JP7313057B2 - Vehicle remote control system, vehicle-mounted device, vehicle, server, vehicle remote control method, vehicle remote control program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a vehicle remote control system, a vehicle-mounted device, a vehicle, a server, a vehicle remote-control method, a vehicle remote-control program, and a storage medium, which are applied to a vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted device.

It is difficult for countries and local governments that regulate vehicles to manage the behavior of vehicle users, and there are situations in which vehicles are operated illegally or inappropriately. Even in developing countries, vehicle operation is an important means for users to earn income. For example, if a situation were to arise in which even those who did not pay the prescribed taxes could freely use their vehicles, there would be a risk that non-payers would be left without paying their taxes, and taxpayers who use vehicles would be less aware of their tax obligations.

In addition, even if the user is legally obliged to take out vehicle insurance, it is difficult to effectively prevent the uninsured person from driving the vehicle if the vehicle can be driven even if the user is not insured.

In addition, even if the user is obliged to have the vehicle regularly inspected (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle inspection"), if the uninspected vehicle is in a operable state, the user may be left without undergoing the vehicle inspection.

Furthermore, even if laws and regulations regulate the entry of vehicles into a specific area according to the number on the license plate, there is no guarantee that the user will comply with the regulation, and it is difficult to regulate the entry of vehicles into the specific area unless the user is informed of the contents of the regulation.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, techniques for monitoring the operation status of vehicles or remotely controlling vehicles are known. Techniques for monitoring operation of vehicles are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3. Patent Literature 1 describes an operation status monitoring system that quantifies and collects the risk of an accident occurring according to the travel status, travel location, and travel time of a vehicle.

Patent Document 2 describes a method of calculating insurance premiums based on the type of vehicle and class and attributes of the user, as well as calculating automobile acquisition tax, automobile weight tax, etc. based on the type of vehicle and location data.

Patent Literature 3 describes a navigation device that searches for a route that avoids the restricted roads or areas based on traffic restriction information, which is information indicating roads or areas that are subject to time restrictions based on vehicle types, license plate numbers, etc., and notifies that the vehicle is subject to restrictions and the time until traffic restrictions are lifted if the vehicle is subject to restrictions.

Technologies for remotely controlling a vehicle include those disclosed in Patent Document 4 and Patent Document 5. Patent Literature 4 describes a vehicle remote control system that remotely controls an on-vehicle device that controls an external relay that switches the vehicle between a start-disabled state and a start-enabled state according to a relay control command from a server.

Patent Literature 5 describes a driving permission device that is provided with means for prohibiting the starting of the engine of a vehicle when a vehicle inspection is invalid or a driver's license is invalid, and displays whether or not insurance is applicable.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-240688 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-213163 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-204001 Japanese Patent No. 6238038 JP 2017-043190 A

The techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 monitor the running of the vehicle, but do not remotely control the vehicle. The system of Patent Document 1 can quantify and collect the risk of accident occurrence, but it is a system that cannot remotely control the vehicle, and Patent Document 1 does not describe how to utilize this risk.

The method of Patent Document 2 can calculate insurance premiums, automobile acquisition tax, automobile weight tax, etc., but it does not remotely control the vehicle, and Patent Document 2 does not describe promotion of payment of insurance premiums and taxes.

In the device of Patent Document 3, when the vehicle is subject to regulation, it is notified that the vehicle is subject to regulation and the time until traffic regulation is lifted.

Further, in the system of Patent Document 4, the vehicle is switched between a state in which the vehicle cannot be activated and a state in which the vehicle can be activated by remote control, and it is possible to switch the vehicle between the state in which the vehicle cannot be activated and the state in which the vehicle can be activated according to the payment of the vehicle lease fee or rental fee.

In the device of Patent Document 5, the license must be an IC driver's license, and accurate vehicle inspection information must be centrally managed by the Japanese Vehicle Inspection Association.

In view of such conventional problems, the object of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a vehicle remote control system, vehicle-mounted device, vehicle, server, vehicle remote control method, vehicle remote control program, and storage medium that can deal with problems such as taxes, insurance, vehicle inspections, and vehicle regulations even under conditions where information obtained from information provision services such as taxes, insurance, vehicle inspections, etc. is limited.

The objects of the embodiments of the present invention can be achieved by the following configurations. That is, the vehicle remote control system of the first aspect of the present invention includes:
a vehicle-mounted device that collects vehicle information of a vehicle and controls at least the startable state or the unstartable state of the vehicle;
a server that calculates obligation information regarding obligations to the user of the vehicle based on the vehicle information received from the vehicle-mounted device;
A vehicle remote control system comprising:
The server is
input means for inputting the vehicle information collected by the vehicle-mounted device;
duty information calculation means for calculating the duty information based on the vehicle information input by the input means;
output means for outputting a remote control command based on the duty information;
has
The vehicle-mounted device is controlled based on the remote control command output from the server.

Also, in the vehicle remote control system of the second aspect of the present invention, the server is capable of communicating with a tax management system,
the duty information includes user tax information;
The tax management system is characterized by providing the server with tax payment information including whether or not tax is paid.

A vehicle remote control system according to a third aspect of the present invention is the vehicle remote control system according to the second aspect, wherein the duty information calculation means includes income prediction means for predicting income of the user based on the vehicle information input by the input means,
The user's income predicted by the income prediction means is characterized by being used in calculations relating to tax amounts in the duty information calculation means and/or the tax management system.

A vehicle remote control system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle remote control system according to the first aspect, wherein the server is capable of communicating with an insurance management system,
The obligation information includes information on insurance premiums,
The insurance management system is characterized by providing insurance premium payment information including whether or not insurance premiums are paid to the server.

A vehicle remote control system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the vehicle remote control system according to the fourth aspect, the vehicle information input by the input means is used by the obligation information calculation means and/or the insurance management system to calculate insurance premiums.

A vehicle remote control system according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle remote control system according to the first aspect, wherein the duty information includes vehicle inspection information regarding vehicle inspection of the vehicle,
The duty information calculation means is characterized in that it determines whether or not the vehicle inspection of the vehicle is valid based on the vehicle inspection information.

A vehicle remote control system according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the vehicle remote control system according to the sixth aspect, wherein the vehicle information includes the vehicle inspection information, and the vehicle inspection information collected by the vehicle-mounted device is transmitted to the server.

A vehicle remote control system according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the vehicle remote control system according to the sixth or seventh aspect, the server is capable of communicating the vehicle inspection information with a vehicle inspection management system.

A vehicle remote control system according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle remote control system according to the first aspect, wherein the duty information includes vehicle regulation information relating to vehicle regulation,
The server is provided with the vehicle regulation information from a vehicle regulation database,
The vehicle information includes at least location information of the vehicle and attribute information of the vehicle.

Further, the vehicle-mounted device of the tenth aspect of the present invention is
An on-vehicle device that collects vehicle information of a vehicle, controls at least the startable state or the unstartable state of the vehicle, and transmits the vehicle information to a server that calculates obligation information regarding obligations to the user of the vehicle,
The server is
input means for inputting the vehicle information collected by the vehicle-mounted device;
duty information calculation means for calculating the duty information based on the vehicle information input by the input means;
output means for outputting a remote control command based on the duty information;
has
It is characterized in that it is controlled based on the remote control command output from the server.

A vehicle according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is characterized by including the vehicle-mounted device according to the tenth aspect.

Further, the server of the twelfth aspect of the present invention is
A server that collects vehicle information of a vehicle and calculates duty information regarding obligations to the user of the vehicle based on the vehicle information received from an on-vehicle device that controls at least the startable state or the unstartable state of the vehicle,
input means for inputting the vehicle information collected by the vehicle-mounted device;
duty information calculation means for calculating the duty information based on the vehicle information input by the input means;
output means for outputting a remote control command based on the duty information;
has
The vehicle-mounted device is controlled based on the remote control command.

A vehicle remote control method according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention includes:
A vehicle remote control method for collecting vehicle information of a vehicle and calculating obligation information regarding obligations to a user of the vehicle based on the vehicle information received from an on-vehicle device that controls at least the startable state or the unstartable state of the vehicle,
input means for inputting the vehicle information collected by the vehicle-mounted device;
duty information calculation means for calculating the duty information based on the vehicle information input by the input means;
output means for outputting a remote control command based on the duty information;
has
The vehicle-mounted device is controlled based on the remote control command.

A vehicle remote control program according to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that each means of the vehicle remote control method according to the thirteenth aspect is executed by a computer.

A storage medium according to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention stores the vehicle remote control program according to the fourteenth aspect.

According to the vehicle remote control system of the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle remote control system capable of coping with problems such as taxes, insurance, vehicle inspections, vehicle regulations, etc. even under conditions where information obtained from information providing services such as taxes, insurance, vehicle inspections, etc. is limited.

According to the vehicle remote control system of the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform control to switch the vehicle between the activation enabled state and the activation disabled state depending on whether or not the tax is paid.

According to the vehicle remote control system of the third aspect of the present invention, the user's income amount can be predicted from the vehicle information in the server, and the tax management system can grasp the tax amount according to this predicted income amount.

According to the vehicle remote control system of the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform control to switch the vehicle between the start-enabled state and the start-disabled state depending on whether insurance premiums have been paid.

According to the vehicle remote control system of the fifth aspect of the present invention, by calculating the insurance premium from the vehicle information, it is possible to grasp the appropriate insurance premium corresponding to the vehicle information in the insurance management system.

According to the vehicle remote control system of the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform control to switch the vehicle between the activation enabled state and the activation disabled state depending on whether the vehicle inspection is valid.

According to the vehicle remote control system of the seventh aspect of the present invention, vehicle inspection information can be collected by the vehicle-mounted device.

According to the vehicle remote control system of the eighth aspect of the present invention, the vehicle inspection information collected by the vehicle-mounted device can be provided to the vehicle inspection management system. Also, the vehicle inspection information possessed by the vehicle inspection management system can be provided to the server.

According to the vehicle remote control system of the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to determine whether or not the vehicle is subject to regulation based on the position information and vehicle attribute information contained in the vehicle information, such as the license plate number of the vehicle, and the vehicle regulation information in the vehicle regulation database, and to perform control to switch the vehicle between the activation enabled state and the activation disabled state according to the determination result.

According to the vehicle-mounted device of the tenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle-mounted device that can deal with problems such as taxes, insurance, vehicle inspections, vehicle regulations, etc. even under conditions where information obtained from information providing services such as taxes, insurance, vehicle inspections, etc. is limited.

According to the vehicle of the eleventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle that exhibits the same effects as the vehicle-mounted device of the tenth aspect.

According to the server of the twelfth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a server capable of coping with problems such as taxes, insurance, vehicle inspections, vehicle regulations, etc. even under conditions where information obtained from information providing services such as taxes, insurance, vehicle inspections, etc. is limited.

According to the vehicle remote control method of the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle remote control method capable of coping with problems such as taxes, insurance, vehicle inspections, vehicle regulations, etc. even under conditions where information obtained from information providing services such as taxes, insurance, vehicle inspections, etc. is limited.

According to the vehicle remote control program of the 14th aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle remote control program having the same effect as the vehicle remote control method of the 13th aspect.

According to the storage medium of the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a storage medium storing a vehicle remote control program that has the same effect as the vehicle remote control method of the thirteenth aspect.

1 is an overall view of a vehicle remote control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is explanatory drawing of onboard equipment and its wiring. 4 is a flowchart of credit information calculation; FIG. 4A is an explanatory diagram for a vehicle type with one activation control line, and FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram for a vehicle type with two activation control lines. FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of wiring of a relay; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration within a memory; 4 is a flow chart of a relay control unit; 4 is a flow chart of a relay monitoring unit; 4 is a flowchart of an engine interlocking control unit; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a start-disabled state for each vehicle type; It is an overall view of a vehicle remote control system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of vehicle activation control;

Hereinafter, a vehicle remote control system, a vehicle-mounted device, a vehicle, a server, a vehicle remote control method, a vehicle remote control program, and a storage medium according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, each embodiment shown below merely exemplifies a vehicle remote control system, vehicle-mounted device, vehicle, server, vehicle remote control method, vehicle remote control program, and storage medium for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these, and can be equally applied to other embodiments included in the scope of claims.

[Embodiment 1]
A vehicle remote control system according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. FIG. FIG. 1 is an overall view of a vehicle remote control system. An on-vehicle device 1 is installed in a vehicle 2 provided to a user. The server 3 communicates with the vehicle-mounted device 1 to manage each vehicle. The server 3 includes a transmission/reception section 33 , a remote control instruction section 31 , a vehicle information collection section 32 and duty information calculation means 71 .

One vehicle-mounted device 1 is installed in one vehicle. The installation location of the vehicle-mounted device 1 on the vehicle may be any location on the vehicle. When the vehicle-mounted device 1 is retrofitted, it can be arranged at a place such as under the front passenger's seat where the installation work is easy. Moreover, from the viewpoint of theft prevention, the vehicle-mounted device 1 can be placed in a place where it is difficult to remove it, for example, in the lower part of the engine room or inside the instrument panel. Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted device 1 can be incorporated in advance when the vehicle 2 is manufactured. The vehicle-mounted device 1 transmits the vehicle information of the vehicle 2 collected by the vehicle information detection means to the server 3 via the wireless communication network 34, and receives a relay control signal as a remote control command from the server 3 via the wireless communication network 34 to control the external relay 20 (see FIG. 2) of the vehicle 2, which will be described later. The vehicle-mounted device 1 may be configured as a data communication module (hereinafter referred to as "DCM").

The vehicle information will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of wiring between the vehicle-mounted device 1 and the vehicle 2. As shown in FIG. The vehicle information includes, for example, position information from the GPS 24 mounted on the vehicle 2, power input information of the external battery 21, and IGN input information from the driving state identification line (ACC line, IG line) 22. Although not shown, information on the external relay 20 that controls the starting state of the vehicle 2, speed information, tachometer information, tachograph information, door lock information, immobilizer information, engine start button information, taxi fare meter information, accelerator pedal information. Information on the amount of depression (including, for example, throttle valve opening information, etc.; the same applies hereinafter), electronic license plate information, navigation system information (for example, position information, route information, etc.), onboard storage means information, and other various information that can grasp the operating status of the vehicle. By controlling the external relay 20, the vehicle can be switched between a start-disabled state and a start-enabled state. In the case of an internal combustion engine automobile, the engine cannot be started in the start-disabled state (it does not turn off the running engine, but prohibits the restart of the engine), and the engine can be started in the startable state. The transmitting/receiving unit 33 can perform wireless communication with a plurality of vehicle-mounted devices 1 via the wireless communication network 34 . Here, the wireless communication network 34 may be any network, such as 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), WiMAX (registered trademark), wireless LAN, beacon, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), and the like.

The server 3 includes a remote control instruction unit 31 that generates a relay control command as a remote control command for the vehicle-mounted device 1, a vehicle information collection unit 32 that collects vehicle information from the vehicle-mounted device 1, and a transmission/reception unit 33 that transmits and receives data to and from the vehicle-mounted device 1. The server 3 also has duty information calculation means 71 for calculating duty information based on the vehicle information collected by the vehicle information collection means 32 as input means. Based on the obligation information calculated by the obligation information calculation means 71 , the remote control command section 31 as an output means outputs a remote control command to the vehicle-mounted device 1 via the transmission/reception section 33 and the wireless communication network 34 . Further, the duty information calculation means 71 may include an income prediction section 61, which will be described later. The server 3 is also connected to the administrator terminal 35 , the tax management system 81 , the insurance management system 82 , the vehicle inspection management system 83 , the vehicle regulation database 84 and the user terminal 37 . The user terminal 37 is, for example, a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC"), a mobile phone, a smart phone, or the like. The administrator terminal 35 includes a display for displaying information to the administrator and information input means for inputting information from the administrator, and is composed of, for example, a PC, a tablet terminal, a mobile terminal, or the like. As the information input means, a touch panel display, a keyboard, a mouse, or the like can be used. In the case of a touch panel display, a separate keyboard or the like can be omitted.

As will be described later, part of the obligation information calculated by the obligation information calculation means 71 is input to the tax management system 81, the insurance management system 82, the vehicle inspection management system 83, and the vehicle regulation database 84, and the information output from the tax management system 81, the insurance management system 82, the vehicle inspection management system 83, and the vehicle regulation database 84 can be used for further calculation of the obligation information by the obligation information calculation means 71. For example, the tax management system 81 outputs tax payment information including whether or not the user has paid taxes, and the insurance management system 82 outputs insurance premium payment information including whether or not the user has paid insurance premiums. The vehicle-mounted device 1 collects vehicle inspection information from an electronic license plate or the like, and transmits the vehicle information to the server 3, so that the obligation information calculation means 71 of the server 3 can determine whether the vehicle inspection is effective or not, and the information regarding the vehicle inspection can be provided to the vehicle inspection management system 83. Alternatively, for example, when the vehicle inspection information is centrally managed by the vehicle inspection management system 83, the server 3 can obtain the vehicle inspection information from the vehicle inspection management system 83. FIG. The duty information calculation means 71 can grasp vehicle regulation information related to vehicle regulation from the vehicle regulation information acquired from the server vehicle regulation database 84 and the vehicle information collected from the vehicle-mounted device 1 .

The server 3 can grasp the operation status of the vehicle from the vehicle information periodically received from the vehicle-mounted device 1 . By receiving vehicle information from the vehicle-mounted device 1, the server 3, as necessary, determines the parking status, that is, whether the vehicle is parked in a predetermined parking lot or in a place other than the predetermined parking lot, the operating status of the vehicle 2, the usage status of the vehicle 2 for commuting, the operating status of the vehicle 2 when the vehicle 2 is a taxi, the operating status of the vehicle 2 when the vehicle 2 is a commercial vehicle, the operating status of the vehicle 2 when the vehicle 2 is a transportation vehicle, and the vehicle 2 when the vehicle 2 is a construction machine. 2, and information indicating the possibility that the vehicle has been stolen. As will be described later, the income prediction unit 61 can predict the income of each user from the operating status of these vehicles 2, and information on this predicted income or information on taxes based on the predicted income is provided to the tax management system. In addition, since information on insurance premiums can be obtained from the vehicle information, this information on insurance premiums is provided to the insurance management system.

Determination of whether or not to change the corresponding vehicle to an activation-enabled state or an activation-disabled state, determination of the operation state of the vehicle (to be described later), inquiry to the user and notification to the police in the event of theft or abnormality (to be described later) may be automatically performed by the server 3, or part or all of them may be manually performed by the administrator. If the server 3 automatically makes these determinations, it is possible to reduce the burden on the administrator. On the other hand, if part or all of these judgments are made manually by the administrator, the configuration of the server 3 can be simplified because the server 3 does not need to make complicated condition judgments.

In the server 3, when controlling the vehicle 2 to be in the start-disabled state or the startable state, for example, calculations such as those shown in FIG. 3 are performed. Calculation starts at step C1. At step C2, it is determined whether or not there is tax payment by the user based on the tax payment information. If yes, the process proceeds to step C3, and if no, the process proceeds to step C7. In addition, in step C2, the user's income forecast and tax amount can be provided to the tax management system 81 as well. In step C3, it is determined whether or not the user has paid insurance premiums based on the insurance premium payment information. If YES, proceed to step C4. If NO, proceed to step C7. In addition, in step C3, the insurance management system 82 can be provided with information on the user's insurance premium. At step C4, it is determined whether or not the vehicle inspection is valid. If yes, proceed to step C5, and if no, proceed to step C7. In step C4, the vehicle inspection information can be provided to the vehicle inspection management system 83 as well. In step C5, it is confirmed that the vehicle is not subject to vehicle regulation. If yes, that is, if the vehicle is not subject to vehicle regulation, proceed to step C6. If no, that is, if vehicle is subject to vehicle regulation, proceed to step C7. At step C6, the vehicle 2 is controlled so as to be in a startable state. On the other hand, in step C7, the vehicle 2 is controlled so as to be unable to start. Each step will be described in detail below.

[Tax calculation]
In step C2, the user's income is predicted by the income prediction calculation means 72 of the duty information calculation means 71, and based on the predicted income amount, the duty information calculation means 71 calculates the amount of tax, for example, income tax, and outputs it to the tax management system. The vehicle information collection unit 32 collects vehicle information of the vehicle 2 from the vehicle-mounted device 1 via the wireless communication network 34 and the transmission/reception unit 33. This vehicle information is transmitted to the duty information calculation means 71 and provided to the income prediction unit 61. The vehicle information includes, for example, position information from the GPS 24 mounted on the vehicle 2, power input information of the external battery 21, and IGN input information from the driving state identification line (ACC line, IG line) 22. Although not shown, information on the external relay 20 that controls the starting state of the vehicle 2, speed information, tachometer information, tachograph information, door lock information, immobilizer information, engine start button information, taxi fare meter information, accelerator pedal information. Information on the amount of depression (including, for example, information on the degree of opening of the throttle valve; the same shall apply hereinafter), electronic license plate information, information on the navigation system (for example, position information or route information), information on the in-vehicle storage means, and other various information that can be used to ascertain the operating status of the vehicle.

For example, if the vehicle is a truck for transportation, a long operating time of the vehicle indicates that orders related to transportation are favorable, so the operating time of the vehicle can be used as an index related to the user's income to predict income. In addition, not all of the operating time of the vehicle is travel for transporting cargo. Therefore, if GPS position information and tachograph information are also analyzed, it is possible to grasp a specific delivery route and analyze the operation status of the vehicle, which is linked to income. In addition, by analyzing vehicle information collected from a plurality of vehicle-mounted devices 1 for each category of vehicle and user, it becomes possible to more appropriately grasp the operational status of vehicles that leads to income from various operational statuses of each vehicle. Since the server 3 is connected to the tax management system 81, it may be possible to obtain information on the user's tax and income. For example, at server 3 information regarding past taxes and income is available from tax management system 81 .

In order to analyze a huge amount of vehicle information from many vehicle-mounted devices 1, it is also useful to use machine learning using AI. The vehicle information collected by the vehicle information collection unit 32 and the associated income information of the user (for example, information about past taxes and income can be obtained from the tax management system 81) are used to train the AI through supervised learning, thereby improving the accuracy of income information prediction in the income prediction unit. Moreover, there are various correlations between the vehicle information of the vehicle and the income of the user depending on the category of the vehicle 2 and the user, and some of them can be statistically analyzed. By using the results of these statistical analyzes for learning by AI, it is possible to further improve the prediction accuracy of income information. As an algorithm used for machine learning, for example, a neural network can be used, and in particular, it is also possible to adopt deep learning. Since the vehicle information is time-series data, for example, a recursive neural network can be used.

The income information also includes information on expenses required for tax calculation. The user's income tax is calculated according to the income information and also considering the expense information. Here, the income prediction unit 61 has been described as calculating the income information, but the income prediction unit 61 need not be independent. In the duty information calculation means 71, the income tax calculation based on the vehicle information can be integrally performed, for example, the income tax can be calculated by AI machine learning based on the vehicle information.

Taxes calculated by the duty information calculation means are not limited to income taxes. For example, taxes related to the vehicle 2 such as automobile tax, automobile acquisition tax, and automobile weight tax can also be calculated. In addition, since the vehicle information includes, for example, position information and route information from GPS, registration information from the electronic license plate, and the like, the management location of the vehicle 2 can be grasped. If the tax on the vehicle 2 is a local tax, the tax is calculated at the location where the vehicle is registered or managed, and the tax payment destination is also determined. Since information such as the category, size, weight, registration date, vehicle accessories, owner and user of the vehicle 2 is grasped from the registration information of the electronic license plate, vehicle inspection information, etc., the automobile tax, automobile acquisition tax, automobile weight tax, etc. can be accurately calculated. Since the registration information of the electronic license plate, vehicle inspection information, etc., includes information on the owner, user, taxpayer, etc. of the vehicle 2, that is, user information, it is always possible to accurately identify the user of the vehicle 2, and it is possible to accurately grasp not only the tax amount but also the taxpayer. It is also possible to set the tax on the vehicle 2 to a pay-as-you-go system, that is, to set the tax amount according to the travel distance of the vehicle 2 .

Since the server 3 can grasp the information of the user of the vehicle 2, it is possible to calculate, for example, the inhabitant tax related to the user. Furthermore, the server 3 can grasp not only the address on paper but also the actual position of the parking lot that is regularly used.

Furthermore, when a corporation owns the vehicle 2, the corporation tax can be predicted from the vehicle information of the vehicle 2. For example, if the corporation is a taxi company, a transportation company, etc., the sales of the corporation can be predicted from the vehicle information of the vehicle 2, so the income prediction unit 61 can predict the sales of the corporation and calculate the corporate tax from this amount. Here, attention is paid to calculations related to taxes, but in the server 3, it is possible to collect and grasp vehicle information of each vehicle owned by a corporation. Therefore, for example, in a taxi company, it is possible to accurately grasp the sales of each driver of each vehicle, thereby enabling appropriate salary calculation for each driver.

The tax information calculated by the duty information calculation means 71 is provided to the tax management system 81 . The tax management system 81 uses the tax information provided from the duty information calculation means 71 to manage taxation of taxpayers. In the tax payment management system 81, the range in which the tax information provided from the duty information calculation means 71 can be used varies depending on the category of the vehicle 2 and the user. For example, if the vehicle 2 is a taxi, a truck for transportation, a construction machine, etc., the user's income can be predicted fairly accurately, so the user's income tax can be calculated accurately. When the actual tax payment amount by the user differs from the tax amount for the user calculated by the duty information calculation means 71, the tax management system 81 can grasp the possibility that the tax payment by the taxpayer is erroneous. For example, by using the tax management system 81, the person in charge of the tax office can grasp the possibility that the taxpayer has not paid the tax or the amount of the tax payment is incorrect. In addition, tax audits, etc. can be appropriately conducted when necessary. Especially in developing countries, where it is difficult for the government to grasp the income situation of residents, corporations, organizations, etc., it is extremely useful for the government to grasp the tax amount based on the vehicle information collected from the vehicle-mounted device 1, considering the situation where the vehicle 2 is widespread.

Here, the duty information calculation means 71 has been described as calculating tax information including the amount of income tax, etc. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the duty information calculation means 71 may calculate the user's income information, and the duty information calculation means 71 may provide this income information to the tax management system 81. In this case, the tax management system 81 calculates the user's income tax amount based on the income information. Further, part of the tax amount calculation may be performed by the duty information calculation means 71. In this case, since the server 3 grasps all the vehicle information collected from the vehicle-mounted device 1, there are no restrictions on the data, and there are cases where the calculation can be performed more quickly.

By using the tax management system 81, the government can easily and accurately manage taxation. By linking family register information, resident information, registration information, income information, revenue information, property information, etc. of residents, corporations, organizations, etc. managed by the government with the tax management system 81, the tax management system 81 can manage all types of taxes related to residents, corporations, organizations, etc. Therefore, the tax management system 81 can grasp all the taxes of the user of the vehicle 2 and manage the tax payment information including whether or not to pay the tax. Since the server 3 is connected to the tax management system 81, it is possible to acquire tax payment information including whether or not the user has paid tax. The method of connection to the tax payment management system 81 is not particularly limited, but for example, the tax payment management system 81 may be provided with an API (Application Programming Interface). If an API is also provided on the server 3 side, information managed by the server 3, such as vehicle information, income information, and tax information, can be obtained not only from the tax management system 81 but also from the insurance management system 82, vehicle inspection management system 83, and vehicle regulation database 84 via the API.

The duty information calculation means 71 can grasp whether or not the user has paid taxes based on the tax payment information acquired from the tax management system 81 . It would be effective for the government to have a mechanism to encourage users who have not paid their taxes properly to pay their taxes properly. Therefore, if the user does not pay taxes, it is conceivable to put the vehicle 2 in an unstartable state. This is the case when the determination at step C2 in FIG. 3 is NO. However, if the vehicle 2 suddenly becomes unusable without any delay, the user will not be able to use the means of transportation or the means of earning income, and a severe situation can be expected for the user. Therefore, when it is determined in step C2 that the tax has not been paid, the user of the vehicle 2 may be warned via the user terminal 37 that the vehicle 2 will be put into a start-disabled state if the tax is not paid within a predetermined period of time. In addition, if the vehicle 2 is uniformly placed in a non-startable state even if the amount of delinquent tax is small, the user will be in a severe situation, so the vehicle 2 may be placed in a non-startable state only when the delinquent amount exceeds a predetermined amount. The switching control of the vehicle 2 between the activatable state and the activatable state is sent as a remote control command from the remote control command 31 to the vehicle-mounted device 1 via the transmitting/receiving unit 33 and the wireless communication network 34, and the activation state of the vehicle 2 is controlled as described later. It should be noted that the API 39 (see FIG. 11) of the financial system 36 may be used for confirmation of tax payment in the tax management system.

In FIG. 3, it is explained that if the answer to step C2 is YES, the insurance premium is determined in step C3, but this is merely an example, and the determination in each step may be a single determination or any two or more determinations, and the order of these determinations is arbitrary. For example, if the answer is yes, the process proceeds to step C6 to put the vehicle 2 in a startable state, and if the answer is no, the process proceeds to step C7 to put the vehicle 2 in a non-startable state. As an example of making two determinations, after the determination of YES in step C2 regarding tax payment, the process may proceed to step C4 to determine whether or not the vehicle inspection is valid. If YES, the process may proceed to step C6 to make the vehicle 2 ready to start. Furthermore, although four kinds of determinations are illustrated here, other determinations can be added. For example, when leasing the vehicle 2, a determination regarding whether or not the lease fee has been paid (see Embodiment 2 below) can be added.

In the income prediction unit 61 described above, various prediction methods are adopted according to the category of the vehicle 2 and the user. In addition, by applying machine learning to these prediction methods as described above, it becomes possible to predict income information more accurately.

(b) Example of a private taxi If the vehicle is a private taxi, it can be expected that the longer the rented section, the greater the user's income. For example, a case where the taximeter consists of four types of "vacant", "rental", "forwarding", and "pickup" will be described, but the present invention does not limit the type of taximeter, and any vehicle information can be used as long as the section corresponding to the "rental" can be grasped. Here, the display of each meter and the state of income are as follows. "Empty car" is a state in which no passengers are loaded and boarding is possible. No income is expected in this situation. A "rental run" is a state in which income is generated while the vehicle is running with passengers on board. The longer the rented section, the higher the income. "Delivery" is a state in which passengers cannot be picked up, such as when the driver returns to the garage after work or during a break. No income is expected in this situation. "Pick-up" is when a passenger with a reservation is picked up, and income is generated because billing is possible. It is possible to predict the user's income by calculating the travel time and travel distance of the state of rent and pick-up.

Also, in order to predict the user's income more accurately, for example,
・To find out the empty car rate and rent rate for the mileage, and to grasp whether income can be obtained efficiently,
・Understanding working hours from the mileage and travel time of commercial operation status (empty car, rented car, pick-up car),
・Predicting expenses by calculating fuel consumption using GPS position information, speed information, tachometer information, tachograph information, accelerator pedal depression amount information, etc.
・Using GPS location information, speed information, tachometer information, tachograph information, etc., to predict the demand in the area where the user is traveling;
etc. is also possible.

(b) Examples of transport trucks If the vehicle is a transport truck, the longer the mileage, the longer the section where the cargo is transported by the transport truck. In addition, in the case of a transportation company in which the user owns a plurality of transportation trucks, it is possible to predict the total income of the user by grasping the operation status of each vehicle. To more accurately predict a user's income, for example,
・Understanding the operating rate of the vehicle from the distance and time traveled,
・Using GPS location information to determine whether a particular delivery route is being operated;
・Understanding the status of cargo, the amount of cargo, the presence or absence of cargo, etc. from GPS position information, speed information, tachometer information, tachograph information, accelerator pedal depression information, etc.
・Estimate the status of cargo from GPS position information, speed information, tachometer information, tachograph information, accelerator pedal depression amount information, etc., and grasp the cargo loading section or cargo loading ratio in the travel distance,
・Predicting expenses by calculating fuel consumption using GPS position information, speed information, tachometer information, tachograph information, accelerator pedal depression amount information, etc.
etc. is also possible.

(C) Example of construction machinery When the vehicle is a construction machinery such as an excavator or a crane, the operating time of the vehicle indicates the period during which the vehicle is used for a predetermined work, so the operating time of the vehicle is an index for predicting the user's income. Also, if the user is a company that owns a plurality of construction machines, it is possible to predict the total income of the user by grasping the operation status of each construction machine. In order to predict income more accurately, for example, ・Grasping the travel distance from the standby position to the work site from GPS position information, speed information, tachometer information, tachograph information, etc.
・Understanding the work period and work content at a specific work site from the hour meter information of construction machinery, IGN input information, engine start button information, etc.
・Predicting expenses by calculating fuel consumption using construction machine hour meter information, IGN input information, engine start button information, fuel gauge information, etc.
etc. is also possible.

(d) Example of using a vehicle for commuting A user who uses a vehicle for commuting can determine whether or not they are commuting from the operating status of the vehicle, so the operating status of the vehicle is an index that predicts the user's income. Since users also use vehicles for purposes other than commuting, it is necessary to understand how vehicles are used for commuting in order to predict users' income more accurately. For example, using GPS location information, it is possible to grasp that movement of a vehicle from a specific parking lot to a predetermined location (for example, a parking lot at work) is related to going to work.

(e) Examples of commercial vehicles If the vehicle is a commercial vehicle, the vehicle is used exclusively for business activities, and the operating status of the vehicle can be used to determine the operating status of the vehicle. In addition, for example, by using GPS location information, it is possible to specify the area or range in which sales activities are being carried out, so it is possible to more accurately grasp the status of sales activities.

Although an example in which the duty information computing means 71 includes the income prediction unit 61 has been described here, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the income prediction unit 61 does not necessarily have to be provided. For example, using the vehicle information collected by the vehicle information collection unit 32, the duty information can be calculated by the duty information calculation means. For example, if the vehicle in (b) above is a private taxi, the length of the section of the rented section determines the income of the user, so income information or tax information can be calculated from the vehicle information such as the total distance data of the rented ride. If the vehicle (b) is a truck for transportation, income information or tax information can be calculated directly from the vehicle information such as the distance traveled while the vehicle is loaded.

When the tax amount is calculated in the tax management system, it is possible to provide the tax management system 81 with not only income information or tax information but also vehicle information collected by the vehicle information collection unit 32 from the server 3. Alternatively, when the tax amount is calculated in the tax management system 81, it is possible to provide the tax management system 81 with only the vehicle information collected by the vehicle information collection unit 32 from the server 3. FIG. Furthermore, there may be cases where information is not provided from the server 3 to the tax management system 81, but in this case, the tax management system calculates the user's income information or tax information. That is, if the tax management system 81 can properly grasp the user's tax payment information, it is not essential for the server 3 to provide the tax management system 81 with the information. On the other hand, the tax management system 81 provides the server 3 with tax payment information including whether or not the user has paid taxes. Then, for example, when tax payment information is provided from the tax management system 81 to the server 3 through API linkage, the obligation information calculation means 71 in the server 3 can quickly determine whether or not the tax payment has been made, so that it is possible to quickly switch the vehicle 2 to the activatable state in accordance with the tax payment.

[Calculation related to insurance premiums]
In step C3, the insurance information of the vehicle 2 for the user is calculated by the duty information calculation means 71, and this insurance information is provided to the insurance management system 82. FIG. Insurance information can include information about insurance premiums. The insurance for the vehicle 2 is divided into those that are compulsorily required by law and those that are voluntary. For example, in Japan, compulsory automobile liability insurance is compulsory, and voluntary insurance is also recommended. For example, many developing countries require insurance for the vehicle 2. In this case, if the vehicle 2 is operated without insurance, there is a risk that the victim will not be compensated in the event of an accident. Therefore, it is desirable to prohibit the operation of the vehicle without insurance. From this point of view, it is necessary to determine whether or not the compulsory insurance premium for the vehicle 2 has been paid by the duty information calculation means, and if the predetermined premium has not been paid, the remote control command unit 31 needs to transmit a remote control command to the vehicle-mounted device 1 to switch the vehicle 2 to the start-disabled state. In addition, the duty information calculation means can also calculate insurance information including insurance premiums for voluntary insurance. In addition, the scope of insurance that is compulsory to take out is determined by the government or by laws and ordinances. The insurance for the vehicle 2 may be insured against the vehicle 2, but may also be insured against the user of the vehicle 2, or against a combination of the vehicle 2 and the user (driver). Since the server 3 grasps both the vehicle information of the vehicle 2 and the user information by the user information management unit 38 described later, it is possible to appropriately manage the insurance information regarding the vehicle 2 .

Since the duty information calculation means 71 can grasp the vehicle information collected by the vehicle information collection unit 32, it is possible to finely calculate the insurance premium using this vehicle information, and thereby, it is possible to set the insurance suitable for the category of the vehicle 2 and the usage situation of the user. When calculating insurance premiums, for example, the following information can be taken into consideration.
・Vehicle category (model, vehicle size, weight, purpose)
・Travel distance, travel time/travel speed, speed limit/acceleration/location information, travel route, travel time zone

Insurance premiums can be set according to the category of vehicle. For example, insurance premiums can be set according to the type of vehicle, size, weight, and usage of the vehicle. For example, insurance premiums are set differently for small vehicles and large vehicles, and insurance premiums are set differently for different uses such as private cars, taxis, delivery vehicles, and construction machinery.

Insurance premiums also differ depending on the distance traveled and travel time. For example, since the risk of an accident increases as the travel distance and travel time of the vehicle 2 increase, the insurance premium can be set by specifying the travel distance and travel time in a predetermined period. Since the travel distance and travel time of the vehicle 2 are collected as vehicle information, the travel distance and travel time of the vehicle in a predetermined period can be predicted. However, since the travel distance, travel time, etc. have not yet been collected when the vehicle is delivered, the user needs to set the expected travel distance and travel time. When the running distance or running time in a predetermined period is likely to exceed a preset range, the user is notified in advance via a user terminal 37 to prompt the user to pay an additional insurance premium, or the user is automatically requested to pay an additional insurance premium depending on the insurance contract.

Information on travel speed and speed limit can be reflected in insurance premiums. The speed limit information is included in, for example, map information of a navigation system, information from a beacon installed on a road, or a vehicle information and communication system (VICS (registered trademark)). By comparing this speed limit and the speed of the vehicle 2, it is possible to grasp how much the user of the vehicle 2 observes the speed limit. For example, it is possible to determine that a user who follows the speed limit is driving more safely than a user who does not follow the speed limit, and to discount the insurance premium of the user (vehicle 2 associated with the user) who is driving safely. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of speed observance, it is conceivable to increase insurance premiums for users who are judged to be driving dangerously. At this time, the discount amount or premium amount of the insurance premium can be determined by quantifying the extent to which the speed limit is complied with according to vehicle information, such as the speed limit and the running speed, step by step, or by using a certain formula.

From the acceleration information of the vehicle, it is possible to estimate the user's driving characteristics and determine whether the user is driving safely. It is possible to judge that a user who has few sudden accelerations, sudden decelerations, and sharp turns is driving safely than a user who has many of them, and based on this judgment, it is possible to discount the insurance premium of the user (vehicle 2 related to the user) who is driving safely. On the other hand, it is conceivable to increase insurance premiums for users who are judged to be driving dangerously from the viewpoint of sudden acceleration, sudden deceleration, or sudden steering. The discount amount or additional amount of the insurance premium at this time can be determined by quantifying the degree of sudden acceleration, sudden deceleration, or sudden steering detected, step by step from vehicle information, such as the acceleration of the vehicle 2, or an accelerator sensor, brake sensor, steering sensor, or the like, or by quantifying with a certain formula.

It is also possible to estimate the risk of an accident from the position information of the vehicle 2, the travel route, and the travel time zone, and reflect the risk in the insurance premium. From the positional information, traveling route, traveling time period, etc., it is possible to estimate whether the vehicle 2 is in an urban area or a suburban area, whether the vehicle 2 is traveling on a road with heavy traffic, whether the probability of an accident is high, etc., and calculate the discount amount or additional amount of insurance premiums by quantifying the risk of an accident in stages or by a certain formula.

The insurance information calculated by the obligation information calculation means 71 is provided to the insurance management system 82 . The insurance information may include insurance premium information regarding the vehicle 2 or the user, but is not limited to this, and may include vehicle information for calculating the insurance premium as the insurance information. When the vehicle information is provided to the insurance management system 82 as the insurance information, the insurance information including the insurance premium for the vehicle 2 or the user is calculated in the insurance management system 82. Insurance information including insurance premiums is provided to the user via the user terminal 37 . Of the insurance premiums, compulsory insurance, which is legally compulsory, is notified to the user via the user terminal 37 to ensure that the user subscribes. For example, in Japan, compulsory automobile liability insurance is compulsorily purchased at the time of vehicle inspection, so the user terminal 37 may inform the user of the compulsory insurance subscription together with the expiration date of the vehicle inspection, which will be described later.

The insurance management system 82 grasps whether the premium for compulsory insurance has been properly paid by the user. For example, the insurance management system 82 can use the API of the financial system 36 to grasp in real time that the insurance fee has been paid by the user. The duty information calculation means 71 receives insurance premium payment information from the insurance management system 82, determines whether or not the vehicle 2 or the user has paid the compulsory insurance premium, that is, determines whether or not the vehicle 2 or the user has compulsory insurance.If the vehicle 2 or the user has not subscribed to the compulsory insurance (No in step C3 in FIG. 3), the remote control instruction unit 31 transmits a remote control command to the vehicle-mounted device 1 to switch the vehicle 2 to a non-startable state in order to prohibit the user from using the vehicle 2. On the other hand, if compulsory insurance is taken out, that is, if YES in step C3 of FIG. 2, other necessary conditions are determined. As in the case of the tax-related determination in step C2 described above, only the insurance-related determination in step C3 may be made alone, and if YES, the vehicle 2 may be controlled to the startable state, and if NO, the vehicle 2 may be controlled to the start-disabled state. Further, when controlling the vehicle activation state, one or more other determinations may be added in addition to the determination regarding insurance in step C3. However, if the vehicle 2 suddenly becomes unusable without any delay, the user will not be able to use the means of transportation or the means of earning income, and a severe situation can be expected for the user. Therefore, when it is determined that the tax is not paid in step C3, the user of the vehicle 2 may be warned via the user terminal 37 to the effect that the vehicle 2 will be put into a start-disabled state unless the insurance premium is paid within a predetermined period in advance, and if the insurance premium is not paid even after waiting for the predetermined period, the vehicle 2 can be switched to the start-disabled state.

Insurance premiums for voluntary insurance can also be calculated in the obligation information calculation means 71 or the insurance management system 82 using the vehicle information as described above. When the insurance information including the insurance premium of the voluntary insurance is calculated by the obligation information calculating means 71, the insurance information is transmitted to the insurance management system and the user terminal 37, and the user can be prompted to join the recommended voluntary insurance. When insurance information including insurance premiums of voluntary insurance is calculated in the insurance management system 82, this insurance information is transmitted to the user terminal 37 via the server 3, and the user can be prompted to join the recommended voluntary insurance. The insurance management system 82 can keep track of whether premiums for voluntary insurance have been paid by the user. In addition, the server 3 may be provided with information on whether or not to enroll in voluntary insurance. However, if the premium for voluntary insurance is not paid, unlike the case of compulsory insurance, the remote control command for switching the vehicle 2 to the start-disabled state is not transmitted.

[Judgment regarding vehicle inspection]
At step C4 in FIG. 3, the duty information calculation means 71 determines whether the vehicle inspection is valid, and if the vehicle inspection is not valid, the determination is NO, and at step C7, the remote control command unit 31 transmits a remote control command for switching the vehicle 2 to the non-startable state. If the answer to step C4 is YES, other conditions are determined. It should be noted that, as in the case of the tax determination in step C2 described above, only the vehicle inspection determination in step C4 may be performed alone. In addition to the vehicle inspection determination of the vehicle 2, one or a plurality of other determinations may be added. If the vehicle inspection is obligatory by law, it is necessary to prompt the user of the vehicle 2 to have the vehicle 2 inspected. If the duty information calculating means 71 judges the validity of the vehicle inspection, and if the vehicle inspection is not valid, the vehicle is switched to the non-startable state, the user who wants to use the vehicle 2 can be urged to undergo the vehicle inspection. On the other hand, if the vehicle 2 is controlled to be in a start-disabled state without prior notice, the user will be in a severe situation, so before switching the vehicle 2 to the start-disabled state, the user is notified of the time limit for the vehicle inspection via a user terminal 37 in advance of a predetermined period, and the user is urged to undergo the vehicle inspection of the vehicle 2 by the time limit. When the time limit for the vehicle inspection expires, the vehicle 2 is in a state in which the vehicle 2 cannot be activated. However, when traveling for the vehicle inspection and during the running test for the vehicle inspection, the vehicle 2 can be temporarily switched to a state in which the vehicle 2 can be activated by an application from the user terminal 37 to the server 3 or by an application from the user to the administrator (administrator terminal 35).

For the vehicle 2 that has undergone vehicle inspection, vehicle inspection information indicating that the vehicle has undergone vehicle inspection is recorded in, for example, an electronic license plate, an in-vehicle storage device, a memory of the vehicle-mounted device 1, an IC card, or the like. This vehicle inspection information includes vehicle inspection information, date of vehicle inspection, deadline for the next vehicle inspection, owner, user, taxpayer, vehicle number, model, vehicle type, vehicle body shape, length, width, height, weight, passenger capacity, load capacity, engine displacement, fuel type, inspection items and their results, history of parts replacement and failure, and other information. By storing this information in a storage means such as an electronic license plate, it is possible to easily read information on vehicle inspection deadlines, inspection result information, parts replacement and failure history information, so it is also useful for vehicle maintenance.

The vehicle inspection information stored in the electronic license plate or the like is collected as vehicle information by the vehicle information collection unit 32 via the vehicle-mounted device 1, and used by the duty information calculation means 71 to determine whether the vehicle inspection is valid. 3, the remote control command unit 31 transmits a remote control command to the vehicle-mounted device 1 to switch the vehicle 2 to the start-disabled state. If the determination at C4 in FIG. 3 is YES, other conditions such as proceeding to step C5, for example, are determined.

The vehicle inspection information including the judgment result as to whether the vehicle inspection is valid or not is provided from the obligation information calculation means 71 to the vehicle inspection management system 83, so that the vehicle inspection information collected by the vehicle-mounted device 1 is used in the vehicle inspection management system 83. Since it is not always possible for the vehicle inspection management system 83 to grasp all the vehicle inspection information of all the vehicles 2, it is effective to collect the vehicle inspection information by the vehicle-mounted device 1 in this case. In a situation where the vehicle inspection information of the vehicle 2 is appropriately collected in the vehicle inspection management system 83, the obligation information calculation means 71 can also determine whether the vehicle inspection of the vehicle 2 is valid based on the vehicle inspection information provided from the vehicle inspection management system 83.

[Vehicle restrictions based on license plate numbers, etc.]
Depending on the license plate number of the vehicle 2, the law may stipulate a time zone during which the vehicle 2 is prohibited from entering a specific area such as a city center. The license plate number of the vehicle 2 can be stored in an electronic license plate, an in-vehicle storage device, a memory of the on-vehicle device 1, or the like, and even when the vehicle 2 is parked, the information of the license plate number of the vehicle 2 is collected as vehicle information in advance by the vehicle information collection unit 32 via the on-board device 1 and sent to the duty information calculation means 71. Further, the positional information of the vehicle 2 is collected from the GPS of the vehicle 2 via the vehicle-mounted device 1 by the vehicle information collection unit 32 and sent to the duty information calculation means 71 when the vehicle is parked. Further, related vehicle regulation data is obtained from the vehicle regulation database 84 connected to the server 3 and provided to the duty information calculation means 71 . An API, for example, can be used to connect the server 3 to the vehicle regulation database 84 . If the license plate number of the vehicle 2 and the position of the vehicle 2 are subject to regulation according to the vehicle regulation data, the determination in step C5 in FIG.

Also, when the route planned by the vehicle 2 is included in the vehicle restricted area at the time when the vehicle 2 is scheduled to pass, the vehicle is subject to vehicle restriction. Therefore, the user registers the destination and planned route of the vehicle 2 from the user terminal 37 before using the parked vehicle 2 . If the registered scheduled route of the vehicle 2 is included in the vehicle regulation, the duty information calculation means determines that the route is not subject to the vehicle regulation in step C5 of FIG. If the determination in step C5 of FIG. 2 that the vehicle is not subject to vehicle regulation is NO, the server 3 notifies the user via the Uber terminal 37 that the vehicle 2 is subject to vehicle regulation and the scope of vehicle regulation of the vehicle 2. After receiving the notification of the vehicle restriction from the server 3, the user can re-register the destination and scheduled route of the vehicle 2 from the user terminal 37. If the re-registered destination and scheduled route are not included in the range subject to regulation, the determination is YES in Step C5 of FIG. It is desirable that re-registration of the destination and planned route to the server 3 by the user via the user terminal 37 can be accepted any number of times. As a result, it is possible to maintain the convenience of the user's use of the vehicle 2 even under vehicle restrictions. Information on the destination and travel route registered by the user from the user terminal 37 while the vehicle is parked can be sent from the server 3 to the vehicle-mounted device 1 and registered in the navigation device of the vehicle 2 .

It may happen that the destination or travel route is changed after the vehicle 2 is started. When a new destination or travel route is input to the navigation device of the vehicle 2 after startup, the information on the new destination or travel route is transmitted to the server 3, and the obligation information calculation means 71 compares it with the information from the vehicle regulation database 84 to determine whether the travel route of the vehicle 2 is included in the vehicle regulation, and transmits the determination result to the user terminal 37 and/or the vehicle-mounted device 1. The determination result sent to the vehicle-mounted device 1 may be displayed on the display of the navigation device, for example. When the determination result indicates that the vehicle is subject to vehicle restrictions, the user terminal 37, the display of the navigation device, and the like are notified of the vehicle restriction range and period together with the determination result. In addition to this notification, information on a detour route and parking lots along the route may be provided.

The user may change the destination or travel route without setting a new destination or travel route in the navigation device. When the user changes the destination or travel route without setting a new destination or travel route in the navigation device, that is, when the travel route of the vehicle 2 deviates from the route set in the navigation device or the route pre-registered from the user terminal 37, information indicating that the current position and the registered route are deviated from the navigation device is sent from the vehicle-mounted device 1 to the server 3, and the duty information calculation means 71 determines whether the expected route of the vehicle 2 is included in the vehicle regulation based on the vehicle position, the expected route, vehicle regulation information, etc. Then, the determination result is transmitted to the user terminal 37 and/or the vehicle-mounted device 1 . The determination result sent to the vehicle-mounted device 1 may be displayed on the display of the navigation device, for example. When the determination result is included in the vehicle restriction, the range and period of the vehicle restriction are notified to the user terminal 37, the display of the navigation device, etc. together with the determination result. In addition to this notification, information on a detour route and parking lots along the route may be provided. The vehicle restriction information obtained from the vehicle restriction database 84 may be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 1 at any time and displayed on the display of the navigation device of the vehicle 2 or the like. When the vehicle 2 is in operation, even if it is determined that the travel route of the vehicle 2 is included in the vehicle regulation, the vehicle 2 cannot be switched to the start-disabled state. However, by notifying the user of the range and period of the vehicle regulation via the user terminal 37, the display of the navigation device, or the like, the user is notified of the vehicle regulation information, thereby prompting the user to comply with the vehicle regulation.

[Operation management of vehicle 2 by server 3]
Next, a method for automatically determining the operation status of the vehicle by the server 3 will be described in detail. When the power of the vehicle is off for a predetermined time or longer at a location corresponding to a parking lot registered in advance, it is determined that the vehicle is parked in the predetermined parking lot. When the power of the vehicle is off for a predetermined time or longer at a place other than the parking lot registered in advance, it is determined that the vehicle is parked at a place other than the predetermined parking lot. Further, when the vehicle is in a place other than a pre-registered parking lot and the power of the vehicle has not been turned off for a predetermined time or longer, it is determined that the user is moving by using the vehicle.

Further, when the vehicle is out of the range pre-registered by the user for a predetermined period or longer, it is determined that the vehicle may have been stolen. When it is determined that there is a possibility that the vehicle has been stolen, the vehicle operation status is notified to a contact address registered in advance by the user, and an inquiry is made as to whether or not the vehicle has been stolen. When there is no response from the user within a predetermined period or when there is a response from the user to the effect that it has been stolen, the administrator is notified of the occurrence of theft, and a relay control command corresponding to the start-disabled state is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 1.例文帳に追加When the server 3 reports the occurrence of theft, the administrator contacts the user to confirm the occurrence of the theft, and reports the theft of the vehicle to the police as necessary.

Further, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is provided with a means for detecting an abnormality such as removal of the vehicle-mounted device 1 from the vehicle 2 or disconnection or removal of wiring connected to the vehicle-mounted device 1, and when detecting these abnormalities, the vehicle-mounted device 1 notifies the server 3 of the occurrence of abnormality. When this notification occurs, the server 3 promptly notifies the administrator. When the server 3 notifies the administrator of this abnormality, the administrator contacts the user to confirm the occurrence of the theft and, if necessary, notifies the police of the theft of the vehicle.

Examples of cases where the vehicle-mounted device 1 is removed from the vehicle 2 include (1) theft by a thief, (2) misuse of the vehicle by the user, and (3) unavoidable emergency use of the vehicle by the user who has not paid. Assuming cases of theft or misuse such as (1) and (2), it is desirable to put the vehicle in a start-disabled state. On the other hand, in the case of an emergency such as (3), for example, when it is assumed that an emergency patient is to be transported, it is desirable to put the vehicle in a startable state. As will be described later, by switching the connection of the external relay 20, when the wiring is disconnected or pulled out, it is possible to select a mode in which activation is disabled or a mode in which activation is possible. Therefore, when the vehicle-mounted device 1 detects the above-mentioned abnormality and when the wiring of the external relay 20 is disconnected or pulled out, the administrator should set the external relay 20 in advance so that it cannot be activated in the event of theft or misuse as in (1) and (2), and the external relay 20 can be set in advance so that the external relay 20 can be activated in the event of an emergency such as (3).

Next, the configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 1 and its connection to the vehicle 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows an example of connection to an internal combustion engine vehicle. Note that the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. 11 is a CPU that performs arithmetic processing; 12 is a wireless communication module that performs wireless communication with the transmission/reception unit of the server 3 via a wireless communication network; 18 is a relay input/output unit connected to the external relay 20, and 19 is a GPS input/output unit connected to the GPS 24 of the vehicle 2 to detect vehicle position information. In addition, although not shown, the vehicle-mounted device 1 may detect and collect acceleration sensor information, vehicle speed pulse information, fuel sensor information, speed information, tachometer information, tachograph information, door lock information, immobilizer information, engine start button information, taxi fare meter information, accelerator pedal depression amount information (including, for example, throttle valve opening information, etc. The same applies hereinafter), and other various information that can grasp the operating status of the vehicle. It is also possible to use these various types of information as vehicle information. Here, the external battery 21 is a term distinguished from the internal battery 15 inside the vehicle-mounted device 1, and means the vehicle-mounted battery. The external relay 20 is connected to the engine start control line (ST line) of the vehicle 2, and although the external relay 20 is shown between the vehicle 2 and the vehicle-mounted device 1 in FIG. Therefore, the structure is such that a thief or a user cannot intentionally remove the external relay 20 . The relay input/output unit 18 detects whether the external relay 20 is in the activatable state or in the activatable state, and performs control to switch the external relay 20 to the activatable state or the activatable state based on the relay control command.

The power input detection unit 16 and the external battery 21, the IGN input detection unit 17 and the running state identification line 22, the relay input/output unit 18 and the external relay 20, the GPS input/output unit 19 and the GPS 24 are directly connected by individual wiring without going through the vehicle LAN such as CAN. As a result, there is no need to use a vehicle LAN such as CAN, so there is no problem that the vehicle LAN such as CAN is vulnerable to security.

The vehicle-mounted device 1 is driven by the electric power of the internal battery 15 . The internal battery is always charged by the electric power of the external battery 21 of the vehicle 2, and even in the event of an abnormality such as the removal of the vehicle-mounted device 1 or the disconnection or withdrawal of the charging line, the vehicle-mounted device can be continuously driven for a predetermined time, and the occurrence of such abnormality can be reported to the server 3 together with the current location information. Note that the most recent current location information and other information are stored in the memory 13 .

The CPU 11 is connected to a wireless communication module 12, a memory 13, a console 14, an internal battery 15, a power input detector 16, an IGN input detector 17, a relay input/output unit 18, a GPS input/output unit 19, and an acceleration sensor (not shown). The vehicle information detection means includes a power input detection section 16, an IGN input detection section 17, a GPS input/output section 19, an acceleration sensor, and the like. The relay input/output unit 18 detects the state of the external relay 20 and controls the external relay 20 to either an activation disabled state or an activation possible state, and the state of the external relay 20 can also be used as vehicle information.

The CPU 11 controls the external relay 20 and collects vehicle information by a program stored in the memory 13 . The operation of the vehicle-mounted device 1 will be described below.
[Collection of vehicle information]
The vehicle-mounted device 1 collects vehicle information at predetermined intervals, for example, every 30 seconds, or at the occurrence of a specific event such as vehicle power-on, or both, and transmits the vehicle information to the server 3 . The vehicle information at this time includes power input information from the external battery 21 detected by the power input detection unit 16, information on the running state identification line (ACC line, IG line) detected by the IGN input detection unit 17, for example, information indicating the on/off state of the engine, the state of the external relay 20 detected by the relay input/output unit 18, position information from GPS detected by the GPS input/output unit 19, acceleration information detected by an acceleration sensor (not shown), vehicle speed pulse information, fuel sensor information, and vehicle information. At least one of the acquired time information is included. Note that it is also possible to calculate the speed from GPS position information. The server 3 grasps the operation status of the vehicle based on these vehicle information.

[External relay control]
When the vehicle-mounted device 1 receives a relay control command from the server 3, the control value is stored in the memory 13, and the external relay 20 is controlled so as to be in a state corresponding to the value. The vehicle information interlocking control means includes the CPU 11, the memory 13, the IGN input detection unit 17, and the relay input/output unit 18, and when switching the external relay 20, it determines whether the relay control command is adopted or not (ignoring the relay control command), taking into consideration the on/off switching timing of the power of the vehicle as described later. In the case of an internal combustion engine vehicle, the on/off state of the power is detected, for example, by the information on the driving state identification line (ACC line, IG line) detected by the IGN input detection section 17, for example, information indicating the on/off state of the engine.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the relay control value (ST line relay control value) when the engine start control line (ST line) in the internal combustion engine vehicle is cut by the external relay 20 (in the case of FIG. 3) will be described. FIG. 4A shows the case of a vehicle type with one engine start control line, and FIG. 4B shows the case of a vehicle type with two engine start control lines. First, the case of a vehicle type having one engine start control line in FIG. 4A will be described. The relay value of relay A is "0" when open and "1" when closed. There are two types of external relay control values, "00" and "01". When the external relay control value is "00", the status is startable state (normal) and the vehicle state is startable. On the other hand, when the external relay control value is "01", the status is the start-disabled state and the vehicle state is the start-disabled state.

Next, a case of a vehicle type having two engine start control lines in FIG. 4B will be described. The relay value of both relay A and relay B is "0" when open and "1" when closed. There are four types of external relay control values: "00", "01", "10" and "11". When the external relay control value is "00", the status is startable state (normal) and the vehicle state is startable. When the external relay control value is "01", the status is an unintended value and the vehicle state is ready to start. When the external relay control value is "10", the status is an unintended value and the vehicle state is ready to start. When the external relay control value is "11", the status is the start-disabled state and the vehicle state is the start-disabled state.

The relay monitoring unit includes a CPU 11, a memory 13, and a relay input/output unit 18, and as described later, monitors the relay state when the external relay control value is originally in an activatable state due to a firmware failure, and if the relay state is not in an activatable state as a result of the monitoring, the relay state is changed to an activatable state, that is, the external relay control value is set to "00", and the external relay 20 is set in an activatable state.

Further, wiring of the external relay 20 will be described with reference to FIG. The external relay 20 can select between normally open and normally closed by changing the connection state. 41 is an electromagnet coil, 42 is a switch, 43 and 44 are terminals on the relay input/output unit 18 side, 45 is one terminal on the engine start control line (ST line) side, 46 is a normally closed terminal, and 47 is a normally open terminal. Since the switch 42 is biased by a spring toward the normally closed terminal 46 side, the switch 42 is in contact with the normally closed terminal 46 side when the coil 41 is not energized. When the coil 41 is energized, the switch 42 is attracted to the electromagnet and contacts the normally open terminal 47 . Therefore, when the external relay 20 is to be used as a normally closed type, the other terminal of the ST line is connected to the normally closed terminal 46, and conversely, when the external relay 20 is to be used as a normally open type, the other terminal of the ST line is connected to the normally open terminal 47.

With reference to FIG. 2, the difference between the case of using the external relay 20 as a normally closed type and the case of using the external relay 20 as a normally open type will be described. At least one of the power input detection unit 16, the IGN input detection unit 17, the relay input/output unit 18, and the GPS input/output unit 19 is provided with means (not shown) for detecting disconnection or removal of wiring. As a means for detecting disconnection or extraction of wiring, known means such as disclosed in Patent Document 2, which utilizes a voltage change in wiring accompanying disconnection or extraction of wiring, can be used. Further, when the power input detection unit 16 does not detect power input from the external battery 21, it can be determined that the wiring between the power input detection unit 16 and the external battery 21 has been disconnected or pulled out. Removal of the vehicle-mounted device can also be detected based on disconnection or removal of these wirings. When the disconnection or withdrawal of the wiring is detected, as described later, it is decided to control the external relay 20 so that it is set to either an activation disabled state (open) or an activation enabled state (closed).

Further, when disconnection or withdrawal of the wiring is detected, the external relay 20 is controlled as described above, and the abnormality is notified to the server 3 via the wireless communication module 12 . When the server 3 receives the notification of the abnormality, the server 3 promptly notifies the administrator. When the server 3 notifies the administrator of this abnormality, the administrator contacts the user to confirm the occurrence of the theft and, if necessary, notifies the police of the theft of the vehicle. On the other hand, the vehicle-mounted device 1 notifies the abnormality and sounds an alarm by an alarm device (not shown) mounted on the vehicle-mounted device 1 . In addition, instead of installing an alarm device in the vehicle-mounted device 1, wiring can be performed so that the output signal of the alarm output of the vehicle-mounted device 1 is input to the input terminals of these control circuits so that the alarm can be issued by using the horn, headlamp, winker, hazard lamp, etc. of the vehicle.

Here, the case where disconnection or removal of wiring is detected as an abnormality notification has been described as an example, but the vehicle-mounted device 1 may be further provided with failure detection means, and when the failure detection means detects a failure of the vehicle-mounted device 1, the server may be notified of the failure of the vehicle-mounted device 1 via the wireless communication module 12. When the server 3 receives the notification of the failure of the vehicle-mounted device 1, the server reports the occurrence of the failure to the manager, and the manager who receives the notification contacts the user of the vehicle concerned and arranges for the vehicle-mounted device 1 to be repaired or replaced.

When the wiring between the relay input/output unit 18 and the external relay 20 is cut or pulled out, the current supply to the coil 41 of the external relay 20 is stopped. Therefore, in the case of the normally closed type, the external relay 20 is closed and the ST line is connected, and in the case of the normally open type, the external relay 20 is opened and the ST line is cut off.

As described above, when the administrator removes the vehicle-mounted device 1 from the vehicle 2, (1) theft by a thief, (2) misuse of the vehicle by the user, and (3) use of the vehicle in an unavoidable emergency by the user who has not paid, it is desirable to put the vehicle in a state where it cannot be started when the theft or abuse such as (1) and (2) is assumed. It is preferable to predetermine so that the external relay 20 is controlled to be in the start-disabled state (open) even in the event of the above. On the other hand, in the case of an emergency such as (3), for example, when it is assumed that an emergency patient is transported, it is desirable to put the vehicle in a startable state. Therefore, it is preferable to adopt a normally closed type as the external relay 20 and predetermine to control the external relay 20 to the startable state (closed) even when disconnection or withdrawal of the wiring is detected.

In addition, the vehicle-mounted device 1 can operate in a stand-alone, fail-safe manner even when the radio wave condition is poor and there is no relay control command from the server 3 . For example, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the vehicle cannot be started in a place where the radio wave condition is poor, and the relay control command corresponding to the startable information cannot be received. The vehicle-mounted device tries to establish communication by repeating communication retries when the radio wave condition is bad. When communication cannot be established even after retrying a predetermined number of times, for example, 20 times or more, it is determined that communication is impossible, and when the state of the external relay 20 is in a start-disabled state, it is switched to a startable state. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the vehicle is left unstartable because the server 3 cannot transmit the relay control signal for changing to the startable state when the radio wave condition is bad. Whether or not to adopt the process of switching the vehicle to the startable state when the communication is disabled can be switched at the time of shipment of the vehicle or the like.

[About power saving mode]
When the engine of the internal combustion engine vehicle is off, after a predetermined time, for example, 10 minutes has passed after the engine is turned off, the on-vehicle equipment shifts to a power saving mode to prevent power consumption of the external battery 21, and stops functions other than minimum functions such as power supply management. In the power saving mode, the power input detection unit 16, the IGN input detection unit 17, the relay input/output unit 18, and the timer circuit (not shown) are always activated, but the other circuits are stopped. In the power saving mode, the vehicle-mounted device 1 does not communicate with the server 3 . In the power saving mode, when the power input detection unit detects loss of power input, when the IGN input detection unit 17 detects the ON state of the engine (ACC ON or IG ON), and when the timing circuit counts a predetermined time (for example, every hour), the corresponding circuit that is always activated even in the power saving mode interrupts the CPU to switch the vehicle-mounted device 1 from the power saving mode to the normal mode. Moreover, since power is always supplied to the relay input/output unit even in the power saving mode, the state of the external relay 20 can always be maintained.

[About the wireless communication module]
As described above, in the normal mode, the vehicle-mounted device 1 collects vehicle information at predetermined intervals, for example, every 30 seconds, or when a specific event such as vehicle power is turned on, or both, and transmits the vehicle information to the server 3. When the corresponding circuit that is always running interrupts the CPU to switch the vehicle-mounted device 1 from the power saving mode to the normal mode, the vehicle-mounted device 1 communicates with the server 3 to receive relay control commands and transmit vehicle information. In the normal mode, in addition to communication originating from the vehicle-mounted device 1, communication originating from the server 3 is possible, and the vehicle-mounted device 1 can receive information such as a relay control command. When the radio wave condition is bad, the communication may be repeated several times, for example, about five times before the communication is established. Even when communication cannot be established due to poor radio wave conditions, the vehicle-mounted device 1 stores in its memory the relay control command received from the server 3 through the most recent communication, so that the vehicle-mounted device 1 can operate stand-alone. In addition, since the vehicle-mounted device 1 stores the collected vehicle information in its memory, it can collectively transmit them to the server 3 when the communication line is restored. When the radio wave condition is bad, the relay control command corresponding to the start-disabled state can be set not to be transmitted or received, and in this case, the inconvenience that the start-disabled state cannot be changed to the start-enabled state due to the bad radio wave condition can be avoided.

Next, the internal configuration of the memory 13 will be described with reference to FIG. The memory 13 includes four processing units consisting of a communication unit 50 , a relay control unit 51 , a relay monitoring unit 55 and an engine interlocking control unit 57 . In addition, the relay control unit 51 includes a relay setting value 52, a vehicle-specific activatable relay value 53, and a vehicle-based activatable relay value 54, a relay monitoring unit 55 includes a relay monitoring execution flag 56, and an engine interlocking control unit 57 includes a relay change prohibition period 58, an engine stop time 59, and an engine state re-evaluation period.

A communication unit 50 is a data area for communication with the server 3 . It is used to transmit vehicle information to the server 3 and receive relay control commands from the server 3 via the wireless communication module 12 . The relay control section is a data area for changing the external relay 20 to the state corresponding to the relay value given by the relay control command from the server 3 . The relay monitoring unit 55 periodically monitors the state of the external relay 20 based on the relay state values of the activation-disabled state/activation-enabled state set as described below, in a situation where the relay state should be the activation-enabled state, that is, when the initial state or the last relay change request from the server 3 is a change to the activation-enabled state, and if the external relay 20 is in a relay state other than the activation-enabled state as a result of this monitoring, it is changed to the activation-enabled state. When receiving the relay control command from the server 3, the engine interlocking control unit 57 ignores the relay control command if the engine has been turned on for the past X minutes (for example, 2 minutes), and changes the relay to the startable state if it detects that the engine is turned on within Y seconds (for example, 5 seconds) after executing the relay control command to the start-disabled state.

Here, the grounds for setting X minutes to 2 minutes, for example, will be described. About 10 minutes after the engine stops, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is switched to the power saving mode to reduce power consumption. When a user gets into a vehicle in a power saving mode, inserts a key into a cylinder to start an engine, and turns on an ignition, an ING input detection part 17 detects that the engine is turned on from a running state identification line (ACC line, IG line) 22, interrupts a CPU 11, and switches the vehicle-mounted device 1 to a normal mode. It takes about 1 minute when the radio wave condition is good until the server 3 recognizes that the vehicle-mounted device 1 is switched to the normal mode, and about 1 minute and 30 seconds when the radio wave condition is bad and communication needs to be repeated about 5 times. By not adopting (ignoring) the relay control command instructing switching to the start-disabled state for a certain period after the power of the vehicle is turned off, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from being carelessly switched to the start-disabled state even when the power of the vehicle is turned on again immediately after turning off the power of the vehicle. For example, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from being inadvertently switched to a non-startable state when the vehicle is temporarily stopped at a position a little shifted from the parking space until the cargo is loaded and unloaded from the trunk or seat in a parking lot, and the power of the vehicle is turned off after the cargo is loaded and unloaded, and the vehicle is turned on again to put the vehicle into the parking space. Conversely, if X minutes is too long, the vehicle may not be able to switch to the start-disabled state, so if the engine has been on for the past two minutes, the relay control command is ignored.

Next, the grounds for setting Y seconds to 5 seconds, for example, will be described. When the vehicle-mounted device 1 receives a relay control command while the power of the vehicle is on, it does not receive the relay control command (ignores the relay control command) in consideration of safety. Since the user is moving in the vehicle while the power of the vehicle is on, the vehicle is prevented from being inadvertently put into a start-disabled state, for example, when reception of a relay control command for changing the vehicle to a start-disabled state is delayed due to poor radio wave conditions. On the other hand, it takes about 3 seconds after the vehicle is actually started before the vehicle-mounted device 1 recognizes the start of the vehicle. When the vehicle-mounted device 1 receives a relay control command immediately after starting the vehicle, the vehicle-mounted device 1 determines that the vehicle is not started, adopts the relay control command, and causes a situation in which the vehicle is switched to a start-disabled state although the vehicle is started. As will be described later, when the ignition switch is of a push type, there are two methods of disabling the start-up state: disabling the push button and activating the immobilizer (cutting the authentication line). Of these, in the case of disabling the push button, if the state is switched to the disabling state during the three seconds, the engine cannot be turned off. On the other hand, in the case of the method of activating the immobilizer, if it is switched to the activation disabled state during the three seconds, the push button is effective, so the engine can be turned off, but the gear cannot be put into drive D. Based on the above, 5 seconds, which is longer than 3 seconds, was adopted as Y seconds.

Next, each variable of the memory 13 shown in FIG. 6 will be explained. The relay setting value 52 is a relay value corresponding to the current state of the external relay 20 . The start-disabled relay value 53 for each vehicle type is a set value for each vehicle type corresponding to the state of the external relay 20 that puts the vehicle in the start-disabled state. The startable relay value 54 for each vehicle type is a set value for each vehicle type corresponding to the state of the external relay 20 that enables the vehicle to be started. The relay monitoring execution flag 56 is a flag that determines whether or not to execute monitoring of the external relay 20, and is turned on in the initial state (when the vehicle is shipped) or when the last relay control command from the server 3 is a change to the startable state. The relay change prohibition period is a period (X minutes, eg, 2 minutes) during which the change of the external relay 20 is prohibited after the engine is stopped. The engine stop time is the time when the engine stop was detected last time. The engine state re-evaluation period is a period (Y seconds, for example, 5 seconds) for re-evaluating whether the engine is on after performing control to the start-disabled state.

Only one vehicle type start-disable relay value 53 and vehicle type startable relay value 54 may be stored according to the vehicle type, or values of a plurality of vehicle types may be stored and selected according to the vehicle type. In addition, the vehicle model start-disable relay value 53 and the vehicle model start enable relay value 54 may be set from the console 14, or may be set from the server 3, but it is desirable to set from the server 3 from the viewpoint of file safety due to noise.

Next, the operation of each processing unit of the memory 13 will be described with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. 7 to 9. FIG. First, the operation of the relay control section 51 will be described with reference to FIG. When the relay control unit process is started in S11, first, the relay setting value 52 is overwritten with the given relay value in S12, and then the relay state is changed to the state of the relay setting value 52 in S13. Subsequently, in S14, it is determined whether or not the relay value of the relay control command is the same as the startable relay value 54 for each vehicle type. If the determination in S14 is No, the process advances to S16 to call the communication unit and notify the server 3 of the completion of the relay state change. The relay control unit 51 is called by S25 of the relay monitoring unit 55 shown in FIG. 8 and S36 of the engine interlocking control unit 57 shown in FIG.

Next, referring to FIG. 8, the operation of the relay monitoring section will be described. When the relay monitoring unit process is started in S21, first, in S22, it is determined whether or not the relay monitoring execution flag 56 is ON. As described above, the relay monitoring execution flag 56 is a flag that determines whether or not to execute monitoring of the external relay 20, and is turned on in the initial state (when the vehicle is shipped) or when the last relay control command from the server 3 is a change to the startable state. If the determination in S22 is Yes, the process proceeds to S23, acquires the relay state of the external relay 20, and then proceeds to S24. On the other hand, if the determination in S22 is No, the process advances to S26 to end the relay monitoring unit process. In S24, it is determined whether or not the relay value acquired in S23 is a value other than the vehicle type activatable relay value 54. If Yes, the process proceeds to S25, in which the relay control unit 51 is called, the relay set value 52 is overwritten with the vehicle type activatable relay value 54 corresponding to the activatable state, and the state of the external relay 20 is changed to the state corresponding to the vehicle type activatable relay value 54. On the other hand, if the determination in S24 is No, the process proceeds directly to S26 to end the relay monitoring process.

The operation of the relay monitoring unit is performed periodically, for example, every 30 seconds in normal mode and every hour in power saving mode. Due to the operation of the relay monitoring part, when the vehicle is originally in a startable state (when the relay monitoring execution flag is on), even if the memory 13 is rewritten with a numerical value different from the original value due to a defect in the firmware of the vehicle-mounted device, the external relay 20 is controlled so that the vehicle is always in a startable state. For example, even when the value of the relay set value 52 in the memory 13 is rewritten to an unintended value due to a failure of the firmware of the vehicle-mounted device, when the relay monitoring execution flag is on, the vehicle can be maintained in a startable state by controlling the external relay 20 so that the vehicle is always in a startable state.

Next, the operation of the engine interlocking control section 57 will be described with reference to FIG. When the engine interlocking control unit process is started in S31, the process proceeds to S32 to receive a relay control command through the communication unit 50, then proceeds to S33 to determine whether or not the current engine state is off. If the determination in S33 is Yes, the process proceeds to S34, in which it is determined whether or not the difference between the current time and the engine stop time is equal to or greater than the relay change prohibition period 58 (X minutes). If the determination at S33 is No and if the determination at S34 is No, the process advances to S35 to call the communication unit 50 to notify the server 3 of ignoring the relay control command, then advances to S41 to end the processing of the engine interlock control unit. If the determination in S34 is YES, the process proceeds to S36, the relay control unit 51 is called, the state of the external relay 20 is changed to the state corresponding to the relay control command, and the process proceeds to S37. In S37, after waiting for an engine state re-evaluation period of 60 (Y seconds), the process proceeds to S38, in which it is determined whether or not the executed relay control command is a change to a start-disabled state and the current engine state is ON. If the determination in S38 is YES, the process proceeds to S39, in which the relay control unit 51 is called to change the state of the external relay 20 to the state corresponding to the vehicle-specific startable relay value 54, and then the process proceeds to S40. In S40, after calling the communication unit 50 and notifying the server 3 that the relay control command is ignored, the process proceeds to S41, and the processing of the engine interlocking control unit ends. On the other hand, if the determination in S38 is No, the process proceeds directly to S41, and the processing of the engine interlocking control section ends.

The operation of the engine interlock control unit 57 is performed periodically, for example, every 30 seconds in the normal mode and every hour in the power saving mode. In S35 and S40, the communication unit 50 is called to notify the server 3 of ignoring the relay control command, and when the server 3 receives that the relay control command has been ignored, it repeatedly transmits the relay control command until the completion of the relay state change is notified in S16 of FIG. By the operation of the engine interlocking control part 57, when the vehicle is changed to the start-disabled state by the instruction from the server, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from being put in the start-disabled state in a state where the vehicle is placed in a dangerous place or a place that bothers others in consideration of the safety of the vehicle. By considering the relay change prohibition period 58 (X minutes, for example, 2 minutes), it is possible to prevent the vehicle from being carelessly switched to the start-disabled state even when the power of the vehicle is turned on again immediately after turning off the power of the vehicle. Further, by considering the engine state re-evaluation period 60 (Y seconds, for example, 5 seconds), when the vehicle-mounted device 1 receives a relay control command corresponding to the start-disabled state immediately after the power of the vehicle is turned on (within Y seconds), by not adopting the relay control command (ignoring the relay control command), it is possible to prevent the problem of switching to the start-disabled state when the power of the vehicle is on.

Up to this point, a mode of a vehicle remote control system that is applied to an internal combustion engine vehicle and switches to a start-disabled state by cutting the engine start control line (ST line) of the internal combustion engine with an external relay has been described. However, hereinafter, with reference to FIG. Aspects of 1 to 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 10 explains the control method for the start-disabled state. FIG. 10 classifies the types of vehicles into internal combustion engine vehicles, EV vehicles, parallel system HEV vehicles, series system HEV vehicles, and series/parallel system HEV vehicles, classifies them as to whether or not they are equipped with an immobilizer, further classifies the activation system into key system and push system, and summarizes which of the three systems A, B, and C can be adopted as the control system for the start-disabled state. Among the three control methods, A method cuts the ST line, B method disallows key authentication, and C method invalidates the push button.

The key type and the push type are classified according to the operation method for starting the power. The key type is a system in which a key is inserted into a key cylinder to start the power and switches between OFF, ACC, IGN and START. The push type is a method in the case of the smart key type, in which the power is turned on by pressing the power start push button.

The definition of the HEV vehicle is as follows. The parallel system is a system in which the wheels are driven by the motor and the engine, and the battery is charged using the motor. In the series system, the engine drives a generator to charge the battery, and the motor drives the wheels. The series-parallel system is a system in which the wheels are driven by the motor and the engine, and the generator is driven by the engine and charged to drive the motor.

Here, the configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 1 is common to both the EV vehicle and the HEV vehicle, as shown in FIG. In the case of an EV vehicle, instead of the IGN input detection unit 17, it is preferable to provide a means for detecting that the push button is pressed to turn on the power, and the external relay 20 may be replaced with electronic means as described later. In the case of an HEV vehicle, it is desirable to provide means for detecting that power is on instead of the IGN input detection unit 17, and the external relay 20 may be replaced with electronic means as described later.

Three control methods, the A method, the B method, and the C method will be described in detail below. The wiring for inserting the external relay 20 is different depending on each method, but in any method, it is impossible to start the power when the start-disabled state, and it is possible to start the power when the start-enabled state.

Method A is the method described above as the present embodiment, and is a method of switching to a start-disabled state by cutting the engine start control line (ST line) of the internal combustion engine with the external relay 20, and is applicable to internal combustion engine vehicles. In the A method, an external relay 20 is inserted in the ST line, and by opening the external relay 20 in a start-disabled state, power supply to the starter motor is cut off, thereby preventing the engine from starting.

The B method is another example of this embodiment, and is a method that is adopted in a vehicle equipped with an immobilizer. An immobilizer is a device that records a unique ID code in an IC chip called a transponder embedded in a key, authenticates the ID code of the transponder with the ID code registered in the electronic control unit of the vehicle body, and starts the engine only when the authentication is established. In method B, the external relay 20 is inserted into the signal line of the transponder-side ID code received by the vehicle from the transponder in the immobilizer or the signal line of the vehicle-side ID code in the immobilizer, and by opening the external relay 20 in the activation-disabled state, ID code authentication fails, and the engine cannot be started in the activation-disabled state. Here, an example of setting the activation disabled state using the external relay 20 has been described, but any means, for example, electronic means, may be used as long as the authentication of the ID code is not established in the activation disabled state. Even if electronic means is used, it is desirable that the relay input/output unit 18 (see FIG. 3) can detect whether the start-up is disabled or enabled.

Method C is still another example of the present embodiment, and is a method adopted for a vehicle equipped with a power start push button in the case of a smart key system. A smart key type vehicle does not have a key cylinder for power starting, and power is started by informing the electronic control unit that the push button has been pressed. For example, there are no key-type EV vehicles, and they are all push-type. In method C, the external relay 20 is inserted into the wiring of the push button, and by opening the external relay 20 in the activation disabled state, the power is not turned on even if the push button is operated in the activation disabled state. Here, an example of setting the activation disabled state using the external relay 20 has been described, but any means, for example, electronic means, may be used as long as it does not notify the electronic control device that the push button has been pressed in the activation disabled state. Even if electronic means is used, it is desirable that the relay input/output unit 18 (see FIG. 3) can detect whether the start-up is disabled or enabled.

In the case of a key-type vehicle with an immobilizer, internal combustion engine vehicles have either A or B system, and EV vehicles do not have them. Parallel HEV vehicles, series HEV vehicles, and series/parallel HEV vehicles all have B system.

In the case of a push type with an immobilizer, internal combustion engine vehicles are A, B, or C systems, EV vehicles are B or C systems, and parallel HEV vehicles, series HEV vehicles, and series/parallel HEV vehicles are all B or C systems.

In the case of a key-type vehicle without an immobilizer, there are no A-system or EV vehicles for internal combustion engine vehicles, and parallel-system HEV vehicles, series-system HEV vehicles, and series-parallel HEV vehicles cannot support any of the systems.

In the case of a push type without an immobilizer, internal combustion engine vehicles use A or C system, EV vehicles use C system, parallel HEV vehicles, series HEV vehicles, and series/parallel HEV vehicles use C system.

[Embodiment 2]
In Embodiment 1, an example of determining steps C2 to C5 in FIG. 2 has been described, but in Embodiment 2, an example in which determination of whether or not a lease fee is paid for car lease is added will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. In FIGS. 11 and 12, the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations as in FIGS. 1 to 10, and the description thereof is omitted. In the second embodiment, taking the case of car leasing as an example, control for switching the vehicle to the activation-disabled state when the user has not made a predetermined payment for the vehicle, and control for switching the vehicle to the activation-enabled state again when the user has made a predetermined payment will be described. FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a vehicle remote control system according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 12 is a flowchart of vehicle activation control.

The server 3 has a user information management section 38 and a payment status monitoring section 30 . The payment status monitoring unit 30 monitors the user's payment status using the API 39 of the financial system 36 . The user's payment information monitored by the payment status monitoring unit 30 is sent to the user information management unit 38, so that the user information management unit 38 can grasp the user's payment status in real time. The user information management section 38 is connected to the obligation information calculation means 71 , and various types of obligation information calculated by the obligation information calculation means 71 are sent to the user information management section 38 . Also, the user information management unit 38 can communicate with the user terminal 37 . In FIG. 11, communication by the wireless communication network 34 and communication between the user information management unit 38 and the user terminal 37 are depicted separately, but communication between the user information management unit 38 and the user terminal 37 may be performed by the wireless communication network 34. That is, the communication between the user information management unit 38 and the user terminal 37 includes, for example, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), WiMAX (registered trademark), wireless LAN, beacon, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), and the like.

The user information management unit 38 is provided with information of a tax management system 81, an insurance management system 82, an automobile inspection management system 83, and a vehicle regulation database 84, and can manage information corresponding to each user. By using this user information management unit 38, for example, similar to the first embodiment, when the tax payment is determined in C2 of FIG. 3, the user of the vehicle 2 can be warned via the user terminal 37 to the effect that the vehicle 2 will be put into a start-disabled state if the tax is not paid within a predetermined period of time.

With reference to FIG. 12, a detailed description will be given of the determination as to whether or not the lease fee has been paid when leasing the vehicle 2. FIG. It should be noted that the determination regarding payment of the lease fee can be added to the determinations of C2 to C5 in FIG. 3 of the first embodiment.
The flow starts at step A1. At step A2, when the vehicle is delivered (shipped), the engine start external relay 20 of the vehicle is set to an activatable state so that the vehicle can be started. In step A3, the payment status monitoring unit 30 monitors the user's payment status in real time using the API 39 of the financial system 36, and in step A4, it determines whether or not the user of each vehicle has paid the usage fee within a predetermined period (whether or not there is delinquency). If the usage fee is not paid within the predetermined period (Yes in step A4), the process proceeds to step A5. At step A5, since the toll has not been paid, the user is warned that if the toll is not paid within a predetermined period, the vehicle will be switched to a non-startable state, and the process proceeds to step A6. If No in step A4, the process returns to step A3.

At step A6, the payment status monitoring unit 30 monitors the user's payment status in real time using the API 39 of the financial system 36, and at step A7, determines whether or not the user of each vehicle has paid the usage fee within a predetermined period. If the determination in step A7 is No, the process proceeds to step A8. In step A8, after confirming the operation status of the vehicle, if a predetermined condition is satisfied, the server 3 transmits an engine start relay control command corresponding to the start-disabled state from the remote control instruction unit 31 to the corresponding vehicle-mounted device 1 in order to set the corresponding vehicle 2 in the start-disabled state, and proceeds to step A9. When the vehicle-mounted device 1 receives the engine start relay control command corresponding to the start-disabled state, the engine start external relay 20 is switched to the start-disabled state, so that the corresponding vehicle 2 is put in the start-disabled state, that is, in the case of the internal combustion engine vehicle, the engine cannot be started. In the present embodiment, if Yes in step A4 (when delinquency is detected), the user is once warned in step A5 that the vehicle will be switched to the non-startable state. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In this way, whether or not to proceed directly to step A8 when the delinquency is detected and switch the vehicle to the non-startable state, or to issue a warning once and give a predetermined grace period before switching the vehicle to the non-startable state is determined in consideration of the laws and commercial practices of the region.

On the other hand, if the determination in step A7 is Yes, the process returns to step A3, and the payment status monitoring unit 30 uses the API 39 of the financial system 36 to monitor the user's payment status in real time. When there is no engine start relay control command from the server 3 to the vehicle-mounted device 1 corresponding to the start-disabled state, the engine start external relay 20 is normally set to the start-enabled state. Therefore, if the usage fee is paid within a predetermined period (Yes in step A7), the engine start relay control command corresponding to the start-disabled state is not transmitted from the server 3 to the vehicle-mounted device 1. Therefore, the engine start external relay 20 remains set to the start-enabled state, and the corresponding vehicle 2 is set to the start-enabled state, that is, the engine can be started in the case of an internal combustion engine vehicle.

In step A9, the user is notified that the vehicle cannot be started due to non-payment of the toll, and prompts the user to pay the toll for a specified period of time, and proceeds to step A10. In step A10, the payment status monitoring unit 30 monitors the user's payment status in real time using the API 39 of the financial system 36, and in step A11, determines whether or not the user of the vehicle has paid the usage fee within a predetermined period. If the determination in step A11 is Yes (if payment has been made), the server 3 transmits an engine start relay control command corresponding to the startable state from the remote control instruction unit 31 to the corresponding vehicle-mounted device 1 in order to make the corresponding vehicle ready to start again. When the vehicle-mounted device 1 receives the engine start relay control command corresponding to the startable state, the engine start external relay 20 is switched to the startable state, and the corresponding vehicle becomes the startable state again.

If the usage fee is a monthly fee, for example, it is confirmed whether or not a predetermined amount has been paid by the 25th of the previous month (corresponding to step A4). When the prescribed payment is not made, a message is sent to the user that the payment is in arrears and that the vehicle will be disabled if the prescribed fee is not paid within one week (corresponding to step A5). If the prescribed fee is not paid within one week from the transmission of this message, after confirming the operation status of the vehicle, the server 3 transmits an engine start relay control command corresponding to the start-disabled state from the remote control instruction section 31 to the corresponding vehicle-mounted device 1 on the condition that the prescribed conditions are satisfied (corresponding to step A8). If the user does not pay the prescribed fee even after a prescribed period of time, such as one month, has passed since the vehicle was made unstartable (No in step A11), the administrator uses the position information of the specific vehicle collected by the vehicle information collection unit 32 to make arrangements for the collection of the vehicle (corresponding to step A14, and then the process ends at step A15, ending the process).

On the other hand, when the payment of the predetermined amount of money by the user is confirmed within a predetermined period after the engine start relay control command corresponding to the start-disabled state is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 1 (in the case of yes in step A11), the server 3 transmits the engine start relay control command corresponding to the start-enabled state from the remote control instruction unit 31 to the corresponding vehicle-mounted device 1, thereby making the vehicle start-enabled state again (corresponding to step A12). In addition, when there is no engine start relay control command corresponding to start impossibility from the server 3 to the vehicle-mounted device 1, the engine start external relay 20 is normally set to a startable state, so that the corresponding vehicle is set to a startable state. Therefore, as long as the user has paid the predetermined fee by the 25th day of each month, the user can use the vehicle in the startable state.

After the vehicle is switched to the non-startable state in step A8 and the user is urged to make a predetermined payment in step A9, if the user wants to use the vehicle immediately, the user promptly makes the predetermined payment. In this case, since the user wants to use the vehicle immediately, if there is a time lag from when the predetermined payment is made until the vehicle is actually switched from the start-disabled state to the startable state, it is disadvantageous and problematic for the user who wants to use the vehicle immediately. Therefore, in step A10, since the user's payment status is monitored in real time using the API 39 of the financial system 36, in step A11, it is possible to grasp in real time that a predetermined payment has been made from the user, and in step A12, immediately after the predetermined payment has been made, the server 3 transmits an engine start relay control command corresponding to the startable state from the remote control instruction unit 31 to the corresponding onboard device 1, and makes the vehicle in the startable state again, and returns in step A13.

When setting the vehicle 2 to the start-disabled state, it is necessary to consider the running state of the vehicle. That is, if the user switches to the start-disabled state while moving in a vehicle, not only is the user expected to experience a severe situation, but there is also the risk of obstructing traffic of other vehicles. Moreover, as will be described later, switching the external relay to the start-disabled state while the vehicle power is on may cause problems depending on the type of vehicle, and there are conditions that should be avoided from the standpoint of safety. Here, a case where the server 3 automatically judges the operating state of the vehicle and switches the vehicle to the start-disabled state and a case where the switch to the start-disabled state is postponed will be described. For example, the server 3 confirms the operation status of the vehicle based on the GPS location information collected from the vehicle and the on/off information of the power of the vehicle, determines that the vehicle is parked in a predetermined parking lot on the condition that the vehicle power is off and the vehicle is in a predetermined parking lot, and transmits a relay control command to the onboard equipment 1 of the corresponding vehicle 2 to disable the activation of the external relay 20, thereby switching the vehicle 2 to the activation disabled state. In this case, since the vehicle 2 is parked in the predetermined parking lot, there is no fear of obstructing the traffic of other vehicles. Further, for example, the server 3 confirms the operation status of the vehicle, determines that the user is using the vehicle when the power of the vehicle is on and the vehicle is in a place other than a predetermined parking lot, and refrains from transmitting a relay control command for switching the external relay 20 to the start-disabled state to the corresponding vehicle-mounted device 1 of the vehicle. As described above, in the present invention, the vehicle-mounted device 1 is configured to determine safety as described later, so the determination in the server 3 can be relatively simplified.

Here, an example has been described in which the server automatically determines whether or not each user has paid a predetermined fee within a predetermined period, sends a message to the user, determines the operation status of the vehicle, determines whether to transmit a relay control command corresponding to the start-disabled state and the start-enabled state, and makes an inquiry to the user and a report to the police when theft or abnormality occurs.

In this embodiment, the case of leasing the vehicle 2 has been exemplified, but this embodiment is not limited to the case of leasing, and can also be applied to car rental or car sharing, for example. In the case of car rental or car sharing, the remote control command includes a locking command and an unlocking command, and the user information management unit 38 manages the reservation of the vehicle by communicating with the user terminal 37, transmits door lock key information to the user terminal 37 in accordance with the reservation status and payment status, and receives the locking command and unlocking command from the user terminal 37. The vehicle-mounted device 1 controls locking and unlocking of the door lock key of the vehicle 2 based on a locking command and an unlocking command as remote control commands.

1 onboard device 2 vehicle 3 server 11 CPU
12 wireless communication module 13 memory 14 console input/output 15 internal battery 16 power supply input detector 17 IGN input detector 18 relay input/output 19 GPS input/output 20 external relay 21 external battery 22 running state identification line 23 engine start control line (ST line)
24 GPS
30 payment status monitoring unit 31 remote control instruction unit 32 vehicle information collection unit 33 transmission/reception unit 34 wireless communication network 35 administrator terminal 36 financial system 37 user terminal 38 user information management unit 39 API
41 Coil 42 Switch 43 Relay input/output unit side terminal 44 Relay input/output unit side terminal 45 One terminal of engine start control line side 46 Normally closed terminal 47 Normally open terminal 50 Communication unit 51 Relay control unit 52 Relay set value 53 Start-up disabled relay for each vehicle type 54 Start-up enabled relay for each vehicle type 55 Relay monitoring unit 56 Relay monitoring execution flag 57 Engine interlocking control unit 58 Relay change prohibition Period 59 Engine stop time 60 Engine state re-evaluation period 61 Income prediction unit 71 Obligation information calculation means 81 Tax management system 82 Insurance management system 83 Car inspection management system 84 Vehicle regulation database

Claims (3)

Vehicle information collection means for collecting vehicle information including historical information on the operating state of the vehicle from an on-board device installed in a user's vehicle;
an income prediction unit that predicts the user's income based on the history information and provides information about the income or information about taxes based on the income to a tax management system;
duty information calculation means for determining whether or not the user has to pay taxes based on the tax payment information obtained from the tax management system;
a transmission unit that transmits a remote control command for controlling the vehicle to the vehicle-mounted device based on the determination result;
A server characterized by having: A vehicle-mounted device installed in a user's vehicle;
A vehicle remote control system comprising a server,
The server is
vehicle information collection means for collecting vehicle information including history information of the operating state of the vehicle from the vehicle-mounted device;
an income prediction unit that predicts the user's income based on the history information and provides information about the income or information about taxes based on the income to a tax management system;
duty information calculation means for determining whether or not the user has to pay taxes based on the tax payment information obtained from the tax management system;
a transmission unit configured to transmit a remote control command for controlling the vehicle to the vehicle-mounted device based on the determination result;
The vehicle remote control system, wherein the vehicle-mounted device controls a startable state and a start-disabled state of the vehicle based on the remote control command. A step in which a server collects vehicle information including history information of the operating state of the vehicle from an on-board device installed in the user's vehicle;
the server predicting the user's income based on the historical information and providing information about the income or information about taxes based on the income to a tax management system;
a step in which the server determines whether or not the user has paid taxes based on the tax payment information obtained from the tax management system;
a step of the server transmitting a remote control command for controlling the vehicle to the vehicle-mounted device based on the determination result;
A remote control method for a vehicle, comprising the step of controlling the startable state and the unstartable state of the vehicle by the vehicle-mounted device based on the remote control command.

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