Vehicle controller

• US 9,230,425 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2013
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Sasaki, Yoshihiro, Ohta, Mitsuru, Hamaue, Itsuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Assistant Examiner(s): Worden, Tommy
• Application Number:
  US13/851,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20140107866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link

Abstract

A 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 (i) obtains position information at a time of parking start before the controller moves into a sleep mode after the parking start of the vehicle, (ii) obtains position information at a time of reception of the control information when the controller receives the control information that triggers waking the controller up from the sleep mode, from the information processor while the controller is in the sleep mode, and (iii) derives accuracy information of the position information obtained at (i) and (ii) by determining a distance error in a positioning measurement of the position information, 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 based on the derived accuracy 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, based on the derived accuracy information, 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, based on the derived accuracy information, 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 before the controller moves into a sleep mode after the parking start of the vehicle, and

the communicator transmits the position information at the time of parking start, immediately after the controller exits the sleep mode, to the information processor when the controller receives the control information that trigger waking the controller up from the sleep mode, from the information processor while the controller is in the 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-obtaining-part derives accuracy information of the periodically obtained position information and the position information that is most accurate among the plurality of the position information periodically obtained, based on the derived accuracy information, 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, based on the derived accuracy information, 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 before a controller of the vehicle controller that is installed in the vehicle moves into a sleep mode after the parking start of the vehicle;

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

(c) deriving accuracy information of the position information obtained at (a) and (b) by determining a distance error in a positioning measurement of the position information; and

(d) 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, based on the derived accuracy 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, the method comprising:

(a) obtaining position information of the vehicle at a time of parking start before a controller of the vehicle controller that is installed in the vehicle moves into a sleep mode after the parking start of the vehicle; and

(b) transmitting the position information at the time of parking start, immediately after the controller exits the sleep mode, to an information processor that is located outside the vehicle when the controller receives control information that triggers waking the controller up from the sleep mode, from the information processor while the controller is in the sleep mode.