Center device and app distribution method

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, in a center device 3, a plurality of verification apps and a condition for distribution to vehicles with respect to each of the verification apps are registered in an app ledger 33. Identification information of each vehicle and distribution completion information related to a verification app already distributed to a vehicle are registered in an individual vehicle ledger 32. An app distribution function unit 312 selects a plurality of vehicles matching the distribution condition as a target vehicle candidate group, and determines, from among the target vehicle candidate group, a target vehicle group to which a new verification app is to be distributed, on the basis of the distribution completion information. The app distribution function unit 312 distributes a new verification app to the determined target vehicle group.

Description

Center device and application distribution method CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Application No. 2024-51546 filed on March 27, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a center device and method for distributing an application program to a plurality of vehicles.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for providing mobility services in which a vehicle is accessed via a network, various applications are executed using the vehicle's functions and resources, and the service provider obtains the results of the execution.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-117140

[0005] A similar service may be envisioned, for example, where an application program under development is delivered to a vehicle, and the application program is executed without the knowledge of the vehicle occupants, and the execution results are acquired and used for further program development. Such an application program is called a "verification app."

[0006] In this case, various constraints may exist on the number of verification apps that can be distributed to one vehicle. Therefore, the vehicle to which the verification app is distributed must be selected taking into consideration the constraints of each verification app. The present disclosure has been made in light of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a center device and an application distribution method that can efficiently distribute verification apps to multiple vehicles in accordance with various situations.

[0007] According to the center device of the present disclosure, the verification app registration unit registers multiple verification apps whose operation is to be verified on a real device in a vehicle, along with distribution conditions for each of the verification apps to the vehicle. The distributed app registration unit registers identification information for each vehicle, along with distribution information for verification apps that have already been distributed to the vehicle. The candidate group selection unit selects multiple vehicles that meet the distribution conditions as a target vehicle candidate group, and the vehicle group determination unit determines, from the target vehicle candidate group, a target vehicle group to which a new verification app will be distributed based on the distribution information. The distribution unit distributes the new verification app to the determined target vehicle group. With this configuration, when the center device attempts to distribute a new verification app to a vehicle, it can efficiently determine a target vehicle group to which the new verification app will be distributed based on the distribution conditions for the verification app and the distribution information for the verification apps that have already been distributed.

[0008] Furthermore, according to the center device of the present disclosure, the vehicle group determination unit determines, as a target vehicle group, vehicles to which no verification app has already been distributed that operates under the same driving conditions as the verification app to be distributed. This allows verification apps that operate under different driving conditions to be distributed to a single vehicle. Therefore, verification of each app can be performed efficiently.

[0009] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become clearer from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an application verification system in a first embodiment; Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle; Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a center device; Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an overview of the application verification system; Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the center device; Fig. 6 is a screen image of a terminal device showing the distribution state of vehicles present in each distribution area; Fig. 7 is a screen image of a terminal device showing the search state for vehicles that meet distribution conditions; Fig. 8 is a screen image of a terminal device showing the verification state of each verification application and the distribution reservation state of a new verification application; Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an operation scene for each of types A to D of distributed applications; and Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an operation scene for each of types A to D of distributed applications, in which vehicle individual number No. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an operation scene for each of distribution application types A to E in the second embodiment, Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an application that has been distributed during a specified period for vehicle individual number Nos. 1 to 5, Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of power consumption in an operation scene for each of distribution application types F to I in the third embodiment, Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of total power consumption of applications that have been distributed during a specified period for vehicle individual number Nos. 5 to 7, Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of GPU occupancy in an operation scene for each of distribution application types J to M in the fourth embodiment, and Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of total GPU occupancy of applications that have been distributed during a specified period for vehicle individual number Nos. 5 to 7.

[0010] First Embodiment A first embodiment will be described below. The application verification system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of in-vehicle devices 2, a center device 3, and a system administrator terminal device 4. The in-vehicle device 2 is mounted on a vehicle 10 and serves as a control device that mediates between the vehicle 10 and the center device 3, collecting vehicle information and controlling the vehicle. The center device 3 communicates with the in-vehicle devices 2 via a wide area communication network NW, thereby managing a database that stores vehicle information provided from the in-vehicle devices 2 and providing users with an interface for accessing the database and the in-vehicle devices 2. The users are also called third parties and include application developers, application users, computing system users, etc.

[0011] The system administrator terminal device 4 is a terminal device used by the system administrator of the application verification system 1. Hereinafter, it will be simply referred to as the terminal device 4. The terminal device 4 accesses the center device 3 using a graphic user interface (hereinafter, referred to as GUI) provided by the center device 3.

[0012] In this embodiment, a configuration will be described for realizing a service in which resources of a vehicle 10 equipped with an in-vehicle device 2 are loaned to a requesting party, thereby causing the vehicle 10 to execute various programs, in the application verification system 1. The resources refer to the computing resources of the CPU, and devices such as a camera and various sensors mounted on the vehicle.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2 , the in-vehicle device 2 includes a communication unit 21, a vehicle IF unit 22, a control unit 23, and a power supply unit 24. The communication unit 21 communicates between the control unit 23 and the center device 3 via wireless communication over a wide-area communication network NW. The vehicle IF unit 22 is connected to various in-vehicle devices via the vehicle's in-vehicle network or the like and acquires various information from the in-vehicle devices. The control unit 23 includes a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) 221, a CPU 222, a ROM 223, a RAM 224, and the like. The GPU 221 is an IC that performs drawing processing when displaying information related to driving conditions and driving operations as images, symbols, etc. on a display screen or other display unit in an instrument panel (not shown) of the vehicle 10. The GPU 221 also executes machine learning models included in the app. Therefore, the GPU 221 is a control device that operates the app.

[0014] In the following, unless otherwise specified, the terms "app," "distribution app," and "software" all refer to the "verification app." As shown in FIG. 3 , the center device 3 includes a communication unit 31, an app register 32, and a vehicle individual register 33. The communication unit 31 communicates with the in-vehicle device 2 via wireless communication over the wide area communication network NW. The data collection function unit 311 of the communication unit 31 collects vehicle behavior history data, execution result data of the verification app, and the like. The application distribution function unit 312, which corresponds to the distribution unit, distributes the verification app to the vehicle.

[0015] The application ledger 32 includes items such as the type of verification application and distribution conditions for each vehicle 10, operating scenes corresponding to driving conditions in which each verification application operates in the vehicle 10, power consumption when each verification application operates in the vehicle 10, GPU usage rate, and other metrics that are evaluation indices. The application ledger 32 corresponds to the verification application registration unit. The vehicle individual ledger 33 includes items such as the individual identification number and vehicle model of each vehicle, behavior history data collected from each vehicle 10 via the data collection function unit 311, and the type and operation period of applications that have been distributed to the vehicle 10. The vehicle individual ledger 33 corresponds to the distributed application registration unit.

[0016] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 conceptually illustrates an overview of the application verification system. From market data, modeled data is collected by extracting characteristics such as human characteristics and vehicle conditions, and characteristics such as the environment corresponding to the operating scene. Next, from the model of each characteristic, vehicles that meet the conditions for the verification application's functions, i.e., vehicles that meet the distribution conditions for the verification application, are selected. The verification application is then distributed to the selected vehicles. The distribution conditions are set by an operator or user as conditions for a vehicle suitable for verifying the verification application. For example, distribution conditions for driving assistance software include driving in a high-traffic area, driving at night, having a driver monitoring function, and having a history of driver drowsiness detection, etc.

[0017] In a vehicle to which the verification app is distributed, the verification app is executed in a so-called shadow mode, without the vehicle occupants being aware of it. Machine learning (ML), for example, is applied to the execution results. Machine learning can be performed either on the vehicle side or on the center device side. In the example shown in the figure, when a verification app that uses a rain sensor is run, a "reduction scenario" is used to verify whether the rain sensor can be reduced by substituting other sensors. During this process, the learning model and trigger conditions for data collection are updated, and when these updates are detected, the verification app is re-distributed to the target vehicle. Subsequently, a cycle of machine learning of the execution results, updating of the learning model and trigger conditions, and re-distribution of the verification app is repeated during a specified verification period.

[0018] 5, in the center device 3, a system administrator operates the terminal device 4 to register verification apps to be distributed to the vehicles 10 in the app ledger 32 (S1) and to register conditions for distributing each verification app to the vehicles 10 (S2). Then, the vehicle individual ledger 33 is searched for vehicles 10 that match the distribution conditions of each verification app as target vehicles (S3). As a result of this search, vehicles that are candidates for distribution are determined (S4). Steps S3 and S4 correspond to a candidate group selection unit.

[0019] Next, the resource status is checked for each vehicle 10 that has been selected as a candidate for distribution (S5). Here, when a new verification application is distributed, it is checked whether the verification application can be distributed to the vehicle 10 and run there. A state in which the verification application can be distributed to the vehicle 10 and run there is referred to as "resource availability." Specific examples of this will be described later.

[0020] Then, it is determined whether the number of vehicles 10 with available resources is equal to or greater than the number required to distribute the verification app (S6). If the former number is equal to or greater than the latter number (YES), the verification app is distributed (S7). On the other hand, if the former number is less than the latter number (NO), the verification app is reserved for distribution (S8). This state is maintained until resources become available, for example, by deleting another verification app on the vehicle 10 side. Steps S5 and S6 correspond to the vehicle group determination unit.

[0021] Once the verification app is delivered to the vehicle 10, it runs in shadow mode as described above for the set verification period. As the verification app runs, execution results are acquired using sensors and the like installed in the vehicle 10 and accumulated during the verification period. When the verification period ends, the accumulated execution results are uploaded to the center device 3. In this way, the execution result data of the verification app collected by the center device 3 is used for the development of the verification app, etc. The verification period is also referred to as the operation period.

[0022] Fig. 6 is a screen image of the GUI of the terminal device 4, showing the distribution of vehicles 10 in various locations corresponding to the selected conditions when selecting the distribution software, model type and conditions, vehicle search start and end dates, and vehicle model in a distribution area centered on the Chubu region of Japan. Fig. 7 is a screen image of the same screen, showing the search status for vehicles 10 that match the distribution conditions, and Fig. 8 shows the verification status of each verification app and the status of reservation for distribution of a new verification app. The "distribution app" in the figure refers to the verification app.

[0023] 9 shows examples of operation scenes for each of types A to D of distribution apps. For example, app A is an app related to an anti-theft function that operates while the vehicle 10 is parked. app B is an app related to, for example, a room light that operates when the accessory switch of the vehicle 10 is on. app C is an app related to an automatic driving function that operates while the vehicle 10 is being driven. app D is an app related to opening and closing doors that operates while the vehicle 10 is parked or stopped.

[0024] The operating scenes for these are "parked" and "driving", and below that are "main power OFF" and "main power ON", and below that are "accessory power OFF" and "accessory power ON". The ON / OFF state of the main power corresponds to the ON / OFF state of the ignition switch. The operating scene for app A is "accessory power OFF", the operating scene for app B is "accessory power ON", the operating scene for app C is "main power ON", and the operating scene for app D is "parked".

[0025] 10 shows an example of apps that have been distributed during a specified period for vehicle 10 identification information, i.e., individual numbers No. 1 to 4. For example, app A, whose operating scene is "accessory power OFF," has already been distributed to No. 1, so apps B or C, whose operating scenes do not conflict, can be newly distributed. Each app has a predetermined operating period that is verified by the vehicle 10 when it is distributed, and the center device 3 keeps track of that operating period. When the operating period is changed on the vehicle 10 side, communication is performed between the in-vehicle device 2 and the center device 3 to synchronize them, so the center device 3 can keep track of the change in the period.

[0026] As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the center device 3, the application ledger 32 registers multiple verification apps along with the distribution conditions for each verification app to the vehicle 10. The vehicle individual ledger 33 registers identification information for each vehicle 10 along with distribution information for verification apps that have already been distributed to the vehicle 10. The application distribution function unit 312 selects multiple vehicles 10 that meet the distribution conditions as a target vehicle candidate group, and determines, from the target vehicle candidate group, a target vehicle group to which a new verification app will be distributed based on the distribution information. The application distribution function unit 312 distributes the new verification app to the determined target vehicle group. With this configuration, when attempting to distribute a new verification app to a vehicle 10, the target vehicle group can be efficiently determined based on the distribution conditions for the verification app and the distribution information for the verification app that has already been distributed.

[0027] Furthermore, the application distribution function unit 312 determines, as a target vehicle group, vehicles 10 for which there is no verification application already distributed that operates in the same scene as the verification application to be distributed. This allows verification applications that operate in different driving situations to be distributed to a single vehicle 10. Therefore, verification of each application can be performed efficiently.

[0028] Second Embodiment In the following, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a description thereof will be omitted, and only differences will be described. In the second embodiment, the vehicle 10 is an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle. Apps A to D shown in FIG. 11 are the same as those in the first embodiment. App E is an app that is specialized for use while the drive battery mounted on the electric vehicle is being charged, and is, for example, a convenient function while waiting for charging. In this case, the operating scenarios of the app are categorized into "charging" and "charging OFF" when "parked."

[0029] 12 shows an example of apps that have been distributed during a specified period to vehicles 10 with individual numbers 1 to 5. App A has been distributed to vehicle 10 No. 1, and apps A and C have been distributed to vehicle 10 No. 2. App B has been distributed to vehicle 10 No. 3, and app D has been distributed to vehicle 10 No. 4. App E has been distributed to vehicle 10 No. 5. In this case, app C can additionally be distributed to vehicle 10 No. 5.

[0030] Third Embodiment The third embodiment shows a case where the power consumption of each app is taken into consideration as a resource limitation on the vehicle 10. Apps F to I shown in Fig. 13 are, for example, related to theft prevention functions, similar to app A. When these apps F to I are executed in the "accessory power OFF" operating scenario, the power consumed is 10 mW to 40 mW.

[0031] As shown in Figure 14, apps F and G have already been distributed to vehicle 10 No. 5, and app H has already been distributed to vehicle 10 No. 6. Apps F and H have also been distributed to vehicle 10 No. 7. For these vehicles 10 Nos. 5 to 7, the upper limit of power consumption allowed when "accessory power is OFF" is assumed to be, for example, 60 mW. For example, app H, which consumes 30 mW, has already been distributed to vehicle 10 No. 6, so both apps F and I can be additionally distributed.

[0032] Fourth Embodiment The fourth embodiment illustrates a case in which the utilization rate of the GPU 221 is taken into consideration as a resource limit on the vehicle 10. Apps J to M shown in Fig. 15 are, for example, related to the autonomous driving function, similar to app C. When these apps J to M are executed in the operating scenario of "main power on" and "vehicle stopped" or "driving," the utilization rate of the GPU 221 is 10% to 40%.

[0033] 16 , apps J and K have been distributed to vehicle 10 No. 5, and app L has been distributed to vehicle 10 No. 6. Apps J and L have also been distributed to vehicle 10 No. 7. In vehicles 10 Nos. 5 to 7, the upper limit of the usage rate of the GPU 221 is, for example, 50%. For example, app L, which has a usage rate of 30%, has already been distributed to vehicle 10 No. 6, so both apps J and M can be additionally distributed.

[0034] In addition to the inventions described in the claims, this case also includes the following inventions: [1] A center device (3) that distributes application programs to a plurality of vehicles (10), the center device comprising: a verification app registration unit (32) that registers, for a plurality of application programs whose operation is to be verified on an actual device in the vehicle, the verification apps as well as distribution conditions for each of the verification apps to the vehicle; a distributed app registration unit (33) that registers, along with identification information for each vehicle, distributed information for verification apps that have already been distributed to the vehicle; a candidate group selection unit (S4, S5) that selects a plurality of vehicles that meet the distribution conditions as a candidate group of target vehicles; a vehicle group determination unit (S6, S7) that determines, from the candidate group of target vehicles, a target group of vehicles to which a new verification app will be distributed based on the distributed information; and a distribution unit (312) that distributes the new verification app to the target group of target vehicles. [2] The center device according to [1], wherein the distributed information includes driving conditions in which the verification app to be distributed operates in the vehicles, and the vehicle group determination unit determines, as the target vehicle group, vehicles for which there is no distributed verification app that operates in the same driving conditions as the verification app to be distributed. [3] The center device according to [2], wherein the distribution conditions and the distributed information include information on power consumption when the verification app operates in the vehicles, and the distributed information includes an upper limit on power consumption allowed for each driving condition of each vehicle, and the vehicle group determination unit determines, as the target vehicle group, vehicles for which power consumption when the distributed verification app and the verification app to be distributed are all operating is equal to or less than the upper limit.[4] The center device according to [2] or [3], wherein the vehicle includes a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) that runs the verification app, the distribution conditions and the distributed information include a usage rate of the GPU when the verification app is running in the vehicle, the distributed information includes an upper limit of the usage rate allowed for each driving condition of each vehicle, and the vehicle group determination unit determines, as the target vehicle group, vehicles whose usage rate when all of the distributed verification apps and verification apps to be distributed are running is equal to or less than the upper limit. [5] The center device according to any one of [2] to [4], wherein the driving condition includes whether the vehicle is stopped or in motion. [6] The center device according to any one of [2] to [5], wherein the driving condition includes whether an ignition switch of the vehicle is on or off. [7] The center device according to any one of [2] to [6], wherein the driving condition includes whether an accessory power supply of the vehicle is on or off. [8] The center device according to any one of [2] to [7], wherein, when the vehicle is an electric vehicle, the driving status includes a state in which a driving battery mounted on the vehicle is being charged and a state in which charging is turned off. [9] An application distribution method for distributing application programs to a plurality of vehicles (10), the center device including: a verification application registration unit (32) in which, when a plurality of application programs to be verified for operation on a real device in the vehicle are defined as verification applications, distribution conditions for the plurality of verification applications to the vehicle for each of the verification applications are registered together with the plurality of verification applications, and a distributed application registration unit (33) in which distributed information for verification applications that have already been distributed to the vehicle is registered together with identification information of each vehicle, the application distribution method comprising: selecting a plurality of vehicles that meet the distribution conditions as a target vehicle candidate group (S4, S5); determining a target vehicle group to which a new verification application is to be distributed from the target vehicle candidate group based on the distributed information (S6); and distributing the new verification application to the target vehicle group (S7).

[0035] (Other Embodiments) The verification applications and their distribution conditions are not limited to those exemplified above. The specific numerical values ​​of the power consumption of each application and the upper limit allowed by the vehicle can be changed as appropriate depending on the individual design. The same applies to the GPU usage rate. The third and fourth embodiments may also be applied to electric vehicles, etc.

[0036] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments or structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and equivalent modifications. In addition, various combinations and forms, including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

[0037] The means and / or functions provided by each device, etc., can be provided by software recorded in a tangible memory device and a computer that executes the software, software alone, hardware alone, or a combination thereof. For example, when a control device is provided by electronic circuits that are hardware, it can be provided by digital circuits including a large number of logic circuits, or analog circuits.

[0038] The control unit and the method described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described herein may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured by combining a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions with a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory tangible storage medium.

Claims

1. A central device (3) that distributes application programs to multiple vehicles (10), If the multiple application programs that are to be tested on the actual vehicle are called test applications, then the test application registration unit (32) contains the multiple test applications along with the conditions for distribution to the vehicle for each of the test applications, A distribution application registration unit (33) registers distribution information for verification applications that have already been distributed to the vehicle, along with the identification information of each vehicle. A candidate group selection unit (S4, S5) selects multiple vehicles that meet the aforementioned distribution conditions as a target vehicle candidate group, A vehicle group determination unit (S6, S7) determines, from the aforementioned group of candidate vehicles, the group of vehicles to which the new verification application will be distributed based on the previously distributed information, The aforementioned group of target vehicles is equipped with a distribution unit (312) that distributes the new verification application, The aforementioned distributed information includes the operating conditions in which the distributed verification application is running in the vehicle. The vehicle group determination unit determines the target vehicle group to be vehicles that do not have a previously distributed verification application operating under the same driving conditions as the verification application to be distributed. The aforementioned delivery conditions and the previously delivered information include information on the power consumed when the verification application is running in the vehicle. The vehicle group determination unit is a central device that determines the target vehicle group as vehicles whose power consumption when all distributed and distributed verification applications are running is less than or equal to the upper limit permissible for each vehicle's operating conditions.

2. A central device (3) for distributing an application program to a plurality of vehicles (10), If the multiple application programs that are to be tested on the actual vehicle are called test applications, then the test application registration unit (32) contains the multiple test applications along with the conditions for distribution to the vehicle for each of the test applications, A distribution application registration unit (33) registers distribution information for verification applications that have already been distributed to the vehicle, along with the identification information of each vehicle. A candidate group selection unit (S4, S5) selects multiple vehicles that meet the aforementioned distribution conditions as a target vehicle candidate group, A vehicle group determination unit (S6, S7) determines, from the aforementioned group of candidate vehicles, the group of vehicles to which the new verification application will be distributed based on the previously distributed information, The aforementioned group of target vehicles is equipped with a distribution unit (312) that distributes the new verification application, The aforementioned distributed information includes the operating conditions in which the distributed verification application is running in the vehicle. The vehicle group determination unit determines the target vehicle group to be vehicles that do not have a previously distributed verification application operating under the same driving conditions as the verification application to be distributed. The aforementioned vehicle is equipped with a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) for running the verification application, The aforementioned distribution conditions and the previously distributed information include the GPU usage rate when the verification application is running on the vehicle. The vehicle group determination unit is a central device that determines the target vehicle group as vehicles whose utilization rate, when all distributed and distributed verification applications are in operation, is less than or equal to the upper limit of the utilization rate that is permissible for each vehicle's operating conditions.

3. The center device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the aforementioned operating conditions include the vehicle being stopped and the vehicle being in motion.

4. The center device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operating conditions include the ON and OFF states of the vehicle's ignition switch.

5. The center device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operating conditions include when the vehicle's accessory power supply is ON and when it is OFF.

6. If the vehicle is an electric vehicle, The center device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operating conditions include charging and turning off the charging of the drive battery mounted on the vehicle.

7. An application distribution method for distributing an application program to multiple vehicles (10), If the multiple application programs that are to be tested on the actual vehicle are called test applications, then the test application registration unit (32) contains the multiple test applications along with the conditions for distribution to the vehicle for each of the test applications, A central device comprising a distributed application registration unit (33) which registers distributed information about verification applications that have already been distributed to the vehicle, along with identification information for each vehicle, Multiple vehicles that meet the aforementioned distribution conditions are selected as a group of target vehicles (S4, S5), From the aforementioned group of candidate vehicles, the group of vehicles to which the new verification application will be distributed is determined based on the previously distributed information (S6). The new verification application is distributed to the aforementioned group of vehicles (S7), The previously distributed information includes the operating conditions in which the distributed verification application is running in the vehicle. Vehicles that do not have a previously distributed verification app operating under the same driving conditions as the verification app to be distributed are selected as the target vehicle group. The aforementioned distribution conditions and the previously distributed information include information on the power consumed when the verification application is running in the vehicle. An app distribution method for determining the target vehicle group as vehicles in which the power consumed when all distributed and distributed verification apps are running is below the permissible upper limit for each vehicle's operating conditions.

8. An application distribution method for distributing an application program to multiple vehicles (10), If the multiple application programs that are to be tested on the actual vehicle are called test applications, then the test application registration unit (32) contains the multiple test applications along with the conditions for distribution to the vehicle for each of the test applications, A central device comprising a distributed application registration unit (33) which registers distributed information about verification applications that have already been distributed to the vehicle, along with identification information for each vehicle, Multiple vehicles that meet the aforementioned distribution conditions are selected as a group of target vehicles (S4, S5), From the aforementioned group of candidate vehicles, the group of vehicles to which the new verification application will be distributed is determined based on the previously distributed information (S6). The new verification application is distributed to the aforementioned group of vehicles (S7), The previously distributed information includes the operating conditions in which the distributed verification application is running in the vehicle. Vehicles that do not have a previously distributed verification app operating under the same driving conditions as the verification app to be distributed are selected as the target vehicle group. When the aforementioned vehicle is equipped with a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that runs the verification application, The aforementioned delivery conditions and the previously delivered information include the GPU usage rate when the verification application is running on the vehicle. An app distribution method for determining the target vehicle group as vehicles in which the usage rate when all distributed and distributed verification apps are running is less than or equal to the upper limit of the usage rate that is permissible for each driving condition of each vehicle.