JP2004048466A - On-vehicle communication control system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To complete or stop communication according to the intention of a user when a main switch for a vehicle is turned off during communication. <P>SOLUTION: A power supply/stop controller 2 makes a display unit 11 display an inquiry of whether or not communication should be continued through an on-vehicle server 6 on the basis of the input of a stop signal Soff from a start/stop signal generating means 2a, and makes a voice outputting unit 20 output it. When the instruction of the continuity of communication from a touch panel switch 12 is inputted, the power supply/stop controller 2 completes communication, and then stops power supply to the on-vehicle server 6, packet communication circuit 13, and DSRC communication circuit 14, and when the instruction of the discontinuity of communication is inputted, the power supply/stop controller 2 stops power supply to the packet communication circuit 13 and the DSRC communication circuit 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted communication control system including a communication device that communicates with another communication device.
[0002]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in vehicles equipped with a car navigation system, for example, map data is being downloaded from a map data providing server.
It is also considered that an audio device having a communication function is mounted on a vehicle. In this case, music data may be downloaded from a music data providing server.
[0003]
In this case, the communication device of the car navigation system or the communication device of the audio device is supplied with on-vehicle power, and the power supply and stop of the communication device are controlled by turning on / off an ignition switch that is a main switch for the vehicle. .
However, when the user turns off the ignition switch, the communication may be stopped. In this case, the user wants to avoid communication interruption when the data being downloaded is charged or important, and can stop communication immediately if the data is not so important. There is no problem, and there is also a demand to turn off all power supplies to reduce the consumption of onboard power supplies.
[0004]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object that when the vehicle main switch is turned off during communication, communication can be completed or stopped according to the user's intention, and careless communication stoppage can be performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an in-vehicle communication control system which can prevent the loss of communication data due to the above, and can, if necessary, give priority to leaving the vehicle and prevent consumption of the on-board power supply.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a vehicle main switch such as an ignition switch is turned on, the notification control unit causes the notification unit to notify the inquiry about whether to continue communication. Thus, the user recognizes whether or not to continue the communication, and inputs from the input means whether or not to continue the communication. If the user wants to prioritize communication completion, input that communication should be continued, and if the user wants to leave the vehicle quickly or reduce the consumption of onboard power, input that communication should be stopped. become.
[0006]
The power control means stops the power supply to the communication control means and the communication device after completing the communication based on the input to continue the communication from the input means, and based on the input not to continue the communication. Since the power supply to the communication control means and the communication device is stopped, the communication can be completed when pay data is being downloaded or important data is being transferred, preventing loss of the communication data and taking off the vehicle. Priority and prevention of in-vehicle power consumption can be achieved.
[0007]
Here, the user often determines whether or not to continue during communication almost the same each time. In such a case, it is not necessary to notify the user of whether to continue the communication, and it is troublesome to perform the input every time.
[0008]
The invention of claim 2 is made by paying attention to this point. That is, in the invention of claim 2, when the input content of the input means is stored in the storage means, the stored content is regarded as the input content from the input means. No input is required, which is extremely convenient.
[0009]
Further, it is conceivable that the user leaves the vehicle immediately after turning off the vehicle main switch. In this case, the input from the input means may not be completed.
The invention of claim 3 has been made in view of this point. If there is no input by the input means even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the power supply to the communication control means and the communication device is stopped. It becomes possible to prevent consumption of the vehicle power supply due to forgetting.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, in FIG. 1, a communication power supply control unit 1 serving as a power supply control unit includes a power supply / stop controller 2 and a power distributor 3 as one unit. The power supply / stop controller 2 is a notification control means, and includes a microcomputer.
[0011]
The power distribution unit 3 is supplied with, for example, a 12 V DC voltage from a vehicle-mounted power supply 4 such as a lead storage battery, and is also provided with a vehicle-mounted auxiliary power supply 5 such as a secondary battery. The in-vehicle sub-power supply 5 has a voltage enough to shut down a microcomputer or the like, and is charged by the in-vehicle power supply 4.
[0012]
Further, the power supply / stop controller 2 receives a start signal Son and a stop signal Soff from a start / stop signal generating means 2a that generates a start signal Son and a stop signal Soff in accordance with on / off of an ignition switch as a vehicle main switch. Is to be given.
The in-vehicle server 6, which is a communication control means, includes a microcomputer 7, a power supply circuit 8, and communication interfaces 9, 10. The microcomputer 7 includes a CPU 7a, a ROM 7b, and a RAM 7c.
[0013]
The display 11, which is a notification means, is composed of a liquid crystal display, and is driven and controlled by the microcomputer 7a of the in-vehicle server 6. The display 11 has a touch panel switch 12 as input means, and a switch signal from the touch panel switch 12 is input to the power supply / stop controller 2.
[0014]
For example, the packet communication circuit 13 as a communication device can communicate with a map data providing server or a music information providing server via a relay base station and an Internet communication network, for example. The microcomputer 7 is connected to the communication interface 9 of the microcomputer 7 by a communication line, and exchanges data with the microcomputer 7 via the communication interface 9.
[0015]
Further, for example, a DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) communication circuit 14 is provided as another communication device, and can perform road-to-vehicle communication or vehicle-to-vehicle communication, for example. The communication interface 9 of the microcomputer 7 of the in-vehicle server 6 is connected to the communication interface 9 by a communication line, and data is exchanged with the microcomputer 7 via the communication interface 9.
[0016]
Further, a device for performing in-vehicle data communication with the microcomputer 7 includes a side brake operation sensor 15, a light lighting sensor 16, and a voltage sensor 17 of the vehicle-mounted power supply 4, which are connected to a hub 18 via a communication line. The hub 18 is connected to the communication interface 9 via a communication line. The hub 18 selects the side brake operation sensor 15, the light-on sensor 16, and the voltage sensor 17 of the vehicle-mounted power supply 4, and supplies the sensor information to the microcomputer 7.
The power supply / stop controller 2 includes an abnormality indicator 19, and the in-vehicle server 6 includes an audio output device 20 that also functions as a notification unit.
[0017]
The power supply / stop controller 2 is supplied with an in-vehicle power supply 4 via a power distributor 3. The power supply / stop controller 2 is connected to the in-vehicle server 6 via the power line 3 a from the power distributor 3. The on-board power supply 4 is supplied and stopped to the power supply circuit 8. Also, the on-board power supply 4 is supplied and stopped from the power distributor 3 to the packet communication circuit 13 via the power line 3b, to the DSRC communication circuit 14 via the power line 3c, and to the hub 18 via the power line 3d. .
[0018]
When an operation start switch (not shown) of the power supply control unit 1 is turned on, the power supply / stop controller 2 executes the control shown in the flowchart of FIG. In step S1, it is checked whether or not the voltage drop of the vehicle-mounted power supply 4 is stabilized. If the voltage of the vehicle-mounted power supply 4 is stabilized, the process proceeds to step S2 to determine whether or not the sleep start time has elapsed. If not, the process proceeds to step S3 to determine whether or not the voltage value of the vehicle-mounted power supply 4 is normal. If it is normal, the process proceeds to step S4, and it is determined whether or not the activation signal Son has been input by the ignition switch. If there is no input of the activation signal Son, the process returns to step S1. If it is determined that the start signal Son has been input, the process proceeds to step S5 to release the sleep mode (operation mode).
[0019]
If it is determined in step S2 that the sleep start time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S6 to set the sleep mode, and then proceeds to step S7 to wait for the activation signal Son to be turned on, and then proceeds to step S5 (sleep mode). Mode). If the voltage value of the in-vehicle power supply 4 is an abnormal value (abnormally low value) in step S3, the process proceeds to step S8, where an abnormality is displayed on the abnormality display 19, and the control is stopped.
[0020]
When the sleep mode is released in step S5, the process proceeds to step S9, in which a control command is output to the power distributor 3, and the power is distributed by the power distributor 3 to the device group A (the hub 18, the packet communication circuit 13, the DSRC Communication circuit 14). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S10 to supply power to the power supply circuit 8 of the vehicle server 6. By supplying power in such an order, the in-vehicle server 6 can determine the state by the sensors 15 to 17 and can make the packet communication circuit 13 and the DSRC communication circuit 14 ready for operation.
[0021]
In the next steps S11 and S12, while monitoring whether or not the voltage value of the vehicle-mounted power supply 4 is normal, if it is normal, it is monitored whether or not the stop signal Soff is input. If the packet communication circuit 13 or the DSRC communication circuit 14 is communicating with another communication device (an Internet server in the former, and a DSRC communication circuit or a roadside station in the other vehicle in the latter), the in-vehicle server 6 indicates that the communication is in progress. For example, "communicating" is displayed.
If it is determined in step S12 that the stop signal Soff has been input, the process proceeds to step S13 to output an inquiry display command to the microcomputer 7 of the vehicle-mounted server 6. When the microcomputer 7 is performing communication based on the inquiry display command (determined by the microcomputer 7 itself), a message indicating whether to continue communication, for example, "Complete communication or stop communication" Do you want to do? "Is output to the audio output device 20 and displayed (notified) on the display device 11. When communication is not being performed, the display 11 displays a message indicating that the power of the device may be turned off, for example, a message such as "Is it OK to turn off the power of the device?"
[0022]
After the above-described step S13, the process proceeds to step S14 to start time measurement, and in step S15, the input content of the user for the above arrangement is determined. That is, it is determined whether or not there is an operation input of the touch panel switch 12 by the user, and if there is the input, the process proceeds to step S16, and whether the input is an input corresponding to “continue communication”, It is determined whether the input corresponds to “stop communication” or “stop power supply to the device”.
[0023]
If the input corresponds to "continue communication", the process shifts to step S17 to output a command (completion command) to the in-vehicle server 6 to continue communication and complete the communication. When the in-vehicle server 6 receives the completion command, the in-vehicle server 6 completes the communication, outputs a completion notification to the power supply / stop controller 2, and turns off (shut down) its own power.
[0024]
Accordingly, the power supply / stop controller 2 determines in step S18 whether or not there has been a communication completion and shutdown notification from the in-vehicle server 6, and the completion notification does not exceed a preset communication completion time (step S19). If there is a completion notification, the process proceeds to step S20, and the power supply to the device group A (the packet communication circuit 13, the DSRC communication circuit 14, and the hub 18) via the power distributor 3 is stopped. The communication completion scheduled time is set to a time when the communication is being downloaded, so that there is enough time for the downloading to be completed. Is set.
[0025]
When the communication completion time is exceeded, the process proceeds to step S21, and the power of each device is turned off in a predetermined order. That is, first, the power supply of the in-vehicle server 6 is turned off, and then the power supply to the device group A is stopped.
[0026]
Here, if the set time has elapsed in the step S22, that is, if the set time has elapsed without any input from the user, the process proceeds to the step S23, where the power supply stopping procedure stored in advance is read from the ROM 7b, and the The process proceeds to S24, and the power supply is stopped according to the power supply stop procedure. If it is determined in step S11 that there is an abnormality, the process proceeds to step S25, where an abnormality is displayed on the abnormality display 19, and the control is stopped.
[0027]
FIG. 3 shows a schematic operation sequence of the power supply / stop controller 2, the in-vehicle server 6, the display 11, and the device group A (the packet communication circuit 13, the DSRC communication circuit 14, and the hub 18). ing. When the activation signal Son is given to the power supply / stop controller 2, when the in-vehicle power supply 4 is confirmed to be stabilized (step S1), the in-vehicle power supply 4 is supplied to the device group A (step S9). The communication circuit 13, the DSRC communication circuit 14, and the hub 18 start operating, and the vehicle-mounted power supply 4 is supplied to the vehicle-mounted server 6 (step S10), whereby the vehicle-mounted server 6 starts operating. Thereafter, the in-vehicle server 6 issues an “operation confirmation” signal to the device group A to confirm whether or not the operation has been started normally, and the device group A starts to operate normally in this case. Therefore, an "operation confirmation response" signal indicating this is returned to the vehicle-mounted server 6. Here, if the in-vehicle server 6 and the packet communication circuit 13 or the DSRC communication circuit 14 start communication with an external communication device (during communication), the in-vehicle server 6 is communicating with the display 11 during this communication. The message "Communicating" is displayed.
[0028]
When the stop signal Soff due to the ignition switch being turned off is given to the power supply / stop controller 2 (step S12), the power supply / stop controller 2 outputs an inquiry display command to the vehicle server 6 (step S13). The in-vehicle server 6 recognizes this command, outputs an inquiry about whether to continue the communication such as “Do you want to continue the communication or stop the communication” to the audio output device 20 and also to the display device 11. Output.
[0029]
When there is an input from the touch panel switch 12 to the power supply / stop controller 2, the power supply / stop controller 2 continues communication to the vehicle server 6 when the input corresponds to “continue communication”. Then, a command to complete is issued (step S17). After completing the communication, the in-vehicle server 6 outputs a completion / shutdown notification to the power supply / stop controller 2 and stops (shuts down) its own power supply. Then, upon receiving the completion / shutdown notification, the power supply / stop controller 2 confirms communication completion and shutdown (power stop) of the in-vehicle server 6 (step S18), and stops power supply to the device group A.
[0030]
According to the present embodiment, when the stop signal Soff is generated due to the ignition switch being turned off, the power supply / stop controller 2 determines whether to continue the communication with the display 11 and the audio output device 20 via the in-vehicle server 6. Since the inquiry about whether the communication is continued is displayed and output as voice, the user can recognize whether the communication is continued. Then, when an input to continue the communication is made from the touch panel switch 12, the power supply / stop controller 2 causes the in-vehicle server 6 to complete the communication and shut down, and thereafter, the packet communication circuit 13 and the DSRC communication circuit Since the power supply to the power supply 14 is stopped, the communication can be completed in the case where the pay data is being downloaded or important data is being transferred, and the loss of the communication data can be prevented. Further, if an input indicating that communication is not to be continued is made, the power supply to the in-vehicle server 6, the packet communication circuit 13, and the DSRC communication circuit 14 is stopped. . The power supply to the in-vehicle server 6 is stopped by shutting itself down. However, since the power supply / stop controller 2 outputs a command to execute the shutdown, the power supply / stop controller 2 is substantially connected to the in-vehicle server. The power supply to the power supply 6 is stopped.
[0031]
Further, in the present embodiment, if there is no input from the touch panel switch 12 even after the lapse of the predetermined time, the power supply to the in-vehicle server 6, the packet communication circuit 13, and the DSRC communication circuit 14 is stopped. It is possible to prevent the vehicle power supply 4 from being consumed due to forgetting.
[0032]
FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the following points. That is, the RAM 7c of the microcomputer 7 functions as a storage unit for storing the input contents of the touch panel switch 12 as the input unit. Then, the power supply / stop controller 2 of the power supply control unit 1 stores the input content from the touch panel switch 12 in the RAM 7c. That is, in the flowchart of FIG. 4, in step S26 after step S12, it is determined whether or not the RAM 7c has a storage of the input content. If not, the process proceeds to step S13 and subsequent steps.
[0033]
In step S27 following "YES" in step S16, the fact that the input content is "input to continue communication" is stored. In step S28 following "NO" in step S16, the fact that the input content is "input not continuing communication" is stored. In step S29 following "YES" in step S22, "no input" is stored.
[0034]
Therefore, if it is determined in step S26 that there is an input, the process proceeds to step S30 to determine whether the input is "input to continue communication". If it is "input to continue communication", the display of the inquiry and the start of time measurement in step S13 and the determination of the presence or absence of the input in step S15 are omitted, and the process proceeds to step S17. That is, the stored content of "input to continue communication" is regarded as the current input content. In step S30, if the stored content is not "input for continuing communication"("input for not continuing communication" or "no input"), the inquiry display and time measurement start in step S13 and step S15 are started. Is omitted, and the process proceeds to step S23. That is, the stored content of "input not continuing communication" or "no input" is regarded as the current input content.
Therefore, according to this embodiment, the notification of the inquiry is not required, and the input by the input means is not required, which is extremely convenient.
[0035]
FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, in which the power control / stop controller 2 and the power distributor 3 are separated, and the power control / stop controller 2 It differs from the first embodiment in that it is unitized on a substrate. In this embodiment, the power distribution unit 3 can be brought close to the packet communication circuit 13, the DSRC communication circuit 14, the hub 18, and the like, and the electric wire cable composed of the power distribution lines 3b to 3d can be shortened.
[0036]
FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, data communication between the devices is performed by Bluetooth communication means (Bluetooth communication interfaces 2b, 6a, 6b, 13a, 14a and 18a). To do it. According to this, the communication line can be omitted, and the wiring structure becomes extremely simple.
[0037]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may be implemented as follows.
The display 11 and the audio output unit 20 may be directly controlled by the power supply / stop control unit 2. The power supply / stop controller 2 and the in-vehicle server 6 may be configured by a software configuration in the same microcomputer. The notification means is not limited to the display 11 and the audio output device 20. The output of the touch panel switch 12 may be input to the vehicle server 6. In this case, the input signal may be transferred to the power supply / stop controller 2. The input means is not limited to the touch panel switch 12, but may be a contact switch or a voice input means.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electric configuration showing a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing control contents; FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram for explaining an operation; FIG. FIG. 5 corresponding to FIG. 2 showing an embodiment. FIG. 5 corresponds to FIG. 1 showing a third embodiment. FIG. 6 corresponds to FIG. 1 showing a fourth embodiment.
1 is a communication power control unit (power control means), 2 is a power supply / stop controller (notification control means), 3 is a power distributor, 4 is a vehicle power supply, 6 is a communication controller (communication control means), 7 Is a microcomputer, 11 is a display (notification means), 12 is a touch panel switch (input means), 13 is a packet communication circuit (communication device), 14 is a DSRC communication circuit (communication device), 15 is a hub, and 20 is audio output. (Notifying means).

Claims (3)

A communication device for communicating with other communication devices;
Communication control means for controlling the communication device;
Notification means,
Input means for inputting whether to continue communication or not;
Notification control means for notifying the notification means of an inquiry as to whether or not to continue communication based on the vehicle main switch being turned off,
Based on the input from the input means to continue the communication, based on the input to stop the power supply to the communication control means and the communication device after completing the communication, based on the input to not continue the communication, the communication control means And a power control means for stopping power supply to the communication device. Storage means for storing the input contents by the input means,
When the main switch for the vehicle is turned off, the power control means determines whether or not there is an input content in the storage means, and when the input content is not stored, an inquiry as to whether or not to continue communication via the notification control means. 2. The in-vehicle communication control according to claim 1, wherein when the input content is stored, the inquiry is not notified and the stored content is regarded as the input content from the input unit. system. 2. The in-vehicle communication control system according to claim 1, wherein the power supply control means stops power supply to the communication control means and the communication device when there is no input from the input means even after a predetermined time has elapsed.

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