Management device, management method, and management program

Abstract

To make effective use of the limited memory capacity in a vehicle.SOLUTION: A management device includes: a storage part for storing communication information corresponding to a version of a protocol of a digital key for performing a key operation of a vehicle from a device; and a deletion part for deleting communication information corresponding to a version before a predetermined version when receiving a communication request in the predetermined version from the device registered in the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Automobiles have become a widespread element of mobility services, and various services such as car sharing are expected to increase in number and become more widespread. Along with this trend, there is a growing need for wireless digital key systems that use smartphones as car keys, eliminating the need for physical key exchange.

[0003] One example of technology related to wireless digital key systems is Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic key system for a vehicle that includes a portable device and an in-vehicle device, and that unlocks the vehicle doors when the in-vehicle device authenticates the portable device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-33707 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) has established standards related to vehicle electronic key systems. The CCC standards define two types of devices: owner devices, which are devices used by the vehicle owner, and friend devices, which are devices intended for use by the owner's family or friends.

[0006] In the standard established by the CCC, digital key communication information (software) is used for communication between the vehicle and the device in response to key operations, and the communication information is managed by the protocol version (DK_Protocol_Version). Therefore, if the communication information version is updated, the version can be updated on both the vehicle and the device. However, if the vehicle and the device do not share a common version, distance measurement, for example, cannot be performed. However, leaving software with an old protocol version in place wastes memory capacity, etc.

[0007] The present disclosure makes effective use of limited memory capacity in a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The management device according to claim 1 includes a storage unit that stores communication information corresponding to a protocol version of a digital key that performs key operations on a vehicle from a device. , and a deletion unit, wherein the storage unit manages versions of the communication information as major versions and minor versions, and the latest version and a version that is a predetermined number of versions before the latest version are managed as predetermined versions, and the deletion unit The device registered in the vehicle About All Devices from The aforementioned When a communication request is received for a specific version, the version is changed to a version earlier than the specific version. Regarding the version number, the major version number is earlier than the specified version number. Delete the communication information The communication information having the same major version as the predetermined version but a different minor version is stored.

[0009] According to the control device of claim 1, when a communication request for a new version is received from a registered device, the communication information of the old version is deleted on the vehicle side, thereby making it possible to effectively use the limited memory capacity of the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the technology of the present disclosure, it is possible to effectively utilize the limited memory capacity in a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle digital key system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a management device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a management device. [Figure 4] 10 is an example of a version of communication information updated in a vehicle. [Figure 5A] 10 is an example of a device stored in a storage unit and a version used in a communication request by the device. [Figure 5B] 10 is an example of a device stored in a storage unit and a version used in a communication request by the device. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of management processing of the management device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to designate identical or equivalent components and parts. The dimensional proportions of the drawings are exaggerated for illustrative purposes and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a vehicle digital key system according to this embodiment. The digital key system shown in Fig. 1 includes an information processing terminal 10A, one or more information processing terminals 10B, a vehicle 20, and servers 30A, 30B, and 30C. A management device 40 is installed in the vehicle 20. Note that, hereinafter, the information processing terminals 10A and 10B may be simply referred to as devices.

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

[0015] Like the information processing terminal 10A, the information processing terminal 10B is a terminal that stores a key (digital key) for unlocking the vehicle 20 and enabling driving. The information processing terminal 10B is, for example, a friend device in the "Digital Key" standard established by the CCC (hereinafter, simply referred to as an owner device). The information processing device 10B can be, for example, a portable device such as a smartphone or a wearable device. The information processing terminal 10B communicates with the vehicle 20 using short-range wireless communication technology such as BLE, NFC, or UWB. In this embodiment, the information processing terminal 10B is 1~N The following description will be given assuming that there are multiple such cases.

[0016] The information processing terminals 10A, 10B can be used as a digital key by, for example, downloading and installing an application that functions as a digital key for the vehicle 20 and sharing information related to the digital key with the vehicle 20. The digital key enables key operation to be performed from the device. Information related to the digital key includes communication information (software). The information processing terminal 10A can operate the key on the vehicle 20 using the communication information (software) of the digital key. The communication information (software) of the digital key is managed by the digital key version (DK_Protocol_Version). If the version of the communication information is updated, the version can be updated between the vehicle 20 and the device (information processing terminals 10A, 10B).

[0017] The vehicle 20 performs short-range wireless communication using the various short-range wireless communication technologies described above with the information processing terminals 10A and 10B that function as digital keys for the vehicle 20, and executes processes related to the digital key. As processes related to the digital key, the vehicle 20 executes processes to lock and unlock the doors of the vehicle 20. The vehicle 20 also executes processes to start the engine or motor based on a request to start the engine or motor from the information processing terminals 10A and 10B that function as digital keys for the vehicle 20. The information processing terminals 10A and 10B that function as digital keys are registered in the vehicle 20.

[0018] When receiving the engine start request from the information processing terminals 10A and 10B, the vehicle 20 determines whether or not the information processing terminals 10A and 10B are present inside the vehicle 20. The reason for determining whether or not the information processing terminals 10A and 10B are present inside the vehicle 20 is to prevent the engine from being started while the information processing terminal 10A is outside the vehicle cabin. The vehicle 20 determines whether or not the information processing terminals 10A and 10B are present inside the vehicle 20 by referring to the strength of radio waves emitted from the information processing terminals 10A and 10B and received by an antenna provided inside the vehicle cabin.

[0019] In addition, when the information processing device 10B is added as a friend device of the vehicle 20, the information processing device 10B communicates with an antenna installed at a predetermined location inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle 20 to share information related to the digital key with the vehicle 20.

[0020] The server 30A is a server that provides the information processing terminal 10A with information that enables the information processing terminal 10A to function as a digital key for the vehicle 20. The server 30A provides the information processing terminal 10A with a digital key application, information related to the digital key, and the like, as information that enables the information processing terminal 10A to function as a digital key for the vehicle 20, in response to a request from the information processing terminal 10A.

[0021] The server 30B is a server that provides the information processing device 10B with information that enables the information processing device 10B to function as a digital key for the vehicle 20. The server 30B provides the information processing device 10B with a digital key application, information related to the digital key, and the like, as information that enables the information processing device 10B to function as a digital key for the vehicle 20, in response to a request from the information processing device 10B. The server 30B also provides the information processing device 10B, which is a friend device, with information that enables the information processing device 10B to function as a digital key for the vehicle 20, as well as information related to the digital key. 1~N The number of servers 30B configured corresponds to N. 1~N is.

[0022] The servers 30A and 30B may be provided for each manufacturer of the information processing terminal 10A, for example. If the manufacturer of the information processing terminal 10A is the same, the information for functioning as a digital key may be provided from the same server.

[0023] The server 30C cooperates with the servers 30A and 30B to provide the information processing terminals 10A and 10B and the vehicle 20 with information that enables the information processing terminals 10A and 10B to function as digital keys for the vehicle 20. A server 30C may be provided for each manufacturer of the vehicle 20. The server 30C provides the vehicle 20 with information related to the digital key, etc., as information that enables the information processing terminals 10A and 10B to function as digital keys for the vehicle 20, in response to a request from the information processing terminal 10A or the vehicle 20 or even without a request from the information processing terminals 10A and 10B or the vehicle 20.

[0024] When the version of the communication information is updated, the server 30C transmits the new version of the communication information to the information processing terminals 10A and 10B with which communication is possible and the vehicle 20. However, there may be some information processing terminals 10A and 10B that are not able to communicate and therefore are not updated to the new version of the communication information. The version of the communication information is updated through communication with each server. The information processing terminal 10A updates the communication information through communication with the server 30A. The information processing terminal 10B updates the communication information through communication with the server 30B. The vehicle 20 updates the communication information through communication with the server 30C.

[0025] The management device 40 is a device for managing the deletion of versions of communication information of the vehicle 20. The functional configuration of the management device 40 will be described later.

[0026] Next, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the management device 40. FIG.

[0027] 2, the management device 40 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage 14, an input unit 15, a display unit 16, and a communication interface (I / F) 17. Each component is connected to each other via a bus 19 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0028] The CPU 11 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each component. That is, the CPU 11 reads programs from the ROM 12 or the storage 14 and executes the programs using the RAM 13 as a work area. The CPU 11 controls the above components and performs various arithmetic processing in accordance with the programs recorded in the ROM 12 or the storage 14. In this embodiment, the ROM 12 or the storage 14 stores a computer program that executes management processing.

[0029] The ROM 12 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 13 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 14 is configured with a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory, and stores various programs including an operating system and various data.

[0030] The input unit 15 includes a touch panel keyboard or other type of keyboard and buttons, and is used to input various types of information.

[0031] The display unit 16 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays various information. The display unit 16 may also function as the input unit 15 by adopting a touch panel system.

[0032] The communication interface 17 is an interface for communicating with other devices such as the information processing terminal 10A, the server 30A, and the server 30C, and uses standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), BLE, NFC, and UWB.

[0033] The information processing terminals 10A and 10B may have the same hardware configuration as the management device 40. A program related to the digital key of the vehicle 20 is stored in the information processing terminals 10A and 10B.

[0034] When executing the above computer programs, the management device 40 uses the above hardware resources to realize various functions. The functional configuration realized by the management device 40 will be described below.

[0035] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the management device 40. As shown in Fig. 3, the management device 40 has, as its functional components, a storage unit 200 and a deletion unit 202. Each functional component is realized by the CPU 11 reading and executing a computer program stored in the ROM 12 or the storage 14. The storage unit 200 uses the ROM 12 or the storage 14 as hardware.

[0036] The storage unit 200 stores communication information. The storage unit 200 also stores the devices (information processing terminals 10A and 10B) registered with the vehicle 20 that use the digital key and the version of the communication information used by the device in its most recent communication request. The management device 40 checks the version of the device's communication information each time the vehicle 20 communicates with the device, and updates the version of the device's communication information if an update is found. The communication information is software corresponding to the protocol version of the digital key, and is stored for each version. For example, the version of the device registered with the vehicle 20 is shown in FIG. 4 as an example of the version of communication information updated in the vehicle 20 and stored in the storage unit 200. The version list 200A in FIG. 4 is a list recording the versions of the communication information of the vehicle 20. The example in FIG. 4 shows that the storage unit 20 stores communication information versions (V001) and (V002) under the heading "Version of stored communication information." The update date and time (YYYY / MM / DD:HH:MM:SS) for each version is also stored. The communication information is stored in a ROM 12, which is a memory.

[0037] FIG. 5A shows an example of devices stored in storage unit 200 and the versions used by those devices to make communication requests. Device list 200B in FIG. 5A is a list recording devices registered in vehicle 20. In the example of FIG. 5A, devices DW01 are registered as information processing terminal 10A, and DF01 and DF02 are registered as information processing terminals 10B (10B1 and 10B2). In the example of FIG. 5A, all devices are stored with the latest version (V002), with the version of DW01 being (V002), the version of DF01 being (V002), and the version of DF02 being (V002). In addition, the version update date and time (YYYY / MM / DD:HH:MM:SS) is stored for each device.

[0038] 5B shows an example of devices stored in storage unit 200 and the versions used by those devices in communication requests. As in FIG. 5A, devices DW01, DF01, and DF02 are registered. In the example of FIG. 5B, the version of DF02 has not been updated, and the version of DW01 is (V002), the version of DF01 is (V002), and the version of DF02 is (V001).

[0039] When the deletion unit 202 receives communication requests for a predetermined version from all devices, it deletes communication information corresponding to a version earlier than the predetermined version. Here, the predetermined version is the latest version updated in the vehicle 20 in this embodiment. In the example of FIG. 4 above, the latest version updated in the vehicle 20 is (V002). To determine the version for which the communication request was received, it is sufficient to refer to the version for each device stored in the storage unit 200. In the example of FIG. 5A above, communication requests for the predetermined version are received from all devices, so the deletion unit 202 deletes communication information for the version (V001) previous to the latest version (V002). In the example of FIG. 5B above, communication requests for the predetermined version are not received from all devices, so the deletion unit 202 does not perform deletion.

[0040] Note that communication information for the previous version can be defined as appropriate, such as communication information for all previous versions or communication information for the previous major version when versions are managed by major version / minor version. When deleting all communication information for previous versions, if the latest version is (V007), all communication information for (V006) and earlier is deleted. The following describes how to delete communication information for the previous major version. For example, assume that the latest version is (V006.3), the minor versions are (V006.2) and (V006.1), and the previous major version is (V005.5). In this case, previous versions, including (V005.5) from the (V006) series, are deleted, while versions with the same major version as the latest version but different minor versions (V006.2) and (V006.1) are retained. By retaining only minor versions in this way, memory can be efficiently utilized while maintaining a state in which rollback to minor versions is easy.

[0041] Note that the specified version being the latest version updated in vehicle 20 is just one example, and the version one or two versions before the latest may also be the specified version. For example, assume that the latest version is (V005). If the specified version is the version one version before the latest, it is version (V004). In this case, the deletion unit 202 deletes communication information of versions (V003 to V001) before version (V004). In this way, by retaining communication information of a certain number of versions before the latest version, such as one version before the latest version, and deleting versions before the certain number, memory can be used effectively while previous versions can be used, making rollback easy. This makes it possible to deal with, for example, any failure that occurs in the communication information.

[0042] Although the present embodiment illustrates an example in which communication requests for a specific version are received from all devices, the present invention is not limited to this. The specific version can be determined as appropriate depending on the operation of the digital key system, such as when a communication request is received from the owner device only, or when a communication request is received from the owner device and a certain number of friend devices.

[0043] Furthermore, the deletion unit 202 may delete communication information corresponding to a version earlier than the predetermined version when a predetermined time has elapsed since receiving a communication request for a predetermined version from a device. The predetermined time may be, for example, one month or three months. If a certain amount of time has elapsed since updating to the latest version of communication information, it is assumed that the latest version of communication information is being used stably, and there may be no problem with deleting it. In this way, the timing of deletion may be determined depending on a period of time rather than immediately deleting the previous version.

[0044] Furthermore, the management device 40 may be configured to notify a notification destination associated with a device among the multiple registered devices that has not transmitted a communication request for a predetermined version of the specified version of the update. This is because it is optional for each device whether the information processing terminals 10A and 10B communicate with the corresponding server to update their communication information. For example, in the example of FIG. 5B, the version update is notified to the information processing terminal 10B2 of DF02, which has not been updated to the new version. Note that the notification destination may be the information processing terminals 10A and 10B themselves, or email addresses, SMS messages, etc. registered in the information processing terminals 10A and 10B.

[0045] (Flow of Control) The flow of management processing in this embodiment will be described using the flowchart in Fig. 6. The CPU 11 of the management device 40 periodically executes the following processes. Note that although the description is given assuming that the CPU 11 executes each process, the present invention is not limited to this, and the following flowchart is realized by one or more processors reading and executing programs stored in one or more memories.

[0046] In step S10, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a communication request in a predetermined version has been received from a device registered in the vehicle 20. If the request has been received, the process proceeds to step S12, and if the request has not been received, the process proceeds to step S14.

[0047] In step S12, the CPU 11 updates the record of the predetermined version of the device that has accepted the communication request, thereby updating the version of the communication information of the device stored in the device list 200B of the storage unit 200.

[0048] In step S14, the CPU 11 determines whether communication requests in the specified version have been received from all devices. If communication requests have been received from all devices, the process proceeds to step S16. If communication requests have not been received from all devices, the process ends. Note that the devices subject to this step may be determined appropriately depending on the operation of the digital key system, such as when communication requests are received from the owner device and a certain number of friend devices, in addition to all devices as described above.

[0049] In step S16, the CPU 11 deletes the communication information corresponding to the version earlier than the predetermined version, thereby deleting the previous version recorded in the version list 200A.

[0050] According to the management device 40 of this embodiment, the limited memory capacity of the vehicle 20 can be effectively utilized.

[0051] Furthermore, the deletion unit 202 may delete communication information corresponding to a version earlier than the predetermined version when a predetermined time has elapsed since receiving a communication request for the predetermined version. This allows for the deletion of communication information of a version that has been updated for a certain period of time, thereby enabling effective use of memory.

[0052] Furthermore, a notification of an update to the specified version may be sent to a notification destination associated with a device that has not transmitted a communication request of the specified version among a plurality of devices (information processing terminals 10A, 10B) registered as targets of key operation of the vehicle 20. This makes it possible to prompt the user of the device to update to the new version of communication information.

[0053] In the above embodiments, the information processing performed by the CPU after reading the software (program) may be performed by various processors other than the CPU. Examples of such processors include programmable logic devices (PLDs) (such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)) whose circuit configuration can be changed after fabrication, and dedicated electrical circuits such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) that are processors with circuit configurations specifically designed to perform specific processing. The information processing may be performed by one of these various processors, or by a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (e.g., multiple FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). The hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electrical circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor devices.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the information processing program is pre-stored (installed) in a ROM or storage device, but the present invention is not limited to this. The program may be provided in a form recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. The program may also be downloaded from an external device via a network. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10A, 10B Information processing terminal 20 vehicles 30A, 30B, 30C Servers 40 Management device

Claims

1. The digital key is a key that is used to operate a vehicle from a device. The digital key is a key that is used to operate a vehicle from a device. In the storage unit, versions of the communication information are managed as major versions and minor versions, and the latest version and a version that is a predetermined number of versions before the latest version are managed as predetermined versions; When the deletion unit receives communication requests for the specified version from all devices registered in the vehicle, it deletes the communication information for versions earlier than the specified version that have a major version earlier than the specified version, and retains the communication information that has the same major version as the specified version but a different minor version.

2. The management device according to claim 1 , wherein the deletion unit deletes the communication information corresponding to a version earlier than the predetermined version when a predetermined time has elapsed since receiving the communication request for the predetermined version.

3. There are a plurality of said devices; 2. The management device according to claim 1, wherein the management device notifies a notification destination associated with a device that has not sent the communication request of the specified version among the plurality of devices registered as targets for key operation of the vehicle of an update of the specified version.

4. The processor: The communication information stored in the storage unit corresponds to the protocol version of the digital key that performs vehicle key operation from the device. In the storage unit, versions of the communication information are managed as major versions and minor versions, and the latest version and a version that is a predetermined number of versions before the latest version are managed as predetermined versions; When communication requests for the predetermined version are received from all devices registered in the vehicle, for versions earlier than the predetermined version, the communication information whose major version is earlier than the predetermined version is deleted, and the communication information whose major version is the same as the predetermined version but whose minor version is different is retained. A method of managing how a computer executes a process.

5. The processor: The communication information stored in the storage unit corresponds to the protocol version of the digital key that performs vehicle key operation from the device. In the storage unit, versions of the communication information are managed as major versions and minor versions, and the latest version and a version that is a predetermined number of versions before the latest version are managed as predetermined versions; When communication requests for the predetermined version are received from all devices registered in the vehicle, for versions earlier than the predetermined version, the communication information whose major version is earlier than the predetermined version is deleted, and the communication information whose major version is the same as the predetermined version but whose minor version is different is retained. A management program that causes a computer to execute a process.

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