JP2002302015A - On-vehicle monitor, vehicle monitor method and program, record medium recording vehicle monitor program, and vehicle control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure an original function of a vehicle control device controlling a vehicle by allowing the vehicle control device to grasp the state of the vehicle during non-communicable period even if the vehicle is positioned in non- communicable place. SOLUTION: A vehicle control system is constituted by connecting an on- vehicle monitor monitoring the state of the vehicle, a terminal device setting a security mode, and a vehicle control device controlling the on-vehicle monitor device to operate according to the set security mode via a communication network. When information to be transmitted to the vehicle control device comes out in the on-vehicle monitor device (S111), a control part of the vehicle control device determines whether or not being communicable with the vehicle control device (S112). If being non-communicable, the control part allows a memory part to memorize non-transmitted information (S114), and when becoming communicable (S115 and S112), the non-transmitted information is transmitted to the vehicle control device (S113).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an on-vehicle monitoring device mounted on a vehicle, a terminal device for setting a monitoring mode (security mode) of the vehicle, and a security device set in the terminal device. The present invention relates to a vehicle management system configured to control an on-vehicle monitoring device to operate and to manage a state of a vehicle based on information transmitted from the on-vehicle monitoring device.
In particular, the present invention relates to an in-vehicle monitoring device that enables a vehicle management device to grasp the state of a vehicle during a communication disabled period even when communication between the in-vehicle monitoring device and the vehicle management device becomes unavailable. The present invention relates to a method, a vehicle monitoring program, a recording medium on which the vehicle monitoring program is recorded, and a vehicle management system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, high-quality cars, cars with a distinctive design, and four-wheel drive cars that are popular among young people have been actively sold. Such car thefts are occurring one after another, which is a headache for car owners. Therefore, a system for preventing such a vehicle from being stolen beforehand is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-2000-52932.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 23, the above system comprises a vehicle 101, a response center 102, and a mobile phone 1.
03 and the business pager 104. The vehicle 101 includes an emergency communication service device 10 for performing wireless communication between a security device 101a for detecting an abnormality of the vehicle 101 and a response center 102.
1b. The setting of the security mode in the vehicle 101 is performed by the remote controller 105.

In this configuration, when the security device 101a detects an abnormality such as opening of a car door while the security mode is ON, the security device 101a is notified to the response center 102 via the emergency communication service device 101b. . Then, the response center 10
2 notifies the mobile phone 103 and the business pager 104 of the owner of the vehicle 101 of the abnormality of the vehicle. This allows
The owner of the vehicle 101 can recognize that an abnormality has occurred in the vehicle 101, and can immediately go to a place where the vehicle 101 is parked, thereby preventing the vehicle 101 from being stolen. Becomes

[0005]

Incidentally, for example, when the vehicle 101 is parked in an underground parking lot or when the vehicle 101 is traveling in a tunnel, communication between the vehicle 101 and the response center 102 is performed. Will be cut off. In this case, it becomes impossible to transmit information on the vehicle 101 during the communication disabled period (for example, information on the presence or absence of an abnormality, position and speed) to the response center 102.

Accordingly, the response center 102
The state of the vehicle 101 during the communication disabled period cannot be grasped. The presence or absence of an abnormality in the vehicle 101 and the travel history are useful information as management information of the vehicle 101. However, if the response center 102 cannot acquire such management information, the original information of the response center 102 that manages the vehicle 101 There is a problem that the function is deteriorated.

[0007] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-240429 discloses the necessity / unnecessity of vehicle inspection and maintenance based on information from on-vehicle sensors, and possesses information on vehicle abnormality during traveling via a service center. Discloses a system for notifying a mobile phone or the like of a user. However, even in this system, no countermeasures are taken against the communication failure, and the same problem as described above occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle management system which can control the state of a vehicle during a communication disabled period even when the vehicle is located at a communication disabled location. A vehicle monitoring device, a vehicle monitoring method, a vehicle monitoring program, a recording medium on which the vehicle monitoring program is recorded, and a vehicle management system capable of ascertaining and thereby ensuring the original function of the vehicle management device. And to provide.

[0009]

An on-vehicle monitoring apparatus according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle in order to solve the above-mentioned problems.
An on-vehicle monitoring device controlled by a vehicle management device to monitor a status of a vehicle and operate in accordance with a security mode set by a terminal device, wherein a detection unit for detecting a change in the status of the vehicle, Storage means for storing information to be transmitted to the apparatus, and information detected by the detection means during the communication disabled period when the communication between the in-vehicle monitoring apparatus and the vehicle management apparatus is determined to be impossible; And a control unit for transmitting the information stored in the storage unit to the vehicle management device when communication becomes possible.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a vehicle monitoring method according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle, monitors a state of the vehicle, and operates according to a security mode set by a terminal device. A vehicle monitoring method in an in-vehicle monitoring device controlled by a vehicle management device, wherein (detecting means) detects a change in the state of the vehicle; When it is determined that communication is impossible, the information detected by the detection means during the communication disable period is stored in the storage means, and when communication becomes possible, the information stored in the storage means is transmitted to the vehicle management device. And transmitting.

According to the above configuration, if the security mode is set to OFF in the terminal device, for example, the vehicle monitoring device is controlled by the vehicle management device to perform an operation corresponding to the security mode OFF. Here, the operation corresponding to the security mode OFF is as follows.
For example, it refers to an operation in which the in-vehicle monitoring device transmits engine stop information and vehicle position information to the vehicle management device.

On the other hand, if the terminal device sets the security mode to ON, for example, the vehicle monitoring device is controlled by the vehicle management device to perform an operation corresponding to the security mode ON. Here, the operation corresponding to the security mode ON means that, for example, if the in-vehicle monitoring device detects opening / closing of a door or starting of an engine, the detection information or the position information of the vehicle is transmitted to the vehicle management device.
Refers to actions such as flashing a hazard lamp or sounding a horn as necessary.

Changes in the state of the vehicle, such as opening and closing of the doors of the vehicle and starting / stopping of the engine, are detected by detecting means of the on-vehicle monitoring device. Here, when communication becomes impossible between the on-vehicle monitoring device and the vehicle management device, the information detected by the detection unit is temporarily stored in the storage unit under the control of the control unit, and the time when the communication becomes possible Is transmitted to the vehicle management device. Thereby, the vehicle management device can grasp the change in the state of the vehicle during the communication disabled period, and can transmit the state change during the communication disabled period to the terminal device as vehicle management information. As a result, the original function of the vehicle management device that manages the state of the vehicle can be reliably ensured.

A vehicle monitoring program according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle to solve the above-mentioned problems, monitors a state of the vehicle, and operates according to a security mode set by a terminal device. A vehicle monitoring program in an in-vehicle monitoring device controlled by a management device, wherein a means for detecting a change in the state of the vehicle, and when it is determined that communication between the in-vehicle monitoring device and the vehicle management device is impossible, the The program is a program for causing a computer to function as means for transmitting the information stored in the storage means to the vehicle management device when the detected information is stored in the storage means and when communication becomes possible. .

When the computer executes the above vehicle monitoring program, the vehicle monitoring method of the present invention can be realized. This vehicle monitoring program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

A vehicle management system according to the present invention operates in accordance with the above-described on-vehicle monitoring apparatus of the present invention, a terminal device for setting a security mode, and the security mode in order to solve the above problems. As described above, a vehicle management device that controls an on-vehicle monitoring device is communicably connected via a communication network.

According to the above configuration, the vehicle management system is configured by connecting the vehicle-mounted monitoring device, the vehicle management device, and the terminal device of the present invention via the communication network. , It is possible to grasp the change in the state of the vehicle during the communication disabled period, and to transmit the state change during the communication disabled period to the terminal device as management information of the vehicle. As a result, it is possible to construct a system that can reliably secure the original function of the vehicle management device that manages the state of the vehicle.

[0018] The vehicle management system according to the present invention further comprises a mode changing device for forcibly changing the operation mode of the on-vehicle monitoring device without passing through the vehicle management device. It is characterized by.

When a vehicle management system is configured by connecting a vehicle management device, a vehicle-mounted monitoring device, and a terminal device via a communication network, communication between the vehicle management device and the vehicle-mounted monitoring device becomes impossible. There is. An example is a case where a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle monitoring device is parked in an underground parking lot where radio waves cannot reach. In this case, no matter how much the security mode setting is changed on the terminal device side, the communication between the vehicle management device and the vehicle-mounted monitoring device is disabled, so that the The in-vehicle monitoring device cannot be controlled to perform an operation according to the mode.

However, in the system of the present invention, the operation mode in the on-vehicle monitoring device can be forcibly changed without the intervention of the vehicle management device by the mode changing device (for example, a remote controller). Even if the vehicle is parked at a location, the security mode setting can be changed on the spot, and the in-vehicle monitoring device can perform an operation corresponding to the security mode ON or OFF. As a result, the user can use the present system with peace of mind even when the vehicle is parked in a place where radio waves cannot reach, and the vehicle can be parked within a range (for example, on the ground) where radio waves from the vehicle management device can reach. There is no need to limit.

[0021] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the vehicle management system according to the present invention, wherein the vehicle management device transmits management information transmitted from the on-vehicle monitoring device to the terminal device by e-mail. Wherein the detecting means of the on-vehicle monitoring device detects whether or not the door of the vehicle is locked. When the security mode is set to ON by the terminal device, the detecting means sets the door of the vehicle. When detecting that the door is not locked and the control means of the on-vehicle monitoring device transmits the information on the door lock to the vehicle management device, the management-side control means sends an e-mail message prompting the door lock. Is transmitted to the terminal device.

According to the above arrangement, when the security mode is ON, the detecting means of the on-vehicle monitoring device detects that the door of the vehicle is not locked, and when the control means transmits the fact to the vehicle management device, The management-side control means of the management device transmits an e-mail prompting the door lock to the terminal device. Thus, even when the security mode is turned on, the user of the terminal device can avoid a situation in which the vehicle is stolen due to a rudimentary mistake of forgetting to lock the door.

Note that the vehicle management system according to the present invention
The vehicle management device includes management-side control means for transmitting information transmitted from the on-vehicle monitoring device to the terminal device by e-mail, and the detection means of the on-vehicle monitoring device detects an open / closed state of a vehicle window. When the security mode is set to ON by the terminal device, the detecting means detects that the window of the vehicle is open, and the control means of the on-vehicle monitoring device opens and closes the window. When the information is transmitted to the vehicle management device, the management-side control means may transmit an e-mail to the terminal device to prompt the user to close the window.

According to the above configuration, when the security mode is ON, the detection means of the on-vehicle monitoring device detects that the window of the vehicle is open, and when the control means sends the fact to the vehicle management device, the vehicle management device The management-side control means of the device transmits an e-mail to the terminal device, which prompts the user to close the window. Thus, even when the security mode is turned on, the user of the terminal device can avoid a situation in which the vehicle is stolen due to a rudimentary mistake of forgetting to close the window.

Further, the on-vehicle monitoring device according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle, monitors the state of the vehicle, and is controlled by a vehicle management device to operate according to a security mode set by a terminal device. A monitoring device, a detection unit that detects a change in the state of the vehicle, a storage unit that stores information detected by the detection unit, a control unit that transmits information stored in the storage unit to a vehicle management device, The control means includes a time-measuring means for measuring a time period after transmitting the information, and the control means transmits the information when communication between the on-vehicle monitoring device and the vehicle management device is impossible. The configuration may be such that transmission of the same information is attempted every predetermined time after the attempted time.

The vehicle monitoring method according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle, monitors the state of the vehicle, and is controlled by a vehicle management device to operate according to a security mode set by a terminal device. A method of monitoring a vehicle in a monitoring device, the method comprising: detecting a change in the state of a vehicle (by a detecting means); storing information detected by the detecting means in a storage means; Transmitting the information stored in the means to the vehicle management device; and measuring (by the time measuring means) the time since the control means transmitted the information.
When the control means cannot communicate between the on-vehicle monitoring device and the vehicle management device, attempts to transmit the same information every time a predetermined time elapses from the time at which the transmission of the information was attempted. It may be a configuration.

A vehicle monitoring program according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle, monitors the state of the vehicle, and is controlled by a vehicle management device to operate in accordance with a security mode set by a terminal device. A vehicle monitoring program in a monitoring device, a unit for detecting a change in the state of a vehicle, a storage unit for storing detected information (by the detection unit), and transmitting information stored in the storage unit to a vehicle management device. Means, and means for measuring the time from the transmission of the information, and when communication is not possible between the vehicle-mounted monitoring device and the vehicle management device, every time a predetermined time elapses from the time at which the transmission of the information was attempted, The program may be a program for causing a computer to function as a unit that attempts to transmit the same information.

The recording medium storing the vehicle monitoring program according to the present invention may have a configuration in which the above-described vehicle monitoring program is recorded so as to be readable by a computer.

Further, the vehicle management system according to the present invention comprises:
The in-vehicle monitoring device, a terminal device for setting a security mode, and a vehicle management device that controls the in-vehicle monitoring device to operate in accordance with the security mode are communicably connected via a communication network. It may be a configuration. Further, the vehicle management system according to the present invention may further include a mode change device for forcibly changing an operation mode of the on-vehicle monitoring device without passing through the vehicle management device.

[0030]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The following is a description based on the drawings.

According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle-mounted monitoring device mounted on a vehicle for monitoring the occurrence of an abnormality in the vehicle, a terminal device for setting a security mode of the vehicle in the vehicle-mounted monitoring device, and a terminal device. The present invention relates to a vehicle management system including a vehicle management device that operates a vehicle-mounted monitoring device according to a security mode and manages a state of a vehicle based on information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted monitoring device.

Note that the above security mode is
This is a mode in which the on-vehicle monitoring device monitors the vehicle for abnormalities. Normally, when the vehicle is running, the vehicle is not stolen or vandalized, so the security mode is the terminal device or the remote control described later. Is set to OFF. On the other hand, when the owner of the car does not drive the car (when the owner parks the car and leaves for a certain period of time (for example, 15 minutes) or more), there is a danger of theft or vandalism of the car. The mode is set to ON by the terminal device or the remote controller.

[0033] In this vehicle management system, the present invention is particularly applicable to a vehicle management device that can be used to determine the state of a vehicle during a communication disabled period even when communication between a vehicle-mounted monitoring device and a vehicle management device is temporarily disabled. The feature is that the in-vehicle monitoring device is operated so as to be able to grasp. Based on this point, the system configuration of the vehicle management system, the configuration of each device configuring the system, and the operation of the system will be described below.

(1. System Configuration) FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of a vehicle management system according to the present invention. In this system, an in-vehicle monitoring device 1, a vehicle management device 2, and a terminal device 3 are communicably connected to each other via a communication network 4 such as the Internet or a public line. First,
The following is a brief description of each of these devices.

The in-vehicle monitoring device 1 is a kind of in-vehicle terminal that is mounted on a vehicle and monitors the state of the vehicle, such as whether or not an abnormality (for example, theft or vandalism) has occurred in the vehicle. Note that the above-mentioned vehicle is an expression including a movable vehicle such as a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a motorcycle, a bicycle, and the like. In the following, a passenger car (hereinafter, simply referred to as a car) is particularly assumed. explain.

The on-vehicle monitoring device 1 receives ON / OFF information of the security mode set by the terminal device 3 and registered in the vehicle management device 2, and performs an operation according to the set security mode. For example, if the door is opened or closed while the security mode is set to ON, the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 determines that there is an abnormality in the car, and sounds a horn or flashes a hazard lamp. In addition to intimidating the suspicious individual, it sends the vehicle abnormality information and the current position information of the vehicle to the vehicle management device 2.
On the other hand, if the door is opened or closed while the security mode is set to OFF, the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 does not regard such opening and closing of the door as a vehicle abnormality. Is transmitted to the vehicle management device 2.

The vehicle management device 2 registers the security mode set by the terminal device 3, transmits information of the currently registered security mode to the vehicle monitoring device 1, and sets the vehicle monitoring device 1 to the security mode. Operate accordingly. Further, the vehicle management device 2 includes the on-vehicle monitoring device 1
It also has a function of receiving information from and managing the state of the vehicle. For example, when the vehicle management device 2 receives the vehicle abnormality information from the on-vehicle monitoring device 1, the vehicle management device 2 transmits an e-mail indicating that the vehicle is abnormal to the terminal device 3 as vehicle management information, and sends the electronic mail to the terminal owner. I will let you know.

The terminal device 3 is, for example, a mobile phone or a PC (Pe
rsonal Computer) and the vehicle management device 2
The e-mail is used to confirm the current state of the vehicle (whether or not it is abnormal) with the vehicle management device 2 or to set ON / OFF of the security mode. In the following, the terminal device 3 is constituted by a mobile phone, and is a service unique to a mobile phone company.
An example in which a connection service for connecting to a server is used will be described.

By configuring such a system, the owner of the car can confirm whether or not the car has an abnormality on the terminal device 3 even while at home, for example. In addition, by configuring the terminal device 3 with a highly versatile mobile phone, anyone can easily use this system.

By the way, for example, when the vehicle is parked in an underground parking lot, or when the user parks the vehicle on the ground and the user gets underground with the terminal device 3, the vehicle-mounted monitoring device 1 and the vehicle management The communication between the device 2 or the vehicle management device 2 and the terminal device 3 is interrupted. In this case, the terminal device 3
Even if the security mode is set or changed on the side, the vehicle management device 2 cannot receive the information,
Even if the security mode information can be received and registered, the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 cannot be controlled to perform an operation according to the information. In this case, the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 cannot perform an operation according to the set security mode.

Therefore, in the present system, the remote controller 5 directly controls the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 without passing through the vehicle management device 2.
It is possible to forcibly switch the security mode, and it is possible to cope with a case where communication among the in-vehicle monitoring device 1, the vehicle management device 2, and the terminal device 3 is interrupted as described above. .

Next, a detailed configuration of each device constituting the present system will be described below.

(2. In-Vehicle Monitoring Device) FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of the in-vehicle monitoring device 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 includes a sensor 11 (detection unit), an input / output unit 12, a control unit 13 (control unit), a communication unit 14, a storage unit 15 (storage unit), A timing unit 16 (time measuring means).

The sensor 11 detects a change in the state of the vehicle, and sends a detection signal to the input / output unit 12. The change in the state of the vehicle includes the presence or absence of an abnormality in the vehicle, a change in the running state of the vehicle (for example, speed, acceleration, and position of the vehicle).
The details of the sensor 11 will be described later.

When the detection signal is input from the sensor 11, the input / output unit 12 outputs a signal corresponding to the detection signal to the control unit 13. Note that a signal input from the sensor 11 to the control unit 13 via the input / output unit 12 may be simply referred to as a detection signal from the sensor 11 below.

The control unit 13 is constituted by a microcomputer, for example, and performs an operation according to ON / OFF of the security mode registered in the vehicle management device 2.

For example, the security mode is set to ON in the vehicle management device 2 and the information is stored in the vehicle monitoring device 1.
When the control unit 13 receives a detection signal indicating a vehicle abnormality from the input / output unit 12, the control unit 13 turns on a hazard lamp or sounds a horn to intimidate a car theft. At the same time, information indicating that the vehicle has an abnormality and current position information of the vehicle are transmitted to the vehicle management device 2 via the communication unit 14.

On the other hand, the security mode is set to OFF by the vehicle management device 2 and the information is stored in the vehicle monitoring device 1.
Is transmitted to the control unit 13, the control unit 13 determines that the detection signal does not indicate the abnormality of the vehicle even if the detection signal is input from the input / output unit 12. As a result, the control unit 13
May threaten a thief as described above,
However, the travel information such as the current position information and speed information of the vehicle is transmitted to the vehicle management device 2.

The communication unit 14 controls an interface for transmitting and receiving information to and from the vehicle management device 2 or a remote controller 5 described below under the control of the control unit 13.

The storage unit 15 stores information to be transmitted to the vehicle management device 2 (for example, a detection signal from the sensor 11) when communication between the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 and the vehicle management device 2 becomes impossible. Things. For example, when a vehicle equipped with the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 enters the basement and becomes unable to communicate with the vehicle management device 2, the above information is stored in the storage unit 15 until communication becomes possible. Then, when the communication becomes possible, the information stored in the storage unit 15 is transmitted to the vehicle management device 2 at one time under the control of the control unit 13.

The storage unit 15 also stores the ID of the remote controller 5. When the remote controller 5 is used to set or change the security mode, the control unit 13
The ID transmitted from the remote controller 5 is compared with the ID stored in the storage unit 15 to authenticate the ID, and the setting or change of the security mode is performed by the remote controller 5 corresponding to the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 on a one-to-one basis. It is determined whether or not it has been performed. Therefore, the control unit 13 controls the on-vehicle monitoring device 1
When the remote controller 5 corresponding to the remote controller 5 is used, the operation according to the security mode set by the remote controller 5 is performed. When the remote controller 5 not corresponding to the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 is used, the remote controller 5 is set. Do not perform the operation according to the security mode.

The clock section 16 clocks the current date and time. Thereby, the control unit 13 can control, for example, the sensor 1
In 1, the date and time when the following various information is detected and how much time has elapsed since the detection of the various information can be grasped based on the time measurement by the timer 16.

Next, details of the sensor 11 will be described below.

The sensor 11 basically includes a sensor provided as standard equipment in a car (hereinafter referred to as a standard sensor),
These are roughly divided into two types: sensors equipped as options (hereinafter, optional sensors). The above standard sensor further includes an intrusion detection sensor and a travel detection sensor,
The above optional sensor further includes an abnormality detection sensor and a position detection sensor.

The intrusion detection sensor detects a person's intrusion into the car or an abnormal act on the car by detecting opening and closing of each door and hatch, opening and closing of the trunk, and the like. When opening and closing each door and hatch, and when opening and closing the trunk, the room lamp and the lamp in the trunk room are turned on or off. The opening and closing of the trunk can be detected.

The running detection sensor detects whether or not the vehicle is in a running state, and includes a key rotation, a battery voltage drop due to the start of a starter motor, the presence or absence of a door lock, and the like.
It is composed of various sensors that detect the position of the shift lever, the operation of the side brake, the turning on of the turn signal, the turning on of the brake lamp, the presence or absence of the seat belt, the vehicle speed pulse, and the like. The control unit 13 can calculate the speed of the vehicle by software based on the vehicle speed pulse. Also,
The running detection sensor includes a sensor that detects the start and rotation speed of the engine based on an output from a terminal generally called an L terminal, a sensor that detects a remaining amount of fuel, and a sensor that detects whether an air bag is opened. And a sensor for detecting acceleration while the vehicle is running.

The travel detection sensor can basically detect information displayed as a warning by a warning light in an instrument panel of a vehicle or information displayed by a digital meter.

The abnormality detection sensor includes a vibration sensor, a radar sensor, an acoustic sensor, a tilt sensor, a pressure sensor, an infrared sensor, and the like. The vibration sensor detects an abnormal vibration other than a vehicle running sideways or wind, and thereby can detect whether an intruder has entered the vehicle or the vehicle has been destroyed. The radar sensor detects an object that moves at a speed equal to or higher than a certain speed inside and outside the vehicle, and can detect the presence of an intruder and an approaching individual.

The acoustic sensor detects sound in a specific frequency band, and can detect whether the key has been opened, the window has been broken, or the key cylinder has been removed. The inclination sensor detects the inclination of the vehicle, and can detect whether the tire or wheel is stolen or towed. The pressure sensor detects the pressure applied to the seat or the mat, and can detect the presence or absence of an intruder in the vehicle. The infrared sensor detects the presence or absence of an intruder based on whether or not infrared light is prevented from entering the light receiving unit.

The optional sensor also includes a vehicle-mounted camera for photographing the inside of the vehicle and the outside of the vehicle.
Is sent to

In order to improve the accuracy of abnormality detection, it is desirable to increase the type and number of abnormality detection sensors, but these types and number may be determined in consideration of the request and cost of the car owner. .

The position detection sensor is, for example, a GPS (Global
Positioning System) and PHS (Personal Handyphon)
e System) using existing position detection means. By providing such a position detection sensor, the vehicle management device 2 can always grasp the current position of the vehicle based on the position information from the position detection sensor,
For example, even if a car is stolen, the car can be tracked based on the position information.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that all of the above sensors as optional sensors are provided in the vehicle.

(3. Vehicle Management Apparatus) FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration of the vehicle management apparatus 2. As shown in the figure, the vehicle management device 2 includes an input unit 21, a storage unit 22, an output unit 23, a control unit 24, a communication unit 25, and a timekeeping unit 26. The input unit 21, the storage unit 22, the output unit 23, the control unit 24, and the clock unit 26 are connected to each other via an input / output bus 27.

The input section 21 is composed of, for example, a keyboard and a mouse, and is used by an operator to input various information. For example, the correspondence between the car and its owner, the ID information of the terminal device 3 of the owner, and the like are input via the input unit 21 and stored in the storage unit 22.

The storage unit 22 stores, for example, a RAM (Random A)
c), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a hard disk, and a nonvolatile semiconductor memory. In addition to information input from the input unit 21, information received from the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 is stored in association with a reception time. I do. The storage unit 22 stores (registers) a security mode (ON or OFF) input by the terminal device 3.

The output unit 23 is, for example, a CRT (Cathode
It is composed of a display device such as a Ray Tube) or an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a printer. In-vehicle monitoring device 1
The information received from the terminal device 3, the input information from the terminal device 3, the contents stored in the storage unit 22, and the like can be confirmed by the output unit 23.

The control unit 24 is constituted by, for example, a microcomputer, controls the operation of each unit of the vehicle management device 2, and performs an operation in accordance with the security mode ON / OFF information stored in the storage unit 22. The in-vehicle monitoring device 1 is controlled as described above. In addition, the control unit 24
Based on the information transmitted from the in-vehicle monitoring device 1, control is performed to determine whether there is an abnormality in the vehicle and to transmit the determined result to the terminal device 3.

The control unit 24 performs ID authentication based on the ID information of the terminal device 3 stored in the storage unit 22 and the ID information actually transmitted from the terminal device 3, and the user of the present system Has a function of confirming whether or not is a registered person.

Here, as the ID information of the terminal device 3,
When the terminal device 3 is configured by a mobile phone, there is a telephone number of each mobile phone. In this case, by receiving the caller ID notification service in a contract with the telephone company, the vehicle management device 2
ID information unique to each mobile phone is transmitted at the same time as the access to. On the other hand, when the terminal device 3 is configured by a PC, the ID information can be transmitted by inputting ID information registered in advance from the PC side when accessing the vehicle management device 2. Note that, even when the terminal device 3 is configured by a mobile phone, ID information may be separately input.

Under the control of the control unit 24, the communication unit 25 controls the vehicle management device 2, the on-vehicle monitoring device 1, and the terminal device 3.
It manages an interface for sending and receiving information to and from. Thus, the vehicle management device 2 can wirelessly communicate information (for example, packet communication) with the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 and the terminal device 3 via the communication network 4 from the nearest base station.

The clock section 26 clocks the current date and time. The control unit 24 can grasp, for example, the date and time when the information was received from the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 by measuring the time in the timer unit 26.

(4. Terminal Device) FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration of the terminal device 3. As shown in FIG.
Includes an input unit 31, a control unit 32, a communication unit 33, a display unit 34, a speaker 35, a microphone 36, and a storage unit 37, which are connected to each other via an input / output bus 38. Have been.

The input unit 31 is constituted by buttons and switches including a numeric keypad, and transmits a signal corresponding to an operation of the user of the terminal device 3 (= owner of the car) via the input / output bus 38. To the controller 32. ON / OFF of the security mode is set by the user operating the input unit 31.

The control section 32 is constituted by, for example, a microcomputer, and controls the operation of each section according to the input contents from the input section 31. The communication unit 33 controls an interface for transmitting and receiving information between the terminal device 3 and the vehicle management device 2 under the control of the control unit 32.

The display section 34 is constituted by, for example, an LCD, and displays the operation contents of the input section 31 and various messages to be described later. The speaker 35 outputs a voice from the other side of the call. The microphone 36 captures the user's voice to be transmitted to the other party of the call. The storage unit 37 temporarily stores information (message) transmitted from the vehicle management device 2 and information input by the user.

When the terminal device 3 is constituted by a PC, the input unit 31 is constituted by a keyboard and a mouse, and the display unit 34 is constituted by an LCD and a CRT.

(5. Remote Controller) FIG. 7 shows a schematic configuration of the remote controller 5. The remote control 5 is the in-vehicle monitoring device 1
Functions as a mode change device for forcibly changing the operation mode in the first embodiment without the intervention of the vehicle management device 2. As shown in FIG.
, A communication unit 53, and a storage unit 54.

The operation unit 51 is operated in the security mode O
It is composed of buttons and switches for switching N / OFF. The control unit 52 sends information on the security mode set by the operation unit 51 to the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 via the communication unit 53. The communication unit 53 controls an interface for performing wireless or infrared communication between the remote controller 5 and the in-vehicle monitoring device 1.

The storage section 54 stores the ID of the remote controller 5. When transmitting the security mode information to the in-vehicle monitoring device 1, the control unit 52 simultaneously reads the ID from the storage unit 54 and transmits the ID to the in-vehicle monitoring device 1. This makes it possible to prevent the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 from malfunctioning due to the setting of the security mode from the remote controller 5 other than the specific ID.

(6. Operation) Next, the operation of the present system will be described. For convenience of description below, a state in which the vehicle is running is referred to as a normal state, and a state in which the owner of the vehicle does not drive the vehicle is referred to as an alert state. Therefore, the security mode ON is set corresponding to the above alert state, and the security mode OFF is set corresponding to the above normal state.

In the following, first, the transition state from the normal state to the alert state (6-1), the alert state (6-2), the transition state from the alert state to the normal state (6-3), and the normal state (6) −
Each state of 4) and the forced transition from the normal state to the monitoring state (6-5) will be described. Thereafter, the information transmission process (6-
6) will be described.

In the following description, when the terminal device 3 is used as a means for setting or changing the security mode, a caller ID notification service is used for a mobile phone, and an input from the input unit 31 is used for a PC. It is assumed that the ID of the terminal device 3 is transmitted to the vehicle management device 2, and the ID authentication is properly performed in the vehicle management device 2. When the remote controller 5 is used as a means for setting or changing the security mode, if the remote controller 5
D is transmitted to the in-vehicle monitoring device 1, and the in-vehicle monitoring device 1
D Authentication shall be performed properly.

(6-1. Transition from Normal State to Alert State) FIG. 8 shows the flow of operation of the present system in the transition state. In this transition state, it is necessary to change the security mode from OFF to ON. Therefore, when changing the security mode using the terminal device 3, the user needs to change the security mode by using the input unit 31 of the terminal device 3.
Then, the security mode ON is set and input, and the control unit 32 transmits an instruction to change the security mode from OFF to ON to the vehicle management device 2 (S1).

When the vehicle management device 2 receives the instruction from the terminal device 3 (S2), the control unit 24 of the vehicle management device 2
Changes the security mode registered in the storage unit 22 to ON, and turns the security mode ON.
Is transmitted to the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 via the communication unit 25 (S3).

When the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 receives the above information from the vehicle management device 2 (S4), the control unit 13 of the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 confirms that the above information has been received via the communication unit 14 in the sense of confirming. The data is transmitted to the vehicle management device 2 (S5), and thereafter, the process proceeds to S9 described later.

On the other hand, when changing the security mode using the remote controller 5, the user operates the operation unit 51 of the remote controller 5 to change the security mode from OFF to O.
N, and the control unit 52 transmits a security mode change instruction to the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 via the communication unit 53 (S6).

When the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 receives the above information (S7), the control unit 13 of the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 notifies the communication unit 14 that the security mode is changed from OFF to ON.
(S8).

As described above, when the security mode is turned on by the setting input from the terminal device 3 or the remote controller 5, the control unit 13 blinks the hazard lamp three times for the purpose of confirmation (S9). Thereafter, the vehicle equipped with the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 enters a warning state, and the control unit 13
An operation corresponding to the security mode ON is performed (S10).

The operation corresponding to the security mode ON refers to the on-vehicle monitoring apparatus 1 in the alert state described later.
For example, if the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 detects opening / closing of a door or starting of an engine, the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 transmits the detection information or the position information of the vehicle to the vehicle management device 2 or, in the event of an abnormality, a hazard lamp. Flashing or sounding a horn.

On the other hand, the vehicle management device 2 executes S5 or S8
Based on the response received from the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 in the above, the fact that the security mode has been turned on is transmitted to the terminal device 3 by e-mail (S11).

As described above, in the present system, the setting / change of the security mode can be performed by both the terminal device 3 and the remote controller 5, so that the vehicle monitoring device 1, the vehicle management device 2, and the terminal device 3 In the case where the communication is interrupted, the security mode can be set / changed by the remote controller 5 near the vehicle. That is, for example, even when a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 is parked in a place where radio waves from the vehicle management device 2 do not reach (for example, underground), setting / changing of the security mode in such a place is performed as desired by the user. Can be. This allows the user to use the present system with peace of mind even when the car is parked in a place where radio waves cannot reach, and to set the parking range of the car within the range of radio waves from the vehicle management device 2 (for example, on the ground). Need not be restricted to

Further, if the remote controller 5 is integrally formed with a key of a keyless entry or a passive entry, it is possible to construct a system in conjunction with locking / unlocking of a key.
Efficient operation becomes possible.

Further, by using the remote controller 5, the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 can be mounted in a place hidden from the outside in the vehicle. Thereby, the security effect can be improved.

Further, when the security mode is changed by the remote controller 5 or the terminal device 3, by using the existing hazard lamp instead of the indicator, the user can check the mode change by looking at the hazard lamp.
At this time, since existing hazard lamps are used, no new parts are required. Thus, the system can be configured at low cost. The same applies to the case where the security mode is changed using the horn.

(6-2. Alert State) Next, the operation of the present system in the alert state will be described with reference to FIG.

When the car is in the alert state, that is,
When the suspicious individual opens, for example, the door, trunk, or hatch of the car while the security mode is ON, first, the sensor 11 (intrusion detection sensor) of the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 detects such a situation ( S21). When a detection signal from the sensor 11 is input to the input / output unit 12 and a vehicle abnormality signal (a signal indicating a vehicle abnormality) based on the detection signal is input from the input / output unit 12 to the control unit 13, control is performed. The unit 13 performs control to blink the hazard lamp to intimidate the suspicious individual (S22), and then proceeds to S25.

On the other hand, for example, a suspicious person may pass through an intrusion detection sensor and enter the inside of a car. In other words, some suspicious persons enter the inside of the vehicle by blocking the operation of the intrusion detection sensor by some means and not allowing the intrusion detection sensor to detect the opening or closing of a door or the like. In this case,
As a next step, in order to steal the car, it is conceivable that a suspicious person starts the car engine by directly connecting a duplicate key or wiring.

However, the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 has a running detection sensor provided as a standard other than the above-mentioned intrusion detection sensor as the sensor 11, so that a suspicious person passes the intrusion detection sensor, and Even if the engine of the car can be started, the start of the engine can be detected by the travel detection sensor.

Therefore, when the suspicious person passes the intrusion detection sensor and rotates the car engine, the sensor 11
When the (running detection sensor) detects the start of the engine (S23), the detection signal from the sensor 11 is output to the input / output unit 1
2, the vehicle abnormality signal based on the detection signal is input from the input / output unit 12 to the control unit 13. As a result, the control unit 13 controls the sound of the horn, for example, for one minute, and the constant blinking of the hazard lamp to intimidate the suspicious individual (S24).

If the suspicious person stops the engine due to the threat, the control unit 13 immediately stops the horn from sounding, but does not stop the hazard lamp from blinking.

The detection of the abnormality in S21 and S23 may of course be performed by the optional sensor.

As described above, when a suspicious person enters the vehicle, the horn sounds or a hazard lamp blinks, so that the suspicious person can recognize that the vehicle is being monitored. As a result, the suspicious individual can be expected to give up the theft of the car, and it is possible to prevent theft of the car. You can also ring the horn,
By blinking the hazard lamp, you can complain to the people around you about the abnormality of the car, so with the help of those around you,
It becomes possible to catch the suspicious person.

Next, the control unit 13 transmits to the vehicle management device 2 via the communication unit 14 information indicating that a suspicious person has entered the car and information about the current position of the car (S2).
5). Then, the control unit 24 of the vehicle management device 2 transmits to the terminal device 3 by e-mail that there is a possibility that the suspicious person has entered the vehicle, and urges the user to confirm the vehicle (S26). Incidentally, FIG. 10 shows an example of an e-mail sent from the vehicle management device 2 to the terminal device 3 when the suspicious person opens the driver's seat side door of the car, and FIG. An example of an e-mail sent from the vehicle management device 2 to the terminal device 3 when the engine of the car is started is shown.

The user confirms the vehicle by looking at the electronic mail. If the response from receiving the e-mail to checking the car is quick, the user can catch the suspicious person on the spot. Although no suspicious person is found, if the car is abnormal, the police will be contacted immediately and other measures will be taken.

If the result of the check indicates that there is no abnormality in the car,
Open the security mode change page by linking to the link displayed in the email, and perform a reset operation. FIG. 12 shows an example of the security mode change page. By this reset operation, the control unit 24 of the vehicle management device 2 issues an instruction to the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 to stop the flashing of the hazard lamp and / or the horn, and upon receiving the instruction, the control unit 13 Stop the flashing of the hazard lamp and / or the horn.

On the other hand, as a result of checking the car, if the car has already been stolen from the place, the user issues a car tracking instruction (S27). That is, the user accesses the link displayed in the e-mail on the terminal device 3, opens the security mode change page shown in FIG. 12, and issues an instruction to confirm the current position of the car. Then, in response to the instruction, the vehicle management device 2 sends an instruction to the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 to transmit detection information (position, speed, and the like) of the sensor 11 (S28).

As a result, the control unit 13 of the on-vehicle monitoring device 1
Recognizes that the vehicle is in the tracking state, and transmits the detection information of the sensor 11 to the vehicle management device 2 while randomly sounding the horn (S29) (S30). Upon receiving the detection information, the vehicle management device 2 transmits the content to the terminal device 3. By the way, FIG.
Shows an example of a display screen of the terminal device 3 that has received the detection information.

The control unit 13 repeats the processing of S29 and S30 at predetermined time intervals (for example, every one minute) until there is an instruction to release the tracking from the vehicle management device 2 (S31, S30).
32). When receiving the instruction to cancel the tracking from the vehicle management device 2, the control unit 13 ends the series of processes described above.

Here, the operation of the vehicle management device 2 when the vehicle management device 2 receives the information from the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 in S25 described above is as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

That is, when the vehicle management device 2 receives the vehicle abnormality information and the position information from the vehicle-mounted monitoring device 1 (S4).
1) The control unit 24 of the vehicle management device 2 grasps the reception date and time based on the time measurement by the timer unit 26 (S42), and stores the reception content and the reception date and time in the storage unit 22 in association with each vehicle. (S43). Then, the control unit 24 transmits the abnormality of the car to the terminal device 3 of the car owner by e-mail (S4).
4). In this case, the mail address of the terminal device 3 is registered in the storage unit 22 in advance in association with the owner of the car,
The control unit 24 determines the time, location, content,
The contact information is transmitted to the corresponding terminal device 3 by being included in the e-mail.

The control unit 24 transmits the above-mentioned e-mail to the terminal device 3 of the car owner and transmits the above-mentioned e-mail to a terminal owned by, for example, a security company or a parking lot manager. It may be.

As described above, in the alert state, even if a car is stolen, the car can be tracked, so that the stolen car can be found early and the burglary can be caught early. it can.

By the way, in the above-mentioned car alert state, when the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 detects an abnormality of the car, it flashes a hazard lamp (S22) or sounds a horn at that time (S24, S29) The blinking of the hazard lamp and the sounding of the horn may not be performed. In this case, the stolen vehicle can be tracked without the suspicious person noticing that the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 detects the abnormality of the vehicle.

When the hazard lamp flashes or the horn is sounded, the suspicious person is shaken by this, and the driving of the suspicious person's stolen car is roughened, and the possibility of a personal injury or property damage accident increases. Also, a suspicious person may destroy a car due to sudden threats. However, it is possible to prevent the secondary damage caused by the theft of the car by swimming the suspicious person and tracking the stolen car without blinking the hazard lamp or horning the horn as described above. . Furthermore, the transportation route of a stolen vehicle can be clarified without being known to a suspicious individual, and it is possible to cope with a recent theft of a stolen vehicle by a group.

When the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 detects an abnormality in the vehicle, the control unit 13 does not immediately flash the hazard lamp or sound the horn, and sends the vehicle management device 1 When the terminal device 3 is notified through the vehicle management device 2 that an abnormality has occurred, and then receives an instruction from the user set via the terminal device 3 via the vehicle management device 2, the hazard lamp blinks. Or a horn may sound.

In this case, before intimidating the suspicious individual, the user can confirm whether or not the abnormality of the vehicle can be regarded as abnormal, and the user's carelessness can be prevented. That is, for example, if the user forgets to turn off the security mode when getting on the car, in the flowchart of FIG. Thus, such inconvenience can be avoided.

(6-3. Transition from Alert State to Normal State) Next, the operation of the present system in the transition state will be described with reference to FIG.

In this transition state, it is necessary to change the security mode from ON to OFF. Therefore, when changing the security mode using the terminal device 3, the user sets and inputs the security mode OFF from the input unit 31 of the terminal device 3, and the control unit 32.
Transmits an instruction to change the security mode from ON to OFF to the vehicle management device 2 (S51).

When the vehicle management device 2 receives the instruction from the terminal device 3 (S52), the control unit 2 of the vehicle management device 2
4 changes the security mode registered in the storage unit 22 to OFF, and transmits information that the security mode has been changed to OFF to the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 via the communication unit 25 (S53).

When the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 receives the information from the vehicle management device 2 (S54), the control unit 13 of the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 confirms that the information has been received via the communication unit 14 in the sense of confirming that the information has been received. The data is transmitted to the vehicle management device 2 (S55), and thereafter, the process proceeds to S60 described later.

On the other hand, when setting or changing the security mode using the remote controller 5, the user operates the operation unit 51 of the remote controller 5 to input the change of the security mode from ON to OFF, and the control unit 52. Transmits an instruction to change the security mode to the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 via the communication unit 53 (S56).

When the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 receives the above information (S57), the control unit 13 of the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 immediately clears the alert state (S58). This is to immediately stop the horn if it has been sounding. Thereafter, the control unit 13 transmits to the vehicle management device 2 via the communication unit 14 that the security mode is changed from ON to OFF (S59).

As described above, when the security mode is instructed to the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 by the setting input from the terminal device 3 or the remote controller 5, the control unit 13
Flashes the hazard lamp twice for the purpose of confirmation (S60). After that, the car equipped with the in-vehicle monitoring device 1
In the normal state, the control unit 13 performs an operation corresponding to the security mode OFF (S61).

The operation corresponding to the security mode OFF refers to the operation of the vehicle-mounted monitoring device 1 in a normal state, which will be described later. For example, the vehicle-mounted monitoring device 1 transmits the engine stop information and the vehicle position information to the vehicle management. An operation such as transmission to the device 2 is referred to.

On the other hand, the vehicle management device 2 determines whether S55 or S
Based on the response received from the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 in 59, the fact that the security mode has been turned off is transmitted to the terminal device 3 by e-mail (S62).

Thus, the security mode is turned on.
Can be changed by both the terminal device 3 and the remote control 5. Therefore, even in a place where radio waves from the vehicle management device 2 do not reach (for example, an underground parking lot), the remote control 5 can be used as desired by the user. The security mode can be set / changed, and the user can use this system with confidence even in an underground parking lot.

(6-4. Normal State) Next, the operation of the present system in the normal state will be described with reference to FIG.

When the vehicle is in a normal state, that is, when the security mode is OFF, the user is driving the vehicle or will be driving the vehicle. The running state of the vehicle is managed based on information from the monitoring device 1.

More specifically, first, the sensor 11 detects whether or not the engine of the vehicle has been started (S71). When the detection signal from the sensor 11 and the position information of the vehicle are input to the input / output unit 12 and the corresponding signals are input to the control unit 13 from the input / output unit 12, the control unit 13
The start of the engine and the position information of the vehicle are transmitted to the vehicle management device 2 (S72).

If the sensor 11 detects that the engine of the vehicle has stopped (Yes in S73), the control unit 13 notifies the vehicle management device 2 of the fact that the engine of the vehicle has stopped and the position information of the vehicle.
(S74).

On the other hand, if the sensor 11 does not detect the stop of the engine of the vehicle (No in S73), the control unit 13 sends all the information detected by the sensor 11 (such as the position and speed of the vehicle) to the vehicle management device 2. Is transmitted (S75), and is transmitted for a predetermined time (for example, 5
Every minute) (S76), the processing from S73 is repeated.

Here, the vehicle management device 2 having received the information from the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 performs the processing shown in FIG. That is, the vehicle management device 2 performs S72 of FIG.
At S74 and S75, detection information (information such as start / stop of the engine, position and speed of the car, etc.) from on-vehicle monitoring device 1
Is received (S81), the control unit 24 of the vehicle management device 2
Grasps the reception date and time on the basis of the timing by the clock unit 26 (S82), and associates the reception content with the reception date and time and stores it in the storage unit 22 for each vehicle (S83).

As described above, even when the vehicle is in a normal state, information about the vehicle is transmitted to the vehicle management device 2 and the vehicle management device 2 stores the information. Can be used for services other than anti-theft. For example, based on the information detected by the sensor 11, the driver's degree of accelerator pedal depression, the speed of the vehicle, the presence / absence of wearing a seat belt, and the like can be reliably known. For example, in the event of a car accident, the above information is provided to the police. By that
Early investigation of the cause of the accident can be achieved. If the above information is stored as a history for each driver, for example,
The insurance company can also make an insurance contract according to the driving details of each driver based on such history information. In addition, a simple service such as sending an e-mail to the terminal device 3 for refueling when the fuel in the vehicle is low can be realized.

(6-5. Forcible transition from the normal state to the monitoring state) Next, the forced transition from the normal state to the monitoring state will be described with reference to FIG. 18 and FIG.

For example, when the user stops the car in the normal state and leaves the car, the user forgets to turn on the security mode. That is, the user changes the monitoring state of the car from the normal state to the alert state. You may forget. However, in this system, the vehicle management device 2
8 or the in-vehicle monitoring apparatus 1 performs the processing of FIG. 19, thereby coping with such forgetting to set.

First, the processing in the vehicle management device 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

When the vehicle management device 2 receives the engine stop information from the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 in S74 of FIG. 16 (S91), the timer 26 measures a predetermined time (for example, 15 minutes) from the reception of the information (S91). S92). Here, if the vehicle management device 2 receives the instruction to change the security mode to ON from the terminal device 3 within the predetermined time, the control unit 24 changes the security mode to ON, and the control unit 24 performs the normal operation after S3 in FIG. Will be performed.

On the other hand, the vehicle management device 2
If does not receive the change instruction from the terminal device 3, the control unit 24 sends an e-mail to the terminal device 3 urging the user to change the security mode to ON (S93). Here, for example, FIG. 20 illustrates an example of a display screen of the terminal device 3 that has received the electronic mail. If the user sees the electronic mail and notices that he or she has forgotten to change the security mode, the user sets the security mode to ON at the terminal device 3 and transmits the security mode to the vehicle management device 2.

As described above, the vehicle management device 2 receives the information transmitted from the on-vehicle monitoring device 1, and measures the time from receiving the information transmitted from the on-vehicle monitoring device 1, and receives the vehicle engine stop information from the on-vehicle monitoring device 1. If there is no change in the setting of the security mode to ON by the terminal device 3 until a predetermined time elapses after that, the terminal device 3
And a control unit 24 for transmitting information urging a setting change to N. In this configuration, as described above, the control unit 24 of the vehicle management device 2 transmits an instruction to change the security mode to ON to the terminal device 3 after a predetermined time has elapsed from the stop of the engine. Can be forgotten to change, and the security mode can be changed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the user from overlooking the theft of the car due to carelessness, and the user can use this system with confidence.

By the way, when the user stops the car in a normal state and leaves the car, even if the user changes the security mode to ON, for example, if the user forgets to lock the door, You may forget to close one of the windows.

Therefore, in this case, the contents of the e-mail transmitted to terminal device 3 in S93 of FIG.
The content may be to prompt the user to lock the door or close the window. That is, after S92, the sensor 11 of the on-vehicle monitoring device 1
When the controller detects the current vehicle situation or information that is problematic at this stage (for example, forgetting to change the security mode, forgetting to lock the door, forgetting to close the window, etc.), the control unit 13
Transmits such information to the vehicle management device 2. And the control part 24 (management side control means) of the vehicle management device 2
Sends the information to the terminal device 3 by e-mail.

By performing such processing by the vehicle management device 2, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from being stolen due to a user's rudimentary mistake of forgetting to lock a door or close a window.

The processing in the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 will be described below with reference to FIG.

At S74 in FIG. 16, when the control unit 13 of the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 confirms that the engine of the vehicle has been stopped based on the information from the sensor 11 (S101), the timer unit 16 sets a predetermined time (for example, 15 Minutes) (S1)
02). If the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 does not receive an instruction to change the operation to the operation corresponding to the ON of the security mode from the vehicle management device 2 or the remote controller 5 within the predetermined time, the control unit 13 sets the security mode to the vehicle management device 2. Information for forcibly turning on is transmitted (S103). Thereafter, the control unit 13 blinks the hazard lamp three times for the purpose of confirmation, and the vehicle equipped with the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 enters the alert state (S104). As a result, the control unit 13 performs an operation corresponding to the security mode ON (S105).

As described above, the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 includes the sensor 11 for detecting a change in the state of the vehicle, and the timer 16 for measuring the time since the sensor 11 detects the engine stop of the vehicle.
Unless a change instruction to the operation corresponding to the ON of the security mode is received from the vehicle management device 2 by a predetermined time after the detection of the engine stop, the operation corresponding to the ON of the security mode is automatically performed. This is a configuration including a control unit 13 that performs the operation. In this configuration,
After a predetermined time has elapsed after the car engine is stopped, the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 automatically performs an operation corresponding to the security mode ON, so that it is possible to prevent a user from inadvertently overlooking a car theft. The user can use this system with confidence.

The vehicle management device 2 that performs the above-described processing
And the vehicle management system 1 that performs the above-described processing, the vehicle management system may be configured to include at least one of them, and both the vehicle management system 2 and the vehicle-mounted monitoring system 1 must be included. Do not mean.

(6-6. Information Transmission Processing in In-Vehicle Monitoring Device) Next, the above-mentioned (6-1) to (6-1) which are the features of the present invention.
The information transmission process in the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 in each state of (6-5) will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in the figure, regardless of ON / OFF of the security mode, the information should be transmitted to the vehicle management device 2 such as information detected by the sensor 11 (engine start / stop, vehicle position information, etc.). When information (untransmitted information) occurs in the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 (S111), the control unit 1
3 judges whether or not communication with the vehicle management device 2 is possible, that is, whether or not the vehicle is out of range (S).
112). For example, when a vehicle equipped with the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 is parked underground or when the vehicle is traveling in a tunnel, wireless communication between the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 and the vehicle management device 2 is disabled. State (the car is out of range). S1
If it is not such an out-of-service state at 12, the control unit 13
Transmits the untransmitted information to the vehicle management device 2 (S1).
13).

On the other hand, if it is out of service area in S112, control unit 13 causes storage unit 15 to store the untransmitted information (S1).
14), after a lapse of a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) (S11
5) Returning to S112 again, it is determined whether or not the state is out of service area. If the state is not out of the service area, the control unit 13
Determines that communication is possible, and transmits all the untransmitted information stored in the storage unit 15 to the vehicle management device 2 (S113).

As described above, in the vehicle management system of the present invention, when the control unit 13 determines that communication between the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 and the vehicle management device 2 is disabled, the control unit 13 detects the sensor 11 during the communication disabled period. The information is stored in the storage unit 15, and the information stored in the storage unit 15 is transmitted to the vehicle management device 2 when communication becomes possible. This allows
The vehicle management device 2 can also grasp the state of the vehicle during the communication disabled period, and can transmit the vehicle management information to the terminal device 3 including the communication disabled period. As a result, the original function of the vehicle management device 2 that manages the state of the vehicle can be reliably ensured.

When the out-of-service state continues for a long time, S1
It is also possible to gradually lengthen the predetermined time in 15 or temporarily stop the information transmission process.

The control unit 13 can also perform the processing shown in FIG. That is, first, regardless of whether the security mode is ON or OFF, information to be transmitted to the vehicle management device 2 (non-transmission information), such as detection information of the sensor 11 (engine start / stop, vehicle position information, etc.).
Occurs in the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 (S121), the control unit 13 causes the storage unit 15 to store the untransmitted information in the order of occurrence (S122). Then, the control unit 13 attempts to transmit the untransmitted information to the vehicle management device 2 from the top information (old information) (S123).

As a result, when the untransmitted information has been successfully transmitted (Yes in S124), the control unit 13 sets the storage unit 1
5 to delete the leading untransmitted information (S125), and S12.
3, the same processing as above is repeated.

On the other hand, if the untransmitted information cannot be transmitted (No in S124), control unit 13 determines that communication between vehicle-mounted monitoring device 1 and vehicle management device 2 is temporarily disabled. Judge that it is.

In this case, the control unit 13 starts a transmission retry timer (S126). That is, the control unit 13
Causes the clock unit 16 to clock a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) from the time when the control unit 13 attempts to transmit the untransmitted information. After the elapse of the predetermined time, the control unit 13 tries again the processing after S123 for the same untransmitted information as the information that was previously transmitted. The above processing is performed until the transmission of the untransmitted information stored in the storage unit 15 to the vehicle management device 2 is completed.

As described above, in the vehicle management system according to the present invention, when communication between the vehicle-mounted monitoring device 1 and the vehicle management device 2 is impossible, the control unit 13 transmits the information stored in the storage unit 15. Every time a predetermined time elapses from the time when transmission was attempted,
A configuration that attempts to transmit the same information may be used. Also in this configuration, when communication between the vehicle-mounted monitoring device 1 and the vehicle management device 2 is temporarily disabled, at least information during such a communication disabled period is secured in the storage unit 15, and the storage unit 15 The untransmitted information stored in 15 is transmitted to the vehicle management device 2 when communication becomes possible. Thereby, the vehicle management device 2 can grasp the state of the vehicle including the period during which communication is not possible, and can notify the user of the management information of the vehicle including the period during which communication is not possible to the user via the terminal device 3. it can. As a result, the original function of the vehicle management device 2 that manages the state of the vehicle can be reliably ensured.

(7. Program and Recording Medium) The processing in the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 and the vehicle management device 2 described above can be realized by a program. This program is stored in a computer-readable recording medium. In the present invention, the recording medium may be the storage units 15 and 22 or a memory (not shown) (not shown) required for the processing to be performed by the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 or the vehicle management device 2. Although not shown, a program reading device may be provided as an external storage device (not shown), and may be a program medium that can be read by inserting a recording medium therein.

In any of the above cases, the stored program may be configured to be executed by accessing a microprocessor (not shown), or the stored program may be read and the read program may be read. The program may be executed by downloading it to a program storage area that is not executed. In this case, it is assumed that the download program is stored in the main device in advance.

Here, the program medium is a recording medium configured to be separable from the main body, and is a tape system such as a magnetic tape or a cassette tape, a floppy (registered trademark).
Magnetic disk and CD-R such as disk and hard disk
Disk system of optical disk such as OM / MO / MD / DVD, card system such as IC card (including memory card) / optical card, or mask ROM, EPROM, EEP
A fixed medium including a semiconductor memory such as a ROM or a flash ROM may be a medium that carries a program.

Further, in the present invention, since the system configuration can be connected to a communication network including the Internet, the medium may be a medium that carries the program in a fluid manner so as to download the program from the communication network. When the program is downloaded from the communication network, the download program may be stored in the main device in advance or may be installed from another recording medium.

The content stored in the recording medium is not limited to a program, but may be data.

(8. Supplement) In the system of the present invention, regardless of whether the monitoring state of the vehicle is the alert state or the normal state, the on-vehicle monitoring device 1
Is constantly monitoring the condition of the car. So, for example,
When the remaining capacity of the battery of the vehicle has decreased due to the fact that the vehicle has been on alert and has not been in the vehicle for more than one month, the control unit 24 of the vehicle management device 2
Transmits to the terminal device 3 information that calls attention to the user. For example, FIG. 21 is transmitted from the vehicle management device 2,
5 is an example of a message displayed on the terminal device 3. As described above, the system of the present invention not only monitors the theft of a car but also constantly monitors the state of the car, thereby realizing a service useful to the user.

[0164] In addition to the above-mentioned battery remaining amount, the remaining amount and state of parts requiring regular maintenance (for example, worn brake pads), gasoline, oil, window washer fluid, and the like when the security mode is ON are determined. In the above, the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 also monitors, and when the remaining amount and the state become abnormal, the information is transmitted to the vehicle management device 2 and an e-mail to that effect is transmitted from the vehicle management device 2 to the terminal device 3. You may make it. in this case,
For example, even if the car is not stolen, the user of the terminal device 3 can know such an abnormality when gasoline is mischievously removed.

Further, the control unit 24 of the vehicle management device 2
The communication state with the in-vehicle monitoring device 1 is always managed.
Therefore, when a change occurs in the communication state, a message shown in FIG. 22, for example, is transmitted to the terminal device 3. At this time, as described above, a change in the communication state may occur when a vehicle equipped with the on-vehicle monitoring device 1 enters a place where radio waves cannot reach, or may occur due to generation of jamming radio waves from a third party. There are also things. Therefore, by monitoring and managing the communication state by the vehicle management device 2, it is possible to provide a system capable of reliably protecting the vehicle from theft and mischief.

Note that Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-52932 also discloses a configuration in which a data transmission / reception buffer is provided between the security device 101a and the emergency communication service device 101b in FIG. However, the data transmission / reception buffer stores data to be transmitted / received between the security device 101a and the emergency communication service device 101b, and is transmitted from the emergency communication service device 101b to the response center 102 via the communication network.
It does not store data sent to

[0167]

As described above, the on-vehicle monitoring device according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle and monitors the state of the vehicle.
An in-vehicle monitoring device controlled by a vehicle management device to operate in accordance with a security mode set by a terminal device, wherein the detection unit detects a change in the state of the vehicle and stores information to be transmitted to the vehicle management device. When it is determined that communication is not possible between the on-vehicle monitoring device and the vehicle management device, the information detected by the detection device during the communication disabled period is stored in the storage device, and the time when communication becomes possible And a control means for transmitting the information stored in the storage means to the vehicle management device.

As described above, the vehicle monitoring method according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle, monitors the state of the vehicle, and operates according to the security mode set by the terminal device. A vehicle monitoring method in an on-vehicle monitoring device controlled by a vehicle, wherein the (detection means) detects a change in the state of the vehicle, and the (control means) determines that communication between the on-vehicle monitoring device and the vehicle management device is impossible Storing the information detected by the detection means during the communication disabled period in the storage means, and transmitting the information stored in the storage means to the vehicle management device when communication becomes possible; It is the structure which has.

Therefore, when communication becomes impossible between the on-vehicle monitoring device and the vehicle management device, the information detected by the detection means is temporarily stored in the storage means under the control of the control means, and the communication is enabled. At that point, it is transmitted to the vehicle management device. Thereby, the vehicle management device can grasp the change in the state of the vehicle during the communication disabled period, and can transmit the state change during the communication disabled period to the terminal device as vehicle management information. As a result, it is possible to ensure the original function of the vehicle management device that manages the state of the vehicle.

As described above, the vehicle monitoring program according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle, monitors the state of the vehicle, and is controlled by the vehicle management device to operate according to the security mode set by the terminal device. A vehicle monitoring program in a vehicle-mounted monitoring device,
Means for detecting a change in the state of the vehicle, and when it is determined that communication is not possible between the on-vehicle monitoring device and the vehicle management device, the information detected during the communication disabled period is stored in the storage device, and the time when communication becomes possible The program is a program for causing a computer to function as means for transmitting the information stored in the storage means to the vehicle management device.

Therefore, there is an effect that the vehicle monitoring method according to the present invention can be realized by executing the above-described vehicle monitoring program by a computer. This vehicle monitoring program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

As described above, the vehicle management system according to the present invention includes the above-described on-vehicle monitoring device of the present invention, a terminal device for setting the security mode, and the on-vehicle monitoring device which operates in accordance with the security mode. This is a configuration in which a vehicle management device that controls the device is communicably connected via a communication network.

Therefore, the vehicle management device can grasp the state change of the vehicle during the communication disabled period based on the information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted monitoring device, and manages the vehicle state change during the communication disabled period. The information can be transmitted to the terminal device. As a result, there is an effect that it is possible to construct a system that can reliably secure the original function of the vehicle management device that manages the state of the vehicle.

As described above, the vehicle management system according to the present invention is further provided with a mode change device for forcibly changing the operation mode in the on-vehicle monitoring device without going through the vehicle management device. It is characteristic.

Therefore, the operation mode of the on-vehicle monitoring device can be forcibly changed without the intervention of the vehicle management device by the mode changing device (for example, a remote control). By changing the setting of the security mode, the in-vehicle monitoring device can perform an operation corresponding to the security mode ON or OFF. As a result, the user can use the present system with peace of mind even when the vehicle is parked in a place where radio waves cannot reach, and the vehicle can be parked within a range (for example, on the ground) where radio waves from the vehicle management device can reach. This has the effect of eliminating the need to limit.

In the vehicle management system according to the present invention, as described above, the vehicle management device includes management side control means for transmitting information transmitted from the on-vehicle monitoring device to the terminal device by e-mail. The detection means of the on-vehicle monitoring device detects whether or not the door of the vehicle is locked,
When the security mode is set to ON by the terminal device, the detecting means detects that the door of the vehicle is not locked, and the control means of the on-vehicle monitoring device transmits the information on the door lock to the vehicle. When transmitted to the management device, the management-side control means is configured to transmit an e-mail for prompting a door lock to the terminal device.

Therefore, even when the security mode is turned on, the user of the terminal device can avoid a situation in which the vehicle is stolen due to an elementary mistake of forgetting to lock the door.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of an information transmission process in an on-vehicle monitoring device included in a vehicle management system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the flow of the information transmission process.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle management system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the on-vehicle monitoring device.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a vehicle management device included in the vehicle management system.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a terminal device constituting the vehicle management system.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a remote controller constituting the vehicle management system.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of the operation of the present system when the state of the vehicle is in a transition state from a normal state to a warning state.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the operation of the present system when the state of the vehicle is in the alert state.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the content of an e-mail sent from the vehicle management device to the terminal device when the suspicious individual opens the driver's seat side door in the alert state.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the content of an e-mail sent from the vehicle management device to the terminal device when the suspicious individual starts the car engine in the alert state.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a security mode change page displayed on the terminal device when accessing a link included in the electronic mail in the alert state.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of sensor detection information received by the terminal device from the on-vehicle monitoring device via the vehicle management device when the vehicle is in the tracking state in the alert state. .

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an operation flow in the vehicle management device that receives information from the on-vehicle monitoring device in the alert state.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a flow of the operation of the present system when the state of the vehicle is in a transition state from the alert state to the normal state.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a flow of the operation of the system when the vehicle is in a normal state.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an operation in the vehicle management device that receives information from the vehicle-mounted monitoring device in the normal state.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a flow of operations in the vehicle management device when a user forgets to change the setting of the security mode from OFF to ON at the terminal device.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an operation flow in the on-vehicle monitoring device when the user forgets to change the setting of the security mode from OFF to ON at the terminal device.

FIG. 20 illustrates a case where the user forgets to change the setting of the security mode from OFF to ON on the terminal device.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the content of an e-mail transmitted from the vehicle management device to the terminal device and urging the user to change the security mode to ON.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a message transmitted from the vehicle management device and displayed on the terminal device when the remaining capacity of the battery of the car is running low.

FIG. 22 is transmitted from the vehicle management device when a change occurs in a communication state between the vehicle management device and the on-vehicle monitoring device;
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a message displayed on the terminal device.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional system for preventing theft of a car.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle-mounted monitoring device 2 vehicle management device 3 terminal device 4 communication network 5 remote control (mode change device) 11 sensor (detection unit) 13 control unit (control unit) 15 storage unit (storage unit) 16 timer unit (timekeeping unit) 24 control Unit (management side control means)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G08B 25/10 G08B 25/10 D G08G 1/13 G08G 1/13 (72) Inventor Shinichi Mukaikawa Kyoto 801 Shimodoji-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto Shimogido Higashi-iri Minami Fudo-do Town OMRON Corporation F-term (reference) GG70 5H180 AA01 BB05 BB15 BB17 CC12 EE08 FF05 FF22 FF25 FF32

Claims (7)

[Claims] An on-vehicle monitoring device mounted on a vehicle for monitoring a status of the vehicle and controlled by a vehicle management device to operate in accordance with a security mode set by a terminal device. Detection means for detecting a change; storage means for storing information to be transmitted to the vehicle management device; and when the communication between the in-vehicle monitoring device and the vehicle management device is determined to be impossible, the detection means performs the communication during the communication disabled period. Control means for storing the detected information in the storage means and transmitting the information stored in the storage means to the vehicle management device when communication becomes possible. . 2. A vehicle monitoring method for a vehicle-mounted monitoring device which is mounted on a vehicle, monitors a state of the vehicle, and is controlled by a vehicle management device to operate according to a security mode set by a terminal device. Detecting the state change of the vehicle, and when it is determined that communication is not possible between the on-vehicle monitoring device and the vehicle management device, the information detected during the communication disabled period is stored in the storage means, and the communication becomes possible. Transmitting the information stored in the storage means to the vehicle management device at a point in time. 3. A vehicle monitoring program for a vehicle-mounted monitoring device mounted on a vehicle, monitoring a state of the vehicle, and controlled by a vehicle management device to operate according to a security mode set by a terminal device. Means for detecting a change in the state of the vehicle, and when it is determined that communication is not possible between the on-vehicle monitoring device and the vehicle management device, the information detected during the communication disabled period is stored in the storage device, and communication becomes possible. A vehicle monitoring program, which is a program for causing a computer to function as a unit for transmitting information stored in the storage unit to the vehicle management device at a point in time. 4. A recording medium on which a vehicle monitoring program according to claim 3 is recorded so as to be readable by a computer. 5. A communication network comprising: the on-vehicle monitoring device according to claim 1; a terminal device for setting a security mode; and a vehicle management device for controlling the on-vehicle monitoring device to operate in accordance with the security mode. A vehicle management system characterized by being communicably connected via a computer. 6. The vehicle management system according to claim 5, further comprising a mode changing device for forcibly changing an operation mode of the on-vehicle monitoring device without passing through the vehicle management device. . 7. The vehicle management device includes management side control means for transmitting information transmitted from the on-vehicle monitoring device to the terminal device by e-mail, and the detection means of the on-vehicle monitoring device includes a door of the vehicle. When the security mode is set to ON by the terminal device, the detecting means detects that the door of the vehicle is not locked, and controls the vehicle-mounted monitoring device. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein when the means transmits the information on the door lock to the vehicle management device, the management-side control means transmits an e-mail for prompting the door lock to the terminal device. 7. The vehicle management system according to 6.