JP2023081772A - Vehicle control apparatus, vehicle, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable a third party to easily determine that a vehicle is rented out for a car share in a case where the vehicle is rented out for a car share.SOLUTION: A vehicle control apparatus incorporated in a vehicle includes a control part for controlling a vehicle in an operation mode selected from a plurality of operation modes that include a first mode for a common operation and a second mode to be used when the vehicle is rented out for a car share. The control part causes a display part of the vehicle to display an operation mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle and a program.

In recent years, there has been a change in the consumption trend of consumers from owning to using. In the field of automobiles as well, there are increasing opportunities for vehicle owners to rent out their vehicles to others, as in car sharing. On the other hand, there have been incidents in which vehicles offered for car sharing have been stolen and resold to third parties, so how to prevent vehicle theft has become an issue.

On the other hand, a car-sharing system has been proposed in which, when a vehicle is rented to another user, the operation mode of the vehicle is changed from the "normal mode" in which the vehicle is used by the owner of the vehicle to the "car-sharing mode." (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-91220 A

However, if a vehicle that has been rented for car sharing is stolen and resold to a third party, the third party will not be able to confirm that the vehicle has been rented for car sharing, even if the operating mode of the vehicle has been changed. It may be difficult to determine whether the vehicle has been stolen.

The purpose of the present disclosure, which has been made in view of such circumstances, is to enable a third party to easily determine that the vehicle is rented for car sharing when the vehicle is rented for car sharing. To provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle and a program for

A vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle. The vehicle control device operates in any operation mode selected from a plurality of operation modes including a first mode for normal driving and a second mode used when the vehicle is rented for car sharing. and a control unit for controlling the vehicle. The controller is configured to display the operating mode on a display of the vehicle.

A vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a vehicle that can be used for car sharing. The vehicle has a display and any operation selected from a plurality of operating modes including a first mode for normal driving and a second mode used when rented for car sharing. and a control unit that controls the vehicle according to a mode. The controller is configured to cause the display to display the operating mode.

A program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure selects from a plurality of operation modes including a first mode for normal driving and a second mode used when renting for car sharing. The operation mode causes the vehicle control device to execute processing including controlling the vehicle and displaying the operation mode on the display of the vehicle.

According to the present disclosure, when a vehicle is rented for car sharing, a third party can easily determine that the vehicle is rented for car sharing.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system including a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a server in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing an example of processing for preparing to provide a vehicle as a shared vehicle. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of processing executed by a vehicle control device of a vehicle provided as a shared vehicle; FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle according to another embodiment; FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an example of processing executed by the vehicle control device when selecting an operation mode of the vehicle of FIG. 6;

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Configuration of car sharing system)
FIG. 1 shows an example configuration of a car sharing system 1 including a vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system 1 includes one or more vehicles 10, an owner terminal 20 owned by the owner of each vehicle 10, a server 30, borrower terminals 40 owned by multiple borrowers who wish to use the vehicle 10, and the system 1. It includes a communication network 50 communicatively connecting the components.

Vehicles 10 include passenger cars such as large cars, ordinary cars, small cars, and light cars. Vehicles 10 include various vehicles such as gasoline vehicles, hybrid vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and electric vehicles. Vehicle 10 may be a vehicle capable of at least partially self-driving. Vehicle 10 includes a motorcycle. Vehicles include various types of vehicles that will be implemented in the future.

The owner terminal 20 and the borrower terminal 40 are information equipment used by the owner and the borrower, respectively. The owner terminal 20 and borrower terminal 40 include, for example, a PC (Personal Computer), a smart phone, and a portable information terminal. The owner terminal 20 and the borrower terminal 40 have a display for displaying information, an input section for inputting information, a communication section for communicating with the outside, a memory for storing information, and one or more processors for processing information. . The input unit may be a touch panel integrated with the display. An application compatible with the system 1 may be installed in the owner terminal 20 and the borrower terminal 40 . In addition, the owner terminal 20 has a biometric authentication function such as fingerprint authentication and/or face authentication for authenticating that the person who operates the owner terminal 20 is the real owner of the vehicle 10. good.

Server 30 is a computer. Server 30 may be any of a variety of computers, including general purpose computers, workstations, PC (Personal Computer) servers, and the like.

Communication network 50 is any communication network that communicatively connects vehicle 10, owner terminal 20, server 30, and borrower terminal 40 to each other. The communication network 50 may be a wireless or wired transmission line, or may be a communication network such as the Internet. For example, the communication network 50 in this embodiment includes an ad hoc network, a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), a cellular network, a WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network), a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), a terrestrial wireless network (Terrestrial Wireless Network). , optical or other networks, or any combination thereof.

The system 1 is a system that matches the owner of the vehicle 10 with a borrower who wishes to use car sharing, and supports the rental of the vehicle 10 . The owner of the vehicle 10 registers in advance the vehicle 10 that he wishes to rent to the server 30 using the owner terminal 20 . The information registered by the owner of the vehicle 10 may include the vehicle type, model year, equipment, dates and times when the vehicle can be rented, location of the vehicle, and the like. The server 30 extracts the vehicle 10 that matches the conditions such as the desired vehicle type, the date and time of use, and the travel route input by the borrower who wishes to use the vehicle 10 from the borrower's terminal 40, and the owner of the vehicle 10 and the borrower. It mediates the lending and borrowing of the vehicle 10 between them.

The owner of vehicle 10 can operate owner terminal 20 to change the operation mode of vehicle 10 . The modes of operation include a first mode in which the owner of the vehicle 10 normally drives the vehicle 10 and a second mode used when the vehicle 10 is rented out for car sharing. When renting the vehicle 10, the owner of the vehicle 10 sets the mode of the vehicle 10 to the second mode. Modes of operation may include modes other than the first mode and the second mode. For example, modes of operation may include a third mode for unmanned autonomous driving.

The first mode is a mode in which there are no restrictions on the actions performed by the passengers of the vehicle 10 . On the other hand, in the second mode, the motion of the passenger of the vehicle 10 may be restricted. For example, in the second mode, access to certain spaces within the vehicle 10 is restricted. A predetermined space in the vehicle 10 is, for example, a storage section 14 (see FIG. 2) that stores a vehicle inspection certificate and the like. Also, in the second mode, the vehicle 10 may periodically perform a predetermined operation such as transmitting position information of the current location to the owner terminal 20 or the server 30 .

Setting the operating mode of the vehicle 10 can be done via the server 30 . The server 30 ensures the authenticity of the mode setting instruction from the owner terminal 20 to the vehicle 10 . That is, the server 30 authenticates that the owner terminal 20 belongs to the correct owner so that only the owner of the vehicle 10 can set the mode of the vehicle 10 . Also, communication between the server 30 and the vehicle 10 is encrypted, and measures are taken to prevent unauthorized access to the vehicle 10 .

While the vehicle 10 is rented for car sharing and the second mode is selected, the display unit 13 (see FIG. 2) of the vehicle 10 displays that the operation mode is the second mode. When the vehicle 10 acquires the position information of the current location and determines that the vehicle 10 is located outside the planned travel area, it may be determined that the risk of being stolen is high. When it is determined that the vehicle 10 has a high risk of being stolen, the display mode of the operation mode can be changed so that the vehicle 10 being rented out can be visually recognized more clearly. Further, when the vehicle 10 acquires the position information of the current location and determines that the vehicle 10 is located outside the planned travel area, the vehicle 10 transmits a notification of danger to a predetermined contact including the owner terminal 20. you can

(Vehicle configuration)
The configuration of vehicle 10 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. Vehicle 10 includes vehicle control device 11 , vehicle communication unit 12 , display unit 13 , storage unit 14 and position detection unit 15 . In addition to these, the vehicle 10 includes various components for operating the vehicle.

The vehicle control device 11 is a device that performs various arithmetic processing and controls each component in the vehicle 10 . The vehicle control device 11 may control the vehicle 10 as a whole. The vehicle control device 11 can be arranged in various places including, for example, the inside of the dashboard, the ceiling of the passenger compartment, and various places including the luggage room. The vehicle control device 11 includes an input section 11a, a control section 11b, a storage section 11c, and an output section 11d.

The input unit 11 a receives inputs from each component in the vehicle 10 . The input unit 11a and the output unit 11d, which will be described later, are configured to communicate with each other via an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of each component in the vehicle 10, an in-vehicle network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network), or a dedicated line. may be

The control unit 11b executes information processing performed by the vehicle control device 11 . Control unit 11b includes one or more processors. In this embodiment, the "processor" includes a general-purpose processor that executes programmed functions by loading a specific program, and a dedicated processor that specializes in specific processing. DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), and the like can be used as dedicated processors. The control unit 11b executes processing based on system programs, application programs, and the like stored in the storage unit 11c.

The storage unit 11 c stores arbitrary information used for the operation of the vehicle control device 11 . For example, the storage unit 11c stores system programs and application programs. The storage unit 11c includes semiconductor memory and/or magnetic memory. The semiconductor memory may include read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, and the like. RAM may include dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and static random access memory (SRAM). Magnetic memory includes hard disks. The storage unit 11c may function, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory.

The output unit 11 d can output information for controlling each component of the vehicle 10 .

Vehicle communication unit 12 includes a communication module that connects to communication network 50 . The communication module corresponds to, for example, mobile communication standards such as 4G (4th Generation) and 5G (5th Generation), wired LAN (Local Area Network) standards, or wireless LAN standards, but is not limited thereto. It may correspond to the communication standard. Vehicle 10 is connected to communication network 50 via vehicle communication unit 12 . Thereby, the vehicle 10 can transmit and receive information to and from the server 30 . Also, the vehicle 10 may be capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the owner terminal 20 and the borrower terminal 40 in addition to the server 30 .

The display unit 13 is a display device that displays information inside and/or outside the cabin of the vehicle 10 . The display unit 13 may be arranged on the instrument panel or the center console of the vehicle 10 . The display unit 13 may be arranged near the rearview mirror inside the vehicle. The display unit 27 may employ any one of various displays such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, and an inorganic EL display. The display unit 13 may display information on the front windshield as a head-up display. In one embodiment, the display unit 13 may be provided in a portion facing the outside of the vehicle body of the vehicle 10 in addition to the interior of the vehicle compartment of the vehicle 10 .

The storage unit 14 is, for example, a console box and/or a glove box of the vehicle 10 . In one embodiment, the storage unit 14 is provided with a key to restrict access from the outside. In the second mode, the storage compartments 14 can be locked so that documents such as vehicle inspection certificates cannot be taken out of these storage compartments 14 for the purpose of selling or the like when rented for car sharing.

The position detection unit 15 detects position information of the current location of the vehicle 10 . The position detection unit 15 includes a receiver compatible with the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The global positioning system includes, for example, GPS (Global Positioning System). The position detection unit 15 can obtain information on the latitude and longitude of the current location of the vehicle 10 using signals received by a global positioning system receiver.

(Server configuration)
Next, the configuration of the server 30 will be described with reference to FIG. The server 30 includes a server communication section 31 , a server control section 32 and a server storage section 33 .

The server communication unit 31 includes a communication module connected to the communication network 50 like the vehicle communication unit 12 . The server communication unit 31 communicates with the vehicle 10, the owner terminal 20, and the borrower terminal 4.
Information can be sent and received between 0 and 0.

The server control unit 32, like the control unit 11b of the vehicle control device 11, includes one or more processors. The server control unit 32 performs various arithmetic processing based on programs stored in the server storage unit 33 . For example, the server control unit 32 performs a process of matching owners and borrowers in car sharing. The server control unit 32 also transmits the matching result to the owner terminal 20 and the borrower terminal 40 via the server communication unit 31 . Further, the server control unit 32 may receive an operation mode selection signal instructing switching of the operation mode from the owner terminal 20 via the server communication unit 31 and set the operation mode for the vehicle 10 . In addition, the server control unit 32 determines the planned travel area of the vehicle 10 rented as a shared vehicle based on the borrower's planned travel route obtained from the borrower terminal 40, and transmits the planned travel area to the vehicle via the server communication unit 31. 10 may be sent.

The server storage unit 33, like the storage unit 11c of the vehicle control device 11, includes a semiconductor memory and/or a magnetic memory. The server storage unit 33 can store various information such as the vehicle 10 , the owner of the vehicle 10 , and the borrower registered in the system 1 . The server storage unit 33 may store various information related to the rental of the vehicle 10, such as the owner, the borrower, the date and time of the rental, and the planned travel route.

(Preparatory processing before providing shared vehicles)
Next, the processing before lending the vehicle 10 to the borrower will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. It should be noted that processing executed by each component included in the owner terminal 20 and the server 30 will be described as being executed by the owner terminal 20 and the server 30, respectively.

First, the server 30 matches the information of the vehicle 10 registered from the owner terminal 20 with the conditions of the shared vehicle desired by the borrower registered from the borrower terminal 40 (step S101). The server 30 performs matching so that the vehicle 10 that meets the conditions desired by the borrower is rented to the borrower when the owner is not using the vehicle. Since such processing is well known, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the server 30 transmits the matching result to the owner terminal 20 of the owner of the related vehicle 10 (step S102). The server 30 also transmits the matching result to the borrower terminal 40 at the same time. The owner of vehicle 10 receives communication from server 30 at owner terminal 20 (step S103). If necessary, the owner of the vehicle 10 may use the owner terminal 20 to communicate with the server 30 to accept or reject car sharing. Similar communication such as acceptance or rejection of matching may be performed between the server 30 and the borrower terminal 40 .

After matching is established between the owner of the vehicle 10 and the borrower, the owner operates the owner terminal 20 before lending the vehicle 10 to change the operation mode of the vehicle 10 to the first mode for normal driving. mode to a second mode for car sharing. As a result, an operation mode selection signal for selecting the second mode as the operation mode is transmitted from the owner terminal 20 to the server 30 (step S104).

Server 30 receives the operation mode selection signal transmitted from owner terminal 20 (step S105). The server 30 is configured to ensure with the owner terminal 20 that the owner terminal 20 belongs to the true owner.

The server 30 transmits the operation mode selection signal received from the owner terminal 20 to the vehicle 10 (step S106). Vehicle 10 receives the operation mode selection signal from server 30 (step S107). Communication between the server 30 and the vehicle 10 is also secured by encryption, authentication, and the like. Server 30 may store and manage the current operating mode of each vehicle 10 .

When the vehicle 10 receives the operation mode selection signal for selecting the second mode as the operation mode through the vehicle communication unit 12 , this information is input to the input unit 11 a of the vehicle control device 11 . As a result, the control unit 11b of the vehicle control device 11 stores the second mode as the operation mode in the storage unit 11c and sets the operation mode to the second mode (step S108). When the operation mode is set to the second mode, the control unit 11b locks the storage unit 14 of the vehicle 10, for example. Also, the control unit 11 b may drive the position detection unit 15 to start monitoring the position of the vehicle 10 .

In step S108, the control unit 11b of the vehicle control device 11 confirms that the operation mode selection signal has indeed originated from the owner terminal 20 of the vehicle 10, that is, the authenticity of the instruction to select the operation mode. may be configured to determine gender. For example, the owner terminal 20 may have a code shared with the vehicle controller 11, and the controller 11b may set the operating mode only when this code is included in the operating mode selection signal.

Around steps S106 to S108, the server 30 determines the planned travel area based on the planned travel route obtained from the borrower terminal 40 (step S109). The planned travel area is an area in which the vehicle 10 is scheduled to travel, and includes an area in which the vehicle 10 may stop by. The planned travel area may be set as an area having a certain width that includes the planned travel route.

The server 30 transmits the determined planned travel area to the vehicle 10 (step S110). The vehicle 10 receives the planned travel area transmitted from the server 30 (step S111). The planned travel area is stored in the storage unit 11 c of the vehicle control device 11 . The planned travel amount area may be used by the control unit 11b of the vehicle control device 11 to determine whether or not the current location obtained from the position detection unit 15 is within the planned travel area.

As described above, when the operation mode is set to the second mode and the planned travel area is notified, preparations for the vehicle 10 to travel as a shared vehicle are completed (step S112).

(Processing when a shared vehicle is running)
Next, the processing when the vehicle 10 travels as a shared vehicle will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The method disclosed in FIG. 5 can be executed by a processor included in the control unit 11b of the vehicle control device 11 according to a program. Such programs can be stored in non-transitory computer-readable media. Examples of non-transitory computer readable media include, but are not limited to, hard disks, RAM, ROM, flash memory, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, and the like.

First, the borrower of the vehicle 10 operates the key of the vehicle 10 to start the vehicle 10 (step S201). A key to vehicle 10 may be received directly from the owner of vehicle 10 by the borrower prior to use of vehicle 10 . Alternatively, the key of the vehicle 10 may be transmitted in advance from the server 30 to the borrower terminal 40 as electronic data. In this case, the borrower terminal 40 is a portable terminal such as a smart phone capable of communicating with the vehicle 10 at a short distance. The borrower can unlock and start the vehicle 10 by transmitting electronic data from the borrower terminal 40 to the vehicle 10 .

When the vehicle 10 is started, the control section 11b of the vehicle control device 11 confirms the operation mode stored in the storage section 11c (step S202). If the operation mode is the first mode (step S203: No), the vehicle 10 is in the normal operation mode driven by the owner, so the control unit 11b performs the following operation mode display processing (step S204 to S208) are not performed.

If the operation mode is the second mode (step S203: Yes), the control unit 11b of the vehicle control device 11 causes the output unit 11d to display on the display unit 13 that the operation mode is the second mode. Then, a signal is transmitted to cause the operation to be performed (step S204). As a result, when the vehicle 10 is started, the display unit 13 installed in the vehicle 10 displays a message such as "share car mode". Note that the indication that the operation mode is the second mode on the display unit 13 is always displayed while the vehicle is running. However, the indication of the operating mode may be displayed only when the vehicle is started, or at regular intervals after the vehicle is turned on.

For example, if the borrower maliciously tries to resell the vehicle 10 to a third party, the third party confirms the display on the display unit 13 so that the vehicle 10 is not the borrower's vehicle but is provided for car sharing. It can be easily recognized that the vehicle is This makes it difficult for malicious borrowers to resell the vehicle 10 .

Furthermore, while the vehicle 10 is running, the control unit 11b of the vehicle control device 11 can collect information related to the risk of the vehicle 10 being resold, and can determine the magnitude of the risk of the vehicle 10 being resold (step S205). For example, the control unit 11b periodically acquires the position information detected by the position detection unit 15, and when the current location of the vehicle 10 is outside the planned travel area, the risk is higher than when the current location is within the planned travel area. evaluate. In addition, when the current location of the vehicle 10 is outside the planned travel area, the control unit 11b may transmit a notification of danger to predetermined contacts including the owner terminal 20 .

When there is a change in the evaluation of the risk of the vehicle 10 being stolen (Yes at step S206), the control unit 11b can change the display mode of the operation mode (step S207). For example, changing the display mode may include changing the color and/or size of text displayed on the display unit 13 . Furthermore, changing the display mode may include changing the content of the displayed text. For example, if the risk rating is low, the operating mode may be displayed in blue text as "currently in share car mode". On the other hand, if the risk assessment is high, a display such as "Share car mode is currently in use by a driver other than the owner" may be displayed in red letters. As a result, when there is a high risk that the vehicle 10 will be resold, the operation mode is displayed on the display unit 13 in a manner that attracts more attention.

After step S207 and when there is no change in the risk of theft in step S206 (step S206: No), the processing of the vehicle control device 11 of the vehicle 10 proceeds to step S208. In step S208, unless there is an instruction to stop using the vehicle 10 as a shared vehicle (step S208: No), the control unit 11b repeats the processing from steps S205 to S207 and continues to display the operation mode according to the risk. . When there is an instruction to end the use of the vehicle 10, the processing of the vehicle 10 ends. The instruction to end the use of the vehicle 10 is, for example, an instruction issued by turning off the ignition key or power switch of the vehicle 10 by the driver who is the borrower.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the control unit 11b causes the display unit 13 of the vehicle 10 to display the operation mode while the second mode is selected. Accordingly, when the vehicle 10 is rented for car sharing, a third party can easily determine that the vehicle 10 is the vehicle 10 rented for car sharing. As a result, the possibility of the vehicle 10 being resold to a third party by a malicious borrower can be reduced.

In addition, in this embodiment, the owner of the vehicle 10 can select the operation mode of the vehicle 10 . However, the owner is not the only one who can change the operating mode of the vehicle 10 . For example, family members of the owner, persons who do not own the vehicle 10 but are entrusted with the care of the vehicle 10, and persons who lease the vehicle 10, etc. may be able to select the operating mode of the vehicle.

Further, the vehicle 10 may constantly transmit position information of the current location to the server, and the server 30 may determine whether the current location of the vehicle 10 is within the planned travel area. In this case, the server 30 may determine the risk of the vehicle 10 being stolen and transmit the magnitude of the determined risk to the owner terminal 20 .

(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiment, the operation mode for the vehicle 10 is selected via the server 30 that performs car sharing matching. In this example, the server 30 intervenes to ensure the authenticity of the operation mode selection instruction. However, the selection of the operating mode of vehicle 10 may be made directly to vehicle 10 by the owner of vehicle 10 without going through server 30 . That is, the operation mode selection method in the present disclosure may be performed only between the owner and the vehicle 10 without using the system 1 as shown in FIG. Another embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG.

A vehicle 10A according to another embodiment of the present disclosure includes, as shown in FIG. 6, a mode selection unit 16 and a biological information acquisition unit 17 in addition to the components shown in FIG. The vehicle control device 11, the vehicle communication unit 12, the display unit 13, the storage unit 14, and the position detection unit 15 are components that are the same as or similar to the components included in the vehicle 10 shown in FIG. Only parts different from the description of the vehicle 10 of No. 2 will be described.

The mode selection unit 16 is an input device provided on the vehicle 10 for selecting an operation mode. The mode selection unit 16 is, for example, a touch panel integrated with the display unit 13 . The owner of the vehicle 10 can select the operation mode while looking at the display on the display section 13 . Also, the mode selection unit 16 may be a button, a dial, or the like provided on the vehicle 10 .

The biometric information acquisition unit 17 acquires biometric information for identifying an individual. For example, the biological information acquisition unit 17 may be a camera and acquire an image of the face or eyes of a person sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle 10 . Also, the biometric information acquiring unit 17 may be a device that detects fingerprints or palm veins.

The control unit 11b of the vehicle control device 11 compares the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquiring unit 17 with the biometric information of the owner of the vehicle 10 registered in advance, and determines whether or not the biometric information belongs to the owner. can be judged. The control unit 11b can enable or disable selection of the operation mode by the mode selection unit 16 based on the judgment as to whether or not the biometric information belongs to the owner.

Processing executed by the control unit 11b of the vehicle control device 11 when the owner changes the operation mode of the vehicle 10 before renting the vehicle 10 as a shared vehicle will be described below with reference to FIG.

First, the owner of the vehicle 10 gets into the driver's seat of the vehicle 10 and starts the vehicle 10 (step S301). The owner of the vehicle 10 turns on at least the power of the vehicle 10 and causes the vehicle control device 11, the mode selection unit 16, and the biological information acquisition unit 17 of the vehicle 10 to function.

Next, the biometric information acquisition unit 17 acquires biometric information (ie, face image, fingerprints, etc.) from the owner of the vehicle 10 who is in the driver's seat. The biological information acquisition unit 17 transmits the acquired biological information to the vehicle control device 11 . The control unit 11b of the vehicle control device 11 performs a process of recognizing whether or not the person operating the vehicle 10 is the true owner of the vehicle 10 based on the acquired biological information (step S302).

When determining that the person operating the vehicle 10 is the true owner (step S303: Yes), the control unit 11b receives an operation mode selection signal (step S304). Specifically, the control unit 11b may display on the display unit 13 that the operation mode can be selected. The owner of the vehicle 10 confirms the display on the display section 13 and operates the mode selection section 16 to select a mode. The owner may change the operating mode from the first mode to the second mode in preparation for renting out the vehicle 10 as a shared vehicle. Thereby, the control section 11b of the vehicle control device 11 receives the operation mode selection signal.

Upon receiving the operation mode selection signal, the controller 11b sets the operation mode of the vehicle 10 to the selected second mode (step S305). At this time, the vehicle 10 may be configured so that the owner of the vehicle 10 can set the planned travel area of the vehicle 10 using the touch panel provided on the display unit 13 or the owner terminal 20 .

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S303 that the person operating the vehicle 10 is not the owner of the vehicle 10 (step S303: No), the control section 11b disables selection of the operation mode (step S306). . The control unit 11b may display on the display unit 13 that the operation mode cannot be selected. This prevents anyone other than the owner of the vehicle 10 from changing the operating mode of the vehicle 10 .

Furthermore, if the person operating the vehicle 10 is not a pre-registered predetermined driver including the owner, the control unit 11b may temporarily switch the operation mode to the second mode in step S306. . The second mode continues until the person in the driver's seat changes. As a result, the operation mode of the vehicle 10 is automatically changed to the second mode when the vehicle 10 is rented without the owner of the vehicle 10 performing an operation to switch the operation mode.

When the owner of the vehicle 10 returns the operation mode of the vehicle 10 from the second mode to the first mode, the owner of the vehicle 10 may select the first mode in step S304 according to the flow chart of FIG.

As described above, in the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment, the operation mode of the vehicle 10 rented for car sharing by the owner of the vehicle 10 can be set to the second mode without using the server 30 . As a result, while the vehicle 10 is being rented for car sharing, the display unit 13 displays that the vehicle is in the second mode for car sharing, as described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and many modifications and alterations are possible. For example, the functions included in each means, each step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and it is possible to combine a plurality of means or steps, etc. into one or divide them. .

Reference Signs List 1 system 10, 10A vehicle 11 vehicle control device 11a input unit 11b control unit 11c storage unit 11d output unit 12 vehicle communication unit 13 display unit 14 storage unit 15 position detection unit 16 mode selection unit 17 biological information acquisition unit 20 owner terminal 30 Server 40 Borrower terminal 50 Communication network

Claims (20)

A vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle,
Control the vehicle in any one of a plurality of operating modes including a first mode for normal driving and a second mode used when rented for car sharing. Equipped with a control unit,
The vehicle control device, wherein the control unit is configured to display the operation mode on a display unit of the vehicle while the second mode is selected. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit restricts access to a predetermined space of said vehicle when controlling said vehicle in said second mode. 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined space is a storage section within said vehicle. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the second mode, the control unit determines a risk of the vehicle being stolen and causes the display unit to display different display modes of the operation modes based on the risk. Vehicle controller as described. In the second mode, the control unit acquires in advance information on a planned travel area indicating an area in which the vehicle is scheduled to travel, and the control unit acquires position information of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling. 5. The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein when the position information is outside the planned travel area, the risk is evaluated higher than when the position information is within the planned travel area. In the second mode, the control unit acquires in advance information on a planned travel area indicating an area in which the vehicle is scheduled to travel, and the control unit acquires position information of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling. 4. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising transmitting a notification to a predetermined contact address when the position information is out of the planned travel area. 7. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, when receiving an instruction to select the operation mode, the control unit is configured to determine the authenticity of the instruction. 2. The control unit determines whether or not the driver of the vehicle is a predetermined driver, and selects the second mode as the operation mode if the driver is not the predetermined driver. 8. The vehicle control device according to any one of 7. A vehicle that can be used for car sharing,
a display unit;
Control the vehicle in any one of a plurality of operating modes including a first mode for normal driving and a second mode used when rented for car sharing. a control unit;
with
The vehicle, wherein the controller is configured to display the operating mode on the display while the second mode is selected. 10. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein said control unit restricts access to a predetermined space of said vehicle when controlling said vehicle in said second mode. 11. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein said predetermined space is a storage section within said vehicle. 12. The method according to claim 9, wherein in the second mode, the control unit determines a risk of the vehicle being stolen, and changes the display mode of the operation mode displayed on the display unit based on the risk. Vehicle as described. In the second mode, the control unit acquires in advance information on a planned travel area indicating an area in which the vehicle is scheduled to travel, and the control unit acquires position information of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling. 13. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the risk is evaluated higher when the position information is outside the planned travel area than when the position information is within the planned travel area. In the second mode, the control unit acquires in advance information on a planned travel area indicating an area in which the vehicle is scheduled to travel, and the control unit acquires position information of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling. 12. The vehicle according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein, when the position information is out of the planned travel area, a notification is sent to a predetermined contact. 15. A vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the controller is configured, when receiving an instruction to select the mode of operation, to determine the authenticity of the instruction. 10. From claim 9, wherein the control unit determines whether or not the driver of the vehicle is a predetermined driver, and selects the second mode as the operation mode if the driver is not the predetermined driver. 16. The vehicle according to any one of 15. The vehicle according to any one of claims 9 to 16, wherein the display unit is provided in a vehicle interior of the vehicle and in a portion facing the exterior of the vehicle. Controlling the vehicle in any one of a plurality of operating modes including a first mode for normal driving and a second mode used when rented for car sharing. and,
and displaying the operation mode on a display of the vehicle while the second mode is selected. 19. The program product of claim 18, wherein controlling the vehicle includes restricting access to a predetermined space of the vehicle when controlling the vehicle in the second mode. 20. The program according to claim 19, wherein said predetermined space is a storage section within said vehicle.

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