Vehicle server system

Abstract

To improve a system which uses a vehicle and a server device.MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM: A vehicle server system 1 includes a chargeable vehicle 2 and a server device 5 communicative with the vehicle 2. The server device 5 can receive vehicle state information of the vehicle 2 from the vehicle 2. The server device 5 determines whether or not a position where the vehicle 2 receiving the vehicle state information is being charged is in the nighttime, and allows a control device 40 having an arithmetic processing function for the vehicle 2 to execute processing when the vehicle 2 is being charged in the nighttime.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle server system.

Background Art

[0002] In vehicles such as automobiles, technological development for traveling by remote control using a server device has been underway (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, such a vehicle server system using a server device and a vehicle remotely controls the running of the vehicle. Therefore, the server device is required to have high information processing capabilities. The higher the number of vehicles whose running is controlled by the vehicle server system, the higher the processing capabilities required for the server device. For this reason, in order to realize the vehicle server system, it is required to use a plurality of server devices or the like. On the other hand, if the performance of each server device used in the vehicle server system is improved or the number of server devices is increased, concerns such as the manifestation of transmission delay between a plurality of server devices and an increase in system cost will arise.

[0005] In such a system using a vehicle and a server device, improvement is required.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle server system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a rechargeable vehicle having at least a control device having a computational processing function and an external communication device, and a server device having a server communication unit that can communicate with the external communication device of the vehicle and a server control unit that can perform at least driving control of the vehicle based on information transmitted and received by the server communication unit, wherein the server communication unit, the vehicle, and the vehicle car Both status information can be received, and the server control unit determines the location where the vehicle receiving the vehicle status information is charging. time period The system determines whether it is nighttime or not, and if the vehicle is charging at night, it executes a control command to cause the control device having the vehicle's calculation processing function to perform processing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the present invention, the vehicle in the vehicle server system is rechargeable and has at least a control device with arithmetic processing capabilities and an external communication device. The server device has a server communication unit that can communicate with the vehicle's external communication device and a server control unit. The vehicle and the server device are able to communicate at least to perform vehicle driving control. In the present invention, the server control unit determines whether the location where the vehicle receiving vehicle status information is charging is at night. If the vehicle is charging at night, the server control unit executes a control to cause the vehicle's control device with arithmetic processing capabilities to perform processing. This allows the server control unit of the server device to delegate some of its processing to a control device that has a calculation processing function for vehicles charging overnight. As a result, the processing load on the server device of the vehicle server system is reduced. Furthermore, the calculation processing function can be effectively utilized in the vehicle when it is not in use, for example, while charging overnight. In this way, the vehicle server system of the present invention allows the vehicle charging overnight and the server device to cooperate in performing operations such as vehicle driving control. The overall processing capacity of the vehicle server system is higher than that that can be obtained with the server device alone. Furthermore, in this invention, the computing power of the vehicle server system is utilized during nighttime charging, when the vehicle is more likely to be continuously available. Therefore, it is expected that a high level of processing power, which cannot be obtained by the server device alone, can be stably secured. Consequently, in this invention, it is possible to reduce the performance and number of server devices prepared for the vehicle server system. In this invention, processing in such a vehicle is not performed solely on the basis of whether or not the vehicle is charging, but only when the vehicle is charging at night. Processing in the vehicle is restricted to nighttime charging. As a result, when the vehicle is being charged while being continuously used, for example during the day, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from executing processing on the server device during that charging. When a vehicle is being charged while being used for driving, etc., it is possible to prevent the vehicle from using its own computing functions to execute processing. On the other hand, if processing is executed using the vehicle's computing functions while it is being charged while being used for driving, etc., there is a possibility that the charging necessary for subsequent driving may not be performed properly despite the vehicle having been charged. In this invention, the vehicle's computing functions can be effectively utilized for processing on the server device, etc., in a way that makes it less likely to interfere with the vehicle's intended use. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle server system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the automobile shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the server device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a timing chart illustrating the flow of driving control in the vehicle server system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the types of control performed by server control in the vehicle server system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 6]Figure 6 is a flowchart of the charging control system used by the vehicle in Figure 2. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the control of vehicle calculations by the server device shown in Figure 3. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of nighttime determination using the server device shown in Figure 3. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a flowchart of the determination and control of the charging state by the control system of an automobile in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a basic hardware configuration diagram of the control device used in the control system of the automobile shown in Figure 2. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a flowchart of the selection control of an ECU as a processing unit in the control system of an automobile according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0010] [First Embodiment] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle server system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle server system 1 shown in Figure 1 is for remotely controlling the movement of automobiles 2. The vehicle server system 1 includes a server device 5 for remotely controlling the movement of automobiles 2, and multiple automobiles 2 that can communicate with the server device 5. The server device 5 is connected to a communication network 4. Multiple base stations 3 are connected to the communication network 4. Figure 1 also shows a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellite 110 that emits GNSS radio waves that can be received by multiple vehicles 2 and server devices 5. By receiving radio waves from multiple GNSS satellites 110, the vehicles 2 or server devices 5 can obtain their respective positions and times based on a common positioning system. In the vehicle server system 1 of FIG. 1, only one server device 5 is shown for clarity of explanation, but the actual vehicle server system 1 may include a plurality of server devices 5 that can cooperate with each other.

[0011] The automobile 2 is an example of a vehicle. Other vehicles include, for example, motorcycles, carts, and personal mobility devices. The automobile 2 may travel on a road or the like by the driving force of an engine or a motor that is a power source provided in the vehicle itself. The automobile 2 basically executes driving control according to manual driving based on the operation of the occupant. Further, the automobile 2 may execute driving control that supports manual driving based on the detection result of the vehicle itself or the like, or may execute driving control by autonomous driving.

[0012] The plurality of base stations 3 include, for example, a base station 3 of a carrier communication network for a mobile terminal or the like, and a base station 3 for an ITS service or an ADAS service to the automobile 2. The base station 3 of the carrier communication network may be, for example, a fifth-generation base station 3. The plurality of base stations 3 may be installed along the road on which the automobile 2 travels as shown in FIG. 1. Further, the plurality of base stations 3 may be fixedly installed in a building, for example, or may be provided on a moving body such as the automobile 2, a ship, a drone, or an airplane. The base station 3 establishes a wireless communication path for transmitting and receiving information with the automobile 2 existing within the zone shown by the dashed line in the figure. When the automobile 2 travels on the road and moves into the zone, handover control is executed among the plurality of base stations 3, and the base station 3 that establishes the wireless communication path with the automobile 2 is switched. Thereby, the automobile 2 can switch the wireless communication path among the plurality of base stations 3 arranged along the road, for example, during travel, and can be constantly connected to the communication network 4. The fifth-generation base station 3 can transmit and receive information to and from the automobile 2 at a higher speed and with a larger capacity than the fourth-generation base station 3. Further, some fifth-generation base stations 3 have an added arithmetic processing function.

[0013] The communication network 4 may be composed of, for example, a communication network for a carrier communication network, a communication network for ITS services or ADAS services, the Internet which is an open wide-area communication network, and the like. The communication network 4 may include a dedicated communication network for the vehicle server system 1.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the control system 10 of the automobile 2 in FIG. 1. The control system 10 in FIG. 2 has a plurality of control devices 40 including a driving control device 15 that executes autonomous driving. The basic configuration example of the control device 40 will be shown in FIG. 10 described later. In FIG. 2, as the plurality of control devices 40, a driving control device 11, a steering control device 12, a braking control device 13, an operation detection device 14, a driving control device 15, a detection control device 16, an air conditioner 17, a charging control device 18, an external communication device 19, are shown. The control system 10 of the automobile 2 may further include, for example, an occupant monitoring device, a short-range communication device, an alarm device, and the like. Each of these control devices 40 basically has an ECU 44 and has an arithmetic processing function by the ECU 44 as shown in FIG. 10 described later. Multiple control devices 40 are connected by cables to a central gateway device (CGW) 20 that constitutes the vehicle network. Multiple cables are connected to the central gateway device 20. The multiple control devices 40 may be connected to the central gateway device 20 in a star configuration or a bus configuration. The vehicle network may conform to standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network) or LIN (Local Interconnect Network). The vehicle network may also conform to other general-purpose wired communication standards such as LAN, or wireless communication standards. Each control device 40 is assigned an ID to distinguish it from other control devices 40. Each control device 40 inputs and outputs various information through the vehicle network using packets with destination IDs and source IDs attached. The central gateway device 20 monitors and routes packets in the vehicle network. The central gateway device 20 may control routing by comparing it with a list. Such a central gateway device 20 basically has an ECU 44 and has arithmetic processing functions provided by the ECU 44. The central gateway device 20 is the control device 40 of the vehicle 2's network.

[0015] The drive control device 11 controls the drive source and drive force transmission mechanism of the automobile 2. The drive force transmission mechanism may be, for example, a reduction gear, a center differential, etc. The drive force transmission mechanism may individually control the magnitude of the driving force transmitted to each of the multiple wheels of the automobile 2. The steering control device 12 controls a steering device that changes the direction of multiple front wheels of the automobile 2. The direction of travel of the automobile 2 changes according to the direction of the wheels. The braking control device 13 controls a braking device that individually brakes multiple wheels of the automobile 2. The braking device may individually control the magnitude of the braking force applied to multiple wheels of the automobile 2.

[0016] The operation detection device 14 is connected to a plurality of operating members provided in the vehicle 2 for the occupant to control the vehicle's movement. These operating members include, for example, a steering wheel 21, an accelerator pedal 22, a brake pedal 23, and a touch panel 24. The operation detection device 14 detects whether or not each operating member is being operated, the amount of operation, etc., and outputs the operation information to the vehicle network. The occupant operates the steering wheel 21, accelerator pedal 22, and brake pedal 23 to control the vehicle's movement. The occupant also operates the touch panel 24 to make various settings for the vehicle 2. The touch panel 24 can display a settings screen. The occupant can operate the touch panel 24 to set, for example, whether to enable or disable automatic driving, including driver assistance, or to set the support for the server device 5, which will be described later. The touch panel 24 may be located, for example, in the center of the front of the passenger compartment of the vehicle 2.

[0017] Multiple detection components are connected to the detection control device 16 for detecting the driving state and driving environment of the automobile 2. These multiple detection components include, for example, a GNSS receiver 25, an external camera 26, a Lidar 27, and an acceleration sensor 28. The GNSS receiver 25 receives radio waves from multiple GNSS satellites 110 and generates information on the current location and time of the vehicle 2 equipped with the GNSS receiver 25. The GNSS receiver 25 may be one that can receive radio waves from terrestrial waves and zenith satellites to generate highly accurate information on the current location and time. The external camera 26 captures images of the area outside the vehicle 2, which is capable of traveling on roads and other surfaces. The vehicle 2 may be equipped with multiple external cameras 26. Multiple external cameras 26 may capture images of the front, rear, left, and right sides of the vehicle 2 separately, thereby capturing images of the area around the vehicle 2. The images captured by the external cameras 26 include images of other vehicles 2 and other objects in the vicinity of the vehicle 2. The vehicle 2 may capture images of at least the area in front of the vehicle in its direction of travel, for example, as shown in the figure. Lidar27 scans the outside of a vehicle 2 that can travel on roads and other surfaces with a laser and generates spatial information about the outside of the vehicle based on the laser reflected waves. This spatial information about the outside of the vehicle includes images of other vehicles 2 in the vicinity of vehicle 2. The external camera 26 and Lidar27 are sensors that detect other vehicles 2 in the vicinity of vehicle 2. The acceleration sensor 28 may, for example, detect acceleration in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions of the automobile 2. In this case, the acceleration sensor 28 can detect acceleration in the yaw, roll, and pitch directions of the automobile 2. The detection control device 16 outputs detection information from the various detection members installed on the vehicle to the vehicle network. The detection control device 16 may generate information based on the detection information, such as detection information of other vehicles 2 in the vicinity of the vehicle, and output it to the vehicle network.

[0018] The air conditioning system 17 includes a heater, an evaporator, and other components, and controls the temperature of the passenger compartment in the automobile 2.

[0019] The charging control device 18 controls the charging of the battery (not shown) of the automobile 2. The automobile 2, which can run using the stored power of its battery, uses a large-capacity secondary battery. Secondary batteries need to be charged according to their characteristics. Large-capacity secondary batteries generally take time to charge. In particular, fully charging the automobile 2's battery with a commercial 100V charging device 29 takes several hours. In contrast, when charging with a commercial 200V charging device 29 or a charging device 29 that uses stored power, the automobile 2's battery can be charged to about 80% in about an hour. Also, the current that the charging device 29 can supply during charging may be limited by the performance of the charging device 29 itself and the equipment of the power grid to which the charging device 29 is connected. In this case, the automobile 2 cannot charge its own battery with the maximum power it can receive.

[0020] The external communication device 19 establishes a wireless communication path with a base station 3 located outside the vehicle 2, for example, near a road. The base station 3 may be a carrier-based base station or one for advanced traffic information. The external communication device 19 sends and receives information with a server device 5 connected to the base station 3 via the base station 3. The server device 5 may be provided in conjunction with the base station 3. If the fifth-generation base station 3 is equipped with the function of a server device 5, the external communication device 19 of the vehicle 2 becomes capable of performing high-speed, high-capacity communication with the server device 5 of the base station 3.

[0021] The driving control device 15 controls the driving of the automobile 2. The driving control device 15 may perform driving control of the vehicle 2 based on the driver's operation, driving control of the vehicle 2 that assists the driver's operation, and driving control in autonomous driving that does not depend on the driver's operation. For example, the driving control device 15 may generate control values ​​that support the driver's operation based on the information from the operation detection device 14 and output them to the drive control device 11, steering control device 12, and braking control device 13. The driving control device 15 may perform lane-keeping control and preceding vehicle following control based on the information from the detection control device 16 and high-precision map data, generate and output control values ​​for automated driving.

[0022] Figure 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of server device 5 shown in Figure 1. The server device 5 in Figure 3 includes a server communication device 31, a server GNSS receiver 32, a server timer 33, a server memory 34, a server CPU 35, and a server bus 36 to which these are connected.

[0023] The server communication device 31 is connected to the communication network 4. The server communication device 31 can send and receive information with other devices connected to the communication network 4, such as the base station 3 and the control system 10 of the automobile 2. As a server communication unit, the server communication device 31 can receive vehicle status information from the automobile 2. The server-GNSS receiver 32 receives radio waves from the GNSS satellite 110 to obtain the current time. The server timer 33 measures time and duration. The time on the server timer 33 may be calibrated using the current time on the server GNSS receiver 32. Server memory 34 stores programs and data executed by the server CPU 35. The server CPU 35 reads and executes a program from the server memory 34. This enables the server control unit to be implemented in the server device 5. The server CPU 35, acting as the server control unit, controls the operation of the server device 5. The server CPU 35 performs the controls required for the vehicle server system 1.

[0024] The server CPU 35 acquires vehicle information from multiple vehicles 2 whose driving is remotely controlled by the server device 5, and generates driving control values ​​to control the driving of each vehicle. Here, the driving control values ​​may be outputtable to the drive control device 11, steering control device 12, or braking control device 13 of each vehicle 2, or they may be usable for generating such values. In this case, the server CPU 35, as a server control unit, can control the driving of multiple vehicles 2 using the vehicle server system 1 based on the information sent and received by the server communication device 31. For example, the server CPU 35 manages information received from each of the multiple automobiles 2, controls the generation of driving control values ​​for the automobile 2 that received the information, and controls the transmission of the generated driving control values ​​for the automobile 2 that received the information. In this case, the server memory 34 records information received from the multiple automobiles 2, high-precision map data for generating driving control values, etc. The server CPU 35 also repeatedly generates and transmits driving control values ​​for each automobile 2 by repeatedly receiving the latest information from each automobile 2. As a result, each automobile 2 can continue driving in accordance with the driving control values ​​repeatedly generated by the server device 5.

[0025] Figure 4 is a timing chart illustrating the flow of driving control in the vehicle server system 1 shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 shows an example in which a single automobile 2 repeatedly sends and receives information to and from a server device 5 via a communication system including a communication network 4 for remote driving control. In the figure, time flows from top to bottom.

[0026] First, in step ST1, the control system 10 of vehicle 2 acquires information about itself. Then, the external communication device 19 of the control system 10 transmits the vehicle information acquired in step ST1 to the server device 5 via the base station 3 and the communication network 4. The vehicle information may include information about the vehicle's driving, such as its position and speed while driving. The server communication device 31 of the server device 5 receives the vehicle information from vehicle 2. In step ST3, the server CPU 35 of the server device 5 uses the vehicle information acquired from each of the multiple vehicles 2, along with high-precision map data recorded in, for example, the server memory 34, to generate driving control values ​​that enable each vehicle 2 to drive safely. The driving control values ​​may include values ​​other than those output to the drive control device 11, steering control device 12, or braking control device 13. Then, in step ST4, the server CPU 35 transmits the generated driving control values ​​from the server communication device 31 to the original vehicle 2. The external communication device 19 of the control system 10 of vehicle 2 receives the driving control values ​​from the server device 5. In step ST5, the driving control device 15 of the automobile 2 controls the driving of its own vehicle using the remote driving control values ​​acquired by reception. In steps ST6 to ST10, the control system 10 of the vehicle 2 and the server device 5 repeat the same processing as in steps ST1 to ST5. As a result, the vehicle 2 can continue to drive according to the remote driving control by the server device 5.

[0027] In this way, the server device 5 of the vehicle server system 1 can remotely control the driving of multiple automobiles 2. Incidentally, since such a server device 5 remotely controls the driving of multiple automobiles 2 in real time, it requires high information processing capabilities. The server device 5 requires higher processing capabilities as the number of vehicles whose driving is controlled by the vehicle server system 1 increases. For this reason, the vehicle server system 1 is required to use multiple server devices 5 to achieve this. On the other hand, if the performance of individual server devices 5 used in the vehicle server system 1 is increased, or if the number of server devices 5 is increased, concerns arise, such as the manifestation of transmission delays between multiple server devices 5 and an increase in system costs. In this system, which uses a vehicle and server device 5, improvements are needed. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the increased cost could be distributed and covered by using the vehicle server system 1, which is used for controlling the driving of vehicle 2, for purposes other than controlling the driving of vehicle 2.

[0028] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the types of control performed by the server device 5 in the vehicle server system 1 shown in Figure 1. Figure 5 lists, as examples of control performed by the server device 5, map updates, position correction control, vehicle management control, driving log analysis control, and user service control, in addition to driving control.

[0029] Map updates refer to the control of updating map data used, for example, in vehicle driving control. Map updates include updating the high-precision map data itself and generating map data that interpolates the high-precision map data. Interpolated map data may include temporary data due to construction or map data for rough roads other than roads. Position correction control is a process that generates information to correct the position of each vehicle 2. The position of each vehicle 2 may have a certain degree of error due to differences in the type of positioning system, differences in the type of GNSS receiver 25, and complex terrain and road shapes. Position correction control is a control that calculates the statistical position error that may occur in the position information of multiple vehicles 2, for example. By obtaining such a correction value for position error, the server device 5 can determine the position of each vehicle 2 with greater accuracy. Vehicle management control refers to control that updates the program and settings of, for example, the control device 40 of automobile 2. Driving log analysis control is a control system that analyzes vehicle information (log data) from when, for example, car 2 actually drives. User service control refers to the control that provides services to vehicle 2 that an occupant requests the vehicle 2 to perform. Such services include, for example, content provision services, communication services, and information processing services such as data mining.

[0030] By implementing these controls, the server device 5 can provide a higher-value service to, for example, a moving vehicle 2, than simply providing a driving control service. By making the vehicle server system 1, which performs the driving control of the vehicle 2, usable for purposes other than driving control of the vehicle 2, the increased cost of the vehicle server system 1 can be made less likely to be an obstacle to its widespread adoption. However, as shown in Figure 4, the server device 5 that performs driving control of the vehicle 2 must continuously generate driving control values ​​in near real-time for the vehicle 2 that is communicating with the server device 5. If the server device 5 performs other processing besides driving control, as shown in step ST11 in the figure, this may cause a delay in the timing at which the server device 5 generates the next driving control value. As a result, the server device 5 may generate and transmit the driving control value after the driving control cycle TP at which the vehicle 2 can stably control its driving has been reached. In the figure, the timing of steps ST8 and ST9 may be delayed by other processing in step ST11. Consequently, there is a possibility that the vehicle 2 may not have received and acquired the new driving control value from the server device 5 at the time it is performing driving control in step ST10.

[0031] Furthermore, the vehicle server system 1 of this embodiment utilizes the control device 40 of a vehicle 2 that is not being used for driving as part of the control performed by the server device 5. This makes it possible for the vehicle server system 1 to secure processing capacity greater than that of the server device 5 itself. In this case, the vehicle 2 that is not being used for driving will be used for driving later. It is desirable that the use of the control device 40 of the vehicle 2 that is not being used for driving does not interfere with the original use of the vehicle 2. Next, we will explain the cooperative control between the server device 5 and the automobile 2.

[0032] Figure 6 is a flowchart of the charging control by the control system 10 of the automobile 2 in Figure 2. In the control system 10 of the automobile 2, the charging control device 18 has a calculation processing function by the ECU 44 and repeatedly executes the charging control shown in Figure 6. Note that the charging control shown in Figure 6 may be performed by a control device 40 other than the charging control device 18 provided in the control system 10 of the automobile 2. For example, the central gateway device 20, which will be described later in the third embodiment, may repeatedly perform the charging control shown in Figure 6. The charging control device 18 then executes the processing received from the server device 5 by performing the charging control shown in Figure 6.

[0033] In step ST21, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 determines whether or not the vehicle is being charged. The ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may determine that the vehicle is being charged if, for example, the state changes from not being connected to the charging device 29 to being connected as shown in Figure 2. In this case, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST22. If it does not determine that the vehicle is being charged, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 terminates this control. Also, even if the charging control device 18 is connected to the charging device 29 as shown in Figure 2, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may terminate this control if it has determined to terminate in step ST28, which will be described later.

[0034] In step ST22, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18, acting as a determination unit, determines the charging status of the vehicle. The ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may determine the charging status, for example, the output voltage of the connected charging device 29, the charging power, the charging speed, the remaining power of the vehicle's battery, and the estimated charging time until full charge.

[0035] In step ST23, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 determines, based on the charging status determined in step ST22, whether the vehicle is capable of performing its own calculations while charging. For example, if the remaining power of the vehicle's battery is sufficiently large, such as 80%, or if rapid charging is being performed at a voltage of 200V or higher, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 determines that the vehicle is capable of performing its own calculations while charging. In this case, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST24. If the ECU 44 does not determine that the vehicle is capable of performing its own calculations while charging, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 terminates this control. This makes it less likely that the battery of the vehicle 2 will be insufficiently charged after charging.

[0036] In step ST24, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 collects information from various parts of the vehicle's control system 10 and transmits vehicle status information, including this information, from the external communication device 19 to the server device 5. The external communication device 19 transmits vehicle status information indicating that the vehicle 2 is charging to the server device 5, at least when it is determined that the vehicle is charging. The vehicle status information may include, for example, the current position and time generated by the GNSS receiver 25, the charging status of the vehicle determined in step ST22, and information from the ECU 44 of various control devices 40 provided in the control system 10 of the vehicle 2.

[0037] In step ST25, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 determines whether or not it has received a process from the server device 5. The server CPU 35 of the server device 5 transmits a part of the process it should execute to the car 2 being charged via the server communication device 31. The ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may determine whether or not it has received a process from the server device 5 based on whether or not the external communication device 19 has received a process from the server device 5. If it has received a process, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST26. If it has not received a process, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST28.

[0038] In step ST26, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 executes the processing received from the server device 5. The ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may execute the processing received from the server device 5 itself. Alternatively, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may have other various control devices 40 provided in the control system 10 execute the processing received from the server device 5. The ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may appropriately select the control device 40 to execute the processing received from the server device 5 from among the multiple control devices 40 provided in the control system 10.

[0039] In step ST27, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 transmits the processing results for the processing it has received from the server device 5 to the server device 5 via the external communication device 19. This allows the server CPU 35 of the server device 5 to obtain the processing results without having to perform some of the processing itself. The processing load on the server CPU 35 of the server device 5 is reduced.

[0040] In step ST28, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 determines whether or not to terminate the execution of the process received from the server device 5. Here, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may determine the latest charging status of the vehicle. For example, if charging has not progressed, or if the remaining power of the vehicle's battery has decreased, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may decide to terminate the execution of the process received from the server device 5. In this case, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 terminates this control. If it does not decide to terminate the execution of the process, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 returns the process to step ST25. The ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 repeats the process from step ST25 to step ST28 until it decides to terminate the execution of the process received from the server device 5. During this time, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 can receive multiple processes from the server device 5 and send multiple processing results to the server device 5.

[0041] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the control of vehicle calculations by the server device 5 in Figure 3. The server CPU 35 of server device 5 may repeatedly execute the vehicle calculation usage control shown in Figure 7. Then, by executing the vehicle calculation usage control shown in Figure 7, the server CPU 35 can use the calculation processing functions of the vehicle 2's control device 40 during nighttime charging, when it is unlikely to be used by the occupants immediately afterward, in a way that does not interfere with the vehicle 2's intended use.

[0042] In step ST31, the server CPU 35 determines whether or not it has received vehicle status information from the vehicle 2. The charging control device 18 of the vehicle 2, which is charging, transmits vehicle status information to the server device 5 in step ST24 in Figure 6. If there is no vehicle 2 that has received vehicle status information, the server CPU 35 terminates this control without having the vehicle 2 execute any processing. If there is a vehicle 2 that has received vehicle status information, the server CPU 35 proceeds to step ST31.

[0043] In step ST32, the server CPU 35 determines whether the location where the vehicle 2 receiving the vehicle status information is charging is at night. The server CPU 35 determines whether the location of the charging vehicle 2 included in the vehicle status information is in a region that is in a predetermined nighttime period. Here, the nighttime period may be, for example, from 0:00 to 6:00 in the standard time for each region. The nighttime period may vary depending on the region, month, etc. The server CPU 35 may also determine whether the time of the charging vehicle 2 included in the vehicle status information is in a predetermined nighttime period. Here, the server CPU 35 may generate a list of available vehicles 2 that are charging overnight. Furthermore, the server CPU 35 of the server device 5 can determine whether or not the location where the vehicle 2 receiving the vehicle status information is charging is at night, based on the server communication device 31 receiving the vehicle status information.

[0044] In step ST33, the server CPU 35 selects a process to be executed by the available vehicle 2 that is charging overnight. The process selected here may be, for example, part of the process for controlling the driving of vehicle 2. Alternatively, the process selected may be part of one type of process for server control shown in Figure 5. The server CPU 35 may divide all the processes for server control shown in Figure 5 into multiple processes and select one of them. If the vehicle status information includes information on the predicted charging period and the computational processing capacity of the control measures available to vehicle 2, the server CPU 35 may select a process that can be executed within that time and based on calculations of that processing capacity. The server CPU 35 may assign a process to be executed to each vehicle 2 based on a list of available vehicles 2 that are charging overnight. Here, the server CPU 35 may select a processing amount that corresponds to the predicted charging time of the automobile 2.

[0045] In step ST34, the server CPU 35 transmits the process selected in step ST33 to the vehicle 2, which is charging overnight. The process selected in step ST33 is transmitted from the server communication device 31 to the external communication device 19 of the vehicle 2. In step ST25 of Figure 6, the charging control device 18 of the vehicle 2 uses the computing power of the control device 40, including the self-contained control unit provided in the control system 10 of the vehicle 2, to execute the process received from the server device 5. After completing the process, in step ST27 of Figure 6, the charging control device 18 of the vehicle 2 transmits the processing result from the external communication device 19 to the server device 5.

[0046] In step ST35, the server CPU 35 determines whether or not it has received the processing result from the vehicle 2, which is charging overnight, for the processing selected in step ST33. If it has not received the processing result, the server CPU 35 repeats this process. If it receives the processing result, the server CPU 35 proceeds to step ST36.

[0047] In step ST36, the server CPU 35 performs post-transmission processing on the processing results executed by the vehicle 2 during overnight charging. For example, if the vehicle 2 during overnight charging has transmitted part of the processing for driving control, the server CPU 35 performs post-transmission processing to incorporate the received processing results into its own driving control processing and reflect them.

[0048] In step ST37, the server CPU 35 determines whether there are any unsent processes remaining in the process to be executed by the car 2 while it is charging overnight. If there are any unsent processes remaining, the server CPU 35 returns the process to step ST33. If there are no unsent processes remaining, the server CPU 35 terminates this control.

[0049] In this way, the server device 5 can cause the control device 40 of the vehicle 2, which is charging at night, to execute some of the various server control processes shown in Figure 5. Furthermore, the server device 5 can prevent the control device 40 of the vehicle 2 from executing processes even if the vehicle 2 is charging, if it is not charging at night.

[0050] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of nighttime determination by the server device 5 in Figure 3. Figure 8 shows a schematic world map. The world is divided into three regions: Region 1 D1, Region 2 D2, and Region 3 D3, each corresponding to a 120-degree longitude range. When the server CPU 35 determines whether the location where the vehicle 2 is charging is at night in step ST32 of Figure 7, it may determine whether the location where the vehicle 2 is charging is included in one of the three regions D1 to D3. In this case, the server CPU 35 of the server device 5 will determine whether the location where the vehicle 2, which is receiving vehicle status information, is charging is located in a ground region that is at night, which is one of the ground regions formed by dividing the Earth into three or more regions according to longitude. In Figure 8, the first region D1, which is hatched, represents nighttime. In this case, if the location where car 2 is charging belongs to the first region D1, the server CPU 35 determines that the location where car 2 is charging is nighttime. Conversely, if the location where car 2 is charging belongs to the second region D2 or the third region D3, the server CPU 35 determines that the location where car 2 is charging is not nighttime. Furthermore, the world may be divided into multiple regions based on latitude, rather than solely on longitude. Alternatively, the world may be divided into regions based on both longitude and latitude. The world may also be divided by country. In this case, nighttime hours may be defined as nighttime hours according to each country's time zone. In this way, the server CPU 35 can determine whether the location where the vehicle 2 is charging is at night, by determining at least whether the location where the vehicle 2 is charging is at night.

[0051] As described above, the vehicle server system 1 of this embodiment comprises a rechargeable automobile 2 having at least a control device 40 with arithmetic processing capabilities and an external communication device 19, and a server device 5. The automobile 2 and the server device 5 exchange vehicle status information between the external communication device 19 and the server communication unit of the server device 5. The server control unit of the server device 5 determines whether the location where the automobile 2, which is receiving the vehicle status information, is charging is at night. If the automobile 2 is charging at night, the server CPU 35 executes a control command to cause the control device 40 of the automobile 2, which has arithmetic processing capabilities, to execute a process. Conversely, if the automobile 2 is charging but it is not nighttime, the server CPU 35 does not execute a control command to cause the control device 40 of the automobile 2, which has arithmetic processing capabilities, to execute a process. As a result, the server CPU 35 of the server device 5 can, for example, have the control device 40, which has the calculation processing function of the vehicle 2, perform some of the processing that the server CPU 35 needs to perform for the driving control of the vehicle 2 while the vehicle is charging at night. In addition, the server CPU 35 can have the control device 40, which has the calculation processing function of the vehicle 2, perform processing that is not directly related to the driving control of the vehicle 2 by the server CPU 35 while the vehicle is charging at night. As a result, the processing load on the server CPU 35 of the server device 5 can be reduced. Furthermore, the vehicle 2 can effectively utilize the control device 40, which has the calculation processing function that is unused, for example, while charging at night. By the cooperation between the vehicle 2 and the server device 5 that constitute the vehicle server system 1, the overall processing capacity of the vehicle server system 1 can be improved. In particular, for example, by dividing the world into three or more regions based on predetermined longitude ranges and setting a night for each region, it is expected that the vehicle server system 1 will be able to stably secure processing capacity greater than that of the server device 5 itself. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the processing of the vehicle 2 is not simply performed based on whether or not the vehicle 2 is charging, but is restricted to only when the location where the vehicle 2 is charging is at night. As a result, when the vehicle 2 is being used continuously, for example during the daytime, and charging is performed in the process, the processing by the control device 40 with arithmetic processing capabilities can be prevented from being performed during that charging. This reduces the possibility that the processing by the control device 40 with arithmetic processing capabilities may be performed while the vehicle 2 is being used for driving or other purposes, which could result in improper charging. In this embodiment, the processing by the control device 40 with arithmetic processing capabilities can be performed in a way that does not easily interfere with the intended use of the vehicle 2.

[0052] In particular, in this embodiment, the Earth is divided into at least three or more regions based on longitude, and it is determined whether or not it is nighttime at the location where the vehicle 2 receiving vehicle status information is charging. This allows the time period determined to be nighttime to be limited to about eight hours in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the control device 40, which has the calculation processing function of the vehicle 2, will perform processing of the server device 5 during times when the vehicle 2 is unlikely to be used, in line with general human activity. Also, in this embodiment, the server device 5 divides the Earth into at least three or more regions based on longitude and determines whether or not it is nighttime in each region. The server device 5 can be expected to continue to receive support for processing by multiple vehicles 2 from the control device 40, which has the calculation processing function of vehicles 2 that are charging in at least one or more ground regions of the Earth.

[0053] In this embodiment, the vehicle 2 determines its charging status and, if it is determined that the vehicle 2 is charging, transmits vehicle status information indicating that the vehicle 2 is charging. The server CPU 35 of the server device 5 then determines, based on the server communication unit receiving the vehicle status information, whether the location where the vehicle 2 that received the vehicle status information is charging is at night. As a result, the server device 5 can cause the control device 40, which has the arithmetic processing function for the vehicle 2, to execute processing only when there is an access from the vehicle 2 that is charging. The server device 5 can distinguish between a vehicle 2 that is simply parked at night and a vehicle 2 that is charging, and cause the control device 40 with the arithmetic processing function to execute processing only for the vehicle 2 that is charging.

[0054] In this embodiment, the server device 5 utilizes the arithmetic processing function of the control device 40 of the automobile 2 only when the automobile 2 is charging at night. In addition, the server device 5 may also utilize the calculation processing functions of the control device 40 of the vehicle 2, for example, when the vehicle 2 is being driven manually, or when the vehicle 2 is parked or stopped with a high charge level but not being charged. The occupant may use the touch panel 24 of the vehicle 2 to set the conditions under which the server device 5 can use the calculation processing functions of their vehicle.

[0055] [Second Embodiment] Next, a vehicle server system 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The differences from the embodiments described above will be explained below.

[0056] Figure 9 is a flowchart of the determination and control of the charging state by the control system 10 of the automobile 2 in the second embodiment of the present invention. The ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 of the automobile 2 may, for example, perform the charging state determination control shown in Figure 9 in step ST22 of Figure 6.

[0057] In step ST41, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 determines whether or not there is system maintenance for the automobile 2. For example, data such as the program executed by the ECU 44 of the control device 40, which has the calculation processing function of automobile 2, and the parameters used therein, may be updated after automobile 2 is shipped. The ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 communicates with the server device 5 to check whether there is any update data for its own vehicle, and if there is data that can be updated via communication, it may be determined that system maintenance is required for automobile 2. In this case, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST50 without executing the following various determination processes. The ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 performs system maintenance for automobile 2 while it is charging by communicating with the server device 5. If there is no update data, or if the data update process is completed, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST42.

[0058] In step ST42, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 determines whether or not it is necessary to upload information about the vehicle 2 while it is in motion. While the vehicle 2 is in motion, it captures images of the outside of the vehicle using the external camera 26, generates spatial information about the outside of the vehicle using the Lidar 27, and generates information about the vehicle's driving state using the GNSS receiver 25 and acceleration sensor 28. This detected information while driving can be stored as log data in the control system 10 of the vehicle 2. If such detected information while driving exists, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may determine that it is necessary to upload information about the vehicle 2 while it is in motion. In this case, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST50 without performing the following various determination processes. The ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 uploads the detected information of the vehicle 2 while it is charging to the server device 5. If there is no detected information while driving, or if the upload of the detected information while driving has been completed, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST43.

[0059] In step ST43, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 determines whether the charging voltage of the charging device 29 is equal to or greater than a threshold for charging voltage. The charging device 29 of the automobile 2 may be one that charges using commercial 200V or one that charges using commercial 100V. In this case, the threshold for charging voltage may be, for example, 120V. If the charging voltage of the charging device 29 is, for example, 200V and equal to or greater than the threshold, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST44. If the charging voltage of the charging device 29 is, for example, 100V and not equal to or greater than the threshold, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST50.

[0060] In step ST44, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 determines whether the charging capacity of the charging device 29 is above a threshold for capacity. Some of the charging devices 29 of the vehicle 2 are capable of rapid charging using commercial 200V. If the charging capacity of the charging device 29 connected to the vehicle for charging supports, for example, rapid charging, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 determines that the charging capacity is above the threshold and proceeds to step ST45. Otherwise, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST50.

[0061] Furthermore, the determination of the charging conditions in steps ST43 and ST44 may be omitted. For example, if the remaining battery power determined in step ST45 is sufficient for everyday driving in the neighborhood, for example, if it is 70% or more, then it can be assumed that there is sufficient charge even when charging with commercial 100V. In this case, the ECU44 may, for example, omit the determination in step ST43 or change the determination threshold to something below 100V, such as 80V, by changing the user's settings. Furthermore, charging at home may involve 200V charging (not fast charging), or in some cases, 100V charging (not fast charging). In this case, the ECU44 may, for example, omit the decision in step ST44 or change the decision threshold to 200V or 100V (not fast charging) through user settings changes.

[0062] In step ST45, the ECU 44 of the charge control device 18 determines whether the remaining battery power is above a threshold for remaining power. Here, the threshold for remaining power may be, for example, 80%. If the remaining battery power is above the threshold, the ECU 44 of the charge control device 18 proceeds to step ST46. Otherwise, the ECU 44 of the charge control device 18 proceeds to step ST50.

[0063] In step ST46, the ECU 44 of the charge control device 18 determines whether the predicted charging time is greater than or equal to a threshold for the predicted time. The threshold for the predicted time may be, for example, one hour. If the predicted charging time is greater than or equal to the threshold, the ECU 44 of the charge control device 18 proceeds to step ST47. Otherwise, the ECU 44 of the charge control device 18 proceeds to step ST50.

[0064] In step ST47, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 determines whether or not it is an unused period when the vehicle 2 is not in use. The occupant may register the usage schedule of the vehicle 2 using the vehicle's touch panel 24 or the like. The occupant of the vehicle 2 may also register their own schedule on a mobile terminal or personal computer (not shown). The ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may obtain this information from the vehicle or from the server device 5 to determine the time when the vehicle 2 may be used next. If there is, for example, more than one hour until that time, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may determine that it is an unused period when the vehicle 2 is not in use. Alternatively, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may determine whether or not it is an unused period when the vehicle 2 is not in use based on information about the vehicle 2's usual usage period. If it is an unused period when the vehicle 2 is not in use, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST48. Otherwise, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST50.

[0065] In step ST48, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 makes a comprehensive determination of whether or not it is possible to perform a process that uses the processing power of the vehicle's control device 40 during charging. The ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may make a comprehensive determination of whether or not it is possible to perform a process that uses the processing power of the vehicle's control device 40 during charging based on information used in the processes from step ST41 to step ST47. For example, if the remaining power is above the threshold but the predicted time for the end of charging is very long, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 may determine that it is impossible to perform a process that uses the processing power of the vehicle's control device 40 during charging. In this case, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST50. Otherwise, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 proceeds to step ST49.

[0066] In step ST49, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 performs a setting to allow calculation processing during charging.

[0067] In step ST50, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 executes a setting to prohibit calculation processing during charging.

[0068] In this way, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 performs a setting in step ST22 of Figure 6 to allow or prohibit calculation processing during charging. In this case, in step ST23 of Figure 6, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 can determine whether the vehicle is able to perform its own calculation processing while charging, based on the setting of calculation processing during charging by this control.

[0069] As described above, in this embodiment, the ECU 44 of the vehicle 2's charging control device 18 determines the vehicle's charging status, etc. When it is possible to perform processing that uses the processing power of the vehicle's control device 40 during charging, the ECU 44 of the vehicle 2's charging control device 18 transmits vehicle status information indicating that vehicle 2 is charging to the server device 5. Vehicle 2 can prioritize its own charging status and maintenance over processing by the control device 40, which has the processing power of vehicle 2 during nighttime charging. In addition, after charging, vehicle 2 is less likely to be in a state where it is not charged despite having been charged. Problems with using vehicle 2 after charging are less likely to occur.

[0070] In this embodiment, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 of the automobile 2 makes a decision in steps ST41 to ST48 regarding whether or not to transmit vehicle status information. In addition, for example, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 of the automobile 2 may make a decision regarding whether or not to transmit vehicle status information in part of steps ST41 to ST48, or based on other judgments. For example, the occupant can use the touch panel 24 of the vehicle 2 to set the vehicle 2 for enabling or disabling the calculation processing function during charging, the conditions for enabling it, etc. In this case, the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 of the vehicle 2 may make a decision on whether or not to transmit vehicle status information based on the occupant's settings. Some occupants may want to actively provide the calculation processing capabilities of the vehicle 2 to the server device 5, for example, in order to earn points corresponding to the amount of calculation. Also, the occupant may set priorities for the multiple types of server control shown in Figure 5. The occupant may set priorities such as prioritizing processes that at least reliably award points, or prioritizing processes that award large points, even if the success rate of completing the process is low. Some information processing and provision services, such as data mining, which are a type of user service, offer large returns.

[0071] [Third Embodiment] Next, a vehicle server system 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The differences from the embodiments described above will be explained below.

[0072] Figure 10 is a basic hardware configuration diagram of the control device 40 used in the control system 10 of the automobile 2 shown in Figure 2. The control device 40 in Figure 10 includes an input / output device 41, a timer 42, a memory 43, an ECU 44, and an internal bus 45 to which these are connected.

[0073] The input / output device 41 is connected to the vehicle network. The input / output device 41 retrieves packets from the vehicle network that contain its own ID as the destination. The input / output device 41 outputs packets to the vehicle network with the destination ID and its own ID added to the information to be transmitted. The packets output to the network are routed by the central gateway device 20 as needed and output to the control device 40 of the destination ID. This allows the control device 40 to input and output information with other control devices 40 provided in the control system 10. Timer 42 measures time and duration. The time of Timer 42 may be calibrated by the current time of the GNSS receiver 25 installed in the vehicle. Memory 43 stores the programs and data executed by the ECU 44. The ECU 44 reads and executes a program from the memory 43. This enables the control unit to be implemented in the control device 40.

[0074] As shown in Figure 2, the control system 10 of the automobile 2 includes a drive control device 11, a steering control device 12, a braking control device 13, an operation detection device 14, a driving control device 15, a detection control device 16, an air conditioning device 17, a charging control device 18, an external communication device 19, and the like. Furthermore, the central gateway device 20, to which these multiple control devices 40 are connected, is also a single control device 40 provided in the control system 10 of the automobile 2. Each control device 40 has the basic hardware configuration shown in Figure 10. In this case, the control system 10 of the automobile 2 will have multiple ECUs 44. An ECU 44 is an arithmetic processing unit provided in the control device 40. The control system 10 of the automobile 2 will thus be equipped with multiple arithmetic processing units. However, the performance of each ECU44 as a processing unit is fundamentally different. In the example shown in Figure 2, the detection control device 16 and the driving control device 15, which process captured images, generally use ECU44s with high processing capabilities. Also, the operation detection device 14, to which the touch panel 24 is connected, generally uses an ECU44 with high processing capabilities for image processing of high-definition videos and other images displayed on the touch panel 24. In contrast, the drive control device 11, steering control device 12, braking control device 13, and air conditioning device 17 generally use ECU44s that have a certain level of processing capability but lower processing capability than the ECU44 used for image processing. Furthermore, the charging control device 18 needs to operate when car 2 is charging. Also, the detection control device 16 needs to monitor the exterior and interior of car 2, which is parked for charging, for security purposes. In this case, the detection control device 16 functions as a monitoring device. It is preferable not to use the charging control device 18 or the detection control device 16 to execute processing on the server device 5.

[0075] Figure 11 is a flowchart of the selection control of the ECU 44 as an arithmetic processing unit in the control system 10 of the automobile 2 in the third embodiment of the present invention. Among the multiple control devices 40 provided in the control system 10, for example, the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 repeatedly performs the vehicle calculation utilization control shown in Figure 11. Furthermore, the ECU 44 of another control device 40 provided in the control system 10 may repeatedly execute the vehicle calculation utilization control shown in Figure 11. However, the central gateway device 20 is connected to multiple control devices 40 that constitute the control system 10. Furthermore, the central gateway device 20 needs to operate even when the vehicle 2 is charging, for example, to route packets between the external communication device 19 and the charging control device 18. Thus, the central gateway device 20, which needs to operate even when the vehicle 2 is not moving and can directly input / output with other control devices 40, is suitable for performing the control shown in Figure 11. Operating the control devices 40 that are dormant during charging solely for the purpose of the control shown in Figure 11 would lead to unnecessary consumption of charging power and reduce charging efficiency.

[0076] In step ST61, the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 determines whether the vehicle is charging or not. The charging control device 18 of the control system 10 of the vehicle 2 determines whether the vehicle is charging or not in step ST21 of the charging control in Figure 6. The ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 may determine whether the vehicle is charging or not based on whether the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 has determined that the vehicle is charging or not. If the vehicle is not charging, the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 proceeds to step ST67. If the vehicle is charging, the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 proceeds to step ST62.

[0077] In step ST62, the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 determines whether or not calculation processing is possible on the vehicle during charging. The charging control device 18 of the vehicle 2's control system 10 determines whether or not calculation processing is possible on the vehicle during charging in step ST23 of the charging control in Figure 6. The ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 may determine whether or not calculation processing is possible on the vehicle during charging based on whether or not the ECU 44 of the charging control device 18 has determined that calculation processing is possible during charging. If calculation processing is not possible during charging, the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 proceeds to step ST67. If calculation processing is possible during charging, the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 proceeds to step ST63.

[0078] In step ST63, the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 determines the usage status of the ECU 44 of each control device 40 during charging. During charging, the car 2 is basically not moving. Therefore, the ECU 44s of the multiple control devices 40 that constitute the control system 10 are not being used, except for the charging control device 18. This also applies to the ECU 44 of the external communication device 19 and the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 at times other than when communicating with the server device 5. On the other hand, the car 2 is parked for charging, and the ECU 44 of the detection control device 16 for security and monitoring of the car 2 is continuously used even during charging. The ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 may determine the usage status of the ECU 44 of each control device 40 during charging, based on the operating status of these vehicles 2. In the above case, the ECU 44 may determine that the ECU 44 is being used for at least the charging control device 18 and the detection control device 16 among the charging control device 18, the external communication device 19, the central gateway device 20, and the detection control device 16. Furthermore, for the control devices 40 of the other control systems 10, the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 may determine that the ECU 44 is not being used. If settings have been made to eliminate the need for monitoring of occupants, the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 may also determine that the ECU 44 of the detection control device 16, which may be operated for monitoring while parked, is not being used.

[0079] In step ST64, the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 selects an ECU 44 available for processing by the server device 5 based on the usage status determination in step ST63. The ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 may select an ECU 44 from among the multiple control devices 40 of the control system 10 that is unlikely to be continuously used during charging as an ECU 44 available for processing by the server device 5. Examples of such ECU 44s include the drive control device 11, steering control device 12, braking control device 13, operation detection device 14, travel control device 15, and air conditioning device 17. If the travel control device 15, which has advanced arithmetic processing capabilities, is among the control devices 40 that are unlikely to be continuously used, the ECU 44 may select only that ECU 44 as an ECU 44 available for processing by the server device 5. Furthermore, the ECU 44 may not select an ECU 44 of a control device 40 with less advanced arithmetic processing capabilities as an ECU 44 available for processing by the server device 5, even if the ECU 44 is not being used during charging. Examples of such ECUs 44 include a drive control device 11, a steering control device 12, a braking control device 13, and an operation detection device 14. As a result, the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 can select, for example, the ECU 44 of the detection control device 16 which functions as a monitoring device during charging, as the ECU 44 available for processing by the server device 5, including the driving control device 15 and the air conditioning device 17.

[0080] In step ST65, the ECU44 of the central gateway device 20 determines whether an ECU44 available for processing the server device 5 has been selected. If no ECU44 available for processing the server device 5 has been selected in step ST64, the ECU44 of the central gateway device 20 proceeds to step ST67. If at least one ECU44 available for processing the server device 5 has been selected, the ECU44 of the central gateway device 20 proceeds to step ST66.

[0081] In step ST66, the ECU44 of the central gateway device 20 connects the ECU44 available for processing by the server device 5 to the server device 5. The external communication device 19 can be connected in an identifiable manner in the communication network 4 to which the server device 5 is connected, for example, by being assigned an IP address from the base station 3. In this case, the ECU44 of the central gateway device 20 may set a port for each ECU44 available for processing by the server CPU 35 of the server device 5 and connect the ECU44 available for processing by the server device 5 to the server device 5. This allows the server device 5 to specify the ECU44 to be used for processing by the server device 5 in the control system 10 of the automobile 2 by specifying the IP address and port. The ECU44 of the central gateway device 20 causes the ECU44 corresponding to the port specified by the server device 5 to execute the processing received from the server device 5. The ECU44 of the central gateway device 20 also transmits the processing results of the ECU44 to the server device 5 from the same port. Subsequently, the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 terminates this control.

[0082] In this way, the server device 5 can use the ECU 44 selected as available by the central gateway device 20 to perform some of the processing of the server device 5. Furthermore, if multiple ports are connected to a single vehicle 2, the server CPU 35 of the server device 5 can use those multiple ports to simultaneously execute multiple processes of the server device 5 on multiple ECUs 44 of a single vehicle 2. The server device 5 can use multiple ECUs 44 selected as available by the ECUs 44 of the central gateway device 20 in parallel for multiple processes of the server device 5. In this way, the server CPU 35 of the server device 5 can individually and directly send processes to multiple ECUs 44 available in the vehicle 2. If such direct process transmission is not possible, the server CPU 35 can only send one process to all of them, even if multiple ECUs 44 are available in a single vehicle 2. If there is no function for multiple ECUs 44 to cooperate with each other in the vehicle 2, the multiple ECUs 44 available in the vehicle 2 cannot be fully utilized. For example, if the central gateway device 20 selects ECU 44, excluding the detection control device 16 which functions as a monitoring device, the server device 5 can have at least the detection control device 16, excluding the detection control device 40, execute the processing. In the vehicle 2, which is charging overnight, the ECUs 44 of the multiple control devices 40 can efficiently perform processing on the server device 5.

[0083] In step ST67, the ECU 44 of the central gateway device 20 disconnects all of its own vehicle's ECUs 44 from the server device 5. As a result, when a vehicle 2 is charging overnight, all of its control device 40's ECUs 44 are disconnected from the server device 5. When a vehicle 2 is charging overnight, it can charge efficiently without the server device 5 performing any processing.

[0084] As described above, in this embodiment, the server CPU 35 of the server device 5 can execute control to cause at least the control devices 40, excluding the monitoring device, among the multiple control devices 40 installed in the automobile 2 that is charging at night to perform processing. As a result, the automobile 2 can perform some of the processing of the server device 5 while being monitored by the detection control device 16, which functions as a monitoring device, even while charging. In this embodiment, the server CPU 35 can effectively utilize the multiple control devices 40 installed in the automobile 2 for processing so as not to impair the functions of the automobile 2 while it is charging.

[0085] The embodiments described above are examples of preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications or changes are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1...Vehicle server system, 2...Automobile (vehicle), 3...Base station, 4...Communication network, 5...Server device, 10...Control system, 11...Drive control device, 12...Steering control device, 13...Brake control device, 14...Operation detection device, 15...Driving control device, 16...Detection control device, 17...Air conditioning device, 18...Charging control device, 19...External communication device, 20...Central gateway device, 21...Steering wheel, 22...Accelerator pedal, 23...Brake pedal, 24...Touch panel, 25...GNSS receiver, 26...External camera, 27...Lidar, 28...Accelerometer, 29...Charging device, 31...Server communication device, 32...Server GNSS receiver, 33...Server timer, 34...Server memory, 35...Server CPU, 36...Server bus, 40...Control device, 41...Input / output device, 42...Timer, 43...Memory, 44...ECU (Electrical Control Unit), 45...Internal bus, 50...World map, 110...GNSS satellite

Claims

1. A vehicle server system comprising: a rechargeable vehicle having at least a control device having a calculation processing function and an external communication device; and a server device having a server communication unit that can communicate with the external communication device of the vehicle and a server control unit that can perform at least one driving control of the vehicle based on information sent and received by the server communication unit, The server communication unit is capable of receiving vehicle status information from the vehicle. The server control unit, The system determines whether the time period at the location where the vehicle receiving the vehicle status information is charging is nighttime or not. If the vehicle is charging at night, the control device having the vehicle's calculation processing function will execute a control command. Vehicle server system.

2. The server device is At a minimum, the system determines whether the time of day at the location where the vehicle receiving the vehicle status information is charging is nighttime, by determining whether the location where the vehicle is charging is located within one of the ground regions obtained by dividing the Earth into at least three or more regions based on longitude, and whether the location is located within one of the ground regions where it is nighttime. A vehicle server system according to claim 1.

3. The vehicle has a determination unit for determining the charging state of the vehicle, The external communication device of the vehicle transmits vehicle status information indicating that the vehicle is charging when at least the determination unit determines that the vehicle is charging. The server control unit of the server device determines, based on the server communication unit receiving the vehicle status information, whether the time period at which the vehicle receiving the vehicle status information is being charged is nighttime. A vehicle server system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The external communication device of the aforementioned vehicle is To determine whether the charging voltage or charging capacity of the vehicle is above a predetermined threshold, To determine whether the predicted time for the charging period of the vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, To determine whether the remaining power of the vehicle being charged is above a predetermined threshold, To determine whether the vehicle's charging state is such that charging will occur even if the control device having a calculation processing function performs the necessary processing, To determine whether or not the vehicle is not in use by its occupants, and To determine whether system maintenance is being performed via communication regarding the vehicle while it is charging, or whether detection information for the vehicle has been uploaded. Determine at least one of the following and control the transmission of the vehicle status information indicating that the vehicle is charging. A vehicle server system according to claim 3.

5. The vehicle has a plurality of control devices, including a vehicle monitoring device, as the control device having a calculation processing function. The server control unit, The control is performed to cause at least the control devices, excluding the monitoring device, among the multiple control devices installed in the vehicle that is charging at night to perform processing. A vehicle server system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images