JP2004140706A - On-vehicle communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide on-vehicle communication equipment by which communication between on-vehicle electronic equipment and an external device is efficiently conducted. <P>SOLUTION: A gateway unit 12 conducts radio communication with the external device by using a radio communication device 13 and is connected to various on-vehicle electronic equipments (a navigation unit 14, an audio video device (AV device), 15, a vehicule control unit 16, and an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) unit 17, and the like) mounted on an on-vehicle system 11 and conducts the communication between the gateway unit and each of the on-vehicle electronic equipments. The gateway unit 12 delivers necessary information through the gateway unit 12 between a plurality of on-vehicle electronic equipments. In addition, conducting radio communication with the external device easily materializes control, including transmitting information obtained from the external device to the on-vehicle electronic equipments and transmitting the information obtained from the on-vehicle electronic equipments to the external device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an in-vehicle communication device used in a vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a car navigation device has been known as a typical in-vehicle electronic device used in a vehicle.
[0003]
The car navigation device detects the position of the vehicle using a position detection device such as a GPS (Global Positioning System), and searches for a map around the position of the vehicle from a map database and displays the map on the screen, thereby displaying the road. Provides guidance and route guidance to the destination.
[0004]
Further, recently, a car navigation device having a function of displaying not only road guidance and route guidance but also various additional information stored in a map database has been developed.
[0005]
As a car navigation device capable of displaying such additional information, information on facilities such as restaurants and gas stations is stored in a map database in advance, and facilities around the vehicle position are searched from the map database as necessary. An object is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-221430 (pages 7-8)
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the method using the supplementary information registered in the map database in advance, it is practically difficult to present, in real time, details of services currently provided in facilities such as restaurants and gas stations to the user. . For this reason, it is desired that the navigation device be equipped with a communication function for acquiring necessary information from outside through the Internet or the like.
[0008]
In addition, a car is equipped not only with a navigation device, but also with a large number of electronic devices such as an audio / video device and an electronic control device for managing vehicle information such as an engine and a body. However, these electronic devices are independent of each other, and it has been difficult to transfer necessary information between the electronic devices.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide an in-vehicle communication device capable of efficiently performing communication between on-vehicle electronic devices and external communication.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is an in-vehicle communication device used in a vehicle, and includes a plurality of communication interfaces for communicating with a plurality of on-vehicle electronic devices, and wireless communication with the outside. Wireless communication means for executing, and communication control means connected to the wireless communication means and the plurality of communication interfaces to control wireless communication with the outside and communication with each of the on-vehicle electronic devices. And
[0011]
According to this in-vehicle communication device, necessary information can be transferred between a plurality of in-vehicle electronic devices via the in-vehicle communication device, and information acquired from the outside can be transmitted to the in-vehicle electronic device by performing wireless communication with the outside. Controls such as transmission to an electronic device and transmission of information acquired from a vehicle-mounted electronic device to the outside can be easily realized.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an entire in-vehicle system using an in-vehicle communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The on-vehicle system 11 includes a gateway unit 12, a wireless communication device 13, a navigation unit 14, an audio / video device (AV device) 15, a vehicle control unit 16, and an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) unit 17, as shown in the figure. ing.
[0013]
The gateway unit 12 includes various on-vehicle electronic devices (a navigation unit 14, an audio / video device (AV device) 15, a vehicle control unit 16, and an ETC unit 17) between the on-vehicle system 11 and the outside, and mounted on the on-vehicle system 11. , Etc.) is an in-vehicle communication device for connecting each other.
[0014]
The gateway unit 12 is used for integrating the in-vehicle electronic devices in the vehicle to transfer necessary information between the devices, and for communicating with the outside via the Internet or the like, for example. Communication with the outside is performed using the wireless communication device 13.
[0015]
The wireless communication device 13 performs wireless communication by a wireless communication method corresponding to a wireless LAN of the IEEE 802.11 standard, for example. The communication speed in this wireless LAN is, for example, 54 Mbps. The wireless communication device 13 can communicate with a server on an external network such as the Internet via a base station (or an access point) compatible with a wireless LAN.
[0016]
Further, as the wireless communication device 13, for example, a device corresponding to a wireless communication system such as 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) which is a standard of the third generation wideband mobile telephone system can be used.
[0017]
The gateway unit 12 has a plurality of types of communication interfaces in order to communicate with a plurality of types of in-vehicle electronic devices different from each other.
[0018]
That is, the gateway unit 12 includes a navigation unit communication interface 131, an AV device communication interface 132, a vehicle control communication interface 133, and an ETC unit communication interface 134, as illustrated.
[0019]
The navigation unit communication interface 131 is, for example, of the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard, and is used for communication with the navigation unit 14.
[0020]
The AV device communication interface 132 includes, for example, a serial interface such as RS232C, various digital AV interfaces for inputting / outputting digital video / audio signals, and the like, and performs communication with the AV device 15.
[0021]
The vehicle control communication interface 133 includes a serial interface such as RS232C and an interface of a unique specification dedicated to the vehicle control unit 16, and performs communication with the vehicle control unit 16.
[0022]
The ETC unit communication interface 134 is constituted by an interface of a unique specification dedicated to the ETC unit 17, and performs communication with the ETC unit 17.
[0023]
The gateway unit 12 includes a communication interface 135 for performing communication with the wireless communication device 13 and a communication interface 136 for performing communication with, for example, a key ID transmission unit for an immobilizer. The wireless communication device 13 may be built in the gateway unit 12, and in this case, the communication interface 135 becomes unnecessary.
[0024]
Further, the gateway unit 12 includes a communication control unit 121 and an authentication processing unit 122.
[0025]
The communication control unit 121 is connected to the communication interfaces 131 to 135, respectively, and communicates with the navigation unit 14, the AV device 15, the vehicle control unit 16, and the ETC unit 17, and externally via the wireless communication device 13. Communication with the
[0026]
By the operation of the communication control unit 121, necessary information can be transferred between the on-vehicle electronic devices such as the navigation unit 14, the AV device 15, the vehicle control unit 16, and the ETC unit 17 via the gateway unit 12, and By performing wireless communication with the outside using the wireless communication device 13, control such as transmitting information obtained from the outside to necessary vehicle-mounted electronic devices or transmitting information obtained from a specific vehicle-mounted electronic device to the outside can be easily performed. It is possible to realize it.
[0027]
In this case, each of the navigation unit 14, the AV device 15, the vehicle control unit 16, and the ETC unit 17 only needs to communicate with the gateway unit 12, and communicates with other in-vehicle electronic devices other than the gateway unit 12. No need to have an interface. Therefore, only by connecting each of the existing on-vehicle electronic devices to the gateway unit 12, communication between the on-vehicle electronic devices and exchange of data with the outside are realized.
[0028]
The communication control unit 121 has a MAC address (MAC; Media Access Control) that is a physical address necessary for connecting to an external network such as the Internet using the wireless communication device 13. This MAC address is an address unique to the gateway unit 12. When the wireless communication device 13 itself has a MAC address unique to it, the communication control unit 121 does not need to particularly have a MAC address.
[0029]
The authentication processing unit 122 is for performing personal authentication and the like for the user of the in-vehicle system 11, that is, the user of the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle system 11, and uses the wireless communication device 13 without a key input operation from the user. It is used for controlling permission / prohibition of the Internet connection and automatically executing authentication processing with a server or the like on the Internet.
[0030]
User authentication is performed using a key ID acquired from a key ID transmission unit corresponding to, for example, an immobilizer. The key ID is an ID unique to the vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted system 11 is mounted.
[0031]
The navigation unit 14 is a device for performing a car navigation function. The car navigation function is a function of performing road guidance and route guidance to a destination by displaying a map around the own vehicle position on a screen. The navigation unit 14 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit 22. The GPS unit 22 is a position detection device for detecting the current position (own vehicle position) of the own vehicle, receives radio waves from a plurality of satellites via the GPS antenna 21, and determines the own vehicle position (latitude, longitude). Perform positioning.
[0032]
The navigation unit 14 has a built-in storage device such as a hard disk drive storing a map database. A map around the position of the vehicle detected by the GPS unit 22 is searched from the map database, and a video to be displayed on the on-vehicle monitor. A signal is generated.
[0033]
The navigation unit 14 has a communication function with the gateway 12, and a video signal to be displayed on the on-vehicle monitor, an audio signal for voice guidance, and the like are sent to the AV device 15 via the gateway 12.
[0034]
Further, in the present embodiment, the position information indicating the current position of the vehicle can be transmitted from the navigation unit 14 to the gateway 12. The position information is detected by the GPS unit 22.
[0035]
The AV device 15 includes, for example, audio equipment for performing audio reproduction / output, a TV tuner, a vehicle-mounted monitor, and the like.
[0036]
The vehicle control unit 16 is an in-vehicle electronic device for managing vehicle information of the own vehicle, and manages, for example, vehicle information on the engine system 31 and vehicle information on the body system 32 such as a door, and electronically controls them. The vehicle control unit 16 has a communication function with the gateway 12.
[0037]
Communication between the vehicle control unit 16 and the gateway 12 includes, for example, displaying various vehicle information that needs to be presented to the user on the in-vehicle monitor via the gateway 12, analyzing the cause of a failure or performing maintenance, and the like. Is used to transmit the vehicle information necessary for this to a server on an external network such as a repair center via the gateway 12.
[0038]
The ETC unit 17 is an in-vehicle electronic device that automatically and electronically executes a process related to toll road toll payment by performing wireless communication with a roadside device of the ETC system. The ETC unit 17 has a card slot for mounting the prepaid card 171, and the toll road usage fee is settled using the prepaid card 171.
[0039]
In the present embodiment, since the gateway 12 can wirelessly communicate with various external devices using the wireless communication device 13, the prepaid card 171 is not only used for toll road use, but also for gasoline payment, for example. It is also used for payment for shopping in drive-through and payment for paid content on the Internet.
[0040]
For example, the payment for gasoline charges is performed by the gateway 12 performing wireless communication with a wireless device at a gas station using the wireless communication device 13. A credit card can be used instead of the prepaid card 171.
[0041]
Next, with reference to FIG. 2, a description will be given of a process of acquiring service information regarding facilities and sightseeing spots around the own vehicle position from the outside and displaying the service information on the on-vehicle monitor.
[0042]
(1) Acquisition of position information The gateway unit 12 executes communication with the navigation unit 14 via the communication interface 131, and acquires position information indicating the current position of the own vehicle from the navigation unit 14.
[0043]
(2) Transmission of position information The gateway unit 12 communicates with the server 202 on the Internet 201 using the wireless communication device 13. In this case, the wireless communication device 13 is connected to the Internet 201 via the access point (AP) 50. The gateway unit 12 transmits the position information to the server 202, and requests the server 202 for the contents of service information regarding facilities around the own vehicle position, sightseeing guidance, and the like.
[0044]
(3) The content receiving gateway unit 12 acquires the content of the service information transmitted from the server 202. For example, when the in-vehicle system 11 is set to a guidance mode in which content is automatically acquired by a user operation of a remote controller or the like, the content of service information relating to surrounding facilities and sightseeing spots is automatically transmitted while the vehicle is traveling. The acquisition process is executed by the gateway unit 12. Since the position information changes sequentially with the movement of the vehicle, the acquisition, transmission, and content reception of the position information are periodically and repeatedly executed.
[0045]
(4) The content transmission gateway unit 12 sequentially transmits the service information content obtained from the server 202 to the AV device 15 by executing communication with the AV device 15 via the communication interface 132. The contents of the service information are displayed on the in-vehicle monitor. In the case of a content including audio information, the audio information is reproduced by the AV device 15.
[0046]
Next, a process of acquiring maintenance information of the vehicle from the outside and displaying the maintenance information on the vehicle-mounted monitor will be described with reference to FIG.
[0047]
(1) Acquisition of Vehicle Information The gateway unit 12 executes communication with the vehicle control unit 16 via the communication interface 133, and performs various operations related to the engine system 31, the body system 32, and the like necessary for analyzing the cause of a failure or the like. From the vehicle control unit 16.
[0048]
(2) Transmission of Vehicle Information The gateway unit 12 communicates with the server 202 on the Internet 201 using the wireless communication device 13. In this case, the wireless communication device 13 is connected to the Internet 201 via the access point (AP) 50. The gateway unit 12 transmits the vehicle information to the server 202, and requests the server 202 for the content of the maintenance information regarding the analysis result of the vehicle state of the own vehicle, the necessity of maintenance, the details of the maintenance, and the like.
[0049]
(3) The content receiving gateway unit 12 acquires the content of the maintenance information transmitted from the server 202.
[0050]
(4) The content transmission gateway unit 12 transmits the content of the maintenance information acquired from the server 202 to the AV device 15 by executing communication with the AV device 15 via the communication interface 132. The contents of the maintenance information are displayed on the in-vehicle monitor.
[0051]
Further, by transmitting the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle control unit 16 to the AV device 15, the vehicle information can be displayed on the on-vehicle monitor.
[0052]
Next, an authentication process performed by the authentication processing unit 122 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0053]
The authentication processing unit 122 communicates with the key ID transmission unit 100 via the communication interface 136, as shown in FIG. The key ID transmission unit 100 is a device that transmits a key ID unique to the own vehicle, and includes, for example, an immobilizer, a wireless device that transmits a key ID for door lock control, and the like.
[0054]
Since the key ID transmission unit 100 is to be carried by the user with the key of the car, the authentication processing unit 122 determines the validity of the key ID transmitted from the key ID transmission unit 100, and You can authenticate whether there is. In addition, since the vehicle control unit 16 also has a communication function and an authentication function with the key ID transmission unit 100, the authentication processing unit 122 may obtain the key ID from the key ID transmission unit 100 via the vehicle control unit 16. it can.
[0055]
By using the key unique to the vehicle in this manner, control of permission / prohibition of the Internet connection using the wireless communication device 13 and control with the server or the like on the Internet can be performed without the user inputting the key such as the user name and the password. The authentication process between can be automatically executed.
[0056]
Hereinafter, a series of processes executed at the time of Internet connection will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0057]
The authentication processing unit 122 communicates with the key ID transmission unit 100 or the vehicle control unit 16 when, for example, the execution of the automatic guidance mode is requested by the user or when the navigation function is started. Is acquired (step S101).
[0058]
The authentication processing unit 122 determines the validity of the acquired key ID by comparing the registered valid key ID with the acquired key ID (step S102). Here, the valid key ID registered in advance is a key ID and a pair of key IDs from the key ID transmission unit 100 registered in the vehicle control unit 16.
[0059]
If the key ID from the key ID transmission unit 100 matches the key ID registered in advance, that is, if the key ID from the key ID transmission unit 100 is a valid key ID, the personal authentication of the user has succeeded. Is determined (YES in step S102), and processing for network connection is started.
[0060]
That is, the communication control unit 121 connects to a predetermined server on the Internet using the wireless communication device 13, and performs connection authentication with the server (steps S103 and S105). In this connection authentication, user identification information such as a user name and a password registered in advance in the gateway unit 12 are automatically transmitted to the server, whereby the authentication process between the server and the gateway unit 12 is executed.
[0061]
Thereafter, the communication control unit 121 performs communication processing for automatic guidance and communication processing with an arbitrary server on the Internet in response to a request from a user (step S106). When the pay content is downloaded from the server, the communication control unit 121 performs a payment process using, for example, the above-described prepaid card 171 (step S107). By this payment processing, payment of the fee for the pay content is automatically executed. In this case, the communication control unit 121 displays information on the incurred charges and the like on the in-vehicle monitor by communicating with the AV device 15.
[0062]
On the other hand, if the key ID from the key ID transmission unit 100 does not match the key ID registered in advance (NO in step S102), execution of the network connection is prohibited, and for example, a message indicating that an error has occurred Is displayed on the in-vehicle monitor (step S104).
[0063]
Note that the authentication process using the key ID is not only for control of permission / prohibition of connection to an external network, but also for control of permission / prohibition of connection with a wireless device installed in a store or a gas station such as a drive-through. Only when it is used and it is confirmed that the user is a legitimate user, communication with those wireless devices and settlement processing are executed. Also in this case, the communication control unit 121 displays information related to the generated fee and the like on the in-vehicle monitor by communicating with the AV device 15.
[0064]
Note that the personal authentication can also be executed by, for example, inputting a user's face image from a camera and comparing it with a valid face image registered in advance. In addition, it is also possible to configure so that personal authentication is performed only when communication with the outside accompanied by charging, for example, communication with a wireless device installed in a store or a gas station such as a drive-through.
[0065]
Further, for example, vehicle information relating to the remaining amount of oil or radiator liquid or the like can be transmitted to an external wireless device installed at a gas station or the like, and information necessary for maintenance of the vehicle can be notified to a maintenance person or the like.
[0066]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, simply connecting a plurality of in-vehicle electronic devices such as the navigation unit 14, the AV device 15, the vehicle control unit 16, and the ETC unit 17 to the gateway unit 12, Necessary information can be exchanged between the gateway unit 12 and the gateway unit 12 using the wireless communication device 13 to perform wireless communication with the outside. Controls such as transmitting to the device 15, the vehicle control unit 16, and the ETC unit 17 and transmitting information obtained from the navigation unit 14, the AV device 15, the vehicle control unit 16, and the ETC unit 17 to the outside can be easily performed. Realizing It can become.
[0067]
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified in an implementation stage without departing from the gist of the invention. Further, the embodiments include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, even if some components are deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment, the problem described in the column of the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved, and the effects described in the column of the effect of the invention can be solved. Is obtained, a configuration from which this configuration requirement is deleted can be extracted as an invention.
[0068]
【The invention's effect】
As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently perform communication between on-vehicle electronic devices and with the outside.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle-mounted system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exemplary view for explaining an example of content acquisition processing executed by a gateway unit provided in the in-vehicle system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an exemplary view for explaining another example of content acquisition processing executed by a gateway unit provided in the in-vehicle system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a view for explaining an authentication process executed by a gateway unit provided in the in-vehicle system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart showing a procedure of an external network connection process executed by a gateway unit provided in the vehicle-mounted system of FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 11 vehicle-mounted system 12 gateway unit 13 wireless communication device 14 navigation unit 15 AV device 16 vehicle control unit 17 ETC unit 21 GPS antenna 22 GPS unit 121 communication control unit 122 authentication processing unit 131 to 131 136 ... Communication interface

Claims (7)

An in-vehicle communication device used in a vehicle,
A plurality of communication interfaces for communicating with each of the plurality of in-vehicle electronic devices;
Wireless communication means for performing wireless communication with the outside,
An in-vehicle communication device, comprising: a communication control unit connected to the wireless communication unit and the plurality of communication interfaces to control wireless communication with the outside and communication with each of the on-vehicle electronic devices. The communication control means,
Means for acquiring position information indicating the vehicle position from the vehicle-mounted electronic device by communication with the vehicle-mounted electronic device having a position detection function,
Means for obtaining service information related to the vicinity of the vehicle position specified by the position information by executing communication with the outside using the wireless communication means,
2. The on-vehicle communication device according to claim 1, further comprising: means for displaying the obtained service information on a display device through communication with an on-vehicle electronic device having a display function. The communication control means,
Means for acquiring the vehicle information from the vehicle-mounted electronic device by communicating with the vehicle-mounted electronic device that manages the vehicle information of the own vehicle,
2. The on-vehicle communication device according to claim 1, further comprising: means for displaying the obtained vehicle information on a display device through communication with an on-vehicle electronic device having a display function. The communication control means,
Means for acquiring the vehicle information from the vehicle-mounted electronic device by communicating with the vehicle-mounted electronic device that manages the vehicle information of the own vehicle,
Means for acquiring maintenance information corresponding to the vehicle information from the outside by executing communication with the outside using the wireless communication means,
2. The on-vehicle communication device according to claim 1, further comprising: means for displaying the acquired maintenance information on a display device through communication with an on-vehicle electronic device having a display function. 2. The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit has at least one physical address necessary for performing communication with an external network using the wireless communication unit. Means for determining the validity of a key ID obtained from a key unit capable of transmitting a key ID unique to the own vehicle;
2. The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 1, further comprising means for permitting or prohibiting execution of communication with the outside by the wireless communication means based on a result of the determination of the validity of the key ID. Means for determining the validity of a key ID obtained from a key unit capable of transmitting a key ID unique to the own vehicle;
Means for connecting to a server on an external network using the wireless communication means when the validity of the key ID is confirmed;
2. The on-vehicle communication device according to claim 1, further comprising: means for transmitting user identification information prepared in advance to the server, and performing authentication processing with the server.

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