Vehicle data acquisition system and vehicle data acquisition method

• US 8,880,284 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2010
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamauchi, Shinichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): TESTARDI, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US13/878,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20130190946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• Field of Search: 701/33.4, 701/34.2
• US Class Current: 701/33.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable

Abstract

A vehicle data acquisition system that stores, in a memory device, vehicle data acquired by way of a vehicle-mounted information processor. A data acquisition program assisting the acquisition of the vehicle data is dynamically incorporated in the vehicle-mounted information processor. A probe section, which can be replaced with another command, is positioned as an invalid command in one or a plurality of positions in an application program incorporated in advance in the information processor. The data acquisition program replaces the probe section with a vehicle data acquisition command and stores the acquired vehicle data in chronological order in the memory device. The data acquisition program re-replaces the probe section with an invalid command after the vehicle data is acquired.

Claims

1. A vehicle data acquisition system, comprising an in-vehicle information processing device and a storage device, which is configured to acquire vehicle data through the in-vehicle information processing device mounted on a vehicle, and store the acquired vehicle data in the storage device, the in-vehicle information processing device having incorporated therein in advance an information processing section that executes a process procedure of an information processing,

the vehicle data acquisition system comprising:

a data acquisition assisting section that is configured to be dynamically incorporated into the in-vehicle information processing device so as to assist acquisition of the vehicle data by utilizing an information processing operation state of the in-vehicle information processing device; and

a probe section that is arranged as a non-operation instruction at one or a plurality of positions where data acquiring process included in the process procedure is executed, wherein

the probe section is configured to be capable of being replaced with another instruction in accordance with a command from the data acquisition assisting section, and

by being incorporated into the in-vehicle information processing device, the data acquisition assisting section is configured to replace the non-operation instruction of the probe section with an acquiring instruction for the vehicle data, store the vehicle data acquired by the replacement acquiring instruction in the storage device in a chronological order, and re-replace the replacement acquiring instruction of the probe section with the non-operation instruction after having acquired the necessary vehicle data.

2. The vehicle data acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition assisting section is configured to determine whether or not to execute the replacement of the instruction in the probe section in accordance with a state of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle data acquisition system according to claim 2, wherein the data acquisition assisting section is configured to execute the replacement of the instruction in the probe section under a condition that the vehicle is at a halt.

4. The vehicle data acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition assisting section is configured not to execute the replacement of the instruction in the probe section when it is predicted that a time required for information processing by the in-vehicle information processing device will exceed a maximum time allocated to the information processing due to executing the replacement of the instruction in the probe section.

5. The vehicle data acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein

the probe section is one of a plurality of probe sections, and

the data acquisition assisting section is configured to execute the replacement of the instruction in selected one or more of the probe sections such that a time required for information processing by the in-vehicle information processing device does not exceed a maximum time allocated to the information processing.

6. The vehicle data acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition assisting section is configured not to execute the replacement of the instruction in the probe section when it is determined that the acquiring process to acquire the vehicle data via the probe section will give adverse influence on the information processing executed by the in-vehicle information processing device by trying to access an inaccessible address.

7. The vehicle data acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition assisting section is configured not to execute the replacement of the instruction in the probe section when it is determined that the acquiring process to acquire the vehicle data via the probe section will not fulfill an execution condition including at least one of a restriction on access and a restriction on execution time in the in-vehicle information processing device.

8. The vehicle data acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein

an acquiring instruction for the vehicle data is configured to be prepared in the data acquisition assisting section in advance, and

the acquiring instruction is configured to be created such that a time required for information processing by the in-vehicle information processing device does not exceed a maximum time allocated to the information processing.

9. The vehicle data acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition assisting section is configured to be dynamically incorporated into the in-vehicle information processing device via a wired communication or a wireless communication.

10. The vehicle data acquisition system according to claim 9, wherein

the in-vehicle information processing device is configured to execute the process procedure based on an information processing program that is stored in advance,

the probe section is configured to be incorporated as a non-operation instruction in the information processing program,

the data acquisition assisting section is configured to be implemented by an additional program that includes as a script an acquiring instruction for the vehicle data, the acquiring instruction being configured to be capable of being loaded to the in-vehicle information processing device and unloaded from the in-vehicle information processing device,

the probe section is configured to be replaced with the acquiring instruction for the vehicle data in response to loading of the additional program to the in-vehicle information processing device, and

the probe section is configured to be re-replaced with the non-operation instruction after having acquired the necessary vehicle data or in response to unloading of the additional program from the in-vehicle information processing device.

11. The vehicle data acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle data stored in the storage device is configured to be sent to an analysis center, and

the analysis center is configured to analyze a state of the vehicle based on a change in the vehicle data.

12. The vehicle data acquisition system according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle data is configured to be sent to the analysis center from the storage device via a wireless communication.

13. A vehicle data acquisition method configured to acquire vehicle data through an in-vehicle information processing device mounted on a vehicle, and store the acquired vehicle data in a storage device, the in-vehicle information processing device having incorporated therein in advance an information processing section that executes a process procedure of an information processing,

the vehicle data acquisition method comprising:

dynamically incorporating a data acquisition assisting section in the in-vehicle information processing device, the data acquisition assisting section being configured to assist acquisition of the vehicle data by utilizing an information processing operation state of the in-vehicle information processing device;

replacing, with an acquiring instruction for the vehicle data, a probe section arranged as a non-operation instruction at one or a plurality of positions where data acquiring process included in the process procedure is to be executed in response to incorporating of the data acquisition assisting section into the in-vehicle information processing device, wherein the probe section is configured to be capable of being replaced with a replacement section in response to a command from the data acquisition assisting section;

storing the vehicle data acquired by the replacement section in the storage device in a chronological order; and

re-placing the replacement section with the non-operation instruction after having acquired the necessary vehicle data.

14. The vehicle data acquisition method according to claim 13, wherein, in replacing the non-operation instruction of the probe section with the acquiring instruction for the vehicle, a determination of whether or not to execute the replacement of the instruction in the probe section is made in accordance with a state of the vehicle.