Vehicle remote operation information provision device, vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device, and vehicle remote operation system comprising these devices

• US 10,250,687 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2012
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu Ha T
• Application Number:
  US14/370,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20150163306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,624 Days
• Field of Search: 709225, 709226
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/101 Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2018 Central base unlocks or authorises unlocking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication

Abstract

In a vehicle remote operation system, when acquiring remote operation request information from a user of a vehicle 100, a server 210 in a command administration center 200 transmits access request information, requesting an access to the center 200 as a predetermined connection destination, to a command acquisition ECU 110a mounted on the vehicle 100. When acquiring the access request information transmitted from the center 200, the ECU 110a accesses to the center 200 as the predetermined connection destination connected to a network 400. Thus, the command information server 212 in the center 200 provides command information, corresponding to a remote operation command corresponding to a remote operation requested by the user of the vehicle 100, to the ECU 110a via the network 400. The ECU 110a then supplies the command information to the corresponding vehicle ECU 110 for allowing the vehicle 100 to operate as requested by the user.

Claims

1. A vehicle remote operation information provision device that provides various information pieces relating to a remote operation for a vehicle requested by a user of the vehicle, the device comprising:

a communication interface that realizes indirect communication with the vehicle through a predetermined network or direct communication with the vehicle, and

at least one processor configured to;

acquire remote operation request information indicating a request of a remote operation for the vehicle by the user of the vehicle;

transmit access request information to the vehicle based on the acquired remote operation request information, the access request information including information for use by the vehicle to access a connection destination for prompting provision, to the vehicle, of command information indicating a remote operation command for realizing the remote operation requested by the user of the vehicle;

provide the command information to the vehicle according to the access from the vehicle;

transmit the access request information to the vehicle by using the indirect communication by the communication interface; and

transmit the command information to the vehicle by using the direct communication by the communication interface.

2. The vehicle remote operation information provision device according to claim 1, wherein the connection destination is:

a command administration center that is connected to a predetermined network to which the vehicle is connected, and that provides the command information by communication through the predetermined network, or

an information terminal that is carried by the user of the vehicle, and that provides the command information by either one of the indirect communication with the vehicle through the predetermined network and the direct communication with the vehicle.

3. The vehicle remote operation information provision device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

provide the command information after encrypting the command information with an encryption process.

4. The vehicle remote operation information provision device according to claim 1, wherein the direct communication includes communication without using the predetermined network.

5. The vehicle remote operation information provision device according to claim 4, wherein the direct communication includes a short-range communication protocol.

6. The vehicle remote operation information provision device according to claim 5, wherein the short-range communication protocol includes BLUETOOTH.

7. The vehicle remote operation information provision device according to claim 4, wherein the direct communication includes a paired communication protocol.

8. The vehicle remote operation information provision device according to claim 1, wherein the direct communication includes a short-range communication protocol.

9. The vehicle remote operation information provision device according to claim 8, wherein the short-range communication protocol includes BLUETOOTH.

10. The vehicle remote operation information provision device according to claim 1, wherein the direct communication includes a paired communication protocol.

11. The vehicle remote operation information provision device according to claim 10, wherein the paired communication protocol includes BLUETOOTH.

12. The vehicle remote operation information provision device according to claim 1, wherein the direct communication includes communication without any intermediary device.

13. The vehicle remote operation information provision device according to claim 1, wherein the direct communication and the indirect communication are different means of communication.

14. A vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device that is mounted on a vehicle for acquiring various information pieces, relating to a remote operation for the vehicle requested by a user of the vehicle, from an outside, the device comprising:

a communication interface that realizes indirect communication with the outside through a predetermined network or direct communication with the outside, and

an ECU configured to;

acquire access request information that is transmitted from the outside, the access request information including information for use by the vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device to access a connection destination for prompting provision, to the vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device, of command information indicating a remote operation command for realizing the remote operation requested by the user of the vehicle;

access the connection destination based on the acquired access request information to acquire the command information from the connection destination;

acquire the access request information from the outside by using the indirect communication by the communication interface; and

acquire the command information from the connection destination by using the direct communication by the communication interface.

15. The vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device according to claim 14, wherein the connection destination is:

a command administration center that is connected to a predetermined network to which the vehicle is connected, and that provides the command information by communication through the predetermined network, or

an information terminal that is carried by a user of the vehicle, and that provides the command information by either one of the communication through the predetermined network and the direct communication with the vehicle.

16. The vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device according to claim 14, wherein the ECU is further configured to:

acquire the command information by decrypting the command information, which is encrypted at the connection destination, with a decryption process.

17. A vehicle remote operation system, comprising:

a vehicle remote operation information provision device that provides various information pieces relating to a remote operation for a vehicle requested by a user of the vehicle; and

a vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device that is mounted on the vehicle for acquiring the various information pieces from the vehicle remote operation information provision device, wherein

the vehicle remote operation information provision device includes at least one processor configured to;

acquire remote operation request information indicating a request of a remote operation for the vehicle by the user of the vehicle;

transmit access request information to the vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device based on the acquired remote operation request information, the access request information including information for use by the vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device to access a connection destination for prompting provision, to the vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device, of command information indicating a remote operation command for realizing the remote operation requested by the user of the vehicle; and

provide the command information to the vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device according to the access from the vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device,

the vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device includes an ECU configured to;

acquire the transmitted access request information; and

access the connection destination based on the acquired access request information to acquire the command information from the connection destination,

the vehicle remote operation information provision device and the vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device each include a communication interface that realize indirect communication with each other through a predetermined network or direct communication with each other,

the at least one processor and the ECU transmit and receive the access request information by using the indirect communication by the communication interface, and

the at least one processor and the ECU transmit and receive the command information by using the direct communication by the communication interface.

18. The vehicle remote operation system according to claim 17, wherein the connection destination is:

a command administration center that is connected to a predetermined network to which at least the vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device is connected, and that provides the command information by communication through the predetermined network, or

an information terminal that is carried by a user of the vehicle, and that provides the command information by either one of the communication through the predetermined network and the direct communication with the vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device.

19. The vehicle remote operation system according to claim 17, wherein

the at least one processor is configured to provide the command information after encrypting the command information with an encrypting process, and

the ECU is configured to acquire the command information by decrypting the encrypted command information with a decryption process.

20. The vehicle remote operation system according to claim 17, wherein

the at least one processor is further configured to authenticate the vehicle, to which the vehicle-mounted remote operation information acquisition device is mounted, with the access to the connection destination, and

the ECU is further configured to authenticate the vehicle remote operation information provision device with the acquisition of the transmitted access request information.