Position information transmission method, on-vehicle machine, and computer readable recording medium

Abstract

This position information transmission method comprises determining whether an ignition switch of a vehicle is off (S1), detecting a vibration state of an on-vehicle machine mounted on the vehicle on the basis of a detection signal of an acceleration sensor provided in the on-vehicle machine (S4, S5) when the ignition switch is off, disabling a function of the on-vehicle machine of transmitting position information measured by a positioning device provided in the on-vehicle machine when the vibration state is a predetermined state (S11), and enabling the position information transmission function when the vibration state is not the predetermined state (S10).

Description

Position Information Transmission Method, Vehicle-mounted Device, and Computer-readable Recording Medium

[0001] The present invention relates to a position information transmission method, a vehicle-mounted device, and a computer-readable recording medium.

[0002] In the position transmitting device described in Patent Document 1 below, when the transport mode is selected by operating an operation means for controlling the operation of the vehicle in a predetermined operation pattern, the transmission cycle of the vehicle position information is made longer than when the transport mode is not selected to suppress power consumption.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-37501

[0004] The transport means of a vehicle includes marine transport and land transport. In the case of marine transport, the risk of the vehicle being stolen is low, but the transport time is long. Therefore, if a vehicle being transported by marine transport transmits position information at a certain cycle, a problem of power consumption occurs. An object of the present invention is to suppress power consumption caused by transmitting position information for vehicle position tracking during the transport of a vehicle by marine transport.

[0005] In the position information transmission method according to one aspect of the present invention, it is determined whether the ignition switch of the vehicle is off. When the ignition switch is off, based on the detection signal of an acceleration sensor provided in a vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle, the vibration state of the vehicle-mounted device is detected. When the vibration state is a predetermined state, the transmission function of the position information of the vehicle-mounted device measured by a positioning device provided in the vehicle-mounted device is disabled, and when the vibration state is not the predetermined state, the transmission function of the position information is enabled.

[0006] According to the present invention, during the transport of a vehicle by marine transport, power consumption caused by transmitting position information for vehicle position tracking can be suppressed. The objects and advantages of the present invention are embodied and achieved by using the elements shown in the claims and their combinations. It should be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely illustrative and explanatory and are not intended to limit the present invention like the claims.

[0007] This figure shows a schematic configuration example of a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device of the embodiment. This is a block diagram of an example of the functional configuration of the in-vehicle device of the embodiment. This is a flowchart of an example of the location information transmission method of the embodiment.

[0008] (Configuration) Figure 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle unit of the embodiment. Vehicle 1 is equipped with the in-vehicle unit 10, various devices such as a body control unit (BCM) 11, an electronic control unit (ECU) 12, various meters 13, an airbag control unit (ACU) 14, etc., and an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system 15.

[0009] The in-vehicle unit 10 and each of the devices 11-14... are connected via an in-vehicle LAN such as V-CAN (Controller Area Network) 16 and Ethernet (registered trademark) 17, and a gateway 18, enabling them to send and receive data from each other. Similarly, the IVI system 15 and each of the devices 11-14... are also connected via an in-vehicle LAN such as V-CAN 16 and Ethernet (registered trademark) 17, and a gateway 18, enabling them to send and receive data from each other. The in-vehicle unit 10 and the IVI system 15 are connected via an in-vehicle LAN such as M-CAN 19 or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) line, enabling them to send and receive data from each other.

[0010] The in-vehicle unit 10 receives various vehicle information output from each device 11 to 14... via V-CAN 16 and Ethernet (registered trademark) 17 and gateway 18, and transmits it to an external server device 3 as vehicle data representing the operating status of the vehicle 1. Specifically, when the in-vehicle unit 10 receives vehicle information from each device 11 to 14..., it aggregates this data and transmits it via a telecommunications network 2 such as the Internet to a server device 3 such as a manufacturer's telematics server or a dealer's fault diagnosis tool. For example, the in-vehicle unit 10 may be an in-vehicle communication (IVC) device that wirelessly connects the vehicle 1 to the outside via a mobile phone network.

[0011] Furthermore, when the BCM 11 reads the state of the ignition switch (IGNSW) 21, the in-vehicle unit 10 receives an ignition signal from the BCM 11 indicating whether the ignition switch 21 is on or off. When vibration is detected while the ignition switch 21 is off, the in-vehicle unit 10 automatically starts up, and when it detects the movement of the vehicle 1 based on the position information determined by the positioning device, it transmits the position information of the vehicle 1 to the server device 3. In the following description, the function of transmitting the position information of the vehicle 1 to the server device 3 when the ignition switch 21 is off will be referred to as the "TOW function". The TOW function is an example of the "position information transmission function of the in-vehicle unit" described in the claims.

[0012] The TOW function enables tracking of vehicle 1's location by notifying the owner or their employees of the vehicle's current location in real time if vehicle 1 is moved (e.g., stolen or towed) while the owner or their employees are away from vehicle 1. Possible use cases for notifying the current location of vehicle 1 include monitoring the vehicle's current location from the vehicle production plant to the sales company before delivery to the user, and monitoring the vehicle's current location after delivery to the user, such as when the user parks vehicle 1 in a parking lot and is away from it.

[0013] There are two ways to transport Vehicle 1 from the vehicle production plant to the sales company: land transport and sea transport. When Vehicle 1 is transported by land, there is a risk of theft, but the transport time is short. For this reason, there is a high need to track the location of Vehicle 1 using the TOW function, but the power consumption of Vehicle 1's battery due to the transmission of location information by the TOW function is low. On the other hand, when Vehicle 1 is transported by sea, there is a low risk of theft, but the transport time is long. For this reason, even though there is a low need to track the location using the TOW function, frequently transmitting location information during sea transport results in a problem of high battery power consumption.

[0014] Therefore, when the ignition switch is off and the vehicle 1 is in transit at sea, the in-vehicle unit 10 disables the TOW function to suppress battery power consumption due to the transmission of location information. The in-vehicle unit 10 includes an acceleration sensor 30, a positioning device 31, a communication unit 32, a battery 33, a controller 34, and a storage device 35.

[0015] The acceleration sensor 30 detects the acceleration of the on-board unit 10 that occurs in three axial directions: the longitudinal direction, the vertical direction, and the left-right direction of the vehicle 1. The positioning device 31 is equipped with a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver and measures the current position of the vehicle 1 (i.e., the current position of the on-board unit 10) by receiving radio waves from multiple navigation satellites. The GNSS receiver may be, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. In addition to radio waves from GPS satellites, the positioning device 31 may also measure the current position of the vehicle 1 using correction information from a GPS base station installed on land.

[0016] The communication unit 32 is a communication device that enables data communication between the in-vehicle unit 10 and an external server device 3 via a telecommunications network 2. The telecommunications network 2 may be, for example, the Internet, WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), public network, LTE (Long Term Evolution), or other mobile communication networks. The communication unit 32 includes a subscriber identity module (SIM) 32a. The subscriber identity module 32a records the user identification information and telephone number of the vehicle 1, enabling the communication unit 32 to use the telecommunications network 2. For example, the subscriber identity module 32a may be an embedded SIM (eSIM) that is pre-installed in the communication unit 32.

[0017] Battery 33 is a built-in battery installed in the in-vehicle unit 10. By supplying power to the in-vehicle unit 10 from battery 33, the in-vehicle unit 10 can continue to operate even if the power supply from the vehicle's battery to the in-vehicle unit 10 is interrupted. Controller 34 is an electronic control unit that controls the operation of the in-vehicle unit 10. For example, controller 34 may be a computer equipped with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro-Processing Unit).

[0018] The controller 34 may be formed by dedicated hardware for performing the information processing described below. For example, the controller 34 may include functional logic circuits set in a general-purpose semiconductor integrated circuit. For example, the controller 20 may have a programmable logic device (PLD) such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0019] The storage device 35 may include semiconductor storage devices, magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, etc. The storage device 35 may include registers, cache memory, and memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory) used as main memory. The storage device 35 is an example of a "non-temporary computer-readable recording medium" as described in the claims. The storage device 35 includes a computer program 35a, vehicle data 35b, and a conversion table 35c. The functions of the controller 34 described below are realized, for example, by the processor executing the computer program 35a.

[0020] Vehicle data 35b is data obtained by converting vehicle information (probe information) collected from each device 11 to 14... via V-CAN 16 or Ethernet (registered trademark) 17 into a predetermined data format. Vehicle data 35b may include, for example, the mileage of vehicle 1, power status, user-operated engine on / off, air conditioner operation, door opening / closing, shift position operation, and other operation log information. Conversion table 35c is a conversion table for converting vehicle information collected from each device 11 to 14... via V-CAN 16 or Ethernet (registered trademark) 17 into vehicle data 35b.

[0021] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an example of the functional configuration of the in-vehicle device 10 of the embodiment. The in-vehicle device 10 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 40, a conversion unit 41, a data transmission unit 42, a vibration detection unit 43, a location information acquisition unit 44, a TOW function unit 45, a base station detection unit 46, a connection feasibility determination unit 47, and a status determination unit 48.

[0022] The vehicle information acquisition unit 40 acquires vehicle information (probe information) from each device 11 to 14... via V-CAN 16 or Ethernet (registered trademark) 17. The conversion unit 41 uses the conversion table 35c stored in the storage device 35 to convert the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 40 into vehicle data 35b in a predetermined data format.

[0023] The data transmission unit 42 transmits the vehicle data 35b, which has been converted from the vehicle information by the conversion unit 41, to the server device 3 via the telecommunications network 2 using the communication unit 32. The vibration detection unit 43 acquires the acceleration of the in-vehicle device 10 generated in three axial directions: longitudinal, vertical, and left-right, from the acceleration sensor 30. The vibration detection unit 43 detects vibrations occurring in the in-vehicle device 10 in the three axial directions based on the acceleration acquired from the acceleration sensor 30. The vibration detection unit 43 outputs the vibration detection results for the in-vehicle device 10 to the TOW function unit 45 and the state determination unit 48.

[0024] For example, the vibration detection unit 43 may detect the intensity and period of vibrations occurring in the in-vehicle unit 10. For example, the vibration detection unit 43 may use the acceleration [m / s²] generated in the in-vehicle unit 10 during vibration as the intensity of vibrations occurring in the in-vehicle unit 10. ２ Alternatively, the amplitude of the displacement of the in-vehicle device 10 due to vibration may be detected in [m].

[0025] The position information acquisition unit 44 acquires position information of the current position of the vehicle 1 (i.e., the current position of the in-vehicle unit 10) measured by the positioning device 31. The position information acquisition unit 44 outputs the position information acquired from the positioning device 31 to the TOW function unit 45 and the state determination unit 48. The TOW function unit 45 is a function unit that realizes the TOW function described above. Specifically, when the vibration detection unit 43 detects vibration occurring in the in-vehicle unit 10 while the in-vehicle unit 10 is stopped operating with the ignition switch 21 off, the TOW function unit 45 starts the in-vehicle unit 10.

[0026] Furthermore, the TOW function unit 45 detects whether or not the vehicle 1 is moving based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 44. When the TOW function unit 45 detects that the vehicle 1 is moving, it transmits the location information of the current location of the in-vehicle device 10 to the server device 3 via the data transmission unit 42.

[0027] The base station detection unit 46 determines whether the positioning device 31, which is a GPS receiver, can acquire correction information from a GPS base station installed on land. The base station detection unit 46 outputs the determination result to the status determination unit 48. The connection feasibility determination unit 47 determines whether the communication unit 32 can connect to the telecommunications network 2. The connection feasibility determination unit 47 outputs the determination result to the status determination unit 48.

[0028] The status determination unit 48 determines various states of the vehicle 1. For example, the status determination unit 48 determines whether the ignition switch 21 is on or off based on the ignition signal from the BCM 11. The status determination unit 48 also determines whether the transport mode of the vehicle 1 is on or off. The transport mode of the vehicle 1 is set to on before transporting the vehicle 1 by land or sea (for example, when it is shipped from the vehicle production plant), and is set to off when transport to a dealer is completed, for example. For example, the transport mode may be set by changing a flag variable prepared in the storage device 35 of the in-vehicle unit 10 to store the on / off status of the transport mode using a fault diagnosis tool connected to the in-vehicle unit 10, or it may be set by operating a switch or the like provided on the vehicle 1.

[0029] For example, the status determination unit 48 determines whether vehicle 1 is being transported by land or sea when the transport mode of vehicle 1 is ON. For example, the status determination unit 48 may determine whether vehicle 1 is being transported by land or sea when the ignition switch 21 is OFF and the transport mode is ON.

[0030] On the other hand, if the ignition switch 21 is on or the transport mode is off, the vehicle 1 is determined to be in a state where it can be delivered (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "customer mode"), and it is not necessary to determine whether it is being transported by land or sea.

[0031] The following describes the method by which the status determination unit 48 determines whether the vehicle is being transported by land or sea. In principle, the status determination unit 48 determines whether the vehicle 1 is being transported by land or sea based on the vibration detection result of the vibration detection unit 43 of the in-vehicle equipment 10.

[0032] The vibration state of the on-board unit 10 that occurs when vehicle 1 is being transported by sea has unique characteristics. For this reason, the state determination unit 48 may determine that vehicle 1 is being transported by sea when the vibration state of the on-board unit 10 is in a predetermined state, and determine that vehicle 1 is being transported by land when the vibration state of the on-board unit 10 is not in a predetermined state.

[0033] For example, the state determination unit 48 may determine whether the vibration state of the on-board unit 10 is in a predetermined state based on the vibration intensity and vibration period of the on-board unit 10. For example, the state determination unit 48 may determine that the vibration state of the on-board unit 10 is in a predetermined state (i.e., the vehicle 1 is being transported by sea) if the vibration intensity of the on-board unit 10 in any of the three axial directions (longitudinal, longitudinal, vertical, and lateral) of the vehicle 1 exceeds a first threshold Th1 and the vibration period is less than a second threshold Th2, and determine that the vibration state of the on-board unit 10 is not in a predetermined state (i.e., the vehicle 1 is being transported by land) if the vibration intensity is less than or equal to the first threshold Th1 or the vibration period is greater than or equal to the second threshold Th2.

[0034] For example, the state determination unit 48 may determine whether the vibration state of the in-vehicle unit 10 is in a predetermined state based on the acceleration as the intensity of vibration of the in-vehicle unit 10. For example, the state determination unit 48 may determine that the vibration state of the in-vehicle unit 10 is in a predetermined state when the acceleration of vibration of the in-vehicle unit 10 exceeds a first threshold Th1 (e.g., 60 mG) and the vibration period is less than a second threshold Th2 (e.g., 8 seconds).

[0035] Alternatively, for example, if the state determination unit 48 determines that the vibration intensity of the in-vehicle unit 10 exceeds the first threshold Th1 and the vibration period is less than the second threshold Th2, it may measure the vibration intensity and vibration period of the in-vehicle unit 10 again after a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) has elapsed, and calculate the change in intensity ΔI and the change in vibration period ΔC before and after the predetermined time has elapsed.

[0036] The state determination unit 48 may determine whether or not there has been a change in the vibration of the on-board unit 10 based on the change amounts ΔI and ΔC. If there is no change in the vibration of the on-board unit 10, it may determine that the vehicle 1 is being transported by sea, and if there is a change in the vibration of the on-board unit 10, it may determine that the vehicle 1 is being transported by land. This can suppress misdetermination when determining whether the transport is by sea or land based on the intensity and vibration period of the vibration of the on-board unit 10.

[0037] For example, the state determination unit 48 may determine that there is no change in the vibration of the in-vehicle unit 10 if the change amount ΔI is less than or equal to the third threshold Th3i and the change amount ΔC is less than or equal to the third threshold Th3c, and may determine that there is a change in the vibration of the in-vehicle unit 10 if the change amount ΔI is greater than the third threshold Th3i or the change amount ΔC is greater than the third threshold Th3c.

[0038] Furthermore, for example, the state determination unit 48 may, after determining that there has been no change in the vibration of the in-vehicle unit 10 based on the change amounts ΔI and ΔC of the vibration state of the in-vehicle unit 10, then determine, based on the determination result of the base station detection unit 46, whether or not the positioning device 31, which is a GPS receiver, can acquire correction information from a GPS base station (i.e., whether or not the positioning device 31 can communicate with a GPS base station). If the positioning device 31 cannot acquire correction information from a GPS base station, the state determination unit 48 may determine that the vehicle 1 is being transported by sea.

[0039] On the other hand, if the positioning device 31 can acquire correction information from a GPS base station, it will determine whether the vehicle 1 is being transported by land or sea based on the position information of the vehicle-mounted unit 10's current location measured by the positioning device 31. For example, if the vehicle-mounted unit 10's current location is at sea, it may be determined that the vehicle 1 is being transported by sea, and if the vehicle-mounted unit 10's current location is on land, it may be determined that the vehicle 1 is being transported by sea.

[0040] If the status determination unit 48 determines that vehicle 1 is being transported by land, it enables the TOW function of the TOW function unit 45. The status determination unit 48 also enables the TOW function of the TOW function unit 45 if it determines that vehicle 1 is in customer mode. As a result, when the vibration detection unit 43 detects vibrations occurring in the in-vehicle unit 10 and the current location of vehicle 1 acquired by the location information acquisition unit 44 changes, the TOW function unit 45 transmits the current location information of the in-vehicle unit 10 to the server device 3. This makes it possible to track the location of vehicle 1 even if it is moved due to theft or other reasons while being transported by land or after delivery to the user.

[0041] On the other hand, if the status determination unit 48 determines that vehicle 1 is being transported by sea, it disables the TOW function of the TOW function unit 45. For this reason, the TOW function unit 45 prohibits the transmission of location information of the current location of the in-vehicle unit 10 to the server device 3. This prevents battery power consumption caused by transmitting location information by the TOW function during long sea transport. For example, the status determination unit 48 may disable the TOW function of the TOW function unit 45 by stopping the operation of the entire in-vehicle unit 10.

[0042] The status determination unit 48 determines whether the subscriber identification module 32a of the communication unit 32 is valid (for example, whether subscriber information has been written to the eSIM), and if the subscriber identification module 32a is valid and the transport mode is on, it determines whether the vehicle 1 is being transported by land or sea. If the subscriber identification module 32a is not valid, it determines that the vehicle 1 is in customer mode and may enable the TOW function by the TOW function unit 45.

[0043] Before vehicle 1 is transported from the vehicle production plant (i.e., before sea transport), the subscriber identification module 32a is normally not activated. Therefore, under normal circumstances, the status determination unit 48 determines that vehicle 1 is in customer mode during sea transport and activates the TOW function. However, because the subscriber identification module 32a is not activated, location information is not transmitted by the TOW function. This prevents battery power consumption during sea transport.

[0044] On the other hand, when a case occurs where the subscriber identification module 32a is activated before the vehicle 1 is transported from the vehicle production factory, the state determination unit 48 determines whether it is marine transportation or land transportation as described above. Therefore, even if the subscriber identification module 32a is activated, the TOW function is disabled during marine transportation, so that power consumption of the battery during marine transportation can be prevented.

[0045] When it is determined by the above-described determination method that the vehicle 1 is being transported by marine transportation, the state determination unit 48 may determine whether the transportation means of the vehicle 1 has shifted from marine transportation to land transportation. When the transport ship transporting the vehicle 1 arrives at the local port after marine transportation and the vehicle 1 is moved from the transport ship to land after stopping, the operator turns on the ignition switch 21. Thereafter, the operator connects the fault diagnosis tool to the in-vehicle device 10 and activates the subscriber identification module 32a of the communication unit 32.

[0046] When the subscriber identification module 32a becomes valid while the ignition switch 21 is on, the in-vehicle device 10 automatically connects the communication unit 32 to the telecommunication line network 2, enabling data communication between the communication unit 32 and the server device 3. Therefore, based on the determination result of the connection availability determination unit 47, the in-vehicle device 10 determines whether the communication unit 32 can be connected to the telecommunication line network 2 (that is, determines whether the communication unit 32 can receive a radio signal from the telecommunication line network 2). When the communication unit 32 can be connected to the telecommunication line network 2 (that is, when it can receive a radio signal from the telecommunication line network 2), it may be determined that the transportation means of the vehicle 1 has shifted from marine transportation to land transportation. In this case, the in-vehicle device 10 may enable the TOW function by the TOW function unit 45.

[0047] On the other hand, when the communication unit 32 cannot be connected to the telecommunication line network 2 (that is, when it cannot receive a radio signal from the telecommunication line network 2), it is determined that the vehicle 1 is still being transported by marine transportation, and the TOW function by the TOW function unit 45 may be disabled.

[0048] (Operation) Figure 3 is a flowchart of an example of a location information transmission method according to the embodiment. In step S1, the state determination unit 48 determines whether the ignition switch 21 is ON or OFF. If the ignition switch 21 is ON (step S1: Y), the process proceeds to step S3. If the ignition switch 21 is OFF (step S1: N), the process proceeds to step S2.

[0049] In step S2, the status determination unit 48 determines whether the subscriber identification module 32a is valid and whether the transport mode of vehicle 1 is on. If the subscriber identification module 32a is valid and the transport mode is on (step S2: Y), the process proceeds to step S4. If the subscriber identification module 32a is invalid or the transport mode is off (step S2: N), the process proceeds to step S3. In step S3, the status determination unit 48 determines that vehicle 1 is in customer mode and enables the TOW function. The process then ends.

[0050] In step S4, the state determination unit 48 determines whether the acceleration generated by the vibration of the in-vehicle unit 10 exceeds the first threshold Th1. If the acceleration does not exceed the first threshold Th1 (step S4: N), the process proceeds to step S10. If the acceleration exceeds the first threshold Th1 (step S4: Y), the process proceeds to step S5.

[0051] In step S5, the state determination unit 48 determines whether the vibration period of the in-vehicle unit 10 is less than the second threshold Th2. If the vibration period is not less than the second threshold Th2 (step S5: N), the process proceeds to step S10. If the vibration period is less than the second threshold Th2 (step S5: Y), the process proceeds to step S6.

[0052] In step S6, the state determination unit 48 determines the changes in acceleration and vibration period caused by the vibration of the in-vehicle unit 10. If a change occurs in acceleration and vibration period (step S7: Y), the process proceeds to step S10. If there is no change in acceleration and vibration period (step S7: N), the process proceeds to step S8.

[0053] In step S8, the state determination unit 48 determines whether the positioning device 31 can acquire correction information from the GPS base station. If the positioning device 31 cannot acquire correction information from the GPS base station (step S8:N), the process proceeds to step S11. If the positioning device 31 can acquire correction information from the GPS base station (step S8:Y), the process proceeds to step S9.

[0054] In step S9, the state determination unit 48 determines whether the current position of the in-vehicle unit 10 is at sea or not, based on the position information of the current position of the in-vehicle unit 10 measured by the positioning device 31. If the current position of the in-vehicle unit 10 is at sea (step S9: Y), the process proceeds to step S11. If the current position of the in-vehicle unit 10 is not at sea (step S9: N), the process proceeds to step S10.

[0055] In step S10, the status determination unit 48 determines that vehicle 1 is being transported by land and enables the TOW function. The process then returns to step S4. In step S11, the status determination unit 48 determines that vehicle 1 is being transported by sea and disables the TOW function. The process then proceeds to step S12.

[0056] In step S12, the state determination unit 48 determines whether the communication unit 32 can connect to the telecommunications network 2. If the communication unit 32 cannot connect to the telecommunications network 2 (step S12:N), the process returns to step S4. If the communication unit 32 can connect to the telecommunications network 2 (step S12:Y), the process proceeds to step S13. In step S13, the state determination unit 48 determines that the means of transport for the vehicle 1 has shifted from sea transport to land transport and enables the TOW function. The process then ends.

[0057] (Effects of the embodiment) (1) In the location information transmission method, it is determined whether or not the vehicle's ignition switch is off, and if the ignition switch is off, the vibration state of the in-vehicle unit is detected based on the detection signal of the acceleration sensor installed in the in-vehicle unit, and if the vibration state is in a predetermined state, the location information transmission function of the in-vehicle unit measured by the positioning device installed in the in-vehicle unit is disabled, and if the vibration state is not in a predetermined state, the location information transmission function is enabled.

[0058] The vibration state of on-board equipment that occurs when a vehicle is being transported by sea has unique characteristics. Therefore, by disabling the on-board equipment's location information transmission function when the vibration state of the on-board equipment is in a predetermined state, the transmission of location information during sea transport can be suppressed. As a result, power consumption caused by transmitting location information for vehicle tracking can be suppressed during vehicle transport by sea.

[0059] (2) The system may determine that the vehicle is being transported by sea when the vibration state is in a predetermined state, and determine that the vehicle is being transported by land when the vibration state is not in a predetermined state. The system may disable the location information transmission function when it is determined that the vehicle is being transported by sea, and enable the location information transmission function when it is determined that the vehicle is being transported by land. This makes it possible to suppress power consumption due to the transmission of the vehicle's location information while the vehicle is being transported by sea.

[0060] (3) The vibration state may be determined based on the intensity and period of the vibration of the on-board unit. For example, the vibration state may be determined to be a predetermined state if the intensity of the vibration of the on-board unit in any of the three axial directions exceeds a first threshold and the vibration period is less than a second threshold. This allows for an accurate determination of whether the vehicle is being transported by sea or by land.

[0061] (4) After determining whether the vibration state is in a predetermined state, the change in the intensity and period of the vibration of the on-board unit may be calculated, and if the change exceeds a third threshold, it may be determined that the vehicle is being transported by land, and if the change is less than or equal to the third threshold, it may be determined that the vehicle is being transported by sea. This can suppress misjudgments when determining whether the transport is by sea or by land based on the intensity and period of vibration.

[0062] (5) After determining whether the vibration state is in a predetermined state, it may be determined whether communication between the positioning device and the land base station is possible. If communication between the positioning device and the base station is not possible, it may be determined that the vehicle is being transported by sea. If communication between the positioning device and the base station is possible, it may be determined whether the vehicle is being transported by sea or land based on the location information of the on-board unit measured by the positioning device. This allows for an accurate determination of whether the vehicle is being transported by sea or land.

[0063] (6) If it is determined that the vehicle is being transported by sea, the location information transmission function may be disabled and the operation of the on-board unit may be stopped. If it is determined that the vehicle is being transported by land, the location information transmission function may be enabled and the location information may be transmitted to an external server device. This reduces power consumption due to the transmission of location information during sea transport, where there is little risk of theft of vehicle 1, and enables location tracking during land transport, where there is a risk of theft of vehicle 1.

[0064] All examples and conditional terms set forth herein are intended for educational purposes to help the reader understand the concepts given by the inventors for the advancement of the invention and the art, and should be interpreted without limitation to the examples and conditions specifically described herein, as well as the configuration of examples relating to demonstrating the superiority and inferiority of the invention. Although embodiments of the invention are described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0065] 1...Vehicle, 2...Telecommunications network, 3...Server equipment, 10...In-vehicle unit, 11...Body control unit (BCM), 12...Electronic control unit (ECU), 13...Meter, 14...Airbag control unit (ACU), 15...In-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system, 16...V-CAN, 17...Ethernet (registered trademark), 18...Gateway, 19...M-CAN, 20...Controller, 21...Ignition switch, 30...Additional Speed ​​sensor, 31... Positioning device, 32... Communication unit, 32a... Subscriber identification module, 33... Battery, 34... Controller, 35... Storage device, 35a... Computer program, 35b... Vehicle data, 35c... Conversion table, 40... Vehicle information acquisition unit, 41... Conversion unit, 42... Data transmission unit, 43... Vibration detection unit, 44... Location information acquisition unit, 45... TOW function unit, 46... Base station detection unit, 47... Connection feasibility determination unit, 48... Status determination unit

Claims

1. A method for transmitting location information, characterized by: determining whether the ignition switch of a vehicle is off; detecting the vibration state of an in-vehicle device based on a detection signal from an acceleration sensor installed in the vehicle if the ignition switch is off; disabling the function for transmitting location information of the in-vehicle device measured by a positioning device installed in the in-vehicle device if the vibration state is a predetermined state; and enabling the function for transmitting location information if the vibration state is not the predetermined state.

2. The location information transmission method according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the vibration state is in the predetermined state, it is determined that the vehicle is being transported by sea, when the vibration state is not in the predetermined state, it is determined that the vehicle is being transported by land, the location information transmission function is disabled when it is determined that the vehicle is being transported by sea, and the location information transmission function is enabled when it is determined that the vehicle is being transported by land.

3. The location information transmission method according to claim 1, characterized in that it determines whether the vibration state is the predetermined state based on the intensity and period of the vibration of the in-vehicle unit.

4. The position information transmission method according to claim 3, characterized in that the vibration state is determined to be the predetermined state when the intensity of vibration of the in-vehicle unit in any of the three axial directions of the in-vehicle unit exceeds a first threshold and the vibration period is less than a second threshold.

5. The location information transmission method according to claim 3, characterized in that, after determining whether the vibration state is the predetermined state, the change in the intensity and period of the vibration of the in-vehicle unit is calculated, and if the change exceeds a third threshold, it is determined that the vehicle is being transported by land, and if the change is less than or equal to the third threshold, it is determined that the vehicle is being transported by sea.

6. The location information transmission method according to claim 1, characterized in that, after determining whether the vibration state is the predetermined state, it is determined whether communication between the positioning device and the land base station is possible, if communication between the positioning device and the base station is not possible, it is determined that the vehicle is being transported by sea, and if communication between the positioning device and the base station is possible, it is determined whether the vehicle is being transported by sea or by land based on the location information of the in-vehicle unit measured by the positioning device.

7. The location information transmission method according to claim 2, characterized in that, when it is determined that the vehicle is being transported by sea, the location information transmission function is disabled and the operation of the in-vehicle device is stopped, and when it is determined that the vehicle is being transported by land, the location information transmission function is enabled and the location information is transmitted to an external server device.

8. An in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a positioning device for measuring the position of the in-vehicle device; a transmitter for transmitting position information of the in-vehicle device measured by the positioning device; an acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration of the in-vehicle device; and a controller for determining whether the vehicle's ignition switch is off or not, detecting the vibration state of the in-vehicle device based on the detection signal of the acceleration sensor if the ignition switch is off, disabling the function of the transmitter to transmit the position information of the in-vehicle device if the vibration state is a predetermined state, and enabling the function of the transmitter to transmit the position information if the vibration state is not the predetermined state.

9. A non-temporary computer-readable recording medium on which a computer program for causing a computer to execute the location information transmission method described in claim 1 is recorded.

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