information included in the in-vehicle device information indicates that the in-vehicle device is the in-vehicle device. In-vehicle device setting device.

2. a communication unit that communicates with the in-vehicle device, the device determination unit determines that the in-vehicle device with which the communication is established by the communication unit is the in-vehicle device; The in-vehicle device setting device according to claim 1 .

3. The device determination unit The in-vehicle device whose communication with the communication unit has been interrupted is determined to be a communication-interrupted device that is an in-vehicle device but cannot communicate; updating the on-board device information by associating the on-board presence information of the on-board device determined to be the communication-disrupted device with communication status information indicating that the communication has been interrupted; The in-vehicle device setting device according to claim 2 .

4. a voice operation unit that operates at least one of the in-vehicle devices in response to a voice uttered by the user; a notification unit that notifies the user of the status of an operation performed on the in-vehicle device; Furthermore, The voice operation unit When the user utters an operation for the in-vehicle device, the in-vehicle device information indicating that the in-vehicle device is the in-vehicle device, the operation is performed in accordance with the voice. when the user utters an operation for the in-vehicle device whose installation presence information included in the in-vehicle device information indicates that the in-vehicle device is not installed or that the communication has been interrupted, the notification unit is caused to issue the notification indicating that the in-vehicle device is not operable. The in-vehicle device setting device according to claim 3 .

5. A computer of an in-vehicle device setting device that performs settings for operating each of a plurality of in-vehicle devices mounted on a vehicle, determining whether the on-board equipment included in the on-board equipment information common to a plurality of vehicles is an on-board equipment that is on-board, i.e., an on-board equipment that is on-board and not on-board, i.e., an on-board equipment that is not on-board, i.e., an on-board equipment that is not on-board, i.e., an on-board equipment that is not on-board, i.e., an on-board equipment that is not on-board, updating the on-board presence / absence information included in the on-board device information based on the determination result of the on-board device and the non-on-board device; For the in-vehicle device whose on-board presence / absence information included in the in-vehicle device information indicates that the in-vehicle device is the in-vehicle device, setting is performed according to the setting information indicated in the user setting information of the selected user among the user setting information related to the setting of the in-vehicle device desired by the user of the vehicle, which is stored in the storage unit and indicated for each user. How to set up in-vehicle equipment.

6. A computer of an in-vehicle device setting device that performs settings for operating each of a plurality of in-vehicle devices mounted on a vehicle, determining whether the on-board equipment included in the on-board equipment information common to a plurality of vehicles is an on-board equipment that is on-board, i.e., an on-board equipment that is on-board and not on-board, i.e., an on-board equipment that is not on-board, i.e., an on-board equipment that is not on-board, i.e., an on-board equipment that is not on-board, i.e., an on-board equipment that is not on-board, updating the on-board presence / absence information included in the on-board device information based on the determination result of the on-board device and the non-on-board device; For the in-vehicle device whose on-board presence / absence information included in the in-vehicle device information indicates that it is an on-vehicle device, setting indicated by the setting information indicated in the user setting information of the selected user among the user setting information related to the setting of the in-vehicle device desired by the user of the vehicle, stored in the storage unit, is performed. program.

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