JP2017216582A - Telecommunication system for vehicle and application program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a telecommunication system for vehicle, using a portable terminal as a transmitter of vehicle information, capable of reducing a communication cost relating to transfer of vehicle information.SOLUTION: A telecommunication system (100) for vehicle includes an on-vehicle information apparatus (10) having: an information collection part (11); communication interfaces (14A, 14B) connected with a portable terminal (20); and a control part (12) for transferring vehicle information from the information collection part (11) to the portable terminal (20). The portable terminal (20), if a free communication line is currently unavailable and a pay communication line is currently available and a cumulative communication quantity as of this point in time has not reached an upper-limit value when vehicle information has been transferred from the on-vehicle information apparatus (10), transfers all the vehicle information to a center apparatus (30) through the pay communication line, and if a cumulative communication quantity is in excess of the upper-limit value, stores the vehicle information therein and transfers rough information of the vehicle information to the center apparatus (30) through the free communication line.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an information communication system for a vehicle that transmits vehicle information to the outside of the vehicle, and an application program used in the system.

  Vehicles such as passenger cars are equipped with various electronic control modules (ECUs) for performing various controls such as powertrain control, body control, and vehicle control. In addition, an operation data recorder (ODR: Operation Data Recorder) that records various operating conditions of the vehicle may be installed. Various information (vehicle information) related to the vehicle collected from such various in-vehicle devices is useful for vehicle failure diagnosis and maintenance management.

  Vehicle information is stored, analyzed, and processed in an external device such as a center device. To obtain vehicle information, the center device writes vehicle information to a memory device such as a USB memory and connects the USB memory to a PC. It is inconvenient because it is necessary to transmit vehicle information from the PC to the center device via the Internet. In order to solve such a problem, a technique for transmitting diagnostic information of a running vehicle to a center device using a dedicated communication module or mobile phone capable of bidirectional communication is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

JP 2006-25048 A

  It is advantageous in terms of cost to use a mobile terminal possessed by a passenger, such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, as a transmitter for transmitting vehicle information, rather than mounting a communication module dedicated to transmitting vehicle information as in the prior art described above. It is preferable. However, when a portable terminal is used as a transmitter for transmitting vehicle information, there is a problem in that communication costs are incurred because carrier communication provided by a telecommunications carrier is used.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to reduce communication costs related to the transfer of vehicle information in a vehicle information communication system that uses a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or a smartphone as a vehicle information transmitter.

  An information communication system for a vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention is collected by an information collection unit that collects vehicle information from an in-vehicle device, a communication interface to which a mobile terminal brought into the vehicle is connected, and an information collection unit An in-vehicle information device having a control unit that transfers vehicle information to a mobile terminal via a communication interface. When the vehicle information is transferred from the in-vehicle information device, the mobile terminal cannot use a free communication line and is charged If the communication line is currently usable and the current accumulated communication amount of the pay communication line has not reached the upper limit value, all of the vehicle information is transferred to the center device using the pay communication line, and the accumulated communication amount is the upper limit value. If the vehicle information exceeds the vehicle information, the vehicle information is stored in itself, and the outline information of the vehicle information is transferred to the center device using a pay communication line.

  An application program according to another aspect of the present invention is an application program that is installed in a mobile terminal that is brought into the vehicle and connected to the in-vehicle information device, and includes a communication line that the mobile terminal can currently use. Means for determining, means for determining whether or not the current accumulated communication amount of the pay communication line in the mobile terminal has reached an upper limit value, and when the vehicle information is transferred from the in-vehicle information device to the mobile terminal, Means for transferring all of the vehicle information to the center device using the pay communication line if the pay communication line is currently unusable and the pay communication line is currently available and the accumulated communication amount of the current pay communication line has not reached the upper limit; In addition, when vehicle information is transferred from the in-vehicle information device to the mobile terminal, the free communication line is currently unavailable and the pay communication line is As a means for storing the vehicle information in the portable terminal and transferring the outline information of the vehicle information to the center apparatus using a pay communication line if the accumulated communication amount exceeds the upper limit value, the portable terminal Is to function.

  According to the present invention, in a vehicle information communication system that uses a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or a smartphone as a vehicle information transmitter, when the vehicle information is transferred to the center device using the pay communication line, If the accumulated communication amount exceeds the upper limit value, the vehicle information itself, not the vehicle information itself, is transferred to the center device. Thereby, the communication cost concerning transfer of vehicle information can be reduced.

1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle information communication system according to an embodiment. Configuration diagram of an in-vehicle system according to an example The figure which shows the environment setting screen of in-car communication and out-of-vehicle communication of the portable terminal Sequence diagram showing a procedure for transferring vehicle information between the in-vehicle information device and the portable terminal Sequence diagram showing transfer procedure of vehicle information between portable terminal and center device

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of already well-known matters and repeated descriptions for substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the following description from becoming unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

  In addition, the inventors provide the accompanying drawings and the following description in order for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present invention, and these are intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims. is not.

  FIG. 1 shows an outline of a vehicular information communication system according to an embodiment. The vehicle information communication system 100 according to the present embodiment includes an in-vehicle information device (CMU: Connectivity Master Unit) 10, a mobile terminal 20 (DTU: Data Transfer Unit), and a center device 30. Among these, the in-vehicle information device 10 and the portable terminal 20 are arranged in the vehicle 101, and the center device 30 is arranged outside the vehicle (remote location).

  The vehicle 101 is an automobile that travels by the power of a prime mover such as an internal combustion engine, a hybrid engine, or an electric motor, and is typically a passenger car.

  The in-vehicle information device 10 is an in-vehicle device arranged on a dashboard or a center console of the vehicle 101. The in-vehicle information device 10 includes a display having a touch panel function (an example of the user I / F 15 illustrated in FIG. 2), and performs various operations such as car navigation, an in-vehicle AV device, in-vehicle air conditioning, and vehicle settings by a touch operation. Be able to.

  The in-vehicle information device 10 has a function of collecting vehicle information of the vehicle 101. The vehicle information here is information obtained from various in-vehicle devices of the vehicle 101. In addition to raw data detected by the in-vehicle devices (for example, GPS (Global Positioning System) information and time information), in-vehicle information Processing data (for example, heater control analysis data, brake analysis data, etc.) analyzed and processed in the device is also included.

  The mobile terminal 20 is a mobile information terminal or a mobile communication device such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, or a notebook PC possessed by a passenger. The portable terminal 20 is brought into the vehicle 101 and connected to the in-vehicle information device 10 by wire and / or wireless. As will be described later, a plurality of portable terminals 20 can be simultaneously connected to the in-vehicle information device 10. In addition, one mobile terminal 20 can be connected to the in-vehicle information device 10 using two communication interfaces, wired and wireless. By connecting the mobile terminal 20 to the in-vehicle information device 10, the rider can operate the mobile terminal 20 on the in-vehicle information device 10 side. For example, music content, video content, and radio possessed by the mobile terminal 20 are operated by the in-vehicle information device 10 to be played back by the in-vehicle AV device, a short message is viewed by the in-vehicle information device 10, and the hands using the in-vehicle information device 10 You can make free calls.

  The portable terminal 20 has a carrier communication function such as 3G, LTE (Long Term Evolution), and GSM (Global System for Mobile communication). By starting a dedicated application (application program) on the mobile terminal 20, the mobile terminal 20 receives vehicle information from the in-vehicle information device 10 and transmits the vehicle information to the center device 30 by wireless communication via the electric communication line 102. Functions as a transmitter to forward to.

  The telecommunication line 102 includes a public mobile communication network provided by telecommunication carriers (communication carriers) such as 3G, LTE, and GSM, the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), and a local area network (LAN).

  The center device 30 is a device that receives vehicle information transferred from the mobile terminal 20 via the telecommunication line 102, and accumulates, analyzes, and processes the received vehicle information. For example, the center device 30 includes a plurality of servers. A back-end server 30A is arranged at the end on the telecommunication line 102 side. The back-end server 30A mainly functions as a communication platform, receives vehicle information transferred from the mobile terminal 20, and accumulates it. The back-end server 30A is connected to another server such as the region server 30B through a WAN or a LAN. The region server 30B appropriately reads and analyzes and processes the stored information of the backend server 30A. The information analyzed and processed by the region server 30B is used for maintenance of the vehicle 101 and for providing high value-added services.

  As described above, in the vehicle information communication system 100 according to the present embodiment, the vehicle is not a dedicated communication device mounted on the vehicle 101 but a general-purpose portable terminal such as a smartphone possessed by the passenger of the vehicle 101. The information is transferred to the center device 30.

  Next, a configuration example of the in-vehicle system of the vehicle 101 will be described. FIG. 2 shows a configuration of an in-vehicle system according to an example.

  The vehicle 101 includes a PCM (Powertrain Control Module) 41 that controls the operation of the power train including the engine, a TCM (Transmission Control Module) 42 that controls the transmission, a wiper, a door lock, a room light, a blinker, a tail lamp, and a keyless. Various control systems such as BCM (Body Control Module) 43 that controls electrical components such as security, DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) 44 that controls engine torque to prevent vehicle slipping and maintain vehicle running stability An electronic control module (ECM) is mounted on the vehicle. These in-vehicle devices are connected to an in-vehicle bus 50 such as a CAN (Controller Area Network).

  The in-vehicle information device 10 is also connected to the in-vehicle bus 50. Specifically, the in-vehicle information device 10 includes an information collection unit 11, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 12, a memory 13, communication interfaces (I / F) 14A and 14B, and a user interface (I / F) 15. Yes. These components are connected to the internal bus 18.

  The information collection unit 11 is a module that collects vehicle information from the various on-vehicle devices. The information collecting unit 11 is connected to the in-vehicle bus 50 via an interface for connecting to the in-vehicle bus 50 such as a CAN bus interface.

  The memory 13 includes volatile memory such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), and non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and flash memory. The memory 13 stores a program for operating the in-vehicle information device 10 (in the case of ROM or flash memory), temporarily stores vehicle information collected by the information collecting unit 11 (in the case of RAM), It can be accumulated over a period (in the case of a flash memory).

  The communication interfaces 14 </ b> A and 14 </ b> B are interfaces that connect the in-vehicle information device 10 and the portable terminal 20. The communication interface 14 </ b> A is a short-range wireless interface such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and the in-vehicle information device 10 and the mobile terminal 20 communicate with each other by the wireless 201. The communication interface 14 </ b> B is a wired interface such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), and the in-vehicle information device 10 and the mobile terminal 20 are connected by a cable 202 and communicate through the cable 202.

  A plurality of portable terminals 20 can be simultaneously connected to the in-vehicle information device 10 using all of the communication interfaces 14A and 14B. In particular, the communication interface 14B has a plurality of ports, and a plurality of portable terminals 20 can be simultaneously connected to the plurality of ports. In the example of FIG. 2, the communication interface 14B has two ports, and can be connected to a maximum of three portable terminals 20 together with the communication interface 14A.

  When the user (passenger) functions the mobile terminal 20 as a transmitter that transmits vehicle information from the in-vehicle information device 10 to the center device 30, the user (passenger) may arbitrarily set a communication environment inside and outside the vehicle related to communication of vehicle information. it can. FIG. 3 shows an environment setting screen for in-vehicle communication and external communication of the mobile terminal 20. For example, it is possible to set whether to use each of Bluetooth and USB as in-vehicle communication. In addition, it is possible to set whether or not to use each of carrier communication and Wi-Fi communication as external communication.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the user I / F 15 may include a display such as a small liquid crystal display device or an organic EL display device having a touch panel function. The display provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that displays operation screens and various warnings for performing various operations such as an in-vehicle AV device, in-vehicle air conditioning, and vehicle settings.

  The CPU 12 controls the overall operation of the in-vehicle information device 10 according to a program stored in the memory 13. For example, the CPU 12 collects vehicle information from the in-vehicle device by the information collecting unit 11 and analyzes and processes the collected information as necessary to generate an electronic file having a predetermined data structure. The generated electronic file is stored in the memory 13.

  The CPU 12 stores a plurality of electronic files according to the information type, for example, a file holding cumulative data of travel distance and fuel consumption (for convenience, file A); travel time for one drive (period from ignition on to off), File that holds mileage, fuel consumption, ignition off location and time (for convenience, file B); warning lamp lighting information, vehicle fault code, and vehicle status information for several seconds before and after warning lamp lighting (For convenience, it is referred to as a file C); a file (referred to as a file D for convenience) that holds indicator lamp lighting information and vehicle state information for several seconds before and after the indicator lamp lighting is generated. The file generation timing is, for example, when the file A and the file are ignition off, the file C is when the warning lamp is lit, and the file D is when a safety device such as ABS (Antilock Brake System) is activated.

  Further, the CPU 12 reads the file from the memory 13 at a predetermined timing, and transfers the file to the portable terminal 20 through the interface that is set to be usable in the communication environment setting among the communication interfaces 14A and 14B. The portable terminal 20 transfers the transferred file to the center device 30 via the telecommunication line 102. The read timing and transmission timing of the file by the CPU 12 are, for example, when the file A is when the engine is started, when the file B is when the ignition is off, and immediately after the files C and D are generated.

  Of the vehicle information, vehicle information relating to a vehicle failure in particular is required to be promptly transferred to the center device 30. Therefore, it is necessary to transfer the file C and the file D from the portable terminal 20 to the center device 30 immediately after generation. On the other hand, the file C and the file D contain a detailed log indicating the vehicle state for several seconds before and after the occurrence of the failure, so that the file size is relatively large. For this reason, when a free communication line such as Wi-Fi communication cannot be used and only a pay communication line such as carrier communication can be used, the mobile terminal 20 transfers a large file using the pay communication line. Communication costs are incurred. As described above, it is difficult to achieve both immediate transmission of vehicle information and reduction in communication cost, but the vehicle information communication system 100 according to the present embodiment achieves both. Hereinafter, a procedure for transferring vehicle information among the in-vehicle information device 10, the mobile terminal 20, and the center device 30 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure for transferring vehicle information between the in-vehicle information device 10 and the portable terminal 20. A procedure for transferring vehicle information between the in-vehicle information device 10 and the portable terminal 20 will be described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that the mobile terminal 20 is connected to the communication interface 14A or 14B and can communicate with the in-vehicle information device 10.

  When a file for storing vehicle information is generated in the in-vehicle information device 10 and a trigger for transmitting the file to the center device 30 occurs, the in-vehicle information device 10 issues a connection request to the mobile terminal 20 (S11). When the portable terminal 20 receives the connection request, the portable terminal 20 checks whether or not the mobile terminal 20 is in a state where it can be connected to the in-vehicle information device 10. S21).

  When receiving the connection permission, the in-vehicle information device 10 issues a file transfer request to the portable terminal 20 (S12). When receiving the transfer request, the portable terminal 20 issues a file transfer permission to the in-vehicle information device 10 (S22). When receiving the transfer permission, the in-vehicle information device 10 transfers the file storing the vehicle information to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication interface 14A or 14B (S13).

  The portable terminal 20 receives the file from the in-vehicle information device 10 and notifies the in-vehicle information device 10 of successful reception (S23). When receiving the notification of successful reception, the in-vehicle information device 10 deletes the file that has been successfully transferred to the mobile terminal 20 (S14). The portable terminal 20 temporarily stores the file received from the in-vehicle information device 10 in the internal memory, and performs the file transfer process described below (S24).

  Next, the file transfer process (S24) in the portable terminal 20 will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating a procedure for transferring vehicle information between the mobile terminal 20 and the center device 30.

  If a free communication line such as Wi-Fi communication is currently available (YES in S241), the mobile terminal 20 reads the file temporarily stored in the internal memory, and uses the free communication line to store the file in the center device 30. (S242). When the file transfer to the center device 30 is completed, the mobile terminal 20 deletes the file from the internal memory (S243). When the center device 30 receives a file from the mobile terminal 20, the center device 30 notifies the mobile terminal 20 of successful reception, accumulates vehicle information stored in the received file, and performs analysis / processing (S31). Thus, if a free communication line such as Wi-Fi communication can be used, complete vehicle information is transferred from the mobile terminal 20 to the center device 30.

  If a free communication line such as Wi-Fi communication is currently unusable (NO in S241) and a pay communication line such as carrier communication is currently available (YES in S244), the mobile terminal 20 uses the current pay communication. It is determined whether or not the accumulated traffic of the line has reached the upper limit value (S247). In general, a monthly maximum communication amount corresponding to a communication plan contracted with a telecommunications carrier is set for a pay communication line. When the monthly communication amount of the pay communication line exceeds the maximum communication amount, the communication speed is limited and the communication performance of the mobile terminal 20 is significantly deteriorated. Therefore, the portable terminal 20 can determine whether or not the cumulative communication amount of the pay communication line has reached the upper limit value by regarding the maximum monthly communication amount according to the communication plan as the upper limit value.

  Alternatively, the monthly maximum communication amount may be set for each application installed in the mobile terminal 20. In such a case, the mobile terminal 20 regards the monthly maximum communication amount set in the vehicle information communication application as the upper limit value, and whether or not the accumulated communication amount of the pay communication line has reached the upper limit value. It may be determined.

  In addition, in determining whether or not a pay communication line can be used, in addition to whether or not the pay communication line can be physically used, the communication environment setting inside and outside the vehicle related to communication of vehicle information by the user (see FIG. 3) is considered. May be. For example, even if the mobile terminal 20 is within the carrier communication network, if the user prohibits the transfer of vehicle information by carrier communication, the mobile terminal 20 gives priority to the user setting and the pay communication line is currently It may be determined that it cannot be used.

  If the current accumulated communication amount of the pay communication line has not reached the upper limit (NO in S247), the mobile terminal 20 reads the file temporarily stored in the internal memory, and uses the free communication line to store the file in the center device. 30 (S242), and then the file is deleted from the internal memory (S243). Thus, even if a free communication line such as Wi-Fi communication is unusable and a charged communication line such as carrier communication is used, if the accumulated communication amount does not reach the upper limit value, the mobile terminal 20 Complete vehicle information is transferred to the center device 30.

  On the other hand, if the current accumulated communication amount of the pay communication line exceeds the upper limit (YES in S247), the mobile terminal 20 extracts the outline information of the vehicle information from the file temporarily stored in the internal memory, and pay communication The outline information of the vehicle information is transferred to the center apparatus 30 using the line (S248). When the center device 30 receives the outline information of the vehicle information from the mobile terminal 20, the center device 30 notifies the mobile terminal 20 of the reception success, and analyzes the received information (S31).

  For example, in the case of a file including vehicle information related to vehicle failure, such as the above-described file C and file D, the failure occurrence date / time other than the detailed log indicating the vehicle state in several seconds before and after the occurrence of the failure, Information such as a failure code (diag code) can be employed. The overall size of the vehicle information related to the vehicle failure is several hundred kilobytes, whereas the size of the general information is several tens of bytes.

  As described above, even when the accumulated communication amount of the pay communication line such as carrier communication exceeds the upper limit value, if it is necessary to send the vehicle information using the pay communication line, the mobile terminal 20 sends the center information. The general information of the vehicle information is transferred to 30. Thereby, the amount of information transferred to the center device 30 can be significantly reduced, and the communication cost of the mobile terminal 20 can be reduced.

  When the outline information of the vehicle information is transferred to the center apparatus 30 or when a pay communication line such as carrier communication is not currently available (NO in S244), the mobile terminal 20 stores a file storing the vehicle information in the center apparatus 30. Continue to save to internal memory without transferring to. The file that has not been transferred to the center device 30 uses the free communication line when the mobile terminal 20 moves to an environment where a free communication line such as a wireless LAN spot or a wireless LAN such as a home or office can be used. 30.

  Therefore, if neither the free communication line nor the pay communication line is currently available outside the service area, the user may navigate to an area where the free communication line or the pay communication line can be used. That is, the mobile terminal 20 requests the in-vehicle information device 10 to navigate to an area where a free communication line or a pay communication line can be used (S249). When receiving the request from the mobile terminal 20, the in-vehicle information device 10 displays a map on the user I / F 15 and performs navigation to an area where a free communication line or a pay communication line can be used (S19). In addition, when the portable terminal 20 has the information regarding the use area of a free communication line or a pay communication line, the vehicle-mounted information apparatus 10 acquires the said information from the portable terminal 20, and displays it on a map. be able to.

  According to the above procedure, the mobile terminal 20 such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a notebook PC brought into the vehicle by the passenger of the vehicle 101 functions as a transmitter that transmits vehicle information from the in-vehicle information device 10 to the center device 30. Can be made. In addition, when the accumulated communication amount of the pay communication line exceeds the upper limit value, the vehicle information is transferred from the mobile terminal 20 to the center device 30, thereby ensuring the immediate transmission of the vehicle information. The communication cost related to the transfer can be reduced.

  As described above, the embodiments have been described as examples of the technology in the present invention. For this purpose, the accompanying drawings and detailed description are provided.

  Accordingly, among the components described in the accompanying drawings and the detailed description, not only the components essential for solving the problem, but also the components not essential for solving the problem in order to illustrate the above technique. May also be included. Therefore, it should not be immediately recognized that these non-essential components are essential as those non-essential components are described in the accompanying drawings and detailed description.

  Moreover, since the above-mentioned embodiment is for demonstrating the technique in this invention, a various change, replacement, addition, abbreviation, etc. can be performed in a claim or its equivalent range.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Information communication system for vehicles 10 In-vehicle information device 11 Information collection unit 12 CPU (control unit)
14A communication interface 14B communication interface 20 portable terminal 30 center device 41 PCM (vehicle equipment)
42 TCM (In-vehicle equipment)
43 BCM (vehicle equipment)
44 DSC (vehicle equipment)

Claims (5)

An information collection unit for collecting vehicle information from in-vehicle devices;
A communication interface to which a mobile terminal brought into the car is connected;
An in-vehicle information device having a control unit that transfers vehicle information collected by the information collection unit to the portable terminal via the communication interface;
In the portable terminal, when vehicle information is transferred from the in-vehicle information device, the free communication line is currently unusable and the pay communication line is currently usable, and the current accumulated communication amount of the pay communication line has reached the upper limit. Otherwise, all of the vehicle information is transferred to the center device using a pay communication line, and if the accumulated traffic exceeds the upper limit value, the vehicle information is stored in itself and the pay communication line is used. Then, the vehicle information communication system is characterized in that the outline information of the vehicle information is transferred to the center device.   2. The vehicle information communication system according to claim 1, wherein when the free communication line becomes usable, the mobile terminal transfers vehicle information stored in the mobile terminal to the center device using the free communication line.   2. The vehicle information communication system according to claim 1, wherein, when the accumulated communication amount falls below the upper limit value, the mobile terminal transfers vehicle information stored in the mobile terminal to a center device using a pay communication line. . In the case where vehicle information is transferred from the in-vehicle information device, the mobile terminal has no free communication line or pay communication line for the in-vehicle information device when both the free communication line and the pay communication line are currently unavailable. Request navigation to an available area,
The vehicle information communication according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the in-vehicle information device performs navigation to an area where a free communication line or a pay communication line can be used in response to a request from the portable terminal. system. An application program installed in a mobile terminal that is brought into the vehicle and connected to the in-vehicle information device,
Means for determining a communication line currently usable by the portable terminal;
Means for determining whether or not a cumulative amount of communication of a current pay communication line in the mobile terminal has reached an upper limit;
When vehicle information is transferred from the in-vehicle information device to the mobile terminal, the free communication line is currently unusable and the pay communication line is currently usable, and the current accumulated communication amount of the pay communication line must reach the upper limit. Means for transferring all of the vehicle information to the center device using a pay communication line, and when the vehicle information is transferred from the in-vehicle information device to the mobile terminal, the free communication line is currently unusable and charged If a communication line is currently available and the accumulated communication amount exceeds the upper limit value, the vehicle information is stored in the portable terminal, and a summary information of the vehicle information is stored in the center device using a pay communication line. An application program for causing the portable terminal to function as means for transferring.

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