JP7679740B2 - Information processing device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an information processing device.

Conventionally, there is known an information processing system for recording vehicle charts that contain information useful when assessing a vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1, etc.).

JP 2010-9572 A

There is room for improvement in the way vehicle records are created.

The purpose of this disclosure, made in light of these circumstances, is to create a medical record tailored to the vehicle.

An information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control unit that records information about a vehicle in a medical record of the vehicle. The control unit changes a method of generating information about the vehicle based on specification information of the vehicle.

According to an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a medical record tailored to the vehicle can be created.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a diagnosis result indicating diagnosis items and the status of each diagnosis item.

(Configuration example of information processing system 1)
1, an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment includes a server 10 and a vehicle 20. The server 10 and the vehicle 20 are configured to be able to communicate with each other. The server 10 and the vehicle 20 may be configured to be able to communicate with each other via a network. The number of each of the servers 10 and the vehicles 20 is not limited to one, and may be two or more.

The information processing system 1 records the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle 20 as a medical record of the vehicle 20. The medical record of the vehicle 20 is utilized for trading the vehicle 20 in the used car market, etc. The information processing system 1 may provide the medical record of the vehicle 20 to a user who buys and sells the vehicle 20, or to a dealership that distributes the vehicle 20. An example configuration of the information processing system 1 is described below.

<Server 10>
The server 10 includes a server control unit 11, a server storage unit 12, and a server communication unit 13. The server 10 may include one or more server devices capable of communicating with each other. The server 10 is also referred to as an information processing device.

The server control unit 11 controls at least a part of each component of the server 10. The server control unit 11 is also simply referred to as a control unit. The server control unit 11 may be configured to include one or more processors. In this embodiment, the "processor" is a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited to these. The server control unit 11 may be configured to include one or more dedicated circuits. The dedicated circuits may include, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The server control unit 11 may be configured to include a dedicated circuit instead of a processor, or may be configured to include a dedicated circuit together with a processor.

The server memory unit 12 stores vehicle information of the vehicle 20 that is recorded as the medical record of the vehicle 20. The server memory unit 12 is also simply referred to as a memory unit. The server memory unit 12 may be configured to include, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, or an optical memory, or may be configured to include an electromagnetic storage medium such as a magnetic disk, but is not limited to these. The server memory unit 12 may function, for example, as a main memory device, an auxiliary memory device, or a cache memory. The server memory unit 12 stores any information used in the operation of the server 10. For example, the server memory unit 12 may store a system program, an application program, or the like. At least a part of the server memory unit 12 may be included in the server control unit 11.

The server communication unit 13 includes a communication module configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle 20. The communication module may include, but is not limited to, a communication module compatible with mobile communication standards such as 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation). The server communication unit 13 is also simply referred to as a communication unit.

<Vehicle 20>
The vehicle 20 may be an automobile driven by an engine, an electric vehicle driven by a motor, or a hybrid vehicle driven by a combination of an engine and a motor. The vehicle 20 is not limited to these, and may be various types of automobiles.

The vehicle 20 includes a vehicle control unit 21 and a vehicle communication unit 22. The vehicle control unit 21 and the vehicle communication unit 22 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via an in-vehicle network such as a Controller Area Network (CAN) or a dedicated line.

The vehicle control unit 21 controls each component of the vehicle 20. The vehicle control unit 21 may include one or more processors. The vehicle control unit 21 may include one or more dedicated circuits instead of a processor, or may include one or more dedicated circuits together with a processor. The vehicle control unit 21 may be configured to further include a memory unit.

The vehicle communication unit 22 may be configured to include a communication module configured to be able to communicate with the server 10. The communication module may include, but is not limited to, a communication module compatible with a mobile communication standard such as 4G or 5G. The vehicle communication unit 22 may be configured to include, for example, an in-vehicle communication device.

(Example of operation of information processing system 1)
The server control unit 11 of the server 10 acquires or generates information about the vehicle 20 (vehicle information) and records it in the medical record of the vehicle 20. The vehicle control unit 21 of the vehicle 20 outputs the vehicle information, or information or data for generating the vehicle information, to the server 10.

The vehicle information includes diagnosis results of the state of each component of the vehicle 20. The diagnosis results are generated based on data of each component of the vehicle 20 when the vehicle 20 is being driven. The items to be diagnosed are also referred to as diagnosis items. The diagnosis items correspond to the components of the vehicle 20 to be diagnosed. The diagnosis may be performed, for example, with the state of the engine, suspension, transmission, brake pressure, motor system, or battery as the diagnosis items.

The data of each component of the vehicle 20 when the vehicle 20 is being driven, which is used for diagnosis, is also referred to as diagnostic data. The diagnostic data may include information about the drive device, such as the engine or the motor. The information about the engine may include, for example, the engine RPM or the number of times the engine has been started. The diagnostic data may include information about the suspension of the vehicle 20, such as the suspension or the tires. The diagnostic data may include information about the power transmission device, such as the transmission. The diagnostic data may include information about the braking device, such as the mechanical brake or the regenerative brake. The information about the braking device may include, for example, the number of times the brakes have been used. The diagnostic data may include, for example, information about the battery. The information about the battery may include, for example, the battery charge rate.

The diagnosis may be performed by the vehicle control unit 21. That is, the diagnosis result may be generated by the vehicle control unit 21 diagnosing the state of each component part of the vehicle 20 based on the vehicle information of each component part. The diagnosis may be performed by the server control unit 11. That is, the diagnosis result may be generated by the server control unit 11 diagnosing the state of each component part of the vehicle 20 based on the vehicle information of each component part.

The diagnostic result is generated to represent the state of the component being diagnosed in multiple stages. The diagnostic result may represent, for example, in two stages whether the state of the component being diagnosed is normal or abnormal. The diagnostic result may represent, for example, in three stages whether the state of the component being diagnosed is normal, requires inspection, or is abnormal.

The diagnosis results may be generated as information that associates each diagnosis item with the state of the components of the vehicle 20 that correspond to each diagnosis item, as shown in FIG. 2, for example. In the example of FIG. 2, the states of the engine, transmission, brake pressure, and battery are diagnosed in three stages. The states of the suspension and motor system are diagnosed in two stages. The states of the engine, suspension, and battery are diagnosed as normal. The state of the transmission is diagnosed as requiring inspection (inspection required). The states of the brake pressure and motor system are diagnosed as abnormal.

The number of stages representing the diagnosis result for each diagnostic item is determined based on the specifications of the vehicle 20 to be diagnosed. Specifically, the number of stages representing the diagnosis result for each diagnostic item is determined based on the diagnostic data that the vehicle control unit 21 can obtain.

A diagnostic item that can only determine whether something is normal or abnormal based on diagnostic data is represented as a two-stage diagnostic result. For example, if only a signal indicating whether something is normal or abnormal can be obtained as diagnostic data, that diagnostic item is represented as a two-stage diagnostic result.

A diagnostic item that can grasp the state in detail based on diagnostic data is expressed as a diagnostic result of three or four or more stages. For example, when numerical data such as the battery charge rate can be acquired as diagnostic data, the diagnostic item can be expressed as a diagnostic result of three or four or more stages including a state that requires inspection. When a calculation result of the deterioration degree of an engine or brake pads can be acquired as diagnostic data, the diagnostic item can be expressed as a diagnostic result of three or four or more stages including a state that requires inspection. Even when numerical data can be acquired as diagnostic data, the diagnostic item may be expressed as a two-stage diagnostic result indicating normal or abnormal based on whether the magnitude of the numerical data is above or below a threshold value. When a signal indicating normal, abnormal, or requiring inspection is acquired as diagnostic data, the diagnostic item is expressed as a three-stage diagnostic result.

For some diagnostic items, it may not even be possible to obtain a signal indicating whether the item is normal or abnormal as diagnostic data. Such diagnostic items may be represented as not being included in the diagnosis.

When generating the medical record of the vehicle 20, the server control unit 11 acquires the diagnostic items of the vehicle 20. The server control unit 11 also acquires the number of stages representing the diagnostic result of each diagnostic item of the vehicle 20. The server control unit 11 may generate master data that associates the diagnostic items with the number of stages representing the diagnostic result of each diagnostic item. The master data indicates how each diagnostic item is diagnosed. The server control unit 11 generates a diagnostic result according to the number of stages defined in the master data of the vehicle 20 by analyzing the diagnostic data acquired from the vehicle 20. When the vehicle control unit 21 generates a diagnostic result of the vehicle 20, the server control unit 11 causes the vehicle control unit 21 to generate a diagnostic result by specifying the number of stages defined in the master data of the vehicle 20.

The server control unit 11 acquires the diagnostic items of the vehicle 20 and the number of stages representing the diagnostic results of each diagnostic item of the vehicle 20 as specification information of the vehicle 20. The server control unit 11 may generate master data of the vehicle 20 based on the specification information of the vehicle 20. The server control unit 11 generates diagnostic results with the number of stages set in the specification information or master data of the vehicle 20. When the vehicle control unit 21 generates diagnostic results, the server control unit 11 specifies the number of stages set in the specification information or master data of the vehicle 20 to the vehicle control unit 21 to generate the diagnostic results. In other words, the server control unit 11 changes the method of generating vehicle information based on the specification information of the vehicle 20.

The specification information of the vehicle 20 may include information related to the design specifications of the vehicle 20. The specification information of the vehicle 20 may include information listed in a specifications table of the vehicle 20. The engine specifications may include information specifying, for example, whether it is a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, or a hydrogen engine. The transmission specifications may include information specifying, for example, an AT (Automatic Transmission), an MT (Manual Transmission), or a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission).

The specification information of the vehicle 20 may include information identifying the data items to be acquired as diagnostic data. The specification information of the vehicle 20 may include information regarding the placement of sensors that acquire diagnostic data.

The specification information of the vehicle 20 may differ for each model of the vehicle 20. The model of the vehicle 20 is one of the classification indicators of the vehicle 20, and is an indicator that identifies a group of vehicles 20 that have the same structure, equipment, and performance. The specification information of the vehicle 20 may differ for each model. The specification information of the vehicle 20 may differ for each year of the same model. The specification information of the vehicle 20 may differ for each version of the software of the vehicle control unit 21. The specification information of the vehicle 20 is not limited to these examples and may be set as different information based on various conditions.

As described above, the server 10 according to this embodiment changes the method of generating vehicle information based on the specification information of the vehicle 20. In this way, vehicle information tailored to the specifications of the vehicle 20 is obtained. As a result, a medical record of the vehicle 20 can be generated tailored to the vehicle 20.

The operation of the server 10 (information processing device) according to this embodiment may be realized as an information processing method executed by the server control unit 11, or may be realized as an information processing program executed by the server control unit 11.

The vehicle information may include, for example, the distance traveled by the vehicle 20 (distance measured by the odometer) or fuel economy, warning history regarding braking, oil pressure, or coolant temperature, etc., history of collisions involving the vehicle 20, speed or acceleration data of the vehicle 20, engine RPM, etc.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each means or step can be rearranged so as not to cause logical inconsistencies, and multiple means or steps can be combined into one or divided.

1 Information processing system 10 Server (11: Server control unit, 12: Server communication unit)
20 Vehicle (21: vehicle control unit, 22: vehicle communication unit)

Claims (3)

A control unit is provided for recording information about the vehicle in a medical record of the vehicle,
The control unit is
Acquire, as specification information of the vehicle, information associating a plurality of diagnostic items corresponding to components of the vehicle, including an engine, a suspension, a transmission, a brake pressure, a motor system, or a battery, with a number of two or more stages representing diagnostic results of each of the plurality of diagnostic items, the number being determined based on diagnostic data that can be acquired in the vehicle;
changing a method of generating a chart that records information about the vehicle based on the specification information of the vehicle;
Information processing device. The control unit is
expressing a diagnostic result of an item for which only a signal indicating whether the item is normal or abnormal as diagnostic data among the plurality of diagnostic items as two stages of normal or abnormal;
A diagnostic result of an item for which numerical data is acquired as diagnostic data among the plurality of diagnostic items is expressed as three or more stages including whether the item is normal, abnormal, or in a state requiring inspection.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit indicates, as an item not to be diagnosed, a diagnostic result for which a signal indicating normality or abnormality is not obtained as diagnostic data among the plurality of diagnostic items.

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