JP2005266510A - Setting-changeover device for on-vehicle system, and setting-changeover method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To flexibly cope with the changes in the shipping destinations, while reducing manufacturing cost and management cost, even when settings in an on-vehicle system, such as an air bag, varies according to the shipping destinations. <P>SOLUTION: A "setting switching device for on-vehicle system" includes a navigator 1, an in-vehicle network 6, and a plurality of on-vehicle systems 7, 8, 9. The navigator 1, based on GPS positioning information, reads region category and road category from map data 13, and transmits signals S1 and S2 of both categories to each of the on-vehicle systems 7, 8, 9 via the in-vehicle network 6. Then, the on-vehicle systems 7, 8, 9 respectively automatically swtich the setting. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for appropriately switching settings applied to an automobile or various in-vehicle systems mounted on a vehicle based on a region type, a road type, or the like.

(Normal technology)
For example, an in-vehicle system mounted on a current automobile includes an airbag system and an engine control system, and these on-vehicle systems are equipped with respective ECUs (electronic control units).

  By the way, the laws, such as safety standards, climate and topography, road conditions, fuel prices, user preferences, etc. differ depending on the country or region to which the vehicle is shipped. Often shipped from the factory with a change. Specifically, air vehicles are shipped in Japan, in North America, and in EU countries because of different safety standards for judging the operation of airbags. The software corresponding to the criteria for bag operation has been changed. That is, the software written in the ROM of the airbag system ECU is written according to the shipping destination.

  In some cases, it may be more reasonable to change the setting of the in-vehicle system depending on the type of road on which the vehicle travels (whether it is a highway or a paved road). Is usually not supported.

(Document Disclosure Technology)
However, regarding the technology of an automatic transmission control device that reads the gradient of the road on which the vehicle is traveling with a navigation device and changes the selection of the number of gears depending on the road gradient, or performs fuel cut on a downhill, Patent Document 1 Is disclosed.
JP-A-9-229173

  However, in the background art described above, the software written in the ROM of the ECU that controls the in-vehicle system differs depending on the shipping destination (destination) as described above. Therefore, when manufacturing an ECU for an in-vehicle system, it is necessary to prepare a plurality of types of software and write software suitable for the shipping destination of the vehicle in the ROM of the ECU. As a result, even if the hardware is the same in-vehicle system or its ECU, not only the number of products increases but the manufacturing cost increases, and the management cost also increases because the products must be managed by shipping destination. Has been invited. Also, it has been difficult to respond flexibly when the on-board system or on-board vehicle shipping destination is changed.

  Further, the above-described normal technology does not have a function of appropriately changing the setting of the in-vehicle system depending on the type of road on which the vehicle travels. That is, there is no function for changing the operation determination criteria of the airbag system between the highway and the ordinary road, and the rigidity of the variable suspension system cannot be changed between the paved road and the bad road.

  On the other hand, depending on the above-described document disclosure technology, it is difficult to reduce the manufacturing cost and management cost of an in-vehicle system whose settings differ depending on the shipping destination, and to flexibly respond to changes in the shipping destination. Even if the automatic transmission can be controlled in accordance with the road gradient, the settings of various in-vehicle systems may not be changed depending on the type of road.

Therefore, the present invention is to provide a setting switching means for an in-vehicle system that can solve at least one of the following first and second problems.
・ First issue: To reduce the manufacturing and management costs of in-vehicle systems that have different settings depending on the shipping destination, and to be able to respond flexibly to changes in the shipping destination.
・ Second problem: The settings of various in-vehicle systems are appropriately changed depending on the type of road on which the vehicle is traveling.

  In order to solve the above problems, the inventors have invented the following means.

(First means)
The first means of the present invention is a set of devices mounted on a predetermined vehicle, and includes a receiving device, a determination means, and at least one in-vehicle system. It is. Here, the receiving device is a device that receives radio waves from the outside, and the determining means is a means for determining the position type of the vehicle according to a predetermined classification based on information provided from the receiving device. At least one of the in-vehicle systems is a device whose setting is switched based on the position type. Here, the determination means may be attached to one of the receiving device and each in-vehicle system, or may be independent of both.

  In this means, first, the receiving apparatus receives an external radio wave and provides some information necessary for determining the position type. Here, the receiving device is not limited to the GPS receiving device of the navigation device (so-called car navigation), and some information necessary for determining the position type can be extracted by other receiving devices. Examples include an ETC (Toll Road Automatic Toll Payment System) receiver, an ITS (Intelligent Road Traffic System) receiver, an in-vehicle telephone device, a radio broadcast receiver, and the like.

  Next, the determining means determines the position type of the vehicle according to a predetermined classification based on the information provided from the receiving device. The position type includes, for example, a region type indicating where the current position of the vehicle is in each country or each region, a road type indicating the type of road or road surface on which the vehicle is located, and the like.

  Then, a signal including this position type is transmitted to at least one in-vehicle system, and one of these in-vehicle systems appropriately switches its setting based on this position type. Here, examples of the in-vehicle system include an airbag system, an engine control system, and a variable suspension system. Of these settings of the in-vehicle system, where and how are specifically changed will be described later in the section of the embodiment.

  Therefore, according to the “in-vehicle system setting switching device” of this means, there is an effect that at least one of the following first problem and second problem can be solved. Here, the first problem is that even when the setting of the in-vehicle system differs depending on the shipping destination, such as an airbag system, the manufacturing cost and management cost of the in-vehicle system are reduced, and the shipping destination can be changed flexibly. It is to be able to cope. On the other hand, the second problem is to allow various in-vehicle systems to appropriately change their own settings depending on the type of road on which the mounted vehicle travels.

(Second means)
According to a second means of the present invention, in the first means described above, the receiving device is a navigation device or a receiving device for specifying the position of the vehicle on map data, and the position type is determined by the vehicle in each country. Or at least one of an area type indicating where the vehicle is located and a road type indicating the type of road or road surface on which the vehicle is located.

  In this means, since the receiving device is a navigation device that specifies the position of the mounted vehicle on map data or the receiving device thereof, it is possible to specify a precise position. At this time, if the map data is accompanied by an area type as a region attribute or a road type as a road attribute, the position type determined by the determining means is determined as to where the vehicle is in each country or each area. The type of area to be shown, the type of road on which the vehicle is located, or the type of road surface can be used. Of course, the determination means may provide both the area type and the road type as the position type.

  Therefore, according to this means, if the location type includes the region type, the first problem can be solved, and if the position type includes the road type, the second problem can be solved. effective. Of course, according to the configuration of this means, there is an effect that both the first problem and the second problem can be solved most accurately and appropriately by using the positioning information of the navigation device.

(Third means)
According to a third means of the present invention, in the first means described above, the receiving device is an ETC receiving device, the position type includes a road type indicating whether or not the vehicle is on a toll road, and the vehicle It is characterized in that at least one of the toll gates through which the fare has passed is from among each country or region type indicating where in each region.

  In this means, when the position type is a road type, based on information from an ETC (automated toll road payment system) receiving device, a road type indicating whether the mounted vehicle is running on a toll road is determined. The determination means determines. In general, toll roads have a higher speed limit than free toll roads, have less road surface irregularities and gentle curves, and are less susceptible to impacts and turning acceleration due to road surface irregularities. The rise of the impact at the time of collision tends to be short. Therefore, if the settings of in-vehicle systems such as airbag systems, variable suspension systems, and engine control systems are switched to match the characteristics of such toll roads, the in-vehicle systems can be operated with more appropriate settings on toll roads. Will be able to.

  The ETC receiver also has the ability to identify from which interchange the onboard vehicle has entered the toll road or from which interchange has exited the toll road. Therefore, based on the information from the ETC receiver, the determination means can also determine the region type indicating where the toll gate that the mounted vehicle has passed is in each country or each region. In other words, when the location type is a regional type, even if the settings of the in-vehicle system differ depending on the shipping destination, the manufacturing cost and management cost of the in-vehicle system can be reduced and the change of the shipping destination can be flexibly handled. To be able to.

  Therefore, according to this means, even if the navigation device is not mounted on the vehicle, it is possible to solve either or both of the first problem and the second problem as long as the ETC receiver is mounted. There is an effect.

(Fourth means)
According to a fourth means of the present invention, in the first means described above, the receiving device is any one of a radio broadcast receiving device and an in-vehicle telephone device, and the position type is where the vehicle is located in each country or each region. It is a region type indicating whether or not there is a feature.

  In this means, when the receiving device is a radio broadcast receiving device, some type of information is extracted from the received radio broadcast radio wave, and based on the information, the determination means indicates the location type of each country or each region. Determine. For example, from the radio waves that can be received by a radio broadcast receiver, the frequency is arranged in the order of strong radio wave intensity, and the current position of the onboard vehicle is located at which position in which country from the combination of broadcast stations that perform radio broadcasts of that frequency Can be determined.

  Alternatively, if the receiving device is an in-vehicle phone device, it should be possible to extract information on where the wireless relay station that relays communication is, so that the current position of the onboard vehicle can be found in which country You can determine if it is in position.

  In this way, even if the positioning accuracy is rough, if the rough current position of the mounted vehicle is known, the determination means can determine which of the area types corresponds to the current position. And based on this area classification, an in-vehicle system changes own setting appropriately. As a result, even if the setting of the in-vehicle system varies depending on the shipping destination, such as an airbag system, the manufacturing cost and management cost of the in-vehicle system can be reduced while flexibly responding to changes in the shipping destination. be able to.

  Therefore, according to this means, even if there is no relatively expensive device such as a navigation device or an ETC receiver, the first problem is solved by using a relatively inexpensive radio broadcast receiver or in-vehicle telephone device. There is an effect that can be. In particular, since the radio broadcast receiving apparatus is installed in almost all automobiles, this means is extremely advantageous in terms of cost.

(5th means)
According to a fifth means of the present invention, in the first means described above, the vehicle is provided with an in-vehicle network, and a signal including information on the position type is transmitted from the determination means through the in-vehicle network. It is transmitted to.

  In this means, since the signal including the position type determined by the determining means is distributed to the in-vehicle system using the in-vehicle network, even if there are a plurality of in-vehicle systems, the number of signals to be distributed increases or the signal is distributed. There is no need to increase the amount of work. In addition, it is not necessary to add a new wiring to transmit this signal, which is reasonable in terms of weight, cost, and reliability. Furthermore, even if the number of in-vehicle systems to which signals including position types are to be distributed increases, it can be handled without any cost increase.

  Therefore, according to this means, in addition to the effect of the first means described above, the signal including the position type is distributed to each in-vehicle system by the in-vehicle network, so that it is easy to cope with the increase in the number of in-vehicle systems. There is an effect.

(Sixth means)
According to a sixth means of the present invention, in the first means described above, the in-vehicle system has an ECU with a built-in ROM that stores software to be referred to when changing the setting. And at least the latter is provided among the selection parts. Here, in the ROM storage area, the common part is a part that stores software that is used in common regardless of the position type, and conversely, the selected part has a plurality of intermediate parts depending on the position type. It is a part that stores a set of software selected and used.

  Here, the reason why the common part is not essential in the storage area of the ROM is that there may be a configuration in which there is no common part even though there are some selected parts. That is, there is an ECU that uses completely different software depending on the specifications, and there may be no common part even if there is a set of selected parts in the storage area of the ROM. Alternatively, for some reason, the software of the basic specification may be duplicated and stored in separate selection parts, and there may be no common part in the ROM storage area.

  In this means, if there is a change in the position type supplied by the determination means, software with appropriate specifications is read from the selected portion corresponding to the new position type, and the ECU operates with the new settings. . In order to implement this measure, the on-board system ECU that is currently made is refurbished, the storage capacity of the ROM is expanded so that a set of software can be stored, and if the location type changes, a new location type What is necessary is just to enable it to read the software of the specification which adapted from the selection part corresponding to.

  In general, the price of ROM has already decreased considerably, and its storage capacity is increasing, and it is thought that this trend will continue in the future. Therefore, the cost increase accompanying the increase in ROM capacity is small. On the other hand, unlike the above-described conventional technique in which different types of software are written to the ROM depending on the shipping destination, this means eliminates the need to prepare a plurality of types of ROM for one type of in-vehicle system. Things will be enough. As a result, according to the present means, it is very easy to solve the first problem. Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned second means by making it possible to change the setting of the in-vehicle system depending on the road type, it is sufficient to manufacture only one type of ROM, so that there is also an effect of cost reduction.

  Therefore, according to this means, in addition to the effect of the first means described above, there is an effect that it becomes easy to implement the present invention by modifying the current ECU.

(Seventh means)
A seventh means of the present invention is an “in-vehicle system setting switching device” characterized by having an in-vehicle network, a signal supplying means, and a plurality of in-vehicle systems. The in-vehicle network is a network arranged in a predetermined vehicle. The signal supply means is means for supplying a signal indicating a predetermined position type to the in-vehicle network. The in-vehicle system is a device that switches its own setting according to the position type included in the signal distributed from the in-vehicle network.

  Here, the signal supply means may or may not be a permanent in-vehicle device. That is, when the signal supply means is a permanent in-vehicle device, in the first means, the receiving device and the determination means generally correspond to the signal supply means of this means. Conversely, if the signal supply means is not a permanent in-vehicle device, the signal supply means is an external signal generation device that can be connected to the in-vehicle network, or a playback device such as a navigation device connected to the in-vehicle network. Or a recording medium including a position type.

  For example, if the signal supply means is not an in-vehicle device but an apparatus for allowing a worker to access the in-vehicle network from outside and send a signal, the in-vehicle system need not be set at the time of factory shipment. Then, the in-vehicle system is set when the loaded vehicle is carried into the cargo ship, when the loaded vehicle is unloaded from the cargo ship, while the loaded vehicle is in the cargo ship, or from the car dealer to the user. You will be able to do it when you sell. In this way, the price and weight of the vehicle are reduced by the amount that the signal supply means is not attached to the vehicle.

  It should be noted that the definition of terms such as position type in this means conforms to the definition of terms in the first means when the terms are the same as the terms in the first means.

  Now, in this means, each component acts as follows. That is, first, the signal supply means supplies a signal indicating a predetermined position type to the in-vehicle network. Then, the in-vehicle network then distributes this signal to a plurality of in-vehicle systems. And a vehicle-mounted system switches its setting to each according to this position classification contained in the delivered signal.

  At this time, even if there are a plurality of in-vehicle systems, a signal indicating the position type is distributed to all in-vehicle systems connected through the in-vehicle network, and each in-vehicle system switches its own setting. Therefore, even if the number of in-vehicle systems becomes large, there is almost no increase in cost required for signal distribution to each in-vehicle system, and settings of a large number of in-vehicle systems can be switched at once.

  As a result, when the area type is included in the signal to be distributed, the first problem described above can be solved. When the road type is included in the signal, the above-mentioned problem can be solved. The second problem will be solved.

  Therefore, according to the “in-vehicle system setting switching device” of this means, it is possible not only to solve at least one of the first and second problems described above, but also to easily switch the settings of a large number of in-vehicle systems. There is an effect. In addition, even if the number of in-vehicle systems whose settings are to be changed increases, there is an effect that there is almost no increase in cost required for distributing a signal including a position type. Furthermore, when the signal supply means is not a permanent in-vehicle device, there is an effect that the price and weight of the vehicle are reduced as compared with the first means as much as the signal supply means is not attached to the vehicle.

(Eighth means)
The eighth means of the present invention is an “in-vehicle system setting switching method” characterized by having a signal generation process, a distribution process, and a setting switching process. Here, the signal generation process is a process in which a signal indicating a predetermined position type is generated, and the distribution process is a process in which this signal is distributed to a plurality of in-vehicle systems through an in-vehicle network. Further, the setting switching process is a process in which at least one of these in-vehicle systems switches its setting according to the position type.

  Here, the definition of the term such as the position type in this means conforms to the definition of the term of the seventh means when the term is the same as the term of the seventh means.

  In this means, first, a signal indicating a predetermined position type such as a region type or a road type is generated in a signal generation process, and subsequently, in the distribution process, this signal is distributed to a plurality of in-vehicle systems through an in-vehicle network. In the setting switching process, at least one of these in-vehicle systems appropriately switches its setting according to the position type.

  According to this means, substantially the same effect as the seventh means described above can be obtained.

  The embodiments of the “in-vehicle system setting switching device” and the “in-vehicle system setting switching method” of the present invention are clearly and sufficiently described in the following examples so that a person skilled in the art can understand that the embodiments can be implemented. To do. At the time of filing of the present invention, the inventor considers that any of these examples may correspond to the best embodiment.

(Overall configuration of Example 1)
The “in-vehicle system setting switching device” as the first embodiment of the present invention is a set of devices or systems mounted on a predetermined vehicle (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1, the “in-vehicle system setting switching device” of the present embodiment includes a navigation device 1 as a receiving device and determination means, an in-vehicle network 6, an airbag system 7 as an in-vehicle system, and an engine control system. 8 and a variable suspension system 9.

  The navigation device 1 is a device that receives radio waves from an external GPS satellite, identifies the position of the mounted vehicle on map data, and determines the region type and road type as the position type. The navigation device 1 includes GPS positioning means 12 to which a set of GPS receiving antennas 11 are connected, a deck on which a DVD-ROM 13 is mounted, a microcomputer 14 that processes positioning signals, map data, and the like in one case ( (Not shown). Among these, the GPS positioning means 12 is a receiving device that receives radio waves from the outside, and the microcomputer 14 is based on the positioning signal provided from this receiving device, and according to a predetermined classification, the position type (region type) of the mounted vehicle. And road type).

  The DVD-ROM 13 inserted in the navigation device 1 stores two types of categorizations, that is, an area type and a road type, as a position type, attached to the map data. That is, the position type stored in the DVD-ROM 13 includes “region type” indicating where the mounted vehicle is located in each country or each region, and “road” indicating the type of road or road surface on which the mounted vehicle is located. Type ".

  Here, the area type is an area indicating whether the position specified by the GPS positioning means 12 and the microcomputer 14 is in Japan, North America (USA and Canada), EU, or other areas. It is a classification. On the other hand, the road type is a road category indicating where the specified position is located among an expressway, a paved ordinary road, an unpaved ordinary road, and an off-road (off-road) road. Note that the contents of such area types and road types belong to design matters and should be appropriately set according to the actual situation.

  The microcomputer 14 of the navigation device 1 specifies the current position of the mounted vehicle on the map data read from the DVD-ROM 13 based on the positioning information provided from the GPS positioning means 12 as the receiving device. Then, the microcomputer 14 determines the position type (region type and road type) of the mounted vehicle according to the above-described predetermined classification as a determination unit. Note that the microcomputer 14 of the navigation apparatus 1 is connected to the in-vehicle network 6 via an interface (not shown).

  Similarly, as shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle network 6 is a kind of in-vehicle LAN provided in the mounted vehicle. Signals S1 and S2 including information on the position type are transmitted from the navigation device 1 as a receiving device and determination means to each of the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9 through the in-vehicle network 6.

  The airbag system 7, the engine control system 8, and the variable suspension system 9 are vehicle-mounted systems whose settings are switched based on position type signals S 1 and S 2 distributed from the determination unit 4 via the in-vehicle network 6, respectively. These in-vehicle systems 7, 8, 9 have ECUs 70, 80, 90 with built-in ROM (described later) that stores software to be referred to when changing the settings. And each in-vehicle system 7,8,9 is connected to the above-mentioned in-vehicle network 6 via each ECU70,80,90.

(ROM configuration of the first embodiment)
Here, the ECUs 70, 80, 90 of the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, 9 have built-in ROMs storing different software, respectively, and the configuration of this ROM is also characterized by this embodiment. Therefore, the ECU 70 of the airbag system 7 is taken as an example on behalf of each of the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9, and the configuration thereof will be specifically described.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the ECU 70 of the airbag system 7 is configured with a microcomputer 72 as a core, and has various interfaces 71, 74, and 75. That is, the interface of the ECU 70 includes an interface 71 for the microcomputer 72 to exchange signals with the in-vehicle network 6, an interface 74 for taking sensor outputs from various sensors 76, and an operation signal to the gas generator 77. Interface 75.

  The microcomputer 72 has a ROM 73 formed of a flash memory, a processor (not shown), and the like. In the storage area of the ROM 73, as shown in FIG. 2, the common part C that stores software that is used in common regardless of the position type described above, and a plurality of types selected according to the position type are used. Two types of selection parts A1 to A4 and B1 to B4 storing a set of software are provided. Here, one of the two types of selection parts is a selection part A1 to A4 selected according to the region type, and the other is a selection part selected according to the road type.

  That is, the common part C of the storage area of the ROM 73 stores basic specification software that is commonly used in any region and on any type of road or road surface. On the other hand, the first four selection portions A1 to A4 store software with different specifications depending on the region type, and the next four selection portions B1 to B4 have software with different specifications depending on the road type. Is stored.

  More specifically, among the first selection parts A1 to A4, A1 is stored in the Japanese specification, A2 is stored in the North American specification, A3 is stored in the EU specification, A4 is stored in the other specification, and the corresponding regional specification software is stored. Has been. Of the following selected parts B1 to B4, B1 is a specification for highways, B2 is a specification for paved ordinary roads, B3 is a specification for unpaved ordinary roads, B4 Stores software for road-specific specifications corresponding to specifications for off-road use.

  And a selection part (any one of A1 to A4) that is alternatively selected according to the region type and a selection part (B1 to B4 that is also alternatively selected according to the road type) ) Is combined with the common part C and loaded into the processor (not shown), the microcomputer 72 is programmed.

  Here, the reason for selectively switching the software of the ECU 70 of the airbag system 7 and switching the setting of the airbag system 7 according to the region type and the road type will be briefly described.

  First, when the two types of roads are compared between the highway and the outside of the road, the difference becomes clear. That is, in a normal driving state, the impact acceleration applied to the vehicle is small on the highway, whereas the impact acceleration is large because the road surface is uneven outside the road. Therefore, it is desirable that the threshold value of the impact acceleration used for determining the operation of the airbag is set to be larger outside the road than the expressway in order to avoid malfunction. On the other hand, at the time of an accident collision, the speed of the vehicle is high on the highway, so that the impact rises much faster than outside the road running at low speed, and it is necessary to deploy the airbag in a very short time. Therefore, the time required to deploy the airbag must be much shorter on the highway than on the road. This is obvious when comparing the case of cruising at a maximum speed on a highway with a smooth curve and a flat road surface, and the case of running on a rough road with many irregularities while avoiding an obstacle at a low speed. For this reason, the setting of the airbag system 7 should be switched depending on the road type.

  In addition, there are two reasons why the setting of the airbag system 7 should be switched depending on the region type. That is, the first reason is that air bag security standards differ depending on the country or region, so it must be adapted to them, and the second reason is the speed limit of the expressway, the state of road maintenance, etc. This means that road conditions differ depending on the country or region.

  Of course, not only the airbag system 7 but also the ECU 80 of the engine control system 8 and the ECU 90 (see FIG. 1) of the variable suspension system 9 have ROMs (not shown). The storage area of each ROM is divided into a single common part and one or two kinds of selection parts.

  That is, in the ECU 80 of the engine control system 8, as with the airbag system 7 described above, the ROM selection portion (not shown) is roughly divided into two. Among the selection portions, the selection portion that is alternatively selected according to the region type is a portion that varies mainly depending on the exhaust gas regulations of each country or region. On the other hand, the selected portion that is alternatively selected depending on the road type is a portion that changes mainly depending on the balance between fuel efficiency and engine output.

  On the other hand, in the ECU 90 of the variable suspension system 9, unlike the airbag system 7 described above, the selected portion (not shown) is only selected according to the road type, and is selected according to the region type. There is nothing.

  In the ECU of each in-vehicle system, whether to select the ROM selection part between the position type and the road type, or to select both, belongs to the design matter and takes into consideration the actual situation. Can be set appropriately.

(Operation of Example 1)
The “in-vehicle system setting switching device” of the present embodiment is configured as described above, and operates as follows (see FIG. 1).

  First, the GPS positioning means 12 of the navigation device 1 receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites as a receiving device, and provides positioning information necessary for determining the position type (region type and road type). And the microcomputer 14 of the navigation apparatus 1 matches the vehicle position with the road data of the DVD-ROM 13 based on this positioning information as the determination means, and determines the position type of the mounted vehicle according to the predetermined classification as described above. That is, the microcomputer 14 determines a region type indicating where the current position of the mounted vehicle is in each country or each region, and a road type indicating the type of road or road surface on which the mounted vehicle is located.

  Next, the microcomputer 14 generates signals (area type signal S1 and road type signal S2) including information indicating which of these two types of positions is shown, and these signals S1 and S2 are illustrated. To the in-vehicle network 6 through the interface that does not. Here, both signals S1 and S2 may always be generated by tying together and distributed periodically, but switching occurs more frequently in the road type than in the region type. Therefore, after both signals S1 and S2 are generated at the time of start-up, the area type signal S1 is generated only when the area type is switched, and the road type signal S2 only when the road type is switched. Are generated and supplied to the in-vehicle network 6 respectively.

  Then, the in-vehicle network 6 distributes the region type signal S1 and the road type signal S2 to each of the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9. Therefore, even if there are a plurality of in-vehicle systems as in the present embodiment, there is no increase in the number of signals to be distributed or the trouble of distributing the signals. In addition, it is not necessary to add a new wiring to transmit this signal, which is reasonable in terms of weight, cost, and reliability.

  And each in-vehicle system 7,8,9 reads the signal which each needs, respectively from the vehicle interior network 6, and switches the setting appropriately by itself independently. That is, the ECU 70 of the airbag system 7 reads the region type signal S1 and the road type signal S2 from the in-vehicle network 6, and when one of the signals S1 and S2 is switched, the region in which the mounted vehicle is traveling And switch to the setting that matches your road.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 again, if there is a change in the region type signal S1 of both signals S1 and S2, it becomes newly appropriate from one of the selected portions A1 to A4 from the ROM 73 of the ECU 70. The software with the specified specifications is read. Alternatively, when the road type signal S <b> 2 is changed, software having a newly specified specification is read from one of the selected portions A <b> 1 to A <b> 4 of the ROM 73.

  Then, one appropriate software among the selected parts A1 to A4 related to the area type and one appropriate software among the selected parts B1 to B4 related to the road type are combined with the software of the common part C. Then, complete software (for example, C + A1 + B2 as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2) adapted to both the region type and the road type is created and loaded into the processor of the ECU 70. As a result, the airbag system 7 operates with a new setting adapted to both the region type and the road type.

  Similarly, the ECU 80 of the engine control system 8 reads both signals S1 and S2 from the in-vehicle network 6 and switches its setting appropriately. On the other hand, the ECU 90 of the variable suspension system 9 reads the road type signal S2 from the in-vehicle network 6 and switches its setting appropriately.

  In this way, each onboard system 7, 8, 9 automatically adapts to the area or road on which the on-board vehicle is traveling, without requiring any work by factory workers, maintenance personnel, or drivers. Specification settings can be changed appropriately.

(Effect of Example 1)
Therefore, according to the “in-vehicle system setting switching device” of this means, there are four main effects as follows.

  The first effect is that even if there is an in-vehicle system whose settings differ depending on the shipping destination, such as the airbag system 7 and the engine control system 8, the manufacturing cost and the management cost can be reduced while the shipping destination is changed. It is possible to respond flexibly.

  That is, it is not necessary to design and manufacture the ECUs 70 and 80 separately for other types according to the region of the shipping destination, and it is only necessary to manufacture a single type, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. In addition, since it is not necessary to manage the shipping destination of products having the same appearance but different specifications, the management cost is also reduced. In addition, even if there is an unscheduled change at the shipping destination, the setting of the in-vehicle system is automatically changed appropriately at the shipping destination, so it becomes possible to respond more flexibly to changes in the shipping destination. .

  The second effect is that various in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9 can appropriately change their settings depending on the type of road on which the onboard vehicle is traveling.

  In other words, taking the airbag system 7 as an example, the airbag can be deployed more sensitively on a highway than on a rough road. In addition, the engine control system 8 can reduce fuel consumption during cruising on a highway, compared to a normal road with many go-stops. Furthermore, the variable suspension system 9 can appropriately switch the spring constant and damping constant of the suspension, the vehicle height, and the like according to the road type.

  The third effect is that the position of the mounted vehicle can be accurately specified on the map data by the navigation device 1, and thus the flexibility regarding the position type is high.

  That is, the types of area type and road type can be increased as necessary. Therefore, even if the laws of each country change or the road conditions change, it can be handled relatively easily. In addition to the region type and the road type, it is relatively easy to provide a new position type such as a speed limit type or a pressure type.

  The fourth effect is that since the signals S1 and S2 including the position type are distributed to the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9 by the in-vehicle network 6, it is easy to cope with the increase in the number of in-vehicle systems.

  That is, although it already corresponds to three in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9, even if another on-vehicle system is newly installed in the on-board vehicle, a signal including the position type can be easily obtained by using the in-vehicle network 6. S1 and S2 can be distributed. As a result, it is not necessary to newly provide wiring, and an increase in cost can be suppressed.

(Another interpretation of Example 1)
The configuration of the “in-vehicle system setting switching device” of the present embodiment can be understood as described above, but can also be understood by another interpretation as follows.

  That is, the “in-vehicle system setting switching device” of the present embodiment includes an in-vehicle network 6, a navigation device 1 as a signal supply means, and three in-vehicle systems 7, 8, 9 as shown in FIG. It is characterized by having. The in-vehicle network 6 is a network arranged in the onboard vehicle, and the navigation device 1 as a signal supply unit is a unit that supplies signals S1 and S2 indicating a predetermined position type to the in-vehicle network 6. The three in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9 are devices that switch their settings according to the position type information included in the signals S 1 and S 2 distributed from the in-vehicle network 6.

  Since the present embodiment according to this interpretation is configured as described above, each component operates as follows.

  That is, first, the navigation device 1 as a signal supply means supplies an area type signal S1 and a road type signal S2 indicating a predetermined position type to the in-vehicle network 6. Then, the in-vehicle network 6 distributes both signals S1 and S2 to the three in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9. And each vehicle-mounted system 7,8,9 switches each setting according to the area classification signal S1 and road classification signal S2 which were delivered.

  At this time, even if there are a plurality of in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9 as in this embodiment, the signals S 1 and S 2 indicating the position type are distributed to all in-vehicle systems connected through the in-vehicle network 6. As a result, each of the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9 takes in only signals necessary for each and switches its setting. Therefore, in addition to the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9, even if there are more in-vehicle systems whose settings should be switched according to the position type, there is almost no cost increase required for signal distribution to each in-vehicle system, and many in-vehicle systems can be set all at once. Can be switched.

  Of course, as long as the apparatus configuration is the same, even if the interpretation is different, the effect is almost the same, and the four effects described above can be obtained.

(Method Invention of Example 1)
Although the present embodiment has been described as an example of the apparatus invention, the present embodiment can also be defined as an illustration of the method invention. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the present embodiment is an “in-vehicle system setting switching method” characterized by having a signal generation process P1, a distribution process P2, and setting switching processes P37, P38, and P39. .

  First, the signal generation process P1 is a process in which a signal indicating a predetermined position type is generated, and is a process corresponding to the operation of the navigation device 1 (see FIG. 1). The signal generation process P1 includes a positioning process P11, a position specifying process P12, a type reading process P13, and a signal transmission process P14.

  Here, the positioning process P11 is a process performed by the GPS positioning means 12, and the position specifying process P12, the type reading process P13, and the signal transmission process P14 are processes in which the microcomputer 14 performs signal processing. That is, the position specifying process P12 is a process in which the position is specified on the map data, and the type reading process P13 is a process in which two position types (region type and road type) are read from the map data. The signal transmission process P14 is a process in which an area type signal S1 and a road type signal S2 corresponding to the read position type are generated.

  Next, the distribution process P2 is a process in which this signal is distributed to the three in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9 through the in-vehicle network 6.

  Furthermore, the setting switching processes P37, P38, and P39 are processes in which the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9 switch their settings according to the location type distributed from the in-vehicle network 6, respectively. That is, the airbag system 7 receives both signals S1 and S2 from the in-vehicle network 6, and switches its setting based on both the location type and the region type. Similarly, the engine control system 8 also receives both signals S1, S2 from the in-vehicle network 6 and switches its setting based on the region type and the road type. The variable suspension system 9 receives only the road type signal S2 from the in-vehicle network 6 from the in-vehicle network 6 and switches its setting based on the road type. At this time, each of the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, 9 changes its setting independently of each other and is not influenced by each other.

  Of course, when the present embodiment is taken as an example of the method invention, the four effects described above can be obtained.

(Modification 1 of Example 1)
As a variation 1 of the present embodiment, there is a form in which a country code of an international telephone number is used as a code indicating a region type, and a state code or an area code is added as necessary.

  That is, in this modification, the map data stored in the DVD-ROM 13 (see FIG. 1) is accompanied by the country code of the international telephone number as the region type. Further, the ECUs 70, 80, 90 of the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, 9 correspond to the respective ROMs indicating the correspondence between the region type codes such as the country code and the software selection portions A 1 to A 4 (see FIG. 2). A table (not shown) is stored.

  As in the first embodiment, the signal indicating the region type is supplied from the microcomputer 14 of the navigation device 1 together with the road type signal S2 and distributed to the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, 9 via the in-vehicle network 6. The Then, each in-vehicle system 7, 8 and 9 refers to the above-mentioned correspondence table, respectively, and selects a region type selection part A1 appropriate for its own setting from a code such as a country code of an international telephone number indicating the region type. ~ Select A4 selection part.

  Therefore, according to this modification, in addition to the effects of the first means described above, there are the following three effects.

  First, in this variation, the country code of the international telephone number is adopted as the code of the region type signal S1, and thus a well-known number code that has already been established can be used. Therefore, there is an effect that there is no need to be confused when determining the code of the area type signal S1, and there is an effect that the modification can be reduced for a long future.

  Secondly, since the correspondence table of the area type signal S1 and the selection parts A1 to A4 is prepared on the side of each of the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9, the specifications of the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9 having different characteristics from each other. This has the effect of being able to respond flexibly to changes.

  Thirdly, if the state code and the area code in addition to the country code are included in the code of the region type signal S1, there is an effect that it is possible to cope with each region very finely. For example, it is possible to deal with details even when regulations differ in states in the United States, regulations in countries in Europe differ slightly, or regulations differ at prefectural and municipal levels.

(Configuration of Example 2)
As shown in FIG. 4, the “in-vehicle system setting switching device” according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes an ETC (Toll Road Automatic Toll Payment System) receiving device 2 as a receiving device and determination means, an in-vehicle network 6, , Each vehicle-mounted system 7, 8, and 9. In addition, the position type in the present embodiment includes a road type indicating whether or not the mounted vehicle is on a toll road, and a region type indicating where the toll gate through which the mounted vehicle has passed is in each country or each region. It is.

  Here, the ETC reception device 2 is also a signal supply means for supplying the area type signal S1 and the road type signal S2 to the in-vehicle network 6, and includes an ETC reception circuit 21 as a reception device and a microcomputer 22 as a determination means. Have. The microcomputer 22 of the ETC receiving apparatus 2 converts each charge gate into a region type so that it can be determined whether each charge gate (toll gate) belongs to each country or each region (see FIG. Abbreviated) is stored.

  That is, the configuration of the present embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment described above, mainly that the ETC receiver 2 is installed instead of the navigation device 1, and in accordance therewith, the region type and the road type. It is two points with the point that the contents of have been changed. As the road type changes, the ROM software included in the ECUs 70, 80, 90 of the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, 9 is also selected by the road type (corresponding to B1 to B4 in FIG. 2). The content of (part) is different from that of the first embodiment. That is, in the storage areas of the ECUs 70, 80, and 90, the selected portion depending on the road type is divided into only two portions (not shown), unlike the first embodiment which is divided into four.

  Although the function of the present embodiment is slightly different from that of the first embodiment, this functional difference will be specifically described in the next section.

(Effect of Example 2)
In this embodiment, there are two types of location, the region type and the road type, as in the first embodiment. Of these, the classification of the region type is the same as in the first embodiment, but the road type is larger than that in the first embodiment. Is different. That is, the road type in this embodiment is only one of the alternatives of whether it is a toll road.

  First, when the mounted vehicle passes the toll gate, the ETC receiver 2 determines the road type and the region type as the position type. That is, based on information from the ETC receiving circuit 21 as a receiving device, a road type indicating whether the mounted vehicle is running on a toll road and a region type indicating which region the mounted vehicle is located in Is determined by the microcomputer 22 as the determination means. Here, the microcomputer 22 identifies the charge gate through which the mounted vehicle has passed based on the information from the ETC receiving circuit 21, and then determines the region type with reference to the conversion table described above. The microcomputer 22 generates a region type signal S1 and a road type signal S2 based on the determination result of the region type and the road type, and supplies both signals S1 and S2 to the in-vehicle network 6 together.

  Then, as in the first embodiment, each in-vehicle system 7, 8, 9 reads the necessary one of both signals S 1, S 2 distributed from the in-vehicle network 6 and switches its setting. At this time, since the road type has only two stages as described above, the setting switching of the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, 9 by the road type signal S2 is different from that in the first embodiment.

  In other words, the toll road has a higher speed limit than a free road, has less road surface irregularities, and has a gentle curve, so the impact and turning acceleration due to road surface irregularities are reduced. The rise of the impact at the time of collision tends to be short. Therefore, in-vehicle systems such as the airbag system 7, the engine control system 8, and the variable suspension system 9 switch their settings to settings for highways so as to conform to the characteristics of such toll roads. As a result, the in-vehicle system can be operated with a more appropriate setting on the toll road.

  On the other hand, since the place that is not a toll road is an ordinary road or outside the road, it is assumed that the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9 have the characteristics opposite to that of the toll road. Return to normal settings. As a result, although not as fine as the first embodiment, the settings of the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, and 9 can be switched depending on the road type to the extent that the first embodiment is not so inferior.

  In addition, since the ETC receiver 2 has the capability of identifying a toll gate, the ETC receiving device 2 can determine where each toll gate is located in each country or region each time the mounted vehicle passes the toll gate. it can. It also has the ability to identify from which interchange the onboard vehicle entered the toll road, or from where to exit the toll road. Therefore, based on the information from the ETC receiver circuit 21, the microcomputer 22 of the ETC receiver 2 can determine the region type indicating where the toll gate passed by the mounted vehicle is located in each country or each region.

  That is, according to the present embodiment, the region type can be determined with almost the same degree of certainty as the first embodiment. As a result, even when the settings of the airbag system 7 and the engine control system 8 differ depending on the shipping destination, the manufacturing cost and the management cost of both the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 are reduced, and the shipping destination can be changed flexibly. Can respond.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, even if the navigation apparatus 1 is not mounted on the vehicle, there is an effect that the implementation is possible if the ETC receiver 2 is mounted. As a result, there is an effect that the device price or the mounted vehicle price is lower than that of the first embodiment while the effect substantially equivalent to the first embodiment is obtained.

(Method Invention of Example 2)
As described above in the section of the method invention of the first embodiment, this embodiment also has a signal generation process P1, a distribution process P2, and a setting switching process P37, P38, P39 (see FIG. 2). It can be understood as a “system setting switching method”.

  Then, among the actions of the above-described components, the action of the ETC receiver 2 corresponds to the signal generation process P1, the action of the in-vehicle network 6 is set to the distribution process P2, and the actions of the in-vehicle systems 7, 8, 9 are set. This corresponds to the switching process P37, 38, 39. However, the contents of the signal generation process P1 in the present embodiment are as described above in the section of the effects of the present embodiment, and are slightly different from FIG. 2 showing the contents of the first embodiment.

(Configuration of Example 3)
As shown in FIG. 5, an “in-vehicle system setting switching device” as a third embodiment of the present invention includes a radio broadcast receiving device 3 as a receiving device and determination means, an in-vehicle network 6, and an air bag as an in-vehicle system. A system 7 and an engine control system 8; Further, the position type in the present embodiment is a region type indicating where the mounted vehicle is located in each country or each region. Further, the radio broadcast receiving device 3 is also a signal supply unit that supplies a region type signal S1 indicating a region type to the in-vehicle network 6.

  The radio broadcast receiving apparatus 3 includes a tuner 31 as a receiving apparatus and a microcomputer 32 as a determination unit. The tuner 31 has a receiving circuit or a tuning circuit that can receive normal AM radio broadcasts and FM broadcasts, and has a function of detecting a frequency whose reception intensity is strong enough to be received by scanning a radio broadcast frequency band. Have. The microcomputer 32 has a memory in which a database is stored with a list of the positions of broadcast stations registered at the time of factory shipment and the frequencies and intensities of the broadcast radio waves. The microcomputer 32 has a built-in program for taking in radio broadcast frequencies that can be received from the tuner 31 and performing a general positioning in accordance with this list database, and a memory for storing a positioning history. .

  On the other hand, the in-vehicle network 6 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment. In addition, the ECUs 70 and 80 of the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 have a function of receiving the region type signal S1 and resetting itself based on the region type, but unlike the above-described first and second embodiments, There is no function to receive the road type signal S2. Although the variable suspension system 9 is equipped on the mounted vehicle, it is not a component of the present embodiment. However, the present embodiment does not prevent the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 from adjusting their settings based on some information supplied from a sensor unit (not shown).

(Effect of Example 3)
Since the present embodiment is configured as described above, it operates as follows.

  First, when the vehicle is started, the radio broadcast receiving device 3 automatically functions to determine the region type, and then generates the region type signal S1 and distributes it to the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 through the in-vehicle network 6.

  That is, if the radio broadcast receiving apparatus 3 narrows down the receivable range by identifying the broadcast station from the receivable radio frequencies, and performs the same narrowing down on a plurality of broadcast stations, the position of the mounted vehicle is roughly estimated. can do. For example, from a plurality of receivable radio frequency patterns, it is possible to perform rough positioning to determine whether the onboard vehicle is near Tokyo, near London, or near Seattle on the west coast of the United States. Even in such rough positioning, it is possible to automatically determine the region type necessary for setting switching of the airbag system 7 and the engine control system 8. In this way, the radio broadcast receiving apparatus 3 determines the region type, generates the region type signal S1, and supplies it to the in-vehicle network 6.

  Note that the microcomputer 32 of the radio broadcast receiving apparatus 3 stores a positioning history as described above. Here, since the speed of the mounted vehicle is limited, the microcomputer 32 verifies the possibility that the region type will be changed by comparing the previous region type with the passage of time, and it is impossible to change the region type. Can be eliminated. In addition, the radio broadcast receiving apparatus 3 automatically performs the positioning operation and the region type determination operation described above after a lapse of time when the region type may change or periodically.

  Then, as in the above-described embodiments, the in-vehicle network 6 distributes the region type signal S1 to the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8.

  The airbag system 7 and the engine control system 8 as the in-vehicle system receive the region type signal S1 from the in-vehicle network 6 and appropriately change its own setting based on this region type. As a result, even if the setting of the in-vehicle system differs depending on the shipping destination, such as the airbag system 7 and the engine control system 8, the manufacturing cost and management cost of the in-vehicle system can be reduced and the shipping destination can be changed. It can be made flexible.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, unlike the above-described embodiments, the relatively inexpensive radio broadcast receiver 3 is used even without a relatively expensive device such as the navigation device 1 or the ETC receiver 2. There is an effect that the first problem described above can be solved. That is, even if the settings of the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 are different depending on the shipping destination, the manufacturing cost and the management cost of the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 can be reduced and the change of the shipping destination can be flexibly handled. Can do. In particular, since the tuner 31 is standard on almost all automobiles, this embodiment is extremely advantageous in terms of cost.

(Method invention of Example 3)
In the present embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments described above, an embodiment of the method invention having a signal generation process P1, a distribution process P2, and setting switching processes P37 and P38 (see FIG. 2) “in-vehicle system” It can be understood as “setting switching method”.

  Then, among the operations of the above-described components, the operation of the radio broadcast receiving device 3 corresponds to the signal generation process P1, and the operation of the in-vehicle network 6 corresponds to the distribution process P2. The actions of the air bag system 7 and the engine control system 8 as the in-vehicle system correspond to the setting switching processes P37 and P38.

  However, the contents of the signal generation process P1 in the present embodiment are slightly different from those in FIG. 2 showing the contents of the first embodiment, as described above in the section of the effects of the present embodiment. Further, in this embodiment, since there is no road type as the position type (since at least the road type signal S2 is not supplied from the radio broadcast receiver 3), the signal including the position type is the area type signal S1, and the road type Signal S2 is not generated. Of course, the present embodiment does not hinder the supply of the road type signal S2 by other devices.

(Modification 1 of Example 3)
As a variation 1 of the present embodiment, instead of the radio broadcast receiving device 3, the on-vehicle telephone device (not shown) is an implementation of an “in-vehicle system setting switching device” which is a signal supply means (receiving device and determination means). Is possible.

  In this variation, the microcomputer attached to the in-vehicle telephone device determines the area type corresponding to the country code of the telephone and generates the area type signal S1. Alternatively, if the in-vehicle telephone device can extract information on where the wireless relay station that relays communication is located, the current position of the on-board vehicle is located in which position in which country with the position of the wireless relay station. Can be determined.

  Also by this modification, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

(Configuration of Example 4)
As shown in FIG. 6, an “in-vehicle system setting switching device” according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention includes a portable device 5 as a signal supply unit, an in-vehicle network 6, and an airbag system 7 as a plurality of in-vehicle systems. And an engine control system 8. The present embodiment is different from the above-described embodiments in that it does not have a receiving device that receives radio waves from the outside and a determination unit that determines a position type, but has a portable device 5 as a removable signal supply unit. .

  That is, the portable device 5 is a portable device that is a signal supply means and supplies a region type signal S1 indicating a predetermined position type to the in-vehicle network 6. That is, the portable device 5 has a circuit for generating the region type signal S1 and is connected to the in-vehicle network 6 through the connector 51 attached to the portable device 5 when switching the settings of the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 according to the region type. .

  In other words, unlike the above-described embodiments, the portable device 5 as the signal supply means is not an in-vehicle device, but is independent of the vehicle that is used by an operator to access the in-vehicle network from the outside and send a signal. Device. Therefore, in the present embodiment, unlike the conventional normal technology, it is not necessary to set the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 at the time of factory shipment.

  Then, the onboard systems 7 and 8 are set when the loaded vehicle is carried into the cargo ship, when the loaded vehicle is unloaded from the cargo ship, while the loaded vehicle is in the cargo ship, or from the car dealership. It can also be done when selling vehicles to users. As a result, compared to the above-described embodiments, the price and weight of the vehicle are reduced by the amount that the signal supply means (reception device and determination means) is not permanently installed in each mounted vehicle.

  On the other hand, the in-vehicle network 6 is a network arranged in a predetermined vehicle, which is generally the same as that of each of the above-described embodiments, except that a vehicle-side connector 61 is provided. The airbag system 7 and the engine control system 8 are in-vehicle systems that switch their settings according to the region type included in the region type signal S1 distributed from the in-vehicle network 6, and are the same as those in the third embodiment. It is the same.

(Effect of Example 4)
Since the present embodiment is configured as described above, it operates as follows.

  First, when the operation area of the mounted vehicle is determined, the worker connects the connector 51 of the portable device 5 to the connector 62 of the in-vehicle network 6. When the worker operates the portable device 5, the portable device 5 acts as a signal supply means, and supplies a pre-selected region type signal S 1 to the in-vehicle network 6.

  Then, the in-vehicle network 6 distributes the region type signal S1 to the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8. And the vehicle-mounted systems 7 and 8 automatically switch each setting according to the area classification contained in the distributed area classification signal S1. The functions of the in-vehicle network 6 and the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 are the same as those in the fifth embodiment.

  When the worker looks at the monitor of the portable device 5 and confirms that the region type signal S1 is correctly distributed from the portable device 5 to the in-vehicle network 6, the connector 51 of the portable device 5 is connected from the connector 61 of the in-vehicle network 6. The portable device 5 is removed from the vehicle.

  As described above, the mobile device 5 is not an in-vehicle device, but an independent device used by an operator to send the region type signal S1 to the in-vehicle network 6 from the outside, unlike the above-described embodiments. Therefore, it is not necessary to set the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 at the time of shipment from the factory unlike the conventional normal technology, and the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 are set when the vehicle is transported or immediately before operation. That's fine. As a result, it is possible to reduce the cost and weight of the vehicle as compared with the above-described embodiments by the amount that does not require the installation of a device that can generate the region type signal S1.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, there are the same effects as in the third embodiment. That is, there is an effect that it is possible to flexibly cope with a change of the shipping destination while reducing the manufacturing cost and the management cost of the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 whose settings are different depending on the shipping destination. In addition, the setting of the plurality of in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 can be easily switched, and even if the number of in-vehicle systems whose settings are to be changed increases, there is an effect that there is almost no cost increase required for distribution of the region type signal S1. .

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, as an effect of the present embodiment that is not in the above-described third embodiment, the price of the vehicle is reduced by the amount that the portable device 5 as the signal supply means is not attached to the vehicle. There is also an effect that the weight is reduced.

(Method invention of Example 4)
As shown in FIG. 3 again, the present embodiment is also defined as an example of “setting switching method for in-vehicle system” characterized by having a signal generation process P1, a distribution process P2, and setting switching processes P37 and P38. can do. However, the content is slightly different from that of Example 1 as follows.

  Here, the signal generation process P1 is a process in which the portable device 5 generates the area type signal S1, and the distribution process P2 is a process in which the area type signal S1 is distributed to the plurality of in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 through the in-vehicle network 6. It is. Furthermore, the setting switching processes P37 and P38 are processes in which the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 switch their settings according to the area type indicated by the area type signal S1.

  In the present embodiment as an example of the method invention, first, in the signal generation process P1, an area type signal S1 indicating a predetermined position type is generated. Subsequently, in the distribution process P2, the region type signal S1 is distributed to the plurality of in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 through the in-vehicle network 6. In the setting switching processes P37 and P38, the in-vehicle systems 7 and 8 independently switch their settings appropriately according to the region type.

  Of course, even if this embodiment is regarded as an example of the method invention, the effects of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

(Modification 1 of Example 4)
As a modification 1 of the present embodiment, the mobile device 5 is not adopted as the signal supply means, and the region type signal S1 is generated from any one of the in-vehicle devices connected to the in-vehicle network 9, and each in-vehicle is transmitted through the in-vehicle network 6. You may make it deliver to the systems 7 and 8. FIG.

  Here, as the in-vehicle device, it is also possible to use a device in which an existing device for sending some signal to the in-vehicle network 6 is modified so that the designated region type signal S1 can be supplied. For example, if a signal indicating the traveling speed can be sent from the vehicle speed sensor unit to the in-vehicle network 6, the vehicle speed sensor unit is modified and a signal indicating the region type designated by the worker is also transmitted to the in-vehicle network. 6 may be distributed.

  Alternatively, a playback device such as an audio device added with a signal generation function may be connected to the in-vehicle network 6. In other words, the device may be used as a signal supply means by applying a recording medium storing a predetermined work command and the area type signal S1 to the device.

  Also by this modification, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

The schematic diagram which shows the structure of the "in-vehicle system setting switching device" as Example 1 The schematic diagram which shows the structure of ECU in Example 1. FIG. The flowchart which shows the structure of "the setting switching method of a vehicle-mounted system" as Example 1 The schematic diagram which shows the structure of the "setting switching apparatus of a vehicle-mounted system" as Example 2 The schematic diagram which shows the structure of the "setting switching apparatus of a vehicle-mounted system" as Example 3 The schematic diagram which shows the structure of the "in-vehicle system setting switching device" as Example 4

Explanation of symbols

1: Navigation device (as signal supply means)
11: GPS receiving antenna 12: GPS positioning means (providing positioning information as a receiving device)
13: DVD-ROM (stores map data including region type and road type)
14: Microcomputer (determining two types of position types as determination means)
2: ETC receiver (as signal supply means)
21: ETC receiver circuit (as receiver)
22: Microcomputer (as determination means)
3: Radio broadcast receiver (as signal supply means)
21: Tuner (as receiver)
22: Microcomputer (as determination means)
5: Portable device (as a region-specific signal supply means) 51: Connector 6: In-vehicle network 61: Connector 7: Airbag system (as one of in-vehicle systems)
70: ECU
71: Interface (in-vehicle network and airbag)
72: Microcomputer
73: ROM (ROM storage area)
A1 to A4: Selected part (stores software for each region)
B1 to B4: Selected part (stores software for each road)
C: Common part (stores basic specification software)
74: Interface (from sensors to microcomputer)
75: Interface (from microcomputer to airbag)
76: Sensors for airbag 77: Gas generator for airbag 8: Engine control system (as one of in-vehicle systems) 80: ECU
9: Variable suspension system (as one of in-vehicle systems) 90: ECU
P1: Signal generation process P2: Distribution process P37, P38, P39: Setting switching process S1: Signal indicating an area type as a position type (area type signal)
S2: Signal indicating the road type as the position type (road type signal)

Claims (8)

A set of devices mounted on a given vehicle,
A receiving device that receives external radio waves;
A determination means for determining a position type of the vehicle according to a predetermined classification based on information provided from the receiving device;
At least one in-vehicle system whose setting is switched based on the position type;
A setting switching device for an in-vehicle system, comprising: The receiving device is a navigation device that specifies the position of the vehicle on map data or a receiving device thereof,
The position type is at least one of a region type indicating where the vehicle is located in each country or each region, and a road type indicating the type of road or road surface on which the vehicle is located,
The on-vehicle system setting switching device according to claim 1. The receiving device is an ETC receiving device;
The position type is at least one of a road type indicating whether the vehicle is on a toll road and a region type indicating where the toll gate through which the vehicle has passed is in each country or each region. is there,
The on-vehicle system setting switching device according to claim 1. The receiving device is either a radio broadcast receiving device or an in-vehicle phone device,
The position type is a region type indicating where the vehicle is located in each country or each region,
The on-vehicle system setting switching device according to claim 1. The vehicle is provided with an in-vehicle network,
A signal including information on the position type is transmitted from the determination means to the in-vehicle system through the in-vehicle network.
The on-vehicle system setting switching device according to claim 1. The in-vehicle system has an ECU with a built-in ROM that stores software to be referred to when changing the setting,
In the ROM storage area, a common part that stores software that is commonly used regardless of the position type, and a selection part that stores a set of software that is selected from a plurality of types according to the position type. And at least the latter is provided,
The on-vehicle system setting switching device according to claim 1. An in-vehicle network arranged in a predetermined vehicle;
Signal supply means for supplying a signal indicating a predetermined position type to the in-vehicle network;
A plurality of in-vehicle systems that switch their settings according to the location type included in the signal distributed from the in-vehicle network,
A setting switching device for an in-vehicle system, comprising: A signal generation process in which a signal indicating a predetermined position type is generated;
A distribution process in which this signal is distributed to multiple in-vehicle systems through the in-vehicle network
According to this position type, at least one of these in-vehicle systems switches the setting switching process,
A setting switching method for an in-vehicle system, comprising:

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