Control device, control method, and control program

Abstract

This control device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires power consumption information indicating calculation power required for a mobile body to travel autonomously; a storage unit that is installed in the mobile body and that stores priority order information indicating the priority order of operations of a plurality of devices that consume power; a determination unit that determines whether or not the calculation power is equal to or greater than a threshold value; and a control unit that, when it is determined that the calculation power is equal to or greater than the threshold value, restricts the operation of at least one device among the plurality of devices on the basis of the priority order.

Description

Control device, control method, and control program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for controlling the power of a mobile object.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology for accurately controlling the energy of a vehicle by optimizing and setting an EV upper limit output value for each driving segment. Specifically, Patent Literature 1 discloses a control device for a hybrid vehicle that calculates the driving energy for a driving segment using external information of the vehicle according to the driving segment and predetermined vehicle parameters corresponding to the external information, and uses the driving energy to set an EV upper limit output value that allows the vehicle to run on the motor alone for the driving segment.

[0003] However, the above-mentioned prior art only discloses optimizing the EV upper output value for each driving segment, but does not disclose limiting the operation of multiple devices installed in the vehicle. Therefore, with the above-mentioned prior art, the operation of multiple devices may prevent the vehicle from securing the computing power required for autonomous driving, which could result in a degradation of the function for safely performing autonomous driving.

[0004] Patent No. 4918076

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide technology that can prevent the functions required for safe autonomous driving from being disrupted due to the operation of multiple devices installed on a moving body.

[0006] A control device in one aspect of the present disclosure is a control device that controls the power of a mobile body having a battery, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires power consumption information indicating the computing power required for autonomous driving of the mobile body, a memory unit that stores priority information indicating the priority of operation of multiple devices installed on the mobile body that consume the power, a determination unit that determines whether the computing power is greater than or equal to a threshold, and a control unit that, if it is determined that the computing power is greater than or equal to the threshold, restricts the operation of at least one of the multiple devices based on the priority.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent the failure of functions for safely performing autonomous driving.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the electrical configuration of a control system to which a control device in embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the data configuration of priority information. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the interior of a moving body equipped with a control system. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of a control device in embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing of changing a threshold value in embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing of determining whether a battery has been replaced in embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a flowchart explaining the processing of a control system in embodiment 2 restricting the operation of multiple devices. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of priority information in variant example (1).

[0009] (Findings underlying the present disclosure) Research is underway into technology for controlling the in-vehicle environment of a vehicle using a plurality of devices such as display devices, audio devices, and lighting devices to guide the occupants of the vehicle into an appropriate state.

[0010] Meanwhile, autonomous vehicles are becoming more common. These vehicles use artificial intelligence to recognize their surrounding environment, which means they consume a lot of power. Therefore, if the above-mentioned guidance technology is applied to such vehicles, the operation of multiple devices may prevent the necessary computing power for autonomous driving from being secured, which could result in a breakdown in the functionality required for safe autonomous driving.

[0011] Therefore, the inventors have discovered that the above problem can be solved by restricting the operation of multiple devices in order of priority when the computing power required for the autonomous driving of a mobile body exceeds a threshold, and have come up with the following aspect of the present disclosure.

[0012] (1) A control device in one aspect of the present disclosure is a control device that controls the power of a mobile body having a battery, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires power consumption information indicating the computing power required for autonomous driving of the mobile body, a memory unit that stores priority information indicating the priority of operation of multiple devices installed on the mobile body that consume the power, a determination unit that determines whether the computing power is greater than or equal to a threshold, and a control unit that, if it is determined that the computing power is greater than or equal to the threshold, restricts the operation of at least one of the multiple devices based on the priority.

[0013] According to this configuration, when it is determined that the computing power required for the autonomous driving of the mobile object is equal to or greater than a threshold, the operation of at least one of the multiple devices is restricted based on the priority order, thereby ensuring the computing power required for autonomous driving and preventing the failure of functions for safe autonomous driving.

[0014] (2) In the control device described in (1) above, the power consumption information indicates actual power consumption, which is the total power of the computing power and the power consumption of multiple devices, the determination unit determines whether the actual power consumption is greater than or equal to the threshold, and the control unit may restrict the operation of the multiple devices if it is determined that the actual power consumption is greater than or equal to the threshold.

[0015] According to this configuration, actual power consumption is adopted, which is the total power of the calculation power and the power consumption of multiple devices, so that actual power consumption that can be used as an indicator of calculation power can be obtained even in a mobile body that prohibits the provision of calculation power measurement values ​​to external devices.

[0016] (3) In the control device described in (2) above, the threshold value may be a rated power of the battery.

[0017] According to this configuration, the rated power is used as the threshold value, so that the calculation power can be more reliably secured.

[0018] (4) In the control device described in (2) or (3) above, the control unit may not restrict the operation of the plurality of devices when it is determined that the actual power consumption is less than the threshold value.

[0019] According to this configuration, when the actual power consumption is less than the threshold value, the plurality of devices are operated without restriction, thereby making the passengers comfortable.

[0020] (5) In the control device described in any of (1) to (4) above, the control unit may control the multiple devices to guide the occupant to a state corresponding to multiple phases, and the priority may differ depending on the multiple phases.

[0021] This configuration makes it possible to ensure sufficient power for calculation while guiding the occupant into various states according to the phase.

[0022] (6) In the control device described in (5) above, the multiple phases may include a relaxation phase that induces the occupant into a relaxed state, a sleep phase that induces the occupant into a sleep state, and an awakening phase that induces the occupant into an awakening state.

[0023] This configuration allows the occupant to be woken up in a comfortable state.

[0024] (7) In the control device according to any one of (1) to (6) above, the plurality of devices may include video devices, audio devices, and lighting devices.

[0025] According to this configuration, it is possible to operate the video equipment, audio equipment, and lighting equipment while ensuring the computing power.

[0026] (8) In the control device according to any one of (1) to (7) above, the control unit may lower the threshold value as the period of use of the battery becomes longer.

[0027] Since the rated power of a battery decreases with age, if the threshold is fixed, there is a possibility that the computing power cannot be secured when the power is below the threshold. With this configuration, the threshold is lowered according to the period of use, so even if the battery deteriorates with age, it is possible to prevent a decline in the functions required for safe autonomous driving.

[0028] (9) In the control device described in (8) above, the control unit may initialize the threshold value when detecting replacement of the battery.

[0029] According to this configuration, the threshold value before the battery replacement is initialized after the battery replacement, so that it is possible to prevent the operations of a plurality of devices from being unnecessarily restricted after the battery replacement.

[0030] (10) In the control device described in (9) above, the memory unit may store the maximum power of the battery when fully charged over time, and the control unit may detect the need to replace the battery when the maximum power when fully charged increases by a predetermined value or more compared to the maximum power when fully charged in the past.

[0031] This configuration makes it possible to accurately detect that the battery has been replaced.

[0032] (11) In the control device described in any of (1) to (10) above, the control unit may increase the number of devices among the plurality of devices whose operation is restricted as the power margin of the computing power relative to the threshold value decreases.

[0033] This configuration can prevent the operations of multiple devices from being unnecessarily restricted even when there is a power surplus.

[0034] (12) In the control device described in any of (1) to (11) above, the acquisition unit acquires route information indicating the travel route of the mobile body from a navigation device, and the control unit predicts, based on the route information, whether the mobile body will travel from a highway to a general road after a predetermined time, and if it predicts that the mobile body will travel on the general road, may start restricting the operation of the multiple devices before the mobile body reaches the general road.

[0035] Ordinary roads require more computing power than expressways. With this configuration, if it is predicted that the vehicle will travel on an ordinary road in a predetermined time, restrictions on the operation of multiple devices will begin before the vehicle reaches the ordinary road, thereby preventing a situation in which the vehicle is unable to secure computing power after entering the ordinary road.

[0036] (13) In the control device described in any one of (1) to (12) above, the acquisition unit may acquire route information indicating the travel route of the moving body, and the control unit may determine the travel path of the moving body based on the route information, and restrict the operation of at least one of the multiple devices based on the priority, which differs depending on the travel path.

[0037] This configuration makes it possible to avoid situations where the power required for calculations cannot be secured, regardless of the road on which the mobile object is traveling.

[0038] (14) In the control device described in any of (1) to (12) above, the acquisition unit may acquire at least one of status information regarding the state or running of the moving body and surrounding information regarding the surroundings of the moving body, and the control unit may change the priority according to at least one of the status information and the surrounding information.

[0039] According to this configuration, it is possible to determine appropriate priorities for multiple devices based on at least one of the status information and the surrounding information, and it is possible to avoid a situation where the computing power cannot be secured regardless of the road on which the mobile body is traveling.

[0040] (15) Another aspect of the present disclosure is a control method in a control device that controls the power of a mobile body having a battery, which acquires power consumption information indicating the computing power required for autonomous driving of the mobile body, determines whether the computing power is equal to or greater than a threshold, and if it is determined that the computing power is equal to or greater than the threshold, restricts the operation of at least one of a plurality of devices based on priority information stored in a memory unit, where the priority information indicates the priority of the operation of the plurality of devices installed on the mobile body that consume the power.

[0041] This configuration provides a control method that can prevent the functions required for safe autonomous driving from failing.

[0042] (16) In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a control program causes a computer to function as a control device that controls the power of a mobile body having a battery, acquires power consumption information indicating the computing power required for autonomous driving of the mobile body, determines whether the computing power is equal to or greater than a threshold, and if it is determined that the computing power is equal to or greater than the threshold, restricts the operation of at least one of a plurality of devices based on priority information stored in a memory unit, where the priority information indicates the priority of the operation of the plurality of devices installed on the mobile body that consume the power.

[0043] This configuration provides a control method that can prevent the functions required for safe autonomous driving from failing.

[0044] The present disclosure can also be realized as a control system operated by such a control program. Needless to say, such a computer program can be distributed on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or via a communication network such as the Internet.

[0045] Note that each of the embodiments described below represents a specific example of the present disclosure. The numerical values, shapes, components, steps, and step orders shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in the independent claims that represent the highest concept are described as optional components. Furthermore, in all of the embodiments, the respective contents can be combined.

[0046] First Embodiment FIG. 1 illustrates the electrical configuration of a control system 300 to which a control device 30 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is applied. The control system 300 uses a video device 101, an audio device 102, a lighting device 103, and a diffuser 104 to create an interior environment for a vehicle 200 and guide the occupants of the vehicle 200 to an appropriate state. The vehicle 200 is an autonomous vehicle that uses artificial intelligence technology. In this embodiment, the vehicle 200 is an electric vehicle that runs on power from a battery (not shown). However, the vehicle 200 is not limited to an electric vehicle, and may be a hybrid vehicle, as long as it is an autonomous vehicle. The vehicle 200 may be an autonomous vehicle or a vehicle equipped with an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), for example. In this case, the vehicle 200 does not have to be an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and may be a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle. In the following description, the occupants are assumed to be people sitting in the back seats. The battery (not shown) is a rechargeable secondary battery. The computing power, which will be described later, may be the power required for processing by the ADAS.

[0047] The control system 300 includes a control device 30, a video control device 40, a sound control device 50, a lighting control device 60, a scent control device 70, and a plurality of devices 100. The control device 30 is configured as a computer including a central processing unit (CPU) and storage devices such as ROM and RAM, and includes an acquisition unit 31, a determination unit 32, a control unit 33, and a storage unit 34.

[0048] The acquisition unit 31 acquires power consumption information indicating actual power consumption, including the computational power required for autonomous driving of the mobile object 200, from the battery measurement unit 10. In this embodiment, the actual power consumption is the total power of the computational power and the power consumption of the multiple devices 100. The actual power consumption is measured by the battery measurement unit 10. The acquisition unit 31 also stores the maximum power of the battery when fully charged, measured by the battery measurement unit 10, in the storage unit 34.

[0049] The acquisition unit 31 acquires route information indicating the travel route of the mobile object 200 from the navigation device 20. The route information is information indicating the route that the mobile object 200 should actually travel from the departure point to the destination. The departure point refers to the point where the mobile object 200 is located when the navigation device 20 receives an instruction to start route guidance from the driver. The destination refers to the destination of the mobile object 200 input into the navigation device 20 by the driver.

[0050] The acquisition unit 31 acquires biometric data of the occupant from a biometric sensor 90. The biometric sensor 90 is, for example, a smart watch worn by the occupant. An example of the biometric data is heart rate data of the occupant.

[0051] The determination unit 32 determines whether the actual power consumption is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0052] When the control unit 33 determines that the actual power consumption is equal to or greater than the threshold, it restricts the operation of at least one of the multiple devices 100 based on the priority indicated by the priority information stored in the memory unit 34. In this embodiment, the threshold is the rated power of the battery. The rated power of the battery refers to the power that can be secured even for a battery with a lower limit of variation in the manufacturing process. Note that the threshold may be the maximum power that can be used in a continuous operating state at a rated ambient temperature. When the control unit 33 determines that the actual power consumption acquired by the acquisition unit 31 is less than the threshold, it does not restrict the operation of the multiple devices 100. The control unit 33 controls the multiple devices 100 to guide the occupant to a state corresponding to the multiple phases. The priority differs depending on the multiple phases.

[0053] The multiple phases that can be adopted include a relax phase, a sleep phase following the relax phase, and a wake phase following the sleep phase. The relax phase is a phase that guides occupants into a relaxed state. The sleep phase is a phase that guides occupants into a sleeping state. The wake phase is a phase that guides occupants into a wakeful state. By performing the relax phase and the sleep phase in this order, occupants can get a good night's sleep. Furthermore, by performing the sleep phase and the wakefulness phase in this order, occupants can be woken up in a refreshed state. This allows occupants to be active after arriving at their destination.

[0054] The control unit 33 may lower the threshold value as the battery is used for a longer period of time. The control unit 33 may initialize the threshold value when detecting a battery replacement. The storage unit 34 stores the maximum power of the battery when fully charged over time. The control unit 33 detects a battery replacement when the maximum power of the battery when fully charged increases by a predetermined value or more compared to the maximum power of the battery when fully charged in the past. For example, the maximum power of the battery when fully charged in the past may be the maximum power of the battery when fully charged immediately before the current value of the maximum power of the battery when fully charged, or may be the average value of the maximum power of the battery when fully charged up to several times before the current value of the maximum power of the battery when fully charged. The predetermined value may be a predetermined value that indicates that the battery has been replaced. The maximum power of the battery when fully charged decreases over time. Therefore, when the battery is replaced, the maximum power of the battery when fully charged increases rapidly. Therefore, when the maximum power of the battery when fully charged increases significantly, it is possible to detect that the battery has been replaced. The maximum power of the battery when fully charged refers to the power that the battery can output when fully charged.

[0055] The control unit 33 controls the operations of the devices 100 according to the multiple phases. For example, the control unit 33 determines content for the relax phase, content for the sleep phase, and content for the wakefulness phase from the departure point to the arrival at the destination, and outputs control signals to the video control unit 40 to the scent control unit 70 to control the devices 100 so that the determined content is played.

[0056] The storage unit 34 stores priority order information and the maximum power when the battery is fully charged. The storage unit 34 also stores video data, audio data, dimming patterns, scent data, and the like for reproducing each content.

[0057] 2 is a diagram showing the data structure of the priority information 401. The priority information 401 stores a plurality of phases and the priorities of a plurality of devices 100 in each phase in association with each other. In this example, the priorities are divided into three levels, "1" to "3," with the smaller the number, the higher the priority.

[0058] In order to induce a passenger into a relaxed state, the most important factors are video, audio, and then lighting and fragrance. Therefore, in the relaxation phase, the video device 101 has the highest priority, the audio device 102 has the second highest priority, and the lighting device 103 and the diffuser 104 have the third highest priority.

[0059] The most important factors in inducing the occupant into a sleep state are sound, video, and then lighting and fragrance. Therefore, in the sleep phase, the audio device 102 has the highest priority, the video device 101 has the second highest priority, and the lighting device 103 and the diffuser 104 have the third highest priority.

[0060] The most important factors in guiding the occupant into an alert state are lighting and fragrance, followed by sound, and then video. Therefore, in the alert phase, the lighting device 103 and the diffuser 104 are given the highest priority, the audio device 102 is given the second highest priority, and the video device 101 is given the third highest priority.

[0061] 2, "with margin" refers to a state in which the actual power consumption is less than a threshold, and "no margin" refers to a state in which the actual power consumption is equal to or greater than the threshold. In either phase, the device 100 with the highest priority is not powered off. In either phase, if there is "margin," the devices 100 with the second and third priorities are powered on, and if there is "no margin," the devices 100 with the second and third priorities are powered off.

[0062] Referring back to Fig. 1, the battery measurement unit 10, the navigation device 20, and the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 80 are devices that are standard equipment of the mobile object 200.

[0063] The battery measurement unit 10 includes a wattmeter, an ammeter, a voltmeter, a thermometer, etc. that measure actual power consumption, and measures the state of the battery, such as actual power consumption, SOC (State of Charge), maximum power when fully charged, remaining capacity, current, and voltage.

[0064] The navigation device 20 includes a display, a processor, a map information storage unit, etc., and calculates the driving route of the mobile object 200 from a starting point to a destination using a known route search technology. Based on the calculated driving route, the navigation device 20 displays the driving route of the mobile object 200 from the current position to the destination, the remaining driving time, the remaining driving distance, etc. on the display. In the example of FIG. 1 , the navigation device 20 is shown as being equipped in the mobile object 200, but this is just one example, and the navigation device 20 may be configured as application software on a mobile information terminal of a passenger. The mobile information terminal is a tablet computer or a smartphone.

[0065] The ECU 80 is composed of a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) and controls devices mounted on the mobile object 200, such as the engine, brakes, power steering, airbags, power windows, air conditioning, key locks, sliding doors, and wipers. Furthermore, the ECU 80 executes a process for autonomously driving the mobile object 200 using artificial intelligence technology. This process detects obstacles and roads from images of the surroundings of the mobile object 200 captured by an on-board camera, and controls the mobile object 200 so that the mobile object 200 avoids the obstacles and travels on the designated road. The power consumed by this process is the aforementioned computing power. The computing power may also include power required for controlling the engine, brakes, and other components for autonomous driving.

[0066] The video control unit 40 is composed of a drive circuit that drives the video equipment 101, and controls the operation of the video equipment 101 in accordance with control signals from the control device 30. These control signals include trigger signals that indicate the start timing of each phase, video data for playing video content corresponding to the phase, and instruction signals that instruct the video equipment 101 to be turned on or off.

[0067] The acoustic control unit 50 is composed of a drive circuit (e.g., an amplifier) ​​that drives the acoustic equipment 102, and controls the operation of the acoustic equipment 102 in accordance with control signals from the control device 30. These control signals include a trigger signal, acoustic data for playing audio content according to the phase, and an instruction signal for instructing the acoustic equipment 102 to be on or off.

[0068] The lighting control unit 60 is composed of a drive circuit that drives the lighting devices 103, and controls the operation of the lighting devices 103 in accordance with control signals from the control device 30. The control signals include a trigger signal, dimming data for dimming the lighting devices 103 with a dimming pattern according to the phase, and an instruction signal for instructing the lighting devices 103 to be on or off.

[0069] The scent control unit 70 is composed of a drive circuit that drives the diffuser, and controls the operation of the diffuser 104 according to control signals from the control device 30. This control signal includes a trigger signal, scent data for causing the diffuser 104 to output a scent according to the phase, and an instruction signal for instructing the diffuser 104 to be on or off.

[0070] The video device 101 is configured, for example, by a transparent display, and displays an image for guiding the occupant to a state according to the phase under the control of the control device 30. A transmissive organic EL display can be used as the transparent display.

[0071] The acoustic device 102 is configured by, for example, a speaker, and outputs a sound to guide the occupant into a state according to the phase under the control of the control device 30 .

[0072] Under the control of the control device 30, the lighting device 103 adjusts the light inside the vehicle 200 to guide the occupants to a state according to the phase.

[0073] Under the control of the control device 30, the diffuser 104 diffuses a scent inside the vehicle 200 to guide the occupants into a state according to the phase.

[0074] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the interior of a vehicle 200 equipped with a control system 300. FIG. 3 shows the interior of the vehicle as viewed from behind the rear seats toward the direction of travel. The video equipment 101 is installed between the front and rear seats to separate the front and rear spaces of the vehicle interior. The lighting equipment 103 includes a lighting equipment 103a installed above the video equipment 101 and a pair of lighting equipment 103b and 103c installed on the ceiling. The lighting equipment 103a is installed between the ceiling of the vehicle 200 and the video equipment 101 so that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the horizontal direction. The lighting equipment 103a to 103c are configured, for example, with linear LEDs. The lighting equipment 103b is installed on the left edge of the ceiling, and the lighting equipment 103c is installed on the right edge of the ceiling. The audio equipment 102 includes a pair of left and right speakers, and is installed on both sides of the lighting equipment 103a. Because the video device 101 is a transparent display, the view ahead of the vehicle 200 passes through the windshield of the vehicle and the video device 101. This allows passengers in the back seats to view the view ahead of the vehicle 200 while also viewing the video content displayed by the video device 101.

[0075] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of the control device 30 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In step S1, the control unit 33 starts the content. The control unit 33 starts the content when, for example, the acquisition unit 31 acquires a signal from the navigation device 20 indicating the start of route guidance. The content is output in the order of the relax phase, sleep phase, and wake phase, and the content for the relax phase starts first. In detail, the control unit 33 outputs a trigger signal indicating the start of the relax phase to the multiple devices 100, and also outputs video data indicating a video of the relax phase to the video control unit 40, audio data indicating a sound of the relax phase to the audio control unit 50, dimming data for the relax phase to the lighting device 103, and aroma data for outputting a fragrance for the relax phase to the diffuser 104. The video, audio, dimming pattern, and aroma output in each phase are predetermined. Therefore, the video data, audio data, dimming data, and aroma data output by the control unit 33 serve as signals for reproducing and generating the predetermined video, audio, dimming pattern, and aroma.

[0076] Next, in step S2, the acquisition unit 31 acquires power consumption information indicating actual power consumption from the battery measurement unit 10. The acquisition unit 31 acquires the actual power consumption in real time at a predetermined sampling rate.

[0077] Next, in step S3, the control unit 33 executes a phase determination process. The phase determination process is a process for determining whether or not to end the current phase. If it is determined that the current phase should be ended (YES in step S3), the control unit 33 ends the current phase and changes to the next phase (step S4). If it is not determined that the current phase should be ended (NO in step S3), the process proceeds to step S5.

[0078] The control unit 33 may switch the phase when a predetermined time has elapsed in each phase. Note that if the current phase is the awakening phase, there is no next phase, and therefore the determination result of the phase determination process is NO.

[0079] Next, in step S5, the determination unit 32 determines whether the actual power consumption indicated by the power consumption information acquired in step S2 is equal to or greater than a threshold. If the actual power consumption is equal to or greater than the threshold (YES in step S5), there is no margin for actual power consumption, and the control unit 33 restricts the operation of the multiple devices 100 according to the priorities indicated in the priority information 401 (step S7). In this case, as shown in the "No Margin" section in FIG. 2, in both phases, the device 100 with the second highest priority and the device 100 with the third highest priority are turned off, and only the device 100 with the first highest priority is turned on. When the processing of step S7 is completed, the processing proceeds to step S6.

[0080] On the other hand, if the actual power consumption is less than the threshold value (NO in step S5), there is a margin for the actual power consumption, so no operational restriction is imposed on the devices 100, and the process proceeds to step S6. In this case, as shown in "Margin" in Fig. 2, all devices 100 with the first to third priorities are turned on in both phases.

[0081] Next, in step S6, the control unit 33 determines whether or not to end the content. For example, the control unit 33 may end the content at a predetermined end timing, such as when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the awakening phase or when the mobile object 200 has arrived at the destination. On the other hand, if it is determined not to end the content (NO in step S6), the process returns to step S2, power consumption information is acquired again, and the processes from step S2 onward are executed.

[0082] Next, a process for changing the threshold value will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a process for changing the threshold value according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. This process may be executed, for example, whenever moving object 200 is used, or may be executed periodically, such as once a day.

[0083] First, in step S21, the acquisition unit 31 acquires from the battery measurement unit 10 the current value of the remaining capacity of the battery when fully charged.

[0084] Next, in step S22, the control unit 33 calculates the current value of the battery's deterioration rate by dividing the current value of the remaining capacity at full charge by the default value of the battery's remaining capacity. As the battery deteriorates over time, the remaining capacity at full charge decreases. Therefore, as the battery deteriorates over time, the deterioration rate decreases. The default value of the battery's remaining capacity is pre-stored in the memory unit 34.

[0085] Next, in step S23, the control unit 33 calculates the extent of decrease in the deterioration rate by subtracting the current value of the deterioration rate from the deterioration rate when the threshold value was last updated. Note that if the threshold value has never been updated, the control unit 33 may calculate the extent of decrease in the deterioration rate by subtracting the current value of the deterioration rate from the default value (100%) of the deterioration rate.

[0086] Next, in step S24, the control unit 33 determines whether the decrease is equal to or greater than the reference decrease amount. If it is determined that the decrease is equal to or greater than the reference decrease amount (YES in step S24), the control unit 33 updates the threshold by decreasing the threshold by a predetermined threshold decrease value (step S25). On the other hand, if it is determined that the decrease is less than the reference decrease amount (NO in step S24), the process ends.

[0087] 5, the threshold value is gradually decreased as the deterioration rate of the mobile object decreases. This allows the threshold value to be set taking into account the deterioration of the battery over time, thereby preventing a situation in which the power consumption of multiple devices 100 results in a shortage of computing power even when the actual power consumption is less than the threshold value.

[0088] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether the battery has been replaced according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0089] First, in step S31, the control unit 33 acquires the current value of the maximum power when the battery is fully charged from the storage unit 34. Next, in step S32, the control unit 33 calculates the increase amount of the maximum power by subtracting the previous maximum power when the battery was fully charged from the current value of the maximum power. For example, the control unit 33 may calculate the increase amount of the maximum power by subtracting the previous maximum power from the current value of the maximum power.

[0090] Next, in step S33, the control unit 33 determines whether the increase is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If the increase is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (YES in step S33), the control unit 33 determines that the battery has been replaced (step S34). On the other hand, if the increase is less than the predetermined value (NO in step S33), the control unit 33 determines that the battery has not been replaced (step S36), and ends the process.

[0091] Next, in step S35, the control unit 33 resets the threshold value because the battery has been replaced. This resets the threshold value to the default value. Therefore, even though the battery has been replaced, it is possible to prevent the operation of the multiple devices 100 from being unnecessarily restricted by adopting the threshold value according to the deterioration rate of the battery before replacement.

[0092] As described above, according to the first embodiment, when it is determined that the actual power consumption including the computational power required for autonomous driving of the mobile object 200 is equal to or greater than the threshold, the operations of the plurality of devices 100 are restricted based on the priority order. This ensures that the computational power required for autonomous driving is available, and prevents the failure of functions for safe autonomous driving.

[0093] (Embodiment 2) In embodiment 2, the travel route of a moving object 200 is predicted and operation restrictions on a plurality of devices 100 are imposed in advance. Note that in embodiment 2, the same components as in embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted. Also, in embodiment 2, the block diagram of FIG. 1 is adopted.

[0094] 7 is a flowchart illustrating the process in which the control system 300 in the second embodiment restricts the operation of a plurality of devices 100. The processes in steps S11 to S14 are the same as the processes in steps S1 to S4 in FIG.

[0095] In step S15, the control unit 33 acquires route information from the starting point of the mobile object 200 to the destination and the current position of the mobile object 200 from the navigation device 20 via the acquisition unit 31, and determines whether the mobile object 200 will be traveling on an expressway or on an ordinary road after a predetermined time using the acquired route information and current position. The route information includes information indicating which sections are expressways and which sections are ordinary roads. An expressway is a road without traffic lights or intersections, regardless of whether or not there is a toll. An ordinary road is a road other than an expressway. The predetermined time can be any appropriate value, such as 1 minute, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes.

[0096] The control unit 33 calculates a predicted arrival position on the travel route of the mobile object 200 after a predetermined time from the current position, and if the predicted arrival position is located on a section of an expressway, determines that the mobile object will be traveling on the expressway after the predetermined time (Expressway in step S15). On the other hand, if the predicted arrival position is located on a section of an ordinary road, the control unit 33 determines that the mobile object 200 will be traveling on an ordinary road after the predetermined time (Ordinary road in step S15).

[0097] If it is determined that the mobile body 200 will be traveling on a highway after a predetermined time (highway in step S15), the processing proceeds to step S17, and if it is determined that the mobile body 200 will be traveling on a public road after a predetermined time (public road in step S15), the processing proceeds to step S16.

[0098] The processes of steps S16, S17, and S18 are the same as steps S5, S6, and S7 in FIG. 4 . Because there are no traffic lights, intersections, or pedestrians on expressways, the computing power required for autonomous driving is reduced compared to ordinary roads. Therefore, on expressways, computing power can be secured without restricting the operation of the multiple devices 100. Therefore, if step S15 determines that the road is an expressway, the process proceeds to step S17. On the other hand, ordinary roads require higher computing power than expressways, so there is a possibility that computing power cannot be secured unless the operation of the multiple devices 100 is restricted according to the actual power consumption. Therefore, if step S15 determines that the road is an ordinary road, the process proceeds to step S16. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is possible to restrict the operation of the multiple devices 100 in advance before entering an ordinary road, thereby avoiding a situation where computing power is not secured when entering an ordinary road. Furthermore, because the operational restrictions on the multiple devices 100 are released in advance before entering an expressway, a longer period during which the operation of the multiple devices 100 is not restricted can be secured, thereby further enhancing the effect of the content on the occupants.

[0099] The present disclosure can employ the following modifications.

[0100] (1) The control unit 33 may increase the number of devices among the plurality of devices 100 that are subject to operational restriction as the power margin relative to the threshold value of actual power consumption decreases. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of priority order information 402 in modification (1). FIG. 8 differs from FIG. 2 in that the items "Margin" and "No Margin" are omitted. In FIG. 8, the priorities of the plurality of devices 100 for each phase are the same as those in FIG. 4.

[0101] The control unit 33 calculates the power margin of the actual power consumption by subtracting the actual power consumption from the threshold value. The control unit 33 determines which of the predetermined margin categories "0" to "2" the calculated power margin falls into. The margin categories "0" to "2" indicate a smaller power margin as the value increases. The margin category "2" indicates that the actual power consumption is greater than the threshold value and the power margin is negative. If the power margin falls into the margin category "2," the control unit 33 turns off the devices 100 with the second and third priorities in each phase. If the power margin falls into the margin category "1," the control unit 33 turns off the device 100 with the third priority in each phase. If the power margin is the margin category "0," there is sufficient power margin, and the control unit 33 does not restrict the operation of the devices 100 with the first to third priorities. This configuration prevents the operation of multiple devices 100 from being unnecessarily restricted despite a power margin.

[0102] (2) The power consumption information may indicate only the computing power. This aspect is applicable when the battery measurement unit 10 is configured to provide computing power. In this case, the power consumption information indicates the computing power, and the determination unit 32 determines whether the computing power is equal to or greater than a threshold. Furthermore, when it is determined that the computing power is equal to or greater than a threshold, the control unit 33 may restrict the operation of at least one device among the multiple devices 100 based on the priority order.

[0103] (3) The control system 300 may be provided in front of an auxiliary seat of the vehicle. In this case, the occupant is the person sitting in the auxiliary seat.

[0104] (4) In step S3 of FIG. 4 , the phase may be switched using biological information. If the current phase is the relaxation phase, the control unit 33 determines whether the occupant is in a relaxation state using the biological signal acquired from the biological sensor 90. If it is determined that the occupant is in a relaxation state, the control unit 33 transitions to the sleep phase. If the current phase is the sleep phase, the control unit 33 determines whether the occupant is in a sleeping state using the biological signal acquired from the biological sensor 90. If it is determined that the occupant is in a sleeping state, the control unit 33 transitions to the wakefulness phase. If the current phase is the wakefulness phase, there is no next phase, so the determination result of the phase determination process is NO. The control unit 33 may determine whether the occupant is in a relaxation state or a sleeping state by extracting HF and LF components from the spectrum of the biological signal. The LF component mainly indicates sympathetic nervous activity, and the HF component mainly indicates parasympathetic nervous activity. The control unit 33 can determine whether the occupant is in a relaxation state or a sleeping state based on the relationship between the HF and LF components.

[0105] (5) In the above embodiment, roads are divided into two categories: expressways and general roads. However, general roads may be further divided into residential roads and roads other than residential roads. In this case, even if the general road is the same, if it is predicted that the vehicle will travel on a residential road after a predetermined time, the operation of more devices may be restricted than when traveling on a non-residential road. A residential road refers to a road in a residential area, such as a road in a residential area that is off a main road. When traveling on a residential road, compared to when traveling on a non-residential road, there are more situations where it is necessary to respond to passing oncoming vehicles and pedestrians or vehicles suddenly appearing from blind spots such as around corners, resulting in increased computing power. Furthermore, instead of dividing roads into expressways and general roads, there may be two categories: residential roads and other roads. In this case, residential roads correspond to general roads, and roads other than residential roads correspond to expressways.

[0106] (6) The priority order may include devices ranked fourth or lower. For example, the priority order of the lighting device 103 may be set to third, and the priority order of the diffuser 104 may be set to fourth. The devices 100 may also include devices other than the video device 101, the audio device 102, the lighting device 103, and the diffuser 104. For example, the devices 100 may include a vibration device that provides vibrations to the occupants, and an air conditioning device that controls the temperature in the vehicle cabin and provides local airflow to the occupants.

[0107] In addition, in the present embodiment, the occupant is described as a person sitting in the back seat, but the occupant may be a person sitting in the front seat or may be the driver of the vehicle. Even when the occupant is the driver of the vehicle, the same configuration may be adopted except that the sleep phase is excluded from the phases.

[0108] (7) The control unit 33 may determine the number of devices 100 whose operation is to be limited based on the power consumption of each of the devices 100, which are prioritized and included in the actual power consumption. For example, if the actual power consumption is greater than the threshold and the power margin is negative, the operation of the device 100 with the third highest priority is turned off, thereby subtracting the power consumption of the device 100 from the actual power consumption. As a result, if the actual power consumption falls below the threshold and a power margin is created, the operation of the device 100 with the second highest priority is not limited. Conversely, if the power margin is still negative even after the operation of the device 100 with the third highest priority is turned off, the operation of the device 100 with the second highest priority is turned off. Because the power consumption of each of the multiple devices 100 may differ, this configuration allows the operation of the devices 100 to be more appropriately limited based on the priority and the power consumption of each device 100.

[0109] (8) The computational power indicated by the power consumption information may be a predicted value of computational power. Furthermore, the actual power consumption indicated by the power consumption information may be a predicted value of actual power consumption. For example, the manufacturer of the mobile object 200 may prohibit the provision of power consumption information to external devices due to circumstances. In this case, the acquisition unit 31 may not be able to acquire power consumption information from the battery measurement unit 10. Therefore, in this modification, the control device 30 is provided with a predicted value calculation unit that calculates a predicted value of computational power or a predicted value of actual power consumption. The predicted value calculation unit calculates a predicted value of computational power or a predicted value of actual power consumption based on route information acquired from the navigation device 20 and location information indicating the current location of the mobile object 200, and provides power consumption information indicating the predicted value of computational power or the predicted value of actual power consumption to the acquisition unit 31.

[0110] (9) The mobile body 200 may be a mobile body that can switch between autonomous driving and manual driving. In this case, when switching between autonomous driving and manual driving, priorities different from the priorities described in Figures 2 and 8 may be applied to the multiple devices 100. Specific examples of application of different priorities will be described later. The mobile body 200 may be a mobile body that is equipped with an image recognition sensor (such as a LiDAR or radio wave sensor) and performs autonomous or semi-autonomous driving.

[0111] (10) In the second embodiment, the control unit 33 determines whether the moving object 200 is traveling on a highway or an ordinary road after a predetermined time has elapsed. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0112] For example, the control unit 33 may determine whether the mobile body 200 is currently traveling on a highway or a public road based on traveling speed information indicating the traveling speed of the mobile body 200, current location information indicating the current location, map information, etc.

[0113] With this configuration, the control unit 33 can determine the travel road even when route information for the mobile object 200 is not set in the navigation device 20. As a result, the control unit 33 can restrict the operation of the multiple devices 100 in real time according to the determined travel road.

[0114] (11) In the example of Fig. 8, the priorities of the devices 100 are defined for each phase, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the priorities of the devices 100 may be defined for each road.

[0115] For example, if the predicted current road of travel of the moving body 200 is a "highway," the first priority is given to video equipment, the second priority is given to audio equipment, and the third priority is given to lighting and diffusers. For example, if the predicted current road of travel of the moving body 200 is a "general road," the first priority is given to audio equipment, the second priority is given to video equipment, and the third priority is given to lighting and diffusers. If the predicted current road of travel of the moving body 200 is a "community road," the first priority is given to audio equipment, the second priority is given to audio equipment, and the third priority is given to video equipment.

[0116] (12) The acquisition unit 31 may further acquire surrounding information related to the surroundings of the mobile object 200. The control unit 33 may dynamically change the priority of the multiple devices 100 in accordance with the surrounding information. That is, in the second embodiment, the priority is fixed (static) according to the road, but the control unit 33 may set different priorities even for the same road in accordance with at least one of the state information and the surrounding information.

[0117] The surrounding information includes, for example, information about other moving bodies around the moving body 200, information about pedestrians and obstacles around the moving body 200, information indicating the state and congestion of roads around the moving body 200, information about driving restrictions on roads around the moving body 200, and weather information around the moving body 200. The acquisition unit 31 may acquire the surrounding information from a server, a database, or the like via a network. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 31 may acquire the surrounding information through a sensor mounted on the moving body 200. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 31 may acquire the surrounding information from traffic infrastructure around the moving body 200 through V2X communication. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 31 may acquire the surrounding information from other moving bodies, etc. through V2X communication.

[0118] When it is determined that the mobile object 200 is traveling or is scheduled to travel on a "general road," and the surrounding information indicates, for example, that there are many other mobile objects and pedestrians around the mobile object 200, the computing power becomes higher than normal. In this case, even when traveling on a "general road," the control unit 33 may change the priorities of the multiple devices 100 in the same way as when traveling on a "community road."

[0119] Conversely, when it is determined that the mobile object 200 is traveling on a "community road" and the surrounding information indicates, for example, that there are few other mobile objects or pedestrians around the mobile object 200, the computing power is likely to be reduced more than usual. In this case, even when traveling on a "community road," the control unit 33 may change the priority of the multiple devices 100 in the same way as when traveling on a "public road."

[0120] In this way, by dynamically setting the priority according to the surrounding information, it is possible to more appropriately restrict the operation of the device 100.

[0121] (13) The acquisition unit 31 may acquire status information regarding the status of the mobile object 200 instead of or in addition to the surrounding information. In this case, the control unit 33 may control the device 100 in accordance with the status information in the same manner as in the case of the surrounding information. The status information includes information regarding the running status of the mobile object 200, such as information regarding starting and stopping of the mobile object 200, speed information, and turning information. The status information may also include information regarding the status of the wipers and lights, etc. Furthermore, the status information may include information regarding road noise generated as the mobile object 200 runs.

[0122] For example, when the control unit 33 determines that the mobile object 200 is traveling on a "general road," if the state information indicates that the number of starts and stops per hour of the mobile object 200 is higher than a threshold, the control unit 33 increases the calculation power more than usual. In this case, even when traveling on a "general road," the control unit 33 may change the priorities of the multiple devices 100 in the same way as when traveling on a "community road."

[0123] Conversely, when it is determined that the mobile object 200 is traveling on a "community road," if the state information indicates that the number of starts and stops per unit time of the mobile object 200 is lower than the threshold, the computing power becomes lower than normal. In this case, even when traveling on a "community road," the control unit 33 may change the priorities of the multiple devices 100 in the same way as when traveling on a "public road."

[0124] For example, the control unit 33 may assume a case where it is determined that the mobile object 200 is traveling on a "general road," the state information indicates that the number of starts and stops per hour of the mobile object 200 is higher than a threshold, and the surrounding information indicates, for example, that there are many other mobile objects and pedestrians around the mobile object 200. In this case, even when traveling on a "general road," the control unit 33 may change the priorities of the multiple devices 100 in the same way as when traveling on a "community road."

[0125] Conversely, it is assumed that when it is determined that the mobile object 200 is traveling on a "community road," the state information indicates that the number of starts and stops per unit time of the mobile object 200 is lower than the threshold value, and the surrounding information indicates, for example, that there are few other mobile objects and pedestrians around the mobile object 200. In this case, even when traveling on a "community road," the control unit 33 may change the priority of the multiple devices 100 in the same way as when traveling on a "public road."

[0126] (14) For example, when the mobile object 200 is traveling on a "community road," there may be few other mobile objects and pedestrians around the mobile object 200. In this case, the mobile object 200 can secure more computing power than when traveling normally on a community road. Instead of changing the priority, the control unit 33 may change the degree (upper limit) of device control for the multiple devices 100 to the extent that more computing power can be secured.

[0127] Changing the degree of device control corresponds to, for example, setting the maximum configurable value of brightness or luminance of the video device 101 higher, setting the maximum configurable value of the playback volume of the audio device 102 higher, or setting the maximum configurable value of the illuminance of the lighting device 103 higher.

[0128] With this modification, for example, when there is a margin of computational power, the operation of the device 100 is not restricted, and the upper limit of the playback volume of the audio device 102 can be increased so that audio data can be played at a louder volume. This further enhances the effect that the content has on the occupants. Note that the control unit 33 may increase the gain of the playback volume instead of setting a high upper limit.

[0129] When there are few other moving bodies and pedestrians around the moving body 200 traveling on the "community road" and the calculation power can be secured, the control unit 33 may set a high upper limit value for the playback volume of the audio device 102. Furthermore, when the status information indicates that road noise is high, the control unit 33 may set a high upper limit value for the playback volume of the audio device 102.

[0130] The technology of the present disclosure is useful in the technical field of in-vehicle devices.

Claims

1. A control device for controlling the power of a mobile body having a battery, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires power consumption information indicating the arithmetic power required for autonomous driving of the mobile body; a storage unit that stores priority information indicating the priority of operations of a plurality of devices installed in the mobile body and consuming the power; a determination unit that determines whether the arithmetic power is equal to or greater than a threshold value; and a control unit that, when it is determined that the arithmetic power is equal to or greater than the threshold value, restricts the operation of at least one of the plurality of devices based on the priority.

2. The power consumption information indicates actual power consumption, the actual power consumption is the total power of the arithmetic power and the power consumption of a plurality of devices, the determination unit determines whether the actual power consumption is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and the control unit restricts the operation of the plurality of devices when it is determined that the actual power consumption is equal to or greater than the threshold value. The control device according to claim 1.

3. The threshold value is the rated power of the battery. The control device according to claim 2.

4. When it is determined that the actual power consumption is less than the threshold value, the control unit does not restrict the operation of the plurality of devices. The control device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The control unit controls the plurality of devices to guide a passenger to a state corresponding to a plurality of phases, and the priority is different according to the plurality of phases. The control device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The plurality of phases include a relaxation phase for guiding the passenger to a relaxed state, a sleep phase for guiding the passenger to a sleeping state, and a wake-up phase for guiding the passenger to a waking state. The control device according to claim 5.

7. The plurality of devices include a video device, an audio device, and a lighting device. The control device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The control unit decreases the threshold value as the usage period of the battery becomes longer. The control device according to claim 1 or 2.

9. When the control unit detects replacement of the battery, the control unit initializes the threshold value. The control device according to claim 8.

10. The storage unit stores the maximum power at full charge of the battery over time, and the control unit detects replacement of the battery when the maximum power at full charge has increased by a predetermined value or more with respect to the maximum power at full charge in the past. The control device according to claim 9.

11. The control unit increases the number of devices whose operations are restricted among the plurality of devices as the power margin with respect to the threshold value of the calculated power decreases. The control device according to claim 1 or 2.

12. The acquisition unit acquires route information indicating the travel route of the moving body from a navigation device, and the control unit predicts whether the moving body will travel from an expressway to an ordinary road after a predetermined time based on the route information. When it is predicted that the moving body will travel on the ordinary road, the control of the operations of the plurality of devices is started until the moving body reaches the ordinary road. The control device according to claim 1 or 2.

13. The acquisition unit acquires route information indicating the travel route of the moving body, and the control unit determines the travel lane of the moving body based on the route information and restricts the operation of at least one of the plurality of devices based on different priorities according to the travel lane. The control device according to claim 1 or 2.

14. The acquisition unit acquires at least one of state information related to the state or travel of the moving body and surrounding information related to the surroundings of the moving body, and the control unit changes the priority according to at least one of the state information and the surrounding information. The control device according to claim 1 or 2.

15. A control method in a control device for controlling the power of a moving body having a battery, the method including: acquiring power consumption information indicating the calculated power required for autonomous travel of the moving body; determining whether the calculated power is equal to or greater than a threshold value; when it is determined that the calculated power is equal to or greater than the threshold value, restricting the operation of at least one of a plurality of devices based on priority information stored in a storage unit, the priority information indicating the priority of the operations of the plurality of devices installed in the moving body and consuming the power. Control method. A control program that causes a computer to function as a control device for controlling the power of a mobile body having a battery, the control program obtaining power consumption information indicating the arithmetic power required for autonomous driving of the mobile body, determining whether or not the arithmetic power is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and when it is determined that the arithmetic power is equal to or greater than the threshold value, restricting the operation of at least one of a plurality of devices based on priority information stored in a storage unit, the priority information indicating the priority of the operation of the plurality of devices installed in the mobile body and consuming the power.

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