JP4244153B2 - Remote fault diagnosis system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently perform necessary and sufficient diagnosis details without receiving any restrictions by utilizing a radio communication line having inferior communication speed when remotely diagnosing faults in a vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: A remote fault diagnosis system comprises a first remote fault diagnosis function for remotely diagnosing faults in a target vehicle by utilizing a communication means including a mobile communication line 8 and allowing the target vehicle 2 to directly communicate with a server 11 in an information center; and a second remote fault diagnosis function for performing a more detailed fault diagnosis as compared with the first remote fault diagnosis function to the target vehicle via a service station 3 for utilizing a near-distance radio communication line 7 for speedily communicating as compared with the mobile communication line 8. These two kinds of functions can be appropriately used. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&amp;NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of a remote failure diagnosis system that remotely performs a failure diagnosis of a diagnosis object. For example, a vehicle (automobile) that is a representative mobile body is used as a diagnosis object, and the failure diagnosis of the vehicle is remotely performed. The present invention relates to the field of remote fault diagnosis systems.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, when various services such as repair and inspection of automobiles are necessary, for example, there is a maintenance factory attached to a sales agent (so-called dealer), an automobile supply store, a gas station, or the like alone. In general, a user (customer) brings a car to a service base such as an automobile repair shop and the necessary service is provided at the service base.
[0003]
However, in the conventional general service configuration described above, an event such as a failure transmitted from the user to the person in charge at the service base may not be confirmed or reproduced at the service base, and as a result, it is not always prompt to the user's request. In addition, there has been a problem that it is not possible to respond sufficiently.
[0004]
Therefore, in order to improve the conventional problem, the state of the vehicle is detected and stored in a storage medium, and the detection information stored in the storage medium is stored when the vehicle is brought to a service base. Techniques have been proposed for performing failure diagnosis while reading with a dedicated tool or the like.
[0005]
In recent years, it has been possible to communicate between individual vehicles to be monitored (hereinafter referred to as vehicles) and information centers by means of communication means such as wireless communication and the Internet using IT (information technology) that is rapidly developing. As a state, a technique for performing a fault diagnosis remotely between the two has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-202003 A
[Patent Document 2]
JP 2002-228552 A
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
According to the above conventional remote failure diagnosis system, failure diagnosis is performed regardless of where the vehicle exists without the user bringing the vehicle to a maintenance shop of a sales agent (so-called dealer) or a general automobile repair shop. The information center server (server computer) performs diagnostic processing all at once, so if the fault diagnosis program executed on the server is updated appropriately, Each vehicle has the advantage that it can always receive the latest diagnosis.
[0008]
However, in the conventional remote fault diagnosis system, a communication line between the vehicle and the information center generally includes a wireless telephone line (mobile communication line), and this wireless telephone line has a communication speed of There is a limit to sending and receiving large amounts of information late. For this reason, in order to perform detailed failure diagnosis involving a large amount of information transmission / reception processing, there is a problem that a large restriction is imposed on the required time and execution timing.
[0009]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a remote failure diagnosis system that efficiently performs necessary and sufficient diagnosis contents without being restricted by using a wireless communication line that is inferior in communication speed when performing vehicle failure diagnosis remotely. And
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a remote fault diagnosis system according to the present invention is characterized by the following configuration.
[0011]
That is, a remote fault diagnosis system that performs fault diagnosis on a vehicle remotely and notifies the passenger of the diagnosis result,
Using the communication means including the first wireless communication line (8), the target vehicle (2) and the information processing device (11) directly communicate with each other to perform fault diagnosis of the target vehicle remotely. 1 remote fault diagnosis function;
More detailed failure diagnosis than the first remote failure diagnosis function is performed on the target vehicle via a station that can use the second wireless communication line (7) that performs higher-speed communication than the first wireless communication line. A second remote fault diagnosis function to be performed remotely,
Is provided.
[0012]
In a preferred embodiment, the level of detail of the fault diagnosis in the second remote fault diagnosis function depends on at least one of the sampling period, the number of sampling points, and the number of sampling items of information representing the state of the target vehicle. Determined automatically.
[0013]
Further, for example, according to the diagnosis result of the first remote failure diagnosis function for the target vehicle, the diagnosis content by the second remote failure diagnosis function for the same target vehicle may be changed.
[0014]
Further, for example, each station is equipped with a vehicle-mounted terminal (103) mounted on a vehicle and a wireless communication terminal (24) for establishing the second wireless communication line,
In the first remote fault diagnosis function,
A communication means including the first wireless communication line (8), which performs diagnosis of the presence or absence of failure in the target vehicle and the type of failure occurring in the target vehicle, and an identification code representing the diagnosis result While providing to the information processing apparatus via
In the second remote fault diagnosis function,
Failure diagnosis is performed based on information representing the state of the target vehicle acquired using the wireless communication terminal (24) in a state where a wireless communication line with the target vehicle has been established, and the diagnosis result is sent to the target vehicle. By providing it, it is preferable to perform fault diagnosis in more detail than the first remote fault diagnosis function remotely via a station provided with the wireless communication terminal.
[0015]
This object is also achieved by a method corresponding to the above-described remote fault diagnosis system.
[0016]
【The invention's effect】
According to the above-described present invention, a remote failure diagnosis system that efficiently performs necessary and sufficient diagnosis contents without being restricted by using a wireless communication line with inferior communication speed when performing vehicle failure diagnosis remotely. Provision is realized.
[0017]
That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the second remote fault diagnosis function, the second radio communication line (for example, ETC (for example, ETC ()) that performs higher-speed communication than the first radio communication line (for example, radio telephone line). Electric Toll Collection: A short-range wireless communication line using a communication method such as DSRC, IEEE802, etc., which is adopted in an automatic fee payment system), etc. More detailed fault diagnosis than the first remote fault diagnosis function Is done through the station. As a result, various stations (gas stations, parking lots, fast food restaurants, family restaurants, automobiles) that exist in the surrounding environment where the vehicle travels without being restricted by using the first wireless communication line that is inferior in communication speed. A detailed remote fault diagnosis for the vehicle can be efficiently performed by effectively utilizing the opportunity to stop at a goods store or the like and the original required time at the station.
[0018]
In the invention of claim 1, since not only the second remote failure diagnosis function but also the first remote failure diagnosis function is provided, for example, when a station does not exist in the surrounding environment where the vehicle travels Since a simple failure diagnosis can also be performed remotely immediately using the first wireless communication line, it is rational and convenient.
[0019]
According to the invention of claim 2, the degree of detail of the fault diagnosis in the second remote fault diagnosis function is detailed in (i) the sampling cycle is shortened in the information indicating the state of the target vehicle. (Ii) It is determined to be detailed as the number of sampling points increases, or (iii) is determined to be detailed as the number of sampling items increases. The contents of failure diagnosis by the remote failure diagnosis function 2 and the time required for the diagnosis can be made rational.
[0020]
Further, according to the invention of claim 3, since the diagnosis content by the second remote failure diagnosis function for the same target vehicle is changed according to the diagnosis result by the first remote failure diagnosis function, for example, duplicate diagnosis The omission of contents, selection of more detailed diagnostic contents as required, and the like can be appropriately performed.
[0021]
According to the invention of claim 4, in the first remote failure diagnosis function, communication of an identification code with a small amount of information is performed using the first wireless communication line, and whether or not a failure has occurred in the target vehicle at the present time and While the identification code indicating the type of failure that has occurred is provided to the target vehicle, the second remote failure diagnosis function represents the state of the target vehicle that has a much larger amount of information than the identification code. By performing communication of information using the second wireless communication line, it is possible to predict the occurrence of a failure that may occur in the future based on information representing the state of the target vehicle acquired from the target vehicle. The prediction result is provided to the target vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to perform appropriate and reasonable remote fault diagnosis for the present and the future by utilizing the characteristics of the two types of wireless communication lines.
[0022]
Further, according to the invention of claim 5, it is possible to efficiently detect that the vehicle has stopped at the station by establishing the second wireless communication line, and this wireless communication line is adopted in, for example, an ETC. However, if a short-range wireless communication system using a communication system such as DSRC or IEEE 802 is adopted, the cost of installing a new in-vehicle device is not imposed on the user of the vehicle, and each station originally The user can be reasonably charged when receiving this service, and can make a detailed remote fault diagnosis quickly by utilizing the high-speed communication speed of the short-range wireless communication system.
[0023]
According to the invention of claim 6, since the control program having a large amount of information is provided to the vehicle through the second wireless communication line capable of high-speed communication without using the first wireless communication line, it is realistic. It is.
[0024]
In general, the state of the vehicle rarely changes greatly in a short period of time, so that the failure diagnosis by the first and second remote failure diagnosis functions is performed before and after the short period of time. However, according to the invention of claim 7, a detailed fault diagnosis for the same target vehicle is performed by the second remote fault diagnosis. Until a predetermined time elapses after the function is performed, failure diagnosis by the first remote failure diagnosis function that is simpler than that detailed failure diagnosis is not performed. Therefore, the use opportunity of the first wireless communication line inferior in communication speed can be reduced, and a rational remote fault diagnosis can be realized.
[0025]
Further, even when the detailed failure diagnosis is performed through the station using the second wireless communication line having excellent communication speed, for example, depending on the convenience of the user of the target vehicle that has stopped by the station There are cases in which all of a plurality of predetermined items for detailed fault diagnosis cannot be completed. In this case, it may be possible to request the user to wait (wait for diagnosis) until all the predetermined items are completed, but the user's action (movement) should be restricted except when the vehicle state is serious. It is not preferable to impair the original convenience of remote failure diagnosis, which is capable of performing vehicle failure diagnosis.
[0026]
In such a background, according to the invention of claim 8, when failure diagnosis by the second remote failure diagnosis function cannot be performed over all items, failure diagnosis of the remaining items is performed by the first remote failure diagnosis function. At that time, although the first wireless communication line inferior to the communication speed is used, the failure diagnosis of all items necessary for the vehicle can be surely performed without imposing restrictions on the user's behavior. Can be done.
[0027]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a remote failure diagnosis system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as an embodiment in which the system is applied to a vehicle (automobile) which is a typical mobile body.
[0028]
[First Embodiment]
[System configuration]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a remote fault diagnosis system according to the first embodiment, and this system is roughly constituted by an information center 1, a vehicle 2, and a service station 3.
[0029]
In this embodiment, the information center 1 and each vehicle 2 that can receive the remote failure diagnosis service by this system are a mobile communication line (first wireless communication) using the Internet 5 and the base station 6 as relay stations. Information can be transmitted and received directly via the line 8). Here, the mobile communication line 8 is a communication line in which the data communication speed is relatively restricted, such as a wireless telephone line.
[0030]
In addition, the information center 1 and the service station 3 can transmit and receive information via the Internet 5 and / or other communication lines 13.
[0031]
The service station 3 and the vehicle (target vehicle) 2 that stops at the service station can transmit and receive information via the short-range wireless communication line (second wireless communication line) 7. Here, the short-range wireless communication line 7 is a short-range wireless communication line such as DSRC or IEEE 802 capable of high-speed communication as compared with the mobile communication line 8.
[0032]
In the present embodiment, the fact that the vehicle 2 has stopped at the service station 3, that is, the presence of the target vehicle in the service station 3, can be detected by various methods. In the present embodiment, an example is given. As described above, a state in which the short-range wireless communication line 7 is established between the mobile communication line communication device 102 mounted on the vehicle 2 and the short-range wireless communication terminal 24 installed in the service station 3 This is recognized by being detected on the vehicle side and / or the service station 3 side.
[0033]
The information center 1 includes a server (server computer) 11 and a database (DB) 12 that collectively manage the system.
[0034]
In the present embodiment, the server 11 is constituted by, for example, a failure diagnosis server 11A and a service factory management server 11B, and the service station 3 ( A remote failure diagnosis process (FIGS. 3 to 5), which will be described later, can be realized by a cooperative operation between the diagnosis mediation server 21) and the vehicle 2 (abnormality detection apparatus 101), and information is stored in the database 12 accordingly. Or stored information can be read out.
[0035]
The database 12 includes a plurality of sub-databases such as a customer information DB 12-1, a failure information DB 12-2, a vehicle information DB 12-3, a service factory DB 12-4, a map DB 12-5, and a diagnostic program DB 12-6. ing.
[0036]
That is, information (name, address, contact information, etc.) related to a plurality of users (customers) who can use this system is stored in the customer information DB 12-1 in association with IDs for identifying individual users. ing.
[0037]
In the failure information DB 12-2, information (failure information) relating to various types of failures relating to a plurality of types of vehicles is given an identification code (fault identification code i) that can identify each failure. ), Information relating to the failure, the actual vehicle driving condition (corresponding to a predetermined rule to be described later) when the failure is likely or likely to occur, and countermeasures for the failure, etc. Is done.
[0038]
In the vehicle information DB 12-3, diagnosis result information indicating a diagnosis result (diagnosis history) by remote fault diagnosis includes, for example, maintenance history information (including maintenance date and time, location, etc.), information specifying individual vehicles (vehicle body) (Number), information specifying the vehicle type (model), the vehicle owner (user) ID, and the like.
[0039]
Information related to each service factory 4 is stored in the service factory DB 12-4.
[0040]
The map DB 12-5 stores map information in which a coordinate system common to the navigation controller 105 of the vehicle 2 is used.
[0041]
The diagnosis program DB 12-6 stores a failure diagnosis program (including a diagnosis pattern to be described later) for performing a remote failure diagnosis of the target vehicle for each vehicle type (model).
[0042]
The vehicle 2 is a vehicle that can be a target vehicle for remote failure diagnosis by this system, and has the configuration shown in FIG. 2 (details will be described later).
[0043]
The service station 3 includes a diagnostic mediation server 21, a diagnostic program DB 22, a service station terminal 23, and a short-range wireless communication terminal 24.
[0044]
That is, the diagnosis mediation server 21 executes a failure diagnosis program stored in the diagnosis program DB 22 on a CPU (not shown), thereby performing a cooperative operation with the information center 1 (server 11) and the vehicle 2 (abnormality detection device 101). Thus, remote failure diagnosis processing (FIGS. 3 to 5), which will be described later, can be realized for the target vehicle that has stopped at the service station 3.
[0045]
Here, the service station terminal 23 includes not only an information terminal installed in the service station 3 but also an information terminal (PDA, POS terminal, etc.) carried by the staff of the station.
[0046]
The service factory 4 is a maintenance factory (maintenance facility) attached to a sales agent (so-called dealer) or an automobile repair factory that exists independently.
[0047]
Here, the service station 3 is a station other than the service factory 4 such as a gas station, a parking lot, a fast food restaurant, a family restaurant, an automobile supply store, etc. ).
[0048]
In addition, the gas station in the present embodiment includes not only a gasoline supply station, but also a wide variety of energy supply bases used for running the vehicle, such as electricity and hydrogen. , ETC (Electric Toll Collection: automatic fee payment system), etc., such as DSRC, IEEE802, etc., using a short-range wireless communication system with a vehicle using a communication system such as replenishment of such energy Users are charged.
[0049]
It should be noted that since the hardware, software, and the like can now be adopted for individual components (components) themselves such as the server computer, database, and wireless communication line that constitute the above system configuration, Detailed description of the embodiment is omitted.
[0050]
Further, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that a server 11 and a database 12 are provided in the information center 1 and a diagnosis mediation server 21 and a diagnostic program DB 22 are provided in the service station 3. However, the present invention is not limited to such a system configuration, and the location where each server or database is installed is not limited as long as data can be transmitted and received via various communication lines.
[0051]
In particular, the diagnostic mediation server 21 does not have to be provided in each service station 3 as illustrated in FIG. 1. In this case, the short distance to the vehicle-mounted terminal 103 for a short-range wireless communication line mounted on the visiting vehicle 2. In order to realize wireless communication via the wireless communication line 7, for example, each service station 3 is provided with at least a short-range wireless communication terminal 24, while a plurality of service stations 3 (for example, in a certain area) The diagnostic intermediary server 21 and the diagnostic program DB 22 for centrally controlling the operation of the short-range wireless communication terminals 24 of the plurality of service stations 3) scattered in the network and appropriately performing billing management, etc. A system configuration that is provided between the wireless communication terminal 24 and the server 11 of the information center 1 may be adopted.
[0052]
Next, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of the vehicle 2 in the remote fault diagnosis system according to the first embodiment. The vehicle 2 is roughly classified into an abnormality detection device 101, an input / output device 104, and a navigation controller 105. , A sensor group 106, a body system 107, and a vehicle control system 108.
[0053]
That is, the abnormality detection apparatus 101 includes information representing various states of the host vehicle 2 controlled by the body system 107 and the vehicle control system 108, and a sensor group (a GPS sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a steering angle sensor, etc. ) And information indicating various states of the host vehicle 2 detected by 106 are available, and communication with the navigation controller 105 is performed as necessary.
[0054]
Further, the abnormality detection device 101 performs wireless communication using the short-range wireless communication line 7 using the in-vehicle terminal 103 for short-range wireless communication line and wireless communication using the mobile communication line 8 using the communication device 102 for mobile communication line. By executing a control program in a CPU (not shown), the mobile communication line (by the cooperative operation with the information center 1 (server 11) and / or the service station 3 (diagnostic mediation server 21) Realizing a first remote failure diagnosis function using the first wireless communication line (8) or a second remote failure diagnosis function using the short-range wireless communication line (second wireless communication line) 7 (It will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5).
[0055]
Here, the body system 107 controls operation of various electrical components such as a power window, an audio, and a wiper in the host vehicle 2, and the vehicle control system 108 controls vehicle behaviors such as ABS, DCS, and EGI. It governs motion control.
[0056]
The input / output device 104 includes a man-machine interface such as a display, an operation switch, a voice input microphone, and a speaker. In accordance with the operation of the abnormality detection device 101 and the navigation controller 105, notification of guidance to the user (occupant such as a driver) is performed. In addition, it is possible to input a selection operation.
[0057]
The abnormality detection device 101 and the navigation controller 105 are not limited to separate configurations.
[0058]
[Remote fault diagnosis processing]
Hereinafter, the diagnostic function of the remote fault diagnosis system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.
[0059]
In each flowchart, for convenience of explanation, it is possible to easily grasp the mode (exchange) of information transmission between each subsystem (anomaly detection device 101, diagnosis mediation server 21, main server 11) constituting the system. Therefore, there are some processing procedures (part of the processing procedure) of the plurality of subsystems shown in one drawing, but in actual operation, they are shown in these flowcharts in each subsystem. A plurality of software modules capable of realizing the corresponding processing procedure function appropriately.
[0060]
Further, in this embodiment, symbols (such as “(VI-n- *)”, “(IC-n- *)”) written on the broken-line arrows and their fulcrums or end points shown in each flowchart (however, n is 1 to 4 and represents the first to fourth embodiments), which is a subsystem (anomaly detection device 101, diagnostic mediator) via the short-range wireless communication line 7, the mobile communication line 8, or the communication line 13. It represents a communication event between the server 21 and the main server 11), and the same symbol indicates one transmission / reception process between the target subsystems.
[0061]
More specifically, in the above symbols, “V” is the vehicle 2 (abnormality detection device 101), “I” is the diagnostic mediation server 21 (service station 3), “C” is the information center 1 (main server 11), “S” represents the service station terminal 23. For example, “VI” represents information transmission from the vehicle 2 to the diagnostic mediation server 21, and “IC” represents information transmission from the diagnostic mediation server 21 to the information center 1.
[0062]
In addition, as shown above, the hardware for realizing the individual transmission / reception processing performed in each subsystem and the software processing procedure executed in the hardware are general ones. Therefore, detailed description in this embodiment is omitted.
[0063]
3 to 5 are flowcharts showing remote failure diagnosis processing performed in the remote failure diagnosis system according to the first embodiment. First, the relationship between these flowcharts will be described.
[0064]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control process executed in the target vehicle (abnormality detection apparatus 101) in order to realize the remote fault diagnosis process in the first embodiment.
[0065]
FIG. 4A is a flowchart showing details of the remote failure diagnosis processing (step S7 in FIG. 3) in the target vehicle 2, and FIG. 4B is a remote failure diagnosis processing (see FIG. 4) in the target vehicle 2. 4 (a)) is a flowchart showing a control process performed in the information center 1 (server 11) when the process is performed, and FIG. 4 (c) shows the service station 3 (diagnostic mediation server) when these processes are performed. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing performed in 21).
[0066]
FIG. 5A is a flowchart showing details of the remote failure diagnosis process (step S204 in FIG. 4) in the service station 3, and FIG. 5B shows the remote failure diagnosis process in the service station 3. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing performed in the target vehicle 2 when it is performed.
[0067]
Here, the remote failure diagnosis according to the present embodiment is performed while the user (occupant such as a driver) is away from the vehicle (for example, the original work at the service station at which the user visited). Even if it is the time required for finishing meals, refueling, etc.), it is preferably performed automatically without imposing restrictions on the user's behavior, so the abnormality detection mounted on the vehicle (target vehicle) 2 is detected. For example, the apparatus 101 may continue the operation described below even when the engine is stopped or the ignition switch is in the off position.
[0068]
Hereinafter, the operation procedure of the remote fault diagnosis according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts (FIGS. 3 to 5) having the above relationship.
[0069]
First, in FIG. 3, the abnormality detection device 101 mounted on the vehicle (target vehicle) 2 refers to the detection result of the sensor group 106 to determine whether the host vehicle is stopped (step S1). If it is determined that the vehicle is stopped, in step S2 and step S3, whether communication with the intermediary server 21 via the short-range wireless communication line 7 is possible (that is, the in-vehicle terminal 103 and the short-range wireless communication terminal 24) Whether a communication line is established between the two).
[0070]
When it is determined in step S3 that communication is possible, the abnormality detection apparatus 101 determines in step S4 that the time required for the current remote failure diagnosis is more than T hours since the previous remote failure diagnosis. Or if the vehicle 2 has traveled more than the distance X and if any of these conditions is satisfied, in step S5, it is determined whether or not the driver (occupant) is to be diagnosed with a fault. This is confirmed by the guidance output to 104 and the input operation of the driver corresponding thereto.
[0071]
Next, the abnormality detection apparatus 101 starts remote failure diagnosis processing (step S7: FIG. 4A) in response to detection of a predetermined operation for performing failure diagnosis in step S5 in step S6. To do.
[0072]
The remote failure diagnosis processing in step S7 is performed when the vehicle 2 has stopped at the service station 3 and remote failure diagnosis is required by the processing steps of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, and at this time, It has also been confirmed that a communication line with the intermediary server 21 by the short-range wireless communication line 7 has been established. For this reason, the vehicle 2 can communicate with the information center 1 through a high-speed communication line with the mediation server 21 without using the mobile communication line 8 whose communication speed is restricted. It is possible. Under such circumstances, the processes shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 4A to 4C are started.
[0073]
That is, in FIG. 4, vehicle abnormality information (model, body number, etc.) stored in advance in the vehicle (target vehicle) 2 is transmitted from the abnormality detection device 101 to the mediation server 21 (steps S11 and S201). Then, the mediation server 21 transmits a request for downloading a failure diagnosis program corresponding to the vehicle basic information to the information center 1 together with the received vehicle basic information (model, body number, etc.) (step S202).
[0074]
When the server 11 of the information center 1 receives the request for downloading the failure diagnosis program and the basic vehicle information of the target vehicle from the diagnostic mediation server 21 in step S101, the basic vehicle information and the database 12 (vehicle information DB12- 3) Based on the past diagnosis history included in the record relating to the target vehicle in 3), a diagnostic program for the target vehicle is extracted from the database (diagnostic program DB 12-6), and extracted in step S103. The failure diagnosis program is transmitted to the diagnosis mediation server 21 that transmitted the information in step S101.
[0075]
Here, the failure diagnosis program extracted in step S103 is a failure diagnosis program optimum for diagnosing the current state of the target vehicle according to the target vehicle and its past diagnosis history. The program includes a combination of predetermined signal level groups set to the target vehicle from the outside (diagnostic mediation server 21 in the present embodiment) (hereinafter referred to as a diagnostic pattern) to remotely perform failure diagnosis of the target vehicle. The default value (normal value) that would be obtained as diagnostic result information if the target vehicle is normal (no failure) in accordance with setting the diagnostic pattern to the target vehicle is included.
[0076]
The intermediary server 21 in which the short-range wireless communication line 7 with the target vehicle is established receives the failure diagnosis program from the information center 1 and stores the failure diagnosis program in the diagnosis program DB 22 (step S203). The target vehicle is diagnosed according to the failure diagnosis program (step S204).
[0077]
Here, the remote failure diagnosis process (step S204) of the target vehicle performed by the mediation server 21 is performed according to the following procedure.
[0078]
In other words, the diagnosis mediation server 21 detects the diagnosis pattern I (out of at least one type of diagnosis pattern included in the received failure diagnosis program for the target vehicle in a state where the short-range wireless communication line 7 is established. Here, I indicates any one of n types of diagnosis patterns included in the failure diagnosis program, and 1 ≦ I ≦ n) is set (step S211), and the diagnosis pattern I is set as the target Transmit to the vehicle (step S212).
[0079]
When the target vehicle receives the diagnostic pattern I from the diagnostic mediation server 21 via the short-range wireless communication line 7 in step S16, the target vehicle executes the received diagnostic pattern I, and as a result, the sensor group 106, the body system The detection results obtained from the system 107 and the control system 108 are collected (step S17), and information representing the collected detection results is transmitted to the diagnostic mediation server 21 as the diagnostic result information of the diagnostic pattern I (step S18). ).
[0080]
When the diagnostic mediation server 21 receives the diagnostic result information from the target vehicle in step S213, the diagnostic mediation server 21 determines whether each detection result represented by the diagnostic result information is within the normal range of the predetermined value. (Step S214), if out of the normal range, the corresponding diagnosis item (diagnosis content) and the detection result out of the normal range are listed in the failure list for the target vehicle ( Step S215).
[0081]
Then, by the processing steps of Step S216 and Step S217, Steps S211 to S215 are repeated until all the diagnostic patterns included in the currently executed failure diagnosis program are performed.
[0082]
When the remote failure diagnosis in step S204 described above is completed, the diagnosis mediation server 21 transmits the diagnosis result (failure diagnosis result information) of the remote failure diagnosis related to the target vehicle obtained in the step to the information center 1 ( Along with step S205), the information is also transmitted to the target vehicle (step S206).
[0083]
When the server 11 of the information center 1 receives the failure diagnosis result information from the diagnosis mediation server 21 in step S104, the failure diagnosis result information is used as the diagnosis history information on the target vehicle in the database 12 (vehicle information DB 12-3). Are recorded as new records (step S105).
[0084]
On the other hand, the target vehicle that has received the failure diagnosis result information from the diagnosis mediation server 21 in step S12 provides guidance or the like according to the failure diagnosis result information in step S13, for example, on the input / output device 104 (display on the vehicle display) Output to.
[0085]
According to the present embodiment described above, when remote diagnosis of a vehicle is performed remotely, efficient and appropriate remote failure diagnosis can be realized without causing a concentration of processing load on the server 11 of the information center 1. it can.
[0086]
That is, according to the present embodiment, the original convenience of the remote fault diagnosis system that does not impose the burden of bringing the vehicle to the service factory 4 such as a maintenance factory of a sales agent or a general automobile repair factory is impaired. The opportunity to stop at various service stations 3 (gas stations, parking lots, fast food restaurants, family restaurants, car supplies stores, etc.) that exist in the surrounding environment where the vehicle travels and the actual time required for the service station 3 are effective. In this way, it is possible to remotely perform failure diagnosis for the vehicle using the diagnostic intermediary server 21 via the short-range wireless communication line 7 capable of high-speed communication. To reduce the processing burden on the server 11 (first information processing apparatus) of the information center 1 It can be performed efficiently and appropriate remote fault diagnosis.
[0087]
Further, according to the present embodiment, only the specific failure diagnosis program necessary for the failure diagnosis of the target vehicle is provided to the diagnosis mediation server 21 (second information processing apparatus) (FIG. 4B). In step S102 and step S103), the processing load on the server 11 for providing each failure diagnosis program to all the diagnosis mediation servers 21 is reduced, and an unnecessary failure diagnosis program is installed in the diagnosis mediation server 21. Hardware and software resource savings can be realized.
[0088]
In the present embodiment, the server 11 provides a failure diagnosis program that has not been provided in the past when providing the failure diagnosis program to the diagnosis mediation server 21 (steps S102 and S103 in FIG. 4B). Alternatively, if the operation of providing the failure diagnosis program is regulated so that a failure diagnosis program that is the same type but has not been updated is provided, an unnecessary failure diagnosis program is transferred to the diagnosis mediation server 21. The processing burden on the server 11 for providing can be reduced.
[0089]
Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to efficiently detect that the vehicle 2 has stopped at the service station 3 by establishing the short-range wireless communication line 7, and this wireless communication line is adopted in, for example, an ETC or the like. However, if a short-range wireless communication system using a communication method such as DSRC or IEEE 802 is adopted, individual services can be provided without incurring the cost of installing a new in-vehicle device for the user of the vehicle 2. Billing when the user receives the original service of the station 3 can be performed rationally, and a quick remote fault diagnosis can be performed by utilizing the relatively high communication speed of the short-range wireless communication line.
[0090]
Further, according to the present embodiment, the server 11 is a database in which identification information that can identify the user of each vehicle 2 that can be the target vehicle and identification information that can identify the vehicle used by the user are stored. 12 can be referred to, and a necessary failure diagnosis program can be reliably provided to the diagnosis mediation server 21 based on the identification information.
[0091]
In general, since the state of the vehicle rarely changes greatly in a short period, even if the remote failure diagnosis of each aspect described above is performed in such a short period, the diagnosis result obtained is Where the same is expected, according to the present embodiment, the target vehicle travels for a distance X or longer until a predetermined time T elapses from the previous failure diagnosis for the same target vehicle. If not, the next remote failure diagnosis is not performed (step S4 in FIG. 3), so that the processing load on the server 11 and the diagnostic mediation server 21 can be reduced.
[0092]
<Modification of First Embodiment>
As a modified example of the present embodiment, the server 11 provides a first failure diagnosis program as a failure diagnosis program to the diagnosis mediation server 21 provided in the first station that is the service station 3. Diagnostic mediation provided in a second station that is the same as or different from the first station according to the diagnosis result of the target vehicle acquired from the first station by executing the first failure diagnosis program. The server 21 is provided with a second failure diagnosis program for performing a detailed failure diagnosis as compared with the failure diagnosis by the first failure diagnosis program as a failure diagnosis program for the target vehicle. .
[0093]
According to this modified example having such a configuration, a plurality of types of diagnosis contents (diagnostic items and / or degrees of diagnosis) differing without imposing time constraints on the users of the vehicles that stop at the same or different service stations 3. Remote fault diagnosis can be performed efficiently and rationally.
[0094]
[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment based on the remote fault diagnosis system according to the first embodiment described above will be described. In the following description, the description similar to that of the first embodiment will be omitted, and the description will focus on the characteristic part of the present embodiment.
[0095]
[Remote fault diagnosis processing]
Hereinafter, the diagnosis function of the remote fault diagnosis system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts and drawings shown in FIGS.
[0096]
In the first embodiment, the main purpose is to perform a remote fault diagnosis through the service station using the short-range wireless communication line 7 that can be executed when the vehicle 2 stops at the service station 3. In this embodiment, a more rational remote fault diagnosis system is realized by performing optimum use with the mobile communication line 8 on the basis of the processing configuration.
[0097]
6 to 7 are flowcharts showing remote failure diagnosis processing performed in the remote failure diagnosis system according to the second embodiment. First, the relationship between these flowcharts will be described.
[0098]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control process executed in the target vehicle (abnormality detection apparatus 101) in order to realize the remote fault diagnosis process in the second embodiment.
[0099]
FIG. 7A is a flowchart showing details of the first remote failure diagnosis process (step S31 in FIG. 6: first remote failure diagnosis function) in the target vehicle 2, and FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing performed in the information center 1 (server 11) when the 1st remote failure diagnosis processing (Fig.7 (a)) in the target vehicle 2 is performed.
[0100]
The remote fault diagnosis process using the short-range wireless communication line 7 is performed as a second remote fault diagnosis process (step S27 in FIG. 6: second remote fault diagnosis function) in this embodiment. 2 The remote fault diagnosis process is the same process as the remote fault diagnosis process (FIGS. 4 and 5) described in the first embodiment.
[0101]
Hereinafter, the operation procedure of the remote fault diagnosis in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts (FIGS. 4 and 5 and FIGS. 6 to 7) having the above relation.
[0102]
First, in FIG. 6, the abnormality detection device 101 mounted on the vehicle (target vehicle) 2 is the same as steps S1 to S3 (FIG. 3) in the first embodiment described above in steps S21 to S23. According to the procedure, it is determined whether or not the own vehicle has stopped at the service station 3, and if it is determined that the host vehicle has stopped, step S4 to step S27 in step S4 in the first embodiment described above are performed. Thru | or the structure similar to step S7 (FIG. 3), Therefore, in the 2nd remote failure diagnosis process (step S27: 2nd remote failure diagnosis function) using the short-distance radio | wireless communication line 7, said 1st implementation In the embodiment, processing similar to each processing step described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 is performed.
[0103]
However, in the present embodiment, the second remote failure diagnosis process is preferably performed using the short-range wireless communication line 7 capable of high-speed communication when the optimal failure diagnosis program for the target vehicle is extracted. (2) A diagnostic program for a remote failure diagnosis function (a diagnosis pattern is also included in this embodiment: details will be described later with reference to FIG. 8) is extracted.
[0104]
On the other hand, the abnormality detection apparatus 101 is not in a state where the own vehicle has stopped at the service station 3 in step S23, and the high-speed data with the diagnostic mediation server 21 via the short-range wireless communication line 7 using the in-vehicle terminal 103 is used. If it is determined that transmission / reception cannot be performed at this time, as a condition for determining whether or not the current first remote fault diagnosis process is necessary, T1 time or more has passed since the previous first remote fault diagnosis process, or the host vehicle 2 determines whether or not the vehicle has traveled more than the distance X1, and if any of these conditions is satisfied, in step S29, whether or not the driver (occupant) is to be diagnosed with a fault is output to the input / output device 104. Confirm by input operation of the corresponding driver.
[0105]
Next, the abnormality detecting device 101 includes a communication unit in which the information center 1 and the target vehicle include the mobile communication line 8 in response to the detection of the predetermined operation for performing the failure diagnosis in step S29 in step S30. The first remote fault diagnosis process (step S31: FIG. 7A) in which data is directly transmitted and received using is started.
[0106]
That is, in FIG. 7, the vehicle basic information (model, body number, etc.) stored in advance in the vehicle (target vehicle) 2 is transmitted from the abnormality detection device 101 to the information center 1 (server 11) (step S36). ).
[0107]
When the server 11 of the information center 1 receives the vehicle basic information from the target vehicle in step S111, it is included in the vehicle basic information and a record related to the target vehicle in the database 12 (vehicle information DB 12-3) in step S112. From the database (diagnostic program DB12-6), a diagnostic program for the first remote fault diagnosis function for the target vehicle (a diagnostic pattern is also included in this embodiment) : Details will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0108]
Then, the information center 1 performs remote failure diagnosis processing for the target vehicle using communication means including the mobile communication line 8 according to the failure diagnosis program extracted in step S112 (step S113). This remote failure diagnosis processing is performed by the information center 1 performing the same processing as the processing steps of FIG. 5A performed by the diagnostic mediation server 21 as described above in the first embodiment, and the target In each processing step of FIG. 5 (b) performed in the vehicle, only the configuration in which the transmission source of the diagnostic pattern in step S16 and the transmission destination of the diagnostic result information in step S18 are each the information center 1 is different. Is done.
[0109]
When the information center 1 obtains the failure diagnosis result for the target vehicle in step S113, the information center 1 obtains the failure diagnosis result (failure diagnosis result information) as the diagnosis history information on the target vehicle in the database 12 (vehicle information DB 12-3). (Step S114), and the target vehicle is transmitted with an identification code indicating whether or not a failure has occurred in the target vehicle and the type of failure that has occurred (step S114). S115).
[0110]
In the vehicle 2, the abnormality detection apparatus 101 associates a plurality of identification codes that can be received from the information center 1 in step S37 as a diagnosis result of the first remote failure diagnosis function with guidance corresponding to each identification code. Stored tables are stored.
[0111]
Then, the target vehicle that has received the identification code as the failure diagnosis result information from the information center 1 in step S37 receives guidance or the like according to the identification code in the input / output device 104 (for example, display on the in-vehicle display) in step S38. Output to.
[0112]
Here, the difference between the diagnostic programs for the first and second remote fault diagnosis functions will be described with reference to FIG.
[0113]
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the target range of the diagnostic program for the first and second remote fault diagnosis functions executed in the remote fault diagnosis system according to the second embodiment.
[0114]
In the figure, as an example, the difference between the first remote failure diagnosis function diagnostic program and the second remote failure diagnosis function diagnosis program is preferably used in the configuration as the subsystem of the vehicle 2 shown in FIG. For example, a case where the body system 107 and the control system 108 of the vehicle are diagnosed by the remote failure diagnosis system according to the present embodiment is shown.
[0115]
More specifically, in the second remote failure diagnosis function using the short-range wireless communication line 7 having excellent communication speed, a control system for controlling vehicle behavior such as ABS, DCS, EGI, etc., as shown in FIG. The individual components constituting the system 108 and the individual components constituting the body system 107 for controlling various electrical components such as a power window, audio, and wiper are diagnostic items (diagnostic contents) for remote fault diagnosis. A plurality of diagnostic patterns (I) are prepared for each diagnostic item as a target.
[0116]
On the other hand, unlike the second remote failure diagnosis function, the first remote failure diagnosis function using the mobile communication line 8 whose communication speed is restricted compared to the short-range wireless communication line 7 differs from the body remote system 107 and the control system. Of the above-described components of the system 108, only a part is extracted.
[0117]
According to the present embodiment described above, when performing a fault diagnosis of a vehicle remotely, necessary and sufficient diagnosis contents can be efficiently performed without being restricted by using the mobile communication line 8 that is inferior in communication speed. it can.
[0118]
That is, according to the present embodiment, in the second remote fault diagnosis function, the short-range wireless communication line 7 (second wireless communication line) that performs higher-speed communication than the mobile communication line 8 (first wireless communication line). Is used to perform fault diagnosis in more detail than the first remote fault diagnosis function via the service station 3. As a result, various stations (gas stations, parking lots, fast food restaurants, family restaurants, automobiles) that exist in the surrounding environment where the vehicle travels without being restricted by using the first wireless communication line that is inferior in communication speed. A detailed remote fault diagnosis for the vehicle can be efficiently performed by effectively utilizing the opportunity to stop at a goods store or the like and the original required time at the service station 3.
[0119]
Further, the remote fault diagnosis system according to the present embodiment includes not only the second remote fault diagnosis function but also the first remote fault diagnosis function. When 3 is not present, although a communication speed is limited, a simple failure diagnosis can be immediately performed remotely using the mobile communication line 8 (first wireless communication line). Excellent in properties.
[0120]
In the present embodiment, the detail level of the fault diagnosis in the second remote fault diagnosis function is at least one of the sampling period, the number of sampling points, and the number of sampling items of information (vehicle state information) representing the state of the target vehicle. It is automatically determined depending on As a result, the detail level of the fault diagnosis in the second remote fault diagnosis function can be automatically set appropriately according to the state of the target vehicle, and the time required for the fault diagnosis by the second remote fault diagnosis function is required. It can be minimized.
[0121]
Further, in the present embodiment, the diagnosis content by the second remote failure diagnosis function for the same target vehicle is changed according to the diagnosis result by the first remote failure diagnosis function. In addition, it is possible to appropriately select necessary more detailed diagnostic contents.
[0122]
<Modification Example 1 of Second Embodiment>
In the present modification, as the second remote failure diagnosis function shown in step S27 of FIG. 6, instead of the remote failure diagnosis processing described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 in the first embodiment, FIG. By performing the processing shown, failure prediction that may occur in the future in the target vehicle is performed.
[0123]
[Remote fault diagnosis processing]
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a failure occurrence prediction process performed in the remote failure diagnosis system according to the first modification of the second embodiment. In this modification, the second remote failure diagnosis shown in step S27 in FIG. The processing structure performed as a function is shown.
[0124]
In other words, in the present modification, the abnormality detection apparatus 101 for the target vehicle includes information indicating the state of the target vehicle in the past predetermined period T (that is, the detection result by the sensor group 106, the body system 107, and the control system). 108, the signal level of the input / output signals of each component: hereinafter may be referred to as vehicle state information). In step S41, vehicle basic information (model, vehicle number, etc.) stored in advance is stored. And the vehicle state information is transmitted to the diagnostic mediation server 21 of the service station 3 where the short-range wireless communication line 7 with the target vehicle is established.
[0125]
The diagnosis mediation server 21 transmits the vehicle basic information and the vehicle state information received from the target vehicle in step S221 to the information center 1 in step S222.
[0126]
In response to receiving the vehicle basic information and the vehicle state information of the target vehicle from the diagnosis mediation server 21 in step S116, the information center 1 (server 11) receives the target vehicle based on the information in step S117. Predictive diagnosis process of failure occurrence is performed.
[0127]
Here, if the failure diagnosis prediction process (step S117) by the information center 1 is outlined, for example, the database 12 (based on the vehicle type (model) of the target vehicle specified by the vehicle basic information of the target vehicle. By referring to the failure information DB 12-2), information related to various failures related to the vehicle type corresponding to the target vehicle is specified together with the failure identification code i, and information (failure information) related to the failure corresponding to the specified failure identification code i As a matching process with the vehicle basic information of the target vehicle obtained in step S116, for example, as a result of performing a correlation calculation between the two, a certain correlation between the two (for example, the coincidence of correlation values, etc.) Is found, it is determined that the occurrence of a failure similar to that of the past failed vehicle is predicted for the target vehicle. It is.
[0128]
Then, the information center 1 transmits the failure occurrence prediction result obtained in step S117 to the target vehicle via the diagnosis mediation server 21 (step S118, step S223, step S224).
[0129]
The abnormality detection apparatus 101 of the target vehicle outputs the failure occurrence prediction result received from the diagnosis mediation server 21 in step S42 to the input / output device 104 (for example, display on the in-vehicle display) in step S43.
[0130]
On the other hand, in the first remote fault diagnosis function, as described above with reference to FIG. 7, as a result of the diagnosis, an identification code indicating whether or not a fault has occurred in the target vehicle and the type of fault that has occurred are displayed. The guidance corresponding to the provided identification code is notified to the user (occupant such as a driver).
[0131]
According to this modification performed as the second remote failure diagnosis function for performing such failure prediction, the short-range wireless communication line 7 (second wireless communication line) having excellent communication speed is connected to the target vehicle, the service station 3 and the target vehicle. Communication between the information (vehicle state information) indicating the state of the target vehicle having a significantly large amount of information is transmitted through the short-range wireless communication line 7 (second wireless communication line) having excellent communication speed. While the failure occurrence prediction using the vehicle state information is performed, the communication speed of the identification code with a small amount of information transmitted / received is limited in the first remote failure diagnosis function This is performed using the mobile communication line 8 (first wireless communication line).
[0132]
Therefore, according to the present modified example, not only the effect of the second embodiment described above can be obtained, but also the presence or absence of a failure (problem etc.) that has already occurred in the target vehicle in the first remote failure diagnosis function. And the type of failure that has occurred can be notified to the user by transmitting a minimum amount of information, while the second remote failure diagnosis function uses the current vehicle state information of the target vehicle to Because it is possible to notify the user of the prediction result of a failure that may occur in the future, it is possible to perform appropriate and reasonable remote failure diagnosis for the present and the future by utilizing the characteristics of the two types of wireless communication lines. it can.
[0133]
<Modification 2 of the second embodiment>
Even when the detailed failure diagnosis is performed using the second wireless communication line having an excellent communication speed via the service station 3 as in the first or second embodiment described above, for example, the service Depending on the convenience of the user of the target vehicle that has stopped at the station 3, there are cases where it is not possible to complete all of the predetermined plural items for the detailed failure diagnosis. In this case, it may be possible to request the user to wait (wait for diagnosis) until all the predetermined items are completed, but the user's action (movement) should be restricted except when the vehicle state is serious. It is not preferable to impair the original convenience of remote failure diagnosis, which is capable of performing vehicle failure diagnosis.
[0134]
Therefore, in this modification, in the background described above, when all the predetermined failure diagnoses to be performed as the second remote failure diagnosis function cannot be performed, the failure diagnosis of the remaining items is performed as the first remote failure diagnosis function.
[0135]
[Remote fault diagnosis processing]
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control process executed in the target vehicle (abnormality detection apparatus 101) in order to realize the remote failure diagnosis process in the second modification of the second embodiment.
[0136]
That is, the processing configuration shown in FIG. 10 is based on the processing configuration described above with reference to FIG. 6 (second embodiment). In the control processing shown in FIG. When it is detected that the target vehicle is present at the service station 3, it is determined whether or not the first remote failure diagnosis process is necessary in step S28, whereas in this modification, the target vehicle is determined in step S48. Is detected in the service station 3, first, in step S55, it is determined whether or not the second remote fault diagnosis process that has been performed for some reason has been interrupted. If no interruption of the process is detected in the determination, the necessity of the first remote fault diagnosis process is determined in step S56, whereas the interruption is detected. It is when not being, in step S57 corresponding to step S29 in FIG. 6, confirming whether to use the first failure diagnosis function to the driver is made.
[0137]
Here, the interruption of the second remote failure diagnosis process is performed by setting the interruption request operation by the driver (occupant) or wireless communication between the target vehicle and the service station 3 using the short-range wireless communication line 7, for example, The case where it is interrupted by the movement from the service station 3 is assumed.
[0138]
Further, in the control process shown in FIG. 6 having a different process configuration, when an input operation for using the second failure diagnosis function by the driver is detected in step S26, the second failure diagnosis process is performed in step S27. On the other hand, in this modification, when the input operation is detected in step S51, the time that the driver can use for the second failure diagnosis process (in other words, the process is performed). The waiting time during the waiting time or the estimated time required to finish the original work at the service station 3 that is currently stopped is set in the driver using the input / output device 104 (step S52), and step S53 If the set time is equal to or longer than T time in the determination in step S54, the second remote fault diagnosis process is performed in step S54. On the other hand, if the set time is shorter than the T time, there is a time margin for executing all the predetermined items in the first remote fault diagnosis process in the service station 3 where the target vehicle is currently stopped. Since there is not, the first remote fault diagnosis process is performed in step S59.
[0139]
FIG. 11A illustrates the control performed in the information center 1 (server 11) or the service station 3 (diagnostic mediation server 21) when the second remote fault diagnosis function is interrupted in the second modification of the second embodiment. FIG. 11B is a flowchart illustrating the control process performed in the target vehicle 2 when the control process (FIG. 11A) is performed.
[0140]
That is, the processing configuration shown in FIG. 11A is based on the processing configuration shown in FIG. 5A described in the first embodiment (remote failure diagnosis processing by the diagnostic mediation server 21), and has a different processing configuration. In the control process shown in FIG. 5A, it is determined in step S214 whether the diagnosis result information received in step S213 is within the predetermined value range. In response to receiving the diagnosis result information in step S123, it is determined whether the driver has set an interruption request for the second remote fault diagnosis process using the input / output device 104 (step S124). If no interruption request is detected, it is determined in step S125 whether the diagnosis result information is within a predetermined range, while if an interruption request is detected, the process ends. It made.
[0141]
Further, the processing configuration shown in FIG. 11B is based on the processing configuration shown in FIG. 5B described in the first embodiment (remote failure diagnosis processing of the target vehicle in the service station 3). In the control process shown in FIG. 5B, when the diagnostic pattern I is received from the diagnostic mediation server 21 in step S16, the diagnostic pattern I is executed in step S17. In this modification, in response to receiving the diagnostic pattern I in step S61, it is determined whether there is a driver interruption request or the ignition switch is in the on position in step S62. If it is detected that the diagnostic pattern I is detected, the diagnostic pattern I is executed in step S64. Both when not detected, interrupt request of the second remote diagnosis processing being executed in step S63 is transmitted to the diagnostic mediation server 21.
[0142]
According to Modification 2 of such a processing configuration, not only can the effects in the second embodiment described above be obtained, but also when a predetermined failure diagnosis to be performed as the second remote failure diagnosis function cannot be performed on all items. Failure diagnosis of the remaining items is performed by the first remote failure diagnosis function. As a result, when the failure diagnosis of the remaining items is performed, the first wireless communication line inferior in communication speed is used, but is required for the target vehicle without imposing restrictions on the user's behavior. Fault diagnosis of all items can be performed reliably.
[0143]
<Other Modifications of Second Embodiment>
In addition, as another preferred embodiment of the second embodiment and its modified example, if the processing configuration described below is included, not only the effects in the second embodiment described above can be obtained, Furthermore, a favorable effect can be enjoyed.
[0144]
In other words, a control program with a large amount of information constitutes a more realistic system by providing the vehicle with a second wireless communication line capable of high-speed communication without using the first wireless communication line. be able to.
[0145]
In general, since the state of the vehicle rarely changes greatly in a short period, the failure diagnosis by the first and second remote failure diagnosis functions described above is performed in such a short period. It is expected that the diagnostic results obtained will be the same even if performed before and after. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the detailed failure diagnosis for the same target vehicle is compared with the detailed failure diagnosis until a predetermined time elapses after the second remote failure diagnosis function is performed. Thus, failure diagnosis by the simple first remote failure diagnosis function is not performed. Therefore, the use opportunity of the first wireless communication line inferior in communication speed can be reduced, and a rational remote fault diagnosis can be realized.
[0146]
-Moreover, even if it is the 2nd remote failure diagnosis function using the short-range wireless communication line 7 excellent in communication speed, depending on the original use in the service station 3 of the user of the target vehicle, It is assumed that detailed failure diagnosis that performs all diagnosis patterns prepared for individual diagnosis items may be difficult. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the degree of detail of the fault diagnosis in the second remote fault diagnosis function is detailed as (i) the sampling period of the information representing the state of the target vehicle is shortened. Thus, (ii) it may be determined to be detailed as the number of sampling points increases, or (iii) to be detailed as the number of sampling items is increased.
[0147]
In a preferred embodiment, when the target vehicle does not stop at any service station 3 (does not exist), remote failure diagnosis is performed by the first remote failure diagnosis function, and then When the target vehicle stops at the service station 3, the diagnosis item (diagnosis content) by the second remote failure diagnosis function for the same target vehicle is automatically selected according to the diagnosis result by the first remote failure diagnosis function. May be changed (for example, a detailed diagnosis of an item that was NG). As an aspect of automatic change in this case, for example, omission of overlapping diagnostic contents, selection of more detailed diagnostic contents required, and the like may be appropriately performed. Alternatively, in the first remote fault diagnosis function, items that cannot be detected when the vehicle 2 stops (for example, each item of the control system 108) among the diagnostic contents shown in FIG. In the function, all the diagnostic contents shown in FIG. 8 may be performed.
[0148]
In the second modification of the second embodiment described above, the system configuration is described that continues using the first remote failure diagnosis function when the second remote failure diagnosis process in the service station 3 does not end. However, as another embodiment, for example, when the state of the vehicle is serious, a system configuration that warns (requests) the user to wait until the second remote failure diagnosis process ends, or when the state of the vehicle is serious Except for this, a configuration may be adopted in which the remaining diagnostic content is continuously performed at the same or different service station 3 at which the target vehicle stops next.
[0149]
[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment based on the remote fault diagnosis system according to the first embodiment described above will be described. In the following description, the description similar to that of the first embodiment will be omitted, and the description will focus on the characteristic part of the present embodiment.
[0150]
According to each of the above-described embodiments, the failure diagnosis for the vehicle 2 can be efficiently performed by effectively using the opportunity to stop at the service station 3 existing in the surrounding environment where the vehicle 2 travels and the original required time in the service station 3. It can be done well and accurately. However, a general user (occupant such as a driver) of the vehicle is not all detailed about the vehicle (automobile), so the diagnosis result of the remote failure diagnosis is provided (notified) on the vehicle side. However, it may be difficult for the passengers to understand and deal with the information provided.
[0151]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the service is performed through a service station 3 that can receive inspection or repair of a vehicle, such as a gas station or an automobile supply store, or a service station 3 in which a staff having knowledge about the vehicle exists. By providing the diagnosis result of the remote fault diagnosis to the service station 23 provided in the service station 3, even a user who is not familiar with the vehicle supports the staff of the service station 3 (contents of the diagnosis result) An explanation will be given of a system configuration that can easily receive understanding and appropriate coping methods.
[0152]
[Remote fault diagnosis processing]
Also in the present embodiment, in the target vehicle (abnormality detection apparatus 101), the control processing described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5 in the first embodiment is performed, but in this embodiment, step S7 (FIG. 3), instead of FIG. 4A, FIG. 12A described below, which is based on the processing configuration shown in FIG. 4A, is executed.
[0153]
That is, FIG. 12A is a flowchart showing details of the remote fault diagnosis process in the target vehicle 2 according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 12B is a remote fault diagnosis process in the target vehicle 2 (FIG. 12 (a)) is a flowchart showing a control process performed in the information center 1 (server 11) when the process is performed, and FIG. 12 (c) shows a service station 3 (diagnostic mediation server) when these processes are performed. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing performed in 21).
[0154]
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a control process performed in the service station 23 provided in the service station 3 in the remote fault diagnosis system according to the third embodiment.
[0155]
The processing configuration (control processing in the target vehicle) shown in step S66 to step S68 shown in FIG. 12A is the same as the processing configuration of step S11 to step S13 shown in FIG. 4A described in the first embodiment. It is.
[0156]
In the information center 1, in step S101 to step S103 shown in FIG. 4B described in the first embodiment, a failure diagnosis program optimum for the target vehicle is extracted, and the extracted failure diagnosis program is used as the target. In contrast to the transmission to the vehicle, in the processing configuration shown in steps S131 to S134 shown in FIG. 12B, a download request for the fault diagnosis program is received from the diagnostic mediation server 21 in step S131, and in step S132. The difference is that a failure diagnosis program corresponding to vehicle basic information (model, body number, etc.) is transmitted to the target vehicle.
[0157]
In the service station 3, the diagnosis mediation server 21 transmits the failure diagnosis result to the information center 1 and the target vehicle in step S205 and step S206 shown in FIG. 4C described in the first embodiment. On the other hand, in this embodiment, not only the failure diagnosis result is transmitted to the information center 1 and the target vehicle in step S230 and step S231 in FIG. 12C, but also the failure diagnosis result is transmitted in step S232. , It is also transmitted to the service station terminal 23.
[0158]
Thereby, the service station terminal 23 displays the failure diagnosis result received from the diagnosis mediation server 21 in step S301 in accordance with the processing in step S232 on the display of the terminal in step S302.
[0159]
In a more preferred embodiment, the service station terminal 23 performs the process shown in FIG.
[0160]
14A is a flowchart showing the maintenance history notification process in the service station terminal 23 according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 14B is the maintenance history notification process (FIG. 14A). FIG. 14C is a flowchart showing a control process performed in the information center 1 (server 11) when the process is performed, and FIG. 14C is performed in the service station 3 (diagnostic mediation server 21) when these processes are performed. It is a flowchart which shows a control process.
[0161]
In FIG. 14, when the service station terminal 23 detects an operation for requesting the maintenance history of the target vehicle by the staff of the service station 3 in step S 306, the service station terminal 23 sends the maintenance history request for the target vehicle to the diagnosis mediation server 21 in step S 307. Send.
[0162]
In response to receiving the maintenance history request for the target vehicle from the service station terminal 23 in step S236, the diagnosis mediation server 21 receives the vehicle basic information obtained from the target vehicle in the remote failure diagnosis process performed previously. A request for maintenance history information related to the target vehicle is transmitted to the information center 1 in step S237 together with (model, body number, etc.).
[0163]
When the information center 1 receives the maintenance history request for the target vehicle and the basic vehicle information (model, body number, etc.) from the diagnosis mediation server 21 in step S136, the information center 1 obtains the maintenance history information of the target vehicle corresponding to the received information. In step S137, the maintenance record information extracted from the record related to the target vehicle in the database 12 (vehicle information DB 12-3) is transmitted to the diagnosis mediation server 21 in step S138.
[0164]
Then, the maintenance history information transmitted in step S138 is transmitted to the service station terminal 23 via the diagnosis mediation server 21 (step S238, step S239, step S308), and the service station terminal 23 receives the received service history information. The maintenance history information of the target vehicle is displayed on the display in step S309.
[0165]
According to this embodiment described above, the diagnosis result of the remote fault diagnosis for the vehicle 2 is effectively used to provide the occupant with the best countermeasure for the vehicle.
[0166]
That is, the general user (occupant such as a driver) of the vehicle is not all familiar with the vehicle (automobile), so the diagnosis result of the remote fault diagnosis is provided (notified) on the vehicle side. However, it is assumed that it is difficult for the passengers to understand and deal with the contents of the provided information. According to the present embodiment, the vehicle inspection or A service in which the diagnosis result of the remote fault diagnosis performed through the service station 3 capable of receiving repairs or the service station 3 in which a staff having knowledge about the vehicle exists is an information terminal provided in the service station 3 It is also provided to the station terminal 23.
[0167]
Accordingly, it is possible to remotely perform a fault diagnosis on the vehicle by effectively utilizing the opportunity to stop at the service station 3 existing in the surrounding environment where the vehicle 2 travels and the original required time in the service station 3. Even users who are unfamiliar with the vehicle can easily receive support from the staff of the service station 3 (understanding the contents of diagnosis results and appropriate countermeasures, etc.). For this reason, it is reasonable to actively make use of the business opportunities associated with providing such support to users (drivers, etc.).
[0168]
Further, by performing the processing shown in FIG. 14, the staff of the service station 3 can obtain information on the maintenance history related to the target vehicle as necessary. It is possible to quickly and rationally understand the contents of diagnosis and determine the most appropriate treatment method for support.
[0169]
<Modification of Third Embodiment>
As another preferred embodiment of the third embodiment, if the processing configuration described below is provided, not only the effects of the third embodiment described above can be obtained, but also better effects. Can be enjoyed.
[0170]
That is, even if a detailed diagnosis result of remote failure diagnosis is provided to a user who is not familiar with the vehicle, it only confuses the user, and the provided diagnosis result may not be effectively utilized. . Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, if the detailed diagnosis result is provided to the service station terminal 23 provided in the service station 3, support by the staff can be made more efficient. High convenience.
[0171]
In general, since it is assumed that an unspecified number of vehicles stop at the service station 3, in the preferred embodiment, the diagnosis is performed only when a failure of the target vehicle is detected by the failure diagnosis. If the result is configured to be provided to the service station terminal 23, the diagnosis result of the remote failure diagnosis, particularly for a vehicle in which a failure such as a failure is not detected, the service station terminal 23 provided in the station is provided. Is not provided with information. As a result, it is possible to realize a rational work only when support to the user is required without imposing a heavy work burden on the staff of a station where a large number of vehicles visit.
[0172]
It is also assumed that the remote failure diagnosis diagnosis result is provided to the staff of the service station 3 as described above, for example, for a user who is familiar with the vehicle. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment, if the diagnosis result is provided to the service station terminal 23 provided in the service station 3 only when the permission of the occupant of the target vehicle is obtained, The discretion (judgment) of the user can be respected and is reasonable.
[0173]
In general, the state of the vehicle rarely changes greatly in a short period of time, but for a general user of the vehicle, the opportunity to drop in at the service station 3 such as a gas station or an automobile supply store is For example, it does not occur several times a week, but only several times a month. In such a user situation, the diagnosis result of the remote failure diagnosis performed as described above indicates a malfunction or the like. Even if this is not the case, as a result of a change in the situation of the vehicle by the next stop at the same or another service station 3, it is assumed that some trouble is detected in the remote failure diagnosis performed at that time.
[0174]
In view of the above, in the preferred embodiment, in the preferred embodiment, when the target vehicle is present at the service station 3, the diagnosis criteria for the remote failure diagnosis is compared with the case where the target vehicle is not present. Correction is performed so that the result is easily obtained (for example, the diagnosis threshold value is corrected to a small value). In this way, as a result of the diagnosis based on the corrected diagnostic criteria, it is easy to obtain support from the staff of the service station 3 who is visiting for problems such as a failure of the target vehicle that will be detected in the near future. Under the circumstances, the user can be notified and preventive maintenance can be achieved.
[0175]
[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment based on the remote fault diagnosis system according to the first embodiment described above will be described. In the following description, the description similar to that of the first embodiment will be omitted, and the description will focus on the characteristic part of the present embodiment.
According to the remote fault diagnosis system according to each of the embodiments described above, the user can bring a vehicle to a maintenance shop of a sales agent (so-called dealer) or a general automobile repair shop, and the service station 3 has excellent communication speed. Optimal failure diagnosis can be performed using the wireless communication line 7 (second wireless communication line), which is excellent in convenience.
[0176]
However, in general, a vehicle failure has an event only when various conditions (for example, acceleration from a speed of 30 km / h, turning, braking during curve driving, etc.) are satisfied. Many things occur. For this reason, when a user stops with a vehicle 2 at various service stations 3 such as a gas station, a parking lot, a fast food restaurant, a family restaurant, and an automobile supply store, the user (crew such as a driver) is notified to the service person. Due to the fact that trouble diagnosis is limited to failure diagnosis on the premise that the target vehicle 2 starts the engine or actually travels, it becomes a service base such as a maintenance shop in the conventional general service form of the vehicle. Similar to the case where the vehicle is brought in, there is a case where it is not confirmed or reproduced immediately on the spot.
[0177]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, a remote failure diagnosis system that can perform quick and accurate failure diagnosis remotely without being restricted by the traveling state of the vehicle 2 will be described.
[0178]
[Remote fault diagnosis processing]
Also in the present embodiment, in the target vehicle (abnormality detection apparatus 101), the control processing described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5 in the first embodiment is performed, but in this embodiment, step S7 (FIG. 3), FIG. 16A described below is executed instead of performing FIG. 4A, and the processing shown in FIG. 15 is further performed.
[0179]
That is, FIG. 16A is a flowchart showing details of the remote failure diagnosis process in the target vehicle 2 according to the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 16B is a remote failure diagnosis process in the target vehicle 2 (FIG. 16 (a)) is a flowchart showing a control process performed in the information center 1 (server 11) when the process is performed, and FIG. 16 (c) shows a service station 3 (diagnostic mediation server) when these processes are performed. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing performed in 21).
[0180]
FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing details of the remote failure diagnosis process (step S244 in FIG. 16C) in the diagnosis mediation server 21 according to the fourth embodiment.
[0181]
First, the process shown in FIG. 15 will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a vehicle state information recording process performed by the target vehicle (abnormality detection apparatus 101) in the fourth embodiment.
[0182]
In the figure, the abnormality detection device 101 determines whether or not the traveling state of the host vehicle matches a predetermined rule (step S71). Information representing the actual running state (vehicle state information) is recorded in the memory of the abnormality detection device 101 (step S72). And a series of processing steps of Step S71 and Step S72 are performed until the information showing the actual running state of the own vehicle which meets the predetermined rule is recorded.
[0183]
Here, the predetermined rule is a condition that occurs in the vehicle during actual traveling of the vehicle 2 by the driver, for example, when accelerating from 30 km / h, during turning, during curve traveling, or a combination thereof. (Traveling scene), which is stored in advance in the abnormality detection apparatus 101 (or may be obtained from the outside (server 1 or mediation server 21) each time the rule is changed), and step S72 Then, the detection result by the sensor group 106, the signal level of the input / output signal of each component of the body system 107 and the control system 108, etc. detected in the target vehicle when the predetermined condition is met Is stored.
[0184]
Next, FIGS. 16A to 16C will be described.
[0185]
In step S76, the abnormality detection apparatus 101 extracts the vehicle state information of the own vehicle in the predetermined rule, which is recorded in the memory by the recording process of the vehicle state information described with reference to FIG. Information and vehicle basic information (model, body number, etc.) stored in advance in the host vehicle are transmitted to the diagnostic mediation server 21 in step S77.
[0186]
When the diagnosis mediation server 21 receives the vehicle basic information and the vehicle state information in the predetermined rule from the target vehicle in step S241, a request for downloading a failure diagnosis program corresponding to the received vehicle basic information is sent to the information center 1 in step S242. Send to.
[0187]
When the server 11 of the information center 1 receives the download request of the failure diagnosis program and the basic vehicle information of the target vehicle from the diagnosis mediation server 21 in step S141, the diagnostic program for the target vehicle is acquired in step S141 in step S142. The information is transmitted to the diagnostic mediation server 21 that has transmitted the information.
[0188]
Here, the diagnosis program to be transmitted in step S142 is, for example, the vehicle basic information received in step S141 and the past diagnosis history included in the record regarding the target vehicle in the database 12 (vehicle information DB 12-3). Based on the above, the diagnostic database for the target vehicle may be obtained by extracting from the database (diagnostic program DB12-6).
[0189]
In response to receiving the failure diagnosis program from the information center 1 in step S243, the diagnosis mediation server 21 performs remote failure diagnosis based on the vehicle state information in the predetermined rule according to the failure diagnosis program in step S244. The diagnosis result is transmitted to the information center 1 in step S245.
[0190]
Here, the process shown in FIG. 17 corresponding to step S244 in FIG. 16C will be described.
[0191]
That is, the diagnosis mediation server 21 determines whether the vehicle state information received from the target vehicle in step S241 matches the predetermined rule I (step S251). It is determined whether the vehicle state information is within a predetermined normal range (step S252). When the vehicle is out of the normal range, the corresponding vehicle state information is added to the failure / failure list as the NG state of the target vehicle (step S253).
[0192]
Then, by the processing steps of step S254 and step S255, the above steps S251 to S23 are repeated until all the vehicle state information corresponding to the predetermined rule I currently focused on are performed.
[0193]
When the confirmation of all the vehicle state information corresponding to the predetermined rule I currently focused on is completed in steps S251 to S255, the diagnosis mediation server 21 adds NG to the failure diagnosis list to which data is added in step S253. It is determined whether information representing a state (that is, information out of a predetermined normal range) is listed (step S256). If information representing an NG state is listed, the listed NG Information representing the state is set as information representing the failure state of the target vehicle (that is, the diagnosis result) (step S257). At this time, if there are a plurality of information representing the listed NG states, for example, the one with the highest degree of urgency is set as information representing the failure state of the target vehicle.
[0194]
On the other hand, when it is confirmed in step S256 that the information indicating the NG state is not listed, the diagnosis mediation server 21 determines that the target vehicle has no predicted failure as the diagnosis result.
[0195]
When the information center 1 obtains the failure diagnosis result for the target vehicle in step S143, the information center 1 displays the failure diagnosis result (failure diagnosis result information) in the diagnosis history information on the target vehicle in the database 12 (vehicle information DB 12-3). In addition to recording as a new record (step S144), a command for changing from the diagnosed predetermined rule to the undiagnosed predetermined rule is transmitted to the diagnostic mediation server 21 that is the transmission source of the failure diagnosis result in step S143 (step S145). ).
[0196]
Then, in response to receiving the predetermined rule change command from the information center 1 in step S246, the diagnosis mediation server 21 transmits the diagnosis result information and the predetermined rule change command to the target vehicle in step S247. To do.
[0197]
When the abnormality detection apparatus 101 of the target vehicle receives the diagnosis result information and the predetermined rule change command in step S78, the guidance or the like corresponding to the diagnosis result information is displayed on the input / output device 104 (for example, on the in-vehicle display). Or the diagnosis result is notified by an e-mail addressed to the owner of the target vehicle (step S79) and set in the module for the vehicle state information recording process described with reference to FIG. The setting is changed to another predetermined rule different from the predetermined rule that has been set (step S80). Thereby, the abnormality detection apparatus 101 of the target vehicle starts the recording process of the vehicle state information shown in FIG. 15 in order to newly record the actual traveling state that matches the other predetermined rule.
[0198]
According to the present embodiment described above, quick and accurate failure diagnosis can be performed remotely without being restricted by the traveling state of the vehicle 2.
[0199]
That is, according to the present embodiment, the actual driving state that matches the predetermined rule information is stored in the target vehicle by the vehicle state information recording process (FIG. 15). 3, it is possible to perform an accurate failure diagnosis regarding the state of the target vehicle during the actual traveling in which the engine is operating, thereby being restricted by the traveling state of the vehicle 2. Since it is possible to perform fault diagnosis remotely, there is an opportunity to stop at various service stations 3 (gas stations, parking lots, fast food restaurants, family restaurants, auto parts stores, etc.) that exist in the surrounding environment where the vehicle runs. And effectively using the original travel time at the service station 3 The fault diagnosis remotely, can be performed quickly and accurately with respect.
[0200]
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the predetermined rule information can be appropriately changed from the information center 1 remotely (step S145), so that the user is bothered with various actual running states of the target vehicle that match the rule information. Can be obtained easily and accurately, and more accurate remote fault diagnosis can be realized.
[0201]
<Modification of Fourth Embodiment>
As another preferred embodiment of the fourth embodiment, if the processing configuration described below is provided, not only the effects in the fourth embodiment described above can be obtained, but also better effects. Can be enjoyed.
[0202]
That is, even if the remote failure diagnosis is performed accurately as described above, there may be a case where the failure cannot be identified by a single diagnosis. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, when changing the predetermined rule information remotely from the information center 1 (step S145), according to the diagnosis result of the remote fault diagnosis performed at the service station 3 where the target vehicle stopped, Change to other rule information. According to such a processing configuration, the actual traveling state that matches the new rule information after the change is stored in the target vehicle until the target vehicle stops at the next service station 3, and the next service station 3 The station 3 can perform further remote failure diagnosis based on the actual running state that matches the new rule information, and thus, more accurate failure diagnosis is restricted to the user's behavior without being restricted by the running state of the vehicle. Can be done remotely without imposing
[0203]
In addition, in a preferred embodiment, the server 11 of the information center 1 or the diagnosis mediation server 21 of the service station 3 stores a predetermined rule information provided to each vehicle that can be a target vehicle (12) , The service station 23 provided in the service station 3 where the target vehicle exists, the diagnosis result of the remote failure diagnosis, the information indicating the actual running state that is the basis of the diagnosis, and the information It is good to comprise so that the predetermined rule at the time of memorize | storing in the said target vehicle can be provided.
[0204]
According to such a processing configuration, even when the user of the target vehicle is not familiar with the vehicle, even if a failure has been notified as a result of the remote failure diagnosis performed at the service station 3 at which he / she visited. The staff of the service station 3 can grasp the actual running state of the target vehicle that is the basis of the diagnosis result, so that the user can provide accurate support by the staff (understanding the contents of the diagnosis result and (E.g. coping method etc.) can be easily received, and it is highly convenient. On the other hand, the staff on the station side can also take advantage of business opportunities associated with providing such support to users (drivers, etc.). Is.
[0205]
As another preferred embodiment, in the vehicle 2, predetermined rule information representing the state of the vehicle is obtained from the outside using the mobile communication line communication device 102 or the short-range wireless communication line in-vehicle terminal 103. In addition, it is detected by the detecting means such as the sensor group 106, the body system 107, or the vehicle control system system 108 that an actual traveling state that matches the obtained rule information has occurred in the host vehicle, and the abnormality detection device 101. Performs a failure diagnosis of the host vehicle based on the information representing the detected actual traveling state, stores information on the diagnosis result in a storage device (not shown), and the host vehicle stops at the service station 3 (existence) The information on the stored diagnosis results via the service station 3 to the diagnosis that is an external device. Providing the server 11 of the intermediation server 21 and / or the information center 1.
[0206]
According to such a processing configuration, a failure diagnosis is performed in the target vehicle and the diagnosis result is stored in response to occurrence of an actual running state that matches the predetermined rule in the target vehicle. By effectively using various service stations 3 (gas stations, parking lots, fast food restaurants, family restaurants, car supplies stores, etc.) present in the surrounding environment where the car is traveling and the original time required for the service stations 3 Since the result of failure diagnosis for the vehicle can be obtained quickly and accurately using the short-range wireless communication line 7 (second wireless communication line) excellent in communication speed, the diagnostic mediation server 21 and / or Alternatively, in the server 11 of the information center 1, for example, more detailed failure diagnosis or individual vehicle diagnosis It is possible to carry out the gravel with certainty.
[0207]
It should be noted that the present invention described by taking the above-described embodiments as an example, for the server 11 of the information center 1, the diagnostic mediation server 21 of the service station 3, and the above-described device 102 of the vehicle 2, This is achieved by supplying a computer program capable of realizing the functions of the flowchart referred to in the description and then reading and executing the computer program on the CPU of the apparatus. Further, the computer program supplied to the apparatus may be stored in a readable / writable memory or a storage device such as a hard disk device.
[0208]
In the above case, the computer program can be supplied to each device by a method of installing it in the device via various recording media such as a flexible disk, or from the outside via a communication line such as the Internet. A general procedure can be adopted at present, such as a downloading method. In such a case, the present invention is constituted by a code or a storage medium of such a computer program.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a remote fault diagnosis system according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a vehicle 2 in the remote fault diagnosis system according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control process executed in the target vehicle (abnormality detection apparatus 101) in order to realize a remote fault diagnosis process in the first embodiment.
4A is a flowchart showing details of a remote failure diagnosis process in the target vehicle 2 (step S7 in FIG. 3), and FIG. 4B is a remote failure diagnosis process in the target vehicle 2. FIG. FIG. 4C is a flowchart showing the control processing performed in the information center 1 (server 11) when (FIG. 4A) is performed, and FIG. 4C is the service station 3 (diagnosis when these processing is performed). It is a flowchart which shows the control processing performed in the mediation server 21).
FIG. 5A is a flowchart showing details of remote failure diagnosis processing (step S204 in FIG. 4) in the service station 3, and FIG. 5B is remote failure diagnosis in the service station 3. It is a flowchart which shows the control process performed in the target vehicle 2 when a process is performed.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control process executed in a target vehicle (abnormality detection apparatus 101) in order to realize a remote fault diagnosis process in the second embodiment.
FIG. 7A is a flowchart showing details of the first remote failure diagnosis process (step S31 in FIG. 6: first remote failure diagnosis function) in the target vehicle 2, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control process performed in the information center 1 (server 11) when the first remote failure diagnosis process (FIG. 7A) in the target vehicle 2 is performed.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a target range of a diagnostic program for first and second remote fault diagnosis functions executed in the remote fault diagnosis system according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a failure occurrence prediction process performed in the remote failure diagnosis system according to Modification 1 of the second embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control process executed in a target vehicle (abnormality detection apparatus 101) in order to realize a remote fault diagnosis process in the second modification of the second embodiment.
FIG. 11A is a diagram illustrating an information center 1 (server 11) or a service station 3 (diagnostic mediation server 21) when the second remote fault diagnosis function is interrupted in the second modification of the second embodiment. 11B is a flowchart illustrating the control process performed in the target vehicle 2 when the control process (FIG. 11A) is performed.
FIG. 12A is a flowchart showing details of a remote failure diagnosis process in the target vehicle 2 according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 12B is a remote failure diagnosis process in the target vehicle 2; FIG. 12C is a flowchart showing a control process performed in the information center 1 (server 11) when (FIG. 12A) is performed, and FIG. 12C shows the service station 3 (diagnosis when these processes are performed). It is a flowchart which shows the control processing performed in the mediation server 21).
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a control process performed in a service station 23 provided in the service station 3 in the remote fault diagnosis system according to the third embodiment.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a maintenance history notification process in the service station terminal 23 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 14B is a diagram when the maintenance history notification process (FIG. 14A) is performed. FIG. 14C is a flowchart showing the control process performed in the service station 3 (diagnostic mediation server 21) when these processes are performed. FIG. 14C is a flowchart showing the control process performed in the information center 1 (server 11). It is.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a vehicle state information recording process performed by a target vehicle (abnormality detection apparatus 101) in the fourth embodiment.
FIG. 16A is a flowchart showing details of a remote failure diagnosis process in the target vehicle 2 according to the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 16B is a remote failure diagnosis process in the target vehicle 2; FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a control process performed in the information center 1 (server 11) when (FIG. 16 (a)) is performed. FIG. 16 (c) shows the service station 3 (diagnosis when these processes are performed). It is a flowchart which shows the control processing performed in the mediation server 21).
FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing details of a remote failure diagnosis process (step S244 in FIG. 16C) in the diagnosis mediation server 21 according to the fourth embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1: Information center,
2: Vehicle,
3: Service station,
4: Service factory,
5: Internet,
6: Base station,
7: Short-range wireless communication line (high-speed wireless communication line),
8: Mobile communication line (low speed wireless communication line),
11: Server (main server),
11A: Failure diagnosis server,
11B: Service factory management server,
12: Database (DB),
13: Communication line,
21: Diagnosis mediation server,
22: Diagnostic program database
23: Service station terminal,
24: Near field communication terminal 4,
101: Anomaly detection device,
102: Communication device for mobile communication line,
103: In-vehicle terminal for short-range wireless communication line,
104: I / O device,
105: Navigation controller,
106: sensor group,
107: Body system,
108: Vehicle control system

Claims (8)

A remote failure diagnosis system that performs failure diagnosis on a vehicle remotely and notifies the passenger of the diagnosis result,
A first remote failure diagnosis function for remotely diagnosing a failure of the target vehicle by directly communicating between the target vehicle and the information processing apparatus using a communication means including a first wireless communication line;
More detailed fault diagnosis than the first remote fault diagnosis function can be performed remotely with respect to the target vehicle via a station that can use the second radio communication line that performs higher-speed communication than the first radio communication line. A second remote fault diagnosis function to be performed;
A remote fault diagnosis system comprising: In the second remote failure diagnosis function, the degree of detail of the failure diagnosis is targeted for at least one of a sampling period, a number of sampling points, and a number of sampling items of information representing the state of the target vehicle. It is determined to be detailed as the sampling period is shortened, to be detailed as the number of sampling points is increased, or to be detailed as the number of sampling items is increased. The remote fault diagnosis system according to claim 1. 2. The remote failure according to claim 1, wherein a diagnosis content of the same target vehicle by the second remote failure diagnosis function is changed in accordance with a diagnosis result by the first remote failure diagnosis function for the target vehicle. Diagnostic system. The first remote failure diagnosis function provides the target vehicle with an identification code indicating whether or not a failure has occurred at the current time of the target vehicle and the type of failure that has occurred as a result of the diagnosis,
The second remote fault diagnosis function is:
Based on the information representing the state of the target vehicle acquired from the target vehicle, the occurrence prediction of a failure that may occur in the future is performed, and the prediction result is provided to the target vehicle. The remote fault diagnosis system according to claim 1. Each station is equipped with a vehicle-mounted terminal mounted on a vehicle and a wireless communication terminal for establishing the second wireless communication line,
In the first remote fault diagnosis function,
The target vehicle is diagnosed as to whether or not a failure has occurred in the target vehicle and the type of failure that has occurred, and an identification code representing the diagnosis result is transmitted via the communication means including the first wireless communication line. While providing to the information processing apparatus,
In the second remote fault diagnosis function,
Failure diagnosis is performed based on information representing the state of the target vehicle acquired using the wireless communication terminal in a state where a wireless communication line with the target vehicle is established, and the diagnosis result is provided to the target vehicle. The remote fault diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein a fault diagnosis that is more detailed than the first remote fault diagnosis function is remotely performed via a station equipped with the wireless communication terminal. The control program executed in the target vehicle when the first remote fault diagnosis function is performed is provided from the information processing apparatus via the station using the second wireless communication line. 6. The remote fault diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein the remote fault diagnosis system is characterized. The failure diagnosis by the first remote failure diagnosis function is restricted until a predetermined time elapses after the failure diagnosis by the second remote failure diagnosis function is performed on the same target vehicle. The remote fault diagnosis system according to claim 1. When failure diagnosis of a predetermined plurality of items for the target vehicle by the second remote failure diagnosis function is performed, if all items cannot be performed, failure diagnosis of the remaining items is performed by the first remote failure diagnosis function. The remote fault diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein:

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