JP2013117779A - Charging device for taxi vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charging device for taxi vehicle for reliably preventing a passenger from mislaying a portable telephone set or the like on a charger when getting off a taxi vehicle.SOLUTION: The charging device for taxi vehicle includes: a charger interface section 19 for connecting a charger 20 to a taxi meter 10; a portable terminal detection section 22b for detecting the presence/absence of a portable terminal 50 for which the charger is available; a warning control section 11 for monitoring the operating state of the taxi meter, and for outputting a mislaying warning signal in accordance with the detection state of the portable terminal detection section 22b when detecting the depression of a payment button; and a warning section 41 for issuing a predetermined warning to a passenger in accordance with the mislaying warning signal. When detecting the charging completion state of the charger, the charging device for taxi vehicle outputs the mislaying warning signal before the depression of the payment button, and when detecting that the portable terminal 50 is present in an occupied state, starts a charging operation.

Description

  The present invention relates to a taxi vehicle charging device, and more particularly to a taxi vehicle charging device that can be used by a taxi passenger to charge a portable terminal such as a mobile phone.

  Since a portable terminal such as a cellular phone is operated by the power of a rechargeable battery built in the portable terminal, an operation such as a call becomes impossible when the battery runs out. Therefore, a user such as a mobile phone needs to sequentially charge the battery as necessary.

  However, facilities other than when the user is at home cannot often use facilities that can charge the battery of the mobile phone, and the battery may run out. Therefore, mobile phone chargers that are supposed to be installed in taxis are commercially available. Passengers in a taxi equipped with this charger can charge the cell phone battery they own while riding. Therefore, by installing this charger in a taxi vehicle, the taxi company can enhance the convenience for passengers.

  Moreover, the conventional technique of the charger similar to this is disclosed by patent document 1, for example. Patent Document 1 discloses a charger having a multi-tap having various insertion ports so as to match connector shapes of various types of mobile phones.

  Further, paragraphs [0017]-[0018] of Patent Document 1 disclose that this charger is mounted on a taxi vehicle. Furthermore, a technique for preventing the mobile phone from being left on the taxi vehicle charger when the passenger gets out of the taxi vehicle is proposed.

  Specifically, the warning unit detects whether or not the mobile phone is held by the holder unit of the charger main body. Further, the signal processing circuit confirms the presence of the human body (that is, the owner of the mobile phone) based on the sensor signal from the pyroelectric infrared sensor. When the presence of the human body cannot be confirmed even though the mobile phone is held by the holder unit, the signal processing circuit generates a warning signal, sends the warning signal to the voice synthesis circuit, and utters a message from the speaker. . Also, a warning signal is sent to the external portable connection photocoupler output circuit to cause the portable connection display LED to emit light.

JP 2007-174823 A

  However, since the technique of Patent Document 1 detects the presence or absence of a passenger with a pyroelectric infrared sensor, it cannot detect the misplacement of the mobile phone and issue a warning unless the passenger actually gets off the taxi vehicle. .

  Therefore, a crew member who noticed that the mobile phone was misplaced after the passenger got off, stopped calling the passenger, noticed the warning after the passenger got off, returned to picking up the mobile phone, or without being aware of the warning, the passenger was a taxi vehicle There is a possibility of leaving. That is, it is difficult to reliably prevent the cellular phone from being left behind, and in many cases, an extra operation is required to return the cellular phone device after the passenger gets off.

  On the other hand, in recent taxis, there is an increasing number of systems that settle passenger fare using a terminal such as a mobile phone. However, if the mobile phone runs out of battery, it becomes impossible to settle the fee, which is very inconvenient. Therefore, it is assumed that chargers for charging terminals such as mobile phones will be installed in many taxi vehicles in the future, and it is considered that the frequency with which passengers leave terminals such as mobile phones on chargers will increase.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and its purpose is to reliably prevent a terminal such as a mobile phone from being left on the charger when a passenger is about to get out of a taxi vehicle. It is to provide a charging device for a taxi vehicle.

In order to achieve the above-described object, a taxi vehicle charging device according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1) to (4).
(1) A charging device for a taxi vehicle that has a charger for charging a battery of a portable terminal and can be mounted on a taxi vehicle,
A charger interface unit for connecting the charger and the taximeter;
A portable terminal detection unit for detecting presence or absence of a portable terminal capable of using the charger;
A warning control unit that monitors the operation state of the taximeter and outputs a misplacement warning signal according to the detection state of the mobile terminal detection unit when at least detecting a state in which a passenger pays a boarding fee;
A warning unit that issues a predetermined warning to passengers in accordance with the misplacement warning signal.
(2) The taxi vehicle charging device according to (1) above,
When the warning control unit detects the charging completion state of the charger, the warning control unit outputs the misplacement warning signal before detecting a state in which a passenger pays a boarding fee.
(3) The taxi vehicle charging device according to (1) above,
After monitoring the operation state of the taximeter and detecting that the taxi vehicle is in an actual vehicle state, if the charger detects the presence of a portable terminal that can be charged, the charging operation for the portable terminal is automatically performed. A charge control unit is further provided for starting.
(4) The taxi vehicle charging device according to (1) above,
The charger includes a wireless power transmission unit that supplies power to a mobile terminal disposed in the vicinity thereof in a contactless manner.

According to the taxi vehicle charging device having the above configuration (1), when the portable terminal is arranged in the vicinity of the charger on the taxi vehicle for charging, when the passenger pays the boarding fee, A warning about misplacement of the mobile terminal can be automatically issued. Therefore, the passenger will notice misplacement before getting off, and it is possible to reliably prevent the misplacement from occurring. Since a general taximeter has a payment button operated at the time of fee settlement, an operation input to this button can be detected as a state in which a passenger pays a boarding fee.
According to the taxi vehicle charging device having the configuration (2), a warning is generated when charging of the mobile terminal placed on the taxi vehicle for charging is completed even before the taxi vehicle arrives at the destination. This minimizes the length of time passengers keep their mobile devices away from their bodies, and helps prevent misplacement.
According to the taxi vehicle charging device having the configuration (3), the operation of the charger can be stopped when there are no passengers, so that useless power consumption can be suppressed.
According to the taxi vehicle charging device configured as described in (4) above, charging is performed in a non-contact manner. Therefore, various types and types of mobile phones with different types and types can be used without preparing connectors of various shapes for connection. The terminal can be charged.

  According to the taxi vehicle charging device of the present invention, when the portable terminal is arranged in the vicinity of the charger on the taxi vehicle for charging, the portable terminal is misplaced when the passenger pays the boarding fee. Can be automatically alerted. Therefore, the passenger will notice misplacement before getting off, and it is possible to reliably prevent the misplacement from occurring.

  The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through the modes for carrying out the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the system containing the charging device for taxi vehicles of embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the main operations of the charging device for taxi vehicles shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows the vehicle interior external appearance of the taxi vehicle carrying the system shown in FIG.

  Specific embodiments relating to the taxi vehicle charging device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Device configuration>
A configuration example of a system including a taxi vehicle charging device in the present embodiment is shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 3 shows an example of the inside appearance of a taxi vehicle equipped with the system shown in FIG.

  The system shown in FIG. 1 includes a taximeter 10, a wireless charger 20, a payment terminal 30, a voice utterance device 41, a speaker 42, and a portable terminal 50. The portable terminal 50 is a passenger's belonging, and the others are mounted on a taxi vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the taxi meter 10 is installed at a position where display contents such as a boarding fee can be seen by both crew members and passengers, and the crew member can operate the operation unit 16. The wireless charger 20 and the payment terminal 30 are installed at a position where the passenger can operate, for example, in front of the passenger seat or in front of the rear seat, and the speaker 42 is installed at an appropriate position where the passenger can hear the audio output. ing. In addition, the wireless charger 20 has a cradle (not shown) that can hold various types of portable terminals 50 in close proximity so that they can be charged.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the taximeter 10 includes a microcomputer (CPU) 11, a program storage unit (ROM) 12, a set value data storage unit (EEPROM) 13, a memory card I / O unit 14, a time measurement unit 15, An operation unit 16, a display unit (LCD) 17, a vehicle information storage unit (RAM) 18, and an interface (I / F) 19 are provided.

  The microcomputer 11 implements various functions required for the taximeter 10 by reading and executing a program prepared in advance. The microcomputer 11 of this embodiment has a function of controlling the wireless charger 20, the payment terminal 30, and the voice utterance device 41 in addition to a general taximeter control function. Specific operations will be described later.

  The program storage unit 12 is a read-only memory that can be accessed by the microcomputer 11 and holds in advance data of a program to be executed by the microcomputer 11.

  The set value data storage unit 13 is a read-only memory (EEPROM) that can be accessed by the microcomputer 11, and holds various constant data to be referred to by the microcomputer 11 in advance. The data held by the set value data storage unit 13 is rewritten as necessary by an operation of an administrator or the like in accordance with a change in device specifications.

  The memory card I / O unit 14 is an interface for connecting a predetermined memory card (not shown) to the microcomputer 11. The microcomputer 11 can access the memory card via the memory card I / O unit 14, read data from the memory card, and write data. Normally, data collected about taxi sales is recorded sequentially on a memory card.

  The time measuring unit 15 is configured by an integrated circuit (IC) having a clock function, and is used for outputting information on the current time or measuring an elapsed time (for example, a boarding time) from a certain time point. .

  The operation unit 16 includes various operation buttons necessary for the crew to operate the taximeter. Typical operation buttons include an “actual vehicle” button, a “payment” button, an “empty vehicle” button, and the like. The microcomputer 11 can read the state of each operation button of the operation unit 16.

  The display unit 17 is configured by a liquid crystal display panel having a two-dimensional screen capable of displaying various information such as numbers, characters, graphics, and images. Typical examples of information displayed on the screen of the display unit 17 include a boarding fee, a travel distance, a taxi meter status (actual vehicle, payment, empty vehicle, etc.).

  The vehicle information storage unit 18 is configured by a memory (RAM) that can freely read and write data, and temporarily stores various information generated during the traveling of the taxi vehicle under the control of the microcomputer 11. To do.

  The interface 19 is an electric circuit for connecting the wireless charger 20, the payment terminal 30, and the voice utterance device 41 to the taximeter 10. The microcomputer 11 in the taximeter 10 can perform various controls by performing data communication with the wireless charger 20, the payment terminal 30, and the voice utterance device 41 via the interface 19.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless charger 20 includes a system unit 21 and two sets of power transmission units 22 and 23. The power transmission unit 22 includes a power conversion unit 22a, a communication control unit 22b, and a transmission coil 22c. The power transmission unit 23 also includes a power conversion unit 23a, a communication control unit 23b, and a transmission coil 23c.

  The system unit 21 has a function of supplying DC power (Input Power) required by the power conversion units 22a and 23a based on the power supplied from the vehicle side, the taximeter 10, and the communication control units 22b and 23b. It has the function to communicate with.

  The power conversion unit 22a performs switching of the DC power supplied from the system unit 21 to generate AC power, and supplies the generated AC power to the transmission coil 22c. Similarly, the power conversion unit 23a performs switching of the DC power supplied from the system unit 21, generates AC power, and supplies the generated AC power to the transmission coil 23c.

  The communication control unit 22b communicates with the taximeter 10 via the system unit 21, and controls the power conversion unit 22a in conjunction with the operation of the taximeter 10. Similarly, the communication control unit 23b communicates with the taximeter 10 via the system unit 21, and controls the power conversion unit 23a in conjunction with the operation of the taximeter 10.

  Specific examples of the portable terminal 50 include a cellular phone terminal, a portable information terminal, a portable audio player, and the like. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the portable terminal 50 is equipped with a function of charging electric power supplied from the outside wirelessly and charging a battery in the terminal.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 50 includes a power receiving unit 51 and a load 52. The power reception unit 51 includes a power pickup unit 51a, a communication control unit 51b, and a reception coil 51c.

  When the portable terminal 50 is placed on the cradle of the wireless charger 20 on the taxi vehicle, the receiving coil 51c is electromagnetically coupled to the transmitting coil 22c or 23c of the wireless charger 20 that is in close proximity. . That is, when AC power is applied to the transmission coil 22c, AC power is induced in the reception coil 51c coupled thereto.

  The power pickup unit 51a takes in AC power induced in the receiving coil 51c, converts it into DC power, and supplies it to the load 52. The communication control unit 51b detects the states of the load 52 and the power pickup unit 51a and controls them. The load 52 includes a battery built in the portable terminal 50, a charging circuit for charging the battery, a control circuit, and the like.

<Operation of the device>
The main operation of the taxi vehicle charging device shown in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. The operation shown in FIG. 2 will be described below.

  The operation shown in FIG. 2 is realized by the cooperative operation of the taximeter 10 and the wireless charger 20 shown in FIG. The microcomputer 11 may be provided, or may be provided in the system unit 21 or the communication control units 22b and 23b on the wireless charger 20 side.

  That is, when the taximeter 10 is the main body of control, the taximeter 10 sequentially monitors the state of the wireless charger 20 via the interface 19 and sends a control signal for controlling the wireless charger 20 to the interface 19. Output. Further, when the wireless charger 20 is the main subject of control, the wireless charger 20 detects the operation state of the taximeter 10 via the interface 19 and controls the operation of the wireless charger 20 itself according to this state. To do.

When the taximeter 10 is powered on, the process of FIG. 2 is started, and the process proceeds from step S11 to S12.
In step S12, the microcomputer 11 of the taximeter 10 waits until it detects that the “actual vehicle” button of the operation unit 16 is pressed. If it detects that the “actual vehicle” button is pressed, the process proceeds to the next S13. That is, when a new passenger gets on a taxi vehicle in an empty state and this vehicle starts commercial operation, it is detected that the “actual vehicle” button of the taximeter 10 is pressed by an input operation by the crew.

  In step S13, the power transmission unit 22 or 23 identifies whether or not the portable terminal 50 using the wireless charger 20 is arranged at a predetermined position. When the portable terminal 50 is arranged, the process proceeds to the next S14.

  That is, when a passenger puts the portable terminal 50 on the cradle of the wireless charger 20, the transmission coil 22c or 23c and the reception coil 51c are in close proximity, and the transmission coil 22c or The impedance of 23c changes. Therefore, the communication control units 22b and 23b can identify whether or not the portable terminal 50 to be charged exists on the wireless charger 20. Of course, for example, the presence or absence of the portable terminal 50 may be detected by arranging a switch on the cradle. Further, communication between the communication control unit 22b and the communication control unit 51b is performed using electromagnetic coupling between the transmission coil 22c and the reception coil 51c, and the presence or absence of the portable terminal 50 is identified by this communication. Good.

  In step S14, the communication control unit 22b or 23b starts a charging operation. That is, the communication control unit 22b or 23b controls the power conversion unit 22a or 23a, and starts supplying AC power to the transmission coil 22c or 23c.

  When AC power is supplied to the transmission coil 22c, AC power is also induced in the reception coil 51c, and this power supply is transmitted to the portable terminal 50 side. Using this power, the power pickup unit 51a of the power receiver 51 generates DC power and starts charging the battery of the load 52.

  In step S15, the communication control unit 22b or 23b identifies whether or not the charging operation of the portable terminal 50 is completed. If completed, the process proceeds to S18, and if not completed, the process proceeds to S16.

  Actually, when the charging of the battery of the load 52 is completed, the current flowing from the power receiving unit 51 to the load 52 decreases, and the current flowing from the power transmitting unit 22 or 23 to the power receiving unit 51 also decreases. Accordingly, the communication control units 22b and 23b can identify whether or not the charging is completed from the change in the current flowing through the outputs of the power conversion units 22a and 23a.

  Of course, for example, the communication control unit 51b of the power receiving unit 51 may detect whether or not the charging is completed from the change in the state of the load 52 or the power pickup unit 51a. In that case, the communication control units 22b and 23b receive the detection result of the communication control unit 51b through communication, and can grasp whether or not the charging is completed.

  In step S16, the microcomputer 11 of the taximeter 10 identifies whether or not the “payment” button of the operation unit 16 has been pressed. If the “payment” button is pressed, the process proceeds to the next S17 to detect that the “payment” button is pressed. If not, the process returns to S14 and the process is repeated.

  That is, when a taxi vehicle in an actual vehicle state on which a passenger is placed arrives at the destination and the passenger pays the boarding fee, the “payment” button of the taximeter 10 is pressed by an input operation by the crew. This button operation is detected in S16.

  In step S17, the taximeter 10 or the wireless charger 20 controls the voice utterance device 41 to output a warning voice to the passenger. For example, a message with a pseudo voice of “Please be careful not to leave a mobile phone or the like” is generated by the voice uttering device 41 and output from the speaker 42.

  In step S18, the taximeter 10 or the wireless charger 20 controls the voice utterance device 41 and outputs a warning voice to the passenger. For example, the voice uttering device 41 generates a pseudo voice message “Charging is complete. Please be careful not to leave the mobile phone etc.” and outputs it from the speaker 42.

  In step S19, the microcomputer 11 of the taximeter 10 waits until it detects that the “empty vehicle” button of the operation unit 16 is pressed, and when it detects that the “empty vehicle” button is pressed, it returns to S12 and repeats the above processing. That is, it is detected that the “empty” button of the taxi meter 10 is pressed by an input operation by a crew member in order to shift to a vacant state in which a taxi vehicle that has been emptied when the passenger gets off is in operation.

<Advantages of taxi vehicle charging devices>
The taxi vehicle charging device shown in FIG. 1 outputs a warning message regarding misplacement of the portable terminal 50 in step S17 when the payment button of the taximeter 10 is pressed as shown in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to notify the passenger about the possibility of misplacement (when paying the fare) before the passenger gets off the taxi vehicle, and misplacement can be reliably prevented.

  Even before the payment button of the taximeter 10 is pressed, when the charging operation of the portable terminal 50 is completed, a warning message regarding misplacement of the portable terminal 50 is output in step S18. Therefore, the length of time that the passenger keeps the portable terminal 50 at a position away from his / her body can be kept to the minimum necessary, which helps prevent misplacement.

  The wireless charger 20 starts the charging operation (S14) after the passenger actually gets on, the actual vehicle button is pressed, and the portable terminal 50 is placed on the wireless charger 20. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the wireless charger 20 from consuming unnecessary power when there is no passenger.

<Possibility of deformation of taxi vehicle charging device>
In the operation shown in FIG. 2, when it is detected in step S16 that the “payment” button of the taximeter 10 has been pressed, a warning message regarding the misplacement of the portable terminal 50 is output to the passenger. However, a button operation other than “payment” may be detected to output a warning. That is, as with the “payment” button, the operation of other buttons operated at the time of passenger fare adjustment, for example, the operation of the “total” button or the “issue” button on the taximeter may be detected.

  Moreover, in the system shown in FIG. 1, the case where the wireless charger 20 which can supply electric power to the portable terminal 50 by non-contact is used is assumed. However, the charger and the portable terminal 50 may be connected via a predetermined connector to supply power by wire, or a wireless charger and a wired charger may be used in combination.

  In the system shown in FIG. 1, a warning message is output to the passenger from the speaker 42 mounted on the taxi vehicle. However, when the wireless charger 20 and the portable terminal 50 can communicate, a warning message can be output from the speaker on the portable terminal 50.

10 Taximeter 11 Microcomputer (Warning control unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Program storage part 13 Set value data storage part 14 Memory card I / O part 15 Time measurement part 16 Operation part 17 Display part 18 Vehicle information storage part 19 Interface (charger interface part)
20 Wireless charger (wireless power transmitter)
21 System unit 22, 23 Power transmission unit 22a, 23a Power conversion unit 22b, 23b Communication control unit (portable terminal detection unit, charging control unit)
22c, 23c Coil for transmission 30 Payment terminal 41 Voice utterance device (warning unit)
42 Speaker 50 Mobile Terminal 51 Power Receiver 51a Power Pickup Unit 51b Communication Control Unit 51c Coil for Reception 52 Load

Claims (4)

A charging device for a taxi vehicle that has a charger for charging a battery of a portable terminal and can be mounted on a taxi vehicle,
A charger interface unit for connecting the charger and the taximeter;
A portable terminal detection unit for detecting presence or absence of a portable terminal capable of using the charger;
A warning control unit that monitors the operation state of the taximeter and outputs a misplacement warning signal according to the detection state of the mobile terminal detection unit when at least detecting a state in which a passenger pays a boarding fee;
A taxi vehicle charging device comprising: a warning unit that issues a predetermined warning to passengers in accordance with the misplacement warning signal. The warning control unit outputs the misplacement warning signal before detecting a state in which a passenger pays a boarding fee when detecting a charging completion state of the charger. Charger for taxi vehicles. After monitoring the operation state of the taximeter and detecting that the taxi vehicle is in an actual vehicle state, if the charger detects the presence of a portable terminal that can be charged, the charging operation for the portable terminal is automatically performed. The charging device for a taxi vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a charging control unit that starts. The taxi vehicle charging device according to claim 1, wherein the charger includes a wireless power transmission unit that supplies power to a mobile terminal disposed in the vicinity thereof in a non-contact manner.

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