JP2006293789A - On-vehicle information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To resolve a problem in a conventional navigation device that when a vehicle key is turned off for fueling or the like and turned on again after a short stop, it takes a time to display an automobile mark indicating one's vehicle position on a map in an accurate position. <P>SOLUTION: The on-state or the off-state of the vehicle key is determined, it is determined whether a temperature of an engine is a predetermined temperature or lower after the vehicle key has been turned off, and when it is detected that the temperature of the engine is the predetermined temperature or lower, electric power supply to a computing means or a temporary storage means of the computing means is stopped. Since a power switch of the navigation device is kept on within a predetermined period even if the vehicle key is turned off, there is no need to newly activate an application program, and the map and the one's vehicle position can be quickly displayed when the vehicle key is turned off for fueling gasoline, and turned on again after finishing fueling. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a novel in-vehicle information processing apparatus that operates on a car system such as a navigation apparatus mounted on an automobile, for example.

In recent years, a navigation apparatus that operates on an operating system in the same manner as a personal computer has been proposed as an in-vehicle information processing apparatus.
In such a navigation device operating on an operating system, a general processing flow from turning on the power supply to starting the operating system and operating an application program for navigation processing will be described with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. explain.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows a main part (including a power supply unit) of a navigation device. The navigation device 1 has an arithmetic processing unit 10, which includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a Flash ROM ( It comprises a read only memory (DRAM) 12, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) 13, and the like. These CPU 11, Flash ROM 12 and DRAM 13 are connected by an internal bus 70.

  Further, the navigation device 1 is supplied with power from the vehicle battery, and is converted into a predetermined voltage (for example, 3.3 V) by the constant voltage circuit 14 and is turned on / off in conjunction with the vehicle key. A predetermined voltage from the constant voltage circuit 14 is supplied to devices such as the CPU 11, the Flash ROM 12, and the RAM 13 via the.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 2, the power line from the battery is normally connected to the navigation device 1, and the CPU 11 is reset when the vehicle key is turned on. Is abbreviated as “S”.) The boot loader (system activation program; hereinafter, the same reference number 120 as the storage area in the ROM in FIG. 1 is used for convenience) stored in the ROM 12 at 202. Read and activate.

  In S204, the boot loader 120 initializes the memory and peripheral devices, and in S206, the operating system image is stored in a predetermined area of the ROM 12 (hereinafter, the operating system image is also referred to as the storage area in the ROM shown in FIG. Is read out and expanded into a RAM 13 that can be read and written at high speed, such as SDRAM, and in S208, the program counter is set to the head address of the operating system image, and the boot loader processing is terminated.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 3, the operating system 122 is activated and the initialization process is started in S302. In S304, a predetermined area of the ROM 12 in which driver software such as peripheral devices is stored (hereinafter referred to as driver software such as peripheral devices). For convenience, the same reference number 124 as the storage area in the ROM shown in FIG. 1 is used.) Driver software 124 such as a peripheral device is loaded and initialized.

When the initialized driver software performs processing such as acquisition of sensor data and all processing by the operating system is completed in S306, the process proceeds to S308, and the CPU 11 starts the navigation function stored in the predetermined area of the ROM 12. The application program 126 to be read is read out and activated.
JP 2000-339053 A

  After such processing, an application program such as navigation processing is started. However, it takes several seconds until the application program is started.

In addition, in the case of a navigation device, the vehicle position is calculated based on signals from sensors such as GPS satellites and gyros, and the vehicle mark indicating the vehicle position is displayed on the map at the correct position. It took more time to function as a system.

  In order to alleviate such problems, the vehicle position before turning off the vehicle key and the storage position of the map data are stored, and when starting up, the map is quickly read out and displayed as the initial value, etc. We are trying to improve.

  In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-339053 (Patent Document 1), the contents of the display memory are saved in the main storage device (memory such as DRAM) when the power is turned off, and when the power is turned on again, the display memory is changed from this memory. It has been proposed to return to

  However, in the conventional technology described above, the vehicle key is turned off by the operator and the power is turned off although it is short in time, such as when stopping at a gas station to refuel while traveling to the destination. .

For this reason, the application program is started after the vehicle key is turned on again, and the vehicle position is accurately displayed on the map by calculating the vehicle position based on signals from sensors such as GPS satellites and gyros. There is a problem that it takes time to display the image at a proper position.
In the case of a stop at a gas station, the operator has a strong desire to leave for the destination, etc., and thus cannot give an impression that it is convenient for the operator.

  The present invention provides an in-vehicle information processing apparatus that operates on an operating system that can be quickly started when the vehicle key is turned on again after a situation where at least such a vehicle key is turned off is expected to be short. The purpose is to do.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides vehicle key state determination means for determining an on state or an off state of a vehicle key, engine temperature detection means for detecting an engine temperature from an engine coolant temperature, and the vehicle key. Engine temperature determining means for determining whether the temperature of the engine detected by the temperature detecting means after the vehicle key is turned off by the state determining means is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, and the engine temperature is determined by the engine temperature determining means. And a power supply control means for stopping the power supply to the calculation means or the temporary storage means when it is detected that the temperature is below the temperature.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides vehicle key state determination means for determining whether a vehicle key is on or off, vehicle position detection means for detecting the position of the vehicle, and vehicle key state determination means. Vehicle position determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detecting means is within a predetermined distance from the road when the vehicle key is turned off by the vehicle position determining means, and And power supply control means for maintaining the power supply to the calculation means or temporary storage means for a predetermined time when located within a distance.

  According to such an in-vehicle information processing apparatus, even if the vehicle key is turned off, the power switch of the computing means is turned on within a predetermined period (time depending on the engine temperature, cooling water temperature, etc.), so that a new application If there is no need to start the program and the navigation device is used, for example, when the vehicle key is turned off to refuel, the refueling is finished and the vehicle key is turned on again, the map and the vehicle position are quickly displayed on the display screen. Can be displayed.

  Next, although one example of the present invention is described in detail based on a drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that the present invention can be variously modified and applied without being limited to the example described below.

First, an internal configuration example of a navigation device mounted on a car will be described as a representative example of the in-vehicle information processing apparatus according to the present invention with reference to FIG.
The navigation device 1 includes an arithmetic processing unit 10, an external storage device 20, a sensor unit 30, a display unit 40, an external information receiving unit 50, an input / output unit 60, and the like.

  The arithmetic processing unit 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a storage device 12 including a Flash ROM (Read Only Memory), and a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) 13. Of course, there are other elements that constitute the arithmetic processing unit 10, but illustrations of elements that are not related to the description of the present invention are omitted.

The CPU 11 is used for performing various calculations in addition to executing application programs to be described later.
For example, the signal from the sensor unit 30 is calculated according to a predetermined logic, or the current position of the vehicle is calculated based on information from the GPS (Global Positioning System) signal receiving unit 51, and is necessary for display from the calculated current position information. The map information is read from the external storage device 20 and displayed on the display unit 40 together with the vehicle position mark as the current position.

The storage device 12 stores application programs for various functions of the navigation device 1 and data necessary for the calculation thereof. Here, the Flash ROM 12 is used, but an EPROM or the like having equivalent functions is used. Also good.
The DRAM 13 is used as a work area being processed or used for temporarily storing map data, etc. Map information and calculation data such as position information of a designated place on the touch panel described later and a selected road are used. For example, it stores point information and the like.

The external storage device 20 stores information necessary for navigation processing, such as map data, road types, road data for route calculation such as nodes constituting the road data and link configuration information, facility information such as coordinate values, telephone numbers, and addresses. Is building as.
The external storage device 20 is constituted by one or a combination of one or both of a DVD drive 21 and a hard disk drive into which a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) 23 storing the above-described information is inserted.

The sensor unit 30 includes an azimuth sensor 31 and a gyro 32. The azimuth sensor 31 detects the direction of the automobile by detecting the magnetic field of the earth. Used to detect the angle of rotation of the car.
The signals detected by the azimuth sensor 31 and the gyro 32 are converted into digital signals by an analog-digital converter (A / D) 34 and sent to the arithmetic processing unit 10 via the internal bus 70.

  Further, the sensor unit 30 includes a wheel speed sensor 33. The wheel speed sensor 33 generates a travel distance signal of the automobile by counting a pulse signal output with the rotation of the wheel by the counter 35. Similarly, the distance signal is sent to the arithmetic processing unit 10 via the internal bus 70.

  The temperature sensor 37 has a function of detecting the coolant temperature of the automobile engine, the lubricating oil temperature, or the temperature of the engine itself. The detection signal of the temperature sensor 37 is converted into a digital signal by an analog-digital converter (AD converter) 34 and then sent to the arithmetic processing unit 10.

  Separately from this, it periodically communicates with a vehicle engine control computer (not shown), and the data of the temperature sensor 37 indicating the temperature of the cooling water is converted into serial data via an SCI (Serial Communication Interface) 36. The data may be captured and stored in the DRAM 13 via the internal bus 70.

  The GPS signal receiving unit 51 receives a signal from a GPS satellite via the GPS antenna 54, and measures the distance between the vehicle and the satellite and the rate of change of the distance, whereby the current position, traveling direction, and traveling direction of the vehicle. These measurement data are sent from the SCI (Serial Communication Interface) 53 to the arithmetic unit 10 via the internal bus 70.

  Further, the traffic information receiving unit 52 periodically receives the VICS information superimposed on the FM broadcast via the FM multiplex receiver 55, captures traffic information such as traffic jam information, traffic regulation and traffic accident occurrence information, Information is sent from the SCI 53 to the computing unit 10 via the internal bus 70, and the traffic information is displayed on the display unit 40 together with the map information.

The display unit 40 includes display control means including a display driver 41, a controller 43, a buffer 44, and the like, and a liquid crystal panel 42, and stores data sent from the arithmetic processing unit 10 via the internal bus 70 in the buffer 44. Based on this, the liquid crystal panel 42 displays a map, a guidance route, a vehicle position, and the like.

In addition, the controller 43 receives signals from a number of proximity sensors provided on the touch panel 45 installed on the liquid crystal panel 42 and performs processing for detecting a position pressed by a user's finger or the like. The information is interrupted and sent to the CPU 11.
A combination of the liquid crystal panel 42 and the touch panel 45 provided with a touch sensor is described below as a display screen.

The input / output unit 60 is a key PAD 62 configured by a hard switch or a jog switch that receives an instruction from the user, a remote control light receiving unit 61 that receives an optical signal from a remote control 65 operated by the user, and a user generated by the arithmetic processing unit 10. Is converted to a voice signal by a speaker (SP) 66, and a voice code inputted through a microphone 68 is taken in and converted by a CODEC 63 or the like.
These exchange data with the arithmetic processing unit 10 via a PIO (Port Input / Output) 64 and an internal bus 70.

  Next, the configuration around the power supply unit in the navigation device will be described with reference to FIG.

  The power supply control circuit 18 operates by receiving power supply directly from the constant voltage circuit 14, and in addition to the vehicle key signal indicating the state of the vehicle key, the vehicle position information 73, the coolant temperature, the lubricating oil temperature, Temperature information 72 indicating the temperature of the engine itself is taken in periodically, and the power supply is controlled by turning on / off the power switch 16 in accordance with those states.

  Further, the power control circuit 18 has a built-in timer function and can measure the set time, and the power switch 16 is turned on / off according to the end state of the measurement time to control power supply. Is supposed to do.

  Here, the temperature information 72 is temperature data of the above-described temperature sensor 37 stored in a predetermined area of the DRAM 13, and the vehicle position information 73 is own vehicle position information that the CPU 11 periodically calculates for display on the map. Yes, it can be obtained by calculating distance information from the road closest to the vehicle position.

  Next, the power supply control process will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. When the vehicle key is turned off, the CPU 11 is interrupted and the vehicle key-off interrupt process is started.

  When this vehicle key-off interrupt process is started, first, in step S602, the power supply control circuit 18 periodically acquires the temperature information 72 from that point, and then proceeds to step S604 to determine whether the temperature information has become equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. This determination is a step for determining whether the automobile stops for a short time or stops for a long time due to a stop.

  Therefore, if the temperature information is not lower than the predetermined temperature in S604, this means that the engine is not cooled, and this means that the power switch 16 is kept on because it represents a short time outage. Become.

  On the other hand, if the temperature information 72 is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature in S604, this means that the engine has been stopped for a long time. In this case, in S606, the set value is set so that the same state can be reproduced at the time of restart. Shutdown processing such as evacuation is performed, and then the process proceeds to S608 where the power switch 16 is set to OFF to stop power supply to various devices in the apparatus.

Thus, even if the vehicle key is turned off, the power switch 16 of the navigation device 1 is turned on within a predetermined period (time depending on the engine temperature, cooling water temperature, etc.), so the power of the navigation device 1 is not stopped. Therefore, it is necessary to start a new application program, calculate the vehicle position based on signals from sensors such as GPS satellites and gyros, and display the vehicle mark indicating the vehicle position on the map at an accurate position. Absent.
Therefore, for example, when the vehicle key is turned off for refueling, and the refueling is finished and the vehicle key is turned on again, the map and the vehicle position can be quickly displayed on the display screen 42.

  Next, a power control processing method according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, when the vehicle key is turned off, the CPU 11 is interrupted and the vehicle key-off interrupt process is started. When the vehicle key-off interrupt process is activated, the power supply control circuit 18 acquires the vehicle position information 73 from a predetermined area of the DRAM 13 in S702.

  When the vehicle position information 73 is acquired in S702, the process proceeds to S704, where it is calculated how far the current vehicle position information 73 is from the road, and it is determined whether the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value. This determination is made, for example, when the distance from the road is short like a gas station.

  If the vehicle is away from the road in S704, it is determined that the value is larger than the predetermined value, and the process proceeds to S710 to perform the shutdown process. Thereafter, in S712, the power switch 16 is set to OFF and the power supply is stopped. This is the same processing as the vehicle key-off.

On the other hand, if the current vehicle position information 73 is close to an adjacent road in S704, it is determined that the vehicle position information 73 is smaller than a predetermined value, and the process proceeds to S706 to set a built-in timer to a predetermined value.
If the built-in timer is set to a predetermined value in S706, the process proceeds to S708 to determine whether the timer has timed out, and if it has not timed out, it is determined to time out again. If timed out, the process proceeds to S710 to perform shutdown processing. After that, in step S712, the power switch 16 is set to OFF and the power supply is stopped.

In this way, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is stopped at a location close to the road in S704, and since the vehicle key-on after a short stop such as refueling is estimated and the power is not turned off in S708, the power of the navigation device 1 is not stopped. There is no need to start a new application program.
Therefore, for example, when the vehicle key is turned off for refueling or shopping at a convenience store, and the vehicle key is turned on again after refueling or shopping is completed, the map and the vehicle position are quickly displayed on the display screen 42. can do.

In the first embodiment, the timing for stopping the power supply is set based on the temperature information in the first embodiment and the vehicle position information (actually distance information from the road) and the timer set value in the second embodiment. For example, if the distance from the road is smaller than the predetermined value and the temperature falls below the predetermined value while the timer is running, the power switch is set to OFF even if the timer has not timed out. The supply may be stopped.
This is effective for avoiding an increase in the load applied to the battery if the power of the navigation device is kept on, such as when the outside air temperature is low, and the power of the navigation device is kept on.

  Further, in the first and second embodiments, an example in which all the power sources in the navigation device are collectively controlled has been shown. However, as shown in FIG. The constant voltage source circuit 15 and the power switch 17 may be provided separately, and the power switch 17 may execute the power control process of the above-described embodiment. In this case, it is necessary to set the DRAM 13 to the self-refresh mode. The power supply other than the DRAM 13 may be controlled according to the state of the vehicle key as before.

  With this configuration, only the current necessary for refreshing the DRAM 13 is supplied after the vehicle key is turned off, so that less current is consumed and the burden on the vehicle battery is reduced. be able to.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, since the power switch is turned on even after the vehicle key is turned off, a map or the like remains displayed on the display screen, which may be mistaken for a failure of the navigation device. Therefore, when the vehicle key is off, a process for turning off the power of the display device can be added as necessary within the scope of those skilled in the art.

It is a figure explaining the internal structure of the conventional vehicle-mounted information processing apparatus. It is a flowchart figure for demonstrating the starting process in a vehicle-mounted information processing apparatus. It is a flowchart figure for demonstrating the starting process in a vehicle-mounted information processing apparatus. It is a figure explaining the internal structure of the navigation apparatus which is a typical example of the vehicle-mounted information processing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the structure of the power supply part of the navigation apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the 1st power supply control processing example in the vehicle-mounted information processing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the 2nd power supply control processing example in the vehicle-mounted information processing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the other Example of the power supply part of a navigation apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... CPU, 12 ... Flash ROM, 13 ... RAM, 14 ... Constant voltage circuit, 15 ... Power switch, 18 ... Power supply control circuit vehicle, 72 ... Temperature information, 73 ... Vehicle position information

Claims (4)

CPU for executing the application program, storage means for storing the application program, data necessary for the calculation of the application program, and temporary storage for temporarily storing the work area and data during the calculation processing of the application program In an in-vehicle information processing apparatus mounted on an automobile provided with a calculation means comprising a storage means etc.
The vehicle key is turned off by vehicle key state determination means for determining the on / off state of the vehicle key, engine temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the engine such as engine coolant, and the vehicle key state determination means. Engine temperature determination means for determining whether or not the engine temperature detected by the temperature detection means later is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature; and when the engine temperature determination means detects that the engine temperature has become equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature. An in-vehicle information processing apparatus comprising: power control means for stopping power supply to the computing means. CPU for executing the application program, storage means for storing the application program, data necessary for the calculation of the application program, and temporary storage for temporarily storing the work area and data during the calculation processing of the application program In an in-vehicle information processing apparatus mounted on an automobile provided with a calculation means comprising a storage means etc.
Vehicle key state determination means for determining whether the vehicle key is on or off, vehicle position detection means for detecting the position of the vehicle, and vehicle position detection means after the vehicle key is turned off by the vehicle key state determination means Vehicle position determining means for determining whether the vehicle position detected by the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from the adjacent road, and the calculation when the specific position determining means is located within a predetermined distance from the adjacent road. An in-vehicle information processing apparatus comprising: power control means for maintaining power supply to the means for a predetermined time. CPU for executing the application program, storage means for storing the application program, data necessary for the calculation of the application program, and temporary storage for temporarily storing the work area and data during the calculation processing of the application program In an in-vehicle information processing apparatus mounted on an automobile provided with a calculation means comprising a storage means etc.
Power stop means for stopping power supply to the CPU and the storage means when the vehicle key is turned off, vehicle key state determination means for determining whether the power vehicle key is on or off, and an engine such as engine coolant Engine temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the engine, and engine temperature determination for determining whether the temperature of the engine detected by the temperature detection means after the vehicle key is turned off by the vehicle key state determination means is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature Vehicle-mounted information, comprising: a power supply control means for stopping power supply to the temporary storage means when the engine temperature determination means detects that the engine temperature has fallen below a predetermined temperature. Processing equipment. CPU for executing the application program, storage means for storing the application program, data necessary for the calculation of the application program, and temporary storage for temporarily storing the work area and data during the calculation processing of the application program In an in-vehicle information processing apparatus mounted on an automobile provided with a calculation means comprising a storage means etc.
Power stop means for stopping power supply to the CPU and the storage means when the vehicle key is turned off, vehicle key state determination means for determining an on state or an off state of the vehicle key, and a vehicle for detecting the position of the vehicle Position detection means; vehicle position determination means for determining whether the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection means after the vehicle key is turned off by the vehicle key state determination means is within a predetermined distance from an adjacent road; and In-vehicle information, comprising: power supply control means for maintaining power supply to the temporary storage means for a predetermined period of time when the vehicle is located within a predetermined distance from a nearby road by the specific position determination means Processing equipment.

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