JP3473355B2 - Vehicle information collection system and vehicle-mounted survey device applied to the system - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle information collecting system, and more particularly to a system capable of efficiently collecting state information obtained from a vehicle diagnostic survey from a large number of vehicles. The present invention also relates to an in-vehicle survey device suitably applied to the above system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the development of electronic technology, many devices mounted on vehicles are controlled by an electronic control unit having a computer. The equipment to be controlled is, for example, an engine or a transmission, a suspension or a brake device, an auto cruise, an air conditioner, a navigation device, or the like.
There are various. Further, by utilizing the function of the electronic control unit, it is possible to easily obtain information on the state of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as state information) at the time of maintenance, inspection, repair, etc. of the vehicle. A typical device of this type is a conventionally known (fault) diagnostic device (also called a diagnostic device). In the diagnostic device, the diagnostic check items correspond to the above status information.

For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-15096 discloses a portable failure diagnosis device. This diagnostic device is connected to the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit by a maintenance person.
Then, the state information necessary for maintenance is output from the control device to the diagnostic device. If necessary, a maintenance manual is sent from the host computer to the above portable diagnostic device,
This manual is referenced by the maintainer.

Further, a diagnostic device mounted on a vehicle is also known. For example, a so-called multimedia computer that controls a navigation system or an audio system, and a computer having a diagnostic function has been put into practical use.

[0005]

In the past, it was usually necessary to bring a vehicle to a dealer or the like in order to receive a vehicle diagnosis. For example, when an abnormality is felt in the vehicle, the user moves the vehicle to a dealer. At the dealer, an operator having maintenance skills operates the diagnostic device to check various signals displayed on the diagnostic device, and performs necessary maintenance and repair based on the check result. In another example, a worker visits the user for inspection and maintenance. The user has to wait for the worker to come.
As described above, conventionally, the user has been burdened with labor and time, and therefore, few users have been willing to receive a diagnosis of their own vehicle. Therefore, it is desired to reduce the burden on the user so that the vehicle diagnosis can be performed more easily.

Further, conventionally, it has been difficult to collect specific state information from a large number of vehicles as described below. For example, it is assumed that a failure has occurred in a certain vehicle, and it is necessary to examine whether or not a similar failure has occurred in other vehicles of the same vehicle type. At this time, in order to use the conventional diagnostic device, each target vehicle must be brought to the dealer. However, this method is difficult to adopt as a practical problem in view of the burden on the user. It is possible to conduct an investigation using the opportunity to bring a vehicle to a dealer for other reasons such as regular inspection, but this takes time. After all, it is difficult to monitor the status information of many vehicles actually used,
Only a limited number of vehicles could be monitored, or a reproduction test using a test vehicle was performed, and there was no suitable investigation method.

Particularly, conventionally, each of a large number of vehicles is
It was difficult to investigate how it was used over a certain period of time. As mentioned above,
The vehicle state information of the user can be acquired only when the worker is handling the vehicle. Therefore, even if a worker can inspect a large number of vehicles, it is difficult to carry out a continuous survey for a period of several days or one month. This type of survey is very effective in improving vehicles, and it is desirable to make such a survey feasible.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle information collecting system capable of easily and efficiently collecting vehicle state information.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

(1) The vehicle information system of the present invention is a system for collecting status information obtained by a vehicle diagnostic survey, and determines status information to be collected and a target vehicle for information collection,
An information center that requests the target vehicle to investigate the state information and is communicably connected to the information center, acquires the state information in response to the request, and transmits the acquired state information to the information center. And a vehicle-mounted survey device.

Further, the vehicle information collecting system of the present invention is
An in-vehicle survey device provided in each of a plurality of vehicles, and an information center connected to the in-vehicle survey device in a wirelessly communicable manner, wherein the information center determines collected information determining means for determining status information to be collected. And a target vehicle determining unit that determines a target vehicle for information collection, and transmits a survey request for the status information to the target vehicle, and the in-vehicle survey device executes the survey indicated in the survey request. And transmitting the status information acquired by the investigation to the information center.

As described above, according to the present invention, the information center uses the wireless communication to request the vehicle to acquire the status information and collect the status information sent back in response to the request. The target vehicle for information collection may be one vehicle or a plurality of vehicles. The target vehicle may be specified as a vehicle of a certain vehicle type, a vehicle of a certain year model, or a vehicle of a certain area. The collected status information may be arbitrary information, for example, the sensor output signal itself related to the in-vehicle device,
Further, for example, it may be information of a result obtained by performing a predetermined calculation process on the sensor output signal.

According to the present invention described above, remote diagnosis is possible, and the user can have his / her own vehicle diagnosed at any place without bringing the vehicle to a dealer or the like. Therefore, the burden on the user for vehicle diagnosis is reduced, and the number of users who actively receive vehicle diagnosis can be increased.

In particular, according to the present invention, by setting a plurality of vehicles as the target vehicles for information collection, necessary status information can be collected from these target vehicles. Obtaining status information from a large number of vehicles, which has been difficult in the past, can be easily realized by applying the present invention. Based on the information obtained in this manner, it is possible to improve the vehicle and take measures against a failure that is expected to occur.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily realize a conventionally difficult investigation of how each of a plurality of vehicles has been used for a long period of time. For example, the survey request sent from the information center to the vehicle-mounted survey device indicates that the state information should be acquired over a certain period. In response to this request, the status information acquired over a certain period is sent to the information center. The state information may be sequentially transmitted to the information center, or may be collectively transmitted to the information center after a certain period of time. By utilizing the results of this type of survey, it is possible to make an accurate improvement of the vehicle quickly and easily.

(2) Preferably, the information center, when transmitting the survey request, transmits a survey request including a survey program necessary for acquiring the state information,
The survey means of the vehicle-mounted survey device performs the requested survey using the survey program. According to this aspect, it is possible to perform a survey that is not expected at the stage of manufacturing the vehicle. For example, when a failure occurs in a vehicle,
Suppose that a specific investigation is needed to find out the possibility of a similar failure in the same car model. At this time, the program required for the survey is sent to the vehicle-mounted survey device and the survey is performed using this program.

(3) Further, preferably, when the information center transmits the survey request to the plurality of target vehicles, the information center broadcasts using a broadcast format. Broadcasting means transmitting data at once to a plurality of transmission partners in order to spread the same data to the plurality of transmission partners. According to this aspect, since it is not necessary to individually send the survey request to each target vehicle, it is possible to efficiently transmit the survey request.

In the present invention, any communication means may be used between the information center and the vehicle-mounted survey device. Different communication means may be used for transmitting the survey request by the information center and transmitting the state information by the vehicle-mounted survey device. For example, in the former transmission of the survey request, FM multiplex broadcasting, satellite broadcasting, or a roadside beacon device is preferably used as one of the above broadcasting formats.

(4) Further, the vehicle-mounted survey device of the present invention executes the survey indicated by the receiving means for receiving the survey request for the status information obtained from the vehicle diagnostic survey transmitted from the information center. And a means for transmitting the state information acquired by the survey to the information center, the information center selected as a target vehicle for collecting the state information. Sometimes, the status information is provided to the information center. The investigation device of this aspect is suitably applied to the above-described vehicle information collection system as an in-vehicle terminal device.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a diagnostic system to which the vehicle information collection system of the present invention is applied.
This system includes an in-vehicle survey device 10 and an information center 5.
Has 0. The information center 50 is communicatively connected to each of the vehicle-mounted survey devices 10 mounted on many vehicles.

The vehicle-mounted survey device 10 is provided with a diagnostic control ECU 12 having a CPU.
Controls the acquisition process of the state information on the vehicle side as a whole. It is also preferable to provide the diagnostic control ECU 12 integrally with a computer used for other purposes. In particular, as part of so-called ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems), the development of an information system that connects a vehicle and an information center so that they can communicate with each other is progressing. In this system, a computer provided in the vehicle has a navigation function and the like. This type of computer has the above-mentioned diagnostic control ECU 1
It is also preferable to have two functions.

The diagnostic control ECU 12 includes a device ECU 14, a device 16 to be controlled, and a device sensor 1 via the in-vehicle LAN.
8 is connected. The device ECU 14 controls the device 16 to be controlled by sending a control signal. The signal detected by the device sensor 18 is input to the device ECU 14,
Used for equipment control. For example, the controlled device 16 is
As mentioned above, engine, transmission, suspension, braking device, auto cruise, air conditioner,
It is an arbitrary device such as a navigation device. For example,
If the controlled device 16 is an engine, the device EC
U14 is an engine control device, and the device sensor 18 is
Examples include a water temperature sensor and a rotation speed sensor. Equipment EC
The U14 and the diagnostic control ECU 12 may be integrated.

In FIG. 1, one device 16 to be controlled is shown, but in reality, the diagnostic control ECU 12 is connected to a plurality of devices. Each device ECU 14 is provided with a survey program (check program) for acquiring the status information of the corresponding controlled device 16. The investigation program may simply send the detection signal of the device sensor 18 to the diagnostic control ECU 12. Alternatively, the program may be a program that performs predetermined arithmetic processing on the detection signal and then sends information on the arithmetic result to the diagnostic control ECU 12.

When the investigation program is executed, first, the check code indicating the investigation program is sent from the diagnostic control ECU 12 to the device ECU 14. The check code is stored in the check code table storage unit 20 connected to the diagnostic control ECU 12. When the check code is sent, the device ECU 14 runs a program routine corresponding to the code.

A display 24 and a speaker 26 as output means are connected to the diagnostic control ECU 12 via an input / output interface 22, and an input device 28 operated by a vehicle user is also connected to the diagnosis control ECU 12. The input device 28 includes a switch, a joystick, and a voice input device. Furthermore, the diagnostic control ECU 12
Transmission / reception circuit 3 for performing wireless communication with the information center 50
0 is connected. Transmission / reception circuit 30 and information center 5
Data communication is performed with the transmission / reception circuit 60 on the 0 side.

On the other hand, the information center 50 is provided with a center control section 52 having a CPU and controlling the entire center. The center control unit 52 performs a process of determining state information to be collected according to an instruction of an operator and a process of determining a target vehicle (diagnosis target vehicle) for information collection, and further collects state information from the determined target vehicle. For processing. That is, the center control unit 52 functions as the collected information determining means and the target vehicle determining means of the present invention.

An input device 54 and a center storage unit 56 are connected to the center control unit 52. The operator operates the input device 54 to specify the survey item corresponding to the state information to be collected. Further, the center storage unit 56 stores various data used for information collection processing as described later.

Further, a collected information storage unit 58 is connected to the center control unit 52. The state information collected from the vehicle-mounted investigation device 10 is written in the collected information storage unit 58 by the center control unit 52. The center control unit 52 also performs processing such as totalizing the collected state information.

The configuration of the vehicle information collection system shown in FIG. 1 has been described above. Next, the operation of this system will be described with reference to FIG. First, at the information center 50, the operator operates the input device 54 to specify a survey item (S10). The center storage unit 56 stores a survey item list table that associates survey items with vehicle types that are the subject of the survey. The center control unit 52
The vehicle type of the survey target is searched by referring to this table, and the survey target vehicle is specified by this processing (S12). For example, in S10 above, the survey item “fuel remaining amount display device A
Output signal confirmation ”is specified. In S12, the vehicle equipped with the device A is searched and determined as the target vehicle.
The operator may operate the input device 54 to specify the target vehicle type without performing the above-described search processing. Further, the target vehicle may be determined based on not only the vehicle type but also the year, the serial number, the manufacturing time, the method of use (for private use, business use, etc.), the area of use, and the like.

Next, the center control unit 52 refers to the check code list table stored in the center storage unit 56. In this table, the check code corresponding to each survey item is shown. Check codes and a check program (check program) are prepared in advance for the check items that are supposed to be implemented later in the vehicle manufacturing stage. The check code is stored in the check code table storage unit 20 on the vehicle side, and the survey program is held by the device ECU 14 on the vehicle side. The check code list table is a table of check codes corresponding to such a presumed investigation. The center control unit 52 searches this table (S1
4) It is determined whether or not there is a check code corresponding to the survey item (S16), and if there is a check code, the process proceeds to S20.

If S16 is NO (there is no check code), the center control unit 52 searches for a survey program corresponding to the survey item (S18). The survey program is stored in the center storage unit 56 in association with the survey item. At this point, the operator may input the survey program using the input device 54. Also, at this point, the survey program may be created by the operator. The center control unit 52, the input device 54, and the center storage unit 56 are preferably used for creating the survey program.
After searching the survey program, the process proceeds to S20.

In S20, a survey request is transmitted from the information center 50 to the vehicle-mounted survey device 10. The survey request includes a check code (when S16 is YES), or
Includes survey program (when S16 is NO). Therefore, the survey request indicates what type of survey should be conducted (survey content). In the transmission of the survey request here, individual transmission may be performed for each target vehicle, but broadcast using a broadcast format is preferably performed. What is broadcast?
As described above, in order to spread the same data to a plurality of transmission partners, the data is transmitted to those transmission partners at once. Here, for example, FM multiplex broadcasting, satellite broadcasting, and roadside beacon devices are used. By adopting the broadcast, the survey request can be efficiently transmitted.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the processing on the vehicle side will be described. On the vehicle side, the survey request is sent / received by the transmitting / receiving circuit
0 and sent to the diagnostic control ECU 12 (S
30). When the survey request is transmitted in the broadcast format, the own vehicle is not always the survey target vehicle. Therefore, diagnostic control E
The CU 12 confirms that the own vehicle is the target vehicle based on the survey request. After this confirmation, the diagnostic control ECU 12
By the control of (1), the survey indicated by the survey request is executed (S32).

In S32, if the check request includes a check code, the check code is the diagnostic control EC.
It is sent from U12 to the device ECU 14. Equipment ECU14
Has a check code and a corresponding checking program, it executes this program routine. On the other hand, when the investigation request includes the investigation program, this program is executed from the diagnostic control ECU 12 to the device ECU
And the survey program is executed by the device ECU 14. By executing the survey program, the state information corresponding to the survey item designated on the information center 50 side is acquired.

Various survey programs for collecting various status information relating to arbitrary vehicle-mounted equipment can be applied to the present embodiment. Some research programs, for example, may not be possible unless the vehicle is stopped. When executing such a program, the diagnostic control ECU 12 causes the display 24 and the speaker 26 to operate.
Using, the user is instructed to continue stopping the vehicle until the end of the survey. The user operates the input device 28
To inform the diagnostic control ECU 12 that the instruction is followed. After confirming the reaction of the user, the research program is executed. In addition, some survey programs may require special mode settings to perform the survey. For example, there is a program that is executed only when the diagnosis mode is set by grounding a certain signal line. Also when executing such a program, confirmation and inquiry processing to the user are performed using the display 24 and the like in the same manner as described above, and then,
The diagnostic process starts in a safe state.

Further, it is also possible to apply a research program utilizing the cooperation of the user to this embodiment. This type of program is, for example, a program for acquiring status information regarding “display abnormality of instrument panel”. It is assumed that each number on the vehicle speed display portion is composed of seven segments as shown in FIG. The segments are turned on one by one. Speaker 26
According to the guidance output from, the user uses the input device 28 to input the visual confirmation result of whether the segment is lit or not lit.

Returning to FIG. 2, the device ECU 14 executes the diagnostic control E based on the vehicle state information acquired by executing the investigation program.
Send to CU12. The diagnostic control ECU 12 notifies the user of the investigation result using the display 24 and the speaker 26 (S34). Here, the state information itself may be displayed, but preferably, it is indicated that the investigation result is normal or abnormal. Furthermore, diagnostic control E
The CU 12 transmits the status information of the investigation result to the information center 50 using the transmission / reception circuit 30 (S36). Here, unlike the above-described communication (broadcast format) of the survey request, individual communication between each vehicle and the information center 50 is performed.

With respect to the above-mentioned vehicle-side survey, in the present embodiment, it is also preferable to apply a survey program for conducting a long-term continuous survey. For example, a signal from a sensor attached to an engine or a transmission is continuously acquired for one month. This makes it possible to know how the vehicle is normally used by the user. In this aspect, the state information obtained during the survey period may be sequentially transmitted to the information center 50. Further, the state information may be stored in the diagnostic control ECU 12 or the device ECU 14 during the investigation period, and may be collectively transmitted to the information center 50 at the end. Of course, the survey period may be appropriately divided into a plurality of pieces, and the state information obtained during the divided period may be collectively transmitted. Further, the result obtained by subjecting the state information obtained during the investigation period to a predetermined calculation process (average etc.) may be sent to the information center 50.

Returning to FIG. 2 again, the processing in the information center 50 which has received the status information will be described. The status information of the investigation result is received by the transmission / reception circuit 60 and sent to the center control unit 52 (S40). The center control unit 52 stores the sent state information in the collected information storage unit 58. It is necessary to wait for the transmission of survey results from all vehicles for which information is collected. The collection may be discontinued assuming that the necessary information has been obtained when a certain number of pieces of information have been collected.

The center control unit 52 reads the collected information from the collected information storage unit 58, totalizes it (S42), and analyzes the totalized result (S44). In aggregation processing and analysis processing,
Statistical processing is appropriately performed. These processes may be performed according to an operator's instruction, or may be performed according to a program prepared in advance.

For example, in the case where it is necessary to examine whether a certain vehicle has a failure and another vehicle of the same vehicle type has a similar failure, the above embodiment is preferably applied. To be done. By collecting and analyzing the survey results, it is possible to quickly make necessary countermeasures.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the information center uses the wireless communication to request the vehicle to acquire the status information and collect the status information sent back in response to the request. Therefore, specific state information can be easily collected from a plurality of vehicles. Obtaining status information from a large number of vehicles, which was not possible in the past, can be easily realized. Moreover,
A conventionally difficult investigation of how each of a plurality of vehicles has been used for a long period of time can be easily realized. Based on the information obtained in this manner, it is possible to improve the vehicle and take measures against a failure that is expected to occur.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the state information is collected from a large number of vehicles has been described. However, the present embodiment can be applied to the case where one vehicle or a small number of vehicles are diagnosed. A survey request including a check code for diagnosis or a survey program is sent from the information center 50 to the vehicle. Since there are few targets, it is considered preferable to perform individual communication rather than using the broadcast format. The vehicle acquires the state information in response to the survey request. Thus, according to this embodiment, remote diagnosis of the vehicle is possible. Therefore, the user can receive the diagnosis of the own vehicle at any place without bringing the vehicle to a dealer or the like. The above diagnosis may be performed based on the request of the user, may be performed based on the request of a person other than the user, or may be voluntarily performed by the information center.

In addition, in the system of this embodiment, it is also possible to perform countermeasure processing based on the information obtained from the vehicle, that is, vehicle maintenance and breakdown repair. For example, in FIG.
Based on the analysis result in S44, a maintenance program, a repair program, and other appropriate control programs are created. It is also preferable to create a program that is an improvement of the control program that the vehicle currently has. The program creation may be performed by the center control unit 52 of the information center 50. In addition, the countermeasure program may be created using another computer. The created program is sent to the in-vehicle survey device 10 by the center control unit 52 using the transmission / reception circuit 60. The countermeasure program received by the vehicle is sent to the diagnostic control ECU 12, and the device ECU 1
4 is downloaded, installed and executed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the system of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a speed display unit of an instrument panel for explaining an example of a survey program.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 vehicle-mounted investigation device, 12 diagnostic control ECU, 14 equipment ECU, 16 control target equipment, 18 equipment sensor, 2
0 check code table storage unit, 22 input / output interface, 24 display, 26 speaker,
28,54 input device, 30,60 transceiver circuit, 50
Information center, 52 Center control unit, 56 Center storage unit, 58 Collected information storage unit.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07C 11/00 G07C 5/00 B60S 5/00 G01M 17/00

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A vehicle information collection system for collecting status information obtained by a vehicle diagnostic investigation, wherein status information to be collected and a target vehicle for information collection are determined, and the target vehicle is investigated about the status information. And an in-vehicle survey device that is communicatively connected to the information center, acquires the status information in response to the request, and transmits the acquired status information to the information center. Vehicle information collection system to be. 2. A vehicle information collecting system for collecting status information obtained by a vehicle diagnostic investigation, comprising: an in-vehicle inspection device provided in each of a plurality of vehicles; and a wireless communication connection with the in-vehicle inspection device. The information center includes: a collected information determining unit that determines status information to be collected; and a target vehicle determining unit that determines a target vehicle for information collection. A survey request for status information is transmitted, and the in-vehicle survey device has survey means for performing the survey indicated in the survey request to obtain the state information, and the state information obtained by the survey is sent to the information center. A vehicle information collection system characterized in that the information is transmitted to. 3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the information center, when transmitting the survey request, transmits a survey request including a survey program required to acquire the state information, The vehicle information collection system, wherein the survey means of the vehicle-mounted survey device performs the required survey using the survey program. 4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the information center broadcasts using a broadcast format when transmitting the survey request to a plurality of the target vehicles. A vehicle information collection system characterized in that 5. A receiving means for receiving an investigation request for status information obtained by a vehicle diagnostic investigation transmitted from an information center, and an investigation means for executing the investigation indicated in the investigation request and acquiring the status information. And a transmitting means for transmitting the status information acquired by the investigation to the information center, the status information being sent to the information center when selected by the information center as a target vehicle for collecting the status information. An in-vehicle survey device characterized by being provided.