In-vehicle wireless communication device

Abstract

An in-vehicle wireless communication device (10) comprises: a position information acquisition unit (13) that acquires position information indicating the position of a vehicle (1); a storage unit (14) that stores software; an update unit (16) that updates the software stored in the storage unit (14); and a wireless communication unit (11) that wirelessly communicates with a server (90). The update unit (16) requests, from the server (90), data for update corresponding to the position indicated by the position information via the wireless communication unit (11), and updates the software using the data for update acquired from the server (90).

Description

In-vehicle wireless communication device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle wireless communication device.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 discloses an OTA master that controls software updates for electronic control units installed in vehicles. This OTA master includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a controller. The transmitter transmits location information indicating the vehicle's location to a center. The receiver receives from the center a distribution package encrypted at the security level of the area in which the vehicle is located based on the location information. The controller controls software updates for the electronic control units to be updated based on the distribution package received by the receiver.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-005670

[0004] Although Patent Document 1 describes software updates for electronic control units, it does not describe software updates for OTA masters, so there is room for improvement in this regard.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide a technique that enables software of an in-vehicle wireless communication device to be updated based on the vehicle's location.

[0006] The in-vehicle wireless communication device of the present disclosure is an in-vehicle wireless communication device that is mounted on a vehicle and communicates wirelessly with an external server, and includes a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the location of the vehicle, a memory unit that stores software, an update unit that updates the software stored in the memory unit, and a wireless communication unit that communicates wirelessly with the server, wherein the update unit requests update data corresponding to the location indicated by the location information from the server via the wireless communication unit, and updates the software using the update data acquired from the server.

[0007] The technology according to the present disclosure can update software of an in-vehicle wireless communication device based on the location of the vehicle.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle wireless communication device of a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a correspondence table. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a first process performed by a control circuit of the in-vehicle wireless communication device of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a second correspondence table. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a second process performed by a control circuit of the in-vehicle wireless communication device of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process performed by a control circuit of the in-vehicle wireless communication device of the second embodiment.

[0009] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

[0010] [1] An in-vehicle wireless communication device that is mounted on a vehicle and communicates wirelessly with an external server, comprising: a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the location of the vehicle; a memory unit that stores software; an update unit that updates the software stored in the memory unit; and a wireless communication unit that communicates wirelessly with the server, wherein the update unit requests update data corresponding to the location indicated by the location information from the server via the wireless communication unit, and updates the software using the update data acquired from the server.

[0011] The in-vehicle wireless communication device acquires vehicle location information using a location information acquisition unit. The update unit requests update data corresponding to the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit from a server, and updates the software using the update data acquired from the server. In other words, the in-vehicle wireless communication device can update its own software based on the vehicle's location.

[0012] [2] The in-vehicle wireless communication device described in [1] is provided with a judgment unit that performs a judgment process to determine whether the software stored in the memory unit corresponds to the location indicated by the location information, and the update unit requests the update data from the server and updates the software using the update data obtained from the server when the judgment unit determines that the software does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information.

[0013] The update unit of the in-vehicle wireless communication device requests update data when the software does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information and an update is necessary, so that the in-vehicle wireless communication device can efficiently request update data.

[0014] [3] The in-vehicle wireless communication device described in [2], wherein the memory unit stores a correspondence table indicating the correspondence between regions and the types of the software, and the determination unit determines whether the software corresponds to the location indicated by the location information based on the correspondence table and the location information.

[0015] The determination unit of the in-vehicle wireless communication device uses the correspondence table to determine whether the software corresponds to the position indicated by the position information, thereby simplifying the determination process.

[0016] [4] The in-vehicle wireless communication device described in [2] or [3], wherein the determination unit repeatedly performs the determination process while the vehicle is traveling, and the update unit, when the determination unit determines that the software does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information, requests the update data from the server and updates the software using the update data obtained from the server.

[0017] The in-vehicle wireless communication device repeatedly performs the determination process while the vehicle is traveling, so when the vehicle enters a different region while traveling, it can update the software to one compatible with that region. Moreover, the in-vehicle wireless communication device determines by itself whether a software update is necessary and requests update data from the server when necessary, so that the communication process with the server can be reduced compared to a configuration in which the server is repeatedly required to determine whether a software update is necessary.

[0018] [5] An in-vehicle wireless communication device according to any one of [2] to [4], further comprising a communication unit that communicates with an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle, wherein the update unit is capable of updating in-vehicle device software of the in-vehicle device via the communication unit, wherein the determination unit determines whether the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device corresponds to the position indicated by the location information, and wherein, when the determination unit determines that the in-vehicle device software does not correspond to the position indicated by the location information, the update unit requests second update data corresponding to the position indicated by the location information from the server via the wireless communication unit, and updates the in-vehicle device software using the second update data obtained from the server.

[0019] The in-vehicle wireless communication device also determines whether the in-vehicle device software needs to be updated based on the vehicle location, so that the in-vehicle wireless communication device can efficiently request the second update data for the in-vehicle device software.

[0020] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] 1. First embodiment 1-1. Overview of vehicle 1 A vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 is equipped with an in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 and an in-vehicle device 50. The in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 is a device that wirelessly communicates with a server 90 external to the vehicle 1 via a communication network 91. The communication network 91 is, for example, the Internet. The in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 communicates with the in-vehicle device 50. The in-vehicle device 50 is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), a camera, a monitor, or the like.

[0021] 1-2. Software Update The in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 includes a wireless communication unit 11, a GPS receiver 12, a location information acquisition unit 13, a storage unit 14, a determination unit 15, and an update unit 16. The location information acquisition unit 13, the storage unit 14, the determination unit 15, and the update unit 16 constitute a control circuit 20. The control circuit 20 is constituted by, for example, a microcomputer. In other words, the location information acquisition unit 13, the storage unit 14, the determination unit 15, and the update unit 16 are constituted by, for example, a microcomputer.

[0022] The wireless communication unit 11 is an interface for wireless communication between the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 (more specifically, the control circuit 20) and the server 90 via the communication network 91. The wireless communication unit 11 communicates with the server 90 wirelessly.

[0023] The GPS receiver 12 receives signals from GPS satellites to measure the current location. The GPS receiver 12 outputs location information indicating the current location. The location information is, for example, information indicating the latitude and longitude of the current location.

[0024] The position information acquisition unit 13 acquires the position information output from the GPS receiver 12. As a result, the position information acquisition unit 13 acquires the position information indicating the current position of the vehicle 1.

[0025] The storage unit 14 stores software to be executed by the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 (more specifically, the CPU of the control circuit 20). Multiple types of software are prepared corresponding to regions. The region may be a country or a region other than a country. The storage unit 14 stores software corresponding to the region in which the vehicle 1 is located. The software initially stored in the storage unit 14 may be stored before the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 is installed in the vehicle 1, or may be downloaded from the server 90 after installation.

[0026] The determination unit 15 performs a determination process to determine whether or not the software stored in the storage unit 14 corresponds to the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 13. For example, the determination unit 15 determines whether or not the software stored in the storage unit 14 corresponds to the region to which the location indicated by the location information belongs.

[0027] The storage unit 14 stores map data. The determination unit 15 identifies the area to which the location indicated by the location information belongs, based on the map data and the location information.

[0028] The storage unit 14 described above stores a correspondence table indicating the correspondence between regions and types of software. The determination unit 15 determines whether the software corresponds to the location indicated by the location information based on the correspondence table and the location information. The determination unit 15 identifies the region corresponding to the software stored in the storage unit 14 based on the correspondence table and the location information. The determination unit 15 determines whether the region corresponding to the software stored in the storage unit 14 matches the region to which the location indicated by the location information belongs. If the region corresponding to the software stored in the storage unit 14 matches the region to which the location indicated by the location information belongs, the determination unit 15 determines that the software stored in the storage unit 14 corresponds to the location indicated by the location information. If the region corresponding to the software stored in the storage unit 14 does not match the region to which the location indicated by the location information belongs, the determination unit 15 determines that the software stored in the storage unit 14 does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information.

[0029] 2 , software A corresponds to region A, software B corresponds to region B, and software C corresponds to region C. For example, if the software stored in the storage unit 14 is software A, the determination unit 15 determines that the region corresponding to the software stored in the storage unit 14 is region A. Then, if the region identified from the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 13 is region A, the determination unit 15 determines that the software stored in the storage unit 14 corresponds to the position indicated by the location information. If the region identified from the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 13 is other than region A (e.g., region B, region C, etc.), the determination unit 15 determines that the software stored in the storage unit 14 does not correspond to the position indicated by the location information.

[0030] The update unit 16 updates the software stored in the storage unit 14. When the update unit 16 determines that the software stored in the storage unit 14 corresponds to the location indicated by the location information, the update unit 16 does not request update data from the server 90 and does not update the software.

[0031] If the update unit 16 determines that the software stored in the storage unit 14 does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information, it requests update data from the server 90. The update unit 16 transmits a request signal including information indicating the region to the server 90. The server 90 stores update data corresponding to each region. Upon receiving the request signal, the server 90 replies with update data corresponding to the region identified from the request signal. The update unit 16 updates the software using the update data obtained from the server 90.

[0032] For example, the control circuit 20 starts the process shown in Fig. 3 when a start condition is met. The start condition may be, for example, that the start switch of the vehicle 1 is switched on or off, or may be another condition. The start switch may be, for example, an ignition switch or a power switch.

[0033] The control circuit 20 first acquires location information (step S11) and determines whether the software stored in the storage unit 14 corresponds to the location indicated by the location information (step S12). If the control circuit 20 determines that the software corresponds to the location indicated by the location information (Yes in step S12), it terminates the process shown in FIG. 3. If the control circuit 20 determines that the software does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information (No in step S12), it requests update data from the server 90 (step S13). After acquiring the update data from the server 90 (step S14), the control circuit 20 updates the software stored in the storage unit 14 (step S15). Then, the control circuit 20 terminates the process shown in FIG. 3.

[0034] 1-3. Updating Software for In-Vehicle Device The in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 includes a first communication unit 17. The first communication unit 17 corresponds to an example of a communication unit. The first communication unit 17 communicates with the in-vehicle device 50 via, for example, an in-vehicle network or a dedicated line. The first communication unit 17 is an interface that allows the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 (specifically, the control circuit 20) to communicate with the in-vehicle device 50.

[0035] The in-vehicle device 50 stores in-vehicle device software that it executes. A plurality of types of in-vehicle device software are prepared corresponding to regions.

[0036] The in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 also determines whether the in-vehicle device software of the in-vehicle device 50 needs to be updated based on the location information, and if necessary, requests second update data from the server 90. Then, the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 updates the in-vehicle device software via the first communication unit 17.

[0037] More specifically, the determination unit 15 performs a second determination process to determine whether or not the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50 corresponds to the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 13. For example, the determination unit 15 determines whether or not the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50 is in-vehicle device software corresponding to the region to which the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 13 belongs.

[0038] The storage unit 14 stores a second correspondence table indicating the correspondence between regions and types of in-vehicle device software. The determination unit 15 determines, based on the second correspondence table and the location information, whether the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50 corresponds to the location indicated by the location information. The determination unit 15 identifies the region corresponding to the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50 based on the second correspondence table and the location information. The determination unit 15 identifies the region to which the location indicated by the location information belongs based on map data and the location information. The determination unit 15 determines whether the region corresponding to the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50 matches the region to which the location indicated by the location information belongs. If the region corresponding to the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50 matches the region to which the location indicated by the location information belongs, the determination unit 15 determines that the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50 corresponds to the location indicated by the location information. If the area corresponding to the software for the in-vehicle device stored in the in-vehicle device 50 does not match the area to which the location indicated by the location information belongs, the judgment unit 15 judges that the software for the in-vehicle device stored in the in-vehicle device 50 does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information.

[0039] 4 , in-vehicle device software A corresponds to region A, in-vehicle device software B corresponds to region B, and in-vehicle device software C corresponds to region C. For example, when the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50 is in-vehicle device software A, the determination unit 15 determines that the region corresponding to the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50 is region A. When the region identified from the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 13 is region A, the determination unit 15 determines that the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50 corresponds to the position indicated by the position information. When the region identified from the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 13 is other than region A (e.g., region B, region C, etc.), the determination unit 15 determines that the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50 does not correspond to the position indicated by the position information.

[0040] The update unit 16 updates the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50. When the update unit 16 determines that the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50 corresponds to the location indicated by the location information, the update unit 16 does not request the second update data from the server 90 and does not update the in-vehicle device software.

[0041] If the update unit 16 determines that the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50 does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information, it requests second update data from the server 90. The update unit 16 transmits a second request signal including information indicating the region to the server 90. The server 90 stores second update data corresponding to each region. Upon receiving the second request signal, the server 90 replies with the second update data corresponding to the region identified from the second request signal. The update unit 16 updates the in-vehicle device software using the second update data acquired from the server 90.

[0042] For example, when a second start condition is met, the control circuit 20 starts the process shown in Fig. 5. The second start condition may be, for example, that the start switch of the vehicle 1 is switched to the ON state, that the start switch is switched to the OFF state, or some other condition.

[0043] The control circuit 20 first acquires location information (step S21) and determines whether the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device 50 corresponds to the location indicated by the location information (step S22). If the control circuit 20 determines that the in-vehicle device software corresponds to the location indicated by the location information (Yes in step S22), it terminates the process shown in FIG. 5. If the control circuit 20 determines that the in-vehicle device software does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information (No in step S22), it requests update data from the server 90 (step S23). After acquiring the update data from the server 90 (step S24), the control circuit 20 updates the in-vehicle device software stored in the storage unit 14 (step S25). Then, the control circuit 20 terminates the process shown in FIG. 5.

[0044] 1-4. Notification Function The in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 includes a second communication unit 18. The second communication unit 18 communicates with the output unit 51 and the input unit 52. The second communication unit 18 is an interface that allows the control circuit 20 to communicate with the output unit 51 and the input unit 52. The second communication unit 18 functions as an interface that outputs a signal from the control circuit 20 to the output unit 51. The second communication unit 18 also functions as an interface that inputs a signal from the input unit 52 to the control circuit 20.

[0045] The output unit 51 is configured, for example, by a speaker that outputs audio and a display that outputs visual information. The input unit 52 is configured, for example, by an operation unit that accepts input operations from the user. The operation unit is, for example, a touch panel or operation buttons. The output unit 51 and the input unit 52 are configured, for example, by a mobile terminal owned by the user or a display device installed in the vehicle 1. The communication method may be wireless communication or wired communication. The wireless communication may be, for example, short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0046] For example, when the control circuit 20 determines that the software does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information, the control circuit 20 may cause the output unit 51 to output information for confirming with the user whether or not to update the software. The control circuit 20 may update the software when user approval is confirmed based on a signal from the input unit 52. The timing at which the control circuit 20 requests update data from the server 90 may be before or after user approval is confirmed. When the software update is completed, the control circuit 20 may cause the output unit 51 to output information indicating that the update has been completed.

[0047] For example, when the control circuit 20 determines that the in-vehicle device software of the in-vehicle device 50 does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information, the control circuit 20 may cause the output unit 51 to output information for confirming with the user whether or not to update the in-vehicle device software. The control circuit 20 may update the in-vehicle device software when user approval is confirmed based on a signal from the input unit 52. The timing at which the control circuit 20 requests the second update data from the server 90 may be before or after user approval is confirmed. When the update of the in-vehicle device software is completed, the control circuit 20 may cause the output unit 51 to output information indicating that the update has been completed.

[0048] 1-5. Effects of the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 The in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 acquires the location information of the vehicle 1 by the location information acquisition unit 13. The update unit 16 requests update data corresponding to the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 13 from the server 90, and updates the software using the update data acquired from the server 90. In other words, the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 can update its own software based on the location of the vehicle 1.

[0049] The update unit 16 of the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 requests update data when the software does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information and an update is necessary. Therefore, the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 can efficiently request update data.

[0050] The determination unit 15 of the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 uses the correspondence table to determine whether the software corresponds to the position indicated by the position information, thereby simplifying the determination process.

[0051] The in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 also determines whether the in-vehicle device software of the in-vehicle device 50 needs to be updated based on the location of the vehicle 1. Therefore, the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 can also efficiently request second update data for the in-vehicle device software.

[0052] 2. Second Embodiment In the second embodiment, an example of updating software while the vehicle 1 is running will be described. The configuration of the second embodiment is the same as the configuration shown in Fig. 1 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1.

[0053] The control circuit 20 of the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 starts the process shown in Fig. 6, for example, upon startup. The control circuit 20 (e.g., the determination unit 15) first determines whether the vehicle 1 is running (step S10). The control circuit 20 may determine that the vehicle 1 is running, for example, when the start switch is in the on state, or may determine that the vehicle 1 is running when the speed of the vehicle 1 is greater than 0. If the control circuit 20 determines that the vehicle 1 is not running (No in step S10), it returns to the process of step S10. That is, the control circuit 20 repeats the process of step S10 until it determines that the vehicle 1 is running.

[0054] When the control circuit 20 determines that the vehicle 1 is traveling (Yes in step S10), it acquires the position information (step S11) and determines whether the software stored in the storage unit 14 corresponds to the position indicated by the position information (step S12). When the control circuit 20 determines that the software corresponds to the position indicated by the position information (Yes in step S12), it returns to the processing of step S10.

[0055] If the control circuit 20 determines that the software does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information (No in step S12), it requests update data from the server 90 (step S13). When the control circuit 20 acquires the update data from the server 90 (step S14), it updates the software stored in the storage unit 14 (step S15). Thereafter, the control circuit 20 returns to the processing of step S10.

[0056] That is, the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 of the second embodiment repeatedly performs the determination process while the vehicle 1 is traveling. Therefore, when the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 of the second embodiment enters a different region while the vehicle 1 is traveling, the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 can update the software to one compatible with the new region. Moreover, the in-vehicle wireless communication device 10 of the second embodiment determines by itself whether a software update is necessary and, if necessary, requests update data from the server 90. This reduces the amount of communication processing with the server 90 compared to a configuration in which the server 90 repeatedly determines whether a software update is necessary.

[0057] <Other Embodiments> The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above and in the drawings. For example, any combination of features of the above-described or below-described embodiments is possible within a range that does not contradict. Furthermore, any feature of the above-described or below-described embodiments may be omitted unless explicitly stated as essential. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments may be modified as follows.

[0058] In the second embodiment, only the software of the in-vehicle wireless communication device is updated while the vehicle is traveling. However, the in-vehicle device may be configured so that only the software for the in-vehicle device is updated while the vehicle is traveling. Alternatively, the in-vehicle wireless communication device software and the software for the in-vehicle device may both be updated while the vehicle is traveling.

[0059] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0060] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle 10 in-vehicle wireless communication device 11 wireless communication unit 12 GPS receiver 13 location information acquisition unit 14 storage unit 15 determination unit 16 update unit 17 first communication unit (communication unit) 18 second communication unit 20 control circuit 50 in-vehicle device 51 output unit 52 input unit 90 server 91 communication network

Claims

1. An in-vehicle wireless communication device that is mounted on a vehicle and communicates wirelessly with an external server, comprising: a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the location of the vehicle; a memory unit that stores software; an update unit that updates the software stored in the memory unit; and a wireless communication unit that communicates wirelessly with the server, wherein the update unit requests update data corresponding to the location indicated by the location information from the server via the wireless communication unit, and updates the software using the update data acquired from the server.

2. An in-vehicle wireless communication device as described in claim 1, further comprising a judgment unit that performs a judgment process to judge whether the software stored in the memory unit corresponds to the location indicated by the location information, and when the judgment unit determines that the software does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information, the update unit requests the update data from the server and updates the software using the update data obtained from the server.

3. The in-vehicle wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein the memory unit stores a correspondence table indicating the correspondence between regions and the types of software, and the determination unit determines whether the software corresponds to the location indicated by the location information based on the correspondence table and the location information.

4. The in-vehicle wireless communication device according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the determination unit repeatedly performs the determination process while the vehicle is traveling, and the update unit, when the determination unit determines that the software does not correspond to the location indicated by the location information, requests the update data from the server and updates the software using the update data obtained from the server.

5. An in-vehicle wireless communication device according to claim 2 or claim 3, further comprising a communication unit that communicates with an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle, wherein the update unit is capable of updating in-vehicle device software of the in-vehicle device via the communication unit, wherein the determination unit determines whether the in-vehicle device software stored in the in-vehicle device corresponds to the position indicated by the location information, and when the determination unit determines that the in-vehicle device software does not correspond to the position indicated by the location information, the update unit requests second update data corresponding to the position indicated by the location information from the server via the wireless communication unit, and updates the in-vehicle device software using the second update data obtained from the server.

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