JP2007001486A - Information provision system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information provision system for a vehicle capable of certainly and accurately transmitting vehicle information to receiving ends such as a vehicle dealer or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The information provision system for a vehicle is provided with an encoder for converting the vehicle information regarding the vehicle to a two-dimensional bar code; and a display device for displaying the two-dimensional bar code. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle information providing system.

One of vehicle information providing systems is a navigation system. The navigation system identifies the position of the vehicle to which it is attached, displays it on the display, and guides the route to the designated destination.
A method for inputting a bar code of a destination or the like to such a navigation system has been proposed (Patent Document 1, etc.).
On the other hand, there has been proposed a vehicle failure communication system that automatically detects a vehicle failure and notifies a predetermined contact address registered in advance (Patent Document 2). In this vehicle failure communication system, the content of the failure is transmitted by voice guidance via a telephone line by a mobile phone.

JP 2004-3-9403 A JP 2000-67347 A

Recently, the penetration rate of navigation systems for vehicles has been improved, and provision of new services using the navigation system has been demanded.
Therefore, the present inventor has studied the integration of the vehicle failure communication system disclosed in Patent Document 2 and the navigation system.
Although a technology for connecting the navigation system to the Internet has been proposed, not all navigation systems are connected to the Internet. I can't say that.

In the vehicle failure communication system disclosed in Patent Document 2, since a communication method using a mobile phone is adopted, there is no problem in terms of versatility in view of the recent popularization rate of mobile phones.
However, in the communication system of Patent Document 2, the content of the failure is communicated as voice information, so the amount of information is limited.

  The present inventor has been studying to solve the above-mentioned problems, and paying attention to the widespread use of mobile phones with photographing functions, displays the contents of the failure on the display device of the navigation system, and displays them on the mobile phone. I realized that if I took a picture with a camera and sent it to a contact person such as a vehicle dealer, repair shop, JAF or help center, I could provide a sufficient amount of information instantly. Furthermore, if the failure content is converted into a two-dimensional bar code, photographing with a mobile phone becomes easy, and the failure content can be accurately transmitted to the contact address even in an emergency.

The present invention has been completed based on the idea of the inventor, and has been completed. The following configuration is adopted. That is,
A vehicle information providing system comprising: an encoder that converts vehicle information about a vehicle into a two-dimensional barcode; and a display device that displays the two-dimensional barcode.

According to the information providing apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, the vehicle information including the failure content and the like is converted into a two-dimensional barcode and displayed on the display device. By displaying the vehicle information as a two-dimensional barcode, it is easy to shoot with the camera of the mobile phone. Thereby, vehicle information can be transmitted to contact information, such as a vehicle dealer, more reliably and correctly.
On the other hand, it is conceivable to display vehicle information as character information on a display device. However, since photographing is required to capture all characters accurately, there is a problem in terms of versatility. Arise.

Hereafter, each element of this invention is demonstrated in detail.
A vehicle refers to an object to which the information providing system of the present invention is attached. In addition to automobiles, motorcycles are also covered.
The vehicle information includes information obtained from the navigation system in addition to information on the state of the vehicle itself. The former includes information (diagnostic information) about the failure content of the vehicle itself or its accessories. On the other hand, the information obtained from the navigation system includes not only vehicle position information but also information related to travel history and information on surrounding traffic conditions.

The diagnosis unit for diagnosing the state of the vehicle itself can diagnose the state (contents of failure) of each part of the vehicle and output the result as diagnosis information.
The timing for executing the diagnosis is not only when a certain command command is received, but also at a predetermined timing programmed in advance. When an abnormality is found as a result of diagnosis, the contents are displayed as a two-dimensional barcode. It is preferable to continuously store the result of diagnosis in the memory device regardless of whether the diagnosis is normal or abnormal. This is because it becomes easier to specify the failure target by comparing normal information and abnormal information.

  The contact identifying unit identifies the contact based on the diagnosis result and / or the location information. In the memory device, for example, addresses of vehicle dealers, general repair shops, and JAF branches are registered as contact information. Information about whether or not the diagnosis result (failure content) can be handled is added. Therefore, the contact identifying unit picks up a plurality of contacts close to the vehicle from the position information of the vehicle in the order of closeness, and further checks whether or not it is possible to cope with the diagnosis result (failure content) in the contact.

The two-dimensional bar code is information obtained by coding target information in the X direction and the Y direction, and is sometimes referred to as a two-dimensional symbol. QR codes, PDF417 codes, Maxi codes, etc. can be adopted as the two-dimensional barcode. By using these two-dimensional barcodes, a large amount of information can be displayed in a small area. Further, it can be read by a low resolution scanner.
Therefore, sufficient information can be displayed even on a display unit having a limited area such as a display of a navigation system. Moreover, since the two-dimensional barcode displayed in this way does not require high reading accuracy, a general user can easily read the two-dimensional barcode using a mobile phone with a photo function and transmit it to a contact. In other words, the vehicle information can be transmitted to the contact information easily and accurately.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation system 1 as an embodiment of the information providing apparatus of the present invention.
The control unit 3 includes a dedicated CPU, and various devices to be described later are connected to the control unit 3 through a bus line.
The position specifying unit 4 specifies the current position of the vehicle on which the navigation system 1 is mounted, and includes a GPS signal receiving unit, a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor, and other sensors. The display 5 displays the contents of the map and guidance, and the voice output unit 6 outputs voice guidance. The input unit 7 constitutes an interface with the user, and includes various input buttons and sticks.
The diagnosis unit 9 diagnoses normality and abnormality of the vehicle and its accessory parts, and generates diagnosis information.
The encoder 10 converts the diagnostic information, position information, contact information, and other information into a two-dimensional barcode according to a predetermined rule.
The contact identifying unit 11 identifies an appropriate contact (vehicle dealer branch, repair shop, JAF branch, etc.) according to vehicle position information and diagnostic information (failure content).

The memory device 20 is composed of a hard disk, and a control program is stored in its program storage area 21. The CPU constituting the control unit 3 reads this control program and controls the entire system.
The map data storage area 23 stores map data for navigation. The map data includes content data necessary for executing general navigation such as road information and facility information.
Signals obtained by the diagnosis unit 9 accessing the vehicle control device and various sensors are referred to the data stored in the diagnosis data storage area 24. Thereby, the diagnosis content is materialized and the failure content is specified. Such information becomes diagnostic information.
All of the diagnostic information obtained in this way is preferably stored in the diagnostic information storage area. This is because by regularly storing the diagnosis information, the contents of the failure can be identified more accurately by comparing the diagnosis information at the normal time and the diagnosis information at the time of abnormality (at the time of failure).

  The contact information storage area 27 stores contact data (contact information) of vehicle information. In the contact information, at least the location of the contact, the breakdown content that can be handled by the contact, and the e-mail address are stored. Furthermore, it is possible to include data such as the telephone number of the contact information and the available time zone.

Next, the operation of the navigation system 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
When the user feels an abnormality in the vehicle, the diagnostic mode is activated by operating the input device 7 of the navigation system 1. When the diagnosis mode is activated, the diagnosis unit 9 operates to inspect the state of the vehicle itself (step 1). Specifically, the diagnosis unit 9 performs diagnosis by referring to the diagnosis data 24 based on signals obtained by accessing each control unit and sensor of the vehicle. The result is stored in the diagnosis information storage area 271 as diagnosis information (step 3). It is preferable to specify the failure part and the degree of failure as the diagnosis information.
When there is no abnormality in the diagnosis result, the fact that there is no abnormality (that is, normal display) is made and the process is terminated.
When an abnormality is found, the position specifying unit 4 is used to specify the position of the vehicle, position information is acquired, and this is stored in the position information storage area 273.

  In step 9, the diagnostic information and the position information stored in the information storage area 27 are read out, combined, and converted into one first two-dimensional barcode by the encoder 10. At this time, information for specifying the vehicle, information for specifying the user, time, and the like can be combined into a two-dimensional barcode.

  Next, the contact information is specified by referring to the position information and diagnosis information specified above (step 11). In this embodiment, first, the contact information is narrowed down based on whether the vehicle is located within a radius of, for example, 10 km from the current position of the vehicle, and then the contact information is determined based on whether the failure content specified in the diagnosis information can be handled. select. Then, the list of contacts selected in step 11 is displayed on the display 5 and finally designated by the user (step 13).

In step 15, information about the designated contact is converted into a two-dimensional barcode.
The first two-dimensional barcode 31 generated in step 9 and the second two-dimensional barcode 32 generated in step 15 are displayed separately in different areas on the display 5 as shown in FIG. .

By using the two-dimensional barcode reading function of the mobile phone, the second two-dimensional barcode 32 is read to establish a connection state with the mail address of the contact identified in step 11. Next, the first two-dimensional bar code is photographed and transmitted to the e-mail address described above. The contact who has received the first two-dimensional barcode decodes the two-dimensional barcode to obtain diagnostic information and position information. Such information can be verified and appropriate measures can be taken.
According to the above system, even if the user does not have sufficient knowledge to identify a vehicle failure, the vehicle state can be accurately notified to a vehicle dealer or the like. As a result, it is possible to save the trouble of directly diagnosing the vehicle for the vehicle dealer and the like, and the repair time is shortened. In particular, in the case of a vehicle that has stopped on a highway, if the details of the failure are specified in advance, the coping method can be determined immediately, which is preferable from the viewpoint of ensuring safety.

  In general, it is difficult to specify a faulty part after a fault for a fault without reproducibility. Accordingly, the vehicle may be brought into the vehicle dealer or the like many times. For such a non-reproducible failure, it is possible to identify the failure by operating the system immediately when the failure is felt, and to notify the vehicle dealer or the like of the failure.

When the vehicle is damaged due to an accident, in step 1, information on the opening / closing of the airbag, information on the vehicle speed, the accelerator opening, the wheel pressure sensor, and the like are collected to determine whether the vehicle is normal or abnormal.
In selecting the contact information in step 11, it is preferable to determine the extent of the accident from the information collected in step 1 and select the contact information according to the degree. Contact points include police and road management offices.

FIG. 4 shows an apparatus according to another embodiment. In FIG. 4, steps having the same operations as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is partially omitted. The hardware configuration shown in FIG. 1 can be used.
In FIG. 4, all the diagnostic information obtained in step 3 is stored in the diagnostic information storage area 271 as text information, for example, regardless of whether it is normal or abnormal (step 4). By storing the diagnostic information when the vehicle is operating normally, the singular point at the time of abnormality can be easily extracted by comparing the diagnostic information with the diagnostic information when the abnormality is found. Therefore, the failure content can be specified quickly and accurately, and the efficiency of repair work is improved.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information providing apparatus of another embodiment. The hardware configuration shown in FIG. 1 can be used.
Using the function of the navigation system, in step 31, vehicle position information is acquired. In step 32, if the vehicle has a VICS function, traffic congestion information on the route to be routed is acquired, and the estimated arrival time of the destination is acquired ( Step 33). These two types of vehicle information are combined to generate one two-dimensional barcode (step 35).
Next, a partner to whom the vehicle information is to be transmitted is specified (step 37), and the address of the partner (contact address) is converted into a two-dimensional barcode (step 39).
In step 41, the third two-dimensional barcode generated in step 35 and the fourth two-dimensional barcode generated in step 39 are separated and displayed in different areas of the display 5.

By using the two-dimensional barcode reading function of the mobile phone, the user reads the fourth two-dimensional barcode, thereby connecting to the contact mail address specified in step 37. Next, the third two-dimensional barcode is photographed and transmitted to the above-described mail address. The contact who has received the third two-dimensional barcode can decode the two-dimensional barcode and know the current position of the vehicle and the estimated arrival time.
In this embodiment, since the traffic jam information is also transmitted, it is possible to know the reason for being late.

  The present invention is not limited to the description of the embodiments and examples of the invention described above. Various modifications may be included in the present invention as long as those skilled in the art can easily conceive without departing from the description of the scope of claims.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information providing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of a two-dimensional barcode. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information providing apparatus of another embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information providing apparatus of another embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Navigation system 3 Control part 4 Position specific part 5 Display 6 Audio | voice output part 7 Input part 8 Communication interface 9 Diagnosis part 10 Encoder 11 Contact destination specific part 20 Memory device

Claims (6)

An encoder that converts vehicle information about the vehicle into a two-dimensional barcode,
A vehicle information providing system comprising: a display device that displays the two-dimensional barcode. The vehicle information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle information includes position information related to the position of the vehicle and diagnostic information related to a state of the vehicle itself. A diagnosis unit that diagnoses the state of the vehicle itself and generates the diagnosis information;
A contact identifying unit that identifies a contact based on the diagnosis result of the diagnostic unit and / or the location information;
The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the encoder converts contact information specified by the contact specifying unit into a two-dimensional barcode, and the display device displays the two-dimensional barcode. Information provision system. The diagnosis unit diagnoses the state of the vehicle itself at a predetermined timing,
When the vehicle itself is normal, the diagnostic information is stored. When the vehicle itself becomes abnormal, the diagnostic information is converted into a two-dimensional barcode by the encoder, and the two-dimensional barcode is displayed on the display device. The vehicle information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information providing system is displayed. 5. The vehicle information according to claim 1, wherein the two-dimensional bar code relating to the vehicle information and the two-dimensional barcode relating to the contact information are displayed separately on the display device. Offer system. 6. The vehicle information provision according to claim 5, wherein the vehicle information includes diagnostic information and position information, and the information is combined and displayed as one two-dimensional barcode. system.

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