JP2020085469A - Area environment estimation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an area environment estimation device capable of improving the practicality of estimating environment states such as an outer air temperature and solar radiation in each of a plurality of predetermined areas.SOLUTION: Vehicles 2 and 3 are present in the respective predetermined areas. An environment data processing server 1 is provided which acquires information of the outer air temperature and the solar radiation from the vehicle 2 on which an outer air temperature sensor 27 and a solar radiation sensor 28 are mounted. The environment data processing server calculates an average value of the outer air temperature and an average value of the solar radiation within a predetermined time in each of the plurality of predetermined areas, and performs an estimation operation of the area environment in each of the plurality of predetermined areas. This makes it possible to provide information on the outer air temperature and the solar radiation to the vehicle 3 on which the sensors are not mounted, and the vehicle 3 can perform air-conditioning based on the information. It is possible to perform an operation for estimating the environment state for each of a plurality of predetermined areas by effectively using the sensor-equipped vehicle 2 as an acquisition source of the environment information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an area environment estimation device that estimates an environment state in each of a plurality of preset predetermined areas. In particular, the present invention relates to measures for enhancing the practicality of estimating the environmental condition.

Conventionally, it has been proposed to acquire information on the outside air temperature and the amount of solar radiation, which are parameters used for air conditioning control of a vehicle, without providing the vehicle with an outside air temperature sensor and an amount of solar radiation sensor (for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1 discloses an outside-vehicle server that collects and distributes information about the current outside air temperature and the current amount of solar radiation at a plurality of points, and an external communication terminal that communicates with the outside-vehicle server (mobile communication carried by an occupant. System) is disclosed. Information on the outside air temperature and the amount of solar radiation received from the server outside the vehicle is transmitted from the external communication terminal to the control circuit of the air conditioner mounted on the vehicle, and the air conditioner is controlled based on this information. .. This eliminates the need to equip the vehicle with the outside air temperature sensor and the solar radiation amount sensor, so that the number of sensors mounted on the vehicle can be reduced.

JP, 2015-202816, A

However, in Patent Document 1, specific means such as how to estimate the outside air temperature and the amount of solar radiation in the area where the vehicle currently exists from the above information is not clarified, It was still of poor practicality.

In particular, in Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that an out-of-vehicle server is realized as an aggregate of beacons fixed at a plurality of points, but in this case, information at a preset fixed point (beacon installation point) is set. However, it is necessary to consider how to set the installation location of the beacon in order to increase the reliability of the estimation of the environmental condition, which complicates the system construction.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is an area environment estimation device capable of enhancing the practicality of estimating environmental conditions such as the outside air temperature and the amount of solar radiation in each of a plurality of predetermined areas. To provide.

The solution means of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object is premised on an area environment estimation device for estimating an environment state including at least one of the outside air temperature and the amount of solar radiation in each of a plurality of preset predetermined areas. .. Then, the area environment estimation device includes an outside air temperature information acquisition unit that acquires information about the outside air temperature from a vehicle equipped with the outside air temperature sensor among vehicles existing in each of the plurality of predetermined areas, and a solar radiation sensor. A plurality of outside air temperatures within a predetermined time in each of the plurality of predetermined areas acquired by the outside air temperature information acquisition unit, which includes at least one information acquisition unit that acquires information about the amount of solar radiation from the vehicle The operation of estimating the outside air temperature for each of the plurality of predetermined areas based on the information, and the plurality of solar radiation amount information within a predetermined time in each of the plurality of predetermined areas acquired by the solar radiation amount information acquisition unit It is characterized by comprising an environment estimation unit that performs at least one estimation operation of the solar radiation amount estimation operation for each of the predetermined areas.

Due to this specific matter, not only vehicles equipped with sensors (vehicles equipped with at least one of an outside air temperature sensor and a solar radiation sensor) that are stopped within a predetermined area, but also vehicles equipped with sensors that run within this predetermined area Alternatively, the information acquisition unit (outside air temperature information acquisition unit or insolation amount information acquisition unit) acquires environmental information (outside air temperature information or insolation amount information) from a sensor-equipped vehicle that travels over a plurality of predetermined areas. be able to. For this reason, it is possible to acquire environment information at various points in a plurality of predetermined areas and perform an operation of estimating an environmental state in each of the plurality of predetermined areas based on the acquired environment information. As described above, it is possible to effectively utilize the vehicle equipped with the sensor as the acquisition source of the environmental information and perform the estimation operation of the environmental state for each of the plurality of predetermined areas. As a result, the practicability of estimating the environmental condition in each of the predetermined areas can be improved. In addition, the environment estimation result can be updated in a timely manner by updating the information at every predetermined time.

In the present invention, among the vehicles existing in each of the plurality of predetermined areas, the outside air temperature information acquisition unit that acquires information about the outside air temperature from the vehicle equipped with the outside air temperature sensor, and the amount of solar radiation from the vehicle equipped with the solar radiation sensor A plurality of predetermined values based on information on a plurality of outside air temperatures within a predetermined time in each of the plurality of predetermined areas acquired by the outside air temperature information acquisition unit are provided by including at least one information acquisition unit of the solar radiation amount information acquisition unit that acquires information. Of the estimation operation of the outside air temperature for each area, and the estimation operation of the solar radiation amount for each of the plurality of predetermined areas based on the information of the plurality of solar radiation amount within the predetermined time in each of the plurality of predetermined areas acquired by the solar radiation amount information acquisition unit An environment estimation unit that performs at least one estimation operation is provided. Accordingly, it is possible to acquire the environmental information at various points in the plurality of predetermined areas and perform the estimation operation of the environmental state in each of the plurality of predetermined areas based on the acquired environmental information. As described above, it is possible to effectively utilize the vehicle equipped with the sensor as the acquisition source of the environmental information and perform the estimation operation of the environmental state for each of the plurality of predetermined areas. As a result, the practicality of estimating the environmental condition in each of the predetermined areas can be improved.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the environment information communication system which concerns on embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of operation|movement in each of a vehicle with a sensor, an environmental information processing server, and a vehicle without a sensor. It is a figure which shows typically the state which each sensor value is uploaded toward the environmental information processing server from the vehicle with multiple sensors. It is a figure which shows an example of the histogram according to the information of the several outdoor temperature in one area which the outdoor temperature information processing part received. It is a figure which shows the state where the average value of the outside temperature calculated for each area was provided. It is a figure which shows typically the state where information is transmitted toward the vehicle in which several sensors are not mounted.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which the present invention is applied as an environmental information processing server (area environment estimation device) used in an environmental information communication system provided for air conditioning control of an air conditioner mounted on a vehicle.

-Schematic configuration of environmental information communication system-
First, the schematic configuration of the environmental information communication system will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an environment information communication system S including an environment information processing server 1 as an area environment estimation device according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the environment information communication system S includes a plurality of sensor-equipped vehicles 2, 2,... Incorporating sensors (outside air temperature sensor 27, solar radiation sensor 28, atmospheric pressure sensor 29). It is configured to include a plurality of non-sensor-equipped vehicles 3, 3,... Not mounted and an environmental information processing server 1. Then, between the environmental information processing server 1 and a plurality of sensor-equipped vehicles 2, 2,..., and between the environmental information processing server 1 and a plurality of sensor-non-equipped vehicles 3, 3,. It is possible to communicate using this communication network.

The sensor-equipped vehicle 2 and the sensor-unequipped vehicle 3 are provided with air conditioners 21 and 31, vehicle temperature sensors 22 and 32, air conditioner ECUs (Electronic Control Units) 23 and 33, GPS (Global Positioning System) modules 24 and 34, and DCU, respectively. (Domain Control Unit) 25, 35 and DCM (Data Communication Module) 26, 36 are mounted. In addition, as described above, the sensor-equipped vehicle 2 is equipped with the outside air temperature sensor 27, the solar radiation amount sensor 28, and the atmospheric pressure sensor 29.

The air conditioners 21 and 31 adjust (air-condition) the temperature inside the vehicle. The air conditioners 21 and 31 include, for example, an evaporator (not shown), a refrigeration circuit including a compressor driven by an engine (internal combustion engine) or an electric motor, and a heater core using cooling water of the engine as a heat source. Further, the air conditioners 21 and 31 can change the ratio between the air cooled by passing through the evaporator and the air heated by using the engine cooling water as a heat source by the control (air conditioning control) by the air conditioner ECUs 23 and 33. The temperature of the air blown into the vehicle from the air outlet is adjusted by appropriately mixing (the mixing ratio is adjusted according to the rotating position of the air mix door). Further, the air conditioners 21 and 31 have a defroster mode, and blow out air having a relatively low humidity and a high temperature along the windshield of the vehicle from the outlet corresponding to the defroster mode, whereby the front of the vehicle is cooled. Removes the frost on the outside of the glass and the fog on the inside of the glass.

The vehicle interior temperature sensors 22 and 32 are provided, for example, inside an instrument panel (not shown) and detect the vehicle interior temperature. The vehicle interior temperature sensors 22 and 32 are communicatively connected to the air conditioner ECUs 23 and 33 via communication lines, and transmit detection signals corresponding to the detected vehicle interior temperature to the air conditioner ECUs 23 and 33.

The outside air temperature sensor 27 mounted on the sensor-equipped vehicles 2, 2,... Is an outside of the vehicle, for example, a front end portion (a portion into which outside air is introduced) of an engine compartment (engine room) provided at the front portion of the vehicle, that is, It is arranged on the back side of the front grill of the vehicle and detects the temperature outside the vehicle (outside air temperature). The outside air temperature sensor 27 is communicatively connected to the air conditioner ECU 23 via a communication line, and transmits a detection signal corresponding to the detected outside air temperature to the air conditioner ECU 23.

The solar radiation sensor 28 mounted on the sensor-equipped vehicles 2, 2,... Is provided on, for example, a dashboard in the vehicle, and detects the light amount (solar radiation amount) of the sunlight radiated into the vehicle. The solar radiation sensor 28 is also communicatively connected to the air conditioner ECU 23 via a communication line and transmits a detection signal corresponding to the detected solar radiation amount to the air conditioner ECU 23.

The atmospheric pressure sensor 29 mounted on the sensor-equipped vehicles 2, 2,... Detects the outdoor pressure (atmospheric pressure) of the vehicle. This atmospheric pressure sensor 29 is also communicatively connected to the air conditioner ECU 23 via a communication line, and transmits a detection signal corresponding to the detected atmospheric pressure to the air conditioner ECU 23.

The air conditioner ECUs 23 and 33 are electronic control units that control the air conditioners 21 and 31. The air conditioner ECUs 23 and 33 have their functions realized by arbitrary hardware, software, or a combination thereof, and are mainly configured by a microcomputer including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an I/O, and the like. The air conditioner ECUs 23 and 33 are configured as, for example, functional units realized by executing one or more programs stored in the ROM on the CPU. Specifically, the air conditioners 21 and 31 are controlled in accordance with set conditions such as a set temperature and a mode (a plurality of outlet modes or a defroster mode depending on a combination of outlets). That is, based on the sensor values input to the air conditioner ECUs 23 and 33, for example, the air conditioners 21 and 31 are controlled so that the vehicle interior temperature reaches the set temperature.

The GPS modules 24 and 34 receive GPS signals transmitted from three or more (preferably four or more) satellites in the sky of the vehicle, and measure the position of the vehicle in which the GPS modules 24 and 34 are mounted. The GPS modules 24 and 34 are communicatively connected to the air conditioner ECUs 23 and 33 and the like through an in-vehicle network such as CAN, and the position information of the positioned vehicle is transmitted to known DCUs 25 and 35 and DCMs 26 and 36.

The DCUs 25 and 35 transmit the vehicle position information from the GPS modules 24 and 34 to the DCMs 26 and 36. Further, the DCU 25 mounted on the sensor-equipped vehicles 2, 2,... Includes the outside air temperature (outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 27) acquired through the in-vehicle network (CAN) and the amount of solar radiation (solar radiation sensor 28). The detected solar radiation amount) and the atmospheric pressure (atmospheric pressure detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor 29) are also transmitted to the DCMs 26 and 36.

The DCMs 26 and 36 are communication devices that bidirectionally communicate with the environmental information processing server 1 through a predetermined communication network (for example, a mobile phone network or an internet network having a number of base stations as terminals).

− Configuration of environmental information processing server −
Next, the configuration of the environmental information processing server 1 will be described. The environmental information processing server 1 includes an outside air temperature information processing unit 41, an outside air temperature information database 42, an outside air temperature information transmitting unit 43, a solar radiation amount information processing unit 51, a solar radiation amount information database 52, a solar radiation amount information transmitting unit 53, and atmospheric pressure. An information processing unit 61, an atmospheric pressure information database 62, and an atmospheric pressure information transmission unit 63 are provided.

The outside air temperature information processing unit 41 includes information on the outside air temperature from each sensor-equipped vehicle 2, 2,... (Information about the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 27 mounted on each sensor-equipped vehicle 2, 2,. ) To receive. Further, the outside air temperature information processing unit 41 transmits the information on the outside air temperature to the outside air temperature information database 42 to store (store) in the outside air temperature information database 42, and at the same time, at every predetermined time, the outside air temperature information database 42. A plurality of outside air temperature information is read from, and an average value of a plurality of outside air temperatures (outside air temperature values) included in the outside air temperature information is calculated for each pre-divided area. Then, the calculated average value of the outside air temperature is transmitted to the outside air temperature information transmitter 43 as information for each area.

As described above, the outside air temperature information processing unit 41 has a function of receiving information about the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 27 and a function of calculating an average value of a plurality of outside air temperatures included in the outside air temperature information. ing. The former functional portion (the functional portion that receives the information on the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 27) is the outside air temperature information acquisition section (the outside air temperature of the vehicles existing in each of the plurality of predetermined areas) according to the present invention. It corresponds to an outside air temperature information acquisition unit that acquires outside air temperature information from a vehicle equipped with a sensor. In addition, the latter functional part (a functional part that calculates the average value of a plurality of outside air temperatures included in the outside air temperature information) is referred to in the present invention as the environment estimating unit (in each of the plurality of predetermined areas acquired by the outside air temperature information acquiring unit). This corresponds to an environment estimation unit that performs an operation of estimating the outside air temperature for each of the plurality of predetermined areas based on the information about the plurality of outside air temperatures within a predetermined time.

Further, the outside air temperature information transmission unit 43 individually distributes (transmits) the information about the average value of the outside air temperature transmitted from the outside air temperature information processing unit 41 to the sensor-non-equipped vehicle 3 existing in the corresponding area. ..

The solar radiation amount information processing unit 51 receives information on the solar radiation amount from each sensor-equipped vehicle 2, 2,... (Information on the solar radiation amount detected by the solar radiation amount sensor 28 mounted on each sensor-equipped vehicle 2, 2,. ) To receive. Further, the solar radiation amount information processing unit 51 transmits the information on the solar radiation amount to the solar radiation amount information database 52 to store (accumulate) in the solar radiation amount information database 52, and at the same time, at a predetermined time, the solar radiation amount information database 52. A plurality of pieces of solar radiation amount information are read from, and an average value of a plurality of solar radiation amounts (solar radiation amount value) included in these pieces of solar radiation amount information is calculated for each pre-divided area. Then, the calculated average value of the solar radiation amount is transmitted to the solar radiation amount information transmitting unit 53 as information for each area.

As described above, the solar radiation amount information processing unit 51 has a function of receiving information on the solar radiation amount detected by the solar radiation amount sensor 28 and a function of calculating an average value of a plurality of solar radiation amounts included in the information on the solar radiation amount. ing. The former functional portion (the functional portion that receives the information on the amount of solar radiation detected by the solar radiation sensor 28) is referred to in the present invention as the amount of solar radiation information acquisition unit (of the vehicles existing in each of the plurality of predetermined areas, the amount of solar radiation). It corresponds to a solar radiation amount information acquisition unit) that acquires information on the solar radiation amount from a vehicle equipped with a sensor. In addition, the latter functional part (the functional part that calculates the average value of a plurality of solar radiation amounts included in the solar radiation amount information) is referred to in the present invention as the environment estimation unit (in each of the plurality of predetermined areas acquired by the solar radiation amount information acquisition unit). It corresponds to an environment estimating unit that performs an operation of estimating the solar radiation amount for each of a plurality of predetermined areas based on information on a plurality of solar radiation amounts within a predetermined time.

Further, the solar radiation amount information transmitting unit 53 individually distributes (transmits) the information on the average value of the solar radiation amount transmitted from the solar radiation amount information processing unit 51 to the sensor-non-equipped vehicle 3 existing in the corresponding area. ..

Atmospheric pressure information processing unit 61 receives atmospheric pressure information from each sensor-equipped vehicle 2, 2,... (Atmospheric pressure information detected by atmospheric pressure sensor 29 mounted on each sensor-equipped vehicle 2, 2,. ) To receive. The atmospheric pressure information processing unit 61 also transmits the atmospheric pressure information to the atmospheric pressure information database 62 to store (accumulate) in the atmospheric pressure information database 62, and at every predetermined time, the atmospheric pressure information database 62. Information of a plurality of atmospheric pressures is read from, and an average value of a plurality of atmospheric pressures (atmospheric pressure values) included in the information of the atmospheric pressures is calculated for each pre-divided area. Then, the calculated average value of the atmospheric pressure is transmitted to the atmospheric pressure information transmitting unit 63 as information for each area.

As described above, the atmospheric pressure information processing unit 61 has a function of receiving the atmospheric pressure information detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor 29 and a function of calculating an average value of a plurality of atmospheric pressures included in the atmospheric pressure information. ing.

In addition, the atmospheric pressure information transmission unit 63 individually distributes (transmits) the information on the average value of the atmospheric pressure transmitted from the atmospheric pressure information processing unit 61 to the vehicle 3 with no sensor installed in the corresponding area. ..

− Environmental information processing operation −
Next, the environmental information processing operation in the environmental information communication system S configured as described above will be described.

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of operation in each of the sensor-equipped vehicle 2, the environmental information processing server 1, and the sensor-non-equipped vehicle 3. In FIG. 2, in order from the left side, the information processing operation in the sensor-equipped vehicle 2, the information processing operation in each information processing unit 41, 51, 61, the information processing operation in each information database 42, 52, 62, each information The information processing operation in the transmitters 43, 53, 63 and the information processing operation in the vehicle 3 with no sensor are shown.

First, in each sensor-equipped vehicle 2, 2,..., At every predetermined time (for example, every 1 min), the data upload timing is reached, and every time the data upload timing is reached, the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 27 at that time. Information of the solar radiation amount, the information of the solar radiation amount detected by the solar radiation amount sensor 28, and the information of the atmospheric pressure detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor 29 are transmitted to the environmental information processing server 1. In addition to these pieces of information, the position information and time information of the vehicle positioned by the GPS module 24 are also transmitted to the environmental information processing server 1.

That is, it is determined in step ST11 in FIG. 2 whether or not the data upload timing has come, and when the data upload timing has not come, a NO determination is made and the process returns as it is. On the other hand, when the data upload timing has come, a YES determination is made in step ST11, the process proceeds to step ST12, and each sensor value is uploaded. That is, each sensor value is uploaded to each information processing unit 41, 51, 61 of the environmental information processing server 1.

More specifically, the information on the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 27 is uploaded to the outside air temperature information processing unit 41, and the information on the solar radiation amount detected by the solar radiation amount sensor 28 is uploaded to the solar radiation amount information processing unit 51, The atmospheric pressure information detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor 29 is uploaded to the atmospheric pressure information processing unit 61. The vehicle position information and time information are also uploaded to the information processing units 41, 51, 61. Such an operation is repeated in each sensor-equipped vehicle 2, 2,..., And each sensor-equipped vehicle 2, 2,... In various areas A to P (see FIG. 3) described later. Since the information is present, the information on the outside air temperature, the information on the amount of solar radiation, and the information on the atmospheric pressure in each of the areas A to P are set at predetermined time intervals (every time when the data upload timing is reached). It is uploaded to the processing units 41, 51, 61.

On the other hand, in each of the information processing units 41, 51, 61, an information storage unit for each area is prepared in step ST21. As this area, as shown in FIG. 3, a square area of which one side is, for example, 5 km is set on the map, these areas are divided, and an individual information storage unit is prepared for each area. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the area in the predetermined area is divided into 16 areas A to P. That is, in this step ST21, 16 individual information storage units of area A to area P are prepared. These numbers are not limited to this.

Then, in step ST22, the sensor values (information on the outside air temperature, information on the amount of solar radiation, and information on the atmospheric pressure) uploaded from the vehicles equipped with the sensors 2, 2,... Are received. In FIG. 3, sensor values are uploaded from a plurality of sensor-equipped vehicles (vehicles indicated by solid lines) 2, 2, 2 existing in area G to information processing units 41, 51, 61 of environmental information processing server 1. The state is shown schematically.

In step ST23, after the storage (accumulation) of information in the information storage section for each area is started (after the information stored in each area is initialized in step ST28 described later, the storage of information is started). It is determined whether or not 10 minutes have passed (after being performed).

Then, if 10 min has not yet elapsed, a NO determination is made in step ST23, the process proceeds to step ST24, and an information storage instruction is sent to each of the information databases 42, 52, 62. That is, the information on the outside air temperature, the information on the amount of solar radiation, and the information on the atmospheric pressure transmitted from the sensors-equipped vehicles 2, 2,... The information processing units 41, 51, 61 are transmitted to the respective information databases 42, 52, 62, and the information databases 42, 52, 62 are instructed to store these information for each area. In this way, until 10 minutes have passed, the information on the outside air temperature, the information on the amount of solar radiation, and the information on the atmospheric pressure are sent from the information processing units 41, 51, 61 to the information databases 42, 52, 62. The information is transmitted and stored in the information databases 42, 52 and 62 for each area. That is, in each of the information databases 42, 52, 62, in step ST31, the information of the outside air temperature, the information of the solar radiation amount, and the information of the atmospheric pressure transmitted from the information processing units 41, 51, 61 are received, In step ST32, this information is stored for each area.

Then, when 10 minutes have passed since the storage (accumulation) of information in the information storage unit for each area was started, and YES determination is made in step ST23, the process proceeds to step ST25, and each information database 42, 52, 62. For the transmission of the currently stored information (information stored in each area for 10 minutes). In response to this, each information database 42, 52, 62 transmits the currently stored information (information stored in each area) to each information processing unit 41, 51, 61 in step ST33. As a result, the information processing units 41, 51, 61 are transmitted with a plurality of pieces of information on the outside air temperature, information on the amount of solar radiation, and information on the atmospheric pressure for each area (the information on the plurality of outside air temperatures, the amount of solar radiation). Information, atmospheric pressure information will be read).

In this way, in each of the information databases 42, 52 and 62 that have transmitted the currently stored information to the information processing units 41, 51 and 61, the information stored in each area is initialized ( It is reset) and returned (step ST34).

In step ST26, each information processing unit 41, 51, 61 that has received each information from each information database 42, 52, 62 calculates the average value of the data value of the information for each area. That is, in the outside air temperature information processing unit 41, among the plurality of outside air temperature information (a plurality of outside air temperature values) received from the outside air temperature information database 42, the average value of the plurality of outside air temperature values in the same area (the average of the outside air temperatures) Value) is calculated for each area. In the solar radiation amount information processing unit 51, among the plurality of solar radiation amount information (plural solar radiation amount values) received from the solar radiation amount information database 52, the average value of the plural solar radiation amount values in the same area (the average of the solar radiation amount) Value) is calculated for each area. Further, in the atmospheric pressure information processing unit 61, among the plurality of atmospheric pressure information (a plurality of atmospheric pressure values) received from the atmospheric pressure information database 62, the average value of a plurality of atmospheric pressure values within the same area (average of atmospheric pressure) Value) is calculated for each area.

FIG. 4 is an example of a histogram corresponding to information of a plurality of outside air temperatures in one area received from the outside air temperature information database 42 by the outside air temperature information processing unit 41. An average value of a plurality of outside air temperatures is calculated from such information. Further, the average values of the solar radiation amount and the atmospheric pressure are calculated in the same manner.

After that, the calculated information (average value) for each area is transmitted to each information transmitting unit 43, 53, 63 (step ST27). After transmitting the information (average value) for each area to each information transmitting unit 43, 53, 63 in this way, the information stored in each area is initialized in each information processing unit 41, 51, 61. It is converted (reset) and returned (step ST28).

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the average value of the outside air temperature calculated for each of the areas A to P is given. In this way, the average value of the outside air temperature is individually given to each of the areas A to P. Similarly, with respect to the amount of solar radiation and the atmospheric pressure, the average values of the amount of solar radiation and the atmospheric pressure are individually given to the respective areas A to P. In addition, in FIG. 5, since the land area in the area M is small and there is no information uploaded from the sensor-equipped vehicle 2, the outside air temperature or the like is not added.

The information transmitters 43, 53, 63 receive the information (average value) for each area from the information processors 41, 51, 61 (step ST41). Then, in each of the information transmitting units 43, 53, 63, the information for each area is updated according to the received information (average value) for each area (step ST42). As a result, the information in each area becomes the latest information (the latest outside air temperature, solar radiation amount, atmospheric pressure).

After that, in step ST43, the updated information for each area is transmitted to each sensor-unequipped vehicle 3, 3,.... In the present embodiment, the information on the outside air temperature and the amount of solar radiation is transmitted to each sensor-unequipped vehicle 3, 3,... As parameters used for air conditioning control of the sensor-unequipped vehicle 3. At this time, bidirectional communication is performed between each sensor-unequipped vehicle 3, 3,... And the environmental information processing server 1, and each sensor-unequipped vehicle 3, 3,. Information (information on which area among the areas A to P exists) is transmitted to the environmental information processing server 1. Then, the environmental information processing server 1 transmits the information corresponding to the received area (the latest outside air temperature and the amount of solar radiation corresponding to the area) to the sensor-unequipped vehicle 3.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a state in which information (latest outside air temperature, amount of solar radiation) is transmitted to a plurality of vehicles not equipped with sensors (vehicles indicated by solid lines) 3 and 3 existing in area G. ..

Each sensor-unequipped vehicle 3, 3,... Is subjected to air-conditioning control based on information (outside air temperature, solar radiation amount) received from each information transmission unit 43, 53 in the past (step ST51). The information is updated by receiving the latest information (latest outside air temperature, solar radiation amount) received from each information transmission unit 43, 53, and the air conditioning is performed with the latest information (outside air temperature, solar radiation amount) after this update. Control will be performed (steps ST52 and ST51).

-Effect of embodiment-
As described above, in the present embodiment, the outside air temperature sensor 27, the solar radiation sensor 28, and the atmospheric pressure sensor 29 are mounted on the vehicles 2, 2,..., 3, 3,. The information on the outside air temperature, the amount of solar radiation and the atmospheric pressure is acquired from the sensor-equipped vehicles 2, 2,. The average value of the atmospheric pressure is calculated to perform the area environment estimation operation in each of the plurality of predetermined areas A to P. Thereby, it is possible to acquire the environmental information at various points in the predetermined area and perform the estimation operation of the environmental state in each of the predetermined areas based on the acquired environmental information. In this way, the environment state is estimated for each of the plurality of predetermined areas A to P by effectively using the vehicles (sensor-equipped vehicles) 2, 2,... In which the sensors 27, 28, 29 are mounted as the acquisition source of the environment information. You can take action. As a result, the practicability of estimating the environmental condition in each of the predetermined areas A to P can be improved. Further, the environment estimation result can be updated in a timely manner by updating the information at every predetermined time.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the environmental information (outside air temperature, solar radiation amount) estimated for each area A to P is used as a parameter for air conditioning control in each sensor-unequipped vehicle 3, 3,.... As a result, proper air conditioning control can be performed while reducing the number of sensors mounted on vehicles (vehicles not equipped with sensors) 3, 3,..., It is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost and weight of the vehicle. it can.

-Other embodiments-
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and all modifications and applications included in the scope of claims and a range equivalent to the scope of the claims are possible.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is used as the environmental information processing server 1 used in the environmental information communication system S provided for the air conditioning control of the air conditioner 31 mounted in the vehicle 3, 3,. The case of application has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, the information such as the outside air temperature is used as the information for other control of the vehicle 3 without the sensor, and the information other than the vehicle control is used as the information. Information such as the outside air temperature may be used.

In the embodiment, the information processing unit includes an outside air temperature information processing unit 41, a solar radiation amount information processing unit 51, and an atmospheric pressure information processing unit 61, among the information handled by these information processing units 41, 51, 61. The information on the outside air temperature and the information on the amount of solar radiation are used for the air conditioning control in the vehicles 3, 3... Without the sensor. The present invention is not limited to this, and information on atmospheric pressure may also be used. Alternatively, only one of the information on the outside air temperature and the information on the amount of solar radiation may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the sensor-equipped vehicles 2, 2,... Are all equipped with the outside air temperature sensor 27, the solar radiation amount sensor 28, and the atmospheric pressure sensor 29 have been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and a vehicle equipped with only one of the outside air temperature sensor 27, the solar radiation sensor 28, and the atmospheric pressure sensor 29, and a vehicle equipped with only two sensors are treated as the sensor-equipped vehicle 2. Then, the information uploaded from the sensor-equipped vehicle 2 may be used.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, as the plurality of predetermined areas A to P, square areas A to P having a side of 5 km are set, and information processing is performed for each of the areas A to P. The present invention is not limited to this, and the distance of one side of the predetermined areas A to P can be set arbitrarily. Also, it may be set as a polygonal area other than a square shape. Further, the areas of the plurality of predetermined areas A to P do not necessarily have to be the same, and the areas can be set arbitrarily.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to an area environment estimation device that estimates an environment state in each of a plurality of predetermined areas.

1 Environmental information processing server (area environment estimation device)
2 Sensor-equipped vehicle 27 Outside air temperature sensor 28 Solar radiation sensor 3 Non-sensor-equipped vehicle 41 Outside air temperature information processing unit (outside air temperature information acquisition unit, environment estimation unit)
51 Solar radiation information processing unit (solar radiation information acquisition unit, environment estimation unit)
AP area

Claims (1)

An area environment estimation device for estimating an environmental condition including at least one of an outside air temperature and an amount of solar radiation in each of a plurality of predetermined areas set in advance,
Of the vehicles existing in each of the plurality of predetermined areas, an outside air temperature information acquisition unit that acquires information about the outside air temperature from a vehicle equipped with an outside air temperature sensor, and acquires information about the amount of solar radiation from a vehicle equipped with an amount of solar radiation sensor. At least one information acquisition unit of the solar radiation amount information acquisition unit
An estimation operation of the outside air temperature for each of the plurality of predetermined areas based on information of a plurality of outside air temperatures within a predetermined time in each of the plurality of predetermined areas acquired by the outside air temperature information acquisition unit, and the solar radiation amount information acquisition unit An environment estimation unit that performs at least one estimation operation of the solar radiation amount estimation operation for each of the plurality of predetermined areas based on the information of the plurality of solar radiation amounts within a predetermined time in each of the plurality of predetermined areas that have been acquired. Area environment estimation device characterized by.

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