JP2002073853A - Remote maintenance information providing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide a remote maintenance information providing device capable of sending appropriate maintenance information corresponding to the actual situation of each vehicle. An information providing center performs two-way communication between an information providing center, a vehicle, and a service factory, and transmits data specifying a vehicle and data representing an actual vehicle condition from the vehicle to the information providing center. Then, it is necessary to determine whether or not vehicle maintenance is necessary according to the actual vehicle status.When maintenance is required, the vehicle is transmitted to the vehicle.When a maintenance request is received from the vehicle, the reservation status of the service factory is searched, and a reservation is sent to the service factory. , A remote maintenance information providing device that transmits a message that a reservation has been made to a vehicle that has requested maintenance. Since the necessity of vehicle maintenance is determined according to the actual situation of each vehicle, it is possible to solicit appropriate maintenance according to the actual vehicle situation,
In addition, when the vehicle maintenance is requested, the service factory is reserved, so that the user's labor can be greatly reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote maintenance information providing apparatus for performing two-way communication with a vehicle to judge when parts of the vehicle need to be replaced, and to provide the vehicle with information including the acceptance status of a service factory. About the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle is equipped with a plurality of components. Each component has a durable period, and it is necessary to replace the component when a predetermined period has elapsed since the start of use. is there. Conventionally, it has been common for the user of the vehicle to determine whether or not it is time to replace parts.
As described in JP-A-251689, an in-vehicle device that issues an alarm when the actual traveling distance of a vehicle reaches a predetermined value to notify a user that a component replacement time has come has been developed. .

[0003]

In the above-described conventional example, since the user is simply informed that the part replacement time has come, the user is required to perform maintenance such as part replacement. However, it is necessary for the user to contact a service factory or the like where the vehicle is inspected and repaired, and to request replacement parts ordering and maintenance reservation, which is troublesome and inconvenient. In service factories, etc., as a service for users, maintenance guidance is provided by direct mail, etc., but since the service factory cannot grasp the vehicle status such as the mileage of the vehicle, simply perform vehicle maintenance. When a predetermined number of days have elapsed since the start of the maintenance, the maintenance guidance is performed. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to perform appropriate maintenance guidance corresponding to the actual situation of each vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and is to transmit appropriate maintenance information (determination of necessity of maintenance and a result of factory reservation, etc.) corresponding to the actual situation of each vehicle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote maintenance information providing device and method capable of performing the following.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as described in the appended claims. That is, in the present invention, two-way communication is performed between the information providing center and the vehicle and the service factory,
Data (ID number) specifying the vehicle and data representing the actual vehicle situation are transmitted from the vehicle to the information providing center, and the information providing center receives the data and determines whether or not vehicle maintenance is necessary according to the actual vehicle situation. When the maintenance is necessary, the fact is transmitted to the vehicle concerned, and when the maintenance request is received from the vehicle, the reservation status of the service factory is searched and the parking reservation is transmitted to the service factory to request the vehicle maintenance. To the service vehicle, the fact that the reservation has been made is sent to the service factory (claim 1,
Claim 9) Or, if the information providing center receives the data from the vehicle, it determines whether or not the vehicle needs maintenance, searches the reservation status of the service factory, and if the maintenance is necessary, informs to that effect. The reservation status of the factory is transmitted, and when there is a maintenance request from the vehicle, a reservation is made to the service factory and the fact that the reservation has been made is transmitted to the vehicle that requested the vehicle maintenance. Item 1
0).

[0006] The data representing the state of the vehicle described above is:
For example, it is the traveling distance data of the vehicle as described in claim 3, and the information providing center determines the time of replacement of the consumables from the traveling distance of the vehicle to determine whether the vehicle needs maintenance. Alternatively, the data representing the state of the vehicle is, for example, failure data of the vehicle-mounted component as described in claim 4, and the information providing center determines whether the vehicle maintenance is necessary based on the failure data of the vehicle-mounted component. As the failure data of the vehicle-mounted components, for example, a diagnosis result of a vehicle-mounted failure diagnosis device (a so-called diagnosis or the like) can be used.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when searching for the reservation status of a service factory, the service factory to be searched is specified based on the usage status of the user. For example, if there is a service factory that the user normally uses, the service factory is searched.

Further, claim 6 shows the configuration on the vehicle side, wherein the vehicle has communication means for transmitting and receiving data to an information providing center, display means for displaying the received data in the vehicle, and Input means for inputting. The communication unit, the display unit, and the input unit may be provided with a dedicated device in the vehicle, or may use another device mounted on the vehicle. For example, as described in claim 7, a navigation device mounted on a vehicle for route search is used, and data specifying a vehicle and data representing a state of the vehicle are transmitted at a timing when the navigation device is operated. In this case, the data may be transmitted when the user operates the navigation device for the purpose of communicating with the information providing center, or the data may be automatically transmitted when the user performs a normal route search operation. It can also be configured to transmit.

According to the present invention, when the navigation device is used, when the vehicle start switch (ignition switch, etc.) is operated when the data for inviting the vehicle maintenance is received, the received data is transmitted. Is displayed on the display means of the navigation device. Claim 9
Indicates a configuration of the method invention corresponding to claim 1, and claim 10 indicates a configuration of the method invention corresponding to claim 2.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the necessity of vehicle maintenance is determined according to the actual situation of each vehicle, so that it is possible to solicit appropriate maintenance according to the actual situation of the vehicle, and When a request for vehicle maintenance is made, a service factory is reserved and the result is also notified, so that the user's labor can be greatly reduced.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, when it is determined that vehicle maintenance is necessary, the reservation status of the service factory is searched and the information is transmitted at the same time. Since it is possible to judge the reservation status and the user's own convenience, it is easy to judge whether or not to make a maintenance request and to judge the request time.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the time for replacing consumables and the like are determined from the traveling distance of the vehicle, so that the necessity of vehicle maintenance can be accurately determined.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the necessity of vehicle maintenance is determined from the failure data of the vehicle-mounted components, so that the necessity of vehicle maintenance can be accurately determined.

According to the present invention, since the service factory to be searched is specified based on the use status of the user, it is possible to make a reservation for the service factory that the user always uses, and to meet the user's feelings. Maintenance can be done according to the situation.

According to the present invention, the vehicle is provided with communication means, display means and data input means.
The user can communicate with the information providing center while riding, and easily request necessary judgment and procedures such as factory reservation agency.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a navigation device mounted on a vehicle for route search is used as a communication device, a display device, and an input device for a vehicle, and data for specifying a vehicle at a timing when the navigation device is operated. And data representing the state of the vehicle, so that it is not necessary to mount a separate communication device. In particular, when the system is configured to automatically transmit data when the user performs a normal route search operation, the vehicle status is automatically transmitted to the information providing center without the user being particularly conscious. Therefore, the data can be transmitted without the user having to take time.

According to the present invention, when data for inviting vehicle maintenance is received, the received data is displayed on the display means of the navigation device when a start switch (ignition switch or the like) of the vehicle is operated. Since the information is automatically displayed at the time of stopping, the advantages of being safe and requiring no special operation for the display are obtained.

In the ninth aspect, the same effect as in the first aspect is obtained. In the tenth aspect, the same effect as the second aspect is obtained.

[0019]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a vehicle, 2 is an information providing center, and 3 is a service factory that performs vehicle maintenance. Communication devices capable of two-way communication are provided between the vehicle 1 and the information providing center 2 and between the information providing center 2 and the service factory 3. As the communication device mounted on the vehicle 1, a device using a mobile phone or the like may be used, or a navigation device or the like for route search may be used. Further, as a communication device between the information providing center 2 and the service factory 3, a so-called dealer network or the like for communicating between vehicle sales companies can be used. In addition, the information providing center 2 is provided with a database that records data such as an ID number, an accumulated mileage, and a maintenance record for each vehicle to be subjected to remote maintenance.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are flowcharts showing a first embodiment of a process for providing remote maintenance information using the two-way communication system as described above. FIGS. 2 and 3 are connected at the points (A) and (B). In FIG. 2, in step S1, the user of the vehicle 1 performs a transmission operation to the information providing center 2. This operation
Although the user may intentionally operate the navigation device or the like as a transmission operation to the information providing center 2 (for example, an operation of calling a transmission screen and pressing a transmission button), when a normal operation of the navigation device is performed. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which the transmission operation is automatically performed. That is, if it is set so that the transmission operation to the information providing center 2 is performed at the timing when the normal route search operation is performed by the navigation device, the user does not need to perform any special operation. Can be sent to As will be described later with reference to FIG. 6, in the case of a configuration in which the transmission content from the information providing center 2 is displayed at the timing when the ignition switch is turned on on the vehicle 1 side,
At this time, a maintenance button may be displayed on the display screen, and the information providing center may be called up when the user presses the maintenance button.

In the above transmission, as shown in step S2, an ID number and vehicle state data predetermined for each vehicle are transmitted. As the vehicle state data, for example, traveling distance data of the vehicle can be used. That is,
If the integrated mileage measured by the odometer is configured to be automatically taken into the navigation device, information is provided at the timing when the user performs a normal route search operation with the navigation device as described above. Go to center 2
The D number and the accumulated traveling distance are transmitted. Also,
As the vehicle state data, failure data of on-vehicle components can be used. As the failure data of the vehicle-mounted components, for example, a diagnosis result of a vehicle-mounted failure diagnosis device (so-called diagnosis) may be used, and the data may be automatically loaded into the navigation device.

Next, in step S3, the information providing center 2 receives the ID number and the integrated travel distance. In step S4, a vehicle is specified from the received ID number. In step S5, it is determined whether the specified vehicle is a target of remote maintenance, that is, whether or not the vehicle requires a remote maintenance service. This determination may be made so that the ID number transmitted from the vehicle includes an information flag indicating that it is the target,
Alternatively, the determination may be made by searching a database in the information processing center 2.

If it is determined in step S5 that the vehicle is to be subjected to remote maintenance, it is determined in step S6 whether maintenance is necessary based on vehicle state data sent from the vehicle. In this determination, for example, when the vehicle state data is the traveling distance of the vehicle, the presence / absence of consumable parts to be replaced is determined according to the accumulated traveling distance after the previous maintenance. That is, the information providing center 2 includes a personal maintenance system that predicts the replacement time of consumables based on vehicle state data sent from each vehicle. This records the total accumulated mileage from the vehicle and the date it was received,
The consumption amount and consumption time of the consumables are predicted from the increase in the traveling distance in the time series.

The items to be entered or stored in the personal maintenance system include (1) the total accumulated mileage of the vehicle, (2) oil replacement, oil filter replacement, tire replacement, and the like.
Set distance for brake pad replacement, wiper blade replacement, etc. (3) Total distance at reset for each item when resetting the set distance when replacing the above consumable items etc. (4) Distance after replacement in the above maintenance items Driving distance data after reset (5) The exchange setting date and time, elapsed time after reset, etc. can be considered. Each of the input data is stored in the database of the information providing center 2.

In step S6, the personal maintenance system performs an estimated replacement time prediction process from the traveling distance data for each maintenance item to determine whether there is a consumable to be replaced. The determination here is based on, for example, a case where the degree of wear is 80% or a case where the degree of wear is 90% after two months if the vehicle is used as it is. If it is determined in step S6 that there are consumables to be replaced, vehicle maintenance invitation data indicating that the vehicle 1 needs maintenance is transmitted in step S7.

The vehicle maintenance solicitation data includes, for example, a part to be replaced (for example, a brake pad) and a maintenance button (FIG. 6) operated when requesting vehicle maintenance, as shown in FIG. In the example, "Incoming call")
And a mail ID and a mail delivery date (these two are not shown).

Next, at step S8, the vehicle 1 receives the vehicle maintenance invitation data. The display method in the vehicle after the reception will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. Next, in step S9, based on the received vehicle maintenance solicitation data, the user determines whether or not to request vehicle maintenance, the date of entry into the service factory, and the like, and then proceeds to step S10 in FIG. In step S10, the vehicle 1 transmits maintenance request data (consent to request maintenance, a storage date, desired items, etc.) to the information providing center 2. This transmission is performed, for example, when the user presses a maintenance button on the screen shown in FIG. 6B.

Next, at step S11, the information providing center 2
Receives the maintenance request from the vehicle 1 and proceeds to step S12.
Then, the information providing center 2 searches for the reservation status of the service factory. This search is performed using, for example, a dealer network. The information providing center 2 always stores the reservation status of each service factory using a dealer network or the like, and searches for it to determine the reservation status. At this time, if there is a service factory that the user regularly uses, the information providing center 2 searches for a reservation status of the service factory based on a database of the user recorded in advance.

Next, at step S13, the information provision center 2 transmits a reservation for storage to the service factory 3. At this time, the reservation reservation date and the requests from the user are all transferred to the service factory. In step S14, the fact that the reservation for parking is completed is transmitted to vehicle 1. In this case, the storage schedule and the like are transmitted at the same time. The communication device on the vehicle 1 side has a memory for storing the communication from the information providing center 2 as described above, and displays it on a display device at an appropriate timing (details will be described later) and presents it to the user.

Next, a display method in the vehicle 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6A is a flowchart of a process in the vehicle 1, and FIG. 6B is an example of a display screen of the vehicle maintenance invitation data. In FIG. 6A, first, after the ignition switch (IGN) is turned on in step S30, in step S31, the in-vehicle navigation device determines whether a new mail is being delivered. If there is a new mail, the mail contents, mail ID and mail transmission date are stored in the memory in step S32, and the mail and the maintenance button are displayed on the screen of the display device in step S33. The displayed contents are, for example, as shown in FIG. 6B, the contents of the maintenance (in the example shown, inspection and replacement of the brake pad) and the maintenance button (in the figure, “call-in” is displayed). Then, in step S34, 1 is added to a counter that counts the number of mail displays.

On the other hand, if there is no new mail distribution in step S31, the process proceeds to step S35. In step S35, it is determined whether the mail count value of the counter is larger than a predetermined value. If the number is equal to or more than the predetermined number (for example, 10 times), the process proceeds to step S37, where the previous mail, mail ID, transmission date, and the like are deleted, the mail is not displayed, and the mail count value is reset to 0. As a result, a predetermined amount or more of the received data is deleted and new data is prepared so as to be stored.

If the counter value is equal to or less than the predetermined value in step S35, the process proceeds to step S36, and it is determined whether or not a predetermined number of days (for example, two months) have elapsed from the mail delivery date. If it has passed, the mail, the mail ID, the transmission date, etc. are deleted in step S38,
The mail count value is reset to 0 without displaying the mail. As a result, old data whose situation is expected to be changed can be deleted. If it is determined in step S37 that the predetermined number of days have not passed since the mail distribution date, the process proceeds to step S33, where a mail or the like is displayed.

As described above, by displaying the data from the information transmission center 2 which has been received until then when the ignition switch is turned on, the data is displayed when the vehicle stops. The occupant can safely check the displayed contents without being distracted by the driving operation, and can judge the necessity of maintenance and the date of entry into the warehouse.

In the above description, the information transmission center 2
Has been described as an example in which the processing device is configured by a computer or the like, but a part or additional processing of the above processing may be performed by an operator of the information center 2. For example, when there is a special request from the user for vehicle maintenance or service factory selection, voice communication is performed between the operator and the user using a mobile phone or the like, and the content is added to the data. Is also good. Or,
The contents required for the maintenance reservation are displayed on the system screen operated by the operator of the information providing center 2 (for example, the user name, the name of the sales company or service factory used by the user, the reservation status of the service factory, etc.). In addition, regarding the reservation status of the service factory, a network is constructed so that the reservation status of each service factory can be constantly viewed at the information providing center 2, and the operator provides the factory reservation information displayed on the system. Meanwhile, the reservation work can be performed.

Next, FIGS. 4 and 5 are flowcharts showing a second embodiment of the processing for providing the remote maintenance information using the two-way communication system. FIGS. 4 and 5 are connected at the points (A) and (B). In this embodiment, when the information providing center 2 receives the vehicle status data from the vehicle 1, it determines whether or not the maintenance is necessary, and also searches the reservation status of the service factory in advance. The invitation for maintenance and the reservation status of the service factory are sent together. With this configuration,
Since the user can judge the reservation status of the service factory and his or her own convenience, it is easy to judge whether or not to make a maintenance request and to judge the request time.

4 and 5, steps S1 to S6 are the same as those in FIG. In step S20 in FIG. 4, the reservation status of the service factory is searched, and in step S21, the invitation data for vehicle maintenance and the reservation status data of the service factory are sent together. Other, Step S
Steps 22 and below are different in number from each step S in FIG. 3, but the contents are almost the same.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a part of a flowchart showing a first embodiment of a process for providing remote maintenance information using an interactive communication system.

FIG. 3 is another part of the flowchart showing the first embodiment of the processing for providing the remote maintenance information using the two-way communication system.

FIG. 4 is a part of a flowchart showing a second embodiment of a process for providing remote maintenance information using an interactive communication system.

FIG. 5 is another part of the flowchart showing the second embodiment of the process for providing the remote maintenance information using the two-way communication system.

6A is a flowchart of a process in the vehicle 1, and FIG. 6B is an example of a display screen of vehicle maintenance invitation data.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1… Vehicle 2… Information providing center 3… Service factory for vehicle maintenance

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yasushi Kikuchi Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., 2 Takara-cho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture (72) Inventor Toru Futami 2 Takara-cho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Nissan Motor Co. 72) Inventor Toshiya Kimura 2 Takara-cho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa F-term in Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (reference) 3D026 BA28 5B049 AA06 CC06 CC32 FF01 GG00 5K101 KK02 LL12 MM07

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An information providing center, comprising: communication means for transmitting / receiving data to / from a vehicle and a service plant; and data specifying the vehicle and data representing the state of the vehicle transmitted from the vehicle via the communication means. Means for judging the necessity of vehicle maintenance based on the received data; means for transmitting, via the communication means, data for inviting vehicle maintenance to the vehicle determined to require maintenance via the communication means; When the specified data specifying the vehicle and the data requesting vehicle maintenance are received via the communication means, the reservation status of the service factory is searched and the data relating to the warehousing reservation is transmitted to the service factory via the communication means. Means for transmitting, to the vehicle for which vehicle maintenance has been requested, data indicating that a reservation has been made at the service factory through the communication means. Remote maintenance information providing apparatus that. 2. An information providing center, comprising: communication means for transmitting and receiving data to and from a vehicle and a service factory; and said information providing center comprising: data specifying the vehicle sent from the vehicle; Means for determining the necessity of vehicle maintenance based on the received data, and searching for a reservation status of a service factory; and soliciting vehicle maintenance for vehicles determined to require maintenance. Means for transmitting, via the communication means, data relating to the reservation status of the service factory, and data for specifying the vehicle and data for requesting vehicle maintenance transmitted from the vehicle via the communication means. Then, means for transmitting the data relating to the reservation to the service factory via the communication means, and that the vehicle for which the vehicle maintenance was requested has been reserved for the storage at the service factory. Remote maintenance information providing apparatus characterized by comprising a means for transmitting through the communication means data indicative. 3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the data indicating the state of the vehicle includes mileage data of the vehicle, and the necessity of vehicle maintenance is determined by determining a replacement time of consumables based on the mileage of the vehicle. The remote maintenance information providing device according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the data representing the state of the vehicle includes failure data of on-vehicle components, and the necessity of vehicle maintenance is determined based on the failure data of on-vehicle components. Remote maintenance information providing device. 5. The remote maintenance information according to claim 1, wherein when searching for the reservation status of the service factory, the service factory to be searched is specified based on the use status of the user. Providing device. 6. A vehicle, comprising: communication means for transmitting and receiving data to and from an information providing center; display means for displaying received data in the vehicle; input means for inputting data; Means for transmitting data indicating a state via the communication means, and data for inviting vehicle maintenance transmitted from the transmitted data when the information provision center determines that vehicle maintenance is necessary, via the communication means. Receiving means for displaying information inviting vehicle maintenance based on the received data on the display means, and inputting whether or not a vehicle maintenance request is possible with the input means in response to the displayed information and responding to the input. Means for transmitting data for specifying the vehicle and data for requesting vehicle maintenance via the communication means, and data relating to the reservation of entry of the service factory from the information providing center. And a means for displaying, on the display means, information relating to the reservation of entry into the service factory on the basis of the received data, the remote maintenance information providing apparatus comprising: 7. The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the communication means for transmitting the data specifying the vehicle and the data indicating the state of the vehicle is an on-vehicle navigation device. 7. The remote maintenance information providing device according to claim 6, wherein the remote maintenance information providing device transmits data representing the data. 8. A vehicle-mounted navigation device for transmitting the data specifying the vehicle and the data representing the state of the vehicle, and when the navigation device receives data inviting vehicle maintenance, a start switch of the vehicle is provided. 7. The remote maintenance information providing device according to claim 6, wherein data for inviting the vehicle maintenance is displayed on a display unit of the navigation device when the user operates the navigation device. 9. An information providing center includes communication means for transmitting and receiving data to and from a vehicle and a service factory. The information providing center includes: data for identifying the vehicle sent from the vehicle; And receive
Judging the necessity of vehicle maintenance based on the received data, transmitting data inviting vehicle maintenance to vehicles determined to require maintenance, requesting data transmitted from the vehicle to identify the vehicle and vehicle maintenance When receiving the data, the reservation status of the service factory is searched, and the data relating to the parking reservation is transmitted to the service factory, and the data requesting the vehicle maintenance is transmitted to the service factory with the data indicating that the parking reservation has been made at the service factory. A method for providing remote maintenance information. 10. An information providing center includes communication means for transmitting and receiving data to and from a vehicle and a service factory. The information providing center transmits data specifying the vehicle sent from the vehicle and data representing the state of the vehicle. And receive
Judging the necessity of vehicle maintenance based on the received data, searching the reservation status of the service factory, transmitting data for inviting vehicle maintenance and data on the reservation status of the service factory to the vehicles determined to require maintenance. When receiving the data specifying the vehicle and the data requesting vehicle maintenance sent from the vehicle, the vehicle transmits data relating to the parking reservation to the service factory, and the vehicle requesting vehicle maintenance receives a reservation reservation at the service factory. Transmitting a data indicating that the maintenance has been performed.