VEHICLE CONTROLLER

• US 20140107866A1
• Filed: 03/27/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: HAMAUE, Itsuki, SASAKI, Yoshihiro, OHTA, Mitsuru
• Granted Patent: US 9,230,425 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link

Abstract

A vehicle controller controls one or more operations of a vehicle. The vehicle controller includes a communicator communicating with an information processor located outside the vehicle by transmitting and receiving information, a controller controlling the vehicle controller based on control information transmitted from the information processor, and a position-information-obtaining-part obtaining position information of the vehicle, wherein the position-information-obtaining-part obtains position information at a time of parking start upon parking start of the vehicle, and obtains position information at a time of reception of the control information when the controller receives the control information from the information processor while being in a sleep mode, and when the position-information-obtaining-part obtains the position information at the time of reception of the control information, the communicator transmits a more accurate one of the position information at the time of parking start and the position information at the time of reception of the control information.

Claims

1. A vehicle controller that is installed in a vehicle and that controls one or more operations of the vehicle, the vehicle controller comprising:

a communicator that communicates with an information processor that is located outside the vehicle by transmitting and receiving information;

a controller that controls the vehicle controller based on control information transmitted from the information processor; and

a position-information-obtaining-part that obtains position information of the vehicle, wherein

the position-information-obtaining-part obtains (i) position information at a time of parking start upon parking start of the vehicle, and obtains (ii) position information at a time of reception of the control information when the controller receives the control information from the information processor while the controller is in a sleep mode, and

when the position-information-obtaining-part obtains the position information at the time of reception of the control information, the communicator transmits a more accurate one of (a) the position information at the time of parking start and (b) the position information at the time of reception of the control information.

2. The vehicle controller of claim 1, wherein the position-information-obtaining-part periodically obtains the position information until a prescribed period of time elapses since the parking start of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle controller of claim 2, wherein the position information that is most accurate among the plurality of the position information periodically obtained is treated as the position information at the time of parking start.

4. The vehicle controller of claim 3, further comprising:

a memory that stores the position information, wherein

the controller compares accuracy of the position information newly obtained and accuracy of the position information previously obtained, and stores in the memory the position information that is more accurate as the position information at the time of parking start.

5. The vehicle controller of claim 4, wherein

when receiving the control information, the controller compares the accuracy of the position information at the time of parking start stored in the memory and the accuracy of the position information at the time of reception of the control information.

6. A vehicle controller that is installed in a vehicle and that controls one or more operations of the vehicle, the vehicle controller comprising:

a communicator that communicates with an information processor that is located outside the vehicle by transmitting and receiving information;

a controller that controls the vehicle controller based on control information transmitted from the information processor; and

a position-information-obtaining-part that obtains position information of the vehicle, wherein

the position-information-obtaining-part obtains position information at a time of parking start upon parking start of the vehicle, and

the communicator transmits the position information at the time of parking start to the information processor when the controller receives the control information from the information processor while the controller is in a sleep mode.

7. The vehicle controller of claim 6, wherein

the position-information-obtaining-part periodically obtains the position information until a prescribed period of time elapses since the parking start of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle controller of claim 7, wherein

the position information that is most accurate among the plurality of the position information periodically obtained is treated as the position information at the time of parking start.

9. The vehicle controller of claim 8, further comprising:

a memory that stores the position information, wherein

the controller compares accuracy of the position information newly obtained and accuracy of the position information previously obtained, and stores in the memory the position information that is more accurate as the position information at the time of parking start.

10. A vehicle control method for controlling a vehicle, the method performed by a vehicle controller installed in the vehicle and comprising the steps of:

(a) obtaining position information of the vehicle at a time of parking start upon parking start of the vehicle;

(b) obtaining position information of the vehicle at a time of reception of control information when a controller of the vehicle controller that is installed in the vehicle receives the control information from an information processor that is located outside the vehicle while the controller is in a sleep mode; and

(c) transmitting to the information processor a more accurate one of (i) the position information at the time of parking start and (ii) the position information at the time of reception of the control information, when the position information at the time of reception of the control information is obtained.

11. A vehicle control method for controlling a vehicle, the method performed by a vehicle controller installed in the vehicle and comprising the steps of:

(a) obtaining position information of the vehicle at a time of parking start upon parking start of the vehicle; and

(b) transmitting the position information at the time of parking start to an information processor that is located outside the vehicle when a controller of the vehicle controller that is installed in the vehicle receives control information from the information processor while the controller is in a sleep mode.